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THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY 

OF 

OREGON 


1811-1912 


ILLUSTRATED 


V.  /     "^y    J<l^eph   fr.Af.  fori 


VOLUME  IV 


CHICAGO 

THE  S.  J.  CLARKE  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 

1912 

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DEAX    BLAXCHAlffi 


BIOGRAPHICAL 


JUDGE  DEAN  BLANCHARD.  While  Judge 
Dean  Blanchard  has  traveled  life's  journey 
for  more  than  seventy-nine  years  he  is  still 
an  active  factor  in  the  world's  work,  superin- 
tending his  invested  interests  which  are  many 
and  important.  His  title  indicates  the  pro- 
fessional service  to  which  he  formerly  gave 
his  attention,  but  after  long  connection  with 
the  bar,  in  which  he  won  iiistinction.  he  re- 
tired to  devote  his  time  to  his  landed  in- 
terests and  other  business  affairs  in  the 
northwest.  The  width  of  the  continent  sepa- 
rates him  from  his  birthplace,  which  was 
iladison.  Maine,  his  natal  day  being  Decem- 
ber 20,  1832.  His  father.  Merrill  Blanchard, 
was  born  in  Abington,  Massachusetts,  July 
18,  1S06,  and  is  descended  from  Huguenot 
ancestry  who  settled  near  London  after  leav- 
ing France  and  in  1629  came  to  the  new 
world.  The  grandfather  of  Merrill  Blanchard, 
Captain  Thomas  Blanchard,  born  in  1720. 
died  on  the  14th  of  November,  1803.  :\Ierrill 
Blanchard  conducted  a  hotel  in  early  life  and 
later  devoted  his  energies  to  farming.  In  the 
early  period  of  development  in  the  northwest 
he  came  to  Oregon  but  retiirned  to  the  east 
in  18.56.  spending  the  ensuing  twenty  years 
in  that  part  of  the  country.  In  1876  he  once 
more  came  to  the  northwest  and  here  lived 
a  retired  life.  In  early  manhood  he  wedded 
Eunice  Weston,  who  was  born  in  Madison, 
Maine,  in  1804.  and  died  in  1S41.  He  long 
survived  his  wife,  passing  away  May  3,  1S89. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Anna 
(Powers  1  Weston.  The  Powers  family  had 
held  landed  rights  in  England  since  1222 
and  the  family  date  their  residence  there 
from  the  time  of  William  the  Conqueror. 
Benjamin  Weston  was  a  son  of  -Judge  Weston. 
of  Lincoln,  Masaschusetts.  who  married 
Eunice  Farnsworth,  a  daughter  of  Aaron  and 
Hannah  (Barrows)  Farnsworth  and  the 
granddaughter  of  Benjamin  and  ilary  (Pres- 
cott)  Farnsworth.  In  the  family  of  Merrill 
Blanchard  were  eight  children:  Xathan  W., 
living  at  Santa  Paula,  California;  Dean;  Ann, 
the  widow  of  Henry  Russell  and  now  a  resi- 
dent of  St.  Johns.  Xew  Bnmswick;  Sarah 
W.,  who  is  the  widow  of  John  Dibblee  and  a 
resident  of  Rainier;  William  E..  conducting 
the  Arlington  Hotel  in  Boston,  Massachusetts: 
;Mary.  the  deceased  wife  of  John  Leary.  of 
Seattle;  and  two  who  died  in  early  child- 
hood. 


Judge  Dean  Blanchard  acquired  his  educa- 
tion   in    the   Houlton    Academy    at   Houlton, 
Maine.    His  identification  with  the  northwest 
dates  from  the  days  when  Oregon  was   still 
under   territorial    rule.      He   served   as   clerk 
of  the  United  States  district  courts  and  also 
as  county  auditor  of  Columbia  county  before 
Oregon  was  admitted  to  the  Union.     Follow- 
ing  its   admission   he   was   the   first    county 
clerk   of  that  county,   serving  for  one  term, 
and  in   1874  was  elected  county  judge.     His 
service  on  the  bench  was  most  commendable 
but  after  he  had  filled  that  position  for  eight 
years  he  refused  to  continue  longer  in  office. 
His  friends  and  admirers,  however,  would  not 
consent  to  his  retirement  and  when  he  was 
away  from  home  nominated   him   again  and 
once  more  he  was  shown  to  be  the  choice  of 
the  people  at  the  polls  so  that  he  remained 
in    office    four    years    longer.      His    decisions 
were    strictly    fair   and    impartial    and    were 
based  upon  the  law  and  equity  in  the  case. 
He  was  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  prom- 
inent  and   able   jurists   of   the   state   during 
the  period  when  he  sat  upon  the  bench.     For 
fifty-seven   years   he  has  been  a  resident   of 
Oregon  and  Rainier  since  1864.     About  that 
time  he  purchased  an  interest  in  an  old  saw- 
mill which  he  repaired  and  he  later  bought 
out  his  partner.     In   1882   he  tore  down   the 
old  mill,  erecting  a  new  one,  which  he  oper- 
ated  successfiilly   until    1907,   when   he   sold 
out.     From  time  to  time  he  has  been  inter- 
ested   in    other   business   enterprises.     When 
the   lumber  business   became   somewhat   dull 
he  took  up  contracting  and  building,  employ- 
ing a  tow  boat,  and  to  utilize  the  product  of 
his    mill   took   contracts   to   build   along   the 
river.     He   also   operated   a   salmon   cannery 
at  Astoria  which  he  sold  a  year  later.     He 
has  built  more  than  half  of  the  docks  along 
the  Columbia  river  from  its  mouth  to  Rainier 
and  at  diflferent  times  has  invested  in  prop- 
erty, owning  as  high  as  one  thousand  acres 
of  timber  land  in  Oregon.     In  recent   years, 
however,   he   has   been   selling  his    property, 
the  rise  in  realty  values  bringing  him  a  good 
return  upon  his  investment.     At  one  time  he 
was  the  owner  of  the  town  site  of  Rainier. 
He  still  has  considerable  property,  including 
lots  in  Portland  and  elsewhere.     He  has  em- 
ployed many  men.  often  having  fifty  or  more 
in   his    service,    and   through   his   payroll   he 
has  contributed  much  to  the  development  of 


6 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


the  county,  distributing  money  which  has 
gone  for  the  upbuilding  of  this  section  of  the 
state. 

When  Judge  Blanchard  came  to  the  north- 
west the  Indians  were  rery  numerous  in  this 
section  of  the  country  and  he  learned  to  talk 
tlie  Chinook  language.  In  politics  he  is  a 
republican  with  independent  tendencies  and 
always  keeps  well  informed  upon  the  ques- 
tions" and  issues  01  the  day.  He  is  prominent 
in  ilasonry,  haWng  attained  the  Knight 
Templar  degree  of  the  York  Rite,  the  thirty- 
second  degree  of  the  Scottish  Rite,  and  is  a 
member  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  He  has  held 
all  of  the  offices  in  his  lodge  and  throughout 
his  life  has  been  an  exemplary  representatire 
of  the  craft.  He  has  ever  favored  progress 
along  various  avenues  of  advancement  and 
his  svmpathv  with  the  churches  is  indicated 
hv  the  fact  that  he  has  given  sites  for  the 
buildings  of  all  of  the  churches  except  the 
Catholic  church,  which  was  erected  here  after 
he  had  disposed  of  his  lots.  The  town  of 
Rainier  and  Columbia  county  are  indebted 
to  him  for  his  active  cooperation  in  all  that 
has  tended  to  promote  their  welfare.  He  en- 
jovs  the  regard  and  confidence  of  his  fellow- 
men  to  an  unusual  degree  and  his  life  record 
is  indeed  a  commendable  one. 

CAPTAIN  JOHN  C.  AINSWORTH.  Among 
the  builders  of  the  great  northwest  Captain 
John  C.  Ainsworth  "was  prominent,  taking 
active  part  in  the  development  of  the  mate- 
rial resources  of  the  country  and  the  promo- 
tion of  commercial  and  financial  interests. 
His  initiative  spirit  and  notable  ability  car- 
ried him  into  important  relations  and  the 
breadth  and  scope  of  his  activities  were  such 
that  his  labors  constituted  an  important  fea- 
ture in  the  history  of  Portland  and  of  the 
Pacific  coast.  For  more  than  four  decades 
he  was  identified  with  this  section  of  the 
country,  coming  to  the  west  soon  after  the 
discovery  of  gold  in  California. 

He  was  at  that  time  a  young  man  of 
twenty-eight  years,  his  birth  having  occurred 
at  Springboro"  Warren  county.  Ohio,  on  the 
6th  of  June,  1S22.  He  was  only  seven  or 
eight  years  of  age  when  he  lost  his  father. 
George"  Ainsworth,  and  at  an  early  age  be- 
gan providing  for  his  own  support,  being 
employed  on  the  ilississippi  river  when  yet  in 
his  teens.  His  ability  and  faithfulness  won 
him  rapid  promotion  until  he  became  pilot 
and  subsequently  master  on  a  passenger 
steamer  sailing  between  St.  Louis  and  up- 
river  points.  He  was  thus  engaged  at  the 
time  of  the  discovery  of  gold  in  California, 
and  recognizing  the  possibilities  for  labor 
and  capital  in  that  state  he  arranged  his 
plans  to  m.ike  a  trip  to  the  coast,  whither 
he  journeyed  in  company  with  William  C. 
Ralston,  who  became  one  of  the  distinguished 
bankers  and  financiers  of  the  great  west. 
The  friendship  between  the  two  men  con- 
tinued throughout  their  remaining  days.  ilr. 
Ralston,  however,  remained  in  San  Fran- 
cisco where  he  figured  as  one  of  the  pioneer 
bankers  of  the  city,  while  Mr.  Ainsworth 
went  to  Oregon  to  take  command  of  the  Lot 
Whitcomb    the    first    steamer    that    ran    on 


the  Willamette  and  Columbia  rivers.  He  re- 
mained lor  many  years  thereafter  a  center 
tigure  in  marine  interests  in  this  section  of 
the  country,  developing  his  business  in  pro- 
portion to  the  rapid  growth  and  settlement 
of  the  northwest.  To  his  thorough  and  prac- 
tical knowledge  of  the  business  in  all  its 
details  was  due  the  marvelous  success 
achieved  by  the  great  transportation  com- 
pany in  which  he  was  President  and  the 
leading  spirit  from  the  time  of  its  incep- 
tion until  the  Oregon  Steamship  &  Xaviga- 
tion  Company  was  merged  with  the  Oregon 
Railroad  &  Navigation  Company.  Of  "the 
latter.  Captain  Ainsworth  continued  as  presi- 
dent until  ISSl.  when  it  was  sold  to  the 
ViUard  Syndicate  for  five  million  dollars. 
Realizing  that  transportation  facilities  must 
ever  constitute  the  foundation  for  growth  and 
development  in  a  new  country,  he  was  in- 
strumental in  building  the  Missouri  Pacific 
railroad  from  California  to  the  south,  get- 
ting the  first  train  through  to  Puget  Sound 
twenty-four  hours  before  the  exploration  of 
a  valuable  land  subsidy.  The  means  for 
this  undertaking  he  personally  furnished. 

His  sound  business  judgment  was  seldom 
if  ever  at  fault  in  any  transaction  and  his 
keen  insight  into  business  propositions  en- 
abled him  to  look  beyond  the  exigencies  of 
the  moment  to  the  possibilities  of  the  future, 
so  that  he  labored  not  alone  for  his  own 
generation  but  for  those  who  follow  after. 
His  activities  touched  many  lines  aU  of 
which  profited  by  the  stimulus  of  his  effort 
and  business  discernment.  In  ISSl  he  erected 
the  Ainsworth  building  in  Portland,  at  the 
c-omer  of  Oak  and  Third  streets  and  about 
the  same  time  established  the  Central  Bank 
of  Oakland,  California,  of  which  he  remained 
the  president  until  his  death.  In  18S3  he 
organized  the  Ainsworth  National  Bank  of 
Portland.  He  financed  many  projects  which 
have  constituted  important  elements  in  the 
upbuilding  of  the  northwest,  and  his  activity 
and  enterprise  enabled  him  to  carry  forward 
to  successful  completion  whatever  he  under- 
took. He  came  to  be  known  as  a  prominent 
figure  in  .American  finance,  his  ability  being 
recognized  in  financial  circles  in  the  east  as 
well  as  in  the  west.  He  always  maintained 
a  liberal  policy  with  his  employes,  giving  to 
them  always  a  fair  compensation  for  their 
labor,  and  it  was  one  of  the  well  known 
axioms  of  his  business  policy  "give  the  boys 
good  salaries." 

Following  his  retirement  from  business  life 
The  Dalles  Inland  Empire  said  of  him  edi- 
torially: "He  has  been  at  all  times  a  gen- 
tlemanly public  servant  and  faithful  cus- 
todian of  the  interests  of  his  fellow  stock- 
holders and  a  most  equitable  and  merciful 
employer.  In  fine,  he  has  been  a  good 
friend  to  friends  and  a  semi-foe  to  enemies. 
His  broad  sense  of  justice  has  made  him  the 
object  of  an  almost  filial  degree  of  aflFections 
from  his  employes  and  to  his  sagacity  in 
making  three  volunteer  reductions  of  freight 
rates  without  compulsion  in  five  years  time, 
the  growth  and  expansion  of  the  western 
empire  are  largely  attributable. 

Captain  Ainsworth  was  a  large  investor 
in  Tacoma  real  estate  and  was  prominently 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OP  OREGON 


identified  witli  tlio  construction  of  tJie  North- 
ern Pacific  Railroad  Company  bet\Yeen  the 
Columbia  river  and  I'uget  Sound.  Follow- 
ing his  removal  to  California  in  ISSO,  he 
was  largely  interested  in  local  banking  and 
in  the  "initiation  and  promotion  of  other 
business  enterprises  in  that  state.  lie  fi- 
nanced the  project,  making  Redondo  Beach 
what  it  is  today— one  of  the  finest  seaside 
resorts  on  the  Pacific  coast,  expending  nearly 
three  million  dollars  in  this  undertaking  and 
later  sold  it  to  H.  K.  Huntington.  His  plans 
were  always  wisely  formulated  and  carefully 
executed  a'nd  he  displayed  a  notable  mastery 
of  detail  that  enabled  him  to  use  each  point 
of  the  business  to  its  best  advantage. 

Captain  Ainswortli  was  married  three 
times;  his  first  wife  died  in  six  months  after 
their  marriage.  His  second  wife  was  Jane 
White,  a  daughter  of  Judge  S.  S.  White,  a 
pioneer  of  1S45.  who  settled  in  Oregon  City. 
To  this  marriage  was  born  George  J.  Ains- 
worth.  who  is  later  spoken  of  in  this  Avork. 
Mrs.  Ainsworth  died  in  1S63.  He  was  then 
married  in  San  B'rancisco  to  Hiss  Fanny 
Babbitt,  a  daughter  of  General  Edwin  Bab- 
bitt of  the  United  States  Army.  Unto  this 
marriage  were  born  six  children:  J.  C.  Ains- 
worth.'of  Portland:  H.  B.  Ainsworth,  of  Los 
Angeles.  California:  Laura  Ainsworth.  de- 
ceased, the  wife  of  John  S.  Baker,  of  Tacoma, 
Washington;  Daisv  Ainsworth,  wife  of  Percy 
T.  Moi^gan,  of  San  Francisco,  California: 
Maud  Ainsworth  of  Portland;  and  Belle 
Ainsworth,  wife  of  Ralph  Jeukii\s,  of  Port- 
land. 

The  death  of  Captain  Ainswortli  occurred 
December  30.  1S93.  at  his  home  near  Oakland, 
California.  }le  was  for  years  a  prominent 
:Mason  and  Ainsworth  Chapter  of  Rose  Croix 
is  named  in  his  honor.  He  was  the  first 
grand  master  from  this  state  and  was  for 
years  captain  and  inspector  general  of  the 
supreme  council  of  the  southern  jurisdiction 
in  the  state  of  Oregon,  the  highest  post  of 
honor  possible  of  attainment  in  the  state. 
The  honorary  thirty-third  degree  was  also 
conferred  upon  him.  "  While  he  attained  prom- 
inence and  eminent  success  in  business,  his 
own  advancement  was  never  at  the  sacrifice 
of  other  interests  and  he  retained,  as  few 
men  have  done,  the  friendship  and  good-will 
of  his  business  associates  and  colleag\U's. 
Moreover,  those  who  knew  him  socially,  en- 
tertained for  liini  the  warmest  regard.  In 
his  life  he  embodied  the  principles  of  upright 
manhood  and  citizenship,  and  his  lab(U-s  were 
ever  of  a  character  that  contributcil  not  alone 
to  individual  success  but  also  to  the  general 
welfare  and  prosperity.  His  name  is  written 
high  on  the  roll  of  the  honored  dead  who 
were  among  the  builders  and  promoters  of 
the  great  northwest. 

J.  G.  HOUSER.  ilodern  agriculture  re- 
quires for  its  development  an  efTiciency  and  a 
thorongh  knowledge  which  amounts  aliniist 
to  a  science.  It  is  becoming  recognized  as  an 
occupation  in  which  practical  methods  result 
in  a  high  degree  of  prosperity.  J.  G.  Honser 
in   the   cultivation   of   forty  acres   of  land   on 


the  middle   fork   of  the  Coquille   river,  Coos 
county,  Oregon,  exemplifies  the  truth  of  this 
statement,     lie   was  born  in  North  Carolina 
in  1871  and  is  the  son  of  Evander  and  Sarah 
(Potter)  Houser,  both  initives  of  South  Caro- 
lina.    They  moved  to  the  state  in  which  their 
son  was  horn  at  an  early  date  and  their  mar- 
riage occurred  there.    Tliey  made  North  Caro- 
lina their  place  of  residence  until  they  came 
to  Oregon  in   1S7'.),  si'ttling  on  the  site  where 
I  he  village  of  Bridge  now  stands.    Their  origi- 
nal location  was  nuide  on  the  middle  fork  of 
the  Coquille  river  and  here  the  father  proved 
up   k   homestead   claim   of  one   hundred   and 
sixty  acres  and  was  successful  in  the  cultiva- 
tion   and    improvement    of    the    soil    for    six 
years.    He  later  moved  to  Coos  county,  where 
lie    spent    tw(>lve    years    in   ranching,    subse- 
quently repurchasing  his  old  farm  at  Bridge 
and  bringing  it  to  a  high  state  of  I'ultivation 
before     he     disposed     of    his     property.      He 
bought  the  Jinkins  ranch  in  the  same  vicinity 
and"  this  is  still  his  home.     His  wife  died  in 
1910.     The  elder  Mr.  Houser   is  one   of  the 
representative    and    nourishing   agriculturists 
of   Coos    county    and    carries   on    his    farming 
along  modern  aiul  progressive  principles.     lie 
became    the    father    of    nine    children:       Mrs. 
:\lary  ilachado,  of  Myrtle  Point;   J.  G.,  the 
subject   of   this   review;    Maggie,   who   is   de- 
eease<l:     Mrs.    Florence    AVarner    of    Myrtle 
Creek,  Oregon;  Laura,  the  widow  of  Thomas 
Rookard   of  Myrtle   Creek;    Finas   and   Inez, 
twins,  the  latter  of  whom  resides  in  Bridge, 
Oregon:    Edna,   who   has   passed   away;    and 
Josie,  who  lives  at  home. 

Mr.  Houser  received  his  education  in  Coos 
county  and  remained  at  home  until  his  mar- 
riage.' at  the  age  of  twenty-four  years.  At 
Iha^t  time  he  obtained  employment  in  a  log- 
ging camp  and  worked  at  lumbering  until 
1910.  During  this  time  he  invested  in  Coos 
rounty  farm'lands,  buying  forty  acres  upon 
the  middle  fork  of  the  Coquille  river  near 
Bridge.  He  has  now  abandoned  all  connec- 
tion with  the  logging  industry  and  is  giv- 
ing his  entire  :itteiition  to  his  farm  and 
isone  of  the  representative  and  enterpris- 
ing  agriculturists   of   Coos   county. 

Mr.  Houser's  marriage  occurred  on  the 
2Tth  of  April,  1S9.5,  when  he  wedded  Miss 
.Tosie  Pierce.  Her  father  was  one  of  the 
early  settlers  of  Oregon,  living  practically  all 
his  life  on  Coos  bay.  where  he  died  in  1906. 
lie  was  survived  by  his  wife  until  1913,  when 
her  death  occurred.  They  were  the  parents 
of  eight  (iiildren:  Eva,  who  is  married  and 
lives  in  Portland,  Oregon;  Frank,  now  resid- 
ing on  his  father's  homestead  in  Coos  county; 
Emmett.  who  makes  his  home  in  Marsh- 
field.  Oregon:  Josie.  the  wife  of  our  subject: 
Mrs.  Edna  Duckett.  who  lives  on  the  north 
fork  of  the  Coos  river;  Mrs.  Bertha  Parks, 
of  California;  and  Katie  and  Clevie.  deceased. 
Mrs.  Houser  is  a  member  of  the  Christian 
church.  She  is  the  mother  of  six  children: 
Harry,  whose  birth  occurred  in  1S98;  Edith, 
h(U-n"in  1900;  Archie,  who  passed  away  when 
he  was  four  years  of  age:  Olis,  who  died 
when  he  was  three  years  old:  Virgie.  whose 
birth  occurred  in  1904;  and  Clara,  who  died 
in    infancT. 


8 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


III  his  political  affiliations  Mr.  Ilouser  is 
a  consistent  republican  and  always  votes 
the  party  ticket.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
llodern  Woodmen  of  America,  holding  mem- 
bership in  the  lodge  at  Marslifield,  t)regon. 
He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  ilyrtle 
Point  Lodge  of  Woodmen  but  has  trans- 
ferred bis  membership.  He  is  one  of  the 
many  farmers  in  Coos  county  who  are  carry- 
ing on  agriculture  along  practical  lines  and 
has   met   with   fair  success. 

W.  H.  H.  MORGAN,  residing  in  Portland 
and  engaged  in  the  live-stock  business,  was 
born  December  S,  1S40,  in  Ohio,  a  son  of  Kd- 
ward  and  Mary  (Shirley)  Morgan.  The  father 
was  born  in  London  and  the  mother,  a  native 
of  Virginia,  was  of  German  descent.  Tliev 
were  among  the  early  settlers  of  Ohio  and  iii 
liis  native  land  Edward  Morgan  learned  and 
followed  the  shoemaker's  trade.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  that  country  and  with  his  wife  and 
three  children  came  to  the  United  States  when 
about  thirty  years  of  age.  Subsequently  he 
lost  his  first  wife  and  wedded  Mary  Shirley. 
In  Ohio  he  followed  the  occupation  of  fann- 
ing and  thus  provided  for  his  family,  which 
numbered  altogether  twenty-two  children, 
born  of  the  two  marriages. 

After  living  in  the  Buckeye  state  Edward 
Morgan  removed  to  Iowa,  where  he  resided 
for  two  years.  In  1S45  he  started  across  the 
plain.s  with  ox  teams  to  the  far  west,  travel- 
ing with  a  large  wagon  train  which  slowly 
wended  its  way  toward  the  Pacific  coast,  six 
months  elapsing  before  the  end  of  the  jour- 
ney. Mr.  .Morgan  at  length  reached  Linnton. 
Oregon,  which  lies  just  across  the  river  from 
St.  .Tohns  and  within  a  few  miles  of  Port- 
land. There  was  only  one  log  cabin  on  the 
present  site  of  Portland  at  that  time.  Mr. 
Morgan  located  in  the  center  of  Sauvie's 
island,  where  he  took  up  six  hundred  and 
forty  acres  of  land  as  a  donation  claim. 
Later,  however,  he  sold  that  property  and  in 
1S50  removed  to  the  farm  which  is  now 
owned  by  his  son,  W.  H.  H.  l^forgan.  At  that 
time  he  secured  six  hundred  and  forty  acres 
of  land,  for  which  he  paid  one  hundred  dol- 
lars. This  place  is  fourteen  miles  north  of 
Portland.  At  that  time  there  were  compara- 
tively few  white  men  in  this  section  and 
most  of  them  had  squaw  wives.  Mr.  Mor- 
gan built  a  house  of  hewed  Cottonwood  loos. 
In  the  family  at  that  time  there  were  the 
parents  and  seven  children.  They  had  two 
yoke  of  cattle  and  one  cow.  The  log  cabin 
remained  the  home  of  the  family  for  about 
eight  years,  after  which  Edward  Morgan  built 
a  frame  dwelling,  purchasing  the  lumber  from 
Mr.  Wells  at  Wilwaukee.  Later  his  son. 
whose  name  introduces  this  review  erected  a 
fine  residence  upon  the  farm.  The  father 
died  in  1S73  at  the  ripe  old  ace  of  eightv- 
four  years,  and  the  mother  passed  away  in 
1875  at  the  age  of  sixty-six  years.  Tn  jjoli- 
tics  he  was  a  very  strong  aboiitionist  in  ante 
helium  days  and  when  the  republican  partv 
was  formed  to  prevent  the  further  extension 
of  slavery  into  the  north  he  joined  its  ranks. 
However,  he  would  never  consent  to  hold 
office   but   in   other  ways  did  all   he  could   to 


promote  the  success  of  his  party  and  secure 
the  adoption  of  its  principles.  He  was  a  life- 
long and  devoted  member  of  the  Baptist 
church  and  always  lived  in  consistent  har- 
mony with  his  professions.  He  always  fol- 
lowed farming  after  coming  to  Oregon  but 
at  length  sold  his  place  about  fourteen  miles 
from  Portland  and  removed  to  Clackamas 
county,  while  later  he  became  a  resident  of 
Washington  county.  A  daughter  of  the  fam- 
ily, Mrs.  Julia  Ann  Freeman,  is  now  living 
in  Portland,  while  another  daughter.  Mrs. 
Katherine  Dunn,  lives  on  Sauvie's  island  and 
still  another  one.  Mrs.  Lucinda  Boynton,  is 
living  in  the  Willamette  valley.  A  son. 
George,  makes  his  home  in  Washington  county 
and  Edward  in  Roseburg.  Oregon,  while  still 
another  daughter,  Mrs.  Sarah  Ott,  is  living 
near  Fort  Madison,  Iowa,  at  the  very  ad- 
vanced age  of  eighty-nine  years. 

W.  H.  H.  Morgan,  brought  to  Oregon  in 
1S45,  was  reared  amid  the  wild  scenes  and 
environment  of  pioneer  life.  The  river 
courses  of  the  state  made  their  way  be- 
tween banks  upon  which  great  pine  forests 
grew  and  through  the  forests  the  Indians 
roamed  at  will,  far  outnumbering  the  white 
settlers  who  had  ventured  into  the  western 
wilderness  to  plant  the  seeds  of  civilization 
here.  The  unsettled  and  undeveloped  condi- 
tion of  the  countrj'  was  such  that  Mr.  Mor- 
gan had  practically  no  school  privileges.  The 
homes  of  the  settlers  were  too  far  distant 
from  each  other  to  permit  of  public  schools 
being  maintained  and  the  education  which 
Mr.  Morgan  has  acquired  has  come  to  him 
through  his  reading,  observation  and  broaden- 
ing experience.  He  has  alwaj's  followed  farm- 
ing and  stock-raising  and  in  the  fall  of  1864 
he  purchased  one-half  of  his  father's  farm 
and  later  bought  the  other  half  of  his  brother- 
in-law,  so  that  he  is  now  the  owner  of  the 
old   homestead  property. 

It  was  on  the  SOth  of  April,  1864, 
at  Vancouver,  Washington,  that  Mr.  Morgan 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Sarah  E. 
Orchard,  a  daughter  of  Jesse  C.  and  Minerva 
Ann  (Medford)  Orchard.  She  was  born  in 
Texas  and  in  1S52  came  over  the  plains  with 
her  parents  to  Oregon,  the  journey  being 
made  with  ox  teams.  Her  father  had  foj- 
lott-ed  farming  in  Texas  and  on  reaching  this 
state  settled  in  Polk  county,  where  he  re- 
sided until  1862,  when  he  came  to  Multnomah 
county.  Here  he  took  up  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  land,  which  he  cultivated  for  a 
time,  but  later  sold  that  property  and  re- 
moved to  eastern  Oregon,  his  death  occurring 
in  that  part  of  the  state.  His  wife  passed 
away  in  Washington,  Of  their  children  Mrs. 
-America  Ann  Thomas  lives  in  Portland,  while 
James  A.  and  Jasper  are  residents  of  Wash- 
ing and  two  sons,  John  0.  and  Oscar,  are  in 
California.  The  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Morgan  was  blessed  with  eleven  children: 
Charles  C,  who  died  in  childhood;  Elmina. 
the  wife  of  David  Kurtz,  of  Portland,  and 
the  mother  of  two  children.  Roy  and  Alma; 
Nellie  B.,  at  home:  Nettie,  the 'wife  of  Ver- 
non Jefi'cott.  of  Portland,  by  whom  she  has 
one  son.  ilorgan;  Daisy,  the  wife  of  Al- 
bert    H.     Demke     of     Chicago;     I.uella.     the 


w.  11.  II.  .M(ik(;an 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


11 


wife  of  W.  S.  Copeland,  of  Sauvie's  island; 
Alba,  of  Portland,  who  married  iladge  Kay 
and  has  one  son,  William  K. ;  Laura,  the  wife 
of  Omar  C.  Spencer,  of  Portland,  and  the 
mother  of  two  children,  Helen  E.  and  John 
Alfred;  Xewton.  of  Portland,  who  married 
Bessie  Monroe:  and  two  who  died  in  infancy. 
In  his  political  views  Mr.  Morgan  has  al- 
ways been  a  republican  but  the  honors  and 
emoluments  of  ottiee  have  had  no  attraction 
for  him.  He  lives  a  busy  and  useful  life 
upon  the  farm  which  he  still  owns  and  which 
has  been  in  possession  of  the  family  for  sixty 
years.  At  length  he  retired  from  farming  in 
1897  and  took  up  his  abode  in  Portland. 
Previous  to  this  time  he  would  spend  the 
summer  months  upon  the  farm  and  tlie  win- 
ter seasons  in  Portland  in  order  to  give  his 
children  the  benefit  of  educational  advantages 
here  offered.  In  1906  he  erected  a  fine  resi- 
dence on  Hawthorne  avenue,  where  he  now 
resides.  Few  have  longer  been  residents  of 
Oregon  than  Mr.  Morgan,  who  since  18-15  has 
lived  within  the  borders  of  the  state,  which, 
however,  was  under  territorial  government  at 
the  time  of  his  coming  and  included  the  state 
of  Washington.  At  that  day  wild  beasts  and 
birds  dwelt  unmolested  in  the  forest  and  the 
white  man  had  disputed  with  the  Indian 
to  only  a  slight  extent  concerning  the  owner- 
ship of  the  land.  The  great,  vast  regions  of 
the  state  were  unclaimed  and  Portland,  the 
beautiful  Kosp  City  of  the  present,  had  then 
but  a  single  house — a  log  cabin.  Mr.  Mor- 
gan has  therefore  been  a  witness  of  the  en- 
tire development  of  the  city  and  along  agri- 
cultural lines  has  contributed  to  the  up- 
building and  progress  of  this  section.  He  is 
indeed  an  honored  resident  of  the  northw-est. 

GRAND  BANKS  CALDWELL.  For  eighty- 
five  years  Grand  Banks  Caldwell  has  traveled 
life's  journey  and  during  sixty-six  years 
of  this  period  he  has  been  a  resident  of 
Oregon.  In  appearance  and  interests  he 
seems  a  much  younger  man,  possessing  the 
vigor  and  energy  of  one  twenty  years  his 
junior  and  at  all  times  keeping  in  close 
touch  with  the  trend  of  events  and  with 
topics  of  general  interest.  His  mind  is  stored 
with  many  interesting  incidents  of  the  early 
days  and  forms  a  connecting  link  between 
the  primitive  past,  with  its  hardships  and 
privations  of  pioneer  life,  and  the  present. 
with  its  progress  and  prosperity.  He  was 
born  at  Newcastle,  Virginia,  February  18, 
1S27,  his  parents  being  Bartley  and  Margaret 
(Fayerl  Caldwell,  both  of  whom  were  natives 
of  Virginia,  the  former  coming,  however,  of 
Irish  parentage,  while  the  latter  was  of  Ger- 
man descent.  In  1840  they  removed  with 
their  family  to  Missouri,  settling  in  Lafay- 
ette county,  whence  two  years  later  they 
went  to  .Jackson  county,  the  family  there 
living  until  they  crossed  the  plains  in  1846 
to  .Jefferson.  Marion  county,  Oregon.  The 
long  journey  was  made  with  ox  teams.  They 
left  their  old  home  on  the  15th  of  April  and 
on  Christmas  day  had  arrived  in  Polk  county. 
A  few  days  later  they  established  their  home 
in  .Jefferson.  The  father  had  died  in  Mi.ssouri 
in   1S44  and  the  mother,  with  her  eight  chil- 


dren, liad  made  the  long  trip  from  the  Missis- 
sippi valley  to  the  Pacific  coast  save  that  a 
daughter,  ilary,  died  while  on  the  way.  The 
mother  continued  to  reside  in  Marion  county 
until  her  death,  which  occurred  in  1860,  when 
she  was  more  tlian  eighty  years  of  age.  Most 
of  her  children  settled  in  the  vicinity  of  Salem 
and  the  family  is  now  a  very  numerous  one 
in  that  part  of  the  state.  Times  were  very 
hard  in  the  early  days,  privations  being  many 
and  comforts  few.  The  family,  too,  had  but 
limited  financial  resources  and  it  was  neces- 
sary for  G.  B.  Caldwell  to  earn  a  living  in 
order  to  assist  in  providing  for  the  younger 
members  of  the  household.  He  was  the  third 
in  order  of  birth  in  a  family  that  numbered 
altogether  nine  children.  Arthur,  the  eldest, 
served  under  General  John  C.  Fremont  in 
southern  California  during  the  Mexican  war 
and  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  at  San 
Juan  in  that  state.  Calohill,  who  was  also 
a  soldier  with  Fremont,  died  at  Burns,  Ore- 
gon. Bartley,  the  fourth  member  of  the  fam^ 
ily,  has  followed  mining  during  the  greater 
part  of  his  life  and  now  lives  in  Stockton. 
California.  Mrs.  Lorella  .lane  Ramsdell  and 
Mrs.  Leona  Agnes  Holt  were  twins  and  both 
died  in  Oregon.  The  former  had  thirteen 
children  and  the  latter  twelve.  Mary,  w-ho 
was  the  seventh  member  of  the  family,  died 
in  Oregon  in  1S46,  when  nine  years  of  age. 
Maybery  G.  is  a  resident  of  Jefferson,  Oregon. 
Alriieda  Conrad,  the  youngest,  is  deceased. 

G.  B.  Caldwell,  whose  name  introduces  this 
record,  was  a  lad  of  thirteen  years  when  his 
parents  removed  to  Missouri.  Soon  afterward 
he  entered  a  furniture  factory  and  continued 
at  that  kind  of  work  for  some  time,  but  in 
the  spring  of  1846.  when  a  youth  of  nineteen, 
he  started  with  the  family  for  Oregon.  Their 
teams  were  drawn  by  ten  oxen  and  they 
joined  an  emigrant  train  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  wagons.  His  two  elder  brothers 
had  previously  joined  Fremont's  army  in  the 
west  and  because  of  the  death  of  the  -father 
the  duties  of  the  head  of  the  household  de- 
volved upon  G.  B.  Caldwell.  From  an  inter- 
view with  him  of  a  recent  date  a  local  writer 
has  given  the  following  description  of  the 
westward  trip: 

"The  most  serious  Indian  trouble  occurred 
when  the  party  had  reached  Goose  lake,  in 
eastern  Oregon.  The  original  party  which  left 
Lexington  consisted  of  one  hundred  and 
twentv-five  wagons  but  this  immense  train 
separated  into  bands  of  twenty-five  wagons 
each  after  a  few  days,  as  it  was  found  impos- 
sible for  all  to  travel  together  and  make  more 
than  ten  miles  a  day.'  When  the  Indians 
mounted  on  ponies  one  morning  at  daybreak, 
at  the  time  the  night  guards  were  changed, 
swept  over  the  hills  in  Lake  county  they  cap- 
tured all  the  oxen  and  cattle  that  the  entire 
caravan  of  twenty-five  families  possessed. 
The  loss  was  soon  discovered  and  chase  was 
given.  However,  when  the  Indians  saw  that 
they  would  lose  their  booty  they  began  shoot- 
ing arrows  into  the  oxen  and  quite  a  number 
were  lost.  This  seriously  crippled  the  trav- 
elers and  as  a  result  a  number  of  families 
were  forced  to  bury  their  heavier  baggage 
near  the  present  city  of  Lakevipw.  Oregon. 


12 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


•The  party  crossed  the  mountains  and  en- 
tered the  Kogue  Kiver  valley  near  Ashland 
and  started  north.  When  near  Grants  Pass 
the  entire  stock  ol  Hour  and  meal  became  ex- 
hausted. The  emigrants  were  successful  in 
securing  a  quantity  of  smoked  salmon  and 
some  meat  from  Indians  that  sustained  life. 
■Wlien  the  party  arrived  where  the  present 
city  of  Eugene  stands  there  was  only  one 
house,  a  new  one,  but  uninhabited.  The 
first  family  living  in  a  house  was  where  Cor- 
vallis  no\v  stands.  Where  the  party  lorded 
Rogue  river  was  about  two  miles  above  the 
preseni  location  of  Grants  I'ass,  now  known 
to  old  settlers  as  Brown's  ford." 

The  year  following  their  arrival  G.  B.  Cald- 
well went  to  San  Francisco,  then  an  old  Span- 
ish town  largely  composed  of  adobe  buildings 
covered  with  tile,  there  being  only  one  frame 
structure — a  hotel— in  the  place.     His  eldest 
brother    and    his   brother-in-law    were    whip- 
sawing  in  the  redwoods  of  California  and  he 
entered  their  employ  at  a  salary  of  twenty- 
(ive  dollars  per  month  and  board,  which  was 
the   largest   wages   that   he   had   ever   earned 
up  to  that  time.     He  assisted  in  getting  out 
the  lumber  to  build  their  homes  at  San  .Juan 
and  afterward  established  a  little   furniture 
shop   there,  which   he   conducted   until   1S4S, 
when  he  went  to  the  quicksilver  mines,  there 
working  at  the  carpenter's  trade  for  two  dol- 
lars and  a  half  per  day.     Following  the  dis- 
covery of  gold  in  1S4S  he  refused  a  wage  of 
live  dollars  a  day  at  his  trade  and  went  with 
all  the  white  men  of  the  district  to  the  gold 
fields  on  the  American  river,  near  Sacramento. 
He  reached  that  point  within  six  weeks  after 
tlie   discovery   of   gold   and   was   planning   to 
engage  in  prospecting  when  one  day  he  made 
his  way  to  the  water's  edge  in  order  to  get 
water  to  be  used  in  cooking.     There  on  the 
river  bank  he  discovered  plenty  of  gold  dust. 
He  worked  several  weeks,  after  which  he  re- 
turned to  .Jefi'erson  and  took  his  two  brothers- 
in-law  and  a  sister,  Mrs.  Ramsdell,  back  with 
him  to  California  in  the  spring  of  1S49,  the 
trip  being  made  by  water.    At  that  time  ilr. 
Caldwell   began   packing   while    his    relatives 
worked  in  the  mines.    He  made  five  thousand 
dollars  in  that  way  on  two  trips  from  Stock- 
ton to  the  mines,  a  distance  of  eighty  miles. 
His   labors   brought   him   substantial   success 
and   for  a   period  he  enjoyed  a   high   degree 
of  prosperity,  but  he  lost  what  he  had  made 
in  speculation  in  city  property  in  San  Jo^c. 
When  he  had  retxirnod  to  Oregon  for  his  rela- 
tives in  1S4S  he  took  back  with  him  one  hun- 
dred ounces  of  gold.     This  was  the  first  gold 
brought  from  the  mines  into  this  state  and  he 
sold  it  to  Dr.  iIcL«ughlin,  of  Oregon  City,  lor 
eleven  dollars  per  ounce.     This  gold  created 
great  excitement  there  and  caused  a  stampede 
of   the   settlers   of   that   region   to   the   gold 
fields. 

In  1S52  Mr.  Caldwell  was  married,  after 
which  he  engaged  in  the  lumber  business  and 
in  other  occupations  in  California,  at  one 
time  conducting  a  furniture  factory.  In  1S5S. 
however,  he  returned  to  this  state,  becoming 
a  permanent  resident  here.  For  a  year  he 
resided  at  Jefferson,  where  he  conducted  a 
cabinet    shop,    and    in    1859    he   removed   to 


.Josephine  county,  settling  on  Williams  creek, 
where  he  opened  a  cabinet  shop  and  engaged 
in  the  manufacture  of  furniture  for  about 
twenty  years.  During  five  winter  seasons 
he  engaged  in  mining.  By  steamer  he  went 
down  the  Klamath  river  and  set  up  a  mill 
there.  His  turning  lathes,  saws  and  other 
machinery  were  all  brought  from  San  Fran- 
cisco and"  for  many  years  he  made  most  of 
the  furniture  used  by  the  settlers  of  southern 
Oregon.  While  ilr.  Caldwell  was  at  Klamath 
the  family  removed  to  Grants  Pass,  He  later 
engaged  in  carpentering  here  for  five  years 
and  then  returned  to  Williams  creek,  where 
he  carried  on  farming  and  also  worked  at  his 
trade.  About  four  years  ago.  or  in  190S,  he 
returned  to  Grants  Pass,  where  he  is  now  liv- 
inc  retired,  making  his  home  with  his  daugh- 
ter, Mrs.  Dixon. 

It  was  in  1S52  that  ilr.  Caldwell  was  mar- 
ried to  Mrs.  Martha  Williamson  Wallace,  the 
widow  of  Robert  Wallace.     She  was  born  in 
Virginia,  June  23.  1S27,  and  was  first  married 
in  that  state.     Her  husband  worked  in  the 
mines  until  he  became  ill  with  typhoid  fever 
and  passed  awaV.'    Mrs.  W'allace  came  across 
the  plains  in  is'si  and  cared  for  her  husband 
in   his    illness.      She   had   previously   studied 
medicine  and  gave  a  large  part  of  her  time 
to  practice  in  pioneer  days.     She  made  long 
trips  on  horseback  to  care  for  those  who  were 
ill  and  would  often  stay  for  weeks  at  a  time 
amonsT  those  who  were  sick.     She  was  par- 
ticularly skilful  in  her  treatment  of  children's 
diseases  and  she  practiced  until  within  a  short 
time  before  her  death.     She  had  a  large  circle 
of  friends  and  acquaintances,  who  deeply  de- 
plored her  loss  when,  on  the  30th  of  Septem- 
ber. 1907.  she  was  called  to  the  home  beyond. 
By  her  first  marriage  she  had  three  children, 
the  eldest  of  whom  passed  away  when  two 
years   of   age.      The   other   two.   ilrs.    Mary 
Jane   Rice,  now   deceased,   and   Mrs.   Martha 
Elizabeth  Howe,  the  wife  of  John  Howe,  of 
Grants  Pass,  were  twins.     There  were  seven 
children  of  the  second  marriage  but  the  first 
horn  died  in  infancy.     The  others  are:   Eva, 
the  wife  of  John  Xewcomb,  of  Washington; 
Maggie,  the  wife  of  C.  0.  Bigelow,  of  William- 
son. Oregon:  Laura,  the  wife  of  C.  F.  Dixon, 
of   Grants  Pass,  whose  father  was   the   first 
white   child  born  in  Benton  county,  Oregon, 
and  is  now  a  resident  of  Portland:  G.  M.,  liv- 
ing at  Grants  Pass;  Nettie,  the  deceased  wife 
of" Thomas  Mahan:    and  Ella,  the  widow  of 
Fred  Everton.  of  Stockton.  California. 

G.  B.  Caldwell  was  reared  in  the  faith  of 
the  whig  partr  but  after  attaining  his  major- 
itv  joined  the'  ranks  of  the  democratic  party, 
with  which  he  was  connected  until  recent 
vears  but  is  now  a  socialist.  He  served  for 
two  terms  in  the  state  legislature,  in  1878 
and  again  in  1S80.  He  belongs  to  the  Meth- 
odist "Episcopal  church  South  and  has  ever 
led  an  upright,  honorable  life,  his  earnest  toil 
bringing  him  success  and  his  integrity  gain- 
ing hinT  the  high  regard  of  all  with  whom  he 
ha's  been  brought  incontaet.  His  life  history 
if  written  in  detail  would  present  a  clear  and 
interesting  picture  of  pioneer  experiences  in 
the  northwest.  In  fact,  he  is  not  only 
acquainted   with   the   history   of   Oregon   but 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTOKY  OF  OEEGON 


13 


also  with  Califoniia  and  on  one  occasion,  in 
the  fall  of  1S49,  ■when  he  was  returning  to 
California  on  board  the  brig  Henry,  the  ship 
was  caught  in  a  gale  and  blown  three  hun- 
dred miles  north  of  the  Columbia  river,  barely 
escaping  shipwreck.  The  various  experiences 
of  pioneer  life  are  familiar  to  Mr.  Caldwell 
and  through  his  industry  and  enterjirise  he 
has  contributed  to  the  substantial  develop- 
ment and  progress  of  the  sections  in  which  he 
has  lived.  PTe  can  remember  when  many  of 
the  now  well  cultivated  farms  were  covered 
with  a  dense  growth  of  forest  trees  aud  when 
great  stretches  of  land  that  are  now  thickly 
populated  presented  no  indication  of  civiliza- 
tion. He  has  made  good  use  of  his  time  and 
in  old  age  can  look  back  over  the  past  with- 
out i-egret  and  forward  to  the  future  witli- 
out  fear. 

JAMES  P.  FELLER,  a  native  of  itarion 
county,  was  born  June  25,  1867,  on  the  old 
William  Whitney  donation  claim,  near  the 
present  site  of  Donald.  His  parents  were 
Francis  and  Rheumah  (AVhitney)  Feller,  the 
father  a  native  of  Lorraine,  Germany,  and 
the  mother  of  Oregon.  The  mother's  people 
were  of  English  descent  and  came  from  In- 
diana to  Oregon  in  1S42.  being  among  the  first 
white  settlers  in  the  state.  They  crossed  the 
plains  and  toiled  through  the  mountain  ])asses 
with  ox  teams,  arriving  at  their  journe.y's  end 
to  find  themselves  in  a  country  of  great  nat- 
ural resources.  When  sixteen  years  of  age 
the  father,  accompanied  by  his  parents,  left 
Lorraine,  Germany,  and  came  to  America,  set- 
tling in  Illinois.  He  remained  with  them 
for  two  years,  and  then  he  removed  to  Butte- 
ville.  Oregon,  making  the  journey  by  way  of 
the  Isthmus  of  Panama.  Subsequently  he 
was  employed  by  the  month  for  five  years, 
thereafter  going  to  Idaho,  where  he  made 
quite  a  large  sum  of  money  in  the  mines.  Re- 
turning to  Oregon,  he  bought  a  ranch  near 
the  place  where  he  now  lives,  but  selling  out 
at  the  end  of  twelve  years,  he  purchased  the 
William  Whitney  land  claim  and  a  portion 
of  the  Pettee  donation  land  claim.  The 
mother  died  in  1892.  At  present  the  father 
resides  retired  in  Woodburn.  where  he  has 
chosen  to  make  his  home  in  his  advanced  age. 
James  P.  Feller,  of  this  review,  was  the  eld- 
est child  of  his  parents.  The  others  are: 
William  F..  who  resides  on  the  old  home 
place;  Alfred  E.,  who  operates  a  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  near  Donald,  Oregon; 
JIary  E.,  who  is  the  wife  of  C.  A.  Barienger. 
of  Portland;  Xellie  R.,  the  wife  of  A.  C. 
.'^cheurer,  an  automobile  dealer  of  Aurora, 
Oregon;  Hattie.  who  is  the  wife  of  J.  C.  Bark- 
man,  of  Portland;  Charles  E..  of  Donald.  Ore- 
gon; Anna  May,  the  wife  of  William  Grover, 
who  is  in  the  employ  of  the  Xational  Cash 
Register  Company,  at  Portland,  Oregon;  and 
Ida.  the  wife  of  A.  H.  Krause.  Mr.  Francis 
Feller  was  married  four  years  after  the  death 
of  his  first  wife  to  !Miss  Ida  Garrett  and  two 
children  have  been  born  of  this  union:  Iva, 
born  in -1899;  and  Kenneth,  born  in   1905. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-one  .James  P.  Feller 
started  out  in  life  on  his  own  accord,  rent- 
ing a   farm   of   one   hundred   and    forty   acres 


which  he  operated  for  five  years,  after  which 
he  bought  the  home  where  he  now  resides. 
This  is  a  part  of  the  William  and  Amanda 
Reese  donation  land  claim  and  originally 
consisted  of  two  hundred  and  forty-five  acres. 
He  sold  a  part  of  this  land,  which  was  used 
as  the  town  site  of  Donald,  and  subsequent 
to  the  sale  purchased  an  additional  tract  of 
forty-five  acres.  He  has  laid  out  the  Feller 
first  and  second  additions  to  Donald,  which 
homeseekers  are  now  buying.  The  village  is 
a  thriving  and  growing  one.  and  will  soon  be 
incorporated.  The  Oregon  Electric  line  runs 
through  the  town  and  has  greatly  enhanced 
the  value  of  Mr.  Feller's  farm.  He  has  one 
luuidred  and  sixty-three  acres  of  land  under 
a  high  state  of  cultivation  and  is  engaged 
in  raising  stock,  grain  and  hops,  having 
thirty-five  acres  of  the  latter,  which  yielded 
last  year  over  twenty-eight  thousand  pounds 
of  hops,  eighteen  thousand  pounds  of  which 
were  sold  at  forty-one  cents  per  pound.  He 
has  a  very  beautiful  home,  handsomely  fur- 
nished, and  has  installed  his  own  water  sys- 
tem and  electric  lights. 

Mr.  Feller  married  iliss  Ellen  Garrett,  a 
daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thomas  Garrett 
and  a  native  of  Oregon,  born  in  1869.  She 
is  one  of  a  family  of  fourteen  children,  four 
of  whom  are  deceased.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Feller 
have  become  the  parents  of  one  child,  Ernest 
R..  born  July  4.  1892,  who.  having  completed 
a  college  course  at  Newberg,  Oregon,  lives  at 
home  on  the  farm  and  has  proved  himself 
to  be  an  efficient  assistant  to  his  father. 

In  politics  Mr.  Feller  is  a  republican  but 
always  gives  due  attention  to  the  man  who 
is  to"  be  put  in  office.  Fraternally  he  is  a 
member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  and  of  the  Masons.  He  has  always 
been  greatly  interested  in  public  affairs  and 
was  instrumental  in  securing  for  Donald 
new  roads  and  good  schools,  and  he  has  been 
on  the  election  board  for  a  number  of  years. 
He  is  one  of  the  most  substantial  business 
men  of  his  community  and  is  widely  known 
and  highly  honored  as  a  self-made  man  and 
one  who  has  attained  his  success  through 
honest   effort   and    indefatigable   industry. 

ROMAIN  W.  WILCOX,  who  since  lOOS  has 
served  as  postmaster  of  Cleone.  in  Multno- 
mah county,  was  born  in  Wisconsin,  Decem- 
ber 4.  1850.  His  parents  were  Daniel  and 
Eliza  Ann  Wilcox,  both  of  whom  were  na- 
tives of  the  state  of  New  York  and  resided 
there  until  after  their  marriage  in  1S4T. 
Thev  then  moved  to  Wisconsin,  where  they 
lived  until  the  father's  death,  in  189.3.  Later 
the  mother  removed  to  the  state  of  Wash- 
ington and  resided  with  .the  subject  of  this 
sketch  until  her  death,  in  1899'.  In  their 
family  were  five  children,  two  of  whom  died 
in  infancy.  Those  who  are  living  are:  !Mrs. 
Martha  Jacks,  of  Jlilwaukee,  Wisconsin; 
P.omain  W.:  and  Mrs.  Emma  Seifkenn,  of 
Pilger,  Nebraska. 

Romain  W.  Wilcox  grew  to  manhood  in 
his  native  state  and  obtained  a  common- 
school  education,  the  greater  part  of  which 
he  acquired  in  a  night  .school.  He  remained 
at    home   until   he   was   thirtv-three   vears   of 


14 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


age,  when  he  startcJ  farming  for  himself 
in  Wisconsin.  Soon  afl-er  he  moved  to  the 
state  of  Washington,  where  he  again  took 
up  fanning,  and  in  1903  came  to  Oregon, 
settling  in  Multnomah  county,  where  lie 
worked  for  two  years  for  W.  W.  Cotton  in 
the  creamery  business.  For  the  foUowin;: 
two  years  he  was  engaged  in  the  meat  busi- 
ness," and  on  April  30,  1908,  he  was  ap- 
pointed postmaster  of  Cleone,  in  whieli 
capacity  he  is  now  so  ably  serving. 

In  1ST3  5Ir.  Wilcox  married  Miss  Anna 
Lucas,  who  was  born  in  Wisconsin,  a  daugh- 
ter of  .James  and  -Jemima  I^ucas,  both  of 
whom  were  natives  of  Enirland.  The  parents 
both  emigrated  to  Canada  and  were  mar- 
ried there,  later  moving  to  Wisconsin,  where 
they  continued  to  make  their  home.  The 
father  died  there  in  1903  and  the  mother  is 
still  living  in  that  state.  In  their  family 
were  seven  children:  Mary;  Anna,  who  i- 
now  Mrs.  Wilcox;  Margaret  and  Cora,  of 
Wisconsin;  .John,  of  Canada:  Frank,  of  Mich- 
igan; and  Charles,  of  Wisconsin.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Wilcox  have  become  the  parents  of. 
four  children.  Daisy  B..  the  eldest,  who  was 
bom  in  1877,  has  a  high-school  education 
and  is  now  the  wife  of  E.  L.  Wilkinson,  of 
Portland,  Oregon,  who  is  in  the  employ  of 
a  railroad.  Claire  C.  was  born  in  1S79 
and  is  now  a  physician  at  Vancouver,  Wash- 
ington. Harold  is  deceased.  Alta  M..  who 
completes  the  family,  was  born  in  1893.  has 
a  high-school  education,  and  is  also  a  grad- 
uate in  music,  which  subject  she  has  been 
teaching.     She  is  now  at  home. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Wilcox  is  a  re- 
publican, and  fraternally  he  is  identified 
with  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  He  and  his 
family  are  of  the  Apostolic  faith,  being  mem- 
bers of  the  Christian  church.  Mr.  Wilcox 
is  a  progressive,  energetic  and  highly-hon- 
ored citizen  of  Cleone.  In  all  his  business 
and  social  relations  he  has  ever  been  upright 
and  since  entering  upon  his  work  as  post- 
master his   efforts   have   been   crowned  with 


HENRY  ZORN,  who  is  one  of  the  large 
land  owners  in  ilarion  county  and  wlio 
resides  a  quarter  of  a  mile  north  of  Cham- 
poeg,  was  born  in  Portland  in  1880.  his 
parents  being  Adam  and  Christina  (Sohlerl 
Zom,  the  former  a  native  of  Hesse.  Germany, 
and  the  latter  of  Green  Bay,  Wisconsin.  The 
mother's  birth  occurred  in  1852  and  her 
father  was  a  native  of  Prussia.  Adam  Zom. 
whose  birth  occurred  in  1841.  came  to  Amer- 
ica with  his  father  in  1853.  Immediately 
upon  their  arrival  in  New  York  they  set  out 
for  Wisconsin,  and  located  at  Baraboo.  The 
father  lived  a  more  or  less  retired  life. 
Adam  Zorn  was  one  of  five  children,  the  oth- 
ers being:  Henry,  who  is  married  and  makes 
■  his  home  in  Hesse,  Germany;  Casper  and 
Mrs.  Annie  Hoefer,  both  deceased;  and  Mrs. 
Catherine  Hirsching.  who  resides  at  Baraboo. 
Wisconsin.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Adam  Zorn 
three  children  were  born:  Henry,  the  subject 
of  this  review:  Gara,  the  wife  of  Isaac  Van 
Dandaigue,  of  St.  Paul,  Oregon;  and  Adam, 
deceased.    Adam  Zorn,  the  father  of  our  sub- 


ject, was  engaged  in  farming  until  the  family 
removed  to  Oregon,  making  the  trip  via  the 
Isthmus  of  Panama  and  going  directly  to 
Portland.  His  brother  Casper  and  sister 
Annie  had  preceded  him  to  Oregon,  settling 
at  Champoeg,  where  the  sisters  husband. 
John  Hoefer,  was  a  carpenter.  Casper  Zorn 
worked  as  a  farm  hand  and  his  lather,  the 
grandfather  of  our  subject,  made  his  home 
with  him  until  the  time  of  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  1878.  Adam  Zorn,  the  father, 
was  married  in  1878  and  at  that  time  re- 
moved to  Portland,  where  he  conducted  a 
restaurant  until  the  death  of  his  wife  ten 
years  later.  Subsequently  he  continued  his 
residence  in  that  city  until  his  death  in  Janu- 
ary. 1909. 

Casper  Zom  and  John  Hoefer  purchased  a 
farm  in  Champoeg  but  the  former  sold  out 
and  removed  to  Idaho,  where  he  opened  and 
operated  a  hotel  at  the  Orafine  mines  in  part- 
nership with  C.  W.  King,  of  Olds,  Worthman 
&  King,  of  Portland.  They  continued  in  this 
business  until  the  mining  excitement  sub- 
sided. They  had  made  considerable  money 
and  after  selliiig  out  Casper  Zom  returned 
to  Champoeg,  where  in  1S62  he  purdiased  a 
mill  in  partnership  with  his  brother-in-law, 
•John  Hoefer,  on  Mission  creek,  near  Cham- 
poeg. For  eighteen  years  they  were  engaged 
in  operating  this  mill  and  during  that  time 
ilr.  Zorn  also  engaged  in  the  real-estate  and 
loan  business.  Afterward  they  became  inter- 
ested in  farming  and  until  their  deaths  they 
shared  equally  in  the  profits  of  their  various 
enterprises.  The  house  which  they  biiilt 
upon  their  farm  was  at  that  time  the  finest 
in  this  part  of  the  country  and  is  still  con- 
sidered one  of  the  most  substantial  and  best 
built  residences  in  Marion  county.  Sir.  Hoe- 
fer's  death  occurred  in  1909  and  his  property 
was  left  to  thirty-three  heirs,  and  Casper 
Zorn's  death  occurred  in  ilarch  of  the  fol- 
lowing year,  his  property  being  left  to  four 
heirs. 

Henry  Zorn  received  one  thousand  acres 
from  his  uncle,  upon  which  he  is  now  resid- 
ing, and  the  value  of  his  holdings  amounts 
to  nearly  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  thou- 
sand dollars.  Four  hundred  of  the  sis  hun- 
dred and  thirty  acres  upon  which  he  resides 
is  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  being  devoted 
to  grain  and  hop  raising,  and  he  also  raises 
cattle,  specializing  in  .Jersey  cows  and  fine 
hogs.  He  has  at  times  given  special  atten- 
tion to  breeding  fine  horses.  The  place  is 
fully  equipped  with  water  works  and  a  light- 
ing system,  and  has  modern  and  commodious 
barns  and  a  comfortable  dwelling  house. 

On  the  2Sth  of  November,  1898,  in  Oregon 
City.  Mr.  Zorn  was  married  to  Miss  Alfrieda 
Meyer,  a  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Mary 
(Frederick)  Meyer,  of  Oregon  City,  both  of 
whom  were  natives  of  Hamburg,  Germany. 
Upon  their  arrival  in  Xew  York  they  left  im- 
mediately for  Oregon,  where  Mr.  >Ieyer  was 
employed  in  the  woolen  mills  in  Oregon  City. 
He  retired  from  active  business  in  1899  and 
his  death  occurred  in  1911,  the  mother  having 
died  one  year  previously.  Mrs.  Zorn.  whose 
birth  occurred  in  ISSO.  was  one  of  four  chil- 
dren:     Martha,   who    is   residing   in   Oregon 


CASPER   ZHUX 


'IS'UC^'UB«-*^ 


,-:.':vi5™- 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


17 


City;  one  who  died  in  infancy;  and  Augusta, 
also  residing  in  Oregon  City.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Zorn  three  children  liave  been  born:  AI- 
frieda  Marie,  who  passed  away  in  infancy; 
Marie,  whose  birth  occurred  July  5,  1908; 
and  Catherine,  who  was  born  February  S. 
1910. 

In  politics  Mr.  Zorn  has  always  been  very 
active  and  gives  his  support  to  the  republi- 
can party,  liut  since  holding  the  otlice  of  jus- 
tice of  the  peace  for  one  term  has  hot  sought 
further  ofiices.  He  holds  membership  in  the 
Roman  Catholic  church.  He  is  public-spirited 
and  taices  an  interest  in  all  that  pertains  to 
the  welfare  of  his  community  and  does  what 
he  can  to  further  the  progiess  of  tliose  move- 
ments which  he  thinks  will  do  most  to  raise 
the  social,  moral  and  intellectual  standards 
of  the  district. 

G.  M.  CALDWELL  is  not  only  well  known 
in  connection  with  industrial  interests  at 
Grants  Pass  in  connection  witli  a  wagon  shop 
for  manufacturing  and  repair  work  but  is  also 
a  leader  in  political  circles  here  and  has  mani- 
fested the  independent  spirit  which  has  dared 
to  break  off  from  the  old  party  allegiance  and 
become  allied  with  the  socialist  movement 
that  is  seeking  for  equalization  in  those 
things  which  affect  the  great  majority.  He 
is  today  a  member  of  the  city  council,  to 
which  office  he  was  elected  on  the  socialist 
ticket.  He  lias  always  resided  upon  the 
Pacific  coast  and,  like  the  majority  of  pio- 
neers, early  learned  to  value  people  and  con- 
ditions at  their  true  worth.  Mr.  Caldwell  is 
one  of  Oregon's  native  sons.  He  was  born  on 
Williams  creek  in  Josephine  county,  May  22, 
1S63.  his  parents  being  O.  B.  and  Martha 
(Williamson)  Caldwell,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  Virginia.  The  father  crossed  the 
plains  in  1846  and  the  mother  became  a  resi- 
dent of  California  a  few  years  later.  She  had 
been  previously  married  to  Robert  Wallace 
and  it  was  after  her  arrival  on  the  Pacific 
coast  that  she  became  the  wife  of  G.  B.  Cald- 
well. Later  they  settled  on  Applegate  creek 
in  Oregon  and  afterward  took  up  their  abode 
on  Williams  creek.  Mr.  Caldwell  Iiad  gone  to 
California  in  1S4S  following  the  discovery  of 
gold  in  that  state  and  while  there  he  divided 
his  time  between  mining  and  work  at  the 
trades  of  carpentering  and  cabinet-making. 
For  twenty-eight  years  he  conducted  a  cabinet 
shop  on  Williams  creek,  manufacturing  all 
kinds  of  household  furniture,  the  work  being 
done  by  hand  until  railroads  were  built 
through  this  section  of  the  state,  bringing 
with  them  the  machine-made  furniture  of  the 
east.  Mr.  Caldwell  then  retired  from  that 
line  of  business  and  afterward  carried  on 
farming  for  several  years.  At  length,  how- 
ever, he  put  aside  business  cares  altogether 
and  is  now  enjoying  a  well  earned  rest  at 
his  home  in  Orants  Pass.  His  wife  died  here 
in  1907,  at  the  age  of  eighty  years.  She 
had  ten  children,  three  of  whom  were  born 
of  her  first  marriage,  and  seven  of  her 
second  marriage.  Of  these  0.  JI.  Caldwell  is 
the  only  son  and  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth. 
In  his  youthful  days  he  remained  with  his 
parents    and    worked    with    his    father    iintil 


twenty-five  years  of  age.  He  was  then  mar- 
ried in  ISSS  to  Miss  Lulu  Day,  who  was  born 
in  Pennsylvania  in  1867,  a  daughter  of  F.  G. 
Day,  at  one  time  a  member  of  the  Oregon 
state  legislature.  Mrs.  Caldwell  went  with 
her  father  to  California  and  thence  came 
with  him  to  Oregon. 

At  the  time  of  his  marriage  Mr.  Caldwell 
started  out  in  business  on  his  own  account. 
He  worked  at  cabinet-making  for  eighteen 
months  at  Williams  and  later  operated  a 
ranch  for  eight  years  on  Williams  creek  and 
Applegate  creek.  The  year  1903  witnessed 
his  arrival  at  Grants  Pa.ss,  at  which  time 
he  established  his  present  business,  open- 
ing a  shop  for  the  manufacture  and  repair 
of  wagons.  His  patronage  has  increased 
until  the  business  has  now  reached  profitable 
and  gratifying  proportions. 

Unto  Mr.  and  5Irs.  Caldwell  have  been 
born  seven  children:  Leila,  now  the  wife  of 
•T.  A.  Pilgrim,  a  resident  of  Hilts.  California; 
Laura  Myrle.  at  home;  W.  H. ;  Doris;  Fay; 
Robin,  who  died  at  the  age  of  three  years: 
and  Norman.  Mr.  Caldwell  owns  a  pleasant 
home  and  also  four  lots  on  West  C  street. 
As  previously  .stated,  he  is  a  socialist  and 
at  the  present  time  he  is  serving  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  city  council,  to  which  he  was 
elected  in  December.  1911,  he  and  Ernest 
Everton  being  the  first  representatives  of 
that  party  rliosen  to  office  here  by  popular 
suffrage.  "  He  has  also  held  some  school 
offices  and  the  cause  of  education  finds  in 
him  a  warm  friend.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cald- 
well and  all  the  members  of  their  family 
except  the  youngest  are  members  of  the 
Baptist  church.  Fay  joining  at  the  age  of 
eight  years,  at  that  time  being  the  youngest 
member  of  the  church,  Mr.  Caldwell's  fra- 
ternal relations  are  with  the  Modern  Wood- 
men of  America,  There  have  been  no  par- 
ticularly unusual  chapters  in  his  life  history 
but  hi.s"  record  is  characterized  by  progress 
owing  to  the  fact  that  each  day  he  has 
faithfully  performed  the  tasks  that  have  de- 
volved upon  him  and  in  this  way  has  found 
strength  and  inspiration  for  the  duties  of 
the  ensuing  day. 

PATSY  T.  TOOSEY,  who  is  conducting  a 
blacksmith  business  at  Banks  and  has  the 
patronage  of  a  large  surrounding  territory, 
was  born  in  Italy,  on  the  1st  of  September, 
1886.  His  parents  were  Paul  and  Angel 
(Lenza)  Too.sey,  who  are  still  living  in  sunny 
Italy,  where  the  father  has  followed  black- 
smithing  throughout  his  entire  life.  Unto 
him  and  his  Avife  were  born  six  children: 
Urlaudo,  who  died  in  Italy  at  the  age  of  four 
years:  Sante.  who  passed  away  in  Italy  when 
twenty-one  years  of  age;  Nicholina.  who  died 
in  Italy  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years;  Loneta, 
the  wife  of  Patsy  Sipoletti.  still  living  in 
Italy;  Patsy  T..  of  this  review;  and  Mary, 
who"  is  with  her  parents.  The  father  was 
born  in  1851  and  the  mother  in  1848,  and 
they  are  still  residents  of  the  land  of  their 
nativity. 

Patsy  T.  Toosey.  of  this  review,  is  the 
only  member  of  the  family  who  came  to 
.America.     He   arrived   in   the   new   world   in 


THE  CENTENNIAL  IIISTOKY  OF  OREGON 


1902.  leaving  Italy  on  the  1st  of  January 
and  landing  at  Boston,  Massachusetts,  where 
he  remained  for  a  brief  period.  He  after- 
ward went  to  Clinton,  Massachusetts,  and 
there  resided  three  years,  during  which  period 
he  worked  at  the  blacksmith's  trade.  Later 
he  became  a  resident  of  Philadelphia 
and  secured  employment  in  the  Meadville 
steel  shops,  where  he  spent  three  j'ears.  Still 
his  ambition  was  not  satisfied  for  he  believed 
that  bettor  opportunities  could  be  secured 
elsewhere  and  accordingly  he  sought  the  ad- 
vantages of  the  west,  making  his  way  to 
Portland,  Oregon,  where  he  entered  the"  em- 
ploy of  the  Tongue  Point  Lumber  Company 
as  a  blacksmith.  There  he  worked  for  eight 
months,  after  which  he  went  to  Vancouver. 
Washington,  where  he  joined  the  Porter 
Brotlicrs  Railroad  Construction  force  engaged 
in  building  the  Korth  Bank  railroad.  Six 
months  thus  passed,  after  which  he  came  to 
Banks,  Washington  county,  and  purchased 
a  blacksmith  shop  in  which  he  is  still  carry- 
ing on  business.  He  owns  the  shop  and  is 
accorded  a  large  patronage,  having  many 
patrons  who  come  to  him  from  over  a  wide 
territory.  He  is  an  eflicient,  capable  work- 
man and  does  all  in  his  power  to  satisfy  his 
patrons. 

Since  becoming  a  naturalized  American 
citizen  Jlr.  Toosey  has  advocated  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  republican  party  yet  is  liberal  in 
his  thoughts  and  does  not  hesitate  to  vote 
as  his  judgment  dictates  even  though  it  should 
be  contrary  to  his  usual  party  affiliations. 
He  holds  nifuibership  with  the  order  of  Mac- 
cabees at  Greenville.  His  religious  faith  is 
that  of  the  ('atholic  church,  in  which  he  was 
reared.  He  has  never  had  cause  to  regret  his 
determination  to  seek  a  homo  in  the  new 
world,  for  he  here  found  the  opportunities 
which  he  sought  and  in  their  improvement 
has  made  gradual  and  substantial  progress, 
being  now  at  the  head  of  a  growing  business 
which  returns  to  him  a  .satisfactory  annual 
income. 

ADELBERT  BROOKS,  who  has  made  for 
him.self  a  creditable  position  in  business 
circles  as  a  nurseyman  of  Carlton,  was  born 
on  the  27th  of  February,  1869,  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, his  parents  being  .John  and  Delilah 
(Kelly)  Brooks  who  were  also  natives  of  the 
Keystone  state,  whore  they  were  reared  and 
married.  They  resided  for  some  time  at 
Corry,  Pennsylvania,  but  in  1SS4  came  with 
their  family  to  Oregon,  settling  first  near 
Portland,  where  they  lived  for  three  years. 
They  afterward  spent  a  similar  period  in  this 
city  at  tho  end  of  which  time  the  father 
purchased  land  near  Carlton  and  embarked 
in  the  nursery  business  and  in  tho  raising  of 
fruit  in  which  ho  continued  until  his  death 
in  1909.  He  is  still  survived  by  his  wife,  at 
the  age  of  seventy-si.\  years,  "and  she  now 
makes  her  home  in  La  Fayette.  Oregon.  At 
the  time  of  his  demise  John  Brooks  was  the 
owner  of  his  home  place  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres,  another  tract  of  ninety  acres  in 
Yamhill  county  and  one  hundred  and  sev- 
enty acres  in  Pennsylvania.  T'nto  him  and 
his  wife  were  born  eleven  children  of  whom 


eight  are  .still  living:  Ko.se.  of  Montavilla, 
Oregon;  Jay  and  Allie,  both  of  La  Favette; 
Adelbert  and  Frank,  who  are  partners  in 
business;  Bert,  of  La  Fayette;  Edith,  of 
Portland;   and  Minnie  also  of  La  Favotte. 

The  youthful  days  of  Adelbert  "  Brooks 
were  quietly  passed,  that  time  being  given 
to  the  attainment  of  an  education'' in  the 
public  schools  and  to  the  tasks  which  were 
assigned  him  by  his  father  in  connection  with 
the  conduct  of  the  nursery  business.  In  1S91 
he  joined  bis  father  and  brothers  in  that 
business,  with  which  he  was  connected  until 
189S,  when  he  went  to  Pennsylvania  where 
he  conducted  a  lumber  busine"ss  until  1904. 
He  then  returned  to  Oregon  and  came  into 
pos.session  of  what  is  now  known  as  the 
Carlton  Xursery  in  partnership  with  his 
brother  Frank.  They  are  exclusive  owners 
of  the  original  nursery  which  was  formerly 
carried  on  under  the  firm  style  of  Brooks  & 
Sons  and  which  was  established  in  1891.  In 
addition  to  this  they  own  one  hundred  and 
twenty-seven  acres  of  finely  improved  farm- 
ing land  near  Carlton.  Their  nursery  is  also 
located  in  that  vicinity,  is  the  third  in  size 
in  the  Willamette  valley  and  ranks  with  the 
best  in  the  state. 

On  the  5th  of  March,  1S9S,  occurred  the 
marriage  of  Adelbert  Brooks  and  Miss  Eliza- 
beth Bryan,  who  was  born  in  Oregon  and  is 
a  daughter  of  James  and  Sarah  (Ramsey) 
Bryan,  the  father  crossing  the  plains  to  the 
Pacific  in  the  early  '50s.  He  was  then  but 
three  years  old  and  his  parents  established 
the  family  home  in  Lane  county.  He  spent 
his  remaining  days  in  this  state  and  always 
followed  farming  and  stock-raising  until  liis 
last  years,  when  he  retired  from  the  farm, 
sold  his  property  and  took  up  his  abode  in 
Carlton  whore  he  enjoyed  a  well  earned  rest 
until  called  to  his  final  home  in  September, 
1911.  His  widow  still  survives  at  the  age 
of  sixty-four  years.  In  their  family  were 
nine  children:  Louise,  residing  in  Dundee, 
Oregon;  Lydia,  who  makes  her  home  in 
Kew^berg,  Oregon;  Elizabeth,  now  Mrs. 
Brooks:  Pleasant  and  Mary,  who  are  also 
of  Xewberg;  Minnie,  living  in  Portland: 
Myron,  of  Carlton:  Dot.  of  Aberdeen,  Idaho; 
and  Hugh  W.  of  Carlton. 

Unto  Jlr.  and  Mrs.  Brooks  have  been  born 
six  children:  Essie  V..  born  in  1S99:  Mabel 
D..  in  1901:  Lyle  D..  in  1902:  Rota  E.  in 
1904:  Lynn  in"  1906;  and  Minnie,  in  1908. 
The  family  residence  is  one  of  the  finest  in 
Carlton  and  is  indicative  of  the  active  and 
successful  business  career  of  Mr.  Brooks 
whose  life  has  been  well  spent  and  whose  en- 
ergy and  careful  management  in  business 
have  boon  the  source  of  the  substantial  pros- 
perity which  has  crowned  his  labors.  Fra- 
ternally he  is  connected  with  the  Independ- 
ent Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  he  has  many 
friends  in  this  part  of  the  state  whore  much 
of  his  life  has  been  passed. 

FRANK  BROOKS,  who  is  a  partner  of 
Adelbert  Brooks  in  the  nursery  business, 
was  born  August  28.  1S71.  and  the  experi- 
ences of  his  early  life  were  largely  like  those 
of  his  brother.     In   1891   they  embarked   in 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


19 


the  nursery  business  with  their  father  and 
brothers  the  enterprise  being  thus  continued 
under  the  partnership  relations  for  thirteen 
years,  but  the  business  is  now  owned  by 
Adelbert  and  Franlc  Brooks  and  is  conducted 
under  the  style  of  the  Carlton  Nursery.  It 
comprises  one  hundred  acres  and  is  consid- 
ered one  of  the  finest  nurseries  of  its  size 
in  western  Oregon.  It  is  pleasantly  located 
near  the  city  limits  of  Carlton  and  their 
shipments  include  a  very  large  amount  of 
nursery  stock  each  year.  They  also  own 
one  hundred  and  twenty-seven  acres  of  fine 
land  near  Carlton  and  each  has  a  fine  resi- 
dence in  the  town  in  addition  to  a  large 
packing  house  for  their  nursery  stock. 

On  the  31st  of  May,  1907,  Frank  Brooks 
was  united  in  marriage  to  iliss  Mary  Hutch- 
incs,  who  was  born  in  Oregon,  March  4.  1876, 
a  "daughter  of  Dovis  and  Amanda  Hutcliings 
the  former  of  California  and  the  latter  of 
Oregon  although  since  their  marriage  tiiey 
have  practically  spent  their  time  in  the  lat- 
ter state  where  the  father  has  followed 
farming.  He  still  lives  at  Tillamook  but  his 
wife  died  in  1909.  In  their  family  were  six 
children  of  whom  Mrs.  Brooks  is  the  eldest, 
the  others  being  Cash,  Bern,  .James,  Roy  and 
one  who  died  in  infancy.  Mr.  Brooks  be- 
longs to  the  Masonic  lodge  and  to  the  Ar- 
tisans and  in  politics  is  independent  voting 
as  his  judgment  dictates  without  regard  to 
party  ties"  Both  he  and  his  brother  are 
recognized  as  men  of  excellent  business 
abili'ty  and  of  marked  enterprise,  and  the 
years"  are  bringing  to  them  substantial  suc- 
cess in  the  management  of  their  affairs. 

HENRY  VANDEHEY  belongs  to  that  class 
of   men   who    sturdily   persevere   in   anything 
they    undertake    and    are    usually    numbered 
among   the    substantial    citizens    of   their    re- 
spective communities.     He  is  now  well  estab- 
lished on  a  farm  three  miles  south  of  Banks, 
Washington  county,  and  the  neat  appearance 
of  his  place  is  evidence  of  the  careful  atten- 
tion he  gives  to  his  business.     lie  was  born 
in  Wisconsin  February  6.  1S54,  a  son  of  John 
and  Ardena  Vandehey.    The  parents  were  na- 
tives   of    Holland    and    were    married    in    the 
old  countrv.     They  emigrated  to  America  in 
ISol    and  "settled "in   Wisconsin   where   they 
lived  for  twenty-two  years.     At  the  end  of 
the  time   named   Mr.  Vandehey  moved   with 
his  family  to  Nebraska  and  six  years  later 
came  to  Washington  county,  Oregon,  locating 
on  a  farm  of  forty  acres.     He   died  a  year 
after    his    arrival    and    his    widow    made    her 
home  with  her  children  until  her  death,  which 
occurred  in  1900.     In  their  family  were  thir- 
teen children,  ten  of  whom  survive,  namely: 
John,  Martin.  Adrien,  Henry.  Nellie,  George, 
Theodore,  Mary,  Antone,  and  Annie.     Peter 
died   at   the   age   of   fifty   years,   Harriet   at 
the  age  of  twenty-six  and  one  of  the  children 
was  called  away  in  infancy. 

Henry  Vandehey  grew  to  manhood  in  Wis- 
consin and  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
state  secured  his  early  education.  At  the 
age  of  nineteen  he  began  learning  the  wagon- 
maker's  trade,  to  which  he  faithfully  applied 
himself  for  nine  vears.     He  then  engaged   in 


farming,  a  pursuit  which  he  followed  for 
five  years  in  Wisconsin.  In  1S70  he  came 
to  Washington  county,  Oregon,  and  engaged 
in  farming  for  six  years.  He  then  went  to 
Nebraska  and  farmed  for  a  year,  also  taking 
up  a  homestead  in  that  state.  A  year  later 
he  sold  out  and  returned  to  Oregon  where 
he  has  since  resided.  He  now  owns  a  well 
improved  farm  of  seventy-five  acres  from 
which  he  receives  handsome  annual  returns. 
He  and  his  family  occupy  an  attractive  home 
and  as  each  year  witnesses  a  gratifying  in- 
crease in  his  prosperity,  he  has  just  reason 
to  congratulate  himself  on  locating  perma- 
nently under  the  favorable  conditions  that 
prevail  in  Washington  county. 

On  September  13,  187.5,  Mr.  Vandehey  was 
married     to     iliss    Elizabeth     Vangreensven, 
who    was   born    in   Wisconsin,   a   daughter   of 
Henry    and    Nellie     (CoonenI     Vangreensven. 
The  parents  were  born  in  Holland  aii<I  came 
to  America   with   their  parents   in   childhood. 
They    were   married   in   Wisconsin   and   lived 
in   that   state   until    1879,   when   the    family 
migrated  to  Washington  county.  Oregon.    Mr. 
Vangreensven  engaged  successfully  in  farming 
in  this  county.     He  died  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
three  but  his  wife  survived  for  a  numlier  of 
years,  being  called  away  at  the  age  of  sev- 
enty-eight.     To    them    eleven    children    were 
born:     Anna:     Elizabeth,    now     Mrs.    Henry 
Vandehey;     John;    ilary;    Theodore;    Nellie, 
who    is    deceased:    Hattie;    Dora;    William; 
Mary  Ann;   and  Delia,  who  died  at  the  age 
of  two  years.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  Vandehey  are 
the   parents    of   twelve    children,   as    follows: 
Nellie,    who    was    born    September    13.    1876. 
and    is    the    wife    of    Frank    Vandonelen,    of 
Washington   county;    Harriet,   who   was   born 
November    1.    1877.    and    resides    at    home; 
Bertha,    who    was    born    December    19.    1879, 
and  is  the  wife  of  Harry  Bryans.  of  Salem; 
Anna,  born  March  9,  1883,  who  married  .John 
Herb;  Mary,  who  was  born  February  17,  1884, 
and  is  now  the  wife  of  Henry  Vandonelen,  of 
Washington  county;   William,  who  was  born 
February     5,     1S3S.    and     resides     at    home; 
Clara,    born    June    21.    1S91;    Lawrence,    who 
was  born  November   13,   1S9.'),  and  is  also  at 
home;    Ravmond.    born    November    24,    1897; 
Julius,  born  March  11.  1900;  and  two  daugh- 
ters who  were  named  Julia,  deceased. 

Mr.  Vandehey  is  a  stanch  advocate  of  the 
democratic  party  and  casts  his  ballot  in  sup- 
port of  its  candidates  and  principles.  He 
was  reared  in  the  Catholic  faith  and  he  and 
his  family  belong  to  that  denomination.  En- 
ergy, perseverance  and  thrift  are  recognized 
the  world  over  as  the  foundation  of  material 
prosperity  and  these  three  qualities  are  pos- 
sessed by  Mr.  Vandehey.  He  enjoys  the 
esteem  o'f  many  friends  and  fully  deserves 
the  honor  that  is  accorded  the  fortunate 
individual  who  has  fought  and  won  in  the 
great  battle  of  life. 

DR.  MERRITT  E.  REITZEL,  of  Dayton, 
who  has  come  to  be  recognized  as  oneof  the 
capable  and  successful  practitioners  of  Yam- 
hill county,  was  born  in  Chicago,  Hlinois. 
January  io.  1S70.  His  parents,  Jacob  and 
Elizabeth    (Klugh)    Rcitzel,   were   natives   of 


20 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON" 


-Mountville,  Pennsylvania,  where  the}'  were 
reared  and  married,  subsequently  removing 
to  Chicago  about  1879.  After  two  years' 
residence  in  that  city  they  returned  to 
Mountville,  where  they  still  make  their 
home,  and  during  his  connection  with  active 
business  aliairs  the  father  was  a  building 
contractor.  At  length  his  labor  brought  to 
liim  a  substantial  competence  which  sup- 
plies him  with  all  of  the  necessities  and 
many  of  the  comforts  of  life  now  that  he 
has  retired  from  business. 

Dr.  Reitzel  spent  his  youthful  days  in 
Mountville  and  after  mastering  the  element- 
ary branches  of  learning  in  the  public  schools 
attended  the  academy  at  Lancaster,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  also  the  State  Normal  School 
at  Millersville,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  spent 
one  term.  In  1889  he  left  home  and  after 
traveling  for  a  considerable  period  in  the 
northwestern  states  passed  ten  years  largely 
in  southern  Oregon.  In  1899  he  took  up  the 
study  of  medicine,  reading  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Dr.  Ilouck,  of  Roseburg.  this  state. 
This  brought  him  his  initial  acquaintance 
with  the  science  that  has  since  engaged  his 
attention.  The  following  fall  he  entered  the 
medical  department  of  the  State  University 
of  Oregon  but  was  not  graduated  until  the 
spring  of  1905.  He  then  located  in  La  Fay- 
ette, Yamhill  county,  where  he  engaged  in 
active  practice  for  four  years,  and  in  1909 
he  came  to  Dayton,  where  he  has  since  made 
his  home.  Here  his  ability  has  won  him 
recognition  as  an  able  member  of  the  med- 
ical profession.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Polk- 
Yamhill  Medical  Society,  the  Oregon  State 
Medical  Society  and  the  American  Medical 
Association  and  of  the  first  named  is  the 
vice  president.  Anything  which  tends  to 
bring  to  man  the  key  to  the  complex  mystery 
which  we  call  life  is  of  interest  to  him  and 
his  reading  and  investigation  have  brought 
him  comprehensive  knowledge  of  the  science 
of  medicine  and  the  laws  of  health  so  that 
in  his  practice  his  work  has  been  very  ef- 
ficacious in  checking  the  ravages  of  disease. 

In  1898  Dr.  Reitzel  was  married  to  Miss 
•7essie  Bell,  of  Hampshire,  Illinois,  who  was 
at  that  time  on  a  visit  in  Oregon.  Unto 
them  has  been  born  a  daiighter,  Clare  Eliza- 
beth. Dr.  Reitzel  holds  membership  in  La 
Fayette  Lodge,  Xo.  29.  I.  0.  0.  F.;  La 
Fayette  Lodge,  A.  0.  U.  W.;  Dayton  Camp 
of  the  Woodmen  of  the  World;  and  La  Faj'- 
ette  Lodge  of  United  Artisans.  In  these 
organizations  he  is  widely  and  favorably 
known  and  in  professional  circles  has  gained 
an  extended  aci|uaintanee,  his  close  con- 
formity to  a  high  standard  of  professional 
ethics  having  gained  for  him  the  warm  re- 
gard of  those  who  are  also  practitioners  of 
medicine  and  surgery.  His  practice  has  con- 
■stantly  developed  in  extent  and  importance 
and  he  is  now  well  established  in  his  chosen 
life  work. 

CAPTAIN  GEORGE  GANS.  The  enduring 
gratitude  of  all  lover=  of  liberty  is  due  siich 
soldiers  as  have  upheld  the  stars  and  stripes 
at  the  time  the  union  of  the  states  was 
threatened,  and  by  their  sacrifices  and  sufi'er- 
ings  the  men  who  served  in  the  Civil  war  not 


only  set  free  three  million  slaves  but  they 
established  the  American  republic  on  a  sate 
and  enduring  foundation  so  it  is  today  the 
greatest  nation  over  which  the  sun  shines. 
Among  the  men  who  fought  and  suffered  in 
the  Civil  war  may  be  named  Captain  George 
Cans,  who,  in  his  earlier  years,  was  called 
upon  to  endure  the  troubles  and  trials  of  the 
hard  laborer  but  who  at  last  has  established 
himself  in  comfortable  circumstances  and  in 
a  pleasant  home.  He  was  born  in  Fayette 
county,  Pennsylvania,  on  the  3d  of  August, 
1840,  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Phebe  (Rogers) 
Cans.  The  father  was  a  tanner  by  trade  and 
operated  a  tannery  in  Fayette  county  where 
he  resided  until  early  in  the  '40s.  At  that 
time  he  removed  to  Green  county,  Wisconsin, 
where  he  farmed  and  in  the  'SOs  he  came  to 
Shenandoah.  Iowa,  where  his  death  occurred 
when  he  was  eighty  years  of  age. 

George  Gans  remained  under  the  parental 
roof  until  he  enlisted  for  service  in  the  Civil 
war.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 
of  Fayette  county  and  assisted  his  father  in 
the  latter's  business  undertakings,  but  when 
President  Lincoln  needed  volunteers  to  assist 
those  already  in  the  field  Mr.  Gans.  then  al- 
most twenty-one  years  of  age,  enlisted  in 
Company  C,  Third  Wisconsin"  Volunteer  In- 
fantry. On  the  24th  of  April.  1861,  leaving 
his  coat  and  plow  in  the  field  he  set  out  to 
give  his  services  for  the  Union  cause.  He 
served  in  the  Army  of  tbe  Potomac,  and  was 
wounded  in  the  leg  at  Cedar  Mountain  on 
the  9th  of  August,  1862,  and  was  discharged. 
When  he  recovered  he  reenlisted  in  Company 
D,  Thirty-sixth  Wisconsin  Volunteer  Infantry. 
At  the  time  of  his  second  enlistment  he  was 
made  sergeant  of  his  company.  After  the 
battle  of  the  Wilderness  the  first  lieutenant 
had  lost  his  voice,  the  second  lieutenant  had 
recently  died  of  typhoid  fever  and  the  cap- 
tain had  become  ill,  and  Mr.  Gans  was  placed 
in  command  of  the  company.  From  that  time 
until  he  suffered  the  loss  of  a  hand  in  front 
of  Petersburg  in  .June.  1864,  he  commanded 
the  company.  After  this  accident  he  was 
sent  to  the  Camden  Street  Hospital  at  Balti- 
more and  then  to  Annapolis  for  six  weeks. 
In  the  battle  of  Cold  Harbor  he  sustained 
two  injuries,  one  in  the  shoulder  and  one  in 
the  head.  Upon  leaving  the  hospital  he  was 
sent  to  Madison,  Wisconsin,  where  he  was 
given  command  of  four  hundred  men  and 
where  he  remained  until  hostilities  ceased. 
He  was  discharged  on  the  22d  of  .June,  1865. 
and  immediately  afterward  returned  home 
where  he  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business 
in  Juda.  Wisconsin.  In  1876  he  left  Wiscon- 
sin for  Nebraska  and  five  years  later  went  to 
New  Mexico  where  he  was  connected  with 
the  Mesealero  Apache  Indian  Agency.  His 
position  was  that  of  issue  clerk  and  he  re- 
tained it  for  five  years  before  accepting  the 
position  of  'assistant  live-stock  agent  for  the 
Santa  Fe  railroad.  After  remaining  with 
that  company  for  tliree  years,  with  head- 
quarters at  Las  Cruces.  he  discontinued  cleri- 
cal positions.  In  1892  he  came  to  Oregon 
and  located  in  Salem  where  he  has  since  re- 
sided.    Two   years   later   he   was   given    the 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


21 


position  of  bailiff  of  tlie  circuit  court  and  is 
still  occupying  that  ollico. 

Late  in  the  '60s  Captain  Gans  was  married 
to  Miss  Anna  Llewellyn  of  Tabor,  Iowa.  To 
their  union  six  children  were  born,  five  of 
whom  survive,  namely:  George  G.,  wlio  is  a 
bookkeeper  in  San  Francisco,  California;  Hope, 
who  is  married  to  Fred  Lockley,  manager 
of  the  Pacific  monthly  of  Portland;  D.,  a 
_  daughter  who  was  a  student  in  Willamette 
University  for  seven  years  and  is  married  to 
Dr.  Arthur  Gale,  a  prominent  physician  of 
Madras,  Oregon;  Bonnie,  who  is  living  at 
home,  and  was  stenographer  in  the  weather 
bureau  at  Washington  but  was  compelled  to 
resign  on  account  of  ill  health;  and  Reba, 
wlio  is  a  graduate  of  the  Normal  department 
of  Willamette  University  and  now  the  wife 
of  Thomas  Mountain,  an  implement  dealer  of 
Walla  Walla,  Washington.  The  tliree  daugh- 
ters  were  teachers   in   the   Salem   schools. 

In  politics  Captain  Gans  is  a  warm  sup- 
porter of  the  republican  party.  He  was  com- 
mander of  the  Nebraska  Post  of  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic.  In  religious  faith  he 
is  alfiliated  with  tlie  Episcopal  church.  He 
holds  membership  in  the  Chemeketa  Lodge, 
Xo.  10.  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows, 
having  Joined  the  same  in  January,  1866.  By 
his  genial  disposition  and  public  spirit  Cap- 
tain Gans  has  attracted  many  friends  who 
hold  him  in  high  esteem  as  a  worthy  worker 
in  the  cause  of  humanity. 

EARL  C.  BRONAUGH,  JR.,  has  for  more 
than  two  decades  been  a  representative  of  the 
Portland  bar  and  to  an  understanding  of 
uncommon  acuteness  and  vigor  he  added  a 
thorough  and  conscientious  preparatory  train- 
ing. While  in  recent  years  he  has  largely 
concentrated  his  efforts  upon  corporation  Uiav, 
he  is  constantly  inspired  by  an  innate  in- 
flexible love  of  justice  and  a  delicate  sense 
of  personal  honor  which  controls  him  in  all 
his  personal  relations.  He  enjoys  in  large 
measure  tlie  confidence  and  respect  of  his 
fellow  practitioners  and  that  he  has  the 
trust  of  the  general  public  is  indicated  in 
the  extensive  clientage  accorded  him. 

Mr.  Bronaugli  has  always  resided  west  of 
the  Mississip[)i  and  during  the  greater  part 
of  his  life  upon  the  Pacific  coast.  He  was 
horn  in  Cross  county,  Arkansas,  February 
26,  1S66,  and  was  only  two  years  old  when 
Inoiight  to  Oregon  by  his  father.  Earl  C. 
l^ronaugh.  Sr..  of  whom  extended  mention 
is  made  elsewhere  in  this  work.  Reared 
amid  a  home  atmosphere  of  intellect  and 
morality.  Earl  C.  Bronaugh  came  to  young 
manhood  well  etpiippcd  to  become  the  w'orthy 
succes.sor  of  an  honored  father.  .After  mas- 
tering the  elementary  branches  of  learning 
in  the  public  schools  of  Portland,  he  attended 
the  University  of  the  Pacific  at  San  .lose, 
California,  and  on  his  graduation  therefrom 
received  the  Bachelor  of  Arts  degree.  Three 
years  later  his  alma  mater  conferred  upon 
him  the  iMaster  of  Arts  degree.  His  prelimi- 
nary law  studies  had  been  pursued  in  the  of- 
fice of  Whalley.  Bronaugh  &  Northup  and 
his  preparation  for  the  profession  was  com- 
pleted as  a  law  student  in  the  University  of 


Oregon,  where  he  won  his  Bachelor  of  Law 
degree  in  1890.  In  June  of  that  year,  he 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  entered  upon 
practice  as  the  fourth  member  of  the  firm  ol 
Bronaugh,  McArtluir.  Fenton  &  Bronaugh. 
Following  the  death  of  Judge  McArthur  in 
18U7  and  the  retirement  of  his  fatlier  the 
firm  style  became  Fenton,  Bronaugh  &  Jluir, 
and  upon  the  dissolution  of  that  partnership 
in  February,  1900,  Earl  C.  Bronaugh  was 
joined  by  his  cousin,  Jerry  Bronaugh,  in 
organizing  the  law  firm  of  Bronaugh  & 
Bronaugh,  which  existed  until  Earl  C. 
Bronaugh  was  appointed  to  the  circuit  bench 
in  December,  1907,  by  'governor  Chamber- 
lain, to  succeed  Judge  Arthur  L.  Frazer,  de- 
cea.sed.  He  was  reelected  to  the  office  in 
June,  1908,  and  during  the  last  year  of  his 
service  on  the  circuit  bench  he  also  occu- 
pied the  position  as  judge  of  the  juvenile 
court.  As  circuit  court  judge  he  rendered 
decisions  that  were  strictly  fair  and  impar- 
tial, his  opinions  being  sustained  in  the  great 
majority  of  cases  which  were  appealed.  More- 
over, comparatively  few  appeals  were  taken 
and  he  was  recognized  as  one  of  the  ablest 
members  who  have  presided  over  the  circuit 
court.  As  judge  of  the  juvenile  court  he  also 
did  excellent  work,  instituting  a  service  that 
stands  for  a  higher  civilization  in  his  rec- 
ognition of  the  good  in  each  individual  and 
the  possibilities  for  redemption  of  the  young 
offenders.  He  had  many  important  eases  come 
before  him  during  his  service  as  judge,  and 
altogether  his  was  a  strenuous  work  that  in- 
cluded tlie  trial  of  five  homicide  cases  in 
the  first  year,  in  which  he  was  obliged  to 
pronounce  the  death  sentence  four  times.  In 
June,  1910,  he  resigned  to  reenter  upon  the 
active  practice  of  law. 

On  his  retirement  from  the  bench  the  Mult- 
nomah County  Bar  Association  held  a  ban- 
quet in  his  honor,  on  which  occasion  he  was 
presented  with  a  loving  cup,  and  in  the  pre- 
sentation of  speech  Charles  J.  Schnabel,  pres- 
ident of  the  Association,  said:  "It  is  a  re- 
markable fact  and  perhaps  rightfully  appre- 
ciated that  the  highest  honor  that  can  be 
paid  to  Judge  Bronaugh  is  to  recall  that  in 
the  histoi-y  of  Oregon's  judiciary,  not  with- 
standing the  multitude  of  judges  that  have 
come  and  gone  in  that  interval,  this  is  the 
second  occasion  when  by  unanimous  and 
spontaneous  consent  a  testimonial  of  this 
character  has  been  paid  to  a  retiring  judge. 
Certainly  the  highest  enconium  of  a  jiuige's 
success  in  the  administration  of  his  exalted 
and  powerful  ollice  is  not  the  plaudits  of 
the  multitude  but  the  respect  and  standing 
accorded  him  by  the  lawyers.  Men  at  times 
who  are  elevated  from  the  ranks  to  a  posi- 
tion of  power  and  influence  degenerate  into 
tyrants  but  in  Judge  Bronaugh's  case  no 
man  living  and  having  experience  with  him 
would  think  of  such  an  aspersion  to  his 
judicial  career.  He  not  only  loved  a  square 
deal  but  was  himself  a   square   dealer." 

Since  leaving  the  bench  Judge  Bronaugh 
has  given  his  attention  especially  to  the  law 
of  real  property  and  is  regarded  as  author- 
ity upon  this  subject  in  Portland.  Few 
men  are  better  informed  not  only  concerning 


22 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


the  law  of  property  but  also  concerning 
realty  values  and  the  possibilities  for  real- 
estate  development  here.  He  is  now  vice  pres- 
ident and  general  council  of  the  Title  &  Trust 
Company  of  Portland  and  for  many  years 
has  been  local  counsel  for  the  states  of  Ore- 
gon and  Washington  for  the  Alliance  Trust 
Company,  Ltd.,  of  Dundee,  Scotland,  In- 
vestors Mortgage  &  Security  Company,  Ltd., 
and  for  the  Western  and  Hawaiian  Invest- 
ment Company,  both  of  Edinburgh,  Scotland. 
He  was  a  director  of  the  Portland  Trust 
Company  of  Oregon  until  he  became  circuit 
judge. 

On  the  14th  of  June,  1888,  Mr.  Bronaugh 
was  married  in  San  Jose,  California,  to  Miss 
Grace  L.  Huggins,  a  daughter  of  Asa  G.  Hug- 
gins,  of  that  place.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bronaugh 
were  classmates  in  college.  Their  marriage 
has  been  blessed  with  four  children:  Eliza- 
beth, twenty-three  years  of  age,  who  is  mar- 
ried to  Joseph  E.  Hall,  Jr.,  of  Hood  River; 
Lewis  J.,  twenty-one  years  of  age;  Earl  C, 
eighteen;  and  Polly,  fourteen  years  of  age. 
The  family  home  is  at  Homewood,  their  resi- 
dence near  Oak  Grove  on  the  Willamette  river. 
Mr.  Bronaugh  is  connected  with  a  number  of 
the  leading  associations  of  Portland.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  State  Bar  Association  and 
of  the  Multnomah  County  Bar  Association. 
He  was  elected  a  member  of  the  city  council 
from  the  seventh  ward  in  1900  and  during 
his  two  years  service  was  chairman  of  the 
committee  on  streets,  health  and  police  and 
a  member  of  the  judiciary  committee.  In 
1901  he  received  legislative  appointment  as 
a  member  of  the  charter  board  and  served 
as  chairman  of  the  committee  on  executive 
department  and  a  member  of  the  committee 
on  the  legislative  department.  In  1911  he 
was  chosen  chairman  of  the  commission  ap- 
pointed to  draft  a  charter  providing  a  com- 
mission for  government  for  the  city  of  Port- 
land. His  knowledge  of  the  law,  combined 
with  practical  ideas  and  progressive  and 
patriotic  public  spirit,  have  well  qualified 
him  for  the  important  work  that  he  has  done 
in  Portland's  behalf.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church,  in  which  he  is  a  ruling 
elder,'  and  in  various  departments  of  the 
church  work  is  helpfully  interested,  acting 
on  its  board  of  trustees  and  serving  for  a 
long  period  as  Sunday-school  superintendent. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors 
of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  and 
no  good  work  in  the  name  of  charity  or  re- 
ligion seeks  his  aid  in  vain,  if  he  can  find 
opportunity  to  render  assistance  thereto. 

His  social  nature  finds  expression  in  his 
membership  in  the  Arlington  and  Commer- 
cial Clubs  and  he  belongs  also  to  the  Phi 
Kappa  Psi  and  Phi  Delta  Phi.  While  a  uni- 
versity student  he  became  one  of  the  organ- 
izers "of  Chase  Chapter  of  Legal  Fraternity, 
Phi  Delta  Phi.  of  the  University  of  Oregon. 
He  belongs  to  the  Mazamas,  the  Mountaineer- 
ing Society  of  the  northwest  of  which  he 
has  been  an  enthusiastic  member  for  four- 
teen years.  Fraternally  he  is  connected  with 
the  Masons,  having  attained  the  Royal  Arch 
degree  and  also  belongs  to  the  Royal  Ar- 
canum.    His  interests  touch  the  various  ac- 


tivities which  constitute  important  courses 
in  life  and  as  is  seen  he  is  associated  with 
those  social,  fraternal  and  church  interests 
Avhich  constitute  an  even  balance  to  profes- 
sional and  business  life.  His  is  a  well 
rounded  nature  and  in  the  development  of 
strong  and  honorable  manhood  has  com- 
manded the  respect,  confidence  and  honor  of 
his  fellowmen. 

NIELS  SIMMONSEN.  Among  the  prom- 
inent and  respected  inhabitants  of  Portland 
who  are  of  Danish  nativity,  is  Xiels  Simmon- 
sen,  a  retired  farmer  and  realty  operator, 
who  has  lived  on  American  soil  since  1S72. 
His  father  was  Simon  Larsmussen,  and  both 
parents  died  in  Denmark.  In  their  family 
were  five  children,  the  subject  of  this  review 
being  the  youngest  in  order  of  birth. 

Xiels  Simmonsen  received  a  common-school 
education  in  his  native  land  and  in  1872 
he  emigrated  to  America,  settling  in  Port- 
land. During  the  first  year  of  his  residence 
in  the  new  world  Mr.  Simmonsen  was  em- 
ployed on  a  dairy  farm  and  for  the  next 
three  years  he  worked  as  a  farm  laborer.  He 
then  bought  thirteen  acres  of  heavy  timber 
land,  situated  where  East  Portland  now 
stands  and  all  being  within  the  city  limits. 
This  tract  is  at  Fifty-eighth  street,  ilr. 
Simmonsen  cleared  this  land  and  lived  on  it 
for  several  years,  farming  and  gardening,  and 
selling  it  off  in  separate  subdivisions  at  about 
six  hundred  dollars  an  acre.  In  1886  he 
again  purchased  land,  this  time  securing  four 
acres  of  what  was  known  as  Belmont  Park, 
now  known  as  the  Westdale  addition  to 
Portland.  It  is  located  between  Sixtieth  and 
Salmore  streets.  Mr.  Simmonsen  owns  a  fine 
home  and  has  in  addition  five  improved  lots 
now  valued  at  about  twenty-five  thousand 
dollars. 

In  1875  Mr.  Simmonsen  was  married  to 
Miss  Karey  Larsmonsen.  a  native  of  Den- 
mark, who  came  to  America  in  1873.  Her 
parents  both  died  in  the  old  country.  Mr. 
and  ilrs.  Simmonsen  are  the  parents  of  one 
son,  Charles,  who  was  born  in  1S76.  He  was 
married  on  December  21.  1905.  to  Cora  Ells- 
worth, a  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  A.  T.  Ells- 
worth, both  of  whom  were  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania. The  parents  were  married  in  that 
state  and  lived  there  for  several  years,  later 
moving  to  Nebraska  and  from  there  to  South 
Dakota,  where  the  mother  died  in  1901.  The 
father  subsequently  drove  across  the  plains 
to  Oregon  and  settled  at  Portland,  where  he 
still  lives.  He  was  twice  married,  his  sec- 
ond union  being  with  Mrs.  Jennie  Burt, 
widow  of  Harry  Burt.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Charles  Simmonsen  are  the  parents  of  three 
children:  Walter,  born  September  8.  1906; 
Geneva,  born  December  3.  1907;  and  Karey, 
born  June  16.  1909. 

Politically  Mr.  Simmonsen  of  this  review 
is  a  republican,  but  has  never  sought  office. 
Both  he  and  his  family  are  members  of  the 
Scandinavian  Lutheran  church.  By  his  fore- 
sight in  grasping  the  opportunities  at  hand 
and  by  his  industry,  economy  and  thrift,  Mr. 
Simtiionsen  has  come  to  be  one  of  the  sub- 
stantial,  well  known   and   respected  citizens 


NIELS    SIMMONSEN 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OP  OREGON 


25 


of  Portland.  Faitliful  and  consistent  in  his 
church  life,  living  quietly  in  the  home  circle, 
he  is  enjoying  the  rest  and  comfort  to  ■which 
his  earlier  labors  and  activities  so  fully  en- 
title him. 

ARA  W.  McLaughlin  is  one  of  the  pro- 
prietors of  the  lari^e  furniture  store  of  the 
Flint-McLaughlin  Company,  the  oldest  es- 
tablishment of  this  character  in  Eugene.  The 
store  has  had  a  continuous  existence  of  about 
a  quarter  of  a  century.  Mr.  McLaughlin 
has  been  one  of  the  partners  for  the  past 
four  years  and  has  brought  to  its  conduct  a 
spirit  of  enterprise  and  progressiveness  Avhich 
is  manifest  in  the  growth  and  development 
of  the  business  to  this  period.  He  was  born 
in  Nodaway  county,  Missouri,  in  1873.  and 
is  a  son  of  Richard  S.  and  Wilhelmina  (Cham- 
bers) McLaughlin.  The  father  is  a  native  of 
Galesburg,  Illinois;  and  was  between  eighteen 
and  twenty  years  of  age  when  he  went  to 
Missouri,  where  he  was  married.  He  engaged 
in  farming  in  that  state  until  1877,  when  he 
removed  westward  to  Oregon,  establishing  his 
home  in  Milwaukie.  where  he  is  still  liv- 
ing on  a  ranch.  He  cleared  and  improved 
the  ninety  acres  which  he  owns  and  is  thereon 
engaged  in  general  farming.  He  was  born 
in  184S  and  has  now  passed  the  sixtj'-fourth 
milestone    on   life's    journey. 

Ara  W.  ^IcLaughlin  was  a  lad  of  but  about 
three  years  when  brought  to  the  northwest. 
After  acquiring  his  preliminary  education 
in  the  puldic  schools  he  entered  the  normal 
department  of  Portland  University,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  with  the  class  of 
1897,  having  taught  tw'o  years  prior  to  the 
last  year  of  his  cnurse.  He  then  served  one 
year  as  principal  of  the  iloimt  Pleasant 
school  and  put  aside  all  business  and  personal 
considerations  at  the  time  of  the  Spanish 
American  war  in  order  that  he  might  enlist 
in  defense  of  his  country's  flag.  He  joined 
Company  I  of  the  Second  Oregon  Regiment. 
v.-as  sent  to  the  Philippines,  where  he  re- 
mained until  his  command  was  returned  to 
this  country,  and  was  mustered  out  in  August, 
ISno.  He  then  asain  resumed  the  profession 
of  teaching,  wliich  he  followed  for  three  years 
as  principal  of  the  ^Milwaukie  school,  the  last 
two  of  which  he  was  on  the  Clackamas  county 
board  of  .examiners.  After  this  he  received 
his  initial  business  training  in  the  furniture 
line  in  six  years  of  experience  with  the  Powers 
Furniture  Company,  which  firm  he  entered 
as  janitor  and  from  which  he  retired  as 
auditor.  Tn  190S  he  formed  his  present  part- 
nership with  Laurence  R.  Flint,  becominir 
one  of  the  proprietors  of  Eugene's  oldest 
furniture  establishment,  now  conducted  un- 
der the  firm  name  of  Flint-McLauglilin  Com- 
panv.  Although  this  is  the  oldest  furniture 
store  in  the  city  it  is  thoroughly  modern  in 
its  equipment  and  line  of  house  furnishings 
handled.  They  keep  on  hand  a  large  stock. 
the  output  of  the  best  factories  of  the  coun- 
try, and  a  liberal  patronage  is  accorded  them 
in  recognition  of  their  straightforward  l>usi- 
ness  dealings  and   their  progressive  methods. 

On  Xovember  28,  1907.  Mr.  McLaughlin  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  .Josie  Hale  Bush. 

Vol.  IV— 2 


of  Bay  Center,  Washington,  a  daughter  of 
the  Hon,  A.  S.  and  Mrs,  Ellen  (Knight) 
Bush.  The  father,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil 
war,  was  a  pioneer  of  Pacific  county,  Wash- 
ington, and  one  of  the  makers  of  that  part 
of  tlie  country  in  which  he  lived.  He  was 
honored  by  his  fellow  citizens  with  election 
to  the  office  of  county  judge  and  also  served 
satisfactorily  in  the  legislature  of  that  state 
for  three  consecutive  terms.  Mrs.  McLaugh- 
lin was  for  several  years  a  teacher  and  for 
the  last  two  years,  prior  to  her  marriage, 
served  as  superintendent  of  schools  of  Pacific 
county.  On  February  9.  1909,  Mrs.  Mc- 
Laughlin and  infant  son.  Ara  Bush  McLaugh- 
lin, passed  away.  In  the  short  time  here 
spent  in  her  new  home  she  had  made  many 
friends,  all  of  whom  loved  her  for  her  noble 
character. 

5Ir.  McLaughlin  is  well  known  in  various 
connections.  He  has  lieen  a  member  of  the 
Oregon  Historical  Society  since  1897  and 
liimself  has  been  a  resident  of  the  state  for 
tliirty-five  years,  witnessing  much  of  its 
growth  and  developmcTit.  He  is  the  president 
of  the  Merchants  Protective  Association  of 
Euffene  and  is  deeply  interested  in  every- 
thing pertaining  to  the  welfare  and  improve- 
ment of  the  city.  Fraternally  he  is  con- 
nected with  Spencer  Butte  Lodge,  No.  9, 
I.  O.  O.  F.;  Wimawhala  Encampment,  No.  6; 
and  Canton  Hovey.  Xo.  4,  having  thus  taken 
the  various  degrees  of  Odd  Fellowship.  He 
is  also  helpfully  interested  in  the  moral  prog- 
ress of  the  community,  holds  membership  in 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  ehurch.  of  which  he 
is  a  steward,  is  one  of  the  directors  of  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association  and  is 
chairman  of  its  committee  on  religious  work. 
In  a  word,  he  takes  an  active  interest  in 
everything  that  pertains  to  the  material,  in- 
tellectual and  moral  development  of  Eugene 
and  the  state  at  large.  In  his  business  career 
he  has  been  actuated  by  a  spirit  of  progress 
that  has  led  him  forward,  step  by  step,  until 
he  now  occupies  an  enviable  position  in  the 
commercial   circles   of  the   city. 

lOSEPH  ADAMS  HILL,  the  present  vice 
urincinal  and  actual  head  of  the  Hill  !Mili- 
tnry  Academy,  was  "oorn  in  Portland.  Auiust 
19.' 1880.  He  is  the  eldest  son  of  Dr.  .Joseph 
Wood  Hill  of  Westport.  Connecticut.  Yale 
'78.  former  principal  and  lessee  of  the  Bishop 
Scott  Academy  and  present:,  principal  of  the 
Hill  ^lilitarv  Academy,  and  his  wife,  .Tessie 
Katharine  Adams,  of  AVestport.  Connecticut. 
His  one  surviving  brother,  Benjamin  Wood 
Hill,  is  of  the  class  of  1912.  Sheflield  Scientific 
School. 

Mr.  Llill  received  his  preparatory  school 
education  at  the  Bi.shop  Scott  Academy. 
I'pon  his  graduation  in  1899  he  entered  the 
liiological  course  at  Shemeld  Scientific  School 
with  intention  of  preparing  for  a  medical 
career.  During  his  senior  year  the  sudden 
rleath  of  his  mother  completely  changed  his 
]>Ians  and  he  gave  up  the  study  of  medicine 
for  a  commercial  career.  .After  his  gradua- 
tion in  1902  he  entered  the  employ  of  the 
American  Steel  &  Wire  Cimipany.  He  be- 
came  a    salesman    in    (heir   Bo'^ton   office   and 


26 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


a  year  later  was  transferred  to  tlicir  elec- 
trical and  wire  rope  department  at  Worces- 
ter, Massachusetts.  In  1904  he  accepted  a 
position  as  salesman  with  the  Lake  Erie  Xail 
&,  Supply  Company  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and 
later  was  appointed  traveling  sales  manager 
of  the  Clifton  Xail  &  Supply  Company  of 
St.  Louis,  Missouri,  and  the  Grant  Xail  & 
Supply  Company  of  Boston,  Massachusetts, 
as  well  as  the  Lake  Erie  Xail  &  Supply 
Company. 

The  Lewis  &  Clark  Exposition  in  1905 
caused  him  to  resign  his  position  and  to  re- 
turn to  Portland,  where  he  entered  the  serv- 
ice of  the  L^nited  States  geological  survey, 
who  were  then  investigating  the  black  sands 
of  the  Columbia  river  under  the  direction  of 
David  I.  Day,  the  noted  geologist,  and  assisted 
in  the  operation  of  the  electrical  furnace 
used  in  smelting  the  iron  ores  found  in  the 
black  sands. 

Subsequently  he  accepted  a  position  with 
the  Tualitin  Mill  &  Lumber  Company  and 
then  entered  into  the  corporation  of  the  East 
Side  Slab  Wood  Company.  He  filled  the  posi- 
tion of  secretary-treasurer  of  this  corpora- 
tion for  a  number  of  years  and  then  sold  out 
his  interest  and  departed  for  the  Xevada  goll 
fields.  Here  he  visited  the  camps  of  Gold- 
field,  Tonopah,  Wonder,  Fairview.  Goldbanks. 
Dixie  and  Hike  and  became  actively  engaged 
in  mining.  Later  on  he  visited  the  camps  of 
Florence,  Dyke,  Veryville,  Xew  Goldfield. 
Rebel  Creek  and  Fortuna  in  the  northern 
part  of  Xevada,  and  in  190S  returned  to 
Portland  in  order  to  accept  the  position  of 
vice  principal  of  the  Hill  Military  Academy, 
He  soon  assumed  the  actual  management  of 
the  institution  and  his  progressive  spirit 
united  with  the  broader  experiences  of  his 
father  was  largely  instrumental  in  making 
the  academy  one  of  the  strongest  and  most 
thorough  preparatory  schools  in  the  Pacific 
northwest,  an  accomplished  fa,ct  proven  in 
the  well  established  reputation  of  the  school 
and  in  the  liberal  patronage  accorded  it. 
Mr.  Hill  is  an  active  republican  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  University  Club  and  the  ^Nfultno- 
mah   Amateur   Athletic   Club. 

GEORGE  W.  TAMIESIE,  M.  D.  With 
broad  college  training  and  hospital  experience 
to  qualify  him  for  the  practice  of  medicine, 
Dr.  George  W.  Tamiesie  entered  upon  the 
active  work  of  his  profession  in  Portland 
in  1902.  and  has  since  made  continuous 
progress.  He  was  born  in  Linn  county.  Iowa. 
May  9,  lfi7.5,  his  parents  being  John  Batiste 
and  Phillipine  (GofFettel  Tamiesie,  As  the 
name  indicates,  he  is  descended  from  an  old 
French  family,  the  original  spelling  of  the 
family  name  being  Tamiesier.  A  representa- 
tive of  this  family  has  been  immortalized  in 
one  of  the  works  of  Victor  Hugo.  The  grand- 
father was  one  of  the  French  colonists,  who 
established  the  salt  works  in  Onondaga 
county,  Xcw  York,  and  in  early  life  John 
Batiste  Tamiesie.  who  was  born  in  Syracuse. 
Xew  York,  became  connected  with  the  salt 
industry  hut  afterward  turned  his  attention 
to  general  agi'icultural  pursuits.  After  leav- 
ing the  Empire  state  when  a  young  man.  he 


removed  westward  to  Iowa  and  alter  re- 
biuiug  in  that  stale  lor  a  considerable  period 
of  time  came  to  Oregon  in  Is  7b.  At  Oswego 
he  took  up  contracting  but  alter  seven  years 
puichased  a  tract  oi  laud  in  Washington 
county,  which  he  carefully  and  successiully 
cultivated  to  the  time  ol  his  death,  whicn 
occurred  in  1910.  iiis  wife  was  of  French 
parentage,  although  ner  birth  occurred  across 
the  border  in  Belgium.  By  her  marriage  she 
became  the  mother  of  ten  children,  eight  of 
whom  are  yet  living;  John  Henry,  a  mechani- 
cal engineer  of  Portland;  James  P.,  who  is 
mentioned  elsewhere  in  this  work;  Marie; 
\  ictor  J.,  living  in  Oregon;  Augustus  E., 
who  is  liist  assistant  physician  in  the  insane 
asylum  at  Salem;  George  W.,  ol  this  review; 
Katherine,  the  wife  oi  William  Keiling,  of 
HillsbOro;  and  Joseph,  a  dentist,  practicing 
in  Portland. 

Dr.  Tamiesie  was  only,  four  years  of  age 
when  brought  by  his  parents  to  Oreguu  and 
was  a  lad  of  eleven  years  when  the  family 
removed  irom  Oswego  to  what  has  since 
been  known  as  the  old  homestead  larm  near 
Hillsboro.  In  puisuing  his  education  he  at- 
tended the  higU  school  of  the  latter  place 
and  afterward  took  up  the  prolession  of 
teaching,  which  he  followed  in  the  public 
schools  lor  five  years.  He  regarded  this  w'ork 
however,  merely  as  an  initial  step  to  other 
prolessiunal  lauor  lor  it  was  liis  desire  to 
enter  upon  the  study  ol  medicine,  and  while 
teaching  he  began  reading  with  that  end  in 
view.  Later  he  entered  the  medical  depart- 
ment of  the  University  of  Oregon  and  was 
graduated  therefrom  April  1,  1902.  During 
his  last  year  there,  he  was  an  interne  in  the 
county  hospital.  Since  his  graduation  he  has 
practiced  at  his  present  location,  maintain- 
ing an  oUice  at  519.'.'  Williams  avenue  in 
Portland.  Success  has  attended  him  from  the 
outset  and  his  practice  has  gradually  grown 
as  his  worth  and  ability  have  become  recog- 
nized. The  elemental  strength  of  his  char- 
acter was  shown  in  the  fact  that  he  pro- 
vided for  his  own  education  and  his  industry 
and  ambition  enabled  him  to  pursue  his  col- 
lege course  and  qualify  for  his  chosen  life 
work.  He  is  a  lover  of  his  profession,  deeply 
interested  in  its  scientific  and  humanitarian 
phases.  He  has  an  ottice  splendidly  equipped 
with  modern  instruments  and  appliances  and 
he  puts  forth  every  effort  to  make  his  labors 
etfective  in  restoring  health  and  checking  the 
ravages  of  disease.  Three  of  the  seven  sons 
of  hi.s  fatlier's  family  adopted  the  profes- 
sion of  medicine  and  a  fourth  became  a 
ilentist  and  has  an  office  adjoining  that  of 
our  subject.  The  record  made  "by  these 
brothers  is  commendable,  for  all  hold"  to  high 
professional  ideals. 

In  1902  Dr.  Tamiesie  was  married  to  Miss 
Theresa  Reiling,  a  daughter  of  ilartin  Reil- 
ing.  who  came  to  Oregon  in  1S76  and  is  now 
living  at  Roy.  this'  state.  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Tamiesie  have  two  children.  Sylvester  Law- 
rence and  Lennre  Beatrice.  The  parents  are 
members  of  the  Roman  Catholic  church  and 
are  well  known  socially.  He  is  a  gentleman 
of  cordial  and  genial  manner,  sympathetic, 
courteous  and  kindly,  and  all  who  know  him 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


27 


speak  of  him  in  terms  of  admiration  and 
high  regard.  He  is  devoted  to  his  family 
and  his  profession  and  stands  as  a  high  type 
of  American  manhood  and  chivalry. 

ORVIL  DODGE  was  born  at  Gerard, 
Crawford  county,  Pennsylvania,  .January  5, 
1839.  and  now  resides  at  Jlyrtle  Point.  Coos 
county  Oregon.  His  father's  name  was  Nor- 
man Dodge,  who  was  born  at  Oneida  county, 
New  York,  in  ISIO,  and  was  married  to 
Deborah  Press,  of  Gowanda,  that  state  in 
1S35. 

When  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  two 
years  old  his  parents  moved  to  Loraine 
county,  Ohio,  where  the  mother  died  in  1843. 
When  the  boy  was  eleven  years  old  he  was 
sent  to  Cattaragus  county,  New  York, 
where  he  was  placed  in  school.  When  he  was 
thirteen  years  old  he  was  sent  to  the  high 
school  at  LaGrange,  Indiana,  by  an  uncle. 
In  1857  he  drifted  to  DeKalb  county,  Illi- 
nois, and  in  the  following  year  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Alice  Walrod  at  Sycamore,  Illinois. 
In  1S60  he  with  his  wife  and  child,  named 
Lydia  Jane,  crossed  the  plains,  arriving  in 
California  in  October  of  that  year.  He  soon 
engaged  in  the  sawmill  industry  on  Ant- 
lope  creek,  twenty-five  miles  from  the  Sac- 
ramento river.  After  three  months  of  suc- 
cessful milling,  the  Indians  crept  down  in 
the  night  time  and  set  fire  to  the  mill,  com- 
pletely destroying  the  same  with  a  large 
amount  of  lumber,  leaving  him  penniless. 
In  September,  1861,  he  moved  to  Jackson 
county,  Oregon,  and  after  mining  in  that 
vicinity  a  short  time  he  answered  the  call 
of  his  county  and  enlisted  in  the  First  Ore- 
gon Cavalry  on  the  27th  of  December,  in 
that  year  at  Camp  Baker.  In  March,  1862, 
Norman  Ovando  was  born  to  him,  thus  mak- 
ing two  issues  by  his  first  marriage.  After 
serving  thirteen  months  against  the  hostile 
Indians  he  was  discharged  on  account  of  in- 
jury received  at  or  near  Fort  Walla  Walla 
when  in  pursuit  of  the  Indians.  "^Vhile  in 
the  service  he  acted  as  hospital  steward  most 
of  the  time.  After  leaving  the  army  he 
took  up  the  occupation  of  photography,  and 
traveled  quite  extensively,  visiting  new  min- 
ing camps  in  eastern  and  southern  Oregon, 
but  finally  in  1866,  settled  in  Coos  county. 
Here  he  was  again  married,  his  second  union 
being  with  Jliss  Louisa  A.  Schroeder,  in 
April.  1867.  There  are  six  children  of  that 
marriage,  namely:  Henry  Orvil  Augustus, 
Dora  Belle.  Edgar  Allen,  Alta  Estella,  Daisy 
Dell   and  Norman  Orvil. 

Mr.  Dodge  resided  at  Coos  Bay  four  years, 
being  engaged  in  the  drug  and  general  mer- 
chandise business,  but  in  1871  moved  to  the 
Coquille  valley,  forty  miles  southeast  of  Coos 
Bay.  and  has  since  lived  at  or  near  Myrtle 
Point.  Oregon,  except  wlien  serving  as  re- 
ceiver of  public  moneys  in  the  general  land 
ofiice.  at  Washington."  D.  C.  from  1899  to 
February  1903,  when  he  resigned.  He  served 
as  United  States  commissioner  at  Myrtle 
Point,  Oregon,  for  a  period  of  twelve  years. 
During  his  residence  in  Coos  county,  he  estab- 
lished and  published  two  newspapers,  name- 
ly: The  West  Oregonian  and  the  Coquilla  Val- 


ley Sentinel,  the  latter  being  the  official  paper 
of  Coos  county.  In  1898  he  compiled  and  pub- 
lished the  history  of  Coos  and  Ciirry  counties 
which  was  endorsed  by  the  Pioneer  Associa- 
tion. He  is  now  engaged  in  mining,  being 
secretary  and  manager  of  the  Salmon  Moun- 
tain Coarse  Gold  Mining  Company. 

Mr.  Dodge  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal    church    at   Myrtle   Point,   Oregon. 

He  was  initiated  into  Washington  Centen- 
nial Lodge,  No.  14,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  March  25, 
1901,  passed  May  9,  1901  raised  June  19, 
1901,  and  is  a  member  of  LaFayette  Chapter, 
Orient  Commandery  No.  5,  K.  T.  and  Almas 
Temple,  all  of  Washington,  D.  C. 

JOHN  ANDREW  BUCHANAN  has  been 
engaged  in  the  general  practice  of  law  in 
Roseburg  since  1898  and  is  meeting  with  a 
success  which  is  the  natural  result  of  his 
ability,  training  and  efficiency.  In  associa- 
tion with  Ora  H.  Porter  he  has  offices  in  the 
Perkins  building  and  has  built  up  in  fourteen 
years  a  gratifying  and  still  increasing  clien- 
tage. He  was  born  in  Drakesville,  Iowa, 
October  2,  1863,  a  son  of  Amos  and  Luvina 
(Jones)  Buchanan.  He  came  to  Oregon  with 
his  parents  in  1874  and  lived  for  one  year 
in  Monmouth,  after  which  the  family  re- 
moved  to   Moscow,   Idaho. 

There  John  A.  Buchanan  lived  upon  a 
ranch  and  attended  the  rural  schools  until 
1884,  when  he  returned  to  Oregon  and  entered 
the  Oregon  State  Normal  School  at  Mon- 
mouth, graduating  from  that  institution  in 
1887.  After  this  he  taught  school  for  ten 
years,  holding  the  position  of  principal  in  the 
public  schools  at  Amity,  North  Yamhill.  Mc- 
Minnville  and  Dallas.  While  engaged  in  tliat 
line  of  occupation  he  studied  law  under  0. 
H.  Irvine,  of  McMinnville.  and  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  1896.  In  1898  he  removed  to 
Roseburg  and  has  secured  a  steadily  increas- 
ing practice  since  that  time.  He  is  a  strong 
and  able  practitioner,  well  versed  in  the 
many  details  of  his  profession  and  with  the 
ability  to  make  his  knowledge  effective.  His 
practice  has  grown  continuously  and  during 
the  fourteen  years  of  his  residence  in  Rose- 
burg he  has  been  identified  with  many  im- 
portant legal  cases,  in  all  of  which  he  served 
his  clients  ably  and  zealously  and  with  con- 
stant consideration  for  their  interests. 

On  -January  16,  1901,  Mr.  Buchanan  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Mrs.  Madge  (Bond) 
Ragsdale,  a  daughter  of  P.  J.  and  Mary 
(McClain)  Bond,  who  came  from  Missouri 
about  1892  and  settled  in  Roseburg,  where 
for  some  time  the  father  was  prominent  in 
the  jewelry  business.  He  is  now,  however, 
living  retired.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Buchanan  have 
two  children:  Maurine,  who  was  born  Decem- 
ber 20,  1903,  and  Louise,  born  August  4, 
1906. 

Jlr.  Buchanan  is  one  of  the  most  prominent 
and  important  figures  in  local  politics  and  is 
serving  as  a  member  of  the  lower  house  of 
the  state  assembly.  To  this  office  he  was 
elected  in  1908  from  the  sixth  district,  which 
comprises  Jackson  and  Douglas  counties. 
He  served  for  two  years  with  efficiency  and 


28 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


ability,  was  reelected  in  1910  and  still  con- 
tinues to  serve.  He  is  interested  in  educa- 
tional matters  and  for  eight  years  has  been 
a  member  of  the  Eoseburg  board.  Frater- 
nally he  belongs  to  Grand  Lodge,  I.  0.  0. 
F. ;  Woodmen  of  the  World  and  the  United 
Arti.sans  and  is  prominent  in  the  Masonic 
order,  holding  membership  in  Laurel  Lodge, 
No.  13,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  For  the  past  nine 
years  he  has  been  an  active  member  of  the 
Oregon  National  Guards  and  is  first  lieuten- 
and  in  the  Fourth  Company,  Coast  Artillery 
Corps,  at  Eoseburg.  He  is  president  of  the 
Douglas  Creditors  Association.  Mr.  Buch- 
anan is  one  of  the  successful  lawyers  of  Eose- 
burg and  has  gained  substantial  .success  by 
reason  of  his  energy  and  ability.  The  zeal 
with  which  he  has  devoted  his  energies  to  his 
profession,  the  careful  regard  which  he  mani- 
fests for  the  interests  of  his  clients  and  his 
assiduous  attention  to  the  details  of  his  cases 
have  brought  him  a  large  practice  and  made 
him  very  successful   in   its  conduct. 

CYRUS  EDWIN  HOSKINS.  Probably  no 
one  citizen  of  Oregon  contributed  more 
largely  to  promoting  the  development  of  the 
fruit  industry  in  the  state  than  the  late 
Cyrus  Edwin  Hoskins,  who  was  not  only 
a  business  man  of  rare  judgment  and  sagac- 
ity, but  a  horticulturist  of  far  more  than 
local  reputation.  His  most  notable  contri- 
bution to  the  science  of  horticulture  was  un- 
questionably the  cherry  that  bears  his  name, 
but  in  all  probability  he  will  be  longer  re- 
membered as  the  man  who  shipped  the  first 
consignment   of   dried    prunes    from    Oregon. 

He  was  the  eldest  son  born  of  the  mar- 
riage of  .Joseph  and  .Sarah  Ann  (Hodson) 
Hoskins.  his  birth  occuring  in  the  vicinity 
of  Vieniia,  Clinton  county.  Ohio,  on  the  3d 
of  July,  1S42.  His  entire  life  was  spent  on 
a  farm,  his  youthful  energies  being  early 
directed  along  agricultural  lines,  the  duties 
of  which  increased  as  his  strength  developed 
with  the  passing  years.  He  pursued  his 
education  in  the  district  schools  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  his  home,  the  standard  of  which  was 
about  in  common  with  those  prevailing  at 
that  period.  Being  of  a  studious  nature, 
howe^•er.  he  keenly  observed  what  was  go- 
ing on  in  the  great  world  of  nature  about 
him.  where  he  picked-  up  many  valuable  les- 
sons not  taught  in  school  rooms  nor  to  be 
found  in  text-books,  that  later  proved  in- 
valuable to  him.  He  laid  a  good  foundation 
by  his  thorough  mastery  of  the  fundament- 
als, that  he  supplemented  all  through  life 
by  carefiil  and  wide  reading  on  general  sub- 
jects, and  was  always  considered  to  be  a 
well  informed  man  whose  opinion  on  all 
current  topics  was  well  wortliy  of  expres- 
sion. His  schooling  was  terminated  by  the 
breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war.  and  the 
patriotism  and  love  of  country  that  were 
always  two  of  his  most  pronounced  char- 
acteristics were  then  manifested  by  his  lay- 
ing aside  his  text-books  in  order  to  take  up 
the  musket.  He  enlisted  during  the  very 
early  days  of  the  conflict  and  remained  at 
the  front  until  the  surrender  at  Appomattox. 
During  that  period  he  saw  much  active  serv- 


ice, i)articipating  in  a  number  of  notable 
battles,  but  was  never  wounded. 

Soon  after  receiving  his  discharge  he  was 
married  and  immediately  following  he  and 
his  bride  located  on  a  farm,  in  Eush  county, 
Indiana,  which  he  operated  until  1877.  He 
had  always  been  desirous  of  coming  to  the 
west  and  in  the  later  year  together  with 
his  wife  and  family  he  came  to  Oregon. 
Upon  his  arrival  here  he  purchased  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  in  Yam- 
hill county,  at  what  is  now  known  as  Spring- 
brook,  near  Newberg,  and  here  he  spent  the 
remainder  of  his  life.  Mr.  Hoskins  was  a 
progressive  man,  but  not  a  theorist,  being 
thoroughly  practical  in  all  of  his  methods, 
and  he  readily  realized  that  conditions  in 
this  section  of  the  country  were  very  dit- 
ferent  from  those  which  he  had  been  ac- 
customed to  encounter  in  farming  in  the 
middle  states.  He  made  a  careful  study  of 
his  soil,  its  needs  and  requirements,  as  well 
as  the  climatic  conditions,  and  governed  his 
undertakings  accordingly.  He  experimented 
extensively,  particularly  with  fruits,  early 
lecognizing  that  this  in  time  was  going  to 
become  one  of  the  greatest  fruit  sections 
not  only  in  the  L'nited  States  but  in  the 
world.  In  his  orchard  was  to  be  found  an 
almost  unlimited  variety  of  cherry  trees, 
that  he  grafted  and  experimented  with  un- 
til he  obtained  the  cherry  that  is  now  bear- 
ing his  name.  The  introduction  of  this  fruit 
established  his  reputation  as  a  horticul- 
turist and  he  soon  became  recognized  not 
only  in  this  immediate  locality  but  through- 
out the  northwest  as  one  of  the  leading  fruit 
growers.  Later  he  increased  the  scope  of 
his  activities  by  adding  prunes  and  apples 
and  other  varieties  of  fruit  to  his  orchard. 
He  introduced  the  prune  industry  in  the 
state,  placing  upon  the  market  the  first  car 
load  of  Oregon  dried  prunes.  He  applied 
himself  painstakingly  and  intelligently  to 
whatever  he  undertook,  and  was  always 
striving  to  improve  the  standard  of  each 
and  all  of  his  products.  That  his  efforts 
were  rewarded  by  success  is  manifested  by 
the  fact  that  his  dried  prunes  received  the 
first  prize  at  the  World's  Fair  in  Chicago  in 
]S93,  while  the  Hoskin  cherry  was  awarded 
the  silver,  cup  at  Salem.  Oregon.  He  be- 
came one  of  the  widely  known  and  affluent 
orchardists  of  the  state,  and  his  death  on 
the  ISth  of  August,  1908,  meant  a  loss  not 
only  to  the  community,  where  he  was  so 
well  known  and  highly  regarded,  but  to  the 
state  at  large.  He  had  always  led  an  ac- 
tive life,  the  dominant  interests  of  which 
hail  been  of  a  nature  to  help  not  oidy  him- 
self but  all  who  were  engaged  in  similar 
enterprises,  and  he  fulfilled  his  mission  by 
his  many  contributions  to  the  vocation  he 
followed. 

On  the  :;nth  of  November.  18fi.5.  Jlr.  Hos- 
kins was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Ma- 
tilda Hadley.  a  daughter  of  Thomas  and 
Lucinda  Hadley.  natives  of  Indiana,  in  which 
state  Jlrs.  Hoskins  was  also  born  and  reared. 
Mr.  and  ilrs.  Hadley  removed  to  Oregon  in 
1SS2.  and  here  they  both  passed  away.  They 
were    the    parents    i>f    nine    children.      Unto 


CVKrS   E.    H08KIXS   AND    FAMILY 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


31 


ill-,  and  Mrs.  Hoskins  there  were  burn  two 
diuighters:  Ellis  il.,  who  died  at  the  age 
ol  two  years;  and  Joycie,  the  wife  of  E. 
Lemon,  who  passed  away  at  her  home  in 
Jackson  county,  Oregon,  on  the  22d  of  De- 
cember, 1903.  llrs.  Hoskins  still  lives  on 
the  ranch  where  she  has  resided  for  so  many 
years  at  Springbrook,  but  since  the  death 
of  her  husband  she  has  sold  all  but  fifty 
acres  of  her  place.  The  land  she  has  re- 
tained is  practically  all  planted  in  cherry 
and  prune  trees,  that  annually  net  her  a 
handsome  income.  This  ranch  is  one  of  t!ie 
.show  places  of  Yamhill  county,  not  only 
because  of  what  its  former  owner  achieved, 
but  owing  to  its  many  attractive  features 
and  the  fact  that  it  is  supplied  with  every 
convenience  needed  in  the  eejuipment  of  a 
commercial  orchard,  that  is  operated  in  ac- 
cordance  with  modern   ideas. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Hoskins  was  identified 
with  the  Masonic  order,  having  been  initiated 
in  Carthage  Lodge,  No.  169,  of  the  grand 
jurisdiction  of  Indiana  in  1867,  and  at  the 
time  of  his  death  he  was  past  master  of 
Xewberg  Lodge.  Xo.  104.  In  early  life  he 
voted  the  republican  ticket,  but  during  his 
latter  years  he  gave  his  support  to  the  pro- 
hibition party.  He  took  much  interest  in 
all  public  affairs,  but  never  actively  partic- 
ipated in  political  matters,  preferring  to  con- 
centrate his  powers  upon  the  development 
and  promotion  of  the  fruit  culture,  through 
which  he  contributed  his  full  quota  as  a 
citizen  toward  the  advancement  of  his  com- 
munity. He  was  of  strong  personality,  pos- 
sessing high  standards,  that  governed  all  of 
his  relations  in  life,  sound  principles  and  the 
determination  of  purpose,  that  never  ac- 
cepted defeat.  His  ideas  of  right  and  Avrong 
were  strongly  marked,  yet  he  was  charitable 
in  his  criticisms  and  lenient  in  his  judgments. 
never  condemning  any  unheard.  He  was  a 
man  who  would  have  been  an  acquisition  to 
any  community;  his  irreproachable  char- 
acter not  less  than  his  achievements  giving 
him  a  commanding  position,  and  compelling 
his  recognition  as  one  destined  to  lead  in 
anything  he  undertook. 

JOSEPH  ANDREW  HETTINGER  makes 
his  home  in  Bonanza  and  in  former  years  was 
closely  identified  with  business  interests  of 
the  town.  His  investments  are  now  largely 
represented  by  his  ranch  interests,  having  one 
liundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  devoted  to 
the  raising  of  potatoes  and  other  vegetables. 
He  was  born  in  Warren  county,  Iowa,  Octo- 
ber 14.  1872,  and  is  a  son  of  -Jacob  and  ilar- 
garet  (Ripplebarger)  Hettinger,  the  former  a 
native  of  Pennsylvania  and  the  latter  of 
(iermany.  They  were  married  in  Iowa,  in 
which  state  they  were  pioneer  .settlers,  and 
tliere  they  remained  until  called  to  their  final 
rest,  tile  father  devoting  his  time  and  energies 
to  the  occupation  of  farming. 

Joseph  A.  Hettinger,  wlio  was  the  sixth 
in  a  family  of  seven  children,  continued  a 
resident  of  Iowa  througliout  the  period  of  Iiis 
boyhood  and  youth,  acquired  his  education 
in  the  schools  there  and  in  1S97,  when  twenty- 
five  years  of  age,  came  to  the  northwest.    He 


spent  two  years  in  Curry  county  and  since 
then  has  lived  in  Klamath  county.  Through- 
out his  life  he  has  owned  and  operated  a 
ranch  and  at  one  time  was  proprietor  of  a 
saloon,  a  store  and  meat  market  at  Bonanza, 
wliere  he  continued  in  business  for  eight 
years.  He  was  the  owner  of  the  best  build- 
ing in  the  town  and  the  best  hall  in  the 
county,  but  the  building  was  destroyed  by 
fire  in  1910.  Since  then  he  has  not  resumed 
business  along  that  line,  but  has  important 
and  profitable  ranch  interests,  owning  one 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  in  the 
Yonna  valley,  where  he  raises  potatoes  and 
vegetables.  In  1911  his  potato  crop  from 
twenty-three  acres  was  twenty-three  hun- 
dred sacks.  In  the  year  1912  he  has  forty 
acres  planted  to  potatoes  and  he  also  has 
a  large  acreage  given  to  the  cultivation  of 
other  vegetables.  His  business  in  this  direc- 
tion is  proving  profitable.  He  owns  a  home- 
stead of  one  hundred  and  si.xty  acres  near 
Bly  and  he  also  has  town  property  in 
Bonanza. 

ilr.  Hettinger  is  a  republican  in  politics 
but  office  holding  has  little  or  no  attraction 
for  him,  as  he  prefers  to  concentrate  his 
energies  upon  his  business  affairs  and  the 
interests  of  his  home.  He  was  married  June 
21.  190S,  to  Jliss  .Maude  liechdolt,  a  native 
of  Oregon  and  a  daughter  of  Fred  C.  Beeh- 
doldt. 

DR.  WALTER  S.  JOHNSON  is  engaged  in 
the  general  practice  of  medicine  and  sxirgery 
at  Bonanza  and  is  also  connected  with  com- 
mercial interests  as  one  of  the  partners  of 
the  Bonanza  Drug  Company.  He  was  born 
in  Monroe  county.  Tennessee.  April  20,  1862, 
and  is  a  son  of  Jacob  K.  and  Susan  Delilah 
fSwaggerty)  Johnson,  who  were  natives  of 
eastern  Tennessee,  the  former  born  in  Ivnox 
county  and  the  latter  in  Cocke  county.  Their 
entire  lives  were  spent  in  that  state.  He  was 
a  son  of  .Jeremiah  .Johnson,  who  spent  the 
greater  part  of  his  life  in  Tennessee.  Mrs. 
■lohnson's  father  owned  a  plantation  which 
embraced  several  thousand  acres.  She  had 
several  brothers  who  served  as  soldiers  of 
the  Confederate  army  and  one  was  a  soldier 
of  the  Mexican  war.  In  the  family  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  J.  K.  Johnson  were  twelve  children, 
seven  of  whom  reached  adult  age  and  are 
now  living. 

Dr.  Johnson's  people  belonged  to  the 
aristocracy  of  the  south  ami  his  youth  was 
spent  on  one  of  the  old-time  plantations, 
with  the  usual  experiences  and  environment 
of  such  a  life.  After  mastering  the  element- 
ary branches  of  learning  in  the  country 
schools  he  attended  Carson  College,  at  Jeffer- 
son City,  Tennessee,  an  old  Baptist  institu- 
tion now  known  as  the  Carson  and  Newman 
College.  The  building  in  which  school  con- 
vened was  practically  shot  to  pieces  during 
the  Civil  war.  After  laying  the  foundation 
for  later  success  in  a  good  literary  education 
Dr.  .Johnson  entered  the  University  of  Louis- 
ville as  a  student  in  the  medical  department 
and  won  his  degree  by  graduation  from  that 
institution  with  the  class  of  1884.  He  prac- 
ticed   for   a    few    months    in    the   south    and 


32 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


then  caiiif  to  the  nortliwest,  spending  two 
years  in  the  Territory  of  Washington.  On 
the  expiration  of  that  period  he  made  his 
way  to  the  Willamette  valley  of  Oregon  and 
for  a  year  was  located  at  Lake  View.  He 
afterward  followed  his  profession  in  Polk 
county  until  1S95,  and  later  spent  a  year  in 
Indian  service  in  Oklahoma.  He  was  then 
transferred  to  the  Chemawa  Indian  school 
near  Salem,  where  he  remained  for  a  year, 
and  later  spent  four  years  on  the  Klamath 
reservation.  In  1901  he  came  to  Bonanza  to 
engage  in  general  practice,  and  in  1911  he 
took  the  state  board  examination  for 
pharmacist  and  opened  a  drug  store  in  con- 
nection with  Dr.  E.  D.  Hitchcock,  under  the 
name  of  the  Bonanza  Drug  Company.  Both 
continue  in  the  active  practice  of  medicine 
as  well  as  conduct  the  store  which  is  now 
liberally  patronized.  In  addition  Dr.  Johnson 
owns  a  ranch  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
and  a  timber  tract  of  equal  size. 

In  1SS5  occurred  the  marriage  of  Dr. 
Johnson  and  Jliss  Hannah  H.  Hubbard,  who 
was  born  near  Dallas,  Polk  county,  Oregon, 
a  daughter  of  Coalman  and  Nancy  J.  Hub- 
bard, both  of  whom  were  well  known  pioneer 
settlers  of  this  city.  The  mother  was  born 
in  Pike  county,  Jlissouri.  and  the  father  was 
born  in  Kentucky,  March  24,  1830.  and  in 
1836  he  removed  to  Hlinois  with  his  parents. 
[n  1847  he  started  across  the  plains  with  ox 
teams  for  Oregon  and  in  1849  he  went  to 
Salifornia,  attracted  by  the  discovery  of  gold 
in  that  state.  He  did  not  meet  with  the 
success  he  anticipated,  however,  in  searching 
for  the  precious  metal,  and  the  following 
year  he  returned  to  Oregon,  after  which  he 
svas  engaged  in  farming  near  Dallas  until 
1890.  He  then  went  to  Whitman  county. 
Washington,  and  located  on  the  farm  where 
his  death  occurred  in  1909.  but  prior  to  that 
time  he  saw  active  service  in  the  Cayuse 
war  as  captain  of  a  company  raised  in  the 
vicinity  of  his  home  in  the  Willamette  val- 
ley. He  was  married,  September  9.  1858,  to 
Miss  Nancy  Smith.  She  was  four  years  of 
age  when,  in  1845,  she  was  brought  across 
the  plains  by  her  parents,  who  made  the 
journey  with  ox  teams.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hub- 
bard had  ten  sons  and  five  daughters,  and 
with  one  exception  all  are  yet  living.  Mrs. 
Johnson  had  an  uncle.  Dick  Smith,  who 
lame  to  Oregon  in  1836  over  the  Santa  Fe 
trail.  Mrs.  .lohnson  was  the  fifth  in  her 
father's  family  of  fifteen  children. 

Both  Dr.  Johnson  and  his  wife  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Bajitist  church,  in  which  he  is 
serving  as  deacon,  and  he  is  also  prominent 
in  the  local  Masonic  and  Odd  Fellows  lodges. 
His  wife  is  identified  with  the  ladies  auxil- 
iaries of  both  organizations,  her  membership 
in  the  Eastern  Star  being  in  Chadwick  Chap- 
ter at  Salem.  In  Masonry  Dr.  Johnson  has 
attained  the  Pvoyal  Arch  degree.  He  belongs 
to  the  Grange,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the 
organizers,  and  for  a  time  served  as  over- 
seer. He  also  belongs  to  the  Commercial 
Club  and  his  interests  are  wide  and  varied 
but  his  attention  chiefly  centers  upon  his 
professional  duties  and  he  keeps  in  close 
touch  with  the  advance  work  of  the  profes- 


sion through  his  membership  in  the  Southern 
Oregon  Medical  Society,  the  Oregon  State 
Medical  Society  and  the  American  Medical 
Association. 

JOHN  M.  A.  LAUE.  The  town  of  Soldin, 
Germany,  was  the  birthplace  of  John  M.  A. 
Laue  and  his  natal  day  was  March  5,  1S62. 
His  father,  Adolph  G.  Laue,  also  a  native  of 
Soldin,  was  a  miller  by  trade  and  in  1862 
came  to  America  with  his  family,  locating  at 
Saginaw,  Michigan,  where  he  engaged  in  mill- 
ing until  his  death  in  December,  1877,  when 
fifty-four  years  of  age.  His  wife,  Henrietta 
Buchholz,  died  in  1906  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
two  years.  In  their  family  were  nine  chil- 
dren, of  whom  John  M.  A.  Laue  was  the  eighth 
in  order  of  birth.  He  and  one  brother  and 
sister  came  west  but  the  brother,  Adolph  G. 
Laue,  Jr.,  died  here  in  1903.  The  sister,  Mrs. 
Anna  Strohecker,  is  a   resident  of  Portland. 

John  M.  A.  Laue  pursued  his  education  at 
Saginaw,  Michigan,  but  left  school  in  1876, 
at  the  age  of  fourteen  years,  and  went  to 
Passaic,  New  Jersey,  where  he  worked  in  a 
drug  store.  Entering  the  New  York  College 
of  Pharmacy,  he  was  graduated  therefrom  in 
1881.  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years,  being  one 
of  the  youngest  to  complete  the  course  in 
those  days.  He  moved  westward  in  the  fall 
of  18S3,  becoming  a  resident  of  Denver, 
Colorado,  and  in  the  spring  of  1884  he  came 
to  Portland,  where  he  has  since  resided.  He 
was  employed  as  a  drug  clerk  in  this  city 
until  1886,  when  laudable  ambition  prompted 
him  to  engage  in  business  on  his  own  account 
and  he  established  a  drug  store  which  he  has 
since  conducted,  having  now  one  of  the  oldest 
established  business  enterprises  of  this  char- 
acter in  the  city.  He  was  the  first  in  Port- 
land to  give  instruction  in  pharmacy  and 
many  years  ago.  when  the  Willamette  Uni- 
versity established  a  department  of  Pharmacy, 
he  became  one  of  the  instructors  therein. 
However,  this  was  soon  discontinued  and 
pharmacy  was  not  taught  here  again  until 
September,  1908.  when  he  started  quiz  classes, 
preparing  drug  clerks  to  pass  the  examina- 
tions of  the  state  board  of  prahmacy,  for 
which  task  he  was  well  qualified  because  of 
twenty  years'  connection  with  that  board. 
Shortly  after  other  schools  of  pharmacy  were 
established  in  Portland  bxit  his  classes  still 
continue  and  are  well  extended.  He  recognized 
the  fact  that  many  drug  clerks  of  long  and 
practical  experience  sometimes  failed  to  pass 
the  required  board  examination  because  they 
do  not  know  how  to  study  or  what  coxirse  to 
pursue.  Mr.  Laue's  connection  with  the  Ore- 
gon board  of  pharmacy  enabled  him  to  judge 
where  candidates  are  the  weakest  and  so  in 
his  classes  he  has  made  it  his  purpose  to 
teach  young  men  how  to  answer  questions  in 
a  straightforward,  businesslike  manner,  with- 
out confusion  or  embarrassment.  His  course 
of  study  is  comprehensive,  including  a  knowl- 
edge of  those  branches  of  science  necessary 
in  the  conduct  of  a  drug  business  as  well  as 
mercantile  methods  of  store  management  and 
sales.  Mr.  Laue  has  taken  an  active  interest 
in  everything  in  the  state  pertaining  to  phar- 
macy and  to  upholding  the  high  standard  that 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OP  OREGON 


33 


lie  believes  slimild  prevail  among  pharmacists 
and  for  many  years  lie  has  been  a  member  of 
the  Oregon  State  rharmaeeutical  Association, 
which  he  has  served  as  jnesident.  He  has  done 
much  for  the  upbuilding  of  this  association 
and  in  the  vear  1909  otYered  a  prize  of  fifty 
dollars  to  the  person  who  brought  in  the 
largest  number  of  members  to  the  association, 
while  in  the  present  year  he  is  offering  a 
prize  of  twenty  five  dollars  to  the  one  who 
brings  the  largest  number  of  clerks  as  mem- 
bers^ of  the  association,  his  object  being  to 
stimulate  an  interest  in  the  business  and  the 
association.  To  further  promote  the  thorough 
and  efficient  study  of  pharmacy  he  has 
donated  to  the  department  of  pharmacy  of 
the  Oregon  Agricultural  College  an  annual 
prize  of  fiftv  dollars,  known  as  the  Laue 
prize,  to  be  "given  to  the  student  receiving 
the  highest  class  mark  in  pharmacy.  Mr. 
Laue  has  served  for  four  terms,  covering 
nearly  twenty  years,  on  the  Oregon  board  of 
phariiiacT  anil  has  held  all  of  its  offices. 

On  the  6th  of  September.  18S7,  Mr.  Laue 
was  married  at  Ilwaco,  Washington,  to  Miss 
Nora  A.  Taplev,  a  daughter  of  .J.  J.  Tapley. 
of  Clavbank.  Michigan.  They  had  two  chil- 
dren: "otto  K.,  twenty-two  years  of  age,  a 
student  in  the  department  of  pharmacy  in 
the  Oregon  Agricultural  College:  and  Nora 
May,  who  died  September  14,  1908,  at  the 
age'  of  eighteen  years.  The  family  residence 
is'^at  766  Hancock  street.   Irvington. 

Mr.  Laue  and  his  family  belong  to  the  Tay- 
lor Street  Methodist  Episcopal  cluirch.  in 
which  he  takes  an  active  and  helpful  interest. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  Willamette  Lodge,  Xo. 
2,  A.  F.  &  A.  M..  and  of  Ignited  Artisans,  the 
Woodmen  of  the  World  and  other  fraternities. 
His  political  support  is  given  the  republican 
party  and  he  belongs  to  the  Commercial  Club 
and  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  preferring  that 
his  activities  in  behalf  of  the  city  and  its 
upbuilding  should  be  put  forth  in  connection 
with  those  organizations  rather  than  in  the 
field  of  politics.  His  business  activity  has 
ever  balanced  up  with  the  principles  of  truth 
and  honor  and  in  all  of  his  work  he  has  never 
sacrificed  the  high  standards  which  he  has 
set  up  for  himself. 

JAMES    ANDREW    HATCHER,    SR.     The 

usefulness  and  value  of  the  life  of  James 
Andrew  Hatcher  is  readily  discernible  in  the 
attractive  appearance  of  the  farm  of  twenty- 
five  acres  which  in  its  present  highly  devel- 
oped state  gives  little  hint  of  its  raw  and  un- 
improved condition  at  the  time  when  Mr. 
Hatcher  became  its  owner.  He  has  cleared 
every  square  foot  of  the  soil,  has  developed 
the  "land  along  modern  lines  and  now  has 
one  of  the  finest  orchard  farms  in  Coos  coun- 
ty. He  was  born  in  1862.  in  Harrison  county, 
Icwa.  and  is  a  son  of  John  R.  and  Emily  J. 
(Smiths  Hatcher.  The  father  was  a  native 
of  Indiana  and  died  in  Coos  county  in  1887. 
The  mother  was  born  in  Tennessee  and  passed 
away  in  Kansas  on  .January  9.  1877.  They 
were  the  parents  of  nine  children:  William 
A.,  of  Arago,  Oregon:  Delaney.  of  Curry  coun- 
ty, this  state;  Simon  K..  whose  sketch  ap- 
pears elsewhere  in  this  work:   James  A.,  of 


this  review;  .Mybulda  C.  who  married  James 
A.  Cotton,  of  Gravelford,  Oregon;  Robert  0., 
of  ilyrtle  Point.  Oregon;  Perry  C,  who  is 
also  a  resident  of  Myrtle  Point;  Rebecca  L., 
who  married  Eli  Clayton,  of  Gravelford;  and 
Perry  who   died   in   infancy. 

James  A.  Hatcher  remained  at  home  imtil 
he  was  seventeen  years  of  age  and  at  that 
time  started  to  gain  his  own  livelihood.  He 
worked  for  wages  upon  neighboring  farms 
and  was  identified  with  the  lumber  business 
as  an  employe  in  the  logging  camps  of  Ore- 
gon for  three  years.  He  spent  one  year  as  a 
stage  driver  and  after  his  marriage  in  1883 
worked  in  the  interest  of  his  father-in-law 
for  a  short  time.  In  September,  1885.  he 
moved  on  a  portion  of  the  old  homestead.  His 
father  presented  him  with  this  tract  of  land, 
then  in  a  raw  and  unimproved  condition. 
It  was  covered  with  timber  and  entirely  un- 
cultivated. Mr.  Hatcher  applied  himself 
earnestly  to  its  development,  cleared  the  trees, 
broke  the  soil  and  soon  made  his  property 
one  of  the  attractive  farms  in  the  neigh- 
borhood. He  has  twenty-five  acres  under 
cultivation  and  is  the  owner  of  one  of  the 
largest  orchards  in  the  county.  He  has  eight 
hundred  Grovenstein  apple  trees  which  an- 
nually yield  a  large  harvest.  He  understands 
their  care  and  cultivation  and  his  orchard 
yields  a  valuable  addition  to  his  income.  He 
has  the  remaining  acres  of  his  farm  planted 
to  grains  and  does  farming  along  all  lines. 

Mr.  Hatcher  was  married  on  October  11. 
1883,  to  Miss  Alice  Darnielle,  a  native  of 
Jackson  county,  Oregon,  and  a  daughter  of 
Oscar  and  Ellen  (Conner)  Darnielle,  the  moth- 
er a  native  of  Oregon  and  the  father  of  In- 
diana. Mrs.  Hatcher's  father  came  to  Oregon 
when  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age,  making  the 
iourney  across  the  plains  with  ox  teams.  He 
became  the  father  of  twelve  children:  Sarah, 
the  wife  of  John  Abbott,  of  California;  Mrs. 
Hatcher;  Josephine,  who  married  Charles 
Love,  of  Oregon;  Christina,  now  Mrs.  Ditmar, 
of  Lane  county,  Oregon:  Melvina,  the  widow 
of  Joseph  Haskins,  of  Jledford,  Oregon;  Mary 
who  married  Samuel  Johnson,  of  California; 
.Jasper,  who  also  resides  in  that  state;  Avil, 
of  Oregon;  Samantha,  who  resides  in  Nevada; 
Isaac,  who  makes  his  home  in  California; 
and  two  children  who  are  deceased.  Mrs. 
Hatcher  is  attractive  and  hospitable  and  well 
known  in  religious  circles  as  a  devout  mem- 
ber of  the  Dunkard  church.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hatcher  are  the  parents  of  the  following  chil- 
dren: Everett,  born  August  10,  1884,  head 
sawyer  of  the  Coquille  Valley  Mill  Company, 
who  is  married  and  has  one  child,  Violet 
Vivian;  Laura  May.  deceased;  Clara  Dell, 
the  wife  of  E.  W.  Gregg,  a  building  contrac- 
tor of  Coquillo.  Oregon,  by  whom  she  has  one 
child,  James  Lloyd;  James  A.,  Jr.,  of  Coquille, 
Oregon,  who  is  married  and  has  one  son, 
James  S.;  Ada  Pearl,  who  married  William 
Arthur  Alexander,  of  Roseburg:  Millie  L.,  at 
home;  Vernie  E.,  born  March  27,  1898;  Zelma 
Alice  and  Carl  Adolphus,  who  attend  school; 
and  Lena  L..  an  infant.  In  politics  Mr. 
flatcher  is  a  democrat  and  has  served  his  fel- 
low citizens  as  a  member  of  the  school  board 


34 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


for  eight  yeais.  He  is  interested  in  educa- 
tion and  eager  to  promote  its  expansion  but 
aside  from  this  phase  of  public  life  has 
never  been  a  political  office  seeker.  He  be- 
longs to  the  Dunkard  church.  He  is  entirely 
responsible  for  his  own  success  and  has  a 
tangible  result  to  show  for  his  intelligent  agri- 
cultural methods.  He  has  gained  that  prom- 
inence and  prosperitj-  which  are  the  direct 
result  of  constructive  labor. 

HENRY  NICE,  who  is  living  retired  at 
Waldport.  having  accumulated  a  competency 
by  many  years  of  energetic  and  well  di- 
rected application,  is  a  native  of  St.  John, 
New'  Bnmswick,  born  February  10,  1S37. 
He  comes  of  a  family  of  fishermen  on  the 
paternal  side  and  has  spent  many  years  in 
that  vocation.  The  grandfather  was  the 
most  prosperous  fisherman  of  his  time  in 
New  Brunswick  and  shipped  extensivelj'  to 
the  West  Indies.  Cornelius  Nice,  father  of 
our  subject,  was  a  native  of  New  Brunswick 
and  owned  a  number  of  vessels,  being  en- 
gaged in  the  fishing  business  during  his  en- 
tire active  life.  He  and  his  father  were  stanch 
loyalists.  The  maiden  name  of  the  mother 
of  our  subject  was  Ann  Belts.  She  was  a 
native  of  New  Brunswick  and  her  father 
was  a  captain  in  the  English  army  against 
the  Colonies  during  the  Revolutionary  war. 
Her  grandfather,  Dr.  Isor  Betts,  was  a  Mason 
of  high  degree  in  New  York  city-  and  was 
known  to  be  friendly  to  the  British  cause. 
He  was  taken  prisoner  but  was  released  by 
order  of  General  ^Vashington  and  took  refuge 
in  New  Brunswick.  He  was  the  owner  of 
large  land  grants  in  Nova  Scotia.  The  great- 
grandfather was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of 
Nova  Scotia  and  his  descendants  were  all 
loyal  to  Great  Britain  at  the  time  of  the  war 
for  independence. 

At  the  age  of  eighteen  Henry  Nice  be- 
gan to  learn  the  shipbuilding  trade  which  he 
followed  for  three  years,  having  previously 
possessed  advantages  of  attendance  in  the 
grammar  schools  of  New  Brunswick.  After 
becoming  well  acquainted  with  his  trade  he 
built  a  boat  of  his  own  and  entered  the  fish- 
ing Ijusiness  in  which  he  continued  for  a 
number  of  years.  In  1869  he  migrated  to 
the  Pacific  coast  and  worked  at  his  trade 
as  shipbuilder  in  San  Francisco  for  ten 
months.  He  then  came  north  to  Portland 
and  went  down  the  Columbia  river  to  Oak 
Point  where  he  associated  with  Thomas  Hog- 
kins  in  building  a  fishing  trap.  The  fish 
were  very  plentiful  and  for  six  weeks  they 
took  out  as  many  as  one  thousand  salmon 
a  day.  In  1873  he  went  to  Rainier  and  was 
assisted  by  his  cousin.  Nehemiah  Nice,  in 
building  a  new  sort  of  fishing  trap  which 
proved  very  successful,  as  they  took  out 
twelve  to  fifteen  hundred  salmon  a  day.  The 
fish  were  so  plentiful  that  prices  were  low 
and  they  received  only  a  moderate  recom- 
pense for  their  labor.  After  spending  six 
years  on  the  Columbia  river  Mr.  Nice,  in 
187fi,  went  to  the  Fraser  river,  in  British 
Columbia,  and  entered  into  partnership  with 
Augustus  Wright  in  the  management  of  the 
King   cannerv.     He  sold   out  at   the   close   of 


a  year  and  spent  the  next  two  years  fishing 
on  the  Nass  river,  in  British  Columbia.  Af- 
ter a  year  on  Rogue  river,  Oregon,  he  was 
appointed  superintendent  of  jettys  at  Ya- 
quina  bay,  a  position  which  he  occupied  to 
the  satisfaction  of  the  officials  at  Washing- 
ton for  six  years.  In  1888  he  took  up  his 
residence  at  Alsea  bay  where  there  was  at 
that  time  a  small  settlement  with  a  store 
and  a  postoflice.  Here  he  built  a  cannery 
which  he  operated  successfully  for  sixteen 
years,  the  business  growing  from  very  small 
dimensions  until  it  yielded  a  large  annual 
income.  He  was  one  of  the  best  informed 
men  in  the  northwest  as  to  salmon  fishing 
and  also  as  to  all  matters  pertaining  to  the 
preparation  of  fish  for  the  market.  "WTiile 
engaged  with  his  cannery  he  also  invested 
in  land,  acquiring  twenty-five  hundred  acres 
around  the  bay.  In  1904  he  disposed  of  his 
canning  interests  and  retired.  He  has  also 
sold  most  of  the  land  but  still  owns  about 
four  hundred  acres  and  is  a  large  holder  of 
real  estate  at  Newport. 

In  1892  Mr.  Nice  was  married  to  Miss 
Jessie  Livingston  Alexander,  who  was  born 
in  London,  England,  and  came  to  America 
with  her  parents  when  she  was  six  years 
old.  They  have  two  children:  Jessie  L., 
who  is  now  eighteen  years  of  age  and  is 
living  at  home;  and  Henrietta,  aged  nine 
years.  Politically  Mr.  Nice  has  voted  the 
republican  ticket  ever  since  he  became  a 
citizen  of  the  L'nited  States.  He  has  never 
sought  public  office  as  his  interest  has  been 
mainly  centered  on  his  business  affairs.  His 
religious  belief  is  indicated  by  membership 
in  the  Episcopal  church.  He  "has  for  many 
years  been  identified  with  the  Masonic  order 
and  i.s  a  member  of  both  the  York  and  Scot- 
ish  Rites  and  also  of  the  Shrine  at  Portland. 
He  belongs  to  the  Elks  lodge  at  Albany. 
Haying  early  learned  the  great  lesson  of  self- 
reliance  and  gained  confidence  in  his  ability 
to  win  an  honorable  name  among  his  fellow- 
men,  he  bravely  set  forth  from  the  land  of 
his  birth  and  his  ambition  is  now  realized. 
He  ranks  among  the  leaders  in  the  section 
in  which  he  makes  his  home. 

WEBSTER  LOCKWOOD  KINCAID,  only 
child  of  Harrison  Pv.  and  Augusta  A.  Kincaid, 
was  born  September  IG,  1883,  in  the  house 
built  by  his  father  more  than  fifty  years  ago 
on  a  six  acre  tract  owned  by  him"  since  1854, 
then  at  the  south  end  of  Olive  street,  now 
almost  in  the  center  of  Eugene. 

At  the  age  of  nine  years  this  boy,  who  was 
passionately  fond  of  outdoor  exercise  and  did 
not  like  the  routine  and  confinement  of  the 
school  room,  gained  considerable  notoriety 
for  extraordinary  physical  endurance  by  rid- 
ing a  bicycle  from  Salem  to  Wilhoit  Springs 
and  return,  on  one  of  the  warmest  days  in  the 
summer,  at  a  speed  that  caused  som'e  of  the 
men  in  the  party  to  become  completely 
exhausted. 

At  the  age  of  about  ten  years,  while  at 
Newport,  Oregon,  with  his  pa'rents,  who  fre- 
quently took  him  to  the  coast  there  or  to  the 
beach  in  Washington  north  of  the  mouth  of 
the   Columbia    river,  he   wrote   an  account  of 


HENRY    NICE 


NEWT: 

:G     LIBfir,..,   , 

[  ^Tti!!,  LIMOX  AMD 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OP  OREGON 


37 


a  "Eongli  Sea  Voyage,"  which  was  publishocl 
in  some  of  the  papers  and  caused  much  amuse- 
ment and  favorable  comments  on  account  of 
the  spelling  and  the  quaint  description  of 
sea-sickness  of  several  prominent  people 
whose  names  were  mentioned.  A  steamer 
lying  in  the  harbor  took  a  party  of  excur- 
sionists out  on  the  ocean  to  lish.  The  boy 
went  along  and  described  the  peculiar  say- 
ings and  doing  of  the  passengers  in  a  style 
that  made  Mark  Twain's  "Innocents  Abroad" 
dull  and  dreary  reading  by  comparison. 

At  the  age  of  eleven  years  in  company  with 
his  parents  he  visited  San  Francisco  and 
other   principal   cities   in   California. 

When  about  twelve  years  old  in  company 
with  his  parents  he  went  on  an  excursion 
to  the  state  of  Washington  and  British  Col- 
umbia, and  visited  Tacoma,  Seattle,  Port 
Townsend,  Victoria  and  other  places  along 
Puget  Sound.  He  wrote  an  account  of  a 
'Trip  to  Victoria,"  which  was  published  in 
several  newspapers  and  caused  much  favor- 
able comment  as  being  a  splendid  description 
of  the  events  and  scenes  witnessed.  He 
received  letters  of  commendation  from  dis- 
tinguished men. 

At  the  age  of  about  thirteen  years  he 
accompanied  his  father  while  secretary  of 
state  when  he  went  to  Union  in  eastern  Ore- 
gon along  with  Governor  Lord  and  State 
Treasurer  Metschan  to  select  the  site  for  a 
building  on  the  six  hundred  and  forty  acres 
of  land  that  had  been  purcliased  for  a  branch 
asylum.  The  purchase  of  the  land  was  after- 
ward declared  unconstitutional  by  the 
supreme  court  and  the  building  was  not  com- 
menced on  the  site  which  they  then  selected. 
Under  later  laws  land  has  been  purchased 
near  Pendleton  and  a  branch  asylum  is  being 
built  there. 

When  about  fourteen  years  old  along  with 
his  parents  he  visited  Tacoma,  Seattle,  Spo- 
kane, Helena,  Livingston  and  Yellowstone 
National  Park.  At  later  dates  he  has  visited 
the  principal  cities  of  California  with  his 
parents,  and  with  his  father  visited  the 
iPuget  Sound  cities  and  went  over  the  Cana- 
dian Pacific  Railway  east  about  five  hundred 
miles  to  Banff,  the  Canadian  National  Park, 
passing  nearly  all  the  way  through  the  mbst 
mountainous  countr\-  and  the  wildest  scenery 
on  the  face  of  the  earth,  and  returning  by 
rail  to  the  Columbia  and  then  down  that  river 
by  steam-boat  about  one  hundred  miles 
through  Arrow  Head  lakes  to  Nelson  and 
thence  by  rail  to  Spokane.  Walla  Walla  and 
Portland.  He  has  traveled  much  in  Oregon, 
California,  Washington.  Idaho.  Slontana  and 
Britisli  Columbia  and  has  at  various  times 
from  early  childhood  visited  man.y  of  the  most 
interesting  places  on  the  Pacific  coast,  includ- 
ing the  Khunath  Falls  section  of  southeastern 
Oregon. 

He  is  a  graduate  of  tlie  Eugene  high  school 
and  of  the  University  of  Oregon  in  the  class 
of  1908.  Since  arriving  at  the  age  of  man- 
hood he  has  been  unusually  active  and  promi- 
nent in  business  affairs  and  is  regarded  by 
his  numerous  acquaintances  all  over  the  state 
as  one  of  the  brightest  and  most  promising 
voung  men  in  Oregon.    He  is  a  valuable  assis- 


tant and  adviser  of  his  father  in  all  ills  pur- 
chases and  sales  of  lands  and  in  his  plans  to 
attract  settlers  and  develop  and  increase  the 
prosperity  of  Oregon  to  the  extent  that  its 
climate  and  natural  resources  amply  justify. 
In  every  effort  to  promote  the  public  good  he 
has  taken  an  active  and  a  leading  part.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order  of  the 
Thirty-second  degree.  Not  only  as  the  son 
of  a  pioneer  family  who  have  taken  a  promi- 
nent and  valuable  part  in  the  settlement,  up- 
building and  development  of  the  territory  and 
state  of  Oregon  from  a  wilderness  to  a  splen- 
did land  of  gardens,  farms,  orchards,  vil- 
lages and  cities,  he  is,  as  a  native  Oregonian, 
on  account  of  superior  ability  and  honoroble 
achievement  entitled  to  special  notice  in  the 
liistory  of  Oregon. 

He  was  married  at  the  residence  of  his 
fatlier  and  mother,  85  East  Ninth  street, 
Eugene,  Oregon,  January  22,  1909,  to  Miss 
Dorothy  Catherine  Hills  of  Portland.  Slie  is 
a  granddaughter  of  the  late  Cornelius  Hills, 
one  of  the  earliest  and  best  known  of  the 
pioneers  of  Oregon.  He  was  shipwrecked 
somewhere  on  the  coast  of  southwestern  Ore- 
gon, if  w-e  are  not  mistaken  in  the  date,  in 
1S47,  and  made  his  way  in  a  famishing  con- 
dition on  foot,  over  logs  and  through  tliick 
underbrush,  into  the  nearest  settlement  in 
the  upper  Willamette  valley,  which  then  con- 
sisted of  Eugene  Skinned  "where  the  city  of 
Eugene  now  is,  Elijah  Bristow,  and  perhaps 
Felix  Scott  and  John  Diamond  and  one  or  two 
others  south  of  Salem.  Mr.  Hills  settled  on 
the  north  bank  of  the  Willamette  river  in 
the  mountains  a  few  miles  east  of  Eugene, 
where  he  owned  a  large  tract  of  land,  raised 
a  large  family  and  resided  until  lie  passed 
away  a  few  years  ago. 

To  Webster  L.  Kincaid  and  wife  a  son  was 
born,  April  5,  1910.  He  was  named  for  his 
grandfather  Harrison  Retteuhouse  Kincaid, 
and  is  about  two  years  old.  A  picture  Avith 
his  father,  grandfather  and  great  grandfather 
the  latter  then  almost  ninety-five  years  old 
and  now  almost  ninetj^-six,  was  taken  when 
he  was  just  one  year  old.  On  account  of  his 
extreme  activity  and  determination  to  get 
out  of  doors  and  stay  out  all  the  time,  the 
boy  bids  fair  to  be  a  true  representative  of 
his  pioneer  ancestors  who  like  the  Arabs 
were  at  home  on  the  plains,  in  the  valleys,  on 
the  mountains  or  wherever  they  happened  to 
be.  without  a  house  and  witli  or  witliout  a 
tent. 

DR.  CHARLES  A.  MACRUM,  one  of  the 
oldest  and  best  known  homeopathic  physi- 
cians of  Portland,  devoting  his  attention  to 
general  practice,  was  born  in  Pittsburg,  Penn- 
sylvania, December  28,  1861.  He  is  the  eld- 
est of  six  children,  all  of  whom  are  living, 
whose  parents  are  I.  A.  and  Wcstana 
(Orubbs)  Maerum.  The  father,  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania,  came  to  Portland  in  1S71, 
spending  three  years  in  Oregon  City,  after 
wliich  he  located  in  Portland  in  1874.  He 
])racticed  his  profession  for  about  ten  years 
as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Johnson.  Mc(^ow-n 
&  Maerum,  one  of  the  most  prominent  law 


38 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


firms  01  the  city  in  its  day.  Then  with  others 
he  organized  the  Mercliants  National  Bank, 
of  which  he  was  the  manager  for  ten  years. 
He  afterward  resigned  to  become  railroad 
commissioner,  tilling  the  office  for  six  years. 
His  death  occurred  in  1902,  when  he  was 
sixty  years  of  age.  He  was  one  of  the  best 
known  men  of  the  state,  prominent  and 
active  in  the  development  of  Oregon,  advanc- 
ing many  ideas  the  practical  worth  of  which 
was  proven  in  their  adoption  and  utilization. 
His  wife,  who  is  still  living  in  Portland  at  the 
age  of  sixty-nine  years,  was  a  daughter  of 
William  Grubbs,  who  came  to  this  state  from 
Pennsylvania  in  1870. 

Dr.  ilacrum  was  a  lad  of  about  ten  years 
when  the  family  arrived  in  Portland,  and  in 
the  pursuit  of  his  education  he  completed  the 
high-school  course  with  the  class  of  1879, 
when  seventeen  years  of  age.  Five  years 
later  he  took  up  the  study  of  medicine  and 
was  graduated  from  the  University  of  ilichi- 
gan  in  1889  with  the  M.  D.  degree.  Return- 
ing to  Portland,  he  has  since  followed  his  pro- 
fession in  this  city  as  a  general  practitioner 
and  is  one  of  the  oldest  and  best  known 
homeopathic  physicians  here.  He  has  always 
made  his  professional  duties  his  first  consid- 
eration, being  most  thorough  and  conscien- 
tious in  the  performance  of  the  work  that 
devolves  upon  him  in  this  connection. 

Dr.  ilacrum  belongs  to  the  Oregon  State 
Homeopathic  Society,  the  American  Institute 
of  Homeopathy,  the  Oregon  State  Medical  As- 
sociation, the  JluUnomah  County  Medical 
Society,  the  Portland  Medical  Society  and 
the  American  Medical  Association.  He  is 
identified  with  the  building  of  the  new  hos- 
pital now  nearing  completion  and  is  well 
known  in  other  professional  connections.  He 
has  been  assistant  surgeon  and  surgeon  of  the 
First  Regiment  of  the  Oregon  National 
Guard  for  about  five  years,  having  previously 
been  a  private  of  Company  K  for  two  years. 

Dr.  Macrum.  moreover,  is  a  prominent  rep- 
resentative of  what  is  developing  into  one 
of  the  most  important  lines  of  business  of  the 
state — the  production  of  apples.  He  has  one 
of  the  largest  apple  orchards  in  the  Mosier 
district  of  the  Hood  River  valley,  owning  an 
extensive  farm  adjoining  the  town  of  Mosier. 
and  is  a  life  member  of  the  Oregon  State 
Horticultural  Society.  He  also  belongs  to 
the  Mosier  Fruit  Growers  Association,  has 
taken  a  keen  interest  in  horticulture  for 
many  years  and  has  been  active  in  the  ad- 
vancement of  horticultural  interests  in  this 
state,  being  one  of  the  first  to  adopt  and  pro- 
mote modern  ideas  in  fruit-raising. 

Dr.  !Macrum  married  Miss  Stella  D.  Dorris, 
a  daughter  of  George  B.  Dorris,  a  pioneer 
lawyer  of  Eugene,  Oregon,  and  for  the  past 
sixteen  years  they  have  resided  at  the  Port- 
land Hotel.  Dr.  Macrum  is  well  known  in 
Masonic  circles  as  a  member  of  Willamette 
Lodge  and  of  the  Scottish  Rite  and  his  reli- 
gious faith  is  evidenced  by  his  membership  in 
the  First  Congregational  church.  Prominent 
as  is  his  position,  it  is  but  the  merited  out- 
come of  his  ability  and  skill  resulting  from 
close  investigation  and  research  and  from 
reading   and    the    correct    application    of    his 


knowledge  to  the  needs  of  those  who  come 
under  his  professional  care.  His  courtesy, 
his  engaging  personality  and  his  genuine 
worth  assure  him  social  prestige  and  Port- 
land's most  prominent  citizens  are  glad  to 
call  him  friend. 

WALTER  FRAZAR  BURRELL  has  been 
recognized  throughout  the  years  of  his  man- 
hood as  a  stalwart  and  enthusiastic  supporter 
of  every  movement  and  project  instituted  for 
the  benefit  and  upbuilding  of  the  city  of 
Portland.  His  business  associations  have 
brought  him  into  active  connection  with  its 
wholesale  and  manufacturing  trade  and  at 
the  same  time  he  has  been  a  factor  in  the 
agricultural  progress  of  the  states  of  Oregon, 
Washington  and  Idaho.  His  judgment  is 
sound,  his  discrimination  keen  and  pene- 
trating. He  seems  to  see  from  the  circum- 
ference to  the  very  center  of  things  and  so 
coordinates  forces  that  unified  and  harmonious 
results  are  achieved  and  the  utmost  possible 
for  the  attainment  of  success  seems  to  have 
been  reached.  Hi.s  days  have  been  unmarked 
by  events  of  special  importance,  save  such 
as  come  to  those  reared  on  the  western  fron- 
tier, in  a  district  whore  a  spirit  of  enterjirise 
is  rife  and  where  nothing  seems  to  deter 
successful  accomplishment. 

His  father,  Martin  S.  Burrell,  was  a  man 
of  conspicuous  business  ability,  who  came  to 
Portland  in  the  year  18.55,  and  it  was  in  this 
city  that  Walter  F.  Burrell,  entered  upon 
life's  journey  on  the  ISth  of  February,  1863. 
His  education  was  acquired  in  the  schools 
of  Portland  and  Oberlin  and  when  his  school 
days  were  over  he  entered  the  business  house 
of  Knapp,  Burrell  &  Company,  of  which  his 
father  was  the  head  and  applied  himself  to 
mastering  the  details  of  a  business  that  in- 
cluded the  handling  of  vehicles,  agricultural 
implements  and  sawmill  machinery,  and  was 
the  largest  of  its  kind  in  the  northwest. 

The  trade  grew  to  very  extensive  propor- 
tions, but  the  father's  interest  in  the  busi- 
ness was  sold  immediately  after  his  death  in 
1S85.  and  Walter  F.  Burrell,  who  w-as  then 
but  twenty-two  years  of  age.  took  charge  of 
the  management  and  development  of  the  other 
properties  that  were  features  of  his  father's 
estate  and  included  large  tracts  of  unfilled 
land  in  Whitman  county.  Washington,  all  of 
which  the  son  brought  under  cultivation  in 
the  production  of  splendid  crops.  While  he 
has  given  much  attention  to  raising  wheat 
and  other  crops  of  grain.  Mr.  Burrell  has  also 
engaged  in  the  extensive  growing  of  apples 
and  pears,  not  only  in  Oregon  but  also  in  the 
states  of  Washington   and  Idaho. 

In  ISA.")  Jlr.  Burrell  was  marrioil  to  Miss 
Constance  Montgomery,  a  daughter  of  .Tames 
B.  ^Montgomery,  a  prominent  citizen  of  Port- 
land, and  they  are  now  the  parents  of  five 
children:  Alden  Frazar.  Louise.  Douglas 
Montgomery.  Robert  ifontgomery  and  Vir- 
ginia. ^Ir.  Burrell  is  a  reptiblican  in  his 
political  belief.  He  belongs  to  the  Arlington, 
Cnnimerrial  and  5Iultnomah  Clubs,  and  served 
uniler  Mayor  H.  S.  Rowe  on  the  board  of 
public  works  of  the  cit.v  of  Portland,  but  has 
had  no  ambition  for  office,  preferring  to  de- 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


39 


vote  his  efforts  to  furthering  the  interests 
of  Portland  through  its  commercial  bodies, 
and  also  to  managing  the  extensive  business 
interests  belonging  to  himself  and  associates, 
in  the  control  of  'which  he  displaj's  marked 
ability  and  energy,  regarding  no  detail  as  too 
unimportant  to  receive  his  attention  and  at 
the  same  time  controlling  the  larger  factors 
in  his  interests  with  notable  assurance  and 
power. 

HON.  JOSEPH  SIMON.  With  postgradu- 
ate  experience  in  the  school  of  politics, 
manifesting  at  all  times  a  statesman's  grasp 
of  vital  questions  and  issues  of  the  day.  Hon. 
Joseph  Simon  has  so  conducted  the  political 
interests  entrusted  to  him  that  while  his 
course  has  awakened  the  opposition  of  those 
who  hold  radically  different  political  views, 
his  work  on  the  whole  has  accomplished 
tangible  and  beneficial  results  that  receive 
wide  commendation  throughout  the  state. 

Mr.  Simon  was  born  February  7,  1851,  and 
was  quite  a  small  boy  when  he  was  brought 
to  Portland,  Oregon,  by  his  father  in  1857. 
The  city  schools  afforded  him  his  educational 
privileges,  and  in  his  twentieth  year  he  be- 
came a  law  student  in  the  office  of  John  H. 
Mitchell  and  Joseph  N.  Dolph  both  of  whom 
were  subsequently  elected  United  States 
senators  for  Oregon.  For  two  years  he  closely 
applied  himself  to  the  mastery  of  Kent. 
Blackstone  and  other  commentaries,  and  was 
then  admitted  to  practice  in  the  courts  of 
the  state.  Appreciation  of  his  personal  worth 
and  recognition  of  his  developing  ability, 
were  manifest  when  J.  N.  Dolph,  one  of  his 
former  preceptors,  invited  him  to  become  a 
member  of  the  law  firm  he  formed  February 
1,  1873.  Accepting  such  invitation,  he  en- 
tered actively  upon  the  practice  of  law  and 
is  still  associated  with  the  firm  then  formed, 
and  with  C.  A.  Dolph,  who  entered  the  firm 
at  the  same  time  Mr.  Simon  did  and  who 
has  since  become  the  senior  partner  of  the 
firm  which  is  styled  Dolph,  Mallory,  Simon 
&  Gearin.  .  As  a  lawyer  Mr.  Simon  has  ever 
been  careful  and  systematic  in  the  prepara- 
tion of  his  cases,  reviewing  all  the  evidences 
bearing  upon  the  cause  and  correctly  apply- 
ing the  principles  of  law  to  the  points  in 
litigation.  He  is  today  widely  recognized 
as  one  of  Portland's  able  lawyers  and  is  as 
well  one  of  the  foremost  republican  lead- 
ers of  the  state. 

Interested  from  early  manhood  in  the  po- 
litical questions  and  issues  which  have  en- 
gaged the  attention  of  the  country,  Mr.  Si- 
mon was  first  called  to  office  when  elected  a 
member  of  the  city  council  in  1877.  He  filled 
that  position  until  1880,  in  which  year  higher 
political  honors  were  conferred  upon  him  in 
his  election  to  the  state  senate.  He  was 
continued  a  member  of  the  upper  house  of 
the  general  assembly  for  twelve  years  by 
reason  of  two  successive  reelections,  and 
when  the  legislature  convened  in  .Tanuary, 
1889,  he  was  chosen  president  of  the  senate 
and  in  1891  was  again  elected  as  its  presid- 
ing oflScer.  He  retired  in  1892.  but  in  1894 
was  again  elected  to  represent  Multnomah 
countv  in  the  state  senate   for  another  four 


years'  term  and  when  the  legishiture  con- 
vened on  tlie  lltli  of  January,  IS'Jo,  he  was 
once  more  elected  president  of  the  senate  and 
again  in  1897.  At  the  June  election  in  1898, 
Mr.  Simon  was  elected  state  senator  from 
Multnomah  county  for  the  fifth  time — 1S9S 
until  1903.  On  the  26th  of  September,  1898, 
the  governor  convened  the  general  assembly 
in  special  session,  and  Mr.  Simon  again  was 
honored  by  election  to  the  presidency  of  the 
Oregon  senate.  His  service  as  state  senator 
embraced  five  elections,  each  for  a  four  years' 
term,  and  during  that  period,  he  was  five 
times  elected  president  of  the  senate.  His 
record  is  that  of  one  of  the  most  fair  and 
impartial  presiding  officers  that  has  ever 
conducted  the  affairs  of  the  upper  house,  and 
he  enjoyed  in  fullest  measure  the  esteem 
and  personal  regard  of  his  politcal  oppo- 
nents as  well  as  his  political  adherents.  It 
was  during  the  special  session  on  the  8th 
of  October,  1898,  that  Mr.  Simon  was  chosen 
United  States  senator  for  a  term  of  six 
years,  beginning  March  4,  1897,  the  legis- 
lature of  1897  having  failed  to  elect  a  senator, 
and  the  state  having  been  without  one 
senator  for  over  a  year.  At  the  joint  ses- 
sion at  which  he  was  elected,  he  received 
the  unanimous  support  of  the  sixty-six  re- 
]iublican  members  of  his  party. 

To  few  men  is  political  leadership  so  long 
accorded  as  to  Hon.  Joseph  Simon.  To  oc- 
cupy high  office  for  any  length  of  time  is 
to  invite  attack  and  criticism  of  those  hold- 
ing opposing  views,  and  yet  through  the 
course  of  his  public  service  Mr.  Simon  has 
held  to  the  policy  which  he  has  marked  out 
— a  policy  dictated  by  his  judgment,  his  pub- 
lic spirit  and  his  patriotism.  His  aid  is  rec- 
ognized as  a  tangible  and  effective  force  in 
promoting  republican  successes.  He  was 
chairman  of  the  republican  state  central  com- 
mittee during  the  biennial  campaign  of 
1880.  1SS4,  1886,  and  in  1892  w^as  chosen  a 
delegate-  to  the  republican  national  conven- 
tion held  at  Minneapolis  in  June  of  that  year, 
on  which  occasion  he  gave  his  support  to 
William  McKinley  instead  of  to  Benjamin 
Harrison,  who  ultimately  received  the  nomi- 
nation. He  was  also  a  delegate  to  the  re- 
publican national  convention  at  Philadel- 
phia in  1903.  During  the  five  sessions  of 
the  Oregon  legislature  of  which  he  was  pres- 
ident of  the  senate  he  in  numerous  ways  dis- 
tingxiished  himself  for  dispatch  of  business 
and  ability  to  preserve  order  and  untangle 
difficult  questions  of  parliamentary  dispute. 

Mr.  Simon  is  one  of  the  best  known  rep- 
resentatives of  Masonry  in  Oregon.  He  is 
past  master  of  his  lodge  and  past  high  priest 
of  his  chapter,  and  he  has  attained  to  the 
highest  rank,  the  thirty-third  degree  of  the 
.-V.  &  A.  S.  R.  (honorary).  He  has  come  to 
lie  known  as  a  man  loyal  to  any  terms  made 
or  to  his  pledged  word,  and  in  manner  is 
ever  courteous  and  obliging,  recognizing  his 
obligations  to  others  and  meeting  them  in 
full  measure.  He  has  also  served  one  term 
as  mayor  of  Portland,  a  fact  which  indi- 
cates his  popularity  and  the  confidence  re- 
posed in  him  in  his  home  city,  where  he  is 
best  known.  He  gave  to  Portland  a  public- 
spirited      and      businesslike      administration. 


40 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


marked  by  needed  reforms  and  improvements, 
progressiveness  and  conservatism  being  well 
balanced  forces  in  his  direction  of  muiiieipal 
affairs. 

WILLIAM  ADDISON  HOWE,  who  has  re- 
sided in  Oregon  and  Yamhill  county  for  al- 
most three  decades,  is  one  of  the  leading  and 
most  prominent  citizens  of  Carlton,  owning 
and  conducting  the  largest  genera!  mercan- 
tile establishment  in  the  town.  He  is  like- 
wise the  president  of  the  Carlton  State  & 
Savings  Bank  and  the  chief  executive  offi- 
cer of  the  Valley  Real  Estate  Company  of 
Carlton  and  has  extensive  property  holdings. 
His  birth  occurred  in  Longwood,  Massachus- 
etts, on  the  10th  of  October,  1S59,  his  par- 
ents being  S.  H.  and  Lucinda  (Savage)  Howe, 
both  of  English  ancestry.  They  are  now  de- 
ceased, passing  away  in  the  old  Bay  state. 
The  great-grandparents  of  our  subject  were 
natives  of  England  and  emigrated  to  Amer- 
ica during  the  period  of  the  Revolutionary 
war. 

William  Addison  Howe  obtained  his  edu- 
cation in  the  schools  of  his  native  state 
and  is  a  graduate  of  Harvard  University. 
In  1883  he  removed  to  Xew  York  and  was 
there  engaged  in  business  for  one  year.  On 
the  expiration  of  that  period  he  made  his 
way  to  Oregon  and  has  remained  a  resident 
of  Y"amhill  county  continuously  since.  Pur- 
chasing a  tract  of  land,  he  devoted  his  at- 
tention to  general  agricultural  pursuits  for 
eight  years  and  then  disposed  of  his  prop- 
erty and  erected  the  largest  general  mer- 
cantile store  in  Carlton,  which  he  has  since 
conducted  with  excellent  success.  He  is  also 
a  prominent  factor  in  financial  circles  as 
the  president  of  the  Carlton  State  &  Sav- 
ings Bank,  being  one  of  the  incorporators 
of  that  institution  in  1910.  Prior  to  the 
organization  of  that  bank  he  had  established 
and  conducted  a  private  banking  concern,  ilr. 
Howe  likewise  incorporated  and  is  now  the 
president  of  the  Valley  Real  Estate  Com- 
pany of  Carlton,  Oregon,  which  has  exten- 
sive holdings  in  Carlton  and  vicinity.  He 
also  owns  two  farms  in  Yamhill  county,  em- 
bracing three  hundred  and  fifty  acres  each, 
both  tracts  being  well  improved  and  under  a 
high  state  of  cultivation.  His  landed  hold- 
ings likewise  include  various  pieces  of  city 
property  at  Dawson.  Yukon  territory.  Two 
years  ago  he  sold  the  large  sawmill  which 
he  had  incorporated  and  operated  and  which 
still  has  a  daily  capacity  of  three  hundred 
thousand  feet,  its  operations  extending  over 
a  radius  of  many  miles.  His  connection  with 
any  undertaking  insures  a  prosperous  out- 
come of  the  same,  for  it  is  in  his  nature 
to  carry  forward  to  successful  completion 
whatever  he  is  associated  with.  He  has 
earned  for  himself  an  enviable  reputation  as 
a  careful  man  of  business  and  in  his  deal- 
ings is  known  for  his  prompt  and  honorable 
methods,  which  have  won  him  the  deserved 
and  imbounded  confidence  of  his   fellowmen. 

In  1SS9  ^Ir.  Howe  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  A.  H.  Cunningham,  a  native  of  ilil- 
ton,  JIassachusetts,  in  which  state  her  par- 
ents passed  away.     She  was  one  of  a  fam- 


ily of  eleven  children,  nine  of  whom  still 
survive.  Our  subject  and  his  wife  have  three 
living  children.  Alice,  who  was  born  in  1S90 
and  obtained  her  education  in  a  private 
school  of  New  York,  is  the  wife  of  B.  B. 
Wood,  a  landowner  of  Ontario,  Canada.  The 
latter  is  a  son  of  Colonel  C.  E.  S.  Wood, 
of  Portland.  William  L.  C.  Howe,  whose 
natal  year  was  1S91,  is  now  attending  Cor- 
nell University.  iJarian.  born  in  1898,  is 
attending  school  at  Portland,  Oregon. 

In  politics  Mr.  Howe  is  a  stanch  republi- 
can, being  convinced  that  the  principles  of 
that  party  are  most  conducive  to  good  gov- 
ernment. He  has  served  for  two  terms  as 
state  senator  and  has  also  been  honored 
with  election  to  many  other  positions  of  pub- 
lic trust.  Fraternally  he  is  identified  with 
the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen  and 
the  United  Artisans,  while  in  more  strictly 
social  lines  he  is  connected  with  the  Arling- 
ton and  University  Clubs  of  Portland.  He 
has  made  good  use  of  his  talents  and  oppor- 
tunities and  stands  as  a  high  type  of  Am- 
erican manhood. 

SIMON  KENTON  HATCHER  is  the  owner 
of  eighty  acres  of  improved  and  developed 
land  in  Coos  county,  Oregon,  which  consti- 
tuted a  part  of  his  father's  original  home- 
stead. He  follows  general  farming,  gives  a 
great  deal  of  attention  to  his  dairy  and  is 
ranked  among  the  enterjjrising  and  repre- 
sentative citizens  of  his  district.  He  w'as 
born  in  Iowa  in  February.  1860.  and  is  a  son 
of  .John  R.  and  Emily  (Smith)  Hatcher,  the 
former  a  native  of  Indiana  and  the  latter  of 
Tennessee.  His  father  came  to  Coos  county 
in  1877  and  settled  on  the  tract  of  land  which 
his  son  is  now  operating.  He  followed  agri- 
culture with  success  until  his  death,  in  the 
summer  of  1887,  and  had  long  survived  his 
wife,  who  passed  away  in  the  year  1877. 
They  were  the  parents  of  nine  children:  Wil- 
liam A.,  of  Arago,  Oregon:  Delaney  R.,  of 
Curr.v  county;  Simon  Kenton,  of  this  review: 
■James  A.,  of  Fairview,  Oregon,  who  is  mar- 
ried and  has  ten  children:  Mybulda  C,  the 
wife  of  James  A.  Cotton,  of  Gravelford,  Ore- 
,ffon,  and  the  mother  of  four  children;  Robert 
0..  of  ilyrtle  Point,  Oregon;  Perry  C.  also 
of  Mvrtle  Point,  who  has  two  sons:  Rebecca, 
who  married  E.  M.  Clayton,  of  Gravelford, 
by  whom  she  has  two  children;  and  Perry, 
who  died  in  infancy. 

Simon  Kenton  Hatcher  was  reared  upon 
his  father's  farm  and  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  Coos  county.  He  became 
familiar  with  the  details  of  agriculture  by 
personal  experience  early  in  life  and  has  al- 
ways operated  his  farm  along  the  principles 
learned  in  his  youth.  He  started  active  life 
for  himself  when  he  w'as  twenty-two  years 
of  age,  working  for  some  years  in  the  employ 
of  his  father.  He  now  owns  eighty  acres  of 
the  original  homestead  which  was  his  share 
of  the  estate,  a  brother  owning  the  other  half. 
Mr.  Hatcher  is  almost  entirely  responsible 
for  the  high  development  of  his  property.  It 
has  been  cleared  and  improved  since  his 
father's  death,  has  been  fenced,  tiled  and 
equipped   with    labor-saving   machinery.      He 


WILLIAM    A.    llnWK 


(the  ' 

I  PUBLU 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


43 


lias  Iiuilt  new  ImiKlinjis  upon  his  property 
and  has  planted  his  fields  to  oats  and  other 
grain.  He  engages  in  general  farming  and 
has  won  success  in  this  field  of  activity  on 
account  of  his  careful  and  conservative  man- 
agement and  his  specialized  Knowledge  of  the 
details  of  agriculture. 

On    August    30,    18S4.    ilr.    Hatcher    was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Ida  J.  Stillwell.  a 
native  of  Iowa   and  a  daughter  of  Russell  B. 
and     Olive     Ann     (Walton)     Stillwell.       Her 
father  died  on  July  1,  IflOT.  and  her  mother 
is  living  at   Mayville,  Oregon.     To  Jlr.  and 
Mrs.     Stillwell     were     born     eight     children: 
William,  who  resides  at  The  Dalles.  Oregon; 
Hussrll.   of  Portland.  Oregon :   Viola  and   Ed- 
niond.    both    of   whom    are    deceased;    Sidney 
Kverett.  who  lives  with  his  mother  in  ilay- 
ville:   Leona.  the  wife  of  Fred  Moreland,  of 
Washington;    Olive   A.,   the    wife   of   George 
Eads.  of  Mayville;   and  Ida.  the  wife  of  our 
subject.      To    Mr.    and    Mrs.    Simon    Kenton 
Hatcher  have  been  born  six  children:     Bertha 
J.,  whose  birth  occurred  on  August  2S,   1S85. 
who  was  educated   in   the   district   schools  of 
Coos  county   and   who   is   at   home   with  her 
parents:   Lucinda,  born   August   1.   1S87,  who 
was   also   educated   in   the   public   schools   of 
her  native  district  and  lives  at  home;  Archie, 
whose    birth   occurred    on   the    30th    of   June, 
1889,    who    attended    the    district    schools    of 
Coos   county  and   who   now    makes   his   home 
with   hi.s   parents;    Sylvia   ilerl.   who   died    in 
infancy;  Clarence  C.  born  February  11.  1S94; 
who    lives    at    home;     anil    Ernest    0..    born 
December   1.    1901.   attending   school.      Simon 
K.  Hatcher"s   polities   are  consistently   demo- 
cratic  and   while   he   has   never   sought   office 
his  public  spirit  has   led  him  to  accept  the 
position   of   school   director   and   road   super- 
visor  where    his    efficiency    and    ability    have 
ranked    him    among    the  "useful    servants    of 
the  community. 

J.  0.  HAMAKER,  now  serving  for  the  sec- 
ond   term    as    mayor    of    Bonanza,   of    which 
town    he    was    practically    the    founder    and 
builder,  and  also  publishing  the  Bonanza  Bul- 
letin, was  born  in  Marion  county,  Iowa.  July 
SO,  1S56  his  parents  being  David  and  Rebecca 
(Rodgers)     Hamaker    both     of    whom     were 
natives  of   Pennsylvania,   the   latter  being  a 
lineal  descendant  of   Sir  John  Rodgers.     The 
Ilamakers    are    of    Herman    lineage    and    the 
name  was  originally  spelled  Hammacher.    The 
family  was  founded  in  America  at  an  early 
period    in    the    development    of   this   countiy 
and  the  grandfather  was  horn  in  Cumberland 
county,   Pennsylvania.     David   Hamaker   was 
married  in  Ohio  and  in  1847  removed  to  Iowa, 
where   he  and   his   wife   spent   the   remainder 
of  their  lives.     He  and  his  brothers  bnilt  the 
first  mill  in  that  locality  and  they  came  of  a 
familv  of  millers.     In   lSf,4  he  aiid  his  eldest 
son,  J.  W.  Hamaker,  enlisted  for  service  in 
the  Civil  war,  the  latter  becoming  a  member 
of  the  Thirty-sixth   Iowa  Infantry,  while  the 
father   was    chaplain    of   the    Fortieth    Iowa. 
Both  served  until  the  close  of  hostilities  and 
the    father    contracted    di.sease    which    caused 
his  death  less  than  a  year  after  the  close  of 
the  war.     Two  daughters  of  the  familv  died 


in  childliood.  while  four  sons  reached  matur- 
ity, namely:  J.  W.,  now  deceased;  ,J,  D..  of 
Toledo,  Oregon;  S.  C,  of  Ely,  Oregon;  and  J, 
0.,  of  this  review. 

The  last  named  remained  at  the  place  of 
his  birth  until  1869  spending  his  time  in 
school  and  upon  the  farm.  He  afterward  lived 
for  seven  years  in  Kansas  and  during  that 
period  devoted  two  years  to  the  study  of 
telegraphy  at  Humboldt,  Kansas.  He  "also 
worked  around  the  depot  in  different  ways 
and  spent  some  time  in  school.  Believing 
that  the  far  west  offered  better  opportunities, 
he  came  to  Oregon  in  1879  and  on  the  1st  of 
March,  1880,  settled  in  Klamath  county, 
where  he  has  since  remained.  He  spent 
seven  years  in  the  saddle  as  a  cowboy  and 
then  embarked  in  merchandising  in  Bonanza 
but  during  the  first  year  lost  five  thousand 
dollars.  During  that  time  he  platted  the  first 
addition  to  the  town  and.  in  fact,  was  the 
real  founder  of  the  town,  for  there  was  only 
one  house  here  when  he  came.  During  the 
past  seven  years  he  has  edited  and  published 
the  Bonanza  Bulletin,  making  it  an  attractive 
country  town  paper.  He  has  also  practiced 
law  to  some  extent  and  has  the  only  land 
law  library  in  Klamath  county.  He  also  owns 
two  ranches  in  this  district  and  twenty-five 
town  lots.  He  is  likewise  the  owner  of  the 
telephone  exchange  of  Bonanza,  having  in- 
stalled the  system  and  secured  a  thirty  years' 
franchise.  His  various  business  interests  are 
capably  conducted  and  he  is  now  pro.spering 
in  his  undertakings. 

In  1885  ilr.  Hamaker  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Jliss  Annie  M.  Horton.  who  was  born 
in  the  Willamette  valley  of  Oregon  in  1S69. 
and  is  a  daughter  of  W.  H.  and  Elizabeth 
(Poe)  Horton.  Unto  them  have  been  born 
nine  children:  Ora  R..  who  is  the  wife  of 
(ieorge  S.  Boyd  of  Bly,  Oregon;  Horace  E.. 
spent  one  year  as  a  student  in  the  Oregon 
Agricultural  College  of  Corvallis  and  is  now 
in  Bonanza;  Mont  W.;  Marie;  Marvin  Hor- 
ton; Hilda  H.;  Birdie  E.:  Annie;  and  Amanda. 
The  eldest  daughter  was  a  member  of  the 
first  class  that  graduated  on  the  completion 
of  the  eighth  grade  work  from  the  schools  of 
Bonanza. 

]\Ir.  Hamaker  is  a  republican  in  his  politi- 
cal views  and  has  filled  several  local  offices. 
He  served  for  five  years  as  United  States  com- 
missioner of  Oregon  and  at  the  present  time 
he  is  serving  for  the  second  term  as  mayor 
of  the  town.  He  exercises  his  official  pre- 
rogatives and  his  influence  as  a  private  citi- 
zen in  behalf  of  the  best  interests  of  the  com- 
munity and  his  labors  have  been  effective 
forces  for  ujibnilding,  progress  and  develop- 
ment here.  He  is  energetic,  determined  and 
resolute  and  accomplishes  what  he  under- 
takes. 

HARRY  D.  AND  ROBERT  W.  A.  CHERRY 
are  associated  in  real-estate  operations  under 
the  firm  style  of  Cherry  Brothers,  and  their 
labors  in  this  direction  have  been  so  intel- 
ligently and  capably  directed  as  to  jdace  them 
with  the  leading  representatives  of  this  line 
of  business  in  Lane  county.     The  consensus 


44 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


of  public  opinion  places  tliem  in  the  leading 
rank  of  the  young  men  of  keen  business  abi- 
lity, indefatigable  energy  and  unassailable 
business  integrity.  They  largely  handle  town 
property  and  at  the  same  time  conduct  a 
profitable  insurance  agency. 

Harry  D.  Cherry  was  born  in  Eugene,  Au- 
gust 1.  1S71,  and  Robert  W.  A.  Cherry  was 
born  August  3,  1S76.  Their  parents  were 
David  and  Annie  Maria  (Atkins)  Cherry. 
The  father  was  born  in  County  Armagh,  Ire- 
land, and  was  twelve  years  of  age  when 
brought  to  the  new  world  by  his  parents,  who 
settled  at  Belleville.  Canada,  and  became 
farming  people  of  that  locality.  In  his  youth- 
ful days  David  Cherry  entered  upon  an  ap- 
prenticeship at  the  cabinet-maker's  trade. 
On  leaving  Canada  he  removed  to  San  Fran- 
cisco, where  he  spent  two  years,  and  later 
passed  a  year  in  British  Columbia.  About 
1861  he  came  to  Portland  and  developed  a 
water  power  between  ililwaukie  and  Sell- 
wood,  there  operating  a  manufacturing  plant 
and  furniture  factory  which  he  subsequently 
sold  to  a  Mr.  Shindler,  who  in  turn  was  suc- 
ceeded by  the  Oregon  Furniture  Company. 
On  disposing  of  his  interests  in  that  locality 
David  Cherry  came  to  Eugene.  He  also 
followed  his  trade  at  Springfield  and  at  Al- 
bany, Oregon,  for  a  time  but  finally  opened  a 
factory  and  store  of  his  own  in  Eugene,  the 
former  being  erected  where  the  woolen  mill 
now  stands.  He  was  the  first  furniture  manu- 
facturer of  this  city  and  continued  in  busi- 
ness for  more  than  two  decades,  but  sold  out 
about  twenty-nine  years  ago  to  Robert  M. 
Day.  His  brother,  .T.  W.  Cherry,  had  been  a 
partner  of  the  firm  of  Cherry  &  Day  and 
when  he  sold  out  to  Jlr.  Henderson  the  firm 
became  Day  &  Henderson.  For  an  extended 
period  David  Cherry  figured  prominently  and 
honorably  in  connection  with  the  business  in- 
terests of  Eugene  and  after  selling  out  he 
made  a  trip  through  Canada  but  returned  to 
this  city,  where  he  died  on  the  18th  of  Au- 
gust, 3  903.  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven  years. 

In  the  family  were  but  two  sons,  who  as 
time  has  passed  have  won  for  themselves 
prominence  in  business  circles  of  their  native 
city.  The  elder.  Harry  D.  Cherry,  supple- 
mented his  early  education  by  a  course  in 
the  State  University  and  then  began  learn- 
ing the  drug  business,  being  registered  as 
pharmacist  in  1900,  He  had  previously 
worked  for  five  years  for  a  railroad  company, 
becoming  a  telegraph  operator.  This,  how- 
ever, was  before  he  entered  the  university 
and  thereby  qualified  for  more  important  and 
responsible  duties  in  life. 

The  younger  son,  Robert  W.  A.  Cherry, 
was  also  connected  wMth  the  railway  interests 
for  ten  years  and  became  a  railroad  tele- 
grapher. About  four  years  ago,  however,  he 
withdrew  from  that  field  of  labor  and  spent  a 
year  in  Salem,  Two  years  ago  the  brothers 
joined  forces  in  the  conduct  of  a  real-estate 
business,  since  which  time  they  have  handled 
town  property  and  have  negotiated  many  im- 
portant realty  transfers.  They  are  thorough- 
ly acquainted  with  values,  know  the  property 
that  is  upon  the  market  and  are  thus  enabled 


to  make  purchases  and  sales  which  are  ad- 
vantageo\is  to  their  clients. 

Both  brothers  are  married.  Harry  D. 
Clierry  wedded  Miss  May  B.  Houghton,  a 
daugliter  of  A.  L.  Houghton,  of  Minnesota, 
and  they  have*  one  child.  Helen  N.  The 
younger  brother  married  Miss  Minnie  E,  Tay- 
lor and  they  have  two  children,  Irene  and 
Louise,  Both  brothers  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  their  lives  con- 
forming to  its  teachings.  They  exemplify  the 
spirit  of  enterprise  which  is  the  dominant 
factor  in  the  upbuilding  of  the  northwest  and 
are  energetic,  determined  and  trustworthy, 
their  success  following  as  the  legitimate  and 
logical  sequence  of  these  qualities, 

CHARLES  A,  McGEE,  interested  in  farm- 
ing in  the  Callapooia  district  in  Douglas 
county,  was  born  in  Ray  county,  Missouri, 
September  5,  1848,  and  is  a  son  of  AVilliam 
D,  and  Jane  C,  (Xelson)  McGee,  both  of  whom 
were  natives  of  Guilford  county,  Xorth  Caro- 
lina, where  they  were  reared.  In  1S33  they 
were  married  and  in  the  same  year  removed 
to  Ray  county,  Missouri,  Thirty-two  years 
later  or  in  1S64  they  came  west  to  Oregon, 
crossing  the  plains  with  ox  teams  and  settling 
on  the  farm  which  is  now  owned  and  culti- 
vated by  Charles  A,  McGee,  in  the  Calla- 
pooia district.  The  father  purchased  the  R, 
A.  Forest  donation  claim  which  comprised 
about  three  hundred  and  eight  acres  of  land 
and  subsequently  entered  eighty  acres,  mak- 
ing his  holdings  three  hundred  and  eighty- 
eight  acres.  He  was  identified  continuously 
with  agricultural  pursuits  to  the  time  of  his 
death,  which  occurred  July  13.  1S77,  when 
he  was  sixty-five  years  of  age.  His  wife  long 
survived  him  and  died  December  21,  1898, 
at  the  age  of  eighty-three  years.  His  father 
was  a  Douglas  democrat  and  a  stanch  believer 
in  the  principles  advocated  by  ■■the  little  giant 
of  Illinois."  but  was  never  an  office  seeker. 
Both  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the 
Baptist  church. 

Charles  A.  McGee  was  reared  at  home  and 
attended  the  common  schools  but  his  oppor- 
tunities were  somewhat  limited,  owing  to  the 
fact  that  his  two  older  brothers  were  at  the 
front  in  the  Civil  war  and  it  was  necessary 
for  him  to  remain  at  home  and  do  the  work 
of  the  farm,  when  otherwise  he  would  have 
been  devoting  the  same  time  to  the  acquire- 
ment of  an  education.  When  he  was  seven- 
teen years  of  age  he  was  given  an  interest  in 
the  home  place  and  has  since  devoted  his 
attention  untirinsly  to  its  further  develop- 
ment and  improvement.  His  tract  of  land 
is  rich  and  productive  and  his  methods  of 
farming  are  both  practical  and  progressive. 
He  has  made  a  close  study  of  the  needs  of 
the  soil  and  the  climate  in  relation  to  the 
production  of  crops  here  and  his  labors  are 
attended  with  good  results.  From  time  to 
time  he  added  to  his  property  until  he  was 
the  owner  of  about  seven  hundred  acres, 
but  he  has  deeded  two  hundred  and  fifty 
acres  to  his  foster  son,  George  Wilcox,  leav- 
ing his  present  holdings  four  hundred  and  fifty 
acres. 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


45 


In  1S70  Mr.  McGee  was  united  in  maniage 
to  Miss  Mary  Nancy  Rice,  a  native  of  Wash- 
ington county,  Oregon,  and  a  daughter  of 
James  E.  Rice,  who  came  to  this  state  from 
Missouri  in  1844,  taking  up  a  donation  claim 
in  Washington  county.  Following  his  marriage 
Mr.  McGee  purchased  a  farm  about  nine  miles 
from  Oakland,  upon  which  he  located,  but 
subsequently  sold  that  and  made  two  other 
purchases  aiid  removals  ere  in  January.  18S0, 
he  purchased  the  old  homestead  on  which  he 
now  lives.  Unto  him  and  his  wife  no  chil- 
dren were  bofn  but  they  adopted  and  reared 
two  nephews:  Robert  Wilcox,  who  for  the 
past  nine  years  has  been  a  successful  teacher 
in  the  schools  of  Lexington.  Oregon;  and 
George  Wilcox,  who  is  in  partnership  with 
Mr.  McGee  in  the  operation  of  the  home  farm. 

In  politics  Mr.  McGee  is  a  republican  and 
is  thoroughly  informed  concerning  the  ques- 
tion and  issues  of  the  day.  He  served  for 
two  terms,  or  four  years,  as  county  commis- 
sioner but  has  held  no  other  offices  and  pre- 
fers to  concentrate  his  energies  upon  his 
business  affairs.  He  and  his  wife  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Christian  church  and  in  the  com- 
munity where  they  reside  they  have  a  large 
circle  of  warm  friends  who  justly  accredit 
them  with  all  those  estimable  qualities  which 
count  in  good  fellowship.  From  the  age  of 
sixteen  years  Mr.  McGee  has  resided  in  Ore- 
gon, much  of  the  time  upon  the  farm  which 
is  now  his  home,  and  among  the  early  settlers 
of  Douglas  county  he  is  therefore  numbered. 

LAWSON  A.  LAWHORN  is  the  owner  of 
three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  fine  land 
in  Coos  county,  of  which  two  hundred  acres 
is  under  cultivation  and  in  pasture.  He  was 
born  in  Bedford  county,  Virginia,  in  1S.')2,  a 
son  of  William  and  Harriet  (Gentry)  Law- 
horn,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Virginia. 
The  father  was  married  three  times,  his  son. 
Lawson  A.,  being  one  of  the  two  children 
born  of  his  first  union,  the  other  being  Reeves, 
who  is  a  farmer  living  near  the  old  home- 
stead in  Virginia.  After  losing  his  first  w-ife 
William  Lawhorn  married  Lucinda  Waldron, 
who  was  also  a  native  of  the  Old  Dominion, 
and  unto  them  were  born  three  children: 
William,  now  a  resident  of  Marshfield,  Ore- 
gon; Lucy,  who  is  the  wife  of  William  Park- 
man,  of  Jlemphis.  Tennessee;  and  John  W., 
of  Indiana.  For  his  third  wife  the  father 
chose  Elizabeth  Settles,  also  a  native  of  Vir- 
ginia, and  their  children  were  five  in  number. 
Maggie  became  the  wife  of  .John  Hodson.  but 
both  have  passed  away  after  having  lived 
for  a  time  in  Coos  county.  Thomas  makes 
his  home  at  Allegheny,  near  Marshfield.  Alice 
is  the  widow  of  Albert  Stemmerman,  of  Coos 
county.  Myrtle  is  a  resident  of  Coos  county, 
and  Zittie  is  the  wife  of  William  Dully,  also 
of  this  county. 

After  his  father  was  married  the  second 
time  Lawson  A.  Lawhorn  left  home.  He  was 
then  thirteen  years  of  age.  With  a  friend 
he  went  to  work  for  a  farmer,  but  after  being' 
employed  in  tliat  way  for  a  short  time  began 
working  in  a  sawmill,  which  position  he  also 
kept  for  only  a  short  time.     Later,  however, 


he  returned  to  tliat  line  of  business,  remain- 
ing in  the  mill  for  only  one  year.  Subse- 
quently he  removed  to  Tennessee,  working  in 
a  sawmill  and  for  a  lumberman  for  several 
years.  During  that  period  he  carefully  saved 
his  earnings,  ambitious  to  one  day  engage  in 
business  on  his  own  account.  Later  he  and  a 
young  friend  rented  a  farm  which  they  culti- 
vated for  a  year  and  a  half,  at  the  end  of 
which  time  Mr.  Lawhorn  started  for  the 
Pacific  coast.  He  arrived  in  California  in 
company  with  John  S.  Coke,  the  father  of 
Juilge  John  S.  Coke.  J\lr.  Lawhorn  purchased 
a  team  of  horses  in  California  and  drove  on 
to  the  Rogue  river  valley.  In  ISTl  he  came 
to  Coos  county,  Oregon,  intending,  however, 
to  go  to  Washington.  Finally,  however,  he 
made  settlement  on  the  old  Coos  Ray  wagon 
road.  He  was  in  the  employ  of  Mr.  Coke 
for  a  time  but  afterward  married  and  estab- 
lished a  home  of  his  own.  He  had  previously 
taken  up  a  homestead  claim  and  in  1877  he 
went  to  live  thereon.  He  engaged  in  general 
stock-raising  as  well  as  farming  and  his 
labors  have  resulted  in  bringing  about  a 
notable  change  in  the  appearance  and  produc- 
tiveness of  the  place,  which  was  all  wild 
lan<l  when  it  came  into  his  possession.  Later 
he  became  involved  in  a  big  law  suit  con- 
cerning the  property,  his  opponent  being  the 
Oregon  &  California  Railroad  Company,  but 
Mr.  Lawhorn  won  his  suit  and  obtained  clear 
title  to  his  property.  Later  he  bought  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  and  the  additions 
he  has  made  to  his  original  homestead  make 
him  now  the  owner  of  three  hundred  and 
t^^•enty  acres  of  valuable  land,  of  which  two 
hundred  acres  are  under  cultivation  and  in 
pasture.  His  methods  of  farming  produce 
good  results.  He  raises  grain,  hay.  sheep, 
cattle  and  Angora  goats.  He  handles  only 
high  grade  stock  and  in  his  different  lines  of 
business  is  meeting  with  well  merited  success. 
On  the  17th  of  October,  1877.  Mr.  Lawlun'n 
was  married  to  Miss  Louisa  Xorris,  a  (hmuhter 
of  Thomas  and  Mary  (Boon)  Xorvi-.  in  wliose 
family  were  the  following  children:  George 
W..  of  FairvieAV.  Oregon:  Mary,  the  wif.'  of 
J.  L.  Barker,  also  of  Fairview;  Lucy  Ann, 
who  married  R.  C.  Dement,  of  Myrtle  Point, 
Oregon;  Mrs.  Lawhorn;  C.  L.,  of  CoquiJle.  Ore- 
gon; Thomas  C,  of  Fort  Klamath,  this  state; 
and  Albert,  who  is  deceased.  The  marriage 
of  5Ir.  and  Mrs.  Lawhorn  which  was  cele- 
brated in  Coos  county,  has  been  blessed  \\  ith 
live  children.  Walter,  who  is  married,  resides 
with  his  parents  and  is  engaged  in  the 
logging  business.  He  was  educated  in  a  dis- 
trict school  and  at  Coquille,  Oregon,  and  also 
took  a  special  course  in  locomotive  engineer- 
ing. JIabel  is  now  the  wife  of  .Jesse  Byers, 
of  California.  Chester  has  passed  away. 
Hugh  is  a  resident  of  Portland,  and  RatlilVe. 
who  completes  the  family,  is  at  home  witli  his 
parents. 

Mr.  Lawhorn  votes  with  the  democratic 
party  and  is  conversant  with  the  actions  of 
the  political  organization  and  the  principles 
for  which  it  stands.  He  has  served  as  road 
supervisor  and  special  road  master  but  is  not 
an  office  seeker.     He  has  likewise  been  oftic- 


46 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


ially  connected  witli  the  schools.  He  beloii<rs 
to  the  Imlepeiideiit  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  ;uid 
has  many  friends,  both  within  and  without 
that  organization.  Both  he  and  his  wife  be- 
long to  the  Farmers  Union  of  Coos  county. 
His  farm  is  situated  on  what  is  known  as  the 
Lawhorn  road,  about  two  miles  from  JIc- 
Kinlej-.  and  he  also  owns  a  modern  home  in 
Coquille  City,  which  he  occupies  during  the 
winter  months.  A  spirit  of  enterprise  char- 
acterizes him  in  all  of  his  work  and  he  car- 
ries forward  to  successful  completion  what 
he  undertakes.  He  may  justly  be  called  a 
self-made  man,  for  he  started  out  on  Jiis  own 
account  at  the  age  of  thirteen  years.  He  did 
not  depend  upon  chance  or  fortunate  circum- 
stances to  aid  hira,  but  realizing  that  earnest, 
persistent  labor  is  the  basis  of  all  success,  he 
has  worked  diligently  to  gain  the  place  that 
he  now  occupies  as  a  leading  and  representa- 
tive  farmer   of   Coos   county. 

CAPTAIN  ELISHA  JENKINS  HARDING. 
Long  residence  in  Marion  cuunty  made  Cap-  ■ 
tain  Elisha  Jenkins  Harding  well  known  in 
his  part  of  the  state.  Moreover,  he  was  a 
veteran  of  two  wars,  having  enlisted  for  serv- 
ice in  the  Union  army  after  having  served 
to  suppress  the  Indian  outbreak  in  the  north- 
west. For  many  years  his  time  and  energies 
were  devoted  to  agricultural  pursuits,  and 
judicious  investment  in  property  made  him 
ultimately  the  owner  of  three  thousand  acres 
of  land  in  Marion  count}-.  In  all  business 
affairs  he  was  enterprising  and  progressive 
and  his  integrity  and  reliability  in  business 
transactions  were  ever  unquestioned. 

Captain  Harding  was  a  native  of  Wyoming 
county,  Pennsylvania,  born  February  24. 
1828.  His  parents.  Elisha  and  Amy  (Jenkins) 
Harding,  were  also  born  in  the  Keystone 
state  and  were  there  reared  and  married. 
The  mother  died  in  1S30,  and  folowing  her 
demise  the  father  wedded  Nancy  Jackson. 
He  too  remained  a  lifelong  resident  of  Penn- 
sylvania, passing  away  there  in  1S73.  while 
his  second  wife  died  in  1880.  The  children 
of  his  first  marriage  were:  William,  Hugh. 
Elizabeth,  Emma  and  Nancy,  all  now  de- 
ceased; Jabez.  who  is  living  in  Waverly,  New- 
York;  Frank  and  Lysander,  who  have  passed 
away;  and  Elisha  J.  Of  the  father's  second 
marriage  there  were  five  children:  Nathan  J. 
and  Samuel,  w-ho  are  residents  of  Pennsyl- 
vania; Willard.  who  makes  his  home  in  Col- 
orado; and  Henry  and  Harriet,  both  deceased. 

Captain  Harding  w-as  reared  in  the  east  and 
during  that  period  acquired  a  college  educa- 
tion. In  1849,  attracted  by  the  discovery 
of  gold  in  California,  and  hoping  he  might 
rapidly  gain  a  fortune  in  a  successful  search 
for  the  precious  metal,  he  came  to  the  Pacific 
coast  and  spent  two  years  in  the  gold  mines. 
In  1851  he  arrived  in  Salem,  Oregon,  and 
from  that  time  forw-ard  w-as  largely  con- 
nected with  the  development  and  progress  of 
this  .state.  He  w-as  elected  to  the  position 
of  county  clerk  and  also  served  as  territorial 
clerk,  remaining  in  office  for  eight  years.  On 
his  retirement  from  political  positions  he  sold 
his  home  in  Salem  and  purchased  land  near 
St.    Paul,    Oregon.      Keen    foresiglit    enabled 


him  to  recognize  the  fact  that  property  w-ould 
yearly  become  more  valuable  in  this  section 
of  the  state  as  settlement  increased  and  he 
made  judicious  investments  in  realty  from 
time  to  time  until  at  his  death  he  was  the 
owner  of  more  than  three  thousand  acres  in 
Marion  county.  This  was  in  several  different 
tracts  and  portions  of  his  land  were  well  im- 
proved. In  all  his  business  afi'airs  he  mani- 
fested unfaltering  energy  and  determination, 
and  he  won  his  success,  moreover,  through 
honorable  methods.  He  ever  stood  for  prog- 
ress and  improvement  and  gav£  his  coopera- 
tion to  many  movements  which  were  of 
marked  benefit  to  the  community  in  w-hich  he 
lived.  During  the  early  period  of  his  resi- 
dence in  Oregon  he  met  with  many  of  the 
hardships  and  difficulties  incident  to  pioneer 
life.  In  the  Indian  w-ar  of  1856  he  recruited 
a  company  at  Salem  and  was  appointed  cap- 
tain of  this  organization  which  became  Com- 
pany A  of  a  battalion  of  Oregon  mounted 
volunteers.  His  appointment  came  to  him  on 
the  26th  of  January.  1856,  from  Governor 
Curry,  and  w-ith  that  rank  he  served  until 
the  hostility  of  the  Indians  ceased.  At  the 
outbreak  of  the  Civil  war  he  again  recruited 
a  company  at  Salem,  Oregon,  which  became 
Company  B,  First  Cavalry  Oregon  Volunteers. 
Governor  Gibbs  made  him  its  captain,  and 
with  that  rank  he  served  xmtil  December, 
1862,  w-hen  he  resigned  on  account  of  the  pres- 
sure of  private  business  affairs.  On  the  10th 
of  August.  186.3.  he  w-as  appointed  lieutenant 
colonel  of  the  Second  Regiment  of  the  Second 
Brigade  of  Volunteer  Militia  of  the  state  of 
Oregon,  being  also  assigned  to  that  position 
by  Governor  Gibbs. 

Captain  Harding  was  married  in  1857,  the 
lady  of  his  choice  being  Miss  Eleanor  Purdy. 
^^-hom  he  wedded  on  the  19th  of  June  of  that 
year.  She  w-as  born  in  Ohio,  April  14,  1S38, 
and  is  a  daughter  of  Aaron  and  Malinda 
(Bucklew)  Purdy.  the  former  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania  and  the  latter  of  Virginia. 
They  were  married  in  Ohio  and  resided  in 
that  state  until  1842  when  they  removed  to 
^Michigan  where  they  made  their  home  for 
three  years  before  going  to  Indiana  where 
they  spent  two  years.  In  1847  they  crossed 
the  plains  to  Oregon  and  took  up  their  abode 
upon  the  present  site  of  the  city  of  Salem. 
After  a  brief  period,  however.  Mr.  Purdy  se- 
cured a  donation  claim  of  six  hundred"  and 
forty  acres  nine  miles  north  of  the  capital 
and  there  he  resided  until  1S56  when  he  sold 
that  property  and  bought  a  farm  near  Salem. 
Upon  the  second  place  he  lived  until  1864 
when  he  again  sold  out,  removing  to  Waits- 
burg,  Washington,  where  he  purchased  a  flour 
mill  which  he  operated  for  one  year,  or  until 
his  life's  labors  were  ended  in  death  in  March, 
1865.  His  widow-  afterw-ard  took  up  her 
abode  upon  a  small  farm  which  she  owned 
near  Salem,  living  there  until  1864.  w-hen 
she  removed  to  Goldcndale  w-here  she  pre- 
empted eighty  acres  of  laud  upon  which  she 
lived  for  a  few  years.  Her  last  days  were 
spent  at  Forest  Grove  where  she  died  in  1893. 
In  her  family  were  seven  children,  of  whom 
the  two  eldest  died  in  early  life.  The  others 
were:    Hanna.   who  married  Luke  Savage   ot 


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MRS.   ELEANOR    II  AUDI  NC 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


51 


Salem,  but  both  are  now  deceased;  Mrs.  Hard- 
ing; Jasper,  who  has  passed  away;  Augusta, 
the  wife  of  George  Smith  of  Lyle,  Washing- 
ton; and  Bruce,  who  is  living  in  Gaston, 
Oregon. 

The  home  of  Captain  and  Jlrs.  Harding 
was  blessed  with  seven  children :  Frank,  who 
died  December  26,  1883,  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
live  years;  Larz.  who  passed  away  in  June, 
1S93;  Jenkins,  who  is  residing  in  Glendale, 
Oregon;  Charles,  who  is  now  a  resident  of 
Lincoln  county,  this  state;  Ellen,  who  died 
in  infancy;  Amy,  at  home;  and  Gertrude, 
the  wife  of  Dr.  Calvin  S.  White,  of  Portland. 
Like  her  husband.  Jlrs.  Harding  was  college 
bred,  being  a  graduate  of  Salem  University. 
Naturally  they  were  much  interested  in  the 
education  of  their  children  to  whom  they 
gave  excellent  advantages.  All  the  daughters 
have  attended  college  and  the  sons  have  had 
thorough  business  training  in  commercial 
colleges.  Since  her  husband's  death  Mrs. 
Harding  has  built  a  fine  home  in  Gervais, 
Oregon,  where  she  now  resides,  having  there 
a  large  circle  of  warm  friends  who  esteem 
her  highly  for  her  many  excellent  traits  of 
character.  The  death  of  Captain  Harding  oc- 
curred March  17,  1897,  when  he  was  in  the 
seventieth  year  of  his  age.  and  the  community 
in  which  he  lived  mourned  the  loss  of  a  rep- 
resentative and  valued  citizen.  In  politics  he 
was  a  democrat,  and  took  a  deep  interest  in 
everything  pertaining  to  the  political  situation 
of  the  country,  keeping  well  informed  on  the 
leading  questions  and  issues  of  the  day.  His 
was  a  well  spent  life.  In  every  relation 
he  was  true  to  high  and  honorable  prin- 
ciples and  never  faltered  in  the  choice  between 
right  and  wrong  but  always  endeavored  to 
follow  a  course  sanctioned  by  conscience  and 
sound  judgment.  His  integrity  in  business 
afl'airs.  his  loyalty  and  patriotism  in  mat- 
ters of  citizenship,  his  fidelity  in  friendship 
and  his  devotion  to  home  and  family  were 
characteristics  which  won  for  him  the  high 
and  enduring  regard  of  all  with  whom  he 
was  associated. 

GEORGE  APPLEGATE  is  one  of  the  suc- 
cessful farmers  ami  stock-raisers  who  reside 
near  Yoncalla,  Douglas  county.  He  is  a  native 
of  Oregon,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  Doug- 
las county.  August  17.  1S.53.  He  is  a  son  of 
Charles  and  Melinda  (Miller)  Applegate,  the 
former  a  native  of  Kentucky  and  the  latter 
of  Tennessee.  The  parents  migrated  to  Ore- 
gon with  the  Applegate  Emigrant  Company 
and  settled  in  yamliill  county  in  1S43.  .Jesse 
Applegate  was  the  captain  of  the  company 
and  an  uncle  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
More  extended  mention  is  made  of  the  par- 
ents in  the  sketch  of  the  Applegate  family 
published  in  another  part  of  this  work.  In 
1847  .Jesse,  Charles  and  Lindsay,  three  broth- 
ers, took  up  donation  claims  in  Yoncalla 
valley  and  there  establislied  their  pioneer 
homes. 

George  Applegate  -was  reared  at  home  and 
received  his  education  in  the  ]iiiblic  schools. 
In  1873  he  purchased  the  1?.  M.  Kelly  dona- 
tion claim  and  engaged  in  farming.  He  lived 
on  that  property  until  18S8  at  which  time 
Vol.  IV— 3 


he  sold  out  and  in  1S90  bought  his  father's 
okl  homestead  to  which  he  removed  and  where 
he  has  since  lived.  He  and  his  children  own 
live  hundred  acres  of  land,  including  the  old 
homestead. 

George  Applegate  was  united  in  marriage  in 
1878  to  Jliss  Flora  McKee  in  Scotts  Valley. 
She  came  to  Oregon  from  Nebraska  where 
she  had  been  engaged  in  teaching  school.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Applegate  live  children  have 
been  born:  Rachael  L.,  the  wife  of  E.  A. 
TuUey  of  Wallowa,  Oregon;  Paul,  who  is 
operating  the  home  farm;  Eve  L.  and  Eva 
L.,  twins  who  are  engaged  in  teaching  school 
at  The  Dalles;  and  Vincent  L.,  in  his  senior 
year  in  the  Yoncalla  high  school. 

George  Applegate  is  affiliated  with  the  re- 
publican party  but  has  never  sought  political 
preferment.  He  is  one  of  the  enterprising 
citizens  of  his  coitnty  and  a  man  whose  inetg- 
rity  in  business  matters  has  always  been 
above  suspicion.  He  enjoys  the  confidence 
and  esteem  of  all  his  associates  and  is  in 
every  way  entitled  to  be  numbered  among 
the  influential  and  useful  men  of  his  part 
of  the  state. 

JUDGE  E.  L.  ELLIOTT,  who  is  engaged  in 
the  general  practice  of  law  in  Klamath  Falls, 
was  born  in  Waverly,  Bremer  county,  Iowa, 
April  14,  1S68,  his  parents  being  John  and 
Sally  (Dudgeon)  Elliott,  who  were  natives 
of  Virginia  and  Ohio,  respectively,  and  were 
reared  and  married  in  the  latter  state.  In 
1846  they  went  to  Iowa,  where  the  remainder 
of  their  lives  was  passed  near  Waverly,  the 
father  following  farming  throughout  his  en- 
tire life. 

In  the  family  were  seven  sons  and  five 
daughters,  E.  L.  Elliott  being  the  youngest. 
He  was  twenty-eight  years  of  age  before  any 
of  the  children  died  and  four  sons  and  three 
daughters  are  still  living.  He  remained  at 
the  place  of  his  birth  until  the  loss  of  his 
mother,  when  he  was  twelve  years  of  age, 
after  which  he  drifted  from  pillar  to  post, 
earning  his  living  as  best  he  could.  He 
worked  at  the  carpenter's  trade  and  followed 
farming  in  Iowa.  Illinois,  Wisconsin,  Minne- 
sota and  Nebraska.  As  he  knocked  about 
the  world,  trying  to  earn  his  living  at  various 
occupations  until  twenty  years  of  age  he 
began  to  realize  fully  the  necessity  of  an 
education  and  at  length  entered  a  college 
at  Waterloo,  Iowa,  from  which  he  was  grad- 
uated in  1889.  Later  he  became  a  student 
in  the  Illinois  Normal  School  at  Dixon.  Illi- 
nois, and  was  there  graduated  in  1S92.  He 
afterward  taught  in  a  college  at  Vinton, 
Towa,  and  was  also  employed  in  the  county 
auditor's  office  there.  At  length  he  deter- 
mined to  devote  his  attention  to  one  of  the 
"learned  professions"  and  began  a  course  in 
the  Iowa  College  of  Law,  a  department  of 
Drake  ITniversity,  at  Des  Moines,  He  after- 
ward engaged  in  teaching  in  the  college  at 
Le  Mars.  Iowa,  and  subsequently  took  charge 
of  tlie  college  at  Waterloo.  He  then  finished 
his  law  course  and  in  January.  1898.  was 
admitted  to  the  bar,  after  which  he  began 
practice  at  Vinton,  where  he  remained  for 
a    vear.     He    next    went   to    Oehvein,    Iowa, 


02 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


where  lie  remained  until  1907,  after  whicli 
he  was  appointed  and  later  elected  to  the 
bench  of  the  supreme  court,  serving  as  judge 
from  1903  until  1907.  In  the  latter  year  he 
became  a  resident  of  Lewiston,  Idaho,  where 
he  practiced  law  until  June.  1909,  when  he 
came  to  Klamath  Falls,  where  he  has  since 
engaged  in  general  practice.  He  has  made 
continuous  progress  in  his  profession. 
Xature  endowed  him  with  keen  intellect  and 
his  analytical  powers  and  careful  prepara- 
tion of  his  cases  have  won  him  a  place  among 
the  strong  and  able  lawyers  at  the  bar  of 
southern  Oregon.  In  .January.  1913,  he 
formed  a  partnership  with  his  nephew.  E.  B. 
Elliott,  under  the  firm  style  of  Elliott  & 
Elliott,  attorneys. 

In  1S94  Judge  Elliott  was  married  to  Miss 
Maude  Westover  and  they  became  the  par- 
ents of  two  daughters.  Muriel  A.  and  Pauline 
I.,  both  attending  school  at  Vinton,  Iowa. 
The  wife  and  mother  died  in  1898  and  in 
1903  Mr.  Elliott  wedded  Clara  B.  Redfield, 
by  whom  he  has  three  children,  Dorothv 
G".  Xellie  M.  and  Jack  W. 

In  politics  Judge  Elliott  is  a  republican  and 
was  appointed  city  attorney  here  but  re- 
signed. He  holds  membership  with  the 
^Masons  and  has  become  connected  with  the 
Mystic  Shrine  by  way  of  the  York  Rite, 
being  a  Knight  Templar.  He  belongs  to  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  lodge  and  has  given  con- 
siderable attention  to  the  work  of  that 
organization.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Cliristian  church,  has  served  on  the  official 
board  as  one  of  the  deacons,  and  has  been 
superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school.  His 
interest  in  the  moral  progress  of  the  com- 
munity as  well  as  in  its  material  develop- 
ment is  deep  and  sincere  and  his  many  sterl- 
ing traits  of  character  have  won  him  an 
enviable  position  in  the  regard  of  his  fellow 
townsmen.  He  deserves  great  credit  for 
what  he  has  accomplished,  for  the  opportuni- 
ties of  his  early  youth  were  extremely  limited 
and  it  was  only  by  reason  of  his  laudable 
ambition  that  he  was  enabled  to  make  pro*- 
ress  and  reach  his  present  place  of  promi- 
nence as  a  lawyer  and  citizen  of  Klamath 
Falls. 

D.  W.  ANDERSON  has  resided  since  1885 
upon  the  place  that  is  now  his  home,  com- 
prising one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  which  is 
devoted  to  general  farminsr.  His  land  is  not 
far  from  Olene.  in  Klamath  county.  He  has 
successfully  introduced  several  modern  proces- 
ses, giving  special  study  to  the  subject  of  dry 
farming  and  demonstrating  the  excellent  re- 
sults that  can  be  accomplished  by  that 
method.  He  was  born  in  Farmington.  Van 
Buren  county,  Iowa.  February  22.  1S36.  a 
son  of  .\ndrew  E.  and  Angeline  (Millard) 
Anderson.  The  father  was  born  in  Oswego, 
Xew  York,  and  the  mother  in  Massachusetts, 
and  following  their  marriage  they  removed 
westward  to  Iowa,  wliere  Andrew  E.  Ander- 
son carried  on  farmina-  and  also  worked  at 
the  cooper's  trade  until  18.52.  when  he  went 
to  California,  where  he  was  joined  by  his 
wife  in  1861.  Her  death  occurred  about  nine 
miles   below   Sacramento   and   Mr.   Anderson 


passed  away  in  Jacksonville,  Oregon.  TOiile 
in  California  he  engaged  in  mining  until  1862 
and  then  turned  his  attention  to  agricultural 
pursuits,  to  which  he  devoted  his  energies 
throughout  the  remainder  of  his  life.  In  the 
family  were  four  children:  D.  W.;  Mrs. 
Amanda  .Sloeum,  who  has  passed  away;  Mrs. 
Ellen  Fassett,  of  Sacramento,  California;  and 
Albert,  of  Stockton,  California. 

D.  W.  Anderson  spent  the  first  twenty  years 
of  his  life  at  the  place  of  his  nativity  and 
in  1856  joined  his  father  in  California,  going 
to  the  coast  by  way  of  the  isthmus  route. 
He  then  followed  placer  mining  for  about 
three  years,  after  which  he  went  to  .Jackson 
county,  Oregon,  where  he  remained  for  seven 
years.  He  there  worked  as  a  laborer  part  of 
the  time  but  he  was  ambitious  to  engage  in 
business  of  his  own  account  and  made  his 
plans  with  that  end  in  view.  At  length  he 
felt  his  capital  was  sufficient  to  justify  his 
taking  up  farming  for  himself  and  in  1885 
he  came  to  his  present  place,  homesteading 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  near  Olene,  Kla- 
math county,  en  which  he  has  now  resided  for 
twenty-seven  years.  While  he  carries  on 
general  farming  he  makes  a  specialty  of  rais- 
ing potatoes  and  melons  and  that  his  methods 
are  progressive  and  resultant  is  indicated  in 
the  fact  that  he  won  five  premiums  on  dry 
farming  at  the  Klamath  County  Fair  in  1909, 
securing  these  on  watermelons,  cantaloupes, 
green  corn,  squash  and  crabapples.  He  works 
hard,  accomplishes  results  and  has  become 
well  established  as  one  of  the  representative 
agriculturists  of  his  community.  Moreover, 
he  is  well  known  as  a  healer  of  both  sciatic 
and  inllammatory  rheumatism,  to  which  he 
has  devoted  a  part  of  his  time  during  the  past 
fifty  years. 

Mr.  Anderson  has  been  married  twice.  In 
1861  he  wedded  Miss  Mary  Jane  Dean,  a 
native  of  Baltimore,  who  died  in  1879,  leaving 
four  children;  George,  a  resident  of  Joseph- 
ine county,  Oregon ;  Geneva,  the  wife  of  Peter 
Bauer,  of  Olene,  Oregon;  Walter,  of  Califor- 
nia; and  Willie,  who  died  at  the  age  of  nine 
years.  On  the  25th  of  July.  1S85,  Mr.  Ander- 
son was  again  married,  his  second  union 
being  with  Dora  Hull,  who  was  born  in  Jack- 
son county,  Oregon,  July  25,  1866.  They  have 
become  the  parents  of  ten  children,  of  whom 
Alzada,  Paiil  and  Pauline  are  deceased.  ThosS 
living  are  Oscar  Raymond.  Myron,  Freeman^ 
Wilbert,  Estella,  Xava  and  Truman. 

Althougli  Mr.  Anderson  has  reached  the  age 
of  seventy-six  years  he  is  still  hale  and 
hearty  and  is  an  active  business  man  accom- 
plishing results  through  enterprising,  progres- 
sive and  scientific  methods  and  making  for 
himself  a  creditable  position  among  the  rep- 
resentative   farmers  of   Klamath   county. 

WILLIAM  B.  CLARKE.  With  the  history 
of  progress  in  southwestern  Oregon  the  name 
of  William  B.  Clarke  is  closety  associated 
and  in  liis  passing  Douglas  county  lost  one 
of  its  representative  citizens.  He  was  one 
of  the  early  sawmill  men  of  this  part  of  the 
state  and  his  industry  and  enterprise  were 
factors  in  general  development  and  improve- 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


53 


luent  as  well  a^^  in  individual  success.  He 
was  a  native  of  Fredonia,  New  York,  born 
January  22,  ISoC,  and  for  some  time  resided 
in  Pennsylvania  ere  coming  to  Oregon  in 
1865.  On  reaching  this  state  he  settled  first 
in  Douglas  county  and  soon  began  work  in 
the  sawmill  on  the  Calapooia,  owned  by 
Messrs.  Butler.  iJahoney  and  Barr.  He  was 
there  employed  for  a  year,  after  which,  in 
company  with  .John  Colvin  he  rented  the 
old  Sutherlin  mill  on  the  Calapooia,  which 
they  operated  for  a  year.  In  1867  Mr.  Clarke 
and"  Henderson  Rone  built  a  mill  farther  up 
the  stream,  which  was  known  as  the  Clarke 
&  Rone  mill.  This  they  conducted  for  two 
years,  after  which  Mr.  Clarke  sold  his  interest 
and  came  to  Coles  Valley.  Here  he  began 
work  in  the  Harvey  Dixon  mill  and  after- 
ward became  a  partner  of  5Ir.  Dixon,  in 
which  connection  the  mill  was  operated  for 
about  three  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time 
Mr.  Clarke  bought  his  partner's  interest  and 
carried  on  the  mill  independently  for  about 
three  years.  He  then  removed  the  plant  to 
Sugar  Pine,  where  he  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture of  lumber  for  a  short  time,  after 
which  he  disposed  of  the  mill  and  returned  to 
Coles  Valley.  He  then  settled  on  the  farm 
where  his  wife  had  continued  to  reside  while 
he  was  in  Sugar  Pine.  On  this  place  he 
built  a  shingle  mill,  which  he  operated  for 
three  or  four  years,  and  in  1878  he  went  to 
Hubbard  Creek,  where,  in  company  with  J.  L. 
Baker,  he  bought  out  his  brother-in-law, 
Robert  Stephens,  who  had  begun  the  erection 
of  a  sawmill  there.  Mr.  Clarke  and  Mr. 
Baker  completed  the  mill  and  continued  its 
operation  until  within  two  years  of  Mr. 
Clarke's  death.  Soon  after  his  arrival  at 
Hubbard  Creek  he  secured  the  establishment 
of  the  Millwood  postoffice  at  his  jilace  and 
did  everything  possible  to  further  its  inter- 
ests until  a  dail.v  mail  service  was  secured 
and  his  office  was  made  an  international 
money  order  office.  He  continued  to  act  as 
postmaster  for  many  years,  not  that  he  had 
any  desire  to  fill  the  position  but  because 
he" recognized  that  the  postoffice  would  work 
for  the  betterment  of  the  neighborhood.  He 
was  of  that  class  which  included  General 
Tjane.  Creed  Flood.  George  Haynes,  Thomas 
Sheridan,  Joe  8.  Fitzhugh,  Aaron  Rose,  Asher 
ilarks.  Sam  Harks  and  otlicrs — pioneers  who 
preceded  him  to  the  great  beyond  and  all 
of  whom  were  his  friends.  He  was  as  popular 
in  Roseburg  when  among  its  citizens  as  he 
was  at  home.  He  "had  attractive  qualities, 
which  made  him  well  liked  wherever  he  was 
known.  He  possessed  a  jovial,  sunny  disposi- 
tion, was  big  hearted,  open  handed  and  was 
ever  a  true  and  loyal  friend.  Tt  was  ever  a 
pleasure  to  know  him  and  be  with  him.  for  he 
shed  around  him  much  of  the  sunshine  of  life. 
In  politics  he  was  a  sfanch  republican  and 
could  have  had  any  office  within  the  gift  of 
liis  party.  In  fact,  his  friends  and  neigh- 
bors frequently  urged  him  to  accept  nomina- 
tion for  political  positions  but  he  always  de- 
clined. He  served,  however,  at  one  time  as 
chairman  of  the  republican  county  conven- 
tion, but  the  wide  diversity  of  opinion  and  the 
too    numerous    candidates    seeking   office    dis- 


gusted him  with  party  management  and  lie 
preferred  only  to  exercise  his  right  of  fran- 
chise in  support  of  the  measures  in  which  he 
believed. 

On  the  23d  of  J\nie,  1S6T.  Mr.  Clarke  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Cassie  Stephens, 
a  daughter  of  Eb  Stephens,  at  one  time 
county  clerk  of  Douglas  county,  and  the  sis- 
ter of  R.  J^.  Stephens,  a  prominent  business 
man  of  Roseburg.  and  of  George  W.  Stephens, 
and  J.  A.  Stephens,  of  Oakland,  Oregon.  Mr. 
and  Jlrs.  Clarke  became  the  parents  of  seven 
daughters  and  three  sons:  Ida,  deceased; 
Jennie,  the  wife  of  Fred  Norman,  of  Mill- 
wood; Anna  B.,  at  home,  who  is  a  teacher 
in  the  public  schools;  Martha,  who  resides  in 
Portland;  Kittie.  who  married  Francis  Smith, 
of  Pasadena.  California;  Josephine,  the  wife 
of  Sidney  Smith,  of  Riverside  county,  Cali- 
fornia; Jlargaret,  who  became  the  wife  of 
Fred  Shelton,  of  Douglas  county;  Ben  Mor- 
ton, deceased;  Rush  R.,  who  operates  the  mill 
at  Millwood;  and  Seth  S.,  who  makes  his 
home  in  South  Bend.  Washington.  Mrs.  Clarke 
still  resides  in  Millwood  and  owns  the  old  mill 
property,  in  addition  to  extensive  farm  and 
timber  interests.  She  is  a  member  of  the 
Baptist  chiirch  and  a  lady  of  many  good 
traits  of  heart  and  mind.  The  death  of  Mr. 
Clarke  occurred  on  the  2d  of  August.  1909, 
following  a  second  stroke  of  paralysis.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  for 
many  years  but,  although  he  allowed  his 
membership  to  lapse,  he  never  ceased  to  ex- 
emplify in  his  life  the  beneficent  spirit  of 
the  craft,  which  is  based  upon  a  recognition 
of  the  brotherhood  of  man  and  which  fosters 
kindliness,  charity  and  individual  aid. 
Throughout  his  life  he  was  a  careful,  syste- 
matic business  man,  a  progressive  citizen 
and  a  reliable  friend,  and  his  many  sterling 
traits  won  him  the  respect,  honor  and  love 
of  those  with  whom  he  came  in  contact. 

JUDGE  CHARLES  GRAVES,  filling  tin- 
position  of  justice  of  the  peace  at  Klamath 
Falls,  was  born  at  Marysville,  California. 
February  1,  1857.  His  father,  Garrett  Graves, 
was  a  native  of  New  York,  while  the  mother, 
who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Mary  Dries- 
bach,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania.  They  were 
married  in  the  east  and  became  residents  of 
California  about  1849  or  1850.  Their  son 
Charles  was  but  six  years  of  age  when  liis 
parents  passed  away.  The  father  died  on  one 
Sunday  in  1863  and  the  mother  on  the  suc- 
ceeding Sunday.  He  was  following  farming 
at  the  time  of  his  death.  In  their  family 
were  four  children:  Frank,  who  has  passed 
away;  Charles;  Samuel,  living  in  Jlerrill, 
Oregon;  and  Mrs.  Klla  Sulzberger,  of  Arizona. 

After  the  death  of  his  parents,  .Tudge 
Graves  resided  with  an  uncle  in  Michigan  un- 
til he  was  old  enough  to  earn  his  own  living, 
after  which  he  returned  to  California.  When 
nineteen  years  of  age  lie  purchased  a  tract  of 
land  in  Yuba  county  and  cultivated  it  until 
1884.  He  then  sold  that  property  and  came 
to  Klamath  Falls.  Oregon,  and  was  engaged 
in  merchandising  here  for  live  years.  He  then 
followed  farming  and  stock-raising  for  alnmt 
fourteen   years,    at    the    end    of   which    time 


54 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTOKY  OF  OREGON 


lie  disposed  of  his  interests  in  that  <-unuec- 
tion  and  took  up  his  abode  in  Klamath  Falls. 
In  November,  1910,  he  was  elected  to  liis 
present  position  as  justice  of  the  peace  and 
is  now  acting  in  that  capacity.  He  had  pre- 
viously served  one  term  as  county  treasurer 
of  Klamath  county  and  had  declined  a  second 
term  in  that  office.  He  also  served  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  first  city  council  of  Klamath  Falls 
and  all  through  his  life  he  has  given  his  polit- 
ical allegiance  to  the  democratic  party.  For 
twent3--eight  years  he  has  resided  in  this 
district  and  has  always  enjoyed  the  high 
respect  and  warm  regard  of  his  fellow  towns- 
men who  support  him  for  office,  notwith- 
standing the  fact  that  this  is  a  republican 
county  and  he  is  a  stanch  advocate  of  demo- 
cratic principles. 

In  1882  Judge  Graves  .was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Eva  il.  Ward,  Avho  was  born  in 
Nevada  but  was  reared  in  California.  Unto 
them  have  been  born  eight  children:  Maude, 
who  is  the  wife  of  Joseph  L.  Ringo,  of  Cres- 
cent, Oregon;  Clarissa,  who  is  the  wife  of 
S.  B.  Garner,  of  Portland;  Charles  J.,  who  is 
living  in  Crescent;  Ward  L.,  attending  school 
in  Portland;  Maurice,  Horatio  R.,  Ralph  and 
Elizabeth,  all  at  home. 

Judge  Graves  is  a  worthy  exemplar  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity.  He  has  taken  the  de- 
grees of  the  Royal  Arch  and  Knight  Templar 
Masonry  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  Mys- 
tic Shrine.  He  is  also  a  charter  member 
of  the  lodge  of  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen  at  Klamath  Falls,  which  is  one 
of  the  strongest  in  the  state,  and  is  a 
charter  member  of  the  Elks  lodge.  He  like- 
wise belongs  to  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows  and  helped  finance  the  project 
at  the  time  of  the  building  of  their  lodge 
I'oom  and  also  of  the  building  of  the  Elks' 
Home.  He  is  now  serving  as  president  of 
the  Commercial  Club,  in  which  connection 
he  is  putting  forth  earnest  and  persistent 
effort  to  advance  the  welfare  of  his  town 
and  county.  He  is  a  reliable  and  progres- 
sive business  man  and  citizen  and  his  many 
commendable  traits  of  character  have  estab- 
lished him  in  an  enviable  position  among 
his  fellow  townsmen. 

MAJOR  JAMES  BRUCE  is  an  Oregon  pio- 
neer of  1850  and  a  veteran  of  the  Indian 
wars.  He  has  every  reason  to  be  proud  of 
the  military  record  which  he  made  in  the 
effort  to  subdue  the  red  men  when  they 
showed  open  hostility  to  the  advancement 
of  the  white  race,  resenting  the  planting  of 
the  seeds  of  civilization  in  this  section  of 
the  country.  He  is  now  living  retired,  de- 
riving his  income  from  valuable  property 
interests  in  the  vicinity  of  Corvallis,  Benton 
county.  He  was  born  November  3,  1827, 
in  Harrison  county,  Indiana,  a  son  of  John 
and  Ellen  (Lemon)  Bruce.  His  father's 
mother  was  a  sister  of  Daniel  Boone,  the 
famous  Kentucky  pioneer  and  explorer.  In 
1839  John  Bruce  removed  to  Adams  county, 
Illinois,  but  was  not  long  permitted  to  en- 
joy his  new  home.  At  his  death  he  left  a 
widow  and   seven   children. 


Major  Brucu  was  a  lad  of  twelve  years 
at  the  time  the  family  went  to  Adams 
county,  where  he  remained  until  1847,  when, 
as  a  young  man  of  twenty  years,  he  joined 
a  wagon  train  bound  for  Texas,  spending 
two  years  in  that  state.  In  1S49,  however, 
he  returned  to  Illinois  and  afterward  en- 
gaged in  boating  on  the  Mississippi  river  un- 
til the  spring  of  1850,  when  he  again  joined  a 
wagon  train  which  was  bound  for  Oregon.  On 
the  route,  however,  the  plans  were  changed 
and  after  a  trip  of  six  months  across  the 
desert  and  over  the  mountains  the  party 
arrived  at  Hangtown,  now  Plaoerville.  Cali- 
fornia. Major  Bruce  at  once  proceeded  to 
the  mines  and  met  with  fair  success  in  his 
search  for  the  precious  metal.  Mining  activ- 
ities occupied  his  attention  until  the  fall  of 
1851,  when  he  took  up  a  ranch  in  Scott's 
valley,  Siskiyou  county,  California.  The  fol- 
lowing year,  however,  he  sold  that  property 
and  came  to  Oregon,  at  which  time  he  estab- 
lished a  general  mercantile  store  in  Jackson- 
ville. 

At  the  outbreak  of  the  Indian  war,  in 
1S5,'?.  Major  Bruce  enlisted  as  a  private  and 
later  was  promoted  from  time  to  time  for 
meritorious  service  to  the  rank  of  captain. 
By  the  close  of  the  second  Rogue  river  war. 
in  1856,  he  had  been  promoted  to  the  rank 
of  major  and  filled  that  position  with  dis- 
tinction, for  there  were  few  who  took  a  more 
active  part  or  displayed  greater  bravery  and 
lidelity  in  the  Indian  wars  than  Major  Bruce, 
a  fact  which  is  indicated  in  the  historical 
volume  of  this  work.  He  uncomplainingly 
bore  the  hardships  and  dangers  of  Indian 
campaigning,  and  following  the  close  of  hos- 
tilities and  the  removal  of  the  Indians  to 
the  Siletz  reservation  he  took  a  contract  to 
plow  and  fence  a  part  of  that  reservation. 
He  afterward  followed  different  occupations 
until  1862,  when  he  began  dealing  in  live 
stock  and  while  carrying  on  that  business, 
ill  1864,  he  accomplished  a  feat  that  has  sel- 
dom ever  been  attempted — that  of  driving 
a  large  number  of  hogs  for  a  distance  of 
over  seven  hundred  miles  or  from  the  Ump- 
qua  valley  in  Douglas  county  to  Boise  City, 
Iowa.  The  venture,  however,  proved  suc- 
cessful, for  ho  sold  most  of  his  porkers  at 
one  dollar  per  pound.  He  then  returned  to 
Benton  county  and  purchased  a  part  of  his 
present  farm,  which  now  contains  seven 
hundred  acres  all  in  one  body.  This  he 
rents,  now  living  retired,  and  at  the  pres- 
ent time  he  is  living  in  McMiunville.  His 
property  returns  to  him  a  very  gratifying 
annual  income  and  is  the  visible  evidence 
of  the  excellent  business  ability  which  he 
has  displayed  as  the  years  have  gone  by. 

In  1S57  5Iajor  Bruce  was  married  to  Miss 
Margaret  Kinney,  of  Benton  countv.  who 
died  in  18S4.  On  the  2d  of  March,  18S6,  he 
wedded  Elizabeth  Mark,  a  daughter  of 
Cliarles  and  Catherine  (Munzer")  Mark,  the 
former  a  native  of  France  and  the  latter  of 
Germany.  They  were  married  in  Mis- 
souri and  in  that  state  the  mother  died, 
after  which  the  father  came  to  Oregon  in 
1S75.  He  then  engaged  in  farming  in  Yam- 
liill    county  until   he   retired    from   business 


1IA.70H  JAMES   BRUCE 


thFnewyorF 

''UBLIC     LIBRARY 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


01 


lite  anil  settled  in  Mcilinuville,  wlieie  he 
]yassed  away  in  1SS9.  Major  and  Mrs.  Binice 
became  parents  ot  one  daughter,  Sarah 
Catherine. 

ilajor  Bruce  has  not  only  made  an  ex- 
cellent record  in  military  and  business  cir- 
cles but  also  as  a  political  leader  of  promi- 
nence and  intluence.  In  former  years  he  took 
an  active  part  in  support  of  principles  in 
which  he  believed  and  he  represented  Ben- 
ton county  in  the  state  legislature  at  Salem 
from  1S74  until  1876  and  afterward  was 
sent  from  Washington  county  to  the  general 
assembly.  He  says  that  he  is  a  Thomas 
Jeflferson  democrat  and  an  Abraham  Lincoln 
republican.  In  other  words,  he  stands  firmly 
for  principles  rather  than  for  party  and  holds 
to  the  high  standards  of  two  of  the  na- 
tion's most  distinguished  upbuilders.  Dur- 
ing all  his  life  ilajor  Bruce  has  been  an 
ardent  advocate  of  the  cause  of  temperance 
and  untiringly  devoted  his  energies  to  this 
movement. 

Major  Bruce  should  receive  great  credit  in 
live-stock  circles  of  the  state.  He  was  ap- 
pointed by  Governor  Grover  to  serve  as  judge 
on  agricultural  implements  during  six  months 
at  the  National  Centennial  Exposition  in 
1S76,  and  there  purchased  one  of  the  finest 
Clydesdale  stallions  ever  brought  to  Oregon. 
When  returning  from  the  exposition  he  also 
brought  back  with  him  a  herd  of  high-grade 
Jersey  cattle,  which  were  the  first  that  ever 
came  into  the  Willamette  valley.  When  at- 
tending the  New  Orleans  fair,  in  1S84.  he 
there  purchased  a  carload  of  Aberdeen  Angus 
cattle,  which  were  the  ground  stock  for  a 
good  many  herds  of  that  breed  in  Oregon 
and,  in  fact,  he  was  the  first  man  to  intro- 
duce  high-grade    stock    into   this    state. 

He  does  not  believe  in  creeds  and  dogmas 
but  has  ever  attempted  to  follow-  the  teach- 
ings of  the  Christ  and  thus  his  life  has  been 
a  most  honorable  and  upright  one  and  his 
religious  faith  of  the  highest  character.  Al- 
though he  has  now  traveled  far  on  life's 
journey,  the  precious  prize  of  keen  mentality 
is  still  accorded  him.  He  has  always  been 
a  leader  among  men  and  in  many  character- 
istic and  admirable  ways  has  left  the  im- 
press of  his  individuality  upon  public  thought 
and  feeling.  His  life  has  indeed  been  well 
spent  and  the  record  is  a  credit  and  honor 
to  his  adopted  state,  with  the  development 
of  which  he  has  been  closely  identified 
through  sixty  years. 

C.  A.  PAINTER  operates  his  steamboat. 
Flyer  on  Coos  bay  and  is  employed  as  tender 
of  the  government  bridge.  He  bought  his 
vessel  ten  years  ago  and  since  that  time  lias 
been  a  familiar  figure  on  the  bay.  He  was 
born  in  .Mansfield.  Ohio.  November  S.  1868, 
and  is  a  son  of  Michael  and  Margaret  (Spratt) 
Painter.  His  father  is  a  native  of  Ohio  and 
was  born  in  the  same  house  in  which  our 
subject's  birth  occurred.  He  engaged  in  farm- 
ing in  connection  with  the  ojieration  of  a 
woolen  mill  and  a  tile  and  brick  yaril.  and 
was  ])roniinont  in  agricultural  circles  of  Oliio. 
He  served  for  three  years  in  the  One  Hundred 
and    Twenty-tliird    Ohio    \'olunteer    Infantry 


during  the  Civil  war  and  was  wounded  in  the 
left  shoulder  by  a  cannon  ball.  He  is  now 
living  retired.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  ilichael  Painter 
became  the  parents  of  five  children,  and  only 
two  of  these  are  yet  living.  The  children 
were:  C.  A.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  A.  J., 
who  is  in  Alaska;  two  children  who  died  in 
infancy;  and  Lena,  who  passed  away  when 
she  was  eighteen  months  old. 

C.  A.  Painter  received  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  Ohio  and  lived  in  that  state 
until  1890,  when  he  came  to  Oregon  and  set- 
tled on  Coos  bay  in  North  Bend.  He  spent 
two  years  employed  in  Porter's  sawmill.  He 
subsequently  bought  his  steamboat  Flyer  and 
has  operated  it  with  much  success  since  that 
time.  At  present  he  is  employed  as  tender 
of  the  government  bridge  and  his  vessel  is  a 
valuable  asset  to  him  in  the  performance  of 
his  duties.  He  owns  a  beautiful  home  in 
North  Bend  where  he  resides  with  his  family. 
He  is  well  known  throughout  the  city. 

In  December,  1900,  C.  A.  Painter  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  ^Marietta  EekhotY,  a 
native  of  Coos  coimty  and  a  daughter  of 
Charles  and  Charlotte  Eckhoft',  of  whom  more 
extended  mention  is  made  on  another  page 
of  this  work.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Painter  are 
the  parents  of  one  daughter,  Lillian  C.,  born 
October  17,  1906.  Politically,  Mr.  Painter 
keeps  himself  entirely  independent  of  Jiarty 
lines  preferring  to  keep  bis  judgment  free 
and  his  opinions  imbiased.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and 
prominent  in  the  affairs  of  the  Knights  of 
Pythias.  Ho  is  well  known  to  the  citizens 
of  North  Bend  for  his  honesty,  ability  and 
progressive  ideas  and  he  has  many  warm 
frii'nds   in   Coos  county. 

JOEL  THEODORE  WARD,  connected  with 
the  Home  Building  and  Realty  Company  of 
Klamath  Falls,  a  project  which  is  proving  a 
vital  and  significant  element  in  the  upbuild- 
ing and  development  of  the  town,  was  born 
in  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  September  19,  1880, 
a  son  of  Willie  Thomas  and  Clara  Frances 
i\\'elborn)  Ward,  both  of  whom  were  natives 
of  Collinsville,  Illinois,  although  reared  and 
married  in  St,  Louis,  Soon  after  their  mar- 
riage they  took  up  their  abode  upon  a  farm 
near  ilexico,  Missouri,  where  they  lived  for 
five  years  and  then  removed  to  a  cattle  ranch 
at  Lewiston,  Idaho,  In  1893  they  removed  to 
St,  Louis,  where  they  remained  until  the 
spring  of  1906,  when  they  went  to  southern 
Idaho  and  filed  on  a  homestead.  They  are 
now  living  retired  in  Klamath  Falls  and 
are  well  known  and  worthy  citizens  of  the 
town.  Their  family  numbered  four  chil- 
dren, of  whom  .Joel  T.  is  the  eldest,  the 
others  being:  Cora  May,  the  wife  of  Ed 
.J.  Boyd,  of  St.  Louis;  Thomas  Jacobs,  who 
is  engaged  in  the  real-estate  business  in 
Portland;  and  Daisy  Anna,  the  wife  of  Fred 
Crocket,    of    Portland. 

•Joel  T.  Ward  resided  with  his  parents  until 
he  came  to  the  west  in  1906.  After  attend- 
ing the  gr;nnmar  schools  of  St.  Louis  he  be- 
gan ch'rical  work,  seoiring  a  minor  position 
with  tlie  ilissouri  Pacific  and  afterward  with 
the  Waliash  railroad  in  his  iiative  citv.     Dur- 


u.^ 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


iug  that  period  lie  devoted  his  evening  liours 
to  study,  pursuing  his  lessons  under  the  direc- 
tion of  private  tutors.  He  also  took  a  eourse 
in  mining  engineering  through  the  Interna- 
tional Correspondence  Schools  and  on  com- 
ing to  the  northwest  made  his  way  to  Wal- 
lace. Idaho,  where  he  was  connected  with 
mining  interests  in  various  ways  in  the  Coeur 
d'Alene  district  for  a  year.  Owing  to  the 
hazardous  nature  of  the  work  and  rarious 
narrow  escapes  from  death  he  left  there  and 
went  to  Seattle,  where  he  took  the  position 
of  computing  clerk  in  the  government  assay 
office.  He  then  returned  to  Rupert,  Idaho, 
and  accepted  the  position  of  assistant  engineer 
of  concrete  construction  in  tlie  reclamation 
service  of  the  government.  When  lie  again 
located  in  Portland  he  engaged  in  the  real- 
estate  business  with  his  brother  and  in  1910 
he  came  to  Klamath  Falls,  where  he  has  since 
handled  real  estate,  being  now  associated  with 
the  Home  Building  and  Realty  Company,  his 
previous  experience  well  qualifying  him  for 
his  undertaking  in  this  line. 

On  the  5th  of  ilarch,  1911,  Mr.  Ward  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Xoiie  Anne  Moore, 
who  was  born  in  ilansfield,  Ohio,  in  18S3. 
She  was  left  an  orphan  in  early  girlhood  and 
was  reared  by  an  aunt.  ilr.  and  Mrs.  Ward 
have  many  friends  in  Klamath  Falls,  the 
hospitality  of  the  best  homes  being  freely 
accorded  them.  In  politics  Mr.  Ward  is  a 
republican  and  keeps  thoroughly  informed 
concerning  the  vital  questions  and  issues  of 
the  day  but  does  not  seek  office,  preferring 
to  concentrate  his  energies  upon  his  business 
atTairs.  He  is  yet  a  young  man  in  the  early 
thirties  but  his  experiences  have  been  broad 
and  his  developed  capability  and  powers  have 
made  him  one  of  the  forceful  factors  in  busi- 
ness circles  here. 

A.  W.  OLSON  is  serving  Avith  great  success 
as  steward  of  the  Xorth  Bend  Commercial 
Club  and  has  been  identified  with  this  office 
since  1906.  He  is  a  native  -of  Xorway  but 
lias  spent  almost  his  entire  life  in  America 
as  a  resident  of  Oregon.  He  was  born  in 
Christianssand.  on  May  14.  1862,  and  is  a  son 
of  Andrew  and  Valbey  (Anderson)  Olson. 
His  father  died  in  his  native  land  where  his 
mother  is  living  at  the  age  of  eighty-three 
years.  They  were  the  parents  of  four  chil- 
dren: Ida  and  Olaf.  residents  of  Xew  York: 
A.  W..  of  this  review;  and  Bina,  who  lives 
in  Norway. 

A.  W.  Olson  received  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  his  native  country  and  came 
to  America  in  1SS7.  He  settled  immediately  in 
North  Bend,  Coos  county,  Oregon,  and  was  a 
sailor  on  Coos  bay  for  a  short  time.  He 
then  worked  at  various  occupations  in  North 
Bend  until  1906.  when  he  accepted  his  pres- 
ent position  as  steward  of  the  North  Bend 
Commercial  CInb.  He  has  been  very  suc- 
cessful during  this  time  and  under  his"  direc- 
tion the  affairs  of  the  club  have  been  con- 
ducted in  an  able  and  efficient  manner.  Polit- 
ically Mr.  Olson  gives  his  allegiance  to  the 
republican  party  in  local  affairs  but  reserves 
the  right  to  independent  voting  on  national 
issius.     ITi'  is  a  iiieniber  nf  the  Order  of  Eaeles 


and  ])romiiient  in  the  affairs  of  that  organ- 
ization. He  gives  his  allegiance  to  the  Lu- 
theran church  and  religion  is  an  important 
factor  in  his  life.  He  possesses  those  quali- 
ties of  steady  and  concentrated  purpose,  per- 
sistency and  keen  intelligence  which  America 
welcomes  so  eagerly. in  her  adopted  citizens. 

GEORGE  R.  BENHAM  is  the  owner  of  a 
valuable  farm  in  Coos  county,  Oregon,  com- 
prising an  excellent  tract  of  cultivated  land 
conveniently  situated  near  the  village  of  Fair- 
view.  He  Avas  born  in  Missouri,  on  Novem- 
ber 29,  1862,  and  is  a  son  of  William  and 
Susan  (Miller)  Benham,  natives  of  Tennes- 
see. The  father  came  to  Oregon  in  1863  and 
settled  in  the  Willamette  valley  where  he 
rented  land  and  followed  agriculture.  He 
was  an  expert  blacksmith  and  followed  his 
trade  in  Oregon  for  a  number  of  years.  He 
went  to  California  and  farmed  there  for 
seven  years,  operating  at  the  same  time  a 
blacksmith  shop.  He  disposed  of  his  busi- 
ness interests  in  California  eventually  aud 
eame  to  Coos  county,  where  he  bought  eighty 
acres  of  land  near  Fairview  and  cultivated 
the  soil  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
1907.  He  had  survived  his  wife  for  several 
years.  They  were  the  parents  of  nine  chil- 
dren: John  and  Samuel,  both  of  whom  arc 
deceased:  .\manda.  the  wife  of  Stephen  Hol- 
lenbeak.  of  Coquille.  Oregon:  William,  a  resi- 
dent of  Coquille:  James,  of  Sitkum,  Ore- 
gon: Nancy,  the  widow  of  John  Neely,  by 
whom  she  has  one  daughter,  Florence,  who 
lives  with  our  subject;  George  R.,  of  this 
review:  Martha  .S.,  who  passed  away  at  the 
age  of  ten :  and  Frances  M..  who  passed  away 
at  the  age  of  seven. 

George  R.  Benham  has  resided  in  Oregon 
almost  continuously  since  he  was  one  year  old. 
He  came  with  his  parents  in  1863  "and  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
this  state.  He  became  familiar  with  the  de- 
tails of  agriculture  in  early  youth  by  assist- 
ing his  father  in  the  work"  of  his  Willamette 
valley  farm.  Later  he  went  to  California  and 
operated  the  landed  holdings  of  his  father  in 
that  state  while  the  elder  Mr.  Benham  con- 
ducted liis  blacksmith  shop.  He  returned  to 
Coos  county  after  seven  years'  residence  in 
California  and  remained  upon  his  fathers 
original  farm  for  a  number  of  years  after 
which  lie  moved  to  anotlier  tract  of  land 
which  a  brother.  .James,  had  j)ufchased.  This 
was  all  wild  timber  land  and  it  was  necessary 
to  clear  it  of  trees  before  the  soil  could  be 
broken.  Later  George  .Benham  purchased 
twenty  acres  which  he  brought  to  a  high 
state  of  cultivation.  He  built  a  comfort- 
able and  attractive  home  upon  his  prop- 
erty, erected  suitable  barns  and  outbuild- 
ings and  now  has  half  of  his  acres 
under  cultivation  in  hay  aud  garden  truck, 
lie  also  extensively  engages  in  dairying  and 
has  made  this  branch  of  his  enterprise,  by 
careful  and  conservative  management,  an  im- 
portant source  of  income.. 

In  politics  George  R.  Benham  is  consistently 
a  democrat  and  is  intelligently  interested 
in  local  atTairs  and  well  informed  upon  cur- 
rent   issues    althoiiu'h    lie    lias    never    sought 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


59 


public  ottii-o.  His  life  record  illustrates  the 
power  of  honesty  and  diligence  in  insuring 
success.  His  labors  have  always  been  con- 
structive and  intelligently  carried  forward  and 
have  resulted  in  placing  him  in  the  front 
rank  of  progressive  farmers. 

H.  J.  O'BRIEN  has  for  twenty-five  years 
engaged  extensively  in  the  breeding  and  rais- 
ing of  horses  and  is  one  of  the  foremost 
representatives  of  this  business  in  Bonanza 
and  the  Yonna  valley.  He  was  born  in  Gales- 
burg,  Knox  county.  Illinois,  .Tuly  3.  1859,  and 
is  a  son  of  William  and  Alice  (Philips) 
O'Brien,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Ire- 
land, born  in  Galway  and  Tipperary  respec- 
tively. The  mother  was  fourteen  years  of 
age  when  she  crossed  the  Atlantic  and  the 
father  was  a  youth  of  fifteen.  They  were  mar- 
ried at  Galesburg,  Illinois,  where  they  were 
numbered  among  the  first  settlers.  Mr. 
O'Brien  worked  for  ilr.  Gale  and  Mrs.  O'Brien 
worked  for  Mr.  Ferris,  and  it  was  upon  the 
farms  of  those  two  men  that  the  city  of 
Galesburg  was  built.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  O'Brien 
resided  there  until  the  Civil  war  and  he  as- 
sisted in  erecting  all  of  the  principal  build- 
ings there  at  that  time  including  Knox  Col- 
lege and  the  seminary.  He  was  a  stone  and 
brick  mason  and  took  an  active  part  through 
his  trade  in  tlie  improvement  of  the  city. 
He  and  his  brothers,  Martin,  Patrick,  Henry 
and  Thomas,  were  the  only  Irish  republicans 
in  Galesburg  at  the  tinje  of  the  Civil  war. 
Patrick  and  Henry  both  lost  their  lives  while 
defending  the  Union,  one  at  Shiloh  and  the 
other  at  Gettysburg.  Two  years  after  the 
war  H.  J.  O'Brien  removed  with  his 
parents  to  the  Grand  Prairie,  Livingston 
county,  Illinois,  and  subsequently  to  Green- 
wood county.  Kansas,  where  they  became 
pioneers,  settling  there  two  and  a  half  years 
before  the  railroad  was  built.  At  length 
H.  J.  O'Brien  came  to  the  west  and  his 
parents  followed  him.  becoming  early  resi- 
dents of  the  Pacific  coast.  Eventually,  how- 
ever, they  sold  out  in  the  northwest  and  re- 
turned as  far  as  Oklahoma,  both  passing 
away  there  in  1909  when  about  eighty  years 
of  age.  In  their  family  were  four  children: 
H.  J.;  -Edward,  who  died  in  Iowa;  Willie. 
who  has  not  been  heard  from  in  twenty  years; 
and  ilyra,  tlie  wife  of  William  Drake,  of 
Hennes.sey.  Oklahoma. 

n.  .J.  O'Brien  removed  from  Kansas  to 
Oregon  in  1S80  and  spent  six  months  in 
traveling  over  the  state,  searching  for  a 
favorable  location.  He  came  to  Klamath 
county  with  William  Hanley.  bringing  cattle. 
and  spent  two  years  between  this  district 
and  Rogue  river,  in  teaming.  On  the  con- 
struction of  the  railroad  to  Ashland  in  1882 
he  located  i)ernianently  in  Klamath  county, 
homesteading  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
land  upon  which  lie  now  resides.  This  is 
today  well  improved  and  under  a  high  state 
of  cultivation.  For  some  time  he  was  actively 
engaged  in  the  construction  of  new  railroads 
in  the  northwest  but  for  the  past  twenty 
years  he  has  dealt  in  horses,  breeding  black 
Percheron  stock,  lie  is  half  owner  of  Rich- 
mond,  n    fine    sire    owned    I)V    the   Lost    P>iver 


Valley  Percheron  Horse  Company.  They  paid 
twenty-four  hundred  dollars  for  him  when 
he  was  three  years  old  and  he  is  now  valued 
at  three  thousand  dollars.  Mr.  O'Brien  is 
also  the  owner  of  Beau  Sire  for  which  he 
paid  one  thousand  dollars  when  he  was  less 
than  three  years  old.  Although  INIr.  O'Brien 
learned  the  carpenter's  trade  in  early  life  he 
lias  handled  horses  through  the  greater  part 
of  the  period  of  his  majority  and  is  an  ex- 
cellent judge  of  fine  animals,  doing  much  to 
improve  the  grade  of  horses  raised  in  this 
section. 

Mr.  O'Brien  was  married  in  1901  to  Mrs. 
Addie  Clark,  who  was  born  in  the  Cotton- 
wood mining  camp,  in  Siskiyou  county,  Cali- 
fornia. March  8,  1860.  When  she  was  eighteen 
months  old  her  parents  removed  to  .Tacksou- 
ville  where  she  remained  until  eight  years 
of  age,  when  she  went  to  Linkriver,  now 
Klamath  Falls,  a  trading  post,  being  the 
first  white  girl  to  reside  there.  At  that  tinu- 
there  were  only  a  half  dozen  shacks  in  the 
town.  Soldiers  and  the  Indians  constituted 
■  the  chief  population  of  the  district  although 
there  were  trappers  and  hunters.  Mrs. 
O'Brien  heard  the  first  shots  of  the  Modoc  war 
and  saw  the  first  victims.  In  1874  she  went 
to  Colorado  and  was  there  married  to  S.  B. 
Clark.  She  resided  there  before  Cripple  Creek 
came  into  prominence,  near  the  present  site 
of  the  town,  and  after  living  in  that  stato 
went  to  Minnesota,  where  she  lost  her  juis- 
band  and  eldest  child.  Mr.  Clark  passing 
away  in  1891.  She  then  returned  to  .Josephine 
coimty.  Oregon,  where  she  lived  for  three 
years,  after  which  she  again  came  to  Klamath 
county  and  was  married  here  to  Mr.  O'Brien. 
She  had  eight  children  by  her  first  marriage: 
ilinnie  S.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twelve 
years;  Etta  A.,  who  is  the  wife  of  Walker 
Blanton.  of  Washington:  Lilly  A.,  the  wife 
of  Charles  Flackus  of  Yonna  valley;  Emma 
C,  the  wife  of  George  Gibson,  of  Boise.  Idaho; 
Silas,  of  Klamath  county:  Willie,  who  is  a 
twin  brother  of  Silas,  of  Davis;  .Jessie  E., 
of  Minnesota;  and  Irving  H..  of  Ontario, 
Oregon.  Jlrs.  O'Brien  never  resided  in  a 
frame  house  until  she  w-ent  to  jSIinne.sota 
in  1883,  having  up  to  that  time  always  lived 
in  pioneer  districts  Avliere  her  home  was  a  log 
hou.se.  She  attended  school  at  .Jacksonville 
when  It  was  but  a  mining  camp  and  at  Ash- 
land when  there  was  only  one  store  in  the 
town.  She  also  went  to  school  in  Linkriver 
the  present  Klamath  Falls,  when  there  were 
only  six  pupils  there  and  she  crossed  the 
Link  river  on  the  ferry  before  the  bridge 
was  built.  In  1870  she  walked  across  the 
Link  river  bed  when  it  was  dry.  caused  by  a 
south  wind  that  held  the  waters  back  i!i 
the  lake.  .She  made  that  crossing  with  her 
fatlier  and  when  in  the  bed  of  the  stream 
]jicked  up  two  fish.  Such  a  thing  has  seldom 
occurred  within  the  memory  of  num.  Few. 
indeed,  are  more  familiar  with  the  history 
of  this  state  and  its  developnu'ut  or  can  re- 
late more  interesting  incidents  concerning 
the  early  days.  Mr.  O'Brien  has  been  a  re- 
puldican  since  age  conferred  upon  him  the 
right  of  franchise,  casting  his  fir>t  presidential 


m 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


vote  for  Garfield  and  always  supporting  the 
party,  and  is  now  a  progressive  republican. 
Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  Knights 
of   Pj'thias. 

SAMUEL  G.  SPICER  is  a  prominent 
farmer  at  Marcula,  Oregon,  part  of  his  orig- 
inal holdings  now  being  built  upon  by  por- 
tions of  that  city.  He  owns  at  present  three 
hundred  and  thirty  acres,  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  which  is  in  a  high  state  of 
cultivation  and  the  remainder  in  timber.  He 
was  born  in  Xorth  Carolina,  January  25, 
1872.  a  son  of  .Joseph  B.  and  Lettie  (Bryan) 
Spicer.  The  father  was  born  in  North  Caro- 
lina, while  the  mother  is  a  native  of  Tennes- 
see. They  were  married  in  the  former  state 
and  there  made  their  home  until  1SS7,  the 
father  devoting  his  attention  to  farming.  In 
that  year  the  family  removed  to  Oregon, 
where  settlement  was  made  in  Eugene.  After 
residing  there  for  three  years  they  removed 
to  Marcola.  where  the  father  purchased  one 
hundred  and  thirteen  acres  of  land,  which  he 
operated  until  in  190-1,  when  he  returned  to 
North  Carolina  and  is  now  farming  his  orig- 
inal homestead  in  that  state.  The  mother 
also  survives  and  is  ably  assisting  her  hus- 
band in  the  conduct  of  the  homestead.  To 
this  worthy  couple  were  born  seven  children, 
namely:  Mary  J.,  a  resident  of  Salem,  Ore- 
gon, where  she  owns  property;  Cliarles  E.. 
deceased;  Frances  D..  the  widow  of  C.  L. 
Winter,  of  Seattle,  Washington;  Samuel  G., 
of  this  review;  Morgan  C,  a  resident  of  Pio- 
neerville,  Idaho;  Ernest  A.,  of  Marcola;  and 
Maud  E.,  making  her  home  in  Seattle,  Wash- 
ington. 

Samuel  G.  Spicer  started  out  to  make  his 
own  way  in  the  world  at  the  age  of  seven- 
teen years,  going  into  the  stock-raising  busi- 
ness in  Idaho.  He  followed  that  vocation 
until  1905,  and  at  times  was  the  owner  of 
large  herds-  of  cattle  and  horses.  He  then 
sold  his  stock  and  landed  interests  in  that 
state  and  came  to  Lane  county,  Oregon, 
where  he  had  previously  purchased  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  acres  located  where  Marcola 
now-  stands,  the  city  being  in  part  built  upon 
a  portion  of  his  original  purchase.  He  is 
now  operating  a  farm  of  three  hundred  and 
thirty  acres,  of  which  one  hundred  and  sixty 
are  in  a  fine  state  of  cultivation,  the  balance 
containing  marketable  timber. 

Mr.  Spicer  was  married  December  20.  190S, 
to  Miss  Virtue  Gay,  who  was  born  in  Oregon. 
May  8,  1S8S,  a  daughter  of  Nathan  W.  and 
Sarah  E.  (Spencer)  Gay.  Her  parents  were 
born  in  Missouri,  the  mother  migrating  to 
Oregon  with  her  parents  wJien  four  years  of 
age  and  the  fatlier  crossing  the  plains  in 
1877.  settling  in  Benton  county,  this  state. 
They  were  married  in  Oregon  in  August, 
1880,  and  made  their  home  in  Benton  county 
until  in  1900,  when  they  removed  to  Sjuing- 
field,  where  they  are  now  living  retired. 
They  are  the  parents  of  four  children,  as 
follows:  Eobert  W.  and  Silas  A.,  both  of 
Springfield.  Oregon;  Virtue,  now  Mrs.  Spicer: 
and  James  B..  also  residing  in  Springfield. 
JNIr.  and  Mrs.  Spicer  have  become  the  parents 
of  two   ^ons:      Darwin  .T..  born  January  14, 


1910;  and  lilen  F..  born  August  27.  1911. 
ilr.  Spicer  is  a  republican  but  has  never  been 
an  oflice-seeker  nor  taken  an  especial  inter- 
est in  political  activities.  His  fraternal  re- 
lations are  limited  to  membership  in  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  at  Mar- 
cola. He  has  long  and  favorably  been 
known  in  the  community  of  which  he  is  a 
member  and  is  one  of  the  progressive  and 
prosperous  farmers  of  this  locality.  He  is 
energetic  in  his  business  and  the  success 
which  he  has  achieved  is  entirely  due  to  his 
enterprising  spirit,  his  industry  and  intelli- 
gence. He  received  a  good  education,  and 
also  took  a  business  college  course,  while  his 
wife  has  also  enjoyed  the  privilege  of  a  good 
common-school  education.  The  family -is  a 
popular  one  at  Marcola  and  stands  well  in 
business,  social    and   fraternal   circles. 

JAMES  A.  STEPHENS  is  a  native  son  of 
Oregon.  lie  was  born  on  the  Callapooia,  on 
section  15,  lange  6,  township  35,  west,  in 
Douglas  county,  Xovember  25,  1S5S,  his  par- 
ents being  Ebenezer  and  Rebecca  (Stormer) 
Stephens,  the  former  a  native  of  Xew  York 
state  and  the  latter  of  Tennessee.  They  were 
married  in  Illinois,  to  which  state  the  mother 
had  removed  with  her  parents  in  her  girl- 
liood  days,  while  the  father  had  gone  there  as 
a  j'oung  man.  After  their  marriage  they  set- 
tled near  Burlington,  Iowa,  where  they  lived 
until  1852,  when  they  crossed  the  plains  to 
Oregon,  making  the  trip  with  o.k  teams.  While 
they  were  en  route  one  of  their  children,  John 
Wesley,  passed  awaj'.  On  arriving  liere  the 
father  purchased  the  interests  of  William 
Cox,  who  had  squatted  on  a  land  claim 
on  Callapooia  creek  but  had  never  filed 
on  the  land.  It  was  upon  this  place  that  the 
birth  of  his  son  James  A.  occurred.  Sub- 
sequently the  father  purchased  the  donation 
claim  of  .J.  M.  Venable  adjoining  his  original 
property  and  thus  increased  his  holdings  to 
about  six  hundred  and  forty  acres.  He  built 
the  old  Rochester  flour  mill  on  the  Calla- 
pooia creek,  which  he  operated  for  a  num- 
ber of  years,  and  also  built  and  operated  the 
Millwood  sawmills  on  Hubbard  creek,  which 
are  still  operating,  being  conducted  by  a 
member  of  the  family — Rush  Clark,  who  is 
a  grandson  of  Ebenezer  Stephens.  The 
father  was  a  democrat  in  politics  and  served 
for  one  term  as  assessor  of  Umpqua  county 
before  Douglas  county  was  cut  off  from  it. 
Subsequently  he  served  for  two  terms  as 
county  clerk  of  Douglas  county  and  for 
two  years  as  deputy  sheriff  under  .John  B. 
Xoble.  He  was  one  of  the  well  known  men 
of  his  district  in  Douglas  county,  promi- 
nent in  various  connections  and  in  the  Odd 
Fellows  lodge  he  had  many  warm  friends, 
as  he  did  in  other  relations.  His  wife  was  a 
member   of  the  Methodist   Episcopal  church. 

James  A.  Stcidiens  was  reared  at  home, 
acquiring  his  education  in  the  public  schools. 
He  worked  with  his  father  on  the  farm  and 
later  in  the  sawmill  and  lumberyards  in 
Pomeroy,  Washington,  until  his  twenty-fourth 
year,  when  he  rented  school  land  in  Gar- 
field  coiintv.   Washington,   where   he   carried 


MR.  AND  MRS.  R.  G.  SPICER 


■T,    LEHOX  AHS 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


63 


jii  general  agiioultural  pursuits  for  a  dec- 
ade. In  1S92  he  removed  to  his  present 
home — the  donation  claim  which  his  father 
had  purchased  from  J.  il.  Venable.  He  rented 
and  cultivated  this  until  the  death  of  his 
mother,  after  which  he  purchased  the  inter- 
ests of  the  other  heirs  in  the  old  homestead. 
He  has  since  sold  eighty  acres  of  the  prop- 
erty so  that  at  the  present  time  his  posses- 
sions comprise  two  hundred  and  forty  aci'es. 
The  farm  is  well  developed  and  improved, 
giving  every  evidence  of  modern  methods 
and   careful   management. 

In  1881  Mr.  Stephens  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Ida  Oliver,  who  was  born  on 
the  plains  in  1S64,  while  her  parents,  Elijah 
and  Nancy  Oliver,  were  traveling  westward 
with  ox  teams  to  Oregon.  Mrs.  Stephens  is 
a  cousin  of  Turner  Oliver,  state  senator  from 
Baker  county,  and  at  one  time  a  candidate 
for  governor  of  the  state.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Stephens  have  become  parents  of  six  chil- 
dren, namely:  Alva,  at  home;  Bertha,  the 
wife  of  King  Carlyle,  a  farmer  on  the  Ump- 
qua  river,  in  Douglas  county:  Angle,  the  wife 
of  Peter  ilonner,  a  ranchman  of  Crooks: 
Maud,  who  married  Clarence  Thompson,  a 
farmer  residing  in  Coles  Valley;  Edith,  at 
home;  and  Raymond,  who  completes  the 
family. 

In  politics  Mr.  Stephens  is  a  democrat 
but  has  never  been  an  office  seeker.  He  be- 
longs to  Douglas  Camp,  No.  258,  W.  0.  W.. 
and  his  wife  has  membership  relations  with 
the  Baptist  church  and  Oak  Leaf  Circle,  No. 
219.  In  carrying  on  his  business  affairs  he 
has  made  close  study  of  the  possibilities  of 
soil  and  climate  and  utilized  his  land  to 
good  advantage,  winning  that  success  which 
is  the  meritel  reward  of  earnest  and  honor- 
able   endeavor 

BURT  E.  HAWKINS  has  for  only  a  com- 
paratively brief  period  made  his  home  in 
Klamath  county  but  during  this  time  has 
demonstrated  his  right  to  be  classed  with  the 
representative  agriculturists  of  the  commun- 
ity, owning  and  cultivating  one  hundred  and 
thirty-five  acres  of  land  not  far  from  Kla- 
math Falls.  He  was  born  in  Ottumwa. 
Iowa,  February  15.  1875,  his  parents  being 
James  E.  and  Martha  A.  (Wright)  Hawkins, 
who  were  natives  of  Ohio  but  who  were 
married  near  Ottumwa.  Tliey  afterward  re- 
moved westward  to  Nebraska  and  the  father 
was  connected  with  the  O.  H.  Hammond 
Packing  Company.  He  met  his  death  on  a 
farm  in  Nebraska  in  a  cyclone.  June  13, 
3  901.  The  other  members  of  the  family  were 
all  injured.  His  widow,  however,  still  sur- 
vives and  is  now  a  resident  of  Klamatli  Falls. 
The  family  numbered  three  children:  Enola 
A.,  who  is  with  her  mother;  James  A.,  of 
Klamath  Falls;   and  Burt  E. 

The  last  named  was  but  a  young  lad  when 
his  parents  removed  to  Nebraska,  where  he 
resided  until  be  came  to  the  northwest.  The 
])ublic  schools  alTorded  him  his  ediic;itional 
privileges  and  bis  training  was  that  of  the 
farm,  so  that  be  had  practical  exiierience 
when  he  began  farming  on  his  own  account. 
He   arrived    in    Klamath   county   in    inoc,   and 


fen-  a  year  thereafter  cultivated  a  tract  of 
rented  land.  He  then  purchased  his  present 
place  of  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  acres, 
all  under  ditch,  and  he  is  making  a  specialty 
of  dairying  and  the  raising  of  hogs.  His 
methods  are  practical  and  his  untiring  in- 
dustry and  unfaltering  diligence  are  bringing 
to  him  a  substantial  measure  of  success.  He 
is  closely  studying  the  problem  of  the  best 
Tiiethods  of  developing  this  part  of  the  coun- 
try and  cultivating  the  soil  and  has  already 
gained  a  place  among  the  foremost  farmers 
of  Klamath  county. 

In  1905  Mr.  Hawkins  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Anna  C.  Aekerman.  who  was 
born  in  Herman,  Nebraska,  in  187S,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Leonard  Aekerman.  Their  I'hildren 
are  Dorothea  Adeline,  Dehlia  Alice,  -lohn 
Lewis  and  James  Lyman.  Mr.  Hawkins  be- 
longs to  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows but  largely  concentrates  his  time  and 
energies  upon  liiis  business  affairs,  knowing 
that  close  application  and  unfaltering  energy 
are  the  basis  of  honorable  success.  I>;iudable 
ambition  brought  him  to  the  northwest  and 
he  is  working  his  way  upward  through  ]ier- 
sistent  and  intelligently  directed  effort. 

IRVING  J.  CONWAY,  one  of  the  progres- 
sive and  enterprising  citizens  of  Elkton,  is 
now  acting  as  manager  of  the  drug  store  of 
E.  Shad  and.  in  association  with  liis  brother, 
Frank  W.  Conway,  is  operating  the  old  home- 
stead of  four  hundred  acres  in  Douglas 
countv.  His  birth  occurred  on  the  home 
farm. 'between  Elkton  and  Drain  in  Douglas 
countv,  on  the  17th  of  November.  ISS.T,  his 
parents  being  John  N.  and  Martha  (Hart) 
Conway,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  New 
York.  In  1849  the  father  crossed  the  plains 
with  an  ox  team  to  the  California  gold  fields, 
being  engaged  in  mining  for  several  years 
and  "subsequently  becoming  a  hotel  proprie- 
tor. Aliout  1870  he  returned  to  the  Empire 
state  and  was  married  and  a  year  or  two 
later  again  came  to  the  coast,  locating  in  the 
LTnipqua  valley  in  Douglas  county.  Oregon. 
He  next  took  up  a  homestead  on  Elk  creek, 
raidwav  between  Elkton  and  Drain,  and  after- 
ward extended  the  lioundaries  of  his  farm  by 
purchase  until  at  the  tim<>  of  his  death  it 
embraced  four  hundred  acres.  I^)llowing  his 
demise,  which  occurred  in  1894.  bis  widow 
took  u])  her  abode  at  Council,  Idaho,  where 
she  passed  away  in  (he  year  1900.  They 
were  the  parents  of  four  children,  as  fol- 
lows: Irving  J.,  of  this  review;  Lewis  A., 
who  is  deceased;  Herbert  D..  a  resident  of 
Brownsville.  Oregon:  and  Frank  \\'..  twin 
brother  of  Herbert. 

Irviu'.;  .1.  Conway  was  reared  under  the 
parent;!!  roof  and  after  completing  the  re- 
quired cdurse  in  the  Drain  public  school  en- 
tered the  Central  Oregon  State  Normal  School 
but  removed  to  Idaho  before  finishing  his 
studies  in  that  institution.  In  1901  he  took 
a  i)Osition  in  a  drug  store  at  Council,  Idaho, 
and  begun  the  study  of  pharmacy.  In  1905 
he  returned  to  Portland  and  pursued  a  course 
in  physics,  chemistry  and  pharmacy  at  the 
^■onng  Men's  Christian  Association.  He 
was  afterward   made   manager  of  the  Coun- 


64 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


cil  I)iu^  Company,  an  iiuorpurati-d  con- 
cern, holding  that  position  for  three  years 
and  at  the  same  time  serving  as  postmaster 
of  Council.  In  July,  1910,  he  returned  to  the 
old  Conway  homestead  on  which  he  was  born, 
and  soon  afterward  accepted  a  position  in 
the  drug  store  of  E.  Shad  at  Elkton,  of  which 
he  has  served  as  manager  since  the  1st  of 
March,  1912.  Since  his  return  to  Douglas 
county  he  has  also  operated  the  old  home- 
stead of  four  hundred  acres  in  association 
with  his  brother  Frank. 

On  the  17th  of  November,  1907,  Mr.  Con- 
way was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Bessie  E. 
Sabin,  her  father  being  Orrin  Sabin,  of  Van- 
couver. Washington,  who  is  now  a  resident 
of  California.  Our  subject  and  his  wife  now 
have  two  children.  Mabel  A.  and  Wayne  I. 
Mr.  Conway  is  a  republican  in  politics,  loyally 
supporting  the  men  and  measures  of  that 
party  at  the  polls.  Fraternally  he  is  identi- 
fied with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows, belonging  to  Council  Lodge.  No.  85,  at 
Council,  Idaho.  He  is  also  a  member  of 
Diamond  Rebekah  Lodge,  No.  56,  and  is  like- 
wise connected  with  Lodge  No.  326  of  the 
United  Artisans.  He  has  won  an  enviable 
reputation  in  business  circles  for  one  of  his 
years,  being  widely  recognized  as  a  substan- 
tial and  rising  young  citizen  of  his  native 
county. 

FRANK  W.  CONWAY,  who.  in  association 
with  his  brother  Irving,  operates  the  home- 
stead farm  of  four  hundred  acres  in  Douglas, 
his  native  county,  was  born  in  the  Umpqua 
valley  on  the  2f.th  of  July.  1876.  He  ac- 
quired his  education  in  the  public  schools  and 
also  pursued  a  course  of  study  in  the  Central 
Oregon  State  Normal  School,  at  Drain,  from 
which  institution  he  was  graduated  in  1398. 
In  1900  he  went  to  Sodaville.  Oregon,  where 
Mr.  Conway  pursued  a  special  course  in  lan- 
guages in  tiie  Sodaville  College.  Subsequently 
he  taught  school  for  three  months.  In  1902 
he  filed  on  a  homestead  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  in  Idaho,  which  he  proved  up  and 
still  owns.  In  1909  he  returned  tn  Douglas 
county,  Oregon,  and  soon  afterward  began 
the  operation  of  the  home  farm  in  partner- 
ship with  his  brother  Irving.  In  the  conduct 
of  their  agricultural  interests  the  brothers 
have  been  successful,  their  land  being  highly 
productive  and  annually  yielding  bounteous 
harvests. 

Since  age  conferred  upon  him  the  right  of 
franchise  Mr.  Conway  has  supported  the  re- 
publican party,  being  convinced  that  its  prin- 
ciples are  most  conducive  to  good  govern- 
ment. He  belongs  to  Council  Lodge.  No.  85. 
I.  0.  0.  F..  of  Council.  Idaho,  and  is  also  a 
member  of  Diamond  Eebekah  Lodge.  No.  56. 
In  whatever  relation  of  life  he  has  been 
found  he  has  been  tnie  and  loyal  to  the  trust 
reposed  in  him  and  his  life  has  been  in  con- 
formity with  a  high  standard  of  conduct. 

J.  F.  CRUMP  is  one  of  the  prosperous 
ranchmen  living  on  Applegate  creek.  He  was 
born  in  Macoupin  county.  Illinois.  October  27. 
1863,  and  is  a  son  of  Josiah  and  Rebecca 
(Street)    Crump.     His  parents   emigrated   to 


Oregon,  cro.ssing  the  plains  with  a  two-horse 
team,  in  1S65.  The  family  then  consisted  of 
seven  members.  After  a  short  time  spent  in 
the  Willamette  valley  the  family  removed  to 
Jackson  county  where  they  located  on  a 
ranch  four  miles  south  of  Jacksonville  and 
there  continued  to  maintain  their  residence 
until  the  time  of  Josiah  Crump's  death,  which 
occurred  many  years  ago. 

J.  F.  Crump  was  roared  in  his  father's 
home  and  acquired  his  elementary  education 
in  the  public  common  schools.  His  father 
having  died  when  he  was  but  seventeen  years 
of  age  the  condition  of  the  family  was  such 
that  it  was  necessary  for  him  to  take  his 
father's  place  as  manager  of  the  home  ranch 
and  assume  all  tlie  cares  incident  to  the  pro- 
tection and  improvement  of  the  property  and 
the  support  of  the  family.  On  attaining  his 
majority  he  became  engaged  at  Sterling  as  a 
miner  and  continiied  in  that  employment  for 
a  period  of  thirteen  years.  In  1S99  he  severed 
his  connections  with  the  Sterling  mines  and 
purchased  a  ranch  on  Little  Applegate  creek. 
There  he  estalilished  his  home  and  has  since 
continued  to  reside. 

J.  F.  Crump  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Cora  B.  Ankeny,  on  October  8.  1S93. 
Jlrs.  Crump  is  a  daughter  of  Henry  E.  and 
Cordelia  L.  (Stryker)  Ankeny.  Her  parents 
I'emoved  to  this  state  with  their  parents  when 
they  were  small  children.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Crump  three  children  have  been  born.  Vivian 
B..  John  A.  and  Harold  F. 

ilr.  Crumj)  is  one  of  the  leading  and  suc- 
cessful farmers  on  Little  Applegate  creek  and 
he  is  always  identified  with  every  public 
measure  seeking  the  advancement  and  im- 
provement of  the  people  throughout  this 
section  of  the  state. 

ELIJAH  BRISTOW,  the  first  settler  in 
Lane  county,  whose  portrait  will  be  found  in 
this  work,  was  born  in  Tazewell  county,  Vir- 
ginia. April  28.  1788.  His  boyhood  days  were 
passed  in  the  mountainous  regions  of  Vir- 
ginia, where  his  early  training  accustomed 
him  to  the  woodman's  ways  and  to  the  use 
of  firearms.  Here  he  rapidly  became  noted 
as  an  expert  marksman  and  hunter.  His 
surroundings  and  early  training  imbued  him 
with  the  restless  spirit  of  adventure,  and 
upon  arriving  at  manhood,  he  turned  his  face 
westward.  Emigrating  to  Kentucky,  he  com- 
menced the  imiirovement  of  a  home,  acquiring 
;u  the  meantime,  the  different  trades  of 
hatter.  Iilacksmith  and  gunsmith.  The  two 
latter  being  his  favorites,  were  followed  as- 
siduously, together  with  the  occupation  of  a 
farmer,  "until  old  age  palsied  his  arm  and  he 
was  unable  to  do  further  labor.  When  the 
War  of  1812  and  the  Creek  Indian  war  broke 
out,  he  was  among  the  first  in  his  locality  to 
volunteer  his  services  to  his  country.  De- 
clining proffered  command  of  a  company  of 
volunteers,  he  went,  as  he  preferred,  in  the 
ranks,  serving  with  distinction,  in  Captain 
Kennedy's  company,  through  one  campaign 
under  General  .Jackson  against  the  Creek  Xn- 
ilians.  He  was  present  and  took  part  in  the 
battle  of  Taladega  during  that  expedition. 
His  accurate  marksnumship  soon  brought  hira 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


65 


uiidcT  the  notice  of  General  Jackson,  who  took 
occasion  to  frenuently  put  liim  upon  special 
duty,  scouting,  etc.  The  following  instance 
he  used  to  relate  with  much  amusing  detail 
as  illustrating  "Old  Hickory's"  violent  temper 
and  arbitrary  disposition.  Being  ordered  to 
shoot  some  beeves,  he  took  his  trusty  rifle 
and  started  for  the  cattle  pens  near  the 
camp,  but  was  slopped  by  a  sentinel  who  re- 
fu.sed  to  let  him  pass  without  the  counter- 
sign. He  returned  to  the  general's  tent  to 
obtain  it,  but  ■■Old  Hickory"  being  out  of 
humor  about  something,  began  storming,  say- 
ing he  did  not  send  him  out  to  get  counter- 
signs but  to  kill  beeves.  That  was  enough 
for  Bristow,  who  walked  back  to  the  line  of 
the  sentinel's  beat,  and  at  long  range  began 
shooting  down  the  cattle  on  the  hillside  be- 
yond.     On    learning    what    was    being    done, 

.Jackson  ordered  tlic  sentry  to  '■let  that  d 

shariishooter  pass  the  lines."  Various  inci- 
dents of  his  campaign  life  might  be  related 
illustrative  of  liis  energy  and  determination 
under  difticulties.  but   space  will  not   permit. 

From  Kentucky  Jlr.  Bristow  emigrated  to 
Tllinoi.s.  settling  first  in  ilaeoupin  county. 
Later  lie  removed  to  iMcDonough  county, 
where  he  lived  aliout  twenty-three  years. 
During  the  Black  Hawk  war.  his  neighbors 
becoming  alarmed,  commenced  to  build  a  fort 
in  which  to  place  their  families  for  safety. 
In  order  to  quiet  their  fears,  Mr.  Bristow 
volunteered  to  go  to  the  front  and  ascertain 
if  any  immediate  danger  was  pending;  in 
doing  -which,  he  went  alone  from  his  home  to 
Rock  Island  and  back,  a  distance  of  over  a 
hundred  miles,  through  a  country  which  was 
tlien  uninhabited  except  by  Indians.  Finding 
the  territory  clear  of  hostilcs.  he  returned 
to  his  neighbors,  quieted  their  fears  and 
caused  the  little  settlement  to  again  resume 
its  round  of  peaceful  occupations.  In  the 
year  1S45.  Mr.  Bristow^  turned  his  face  west- 
ward again,  going  first  to  California,  and 
thence  to  Oregon  the  following  year,  where  he 
became,  as  previously  stated,  the  first  settler 
in  Lane  county. 

:\larcli  7.  IS] 2.  Mr.  Bristow  married  Miss 
Susanna  Cabbert.  who,  by  her  patience,  per- 
severance and  Christian  fortitude,  did  much 
towards  making  his  future  life  happy  and 
successful.  Elijah  Bristow  died  September 
19,  1872,  and  his  loved  wife  and  lifelong 
companion  passed  away  March  7,  1S74. 
Theirs  was  a  long  and  eventful  life,  inter- 
spersed with  many  trials  and  hardships,  but 
also  with  much  of  happiness  and  genuine  life 
plea.=ures.  As  in  life,  together  they  rest,  side 
by  side  tinder  the  oaks  in  Pleasant  Hill  ceme- 
tery. Theirs  was  truly  a  pioneer  life  and  in 
living  it.  their  Christian  acts  have  left  their 
impress  behind  them,  beautifying  their 
memories  and  benefiting  the  lives  of  those 
that    follow   after  thoni. 

■WILSON  F.  JEWETT  is  the  vice  president 
and  general  manaj;er  of  the  Gardiner  Mill 
Company,  employing  two  hundred  people. 
This  is  the  leading  industrial  concern  of 
Gardiner,  and  in  addition  to  his  interests 
therein  Mr.  Jewett  is  a  stockholder  in  the 
KereholV.  Cnzner  :Mill  &  Lunilier  Company,  of 


Los  Angeles.  California.  His  business  inter- 
ests are  of  an  important  character,  and  their 
careful  management  and  control  show  Mr. 
Jewett  to  be  possessed  of  keen  sagacity  and 
powers  of  discernment.  He  was  born  in 
Alaine,  June  1-1.  1S52,  and  is  a  son  of  'Walter 
G.  and  Flavilla  (Wilson)  Jewett,  both  of 
whom  were  members  of  old  New  England 
families  that  came  of  English  ancestry  and 
were  numbered  among  the  early  colonial  set- 
tlers. 'Walter  G.  Jewett  and  his  family  re- 
sided in  Solon,  Maine,  where  he  was  identi- 
fied with  lumber  and  timber  interests  through- 
out his  active  business  life.  He  died  at  the 
age  of  sixty-three  years,  while  his  wife  sur- 
vived, reaching  the  advanced  age  of  eighty- 
eight  years.  She  was  spending  the  last  years 
of  her  life  with  her  son,  Wilson  F.  Jewett. 
when   her   death  occurred   in   February,    1911. 

Wilson  F.  .Jewett  acquired  his  early  educa- 
tion at  the  Eaton  boarding  school  at  Xor- 
wichwalk.  Maine,  and  later  entered  the  Epis- 
copal Academy  at  Cheshire.  Connecticut,  one 
of  the  old  schools  of  New  England,  estab- 
lished about  1770.  He  afterward  became  a 
student  in  the  Eastman  Business  College  at 
Poughkeepsie.  New  York,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  in  1872.  The  following  spring  he 
came  to  Coos  Bay.  Oregon,  and  was  employed 
as  a  clerk  in  the  store  of  E.  B.  Dean  &  Com- 
pany, at  Marshfield.  He  remained  with  that 
firm"  for  five  years  and  in  the  meantime  was 
advanced  to  the  position  of  manager  of  their 
mercantile  interests.  In  1878  he  became  asso- 
ciated with  the  lumber  firm  of  G.  S.  Hins- 
dale &  Company,  at  Gardiner,  and  purchased 
an  interest  in  the  business,  after  which  he 
was  placed  in  charge  of  their  San  Francisco 
offices.  Tlicre  he  remained  for  three  years 
and  in  18S1  came  to  Gardiner,  where  he  has 
since  made  his  home.  He  became  one  of  the 
dominant  factors  in  the  organization  of  the 
Gardiner  Mill  Company  which  absorbed  the 
properties  of  G.  S.  Hinsdale  &  Comijany  and 
subsequentlv  purchased  the  mills  of  A.  ^1. 
Simpson.  In  March,  ISSj.  the  Gardiner  Mill 
Companv  took  out  papers  of  incorporation 
and  Mr.'  Jewett  was  made  superinteiuient  of 
the  mills  and  practically  had  charge  of  all 
the  business  here.  In  1907  he  was  elected 
111  the  vice  presidency  of  the  company,  in 
which  capacity  he  has  since  served.  The 
Gardiner  Mill  Company  is  idcntificil  with  the 
Kerchoir.  Cuzner  ]\lill  &  Lumber  Company  of 
Los  Angeles.  California,  through  whom  all  thi- 
product"  of  the  Gardiner  Mills  is  placed  upon 
the  market.  The  business  is  one  of  large  and 
growing  proportions  and  constitutes  tlu^  chief 
Industry  of  the  town.  In  addition  to  his 
oi  her  activities  Mr.  .Jewett  has  extensive 
banking  and  real-estate  interests  in  Los 
Angeles. 

In  ISSG  occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr.  -Jewett 
and  Miss  Mary  Hughes  of  San  Francisco. 
California,  and  unto  them  were  born  fo\ir 
children,  of  whom  two  are  living:  Wilson 
IL,  who  is  clerk  in  the  company  store  of  the 
(Gardiner  Mill  Company,  and  Narcissa.  at 
home.  In  politics  Mr.  .Jewett  is  a  republican 
but  has  never  been  an  office  seeker,  preferring 
to  concentrate  his  energies  upon  his  business 
affairs  which   have  been  of  conslantlv  grow- 


I  III 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


iiig  volume  and  impoilaiico.  lie  is  today  one 
of  the  leading  lumbermen  of  the  coast  coun- 
try, the  fiardiner  Mill  havinj;  an  output  of 
eighty-five  thousand  feet  daily.  This  busi- 
ness has  been  built  up  largely  through  Mr. 
Jewett's  enterprise,  his  well  formulated  plans 
and  his  resolute  will.  He  has  studied  the 
conditions  of  the  trade  and  its  possibilities 
and  has  utilized  every  means  at  hand  in 
such  effective  measure  as  to  produce  a  har- 
monious working  whole,  bringing  substantial 
results. 

DR.  SANDFORD  WHITING,  physician  and 
surgeon,  who  is  specializing,  however,  in  sur- 
gical practice  in  Portland,  has  had  thorough 
training  in  preparation  for  his  chosen  life 
work.  He  was  born  at  Taylor's  Falls.  Min- 
nesota, September  15.  1S6S,  and  is  a  son  of 
Charles  B.  and  Flavia  (Blanding)  Whiting. 
He  is  descended  from  one  of  the  oldest  New 
England  families.  His  grandfather,  however, 
became  a  pioneer  settler  of  Illinois  and  his 
father  of  Minnesota.  The  latter  was  a  native 
of  Connecticut  and  was  reared  in  that  state 
and  in  Illinois,  his  parents  removing  west- 
ward during  his  youthful  days,  at  which  time 
the  family  home  was  established  near  Galena, 
Illinois.  Later  Charles  B.  \Vliiting  took  up 
his  abode  in  Minnesota,  becoming  interested 
in  the  lumber  business  in  that  state  and  Wis- 
consin, where  he  carried  on  extensive  opera- 
tions to  the  time  of  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred in  1S71,  when  he  was  forty-seven 
years  of  age.  He  filled  the  position  of  regis- 
ter in  the  United  States  land  office  under 
President  Lincoln  and  was  also  deputy  United 
States  marshal  during  the  period  of  the  Civil 
war. 

Dr.  Whiting  pursued  his  preparatory  edu- 
cation in  McAllister  College  of  Minnesota  and 
then,  having  determined  to  engage  in  the 
practice  of  medicine  as  a  life  work,  he  en- 
tered the  Pulte  Medical  College,  at  Cincin- 
nati. Ohio,  while  subsequently  he  liecame  a 
student  in  the  Xew  York  College  Hospital. 
Later  he  returned  to  Pulte  and  was  gradu- 
ated therefrom  in  1S92.  He  lias  since  pur- 
sued further  courses  of  study  in  the  New 
York  Post  Graduate  College.  He  spent  two 
years  in  Ward's  Island  Hospital  of  New 
York  as  house  surgeon  and  in  that  manner 
gained  broad  practical  experience  such  as 
only  hospital  practice  brings.  On  leaving 
that  institute  in  1S94  he  came  to  Portland 
and  opened  an  office  in  this  city,  where  he 
has  since  resided,  save  for  the  period  of  his 
service  in  the  Spanish- American  war.  Fol- 
lowing the  outbreak  of  hostilities  with  Spain 
he  became  captain  and  assistant  surgeon  of 
United  States  Volunteers  and  with  the  Sec- 
ond Oregon  Regiment  went  to  the  Philippines, 
where  he  remained  for  eighteen  months  in 
active  duty.  He  then  returned  to  Portland 
and  has  since  been  closely  identified  with 
professional  interests  in  this  city.  He  has  a 
large  private  practice  in  both  medicine  and 
surgery  but  specializes  .somewhat  in  the  lat- 
ter field.  He  is  now  serving  on  the  surgical 
staff  of  the  Good  Samaritan  Hospital  and  he 
is  a  member  of  the  JMultnomali  County  Med- 


ical Society,  tlie  Oregon  State  Medical  So- 
ciety and  the  American  Medical  Association. 
In  1893  Dr.  Whiting  was  married  to  Miss 
Iva  Marvel  Curtis,  a  daughter  of  Charles 
Curtis,  of  Wisconsin,  and  they  have  two  sons, 
Curtis  Charles  and  Sandford.  Dr.  Whiting 
belongs  to  HaMthorne  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M., 
to  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  to  the  Benevo- 
lent Protective  Order  of  Elks.  In  politics  he 
is  a  republican  and  is  well  informed  concern- 
ing the  vital  questions  and  issues  of  the  day. 
Eight  years  ago  he  was  elected  to  the  city 
council  to  fill  out  an  unexpired  term  but  he 
cares  little  for  public  honors  and  offices, 
avoiding  those  of  a  political  character,  and  in 
the  lodges  as  well.  He  is  a  man  of  modest, 
unassuming  manner,  who  is  recognized  as 
one  of  the  leading  surgeons  of  the  northwest. 

LEE  M.  TRAVIS.  For  eleven  years  Lee  M. 
Travis  has  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law  in 
Eugene,  specializing  in  commercial  law.  His 
thorough  preliminary  training  well  qualifies 
him  for  the  onerous  duties  of  the  profession 
and  he  gives  to  his  clients  the  benefit  of  un- 
wearied service  and  broad  knowledge  of  tlie 
judicial  principles  bearing  upon  his  particular 
branch  of  professional  work.  He  was  born 
in  Howard.  Steuben  county.  New  York,  June 
20.  1S74.  and  is  a  son  of' the  Rev.  Gould  J. 
and  Ella  (Ford)  Travis.  The  father  was  a 
native  of  Poughkeepsie.  New  York,  and  pur- 
sued his  education  in  Hamilton  College  and 
in  the  Rochester  Theological  Seminary  of 
that  state.  In  18S9  he  came  to  Eugene  as 
pastor  of  the  Baptist  church,  with  which  he 
was  continuously  connected  until  he  met 
death  in  a  runaway  accident.  In  the  work  of 
the  church  he  manifested  a  contagious  enthu- 
siasm and  zeal  that  were  manifest  in  the 
growth  of  the  organization  with  which  he 
labored.  His  fraternal  relations  were  with 
Eugene  Lodge.  No.  11.  F.  &  A.  M..  Eugene 
Chapter.  No.  10,  R.  A.  ^M..  and  Ivanhoe  Com- 
ma ndcry.  No.  2,  K.  T. 

In  the  public  schools  Lee  Jf.  Travis  mas- 
tered the  elementary  branches  of  learning. 
He  was  about  fifteen  years  of  age  when  his 
parents  crossed  the  continent  to  Oregon  and 
lie  later  entered  the  University  of  Oregon, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  with  the  class 
of  1897.  In  the  following  year  was  written 
the  military  chapter  in  his  life  history. 
\^^len  the  country  had  become  involved  in  war 
witli  Spain  he  enlisted  as  a  member  of  Com- 
pany C  of  the  Second  Regiment  of  Oregon 
Volunteers  and  was  sent  to  the  Philippines, 
wliere  he  served  with  bis  regiment  until  hon- 
orably discharged  at  the  close  of  his  term 
of  eniistment.  Determining  to  enter  upon  the 
practice  of  law.  he  pursued  the  regular  course 
of  study  in  the  University  of  Michigan  at 
Ann  Arbor  and  was  admitted  to  the  Oregon 
bar  at  Salem  in  1899.  He  had  previously 
reail  laW  when  in  the  army.  He  did  not 
maduatc  from  the  ;Michigan  University  imtil 
1900  and  on  the  1st  of  .January,  1901,  he 
opened  his  office  in  Eugene,  since  which  time 
he  has  practiced  largely  in  the  commercial 
law  field. 

In  1893  'Sh:  Travis  was  married  to  Miss 
Lillian   Baker,  a   daughter  of  Fred   C.  Baker, 


1.,  \i.   ii;.\\  IS 


iTHE 

I  BItW 


) 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


69 


who  IS  editor  of  tlie  Tillamook  (Ore.)  Plead- 
liglit.  Mr.  and  Jlrs.  Travis  luive  two  chil- 
dreu,  Frederick  and  Gould.  Mr.  Travis  is  well 
known  in  various  fraternal  organizations, 
holding  membership  in  tlie  Acacia  fraternity: 
Eugene  Lodg«>,  Xo.  11,  A.  F.  &  A.  M..  in  which 
lie  is  a  past  master:  Eugene  Chapter,  No.  10, 
U.  A.  M.;  Ivanhoe  Commanderv.  No.  2,  K.  T.: 
Al  Kader  Temple.  A.  A.  0.  K.'M.  S.;  Eugene 
Lodge.  No.  3o7,  B.  P.  0.  E. ;  Eugene  Camp, 
No.  115,  W.  0.  W.;  Eugene  Aerie,  No.  275, 
F.  0.  E.;  and  the  Order  of  Hoo  Hoos.  5Iore' 
over,  he  takes  quite  an  active  interest  in  poli- 
tics and  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  local 
leaders  of  the  party,  serving  at  the  present 
time  as  chairman  of  the  democratic  county 
central  committee.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Panama  canal  commission  for  the  San  Fran- 
cisco exposition  in  191.5.  His  life  is  actuated 
by  a  spirit  of  progressiveness  that  recognizes 
and  utilizes  opportunities  and  he  is  widely 
known  in  this  part  of  the  state  through  hi> 
professional,  fraternal  and  political  relations. 

ALBERTUS  LARROWE  entered  into  his 
present  btisincss  rclaticins  as  secretary  and 
treasurer  of  the  Peninsula  Iron  Works  at  St. 
Joluis.  on  the  1st  of  April,  1910,  and  is  thus 
prominently  connected  with  industrial  activi- 
ties there  in  the  conduct  of  a  general  foun- 
dry, machinist  and  blacksmithing  business. 
He  was  born  in  Steuben  county.  New  York, 
February  24.  ISSO.  a  son  of  Albertus  and 
Katherine  M.  (Morgan)  Larrowe.  The  fam- 
ily is  an  old  one  of  that  part  of  the  state, 
liaving  been  there  represented  for  several 
generations.  The  name  was  originally  La 
Rue  but  being  driven  from  their  native 
country  of  France  at  the  time  of  the  persecu- 
tion of  the  Huguenots,  they  changed  the 
spelling  of  their  name  to  prevent  identifica- 
tion. When  representatives  of  the  family 
first  came  to  America  settlement  was  made 
in  New  .Jersey  and  latei'  a  branch  of  the 
family  was  establislied  in  New  York.  In 
tlie  maternal  line  Albertus  Larrowe  is  a  direct 
descendant  of  Miles  Morgan  of  Springfield. 
Massachusetts.  This  family  was  represented 
in  the  Revolutionary  war.  entitling  Mrs.  Kath- 
erine JI.  Larrowe  to  membership  with  the 
Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution,  with 
which  she  is  now  identified.  Albertus  Lar- 
rowe. Sr..  was  a  miller  by  trade,  following 
that  pursuit  as  a  life  work.  In  politics 
he  was  a  republican  and  became  prominent 
as  a  party  leader  in  his  county.  He  was 
also  an  active  Mason  and  became  a  past  mas- 
ter of  Liberty  Lodge.  No.  110,  F.  &  A.  M..  of 
Cohocton.  which  he  joined  on  its  organiza- 
tion. 

His  son.  Albertus  Larrowe,  whose  name  in- 
troduces this  review,  pursued  his  education 
in  the  public  schools  and  on  starting  out  in 
business  life  on  his  own  account  became 
engaged  in  merchandising  in  New  Y'ork  city, 
lie  afterward  removed  to  the  middle  west 
and  for  ten  years  was  connected  with  the 
wholesale  grocery  trade  in  Dnluth.  Jlinnosota. 
In  1010  he  arrived  in  Portland  and  became 
interested  in  the  Peninsula  Iron  Works, 
which  were  established  by  J.  C.  Murphy  and 
W.  A.  Bennett,  under  the  name  of  the  Mod- 


ern Jlachine  \\'iiiks.  in  November.  1909.  They 
employed  about  three  men  and  something 
of  the  growth  of  the  business  is  indicated 
in  the  fact  that  employment  is  now  given 
to  from  twenty-five  to  "forty  men.  On  the 
1st  of  March,  1911,  the  naine  was  changed 
to  its  present  form.  On  the  1st  of  April 
of  the  preceding  year  Mr.  Larrowe  had  be- 
come secretary  and  treasurer,  having  pur- 
chased Mr.  Murphy's  interest.  The  company 
does  a  general  foundry,  machinist  and  black- 
smithing  business,  drawing  a  large  trade  from 
Portland  and  the  Columbia   river  valley. 

In  1910  Mr.  Larrowe  was  married  toMiss 
Helen  JIaginnis,  of  Diduth,  :\nunesota,  and 
they  nou-  have  one  child.  Albertus  Eugene. 
In  politics  Mr.  Larrowe  has  ever  been  an 
earnest  republican  since  age  conferred  upon 
him  tlie  right  of  franchise.  He  does  not 
seek  nor  desire  political  office,  however,  but 
has  served  for  two  terms  as  a  member  of 
the  school  board  in  district  No.  2  and  the 
cause  of  education  finds  in  him  a  stalwart 
champion.  He  belongs  to  St.  Johns  Com- 
mercial Club  and  the  company  of  which  ho  is 
a  re|U'esentative  has  a  membersliip  in  the 
United  Metal  Trades  Association,  ilr.  Lar- 
rowe is  recognized  as  a  self-made  yottng  man 
of  unusual  business  ability  and  "  enterprise. 
He  is  what  is  known  in  modern  parlance  as 
a  good  mixer;  in  other  words,  he  has  attract- 
ive social  qualities  which  render  him  pop- 
ular and  at  the  same  time  he  is  ever  appre- 
ciative of  the  good  points  in  others.  He 
has  made  steady  progress  in  his  business 
career  since  starting  out  in  life  on  his  own 
account  and  he  is  now  one  of  the  leading 
factors  in  the  development,  management  and 
control  of  a  business  which  is  proving  a 
valuable  asset  to  industrial  and  commercial 
circles.  It  is  not  that  parasitical  kind  that 
feeds  upon  a  community,  giving  nothing  in 
return,  but  is  one  of  the  moving  vital  forces 
in  industrial  upbuilding  and  constitutes  a 
tangible  evidence  of  the  energy,  determina- 
tion and  progressiveness  of  Mr.  Larrowe  and 
his    fellow   officers. 

ORANGE   SYLVESTER   COLEMAN  has  a 

large  and  attractive  residence,  which  stands 
in  the  midst  of  one  hundred  and  twelve 
acres  of  good  land,  of  which  he  has  brought 
about  seventy-five  acres  under  cidtivation. 
the  place  being  located  four  and  a  half  miles 
from  Myrtle  Point,  in  Coos  county.  Dairy- 
ing and  the  raising  of  apples  are  also  features 
of  his  place  and  in  a  word  the  owner  stands 
as  one  of  the  foremost  and  representative 
agriculturists  of  the  coniiuunity.  He  was 
born  in  California  in  1S5G  and  is  a  son  of 
William  M.  and  Mary  (Beardcn)  Coleman, 
wlio  were  natives  of  Kentucky  and  Indiana, 
respectively.  They  were  married  in  the  lat- 
ter state  and  removed  to  Nevada,  whence 
in  1S49  they  came  to  California,  making  their 
way  to  the  gold  fields.  The  father  cngageil 
in  the  hotel  business  in  that  state  for  some 
years  and  afterward  took  up  his  abode  upon 
a  farm.  Both  he  and  his  wife  have  passed 
away.  Mrs.  Coleman  having  died  when  her 
son  O.  S.  Coleman  was  but  four  years  of 
age.  this  bring  in   1*61.     In  the  family  were 


7U 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


six  cliildri'ii:  Aiigclinc,  who  dicil  leavin"  a 
large  family;  James,  deceased;  Amanda  J., 
the  vile  of  Henry  Garner,  of  Kerby,  Oregon; 
Elias  S.,  of  California,  who  is  married  and 
lias  five  children;  Orange  S.;  and  Katinka. 
now  Mrs.  France  of  Ellensburg.  "R'ashington. 
The  usual  experiences  of  the  farm  boy  fell 
to  the  lot  of  0.  S.  Coleman  during  the  period 
uf  his  minority.  When  twenty-one  years  of 
age  he  left  home  and  went  to  ilosoow.  Idaho. 
Xear  there  he  took  up  homestead  and  pre- 
emption claims  and  lived  in  that  locality  for 
six  years,  devoting  his  energies  to  farming, 
lie  then  came  to  Ashland,  where  he  lived 
for  a  year,  after  which  he  removed  to  Coos 
county  and  in  the  meantime  disposed  of  his 
three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  in 
Idaho.  On  coming  to  Coos  county  he  invested 
in  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  on  the  north 
fork  of  the  Coquille  river  and.  although  this 
was  an  undeveloped  tract  when  it  came  into 
his  possession,  he  has  cleared  much  of  it  and 
has  carried  on  the  work  of  improvement  until 
he  now  has  a  good  property.  He  has  also 
purchased  another  place  of  one  hundred  and 
twelve  acres,  on  which  he  erected  the  large 
fine  residence  that  he  now  occupies.  He  sold 
the  old  place  and  lives  on  one  of  the  more 
recent  acquisitions,  and  he  has  on  both  places 
seventy-five  acres  of  cleared  and  cultivated 
land.  However,  his  attention  is  largely  given 
to  dairying,  for  which  purpose  he  keeps 
twenty-five  cows.  He  has  three  orchards  on 
the  two  places,  mostly  planted  to  apples, 
and  in  1911  he  packed  and  shipped  more 
apples  than  anyone  else  in  the  county.  He 
also  makes  a  specialty  of  raising  fine  poultry 
and  he  raises  fine  horses  and  cattle.  In 
fact,  every  feature  of  his  business  indicates 
that  he  follows  progressive  methods,  that 
his  standards  of  farming  are  high  and  that 
he  is  winning  success  by  reason  of  sound 
judgment,  unfaltering  enterprise  and  progress- 
ive methods.  All  the  features  of  a  model 
farm  of  the  twentieth  century  are  found  upon 
his  place  and  it  is  one  of  the  most  attractive 
properties  in  Coos  count  v. 

On  the  29th  of  May,  ISSl.  Mr.  Coleman 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Katherine 
Luper.  a  native  of  Washington  county, 
Arkansas,  and  a  daughter  of  .James  and  Mary 
(Taylor)  Luper.  both  of  whom  were  also 
natives  of  Arkansas.  Mrs.  Coleman  was  their 
only  child  and  by  her  marriage  she  has  be- 
come the  mother  of  five  children:  Florence 
Dell,  who  was  born  July  14,  1SS2.  and  is 
the  wife  of  James  L.  Guerin.  of  Myrtle  Point, 
Oregon,  by  whom  she  has  one  child.  Chrystle; 
William  M..  who  was  born  February  2.  1885, 
and  is  a  successful  school  teacher  of  Coos 
county,  where  he  was  educated,  supplement- 
ing the  usual  branches  of  learning  with  the 
mechanical  course;  Myrtle  L.,  who  was  born 
June  19.  1887.  and  "is  the  wife  of  James 
Hall,  of  Gravel  Ford.  Oregon,  by  whom  she 
has  one  child.  Leslie  G.;  Aithur  F..  who  was 
born  July  10.  1892,  and  is  now  attending 
school :  aiid  Lester  Ray,  who  was  born  March 
27.  1902.  and  is  also  in  school.  !Mr.  Coleman 
has  ever  been  a  stalwart  champion  of  the 
cause  of  education  and  has  provided  his  chil- 
dren  with   good   opportunities    in    that  direc- 


tion. He  has  been  a  director  ut  the  Gravel 
Fold  Academy  and  was  also  a  school  director 
in  his  home  district.  Ilis  political  faith  is 
that  of  the  republican  party,  and  his  religious 
belief  that  of  the  Seventh  Day  Adventists 
church.  His  home  is  pleasantly  situated  four 
and  a  half  miles  from  Myrtle  Point  on  the 
Dora  road  and  he  is  well  known  in  the  com- 
munity, his  sterling  traits  of  character  win- 
ning for  him  the  high  regard  of  a  circle 
of  friends  that  is  almost  coextensive  with 
the  circle  of  his  acquaintances. 

JOHN  HOBBS.  A  pioneer  of  Oregon  who 
has  evidenced  in  his  life  all  that  is  vital 
and  forceful  in  the  meaning  of  that  word 
is  John  Hobbs  who,  after"  an  active  life 
spent  in  agriculture  is  now  living  in  hon- 
orable retirement  in  Glendale,  Oregon.  He 
is  one  of  the  sturdy  band  of  early  pioneers 
of  the  state  who  crossed  the  plains  with  ox 
teams  over  prairie  and  undeveloped  wilder- 
nesses, encountering  hardships  and  perils, 
and  opened  up  one  of  the  greatest  sections 
in  America.  During  his  active  life  he  con- 
tinued the  work  which  he  had  so  ably  begun 
by  intelligent  development  of  farm  lands  in 
Polk  and  Douglas  counties  and  has  won  the 
rest  from  arduous  labor  which  ho  is  now  en- 
joying. He  was  born  in  Missouri  on  Decem- 
ber 4,  1838,  and  is  a  son  of  .Tames  and 
Mary  (Burns)  Hobbs.  the  former  a  native  of 
^Maryland  and  the  latter  of  Ireland.  The 
father  was  a  farmer  in  Missouri  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  and  followed  this  occupation 
until  the  time  of  his  death  in  1845.  He 
had  survived  his  wife  four  years,  her  death 
having  occurred  in  1S41.  .John  Hobbs  is  one 
of  seven  children  born  to  his  parents.  He 
remained  at  home  until  the  death  of  his 
parents  and  then  went  to  live  with  his 
brother  and  pursued  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  until  he  was  eighteen  years  of 
age.  In  1858  he  joined  the  caravan  under 
Colonel  Morrison,  crossing  the  plains  as  a 
member  of  the  quartermaster  department. 
The  journey  was  taken  in  the  stirring  and 
eventful  period  immediately  following  the 
Mountain  ileadow  massacre.  This  occurred 
during  the  Indian  war  of  1857-58  when  a 
large  number  of  gentile  emigiants  were  at- 
tacked by  the  combined  forces  of  the  Mor- 
mons and  Indians.  The  warfare  culminated 
in  the  massacre  at  Mountain  Meadow  where 
all  the  pioneers  and  their  wives  were  killed 
and  only  small  children  were  spared.  The 
caravan  with  which  Mr.  Hobbs  was  iden- 
tified went  from  Camp  Floyd  to  the  massacre 
grounds  under  the  leadership  of  Lieutenant 
Price.  They  gathered  up  the  destitute  chil- 
dren and  took  them  to  Fort  Leavenworth. 
Kansas,  ilr.  Hobbs  resumed  his  journey  in 
the  same  year  and  spent  some  time  in  C^olo- 
rado.  He  went  from  there  to  Oregon  with 
horse  teams,  landing  in  the  eastern  part  of 
the  state  in  1864^'.  He  settled  in  Polk 
county  and  after  a  short  period  spent  in  the 
mines  bought  a  farm  which  he  improved  and 
operated  for  twelve  years.  He  brought  his 
property  to  a  highly  improved  condition  and 
finally  sold  it  in  order  to  come  to  Douglas 
eountv.     Here  he  bought  land   and   followed 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTOKY  OP  OREGON 


n 


agi-iculture  until  1900  when  ho  definitely 
abandoned  his  Uiljors  and  bought  property  in 
Glendale,  Oregon,  where  he  now  resides. 

In  1S66  Mr.  Hobbs  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Jliss  Victoria  Hardison,  a  native  of  Ore- 
gon, and  to  tlieir  union  were  born  seven  chil- 
dren, Alice,  Giarles,  Lottie,  Oeorge,  Dessia, 
Lee  and  Mary.  In  his  political  views  Mr. 
Hobbs  is  a  consistent  democrat  and  has 
served  as  justice  of  the  peace  for  two  years. 
He  is  sevent.v-four  years  old  and  can  look 
back  upon  a  long  and  active  life.  His  career 
included  a  period  of  development  in  the 
history  of  northwestern  America  and  it  is 
his  greatest  satisfaction  that  he  found  him- 
self equal  to  bearing  his  part  in  the  evolu- 
tion by  constant  labor  along  progressive 
lines. 

WILLIAM  H.  EGAN,  one  of  the  leading 
agriculturists  and  inlluential  citizens  of  Ma- 
rion county,  is  the  proprietor  of  Mount 
View  Farm,  consisting  of  five  hundred  acres 
of  land  eight  miles  north  of  Salem.  Practi- 
cally his  entire  life  has  been  spent  in  the 
Sunset  state  and  for  more  than  a  quarter 
of  a  century  he  was  here  identified  with 
educational  interests  as  a  school  teacher.  He 
is  a  native  of  Watertown.  Wisconsin,  his 
birth  having  there  occurred  on  the  24th  of 
Xovember.  18.50.  His  father.  Patrick  Egan, 
was  born  in  Ireland,  and  when  six  years  of 
age  was  brought  to  the  United  States  by  his 
parents,  wlio  made  their  home  in  Boston, 
ilassachusctts,  for  four  years.  On  the  ex- 
piration of  that  period  they  established  their 
home  in  the  town  of  Xelson.  New  Brunswick, 
in  British  North  America.  It  was  there  that 
Patrick  Egan.  at  the  age  of  twenty-one 
years,  married  Miss  Catharine  Canty.  The 
young  couple  resided  in  New  Brunswick  for 
live  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  their  at- 
tiMitiun  was  called  to  the  fact  tluit  Wiscon- 
sin, with  her  virgin  soil,  offered  splendid  in- 
ducements for  the  energetic  and  fearless  to 
build  up  new  homes.  Accordingly  they 
launched  their  fortunes  with  the  new  state, 
locating  on  a  farm  near  Watertown.  After 
improving  the  place  and  bringing  it  up  to 
the  standard  of  the  farms  at  that  date  they 
disposed  of  the  property  and  took  up  their 
abode  in  Watertown.  where  thev  remained 
until  the  spring  of  1S52.  Fully  appreciating 
the  improvements  in  climatic  conditions  be- 
tween New  Brunswick  and  Wisconsin,  they 
resolved  to  go  still  farther  west  and  link 
their  fortunes  with  the  great  Oregon  coun- 
tr.v.  In  1852,  therefore,  daring  the  dangers 
of  that  long  journey,  they  started  across 
the  plains  with  ox  teams.  Like  other  emi- 
grants of  that  year,  they  sufTcrcd  many  priva- 
tions, sickness  and  even  death,  losing  their 
little  daughter  Margaret.  They  finally 
reached  their  new  home  on  the  banks  of  Mary 
river,  near  the  present  site  of  Philomath, 
in  Benton  county,  and  named  their  farm 
The  Vallej-  of  Ease.  In  1S')7  they  removed 
to  French  Prairie,  in  JIarion  eount.v.  and 
purchased  a  large  farm  near  the  present  site 
of  Waconda  on  the  Oregon  Electric  rail- 
road, where  Patrick  Egan  died  at  the  ad- 
vanced   age    of    ninety-one    years.      He    was 


cheerful,  jirogressive.  artistic,  conservative 
and  notably  temperate  throughout  his  long 
life,  never  using  tobacco  nor  any  beverage 
stronger  than  tea.  He  was  a  devout  com- 
municant of  the  Roman  Catholic  church  and 
a  strict  member  of  Father  Mathew's  Tee- 
total Temperance  Society,  having  taken  the 
pledge  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years  and 
faithfully  preserving  it  for  seventy  years. 

Mrs.  Catharine  (Canty)  Egan  was  born  in 
Clonokilty.  County  Cork,  Ireland,  in  the 
year  1812.  She  came  to  America  at  the 
age  of  nineteen  years  and  located  in  the  town 
of  Nelson  in  New  Brunswick,  British 
America,  where  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  she 
gave  her  hand  in  marriage  to  Patrick  Egan. 
Being  a  woman  of  unusual  energy,  she  cheer- 
fully joined  him  in  the  journey  to  Wiscon- 
sin and  later,  feeling  that  "westward  the 
Star  of  Empire  takes'its  way"  and  that  new 
and  beautiful  homes  were  offered  to  those 
wlio  had  the  courage  to  brave  the  dangers 
of  the  trip,  she  nobly  joined  her  husband 
in  all  the  privations  of  emigrant  train  and 
pioneer  homo.  Although  born  in  luxury  and 
ease,  she  readily  adapted  herself  to  the  "hard- 
ships of  pioneer  life  and  by  her  beautiful 
example  of  resignation  and  fortitude  cast 
a  ray  of  sunshine  on  the  rugged  pathway  of 
many  a  discouraged  emigrant.  Her  cultured 
mind  and  artistic  hand  served  as  strong  sup- 
ports against  the  disappointments  aiid  ills 
of  border  life.  She  became  the  mother  of 
seven  children.  ,as  follows:  Michael  J..  .John 
T..  James.  Mary  A.,  Margaret.  William  H. 
and  Ellon  M..  of  whom  .James,  JIary  A.,  and 
^Margaret  are  deceased.  Mrs.  Catharine  Egan 
was  a  member  of  the  Roman  Catholic. church 
from  early  childhood,  to  which  she  faith- 
fully clung  through  every  reverse  of  fortune. 
She  was  also  a  scrupulous  member  of  Father 
Mathew's  Teetotal  Temperance  Society,  hav- 
ing taken  the  pledge  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  and  keeping  it  faithfully  until  her  death. 
which  occurred  at  the  age  of  -eighty-two 
years. 

William  H.  Egan,  whose  name  introduces 
this  review.  W'as  in  his  second  year  when 
brought  to  this  state  by  his  parents.  Re- 
garding his  youthful  days  he  writes  as  fol- 
lows: "I  owe  my  early  training  and  educa- 
tion to  my  mother,  who  from  my  early  child- 
hood insisted  upon  lessons  at  a  certain 
allotted  time  each  day  and  endeavored  to 
keep  the  hour  as  promptly  as  po.ssible.  often 
leaving  a  task  half  done  to  hear  my  lessons. 
Owing  to  the  fact  that  schools  were  distant 
from  our  pioneer  home,  my  education  con- 
tinued in  her  hands  tintil  I  was  nine  years 
old.  when  I  entered  my  first  public  school — 
a  good  fifth  grade  pupil."  After  completing 
the  graded-school  course  he  attended  high 
school  at  East  Salem,  later  studied  in  Mc- 
Minnville  College  and  stibscquently  received 
special  training  in  several  private  schools 
He  early  manifested  a  studious  nature  and 
well  fitted  himself  for  the  educational  work 
which  later  devolved  upon  him.  At  the  age 
of  twenty  years  and  six  months  he  started 
out  for  himself  with  a  capital  of  ten  dollars, 
securing  employment  as  a  cutter  of  black  jiole 
rails  at   a   wage  of  sixty-five  cents   per   hun 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTOBY  OF  OREGON 


dred,  witli  tlic  understanding  tliat  he  pay  liis 
own  board  and  that  he  need  work  only  until 
a  better  opportunity  offered  itself.  After 
cutting  one  hundred  rails  he  was  offered  a 
better  position  at  a  dollar  and  a  half  per 
day  and  board,  and  soon  received  two  dollars 
and  board  as  a  mower,  reaper  and  header 
driver.  In  the  fall  he  used  half  of  his  earn- 
ings in  speculation  and  utilized  the  remain- 
ing sum  in  continuing  his  education.  Secur- 
ing a  teacher's  certificate,  he  opened  his  first 
school  in  Mission  Bottom,  Marion  county, 
Oregon.  In  connection  with  his  duties  as  an 
instructor  he  also  devoted  considerable  time 
to  athletics,  becoming  so  proficient  that  he 
could  leap  from  a  falling  horse  without  re- 
ceiving even  a  scar.  "On  one  occasion."  he 
writes,  "while  riding  rapidly,  my  horse 
turned  turtle.  While  he  was  doing  so,  I 
sprang  from  the  saddle,  lit  running  and  was 
only  struck  on  the  boot  by  the  horse's  hind 
hoof.  On  another  occasion,  near  the  present 
site  of  Waconda,  I  was  riding  across  a  long 
eight-foot  bridge.  While  in  the  middle  an 
outside  stringer  broke.  The  bridge,  horse 
and  myself  started  down.  I  leaped  from  the 
saddle' to  the  horse's  head  and  then  to  solid 
footing,  while  the  horse  and  broken  section 
of  the  bridge  fell  into  the  creek  below.  I 
believe  every  boy  and  girl  should  be  taught 
athletics  for  health,  brain  power  and  bodily 
safety." 

Mr.  Egan  continued  as  a  school  teacher 
for  twenty-six  years  with  no  intermission 
except  the'  two  years  during  which  he  held 
public  office.  With  the  exception  of  one 
year,  he  spent  the  entire  period  of  his  service 
as  an  educator  within  a  radius  of  seven  miles 
of  his  home,  and  he  is  .I'ustly  proud  of  the 
fact  that  during  the  twenty-six  years  he 
never  missed  even  a  quarter  of  a  day  on 
account  of  illness.  In  the  discharge  of  his 
duties  during  this  period  he  spent  much  time 
in  the  saddle,  riding  more  miles  than  meas- 
ure the  circumference  of  the  globe.  Since 
reaching  man's  estate  he  has  also  directed 
agricultural  investments,  has  bought  and  sold 
acreage  and  has  made  much  unimproved  land 
profitable  and  productive.  For  the  past  five 
years  he  has  directed  the  business  incidental 
to  the  supervision  of  over  one  thousand  acres. 
He  is  a  strong  believer  in  diversified  farming 
and  has  always  maintained  that  the  farmer 
should  be  a  student,  keep  abreast  with  the 
times,  educate  his  children  to  the  best  of 
his  ability  and  make  them  realize  that  there 
is  no  education  or  energy  wasted  on  a  well 
diversified  farm.  His  home  place,  consist- 
ing of  five  hundred  acres  and  known  as 
Mount  View  Farm,  is  in  Marion  county,  eight 
miles  north  of  Salem,  on  the  Salem  and 
Champoeg  road  and  also  on  the  Oregon  Elec- 
tric railroad.  Tliis  property  is  farmed  on 
the  diversified  plan  and  on  it  may  be  found 
commercial  orchards  of  peaches,  pears,  prunes 
and  apples,  fields  of  hops,  grain  and  hay, 
large  gardens  of  beaver  dam  and  upland,  to- 
gether with  all  kinds  of  live  stock. 

On  the  27th  of  December.  18S6.  at  Salem, 
Oregon.  Mr.  Egan  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Julia  B.  Coffey,  a  daughter  of  James 
and  Johanna   (Horrigan)   Coffey.     Mrs.  Egan 


was  liorii  in  Salem,  Oregon,  on  the  21st  of 
October.  1S6S,  and  received  her  education 
at  the  Sacred  Heart  Academy  of  that  place, 
being  graduated  from  that  institution  in 
1886.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Egan  have  three  chil- 
dren, as  follows:  Albert  J.,  Marguerite  C. 
and  Homer  W. 

Politically  Mr.  Egan  is  a  democrat,  but 
his  patriotism  has  always  transcended  par- 
tisanship and  he  believes  that  it  is  the  duty 
of  every  American  citizen  to  uphold  and 
extol  the  government  and  to  exercise  his 
right  of  franchise  in  correcting  its  mistakes. 
Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  Marion  county 
is  a  republican  stronghold,  he  was  elected 
county  clerk  in  1S92.  Two  years  later  he 
was  a  candidate  for  reelection  and,  though 
receiving  double  his  party's  vote,  met  defeat 
in  the  republican  landslide  of  189-1.  His 
religious  faith  is  that  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
church,  while  fraternally  he  is  identified  with 
the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  the  Grangers 
and  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of 
Elks.  His  residence  here  covers  a  long 
period  and  he  has  always  stood  for  that 
which  is  progressive  in  citizenship,  cooperat- 
ing in  various  plans  and  measures  for  the 
material,  social,  intellectual  and  political 
progress  of  the  community.  His  life  has  at 
all  times  been  upright  and  honorable  and 
the  circle  of  his  friends  is  almost  coextensive 
with  the  circle  of  his  acquaintances. 

WILLIAM   ABERNETHY    is    one    of    the 

venerable  citizens  of  Forest  Grove,  having 
attained  the  age  of  eighty  years.  Much  of 
this  period  has  been  spent  in  Oregon  and  in 
the  improvement  of  his  business  opportuni- 
ties here  he  has  won  success  that  now  en- 
ables him  to  live  retired.  His  birth  occurred 
in  New  York  city.  September  16,  1831.  His 
father.  George  Abernethy,  was  also  a  na- 
tive of  the  American  metropolis,  born  Oc- 
tober 7,  1807,  and  there  he  acquired  his  edu- 
cation. In  early  manhood  he  wedded  Anne 
Pope,  who  was  born  in  Plymouth,  England, 
September  10,  1811.  Their  wedding  was 
celebrated  in  New  York,  January  21,  1830, 
and  the  remains  of  both  now  rest  in  River- 
view  cemetery  of  Portland,  Oregon,  the  fa- 
ther having  died  in  that  city  May  2,  1877. 
The  mother,  however,  passed  away  in  New 
Y'ork  city,  April  30,  1884.  but  her  remains 
were  brought  back  to  this  state  for  inter- 
ment. In  the  family  were  two  children,  the 
younger  being  Annie  Abernethy,  who  be- 
came the  wife  of  General  H.  C.  Hodges,  of 
the  United  States  army  who  is  now  retired 
and  lives  in  Buffalo.  S'ew  Y'ork.  His  wife 
passed  away  in  Washington,  D.  C.  April  31, 
1911.  General  Hodges  is  a  graduate  of  the 
West  Point  Military  Academy  and  w^as  sta- 
tioned first  in  the  Indian  Territory  and  later 
in  Vancouver,  Washington,  where  he  served 
as  ad.iutant  of  the  Fourth  Infantry.  Sub- 
sequently he  was  transferred  to  California 
and  afterward   to   Philadelphia. 

Few  residents  of  Oregon  have  resided 
within  the  borders  of  this  state  for  a  longer 
period  than  William  Abernethy.  who  came  to 
the  northwest  in  1840  when  but  nine  years  of 
age,   landing   at   Vancouver.  Washington,   on 


ii,.n,  ,11  J 


WILLIAM  ABERXETIIY 


JIRS.   SARAH  F.   AP.ERXETHY 


■:ewyork7 


MTON,   L(hL 
riLVEN  FOUKD. 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


till'  1st  of  Jiiiii'.  1840.  aftiT  luiviiij;  made  the 
long  vo}-aj;e  aiouiul  tape  Horn  on  the  sliip 
Lausanne.  His  father  eame  to  the  Pacific 
coast  as  secular  agent  of  Mctliodist  missions 
and  was  stationed  first  at  Salem  and  after- 
ward at  Oregon  City,  assisting  in  building 
the  iletliodist  church  at  the  latter  place.  He 
also  erected  the  first  brick  store  in  Oregon 
City,  it  being  the  second  brick  building  in 
the  entire  state.  He  was  very  prominent 
as  a  factor  in  the  early  ]>rogress  and  up- 
building of  this  section  of  tlie  country  and 
was  chosen  the  first  provisional  governor  of 
Oregon  Territory  for  two  terms  of  four 
years.  That  he  filled  the  ofiiee  most  cajiably 
is  indicated  by  the  fact  that  he  was  re- 
elected while  on  a  trip  to  the  Sandwich  is- 
lands. Following  the  expiration  of  his  sec- 
ond term  and  his  retirement  from  ofiiee,  he 
owned  and  operated  the  Linn  City  (Oregon) 
Works,  a  flour  mill  and  saw  mill,  and  when 
that  business  was  burned  out  he  turned  his 
attention  to  the  commission  business  in  Port- 
land, where  he  resided  up  to  the  time  of  his 
death,  which  occurred  when  he  was  sixt.v- 
six  years  of  age. 

Brought  to  the  northwest  in  his  early  boy- 
hood. William  Abernethy  largely  acquired 
his  education  in  Willametti'  I'niversity.  Later 
he  went  to  California,  in  1S4!I.  attracted  b,v 
the  discovery  of  gold  in  that  state.  He  next 
made  his  way  to  Xcw  York  city,  where  he 
spent  three  years  as  a  student  in  the  -lames 
McEllicolt  School.  He  next  became  a  stu- 
dent in  the  Phillips  Academ.v  in  Andover, 
JIassachusetts.  in  which  he  spent  three  years, 
and  later  matriculated  for  a  three  years' 
course  in  the  scientific  department  of  Yale 
Universit.v,  completing  his  studies  within  the 
classical  walls  of  that  old  institution  in 
18.5.').  In  the  same  year  he  returned  to  the 
Pacific  coast,  making  his  way  to  Oregon  City, 
after  which  he  began  farming  at  (ireen 
Point.  He  next  went  to  Portland,  where  he 
engaged  in  assaying  for  George  Collier  Rob- 
bins,  of  that  city.  He  subsequently  spent  a 
.vear  at  The  Dalles  and  another  vear  at  Boise, 
after  which  he  returned  to  Portland,  where 
he  estalilisheil  a  packing  business  and  bag 
factory.  Here  he  suffered  losses  through  fire, 
the  fa,ctory  being  totally  destroyed,  after 
which  he  removed  to  Aberneth.v  Heights,  near 
Oswego.  Oregon,  where  he  lived  for  about  a 
quarter  of  a  century,  and  then  sold  his  prop- 
erty there,  comprising  one  linndred  and  sixty 
and  a  third  acres,  to  a  syndicate.  This  is 
now  oiie  of  the  nu)st  beatitifnl  residence  dis- 
tiicts  in  the  vicinit.v  of  Portland.  For  a 
year  thereafter  he  resided  in  tlie  IJose  city, 
and  in  August.  1891.  removed  to  Coos  county, 
where  he  continued  until  H)Ot.  In  that  year 
he  came  to  Forest  firove.  where  he  still 
resides,  resting  now  in  the  enjo,vment  of 
the  fruits  of  his  former  toil  an(i  the  hand- 
some coni|)etence  which  he  has  gained 
through    his    investments. 

On  the  :!.")th  of  .Tune.  ISfir!.  Mr.  Abernethy 
was  married  to  iliss  Sarah  I".  Hray.  who  was 
born  November  2.5.  1843.  at  the  mission  near 
Salem,  Oregon.  Her  father.  William  H. 
Gray,  was  horn  in  Xew  York  state  in 
December.  ISIO.  and  came  to  Oregon  in 
Vol.  IV— 4 


IS.'.G.  with  IJr.  .Marcus  Whitman,  engaging  in 
missionary  work.  In  early  life  he  had  iieen 
apprenticed  to  the  cabinet  makers'  trade  and 
later  liad  studied  medicine  for  three  ,vears. 
but  ill  health  forced  him  to  abandon  his  stu- 
dies and  go  to  the  mountains.  It  was  at  this 
time  that  he  associated  himself  with  the  Auum- 
ican  Board  of  Missions  and  this  led  to  his  re- 
moval to  the  Pacific  coast.  When  he  sev- 
cied  his  connection  with  the  missions  he  went 
to  Clatsop  Plains  where  he  rendered  medical 
aid  to  those  in  need  of  such  service.  At 
length  he  went  east  to  buy  sheep  for  him- 
self and  farmers  in  that  locality.  He  brought 
the  sheep  across  the  plains  to  Portland, 
where  he  put  them  on  flat  boats  to  be  taken 
to  their  destination,  but  a  storm  came  up  and 
wiecked  the  boats,  so  that  all  of  the  sheep 
\\<-re  drowned,  Jlr.  Gray  thus  losing  ever.v- 
tliing  that  he  had  for  he  invested  his  entire 
fortune  in  the  sheep.  He  at  once  sought  em- 
]iloynn'nt  in  other  wa.vs.  accepting  anything 
that  he  could  find  to  do  in  order  that  he 
niight  properly  care  for  his  family  and  re- 
trieve his  fortune.  Going  to  Astoria  he 
built  a  house  and  kept  boarders.  Later  he 
removed  to  Fort  Hope,  on  the  Frazier  river 
in  British  Columbia  and  built  a  sloop,  after 
wliich  he  engaged  in  freighting  between  Fort 
Hope  and  Fort  Yale,  remaining  at  that  point 
for  two  years,  or  in  1850  and  18(10.  He  after- 
ward built  a  sloop  called  the  Sarah  F.  Gray, 
which  he  brought  down  the  (olumbia  river. 
In  July.  1861.  he  went  to  Portland  and  aft- 
erward to  The  Dalles  and  engaged  in  freight- 
ing on  the  Columbia  and  Snake  rivers. 
Again  he  turned  to  Astoria  and  took  up  his 
abode  upon  a  farm  where  his  wife  died,  while 
lie  passed  away  at  the  home  of  his  daughter. 
.Mrs.  .T.  Kamm.  in  Portland. 

Into  ilr.  anil  ;\Irs.  Abernethy  were  born 
thirteen  children  of  whom  three  died  in 
early  life:  George  Henr.v.  who  passed  away 
at  the  age  of  ten  years;  Mar,v.  who  died  at 
the  age  of  one  .year;  and  Priscilla.  at  the 
age  of  three  years.  The  others  are:  Anna 
ila.v,  the  wife  of  B.  W.  Starr,  of  Tacoma. 
Washington,  in  the  oflSce  of  the  Shasta  Lim- 
ited; Caroline  A.,  the  wife  of  the  Rev.  H.  I". 
Burgess,  of  Sunnvside.  Washington;  William 
(iray.  who  was  in  Alaska  for  eleven  years 
and  is  now  a  mining  engineer  living  in  Ta- 
coma. Washington;  Edwin  P.  S.  A.,  who  is 
riuining  a  mill  in  Coos  county;  Violet  O.  G.. 
the  wife  of  liennett  Swanton.  a  lawyer  of 
'Marshfield,  Oregon;  Daisy  S.  F..  who  is  the 
twin  sister  of  \iolet  and  the  wife  of  Archie 
llahn.  of  Whitman  College,  of  Walla  Walla. 
Washington;  i'earl  Dunning,  the  wife  of  M. 
C.  Miller,  of  Dora.  Oregon;  Prances  Mary, 
the  wife  of  .\.  T.  llahn.  a  mining  engineer 
with  the  Colorado  Fuel  &  Iron  Company  of 
Portland;  Camilla  D..  at  home;  and  Ml/pah 
1..  the  wife  of  Virgil  K.  Waterman,  of 
\\(dches.  Oregon. 

Such  in  brief  is  tlu'  history  of  William  Ab- 
ernethy. yet  it  t(dls  little  of  his  real  experi- 
ences for  he  lived  in  this  state  long  before 
its  admission  to  the  Inion.  .At  the  time  of 
bis  arrival  here  the  major  part  of  the  great 
forests  was  uncut,  the  natural  resources  of 
the  state   were   unimproved  and   the   Tndijins 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


far  outnumbored  the  white  settlers.  Here 
and  there  a  little  settlement  was  to  be  seen 
and  the  seeds  of  civilization  planted  by  the 
early  residents  have  born  rich  fruit.  Mr.  Ab- 
ernethy  has  not  only  been  an  interested  wit- 
ness of  all  the  changes  which  have  occurred 
as  the  years  have  gone  by,  but  has  tver  borne 
his  part  in  the  work  of  public  improvement 
and  upbuilding. 

WILLIAM  WOOD  is  well  known  at  Bon- 
anza and  in  Klamath  county  as  a  dealer  in 
horses.  He  owns  a  large  feed  shed  and 
livery  barn  and  is  meeting  with  success  in 
his  undertaking.  His  birth  occurred  in  Co- 
lumbia county,  Wisconsin,  his  natal  day  being 
May  1,  1859."  His  father,  William  Wood,  St., 
was  born  in  Scotland  and  after  arriving  in 
the  new  world  was  married  near  the  birth- 
place of  his  son  William,  in  Wisconsin,  to 
Miss  Lucy  Hawkins,  a  native  of  the  state  of 
New  York.  Her  people  were  pioneer  settlers 
of  Wisconsin  and  Willam  Wood,  Sr.,  also 
located  there  at  an  early  day.  Both  he  and 
his  wife  continued  to  live  in  "that  state  until 
called  to  their  final  rest  and  he  followed  the 
occupation  of  farming  in  order  to  provide  for 
the  support  of  his  family,  which  included  ten 
children,  all  of  whom  are  yet  living  with 
the  exception  of  one  datighter. 

No  event  of  special  importance  occurred 
to  vary  the  routine  of  farm  life  for  William 
Wood  in  his  boyhood  and  youth.  He  worked 
in  the  fields  witli  his  father  during  the  sum- 
mer seasons  and  in  the  winter  months  at- 
tended the  public  schools.  He  was  about 
twenty-five  years  of  age  when,  in  April,  1SS4, 
he  left  Wisconsin  and  made  his  way  to 
Truckee,  California,  there  remaining  until 
the  fall  of  1SS7,  when  he  came  to  Klamath 
county,  Oregon.  He  settled  on  a  ranch  two 
miles  from  Dairy  and  engaged  in  its  cultiva- 
tion until  1907.'  when  he  took  up  his  abode 
in  Bonanza,  although  still  supervising  his 
ranching  interests  until  April.  1912,  when  he 
sold  his  land.  He  is  now  engaged  in  the 
saloon  business  and  also  deals  quite  exten- 
sively in  horses,  owning  about  thirty  head 
of  diaft  horses  and  running  stock.  He  has 
a  large  barn  in  addition,  conducting  a  feed, 
sale  and  livery  business.  He  is  also  the 
owner  of  a  large  residence  which  his  wife 
conducts  as  a  rooming  house. 

In  August,  1908,  Mr.  Wood  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Mrs.  Etta  Vincent,  a  widow,  with 
one  daughter.  To  this  marriage  has  been 
born  a  daughter  Thelma,  now  three  years  of 
age.  Mr.  Wood  votes  with  the  republican 
party  and  is  interested  in  its  success.  While 
residing  at  Dairy  he  served  as  constable  for 
many  years  and  at  the  present  writing  he  is 
deputy  sheriff.  He  has  also  for  many  years 
been  identified  with  the  school  board  of  Dairy. 
He  is  greatly  interested  in  the  upbuilding 
and  progress  of  Bonanza  and  is  a  member  of 
the  Commercial  Club. 

H.  L.  CLOPTON,  postmaster  at  Bonanza, 
was  born  November  9.  1870.  in  Missouri,  and 
is  the  eldest  of  the  five  children  of  Thomas 
J.  and  Mary  M.  (Potter)  Clopton,  the  former 


a  native  of  Missouri,  and  tlie  latter  of  Ken- 
tucky. They  were  married  in  ilissouri  and 
in  1874  removed  westward  to  Idaho,  where 
tliey  lived  for  two  years.  They  were  after- 
ward residents  of  the  Willamette  valley  of 
Oregon  until  1881,  when  they  settled  at 
Brownsboro,  Jackson  county,  Oregon,  and  in 
1888  came  to  Bonanza.  The  father  died  in 
Klamath  Falls  in  1893,  when  forty-three 
years  of  age,  and  the  motlier  now  makes  her 
home  in  Berkeley,  California.  He  followed 
merchandising  during  the  greater  part  of  his 
life,  thus  providing  for  his  family  of  five  chil- 
dren, namely:  H.  L.;  C.  0..  living  in  Merrill; 
Kate,  the  wife  of  Eichard  Wells,  of  Roseville. 
California;  Margaret,  who  is  with  her  mother; 
and  Percy,  also  at  home. 

H.  L.  Clopton  remained  at  home  until  liis 
father's  death,  or  until  1893.  and  during  tliat 
period  acqviired  his  education  in  the  country 
schools.  He  started  in  life  on  his  own  account 
in*  1893  as  a  dealer  in  cattle  at  Bonanza  and 
was  tlras  engaged  until  1897.  when  he  turned 
his  attention  to  general  merchandising,  fol- 
lowing that  business  until  1910.  when  he  lost 
all  in  the  great  fire  that  swept  over  the  town. 
In  1897  he  was  appointed  postmaster  at 
Bonanza,  which  position  he  now  fills.  He 
is  also  the  owner  of  four  hundred  acres  of 
land  four  miles  east  of  the  town  which  is 
constantly  increasing  in  value  as  the  district 
becomes  more  thickly  settled. 

On  the  5th  of  April,  1903,  Mr.  Clopton  was 
married  to  Jliss  Bertha  M.  Nichols,  who  was 
born  at  Bonanza,  Oregon,  October  3,  1880. 
and  is  a  daughter  of  D.  B.  Nichols.  Tliey  are 
the  parents  of  three  children,  Carol.  Ruth  and 
Lyle.  In  politics  ilr.  Clopton  is  a  republican 
and  keeps  well  informed  on  the  questions  and 
issues  of  the  day.  He  is  recognized  as  one 
of  the  local  leaders  of  his  party  and  for  three 
or  four  years  has  served  as  a  member  of  the 
city  council,  in  which  connection  he  has  exer- 
cised his  official  prerogative  in  support  of 
many  progressive  public  movements.  For 
fourteen  years  he  has  been  clerk  of  the  school 
board  and  he  is  interested  in  the  various  plans 
and  projects  for  the  benefit  of  educational 
work  here.  His  name  is  on  the  membership 
roll  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows 
and  of  the  Kebekah  lodge  of  Bonanza  and  he 
is  also  a  member  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce, 
cooperating  in  the  progressive  work  of  that 
organization,  whereby  the  ad%'antages  and 
resources  of  this  district  are  exploited  and 
trade  interests  promoted. 

WILLIS  EDWARD  NEELY,  whose  home 
place  is  .a  visible  evidence  of  a  life  of  well 
spent  activity,  started  out  in  the  business 
world  empty-handed  and  step  by  step  has 
reached  his  present  position  as  one  of  the  sub- 
stantial and  progressive  ranch  owners  of  Coos 
county.  He  was  born  in  Josephine  county. 
Oregon.  August  9.  1870.  and  is  n  son  of  Ed- 
ward and  Zilpha  (Mays)  Neely.  The  parents 
crossed  the  plains  in  1852  from  Illinois,  of 
which  state  they  were  natives.  They  made 
their  home  in  Illinois  until  they  determined 
to   remove  to  the   northwest,  in  which  vear 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


7Q 


they  took  up  their  abode  in  Lane  county,  near 
Eugene,  there  residing  until  1867.  In  that 
year  they  became  residents  of  .Josephine 
county.  The  father  served  in  the  Rogue  river 
war  of  1S3.5-56.  and  in  1872  he  went  to  Doug- 
las county,  where  he  lived  for  two  years.  He 
then  came  to  Coos  county,  settling  near  Fair- 
view.  In  different  localities  he  shared  in  the 
work  of  pioneer  development  and  improvement 
and  his  life  was  an  element  of  value  to  the 
community.  He  died  -July  4.  1S9S,  and  is  still 
survived  by  ilrs.  Xeely  who  makes  her  home 
with  her  son  Willis.  In  the  family  were  three 
children:  John  C,  who  died  leaving  a  wife 
and  one  child,  Florence,  their  home  being  near 
Fairview  in  Coos  county;  Willis;  and  Arthur 
Lee,  of  Coquille,  Oregon,  who  has  two  children, 
Alvin  and  Ivan. 

The  experiences  that  fell  to  the  lot  of 
Willis  E.  Neely  in  his  boyhood  and  youth 
were  such  as  usually  come  to  those  who  live 
upon  the  frontier.  He  started  out  in  business 
life  for  himself  in  1891  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  years  by  leaving  the  farm  and  taking  up 
a  homestead.  In  the  meantime  he  had  ac- 
quired a  good  education  by  attending  the  dis- 
trict schools  and  the  academy  at  Coquille,  and 
when  twenty  years  of  age  he  began  teaching 
in  the  district  schools  of  Coos  county.  Before 
this  time  he  had  worked  in  the  woods  at  log- 
ging and  at  different  occupations  and  for  dif- 
ferent people.  For  eight  years  after  attain- 
ing his  majority  he  continued  to  engage  in 
teaching  school  and  alternated  his  educational 
work  with  employment  in  the  woods  and  at 
logging.  He  also  availed  himself  of  oppor- 
tunities for  improving  his  homestead.  For 
four  years  he  was  employed  in  a  sawmill,  but 
in  more  recent  years  he  has  concentrated  his 
energies  entirely  upon  agricultural  interests. 
After  selling  his  original  homestead  he  pur- 
chased, improved  and  resided  upon  a  number 
of  farms  before  buying  his  present  place  of 
eighty  acres,  which  he  has  since  greatly  im- 
proved. There  are  modern  equipments  upon 
his  farm,  together  with  good  buildings  and 
the  latest  -improved  machinery. 

Mr.  Xeely  was  married  in  1892  to  Jliss 
Leonora  Bennell,  a  native  of  Tillamook  coun- 
ty, Oregon,  and  a  daughter  of  Edward  and 
Louisa  (Grincr)  Bennell.  She  was  the  eldest 
of  their  nine  children,  the  others  being:  Net- 
tie, the  wife  of  Andrew  Lilquist,  of  Rochester, 
Washington;  Edna,  the  wife  of  Alfred  Carl- 
son, of  Seattle.  Washington ;  George,  who  is 
living  in  Redlands.  California;  Lloyd  and 
Victor,  who  make  their  home  in  Shelton. 
Washington;  Ernest,  deceased;  Fay,  also  of 
Shelton;  and  Garry,  who  has  passed  away. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Xeely  have  become  the  parents 
of  five  children:  Alva,  born  in  1893;  Sylvia. 
born  in  189G;  Myrtle,  born  in  1898;  Elmer. 
born  in  1S99:  and  Mildred,  whose  birth  occur- 
red  in   1902. 

Mr.  Xeely  is  a  socialist  in  his  political 
views  but  has  never  been  an  office  seeker. 
Since  1898  he  has  held  membership  in  the 
Woodmen  of  the  World.  His  home  is  near  the 
Fairview  bridge,  not  far  from  the  town  of 
Fairview-.  and  its  pleasant  location  and  excel- 
lent improvements  render  it  one  of  the  attrac- 
tive feature-  of  the  laiKls<'ape.    Working  earn- 


estly and  persistently  year  after  year  Mr. 
X'eely  has  made  steady  advancement  in  a 
business  way.  and  the  success  he  has  attained 
is  well  merited. 

COLONEL  FRANK  H.  TRUE  is  one  of  the 
organizers  of  the  Home  Building  and  Realty 
Company  of  Klamath  Falls,  an  oi-ganization 
somewhat  unique  in  its  purposes  and  plans 
for  the  development  and  improvement  of  the 
city  whereby  monthly  payments  will  insure 
to  the  purchaser  the  property  that  he  desires. 
The  commercial  spirit  is  not  all  that  lies  back 
of  this  organization.  It  was  planned  with  tlie 
vieAV  of  aiding  the  home-seeker  and  thus  tip- 
building  the  town.  In  formulating  the  policy 
of  the  companj'  and  executing  its  plans  Col- 
onel Frank  H.  True  has  proved  himself  an 
enterprising,  progressive  and  far-sighted  busi- 
ness man.  He  was  born  in  .Janesville,  Wis- 
consin, February  26,  1854,  his  parents  being 
Frederick  D.  and  Mary  E.  (Goodrich)  True, 
both  of  whom  were  natives  of  New  York. 
They  were  reared  in  that  state  but  were  mar- 
ried in  Wisconsin  and  the  father  passed  away 
in  Rock  county,  Wisconsin,  Xovember  20, 
1863,  at  the  age  of  forty  years  and  ten 
months.  The  mother  long  survived,  her  death 
occurring  in  Mitchell  county,  Iowa,  June  2.5, 
1901  when  she  was  seventy-seven  years  of 
age.  All  through  his  life  Frederick  D.  True 
had  engaged  in  farming.  He  attempted  to 
join  the  army  in  1862,  enlisting  as  a  sharp- 
shooter with  the  United  States  troops,  but 
was  rejected  because  of  w-eak  lungs.  This 
was  a  very  great  disappointment  to  him  for 
he  knew  that  he  was  a  fine  shot,  having  been 
most  skillful  as  a  hunter,  and  his  patriotic 
devotion  to  his  country  made  him  desire  to 
use  his  skill  in  defense  of  the  LTnion  cause. 
It  was  not  an  unmanly  thing,  therefore,  that 
tears  came  to  his  eyes  when  he  learned  that 
he  would  not  be  accepted.  In  bis  family 
were  four  children:  E.  Fred,  now  living  in 
Los  Angeles,  California ;  Charles  who  died  in 
infancy;  Frank  H. ;  and  William  H.,  who  died 
in  infancy. 

Frank  H.  True  resided  in  Rock  county,  Wis- 
consin, until  August.  1876.  and  pursued  his 
education  in  Milton  College  of  the  town  of 
Milton,  being  graduated  with  the  class  of 
1871.  He  then  entered  mercantile  circles  on 
the  1st  of  Xovember,  1871,  as  a  clerk  at 
Edgerton,  Wisconsin,  and  was  thus  employed 
until  he  started  in  business  on  his  own  account 
as  proprietor  of  a  store  at  Osage,  Iowa,  in 
1879.  He  carefully  managed  his  interests 
there  until  X'ovember,  1887.  and  during  that 
period  served  as  a  member  of  the  staff  of 
Governor  William  Larrabee.  Prior  to  his 
removal  to  the  west  he  also  attended  the 
Centennial  celebration  in  Philadelphia  in  1876. 
In  December.  1887,  he  became  a  resident  of 
San  Diego,  California,  where  he  engaged  in 
dealing  in  real  estate.  In  1892  he  removed  to 
San  Francisco,  where  he  began  business  as 
an  appraiser  and  real-estate  and  loan  agent 
for  the  Renters  Loan  &.  Trust  Company  of 
San  Francisco,  in  which  position  he  continued 
for  twelve  years,  or  until  1904.  He  then 
entered     the     real-estate     business     at     Los 


yu 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


Aiijrcli's.  t  alifoniia.  ami  oin'iatcd  in  jiioperty 
there  \iiitil  Aujjust  12.  I'.IOT,  when  lie  secured 
a  patent  of  a  pioeess  for  tlie  manufacture  of 
common  mill  shavings  into  fuel  and  formed 
a  corporation  for  the  manufacture  of  that 
fuel  under  the  name  of  the  Economy  Fuel 
Company  of  Phoenix.  Arizona.  The  business 
was  ca])italized  for  one  million  dollars  and 
five  hundred  and  twenty-five  thousand  shares 
were  issued.  At  the  present  time  Colonel 
True  is  president  of  the  company  and  owns 
a  controlling  interest  in  the  stock.  lie  also 
owns  a  half  interest  in  the  Scott  Shavings  & 
Sawdust  Company  of  Los  Angeles.  California, 
which  controls  a  majority  of  all  shavings 
and  sawdust  at  I-os  Angeles  and  at  San 
I'edro. 

On  the  8th  of  February.  1912.  yiv.  True 
removed  to  Klamath  Falls  and  organized  the 
Home  Building  and  Realty  Company,  of  which 
he  is  now  secretai-y  and  a  member  of  the 
executive  committee.  This  company  is  capi- 
talized for  two  hundred  thousand  dollars, 
with  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  fully  sub- 
scribed at  this  date.  He  has  been  instru- 
mental in  interesting  a  number  of  ca])italists 
iu  investments  iu  Klamath  Falls  and  while 
one  of  the  more  recent  additions  to  the  citi- 
zenship here,  he  is  recognized  as  one  who  is 
doing  much  for  the  upbuilding  of  the  dis- 
trict and  the  ])romotion  of  its  commercial  and 
industrial  activity.  He  has  the  titmost  con- 
fidence iu  this  wonderful  country  and  is  a 
most  active  and  heliiful  member  of  the  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce,  in  wliich  he  was  appointed 
to  the  membershi])  committee  immediately 
after    joining    the    organization. 

On  the  1st  of  JIay.  1.S7T.  Colonel  True  was 
united  in  marriage  to  iliss  Hattie  il.  Annis. 
of  Osage.  Iowa,  who  is  a  native  of  Orleans 
county,  \ermont.  and  is  a  daughter  of  Dr. 
Annis.  They  have  one  son.  Dr.  Herbert  F. 
True,  who  is  practicing  in  Los  Angeles.  Cali- 
fornia, as  a  specialist  in  diseases  of  the  eye, 
ear  and  throat.  He  was  educated  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  California  and  was  grailuated  from 
the  Jledical  College  of  Southern  California  in 
Los  Angeles.  He  afterward  pursued  special 
courses  in  ilcGill  College  at  Montreal.  Can- 
ada, in  the  Royal  Ophthalmic  College  of  Lon- 
don. England,  and  in  A'ienna,  Austria,  where 
he  completed  a  course  on  the  eve.  ear.  nose  and 
throat.  After  traveling  for  fourteen  months 
on  the  continent  he  returned  to  America  and 
has  since  ]iracticed  in  Los  Angeles.  He  was 
born  in  (.)sage,  Iowa.  August  14.  18TU,  and  is 
nu)st  prominent   for  one  of  his  years. 

Colonel  True  although  a  resident  of  this 
district  for  a  comparatively  brief  period,  has 
become  both  prominent  and  popular  in  Klam- 
ath Falls  and  southern  Oregon.  He  is  yet 
in  the  prime  of  life  and  looks  ten  years 
younger.  He  keeps  in  close  touch  with  the 
spirit  of  jirogrcss  and  enterprise  resulting 
in  the  ra])id  \i]ibuilding  of  this  section  and 
is  a  firm  bidiever  in  its  future.  Colonel  True 
has  always  been  dei'ply  interested  in  politics 
and  manly  outiloor  sports.  Wltile  in  Milton 
College  he  was  captain  of  the  baseball  team 
in  ISC)".),  isro  and  1S71.  He  has  made  many 
records  in  athletic  circles,  especially  in  con- 
nection    "itli     the    Cali'ilonian    Scotch    '_'ames 


at  Madi.son.  Wisconsin.  His  |>olitical  alle- 
giance has  always  been  given  to  the  republi- 
can party  and  he  is  a  warm  admirer  of  Robert 
M.  La  Follette.  the  distinguished  Wisconsin 
statesuuui.  In  1S8U  and  1S90  he  spent  two 
years  in  lower  California  and  Mexico,  during 
which  i)eriod  be  acted  as  explorer  for  the 
International  Comjiany  and  was  also  ap- 
pointed guich'  for  Kate  Field  during  her  last 
trip  to  that  country.  Few  men  are  more 
familiar  with  the  history  of  the  Avest  during 
the  past  ipiarter  of  a  century.  He  has  been 
an  interested  witness  of  all  that  has  occurred 
and  marked  its  growth  and  development  and 
at  all  times  has  been  in  the  forefront  among 
those  who  are  seeking  .substantial  results 
that  shall  be  factors  in  the  upbuilding  of 
the  Pacific  coast  country. 

JOHN  REYNOLDS,  M.  D.  Dr.  .lohn  Rey- 
nolds, a  physician  of  .Salem  who  in  the  long 
years  of  practice  has  demonstrated  his  ability 
to  successfully  cope  with  the  intricate  prob- 
lems which  are  met  in  the  efforts  to  restore 
health  and  check  the  ravages  of  disease,  has 
l)ractieed  continuously  in  Salem  since  1S74. 
He  was  born  iu  Columbiana  county,  C)hio. 
October  2,  1837,  a  son  of  Lloyd  anil  Eliza- 
beth (Glass)  Reynolds,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  Pennsylvania.  The  father  and 
mother  removed  to  Washington  coinity.  Ohio, 
later  in  life  and  their  deaths  occurred  in  that 
locality.  They  were  the  parents  of  nine  chil- 
dren. si.\  of  whom  survive. 

When  .John  Reynolds  was  but  three  years 
of  age  his  parents  removed  from  Columi)iana 
county.  Ohio,  to  Washington  county  and  it 
\>as  iu  the  later  ])lace  that  he  was  reared  and 
educated.  After  receiving  the  education 
which  the  common  schools  of  Ohio  offered  he 
look  up  the  study  of  medicine  at  the  age 
of  nineteen  years  under  his  father,  wlio 
was  a  general  practitioner.  After  having 
completed  the  medical  course  at  Miami  Med- 
ical College,  he  began  jiractice  at  Be\erly. 
f)hio,  and  remained  there  until  1874.  when 
lie  came  to  Salem.  He  is  one  of.  the  oldest 
practicing  physicians  in  the  city  and  has 
proven  his  skill  and  ability.  From  the  out- 
set of  his  ])rofessional  career  his  labors  have 
been  attended  with  success  viewed  from  both 
the  professional  and  the  financial  stand- 
points. He  has  ever  been  most  caielul  iu  the 
diagnosis  of  his  cases  and  seldom  if  ever 
has  been  at  fault  in  anticipating  the  otit- 
come  of  a  disease.  He  has  not  specialized 
iu  any  ])articular  field  but  has  continued 
ill  the  general  practice  of  meilicine  and  has 
kept  in  touch  with  its  advancement  by  giv- 
ing careful  attention  to  the  research  and  in- 
vestigation wliich  have  been  undertaken  by 
the  members  of  the  medical  fraternity. 
Without  at  any  time  neglecting  the  duties 
of  his  vocation  he  has  interested  himself  in 
agriculture  to  the  extent  of  overseeing  the 
forty-uiue  acre  fruit  farm  which  he  owns 
one  mile  north  of  the  city  limits  of  Salem. 
He  has  brought  this  jiroperty  under  a  high 
state  of  productivity  and  it  is  jilauted  to 
prunes,  pears  and  elierries.  His  real-estate 
investments  also  include  several  valuable 
[lieces    of   pr<i|ieity    in    Salem. 


DR.    TOIIX   i;i;VNOLDS 


LIBRARY  j 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


SB 


In  ISliO  Dr.  llcynolds  was  luarriod  to  Jliss 
8.  A.  Tniesdoll.  a  native  of  Wasliinftton 
county.  Ohio,  and  a  daughter  of  -J.  JI.  and 
Adelia  Tiuesdtll.  botli  of  whom-  were  born 
in  Ohio  and  are  now  deceased.  To  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  Reynolds  five  cliildren  have  been  born: 
JIary  E.,  who  is  residing  at  home  and  is 
teaciiing  in  \Yillamette  University;  Kate  D., 
who  is  married  to  -lolin  Goltra,  of  Portland, 
Oregon;  L.  T.,  wlio  is  a  fruit  grower  in 
Marion  county;  .J.  W..  an  attorney  of  Port- 
land;  and  Harry  B.,  deceased. 

In  politics  iir.  Reynolds  is  a  republican 
and  cast  his  first  vote  for  Abraham  Lin- 
coln. His  professional  duties  have  brought 
him  into  close  relations  with  many  house- 
holds and  in  all  he  commands  the  high  re- 
gard and  love  of  those  to  whom  he  has  min- 
istered. His  life  work  has  indeed  been  one 
of  broad  usefulness  and  in  every  relation  he 
has  lived  up  to  tlie  high  ideals  which  he 
has  set   for  himsidf. 

HENRY  A.  STRONG.  Whatever  success 
lias  attcihli-d  the-  cllorts  of  Henry  A.  Strong 
is  attributable  entirely  to  his  own  labors. 
He  has  recognized  the  possibilities  of  this 
region  ami  knows  that  patient,  persevering 
effort  will  transform  it  into  a  rich  agricul- 
tural district.  He  is,  tlierefore.  devoting  his 
energies  to  farming,  truck  gardening  and 
stock-raising  and.  worjving  diligently  day  by 
day.  he  is  meeting  with  a  fair  measure  of 
prosperity.  He  was  born  in  Josephine  county, 
Oregon,  -Tuly  1(>.  18.70,  and  is  a  son  of  Louis 
and  Catherine  (Wimer)  Strong,  both  of  whom 
are  natives  of  ^Missouri.  They  were  married, 
liowever,  in  Iowa,  to  which  state  they  had  re- 
moved witli  tlieir  respective  parents  in  child- 
hood da,vs.  Unto  tliem  were  born  twelve 
children:  .lames  Frank,  of  Myrtle  Point,  Ore- 
gon, who  is  married  and  has  a  family  of  seven 
children:  William  .7..  also  living  at  M.yrtle 
Point ;  Lnc.v.  the  wife  of  E.  W.  .Jones,  of 
ilyrtle  Point,  by  whom  she  has  four  children ; 
Henry  A.:  Loviis  ^M.,  of  Arago.  Oregon,  who  is 
married  and  has  four  chihlren;  Viola,  who  is 
the  wife  of  Sehhm  Warner,  of  M.vrtle  Point, 
and  has  five  childicn;  Kugenia,  the  wife  of 
William  Flo.vd.  of  Riverton.  Oregon,  b.v  whom 
she  has  five  children:  Alice  A.,  the  wife  of 
C.  L.  Neil,  of  Ruckles.  Oregon,  and  the 
mother  of  one  child;  J.  C.  of  Myrtle  Point, 
who  is  married  and  has  two  children:  and 
Evan,  Ralph   and   Eva,  all  deceased. 

Upon  his  father's  farm  in  Josephine  and 
Coos  ccinnties  Henry  A.  Strong  spent  the 
da.vs  of  his  boyhood,  youth  and  early  man-, 
hood  to  the  age  of  twenty-four  years.  He 
was  educated  in  Josephine  county  but  had 
no  special  advantages.  After  putting  aside 
his  text  books  he  remained  at  home  and 
assisted  his  father  until  three  vears  after 
he  had  attained  his  majority.  He  then  went 
to  work  in  a  gold  mine  in  -Josephine  cnnnly. 
where  he  spent  seven  months,  and  at  the  end 
of  that  time  he  rented  a  tract  of  land  and 
engaged  in  dairy  farming  and  in  raising 
grain.  For  a  year  he  lived  uiion  that  place 
and  then  rented  another  farm  for  a  period 
of  four  years.  He  next  bought  thirt.v-nine 
acres  of  land  situated  about  two  miles   from 


.Myrtle  I'oint  on  the  Dora  road  and  he  has 
nuule  practically  all  the  improvemenl>  u|inn 
the  property  save  the  erection  of  the  resi- 
dence. He  nou-  has  seventeen  acres  under 
cultivation  and  raises  green  food  for  cows 
and  also  garden  truck.  He  has  likewise 
planted  an  orchard  and  year  b.v  year  he  is 
adding  to  the  productiveness  of  his  land 
through  the  careful  cultivation  and  deveioji- 
ment  of  his  fields.  He  also  raises  blooded 
stock,  including  fine  horses  and  Jersey  cows. 
In  addition  to  his  home  place  he  has  a  tim- 
ber claim  about  twelve  miles  from  M.vrtle 
Point  and  it  is  figured  that  there  arc  four 
million  feet  of  timber  on  the  claim  of  a 
second  growth.  His  business  interests  :ire 
of  a  character  that  contribute  to  public 
progress  as  w-ell  as  to  individual  success  and 
what  he  accomplishes  rejiresents  the  fit  \ilili- 
zation  uf  the  innate  talents  which  are  his. 

On  the  9th  of  September.  1S94.  :\Ir.  Strong 
was  united  in  marriage  to  iliss  Alice  Jl. 
Rerry.  a  native  of  Oregon,  and  a  daughter 
of  John  and  ilary  (Warner)  Berry,  the  for- 
mer born  in  Ireland  and  the  latter  in  Indiana. 
In  that  family  were  eight  children:  Mary 
V...  deceased:  John,  living  in  Fort  Klannitli 
with  his  wife  and  two  children;  Olive,  wlm 
is  the  wife  of  B.  C.  Shull.  of  Myrtle  Point, 
and  has  eight  children;  William  L..  living 
in  AIIegan.y,  Oregon;  Alfred  E.,  of  Alaska; 
ilrs.  Strong;  Horace,  of  Prosper.  Oregon,  whci 
is  married  and  has  two  children;  and  Laura 
E.,  the  wife  of  H.  A.  Schroeder,  of  Myrtle 
Point,  and  the  mother  of  two  children.  Unlci 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Strong  have  been  born  thn'c 
children:  Clarence  H..  born  July  12.  IS!)^: 
Bertha  E.,  November  23.  ]901;  and  Andra 
B..  September  22,  1907. 

Since  age  conferred  upon  him  the  right 
of  franchise  Henry  A.  Strong  has  voted  for 
the  men  and  measures  of  the  democratic 
part,v.  He  has  served  as  a  member  of  the 
school  board  and  the  cause  of  education  finds 
in  him  a  stalwart  champion.  He  belongs 
to  the  Modern  Woodmen  camp  and  also  to 
the  Orange  and  is  a  citizen  whose  interest  in 
the  welfare  and  upbuilding  of  the  commu- 
nity is  deep  and  sincere.  He  recogiiizes  some- 
thing of  the  opportunities  which  are  to  be 
found  in  this  section  and  at  all  times  bends 
his  ell'orts  toward  the  improvement  of  the 
region  which  he  has  selected  as  his  home, 
knowing  that  here  as  elsewhere,  earnest  and 
intelligently  directed  labor  will  be  rewardcfl 
with  substantial  results. 

BENJAMIN  ROBERT  PATTERSON  is  the 
inniiu'  nu'inbcr  of  tijc  drug  firm  oi  I'atterson 
&  Son.  which  is  doing  a  satisfactory  business 
in  Heppner,  Oregon.  He  was  born  in  llornells- 
ville.  New  York,  January  2S.  1874,  a  son  of 
.1.  II.  and  Rebecca  ((iriftiths)  Patterson,  both 
of  whom  are  living.  The  father  riunv  to 
Hepi)ner  in  1SS3,  by  stage  from  Montana. 
He  entered  the  employ  of  the  Oregon  Railroad 
&  Navigation  Company  as  a  loconmtive  engi- 
neer and  was  the  first  engine  driver  on  the 
Heppner  branch  of  that  road,  in  the  service 
of  which  he  remained  for  twent,v-one  years. 
In  1889  although  still  on  the  railroad  com- 
pany's payroll,  he  engaged  in   the  drug  trade 


84 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


in  Heppner,  conducting  it  as  a  side  interest 
until  Iiis  son,  Benjamin  Robert  Patterson, 
became  actively  connected  with  the  business. 
The  father  then  left  the  employ  of  the  rail- 
road company  and  since  that  time,  both  he 
and  our  subject  have  been  actively  engaged 
in  the  drug  business  in  Heppner.  In  the 
spring  of  1872  J.  H.  Patterson  was  married 
to  Rebecca  Griffiths,  of  Hornellsville,  New- 
York,  and  shortly  afterward  they  came  west, 
becoming  pioneers  on  the  Pacific  coast.  J.  H. 
Patterson  is  a  republican,  and  fraternally 
he  holds  membership  in  the  Masonic  order, 
in  which  he  has  attained  the  thirty-second 
degree.  He  belongs  to  the  Shrine  and  is  a 
member  of  the  Brotherhood  of  Locomotive 
Engineers. 

Benjamin  R.  Patterson  received  his  pri- 
mary education  in  the  public  schools  of  Hepp- 
ner and  later  entered  the  pharmaceutical  de- 
partment of  the  Universitj'  of  Buffalo,  being 
graduated  from  that  institution  in  1897.  He 
then  returned  to  Heppner  and  in  partnership 
with  his  father  engaged  actively  in  the  drug 
business,  which  has  since  been  successfully 
conducted  under  the  firm  name  of  Patterson 
&  Son. 

At  Portland,  Oregon,  in  July,  1900,  Benja- 
min R.  Patterson  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Addie  Bean,  a  daughter  of  H.  F.  Bean 
of  that  city.  Mr.  Patterson  is  a  republican 
and  takes  a  reasonably  active  interest  in  mat- 
ters of  state.  He  belongs  to  the  Woodmen  of 
the  World,  being  one  of  its  active  members. 
The  members  of  the  firm  of  Patterson  &  Son 
are  widely  known  in  the  community,  where 
they  are  regarded  as  being  among  its  best 
and  most  valued  citizens.  They  are  public- 
spirited,  have  great  faith  in  the  future  of 
their  county  and  town  and.  being  genial  in 
disposition  and  optimistic  by  nature,  have 
during  the  course  of  their  business  and  social 
careers  formed  an  extensive  acquaintance 
among  the  people  of  Morrow  county,  large 
numbers  of  whom  are  their  intimate  friends. 

J.  B.  C.  TAYLOR  is  a  partner  in  the  Crater 
Lake  Navigation  Company,  being  actively 
engaged  as  engineer  and  sometimes  as  cap- 
tain on  the  steamer  Mazama,  plying  on  the 
Upper  Klamath  lake.  He  was  born  in  Solano 
county,  California,  December  29,  1862.  a  son 
of  G.  W.  and  Elizabeth  (Shoop)  Taylor, 
natives  of  Ohio  and  Pennsylvania,  respec- 
tively. They  were  married  in  the  east  and 
in  1854  the'  father  made  his  way  to  Cali- 
fornia, after  which  he  returned  and  brought 
his  family  to  the  Pacific  coast.  In  1866  he 
went  to  Idaho  and  in  1868  came  to  Oregon. 
Both  he  and  his  wife  were  residents  of  the 
Willamette  valley  at  the  time  of  their  death, 
the  father  dying  in  1907,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-four  years,  while  the  mother  passed 
aw-ay  in  1872.  at  the  age  of  thirtj^-six. 

J.B.  C.  Taylor  was  the  fifth  in  order  of 
birth  in  a  family  of  eight  cliildren.  He  re- 
sided with  his  parents  until  1879,  when  at 
the  age  of  seventeen  years,  he  began  working 
for  wages  in  Linn  county.  At  different 
times  he  clerked  in  stores,  taught  school  and 
worked  in  the  mines,  in  lumber  camps  and 
at  blacksmithing.  shoemaking  and  carpenter- 


ing. He  also  took  up  stea^nboating  and 
has  occupied  the  position  of  engineer  on 
railroads  as  well  as  on  steaml)oats.  In  the 
fall  of  1SS5  he  came  to  Klamatli  Falls,  where 
he  has  since  made  his  headquarters.  He  is  a 
man  of  considerable  median ical  ingenuity, 
able  to  turn  his  hand  to  almost  any  kind 
of  work  along  industrial  lines.  He  was  em- 
ployed for  ten  years  by  the  government  on 
the  reservation  but  for  the  past  four  years 
has  been  connected  with  the  steamer  Ma- 
zama, acting  most  of  the  time  as  engineer 
but  during  a  part  of  the  time  as  captain. 
This  lias  brought  him  a  wide  acquaintance 
and  he. has  gained  many  friends  during  his 
residence  in  this  district. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Taylor  is  a  Mason  of  high 
rank,  belonging  to  the  commandery  and  to 
the   Mystic   Shrine. 

C.  H.  McCUMBER  is  the  owner  of  a  ranch 
of  two  hundred  and  eighty  acres  which  is 
the  only  one  all  under  cultivation  in  the 
Yonna  valley.  When  it  came  into  his  posses- 
sion it  was  covered  with  sage  brush  but  in 
a  comparatively  short  space  of  time  the 
gray-green  of  the  sage  has  given  away  to 
the  golden  harvests  of  autumn,  while  in  the 
midst  of  the  fields  are  found  substantial 
buildings,  giving  ample  shelter  to  grain  and 
stock.  Mr.  McCumber  was  born  in  Read- 
field,  Maine,  August  2,  1860.  and  is  a  son 
of  Horace  and  Elizabeth  (Lane)  McCumber. 
both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Maine  and 
representatives  of  old  New  England  families. 
The  mother  died  in  the  Pine  Tree  state  in 
1882,  at  the  age  of  fifty-four  years,  and 
about  1S85  the  father  went  to  Texas,  where 
his  death  occurred  in  1888.  when  he  was 
sixty-four  years  of  age.  He  was  a  travel- 
ing salesman  during  the  greater  part  of  his 
life,  thus  providing  for  his  family,  which 
numbered  five  children.  The  three  sons  and 
two  daughters  of  his  household  are:  Wil- 
lard  A.,  now  living  in  Pittsfield,  Maine; 
Fred,  who  is  living  in  Alaska;  C.  H.,  of  this 
review;  Eva.  the  wife  of  A.  H.  Y^eaton.  of 
Skowhegan,  Maine:  and  Ella,  the  wife  of 
George  S.  Healy,  of  New  London,  Connecticut. 

C.  H.  McCumber  remained  a  resident  of 
the  Pine  Tree  state  until  1876,  spending  the 
period  of  his  youth  largely  in  school.  He 
afterward  traveled  extensively  over  the 
United  States,  working  at  any  employment 
that  he  could  secure  until  he  came  to  Oregon 
in  the  spring  of  1882.  making  his  way  first 
to  Portland.  He  was  there  employed  on 
public  works  and  remained  a  resident  of  the 
Rose  City  for  six  years,  or  until  1888,  when 
he  took  up  his  abode  on  his  present  ranch 
of  two  hundred  and  eighty  acres  in  the 
Yonna  valley.  He  preempted  and  home- 
steaded  this  tract,  which  was  covered  with 
sage  brush.  Presently  he  undertook  the 
work  of  cultivating  crops  where  heretofore 
the  wild  brush  grew  at  will,  and  today  he 
has  the  only  ranch  in  the  Y'onna  valley  that 
is  all  under  cultivation.  He  carries  on  gen- 
eral farming  and  stock-raising  and  in  addi- 
tion is  a  timber  cruiser  and  locates  lands 
for  settlers.  His  example  in  the  develop- 
ment of  his  property  is  one  well  worthy  of 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


85 


emulation  and  lu3  efforts  have  been  a  potent 
element  for  the  upbuilding  of  the  district. 

In  October,  1900.  Mr.  MeCumber  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Aired, 
a  native  of  Oregon  and  a  daughter  of  W. 
H.  Teters.  By  her  former  marriage  she  had 
two  children,  "Earl  and  Ora.  Mr.  MeCumber 
may  be  called  an  independent  republican  but 
is  liberal  in  both  his  political  and  religious 
views  and  holds  rather  to  an  independent 
course  instead  of  binding  himself  by  any 
creed  or  platform.  His  fellow  townsmen 
recognize  in  him  a  reliable,  trustworthy  busi- 
ness man  and  one  who  merits  his  success 
because    it   has   been   won  through   industry. 

PETER  NELSON.  The  name  of  Peter 
Nelson  figures  prominently  in  connection 
witli  events  that  have  le'ft  their  impress 
upon  the  history  of  Oregon  and  the  north- 
west, and  by  reason  of  this  and  his  personal 
work  as  a  citizen  he  well  deserves  mention 
in  this  volume.  He  was  one  of  the  pioneers 
of  Gardiner,  where  he  still  makes  his  home. 
His  birth  occurred  in  Norway,  May  37.  1S37, 
his  parents  being  Xels  and  Martha  Olsen, 
botli  of  whom  were  born,  lived  and  died  in 
Norway.  In  1S51,  when  fourteen  years  of 
age,  Peter  Nelson  came  to  the  United  States. 
He  was  then  following  a  sea-faring  life  and 
sailed  out  of  New  York  until  1858,  when  he 
came  around  the  Horn  to  San  Francisco.  He 
there  made  his  headquarters  for  a  time,  sail- 
ing out  of  the  Golden  Gate  for  two  years  on 
trips  to  the  sound.  While  in  the  northwest 
he  made  a  trip  to  Australia,  where  he  spent 
the  winter,  after  wliich  he  returned  to  San 
Francisco  and  continued  on  the  sea  until 
1867.  That  year  witnessed  his  arrival  in 
Gardiner,  at  which  time  the  inhabitants  of 
the  town  numbered  but  three  families.  Mr. 
Nelson  began  work  here  in  the  lumber  mills 
and  was  thus  employed  for  about  three 
years.  He  afterward  went  to  Scottsburg 
where  he  engaged  in  the  saloon  business  for 
three  years  and  then  returned  to  Gardiner 
where  "he  bought  a  saloon,  which  he  con- 
ducted successfully  for  thirty-four  years. 
He  retired  from  active  life  in  1907  and  has 
since  enjoyed  a  rest,  made  possible  by  his 
careful  expenditures  and  his  able  business 
management   in   former   years. 

In  1877  Mr.  Nelson  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Margaret  Sawyer,  a  daughter  of 
Andrew  Sawyer  who  was  a  pioneer  of 
Umpqua  county,  now  Douglas  county,  of 
1S.")0.  His  daughter  Anna  was  the  first  white 
child  born  in  that  county  and  Mrs,  Nelson 
was  the  second.  Andrew  Sawyer  took  up  a 
donation  claim  on  the  Umpqua  river  about 
nine  miles  above  Scottsburg,  and  the  farm 
is  now  owned  by  his  son  William  Sawyer. 
Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nelson  have  been  born 
three  children:  Anna  L..  the  wife  of  George 
Perkins  of  Gardiner;  Fannie,  who  married 
Captain  Gust  Westerdale  of  San  Gabriel, 
Oregon;  and  Peter  A.,  of  Gardiner. 

Mr.  Nelson  is  a  democrat  in  politics, 
prominent  in  local  ranks  of  the  party  and 
for  several  years  served  as  chairman  of  the 
county  committee  and  as  a  delegate  to  state 
conventions.     In   fact,  he  was  the  dominant 


factor  in  democratic  politics  in  this  district 
but  always  refused  any  political  preferment 
for  himself.  He  belongs  to  Roseburg  Lodge, 
No.  326,  B.  P.  O.  E.,  and  is  a  charter  mem- 
ber of  Aurora  Lodge,  No.  59,  A.  F.  &  A.  M., 
of  Gardiner.  With  many  important  events 
of  this  region  he  has  been  closely  associated. 
He  was  one  of  a  crew  of  thirty  who  took 
the  steamer  Swan  up  the  Umpqua  river  to 
Roseburg,  this  being  the  first  and  only  ves- 
sel that  has  made  the  trip.  At  that  time 
it  was  thought  feasible  to  navigate  as  far 
as  Roseburg  and  several  thousand  dollars 
were  spent  in  deepening  the  channel.  After 
the  trip  was  made  congress  gave  an  appro- 
priation of  fifty  thousand  dollars  for  more 
work,  and  while  the  more  powerful  steamer 
Kntcrprise  was  built  for  that  service  it 
was  found  to  be  impracticable  and  the  navi- 
gation of  the  upper  Umpqua  was  abandoned. 
For  years  Mr.  Nelson  was  a  factor  in  politi- 
cal life  of  Douglas  county  and  became  widely 
known  throughout  southern  and  central  Ore- 
gon. He  has  always  taken  a  progressive 
stand  in  support  of  public  measures  and  is 
one  of  the  first  to  foster  and  support  any 
movement  for  the  advancement  of  the  inter- 
ests of  Douglas  county. 

EDWARD  FREUER,  whose  home  property, 
known  as  the  Seven  Springs  Ranch,  is  splen- 
didly located  not  far  from  Bonanza,  has  been 
a  witness  of  the  arrival  of  every  settler  in 
the  Poe  valley,  for  he  is  a  pioneer  here  and 
others  have  followed  in  his  footsteps  in  choos- 
ing this  location  as  a  place  of  residence.  He 
was  born  in  Sufi'olk  county,  England,  April 
1,  1854,  and  is  a  son  of  W.  L.  B.  and  Eliza- 
beth (Ray)  Freuer,  who  spent  their  entire 
lives  in  the  mother  country.  Edward  Freuer 
was  the  eighth  in  order  of  birth  in  a  family 
of  nine  children  and  is  the  only  one  that  ever 
came  to  the  United  States.  He  arrived  at  his 
present  place  of  residence  in  1882  and  has 
since  made  this  his  home,  covering  a  period 
of  thirty  years.  His  boyhood  days  and  youth 
were  spent  in  his  native  country  and  for  some 
time  he  worked  -in  accountant  oflSces  in  Lon- 
don. He  also  engaged  in  farming  for  six  years 
in  England  and  since  arriving  in  Oregon  has 
led  the  life  of  a  ranchman,  having  at  the  pres- 
ent time  four  hundred  and  eighty  acres  on 
section  1,  township  40,  range  11,  east,  in  the 
Poe  valley.  The  place  is  today  well  fenced 
and  upon  it  is  a  comfortable  residence  and 
good  barns  and  outbuildings  for  the  shelter 
of  grain  and  stock.  It  is  appropriately  named 
the  Seven  Springs  Ranch  by  reason  of  the 
seven  ditTerent  springs  which  are  found  upon 
the  place.  Many  modern  conveniences,  acces- 
sories and  improvements  have  been  introduced 
and  the  farm  is  today  one  of  the  valuable 
properties  of  the  community. 

Mr.  Freuer  was  married  in  England  in  18S0 
to  Miss  Claudine  Chenery,  who  was  born  in 
Gloucestershire,  England,  in  18.')6.  They 
have  become  the  parents  of  four  children, 
all  of  whom  were  born  upon  the  old  home 
ranch,  namely:  Ray:  Bertha,  wlio  is  the  wife 
of  R,  D.  Wagner,  living  at  Calgary,  in  the 
Alberta  province  of  Canada:  Sidney;  and 
Frances,  at  home.    Sidney  and  Ray  each  own 


86 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


:i  quartLT  si'clion  of  land  adjoining  tlieir 
fatlii'i-'s  propi'ity  and  are  iMituiprising  young 
business  men  of  this  part  of  the  state.' 

ilr.  Freuer  came  to  Oregon  a  poor  man  and 
acquired  land  cheap.  '  He  has  won  prosperity 
through  his  dealings  in  live  stock,  making  a 
specialty  of  cattle  for  a  quarter  of  a  century. 
At  the  jjresent  time  he  is  engaged  in  dairying 
and  he  also  handles  horses.  He  has  worked 
with  unfaltering  purpose  to  accomplish  what 
he  had  set  out  to  do  and  his  success  is  the 
logical  and  legitimate  outcome  of  his  earnest 
purpose,  careful  management  and  determina- 
tion. 

Mr.  Freuer  is  interested  in  the  public  -wel- 
fare of  the  community  to  the  extent  of  giving 
aid  to  many  movements  for  the  general  good. 
In  jiolities  he  is  a  democrat  but  takes  only 
a  citizen's  interest  in  the  questions  of  the 
day.  never  seeking  political  preferment.  He 
had  the  first  postofHce  established  in  Poe  val- 
ley, calling  it  Bedlield  after  his  old  home. 
After  ten  years  this  postotlicc  was  discontin- 
ued. He  helped  to  establish  district  Xo.  20 
and  has  been  a  school  oflieer  most  of  the  time. 
For  ten  or  twelve  years  he  conducted  a  road 
house  on  his  ranch  and  entertained  many  of 
the  leading  stock  men  of  the  community.'  He 
also  gave  an  acre  of  land  and  established  the 
cemetery  conducted  under  the  name  of  the 
Bedfield  ilutual  Burial  Association.  He  is 
today  the  oldest  resident  in  Poe  valley  and 
has  taken  a  most  active  and  helpful  ])art  in 
promoting  its  interests  along  lines  leading  to 
continuous  development  and  progress.  There 
has  been  nothing  sjiectacular  in  his  entire  life. 
He  has  worked  earnestly  and  perseveringly 
day  by  day,  knowing  that  industry  and  close 
application  are  the  basis  of  all  honorable  suc- 
cess. He  has  had  the  usual  experiences  of  the 
pioneer  dairyman  and  farmer  upon  the  fron- 
tier and  he  has  lived  to  triumph  over  diffi- 
culties and  obstacles  and  reach  a  place  among 
the  substantial  residents  of  this  part  of  the 
state. 

THOMAS  JEFFERSON  B?ATTAIN.     The 

specific  and  distinctive  office  of  biography  is 
not  to  give  voice  to  a  man's  modest  estimate 
of  himself  and  his  accomplishments  but 
rather  to  leave  the  perpetual  record  estab- 
lishing his  position  by  the  consensus  of  public 
opinion.  .Tudgod  in  this  light.  Thomas  .Jeffer- 
son Brattain  was  one  of  the  most  prominent, 
influential  and  valued  citizens  who  have 
lived  in  soutliern  Oregon.  He  was  very  suc- 
cessful in  his  business  undertakings  and  his 
life  was  fraught  with  many  good  deeds — 
the  expression  of  his  generosity  and  his  deep 
interest  in  his  fellownien.  He  was  born  Jan- 
uary 2.  1820.  in  Hlinois.  and  was  the  second 
child  of  the  Hon.  Paul  Brattain.  who  was  a 
native  of  North  Carolina.  At  an  early  day 
the  latter  removed  to  Tennessee  when  that 
state  was  a  wilderness,  became  a  resident 
of  Illinois  when  it  was  a  territory  and  went 
to  Iowa  wIk'u  it  was  the  "far  west."  settling 
on  the  broa<l  prairie  east  of  Keosauqua. 
Still  he  felt  the  lure  of  pioneer  life  and  in 
]8.i2  came  to  Oregon,  taking  up  his  abode 
upon  a  farm  in  Lane  county,  which  he  occu- 
jiiecl    to    the    time    of    his    death.      He   became 


known  throngliont  that  section  of  the  state 
as  •'Uncle  Paul.''  a  term  expressive  of  his 
kindly  nature  and  of  the  alfectionate  regard 
entertained  for  him  by  all  who  knew  him. 
He  was  a  man  of  much  more  than  ordinary 
ability,  as  manifest  in  his  business  affairs 
and  in  his  active  connection  with  public  life. 
He  filled  many  positions  of  prominence,  leav- 
ing the  impress  of  his  individuality  upon  the 
history  of  Hlinois.  Iowa  and  Oregon  as  a 
member  of  the  constitutional  conventions  of 
those  states.  He  served  as  county  auditoi- 
of  Lane  county  under  the  territorial  govern- 
ment and  for  many  years  held  the  position 
of  county  agent.  His  plans  were  well  formu- 
lated and  carefully  executed  in  otfice  and  in 
business  life,  and  he  carried  forward  to  suc- 
cessful completion  whatever  he  undertook. 
His  family  numbered  ten  children:  -Tolin. 
who  died  in  Baker.  Oregon;  Thomas  .1.:  Al- 
fred, who  formerly  lived  near  Springfield. 
Oregon,  but  who  died  in  190!):  William,  a 
resident  of  the  Columbia  river  country: 
Marion,  who  died  in  Lane  county,  this  state; 
Cj'rus.  who  formerly  lived  on  the  old  home- 
stead in  Lane'  count.y  and  died  in  September, 
1912;  Elizabeth,  the  deceased  wife  of  .Tamos 
Ebert;  Mary,  who  died  in  her  father's  home; 
Martha,  the  deceased  wife  of  Pvobert  Had- 
ley;  and  Emillie.  the  wife  of  Frank  '•^mitlj. 
of  .Jasper,  Oregon. 

Thomas  .J.  Brattain  accompanied  his  ])ar- 
ents  on  their  various  removals  and  was  a 
young  man  of  twenty-one  years  when  he 
came  to  the  west.  He  had  already  become 
familiar  with  the  various  experiences  of  pio- 
neer life  in  the  ditlerent  states  where  they 
had  lived,  his  boyhood  being  largely  passed 
in  Van  Buren  county.  Iowa,  when  it  «as  a 
frontier  district.  It  was  in  the  spring  of 
1850,  when  twenty-one  years  of  age.  that 
he  joined  a  wagon  train  proceeding  westward. 
He  walked  most  of  the  way.  driving  an  ox 
team,  and  in  the  fall  arrived  in  the  [dacer 
fields  of  California,  where  he  remained  until 
the  spring  of  1S51.  Removing  to  western 
Oregon,  he  first  settled  in  Linn  county  but 
.soon  afterward  went  to  I,ane  county,  taking 
up  his  abode  near  Springfiidd.  He  purchased 
a  tract  of  land  there  and  at  the  time  of  his 
death  was  the  owner  of  three  hundred  acres 
adjoining  Springfield  on  the  east,  which  is 
now  the  property  of  his  widow.  In  1869  he 
removed  to  Langells  valley,  in  Klamath  coun- 
ty, and  in  1873  took  uj)  his  abode  in  the 
Chewaucan  valley,  in  Lake  county,  locating 
on  the  place  where  his  remaining  days  were 
passed  and  where  his  widow  now  resides. 
He  engaged  in  the  cattle  Inisiness.  which  he 
followed  on  the  ranges  of  Lake  and  Klamath 
counties  for  more  than  forty  years.  He  was 
still  actively  engaged  in  business  with  his 
sons  at  the  time  of  his  death.  His  enter- 
prise, determination  and  energy  were  ever 
strong  features  in  his  career  and  he  more- 
over displayed  sound  judgment,  keen  insight 
and  unfaltering  purpose.  As  the  years  went 
by  his  business  all'airs  prospered,  bringing 
him  a  very  substantial  and  gratifying  meas- 
ure of  success,  and  his  dealings  were  ever 
characterized  by  the  strictest  i)rinciples  of 
intcgritv   and    honor. 


THOJiAS   .(.    I'.KATTAIX 


PUBLIC     LRR'RY 


T1L0EH    FO'...-,    .^,^, 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


b9 


Oil  tlio  30tli  of  June,  1S5'.).  in  Lane  county. 
Oregon,  ilr.  Bnittain  was  married  to  iliss 
Permelia  Jane  Gilles])ie.  wlio  was  born  in 
Lafayette  county,  Jlis.souri,  June  4,  1S38.  and 
in  1852  crossed  the  iilains  to  Lane  county 
with  her  parents,  .Jacob  and  Elmira  (Hannal 
Gillespie.  She  was  married  in  the  liouse 
whicli  her  father  built  on  fir.st  cominj;  to 
the  west.  He  was  a  native  of  .Sumner  county. 
Tennessee,  and  died  in  Lane  county,  Oregon, 
at  tlie  veneralile  age  of  eighty-seven  years. 
Her  motlier  liad  passed  away  in  Missouri. 
in  1845.  and  the  fatlier  afterward  married 
Mrs.  Amelia  Wood  Martin,  whose  death  also 
occurred  in  Lane  county.  Oregon.  There  were 
seven  children  liy  the  first  marriage,  of  whom 
Mrs.  Brattain  was  tlie  fourtli  in  order  of 
birtli.  By  her  marriage  she  became  the 
mother  of  four  children,  as  follows:  Celesta 
Maude,  the  wife  of  James  Small,  of  Summer 
Lake.  Lake  county.  Judge  Elden  ilarcellus 
Brattain.  a  practicing  attorney  of  l^akeview, 
who  at  one  time  was  county  judge  and  who 
is  married  and  lias  two  sons;  and  Hazen 
Adelbert  and  Paul  Jacob,  who  are  jiartners 
in  stock-raising  interests  in  Lake  county. 
The  former  resides  on  the  raiicli  witli  his 
motlier.  He  is  a  graduate  of  the  State  Uni- 
versity of  Oregon  and  is  one  of  tlie  most 
extensive  stockmen  of  Lake  county.  He  is 
also  well  known  as  the  vice  president  of  the 
First  National  Bank,  of  Lakeview,  and  as  a 
leading  and  active  republican  who  for  one 
term  lias  representcil  liis  district  in  the  state 
legislature. 

Thomas  J.  Brattain  was  also  a  prominent 
fi'.ctor  in  political  circles  and  earnestly  advo- 
cated republican  ]uinciples.  believing  that  in 
the  platform  of  the  jiarty  were  contained  the 
best  elements  of  good  government.  During 
the  Civil  war  he  served  as  sherift"  of  Lane 
county  and  afterward  became  the  first  sheriff 
of  Lake  county,  fllliiig  that  position  when 
Lake  and  Klamath  counties  were  one.  In 
early  life  he  took  an  active  and  helpful  inter- 
est in  educational  affairs,  gave  to  his  children 
good  opportunities  in  that  direction  and 
served  on  the  school  l>oards  of  both  Lakeview 
and  I'aislcy.  He  also  assisted  his  neighbors 
in  building  a  sclioolhouse  at  the  soutli  end 
of  the  C'hewaucan  valley,  it  being  at  the 
time  the  only  one  between  Prineville.  Crook 
county,  on  tlie  north  and  the  Pine  Creek  dis- 
trict on  the  south.  At  that  time  tlie  town 
of  Lakeview  had  not  sprung  into  existence 
and  there  were  only  a  few  hundred  people 
in  Lake  county.  The  district  as  petitioned 
for  included  Chewaucan.  Summer  Lake  ami 
Silver  Lake. 

Early  in  October,  I'.mn.  Mr.  Brattain,  while 
out  on'  the  hills  gathering  plums,  suffered  a 
slight  stroke  of  paralysis  from  which  he 
seemed  never  to  fully  recover.  Later  he  in- 
curred a  cold  which  developed  into  pneu- 
monia, and  he  passed  away  on  his  ranch, 
four  miles  south  of  Paisley,  on  the  Hd  of 
December,  lilOO,  when  almost  eighty-one 
years  of  age.  His  was  a  well  sjient  and  hon- 
orable life  which  gained  for  him  the  high 
regard  and  respect  of  all  who  kne\y  him. 
He  was  very  generous  to  those  in  distress, 
having  never  been  known  to  refuse  assistance 


to  anyone  in  iiei'il.  His  home  was  a  hospi- 
table one,  dis|dayiiig  the  s]iirit  of  old-time 
hospitality  when  •■the  latclistriiig  was  always 
out."  He  gave  more  money  to  the  San  Fran- 
cisco sufferers  at  the  time"  of  the  earthquake 
than  any  otlier  man  in  Lake  county.  He  did 
not  profess  to  be  a  religious  man  but  the 
true  spirit  of  Christian  licl]ifulness  and  min- 
istry was  exeniplitied  in  his  life.  He  ever 
made  wise  use  of  his  time  and  op[)(irtunities, 
not  onl_y  for  the  beuetit  of  liimself  but  for 
friends  and  neighbors  and  for  the  community 
at  large.  The  world  is  better  for  his  having 
lived  and  his  life  record  constitutes  an  ex- 
ample well  worthy  of  emulation.  He  estab- 
li.shed  ill  Lake  county  one  of  her  oldest, 
wealthiest  and  most  prominent  families  and 
at  his  death  he  was  able  to  leave  to  his 
widow  and  children  a  most  handsome  compe- 
tence as  the  visible  evidence  of  a  well  spent 
life,  his  acres  and  his  cattle  being  numbered 
by  the  thousands. 

MOORE  BROTHERS.  Elsworth  and  Elmer 
Moore  ale  now  dpeiatiug  the  ranch  of  five 
huiidicd  and  twenty  acres  in  the  Poe  valley, 
on  which  the  family  have  resided  since  1893. 
The  place  is  now  devoted  to  general  farming 
and  stock-raising  and  indicates  the  careful 
supervision  and  practical  management  of  the 
two  brothers,  who  are  natives  of  Sutter 
county,  California,  their  birth  having  occurred 
about  eight  miles  from  Marysville.  in  the 
Sacramento  valle}'.  on  the  ISth  of  October, 
1875.  Their  parents  were  William  P.  and 
Clara  (Chambers)  Moore,  natives  of  Illinois 
and  Ohio,  respect ivel}-,  the  latter  having  been 
Ixirn  in  1S46,  They  were  married  in  Jlissouri, 
and  in  1873  became  residents  of  California, 
where  they  lived  for  fourteen  years,  coming  to 
Oregon  in  1SS6.  On  arriving  in  this  state 
they  took  up  their  abode  upon  a  ranch  that 
constitutes  a  part  of  the  Hot  Springs  addi- 
tion to  Klamath  Falls,  This  ranch  was 
cleared  by  the  family,  who  lived  there  for 
eight  years,  and  the  two  brothers  then  came 
to  their  present  ranch  in  Poe  valley  in  ISO:!. 
The  place  today  comprises  five  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  rich  and  productive  land 
which"  is  devoted  to  general  farming  and 
stock-raising. 

In  the  family  were  seven  children:  George, 
now  living  at  Jloulton,  Washington;  'Els- 
worth and  Elmer,  twins;  Cliarh-s,  a  resident 
of  Lake  county.  Oregon:  Hertlia.  who  died 
in  I'^IH  at  the  age  of  twenty-two  years; 
Ethel,  the  wife  of  J.  B.  Casey,  of  Ashland: 
and  Grover.  who  is  in  the  government  civil 
service  at  Chico.  California. 

The  family  came  to  Oregon  by  wagon. 
Mrs.  Moore  made  the  trip  with  three  of  her 
children,  who  were  then  quite  small,  cam])- 
ing  at  night  along  the  way.  for  the  big 
wagons  hail  gone  on  ahead.  The  family  hail 
a  hard  struggle  in  the  early  years  and  met 
with  extensive  financial  reverses  caused  by 
the  loss  of  their  stock  and  other  unavoidable 
conditions.  The  loss  of  an  acconi])lislied 
(laughter  also  added  to  the  weight  of  the 
trials  which  the  family  had  to  bear.  The 
mother  iind  children,  however,  struggled  on 
bravely  and  prosperity  has  at  length  rewarded 


90 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


their  efforts  in  the  reclamation  of  their 
claim  and  in  the  development  of  their  farm- 
ing property  which  now  constitutes  one  of 
the  well  improved  ranches  of  this  part  of  the 
state.  The  sons  who  are  now  in  charge  are 
young  men  of  marked  enterprise  and  ability 
and  their  capable  and  progressive  methods 
are  indicated  by  the  excellent  condition  of 
their  farm. 

F.  W.  BOLD.  The  enterprising  and  grow- 
ing town  of  Bonanza  finds  a  worthy  repre- 
sentative of  the  progressive  element  in  its 
citizenship  in  F.  W.  Bold,  a  successful  black- 
smith who  is  doing  all  kinds  of  iron  work 
and  wagon  work  in  wood.  He  was  born  De- 
cember 17,  1857.  in  Xew  Lisbon,  Wisconsin, 
and  is  a  son  of  -James  and  Lydia  (Kidd) 
Bold,  who  were  natives  of  England  and  were 
married  there.  They  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1S30,  settling  first  in  Illinois,  while 
later  they  removed  to  Wisconsin.  The  father 
was  foreman  for  seven  years  at  the  Bain 
Wagon  Works,  and  also  spent  seven  years 
in  the  J.  I.  C.  Plow  Works.  He  was  closely 
associated  with  mechanical  interests  through- 
out his  entire  life  to  the  age  of  seventy 
years,  when  he  retired,  well  meriting  the  rest 
which  he  enjoyed  throughout  his  remaining 
days.  Both  he  and  his  wife  died  in  Wis- 
consin at  the  ages  of  eighty-seven  and 
eighty-eight  years,  respectively.  They  reared 
a  familyof  seven  children:  Henry,  deceased; 
George, "who  resides  in  Wisconsin;  Mrs.  Anna 
Taylor,  who  has  also  passed  away;  F.  W., 
the  subject  of  this  review;  Byron,  who 
makes  his  home  in  California;  Ella,  the  wife 
of  William  Chase,  of  Nebraska;  and  Edward, 
of  Wisconsin. 

F.  W.  Bold  resided  at  the  place  of  his 
birth  until  twenty-one  years  of  age  and 
when  a  lad  of  thirteen  began  learning  the 
blacksmith's  trade,  which  he  followed  until 
about  twenty-two  years  of  age.  He  then 
became  agent  for  the  Oregon  Railroad  & 
Navigation  Company  in  Grant,  occupying 
that  "position  from  "lS79  until  1SS8.  Since 
that  time  he  has  largely  devoted  his  atten- 
tion to  blacksmithing.  which  he  followed  in 
Goldendale.  Washington,  and  The  Dalles, 
Oregon,  until  January,  1908.  when  he  came 
to  Bonanza  and  here  opened  a  blacksmith 
shop."  He  does  all  kinds  of  iron  work  and 
wagon  work  in  wood  and  his  business  is  an 
extensive  one.  necessitating  the  employment 
of  at  least  two  and  ofttimes  three  work- 
men throughout  the  year.  He  also  handles 
barbed  wire  and  agricultural  implements. 
Bonanza  wagons,  hacks,  plows,  etc.  His 
patronage  is  steadily  gi-owing  and  his  busi- 
ness is  now  a  profitable  one. 

In  ISSS  llr.  Bold  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Hiss  Ida  Sparks,  who  w.is  born  at  Goose 
Lake.  Oregon,  and  died  in  1905,  at  the  age 
of  thirty-eight  years.  They  lost  three  chil- 
dren in  infancy,  while  two  are  yet  living: 
K.  I.,  who  works  with  his  father  in  the  shop; 
and  Cecile.  who  is  managing  the  household 
affairs  for  her  father.  Mr.  Bold  votes  with 
the  republican  party  and  keeps  well  informed 
on  the  questions  and  issues  of  the  day  but 
does  not  seek  nor  desire  office.    He  has  mem- 


bership relations  with  the  Modern  Woodmen, 
the  V^oodmen  of  the  World  and  the  Knights 
of  Pythias.  There  have  been  no  exciting 
chapters  in  his  life  record  but  his  history 
is  characterized  by  faithful  performance  of 
duty  and  by  unfaltering  industry  that  has 
brought  him  a  substantial  measure  of  suc- 
cess and  made  him  recognized  as  one  of  the 
trustworthy  citizens  of  his  district. 

PROFESSOR  JOHN  GRAY  IMEL.  Per- 
haps no  appointment  of  an  individual  to  a 
position  in  the  public  service  of  Astoria  has 
given  more  uniform  satisfaction  than  when 
Professor  John  Gray  Imel  was  again  called 
upon  to  take  charge  of  the  public-school 
interests  of  this  city  as  superintendent  for 
a  three  years'  period"  that  will  continue  him 
in  the  oflSce  until  1914.  His  record  as  an 
educator  has  been  a  most  creditable  one, 
crowned  with  that  success  which  is  the  ex- 
pression of  duty  faithfully  and  capably  per- 
formed. He  w"as  born  S'eptember  29."  1871. 
in  Jefferson  county.  Indiana,  and  is  descended 
from  one  of  two  brothers  who  came  from 
Germany  just  prior  to  the  Revolutionary 
war.  All  trace  was  lost  of  one  of  the  broth- 
ers but  the  other  married  and  removed  to 
Indiana,  becoming  the  progenitor  of  the  rep- 
resentatives of  the  name  in  that  state  and 
in  Ohio.  His  parents  were  James  M.  and 
Anna  (Gray)  Imel,  both  of  whom  were  na- 
tives of  the  Hoosier  state,  whence  they  re- 
moved to  Ford  county,  Kansas,  in  1878. 
There  the  father  engaged  in  the  stock-rais- 
ing business  and  is  still  the  owner  of  a  large 
ranch  in  that  county.  The  children,  six 
sons  and  three  daughters,  are  yet  living. 

Professor  Imel  supplemented  his  public- 
school  course  by  academic  training  in  Kan- 
sas and  his  professional  training  in  the 
Oklahoma  State  Normal  School,  while  his 
more  advanced  training  was  received  in  the 
University  of  Chicago.  He  received  the  de- 
gree of  Master  of  Arts  from  Milton  L^niver- 
sity.  In  early  manhood  he  determined  upon 
the  profession  of  teaching  as  his  life  work 
and  that  his  choice  has  been  the  pursuit  for 
which  nature  evidently  intended  him  is 
indicated  in  the  successful  outcome  of  his 
labors  which  have  won  wide  commendation 
in  the  various  localities  where  he  has  taught. 
He  was  a  teacher  in  the  common  schools  of 
Kansas  in  1892  and  1S93,  and  of  Oklahoma 
in  1895  and  1896.  In  1900  he  was  appointed 
to  a  position  as  instructor  in  the  Oklahoma 
Central  State  Normal  School  and  in  1904 
was  appointed  professor  of  Latin  in  the  same 
school,  occupying  that  positioji  until  1908. 
In  the  latter  year  he  accepted  the  principal- 
ship  of  the  high  school  of  Astoria.  Oregon, 
and  the  following  year  was  chosen  superin- 
tendent of  the  Astoria  city  schools  for  a 
term  of  two  years.  In  1911  he  was  re- 
elected for  a  term  of  three  years,  on  which 
occasion  the  Morning  Astorian  of  May  7. 
1911,  said:  "The  pleasant  and  satisfying 
news  developed  yesterday  that  the  board  of 
directors  of  Astoria  school  district  had  se- 
cured the  further  service  of  Professor  J.  G. 
Imel  as  superintendent  of  the  city  schools 
for  a   period   of  three  years  and  at   an   ad- 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OP  OREGON 


91 


vanced  salary,  ilr.  Imel  lias  bufU  a  most 
t'aithful  and  efficient  olfin'r  and  lias  given 
the  city  and  its  big  school  system  the  best 
possible  care  in  the  past  and  his  retention 
means  much  for  the  iunnediate  future  of  the 
young  people  of  Astoria,  with  whom  he  has 
been  an  influence  for  good  in  many  ways, 
as  well  as  a  dependable  custodian  of  the 
public  interests  in  that  direction,  and  the 
Morning  Astorian  takes  pleasure  in  congratu- 
lating both  the  board  and  Mr.  Imel  upon 
the  conclusion  of  this  gratifying  business.'' 
In  the  Astoria  Daily  Budget  of  the  8th  of 
May  appeared  the  following:  "In  the  reap- 
pointment of  Professor  J.  G.  Imel  as  super- 
intendent of  the  city  schools  for  a  term  of 
three  years  the  local  school  board  has,  we 
believe,  made  a  judicious  move.  Mr.  Imel 
has  during  the  time  he  has  been  the  head 
of  the  city  school  department  handled  the 
affairs  of  that  position  in  a  manner  that  has 
reflected  credit  upon  himself  and  also  been 
of  great  benefit  to  the  educational  system. 
A  strict  disciplinarian,  he  has  established  a 
system  embracing  the  entire  school  depart- 
ment that  has  created  and  maintained  har- 
mony among  the  difTerent  schools  and 
branches  and  thus  accomplished  better  re- 
sults in  behalf  of  the  pupils."  The  only 
business  connection  which  Professor  Imel  has 
ever  held  outside  the  strict  path  of  his  pub- 
lic profession  was  that  of  director  of  the 
Citizens  Bank  at  Edmond,  Oklahoma,  from 
1903  until   1905. 

In  1894  in  Geuda  Springs.  Kansas.  Mr. 
Imel  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  X.  Mann,  a 
daughter  of  S.  S.  Mann,  of  Gladbrook.  Iowa, 
a  descendant  of  Horace  Mann.  The  only 
child  born  unto  Professor  and  Mrs.  Imel  is 
Dea  L.  Imel.  Professor  Imel  devotes  his 
undivided  attention  to  his  family  and  his 
professional  duties,  yet  with  his  wide  read- 
ing keeps  abreast  with  the  best  thinking 
men  of  the  age  upon  suljjects  which  are  of 
significant  and  vital  interest.  He  holds  to 
liigh  standards  in  his  chosen  life  work  and 
is  continuously  seeking  out  new  methods 
whereby  he  may  reach  his  ideal.  Moreover, 
each  forward  step  brings  him  a  broader  out- 
look and  wider  opportunity  and  his  work 
is  of   increasing  usefulness   as   the   vears   go 

by. 

ORA  W.  TAYLOR  is  general  manager  of 
the  Gearhart  Park  Company,  which  owns  one 
of  the  most  attractive  seaside  resorts  along 
the  Pacific  coast,  and  in  this  connection  his 
business  ability  and  executive  qualities  are 
resulting  in  the  attainment  of  a  gratifying 
measure  of  success.  He  was  born  in  Algona. 
Iowa.  February  13,  18C.5.  and  is  a  son  of 
■lames  M.  and  Velonia  (Foster)  Taylor,  the 
former  a  native  of  Jamestown,  Xcw  York, 
and  the  latter  of  Pennsylvania.  Tlie  father 
was  a  carpenter  by  trade  but  after  his  mar- 
riage took  up  his  abode  upon  a  homestead 
near  Algona,  Iowa,  and  was  associated  with 
agricultural  interests  in  that  locality  for  a 
number  of  years.  He  came  to  Oregon  in 
1874  and  settled  at  Oregon  City,  where  he 
lived  for  a  year,  after  which  he  spent  two 
years  in  Salem.     On  the  expiration  of  that 


period  of  time  he  began  farming  at  New 
Era,  Clackamas  county,  and  was  very  success- 
ful in  his  labors  there.  As  the  years  passed 
he  acquired  a  comfortable  competence,  with 
which  he  retired  about  eleven  years  ago, 
establishing  his  home  in  Portland,  where  he 
still  resides  at  the  age  of  about  eighty 
years,  his  birth  having  occurred  July  19, 
1832.  One  of  the  most  creditable  chapters  of 
his  life  record  covers  his  experience  as  a  sol- 
dier in  the  Civil  war.  He  served  as  a  member 
of  Company  D,  Twelfth  Iowa  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, and  participated  in  a  number  of  impor- 
tant engagements,  including  the  battle  of  Fort 
Donelson,  in  which  he  was  wounded,  being 
struck  on  the  shoulder  by  a  grape  shot  when 
the  troops  were  storming  the  breastworks  and 
he  had  almost  reached  the  top.  A  spirit  of 
patriotism  has  characterized  his  entire  life. 
In  matters  of  citizenship  he  ever  stands  for 
progress  and  improvement.  He  holds  mem- 
bership with  Oregon  City  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  and 
belongs  to  Oregon  City  Lodge,  I.  0.  0.  F.  In 
1906  he  was  called  upon  to  mourn  the  loss 
of  his  wife,  who  passed  away  at  the  age  of 
fifty-eight  years,  dying  in  the  faith  of  the 
Congregational  church,  of  which  she  had  long 
been  a  consistent  member.  In  his  family  are 
two  sons  and  a  daughter:  Frank  M.,  who  is 
living  in  Benton  county;  Clara,  the  wife  of 
George  Broughton,  of  Irvington;  and  Ora  W. 
Ora  W.  Taylor  was  a  lad  of  aljout  nine 
years  when  the  family  left  Iowa  and  came  to 
Oregon.  In  this  state  he  was  reared  upou  the 
home  farm  to  the  age  of  seventeen  years, 
when  he  started  out  in  the  business  world  to 
provide  for  his  own  support.  He  began  study- 
ing telegraphy  with  the  Western  Union  Tele- 
graph Company  in  their  Salem  office  under 
William  Dumars  and  in  1883  became  agent 
and  operator  for  the  Oregon  &  California  Rail- 
road at  Glendale,  Oregon.  After  two  years 
he  was  transferred  to  Portland  as  night 
operator  in  the  dispatcher's  office  and  subse- 
quently was  operator  and  assistant  dispatcher 
until  1893,  when  he  was  promoted  to  the 
position  of  chief  train  dispatcher.  He  severed 
his  connection  with  railway  interests  in 
1906.  During  the  last  two  years  of  his  work 
in  that  field  of  business  he  acted  as  train 
master  and  assistant  superintendent.  Grad- 
ually he  worked  his  way  upward  as  he  gave 
proof  of  his  ability  and  tlie  same  spirit  of 
progress  has  characterized  him  since  severing 
his  connection  with  railway  interests.  His  next 
step  in  the  business  world  brought  him  to  tlie 
position  of  manager  of  the  real-estate  depart- 
ment of  the  firm  of  llartman  &  Tliomiison. 
with  whom  he  continued  for  two  years.  During 
tliis  time  Rose  City  addition,  the  largest  res- 
idence section  of  tlie  city  of  Portland,  was  plat- 
ted under  his  direction.  He  afterward  beciime 
manager  of  tlie  Ruth  Trust  Company  and  in 
Xovember.  1909,  was  also  elected  to  the  ]iresi- 
dency  of  tliat  institution,  after  which  he  con- 
tinned  to  act  both  as  its  president  and  general 
manager  until  .\pril.  1911.  when  he  resigned 
on  account  of  impaired  health.  After  a  rest 
by  which  he  was  greatly  benefited  he  became 
identified  with  the  Gearhart  Park  Company 
as    its   general    manager.      Gearhart    Park    is 


92 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


loc-utcil  on  tlic  si'iisiile  of  Astoria.  Tliousmuls 
of  dollars  have  been  spent  in  its  improvement 
and  tlionsands  more  are  being  expended  to 
keep  the  iniprovements  proportionate  to  its 
rapid  growth.  Because  of  the  salubrious  cli- 
mate of  Oregon  it  is  an  all-the-year-round 
resort.  The  place  has  great  natural  beauties, 
to  which  the  work  of  man  has  added.  Only  a 
year  or  two  ago  the  company  erected  a  splen- 
did hotel,  one  of  the  finest  to  be  found  on  the 
coast.  It  contains  spacious  parlors  and  also 
sun  parlors.  The  magnificent  dining  room 
and  nuiny  large  chambers  are  fitted  witli  every 
modern  convenience.  It  has  broad  verandas 
overlooking  the  sea  and  a  splendid  natator- 
ium.  where  one  can  have  warm  salt  water 
baths  if  surf  bathing  is  not  desired.  In  the 
rear  of  the  hotel  is  a  beautiful  stretch  of 
natural  forest.  All  around  the  hotel  hav 
been  erected  attractive  cottages  for  the  paik 
is  artistically  laid  out  and  offers  every  ad- 
vantage to  those  who  wish  to  have  homes  at 
a  seaside  resort.  An  attraction  of  the  season 
of  lull  was  a  Chautauqua,  for  whieli  superior 
talent  was  secured.  The  management  is 
making  every  effort  to  sustain  the  high  repu- 
tation which  Gearhart  has  already  enjoyed  as 
one  of  the  most  popular,  attractive  and  high- 
class  resorts  on  the  Pacific  coast.  As  general 
manager  Jlr.  Taylor's  efl'orts  are  a  potent 
clement  in  the  accomplishment  of  this  result. 
In  1897  occurred  the  marriage  of  Ora  W. 
Taylor  and  iliss  Nellie  Beverly,  a  daughter 
of  .John  Beverly,  of  Canyonville.  Oregon,  and 
they  have  three  children.  Anna  Marie, 
Gretclieu  and  Robert.  Mr.  Taylor  is  a  life 
member  of  the  Portland  Commercial  Club. 
He  is  a  public-spirited  citizen  and  his  efforts 
and  cooperation  can  always  be  counted  upon 
to  further  any  movement  for  the  general 
good.  He  served  on  the  charter  commission 
appointed  bv"  Mayor  Simon  and  he  has  in 
many  other  ways  given  tangible  evidence  of 
his  devotion  to  Portland  and  her  upbuilding. 
He  is  a  man  of  unfailing  courtesy,  always 
earnest  and  genial  and  his  frank  and  cordial 
address  wins  confidence. 

LEE  LAUGHLIN  is  one  whose  life  inter- 
ests have  been  closely  associated  with  the 
progress  and  development  of  Yamhill  county. 
His  activity  in  the  business  and  political 
affairs  of  Yamhill,  where  he  now  resides, 
has  shown  that  he  is  not  wanting  in  those 
essential  features  of  judgment  and  integrity 
wliich  win  the  success  due  to  the  man  dis- 
playing them.  The  intimate  connection  he 
has  had  with  the  develo|iment  of  Yamhill 
has  proved  his  forcsiglit.  sounil  judgment  and 
altruism. 

ilr.  Laughlin  was  born  in  Lincoln  county. 
Missouri,  .lanuary  IT.  1833.  His  father.  Sam- 
>iel  Laughlin.  was  a  native  of  Pendleton 
district,  South  Carolina,  while  his  mother. 
Xancy  iDoughty)  Laughlin  was  a  native  of 
Buncombe  county.  North  Carolina.  They 
were  ijiarried  in  ilissomi,  where  they  lived 
for  seventeen  years.  The  father  had  been 
previously  married  and  had  lived  in  Missouri 
seven  years.  By  his  first  union  there  were 
seven  children,  all  of  whom  are  now  de- 
ceased.    In   1847,  crossing  the  plains  to  Ore- 


gon, .Air.  and  ilrs.  Lauglilin  settled  in  Yam- 
hill county  and  each  took  up  a  donation 
claim  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres, 
ilrs.  Laughlin's  death  occurred  before  she 
had  proved  her  claim  and  it  reverted  to  the 
government  xmder  the  ruling  of  the  donation 
law.  Mr.  Laughlin,  however,  lived  upon  hi> 
original  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
throughout  tlie  remainder  of  his  life,  engaciu" 
in  farming  and  stock-raising.  By  his  second 
marriage  he  also  had  seven  children,  namely: 
William,  living  retired  in  Yamhill.  Oregon: 
Lee.  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Samuel,  who 
died  in  1911  at  the  age  of  seventy-six  years; 
Delia,  who  married  William  Smith  and  botii 
are  now  deceased;  Nancy,  the  widow  of  .1. 
D.  Capp.s.  of  Portland;  Lueinda,  who  mar- 
ried .1.  W.  Sapington  but  both  have  now 
passed  away;  Mary,  the  deceased  wife  of 
G.  W.  Sapington,  also  deceased. 

When  but  sixteen  years  old  Lee  Laughlin 
started  to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world. 
Lured  by  the  reports  of  gold  in  California, 
he  and  a  luimber  of  companions  eventuallv 
worked  their  way  to  Trinity  river  after  va- 
rious prospecting  trips.  The  rainy  season 
began  after  he  had  worked  about  "two  and 
one-half  months  and  Mr.  Laughlin  found 
himself  without  employment  in  a  strange 
country  and  without  provisions  necessary  for 
existence.  Forced  by  these  conditions,  he 
walked  the  greater  part  of  the  way  to  .San 
Francisco,  from  which  place  he  set  sail  in  a 
bark,  the  Ann  Smith,  of  which  Captain  Fland- 
ers was  master,  for  Portland  and  proceeded 
north  by  ocean  to  the  mouth  of  the  Colum- 
bia river.  Reaching  home,  he  remained  there 
until  1851,  but  gold  mining  again  seemed  to 
make  a  stronger  appeal  than  farming  and 
for  the  second  time  ilr,  Laughlin  set  out 
for  California,  He  found  however  that  there 
was  little  gold  to  be  dug  at  Yreka  and  was 
soon  back  home  in  Oregon.  After  farming 
for  one  year  he  took  a  three  years'  course 
of  study  at  the  Tualitin  Academy  and  the 
Pacific  University,  About  the  time  he  fin- 
ished this  work  the  Indian  war  broke  <nit 
and  his  love  of  adventure  led  him  to  enlist 
as  a  volunteer  in  that  treacherous  war.  11<- 
actively  served  for  three  months. 

On  October  8.  1S.J6,  Mr,  Laughlin  was  mar- 
ried to  Emma  Stewart,  a  daughter  of  Ben- 
jamin and  Ann  (Crumbaker)  Stewart,  of 
Putnam  county.  Ohio,  who  crossed  the  plains 
with  their  family  in  1847.  Mr,  and  Mrs. 
Stewart  were  both  born  in  Pennsylvani;i 
and  died  in  Oregon.  They  were  the  parents 
of  eight  children:  Jlrs.  Laughlin;  David  C. 
deceased;  Eminger,  who  resides  in  Grant 
county,  Oregon;  .James  and  Orville.  both  de- 
ceased; Montgomery,  of  Monmouth,  Oregon: 
Frances  A„  deceased,  who  was  the  wife  of 
■lohn  Fox,  of  Astoria;  and  Eva.  the  wife  of 
•lohn  Stewart. 

After  his  marriage  ilr.  L;iughlin  located 
on  a  donation  claim  of  one  hundred  anil 
sixty  acres  which  he  had  previously  taken 
up.  He  lived  upon  this  for  eight  years  and 
then  removed  to  Idaho,  where  he  reuuiine<l 
for  two  years.  After  his  return  he  sold  his 
claim  and  embarked  in  the  general  merchan- 
dise   business    in    Xortli    Yaml\ill.      \\'ith    his 


LEE    LAICHLIN 


PUbt. 


THE  CENTENNIAL  IIISTOKY  OF  OREGON" 


i).' 


liartiier.  Fiancis  llaiisw  irtli.  lie  rariicd  on 
tills  liusiiiess  sina-c'Sr-fully  lor  flglit  yoars. 
but  in  1S74  he  sold  Ills  Interest  and  now  that 
leisure  was  again  his.  he  started  on  another 
trip.  This  time  he  went  toward  the  center 
of  that  eivilizatioii  whieh  he  had  helped  to 
advanre  In  its  |)ro<;ress  in  tlie  west.  After 
visiting  various  points  ot  interest  he  attended 
the  t'entoniiial  Exposition,  then  being  held  in 
I'liiladellihia. 

I'pon  his  rctiuM  to  Oregon  Jlr.  Laughliii 
piirehased  a  t'arm  ot  one  hundred  and  eighty 
acres,  Iniinediately  adjoining  the  town  of 
Yamhill.  This  was  a  business  deal,  contracted 
(lurely  as  such,  for  instead  of  engaging  in 
agricultural  pur.stiits  upon  it  he  sold  it  In 
a  very  short  time  in  two  separate  tracts.  In 
1877  he  again  engaged  in  mercantile  busi- 
ness, entering  into  a  partnership  in  Vam- 
hill.  whieh  connection  lasted  for  nine  years. 
-\t  the  end  of  that  time  he  sold  out  and 
built  himself  a  very  substantial  and  com- 
tortable  residence  which  he  now  occupies. 
The  discontinuance  of  this  business  under- 
taking marked  the  close  of  liis  mercantile 
activities. 

Fn  politics  Mr.  I.:nigliliii  is  an  eiitliusiastic 
and  vigorous  supporter  of  the  republican 
party.  His  first  vote  was  cast  for  .\braham 
Lincoln.  In  ISfiO  be  began  serving  his  party 
by  accc]itiiig  oltices.  ^i^^  first  position  was 
that  of  county  assessor  of  Vamhill  county  and 
he  acteil  in  that  cajiacity  during  ]S60  and 
18(>1.  Til  1870  he  was  elected  to  the  Oregon 
state  legislature  and  again  to  the  same  ollice 
in  1S74.  His  third  electimi  to  the  legisla- 
tive body  of  his  state  took  ]ihire  in  issii 
and  again  he  served  a  full  term.  He  intro- 
duced a  resolution  before  the  Iiouse  of  repre- 
sentatives to  amend  the  state  constitution, 
striking  out  the  word  "male"  from  the  (|uali- 
ticatioii  of  the  electors,  thus  giving  woman 
equal  sullrage  with  man.  This  resolution 
was  passed  by  the  housi-  and  sul)se(|uently 
by  the  senate  but  when  finally  submitted  to 
the  vote  of  the  people  of  the  state  was  de- 
feated. 

Ill  his  own  city  he  showed  liis  public  spirit 
and  interest  in  the  general  welfare  by  an 
active  support  of  thi'  inihlie  schools,  serving 
for  many  years  as  direet(n'.  He  also  acted 
as  president  of  the  city  council  for  several 
terms.  In  March.  1888.  .Mr.  Langhlin  was 
one  of  the  organizers  of  the  .Mciliiinville 
Xational  I'.ank  at  .Me.Miiiinille.  Oregon,  and 
was  its  first  vice  president.  This  ollice  he 
held  for  eight  years  ami.  upon  the  <leath 
of  the  president,  was  unauiinoiisly  elected  to 
fill  the  vacancy,  an  ollice  which  he  was  par- 
ticularly well  (piali.fied  to  hohl.  After  eleven 
years'  service  as  president.  Mr.  l.anghlin 
felt  that  the  arduous  duties  of  the  position 
were  too  great  for  him  to  assumi'  any  longer 
and  he  retired  from  the  |iresldencv  but  is 
.«till  a  director. 

In  11)01  Mr.  l.angbliii  was  called  n]ion  to 
mourn  the  death  of  his  lirst  wife,  who  died 
February  11  at  the  a!;c  of  .-i\tv-tliree  years. 
In  1904  lie  married  Miss  .\ma  lirown  and  by 
this  union  has  one  child.  Lee  l.anglilin.  Jr.. 
born  October  2^.  190.").  The  family  now 
reside   in   a   verv  fine   home,   which   is  one   of 


the  most  beautiful  residences  of  Vamhill 
and  adds  much  to  the  attractiveness  of  the 
city. 

Mr.  Laughlin's  influence  has  been  fidt 
throughout  the  state  of  Oregon.  As  an  agri- 
culturist, a  merchant,  a  banker,  a  iiolitician. 
a  legislator,  and  as  a  citizen  he  has  held  the 
confidence  of  all  with  whom  he  came  in 
contact,  ami  this  confidence  has  never  been 
misplaced.  To  sucli  men  as  Jlr.  T.auglilln  a 
community  and  a  state  owe  a  lasting  debt 
which  can  be  jiartlally  eradicated  by  grate- 
ful a])preciatioii  and  by  a  continuaiice  of  the 
valuable  and  broad  lines  of  work  their  activ- 
ities have  established. 

ARTHUR  T.  LANGELL  has  for  twonty-si.\ 
years  been  aitively  connected  with  live-stock 
Interests  in  Klamath  county.  For  a  con- 
siderable period  he  raised  stock  but  at  the 
present  time  is  buying  and  shipping  only. 
His  sound  judgment  concerning  tlie  value  of 
horses  and  cattle  has  enabled  him  to  make 
jiidlelous  investments,  which  have  been  fol- 
lowed by  success.  He  was  born  in  Jackson- 
ville, Jackson  county.  Oregon.  February  10. 
18G(),  and  is  a  son  of  Nathaniel  and  Loretta 
Jane  (Hensley)  Langell,  natives  of  Nova 
Scotia  and  of  St.  Joseph.  Missouri.  res|)ec- 
tivel.v.  The  father  went  to  Ohio  in  his  boy- 
liood  da.vs  and  there  learned  the  trade  of 
shoemaklng.  after  which  he  came  to  Oregon 
by  way  of  the  Isthmus  route,  arriving  in  this 
state  about  1S."):2.  It  was  still  a  fniiitler  dis- 
trict, in  which  the  work  of  improvement  was 
being  slowly  and  steadily  carried  forward. 
He  was  married  in  Jackson  county  to  Miss 
Hensley.  who  had  previously  crossed  the 
plains  with  her  parents.  They  began  their 
domestic  life  in  .Jacksonville,  where  they  re- 
sided for  more  than  forty  years.  Mr.  Langell 
working  at  his  trade  there.  He  also  became 
interested  in  the  live-stock  business  in  con- 
nection with  his  brother  Arthur  Langell.  ami 
about  1S69  came  to  what  is  known  as  Langell 
valley,  which  was  so  named  in  honor  of  its 
lirst  settlers — the  father  and  uncle  of  Arthur 

T.  Langell.  and  his  grandfather.  .losejili 
l.aiigidl.  The  uncle  and  grandfather  both 
died  in  tills  valley.  The  parents  of  Arthur 
T.  Langell  arc  still  living  ami  now  reside  near 
rortland.  Oregon,  the  father  having  retired 
from  active  business,  lie  is  now  in  his  eighty- 
second  year,  while  his  wife  is  in  her  seventy- 
fifth  year.  In  their  family  were  ten  cliildren: 
Kliza!  the  wife  of  Judge  W.  C.  Hale,  of  Craiits 

Fass;  Mary,  who  married  Charles  Moore,  who 
is  mentioiu'd  elsewhere  in  this  work:  .\ddle 
and  Frank,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty 
and    twentysl.x    years,    respectively:    Arthur 

T.;  .Jessie,  the  wife  of  Harry  Foster,  of  Med 
ford:  Fred;  Harry,  who  makes  his  home  with 
his  ])arents;  and  two  who  died  in  infanc.v. 

Arthur  T.  Langell  was  a  resident  of  Jack 
sonvllle  during  the  winter  seasons  until  seven- 
teen years  of  age  and  sjieiit  the  summer 
months  in  connection  with  his  father's  live- 
stock interests  in  Klamath  county.  When  a 
youth  of  seventeen,  however,  he  went  to 
.slalem.  where  he  learned  the  plumber's  and 
tinner's   trades,   which   he    followed    for   two 

vears.     Since  that  time,  however,  or  for  the 


9G 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


past  twenty-six  years,  he  has  been  engafreil 
in  the  stock  business  in  Langell  valley  ami 
in  Bonanza.  He  has  now  disposed  of  his 
ranches  and  for  the  past  few  years  has  en- 
gaged only  in  buying  and  shipping.  He  has 
purchased  many  horses  for  the  United  States 
government  and  is  an  excellent  judge  of 
stock,  so  that  success  has  attended  his  efforts 
and  he  is  one  of  the  well  known  stockmen 
of  the  district. 

On  the  5th  of  November,  1S9G,  Mr.  Lanj;cll 
was  married  to  Miss  Anna  E.  Chastain.  a 
daughter  of  Dr.  J.  A.  Chastain,  who  is  men- 
tioned at  length  on  another  page  of  this 
work.  They  now  have  two  children:  Fred- 
erick C,  who  was  born  September  1,  1S97; 
and  Claudia  L.,  whose  birth  occurred  Febru- 
ary 19,  1902.  Mr.  Langell  is  a  typical  west- 
ern man — wide-awake,  alert  and  enterprising. 
The  west  is  making  its  history  with  vast 
possibilities  before  it  and,  recognizing  this 
fact,  Mr.  Langell  has  become  active  in  the 
work  of  public  progress,  his  labors  constitut- 
ing an  element  in  the  upbuilding  of  the  com- 
munity as  well  as  in  individual  success. 

GEORGE  E.  FLATMAN,  who  started  out 
in  business  life  without  any  special  advan- 
tages, has  steadily  worked  his  way  upward 
by  the  force  of  his  own  ability,  determina- 
tion and  ambition,  and  is  today  one  of  the 
representative  men  of  Hammond,  where  he 
is  conducting  a  store  and  where  he  also  owns 
other  properties.  Moreover,  he  has  been  ac- 
tive in  the  public  life  of  the  community  and 
his  fellow  townsmen  have  called  him  to  a 
number  of  political  positions. 

Mr.  Flatman  is  a  native  of  London,  Eng- 
land. He  was  born  on  the  19th  of  January. 
1S61,  and  is  a  son  of  Cliarles  E.  Flatman. 
who  was  born  in  Suffolk.  England,  on  the 
3d  of  April,  1838.  His  grandparents.  East- 
gate  and  Harriet  Flatman,  spent  their  entire 
lives  in  England,  where  the  former  engaged 
in  business  as  a  carpenter  and  contractor  to 
the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
1869.  His  son,  Charles  E.  Flatman,  is  the 
only  one  of  the  family  of  nine  children  now 
living.  He  was  married  in  London,  England, 
in  1860.  to  Miss  Mary  A.  Thompson.  Unto 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Flatman  there  were  born  six 
children,  of  whom  George  E.  Flatman,  of 
this  review,  is  the  eldest.  The  others  are: 
Charles  W.,  who  was  born  in  London  and 
makes  his  home  in  Grand  Rapids,  ilichigan; 
Arthur,  who  was  born  in  London  and  now 
resides  in  Mills  City,  Marion  county.  Oregon; 
Frank,  who  was  born  in  Jlichigan  and  now 
resides  in  Hammond;  Robert,  deceased;  and 
one  who  died  in  infancy.  It  was  in  the  year 
1869  that  the  family  came  to  America,  first 
settling  in  Belleville,  Canada,  where  the 
father  worked  at  the  carpenter's  trade  for  a 
year.  He  afterward  spent  six  months  at 
iBrantford.  Canada,  and  a  similar  period  at 
Fort  Gratiot,  Michigan.  Later  he  was  em- 
ployed in  the  car  shops  of  the  Michigan  Cen- 
tral railroad  at  Detroit  as  a  car  builder, 
working  on  passenger  cars  for  fifteen  years. 
In  1889  he  became  a  resident  of  Fort  Stevens. 
Clatsop  county,  Oregon,  where  he  worked  at 
carpentry  for  the  government   and  he  is  still 


in  the  government  employ,  making  his  home 
in  Hammond  since  1900. 

George  E.  Flatman,  whose  name  intro- 
duces this  record,  was  a  lad  of  eight  years 
when  the  family  came  to  the  uew  world.  He 
accompanied  his  parents  on  their  various  re- 
movals and  acquired  his  education  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  the  different  localities  in  which 
he  lived.  He  remained  under  the  parental 
roof  until  he  had  attained  his  majority,  after 
which  he  worked  as  a  farm  hand  for  two 
years  and  then  accepted  a  position  as  a  steam 
engineer  in  the  Fort  Stevens  Jetty  Works,  at 
Fort  Stevens,  Oregon,  continuing  in  the  em- 
ploy of  the  government  for  nineteen  years. 
In  1889  he  purchased  a  half  interest  in  a 
mercantile  store  at  Hammond  and  is  still  an 
equal  partner  in  that  enterprise  and  in  the 
building  in  which  it  is  located.  He  also  owns 
other  property  in  Hammond  and  his  life  on 
the  whole  has  been  a  successful  one,  unfalter- 
ing industry  being  the  secret  of  his  advance- 
ment :ind  prosperity. 

On  the  6th  of  July,  1893,  Mr.  Flatman 
was  mari'ied  to  !Miss  Sarah  Kindred,  who  was 
born  in  Clatsop  count}',  Oregon,  and  is  a 
daughter  of  B.  C.  Kindred,  who  is  mentioned 
elsewhere  iij  this  work.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Flat- 
man  are  now  parents  of  two  children:  Vivian 
L..  born  March  IT.  1894;  and  Edna  R.,  July 
30,  1895.  Both  are  attending  school.  Mr. 
Flatman  and  his  family  hold  membership  in 
the  Episcopal  church  and  he  belongs  to  the 
Order  of  Maccabees  at  Hammond.  His  politi- 
cal views  are  in  accord  with  the  principles  of 
the  republican  party  which  he  has  supported 
since  age  conferred  upon  him  the  right  of 
franchise.  For  several  years  he  served  as  a 
member  of  the  school  board  of  Hammond  and 
his  fellow  townsmen,  appreciative  of  his  worth 
as  a  citizen,  called  him  to  public  office  as 
the  chief  executive  of  Hammond.  For  two 
years  he  served  as  mayor  and  his  record  was 
one  highly  satisfactory  to  the  general  public 
for  he  advocated  progress,  reform  and  im- 
provement and  sought  by  practical  methods 
to  attain  the  ends  desired. 

MANUEL  VIEIRA  is  engaged  in  farming, 
his  tract  comprising  almost  six  hundred  and 
forty  acres  of  land.  The  town  oi  Hilde- 
brand  is  now  being  built  upon  a  portion  of  his 
farm  which  bids  fair  to  become  the  center  of 
a  prosperous  agricultural  community.  Mr. 
A'ieira  is  a  native  of  St.  George.  Portugal. 
•  born  May  8.  1859.  his  parents  being  Mat- 
tian  and  I'ekena  (Broco)  Vieira.  The  father 
died  in  Portugal  in  Januar.v.  1S9T.  at  the 
age  of  sixty-three  years,  after  which  the 
mother  came  to  the  new  world,  joining  a 
son  in  California.  She  passed  away  there 
May  22.  1912,  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven 
years.  In  the  family  were  eight  children, 
three  sons  and  three  daughters,  of  whom 
one  daughter  is  still  living  in  Portugal,  while 
the  others  are  in  California,  save  the  subject 
of  this  review,  who  is  the  eldest. 

After  spending  the  first  fourteen  years  of 
his  life  in  the  country  of  his  nativity,  Manuel 
Vieira  came  to  the"  United  States,  making 
his  way  to  California.  Twenty-three  years 
ago   he   came   to   the   Yonna    valley   in   Kla- 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


'J7 


math  county  and  has  since  followed  farming 
and  stock-raising.  His  life  has  been  fruitful 
of  good  results.  He  has  worked  persistently 
and  diligently  as  the  years  have  gone  by  and 
is  now  the  owner  of  about  six  hundred 
and  forty  acres  of  good  land  His  tract  would 
comprise  fully  that  amount  if  it  included 
the  schoolhouse  lot  and  the  roads.  The  town 
of  Hildebrand  is  being  built  to  furnish  a 
market  for  the  agricultural  district  that  is 
fast  being  developed  here.  Mr.  Vieira's 
home  is  a  "traveler's  inn"  or  a  place  of  en- 
tertainment for  travelers  midway  between 
Bly  and  Klamath  Falls,  being  twenty-six 
miles  from  each  place. 

On  the  I3th  of  November,  1899.  Mr.  Vieira 
was  married  in  California,  to  Jliss  Rose 
Rose,  who  was  born  in  St.  George,  Portugal, 
and  on  coming  to  the  United  States  first 
settled  in  California.  There  were  three  chil- 
dren of  this  marriage.  Lizzie,  James  and 
Arthur,  all  born  on  the  ranch  which  is  still 
the  family  home.  Jlr.  Vieira  is  truly  a  self- 
made  man  and  one  who  deserves  great  credit 
for  what  he  has  accomplished,  for  he  started 
out  empty-handed  at  the  age  of  fourteen 
years  and  has  worked  his  way  gradually  up- 
ward by  his  own  industry  and  merit. 

JOHN  L.  BARKER  is  the  owner  of  an  ex- 
cellent farm  about  a  mile  and  a  quarter  north 
of  Fairview  on  the  Coos  Bay  wagon  road. 
He  was  born  in  Platte  county.  Missouri,  in 
1844,  and  is  a  son  of  William  H.  and  Sarah 
Margaret  (Nolan)  Barker,  who  were  natives 
of  Kentucky.  Their  son  .John  was  eight  years 
of  age  when  the  parents  started  witli  their 
family  to  the  Pacific  coast,  with  (  alii'ornia 
as  their  destination.  The  father  however, 
died  of  cholera  while  crossing  the  plains,  for 
this  was  the  year  18.52  when  cholera  was 
epidemic  among  the  emigrants  to  the  far  west 
to  such  an  extent  that  the  route  could  be 
followed  by  reason  of  the  newly  made  graves 
along  the  way.  The  mother  continued  on 
her  way  to  California  witli  her  cliihlren  and 
settled  in  Solano  county,  wliere  slie  jnirchased 
twenty  acres  of  land,  living  tlicreon  for  sev- 
eral years.  In  1S60  she  came  to  Oregon, 
taking  up  her  abode  in  Douglas  county,  near 
Roseburg.  She  remained  there  only  a  short 
time,  however,  and  soon  afterward  the  fam- 
ily was  broken  up.  the  different  children  hav- 
ing started  out  for  themselves.  Mrs.  Barker 
passed  away  near  Salem  in  1S6S.  In  the 
fiimily  were  twelve  children,  but  only  four 
are  now  living:  Ann.  who  is  the  wife  of 
John  Long  of  Washington,  and  is  eighty-five 
years  of  age;  Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  Thomas 
Miller  of  California;  Nancy  L.,  the  wife  of 
Captain  A.  D.  Boon  of  Sumner,  Oregon ;  and 
.John  L. 

The  last  named  accompanied  his  mother  on 
her  various  removals  until  the  family  was 
broken  up.  He  was  then  about  eighteen  years 
of  age  and  started  out  in  life  for  himself. 
He  engaged  in  driving  cattle,  in  packing  and 
teaming  for  others,  being  thus  employed  for 
ten  years.  He  was  then  married  and  took  up 
his  abode  in  Coos  county,  purchasing  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  on  the  Co- 
quille    river,   whereon   he   resided    until    1900. 


He  then  bought  his  mother-in-law's  property 
and  has  since  made  his  home  upon  that  farm 
which  is  situated  about  a  mile  and  a  quarter 
north  of  the  town  of  Fairview.  He  carefully 
and  systematically  develops  his  place  and  it 
presents  a  neat  and  attractive  appearance 
which  shows  his  methods  are  both  practical 
and  progressive. 

On  the  14th  of  September,  1871,  on  the  old 
home  place  at  Fairview  which  they  now 
occupy,  Mr.  Barker  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Mary  C.  Norris.  Her  father  had 
taken  up  the  claim  in  1868  and  it  has  since 
remained  in  possession  of  the  family.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Barker  have  become  the  parents  of 
eight  children:  Fred  W.,  of  Coquille,  Ore- 
gon, who  is  married  and  has  two  children; 
Verner  N.,  of  Marshfleld,  Ore.,  who  has  two 
children,  Lyle  and  an  infant;  Thomas  G..  of 
Fairview,  who  has  two  children.  Ellis  and 
Elda;  Clyde  A.,  of  Fairview,  wlio  has  one 
child,  Wilda:  Jesse,  who  has  charge  of  and 
operates  his  father's  farm  and  also  raises  and 
deals  in  stock  and  carries  on  dairying  on  a 
limited  scale;  Edwin  C,  of  Marshfield,  who 
has  two  children,  Ilene  and  Grace;  John  L..  of 
Summer.  Oregon,  who  has  one  child,  Evlyn; 
and  Birdie  M.,  the  wife  of  Lester  L.  Hazlo- 
ton  of  Sumner,  Oregon,  and  the  mother  of  one 
child. 

Mr.  Barker  votes  with  the  democratic  party 
and  has  served  as  road  supervisor  but  cares 
little  for  puldie  office.  The  cause  of  educa- 
tion, however,  finds  in  him  a  warm  friend 
as  is  evidenced  by  his  twenty-one  years'  serv- 
ice as  school  director.  He  is  interested  in  all 
that  pertains  to  public  progress  and  improve- 
ment and  gives  his  aid  and  inlluriice  to  proj- 
ects for  the  general  good,  while  at  the  same 
time  he  carefully  manages  his  business  affairs. 

J.  G.  WIGHT  was  for  many  years  identi- 
fied with  ed\icational  interests  and  contributed 
in  large  measure  toward  the  development  of 
the  scliools,  but  he  is  now  concentrating  his 
time  and  energies  upon  the  cultivation  of 
crops  and  the  raising  of  stock,  having  one  of 
the  well  improved  ranches  of  Klamath  county, 
situated  in  the  Yonna  valley  not  far  from 
Hildebrand.  He  was  born  near  Hamilton, 
Wentworth  county,  Ontario.  Canada.  .Xpril 
27.  1859,  his  parents  being  James  and  Agnes 
(McKinley)  Wight,  in  whose  family  were 
fourteen  children,  of  whom  J.  G.  Wight  was 
the  fiftli.  He  resided  at  the  place  of  his 
birth  until  ISSO,  was  reared  to  farm  life 
and  ;icquired  his  education  in  the  district 
schools.  He  then  made  his  way  westward  in 
company  with  his  sister  Barbara  to  Solano 
county,"  CalifoiTiia,  and  there  engaged  in 
farming  for  about  four  years.  He  also  at- 
tended school  to  some  extent  in  that  district, 
for  he  has  ever  been  interested  in  educational 
advancement,  finding  genuine  joy  in  the  study 
that  brings  him  a  broader  intellectual  out- 
look. In  1SS4  he  came  to  Klauuith  county 
and  preempted  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  land,  to  which  he  has  since  added,  until 
now  he  has  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  in 
the  Yonna  valley,  six  miles  north  of  Dairy. 
Most  of  his  time,  however,  has  been  spent 
elsewhere  in  school  work  until  the  last  four 


98 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


years,  cluriiii;  wliich  tiini'  he  has  resided  con- 
tinuously on  his  ranch.  He  was  graduated 
from  tlie  state  normal  school  at  ilonmouth 
and  for  about  ten  years  he  engaged  in  teach- 
ing in  Polk  and  Yamhill  counties,  lie  al.so 
taught  at  Bonanza.  Klamath  county,  for  five 
years,  and  in  1904  was  elected  count.v  super- 
intendent of  schools,  which  position  he  filled 
for  one  term  of  four  year.s.  On  his  retire- 
ment from  that  office,  in  which  he  had  made 
a  most  creditable  record,  he  returned  to  the 
ranch  and  has  since  engaged  in  the  cultiva- 
tion of  the  crops  best  adapted  to  soil  and 
climate  and  in  the  raising  of  stock,  in  both 
branches  of  his  business  meeting  with  suc- 
cess which  is  the  legitimate  outcome  of  per- 
sistent,  earnest   effort. 

In  1909  Mr.  ^Yight  was  married  to  iliss 
iiary  L.  Davison,  who  was  born  near  Salem. 
Oregon.  Xovember  14.  186.S.  and  was  reared 
and  educated  in  .Jackson  county.  She  is  a 
gi'aduate  of  the  Ashland  Xormal  School  with 
the  class  of  1SS9.  and  also  Heald's  Business 
College  of  San  Francisco,  of  the  class  of 
ISOo.  She.  too.  was  a  capable  and  success- 
ful teacher,  having  taught  for  ten  years  in 
Jackson  count.v.  Oregon,  for  four  years  in 
Siskiyou  count.v.  California,  and  for  four 
years  in  Klamath  county,  making  a  total  of 
eighteen  years.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Andrew 
and  ilary  A.  (Wright)  Davison,  the  former 
a  native  of  Fountain  county.  Indiana,  born 
in  1SD2.  and  the  latter  a  native  of  Ohio,  born 
in  1837.  Her  father  crossed  the  plains  to 
Califorriia  in  is.io  and  in  1851  came  to  Jack- 
son count.v.  His  wife  made  the  journey 
across  the  country  in  IS.iS  through  the  Rogue 
river  valley,  her  parents  taking  up  a  donation 
claim  there.  Mrs.  Davison  is  now  home- 
steading  on  eighty  acres  near  tlie  Wiaht 
home  and  she  also  has  a  residence  in  !Med- 
ford.  She  has  been  a  widow  since  18S4.  Her 
husband  was  a  miner  in  eai-ly  life  and  later 
secured  a  donation  claim  in  .Jackson  count.v. 
where  he  resided  until  the  time  of  his  death. 
In  their  family  were  nine  children,  six  of 
whom  are  yet  living,  including  Mrs.  Wight. 
Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wight  are  widely  and 
favorably  known  in  the  Yonna  valley,  the 
circle  of  their  friends  increasing  as  the  circle 
of  their  acijuaintance  widens.  ilr.  Wight 
votes  with  the  republican  party  bvit  has  never 
been  an  office  seeker,  preferring  to  concen- 
trate his  energies  upon  the  professional  in- 
terests and  the  business  cares  which  have 
occupied  his  time  since  he  attained  his  ma- 
jority. He  has  advanced  step  by  step,  his 
eyes  fi.\ed  on  the  goal  of  success,  never  deviat- 
ing from  the  path  of  honorable  achievement. 

SAMUEL  W.  .JONES,  who  resides  two 
miles  south  of  (iervais  on  the  old  Stage 
road,  is  the  owner  of  two  thousand  acres  of 
valuable  land.  His  birth  occurred  in  Indiana, 
on  the  ITth  of  Xovember.  1850.  his  parents 
being  Silas  W.  IS.  and  Elizabeth  (Allen I 
Jones,  the  former  a  native  of  Kentucky  and 
the  latter  of  Indiana.  The  parents  were 
married  in  the  lloosier  state,  where  they  re- 
sided until  ISoP..  when  they  started  across 
the  plains,  .\fter  they  arrived  in  Oregon  they 
settled    in    Marion    county,    on    the    Michael 


Douiilicrty  donation  claim.  Afterward  Mr. 
Jones  purchased  a  squatter's  right  of  a  dona- 
tion land  claim  of  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  situated  four  miles  southeast  of  (ier- 
vais. This  was  their  home  until  1862,  when 
he  purchased  another  claim  of  six  hundred 
and  forty  acres  two  miles  south  of  Gervais. 
where  he  resided  until  1890.  when  he  re- 
turned to  Indiana.  He  passed  away  in  Xo- 
vember. 1911.  at  Kokomo.  at  the  age  of 
ninety-seven  years,  his  wife  having  died  in 
1890.  when  seventy-two  years  of  age.  They 
were  the  parents  of  a  very  large  family, 
eight  of  whom  survive,  namely:  Mrs.  H.  K. 
Hunsaker.  of  Portland.  Oregon;  Silas  A.,  a 
resident  of  Brooks.  Oregon:  M.  L..  who  is 
also  living  in  Brooks:  Samuel  W.,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  review:  Mrs.  Emma  Simmons. 
of  ( iervais:  ilrs.  Sarah  Clark,  a  resident  of 
Portland:  and  Harrison  and  Scott,  twins,  who 
are   both  residing  in   Gervais. 

After  finishing  school  Samuel  W.  Jones 
started  in  life  for  himself  at  the  age  of 
eighteen  years.  His  first  farming  enterprise 
was  on  rented  land  and  he  continued  thereon 
for  five  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he 
purchased  a  six  luuidred  acre  farm  at  Waldo 
Hills.  For  three  years  he  was  engaged  in 
the  cultivation  and  management  of  this  farm 
before  disposing  of  it  and  purchasing  seven 
hundred  acres  on  French  prairie,  which  he 
occupied  for  seven  years.  At  that  time  he 
purcliased  his  present  home  of  four  luuulre<l 
and  fifty-six  acres  and  has  since  added  to 
it  until  he  is  at  present  the  owner  of  two 
thousand  acres,  all  located  in  Marion  county, 
more  than  fifteen  hundred  of  which  is  under 
cultivation.  Mr.  Jones  is  one  of  the  most 
able  and  industrious  farmers  of  ilarion 
county.  He  has  given  his  personal  attention 
to  all  details  of  the  development  of  his  prop- 
erty and  by  careful  study  and  management 
has  made  it  one  of  the  most  profitable  tracts 
in  this  district,  so  rich  in  agricultural  re- 
sou.rces. 

On  Febrnan-  27.  1876.  Jlr.  .Jones  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Sarah  E.  Darland.  whose  birth 
occurred  on  the  18th  of  May.  1856.  an<l  who 
is  a  daughter  of  Samuel  R.  and  Susanna 
(llutton)  Darland.  the  former  a  native  of 
Imliana  anil  the  latter  of  Kentucky.  They 
were  married  in  Indiana,  where  they  resided 
for  several  years  before  removing  to  Iowa, 
where  they  lived  until  18G5.  when  they  came 
overland  to  Oregon  and  settled  in  Waldo 
Hills,  ilarion  county.  This  was  their  home 
until  1876.  when  they  removed  to  the  state 
of  Washington,  where  their  deaths  occurred 
in  190.",  and  1901  respectively.  To  them 
sixteen  children  were  born,  eleven  of  whom 
survive:  ilrs.  Mary  A.  Baker,  of  Forest 
Grove.  Oregon;  I.  C,  who  resided  in  Golden- 
dale,  Oregon,  and  passed  away  March  IS. 
:'.n2;  Levi,  who  makes  bis  home  in  San 
Francisco.  California:  Mrs.  Harriett  Bryson. 
of  (Jarfield.  Washington:  Mrs.  Amanda  Al- 
bersou.  who  is  living  in  Alberson.  Oregon ; 
Mrs.  .Jones;  Mrs.  Alsey  Gillmore.  of  Xorth 
Yakima:  ilrs.  Loretta  L.  Stice.  also  a  resident 
of  Xorth  Yakima:  James,  who  makes  his 
borne  in  Pullman.  Washington:  George,  who 
resides    ;it    Coldenilale.    Oregon:    and    Charles. 


^UBLIC 


TtLDt 


676?06 


SAMUEL  W.   JONES 


MRS.  SAilUEL  W.  JONES 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


103 


of  Arlington,  Oregon.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jones 
seven  children  have  been  born:  Mrs.  Bertha 
S.  Hoover,  born  in  1S76,  who  received  a 
musical  education  and  engaged  in  teaching 
for  many  years;  Mrs.  .Jennie  M.  Collard.  who 
was  born  in  1S7S  and  now  makes  her  home 
in  Gervais;  Mrs.  Altha  Xaftzger.  who  was 
born  in  ISSO  and  also  resides  in  Gervais; 
Sylva  W.,  who  was  born  in  18S3  and  is  at 
home,  a  graduate  of  Willamette  University, 
having  taught  school  for  three  years;  Mrs. 
Edna  S.  Ramp,  of  Brooks,  Oregon,  who  also 
received  a  musical  education;  Samuel  Paul, 
who  was  born  in  18SS  and  makes  his  home 
with  his  parents  and  Areta  V.,  who  was  born 
in  1896  and  is  also  at  home.  They  have  all 
been  given  more  than  ordinary  advantages 
in  education. 

Mr.  Jones  gives  his  political  support  to  the 
republican  party  and  is  thoroughly  alive  to 
the  leading  issues  of  the  day.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Masonic  lodge  of  Gervais,  in  which 
he  has  filled  all  of  the  chairs,  and  he  also 
holds  membership  in  the  Ancient  Order  of 
United  Workmen.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are 
affiliated  with  the  Christian  church,  in  whose 
circles  they  arc  both  active  and  influential. 
He  is  one  of  the  largest  landowners  of  Marion 
county  and  has  proved  his  worth  as  an  agri- 
culturist by  his  close  study  of  modern  meth- 
ods, by  his  careful  attention  to  details  and 
by  his  progressiveness. 

SAMUEL  M.  DOUGLAS.  Tlie  history  of  a 
state  as  well  as  that  of  a  nation  is  chiefly 
the  chronicle  of  the  lives  and  deeds  of  those 
who  have  conferred  honor  and  dignity  upon 
society.  The  world  judges  the  character  of 
a  community  by  that  of  its  representative 
citizens,  and  yields  its  tribute  of  admiration 
and  respect  for  the  genius,  learning  or  virtues 
of  those  whose  works  and  actions  constitute 
the  record  of  a  state.  It  is  their  character, 
as  exemplified  in  probity  and  progress,  in 
kindly  virtues  and  in  integrity  in  the  affairs 
of  life,  which  is  ever  affording  worthy  ex- 
amples for  emulation,  and  no  more  worthy 
example  of  such  a  life  could  be  recorded  in 
the  history  of  Oregon  than  that  of  Samuel 
M.  Douglas. 

The  birth  of  Mr.  Douglas  occurred  in  Henry 
county,  Iowa.  December  1,  1854.  He  was  the 
son  of  Thomas  Douglas,  who  was  an  own 
cousin  of  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  while  his 
mother.  Lucinda  Hanks,  was  an  own  cousin 
of  Abraham  Lincoln.  When  he  was  ten  years 
old  his  parents  crossed  the  plains  with  o.x- 
teams,  and  after  a  journey  of  five  months 
they  arrived  safely  in  California.  The  father 
located  in  Marysville.  where  his  son  remained 
until  he  was  nineteen  years  old,  and  then 
with  his  father  engaged  in  ranching,  con- 
tinuing in  this  line  of  endeavor  for  seven 
years.  AVhile  so  engaged  he  began  the  work 
of  shearing  sheep,  etc.,  and  after  twelve  years 
of  this  life  he  bought  his  father's  ranch  in 
H\imboldt  county,  making  that  his  home  for 
five  years,  when  in  1S87.  he  came  to  Oregon. 
He  first  bought  seven  hundred  and  eleven 
acres,  located  two  miles  past  of  Springfield. 
Later  he  purchased  more  land  and  owned,  at 
one   time,    nine   hundred    and    fifty-two    acres 

Vol.  IV  — 5 


along  tlie  WjUamette  river,  six  hundred  and 
forty  of  which  was  valley  land,  and  rich  in 
the  fine  grass  of  this  region.  He  purchased 
this  farm  from  Stephen  Edwards  and  J.  Good- 
man with  tlie  intention  of  entering  the  dairy 
business,  and  his  faith  in  the  value  of  the 
location  was  justified  with  the  passing  years. 
Prior  to  his  death  he  disposed  of  four  hundred 
and  ten  acres.  He  spared  neither  time  nor 
expense  in  placing  his  business  on  a  substan- 
tial and  reliable  footing  and  his  reward  came 
in  the  success  which  he  achieved  and  the 
reputation  he  won  as  one  of  the  progressive 
farmers  of  the  Willamette  valley. 
Mr.    Douglas    was    married   in"   September, 

1889,  to  Miss  Florence  Dale,  of  Humboldt 
county,  California,  who  is  a  representative  of 
an  old  and  distinguished  family.  Jlrs.  Doug- 
las was  the  daughter  of  Jeremiah  and  Sadie 
(Callihan)  Dale,  both  born  and  reared  in 
Clarion  county,  Pennsylvania.  The  father 
was  born  in  183-1  and  the  mother  in  1838. 
The  father's  ancestors  came  from  Switzer- 
land and  settled  in  Pennsylvania,  early  in 
1700,  and  the  mother's  people  were  of  Quaker 
stock.  At  the  time  of  the  gold  fever  in 
California  Mr.  Dale  migi'ated  from  Pennsyl- 
vania, but  after  remaining  in  California  for 
a  year  or  two  he  returned  and  was  married 
December  16.  1859.  They  then  removed  to 
West  Virginia,  where  they  remained  for  four 
years.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dale  then  started  for 
the  far  west,  taking  a  steamer  from  New 
York  to  Panama  and  from  there  to  San 
Francisco,  and  finally  located  in  Nevada 
county,  California,  residing  there  for  six 
years.  They  then  removed  to  Humboldt 
county,  where  they  have  since  resided. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Jlrs.  Douglas  has  been  born 
one  daughter,  whose  natal  day  was  June  11, 

1890.  Mr.  Douglas  was  not  affiliated  with 
any  fi-atcrnal  organizations,  but  in  politics 
he  was  a  democrat.  He  died  September  13, 
1911.  Those  who  had  the  good  fortune  to  be 
his  neighbors  and  friends  or  to  come  in  con- 
tact with  him  in  business  dealings,  know 
that  he  was  a  man,  honest  and  just  to  all, 
kind  where  kindness  was  required,  and  one 
who  cheerfully  lent  his  aid  to  any  worthy 
cau.-ie  in  the  community.  He  was  a  gentle 
husband,  and  a  kind  father  and  left  an  un- 
tarnished   name    to    his    family. 

NATHAN  'W.  BO'WER,  although  a  resident 
of  Clatsop  county  only  since  1908,  has  be- 
come well  known  here  and  is  meeting  with 
success  as  one  of  the  owners  of  Sunset 
Beach,  an  attractive  summer  resort  which 
borders  flio  ocean  and  also  Sunset  lake. 
He  was  born  in  .Shelburne,  Nova  Scotia,  in 
18R4,  a  son  of  Nathan  S.  and  Maria  Bower, 
both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Nova  Scotia 
and  of  English  parentage.  They  spent  their 
entire  lives  in  the  land  of  their  nativity  and 
the  father  conducted  a  lumber  business  there 
for  many  years,  but  later  he  established  a 
hotel  which  he  carried  on  until  his  life's 
labors  were  ended  in  death,  in  1902.  He 
is  still  survived  by  his  wife,  who  yet  makes 
her  home  in  Nova  Scotia.  In  their  family 
were  seven  children:  Chapman  S.;  Nathan 
W.;    Bertha  A.,  who  died   in   1890;   William 


104 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


E.,  a  contractor  of  Xova  Scotia,  working  on 
government  contracts;  Annie  S..  the  wife  of 
Cleorge  A.  Evans,  of  Walla  Walla.  Wash- 
ington; Alice  X.,  the  wife  of  Kiff  Cameron, 
of  Xova  Scotia;  and  Andrew  R..  of  Shelburne, 
Xovia  Scotia,  who  is  engaged  in  contracting 
with  his  brother. 

Xathan  W.  Bower,  whose  name  introduces 
this  record,  acquired  a  common-school  educa- 
tion and  also  studied  drafting  under  Pro- 
fessor Hauslein.  of  the  Chicago  Athenaeum. 
He  came  to  the  United  States  in  18S7.  at 
which  time  he  took  up  Ids  abode  in  Chicago, 
where  he  resided  for  four  .vears.  In  1891  he 
removed  to  Boise  City.  Idaho,  where  he  lived 
for  some  years,  conducting  business  as  an 
architect  and  contractor  at  that  place  until 
1901.  The  succeeding  seven  years  were 
passed  in  Meridian.  Idaho,  and  he  built  the 
first  house  there.  He  had  large  interests 
at  that  place  and  still  owns  many  properties 
in  the  heart  of  the  town.  In  i892  he  be- 
came the  owner  of.  a  third  interest  in  the 
town  site  of  X'yssa.  Oregon,  and  he  also  owns 
a  placer  stone  claim  in  llalheur  county,  Ore- 
gon. He  continued  his  residence  at  Meridian, 
Idaho,  until  190S.  when  he  removed  to  Clat- 
sop county,  where  he  has  since  resided. 
Aside  from  his  property  interests  elsewhere 
he  is  the  owner  of  a  third  interest  in  Sunset 
Beacli.  an  attractive  resort  of  Clatsop  county, 
which  borders  the  ocean  and  also  extends  to 
Sunset  lake.  He  is  doing  much  to  improve 
this  and  make  it  one  of  the  popular  resorts 
at  the  seaside.  He  is  also  engaged  in  freight- 
ing and  does  deep  sea  fishing  with  a  gas 
schooner.  Moonlight. 

On  the  28th  of  February.  1893.  Mr.  Bower 
was  married  at  Boise  City.  Idaho,  to  Miss 
Julia  Asbery,  who  was  born  in  Lee  county, 
West  Virginia,  in  1866.  a  daughter  of  Joseph 
and  Julia  (Brooks)  Asbery,  who  spent  the 
greater  part  of  their  lives  upon  a  farm  in 
West  Virginia.  The  mother  died  during  the 
girlhood  of  her  daughter.  Mrs.  Bower,  and 
the  father  passed  away  in  1903.  In  their 
family  were  eleven  children:  John:  Thomas, 
Reese.  Jeff  and  William,  all  deceased; 
Margaret;  Siiux;  Roxanna:  Frances;  Rebecca; 
and  Julia.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bower  have  become 
the  parents  of  four  children  but  the  oldest, 
Xathan  W.,  died  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years, 
and  the  youngest.  Hazel  M.,  when  eight  years 
of  age.  The  other  children  of  the  family  are: 
Eva  S..  who  was  born  February  2.  1S95,  and 
is  now  a  high-school  student :  and  Jessie  L., 
born  July  14.  1897.  Mr.  Bower  possesses 
the  enterprising  spirit  that  has  been  the 
dominant  feature  in  the  rapid  and  .substan- 
tial upbuilding  of  the  northwest,  quickly 
recognizing  and  utilizing  the  opportunities 
that  have  come  to  him,  and  as  the  years 
have  |)assed  b.y  he  has  made  stead,y  progress 
which  indicates  greater  success  in  the  future. 

CHARLES  H.  FLACKUS,  who  since  1903 
has  devoted  his  entire  attention  to  ranching, 
having  a  place  of  two  hundred  and  eighty 
acres  of  which  one  hundred  and  eighty  acres 
is  being  cultivated,  was  born  on  the  Rhine, 
Oerniany.  on  the  4th  of  Xovember.  1872,  and 
is    a    son    of    August    and    Minnie    (Herbel) 


F'lackus.  who  remained  residents  of  the  father- 
land until  1882,  when  they  crossed  the 
Atlantic  and  settled  in  Des  Moines,  Iowa. 
In  May,  1889,  the  family  arrived  in  the 
Yonna  valley  of  Klamath  county,  Oregon, 
where  the  father  carried  on  carpentering  as 
well  as  ranching  until  his  death,  in  1908, 
when  he  was  sixty-six  years  of  age.  His 
widow  still  survives  and  is  now  living  in  the 
Yonna  valle.v.  In  their  family  were  four 
children:  William,  now  residing  at  Ashland, 
Oregon;  Charles  H.;  and  Theodore  and  Emil. 
both  residents  of  the  Y'onna  valley. 

Charles  H.  Flackus  made  his  home  with 
his  parents  up  to  the  time  of  his  marriage, 
working  earnestly  and  persistently  in  his 
youthful  days  and  manifesting  unfaltering 
industry  since  attaining  man's  estate.  He 
learned  the  butcher's  trade  and  conducted  a 
shop  at  Redding.  California.  He  also  worked 
at  Etna,  California,  at  Y'reka  and  at  Klamath 
Falls,  becoming  well  known  as  a  butcher  in 
the  southern  part  of  the  state.  In  1903  he 
began  ranching  on  his  own  account  and  his 
place,  attractive  in  its  appearance,  indicates 
his  careful  '  supervision  and  progressive 
methods.  His  ranch  is  two  hundred  and 
eighty  acres  in  extent  and  is  devoted  to  gen- 
eral farming  and  stock-raising  with  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty  acres  under  the  plow.  He 
has  added  many  modern  equipments  and  im- 
provements to  the  place,  which  in  its  neat  and 
thrifty  appearance  indicates  his  careful 
supervision. 

Mr.  Flackus  has  been  married  twice.  His 
first  union  was  with  Miss  Viola  Godfrey,  a 
native  of  Oregon  and  a  daughter  of  Ben- 
jamin Godfrey,  of  Bonanza.  Mrs.  Flackus 
died,  leaving  two  children:  Louisa,  the  wife 
of  Warren  Kilgore.  of  Langells  valley;  and 
Beulah,  at  home.  In  1903  he  was  again  mar- 
ried, his  second  union  being  with  Lillie  Clark, 
who  was  born  in  Minnesota  in  1883  and  came 
to  Klamath  county  fifteen  years  ago  with  her 
parents.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Mrs.  H.  J. 
O'Brien,  who  was  married  a  second  time  and 
now  resides  in  the  Yonna  valley.  Three 
children  have  been  born  unto  Oiarles  H.  and 
Lillie    Flackus:    Lyle.   Ada   and   Harold. 

Mr.  Flackus  votes  with  the  democratic 
party,  keeps  well  informed  on  the  questions 
of  the  day  and  is  interested  in  matters  of 
citizenship  but  does  not  seek  nor  desire  office, 
for  he  finds  that  the  problems  of  his  business 
are  sufficient  to  keep  him  occupied  and  he 
is  putting  forth  every  effort  to  provide  a 
comfortable  living  for  his  family  and  win 
that  measure  of  success  which  is  the  merited 
reward  of  persistent  and  intelligently  directed 
effort. 

WILLIAM  E.  RACKLIFF,  whose  name  is 
closely  associated  with  tlic  history  of  Coos 
county  and  the  development  of  this  part 
of  the  state,  instituted  various  business  en- 
terjjrises  which  have  proven  of  value  as 
factors  in  the  development  of  the  region  and 
at  all  times  his  sterling  worth  demanded  the 
good-will  and  confidence  of  those  who  knew 
him.  He  was  born  near  Portland,  ilaine. 
in  1834.  and  his  life  record  covered  the  inter- 
vening vears  to   1908,  when  he  was   laid  to 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


105 


vest  ill  tlic  old  family  liiuying  ground  across 
tlie  river  from  ilyrtle  Point,  t)regoii.  His 
parents  were  William  and  Mary  Racklitf. 
His  father  was  the  owner  of  a  farm  but  was 
largely  connected  with  the  fishing  industry 
for  some  years  and  later  engaged  in  naviga- 
tion, becoming  a  sea  captain.  In  1849  Wil- 
liam E.  Rackliff,  his  father  and  one  sister, 
Mrs.  Jlary  .T,  Clarke,  now  deceased,  came 
arounil  Cape  Horn  on  a  small  schooner  which 
was  owned  by  his  father,  and  in  ISoO  arrived 
in  San  Francisco.  Soon  afterward  he  took 
up  a  donation  land  claim  near  Scottsburg. 
Oregon,  and  also  purchased  land,  while  his 
father  became  a  resident  of  Douglas  county, 
where  he  bought  land.  Subsequently,  how- 
ever, the  father  removed  to  Coos  county, 
where  he  fiu'ther  invested  in  farm  land,  mak- 
ing his  home  thereon  until  his  death,  which 
occurred   in    1879, 

William  E,  Racklilf  was  one  of  a  family  of 
seven  children,  all  of  whom  are  now  deceased. 
He  was  a  youth  of  fifteen  years  when  he 
came  to  Oregon  and  after  devoting  his  atten- 
tion to  agricultural  pursuits  here  for  some 
years  he  built  a  schooner  in  connection  with 
his  father,  using  it  in  the  coasting  trade 
between  Coquille  river  and  San  Francisco. 
He  was  thus  engaged  for  a  number  of  years, 
after  which  he  established  a  trading  post  on 
his  farm,  in  the  meantime  disposing  of  the 
.schooner.  He  owned  land  in  Douglas  county 
and  there  built  a  small  flour  and  grist  mill, 
operated  by  water  power.  For  a  short  time 
he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  flour  and 
afterward  removed  to  Myrtle  Point,  arriving 
in  April.  1870.  He  built  a  small  river 
steamer,  which  he  used  for  towing  purposes. 
On  disposing  of  that  he  removed  to  near  what 
is  now  Parkersburg.  Oregon,  and  built  a  small 
steam  schooner,  which  he  named  the  Cordelia, 
This  he  operated  for  a  year,  when  he  again 
sold  out  and  once  more  came  to  Myrtle 
Point.  Here  he  invested  in  one  hundred  acres 
of  land,  which  his  widow  now  owns.  He 
opened  a  store,  also  built  another  river 
steamer,  which  he  ran  for  several  years  and 
then  again  sold.  He  became  identified  with 
industrial  activities  here  in  the  building  and 
operation  of  a  grist  mill  at  the  forks  of  the 
Coquille  river  and  in  ISnO  he  built  a  sawmill 
which  at  the  present  time  is  being  operated 
by  the  Myrtle  Point  Mill  Company.  In  1S97 
his  grist  mill  was  destroyed  by  fire,  as  was 
his  residence.  The  latter  was  rebuilt  but 
the  mill  was  not.  The  foregoing  shows  how 
active  and  eflScient  was  the  life  of  William  E. 
Rackliff.  He  was  a  hard  worker  and  never 
afraid  of  arduous  labor.  He  was  a  fine  me- 
chanic and  his  ingenuity  largely  furthered 
his  interests.  Whatever  success  he  achieved 
is  attributable  to  his  own  labors  and  was 
the  merited  reward  of  earnest,  persistent 
effort. 

Mr,  Rackliff  was  uniteil  in  marriage  to  iliss 
Cordelia  Ransom,  a  native  of  Indiana,  who 
was  brought  to  the  coast  country  when  but 
four  years  of  age  by  her  parents.  Dr.  and  Jlrs. 
William  C.  Ransom,  the  former  a  practicing 
physician  now  residing  in  Klamath  Falls, 
He  has  reached  the  age  of  ninety  years.  In 
his   familv   were  six   children   but  onlv   three 


survive:  Marietta,  who  is  the  widow  of 
Benton  Haines  and  lives  in  Elkton,  Oregon: 
Nannie  H„  the  wife  of  Daniel  (iiles,  of  Mvrtle 
Point;  and  Mrs.  Rackliff.  Unto  Mr.  '  and 
Mrs.  Rackliff"  were  born  eleven  children.  Ed- 
ward, the  eldest,  a  farmer  living  near  Myrtle 
Point.  Oregon,  married  Miss  Mary  .1.  Roberts, 
a  native  of  Missouri  and  a  ihiugiiter  of  J.  H, 
:ind  Louisa  (Duval)  Rolierts.  who  came  to 
Oregon  in  1873  and  settled  near  Mvrtle 
Point,  where  they  still  reside.  Edward  Rack- 
lift'  and  his  wife  were  married  in  1888  and  to 
them  have  been  born  eleven  children:  Law- 
rence, at  home;  Arthur  R.,  of  Baiidon,  Ore- 
gon; Sylvia  L.,  a  school  teacher  of  Coos 
county;  Leiand  R.,  David,  Melvin.  Donald  and 
Lowell,  all  at  home;  Beulah  and  Allison,  both 
deceased:  and  Spencer,  at  home.  The  ne.xt 
member  of  the  family  of  William  E,  Rackliff 
was  Mary,  now  deceased.  Annie  is  the  wife 
of  Charles  Lehmanowosky.  of  California. 
William  is  deceased.  Charles  is  living  in 
Coos  county.  Ralph  R,  makes  his  hom'e  at 
Myrtle  Point,  George  is  a  jeweler  of  Myrtle 
Point,  Lyman  is  living  in  Coos  county. 
Xelson  is  deceased.  Ellen  is  the  wife  of 
Charles  Angel,  of  Myrtle  Point,  and  Owen 
is  at  home  with  his  mother. 

In  his  political  views  Jlr.  Rackliff  was  a 
republican  but  never  an  office  seeker. 
Although  he  had  but  limited  educational  priv- 
ileges, he  became  a  well  read  man.  He  was 
also  a  self-made  man  when  viewed  from  a 
business  standpoint,  for  whatever  success 
he  achieved  was  attributable  to  his  own 
labors.  He  worked  his  way  upward  by  dint 
of  energy  and  determination,  faltered  iiot  in 
the  face  of  obstacles  and  utilized  every  op- 
portunity that  he  believed  would  promote 
his  interests  along  legitimate  lines.  His 
labors  at  the  same  time  were  an  element  in 
public  progress  and  he  was  closely  associated 
with  the  development  of  this  part  of  the 
state, 

JOEL  A,  COLE  has  been  a  lifelong  resident 
of  Oregon,  He  was  born  July  38,  1S65,  in 
the  house  which  he  now  occupies  in  the  Calli- 
pooia  precinct  of  Douglas  count}',  his  parents 
being  .James  and  Louisa  (Leeper)  Cole.  The 
father  was  a  native  of  Kentucky  and  in  young 
manhood  removed  to  Missouri.  The  mother 
was  a  native  of  Tennessee  but  from  her 
ninth  .vear  was  reared  in  Greene  eountv, 
ilissouri.  and  in  that  state  was  married.  In 
18,51  Mr,  and  Mrs,  .James  Cole  started  for 
the  northwest,  making  the  long  and  arduous 
journey  across  the  plains.  The  father  had 
previously  visited  the  Pacific  coast,  however, 
having  been  among  those  who  in  1850  sought 
fortunes  in  the  gold  fields  of  California,  On 
an-iving  in  Oregon  they  settled  in  what  is 
now  Coles  valley  and  they  lived  there  for 
more  than  a  year  ere  Mrs.  Cole  ever  saw 
another  white  woman,  James  Cole  was  the 
first  white  man  with  a  family  to  locate  in 
the  valley,  which  was  named  in  his  honor. 
He  took  up  a  donation  claim  of  three  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  in  the  head  of  the  valley, 
comjirising  property  that  is  now  owned  by 
the  Shamlirook  heirs.  He  subsequently  traded 
that  ranch   for  a  bunch  of  cattle  and  after 


106 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


two  or  three  purchases  and  removals  he 
bought  the  Van  Riper  donation  claim,  which 
is  now  occupied  by  his  son  Joel.  Upon  this 
place  the  father  and  mother  spent  their  re- 
maining days.  The  former  was  a  republican 
in  politics  and  was  one  of  the  prominent  and 
inllucntial  residents  of  his  section.  His  fel- 
low townsmen,  appreciative  of  his  worth  and 
ability,  called  him  to  represent  his  district 
in  the  state  legislature  for  two  or  three 
terms,  and  he  gave  careful  consideration  to 
each  question  which  came  up  for  settlement 
and  left  his  impress  upon  the  legislation 
enacted  while  he  was  still  a  member  of  the 
house.  He  and  his  wife  held  membership  in 
the  Christian  church.  As  time  passed  on  he 
prospered  and  when  death  came  to  him  he 
was  the  owner  of  about  nineteen  hundred 
acres  of  rich  and  valuable  land.  He  died 
August  4,  ISSS,  and  was  survived  by  his  wife 
until  January  10,  1896. 

Joel  A.  Cole  was  reared  at  home  and  was 
a  pupil  in  the  public  schools.  After  attain- 
ing his  majority  he  was  associated  with  his 
father  in  farming,  receiving  an  interest  in  the 
crops.  After  the  father's  death  he  and  his 
four  brothers.  W.  H..  Sidney,  Hannibal  and 
James  L.,  succeeded  to  the  land  which  they 
operated  conjointly. 

On  the  7th  of  December.  1893,  Mr.  Cole 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Lena  Good- 
man, a  native  of  Missouri,  and  a  daughter 
of  John  and  Mary  A.  (Brinegar)  Goodman, 
who  came  to  Oregon  in  1874  but  afterward 
returned  to  Missouri  and  in  1876  again  made 
their  way  to  this  city,  where  they  took  up 
their  permanent  abode.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Cole  were  born  three  children,  but  only  two. 
Elmer  Guy  and  Merle  Ann,  are  living. 

Mr.  Cole  votes  with  the  republican  party, 
intelligent  understanding  of  the  political 
questions  and  situations  guiding  him  in  the 
exercise  of  his  right  of  franchise.  He  is  a 
member  of  Oakland  Lodge,  No.  37,  L  0.  0.  F., 
and  is  one  of  the  substantial  and  influential 
residents  of  Douglas  county,  interested  in 
all  that  brings  about  its  welfare  and 
upbuilding. 

W.  P.  SEDGE  is  a  general  merchant  of 
the  town  of  Dairy,  where  he  is  also  serving 
as  postmaster,  and  he  belongs  to  that  class 
of  enterprising  citizens  who  are  upbuilding 
the  great  west,  using  every  advantage  and 
effort  to  place  it  upon  a  par  with  the  older 
east.  He  was  born  in  Meigs  county,  Ohio, 
November  8,  1857.  and  is  a  son  of  Alexander 
and  Eleanor  (Stone)  Sedge,  who  were  na- 
tives of  New  Jersey  and  Pennsylvania,  re- 
spectively, while  their  marriage  was  cele- 
brated in  Ohio.  They  spent  about  twenty 
years  of  their  married  life  in  that  state  and 
afterward  removed  to  the  vicinity  of  Kansas 
City.  Missouri.  The  father  died  in  :Missouri. 
after  which  the  mother  came  to  Oregon  and 
spent  her  last  days  at  the  home  of  her 
son.  W.  P.  Sedge,  who  was  the  fifth  in  order 
of  birth  in  a  family  of  seven  children.  He 
resided  with  his  parents  until  fourteen  years 
of  age.  when  he  started  out  in  life  on  his 
own  account,  lie  worked  in  Kansas  and  Mis- 
souri until  1879,  when  he  made  his  way  west- 


ward to  California,  where  he  was  employed 
at  farm  labor  until  1881.  In  that  year"  he 
married  and  drove  to  Sherman  count.v,  Ore- 
gon, where  he  secured  a  homestead  upon 
whicli  he  lived  for  seven  years.  At  the  end 
of  that  time,  or  in  18s"8.  he  removed  to 
Idaho,  but  in  1891  returned  to  California, 
where  he  lived  until  1S9S.  He  then  came  to 
Douglas  county,  Oregon,  and  in  1905  he  ar- 
rived in  Dairy,  where  he  has  since  lived.  He 
liad  followed  merchandising  in  Idaho,  opened 
the  first  store  at  Leland,  Idaho,  and  was  a 
merchant  at  Byron,  California  for  seven  years 
from  1891  to  1808.  He  followed  farming  and 
stock-raising  in  Douglas  county  and  is  now 
a  merchant  at  Dairy.  Klamath  "county,  where 
he  also  fills  the  position  of  postmaster.  His 
line  of  general  merchandise  includes  farm 
machinery  and  his  business  lias  been  a  grow- 
ing one  for  he  is  constantly  drawing  trade 
from  more  extended  quarters.  He  likewise 
takes  care  of  the  stage  business,  the  tele- 
phone central  office  and  is  notary  public. 
All  of  this  makes  him  indeed  a  busy  man 
and  one  whose  activities  reach  out  in  "a  con- 
stantly  broadening   field    of   usefulness. 

In  1881  Mr.  Sedge  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Mary  Melissa  Byer,  who  was  born 
near  Sacramento,  California,  October  23.  1863. 
and  is  a  daughter  of  John  R.  and  Elvira 
Letitia  (Boggus)  Byer.  The  father  was  a  na- 
tive of  Virginia  and  the  mother  of  Illinois. 
They  crossed  the  plains  to  California  in 
1863  and  the  mother  died  in  that  state.  The 
father  now  resides  at  Brentwood,  California, 
where  he  owns  and  conducts  a  large  ranch. 
Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sedge  have  been  born 
four  children.  Edward  B.,  born  September  3. 
1882,  married  Gertrude  Jewell  and  is  now 
in  partnership  with  his  father.  Anna  Pearl 
is  the  wife  of  Alfred  E.  Davison,  living 
near  Oakland,  Douglas  county,  Oregon.  Flora 
died  at  the  age  of  two  years,  and  Zelma. 
born  in  Idaho,  May  22,  1891,  completes  the 
family. 

In  politics  Mr.  Sedge  has  ever  been  a  re- 
publican, giving  stalwart  support  to  the 
party.  He  holds  membership  with  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Odd  Fellows  at  Bonanza 
and  with  the  Methodist  church — associations 
which  indicate  much  of  the  nature  of  his 
principles  and  the  rules  which  govern  his 
conduct.  He  is  one  of  the  builders  of  the 
northwest  and  the  structure  which  he  and 
his  fellow  citizens  are  rearing  is  a  credit  and 
honor  to  them  and  to  the  community. 

MELANCTHON  M.  DAVIS.  Probably  one 
of  the  best  known  pharmacists  in  the  "state 
of  Oregon  for  many  years,  and  one  who  ma- 
terially assisted  in  framing  and  having 
enacted  the  initial  medical  and  pharmaceu- 
tical laws  of  the  state,  was  Hon.  M.  M.  Davis, 
who  was  born  in  Lane  county,  near  Eugene, 
Oregon,  on  September  30,  1851.  His  parents, 
Benjamin  and  Catharine  S.  Davis  crossed  the 
plains  and  settled  about  two  and  one-half 
miles  northwest  of  the  present  site  of 
Eugene,  in  1847,  theirs  being  the  second  cabin 
built  in  that  vicinity. 

M.  M.  Davis  was  reared  on  the  donation 
claim  of  his  parents,  and  acquired  his  educa- 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


109 


tion  in  the  seiniijublic  schools  of  those  early 
days,  and  for  a  time  was  a  pupil  in  the  old 
Columbia  College  until  it  was  discontinued, 
and  then  attended  an  academy  which  was 
maintained  for  a  time  at  Eugene  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Episcopal  church,  which  was 
later  removed  to  Oswego,  and  combined  with 
the  Bishop  Scott  academy.  He  was  one  of 
the  early  graduates  of  the  first  business  col- 
lege conducted  in  Portland,  and  commenced 
his  business  career  in  1S68  as  a  clerk  with 
Avery  A.  Smith,  who  was  at  that  time  con- 
ducting a  large  general  merchandise  store  in 
Eugene,  later  clerking  in  drug  stores  in 
Eugene,  and  studying  pharmacy  under  Dr. 
II.  H.  Ellsworth,  a  pioneer  physician  and 
]iharmaci=t  of  that  town,  lie  also  read 
medicine  under  Drs.  George  W.  Odell  and 
Abram   Sharpies. 

In  1874:  Mr.  Davis  was  married  to  Miss 
Mary  Bushnell.  a  daughter  of  George  E. 
Busiinell,  who  settled  in  Lane  county  in  1866. 
In  1S81  with  his  wife  and  infant  daughter 
he  removed  to  Xewport,  then  in  Benton 
county,  and  started  a  drug  store  which  he 
conducted  until  18S4.  When  the  Oregon 
Pacific  Railroad  was  constructed  from  Cor- 
vallis  to  Yaquina,  he  removed  to  Yaquina, 
where  he  conducted  a  store  and  practiced 
medicine  for  some  years. 

In  the  great  panic  of  1893  a  large  mill- 
ing corporation  on  the  Santiam  river,  in 
which  he  had  made  investments,  failed  and 
he  was  appointed  receiver  to  wind  up  its 
affairs.  In  order  to  do  this  he  removed  with 
his  family  to  Corvallis.  where  they  con- 
tinued to"  reside  until  all  of  his  four  chil- 
dren had  graduate<i  from  the  Oregon  Agri- 
cultural College.  He  retained  his  interests 
at  Yaquina  bay,  however,  and  spent  the 
summers  there.  In  1907  he  built  a  home  in 
Eugene  and  returned  there  for  permanent 
residence. 

Although  a  democrat,  he  was  elected  to 
the  legislature  in  1886  in  Benton  county, 
which  was  then  largely  republican,  and  in 
the  ensuing  session  he  .supported  the  first 
bill  to  be  introduced  to  regulate  the  prac- 
tice of  medicine.  This  bill  was  bitterly 
fousht  being  finally  defeated  by  one  vote. 
At  that  time  Hon.  '.John  Wilson  of  Portland 
had  introduced  a  bill  to  regulate  the  pre- 
scribing for,  and  sale  of,  opium,  morphine, 
chloral  hydrate  and  other  narcotics,  which 
was  much  more  drastic  than  the  medical 
bill,  and  would  confine  the  prescribing  for 
such  medicines  to  regular  graduate  physi- 
cians only.  This  bill  had  been  pigeon- 
holed in  committee,  and  when  the  medical 
bill. was  defeated.  Mr.  Davis  went  to  Mr. 
Wilson  and  suggested  that  if  he  would  allow 
him  to  amend  Ihe  bill  to  permit  the  licensing 
of  pharmacists  to  sell  those  drugs,  they 
would  get  it  recommended  and  have  it 
passed.  This  was  done,  and  the  bill  passed 
unanimously,  none  of  the  opponents  of  the 
medical  bill"  suspecting  its  real  purpose.  So 
was  enacted  the  first  legislation  in  Oregon 
attempting  to  regulate  the  practice  of  medi- 
cine and  pharmacy,  this  law  remaining  upon 
the   statute   books   until   long   after   the   pas- 


sage of  regular  laws  affecting  these  sub- 
jects  rendering  it  unnecessary. 

On  .June  10,  1S90,  he  assisted  in  organiz- 
ing the  Oregon  State  Pharmaceutical  As- 
sociation, and  was  elected  its  first  presi- 
dent, with  H.  D.  Dietrich  as  secretary,  and 
Louis  G.  Clarke  as  treasurer.  Through  the 
efforts  of  the  association  a  pharmacy  law 
was  passed  at  the  ensuing  session  of  the 
legislature,  in  1891.  and  the  Oregon  State 
Board  of  Pharmacy  was  created,  and  Gov- 
ernor Pennoyer  offered  Mr.  Davis  an  ap- 
pointment as  a  member  of  the  board,  which 
he  waived  in  favor  of  L.  G.  Clarke  who 
w'as  appointed,  and  was  elected  the  first 
president  of  the  board.  The  next  year  upon 
the  expiration  of  Mr.  Clarke's  term,  the 
Governor  without  previous  consultation  or 
notice  sent  j\Ir.  Davis  a  commission  as  mem- 
ber of  the  board  for  the  full  term  of  five 
years,  which  he  accepted,  and  at  the  ensuing 
meeting  was  elected  president  which  office 
he  held  for  five  years,  being  reelected 
each  succeeding  year  at  all  times  giving  his 
best    efforts    for    the    good    of    the    cause. 

His  experience  as  a  member  of  the  board 
convinced  him  of  the  necessity  for  more 
adequate  provision  for  a  school  of  pharmacy 
in  the  state,  and  togsther  with  Professor 
Shaw  (Professor  of  chemistry  in  the  Oregon 
Agricultural  College)  he  began  negotiations, 
which  the  board  afterward  concluded  with 
the  regents,  to  establish  in  the  Oregon  Agri- 
cultural College  the  course  of  pharmacy, 
which  was  a  success  from  the  start,  and 
which   is   of   inestimable  value  to   the   state. 

Having  ereat  faith  in  the  progress  and 
development  of  the  material  resources  of 
the  state,  after  the  business  matters  which 
had  called  him  to  Corvallis  had  all  been 
satisfactorily  settled,  he  engaged  in  develop- 
ing and  settling  up  the  uninhabited  por- 
tion's of  western  Benton  and  of  Lincoln  coun- 
ties. With  some  of  his  friends  and  asso- 
ciates he  organized  the  Coast  Land  Live- 
stock Company,  which  purchased  and  placed 
upon  the  market  forty  thousand  acres  of 
the  Corvallis  and  Yaquina  bay  military 
wagon  road  lands,  and  sold  in  tracts  to  set- 
tlers, adding  materially  to  the  population  and 
prosperity  of  the  sections  of  the  two 
counties. 

While  engaged  with  those  lands,  he  pur- 
chased on  his  private  account  extensive 
tracts  of  tidelands  on  Yaquina  bay,  and  in 
1900  built  the  first  dredge  to  be  used  on 
that  bay  for  diking  and  reclaiming  tidelands. 
He  reclaimed  his  owm  lands  and  those  of  his 
neighbors,  and  his  land  has  become  one  of 
the  finest  dairy  farms  in  the  state. 

SAMUEL  PADGETT  is  the  postmaster  and 
a  merchant  of  Keno  and  is  conducting  a  well 
appointed  store,  while  his  business  activities 
place  him  with  the  enterprising  citizens  of 
the  community.  He  was  born  April  22.  1874, 
in  Kansas,  his  parents  being  J.  L.  and  Eliza 
C.  (Lissman)  Padgett,  who  were  natives  of 
Indiana  and  were  reared  and  married  there. 
They  afterward  resided  at  different  periods 
in  Kansas  and  Missouri  as  well  as  a  num- 
ber of   places   in   the   middle   west.      In   1891 


IIU 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


they  came  to  Oreyoii  and  the  fatlier  engaged 
in  merchantli.sing  at  Keno  until  !u*  retired 
and  removed  to  Ashland  about  four  years  ago. 
His  death  there  occurred  in  Oetolier.  lillU. 
when  he  was  sixty-seven  years  of  age.  The 
mother  is  now  living  in  Siskiyou  county.  Cali- 
fornia, at  the  age  of  seventy-one  years.  The 
father  had  ranch  and  timber  interests  and 
also  city  property  in  Ashland  and  town 
property  in  Keno.  He  was  a  veteran  of  the 
Civil  war.  having  served  for  two  years  as  a 
member  of  Company  I.  Seventeenth  Indiana 
Regiment  of  Volunteer  Infantry.  He  be- 
longed to  the  Grand  Army  Post  at  Ashland, 
and  he  gave  his  political  allegiance  to  the 
republican  party  although  the  otlier  members 
of  the  family  were  democrats.  For  about 
eight  years  he  served  as  postmaster  at  Keno. 
proving  a  faithfid  incumbent  in  that  office. 
During  the  greater  part  of  his  life  he  was 
a  devoted  member  of  the  Jlethodist  Epis- 
copal church.  Unto  him  and  his  wife  were 
born  two  children,  the  elder  being  Albert 
F.,  of  Dorris.  Siskiyou  county,  California. 

When  only  fourteen  months  old  Samuel 
Padgett  was  taken  by  his  parents  to  Mis- 
souri, where  he  resided  until  seventeen  years 
of  age.  The  family  then  came  to  Klamath 
county.  Oregon,  and  Samuel  Padgett  has 
since  resided  in  this  locality.  He  continued 
with  his  parents  until  about  sixteen  years 
ago,  when  he  married  and  went  to  Siskiyou 
county.  California,  and  settled  about  twenty- 
five  miles  south  of  Keno.  There  he  secured 
a  homestead  on  which  he  lived  for  seven 
years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  traded 
it  for  a  half  interest  in  his  present  mercan- 
tile business,  making  the  trade  with  his 
brother.  They  now  own  adjoining  home- 
steads and  each  has  a  half  interest  in  the 
store  at  Keno.  Mr.  Padgett  traded  his  home- 
stead for  his  brother's  half  interest  in  the 
store  and  he  has  since  been  identified  with 
the  same.  The  father  gave  to  each  of  the 
two  sons  a  third  interest  in  the  business 
and  kept  a  third  but  Samuel  Padgett  now 
owns  the  whole  store  building  and  its  ap- 
pointments and  he  has  a  half  interest  in  his 
father's  estate.  He  was  appointed  postmaster 
on  March  18.  ISilO.  • 

In  1S96  Mr.  Padgett  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Vina  May  Pratt,  who  was  born 
in  Klamath  county  and  is  a  daughter  of  New- 
ton and  Rebecc;i  Jane  Pratt.  The  former  is 
deceased  but  the  mother  still  survives.  Mr. 
Pratt  was  born  in  New  York.  March  19,  1833, 
a  son  of  Jackson  and  Caroline  (Smith)  Pratt. 
They  removed  to  ^lichigan  wlien  their  son 
Newton  was  a  small  boy  and  he  was  yet  quite 
young  when  left  an  or|)han.  his  mother  dying 
in  Michigan  and  liis  father  in  Indiana.  He 
was  one  of  four  sons,  the  others  being:  War- 
ren and  Barney,  both  deceased;  and  Morgan, 
whose  home  is  in  lower  California.  New- 
ton Pratt  resided  in  Michigan  and  in  Indiana, 
near  Crown  Point,  until  IS.'):!,  when  lie  crossed 
the  plains,  leaving  his  old  home  in  April  and 
reacliing  Oregini  late  in  the  fall.  He  spent 
two  years  in  and  near  Salem,  where  he  had 
a  dray  line,  and  in  IS').")  he  went  to  Siski- 
you county  and  worked  in  the  Scott  valley 
until   18.")7.     Me  then  returned  to  Salem  and 


in  1859  again  went  to  Siskiyou  county,  where 
he  had  a  small  vegetable  ranch  and  also  a 
livery  stable  in  Fort  .Jones  until  1862.  After 
selling  out  he  engaged  in  teaming  until  he 
came  to  Klamath  county  and  he  was  em- 
ployed as  a  teamster  by  the  United  States 
government  during  the  Modoc  war.  He  then 
located  a  claim  at  Teater's  landing  and  after 
living  upon  it  for  two  years  sold  it.  He  next 
purchased  the  McCormick  sawmill  at  Keno, 
which  he  operated  for  five  years  and  through- 
out the  succeeding  ten  years  was  engaged  in 
teaming  at  Klamath  Falls,  hauling  freight 
from  Roseburg  to  Redding,  which  were  the 
nearest  railroad  points  at  that  time.  For 
four  years  he  engaged  in  ranching  in  the  Poe 
valley  and  then  again  spent  two  years  in 
Klamath  Falls.  He  next  rented  and  operated 
the  John  H.  Jliller  ranch  for  three  years,  at 
the  end  of  which  time  he  removed  to  Keno, 
where  he  died  July  30.  1901.  Mrs.  Pratt  con- 
ducted a  hotel  in  Keno  for  six  years  after 
her  husband's  death.  He  had  traded  for  the 
property  in  1891  and  had  managed  the  hotel 
up  to  the  time  of  his  demise.  Mrs.  Pratt  still 
owns  a  number  of  pieces  of  property  here  and 
has  displayed  excellent  business  "ability  in 
their  management.  Mr.  Pratt  was  a  man  of 
enterprise  and  perseverance,  never  afraid  of 
work,  and  his  persistency  of  purpose  was  one 
of  the  strong  elements  in  his  success.  On 
the  6th  of  February,  1865,  he  wedded  Rebecca 
Jane  Gordon,  who  was  born  in  iluskingum 
county,  Ohio,  November  16.  1844.  She  Was 
but  eight  months  old  when  her  parents  re- 
moved to  Buchanan  county,  Missouri,  and  in 
1852  they  crossed  the  plains  to  Yreka,  Cali- 
fornia. Her  father,  Daniel  Gordon,  was  a 
native  of  New  York  and  wdien  quite  young 
was  left  an  orphan.  His  wife,  who  bore  the 
maiden  name  of  Sarah  Castle,  was  a  native 
of  Virginia  and  when  ten  years  of  a,L'e  re- 
moved with  her  jiarents  to  Ohio.  Both  Mr. 
and  Jlrs.  Gordon  spent  their  last  days  in 
Keno.  passing  away  at  the  ages  of  ninety-six 
and  seventy-three  years,  respectively.  He  was 
a  millwright  and  cabinet-maker  and  thus 
provided  for  his  family,  numbering  seven 
children  who  reached  adult  age.  Unto  Mr, 
and  Mrs.  Pratt  were  born  two  children;  Lin- 
nie  B.,  the  wnfe  of  Henry  Stout,  of  Klamath 
Falls;   and  Vina  May.  now   Mrs.  Padgett. 

Mr,  and  Mrs.  Padgett  have  four  children. 
Arthur  Newton.  Marion  Finley.  Victor  E.  and 
Erwin  F,  In  politics  Mr.  Padgett  is  a  re- 
publican but  the  honors  and  emoluments  of 
office  have  never  attracted  him.  He  prefers 
to  concentrate  his  attention  upon  his  business 
affairs  and  their  capable  direction  is  winning 
for  him  a  gratifying  measure  of  success.  He 
now  has  a  well  appointed  store  and  as  'post- 
master of  Keno  is  widely  known. 

WILLIAM  R.  HARRIS  has  lived  upon  the 
farm  in  Coos  county  near  Myrtle  Point  which 
is  still  his  home  since  1902.  and  through  the 
intervening  period  has  made  many  improve- 
ments upon  the  jdace.  He  was  born  in  Can- 
ada, November  4.  1835.  and  has  therefore 
passed  the  seventy-seventh  milestone  on  life's 
journey.  ?Iis  parents  were  George  and  Han- 
nah  (Brooks)  Harris,  the  former  a  native  of 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


111 


Canada,  born  in  1795,  while  tlie  motlier's 
birth  occnrred  in  Now  York  in  ISOl.  In 
their  family  were  thirteen  children,  but  only 
five  are  now'  living:  Hannah,  who  is  the  widow 
of  James  A.  Reynolds,  and  resides  in  Lockford. 
California;  Elizabeth  J.,  wlio  is  the  wife  of 
Isaac  Dietderich,  of  Vancouver,  Washington; 
Xancy,  the  wife  of  Alfred  Keagle,  California; 
Olive,  who  married  Andrew  Brown  of  Sunny- 
side.  Washington;  and  William  K. 

The  last  named  was  only  seventeen  years 
of  age  when  his  father  died,  and  the  uext 
spring  he  purchased  an  interest  with  his 
brother  in  a  sawmill  which  he  operated  for 
seven  years.  He  was  practically  empt.v 
handed  when  he  started  in  tlie  business  world, 
but  he  made  plans  that  enabled  him  to  become 
a  factor  in  industrial  circles.  At  length, 
however,  he  put  aside  business  and  personal 
considerations,  joining  the  Union  army  in 
Iowa.  He  served  for  three  years  and  ten 
months,  making  a  creditable  record  as  one 
whose  loyalty  was  ever  above  question.  At 
the  close' of  that  time  he  was  honorably  dis- 
charged. He  then  married  and  purchased 
land  in  Missouri,  where  he  lived  for  a  year, 
after  which  he  returned  to  Iowa  and  spent 
the  succeeding  year.  He  next  came  to  Oregon 
by  way  of  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  and  after 
remaining  in  Portland  for  a  time  went  to  Polk 
county  where  lie  cultivated  a  rented  farm  for 
two  years.  He  then  took  up  a  homestead 
near  Vancouver,  u])on  which  he  lived  for  three 
years,  when  he- removed  to  Tulare  county, 
California,  where  he  entered  land  and  also 
purchased  railroad  land.  For  twenty-seven 
years  he  followed  farming  in  that  state  and 
in  1809  returned  to  Oregon,  where  in  connec- 
tion with  his  son  he  took  up  a  homestead 
near  Myrtle  Point.  He  also  rented  land  and 
conducted  a  daily  business  near  Myrtle  Point. 
His  son  filed  on  his  homestead  in  1903  and 
Mr.  Harris  has  since  been  with  him.  They 
have  made  great  improvements  on  the  place, 
planted  an  orchard  and  are  adding  to  the 
ranch  all  the  modern  equipments  and  acces- 
sories. Mr.  Harris  is  still  a  busy  worker 
although  he  has  passed  the  seventy-seventh 
milestone  on  life's  journey. 

In  early  manhood  he  was  married  to  iliss 
Louisa  Reed,  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  Thomas  and  Maria  (Jones)  Reed,  in 
whose  family  were  ten  children  although  only 
three  are  now  living:  Mrs.  Harris;  ilary,  the 
wife  of  Amos  Pierce  of  Des  Moines.  Iowa; 
and  Maria,  the  wife  of  Michael  Reed  of  Myrtle 
Point.  The  marriage  of  Mr.  and  ilrs.  Harris 
was  celebrated  in  Marion,  Iowa,  August  3, 
186.5,  and  they  have  become  the  parents  of 
four  children.  '  Henry  H.,  the  eldest,  obtained 
his  education  in  California  and  is  now  a  dairy 
farmer  of  Myrtle  Point,  owning  a  ranch  of 
twenty  acres.  He  is  married  and  has  four 
children:  Dolphus,  Giles  H..  Lucile  and  Lois. 
William  is  a  salesman  living  in  Lodi.  Cali- 
fornia. He  is  married  and  has  two  chihlren: 
Kayrl  and  Edwin.  Mary  is  a  professional 
nurse  and  makes  her  home  with  her  parents. 
Edwin  II.  also  lives  at  home  and  devotes  his 
time  to  farming,  owning  the  place  upon  which 
his  father  now  resides. 


Mr.  Harris  has  taken  an  active  interest  in 
politics  and  for  many  years  was  a  stalwart 
republican.  In  1S90  liowever,  he  retired  from 
that  party  and  joined  the  populists.  At  one 
presidential  election  he  supported  William 
Jennings  liiyan  but  his  sympathy  is  now  with 
the  socialist  party.  He  has  never  been  an 
office  seeker  and  has  always  regarded  it  as 
a  sacrifice  of  his  personal  interests  to  accept 
public  positions.  He  belongs  to  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic,  thus  maintaining 
pleasant  relations  with  the  boys  in  blue.  As 
one  of  the  veterans  of  the  Civil  war  he  de- 
serves the  lionor  and  gratitude  Avhicli  should 
ever  be  accorded  an  old  soldier.  His  life  has 
been  characterized  by  unfaltering  diligence. 
He  early  realized  that  work  is  the  basis  of 
all  honorable  success,  and  day  by  day  he  has 
given  his  time  and  energies  to  the  duties 
that  have  devolved  upon  him  in  his  business 
affairs  and  in  a  public  way.  Wherever  known 
he  is  widely  esteemed  and  he  has  an  exten- 
sive circle  of  friends  in  the  county  where  he 
now  makes  his  home. 

HENRY  SNOWGOOSE  is  the  owner  of  one 
hundred  acres  of  land  on  the  Klamath  river, 
adjoining  Keno,  of  which  half  is  under  culti- 
vation, and  in  addition  to  raising  the  cereals 
best  adapted  to  the  soil  and  climate  he  has 
given  considerable  attention  to  live-stock  in- 
terests, making  a  specialty  of  the  breeding 
of  jacks.  He  dates  his  residence  here  from 
1891.  He  was  born  in  Parke  county.  Indiana. 
September  8.  1843.  a  son  of  Henry  and  Selma 
(Wendel)  Snowgoose,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  Germany,  where  they  w-ere  reared 
and  married.  The.v  came  to  the  United  States 
in  1839,  settling  in  Indiana,  where  both  died. 
The  father  had  devoted  his  life  to  merchan- 
dising. The  only  survivor  of  the  family  is 
Henry  Snowgoose,  his  sister  Louisa,  who  was 
his  junior,  having  died  in  early  life. 

Henry  Snowgoose  resided  in  Indiana  until 
twenty-one  years  of  age,  devoting  his  time 
largely  to  the  acquirement  of  an  education 
and  to  the  work  of  the  fields.  He  began 
teaching  when  twenty  years  of  age  and  after 
a  .year  went  to  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania,  where 
he  entered  the  Iron  Citv  Commercial  College, 
from  which  in  due  time  he  was  graduated. 
For  about  twenty -five  years  he  successfully 
engaged  in  teaching  in  the  district  scliools  of 
Iowa,  proving  himself  a  capable  educator  who 
imparted  clearl.v  and  readily  to  others  the 
knowledge  that  he  had  obtained.  In  1891 
he  came  to  Keno,  where  he  has  since  resided. 
He  owns  one  hundred  acres  adjoining  the 
town  and  lying  alons  the  Klamath  river.  Of 
this  he  has  about  fifty  acres  under  the  plow 
and  his  methods  of  farming  are  modern  and 
progressive.  He  makes  a  specialty  of  rais- 
ing jacks,  having  brought  a,  carload  here  from 
Iowa  wlien  he  came.  He  also  conducts  a  feed 
stable  and  he  has  a  boat-landing  at  his  place. 
Ill  addition  to  his  other  propert.v  be  owns 
four  cit.v  lots  and  two  dwellings  and  his 
realty  possessions  are  the  visible  evidence  of 
his  life  of  thrift  and  energy. 

In  Iowa,  in  1S65.  Mr.  Snowgoose  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Sarah  Frances  Taylor,  a  native 
of  Indiana,  who  died  in  Iowa  in  1868,  Icav- 


112 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


iiig  two  chiklreii:  Daniel,  whose  home  is  in 
Jerome.  Arizona:  and  Jolin,  living  in  Mono 
county,  California.  In  Iowa,  in  1871,  Mr. 
Snowgoose  was  again  married,  his  second 
union  being  with  Amanda  Perkins,  a  native 
of  Xew  York.  They  have  one  son,  Charles, 
of  Klamath  Falls. 

Mr.  Snowgoose  was  reared  in  the  faith  of 
the  democratic  party  but  afterward  became 
a  populist  and  is  now  independent.  He  has 
served  for  three  terms  as  justice  of  the  peace 
and  for  six  years  held  that  office  in  Iowa. 
His  decisions  were  strictly  fair  and  impartial 
and  he  has  made  a  most  creditable  record  in 
this  connection.  Laudable  aml)ition  prompted 
him  to  come  to  the  new  and  growing  Pacific 
coast  country,  where  he  believed  that  better 
opportunities  could  be  secured.  Gradually 
he  has  worked  his  way  njjward  undeterred  by 
obstacles  and  difficulties  in  his  path  and  his 
energy  and  persistency  of  purpose  have  feat- 
ured largely  in  the  attainment  of  the  success 
which  is  now  his. 

ELDER  SAMUEL  S.  BARKLOW.  In  the 
history  of  moral  progress  as  well  as  material 
development  in  Coos  county  mention  must  be 
made  of  Elder  Samuel  S.  Barklow,  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  German  Baptist  church  at 
Myrtle  Point.  A  life  of  great  usefulness  and 
of'  far-reaching  influence  ended  when  on  the 
17th  of  December.  1S97.  he  was  called  to  his 
final  home,  at  the  age  of  fifty-six  years.  He 
was  a  native  of  Union  county.  Pennsylvania, 
bom  July  27,  1S41,  and  in  "lS4S  he  accom- 
panied his  parents  on  their  removal  to 
Stephenson  county.  Illinois.  He  was  a  son  of 
James  and  Anna  Barklow,  both  natives  of 
the  Keystone  state,  where  they  lived  until 
going  to  Illinois,  where  the  father  died.  The 
mother  afterward  removed  to  Iowa,  where  she 
made  her  home  until  1S72.  when  she  came  to 
Oregon,  settling  in  Coos  county.  Thereafter 
she  made  her  home  with  her  son  David  until 
she  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-one  years. 
Samuel  S.  Barklow  was  one  of  a  family  of 
seven  children,  five  sons  and  two  daughters, 
all  of  whom  passed  away  before  his  death 
save  his  sister.  Mrs.  Sarah  Hickson.  who  at 
the  time  of  Mr.  Barklow's  demise  was  in  her 
seventy-seventh  year  but  has  since  passed 
away. 

Mr.  Barklow  spent  his  boyhood  and  youth 
largely  in  Stephenson  county.  Hlinois.  and  in 
1S5S.  when  in  his  seventeenth  year,  united 
with  the  German  Baptist  church.  From  that 
time  forward  he  never  ceased  to  labor  un- 
tiringly for  the  upbuilding  of  his  denomina- 
tion, using  every  effort  to  promote  its  teacli- 
ings  and  extend  its  influence. 

In  1S61  ^Ir.  Barklow  was  married  to  Miss 
Mary  Studebaker,  who  died  in  March.  1866. 
leaving  two  sons.  J.  H.  and  J.  S.,  the  former 
now  a  resident  of  Coos  county.  Oregon,  where 
for  several  years  he  was  county  superintend- 
ent of  schools,  while  the  latter  became  a 
physician  and  died  on  the  1st  of  June.  1889, 
at  the  age  of  twenty-five  years.  On  the  9th 
of  September,  1867,  Elder  Barklow  was  again 
married,  his  second  union  being  with  Miss 
Anne  Miller,  who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania 
in  September,  1845,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  W. 


and  Catharine  (Walter)  Miller,  both  of  whom 
were  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  where  the 
father  followed  the  occupation  of  farming 
until  his  death  in  1S72.  He  had  long  sur- 
vived his  wife,  who  passed  away  in  1860. 
In  their  family  were  twelve  children,  of  whom 
only  fotir  are  living.  Mrs.  Barklow  being  the 
youngest.  The  others  are:  A.  W.,  a  resi- 
dent of  Nebraska ;  John  B.,  of  New  Paris, 
Pennsylvania ;  and  Mrs.  Julia  Holsopple,  of 
Penn  Run,  Pennsylvania.  Those  who  have 
passed  away  are  Eli  W.,  Mrs.  Mary  Rodgers, 
Elizabeth,  Mrs.  Sarah  M.  Rouser,  Henry  W., 
Martin,  Nathan  arid  Jane.  Unto  Samuel  S. 
and  Anne  (Miller)  Barklow  were  born  seven 
children:  Sarah  E..  who  is  the  widow  of 
J.  L.  Randleman  and  lives  in  Bandon;  Nathan 
E.,  of  Myrtle  Point;  John  D..  of  Arago;  Mrs. 
Mary  L.  Broadbent,  whose  husband  is  con- 
ducting a  creamery  at  Myrtle  Point;  Mrs. 
Bertha  M.  Snell,  of  Covina.  California,  who 
has  a  daughter.  Neva  Susie;  S.  Willie,  who 
was  accidentally  killed  when  twenty-six 
.vears  of  age;  and  Alta  Annie,  who  is  the 
wife  of  Ira  M.  Abbott,  who  is  conducting  a 
barber  shop  at  Jlvrtle  Point  and  they  have 
one  son.  Gale  R..  born  in  January.  1909. 

After  his  marriage  Samuel  S.  Barklow  took 
up  the  occupation  of  farming,  which  he  fol- 
lowed throughout  his  entire  life.  He  also 
engaged  in  preaching  the  gospel  from  1871 
until  his  death.  In  that  year,  in  company 
with  twenty  others,  he  came  to  Oregon  and 
settled  on  the  Coquille  river,  where  he  met 
the  usual  experiences  and  hardships  that  are 
features  of  frontier  life.  He  faltered  not, 
however,  in  the  arduous  task  of  developing 
a  new  farm,  nor  did  he  hesitate  to  give  active 
aid  in  the  work  of  public  improvement.  He 
and  his  brother  David  introduced  the  German 
Baptist  religion  into  this  valley  and  began 
the  work  of  building  up  a  strong  church  of 
that  denomination.  There  were  originally 
but  eight  members,  the  three  brothers,  David, 
John  and  Samuel  Barklow,  their  wives,  their 
mother  and  Miss  Betsy  Snyder.  By  1873  the 
church  had  increased  in  membership  to 
twenty-one  and  at  that  time  a  church  or- 
ganization was  effected  that  has  long  since 
numbered  more  than  one  hundred  members, 
David  Barklow  presiding  as  elder  until  his 
death  in  1SS9.  after  which  Samuel  S.  Bark- 
low became  elder  and  as  such  was  the  direct- 
ing head  of  the  church  to  the  time  of  his 
demise.  He  was  also  elder  over  the  churches 
at  Coquille.  Moscow.  Idaho,  and  Oysterville, 
Washington.  He  was  ever  an  able  and  earn- 
est worker  in  behalf  of  the  church  of  his 
faith  and  gave  liberally  of  his  time  and  means 
for  its  advancement. 

At  the  time  of  his  death  Elder  Barklow 
was  the  owner  of  fort.v-three  acres  of  land, 
although  at  one  time  he  had  more  than  two 
hundred  acres.  While  he  sought  to  provide 
a  comfortable  living  for  his  family,  the  de- 
sire for  wealth  was  never  paramount  with 
him.  In  fact,  he  sought  first  the  Kingdom 
of  Heaven  and  put  forth  earnest  and  effective 
effort  to  spread  the  teachings  of  the  gospel 
according  to  the  interpretation  of  his  de- 
nomination. His  inlluence  was  of  no  re- 
stricted  order   and   his   memory   remains    as 


MR.  AND  MRS.   SAMUEL   S.   BAUKI.DW 


/u^^ 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OEEGON 


115 


an  inspiration  and  blessed  benediction  to 
many  who  knew  him.  Mrs.  Barklow,  surviv- 
ing him,  makes  her  home  in  Myrtle  Point, 
where  she  has  a  wide  circle  of  friends. 

MRS.  MARY  JANE  PERKINS  owns  and 
conducts  the  Hotel  Perkins  at  Drain  and  mani- 
fests excellent  business  ability  in  her  man- 
agement of  this  and  other  enterprises  and 
undertakings.  She  has  been  a  lifelong  resi- 
dent of  Oregon,  her  birth  having  occurred  on 
a  donation  claim  that  was  taken  up  by  a 
Jlr.  Reed  and  afterward  purchased  by  Mrs. 
Perkins'  father.  Upon  this  land  has  since 
been  built  the  town  of  Leona.  Mrs.  Perkins 
is  a  daughter  of  Newton  and  Elizabeth 
(Davis)  ilulvany,  the  former  a  native  of 
Tennessee  and  the  latter  of  Illinois.  They 
were  married  in  Oregon,  the  father  when  a 
young  man  having  driven  a  team  of  oxen 
over  the  plains  in  the  same  wagon  train  with 
which  the  Davis  family  came  to  the  north- 
west. This  was  in  the  year  1852.  The  grand- 
father Davis  and  three  of  his  sons.  Elisha, 
James  and  Aaron,  died  on  the  journey.  The 
grandmother  continued  her  way  with  her  six 
children,  four  daughters  and  two  sons.  The 
elder  son,  John  Davis,  took  up  a  donation 
claim  in  Yamhill  county  and  there  the  mother 
settled  with  her  family.  The  children,  how- 
ever, were  young  men  and  young  women 
grown  at  that  time.  After  reaching  Oregon 
Mrs.  Davis  became  the  wife  of  Samuel  Laugh- 
lin  and  both  slie  and  her  husband  spent  their 
remaining  daj's  in  Yamhill  county.  Eliza- 
beth Davis  became  the  wife  of  Newton  Mul- 
vany  on  the  26th  of  December.  1853,  and  for 
three  years  thereafter  lived  in  Yamhill  county. 
In  1855  they  left  that  county  with  California 
as  their  destination.  The  Indian  war,  how- 
ever, was  then  in  progress  and  Mr.  Mulvany. 
leaving  his  wife  at  Leona,  enlisted  in  the  serv- 
ice against  the  Indians.  After  the  close  of 
hostilities  he  settled  at  Leona,  where  he  pur- 
chased of  Samuel  Reed  his  donation  claim 
and  thereon  made  his  home  to  the  time  of 
liis  death,  which  occurred  in  1889,  when  he 
was  fifty-six  years  of  age.  For  many  years 
he  operated  a  sawmill,  building  the  first  mill 
of  that  kind  in  Douglas  county.  Parties  came 
from  Salem,  Eugene  and  many  other  points 
from  a  territory  many  miles  for  their  lumber 
in  those  early  days  and  Mr.  Mulvany  had  a 
wide  acquaintance  among  pioneer  settlers, 
llis  labors,  too.  were  of  a  character  that  con- 
tributed to  the  upbuilding  and  prosperity  of 
the  community  as  well  as  to  individual  suc- 
cess. L'nto  him  and  his  wife  wei'e  born  threo 
children,  of  whom  two  are  now  living:  Henry, 
who  is  a  mining  prospector  of  Alaska;  and 
ilary  J.,  now  Mrs.  Perkins.  Mrs.  Mulvany 
still  survives  and  makes  her  home  with  her 
daughter. 

Mrs.  Perkins  was  reared  at  Leona  and  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools.  On  the  8th  of 
March,  1882,  she  became  the  wife  of  Leonard 
M.  Perkins,  a  native  of  Kansas,  who  came  to 
Oregon  in  1878  with  his  parents,  settling  in 
Oakland,  Douglas  county.  Following  their 
marriage  Mrs.  Perkins  and  her  husband  took 
up  their  abode  at  Roseburg.  where  he  engaged 
in  railroad  work.    A  year  later  thev  removed 


to  Latliam  and  when  another  year  had  passed 
established  their  home  in  Comstock,  where 
they  resided  for  five  years.  In  1889  they 
removed  to  the  Mulvany  farm  which  Mr.  Per- 
kins has  since  cultivated.  It  is  a  tract  of 
four  hundred  acres  which  is  owned  by  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Perkins  and  her  mother,  Mrs.  Mul- 
vany. In  1906  Mrs.  Perkins  built  the  present 
commodious  hotel  at  Drain  which  she  has 
since  conducted  -and  it  has  the  reputation  of 
being  the  best  managed  of  any  country  hotel 
along  the  Southern  Pacific  railroad  between 
Portland  and  San  Francisco. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs;  Perkins  have  been  born 
five  children:  Nellie  B.,  who  is  employed  at 
office  work  at  St.  Helens,  Oregon ;  Leona  R., 
who  occupies  a  situation  in  an  olllce  at  St. 
Helens;  Effie  E.,  at  home;  William  Benja- 
min, who  is  in  charge  of  the  commissary 
department  of  the  McCormack  Lumber  Com- 
pany at  St.  Helens;  and  George  H.,  at  home. 

Mr.  Perkins  is  a  member  of  the  Woodmen 
of  the  World  and  his  wife  belongs  to  the 
auxiliary  lodge  known  as  the  Circle,  ilrs. 
Perkins  is  also  a  member  of  the  Christian 
church,  loyal  to  its  teachings  and  liberal  in 
its  support.  She  owns  one  hundred  and  fifteen 
acres  of  land  adjoining  her  town  property, 
on  which  she  has  a  herd  of  Jersey  cows.  She 
is  a  lady  of  excellent  business  ability,  saga- 
cious and  far-sighted,  energetic  and  capable, 
and  in  the  management  of  her  interests  it  is 
evident  that  she  carries  forward  to  successful 
completion  whatever  she  undertakes. 

H.  S.  ODEN  has  for  a  quarter  of  a  century 
resided  upon  the  ranch  that  he  now  occupies 
in  the  Pine  Flat  valley  of  Klamath  county, 
having  prcem])ted  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres, 
while  a  purchase  of  eighty  acres  has  increased 
his  holdings  to  two  hundred  and  forty  acres. 
He  was  born  in  Muskingum  county,  Ohio. 
October  11,  1852.  and  is  a  son  of  Philip  and 
Sarah  (Daniels!  Oden,  natives  of  North  Caro- 
lina and  of  Sandusky.  Ohio,  respectively. 
They  were  married  at  Dresden,  Ohio,  and  at 
the  first  call  for  troops  in  the  Civil  war  the 
father  left  his  family,  enlisting  for  three 
months.  He  took  part  in  the  first  battle  of 
Bull  Run  and  later  reenlisted  for  three  years 
l)ut  upon  the  expiration  of  that  term  of 
service  was  honorably  discharged  because 
of  physical  disability.  He  died  in  Muskingum 
county,  Ohio,  February  26,  1S6S,  and  for 
almost  four  decades  was  survived  by  his 
wife,  who  passed  away  in  Missouri,  April 
8,  1906,  in  her  eighty-fourth  year.  They 
were  the  parents  of  six  children:  William, 
of  Missouri;  Joseph,  of  Illinois;  Elias,  de- 
ceased; H.  S. ;  Wesley,  living  in  Illinois;  and 
Etta,  the  wife  of  Matt  Booth,  of  Missouri. 

H.  S.  Oden  resided  at  the  place  of  his  birth 
mitil  fifteen  years  of  age  and  then  went  to 
Illinois,  whore  he  worked  for  three  years  in 
a  blacksmith  shop.  He  afterward  followed 
his  trade  at  different  places  in  Illinois,  Kan- 
sas. Missouri,  Iowa  and  Idaho,  and  in  June, 
.1SS7.  he  turned  from  industrial  to  agricul- 
tural interests  by  locating  on  his  present 
ranch  in  the  Pine  Flat  valley  of  Klamath 
county.  He  secured  a  preemption  claim  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  upon  which  he 


116 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


has  since  lived.  On  his  farm,  now  two  liun- 
dred  and  forty  acres  in  extent,  he  lias  placed 
one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  under  cultiva- 
tion. He  has  made  a  specialty  of  stock-rais- 
ing, principally  horses  and  cattle,  and  is  re- 
garded as  an  excellent  judge  of  stock,  so  that 
his  investments  have  been  judiciously  made 
and  his  sales  have  brought  him  a  good  profit. 

-Mr.  Oden  was  married  in  Missouri,  in  1S75, 
to  Miss  Harriet  Louise  Thrasher,  who  was 
born  in  Indiana  in  1854,  and  is  a  daughter 
of  William  and  Eliza  Thrasher,  ;\Ir,  and  Mrs. 
Oden  have  become  parents  of  ten  children: 
Philip,  who  resides  upon  a  neighboiiiig 
ranch;  Willie,  who  was  born  Xovemlier  7. 
1S7S.  and  died  September  26.  1880;  Delia, 
who  is  the  wife  of  Alonzo  De  Carlow.  of 
Susanville.  California;  Ray.  who  was  born 
April  26,  1SS4,  and  died  September  2S.  18S7: 
Claude,  who  was  born  November  13,  1886,  and 
died  .Tune  2,  ISSS;  Wade,  living  in  Reno.  Ne- 
vada; Elsie,  the  wife  of  J,  H.  Dean,  of  Reno. 
Nevada;  Gerald,  Harry  and  Zelma.  all  at 
home. 

Jlr.  Oden  votes  with  the  republican  partv 
and  desires  the  welfare  and  progress  of  his 
community  yet  never  seeks  nor  wishes  for 
public  otilce  for  he  feels  that  his  business 
affairs  need  all  of  his  time  and  attention. 
That  his  hours  are  profitably  employed  is 
indicated  by  the  excellent  appearance  of  his 
place,  which  is  one  of  the  well  cultivated  and 
improved  ranches  of  the  district.  He  is  the 
fourth  oldest  settler  in  Pine  valley  and  now 
the  oldest  in  j'ears  of  continuous  residence 
here. 

GIDEON  STOLZ,  who  is  president  of  the 
Gideon  Stol/,  Comjiany,  was  born  in  Colum- 
biana county,  Ohio,  on  the  0th  of  December, 
1844,  being  one  of  ten  children  born  to  his 
parents,  .lacob  and  Mary  .Stolz.  They  were 
natives  of  Germany,  the  father  being  born  in 
Wurttemberg  near  Stuttgart.  He  came  to 
America  in  1S32  at  an  early  age  and  en- 
gaged in  agricultural  jjursuits  in  Columbiana 
county.  Subsequently  he  secured  govern- 
ment land  in  Scioto  valley  upon  which  he 
resided  before  removing  to  Jlontgomery 
county  near  Dayton.  That  place  was  his 
home  until  the  time  of  his  death  which  oc- 
curred when  he  was  eighty-six  years  of  age. 
His  wife  also  died  near  Dayton  at  the  age 
of  seventy-eight  years.  They  were  both 
members  of  the  Lutheran  church.  Of  their 
family  five  sons  and  one  daughter  reached 
maturity.  Dr.  ,Iohn  Stolz,  the  eldest,  was 
a  surgeon  in  the  Ninety-fourth  Ohio  Regi- 
ment during  the  Civil  war  and  was  a  prac- 
ticing physician  in  Reading,  Pennsylvania, 
for  many  years,  and  is  now  deceased,  Jacob, 
the  second  eldest,  was  a  member  of  the 
Ninety-third  Ohio  Infantry  and  was  killed 
in  the  battle  of  Murfreesboro.  David,  who 
joined  the  Fifteenth  United  States  Infantry 
for  three  years'  service,  was  captured  at  the 
time  of  Rosecrans'  retreat  at  Chicamauga, 
and  was  in  the  Andersonville  prison  for 
eleven  months  where  his  death  occurred.  Gid- 
eon, the  fourth  son,  is  the  subject  of  this 
review.     William  G.  is  living  retired  at  Dav- 


ton,   Ohio.     Mrs.   Mary   Kuhn,   the   daughter, 
is  residing  at  Gallon,  Ohio. 

(iideon  Stolz  pursued  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  and  in  May,  1864.  when  he 
was  hut  nineteen  years  of  age,  volunteered 
for  service  in  the  L'nion  army,  with  Com- 
pany B,  One  Hundred  Thirty-tirst  Ohio  In- 
fantry. He  was  mustered  into  service  at 
Columbus  and  immediately  stationed  at  Bal- 
timore. He  received  an  honorable  discharge 
the  following  September  but  the  next  month 
reenlisted.  His  second  enlistment  was  in 
the  quartermaster's  department  and  his 
duties  were  carried  on  principally  in  the 
vicinity  of  Memphis,  Tennessee.  In  1S65, 
at  the  close  of  the  war,  he  was  mustered 
out  and  returned  to  his  home  where  he  re- 
mained for  several  years,  engaging  in  the 
dairy  business  at  Dayton,  In  1873  he  dis- 
])osed  of  his  interests  there  and  came  to 
Salem.  When  he  arrived  in  this  city  he 
possessed  only  one  hundred  dollars,  indomit- 
able courage  and  a  desire  and  ability  to 
work.  He  turned  his  attention  to  garden- 
ing, conducting  the  old  Dickenson  seed  gar- 
den under  contract  for  six  years.  At  the 
expiration  of  that  time,  in  1879,  he  began  to 
deal  in  cider  and  vinegar,  conducting  his 
place  of  business  at  the  corner  of  Trade  and 
Cottage  streets.  It  was  not  long  before  he 
had  built  up  a  profitable  business  and  in 
1886  it  was  incorporated  under  the  name  of 
the  Pacific  ^'inegar  &  Pickle  Company,  Mr. 
.Stolz  becoming  its  president.  He  conducted 
this  enterprise  until  1S91  when,  on  account 
of  the  majority  of  stockholders  living  in 
Portland,  the  plant  was  removed  to  East 
Portland.  Mr.  Stolz,  not  caring  to  give  up 
his  residence  in  Salem,  continued  to  reside 
there.  In  1894  he  disposed  of  his  share  in 
the  Pacific  Vinegar  &  Pickle  Company,  but 
after  the  inauguration  of  President  McKin- 
ley  when  he  recognized  the  change  in  the 
financial  prospects  of  the  country  he  be- 
lieved that  the  period  of  prosperity  which 
would  ensue  would  be  a  fortunate  time  for 
him  to  again  engage  in  business.  Conse- 
quently, in  the  spring  of  1897,  he  began  the 
manufacture  of  cider  and  cider  vinegar  and 
extended  his  business  until  it  was  an  im- 
portant industry.  This  business  was  in- 
corporated under  the  firm  name  of  the  Gid- 
eon Stolz  Company,  and  .John  B.  Hileman 
became  vice  president  and  general  manager. 
Mr.  .Stolz"  son,  W.  T.  Stolz.  became  secre- 
tary and  C.  D.  and  E.  W.  Purvine  were  the 
two  remaining  stockholders.  The  latter  two 
were  associated  with  Mr.  Stolz  for  three 
years  when  he  bought  their  interests  and 
his  son,  W.  T.  Stolz.  became  vice  president 
and  manager.  The  business  has  been  greatly 
enlarged  since  and  the  maiuifacture  of  fruit 
spray  has  been  added  to  their  activities,  while 
tliey  also  operate  a  branch  house  at  The 
Dalles.  Their  factory  is  well  equipped  and 
devoted  to  the  manufacture  of  cider,  vinegar, 
apple  butter,  pickles  and  jelly  and  fruit 
s])ra.v.  They  also  bottle  mineral  waters. 
The  management  has  changed  somewhat  in 
recent  years  but  Mr.  Stolz  is  still  presi- 
dent, and  at  the  present  time  his  son.  W.  T. 


THE  CEiNTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


117 


Stolz,  is  vice  president  and  C.  L.  McNary  is 
serving  as   secretary. 

In  Dayton,  Oliio,  in  1S6S,  Mr.  Stolz  was 
married  to  Jliss  ilar^'aret  Wliittinger,  whose 
birth  occurred  in  Cliillicothe,  Ohio.  To  their 
union  two  children  were  born:  W.  T.,  who 
is  in  business  with  his  fatlier;  and  Senta 
D.,  wlio  is  the  widow  of  \V.  G.  Westacott. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Stolz  is  a  charter  member 
of  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen 
and  a  member  of  the  Woodmen  of  the  World 
and  the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees.  He  also 
holds  membership  in  the  Commercial  Club 
and  is  one  of  the  prominent  members  of  the 
Civic  Improvement  Society.  He  is  commander 
of  Sedgwick  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Salem,  of  which 
he  is  a  charter  member.  Politically  he  is  a 
republican.  In  1901  he  was  elected  council- 
man for  the  third  ward  and  he  has  served  as 
chairman  of  the  comn\ittee  on  health  and 
police.  In  1907,  being  reelected,  he  served 
two  terms  as  chairman  of  the  committee  on 
streets  and  public  property.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  the  accoiuits  and  current  expense 
committee  and  the  fire  and  water  committee. 
Such  is  the  life  history  of  Gideon  Stolz  who  is 
known  as  a  dependable  man  in  any  relation 
and  in  any  emergency.  His  right  conception 
of  tilings  and  his  habitual  regard  for  all  that 
is  best  are  notable  assets  in  his  career.  His 
cordiality  of  address  has  gained  him  many 
friends  while  his  genuine  personal  worth  has 
won  for  him  well  merited  confidence  and 
trust. 

REV.  W.  J.  GARDNER  has  been  actively 
identified  witli  tlie  moral  progress  of  Ore- 
gon as  the  founder  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal church  at  Cottage  Grove  and  the  builder 
of  the  houses  of  worship  used  by  the  con- 
gregations of  that  denomination  at  Creswell 
and  (Joshcn.  While  active  in  the  ministry, 
he  has  also  for  ten  years,  from  1S9S  to  190S, 
folUnved  farming  and  at  the  time  of  the 
Civil  war  he  served  actively  in  defense  of 
the  I'nioii,  for  which  service  the  government 
now  grants  him  a  pension.  He  is  at  the  pres- 
ent time  living  retired,  having  entered  into 
superannuated  relations  with  his  conference, 
and  receives  a  pension  from  the  same,  his 
home   being  in  Cottage   Grove. 

The  Rev.  W.  J.  Gardner  was  born  in  Eng- 
land, August  3,  1845,  a  son  of  Edward  and 
Elizabeth  (Spilsted)  Gardner,  who  were  also 
natives  of  that  country.  The  family  emi- 
grated to  the  United  States  in  1849,  settling 
in  New  .York,  while  later  they  became  resi- 
dents of  Illinois,  their  home  being  in  the 
vicinity  of  Chicago.  There  the  father  was 
employed  in  railroad  work  until  1853,  when 
he  passed  away  at  the  age  of  thirty-four 
years.  In  the  family  were  five  children,  of 
whom  one  son  and  two  daughters,  Eilward, 
Elizabeth  and  .Mercy,  all  died  of  cholera  in 
Chicago  in  1S54.  Another  daughter,  Mary, 
passed  away  in  Iowa  in  1907,  and  the  Rev. 
W.  .T.  (iardncr.  of  this  review,  completes  tlie 
family.  After  the  death  of  the  father,  the 
mother  married  again,  her  second  husband 
being  H.  W.  Short.  Subsequently  they  re- 
moved to  Iowa,  where  both  passed  away, 
the  death   of  Mrs.  Short  occurring  when   she 


was  sixty-eight  years  of  age.  By  her  second 
marriage  she  became  the  mother  of  three 
children:  Mercy,  deceased;  Edward;  and 
Alexander,  of  Xewton,  Iowa. 

W.  J.  Gardner  was  about  four  years  of 
age  when  brought  by  his  parents  to  America 
and  was  a  lad  of  only  eight  years  at  the 
time  of  his  father's  death.  He  was  then 
sent  to  live  with  a  Mr.  Piper,  with  whom 
he  resided  for  three  years,  and  from  that 
time  until  he  reached  the  age  of  seventeen 
years  he  was  variously  employed  and  at- 
tended school  at  Dixon,  Illinois.  With  the 
outbreak  of  the  Civil  war  his  patriotic  spirit 
was  aroused  and  on  the  15th  of  August, 
1862.  he  enlisted  for  service  as  a  member 
of  Company  A,  Seventy-fifth  Illinois  Infan- 
try, with  which  he  served  for  abcjut  three 
years,  or  until  the  close  of  the  war.  being 
iionoia1)ly  discharged  June  12,  1865.  He  par- 
ticipated" in  a  large  number  of  important 
engagements  but  was  never  Avounded 
throughout  the  entire  period  of  hostilities, 
although  he  took  part  in  many  important 
battles,  including  Perryville.  Lookout  .Moun- 
tain, Missionary  Ridge,  Ringgold,  the  first 
and  second  engagements  of  Buzzards  Roost, 
Rocky  Face.  Resaca,  Pumpkin  Vine  Creek, 
Pine  Mountain,  Kenesaw  Mountain,  Smyrna 
Camp  (i round.  Peach  Tree  Creek,  siege  of 
Atlanta.  .Tonesboro,  Lovejoy  Station.  Frank- 
lin   and    Nashville. 

Witli  a  most  creditable  military  record 
Rev.  (iardner  returned  to  the  north  and  set- 
tled u|)on  a  homestead  in  western  Iowa, 
where  he  resided  until  1S73.  While  follow- 
ing farming  there  he  prepared  for  the  min- 
istry and  entered  actively  upon  the  work  of 
preaching  the  gospel  in  connection  with  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church.  For  fifteen 
years  he  was  identified  with  the  ministry  of 
ithat  denomination  in  northwest  Iowa  and 
Dakota  Territory.  He  was  licensed  to  preach 
and  began  his  work  on  the  home  charge. 
The  Maple  Valley  circuit,  in  February.  1S73. 
In  November  of  that  year  he  was  sent  to 
Richland.  Dakota,  and  during  his  two  years' 
pastorate  there  had  fair  success  in  institut- 
ing new  work.  In  1875  he  united  with  the 
Northwest  Iowa  Conference  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  and  was  sent  to  Gayville, 
Dakota,  Lodi  also  becoming  a  part  of  his 
charge  the  second  year.  He  remained  at 
Gayville  for  three  years.  In  1877  he  was 
ordained  deacon  by  Bishop  Andrews  and  in 
1S7S  was  sent  to  Correctionville.  Iowa,  wherft 
a  great  revival  was  lield  and  during  tlie 
second  year  of  his  pastorate  there  he  built 
the  first  church  in  the  place.  In  1880  he 
was  ordained  elder  by  Bishop  Warren  and 
went  to  Smithland.  He  held  many  revivals 
and  built  two  churches,  one  at  Lucky  Valley, 
the  other  at  Oto.  ilany  were  added  to  the 
church  and  one  new  charge  named  Palestine 
was  organized  and  added  to  the  .Sioux  C'ity 
district  of  the  North  ^^'est  Iowa  Conference, 
lu  llie  fall  of  1882  he  was  sent  to  Vail.  Iowa, 
and  held  two  revivals,  one  at  Vail  and  the 
other  at  Deloit.  building  a  church  at  the  lat- 
ter place.  In  1884  he  went  to  Rockwell  City, 
where  he  received  one  hundred  into  the 
church,  and  in  1885  he  removed  to  Lake  City, 


1]8 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


wliere  )ic  lield  a  revival,  many  being  added 
to  the  ehurcli.  During  his  second  year  tliere 
his  health  failed  and  he  returned  to  his  old 
home  at  Mapleton,  Iowa.  After  being  some- 
what improved  he  supplied  the  Danbury 
pulpit  for  nine  months  and  was  in  the  midst 
of  a  good  work  when  he  had  an  opportunity 
U)  sell  his  home  and  follow  the  advice  that 
had  been  given  him  to  go  to  Oregon  for  the 
benefit  of  his  health.  He  arrived  in  this 
state  in  April,  18SS,  and  settled  in  Lost 
Valley,  Lane  county.  By  fall  his  health  had 
so  far  improved  that  he  asked  for  some 
home  mission  work.  The  church  then  or- 
ganized what  was  called  Dexter  circuit,  in- 
eluding  most  of  the  southern  portion  of 
f^ane  county.  His  appointments  were  Dex- 
ter, Cloverdale,  (Joshen.  Creswell.  Cottage 
Grove  and  Jlosby  Creek.  There  was  not 
a  dollar's  worth  of  church  property  on  the 
field  when  he  took  charge.  He  found  fifty- 
three  members  of  the  church  at  these  scat- 
tered appointments.  He  held  his  first  revival 
meeting  in  Oregon,  at  Cottage  Grove,  and 
organized  the  society  on  Thanksgiving  even- 
ing, Xovember  29,  1888,  with  twenty-seven 
charter  membere.  This  society  now  has 
about  three  hundred  members,  has  ten  thou- 
sand dollars'  worth  of  property  and  pays  its 
pastor  eighteen  hundred  dollars  a  year.  Rev. 
Gardner  held  a  meeting  with  good  results 
at  Goshen  later  in  the  year  and  the  second 
year  built  a  church  at  Creswell  at  a  cost 
of  three  thousand  dollars  and  a  parsonage 
for  five  hundred  dollars.  Commencing  with 
the  third  year  he  held  an  excellent  revival 
witli  seventy-two  additions  to  the  church. 
At  the  close  of  his  fourth  year  he  built  a 
church  at  Goshen  at  a  cost  of  fourteen  hun- 
dred dollars  and  bought  the  Presbyterian 
church  in  Cottage  Grove.  At  the  end  of  four 
years  on  this  circuit  there  were  three 
churches,  one  parsonage  and  a  membership 
of  over  two  hundred.  In  1892  he  was  sent 
to  Canb}",  Oregon,  where  he  held  good  reviv- 
als, a  number  uniting  with  the  church.  He 
also  spent  much  time  in  settling  up  old  ac- 
counts for  the  church  and  after  two  years 
he  went  to  Hubba'rd,  Oregon,  where  the 
church  was  in  a  run-down  condition.  He 
held  excellent  revivals  at  Marqiiam  and  Mol- 
alla  and  started  a  church  building  at  Glad- 
tidings,  but  his  health  was  poor  and  he 
could  not  do  what  he  desired.  In  1896  he 
went  to  Brownsville,  Oregon,  where  all  of 
the  churches  united  in  a  great  revival,  but 
Mr.  Gardner's  strenuous  labors  brought  on 
an  attack  of  apoplexy  and  paralysis  while 
speaking  in  the  pulpit.  He  had,  therefore, 
to  resign  his  work  at  the  end  of  the  first 
year.  In  1897  he  supplied  Mehama.  preach- 
ing once  each  Sunday.  At  the  end  of  the 
conference  year  in  October.  1898,  he  changed 
his  Lost  Valley  property  for  property  three 
miles  below  Cottage  Grove,  where  he  lived 
for  ten  years,  conducting  a  small  dairy  farm 
and  preaching  in  outside  appointments  on 
Sunday.  The  last  two  years  he  preached 
to  his  neighbors  at  Saginaw,  giving  his 
services  and  helping  to  build  a  small  new 
church,  costing  about  fifteen  hundred  dollars. 
In    October,    1908,    he    removed    to    Cottage 


Grove,  where  he  is  now  waiting  the  last 
roll  call. 

On  the  14th  of  'h,  186S,  Rev.  Gardner 

was  married  to  J'  "i'-^usanna  Smith,  a  na- 
tive of  Pennsylvania.  T^heir  marriage  was 
celebrated  in  Iowa,  where  Rev.  Gardner  then 
lived,  and  to  them  five  children  were  born: 
Myrtle  M.,  who  married  L.  H.  Morgan,  of 
Saginaw,  Oregon,  and  who  has  six  children; 
Leonard,  of  Salem,  who  is  married  and  has 
four  children;  Alma,  the  wife  of  L.  P.  Ben- 
nett, of  Salem,  by  whom  she  has  two  chil- 
dren; W.  J.  and  Grace,  twins,  who  are  both 
married  and  each  of  whom  has  one  child, 
the  former  residing  in  Sacramento,  Califor- 
nia, and  the  latter  the  wife  of  Ansel  Wood, 
living  in   Cottage   Grove. 

In  his  political  faith  Mr.  Gardner  is  a  re- 
publican but  has  never  given  much  time  nor 
attention  to  politics.  He  belongs  to  Appo- 
mattox Post,  Xo.  34.  G.  A.  R.,  Department 
of  Oregon,  and  thus  maintains  pleasant  rela- 
tions with  his  old  army  comrades.  He  is 
well  known  in  his  home  city  and  has  a  large 
acquaintance  through  various  sections  of 
Oregon,  where  he  preached  for  a  number  of 
years.  During  the  time  of  his  business  and 
professional  activity  he  was  the  means  of 
accomplishing  great  good  in  Iowa  and  Ore- 
gon and  his  name  is  honored  wherever  he  is 
known.  He  was  a  strong  and  eloquent 
speaker  and,  imbued  with  a  firm  belief  in 
the  doctrines  which  he  taught,  he  influenced 
many  into  choosing  the  better  path  of  life 
and  his  good  work  goes  on  in  the  lives  of 
those  who  have  come  under  his  ministry. 

BENJAMIN  F.  SCAIEFE,  B.  S.,  M.  D.,  is  a 

well  known  representative  of  the  medical 
profession  in  Eugene,  practicing  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  of  Bartle  &  Scaiefe.  He 
holds  to  high  standards  in  his  professional 
labors  and  manifests  marked  ability  in  the 
practice  of  both  medicine  and  surgery.  He 
was  born  in  Effingham  county,  Hlinois,  Sep- 
tember 22,  1865,  and  is  a  son  of  James  M. 
and  Harriet  (Kitchel)  Scaiefe.  In  the  pater- 
nal line  he  comes  of  an  old  southern  family 
while  his  maternal  ancestors  were  from  New 
York.  The  Scaiefes  are  of  Scotch  descent 
while  the  Kitchels  come  of  German  lineage. 
The  Doctors  parents  were  pioneers  of  Illinois 
where  they  settled  at  an  early  date.  The 
Kitchel  family  early  established  their  home 
northwest  of  the  city  of  Springfield.  The 
Doctor's  father  engaged  in  stock-raising  and 
became  a  well  known  and  highly  respected 
business  man  of  the  community  in  which  he 
made  his  home. 

Dr.  Scaiefe  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools,  in  the  high  school  at  Altamont  and 
in  the  Washington  University  of  St.  Louis, 
Missouri.  He  read  medicine  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Doctor  George  Schlagenhuf  of  Alta- 
mont. Illinois,  who  directed  his  reading  dur- 
ing 1883  and  1884.  The  degree  of  Bachelor 
of  Science  was  conferred  upon  him  by  the 
Washington  University  of  St.  Louis  in  1886. 
He  then  entered  the  St.  Louis  Medical  Col- 
lege and  was  graduated  in  1SS7  with  the 
degree  of  M.  D.  He  afterward  took  charge 
of  a   sanitarium  at   Savior.  Springs,  Illinois, 


DK.    II.    K.    SCAIKKK 


'pUBUC    L»^ 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OB^  OREGON 


121 


where  he  continued  for  seventeen  years,  doing 
valuable  work  there  along  professional  lines. 
During  the   winter  seasons   throughout   that 
period   he   engaged   in    active   practice   in   St. 
Louis.     In    1906   he   removed   to   Eugene   and 
purchased    an    interest    in    the    business    of 
Doctor  Phillip  Bartle,  with  whom  he  still  re- 
mains in  partnership.    His  pronounced  ability 
has    gained    him    recognition    as    a    leading 
physician   of   Eugene   and   in  addition   to   the 
large  private  practice  which  is  now  accorded 
him  he  is  serving  on  the  staff  of  the  Eugene 
hospital.     He    belongs    to    the    Lane   County 
Medical   Society.   The   Oregon   State   Medical 
Society  and   tlie   American   Medical  Associa- 
tion  and   keeps   in   close   touch   with   the   ad- 
vancement   of    the    profession    through    the 
procccdincrs  of   these   different   organizations. 
Doctor "Scaiefe  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah 
E.  Davis,   a   daughter  of  Henry   and   Martha 
Davis,   of   Altamout.   and   they   have    become 
the    parents    of    five     children:     Ethel    May. 
Marguerite  A.,  the  wife  of  .John  A.  Farre.  of 
Portland;    Benjamin    F.;    .Joseph     W.;     and 
Paul.    Doctor  Scaiefc  has  always  been  inter- 
ested  in  the  cause  of  education   and   intends 
that  his  children  have  good  advantages  along 
that  line.     He  was  a  trustee  of  Ewing  Col- 
lege in  Ewing,  Hlinois,  and  was  also  a  mem- 
l)c°r  of   the   Baptist   church  while  there.     He 
was    a    director   of    the    Clay    County    State 
Bank    at    Louisville,    Illinois,    but    resigned 
when  he  came  to  Eugene.    His  fraternal  rela- 
tions are   with  Eugene  Lodge,  No.   11.  F.   & 
A.  :M.;    Eugene  Chapter,  No.   10,  R.  A.   M.; 
Ivanhoe  Commanderv,  No.  2,  K.  T.;   and  Al 
Kader   Temple.   A.   A.   0.  N.   M.   S.     Doctor 
Scaiefe  exemplifies  in  his  life  the  beneficent 
spirit  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  is  loyal 
to   its   teachings.      The    greater    part    of   his 
time  and   attention   is  given  to  his  business 
and  at   all  times  he  holds  to  a  high  stand- 
ard of  professional  ethics.     He  is  a  constant 
student   of  the   science   of   medicine   and  his 
labors  have  been  attended  by  a  measure  of 
success  that  places  him  in  a  prominent  posi- 
tion   among    the    successful    physicians    and 
surgeons  of  Eugene. 

JESSE  G.  HODGES  is  the  owner  of  one  of 
the  most  productive  and  valuable  farms  in 
Douglas  county,  comprising  three  hundred  and 
seventy  acres  in  Scotts  valley.  His  birth  oc- 
curred in  Grande  Ronde,  Union  county,  Ore- 
gon, on  the  4th  of  January,  1864,  his  parents 
being  Calaway  and  Elizabeth  (Belieu)  Hodges, 
the  former  a  native  of  Indiana  and  the  latter 
of  Missouri.  Calaway  Hodges  crossed  the 
plains  to  Oregon  with  his  parents  in  1S47,  the 
journey  being  made  with  ox  teams.  Monroe 
Hodges,  the  paternal  grandfather  of  our  sub- 
ject, took  a  donation  claim  in  Benton  county, 
on  which  the  town  of  Wells  has  since  been 
built.  In  1848,  at  the  time  of  the  gold  dis- 
covery in  California,  Calaway  Hodges  went 
to  the  gold  fields  and  there  followed  mining 
for  about  three  years.  Returning  to  Benton 
county.  Oregon,  iie  took  up  a  donation  claim 
adjoining  that  of  his  father  and  was  soon 
afterward  married.  At  the  end  of  several 
years  he  sold  his  claim  and  removed  to  Coles 
valley  in  Douglas  county,  while  subsequently 


he  spent  several  years  in  Linn  county.  He 
next  took  up  his  abode  in  Jackson  county 
and  has  there  remained  to  the  present  time, 
now  residing  in  Phoenix  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
three  years.  The  period  of  his  residence  in 
the  west  covers  more  than  six  decades  and 
he  is  honored  as  one  of  its  pioneer  settlers  and 
one  whose  work  has  aided  largely  in  its 
development.  His  wife  was  the  daughter  of 
Rev.  Leander  Belieu,  a  Methodist  Episcopal 
minister,  who  in  1845  crossed  the  plains  to 
Oregon  with  ox  teams,  locating  with  his 
family  in  Benton  county,  where  he  took  up  a 
donation  claim.  In  1849  he  went  to  the  Cali- 
fornia gold  fields  and,  dying  on  the  return 
voyage,  was  taken  oft'  the  boat  and  buried 
on  an  island.  Mrs.  Elizabeth  (Belieu)  Hodges 
passed  away  in  1906  and  was  buried  in  Med- 
ford  cemetery. 

Jesse  G.  Hodges  was  reared  under  the  pa- 
rental roof  and  attended  the  public  schools  in 
the  acquirement  of  an  education.  Wlien  fifteen 
years  of  age  his  father  removed  to  tlie  Spo- 
kane district  of  Washington,  where  the  fam- 
ily  home  was  maintained   for  twelve  yeaVs. 
As  a  youth  of  nineteen  Jesse  Hodges  began 
his   career  as    a    stage    driver,   driving   from 
Spokane  into  Coeur  d'Alene.  Idaho,  and  later 
from  the  old  Catholic  mission  into  Wardner, 
Idaho.     He  made  the  first  track  ever  made 
into  Wardner  with  a  six-horse  stage,  the  few 
families  who  had  come  into  that  place  having 
used  pack  animals.     At  the  end  of  five  years 
he  abandoned  the  stage  route  and  purchased 
a  horse  ranch  eighteen  miles  east  of  Spokane, 
raising  horses  for  four  years.     In  the  spring 
of  1892  he  removed  with  his  family  to  Med- 
ford,  Oregon,  where  for  about  eighteen  years 
he  was  engaged  in  land  speculation.    In  June, 
1910,  he  brought  his  family  to  the  country 
and    purchased    his    present    ranch    of    three 
hundred  and  seventy  acres  in  Scotts  valley, 
one    of    the    most    productive    and    valuable 
farms   in  Douglas  county.     In  its  operation 
he  has  met  with  gratifying  success  and  well 
deserves    recognition    among    the    prosperous 
and  representative  citizens  of  his  native  state. 
In  1888  Mr.  Hodges  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Emma  Lewis,  of  Wardner.  Idaho,  by 
whom  he  has  nine  children,  namely :  Terrence 
D.;  Vincie,  Avho  is  the  wife  of  Benjamin  Wet- 
zel, of  San  Francisco,  California;  Clarence  J.; 
Jesse  J.;  Mildred;   Everett  L.;  Mary  E.;  and 
Thomas  M.  and  Edna,  twins.     All  are   still 
at    home    except    the    daughter,    Vincie.      In 
politics    Mr.    Hodges    is    independent,    sup- 
porting men  and  measures  without  regard  to 
party  afTdiation  and  never  seeking  office  for 
hims'elf.     His   wife   is  a   faithful   member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.    Throughout 
his    life    he   has    been    actuated    by    laudable 
ambition  and  strong  determination  that  has 
enabled  him  to  overcome  all  difficulties  and 
obstacles  and   make  continuous  advancement 
on   tlic   highroad   to  prosperity. 

D.  G.  HORN.  In  the  upbuilding  of  the 
towns  of  southern  and  eastern  Oregon  there 
has  been  little  evidence  of  the  lack  of  oppor- 
tunities felt  elsewhere.  With  the  rapid  build- 
ing of  railroads  throughout  the  northwest  it 


122 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


has  been  a  comparatively  easy  thing  to  bring 
each  new  town  into  close  connection  with 
the  outside  world,  thus  enabling  its  pop- 
ulation to  obtain  whatever  must  be 
purchased  elsewhere  and  to  ship  its  prod- 
ucts to  other  markets.  With  the  develop- 
ment of  business  there  is  ever  a  demand  for 
the  medium  of  exchange  that  a  Ijank  atVords 
and,  recognizing  this  fact,  D.  G.  Horn  became 
active  in  developing  the  banking  interests 
of  Bonanza,  purchasing  an  interest  in  the 
instit\ition  known  as  the  Bank  of  Bonanza 
in  July,  1909.  He  has  reorganized  it  and 
has  since  been  active  in  its  control  and  in 
formulating  its  policy.  Thus  he  has  come  to 
be  ranked  witli  the  progressive  citizens  of 
the  northwest  that  have  come  to  this  section 
from  tlie  Mississippi  valley.  He  was  born  in 
Fultonham.  Muskingum  county,  Ohio.  October 
26,  1857,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Amanda 
(Jloore)  Horn,  also  natives  of  that  county. 
From  Ohio  they  removed  to  eastern  Kansas, 
where  both  passed  away,  Mr.  Horn  at  the  age 
of  seventy-two  years,  his  wife  at  the  age 
of  sixty-seven.  He  had  been  a  farmer  and 
stock-raiser,  thus  supporting  his  family  of 
seven  sons  and  two  daughters,  of  whom  eight 
are  yet  living. 

D.  G.  Horn  was  reared  in  the  Sunflower 
state  and  afterward  spent  several  years  in 
traveling  over  the  United  States,  working  as 
a  laborer  and  seeing  the  country.  He  was 
married  in  August,  1884,  and  then  returned 
to  Ohio,  residing  at  the  place  of  his  birth  and 
cultivating  the  old  homestead  for  two  years. 
He  afterward  spent  two  years  in  Iowa  and 
about  twenty  years  in  Nebraska  before  com- 
ing to  Oregon.  Throughout  his  entire  life 
he  has  been  identified  with  farming  interests 
and  is  still  the  owner  of  a  ranch  of  three 
hundred  and  twent.y  acres  of  Langells  val- 
ley. Klamath  county.  He  resides,  however,  at 
Bonanza  and  in  July.  1909.  he  purchased  an 
interest  in  the  Bank  of  Bonanza,  with  which 
his  son  John  S.  was  previously  identified. 
He  then  reorganized  the  bank,  raised  the  capi- 
tal stock  to  twent}'  thousand  dollars  and 
became  president  of  the  institution,  his  son, 
however,  iilling  the  position  of  cashier  and 
being  the  active  man  of  the  bank.  The  other 
official  is  Jacob  Rueek,  of  Yonna,  who  is  the 
vice  president.  D.  G.  Horn  is  also  treasurer 
of  the  Horsefl.v  Irrigation  District,  which  was 
the  first  district  organized  under  the  state 
irrigation  law.  He  is  aetivel.v  interested  in 
all  that  pertains  to  the  welfare  and  upbuild- 
ing of  his  comnumity.  has  been  president  of 
the  Bonanza  Commercial  Club  since  its  organi- 
zation and  is  clerk  of  the  board  of  education. 

Mr.  Horn  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Lucretia  C.  Horn,  a  native  of  Iowa  and  a 
daughter  of  Solomon  S.  Horn.  They  have 
had  five  diildren:  John  S..  cashier  of  the  bank; 
Stanley.who' died  at  the  age  of  two  years; 
Gladys  M. ;  Dewey:  and  Bernice  M.  In  his 
fraternal  relations  Mr.  Horn  is  an  Odd  Fellow 
and  is  faithful  to  the  teachings  of  that 
society.  In  politics  he  has  always  been  an 
earnest  republican,  believing  that  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  [larty  contain  the  best  elements 
of  good  government.  He  is  recognized  as  a 
self-made    man,   for    at    the   age   of    fourteen 


years  he  ran  away  from  home  and  has  since 
made  his  own  way  in  the  world.  He  has 
every  reason  to  be  proud  of  what  he  has  ac- 
complished, for  he  today  occupies  a  promi- 
nent and  honorable  position  in  agricultural 
and  financial  circles.  His  record  proves  that 
industry  will  overcome  obstacles  and,  com- 
bined with  honest  purpose,  will  win  success. 

RICHARD  H.  SHACKLETT  has  been  a 
resident  of  Lane  county  since  1SS7  and  has 
lived  retired  in  Eugene  since  1889.  He  is  a 
veteran  of  the  Civil  war.  having  served  on 
the  Confederate  side  in  that  conflict  during 
the  entire  period  of  hostilities.  He  was  born 
in  Meade  county,  Kentucky,  December  17, 
1837,  and  is  the  son  of  Richard  and  Mahala 
(Allen)  Shacklett.  His  familj'  is  of  English 
extraction,  dating  back  many  generations, 
his  ancestors  being  among  the  early  English 
emigrants  who  established  their  place  of 
residence  originally  in  the  state  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. The  paternal  grandparent  of  Richard 
H.  Shacklett  was  a  major  in  the  War  of  1812. 
Removing  at  a  very  early  day  to  Kentucky', 
he  settled  in  that  portion  of  the  state  where 
the  city  of  Louisville  is  now  located,  and  at 
this  place  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this 
review  was  born.  His  paternal  grandparent 
later  removed  to  Meade  count.v.  Kentucky, 
and  there  established  his  home,  on  a  farm 
where  he  lived  throughout  the  remainder  of 
his  life.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Richard  Shacklett 
were  united  in  wedlock  in  Kentucky  and  in 
1852  removed  to  Scotland  county,  Missouri, 
and  at  that  place  some  of  the  family  still 
maintain   their  residence. 

Richard  H.  Shacklett  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  his  father's  home  and  on  attaining 
his  majority  was  engaged  in  farming  until 
the  opening  of  the  Civil  war,  when  he  enlisted 
in  Company  C.  Martin  Greene's  Regiment, 
Confederate  Infantry.  He  was  later  trans- 
ferred to  Pindell's  Battalion  of  Sharpshooters 
and  was  on  duty  in  Louisiana  at  the  time 
of  the  surrender  of  his  command.  He  re- 
ceived his  parole  at  Shreveport,  Louisiana, 
and  was  accorded  free  transportation  by  the 
Federal  government  to  his  home  in  Missouri. 
After  the  close  of  the  war  he  resumed  farm- 
ing which  he  followed  until  1887.  In  that 
year  he  disposed  of  his  landed  interests  in 
that  state  and  removed  to  Oregon,  settling 
on  a  farm  in  Lane  county.  There  he  remained 
for  two  years  and  at  the  end  of  that  time 
partially  retired  from  business  and  estab- 
lished his  residence  at  Eugene,  of  which  place 
he  has  since  been  a  resident. 

Mr.  Shacklett  has  been  twice  married.  His 
first  union  was  with  Delcena  Woods,  a  daugh- 
ter of  L'riah  Woods,  whose  family  were  na- 
tives of  Tennessee,  ilrs.  Shacklett  died  in 
1900.  and  Mr.  Shacklett  was  again  married, 
his  second  union  being  with  ,Miss  Amelia 
Smith  of  Lane  county,  this  state.  She  was 
born,   however,   in   Kentucky. 

Mr.  Shacklett  is  a  member  of  Eugene  lodge, 
Xo.  11,  A.  F.  &  A.  M..  having  become  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  order  when  twenty- 
two  years  of  age.  He  is  also  a  member  of 
Eugene  Chapter  R.  A.  M.,  No.  10.  Both  he 
and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


123 


cliurch.  he  being  one  of  the  ruling  elders. 
Time  lias  dealt  kindly  with  Mr.  ^hacklett 
and,  notwithstanding  the  hardships  through 
which  his  path  of  life  has  led.  he  has  sur- 
vixed  not  only  the  march  and  camp  and  battle 
feats  of  \var,"  but  through  all  the  vicissitudes 
of  t<iil  and  business  conllicts  he  is  now,  in 
the  evening  of  life,  in  possession  of  all  his  nat- 
ural powers,  and  is  keenlj'  alive  to  all  the 
vital  issues  of  interest  to  the  public.  He  is 
ever  ready  to  cooperate  and  lend  his  influence 
to  the  advancement  of  all  issues  seeking  the 
improvement  of  the  people  throughout  his 
state  and   county. 

LLOYD  SPIRES,  well  known  in  Coos  coun- 
ty, wliere  for  a  long  period  he  has  been  con- 
nected with  general  agricultural  pursuits, 
now  makes  his  home  near  Myrtle  Point  and 
is  one  of  the  partners  in  the  Spires  Drug 
Company  there.  He  was  born  in  California, 
April  22.  185",  and  is  a  son  of  Samuel  and 
Sarah  (Ciraves)  Spires,  the  former  a  native 
of  Kentucky  and  the  latter  of  Indiana.  The 
former  came  to  Oregon  in  1S50  across  the 
plains  and  settled  on  a  donation  land  claim 
near  Salem.  In  1852  he  went  to  the  gold 
fields  in  California,  where  he  remained  until 
1SS5.  He  then  returned  to  Oregon  and  settled 
in  Coos  county,  near  Myrtle  Point,  making 
his  home  there  to  the  time  of  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  1806.  His  wife  passed  away  in 
1873.  In  their  family  were  eight  children, 
five  of  whom  are  now  deceased.  Two  daugh- 
ters still  survive,  Ella  and  Alice.  The  former 
is  the  wife  of  \V.  T.  Lehnherr,  living  near 
Myrtle  Point,  Oregon.  He  was  one  of  the 
early  settlers  of  this  state,  coming  to  the 
northwest  with  his  father,  who  founded  the 
town  of  Myrtle  Point.  Unto  him  and  his  wife 
have  been  born  five  children.  Alice  Spires  is 
the  wife  of  F.  S.  Crouch,  of  Calistoga,  Cali- 
fornia, where  he  follows  farming,  and  they 
have  two  children. 

Lloyd  Spires,  the  only  surviving  son,  has 
always  lived  upon  the  Pacific  coast  and  the 
spirit  of  enterprise  which  has  actuated  the 
empire  builders  of  the  northwest  is  exempli- 
fied in  his  life  record,  for  he  has  made  good 
use  of  his  time  and  opportunities  and  has 
also  been  a  factor  in  the  material  development 
of  the  communities  in  which  he  has  lived. 
He  remained  upon  his  father's  farm  until 
sixteen  years  of  age  and  then  started  out  in 
business  life  on  his  own  account,  being  em- 
ployed by  other  farmers  of  the  locality  and 
also  assisting  to  some  extent  in  the  work  of 
the  home  place.  In  1880,  when  twentj'-three 
years  of  age.  he  went  to  the  gold  mines,  where 
he  was  employed  for  a  year.  He  was  then 
married,  after  which  he  returned  to  the  farm, 
he  and  his  father  purchasing  land  with  capital 
they  had  acquired  in  the  mines.  At  length  he 
disposed  of  his  property  in  California  in  1884 
and  <'amo  to  Oregon,  settling  in  Coos  county. 
He  purchased  a  preemption  homestead  of 
three  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  of  which 
only  about  five  acres  had  been  cleared.  He 
has  since  cleared  twenty  acres  and  placed  the 
entire  amount  under  cultivation.  His  methods 
have  been  practical  and  the  results  gratifying. 
In   addition    to   developing   the   tract   he   has 


continued  to  make  his  home  upon  the  ranch 
until  1S9<I,  when  he  removed  to  Myrtle  Point 
in  order  to  give  his  children  good  educational 
privileges.  In  the  spring  of  1912  he  returned 
to  the  farm  and  is  now  devoting  his  energies 
to  its  further  development.  He  also  owns  an 
interest  in  the  Spires  Drug  Company,  together 
with  some  residence  property  and  vacant  prop- 
erty in  the  town.  His  home  is  pleasantly 
situated  about  three  miles  northeast  of  Myrtle 
Point  and  just  a  half  mile  off  the  Dora  road. 

On  the  24th  of  November,  1881,  Mr.  Spires 
was  united  in  marriage  to  iliss  Emma  Lonkey, 
a  native  of  Canada  and  a  daughter  of  Xavia 
Lonkey,  of  California,  who  removed  from  that 
state  to  Canada.  The  family  was  a  large  one 
and  all  of  the  children  are  yet  living  with  the 
exception  of  two,  Xavia  and  Clara  having 
both  passed  away.  The  others  are:  ilary, 
living  in  Massachusetts;  Oliver,  a  resident  of 
Ca.lifornia;  Obeline,  of  Nevada;  Delian  and 
Leon,  both  of  whom  are  residents  of  Nevada; 
Mrs.  Spires;  Camille  and  Ogzille,  both  of 
California;  Lydia,  of  Nevada;  and  Edward, 
of  California.  LIuto  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Spires  have  been  born  five  children: 
Oliver  R.,  a  druggist  of  Myrtle  Point;  Fred 
L.,  an  electrical  engineer  living  at  home;  Wini- 
fred A.,  who  is  engaged  in  teaching  school ; 
Ro_y  L..  who  is  attending  high  school;  and 
Elton  C,  also  in  school. 

Mr.  Spires  gives  his  political  support  to 
the  republican  party  and  has  held  some  local 
offices,  to  which  he  has  been  called  by  the 
vote  of  his  fellow  townsmen,  who  recognize 
his  ability  and  appreciate  his  trustworthiness 
in  citizenship.  For  four  years  he  was  count}' 
commissioner  of  Coos  county  and  while  living 
in  Myrtle  Point  served  as  a  member  of  the 
city  council.  He  was  also  school  director 
there  for  a  number  of  years  and  has  filled  the 
office  in  his  rural  school  district.  Since  1881 
he  has  been  a  member  of  the  Independent 
C)rder  of  Odd  Fellows  and  is  also  a  representa- 
tive of  the  Improved  Order  of  Red  Men.  He 
has  always  resided  on  the  coast  and  tlie  his- 
tory of  the  west  is  largel}'  familiar  to  him. 
Coming  into  a  sparsely  settled  district  on 
his  removal  to  Oregon,  he  identified  himself 
with  those  labors  and  activities  which  are 
proving  dominant  forces  in  the  upbuilding  and 
substantial  improvement  of  this  part  of  the 
state.  His  has  been  a  well  spent  life,  useful 
by  reason  of  its  continuous  activity,  and  he  is 
now  reaping  the  benefits  of  his  labors  in  a 
comfortable  competence. 

JOHN  H.  SCHAAP,  the  owner  of  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-four  acres  of  land  situated 
in  Marion  county,  on  section  18.  township  (U. 
west,  was  born  in  Wisconsin.  February  8, 
1862.  He  is  a  son  of  .John  and  Mina  (  Bloom- 
er) .Schaap,  who  were  natives  of  Holland. 
Both  parents,  on  coming  to  America,  had 
settled  in  Michigan,  where  they  were  married 
and  five  years  later  removed  to  (!alena.  Illi- 
nois, residing  there  ten  years.  They  then 
went  to  Platteville.  Wisconsin,  and  there  they 
remained  twenty-five  years.  Subsequently 
they  removed  to  South  Dakota,  where  they 
passed  the  rest  of  their  lives,  the  father  dying 


1-24 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


in  1S96  and  the  mother  two  years  later.  To 
them  were  born  eleven  children,  nine  of  whom 
grew  to  maturity.  They  were:  Otto,  who 
resides  in  Missouri;  Albert,  who  died  in  Mon- 
tana; Mrs.  Hannah  Bushnel,  of  Alberta,  Can- 
ada; Mrs.  Elizabeth  Bushnel,  of  Salem,  Ore- 
gon; George,  of  Pratum,  Oregon;  John  H., 
of  this  review;  Henry,  of  Ft.  Pierre,  South 
Dakota;  Benjamin,  who  died  in  South  Dakota; 
Mrs.  Mina  Foote,  of  Eugene,  Oregon;  and 
two  children,  -who  died  in  infancy. 

John  H.  Schaap  started  out  in  life  on  his 
own  accord  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years, 
when  he  purchased  a  tract  of  land  in  Palo 
Alto  county,  Iowa.  He  operated  this  farm 
until  1890,"  when  he  sold  it  and  removed  to 
Oregon,  settling  in  Marion  county,  on  his 
present  farm  of  one  Imndred  and  twenty-four 
acres,  which  is  located  thirteen  miles  north- 
east of  Salem.  He  has  improved  this  tract 
of  land  until  he  now  has  one  of  the  best 
farms  in  the  locality,  one  hundred  acres  of 
it  being  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation. 

On  February  IT,  1SS7,  Mr.  Schaap  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Jennie  Oudyn,  a 
native  of  Platteville,  Wisconsin,  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  Martin  and  Jennie  (Boat)  Oudyn,  both 
of  whom  were  born  in  Holland.  Her  parents 
came  to  America  and  settled  in  St.  Louis, 
Missouri,  later  removing  to  Wisconsin,  where 
the  mother  is  yet  living  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
eight  years,  the  father  having  passed  away 
in  1S9T.  In  their  family  were  six  children: 
Marinus,  of  Greenville,  Illinois;  George,  who 
died  in  Colorado;  Hettie.  who  is  the  wife  of 
Henry  Wunn.  of  Wisconsin;  Jennie,  now 
Mrs.  Schaap ;  Martin,  of  Platteville,  Wiscon- 
sin: and  Nellie,  who  is  the  wife  of  John 
ileyers,  of  Platteville.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schaap 
have  become  the  parents  of  six  children,  the 
eldest  of  whom  died  in  infancy.  The  others 
are:  Florence,  born  February  11.  1891,  who 
is  the  wife  of  Alfred  Williams,  of  Silverton. 
Oregon;  Martin,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
fourteen  months;  Dwight  and  Eugene,  twins, 
born  November  2,  1S96,  who  are  both  at 
home;  and  Marinus,  born  February  14,  1901. 

John  H.  Schaap  is  a  republican  but  has 
never  sought  nor  desired  public  office  as  a 
reward  for  party  fealty.  Fraternally  he  is 
identified  with  "  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America,  and  his  family  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church.  In  all  his  actions 
he  is  governed  by  a  high  sense  of  duty  and  by 
his  integrity  and  worth  he  has  gained  the 
friendship  of  the  best  people  of  this  section. 

THOMAS  HIRST,  deceased,  was  one  of 
the  very  early  pioneers  of  Oregon  and  pub- 
lic opinion  placed  him  among  the  most  en- 
terprising and  valued  citizens  of  his  adopted 
state.  He  was  born  in  England  April  15, 
1S35,  and  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years  emi- 
grated to  America,  settling  in  Ohio,  where  he 
continued  to  live  for  three  years,  and  there 
received  his  education  in  the  public  schools. 
He  then  removed  to  Australia,  where  he  kept 
his  residence  for  five  years  and  then  re- 
turned to  this  country  and  spent  one  year  in 
San  Francisco,  California,  after  which  he 
moved  to  Oregon,  settling  in  Coos  county, 
where  he  purchased  one  hundred  and   sixty 


acres  of  heavily  timbered  land.  There  he 
established  his  home  and  engaged  in  general 
agricultural  pursuits  and  stock-raising.  Mr. 
Hirst  wrote  a  most  eloquent  review  of  his 
early  life  in  Oregon,  which  was  published  in 
the  April  number  of  "Pioneer  Days,"'  of  that 
year  and  is  here  reproduced  with  acknowl- 
edgments to  that  periodical. 

'T  arrived  in  Coos  county,  Oregon  terri- 
tory, in  January,  1859,  by  walking  down  the 
Umpqua  beach  to  Coos  bay,  and  thence 
by  Indian  canoe  and  mountain  trail  to  the 
Coquille  river,  there  to  carve  out  a  home  in 
that  beautiful  garden  of  southwestern  Ore- 
gon. A  beautiful  garden  it  was  for,  as  I 
stood  on  the  top  of  Sugarloaf  mountain,  with 
the  broad  expanse  of  the  valley  lying  before 
me  covered  with  the  bright  green  of  the 
maple  and  the  dark  green  of  the  myrtle,  with 
the  snow-capped  mountains  in  the  distance, 
it  formed  as  grand  a  picture  as  the  eye  could 
wish  to  see;  but  to  turn  this  garden  into  a 
home  the  forest  must  be  destroyed,  and  what 
an  herculean  task  it  would  be!  I  have  seen 
the  oak  and  hickory  forests  of  Ohio,  the 
chestnut  and  sugar  maple  groves  of  Penn- 
sylvania, gathered  walnuts  in  the  woods  of 
Kentucky,  traveled  through  the  gum  forests 
of  New  South  Wales,  but  for  density  and 
number  of  trees  to  the  acre  the  Coquilie  val- 
ley outclassed  them  all.  In  such  a  forest 
our  stout-hearted  pioneer  carved  out  a  home 
after  many  years  of  toil,  and  that  lie  has 
been  repaid  for  his  labor  the  fine  farms  and 
happy  homes  fully  attest.  Wben  our  pio- 
neer women  wished  to  visit  their  neighbors 
they  would  frequently  paddle  their  own 
canoe  up  and  down  the  river,  and  some  of 
them  became  quite  expert.  I  remember  a 
time  when  one  of  our  bright  young  school 
teachers  went  down  the  river  to  purchase  sup- 
plies. The  trip  down  the  river  was  easy 
enough,  but  the  return  trip  was  more  diffi- 
cult, in  fact  the  young  man  had  to  accept 
the  assistance  of  one  of  our  brave  pioneer 
women  to  steer  his  canoe  to  port.  'Never 
mind,  Binger,  if  you  could  not  handle  a 
canoe  you  have  proved  yourself  competent 
to  work  well  and  faithfully  for  your  adopted 
state.  Many  years  your  voice  has  been  heard 
in  the  halls  of  congress.  All  honor  to  you 
as  a  Coos  county  pioneer.'  The  early  pio- 
neer had  much  difficulty  in  marketing  his 
products.  Many  a  time  I  have  left  home  at 
2  o'clock  in  the  morning  and  paddled  twen- 
ty-four miles  down  the  "river  and  then  four 
miles  up  Beaver  slough,  then  carried  my 
load  three  miles  up  the  isthmus,  put  it  into 
another  canoe  and  traveled  another  fifteen 
miles  to  North  Bend  sawmill,  arriving  about 
9  o'clock  at  night,  there  to  exchange  my 
various  products  for  the  articles  needed  at 
home,  not  forgetting  the  injunction  to  bring 
one  paper  each  of  needles  and  pins.  Return- 
ing home,  which  always  took  two  days,  I 
had  time  to  note  the  skill  of  the  beaver  in 
repairing  the  dams  that  I  had  torn  open  to 
pass  through  the  day  before.  But  alas,  the 
trapper  came,  and  thy  beautiful  coat  was 
sent  east,  to  be  worn  and  admired  by  the 
people  who  knew  thee  not.  Farewell,  old 
friend.     No  more   will  my  canoe  glide  over 


THOMAS    HIRST 


MRS.    LOUISA    A.    TTIRST 


l\3H. 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


129 


the  placid  waters  held  in  check  by  th}'  labors. 
No  more  will  the  hardy  trapper  exchange 
thy  coat  for  flour  or  sugar  or  lill  his  jug 
with  such  water  as  thou  never  dreamed  of. 
Thy  home  is  desolate  and  Beaver  slough  is 
now  a  thing  of  the  past  as  a  commercial 
highway. 

"The  pioneer  had  no  cultivated  or  domestic 
fruit  but  there  was  a  plentiful  supply  of  wild 
fruits  in  their  season,  consisting  of  salmon 
berries,  raspberries,  blackberries,  huckleber- 
ries and  crabapples.  Sunday  was  the  day  for 
gathering  the  fruit.  The  canoe  Telephone 
(Edison  was  unknown  to  us),  operated  by 
our  women,  would  send  word  to  our  neigh- 
bors to  meet  at  a  certain  point  or  bend  in 
the  river.  Then  with  lunch  and  pails  our 
ever-ready  canoe  would  glide  down  the  river 
to  the  place  of  meeting.  Having  filled  our 
pails  with  fruit  and  enjoyed  a  pleasant  chat 
over  our  lunch,  we  would  return  home  for 
milking  time.  For  pleasure  and  recreation 
we  had  our  barn  raisings  and  log  rollings. 
When  a  new  settler  had  located  his  claim 
and  building  site,  and  cleared  a  small  patch, 
he  would  select  the  most  suitable  trees  for 
his  log  cabin  or  barn  and  then  on  an  ap- 
pointed day  the  neighbors  for  miles  around 
would  go  to  his  place  and  roll,  notch  and  fit 
the  logs  in  position,  and  before  night,  would 
leave  liim  with  the  framework  of  a  good 
log  cabin,  having  worked  and  feasted  all 
day,  returning  to  our  homes  contented  and 
at  peace  with  all  the  world.  Nor  did  we 
forget  to  celebrate  the  glorious  Fourth  of 
July.  How  well  do  I  remember  when  that 
great-hearted  pioneer,  William  T.  Perry, 
placed  his  flatboat  at  our  disposal  for  a  two 
weeks'  trip  to  Whiskey  Run,  where  the 
Sehroeder  boys,  Henry  and  Gus,  were  min- 
ing. What  a  royal  welcome  they  gave  us, 
with  music,  feasting  and  dancing  and  ex- 
ploring the  beach,  gathering  agates  and 
shells,  nor  did  we  forget  to  indulge  in  the 
various  shell  fish  we  found  among  the  rocks. 
I  will  never  forget  that  trip  nor  the  various 
members  who  composed  the  party.  Alas, 
how  many  of  them  have  passed  over  to  the 
Great  Beyond.  As  memory  carries  me  back- 
Avard  forty  years  how  well  I  remember  the 
generous,  brave-hearted  pioneers,  the  Her- 
manns, Schroeders,  Perrys,  Dements,  Yoa- 
kams,  Lockharts,  Kenyons,  good  old  Ben  Figg, 
Ned  Fahy,  the  Low  brothers,  the  Rogers 
brothers,  monarchs  of  industry  on  Coos  river, 
the  Hillborns,  Hollands,  Butlers.  Captain  Har- 
ris, the  Aiken  brothers,  Dr.  Hodson,  the  Rook 
brothers.  W.  D.  L.  F.  Smith,  generous  B.  F. 
Ross,  the  Stauff  brothers,  good  old  .Tohn 
Kronenburg,  the  Noble  brothers,  H.  H.  Luce, 
Empire  City's  pioneer  mill  man,  Al  Simp- 
son, the  man  who.se  active  brain  has  kept  his 
mill  and  sliipyards  in  active  operation  in 
good  or  bad  times  for  forty  years.  P.  Flana- 
gan and  S.  S.  Mann.  Ah.  the.se  last  two 
men  are  entitled  to  more  tlum  a  passing  no- 
tice. Pioneers  of  pioneers,  their  skill,  judg- 
ment and  enterpri.sp  made  coal  mining  a  suc- 
cess on  Coos  bay.  Hospitable,  generous  and 
kind  to  their  employes,  their  home  was  known 
far  and  wide  as  a  place  where  the  traveler 
would  be  royally  entertained  without  money 
Vol.  n-— c 


and  without  price.  Both  held  positions  of 
trust  in  Coos  county.  Their  good  deeds  and 
works  can  never  be  forgotten  by  the  old 
pioneer.  C.  H.  Merchant,  for  many  years  a 
hard  worker  but  by  his  business'  foresight 
and  enterprise,  his  strict  integrity  and  econ- 
omy is  now  able  to  sit  in  the  stern  and  steer 
while  others  paddle  his  canoe.  Andrew  Xas- 
burg,  a  successful  farmer  and  merchant,  was 
the  first  postmaster  in  ilarslifield,  and  his 
salary  was  twelve  dollars  per  year.  He  held 
the  office  many  years  and  when  he  resigned 
in  favor  of  the  writer,  the  commission  on 
the  business  done  amounted  to  about  seven 
hundred  dollars  per  annum.  Mr.  Xasburg  was 
taken  from  us  in  the  prime  of  life,  but  left 
behind  a  name  and  record  of  which  his  family 
may  ju.stly   feel  proud. 

"The  pioneer  women,  how  nobly  they  have 
done  their  part!  How  well  in  our  absence 
have  they  defended  our  homes!  With  their 
trusty  gun  they  have  slain  the  fierce  lynx 
that  stole  our  poultry,  with  the  faithful 
dog  by  their  side  and  ax  in  liand  they  have 
chased  the  prowling  bear  that  would  have 
carried  ott'  our  hogs,  they  have  braved  the 
flood  waist-deep  to  drive  the  cattle  to  the 
hills  for  safety,  and  in  a  thousand  ways  have 
proved  their  indomitable  courage.  All  honor 
to  our  pioneer  women!  During  the  flood  of 
1S61-2  I  left  Eastport  at  7  o'clock  in 
the  morning  with  grub  and  blankets  to  last 
tliree  days,  expecting  it  would  take  me  that 
time  to  reach  m,y  home.  Jolm  Canyon  and 
myself  worked  at  the  coal  mines  during  the 
winter  and  improved  our  places  in  summer. 
Our  wives  lived  together  during  our  absence, 
that  being  convenient,  as  our  farms  joined. 
I  started  homeward,  crossing  the  istlimus 
as  usual,  but  the  water  of  the  Coquille  river 
was  so  high  that  I  left  the  regular  trail, 
doubling  Green  Point,  and  made  straight  for 
Cedar  Point.  Crossing  the  river  I  made  a 
beeline  for  Fishtrap,  then  crossed  the  stream 
again  and  came  out  at  the  Malcolm  place — 
now  Fred  Schroeder's  elegant  home.  I  then 
entered  the  woods  and  proceeded  to  Perry's 
Prairie,  arriving  before  sundown,  having  been 
but  nine  and  one-half  hours  on  my  journey. 
If  the  water  had  been  ten  feet  lower  I  should 
have  had  to  follow  the  sinuosity  of  the 
stream,  and  no  doubt  it  would  have  taken 
me  three  days  to  have  reached  my  home. 
When  I  was  at  Cedar  Point  I  saw  a  log 
cabin  floating  down  the  river.  Then  my 
heart  sank  within  me  and  "where  is  my  home 
and  how  fares  my  neighbors,'  were  the  ques- 
tions that  involuntarily  came  to  my  mind. 
The  flood  was  so  general  and  the  current 
rushed  so  rapidly  that  it  seemed  as  though 
the  whole  upper  river  was  submerged,  and 
the  sweetest  music  that  ever  greeted  my  ears 
was  the  voice  of  good  old  lady  Perry,  when. 
in  answer  to  my  inquiry  when  I  arrived  at 
her  cabin,  she  said  'yes,  Tom.  here  is  Lou; 
we  are  all  right.'  As  before  stated,  my  wife 
and  Mrs.  Canyon  were  living  together  for 
company.  They  had  an  intuition  that  there 
would  be  a  great  flood  and  had  rounded  iip 
our  cattle  in  the  timber  Imt  couldn't  make 
tlieni  cross  a  slough  at  the  lower  end  of  my 
clearings   in    order   to    drive    them   to    higher 


130 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


ground,  hence  they  were  obliged  to  leave 
them  to  their  fate.  The  Bext  morning  the 
water  was  still  rising  and  they  started  what 
cattle  they  had  in  the  clearing  and  followed 
them  an  eighth  of  a  mile,  wading  waist-deep 
in  the  water  and  forcing  the  cattle  to  swim 
to  higher  ground.  Having  saved  the  stock 
they  then  began  to  think  of  their  own  safety. 
Their  canoe  was  gone  and  they  must  reach 
Perry's,  more  than  a  mile  away.  They  crossed 
a  slough  by  climbing  a  myrtle,  whose  over- 
hanging branches  interlocked  with  the  limbs 
on  the  opposite  side.  After  their  perilous 
climb  they  landed  on  the  proper  side  and 
waded  to  the  bank  of  the  stream  opposite 
Perry's  place  just  as  that  grand  old  man 
was  giving  orders  for  a  boat  to  go  to  the 
rescue  of  Kancy  and  Lou. 

"Pioneers  of  the  '50s,  our  voyage  is  near 
its  end,  our  canoe  trip  has  not  always  been 
one  of  pleasure  nor  yet  of  sorrow.  Some- 
times we  have  met  strong  floods  to  check 
our  progress,  sand-bars  and  shoals  to  con- 
tend with,  rapids  to  shoot,  snags  and  whirl- 
pools to  lure  us  to  destruction,  and  often 
cold,  wet  and  weary,  our  limbs  aching  with 
toil,  and  making  little  headway.  Then  again 
the  tide  would  turn,  favorable  winds  would 
waft  us  onward,  giving  us  rest  and  renewed 
courage  to  face  the  dark  canyons  of  adver- 
sity or  the  green  fields  of  prosperity.  To 
the  pioneers  who  have  been  called  hence,  we 
bid  you  a  kind  farewell;  to  the  pioneers  who 
are  still  with  us,  you  whose  sun  has  passed 
the  zenith,  may  peace  and  contentment  be 
with  you,  may  your  canoe  float  gently  down 
stream  to  pleasant  lakes,  and  when  you  make 
the  last  landing  on  the  shore  of  time,  may 
you  find  the  trail  blazed  to  guide  you  to  the 
great  wigwam,  and  be  welcomed  by  Sah-la- 
Tyee,   or  great   spirit   of  the   universe." 

In  1S73  Mr.  Hirst  removed  to  Marshfield 
and  was  there  engaged  in  the  general  mer- 
cantile business  until  within  a  short  time 
of  his  death,  which  occurred  on  November  14, 
1903.  He  left  to  his  widow  an  estate  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  near  the  city  limits 
of  Bandon.  also  a  personal  property  interest 
in  the  merchandising  establishment  at  Marsh- 
field,  and  a  beautiful  residence  in  that  city, 
now  occupied  by  Mrs.  Hirst  as  her  home. 

On  November  13,  1855,  Mr.  Hirst  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Louisa  A.  Milton, 
who  was  born  in  New  South  Wales.  Australia, 
November  29,  3838.  and  received  her  edu- 
•■ation  in  the  public  schools  of  Australia. 
Her  parents.  James  and  Ellen  (Donahoe)  Mil- 
ton, were  natives  of  London.  England,  and 
removed  to  Australia  at  an  early  period  in 
life,  their  marriage  being  celebrated  in  that 
country.  The  father  for  some  time  conducted 
a  shoe  store  and  later  was  engaged  in  farm- 
ing. The  father  and  mother  both  died  in 
Australia,  the  former  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
seven  and  the  latter  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
four.  In  their  family  were  eight  children: 
Mrs.  Ellen  .Johnson,  of  Australia;  James,  de- 
ceased; Louisa  A.,  who  is  the  widow  of 
Thomas  Hirst:  William,  deceased;  Ruth,  of 
Australia;  Edward,  whose  death  occurred  in 
Australia:  Thomas,  deceased;  and  Elizabeth, 
of  Australia.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hirst  adopted  a 


son,  Milton  E.  Hirst,  when  he  was  a  child 
two  years  of  age.  He  was  born  in  1878  and 
now  resides  in  Marshfield. 

Mr.  Hirst  while  a  resident  of  Marshfield 
was  for  two  years  the  regularly  appointed 
postmaster  of  that  place.  He  has  a  place  in 
the  historj'  of  Oregon  on  the  honored  roll 
of  her  early  pioneers.  He  was  a  man  of 
unusual  intelligence  and  during  life  was  ever 
to  be  relied  upon  to  identify  himself  with 
every  measure  of  public  interest  seeking  the 
welfare  of  the  people  of  his  county  and  state. 
Mrs.  Hirst  is  a  devout  and  active  member  of 
the  Episcopal  church  of  Marshfield. 

DR.  E.  D.  HITCHCOCK  is  one  of  the 
younger  representatives  of  the  medical  pro- 
fession in  Klamath  county,  practicing  at 
Bonanza,  yet  he  has  gained  a  position  and 
success  that  many  an  older  physician  might 
well  envy.  He  was  born  in  Pendleton,  Ore- 
gon, .July  31.  18S4,  and  is  a  son  of  William 
H.  and  Etta  B.  (Barrick)  Hitchcock,  who 
were  natives  of  Ohio,  where  they  were  reared 
and  married.  .  They  came  to  the  northwest 
about  18S2  and  resided  in  northern  Oregon 
until  a  recent  date,  but  are  now  living  at 
North  Yakima.  Washington,  the  father  being 
a  retired  meroliant.  In  their  family  were 
three  children:  George  W.,  also  living  in 
North  Yakima;  E.  D.;  and  Edna,  the  wife 
of  F.  D.  Peterson,  of  San  Fernando,  Cali- 
fornia. 

Dr.  Hitchcock  was  five  years  of  age  at 
the  time  of  the  removal  of  the  family  to 
The  Dalles,  and  later  he  went  with  his  par- 
ents to  San  Francisco.  He  piu-sued  his 
medical  education  in  Cooper  College,  the 
medical  department  of  Stanford  University, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  with  the  class 
of  1909.  He  had  a  year's  hospital  experi- 
ence in  Alameda  County  Hospital  and  was 
therefore  particularly  well  qualified  to  take 
up  his  work  as  a  general  practitioner,  for 
his  ho.spital  service  was  of  a  most  varied 
character.  In  1910  he  came  to  Bonanza 
and  entered  into  partnership  with  Dr.  W.  S. 
Johnson  for  general  practice  and  also  for 
the  conduct  of  a  drug  business,  which  is 
now  carried  on  under  the  name  of  the  Bo- 
nanza Drug  Company.  Dr.  Hitchcock  is  very 
careful  in  the  diagnosis  of  his  cases  and 
accurate  in  his  application  of  the  principles 
of  medical  science  to  the  needs  of  his 
patients.  The  firm  now  enjoys  an  extensive 
practice  which  is  steadily  growing.  In  ad- 
dition to  his  professional  and  commercial 
interests  Dr.  Hitchcock  has  holdings  in  tim- 
ber lands. 

In  April.  1911,  occurred  the  marriage  of 
Dr.  Hitchcock  and  Miss  Eva  Marie  Lund, 
a  native  of  Wisconsin,  and  a  daughter  of 
H.  J.  Lund.  She  is  a  graduate  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Pacific  and  the  San  Francisco 
National  Training  School.  She  is  also  a 
graduate  of  the  Deaconess  School  and  en- 
gaged in  professional  service  in  Eugene 
and  San  Francisco.  Both  the  Doctor  and  his 
wife  were  in  the  latter  city  during  the  earth- 
quake and  he  had  ,a  commission  under  the 
government  and  controlled  a  large  sanitary 
district  at  that  time. 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


131 


Both  Dr.  and  !Mrs.  Hitchcock  hold  mem- 
bership in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church 
and  he  also  belongs  to  the  Masonic  lodge 
and  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows, 
having  served  as  noble  grand  of  the  latter. 
He  is  the  secretary  of  the  Bonanza  Com- 
mercial Club  and  at  the  present  time  is 
serving  as  city  recorder,  to  which  position 
he  was  elected  on  the  republican  ticket, 
being  a  stanch  advocate  of  the  principles 
of  that  party.  His  activities  have  been  of  a 
varied  nature  and  as  a  cooperant  factor  in 
many  projects  for  the  public  good  he  has 
contributed  in  no  small  degree  to  the  up- 
building  and    improvement    of    this    district. 

CHARLES  ALBERT  SCHROEDER,  en- 
gaged in  general  farming  and  dairying,  owns 
two  hundred  and  fourteen  acres  of  land  on 
the  Coquille  road  in  association  with  his 
brother,  Frank  E.  He  is  numbered  among  the 
worthy  natives  of  Coos  county,  his  birth  hav- 
ing occurred  on  the  original  donation  land 
claim  of  James  G.  Malcomb,  which  his  father 
purchased  in  1868.  He  is  a  son  of  J.  Fred 
and  Mary  (Perry)  Schroeder,  the  former  a 
native  of  Baltimore,  Maryland,  and  the  latter 
of  Oregon.  Mary  (Perry)  Schroeder,  who 
was  a  native  of  Clatsop  county  and  the  first 
white  female  child  born  in  Oregon,  passed 
away  on  the  13th  of  October,  1910.  Thomas 
Perry,  the  maternal  grandfather  of  our  sub- 
ject, came  to  this  state  with  his  wife  and  one 
child,  making  the  journey  from  Portland. 
Maine,  by  ox  teams.  He  took  up  land  on  the 
present  site  of  Oregon  City  but  found  the 
location  unpromising  and  sold  out  for  five 
dollars.  To  J.  Fred  and  Mary  (Perry) 
Schroeder  were  born  five  children.  Clara  is 
the  wife  of  Captain  Levi  Snyder,  of  Portland. 
Oregon,  who  is  captain  of  the  steamer  Anvil, 
plying  between  Portland  and  the  Coquille 
river.  Frank  E.,  who  owns  the  old  home 
farm  in  association  with  his  brother  Charles, 
our  subject,  cultivates  rented  land  in  Cali- 
fornia. J.  Finley,  who  resides  in  Norway, 
Oregon,  is  successfully  engaged  in  the  con- 
duct of  a  creamery.  Eva  resides  with  her 
father  at  Coquille,  Oregon.  Charles  Albert, 
is  the  subject  of  this  review. 

Charles  Albert  Schroeder  started  out  upon 
an  independent  career  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
two  years  but  remained  with  his  father  until 
the  time  of  his  marriage  and  for  three  years 
afterward  rented  the  home  farm.  In  1903. 
in  association  with  his  brother  Frank,  he  pur- 
chased the  place  from  his  father  and  has 
since  been  engaged  in  its  operation.  The 
property  comprises  two  hundred  and  fourteen 
acres,  and  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  acres 
thereof  is  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  C.  A. 
Schroeder  devotes  his  attention  to  the  pur- 
suits of  farming  and  dairying  and  in  both 
branches  of  his  business  has  met  with  suc- 
cess. 

On  the  5th  of  February,  1893,  Mr.  Schroe- 
der was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Rachel 
Symons,  a  native  of  Coos  county,  Oregon, 
and  a  daughter  of  Thomas  andSusan  (Rack- 
lefT)  Symons.  Mrs.  Schroeder  is  one  of  a 
family  of  four  children,  the  others  being  as 
follows:  Rose,  the  wife  of  Frank  Sowash.  of 
Woodburn,  Oregon;   Laura,  the  wife  of  Syl- 


vester Huntley  of  Warrentown,  Oregon,  and 
George,  deceased.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schroeder 
have  five  children,  namely:  Eugene  A.,  who 
was  born  on  the  9th  of  December,  1893,  and 
who  obtained  his  early  education  in  the  dis- 
trict schools  of  Coos  county,  subsequently 
pursuing  a  course  in  the  high  school  at  Cen- 
tralia,  Washington:  Mabel,  born  December 
12,  1895,  who  is  attending  school  and  study- 
ing music;  ilarion,  whose,  birth  occurred  on 
the  27th  of  .Tune,  1S9S,  and  who  is  attending 
school  and  likewise  studying  music;  Rosanna, 
who  was  born  on  the  17th  of  October,  1904, 
and  attends  school;  and  Ruth,  whose  natal 
day  was  December  8,  1908. 

ilr.  Schroeder  is  a  democrat  and  was  re- 
cently elected  school  director.  Fraternally 
he  is  identified  with  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  Both  he 
and  his  wife  have  spent  their  entire  lives 
within  the  borders  of  Coos  county  and  have  an 
extensive  circle  of  warm  friends  here. 

F.  W.  BROADSWORD,  who  in  1903  estab- 
lished a  hardware  store  in  Bonanza,  has  made 
continuous  advancement  along  business  lines 
and  now  has  a  large  and  gratifying  trade. 
He  was  born  in  Jackson  county,  Oregon,  in 
September,  1864,  and  is  a  son  of  Levi  and 
S.  M.  (Erb)  Broadsword,  natives  of  Ohio  and 
Illinois,  respectively.  They  were  married  in 
the  latter  state  and  came  by  way  of  the 
isthmus  to  the  Pacific  coast  about  1862. 
After  spending  a  year  in  California  they  re- 
moved to  Jackson  county,  Oregon,  and  re- 
mained upon  a  farm  during  the  greater  part 
of  their  lives.  In  1884  they  took  up  their 
abode  in  Langells  valley,  where  they  lived 
until  their  removal  to  Bonanza.  The  father 
died  here  on  the  11th  of  December,  1907, 
when  he  had  reached  the  age  of  sixty-nine 
years  and  six  months.  Throughout  his  entire 
life  he  had  followed  farming  and  stock-rais- 
ing. His  widow  still  survives  and  now  makes 
her  home  with  her  son  F.  W.  Broadsword. 
They  were  married  in  November,  1862,  and 
became  the  parents  of  but  two  children,  the 
younger  being  a  daughter,  Edith  May,  now 
the  wife  of  A.  H.  McClelland,  of  Montague, 
California. 

F.  W.  Broadsword  always  remained  with 
his  parents  and  his  filial  devotion  and  care 
has  rewarded  them  for  their  love  and  atten- 
tion to  him  in  the  period  of  his  childhood. 
He  engaged  in  ranching  until  nine  years  ago. 
when  he  established  his  present  hardware 
store  in  Bonanza.  However,  he  is  still  the 
owner  of  a  ranch,  comprising  a  half  section 
of  land,  in  Langells  valley,  which  he  now 
leases.  He  carries  a  large  and  well  selected 
line  of  shelf  and  heavy  hardware  and  his 
enterprising  business  methods  constitute  the 
basis  of  his  growing  success. 

Mr.  Broadsword  is  likewise  prominent  in 
community  affairs  and  has  frequently  been 
called  upon  to  fill  public  offices.  He  gives 
his  political  allegiance  to  the  democratic  party 
and  upon  its  ticket  has  been  elected  city 
recorder,  which  position  he  has  filled  for  four 
years.  He  was  county  supervisor  of  roads 
in  his  district  for  one  term  and  is  now  serv- 
ing as  deputy,  in  which  connection  important 


132 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


work  devolves  upon  liim  as  much  is  being 
(lone  for  the  improvement  of  the  highways  in 
this  part  of  the  state.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Klamath  County  Pioneers  Association  and 
of  the  Klamath  Falls  Chamber  of  Commerce 
and  is  in  hearty  sympatlij'  with  its  efforts  to 
exploit  the  resources  of  this  part  of  the  state 
anil  jiromote  the  growth  and  improvement  of 
the  district.  He  recognizes  the  opportunities 
here  offered  and  knows  tliat  with  tlie  exten- 
sion of  irrigation  projects  this  section  of  the 
state  must  become  thickly  settled,  for  its 
land  when  well  watered  is  ricli  and  arable 
and  the  section  is  capable  of  supporting  a 
large  population.  He  is,  therefore,  working 
earnestly  to  advance  the  interests  of  the 
locality  and  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  pro- 
gressive citizens  as  well  as  successful  busi- 
ness men. 

JOSEPH  DUNN  BRADFORD  LEE.  Dur- 
ing the  seventy-two  years  wliich  made  up 
the  span  of  his  life  .J.  D.  B.  Lee  attained  a 
great  degree  of  prominence  in  farming  cir- 
cles of  Coos  county  and  his  death  deprived 
that  district  of  a  valued  and  rep- 
resentative citizen.  He  was  born  in  Iowa, 
December  11.  1830.  and  was  the  only 
surviving  member  of  a  family  of  nine  chil- 
dren born  to  his  parents.  He  resided  in  the 
state  of  his  nativity  until  he  came  to  Oregon. 
His  history  is  intimately  connected  with  tlie 
early  development  of  that  state  and  he  was 
among  the  many  pioneers  who  crossed  the 
plains  with  ox  teams  and  w-ere  influential 
factors  in  the  upbuilding  of  the  American 
northwest.  Mr.  Lee  located  first  in  Polk  coun- 
ty. Oregon,  where  he  made  his  home  with  his 
brother  for  one  year.  At  the  expiration  of 
that  time  he  removed  to  Douglas  county  and 
later  to  .Jackson  county.  He  finally  located 
in  Coos  county,  Oregon,  and  made  this  section 
his  home  from  1874  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  December  24,  1902.  He  took  up  a 
homestead  claim  and  was  prominent  in  agri- 
cultural circles  during  his  entire  active  life, 
with  the  exception  of  a  short  period  when 
he  operated  a  harness  business.  Even  tiien 
he  made  this  enterprise  subservient  to  his 
farming.  He  was  constantly  adding  to  his 
holdings  during  his  life  and  finally  became  the 
owner  of  four  hundred  acres  of  fine  ranch  land 
near  Jlyrtle  Point.  His  harness  shop  was 
still  in  operation  at  the  time  of  his  death  but 
has  since  been  sold  by  his  widow.  The  agri- 
cultural interests  of  Coos  county  are  the 
principal  source  of  its  wealth  and-  ])rosperity 
and  the  life  of  Mr.  Lee  was  a  contributing 
factor  in  farm  development.  He  was  an  ex- 
pert agriculturist,  keenly  interesteil  in  mod- 
ern ideas  along  this  line  and  thoroughly 
versed  in  the  details  connected  with  his 
activities.  His  early  days  were  spent  among 
pioneer  conditions  but  his  later  life  was 
crowned  with  a  degree  of  success  which  his 
labors  iustified.  He  served  in  the  Indian  war 
of  1S.').5  and  IS-Jfi  and  his  services  merited 
the  jiension  which  his  \\-idow  now  receives. 

On  .Tune  s.  IS.'iC,  Mr.  Lee  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  iliss  Marilla  Huntley,  whose  birth 
occurred  in  one  of  the  central  eastern  states. 
Her  father  was  among  the  pioneers  of  Ore- 


gon and  eros.sed  the  plains  with  ox  teams  in 
1847.  Her  stepmotlier  died  during  the  jour- 
ney and  is  buried  near  Willow  Springs.  By 
the  father's  first  marriage  nine  children  were 
born,  of  whom  Jlrs.  Lee  is  the  only  one  now- 
living.  B,v  his  second  union  was  born  a  son, 
who  is  now  living  on  a  ranch  on  the  north 
fork  of  the  Coquille  river.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Lee  became  the  parents  of  four  chil- 
dren: Sylvia  C,  who  passed  away  in  the 
twentieth  year  of  her  age;  Alva,  born  Jan- 
uary 12,  1859,  who  is  now  managing  and 
operating  the  home  farm;  Milton  E.,  of 
Myrtle  Point;   and  one  who  died  in  infancy. 

Since  her  husband's  death  Mrs.  Lee  has  dis- 
posed of  his  harness  shop  and  given  the  home- 
stead over  to  the  management  of  her  son. 
She  lierself  lias  bought  a  very  fine  home  in 
Myrtle  Point  and  is  now  living  in  that  dis- 
trict, where  she  is  well  known  and  widely 
respected. 

Politically  Mr.  Lee  gave  his  allegiance  to 
the  republican  party  and  was  always  intelli- 
gently interested  in  the  affairs  of  his  com- 
munity although  he  never  sought  public  of- 
fice. He  was  a  member  of  the  Christian  church 
and  an  active  worker  in  religious  circles.  He 
labored  diligently  during  his  life  and  his  ef- 
forts were  rewarded  by  continuous  and  rapid 
success.  Since  his  death  others  have  followed 
wlu're  he  led  the  way,  and  the  agricultural 
resources  of  Coos  county  have  gained  by  his 
activities,  and  his  many  friends  in  the  district 
are  richer  by  the  memory  of  the  life  he  lived. 

WILLIAM  WIGHT  owns  and  cultivates  the 
farm  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
which  was  preempted  and  homesteaded  by 
him  and  he  now  carries  on  general  agricul- 
tural pursuits  and  stock-raising  upon  this 
place.  He  was  born  in  Ontario.  Canada.  De- 
cember 6.  1854,  and  is  a  son  of  .James  and 
Agnes  (Mclvinley)  Wight,  the  former  born 
at  Peterhead.  Aberdeenshire,  Scotland.  June 
22,  1822.  and  the  latter  in  Campbelltown, 
Argyleshire.  Scotland,  in  1832.  Both  crossed 
the  Atlantic  to  Canada  in  early  life,  the 
father  being  about  nine  years  of  age  when 
he  made  the  trip  with  his  parents  to  the  new 
world.  Mrs.  Wight  died  in  Ontario  when 
her  son  William  was  twenty  years  of  age. 
Some  time  afterward  the  father  removed 
westward  to  California,  where  his  last  days 
were  spent.  He  had  always  followed  the 
occupation  of  farming.  In  the  family  were 
seven  sons  and  seven  daughters,  ten  of  whom 
reached  years  of  maturity  while  eight  are 
now  living,  four  of  the  number  being  residents 
of  Klamath  county. 

William  Wiglit  was  about  twenty-eight 
years  of  age  when  he  left  his  native  province 
and  came  to  the  LTnited  States,  making  his 
way  to  California  in  1883.  He  had  been  reared 
to  farm  life  and  had  pursued  his  education 
in  the  schools  of  Ontario.  For  five  years  he 
continued  a  resident  of  California  and  in  1888 
came  to  Yonna  valley,  where  he  has  since 
resided.  He  has  always  engaged  in  ranch- 
ing and  is  now  the  owner  of  three  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  which  he  secured  by  pre- 
emption and  homesteading.  He  carries  on 
general    farmina   and   has   made   the   raising 


SIR.  AND  MRS.  JOSEPH  D.  B.  LEE 


,NV.P" 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OP  OREGON 


135 


of  live  stock  a  principal  feature  of  his  place 
for  many  years.  Both  branches  of  his  busi- 
ness have  proven  profitable  and  his  enter- 
prise and  determination  are  such  that  he 
carries  forward  to  successful  completion 
whatever  he  undertakes. 

Mr.  Wight  has  been  married  twice.  In 
1SS3  he  wedded  Margaret  Jane  Chisholm,  who 
was  born  in  Ontario  and  died  in  California 
in  1885.  leaving  one  child.  William  Alexander, 
who  after  the  death  of  lii.s  mother  went  back 
to  Ontario,  Canada,  to  make  his  home  with 
his  grandparents.  In  October,  1898,  Mr. 
Wight  married  Jessie  Anderson,  who  was 
born  in  Ontario  in  1858,  and  became  a  resi- 
dent of  California  in  1894.  Her  parents  were 
Peter  and  Catherine  (Ferguson)  Anderson,  na- 
tives of  Scotland,  where  they  were  reared 
and  married.  They  emigrated  thence  to  the 
new  world  and  spent  their  remaining  days  in 
Ontario.  They  had  seven  daughters,  six  of 
whom  reached  womanhood,  while  three  are 
now  living,  including  ilrs.  Wight. 

In  his  political  faith  Mr.  Wight  is  a  demo- 
crat and  upon  matters  of  public  moment  he 
keeps  well  informed.  He  was  reared  in  the 
Presbyterian  faith  and  for  many  years  was 
identified  with  that  church  but  now  has  his 
membership  in  the  Jlethodist  Episcopal 
church.  He  has  never  regretted  his  deter- 
mination to  establish  a  home  and  seek  his 
fortune  upon  the  Pacific  coast,  for  he  has 
liere  found  good  opportunities  and  has  grad- 
ually worked  his  way  upward  until  he  has 
won  for  himself  a  creditable  and  enviable 
position  as  a  ranchman  and  stockman  in  the 
Yonna    vallej*. 

CREED    L.    CHENOWETH    is    the    junior 

raeml)er  of  the  firm  of  Stearns  &  Chenoweth, 
well  known  hardware  merchants  in  Oakland, 
Douglas  county.  A  native  of  Oregon,  his 
birth  occurred  near  Eoseburg  on  March  18, 
1866.  He  is  a  son  of  John  and  Melinda 
(Dixoni  Chenoweth,  the  former  a  native  of 
Kentucky  and  the  latter  of  Indiana.  The 
parents  celebrated  their  marriage  in  Mis- 
souri into  which  state  the  mother  had  re- 
moved with  her  parents,  and  in  which  the 
father  had  settled  during  the  early  days  of 
his  manhood.  In  1853  they  crossed  the  plains 
with  ox  teams  to  Oregon  and  located  in 
Douglas  county,  east  of  Roseburg,  where  the 
father  took  up  a  donation  claim  of  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  to  which  he  added 
at  various  times -until  he  owned  over  sixteen 
hundred  acres  of  farm  and  ranch  land  at  the 
time  of  his  death  which  occurred  October  25, 
1S72.  The  mother  died  March  4,  1890.  The 
father  was  for  many  years  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity. 

Creed  L.  Chenoweth  was  reared  at  home, 
received  his  early  education  in  the  common 
schools  and  was  later  a  student  in  the  Uni- 
versity of  Oregon.  At  the  age  of  twenty 
years  "he  established  himself  in  the  hardware 
business  in  company  with  A.  F.  Stearns, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Stearns  &  Cheno- 
weth. On  December  11,  1886,  the  firm  opened 
their  hardware  store  in  Oakland  and  have 
since  prominently  figured  in  the  business  cir- 
cles of  that  citv. 


Mr.  Chenoweth  was  united  in  marriage 
April  19,  1888,  to  Miss  Minnie  M.  Smith,  a 
daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  B.  Smith 
who  came  to  Oregon  from  Missouri  in  1852, 
the  father  being  the  first  hardware  merchant 
in  the  old  town  of  Oakland.  The  store  original- 
ly established  by  Mr.  Smith  was  the  parent  of 
the  one  in  which  Mr.  Chenoweth  is  now  in- 
terested. To  ilr.  and  Mrs.  Chenoweth  one 
child,  Ruth,  has  been  born.  She  has  passed 
through  the  lower  grades  of  the  common 
school  and  is  a  graduate  of  the  Portland 
high  school  and  of  St.  Helen's  Hall  at  Port- 
land. 

Creed  L.  Chenoweth  is  affiliated  with  the 
democratic  party.  He  served  continuously  for 
nine  years  as  mayor  of  Oakland,  and,  not- 
withstanding the  urgent  appeal  of  his  con- 
stituency, refused  longer  to  be  an  incumbent 
in  that  office.  During  President  Cleveland's 
second  administration  he  was  appointed  post- 
master of  Oakland  and  in  that  office  served 
one  term.  He  was  at  various  times  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Oakland  school  board  and  is  at 
present  acting  in  that  capacity.  In  May, 
1912,  he  was  appointed  a  member  of  the 
state  board  of  education,  in  which  office  he) 
is  now  serving.  He  is  a  member  of  Oak- 
land Lodge,  No.  16,  F.  &  A.  M.,  Oakland 
Chapter,  No.  91,  O.  E.  S.,  Umpqua  Lodge, 
No.  37,  I.  0.  0.  F..  Home  Lodge,  No.  24.  A.  0. 
U.  W.  and  Oakland  Lodge,  No.  150,  United 
Artisans.  Mrs.  Chenoweth  is  a  member  of  the' 
E])iscopal  church. 

C.  L.  Chenoweth  is  a  man  whose  business 
record  and  enterprising  public  spirit  have 
placed  him  among  the  highly  esteemed  citi- 
zens of  Douglas  county,  and  he  is  known  to 
be  a  man  whose  assistance  is  readily  given  to 
the  advancement  of  every  enterprise  which 
tends  to  improve  the  conditions  of  the  peo- 
]ilc  in  his  county  and  state. 

EDWARD  L.  DETLEFSEN,  residing  on 
the  Coquille  road,  four  and  three-fourths 
miles  from  Myrtle  Point,  is  widely  known 
as  a  successful  dairyman  of  Coos  county. 
He  was  born  in  Germany  in  the  year  1886, 
his  father  being  Thomas  Detlefsen,  also  a  na- 
tive of  that  country.  His  brothers  and  sisters 
are  as  follows:  Martin,  Mary  and  Emma, 
who  reside  in  the  fatherland :  James  and  Her- 
man, who  live  in  California;  Chris,  of  Port- 
land, Oregon;  and  Paul,  Nicholina,  Henry  and 
Thomas,  all  of  whom  make  their  home  in 
Ciermany. 

In  1901,  when  a  youth  of  fifteen,  Edward 
L.  Detlefsen  left  his  native  land  and  emigrated 
to  the  United  States,  working  for  wages  in 
California  during  the  following  four  and  a 
half  years.  He  then  rented  a  farm  and  con- 
ducted a  dairy  for  four  years.  On  the  ex- 
])iration  of  that  period  he  came  to  Oregon, 
settling  in  Coos  county  and  purchasing  sixty 
acres  of  land  near  Norway,  which  he  is  now 
clearing.  In  the  meantime,  however,  he  also 
has  cultivated  a  rented  farm  of  four  hundred 
acres  and  has  been  engaged  in  dairying,  milk- 
ing eighty  cows,  fifty-five  of  which  he  owns. 
These  cows  will  bring  him  an  average  income 
of  one  hundred  dollars  each,  this  year,  and  in 
the    future    will    average    ninety    dollars   an- 


136 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


nually.  He  feeds  all  the  grain  which  he 
raises  and  as  a  dairyman  and  farmer  has  al- 
ready won  a  measure  of  success  that  augurs 
well  for  the  future. 

On  the  20th  of  October,  1908,  Mr.  Detlef- 
sen  was  married  to  Hiss  Margaret  Reitz,  a 
native  of  Germany  and  a  daughter  of  John 
and  Anna  (Traboldt)  Reitz,  who  reared  ten 
children:  Helen.  Catherine  and  Jacob,  resi- 
dents of  California;  Marie,  the  mother  of 
two  children  and  the  widow  of  Robert  Dean 
of  Norway,  Oregon;  George  and  Adolph,  who 
live  in  California;  Mrs.  Margaret  Detlefsen; 
and  Hans,  Bartlett  and  John,  all  living  in 
California.  Mr.  and  ilrs.  Detlefsen  have  two 
children,  uamelj' :  Paul  Thomas,  who  was 
born  on  the  l~th  of  April,  1910;  and  Ray- 
mond A.,  whose  birth  occurred  April  23, 
1911. 

Mr.  Detlefsen  gives  his  political  allegiance 
to  the  republican  party  but  has  never  sought 
nor  desired  public  office  as  a  reward  for 
party  fealty.  His  religious  faith  is  that  of 
the  Lutheran  church.  Coming  to  the  new 
world  so  that  he  might  take  advantage  of  the 
opportunities  offered  in  a  land  unhampered 
by  caste  or  class,  he  has  alreadj-  won  a  credit- 
able measure  of  prosperity  for  one  of  his 
years  and  has  gained  the  esteem  and  good- 
will of  his  fellowmen. 

J.  F.  MASSEY.  Seven  miles  beyond  Myrtle, 
■  Point,  on  the  south  fork  of  the  Coquille  river, 
is  located  the  fine  farm  operated  by  J.  F.  Mas- 
sey  and  owned  by  him  in  conjunction  with 
his  wife.  He  has  resided  upon  this  tract, 
which  comprises  six  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
of  well  improved  and  highly  cultivated  land, 
since  1904,  and  during  the  eight  years  of  his 
occupancy  has  gained  a  reputation  through- 
out Coos  county  as  an  expert  agriculturist. 
He  was  born  in  South  Dakota,  in  1867,  and 
is  a  son  of  George  W.,  and  Ann  E.  (Gipson) 
Massey,  more  extended  mention  of  whom  is 
made  elsewhere  in  this  work. 

.J.  F.  Massey  received  his  education  in  the 
schools  of  South  Dakota  and  Oregon.  His 
residence  in  Coos  county  dates  from  1878,  in 
which  year  his  father  took  up  a  tract  ot  land 
and  engaged  in  agriculture.  This  gave  J.  F. 
Massey  the  opportunity  of  assisting  him  and 
studying  farming  in  all  of  its  details.  When 
he  was  still  a  child  he  was  well  acquainted 
with  the  best  methods  of  tilling  the  soil, 
planting  and  harvesting  the  crops.  He  has 
been  identified  with  this  line  of  work  during 
his  entire  active  life.  When  he  was  twenty- 
three  years  of  age  he  took  up  a  homestead 
claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Coos 
county  and  after  he  had  proved  up  his  title 
he  began  its  cultivation.  He  was  successful 
from  the  beginning,  his  land  being  productive 
because  his  methods  are  practical.  He  added 
to  his  holdings  from  time  to  time  and  now 
in  conjunction  with  his  wife  owns  six  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  highly  improved  and 
efficiently  developed,  which  constitutes  one 
of  the  most  important  farms  in  this  section. 
He  resided  on  his  original  homestead  claim 
for  eight  years  and  for  nine  years  afterward 
r-ented  the  farm  which  he  now  occupies.  It 
then   consisted   of   three   hundred   and   forty 


acres  and  with  this  as  a  beginning  he  has 
built  up  his  present  large  enterprise.  He  has 
never  disposed  of  his  original  holdings  and 
the  homestead  which  he  acquired  in  the  early 
days  of  his  career  forms  now  one  of  the  im- 
portant sources  of  his  income. 

On  December  9,  1890,  Mr.  Massey  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Lenora  Wigant, 
a  native  of  Coos  county,  Oregon,  where  her 
birth  occurred  on  February  11,  1874.  She 
is  a  daughter  of  Henry  and  Annie  Wigant, 
the  former  a  native  of  Germany,  and  the 
latter  of  Iowa.  They  were  married  in  Coos 
county,  Oregon,  whither  the  father  had  come 
among  the  earliest  pioneers.  The  mother's 
residence  in  this  state  dates  from  her  girl- 
hood, when  she  came  to  this  section  with  her 
parents.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wigant  resided  in 
Coos  county  for  many  years.  The  father  fol- 
lowed farming  near  Rural,  on  the  Coquille 
river,  and  was  successful  as  an  agriculturist 
until  his  death,  in  1907.  He  had  survived  his 
wife  since  1893,  in  which  year  her  death 
occurred.  Mrs.  Massey  is  one  of  seven  chil- 
dren born  to  her  parents:  William,  who 
now  lives  in  Coos  county;  George  and  John 
who  are  deceased;  Lenora,  the  wife  of  our 
subject;  Charlie,  who  is  also  a  resident  of 
Coos  county;  Etta,  the  wife  of  Leon  Gi'c-gory. 
whose  farm  is  near  Coquille,  Oregon;  and 
Mary,  who  married  Al  Gartin,  of  (Coquille 
City.  Coos  county.  Mrs.  Massey  received  her 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  her  native 
section  and  remained  at  home  until  her  mar- 
riage. She  and  her  husband  are  the  parents 
of  five  children:  Sarah,  born  November  20, 
1891,  who  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 
of  Coos  county  and  who  is  now  living  at 
home ;  James  A.,  born  November  5,  1893,  who 
is  still  with  his  parents;  Elbert,  whose  birth 
occurred  in  1S97  and  who  is  now  attending 
school;  Chester  Storey,  born  in  1900,  who  is 
also  pursuing  his  studies;  and  Edna  L., 
whose  birth  occurred  in   1906. 

In  his  political  affiliations  Mr.  Massey  is 
a  consistent  republican  but  has  never  sought 
public  office,  preferring  to  devote  his  atten 
tion  to  his  private  affairs.  He  has  advanced 
V.  ith  the  scientific  progress  of  agriculture 
and  by  his  prosperity  in  a  modern  enterprise 
conducted  along  progressive  lines  has  proved 
the  efficiency  of  system  in  promoting  pro- 
ductiveness. 

ANDREW.  J.  RADABAUGH,  the  owner  of 
two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land  in  Coos 
county,  devotes  his  attention  to  general  agri- 
cultural pursuits  with  excellent  success.  His 
birth  occurred  in  Darke  county,  Ohio,  on  the 
9th  of  December,  1860,  his  parents  being  John 
and  Nancy  (Mack)  Radabaugh,  both  of  whom 
were  natives  of  the  Buckeye  state.  In  1875 
the  family  came  to  Oregon  and  took  up  a 
homestead  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
wild  land  near  Norway,  just  halfway  between 
Coquille  and  Myrtle  Point,  and  our  subject 
and  his  brothers  assisted  their  father  in 
clearing  the  land  and  digging  out  the  stumps. 
The  only  road  of  any  description  was  a  nar- 
row trail  from  the  north  fork  of  the  Coquille 
river  to  Empire,  which  was  then  the  county 
seat.    Andrew  J.  Radabaugh  and  his  brothers 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


137 


helped  to  build  the  only  wagon  road  that  the 
district  boasted  for  many  years.  The  home 
farm  is  now  owned  and  operated  by  Henry 
Kadabaugh,  a  brother  of  Andrew.  John  Rada- 
baugh  passed  away  April  3,  1898,  while  his 
wife  was  called  to  her  final  rest  in  1900,  the 
community  thus  losing  two  of  its  valued  pio- 
neer settlers.  Their  children  were  six  in  num- 
ber, namely:  Joseph  H.,  a  ranchman  of 
Arago,  Oregon;  Andrew  J.,  of  this  review; 
Albert  S.,  who  is  deceased;  Sarah  M.,  the 
wife  of  Barney  Owen,  a  ranchman  of  Walker, 
Washington;  Henry  J.,  who  is  a  ranchman 
residing  at  Norway,  Oregon;  and  Mary,  de- 
ceased. 

Andrew  J.  Radabaugh,  who  was  a  youth 
of  about  fifteen  when  he  came  to  this  state 
with  his  parents,  remained  at  home  until  he 
had  attained  his  majority  and  then  started 
out  to  earn  his  own  living  and  to  assist  in 
the  support  of  the  family.  He  was  employed 
at  farm  labor  for  two  years  and  subsequently 
worked  in  logging  camps  for  eleven  years. 
After  the  death  of  his  parents  he  went  to 
live  with  his  younger  brother,  Henry,  who 
resided  on  the  home  place.  He  now  owns  a 
well  improved  ranch  of  two  hundred  and 
forty  acres  and  has  forty  acres  thereof  under 
cultivation,  raising  principally  oats,  barley 
and  hay.  It  is  his  intention  to  raise  both 
sheep  and  hoi'ses  in  the  future  and  to  be  a 
stockman  as  well  as  farmer.  In  the  com- 
munity which  has  been  his  home  for  more 
than  a  third  of  a  century  he  is  well  known 
and  respected  as  a  representative  agricultur- 
ist and  worthy  citizen. 

In  politics  Mr.  Radabaugh  is  a  stanch  re- 
publican and  for  three  years  served  in  the 
capacity  of  road  supervisor.  He  laid  the 
foundation  for  the  roadbed  which  is  now  be- 
ing built  with  crushed  rock  throughout  Coos 
county,  having  opened  the  rock  pits  and 
used  the  rock  from  the  quarry  now  being 
worked.  Fraternally  he  is  identified  with  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  belong- 
ing to  Coqnille  Lodge.  The  salient  qualities 
of  his  life  have  ever  commended  him  to  the 
confidence,  good-will  and  friendship  of  those 
with  whom  he  comes  in  contact  and  he  has 
always  enjoyed  the  warm  regard  of  a  host 
of  friends. 

L.  L.  BILLINGS.  Six  miles  above  Myrtle 
Point,  Oregon,  on  the  middle  fork  of  the  Co- 
quille  river  is  located  the  attractive  and 
prosperous  farm  belonging  to  L.  L.  Billings, 
one  of  the  prominent  agriculturists  in  this 
region.  It  comprises  one  hundred  and  seven- 
ty-three acres  of  the  most  fertile  and  pro- 
ductive land  in  Coos  county  and  is  operated 
and  controlled  by  a  man  who  understands 
all  the  scientific  principles  which  make  for 
prosperity  in  the  cultivation  and  tilling  of  the 
soil.  Mr.  Billings  is  a  native  of  Missouri,  in 
which  state  his  birth  occurred  in  1856.  His 
parents,  John  and  Adclia  (Snyder)  Billings 
were  born  in  Ohio  and  married  in  that  state. 
They  immediately  afterward  moved  to  Mis- 
souri and  settled  in  Raleigh  where  the  mother 
died.  John  Billings  afterward  came  to  Coos 
county  in  1872  where  he  operated  a  produc- 


tive farm  until  his  death  in  the  fiftieth  year 
of  his  age.  He  was  the  father  of  seven  chil- 
dren: L.  L.,  the  subject  of  this  review; 
Katherine,  who  now  resides  in  Oklahoma; 
John  H.  C,  who  has  passed  away;  Stephen 
of  Coos  county;  and  three  children  who  died 
in  infancy. 

L.  L.  Billings  received  his  early  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  state  and 
completed  his  studies  in  Oregon  where  he 
came  with  his  parents  when  he  was  a  boy. 
At  the  age  of  twenty  he  started  to  gain  his 
livelihood,  operating  his  father's  homestead 
with  gratifying  success  for  several  years  and 
obtaining  in  this  way  a  knowledge  of  the 
details  of  agriculture  which  was  productive 
of  good  results  because  it  was  eminently 
practical.  He  worked  at  various  occupations 
although  he  was  principally  engaged  in  farm- 
ing until  his  marriage  in  1881  and  for  three 
years  later.  In  1884  he  proved  up  a  home- 
stead claim  on  the  south  fork  of  the  Coquille 
river  and  was  successful  in  the  operation  of 
a  rapidly  prospering  enterprise  for  five  years. 
At  the  end  of  that  time  he  discontinued  farm- 
ing in  order  to  take  up  his  residence  in  Myrtle 
Point  where  he  lived  for  some  years  before 
he  bought  another  farm  in  the  vicinity  which 
he  directed  and  controlled  with  practical  skill 
for  some  time.  He  brought  this  tract  of 
land  to  a  liigli  state  of  cultivation  and  then 
disposed  of  it  at  a  good  profit.  He  gave  his 
attention  to  dairying  for  five  years,  operating 
a  large  ranch  and  keeping  a  high-grade  herd 
of  cattle  for  this  purpose.  Eventually  he 
bought  the  farm  which  he  now  owns,  com- 
prising one  hundred  and  seventy-three  acreg 
of  highly  cultivated  and  improved  land  lo- 
cated on  the  middle  fork  of  the  Coquille 
river  six  miles  above  Myrtle  Point.  He  has 
given  his  entire  time  and  personal  supervi- 
sion to  the  scientific  cultivation  of  tliis  prop- 
erty. He  is  interested  in  all  modern  develop- 
ments along  agricultural  lines  and  has 
equipped  his  farm  with  the  most  approved 
labor-.saving  machinery.  He  believes  in  scien- 
tific methods  and  keeps  himself  abreast  of  the 
times  in  every  way.  His  farm  is  one  of  the 
attractive  features  of  the  land  and  is  a  valu- 
able addition  to  the  resources  of  Coos  county. 

Mr.  Billings'  marriage  occurred  in  1881,  in 
which  year  he  wedded  Miss  Belle  Major,  born 
in  New"  York  city  in  June,  1864.  Mrs.  Billings 
is  a  daughter  of-George  and  Mary  Major,  the 
former  a  native  of  New  York  and  the  latter 
of  New  Jersey.  They  came  to  Oregon  in 
1861  and  settled  immediately  in  Coos  county 
where  they  resided  until  their  deaths.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Major  were  the  parents  of  nine  chil- 
dren, five  of  whom  are  living:  Belle,  the  wife 
of  our  subject;  Minnie,  now  Mrs.  Herman  of 
Coos  county;  Christina,  who  married  Mr.  Col- 
well  of  Grant  county,  Oregon;  Charles,  who 
resides  in  California;  and  Edward,  who  is  in 
business  in  Alaska.  Mrs.  Billings  received 
her  education  in  Coos  county  and  has  lived 
in  this  section  since  her  early  girlhood.  She 
and  her  husband  are  the  parents  of  eleven 
children:  W.  E..  who  lives  at  home;  Hazel, 
the  wife  of  .Tames  Lee  of  Riverton,  Coos 
county;  and  Delia,  Walter,  Clarence  M.,  Alvin, 
Lester,  Lena,  Albert,  and  Ellis,  all  of  whom 


138 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


reside  at  home.  The  youngest  son  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Billings,  George,  died  in  infancy. 

In  his  political  affiliations  Mr.  Billings  is 
a  consistent  republican  and  always  votes  the 
party  ticket  although  he  never  seeks  public 
office.  His  life  is  given  up  to  the  develop- 
ment of  his  farm  along  lines  of  scientific 
efficiency. 

HON.   OLIVER   PERRY  COSHOW,  one  of 

the  foremost  members  of  the  Douglas  county 
bar,  is  also  a  leading  factor  in  financial 
circles  as  the  president  of  the  Umpqua  Val- 
ley Bank  of  Eoseburg  and  has  other  con- 
nections ^vhich  indicate  his  prominence  and 
splendid  ability.  His  birth  occurred  in  Browns- 
ville, Linn  county,  Oregon,  on  the  14th  of 
August,  1863,  his  parents  being  Oliver  V.  and 
Sarah  E.  (Cochran)  Coshow,  who  were  na- 
tives of  Indiana  and  Missouri  respectively 
and  both  of  whom  were  pioneer  settlers  of 
this  state.  It  was  in  1851  that  the  father 
crossed  the  plains  with  ox  teams  in  com- 
pany with  E.  B.  Cochran,  who  later  rep- 
resented Lane  county  in  the  state  senate 
and  became  president  of  that  body.  The 
mother  crossed  the  plains  with  her  parents 
in  1847.  Oliver  P.  Coshow,  Sr.,  located  near 
Brownsville,  Linn  county,  where  he  took 
up  a  claim  which  he  sold  a  few  years  later 
to  his  father-in-law  and  then  purchased  a 
farm  of  Eiley  Duncan  near  Harrisburg.  Linn 
county,  a  part  of  which  he  still  owns.  In 
1869  he  removed  to  Brownsville  to  engage 
in  merchandising  and  subsequently  became 
identified  with  the  woolen  mill  industry. 
Abandoning  his  milling  interests  after  a  time, 
he  again  embarked  in  the  merchandising  busi- 
ness and  was  prominently  connected  there- 
with for  several  years.  During  the  past 
ten  years  he  has  lived  retired,  enjoying  the 
fruits  of  his  former  toil  in  well  earned  ease. 
He  is  a  Eoyal  Arch  Mason  and  a  worthy 
exemplar  of  the  fraternity.  He  has  resided 
in  this  state  for  more  than  six  decades  and 
during  his  active  business  career  was  num- 
bered among  the  foremost  citizens  of  Browns- 
ville. His  wife's  parents,  on  coming  to  Ore- 
gon, located  a  donation  claim  near  Brow-ns- 
ville.  which  is  still  in  possession  of  the  fam- 
ily, being  now  owned  by  William  T.  Coch- 
ran, a  brother  of  Mrs.  Sarah  E.  Coshow.  The 
latter  passed  away  on  the  6th  of  March. 
190,S.  when  sixty-six  years"  of  age. 

Oliver  Perry  Coshow  was  reared  under  the 
parental  roof  and  supplemented  his  early 
education  by  a  course  of  study  in  the  Uni- 
versity of  Oregon.  -Before  the  completion 
of  his  college  course,  however,  he  was  called 
home  to  look  after  the  interests  of  his 
father,  who  had  become  ill.  One  year  later 
he  was  made  secretary  of  the  Brownsville 
Woolen  Mills  Company,  in  which  capacity 
he  served  for  three  years.  During  that  period 
he  took  up  the  study  of  law  and  in  August. 
1889.  went  to  .\lbatiy  to  complete  his  studies. 
entering  the  law  office  of  .1.  K.  Weatherford. 
under  whom  he  read  until  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1S90.  He  remained  with  Mr.  Weather- 
ford  for  another  year  and  in  March.  1892. 
went  to  McMinnville.  forming  a  partner- 
ship  with   0.   H.   Irvine   for  the  practice   of 


law  under  the  firm  style  of  Irvine  &  Coshow. 
This  partnership  was  dissolved  when,  at  the 
end  of  about  five  years,  Mr.  Coshow  was  ap- 
pointed deputy  district  attorney,  in  which 
capacity  he  served  for  some  ten  months.  On 
the  1st  of  April,  1897,  he  came  to  Eose- 
burg, Oregon,  where  he  has  since  been  suc- 
cessfully engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession. As  a  lawyer  he  is  sound,  clear- 
minded  and  well  trained.  The  limitations 
which  are  imposed  by  the  constitution  on 
federal  powers  are  well  understood  bj-  him. 
With  the  long  line  of  decisions  from  Mar- 
shall down  by  which  the  constitution  has 
been  expounded,  he  is  familiar,  as  are  all 
thoroughly  skilled  lawyers.  He  is  at  home 
in  all  departments  of  the  law,  from  the 
minutiae  in  practice  to  the  greater  topics 
wherein  is  involved  the  consideration  of  the 
ethics  and  the  philosophy  of  jurisprudence 
and  the  higher  concerns  of  public  policy. 
But  he  is  not  learned  in  the  law  alone, 
for  he  has  studied  long  and  carefully  the 
subjects  that  are  to  the  statesman  and  the 
man  of  affairs  of  the  greatest  import, — the 
questions  of  finance,  political  economy,  so- 
ciology,— and  has  kept  abreast  of  the  best 
thinking  men  of  the  age.  He  is  felicitous 
and  clear  in  argument,  thoroughly  in  earn- 
est, full  of  the  vigor  of  conviction,  never 
abusive  of  his  adversaries,  imbued  with 
highest  courtesy,  and  yet  a  foe  worthy  of 
the  steel  of  the  most  able  opponent.  His  at- 
tention, however,  has  not  been  confined  al- 
together to  his  law  practice.  He  was  one 
of  the  organizers  of  the  Umpqua  Valley 
Bank  and  is  now  the  president  of  that  in- 
stitution, and  he  is  likewise  a  stockholder 
and  director  of  the  Thomas  Kay  Woolen 
Mill   Company  of  Salem.  Oregon. 

On  Christmas  day  of  1896  Mr.  Coshow 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Libby  Kay, 
a  daughter  of  Thomas  Kay,  known  as  the 
pioneer  woolen-mill  man  of  the  Pacific  coast. 
Unto  !Mr.  and  ifrs.  Coshow  have  been  born 
five  children,  three  of  whom  are  still  living, 
as  follows:  Minnie  Hazel,  who  is  the  wife 
of  K.  H.  Pickens,  an  agriculturist  residing 
in  Eoseburg.  Oregon :  Leonore  Dale  and 
Bertha  Leone,  both  of  whom  are  yet  at  home; 
Elizabeth  Kay,  another  daughter,  passed 
away  July  14",  1912.  She  was  the  wife  of 
Dr.  E.  B.  Stewart,  a  prominent  physician  of 
Eoseburg.  this  state. 

In  politics  Mr.  Coshow  is  a  stanch  demo- 
crat. In  1904  he  was  elected  to  the  state 
senate  and  after  serving  through  two  ses- 
sions or  four  years  was  tendered  the  nomi- 
nation for  reelection  but  declined  to  accept. 
In  Masonry  he  has  attained  high  rank,  be- 
longing to  the  following  organizations: 
Laurel  Lodge.  Xo.  13.  F.  &  A.  M.:  Eose- 
burg Cliapter.  Xo.  8.  0.  E.  S.,  of  which  he 
was  grand  patron  during  the  Lewis  and 
Clark  fair:  Laurel  Chapter,  Xo.  31,  E.  A 
M. :  Ascalon  Commandery.  Xo.  14.  K.  T. 
of  Eoseburg;  the  Council.' E.  &  S.  M..  of  Eu 
gene.  Oregon :  and  Al  Kader  Temple,  A.  A 
0.  X.  M.  S..  of  Portland.  He  is  also  a  mem 
ber  of  Eisins  Star  Lodge  of  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows  at  Eoseburg  and  be- 
longs to  the  T'nited  Artisans  and  the  Wood- 


OLR'ER  P.  COSIIOW 


It^^^^ 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


141 


men  of  the  World.  Both  he  and  liis  wife 
are  members  of  the  Baptist  church  and  he 
has  served  as  Sundaj-  school  superintendent 
for  fifteen  consecutive  years  and  is  presi- 
dent of  the  Baptist  state_  convention.  At 
this  point  it  would  be  almost  tautological 
to  enter  into  any  series  of  statements  as 
showing  Mr.  Cosliow  to  be  a  man  of  broad 
intelligence  and  genuine  public  spirit  for 
these  have  been  shadowed  forth  between  the 
lines  of  this  review.  Strong  in  his  indi- 
viduality, he  never  lacks  the  courage  of  his 
convictions  but  there  are  as  dominating  ele- 
ments in  this  individuality  a  lively  human 
sympathy  and  an  abiding  charity,  which,  as 
taken  in  connection  with  the  sterling  in- 
tegrity and  honor  of  his  character,  have 
naturally  gained  for  him  the  respect  and  con- 
fidence of  men. 

WILLIAM  G.  KELSO  is  one  of  the  enter- 
prising citizens  of  Douglas  countj-,  living  a 
retired  life  at  Yoncalla.  He  was  born  in  Lin- 
coln county,  Tennessee,  on  Xovember  22. 
1842,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Rebecca 
(Roden)  Kelso,  both  of  whom  were  natives 
of  Alabama.  In  1845  they  removed  from 
Tennessee  to  Missouri  and  there  probably 
continued  to  live  during  the  remaining  years 
of  their  life.  The  subject  of  this  review 
.subsequent  to  leaving  home  was  never  able  to 
locate  his  parents  after  the  war  or  determine 
the   time  of   their   deaths. 

William  G.  Kelso  was  a  frail  and  sickly 
boy  in  early  life  and  in  1854,  at  the  age  of 
twelve,  he  left  the  parental  roof  and  came 
west  with  friends  to  California  for  his  health. 
After  his  arrival  in  the  Golden  state  he  parted 
company  with  the  man  with  whom  he  had 
made  the  journey  across  the  plains  on  ac- 
count of  the  latter's  dissipation  and  Mr. 
Kelso  was  thrown  upon  his  own  resources  in 
a  strange,  new  land,  having  neither  money 
nor  friends  to  enable  him  to  get  a  start  in 
life.  He  first  turned  his  attention  to  work 
of  any  kind  within  his  reach  and  eventually 
became  an  employe  on  the  ranch  of  one  of 
California's  stockmen.  In  1862  he  removed 
to  Oregon  and  located  in  Salem.  He  was 
there  engaged  at  teaming  for  a  period  of  ten 
years,  after  which  he  went  to  Tillamook 
county,  where  he  operated  a  dairy  for  thirty 
continiious  years  and  was  very  successful. 
During  that  time  he  speculated  heavily  in 
farm  lands  and  in  that  particular  branch  of 
his  business  operations  he  met  with  gratify- 
ing success.  In  1905  he  disposed  of  his  hold- 
ings in  Tillamook  county  and  removed  to 
Douglas  county,  where  he  purchased  three 
hundred  and  ten  acres  of  land  adjoining  the 
town  of  Yoncalla.  That  property  he  kept 
for  two  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he 
sold  it,  realizing  as  a  profit  an  amount  equal 
to  the  original  cost  of  the  land.  He  now 
'  owns  two  small  plots  of  ground  near  Yon- 
calla and  is  living  a  retired  life  in  that  city 
enjoying  a  well  earned  rest. 

Mr.  Kelso  was  united  in  marriage  in  1870 
to  Miss  Sarah  I.  Tomlinson.  of  Salem.  She 
is  a  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  Tom- 
linson, who  crossed  the  plains  from  Missouri 
to  Oregon  in  1852.     To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kelso 


two  children  have  been  born :  Arthur,  a  clerk 
in  Yoncalla;  and  Edward,  who  resides  in  that 
town.  Mr.  Kelso  is  affiliated  with  the  demo- 
cratic party  but  is  liberal  in  the  e.vercise  of 
his  suffrage.  While  a  resident  of  Tillamook 
county  he  was  appointed  county  assessor  and 
later  elected  county  commissioner,  but  he 
resigned  the  latter  oftice  before  the  expira- 
tion of  his  term,  the  cause  of  his  resignation 
being  a  desire  to  visit  California.  He  is  one 
of  the  enterprising  men  of  his  eoaununity  and 
gives  his  support  to  every  public  movement 
which  promises  its  further  advance  and 
greater  development. 

JOHN  ROOT.  On  the  22d  of  November, 
1887,  when  Jolin  Root  died  upon  his  Oregon 
farm  the  agricultural  interests  of  Coos  county 
lost  a  conspicuously  successful  representative, 
a  man  who  was  an  influencing  figure  in  mak- 
ing the  occupation  of  tilling  the  soil  honorable 
and  worthy  among  the  activities  of  man. 
Mr.  Root  was  born  in  Ohio  in  1826,  and  was 
a  son  of  Abraham  and  Elizabeth  (Broom- 
baugh)  Root.  He  was  one  of  seven  children 
born  to  his  parents:  Mary,  Andrew,  John, 
Jacob  and  Elizabeth,  all  of  whom  are  now  , 
deceased;  Sarah,  the  wife  of  George  Hoxie 
of  Josephine  county,  Oregon;  and  Susan,  who 
also  has  passed  away. 

John  Root  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Ohio  and  began  active  work  for 
himself  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years.  He 
was  brought  up  upon  his  father's  farm  and 
became  acquainted  at  an  early  age  with  the 
details  of  agriculture.  When  he  was  twenty- 
one  years  of  age  he  bought  a  farm  in  In- 
diana and  after  his  marriage  took  charge  of 
his  agricultural  interests  in  that  state  and 
was  successful  and  prosperous  in  the  cultiva- 
tion of  the  soil  for  seven  years.  At  the  end 
of  that  time  he  disposed  of  his  holdings  in 
Indiana  and  went  to  Illinois  where  he  fol- 
lowed farming  on  a  tract  of  land  which  he 
purchased.  He  was  a  resident  of  Illinois  for 
seventeen  years  and  was  an  active  factor  in 
its  development.  His  residence  in  Oregon 
dated  from  1874  in  which  year  he  settled  in 
the  Fishtrap,  a  county  on  the  Coquille  river 
where  he  bought  the  homestead  of  Oscar 
Sargent  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  and 
began  its  cultivation.  He  cleared  his  prop- 
erty, built  new  barns  and  outbuildings  and 
cultivated  the  land  along  the  most  approved 
agricultural  lines.  He  set  out  a  portion  of 
his  land  in  fruit  orchards.  He  was  active  and 
successful  as  an  agriculturist  and  brought 
his  tract  of  land  which  in  the  beginning  was 
raw  and  undeveloped,  to  a  high  state  of  cul- 
tivation before  his  death  which  occurred  Ko- 
vemlier   22.   1887. 

On  the  6th  of  September,  1849,  Mr.  Root 
was  tmited  in  marriage  to  Miss  Susanna  Noff- 
singer,  a  native  of  Montgomery  county,  Ohio, 
and  a  daughter  of  Eli  Noffsinger.  Mrs.  Root 
is  one  of  ten  children  born  to  her  parents. 
The  others  are:  Elizabeth.  Daniel,  Joel,  John, 
Joseph,  Uriah  and  Eli,  all  of  whom  are  now 
deceased;  Mary,  the  widow  of  C.  C.  Root,  of 
Illinois;  and  Salome.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Root 
were  born  eleven  children :  Andrew  and  Eli, 
both   deceased;    Uriah,  of   Chico.   California; 


142 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


Daniel,  who  lives  in  ilyrtle  Point,  Oregon; 
Jacob,  who  has  passed  away;  John,  who  is 
now  a  resident  of  Arago,  Oregon;  ilary,  de- 
ceased; Joel,  who  resides  with  his  mother; 
Hezekiah,  of  Norway,  Oregon;  and  Sarah  and 
Abraham,  both  of  whom  are  now  deceased. 
After  the  death  of  Mr.  Root  his  widow  was 
united  in  marriage  to  David  Brower.  a  native 
of  Virginia.  Their  marriage  occurred  in  1892 
and  they  immediately  settled  in  Jackson 
county.  Mr.  Brower  was  a  minister  affiliated 
with  the  Baptist  Brethren  church  and  came 
to  Oregon  from  Iowa  in  ISTl  and  died  in  this 
state  in  1900. 

In  his  political  afliliations  John  Root  was  a 
consistent  republican  but  never  an  office 
seeker.  He  belonged  to  the  Baptist  Brethren 
church  and  was  a  minister  in  that  organiza- 
tion. His  religion  was  of  the  everyday  sort 
which  influenced  his  life  and  molded  his 
actions.  His  character  was  marked  by  an 
innate  honor  and  integrity,  by  industry,  enter- 
prise and  sincere  labor  along  expansive  lines, 
and  these  qualities  influenced  his  career  and 
had  their  effect  upon  his  prosperity  and 
success. 

GEORGE  A.  SMITH,  engaged  in  general 
farming  as  manager  of  his  brother's  holdings 
in  Coos  county,  Oregon,  was  born  in  the  sec- 
tion where  he  resides  on  August  9,  1SS3.  He 
is  the  son  of  Samuel  and  ilary  (Conner) 
Smith,  the  former  a  native  of  Illinois  and  the 
latter  of  Iowa.  The  father  crossed  the  plains 
to  Oregon  in  the  early  '50s  and  was  for  many 
years  prominently  identified  with  all  phases 
of  life  and  activity.  He  served  in  the  Indian 
war  for  more  than  a  year  and  was  well 
known  as  a  progressive  agriculturist  in  Coos 
county,  where  his  death  occurred  in  1905.  He 
was  survived  by  his  wife  until  April  25,  1912. 
Mrs.  Smith  was  also  among  the  pioneer  set- 
tlers in  the  state  of  Oregon,  crossing  the  plains 
with  her  parents  when  she  was  very  young. 
Her  marriage  occurred  in  Josephine  county 
and  to  their  union  were  born  eleven  children, 
six  of  whom  are  living:  B.  S.,  who  is  engaged 
in  farming  at  the  head  of  Rock  creek,  six 
miles  above  Bridge,  in  Coos  county;  John 
H..  who  also  resides  in  Coos  county;  Mabel, 
now  Mrs.  Chauncey  Humphrey  and  a  resident 
of  the  same  section;  Charles  H..  also  of  Coos 
county;  George  A.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch: 
and  Ada  A.,  the  wife  of  W.  H.  McCulley,  of 
California. 

George  A.  Smith  was  reared  at  home  and 
received  his  education,  as  did  all  his  brothers 
and  sisters,  in  the  public  schools  of  Coos 
county.  He  assisted  his  father  in  the  various 
labors  incident  to  the  conduct  of  a  large  agri- 
cultural enterprise  and  early  became  ac- 
quainted with  the  best  methods  of  tilling  the 
soil  and  caring  for  the  grain.  He  remained 
at  home  until  his  marriage  in  1910  and  in 
the  same  year  started  farming  in  Jackson 
county,  where  he  was  prominent  as  an  agri- 
culturist for  one  year.  At  the  end  of  that 
time  he  returned  to  Coos  county  and  settled 
on  his  brother's  farm  as  its  active  manager. 
He  now  cultivates  the  soil  with  increasing 
success  along  modernly  progressive  lines  and 
rich  harvests  pay  tribute  to  his  industry  and 


intelligence.  He  is  a  large  property  owner 
in  Bandon,  Oregon,  having  invested  judiciously 
in  town  lots.  He  is  always  eager  to  promote 
the  welfare  of  his  native  section  and  his 
cooperation  is  freely  rendered  in  any  move- 
ment looking  to^\-ard  its  further  development. 

On  September  6,  1910,  Mr.  Smith  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Hazel  May  Smith,  whose 
birth  occurred  in  Lane  county,  Oregon,  near 
Eugene.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Benjamin 
Franklin  and  Victoria  (Jones)  Smith,  the 
former  a  native  of  Iowa  and  the  latter  of  Ore- 
gon. The  father  crossed  the  plains  to  Oregon 
with  his  parents  when  he  was  only  two  years 
of  age  and  settled  in  Lane  county  in  1852. 
He  was  later  married  in  this  section  and  here 
his  wife  died  in  1902.  Benjamin  F.  Smith  is 
still  living  upon  his  homestead.  He  is  the 
father  of  three  children:  Marian  T.,  now  a 
resident  of  Lane  county;  Hazel  May,  the  wife 
of  our  subject;  and  Clive.  who  is  farming  on 
a  homestead  claim  in  Lane  county.  Mrs. 
Smith  received  her  early  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  her  native  section  and  later 
attended  the  high  school  at  Bandon,  Oregon. 
She  and  her  husband  are  the  parents  of  one 
daughter,  Mildred  Lucile. 

In  his  political  affiliations  Mr.  Smith  is  a 
republican  but  is  liberal  in  his  views  on  local 
and  national  issues.  He  never  seeks  public 
office,  preferring  to  devote  his  time  and  at- 
tention to  the  cultivation  and  improvement 
of  the  large  tract  of  land  which  he  is  man- 
aging, and  by  promoting  the  interests  of  his 
brother  is  in  a  fair  way  to  achieve  his  indi- 
vidual success. 

JUDGE  JOSEPH  B.  DOAN  has  made  con- 
tinuous progress  in  the  business  world.  He 
has  successively  engaged  in  carpentering, 
farming  and  the  real-estate  business  and  has 
also  tilled  public  offices,  his  service  as  judge 
of  the  county  court  covering  several  years. 
His  birth  occurred  near  Coatesville.  in  Chester 
county.  Pennsylvania,  May  24.  1842  ,and  his 
education  was  such  as  the  public  schools  of 
that  county  afforded.  When  seventeen  years 
of  age  he  entered  upon  a  three  years'  appren- 
ticeship to  the  carpenter's  trade,  receiving 
for  his  service  during  the  first  year  five  dol- 
lars per  month,  for  the  second,  seven  dollars, 
and  for  the  third,  nine  dollars.  He  had  to 
supply  his  own  clothing  but  his  board  was 
furnished  him.  During  that  period  of  his 
indenture  he  gained  thorough  knowledge  of 
the  business  in  every  particular,  and  later 
he  opened  a  carpenter  shop  of  his  own,  con- 
tinuing in  business  for  himself  until  after 
the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war,  when  the 
serious  aspect  of  public  affairs  caused  him 
to  offer  his  services  to  the  country  in  August, 
1862.  He  enlisted  as  a  private  for  three 
years  in  Company  E,  One  Hundred  and  Fifti- 
eth Pennsylvania  Volunteer  Infantry  but 
owing  to  physical  disability  was  sent  home 
at  the  end  of  two  months.  Thinking  to  find 
better  business  opportunities  in  the  middle 
west  he  left  Pennsylvania  in  1867  and  re- 
moved to  De  Kalb  county,  Illinois,  settling 
in  Sandwich,  where  he  followed  the  carpen- 
ter's trade  in  connection  with  the  Sandwich 
Manufacturing  Company  for  seventeen  years. 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


143 


Xo  higher  testimouial  of  efficient  service 
could  be  giveu  than  the  tact  that  he  was  so 
long  retained  in  this  employ.  In  ISS-i  he 
came  to  Columbia  county,  Oregon,  and  secured 
a  homestead  of  one  hundred  and  forty  acres 
about  two  and  three-quarters  miles  from 
Rainier.  There  he  resided  for  about  twelve 
years,  during  which  period  he  successfully  car- 
ried on  farming  and  dairying  and  to  some  ex- 
tent worked  at  the  carpenter's  trade.  In  1S95 
he  removed  to  Rainier  and  the  following  year 
was  elected  county  judge.  From  1886  until 
1896  he  had  served  as  justice  of  the  peace 
and  during  that  period  he  had  gained  consid- 
erable knowledge  of  the  principles  of  law 
and  his  decisions  were  ever  based  upon  legal 
principles  and  the  equity  of  the  case.  His 
term  expired  as  justice  when  elected  county 
judge  of  Washington  county  on  the  republican 
ticket  in  1896.  He  presided  over  the  county 
court  for  eight  years  and  rendered  opinions 
which  were  strictly  fair  and  impartial,  win- 
ning for  him  the  commendation  of  the  bar 
and  the  general  public.  Subsequently  he  was 
elected  police  judge,  which  office  he  filled  for 
several  years.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the 
town  council  for  several  years  and  in  1910 
was  elected  mayor  of  Rainier.  He  is  now 
engaged  in  the  general  real-estate  business 
in  Rainier  and  has  secured  a  good  clientage 
in  this  connection,  negotiating  many  impor- 
tant realty  transfers  which  have  been  made 
in  this  city  and  surrounding  country  of  late 
years. 

On  the  24th  of  October,  1862,  while  a  resi- 
dent of  Pennsylvania,  Judge  Doan  was  mar- 
ried to  Mrs.  Hannah  .J.  Gregg,  the  Avidow  of 
Solomon  Gregg,  who  had  one  daughter.  Eliza- 
beth, now  the  wife  of  H.  H.  Doan.'of  Portland. 
Judge  and  Mrs.  Doan  have  one  son.  John  II.. 
who  owns  and  cultivates  a  ranch  in  Crook 
county,  Oregon.  Mr.  Doan  belongs  to  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  lodge,  in  which  he  has 
filled  all  of  the  chairs  and  also  acted  as 
representative  to  the  grand  lodge.  He  is 
also  prominent  in  the  Red  Men's  Tribe  at 
Rainier,  which  he  has  represented  in  the 
grand  council  of  that  organization.  His  po- 
litical allegiance  has  always  been  given  to 
the  republican  party  and  his  position  is 
never  an  equivocal  one.  He  never  hesitates 
to  support  a  principle  or  project  in  which  he 
believes.  He  has  made  good  use  of  his  time 
and  opportunities  as  the  years  have  passed 
by  and  in  this  is  found  the  secret  of  the 
substantial  success  which  he  has  won.  More- 
over, his  fidelity  to  duty,  whether  of  a  pub- 
lic or  private  nature,  has  gained  for  him  the 
high  regard  and  good-will  of  all  with  whom 
he  has  been  associated. 

JOHN  G.  SAMLER  is  numbered  among  the 
influential  citizens  of  Douglas  county  and  is 
postmaster  of  Yoncalla,  having  received  his 
first  appointment  to  that  office  January  8, 
1898.  He  was  born  in  Fairview.  Xew  .Jer- 
sey, September  7,  1854.  and  is  a  son  of  Wil- 
liam and  Catherine  (Bartholf)  Samler.  the 
former  a  native  of  Xew  York  and  the  latter 
of  New  Jersey.  The  parents  celebrated  their 
wedding  in  Xew  Jersey,  in  which  state  the 
father   was    engaged    as    a    carpenter,    which 


business  he  followed  until  the  time  of  his 
death,  in  1892.  The  mother  is  living  and 
makes  her  home  in  Fairview. 

John  G.  Samler  was  reared  at  home  and 
received  his  early  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  Fairview.  In  1876  he  left  home 
and  started  in  life  for  himself  in  X'ew  York 
city.  He  was  first  employed  as  a  driver 
of  an  express  wagon  and  continued  in  that 
work  for  two  years.  In  1878  he  came  west 
and  spent  one  year  in  Nebraska.  In  the 
spring  of  1880  he  came  to  Oregon  by  way  of 
San  Francisco  settling  in  Yoncalla  where  he 
worked  for  the  Applegate  family.  He  later 
engaged  in  farming  on  rented  land  and  in 
1882  took  up  a  homestead  of  a  fractional 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  near  Yoncalla, 
which  he  still  owns.  A  part  of  that  land 
he  has   planted   to   well  selected   fruit   trees. 

John  G.  Samler  was  united  in  marriage 
in  1884  to  Miss  Lucy  Burt,  a  daughter  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  George  A.  Burt,  who  emigrated 
from  Massachusetts  to  Oregon  in  1850  and 
located  in  Douglas  county.  The  father  ac- 
quired extensive  holdings  of  farm  and  ranch 
lands  in  the  vicinity  of  Yoncalla  and  has 
tile  distinction  of  having  given  forty  acres 
for  the  town  site  of  Yoncalla.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Samler  two  children  liave  been  born. 
Hazel  and  Dolph,  both  of  whom  are  at  home. 
Mr.  Samler  is  a  loyal  adherent  of  the  repub- 
lican party  and  on  January  8,  1898,  was  ap- 
pointed postmaster  of  Yoncalla,  in  which 
oflice  he  has  since  continued  to  serve.  He 
has  charge  of  the  telephone  station  at  Yon- 
calla and  in  this  connection  as  in  all  others 
renders  efficient  and  capable  service.  He  is 
a  member  of  Yoncalla  Camp.  No.  480,  W.  0. 
W.,  and  also  of  Alpha  Lodge,  No.  170.  I.  0. 
0.  F.  He  is  one  of  the  substantial  citizens  of 
his  county  and  a  man  whose  influence  is  al- 
ways given  to  the  promotion  of  every  public 
enterprise  which  promises  improvement  of  the 
business  and  educational  interests  of  his 
city  and  county. 

R.  V.  BEALL.  After  enduring  all  the  hard- 
ships incident  to  a  pioneer's  life,  including  the 
hazardous  experiences  of  early  emigration  to 
the  west,  R.  V.  Beall  is  today  a  prosperous 
farmer  of  .Jackson  county,  Oregon,  where 
he  and  his  son  own  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  highly  improved  land  located  near 
the  city  of  Central  Point.  He  was  born  in 
Maryland  on  the  15th  of  June,  18.31.  His 
parents  moved  to  Springfield,  Illinois,  at  an 
early  date  and  after  remaining  in  that  city 
for  some  time  they  emigrated  to  Oregon, 
crossing  the  plains  in  1852  with  mule  teams 
using  less  time  in  making  the  journey  than 
all  the  pioneers  who  had  preceded"  them. 
They  crossed  the  Missouri  river  at  St.  Joseph 
and,  continuing  westward,  reached  Oregon 
City,  July  18,  1852.  After  settling  in  this 
state  R.  V.  Beall  worked  in  the  mines  in 
Josephine  county  and  subsequently  was  en- 
gaged in  packing  supplies  to  various  mines 
and  settlements  throughout  the  mountains. 
This  work  was  carried  on  with  the  use  of 
the  mules  with  which  he  had  crossed  the 
plains.  Later  Mr.  Beall  filed  on  a  claim  of 
three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  the  Rogue 


144 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


river  valley  near  the  place  where  Central 
Point  now  stands.  He  there  acquired  a  thou- 
sand acre  stock  ranch  located  in  the  moun- 
tains which  he  afterward  sold.  This  land 
was  fenced  and  otherwise  improved  and  de- 
veloped by  him,  while  at  the  same  time 
he  continued  in  the  pack-train  business,  buy- 
ing flour  and  grocery  supplies  from  Dr.  John 
ilcLaughlin,  which  he  sold  to  the  miners  and 
pioneers  throughout  Josephine  county.  He 
finally  retired  from  this  business  and  pur- 
chased a  farm  comprising  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  near  Central  Point,  which  he  im- 
proved and  where  he  built  his  home. 

In  1864  Mr.  Beall  wedded  iliss  Mary  Rid- 
dle, by  whom  he  has  two  children,  Mary  and 
R.  v.,  Jr.,  both  of  whom  reside  in  this  state. 
Mr.  Beall  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  lodge 
and  intimately  and  actively  identified  with 
the  social  and  business  interests  of  his  com- 
munity. 

JOHN  TALBOT  BLOOMFIELD  for  a  period 
of  more  than  a  half  century  has  been  iden- 
tified with  the  growth  and  development  of 
Oregon.  He  is  entitled  to  be  enrolled  among 
the  early  pioneers  of  this  state  and  his 
whole  life  as  a  citizen  of  this  common- 
wealth has  been  one  which  has  contributed 
much  to  the  enrichment  and  progress  of  this 
part  of  Oregon.  He  lives  now  retired  and 
maintains  his  residence  at  Oakland,  in  Doug- 
las county.  He  was  born  in  Centerville, 
Wayne  county,  Indiana,  August  26.  1825, 
and"  is  a  son  of  Lot  and  Elizabeth  (Talbot) 
Bloomfield,  the  former  a  native  of  Xew  Jersey 
and  the  latter  of  Virginia.  They  were  mar- 
ried in  Centerville.  Indiana,  to  which  place 
the  mother  when  a  child  had  removed  with 
her  parents.  The  father  in  early  manhood 
engaged  in  the  wholesale  dry-goods  business 
in  New  York  city  in  company  with  his  two 
brothers.  One  of  the  brothers  while  return- 
ing from  Europe  with  a  cargo  of  goods  with 
which  to  stock  their  store  was  lost  at  sea 
with  the  vessel  on  which  he  sailed.  The 
loss  sustained  by  this  accident  resulted  in 
the  bankruptcy  of  the  firm  and  the  busi- 
ness with  which  the  father  was  identified 
was  at  once  closed  out.  Lot  Bloomfield  then 
came  west  to  Indiana  to  retrieve  his  fortunes 
and  located  in  Centerville,  at  which  place 
he  engaged  in  the  general  mercantile  busi- 
ness. He  later  sold  out  and  removed  to 
Cambridge  City,  Indiana,  where  he  estab- 
lished himself  in  business,  and  also  had  an 
interest  in  a  store  in  Muncie.  In  1S4T.  while 
driving  from  Cambridge  to  Centerville,  he 
was  thrown  from  his  buggy  and  the  injuries 
sustained  by  that  accident  resulted  in  his 
death  immediately  afterward. 

John  T.  Bloomfield  was  reared  in  his  par- 
ents' home  and  received  his  early  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  in  Indiana.  While 
not  engaged  in  school  he  was  employed  in 
his  father's  store  and  there  acquired  a 
knowledge  of  the  mercantile  business.  His 
larger  experience  in  that  line  was  in  the 
Muncie  store,  at  which  place  they  also  con- 
ducted in  addition  to  their  mercantile  in- 
terests a  lanyard,  operated  a  stock  farm 
and   were   interested   in   various   enterprises. 


lliey  bought  and  sold  leather  and  also  bought 
stock  in  Illinois  and  Missouri  and  sold  cat- 
tle  and   hogs.       They    found   a    market   for 
tlieir  cattle  in  Pennsylvania  and  in  that  early 
day  they   drove  the   stock  across  the  coun- 
tiy  to  the   far  eastern  state.     Whenever  it 
was  possible  for  Mr.  Bloomfield  to  leave  tlie 
store  he  availed  himself  of  the  opportunity 
for  work  on  the  outside,  which  he  not  only 
enjoyed  but  also  availed  himself  of  the  op- 
portunities of  study  alforded  by  outdoor  work 
and  farm  life.      The  firm  known  as  Kussey 
&  Jack  in  which  his  father  was  equally  in- 
terested owned   a    farm   located   about   one- 
half  mile  outside  of  the  corporate  limits  of 
the  town  and  on  that  farm  they  kept  their 
hogs.      This    farm    is    now    in   the   heart   of 
the  gas  belt  of  Indiana  and  is  valued  at  many 
thousands  of  dollars  per  acre.      They,  how- 
ever,   disposed   of    the    property    at   a    mere 
trifle.     In  1849  Mr.  Bloomfield'  drove  a  six- 
mule   team   across   the   plains   to   California, 
making   the    last    camp    on    the   journey    at 
Nevada   City   in   .September,   1S49.     At  that 
place   the    wagon    train,   which    consisted   of 
sixteen    wagons,    disbanded    and    he    turned 
his  attention  to  mining  on  the  Yuba  river. 
In  the  fall  of  1851  he  removed  to  Marysville, 
California,    where   he   continued   to   live   un- 
til 1858.     In  that  year  the  Fraser  river  gold 
excitement   broke  out  and  he  at  once  went 
to  the  new  gold  camp,  where  he  spent  one 
summer.     In  the   fall  of  that  year  he  came 
to    Portland    and    there    remained    for    one 
year,    after    which   time    he    located    in    Eu- 
gene and  lived  in  that  place  until  1861.     In 
the    spring    of    that    year    he    went    with    a 
prospecting   party    to   the   Blue   Bucket   gold 
diggings  in  Malheur  county  but.  finding  no 
gold,  the  company  went  north  through  Walla 
Walla    to   the    Salmon    river   country,    where 
ilr.   Bloomfield    staked   a   mining  claim   and 
spent  the  winter  in  Florence.     In  the  spring 
and  summer  following  he  worked  his  claim 
out   and   was    fortunate   in   cleaning   up   fif- 
teen to  sixteen  hundred  dollars.     In  the  fall 
of   1S62   he   returned   to    Eugene   and   there 
engaged  in  carpenter  work  and  also  conducted 
a  butcher  shop.     He  later  was  employed  in 
the   L'nited    States   surveyor   general's   office 
as  head  draftsman  under  General  E.  L.  Ap- 
plegate  for  about  two  years.    In  1869  or  ISTO, 
he  left  Eugene  and  took  up  work  with  the 
Oregon    &    California   Railroad   Company   as 
draftsman.       The    company    desired   a    com- 
plete   set    of    maps    of    the    state    in    which 
their  land  grants  lay  and  he  was  placed  in 
charge  of  that  work,  with  oflfices  at   Salem, 
where    he    remained    for    about    two    years, 
after  which  time  he  was  called  by  the  com- 
pany to  the  Portland  offices  and  there  was 
engaged   in   work   as   draftsman  until   1876. 
He  then  left  the  employ  of  the  railroad  com- 
pany and  came  to  Oakland  and  lived  for  two 
years   on    his    father-in-law's    farm,    located 
near  that  city.    He  then  established  his  home 
in    Oakland    and    engaged    in    the    contract- 
ing and  building  business,  in  which  he  con- 
tinued for  some  time.     In  those  early  days 
he  served  for  a  number  of  years  as  justice 
of  the  peace  and  in  1892  be  took  a  contract 
from  the  United  States  government  to  go  to 


> 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


147 


Roseburg  and  straighten  out  their  maps  by 
making  the  necessary  corrections  and  in  addi- 
tion to  that  work  make  new  maps  of  the 
I'nitcd  States  Land  district  in  the  phice  of 
the  old  and  imperfect  maps  on  file.  He  re- 
ceived as  compensation  for  his  services  tlie 
sum  of  twelve  hundred  dollars. 

Mr.  Bloomfield  was  united  in  marriage  Octo- 
ber 19.  1862,  to  Miss  Fannie  M.  Hall,  a  native 
of  nlinois  and  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Langley  and 
Sarah  Alice  (Ligo)  Hall,  the  former  a  promi- 
nent physician  of  his  time  who  crossed  the 
plains  from  Illinois  to  Oregon  in  1853  and 
located  on  a  farm  in  Douglas  county  when 
his  daughter  was  eleven  years  of  age.  Both 
her  parents  were  natives  of  England  and  emi- 
grated to  America  in  1836  locating  in  Stark 
county,  Illinois.  He  was  a  farmer  and  im- 
ported sheep  and  was  the  first  man  to  sell 
wool  in  Chicago  off  imported  sheep.  He  also 
practiced  medicine  very  successfully.  Mr. 
Bloomfield  is  affiliated  with  the  republican 
jiarty  but  has  never  been  an  aspirant  for  po- 
litical preferment.  He  is  a  member  of 
Umpqua  Lodge,  No.  37,  I.  0.  0.  F..  having 
been  initiated  in  that  order  in  Indiana  in 
the  winter  of  1845-46,  thus  giving  him  the 
almost  unparalleled  record  of  having  been 
an  Odd  Fellow  for  sixty-seven  years.  He  is 
at  present  one  of  tlie  oldest  members  of  the 
order  in  this  state.  He  has  also  been  a 
member  of  the  grand  lodge  for  nearly  forty- 
eight  years  and  was  grand  master  of  the 
jurisdiction  in  1867-68.  He  and  his  wife  are 
members  of  the  Episcopal  church.  Mr. 
Bloomfield  has  so  lived  during  his  life  as  to 
gain  and  maintain  the  respect  and  esteem 
of  all  with  whom  he  has  come  in  contact  and 
now  in  his  advanced  age  is  still  a  man  of 
wide  influence  and  is  accounted  as  one  of 
the  desirable  and  most  useful  citizens  of  his 
part  of  Oregon. 

I.  N.  LEWIS  is  one  of  the  exemplary  agri- 
culturists of  Jackson  county.  He  is  the 
owner  of  eighty  acres  of  the  best  land  in  the 
rich  agricultural  state  of  Oregon  and  to  the 
development  of  his  beautiful  farm  he  has  for 
a  number  of  years  given  his  entire  time 
and  energy  and  has  invested  his  surplus 
capital.  He  was  born  in  Polk  county.  Ore- 
gon, on  the  15th  of  August.  1860,  and  is 
one  of  ten  children  born  to  John  and  Polly 
(Turner)  Lewis.  He  was  reared  in  his 
father's  home  and  received  his  education 
in  the  public  schools.  He  remained  at  home 
until  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age,  at 
which  time  he  started  in  life  for  himself. 
He  engaged  in  mining  at  once  on  leaving  the 
parental  roof  and  continued  in  that  business 
for  fifteen  years.  On  giving  up  tlie  mining 
business  he  entered  a  government  homestead 
of  eighty  acres,  on  which  he  built  his  home 
and  where  he  has  since  contintied  to  reside. 

In  1885  Mr.  Lewis  was  married  to  Miss 
Ettie  Heckathorne.  a  native  of  California, 
by  whom  lie  has  seven  children.  Irvin.  0!a, 
Bessie.  Elmer.  Orpha.  Trueman  and  Lydia. 
All  are  living  and  reside  in  Oreson.  Mr. 
Lewis  is  affiliated  with  tlie  republican  party 
and  is  an  enthusiastic  advocate  of  both  state 
;ind    national    issues    indorsed   by    his    party. 


lie  is  one  of  the  inilustriou.s  farmers  of  his 
community,  and  in  his  occupation  as  an  agri- 
culturist he  is  proving  that  the  soils  of  Ore- 
gon, when  well  cultivated  and  intelligently 
cared  for,  are  capable  of  producing  gratifying 
incomes  and  remarkable  harvests. 

GEORGE  C.  MOREHOUSE  is  the  owner  of 
thirty-seven  acres  of  rich  farming  land,  three 
and  one-half  miles  from  Gravel  Ford,  near 
Fox  bridge,  on  the  Coquille  river.  It  is  a 
valualde  jiropert}',  well  improved,  and  in  its 
development  the  owner  is  giving  evidence  of 
a  thorough  understanding  of  the  most  mod- 
ern and  progressive  principles  of  agriculture. 
He  was  born  in  Iowa  and  is  a  son  of  Cor- 
nelius and  Melissa  (Crawford)  Morehouse, 
the  former  a  native  of  Ohio  and  the  latter 
of  Iowa.  George  C.  Morehouse  is  one  of  six 
children  born  to  his  parents,  the  others  be- 
ing: Charley,  who  resides  in  Coos  county, 
Albert,  of  Eugene,  Oregon;  Lysle,  of  Pasa- 
dena, California:  Alice,  deceased;  and  one 
who  died  in  infancy.  The  father  was  a 
printer  by  trade  and  worked  at  this  occupa- 
tion in  Iowa  for  some  years.  He  died  when 
his   son   George  was   nine  years  of  age. 

George  C.  Morehouse  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  Iowa  until  he  reached  his 
fourteenth  year.  He  was  then  obliged  to 
gain  a  livelihood  for  himself  and  in  order 
to  do  this  accepted  a  position  in  a  restau- 
rant, where  he  worked  for  five  years.  He 
later  went  to  Kansas  and  engaged  in  tlie 
hardware  business  in  the  employ  of  others 
for  a  short  time,  before  he  went  to  New 
Mexico.  He  spent  one  year  in  machine  shops 
in  various  parts  of  that  state  and  then  went 
to  California,  where  he  was  employed  in  the 
lumber  line  in  San  Diego  for  some  time. 
Subsequently  he  started  in  business  for  him- 
self as  the  owner  of  a  cattle  ranch,  which 
he  operated  with  much  success  for  four 
years.  He  bought  and  sold  high  grade  cattle 
and  horses  and  became  known  as  an  expert 
in  that  line  of  activity  but  later  he  went  to 
the  gold  mines  of  California,  and  worked 
for  wages  and  prospected  on  his  own  account 
for  five  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he 
removed  to  Coos  county,  where  he  was  mar- 
ried and  immediately  began  logging,  whicli 
he  continued  until  he  determined  to  devote 
his  entire  attention  to  cultivating  the  soil. 
He  rented  a  large  farm  near  Gravel  Ford. 
Oregon,  and  was  so  successful  as  a  practical 
farmer  that  in  1910  he  was  enabled  to  buy 
the  land  which  comprises  thirty-seven  acres 
and  has  on  it  a  prosperous  dairy,  Mr. 
Morehouse  keeps  fifteen  cows  for  milking 
purposes.  He  has  his  entire  farm  under  cul- 
tivation and  plants  it  in  the  most  suitable 
grains  and  grasses.  He  gives  careful  atten- 
tion to  the  planting  and  harvesting  and  is 
known  throughout  Coos  county  as  an  enter- 
prising and  representative  citizen.  He  en- 
gages also  in  stock-raising  and  his  high  grade 
horses  and  cows  form  a  valuable  source  of 
income  to  liim.  His  farm  is  well  kept,  the  soil 
is  productive,  its  buildings  are  modern  and 
efficient   and   his    stock   is   of   good   breeding. 

Oil  January  2.  1897.  Mr.  Morehouse  was 
united    in    marriage    to    Sliss    Lulu    Hall,    a 


148 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


native  of  Oregon  and  a  daughter  of  William 
S.  and  Martha  (Lamb)  Hall,  both  of  >vhom 
were  born  in  ilissouri  and  were  among  the 
early  settlers  in  Coos  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hall  were  the  parents  of  seven  children: 
Annie,  the  wife  of  Riley  Matheny,  of  Airlie. 
Oregon:  Bertha,  the  wife  of  Leland  Minard, 
of  Fishtrap,  Oregon;  Lulu,  the  wife  of  our 
subject;  James,  of  Coos  county;  Mrs.  Mary 
Hervey,  of  Lee,  Oregon;  Thomas,  of  Gravel 
Ford;  and  Amanda,  the  wife  of  Thomas 
Weekly,  of  Gravel  Ford.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Morehouse  have  been  born  seven  children: 
Ermal,  whose  birth  occurred  July  21,  189S. 
and  who  is  attending  school;  Lela.  born 
November  5,  1899.  who  is  also  pursuing  her 
studies;  Lida.  born  November  29,  1901,  who 
attends  school;  Eltiee,  born  October  23.  1902. 
and  Delta,  born  June  15,  1905.  both  of  whom 
are  pupils  in  the  Coos  county  schools;  Er- 
old,  born  November  2.  1908;  and  Nelda.  born 
October  23.  1909.  Jlr.  Morehouse  affiliates 
■with  the  Farmers  Union,  is  a  prominent 
member  of  the  Grange  and  is  also  active  in 
the  Sons  of  Veterans.  In  his  political  views 
he  is  consistently  republican  but  has  never 
taken  an  active"  part  in  local  affairs,  pre- 
ferring to  devote  his  entire  attention  to  his 
farming  interests. 

JAMES  EDWARD  METZGER  is  an  enter- 
prising   young    business    man    of    Gresham, 
where   he    was   born   on    the   2d   of   October, 
1885,  his   parents   being  J.  H.   and   Eliza   E. 
(Winters)     Metzger.      The    father    was    born 
in  Illinois  on  the  19th  of  December,  1852,  and 
is  of  Dutch  extraction,  being  a  direct  descend- 
ant of  Von  Theobolt  Metzger.     The  maternal 
grandfather   was   a   native   of   German}'   and 
the  grandmother  of  Ireland,  and   they   were 
married  in  New  York,  whence  they  migrated 
to   Oregon   when  Mrs.  J.  H.   Metzger  was   a 
child   of  nine   years,   settling  on   a  donation 
claim    of    three    hundred    and    twenty    acres 
near  Gresham.     Here  she  was  reared  to  the 
age  of  sixteen  years  when  she   married  Mr. 
Metzger.      Her    parents    are    now    both    de- 
ceased, the  father  having  died  in  1908  while 
her  mother  passed  away  in  1886.     They  had 
three    children,    of    whom    ilrs.    Metzger    was 
the     oldest,    the     others    being    as     follows: 
Annie,  the  wife  of  R.  W.  Gibbs,  of  Gresham, 
and  the  mother  of  three  children,  Lela,  Arlie 
and  Deway;   and  Roy  L.  also  a  resident  of 
Gresham,    who    has    seven    children.     J.    H. 
Metzger  was   one   of  seven   children  born  to 
his  parents.    Louis,  who  lives  here,  has  three 
children:    Louis.   Jr.;    Elma :    and    Genevieve 
now  Mrs.  Oswell.     Daniel,  who  also  lives  in 
Gresham,  has  one  child.  Lucy,  now  the  wife 
of  S.  E.  Toepleman.     Henry,  who  is  a  resi- 
dent of  Gresham.  is  the  father  of  five  chil- 
dren:    Albert,    William,    Frank,    Pearl    and 
Elsie.     Eli,  who  is  now  deceased,  left  the  fol- 
lowing children:   Ford;  Delbert.  who  lives  in 
Honolulu;  and  Violet,  a  resident  of  Topeka. 
Kansas.     Louise   was   the    wife   of   Emanuel 
Underwood  and  both  are  deceased.    Margaret 
is    also    deceased.      The    family   of    Mr.    and 
Mrs.  J.  H.  Metzger  numbered  seven,  as  fol- 
lows:     Benjamin,    who    is     living    with    his 
parents;   James   Edward,   our  subject;    Cecil 


Eugene,  of  Gresham,  who  married  Miss  Hilda. 
Gufekenson  and  is  the  father  of  one  child; 
Floyd  Sanford  and  Walter  Willard,  both  of 
whom  are  attending  school  and  living  at 
home;  John  Frederick,  who  is  deceased;  and 
one  who  died  in  infancy.  In  early  manhood 
the  father  crossed  the  plains  to  Oregon,  set- 
tling in  the  vicinity  of  Gresham,  and  here 
two  or  three  years"  later  he  was  joined  by 
his  parents  and  the  other  members  of  his 
family.  He  had  never  been  trained  to  any- 
thing but  agricultural  pursuits,  and  when  he 
lirst^came  worked  on  a  dairy  ranch.  Subse- 
quently he  purchased  the  J.  P.  0.  Lonsdale 
farm  now  the  Cotton  ranch  near  Gresham, 
which  he  operated  most  successfully  for  sev- 
eral years.  He  then  disposed  of  it  and 
turned  his  attention  to  mercantile  pursuits. 
He  was  actively  engaged  in  business  here 
for  eight  years,  at  the  expiration  of  which 
time  he  retired,  but  he  has  since  resumed  his 
connection   with  commercial   enterprises. 

James  Edward  Metzger  was  reared  at  home 
and  received  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  Gresham  and  a  business  college  at 
Portland.  At  the  age  of  twenty-two  years 
he  engaged  in  business  as  the  proprietor 
of  a  livery  stable  which  he  operated  for  two 
years.  He  then  withdrew  from  this  line  of 
business  and  has  ever  since  been  associated 
with  his  father-in-law,  R.  R.  Carlson.  Mr. 
Metzger  has  been  successful  and  is  now  the 
owner  of  five  thousand  dollars  worth  of  real 
estate  which  he  has  acquired  through  his 
own  efforts. 

For  his  wife  Mr.  Metzger  chose  Miss  Mil- 
dred S.  Carlson,  whose  natal  day  was  the 
18th  of  August.  1889,  her  parents  being  R.  R. 
and  Jenoqua  S.  (Jackson)  Carlson,  natives 
of  Wisconsin.  Mrs.  Metzger,  who  is  an  only 
child,  was  educated  at  Willamette  Uni- 
versity, of  which  institution  she  is  a  grad- 
uate. "  One  child  has  been  born  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Metzger,  Gwendolyn  Jenoqua,  whose 
birth  occurred  on  the  18th  of  May,  1911. 

Both  Jlr.  and  Jlrs.  Metzger  are  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  fra- 
ternally he  is  a  member  of  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  Woodmen  of  the  World 
and  ilrs.  Metzger  belongs  to  the  Women  of 
Woodcraft.  His  political  support  he  gives  to 
the  republican  party.  He  is  a  young  man  of 
high  standards  of  honor  and  an  excellent 
record    and   his    friends    feel    assured   of   his 


JAMES  H.  McCLOSKEY,  a  native  son  of 
Oregon,  lias  conducted  a  creamery  near  Nor- 
way, in  Coos  county,  for  the  past  seven  years. 
He'was  born  in  Gravel  Ford,  a  son  of  Solomon 
J.  and  Mary  A.  (Steward)  McCloskey.  who 
were  natives  of  Pennsylvania  and  Canada 
respectively.  The  father  purchased  a  ranch 
near  Norway  in  18S2  and  three  years  later 
embarked  in  the  merchandising  business. 
When  he  was  appointed  postmaster,  the  post- 
office  was  established  in  his  store,  and  he  dis- 
charged the  duties  devolving  upon  him  in  that 
connection  until  the  time  of  his  demise,  which 
occurred  on  the  2d  of  June.  1909.  Since  that 
time  his  daughter  Minnie  has  had  charge 
nf    the    office.       His    widow,    who    still    owns 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


149 


the  mercantile  store  as  well  as  the  home 
ranch,  now  resides  in  Norway.  Unto  3Ir. 
and  Mrs.  Solomon  J.  McCloskey  were  born 
nine  children,  as  follows:  Agnes  J.,  the  wife 
of  William  Smith,  of  Gravel  Ford,  Oregon; 
Lucinda,  the  widow  of  Evan  Morgan,  who  re- 
sides in  Bandon,  Oregon;  Thomas  William, 
who  is  a  resident  of  Myrtle  Point,  Oregon; 
Anna  S.,  deceased;  Minnie  E.,  the  wife  of  J. 
L.  Lester,  of  Augiola,  California;  Flora,  the 
wife  of  P.  W.  Laird,  of  Coquille,  Oregon; 
Clara,  who  lives  with  her  mother  at  Norway, 
Oregon;  James  H.,  of  this  review;  and  Roy 
E.,  who  has  passed  away. 

James  H.  McCloskey  began  providing  for 
his  own  support  when  twenty-one  years  of 
age,  working  on  a  steamboat  for  a  brother 
who  had  a  vessel  plying  between  Myrtle 
Point  and  Coquille.  He  was  thus  employed 
for  twelve  years  and  on  the  expiration  of 
that  period,  in  1905,  purchased  the  cream- 
ery built  by  George  Davis,  which  he  has 
operated  continuously  since  with  gratifying 
success.  In  his  business  methods  he  is  prac- 
tical as  well  as  pl-ogressive  and  his  labors 
have    been    attended    with    excellent    results. 

In  1905,  in  Coos  county,  Mr.  McCloskey 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Sarah  A. 
Wagner,  a  native  of  Oregon  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  Daniel  and  Mary  (Miller)  Wagner, 
both  of  whom  were  born  in  North  Carolina. 
They  crossed  the  plains  to  this  state  in  the 
early  days,  first  settling  at  Rural,  Coos 
county  and  later  taking  up  their  abode  at 
Myrtle  Point.  Daniel  Wagner  passed  away 
in  1SS4,  while  his  wife  was  called  to  her 
final  rest  in  1890.  They  were  the  parents  of 
eight  children,  namely:  Emma  E..  the  wife 
of  E.  W.  Herman,  a  brother  of  Binger  Her- 
man, of  Roseburg,  Oregon;  Robert  L.,  W'ho  re- 
sides in  Bandon,  Oregon;  James  M.,  of  Myrtle 
Point,  Oregon;  Ella,  the  wife  of  Z.  C.  Strang, 
of  Coquille,  Oregon ;  Lilly  C.,  the  wife  of  Max 
Dement,  of  Myrtle  Po'int;  Elizabeth,  who 
gave  her  hand  in  marriage  to  J.  C.  Litt,  of 
Norway,  Oregon;  Mrs.  Sarah  A.  McCloskey; 
and  Daniel  Pugh,  who  is  a  resident  of  Eugene, 
Oregon. 

Mr.  McCloskey  is  a  democrat  in  politics 
but  has  no  desire  for  the  honors  and  emolu- 
ments of  office,  preferring  to  devote  his  un- 
divided attention  to  his  business  interests. 
He  belongs  to  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  and  to  the  Grange.  They  have  spent 
their  entire  lives  in  Coos  county  and  enjoy 
an  extensive  and  favorable  acquaintance  here. 

EDMOND  E.  WEEKLY.  A  native  son  of 
Oregon  and  a  man  who  has  given  his  activi- 
ties and  energies  to  the  agricultural  develop- 
ment of  the  state  since  he  was  twenty  years 
of  age  is  Edmond  E.  Weekly,  who  is  bring- 
ing his  seasoned  experience  and  his  system- 
atic agricultural  knowledge  to  the  cultiva- 
tion of  four  hundred  and  twenty-seven  acres 
of  land  in  Coos  county,  comprising  one  of  the 
most  productive  and  skilfully  operated  farms 
in  the  district.  Mr.  Weekly  was  born  in 
Douglas  county.  Oregon,  on  .January  12,  1859, 
and  is  the  son  of  ^Hlliam  E.  and  Irene 
Weekly,  the  former  a  native  of  Kentucky 
and  the  latter  of  Missouri.     Their  marriage 


occurred  in  the  last  named  state  and  they 
remained  in  that  section  until  1S51,  when 
they  crossed  the  plains  to  Oregon,  making 
the  journey  with  ox  teams.  They  settled 
in  the  Willamette  valley  and  a  year  later 
came  to  Douglas  county,  where  the  father 
took  up  a  donation  claim  of  six  hundred  and 
forty  acres,  eighteen  miles  west  of  Roseburg. 
He  improved  and  cultivated  the  soil  of  this 
tract  of  land  until  1874,  when  he  sold  his 
holdings  and  came  to  Coos  county,  locating 
on  the  north  fork  of  the  Coquille  river.  Here 
he  took  up  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
land  and  lived  upon  this  property  until  his 
death,  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven  years. 
His  wife  survived  him  for  a  short  time,  dying 
when  she  was  sixty-nine  years  old.  They 
were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  seven  of 
whom  are  still  living:  J.  S.,  of  Wheeler  coun- 
ty. Oregon;  I.  T.  and  Ursula  Rose,  both  of 
whom  reside  in  Coos  county,  Mrs.  Mary  J. 
Turner,  of  Portland;  Edmond  E.,  of  this 
review;  and  R.  L.  and  W.  il.,  both  of  Myrtle 
Point,  Coos  count}'.  The  two  eldest  children 
died  in  infancy  and  Jefferson  D.,  the  eighth 
in  order  of  birth,  is  also  deceased. 

Edmond  E.  Weekly  received  his  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  Douglas  and  Coos 
counties  and  was  active  in  assisting  his  father 
in  the  work  of  the  farm  during  his  boyhood. 
He  married  when  he  was  twenty  years  of  age 
and  immediately  started  farming  on  a  pre- 
emption claim  which  he  pro>od  up.  He 
brought  this  land  to  a  highly  developed  state 
and  sold  it  eventually  at  a  good  profit.  He 
then  purchased  a  part  of  his  father's  original 
donation  claim  in  Douglas  county  and  for 
several  years  followed  farming  in  that  sec- 
tion. He  then  disposed  of  his  holdings  and 
came  to  Coos  county,  where  he  farmed  for 
two  years  and  met  with  his  success.  He 
spent  six  years  operating  a  ranch  in  Kla- 
math county  before  he  eventually  settled 
near  Myrtle  creek.  In  1906  he  bought  a 
farm  near  Bridge,  comprising  one  hundred 
and  eighty  acres  of  productive  land.  He 
gave  his  personal  supervision  to  the  opera- 
tion of  this  property  for  two  years  but 
finally  rented  it  in  order  to  purchase  the 
farm  upon  which  he  now  resides.  His  hold- 
ings are  located  a  mile  and  a  half  above  ths 
town  of  Bridge,  on  the  middle  fork  of  the 
Coquille  river,  and  comprise  one  of  the  most 
extensive  and  prosperous  agricultural  prop- 
erties in  Coos  county.  Mr.  Weekly  brings  to 
its  cultivation  a  thoroughly  scientific  knowl- 
edge of  the  details  of  agriculture,  which  he 
learned  in  boyhood  upon  his  father's  farm 
and  which  he  has  developed  and  added  to 
every  year  of  his  life.  He  has  made  exten- 
sive improvements  upon  his  property,  has 
added  fences,  barns  and  outbuildings  and 
has  made  it  one  of  the  attractive  and  model 
farms  in  the  state  of  Oregon.  In  addition  to 
this  extensive  tract  of  land  in  Coos  county 
he  also  owns  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
of  timber  land  in  Douglas  county  and  has 
made  extensive  and  judicious  investments  in 
town  property  in  Myrtle  Point.  He  is  a 
representative  and  loyal  citizen  of  his  state 
and  actively  interested  in  its  agricultural 
development. 


150 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


In  1879.  when  he  was  twenty  years  of  age, 
!Mr.  Weekly  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
^liiry  J.  Waterman,  a  native  of  New  York 
state,  wlio  came  to  Oregon  in  1876,  when 
she  was  a  young  girl.  She  was  accompanied 
l).v  her  grandparents  and  eight  years  later 
was  joined  by  her  parents,  who  settled  in 
Coos  county  and  were  prominent  residents  of 
this  section  until  they  died.  Mrs.  Weekly 
is  the  eldest  of  five  children  born  to  her 
parents,  the  others  being:  Emma,  who  is 
married  and  lives  in  Spokane,  Washington: 
Mrs.  Loretta  Young,  of  Coos  county:  and 
C.  F.  and  R.  A.,  also  residents  of  the  same 
section.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Weekly  have 
been  born  the  following  children:  Mrs.  0.  E. 
Laird,  of  Myrtle  Point,  Oregon;  Mrs.  Opal 
Barker,  of  Fairview,  Coos  county;  W.  M., 
also  residing  in  Myrtle  Point;  Smith  A.,  of 
McKinley,  Coos  county;  and  Irene,  Edwin 
and  Edith,  all  of  whom  are  living  at  home. 
All  of  the  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Weekly  received  an  efticient  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  Douglas,  Coos  and  Kla- 
math counties.  Their  two  eldest  daughters 
taught  school  for  some  time  previous  to  their 
marriages  and  Irene  is  still  engaged  in  this 
occupation.  The  family  affiliates  with  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Weekly  gives  a 
general  allegiance  to  the  democratic  party 
but  often  votes  independent  of  part.v  affilia- 
tion on  public  questions  of  a  local  character. 
He  takes  an  intelligent  interest  in  the  affairs 
of  his  community,  but  has  never  sought  pub- 
lic ofliee.  He  is  now  in  the  possession  of 
one  of  the  most  productive  and  fertile  farms 
in  Coos  county  and  each  year  of  scientific  and 
careful  cultivation  brings  him  more  abun- 
dant harvests  and  adds  to  the  value  of  his 
land. 

B.  H.  HATHAWAY  is  the  owner  of  three 
hundred  acres  of  liighly  improved  land  in 
Tillamook  county  in  the  cultivation  of  which 
he  met  with  such  gratifying  returns  that 
he  is  now  able  to  live  retired.  He  is  a  native 
of  the  state  of  New  York,  his  birth  having 
occurred  in  Lewis  county,  on  May  5,  1831, 
and  is  supposed  to  be  the  only  living  mem- 
ber of  a  family  of  eiglit  born  to  I.  and  Rebecca 
(Higby)  Hathaway.  His  parents  were  also 
natives  of  the  Empire  state,  where  they  spent 
their  entire  lives. 

Mr.  Hathaway  was  reared  at  home,  receiv- 
ing his  education  in  the  common  schools. 
When  he  was  nineteen  years  of  age  he  left  the 
paternal  roof,  to  seek,  as  did  many  others  at 
that  period  the  greater  possibilities  the  west 
offered,  and  went  to  Wisconsin.  After  re- 
maining there  for  three  years  he  removed  to 
Minnesota,  where  for  twelve  years  he  engaged 
in  farming,  with  tlie  exception  of  a  period 
of  service  during  the  Civil  war.  When  the 
call  came  for  troops  during  the  time  of  the 
nation's  need  in  the  '60s  he  responded,  en- 
listing and  going  to  the  front  with  Company 
F,  Fourth  Slinnesota  Volunteer  Infantry.  He 
enlisted  in  1861  and  among  tlie  battles  that 
his  regiment  was  engaged  in  were  Vicks- 
burg;  Jackson,  Mississippi;  Champion's  Hill. 
Black   River,   Lookout   Jlountain,    ilissionarv 


Ridge,  Altoona  Pass,  and  many  others.  He 
served  with  General  Grant  until  the  latter 
was  made  commander  of  the  Army  of  the  Po- 
tomac, when  he  came  under  the  command  of 
General  Sherman  and  took  part  in  his  march 
to  the  sea.  He  spent  three  years  and  three 
months  in  the  service,  participating  in  thirty- 
two  engagements  but  was  never  wounded.  Re- 
ceiving his  discharge  at  Savannah,  Georgia,  on 
December  23,  1864,  he  returned  home,  resum- 
ing life  as  a  farmer.  He  continued  to  reside 
in  Minnesota  for  some  years  thereafter  and 
then  again  started  westward,  with  Oregon  as 
his  destination.  Upon  his  arrival  here  he  filed 
on  a  homestead  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  land,  to  the  cultivation  and  improve- 
ment of  which  he  immediately  turned  his 
energies.  He  met  with  such  success  in  his 
agricultural  pursuits  that  he  was  later  able 
to  increase  his  possessions  until  he  ultimate- 
ly acquired  three  hundred  acres,  all  of  which 
is  well  improved  and  in  a  high  state  of  pro- 
ductivit.y.  Mr.  Hathaway  always  used  intel- 
ligence in  the  direction  of  his  undertakings 
and.  a  man  of  progressive  ideas,  was  prac- 
tical in  his  methods  of  application.  Such  suc- 
cess as  came  to  him  in  the  course  of  his 
active  career  was  the  direct  result  of  capably 
and  definitely  directed  effort.  His  plans 
were  always  carefully  made  and  executed  for 
the  accomplishment  of  one  purpose  and  his 
progress    always    permanent    and    orderly. 

Jlr.  Hathaway  has  been  married  twice. 
His  first  union  took  place  in  New  York  state 
to  Miss  Nancy  Smith  and  to  them  were  born 
two  children ;  Catherine,  who  is  deceased ; 
and  J.  H.,  who  is  a  resident  of  Tillamook 
county.  Mrs.  Hathaway  passed  away  in 
1878  and  in  1880  Mr.  Hathaway  married  Mrs. 
E.  R.  Wilson,  the  widow  of  J.  C.  Wilson, 
who  lost  his  life  in  the  Civil  war. 

His  political  support  Mr.  Hathaway  gives 
to  the  republican  party,  but  he  has  never 
been  an  aspirant  to  office.  Both  he  and  Mrs. 
Hathaway  hold  membership  in  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  while  fraternally  he  is 
identified  with  the  Masonic  order,  belonging 
to  the  lodge  at  Tillamook.  He  is  now  en- 
.ioying  the  ease  and  comfort  assured  by  his 
comfortable  competence  and  the  income  from 
his  large  ranch,  both  acquired  b.v  means  of 
many   years   of  hard   work. 

JOHN  W.  WISE.  After  many  years  of 
successful  business  life  John  W.  Wise  is  liv- 
ing retired  in  the  city  of  Yoncalla,  Douglas 
co\inty.  Oregon.  He  was  born  in  Audubon 
county,  Iowa,  October  27,  1855,  and  is  a  son 
of  George  and  Lucy  Ann  (Crewson)  Wise, 
the  former  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and 
tlie  latter  of  Illinois.  The  parents  were  mar- 
ried in  Illinois  and  some  time  later  removed 
to  Iowa.  In  1857  the  father  and  his  family 
crossed  the  plains  with  horse  teams  to  Cali- 
fornia and  settled  in  Sonoma  county,  where 
he  maintained  his  residence  for  four  years. 
In  1861  he  removed  to  Oregon  and  purchased 
a  farm  located  two  miles  east  of  Drain,  in 
Douglas  county.  He  lived  on  that  property 
during  the  remaining  years  of  his  life  and 
both  he  and  his  wife  died  there.     Their  son 


THE  ^TF. 
PUBLIC     Lit 


*8TO«.  LSNOX  ANB 


B.  H.   HATHAWAY 


MRS.    B.    II.    HATHAWAY 


[ 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


155 


William  now  owns  and  lives  on  the  olU 
homestead. 

John  W.  Wise  at  the  age  of  six  years  came 
to  Oregon  with  his  parents  and  in  Douglas 
county  received  his  early  education,  having 
had  to  ride  from  six  to  eight  miles  to  reach 
the  school  where  as  a  boy  he  took  up  the 
elementary  studies.  At  the  age  of  eighteen 
he  started  in  life  for  himself,  accepting  any 
emploj'ment  in  which  he  could  make  an  hon- 
orable livelihood.  For  three  or  four  years 
he  was  engaged  as  a  clerk  in  a  store  in  Drain. 
In  1S30  he  purchased  a  farm  of  fifty-two 
acres  adjoining  the  town  of  Yoncalla  and 
engaged  in  the  stock-raising  business.  He 
later  added  to  that  property  by  purchase 
until  at  one  time  he  owned  three  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  in  a  solid  body  adjoining 
the  town.  He  afterward  purchased  seven 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  Scotts  valley, 
which  some  years  later  he  gave  to  his  sons. 
During  his  years  of  active  life  he  ranked 
among  the  prominent  and  successful  stock- 
men of  his  portion  of  the  state.  He  recently 
sold  all  his  land  adjoining  Yoncalla  except 
fortj'  acres  which  he  has  set  out  to  select 
fruit.  He  is  living  a  retired  life  in  Yoncalla 
after  many  years  of  honorable  and  successful 
business. 

ilr.  Wise  was  united  in  marriage  in  1877 
to  iliss  Josephine  Ambrose,  of  Y'oncalla,  a 
daughter  of  Mr.  and  jNIrs.  A.  T.  Ambrose. 
Here  parents  were  among  the  early  settlers 
of  Douglas  county.  Both  are  deceased.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wise  four  children  have  been 
born:  John  Alva,  a  stockman  of  Benton  coun- 
ty, Oregon;  Lloyd,  who  is  engaged  in  farm- 
ing and  stock-raising  in  Douglas  county; 
Mamie  B.,  at  home:  and  Claude,  who  is  also 
at  home.  Mr.  Wise  is  alfiliated  with  the 
republican  party  but  has  never  sought  politi- 
cal preferment.  He  is  a  member  of  Alpha 
Lodge,  L  0.  0.  F.,  at  Drain,  and  of  the 
Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen  and  the 
Woodmen  of  the  World.  He  is  widely  known 
throughout  that  portion  of  the  state  and 
by  a  consistent  business  life  has  gained  the 
respect  of  his  friends  and  associates,  who 
place  him  among  the  influential  and  useful 
citizens  of  Douglas  county. 

ROBERT  W.  LONG,  a  leading  agriculturist 
of  the  Y'oncalla  valley,  owns  a  tract  of  land 
of  six  hundred  and  "forty  acres,  comprising 
one  of  the  most  attractive  and  productive 
farms  in  Douglas  county.  It  was  on  this 
place  that  his  birth  occurred  on  the  7th  of 
January,  1862,  his  parents  being  John  and 
Miner\'a  (Smith)  Long,  who  were  born,  reared 
and  married  in  Tennessee.  From  that  state 
they  removed  to  Missouri  and  in  1846  crossed 
the  plains  to  Oregon  with  ox  teams,  the 
journey  consuming  six  months.  Locating 
first  ip  Polk  county,  the  father  there  acquired 
a  farm  and  built  a  log  cabin  which  is  still 
standing.  In  18-19  he  came  to  Douglas  county 
and  took  up  donation  claim  Xo.  46,  compris- 
ing six  hundred  and  forty  acres  in  the  Y'on- 
calla valley,  three  miles  south  of  the  town 
of  Y'oncalla,  where  he  spent  the  remainder 
of  his  life.  As  the  years  passed  he  acquired 
other  lands   adjoining  his  claim   and  at  one 

Vol.  IV— 7 


time  owned  over  fourteen  hundred  acres,  a 
portion  of  which  he  gave  to  his  children 
prior  to  his  demise.  He  passed  away  in  1890, 
when  about  eighty  years  of  age,  while  his 
wife  was  called  to  her  final  rest  in  March, 
190S,  being  at  that  time  also  about  eighty 
years  old.  They  were  both  consistent  and 
devoted  members  of  the  Baptist  church. 

Robert  W.  Long  was  reared  at  home  and 
received  his  education  in  the  common  schools. 
When  not  yet  twenty-one  years  of  age  he 
began  operating  his  father's  farm  as  a  renter 
and  continued  its  cultivation  until  1884.  In 
that  year  he  removed  to  Scotts  valley  in 
Douglas  county,  where  he  purchased  a  farm 
of  two  hundred  and  seventy-three  acres,  re- 
siding thereon  for  four  years.  On  the  ex- 
piration of  that  period  lie  disposed  of  the 
property  and  bought  two  hundred  and  eighty- 
live  acres  of  land  a  mile  south  of  Y'oncalla, 
remaining  on  that  farm  for  nineteen  years. 
He  sold  the  place  in  1907  and  in  the  spring 
of  1908  purchased  six  liundred  and  forty 
acres  of  the  old  home  farm,  on  which  he 
has  resided  continuously  since.  He  has 
erected  a  handsome  modern  residence  and 
is  justly  proud  of  the  fact  that  his  is  one 
of  tlie  most  attractive  and  valuable  farms  in 
the  county.  In  his  undertakings  as  an  agri- 
culturist he  has  prospered  from  year  to  year 
and  has  long  enjoyed  an  enviable  reputation 
as  a  successful  farmer  and  substantial  citizen. 

In  1883  Mr.  Long  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Lena  Ambrose.  Her  father,  Alfred 
T.  Ambrose  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the 
Y'oncalla  valley,  arriving  here  in  1851.  He 
was  born  in  Clark  county,  Missouri,  Septem- 
ber 6,  1822,  and  passed  away  at  Y'oncalla, 
June  20,  1912.  at  tlie  age  of  almost  ninety 
years.  In  May,  1846,  he  wedded  Miss  Vir- 
lena  Woodson,  who  preceded  him  in  death 
several  years.  Their  union  was  blessed  with 
seven  children,  two  of  whom  are  deceased. 
Those  surviving  are:  Nathan  Ambrose,  of 
Portland;  James  Ambrose,  E.  Ambrose,  Mrs. 
J.  W.  Wise  and  Mrs.  Long,  of  Y'oncalla.  Unto 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Long  were  born  four  children, 
two  of  whom  still  survive,  George  Cody  and 
Carl  D.,  who  are  yet  at   home. 

Mr.  Long  is  a  democrat  in  politics  but 
has  never  been  an  aspirant  for  public  pre- 
ferment, though  importuned  to  allow  his 
name  to  be  presented  to  the  voters  as  a 
candidate  for  the  office  of  county  commis- 
sioner. Fraternally  he  is  identified  with  the 
Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen  and  both 
he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Degree 
of  Honor.  His  standing  in  both  business 
and  social  circles  well  entitles  him  to  a  place 
iunong  the  representative  citizens  of  the 
state  in  which  his  entire  life  has  been  spent. 

EDWIN  P.  S.  ABERNETHY,  who  lives  on 
the  old  family  lumicstcad  near  Dora  in  Coos 
county,  is  the  proprietor  of  a  sawmill  and 
has  been  engaged  in  business  along  this 
line  since  1903.  His  birth  occurred  near 
Portland,  Oregon,  on  the  29th  of  September, 
1S75,  his  parents  being  William  and  Sarah 
F.  (Gray)  Abernethy,  the  former  a  native  of 
New  York  and  the  latter  of  this  state.    George 


156 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


Abenielhy,  the  paternal  grandfather  of  our 
subject,  was  the  first  provisional  governor 
of  Oregon.  It  was  in  1891  that  William 
Aberuethy  removed  with  his  family  from 
Portland  and  took  up  his  abode  near  the  old 
Dora  postofiice,  purchasing  a  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  on  the  east  fork  of 
Coquille  river.  The  family  home  was  there 
maintained  until  1906,  when  Mr.  Abernethy 
removed  to  Forest  Grove,  where  he  has  since 
lived  in  honorable  retirement.  He  rents  the 
old  home  farm  to  his  son-in-law,  M.  C. 
Jliller,  who  operates  it  in  connection  with 
an  adjoining  tract  of  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  which  he  owns.  Unto  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  "William  Abernethy  were  born  ten 
children,  as  follows:  Annie,  the  wife  of  B.  W. 
Starr,  of  Tacoma,  Washington;  Caroline, 
who  is  the  wife  of  H.  F.  Surges  and  resides 
at  Sunnyside,  Washington;  William,  Jr.,  of 
Washington;  Edwin  P.  S.,  of  this  review; 
Violet,  the  wife  of  Bennett  Swanton,  of 
Marshfield,  Oregon;  Daisy,  twin  sister  of 
Violet,  who  is  the  wife  of  Archie  Hahn  and 
resides  at  Monmouth,  luwa ;  Pearl,  the  wife 
of  M.  C.  Miller,  of  McKinley,  Oregon;  Frances, 
the  wife  of  A.  T.  Halm,  of' Portland,  Multno- 
mah county;  Camilla,  who  lives  at  Forest 
Grove  with  her  parents;  and  Mizpah.  the 
wife  of  Virgil  Waterman,  of  Welches,  Oregon. 

Edwin  P.  S.  Abernethy,  who  was  a  youth 
of  sixteen  when  he  came  to  Coos  county 
with  his  parents,  has  remained  within  its 
borders  continuously  since.  In  1903  he  be- 
came the  proprietor  of  a  sawmill  and  has 
operated  the  same  for  the  past  nine  years, 
cutting  the  timber  from  his  father's  place. 
His  undertakings  in  this  connection  have  been 
attended  with  success,  and  his  reputation  as 
one  of  the  substantial  and  enterprising  citi- 
zens  of  the   community    has   been   well    won. 

In  politics  Mr.  Abernethy  is  a  republican 
but  his  aspirations  have  not  been  in  the  line 
of  ofKce  holding.  A  genial  and  kindly  dis- 
I'osition  has  won  him  many  friends  and  he 
has  the  regard  and  esteem  of  all  with  whom 
his  business  or  social  relations  have  brought 
him  in  contact. 

CARY  W.  CULY  is  the  fortunate  owner  of 
fifty  acres  of  choice  land  near  Buneom.  Ore- 
gon, on  which  lie  resides  with  his  family.  He 
was  born  in  California  on  the  4th  of  July, 
1883,  and  is  one  of  nine  children  born  to  G.  C. 
and  Pamelia  (Faughni  Culy.  When  but  a 
child  of  six  months  he  was  brought  by  his 
parents  to  Jackson  county,  Oregon,  the  fam- 
ily locating  at  Steamboat.  Cary  W.  Culy  was 
reared  at  home  and  received  a  common- 
school  education.  When  sixteen  years  of  age 
he  was  employed  as  a  laborer  on  a  ranch 
near  his  father's  home  for  a  few  months  and 
then  returned  home,  where  he  remained  work- 
ing with  his  father  in  the  development  of 
the  family  farm  for  a  period  of  two  years. 
He  afterward  was  employed  in  agricultural 
pursuits  for  two  successive  years. 

As  a  companion  and  helpmate  on  the  jour- 
ney of  life  Mr.  Culy  chose  Miss  V.  McKee,  a 
native  of  Oregon,  by  whom  he  has  three 
children,  Omar,  Helen  and  Louis.  Mr.  Culy 
takes  pride  in  his   beautiful   home  property, 


its  location  being  one  of  the  most  desirable 
ones  in  the  community  and  its  soil  being 
of  the  best  and  richest  of  Oregon's  productive 
land.  Confining  himself  to  the  growing  of 
hay  and  grain,  he  has  become  an  expert  in 
taking  from  the  soil  the  maximum  amount  of 
cereals  and  forage  plant  growth,  and  for 
these  products  he  finds  a  ready  market.  Cary 
W.  Culy-  is  a  member  of  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows  in  Buneom,  Oregon. 
He  is  enterprising  and  progressive  and  always 
quick  to  use  his  infiuence  in  support  of  social 
and  political  issues  affecting  the  best  interests 
of  his  county  and  state.  He  is  a  socialist  and, 
in  common  with  many  representative  men  of 
this  country  as  well  as  the  members  of  his 
political  party,  he  believes  that  the  science 
of  government  has  not  yet  attained  perfec- 
tion here  but  can  develop  and  improve  in 
many  ways. 

WARREN  NEAL,  a  retired  blacksmith  and 
wagonmaker,  residing  in  Monmouth,  was 
born  in  Uniontown,  Fayette  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, April  2,  1842.  He  is  a  grandson  of 
Barney  Keal,  who  was  a  farmer,  and  a  son  of 
Henry  and  Mary  (Williams)  Neal,  the  latter 
of  whom  lived  to  be  ninety  years  of  age. 
The  father,  who  was  born  in  Jefferson,  Greene 
county,  Pennsylvania,  was  a  blacksmith  and 
followed  that  trade  until  he  was  killed  by  a 
horse  in  1S50,  when  at  the  age  of  forty-eight 
years.  He  had  the  following  children,  namely: 
Susan;  William,  deceased;  Elizabeth;  Han- 
nah; Minerva;  Benjamin;  Thomas,  who  served 
in  the  Civil  war;  and  Warren. 

In  1862,  at  the  age  of  twenty  years  Warren 
Neal  enlisted  for  service  in  the  Civil  war, 
joining  Company  A,  Eighteenth  Pennsylvania 
Cavalry,  under  Captain  William  C.  Lindsey, 
at  Waynesburg.  He  saw  much  active  service 
and  was  very  fortunate  not  only  in  that  he 
\ias  neither  captured  nor  wounded  and  was 
never  detained  in  a  hospital,  but  also  as  he 
was  one  of  only  ten  survivors  of  one  hun- 
dred and  thirteen  who  enlisted  with  him. 
Aside  from  fighting  in  many  skirmishes  he 
participated  in  the  following  battles,  many 
of  which  were  decisive:  Hanover.  Gettys- 
burg, Franklin,  Hunterstown,  South  Moun- 
tain. Boonsboro,  Hagerstown,  Williamsport, 
Arnettsville,  Culpeper.  Winchester,  Brandy 
Station,  Stevensberg,  Wilderness.  Jline  Run, 
Spottsylvania,  Strawberry  Hill,  Bottom 
Ridge,  Hanover  Court  House,  Cold  Harbor, 
White  Oak  Swamp,  Winchester,  Summit 
Point.  Charleston,  Front  Royal,  Waynesboro. 
Limestone  Ridge  and  Cary  Station. " 

Upon  his  return  from  the  front  Mr.  Xeal 
engaged  in  blacksmithing  in  Virginia  for 
three  years  and  then  removed  to  Kansas, 
where  in  addition  to  following  his  trade  he 
also  took  up  wagon  building.  He  remained 
in  that  business  until  1S94.  when  he  came 
to  Oregon  and  located  in  McMinnville,' Yam- 
hill county,  where  until  his  retirement  from 
active  business  fourteen  years  later,  he  suc- 
cessfully engaged  in  both  blacksmithing  and 
wagon  building. 

In  1881  Warren  Neal  was  married  to  Elna 
Pickering,  in  Arkansas  City,  Kansas.  Mrs. 
Xeal    was    born    in    Fulton    county,    Illinois, 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


157 


March  13,  1863,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Joseph 
E.  and  Martha  (Sparks)  Pickering.  Her 
father  is  a  bhicksmith  by  trade  and  in  1878 
went  to  Kansas,  where  he  still  resides.  Mi, 
and  Mrs.  Neal  are  the  parents  of  four  chil- 
dren, as  follows:  Mabel,  born  April  8,  1882, 
who  married  C.  F.  Grover;  Joseph  W.,  who 
was  born  August  25,  1884,  and  died  in  1904; 
William,  born  July  22.  1SS7,  who  married 
Alma  Atkins;  and  Clara,  who  was  born  July 
11,  1899,  and  is  a  student  at  Mon;  outh. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Grover  have  both  been  engaged 
in  teaching  at  Gaston,  Oregon,  for  the  last 
two  years  and  previous  to  that  time  taught 
in  the  Philippine  Islands. 

Warren  Neal  is  a  stanch  republican.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America.  In  his  war  service  he  was  faith- 
ful and  untiring  and  gave  his  country  the 
substantial  aid  it  needed  to  preserve  its 
unity.  Throughout  his  life  he  has  been  a 
diligent  and  persistent  worker,  giving  his 
careful  attention  to  the  trade  in  which  he 
has  engaged  and  proving  that,  in  that,  as 
in  all  other  occupations,  success  is  the  reward 
of  intelligent  and  constant  labor. 

CHARLES  EDWARD  CREE,  who  is  promi- 
nent in  Fairview  Station  as  a  carpenter  and 
contractor,  was  born  in  Kentucky,  December 
10,  1871,  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Fannie  (Waite) 
Cree.     The   father's   parents   were   of   Scotch 
descent  and  the  mother's  of  English  lineage. 
The  father's  birth  occurred  in  Ohio  January 
30,    1836,    his    parents    being    William    and 
Phebe  (Morris)  Cree,  both  of  whom  were  na- 
tives of  Ohio.     When  Thomas  Cree  was  but 
Jive    years    of   age    his    parents    removed   to 
West  Virginia,  where  for  five  years  the  father 
was  engaged  in  operating  a  brickyard.    After 
that    he    returned    to    Ohio    where    he    lived 
for  five  years  before  removing  to  Covington, 
Kentucky,  where  his  death  occurred  when  he 
was    sixty-eight   years   of   age.     The   mother 
also   died    there   when   she   was   seventy-two 
years  of  age.     To  their  union  nine  children 
were  born,  all  of  whom  are  deceased  except- 
ing   Tliomas.     Thomas    Cree    began    earning 
his    own   livelihood   by    working   as    a    cabin 
boy  on  a  steamer.     Subsequently,  in  1861,  he 
was  made  pilot  and  served  in  that  capacity 
for    many   years.      He   was    very    successful, 
never  had  an  accident  and  never  lost  a  life. 
He  was  obliged  to  give  up  this  work  because 
of    failing    eyesight    and    hearing.      In    1885 
he  removed  to  Kansas  and  resided  there  for 
five    years   before    coming   to    Oregon,   which 
state  he  has  since  made  his  home.     He  ac- 
cumulated considerable   money  and  property 
and    he    and    his    wife    live    retired,    making 
their    home    frequently    with    their    children. 
The  mother  is  a  daughter  of  Dr.  and  Mary 
(Louis)     Waite,    also    natives    of    Ohio,    and 
the    grandfather    was    founder    and    builder 
of  Hillsboro  College  at  Hillsboro,  Ohio.     She 
was  the  youngest  of  three  children  born  to 
her  parents,  the  others  being  Charles   E.   of 
Covington,  Kentucky,  and  Mary,  who  is  the 
widow  of  Martin  E.  Ellis  of  Scotts,  Kentucky. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thomas  Cree,  whose  mar- 
riage occurred  in  1867,  ten  children  were  horn: 


Frank,  deceased;  Charles  E.,  who  is  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch;  Kate,  who  is  the  wife  of 
Charles  Clark  of  Linn  county,  Oregon,  and 
who  is  the  mother  of  seven  children;  Dora, 
who  is  the  wife  of  Harry  Bartholomew  of 
Pendleton;  Arthur,  of  San  Francisco,  Cali- 
fornia; George,  of  Linn  county,  Oregon,  who 
is  married  and  has  one  child;  Louis,  deceased; 
Mabel,  who  is  married  to  Harrison  Hadley, 
of  Linn  county,  Oregon,  and  has  one  child; 
Jessie,  also  a  resident  of  Linn  county;  and 
Lottie,  who  is  the  wife  of  Jesse  Matthis. 
Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cree  are  aflSliated  with  the 
Methodist  church,  and  in  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  of  which  Mr.  Cree  is 
a  member,  he  has  filled  all  the  chairs. 

Charles    E.   Cree    received    a    very    meager 
education,  being   the   eldest   living  son   of   a 
large  family,  and  at  the  age  of  fourteen  he 
found  it  necessary  to  aid  in  the  support  of 
the  younger  members  of  the  family.     He  ac- 
cepted work  on  a  farm  after  his  family  had 
removed   to  Kansas   and   subsequently,  when 
he   was   eighteen   years   of   age,  he   came   to 
Oregon    and    settled    in    Linn    county,    near 
Albany,  where  he  rented  a  farm.     He  subse- 
quently severed  his  connections  with  agricul- 
tural   pursuits    and    took    up    sawmill    work 
in  which  he   was   engaged   for  several   years 
before  entering  permanently  into  the  carpen- 
tering and  contract  business.     He  continued 
thus  for  a  few  years  in  Albany  but  after  Ms 
marriage    removed     to    Fairview     where    he 
went  into  business  on  his  own  account.     He 
has  been  conducting  this  enterprise  since,  and 
the  highly  remunerative  returns  his  labor  has 
received  are  in  some  degree  shown  by  quoting 
the   figures   which   have   marked   his    success. 
His  business  operations  cover  from  thirty  to 
forty  thousand  dollars  annually  and  he  owns 
twelve   lots  well   improved,  including  a   new 
house  which   was   erected   at   a  cost  of   four 
thousand  dollars.    He  also  owns  a  blacksmith 
shop,  a  carpenter  shop  and  business  property. 
On  the  13th  of  October,  1894,  Mr.  Cree  was 
niarried  to  Miss  Mary  Ellen  Downing,  whose 
birth   occurred   May   5,   1873,  and   who   is   a 
daughter  of  George  W.  and  Sarah  C.  Down- 
ing.    She  is  one  of  eight  children  born  to  her 
parents,  the   others  being:    John,  a   resident 
of  Kansas,  who  is  married  and  has  five  chil- 
dren; William,  who  is  residing  in  Mill  City, 
Oregon,   and   is  married  and  has  seven  chil- 
dren; Orville  of  Gresham,  Oregon,  who  is  mar- 
ried and  has  two  children,  Everett  and  Clar- 
eni'e;  Minerva,  who  is  the  wife  of  Roy  Davis 
of  Kansas,  and  the  mother  of  two  children; 
Mattie,  who  is  married  to  Ben  Kingman  of 
Delevan,  Kansas,  and  who  has  two  children; 
Georg  Ann,  who  is  the  wife  of  William  Boaz, 
a   railroad   engineer  of  Harrington,   Kansas; 
and  Effie,  who  is  the  wife  of  George  Rodgers, 
a  prominent  stockman  of  Linn  county,  Ore- 
gon,    To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cree  five  children  have 
been    born,    namely:    Willis,    who    was    born 
September  19,  1895,  and  is  attending  public 
school   at   Fairview;    Louis,   who   died   at   the 
age  of  nine  years;  Ada.  whose  birth  occurred 
June   16.   1902,  and   who  is  attending  public 
school;  Collin,  who  was  born  March  5,  1909; 
and  Lois,  whose  birth  occurred  on  the  isth  of 
March,  1911. 


158 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


Mr.  Cree  gives  his  political  support  to  the 
republican  party  but  has  never  sought  office 
as  a  reward  for  party  fealty.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 
In  social,  business  and  fraternal  relations  Mr. 
Cree  has  always  shown  himself  to  be  a  man 
of  the  most  resolute  and  upright  character, 
and  tlie  many  friends  he  has  made  prove  the 
general  consensus  of  public  opinion  regarding 
him. 

WILLARD  J.  JEFFERSON.  Many  of  the 
agriculturists  of  Oregon  who  are  giving  the 
most  valuable  assistance  to  the  development 
of  its  natural  resources  are  natives  of  that 
state.  Among  these  is  Willard  J.  Jefferson, 
residing  nine  miles  southeast  of  Gervais, 
whose  birth  occurred  in  Marion  county  on  the 
5th  of  September,  1857,  his  parents  being 
Delos  and  Matilda  (Apporson)  Jefferson.  The 
father  was  born  in  Xew  York  state  on  the 
15th  of  April,  1824,  and  the  mother's  birth 
occurred  in  Missouri  on  February  20,  1830. 
They  were  married  in  Oregon  on  Kovemlier 
14,  1850,  and  made  this  state  their  home 
until  their  deaths.  Mr.  .lefferson  took  up  a 
donation  land  claim  near  Salem  shortly  after 
his  marriage,  but  a  few  years  later  traded  it 
for  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  the 
Pitney  donation  land  claim  five  miles  north- 
east of  Salem.  Upon  this  property  he  and 
his  wife  resided  until  their  deaths  which 
occurred  December  29,  1S03,  and  November 
9.  1907.  respectively.  To  them  eleven  chil- 
dren were  born,  namely:  Mrs.  Jane  Bell,  a 
resident  of  Portland,  Oregon;  Mrs.  Harriet 
Heninger,  who  is  living  in  Oswego,  Oregon; 
Willard  J.,  who  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch; 
Mrs.  Susan  Prosser,  also  a  resident  of  Oswego; 
John  A.,  who  is  living  in  Salem;  Julia  Ann, 
who  resided  in  Oysterville.  Oregon,  until  her 
death  on  the  2d  of  April.  1901;  Susanna, 
who  was  born  August.  1854,  and  who  died 
August,  1855;  Anna  S..  whose  birth  occur- 
red in  December,  1856.  and  who  died  on  the 
21st  of  December.  1880;  Clara  V.,  whose 
birth  occurred  in  1860,  and  who  passed  away 
in  1863;  Emma,  who  was  born  February, 
1862,  and  who  died  September  24,  1863; 
Delos  E,,  who  was  born  March,  1865  and 
died  March  20,  1885. 

Willard  J.  Jefferson  spent  his  boyhood  and 
youth  in  a  manner  similar  to  that  of  the 
average  country  boy  in  the  west;  he  at- 
tended the  district  school  for  a  few  years 
and  then  assisted  his  father  on  the  home 
farm,  but  at  the  age  of  twenty  years  he 
started  out  independently  by  purchasing  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  where,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  three  years,  he  has  since  resided. 
By  hard  work  and  careful  study  of  the  needs 
and  possibilities  of  the  soil  he  has  improved 
fifty  acres  of  this  tract  to  such  an  extent 
that  it  is  not  only  highly  productive  but  also 
so  cultivated  that  it  will  prove  highly  re- 
munerative in  the  future.  In  addition  to  his 
home  place  he  also  cultivates  fifty-one  acres 
on  the  old  homestead.  He  devotes  the  greater 
part  of  his  time  to  general  farming  but  has 
also  been  engaged  in  stock-raising  to  a  con- 
siderable extent,  and  during  the  season  does 
clover  hulling. 


On  October  15,  1878,  Mr.  Jefferson  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Lavina  M.  Howland,  a  daughter 
of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Howe)  Howland,  and 
who  was  born  on  the  20th  of  March,  1858. 
Her  parents  were  both  natives  of  England, 
but  came  to  America  before  their  marriage 
which  occurred  in  St.  Louis  in  the  early  '40s. 
Subsequently  they  removed  to  Oregon  in  1842, 
and  during  the  gold  excitement  in  1S49  set- 
tled in  California  for  a  short  time.  How- 
ever, ihe  father  returned  to  his  donation  land 
claim  in  Clackamas  county  and  resided  there 
until  his  death  which  occurred  in  1887,  his 
wife  having  died  previously  at  the  age  of 
forty-four  years.  To  thein  twelve  children 
were  born:  Alfred,  who  is  living  in  Oregon 
City  on  a  part  of  the  donation  claim;  Ella, 
who  is  married  to  Austin  Newell  of  Clacka- 
mas county,  Oregon;  Mrs.  Jefferson;  Maggie 
B.,  of-Uniontown,  Oregon;  Mrs.  May  Baultice 
of  Union  county,  Oregon;  .John  B..  who  is 
also  residing  on  part  of  the  homestead  in 
Oregon  City;  Edward,  of  Oregon  City;  Anna, 
who  was  the  wife  of  James  Partlow,  and  who 
died  at  the  age  of  thirty-three  years;  Lenora 
Sholts,  whose,  death  occurred  when  she  was 
fifty-six  years  of  age;  Henry,  who  passed 
away  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years;  Charles, 
who  died  at  three  years  of  age;  and  Cornelia, 
who  died  when  an  infant  of  but  eighteen 
months.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jefferson  eight 
children  were  born:  Clifford,  W'ho  was  born 
February  28,  ISSO,  and  who  died  in  1882; 
Raymond  C.  who  was  born  November  24, 
1883,  and  who  is  residing  at  home:  Earl  R., 
whose  birth  occurred  on  the  29th  of  October, 
1885,  and  who  is  residing  in  Clackamas 
county.  Oregon;  Chester  Clyde,  born  October 
6,  1889,  and  living  at  home;  Mabel,  whose 
birth  occurred  June  3,  1891,  and  who  is  the 
wife  of  Lawrence  W,  Bower  and  the  mother 
of  one  child,  Henry  Levi,  born  March  21, 
1910;  Bernice  Leota,  who  was  born  July  18, 
1893,  and  who  is  living  at  home;  and  Agnes 
Julia  and  Irene  Viola,  born  June  14,  1900,  and 
October  3,  1903,  respectively. 

Each  community  has  many  men  among  its 
citizens  upon  whom  it  can  depend  to  con- 
scientiously and  honorably  interest  themselves 
in  its  civic  development.  In  his  district  Mr. 
Jefferson  is  recognized  as  such  a  man.  and 
is  at  the  present  time  serving  as  road  super- 
visor of  the  roads  of  district  No.  16,  and  has 
also  given  his  service  as  a  member  of  the 
school  board  for  a  number  of  years.  In 
politics  he  is  a  republican  and  is  an  en- 
thusiastic advocate  of  the  progressive  policies 
of  that  party.  He  holds  membership  in  Salem 
Lodge,  No.  lis,  of  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World,  and  also  in  the  North  Howell  Grange, 
and  both  he  and  his  family  are  affiliated  with 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  where  they 
hold  membership.  They  number  among  their 
friends  all  the  members  of  the  community 
and  are  held  in  high  esteem  and  regard  bv 
all. 

GORDON  GRANGER  SHEPHERD,  one  of 

the  enterprising  and  successful  .voung  agri- 
culturists of  Coos  county,  has  spent  prac- 
tically his  entire  life  within  its  borders. 
His  birth  occurred   in  Nebraska,  in   October, 


liER.  ANT)  illiS.  W.  J.  JEFFERSON 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


161 


1SS5,  his  parents  being  Homer  and  Emeline 
(Chase)  Shepherd,  the  former  a  native  of 
Iowa,  and  the  latter  of  Illinois.  Homer  Shep- 
herd brought  his  family  to  Coos  county,  Ore- 
gon, in  18S7.  and  purchased  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  partially  improved  land  near 
McKinley.  Twelve  acres  thereof  are  now 
under  cultivation  and  are  devoted  to  general 
farming.  Mr.  Shepherd  now  looks  after  his 
property  interests  i.n  California.  They  had 
ten  children,  as  follows:  Alma,  who  is  the 
wife  of  M.  J.  Terry,  of  Oakland,  California, 
and  the  mother  of  four  ciiildren;  JIary,  the 
wife  of  Manuel  Cordozo,  of  Grants  Pass, 
Oregon;  Charles,  who  is  an  agriculturist  re- 
siding in  McKinley,  Oregon,  and  has  six  chil- 
dren; Lillian,  who  lives  with  her  brotlier 
Gordon;  Bert  and  Walter,  both  of  whom  are 
deceased;  Violet,  the  wife  of  Fred  Dorman, 
of  Oakland,  California;  Verna,  who  is  the 
wife  of  H.  L.  Hanson,  of  Oakland,  Cali- 
fornia, and  has  three  children;  Gordon  Gran- 
ger, of  this  review;  and  Archie,  who  also 
lives  with  our  subject.  All  of  the  children 
were  educated  in  Coos  county,  this  state. 

Gordon  Granger  Shepherd  started  out  in 
life  for  himself  at  the  age  of  twenty-one 
and  spent  three  years  in  the  logging  busi- 
ness. He  was  also  employed  at  other  occupa- 
tions, working  for  wages  until  he  purchased 
a  tract  of  eighty  acres  near  his  mother's 
place.  He  cleared  a  part  of  his  land  and 
also  made  some  improvements  thereon  but 
disposed  of  tlie  property  prior  to  his  father's 
removal  to  California.  At  that  time  he  pur- 
chased the  farm  of  eighty  acres  which  he 
has  since  operated  and  which  he  devotes  to 
the  raising  of  grain.  He  also  raises  hogs  for 
the  market  and  intends  to  embark  in  the 
dairy  business  in  the  near  future.  His  under- 
takings as  an  agriculturist  have  been  at- 
tended with  excellent  results  and  his  con- 
tinued success  is  assured. 

In  1906.  Mr.  Shepherd  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Ethel  Summerlin,  a  native  of 
Tennessee  and  a  daughter  of  A.  C.  Summer- 
lin. Mrs.  Shepherd  is  one  of  a  family  of 
eight  children,  the  others  being  as  follows: 
David,  who  is  a  resident  of  Roseburg,  Ore- 
gon; Joseph,  living  in  California;  John,  resid- 
ing at  home  in  Lee,  Oregon;  Wiley  and 
Michael,  who  are  also  still  at  home  with  their 
parents  in,  Lee;  Chelsea,  of  Myrtle  Point, 
Oregon;  and  Arthur,  who  passed  away  in  in- 
fancy. Mr.  and  Jlrs.  Shepherd  have  four 
children,  namely:  Frances  Ethel,  who  was 
born  in  1907:  Alvin  Granger,  whose  natal 
year  was  1909;  Edith  Lillian,  whose  birth 
occvirred  in  1910;  and  Vernon  Keith,  born  in 
1912.  Mr.  Shepherd  is  a  republican  in  politics 
but  has  neither  .sought  nor  desired  olfice  as 
a  reward  for  his  party  fealty.  The  circle  of 
his  friends  is  a  wide  one.  for  he  has  ever 
displayed  those  sterling  traits  of  character 
which  in  every  land  and  cliTue  win  confidence 
and  regard. 

PATRICK  F.  SWAYNE  is  a  representative 
of  the  land  of  the  shamrock  and  the  shil- 
lalah.  who  cast  his  lot  with  many  others 
who  left  their  native  land  for  the  new  world, 
and,    arriving    in    America,    by    brawny    arm 


and  determination  attained  a  degree  of  suc- 
cess which  justifies  their  industry  and  sturdi- 
ness.  He  was  born  in  Ireland,  January  6, 
1SG2,  one  of  twelve  children  whose  ])ar('nts 
were  Michael  and  Annie  (Burns)  Swayne. 
He  emigrated  to  America  in  1S8G  and  landed 
at  Halifax,  Xova  Scotia.  After  remaining 
tliere  for  a  short  time  he  went  to  Ontario, 
Canada,  in  the  vicinity  of  which  city  he 
farmed  for  one  year.  He  then  removed  to 
ilassachusetts  and  learned  the  stone-cutter's 
trade,  at  which  he  worked  until  1891.  Being 
then  convinced  that  the  west  afforded  unususil 
opportunities  he  migrated  to  Oregon,  where 
he  purchased  a  ranch  of  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres.  At  the  time  when  he  obtained 
that  property  it  was  in  a  primitive  state 
but  he  entered  upon  the  work  of  clearing 
and  improving  it  with  great  enthusiasm, 
and  the  result  of  his  ardent  labor  is  that 
lie  today  has  one  of  the  most  valuable  agri- 
cultural   properties    of    his    community. 

ilr.  Swayne  was  married  in  1899  to  Miss 
ilary  Barbara  Herberger,  who  is  a  native  of 
Jacksonville.  To  them  four  children  have 
been  born.  Hazel.  Josephine,  Mildred  and 
Lois,  all  of  whom  are  at  home.  Mr.  Swayne 
is  a  democrat.  One  of  the  faculties  of  most 
sons  of  Erin  is  that  they  readily  adapt  them- 
selves to  circumstances  wherever  they  may 
be.  Mr.  Swayne's  career  serves  to  prove  the 
correctness  of  that  statement  for  in  his  daily 
life,  though  thrown  upon  his  own  resources 
in  a  land  new  to  him,  where  none  but  un- 
familiar faces  are  seen  and  strange  environ- 
ments surround,  he  performs  his  work  with 
avidity,  and  is  cheered  by  the  thought  that 
he  is  building  a  fortune  which,  though  per- 
haps modest,  will  serve  to  care  for  him  in  his 
declining  years  and  prove  a  boon  to  his  chil- 
ilren  when  he  passes  into  that  land  from 
which  no  traveler  returns.  By  industry  and 
integrity  he  has  gained  the  respect  of  the 
community  of  which  he  is  a  member  and  is 
held  in  esteem  by  a  large  number  of  per- 
sonal friends  who  have  much  confidence  in 
him. 

HON.  OMER  M.  KEM.  Perhaps  no  life 
history  in  all  this  volume  indicates  more 
clearly  wli:it  may  be  accomplished  through 
indefatigable  energy  and  sterling  worth  of 
character  than  that  of  the  Hon.  Oraer  M. 
Kem,  who  for  three  consecutive  terms  was 
a  member  of  the  United  States  congress. 
He  now  makes  his  home  in  Cottage  Grove, 
Oregon,  where  he  ranks  as  a  progressive, 
enterprising  business  man,  being  president 
of  the  Cottage  Grove  Electric  Company,  which 
is  constantly  reaching  out  along  broadening 
lines  in  control  of  a  business  that  is  of 
marked   value  to   the  locality. 

Mr.  Kem  was  born  in  llagerstown,  Indiana, 
ill  185:5,  a  son  of  Madison  and  iMalinda 
I  Bulla)  Kem.  The  father  was  a  native  of 
West  Virginia,  while  the  mother  was  bom 
in  Indiana.  They  became  the  parents  of  eight 
children:  Melissa  and  Esther  May,  both  de- 
ceased: Sophronia,  the  widow  of  Joshua  Mel- 
lett,  of  Indiana;  Mrs.  Elmira  Gray,  of  In- 
diana; Ellen,  deceased;  Edwin  and  Randolph, 


162 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


who  liave  also  passed  away;  and  Omer  JI.,  of 
this  review. 

Inasmuch  as  the  last  named  began  earning 
his  own  living  at  the  age  of  ten  years  his 
education  was  necessarily  limited.  He  was 
reared  on  his  father's  farm,  which  he  made 
his  home  until  he  attained  the  age  of  eight- 
een years.  He  then  began  farming  on  his 
own  account  by  cultivating  rented  land,  and 
was  thus  employed  for  five  years.  On  the 
expiration  of  that  period  he  removed  west- 
ward and  acquired  a  homestead  claim  of 
three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  on  the  Ne- 
braska frontier,  eighty  miles  from  a  railroad. 
There  he  carried  on  farming  for  eight  years 
and  became  one  of  the  prominent  and  influen- 
tial residents  of  that  district.  While  living 
there  he  filled  the  position  of  deputy  treasurer 
in  Broken  Bow,  Custer  county,  and  it  was 
while  discharging  the  duties  of  that  oflice 
that  he  was  elected  to  the  lower  house  of 
the  fifty-second  congress.  He  proved  to  be 
a  popular,  capable  and  efficient  representa- 
tive of  his  district  and  was  twice  reelected. 
He  left  the  impress  of  his  individuality  upon 
the  legislation  enacted  during  that  period, 
seeking  always  the  welfare  of  the  majority 
rather  than  the  benefit  of  the  few.  After  his 
retirement  from  congress  he  left  Nebraska 
and  removed  westward  to  a  ranch  near  Mont- 
rose. Colorado,  upon  which  he  remained  for 
twelve  years.  Again  his  worth  as  a  citizen 
was  recognized  in  his  election  to  the  state 
legislature,  in  which  he  served  for  one  term, 
ilr.  Kem  believes  he  is  the  first  man  to  in- 
troduce the  initiative  referendum  and  recall 
now  commonly  known  as  the  Oregon  system 
into  a  political  convention  in  the  United 
States.  This  occurred  at  the  state  conven- 
tion in  Lincoln,  Nebraska,  in  1891  or  1892. 
However,  he  did  not  advocate  this  as  a 
proper  method  of  general  legislation  but  be- 
lieved it  to  be  a  powerful  weapon  of  self- 
defense  to  be  used  only  in  emergencies,  when 
a  public  officer  had  committed  some  grievous 
wrong  against  the  people,  or  when  the  legis- 
lature refused  to  do  what  the  people  wanted 
or  did  something  they  objected  to.  He  still 
believes  that  any  other  use  of  the  measure 
is  an  abuse  of  power. 

In  the  fall  of  190S  Mr.  Kem  came  to  Ore- 
gon, settling  in  Cottage  Grove,  where  he  pur- 
cliased  the  electric  light  plant,  taking  into 
partnership  with  him  his  son-in-law,  C.  M. 
Shinn.  Since  obtaining  possession  of  this 
plant  Mr.  Kem  and  his  partner  have  doubled 
its  capacitv  and  have  made  extensive  im- 
provements, making  it  capable  of  serving  a 
much  wider  territory  than  formerl.v.  More- 
over, at  the  present  time  improvements  are 
contemplated  which  will  more  than  double 
its  present  capacity.  It  is  characteristic  of 
Mr.  Kem  that  in  business  affairs  he  has 
always  readily  recognized  and  quickly  and 
wisely  used  his  opportunities  and  this  quality 
has  brought  to  him  a  gratif.ving  measure  of 
success. 

When  nineteen  years  of  age  Mr.  Kem  was 
married  to  Miss  Leonora  Benson,  a  daughter 
of  Noah  and  Nancy  (Russomi  Benson,  whose 
family  numbered  five  children,  only  two  of 
xvhom    are    living.      By    her    marriage    Mrs. 


Kem  became  the  mother  of  five  children: 
Edwin,  deceased;  Maud,  the  wife  of  C.  M. 
Shinn,  of  Cottage  Grove;  Malinda  and  Earl, 
who  have  both  passed  away;  and  Claude  J., 
who  is  a  graduate  of  Columbia  University 
of  Washington,  D.  C,  and  is  now  a  druggist 
of  Cottage  Grove.  He  is  married  and  has 
one  son,  Julian.  In  1SS2  Mr.  Kem  was  called 
upon  to  mourn  the  loss  of  his  first  wife,  who 
passed  away  on  the  29th  of  October  of  that 
year.  He  later  married  Miss  Alice  Lockhart, 
a  daughter  of  Robert  and  Rachael  (Welch) 
Lockhart,  all  natives  of  Ohio.  Mrs.  Kem  was 
one  of  six  children  of  whom  two  died  in  in- 
fancy, the  others  being:  Lilla,  the  wife  of 
Dr.  Crawford,  of  Paonia.  Colorado;  Irene, 
the  wife  of  Jesse  Fountain,  of  Nebraska; 
and  Robert,  of  Denver,  Colorado.  Unto  Mr. 
Kem"s  second  marriage  were  born  eight  chil- 
dren: Albert,  deceased;  Huxley  D.,  of  Wash- 
ington; Iris,  the  wife  of  G.  B.  Corey,  of 
Olathe,  Colorado;  Myrtle,  who  is  pursuing  a 
four  years'  course  in  music  in  the  University 
of  Oregon;  Marie,  who  has  passed  away; 
Victor  and  Kathleen,  who  are  pupils  of  the 
public  school  of  Cottage  Grove;  and  Thelma. 

Mr.  Kem  is  a  broad  thinker,  a  sound 
reasouer  and  is  liberal  in  his  political  views. 
He  has  always  taken  a  deep  interest  in  edu- 
cational matters  and  while  in  Colorado  was 
for  six  years  a  member  of  the  school  board. 
He  is  an  active  member  of  the  Knights  of 
Pythias  and  in  religious  matters  is  a  non- 
sectarian,  believing  that  righteous  living  and 
just  treatment  of  one's  fellowmen  meets 
every  requirement  of  this  life  or  the  life 
hereafter. 

In  addition  to  his  home  property  in  Cot- 
tage Grove  Mr.  Kem  is  the  owner  of  a  forty- 
acre  farm  in  Indiana.  Starting  out  in  life 
a  barefoot  boy,  working  at  farm  labor,  he 
may  truly  be  said  to  be  one  of  the  self- 
made  men  of  the  country.  Although  de- 
prived of  many  advantages  which  other  boys 
enjoyed,  he  labored  to  broaden  his  knowl- 
edge and  to  promote  his  usefulness  in  various 
,  lines.  Naturally  a  leader  of  men,  inspiring 
confidence  and  good-will,  he  advanced  stead- 
ily until  he  became  a  prominent  figure  in 
the  legislative  halls  of  the  nation,  where  he 
acquitted  himself  with  distinction,  his  course 
being  highly  satisfactory  to  his  constituents 
Passing  through  a  strenuous  political  life, 
which  was  his  life  for  many  years  ana  during 
which  period  he  not  onl.v  proposed  but  sup- 
ported many  bills  which  have  found  their 
way  to  the  statute  books  of  the  country, 
he  is  now  concentrating  his  energies  upon 
industrial  pursuits  and  is  active  in  promoting 
a  growing  and  profitable  business  in  Cottage 
Grove. 

OSCAR  APPLEGATE.  A  native  of  Oregon 
who  has  for  many  years  been  identified 
with  the  agricultural  growth  of  the  state,  is 
Oscar  Applegate.  who  was  born  on  September 
21,  1S63.  He  is  a  son  of  Robert  and  a 
grandson  of  Jesse  Applegate.  of  whom  more 
extended  mention  is  made  elsewhere  in  this 
volume.  Our  subject's  father  was  born  in 
Missouri  in  1S39  and  was  eight  years  of  age 
when  he  crossed  the  plains  with"his  parents. 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


163 


He  was  reared  in  the  Yoncalla  valley,  Doug- 
las county,  Oregon,  and  upon  reaching  man- 
hood located  in  the  Hayhurst  valley  on  a 
portion  of  the  William' Hayhurst  donation 
claim  which  had  been  acquired  previously 
by  his  father,  Jesse  Applegate.  Here  he 
homesteaded  an  additional  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres,  bought  school,  railroad  and  other 
public  lands  and  became  one  of  the  most  ex- 
tensive land  owners.  He  died  in  1893  but 
his  wife  is  yet  living  in  Douglas  county. 
He  was  a  republican  and  a  prominent  figure 
in  his  party's  councils.  He  served  as  county 
commissioner  of  Douglas  county  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  and  was  active  and  conscientious 
as  a  public  official. 

Oscar  Applegate  was  reared  at  home  and 
acquired  his  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  Douglas  county.  When  he  had  attained 
majority  he  joined  with  his  three  brothers 
and  his  father  in  the  operation  of  extensive 
farming  lands  belonging  to  Robert  Apple- 
gate.  In  1894  he  established  himself  inde- 
pendentlv  upon  the  homestead  owned  by  his 
wife.  This  tract  of  land  is  located  on  Billy 
creek,  Douglas  county,  and  for  eighteen  years 
Mr,  Applegate  gave  his  entire  attention  to  its 
improvement  and  cultivation,  bringing  it  fi- 
nally into  a  prosperous  and  nourishing  con- 
dition. He  removed  in  October.  1911,  to  the 
city  of  Drain,  where  he  has  since  lived, 
retired. 

On  February  18,  1894,  Oscar  Applegate 
■was  united  in  marriage  to  Mrs.  J.  H.  Turner, 
who  was  in  her  maidenhood  Miss  Matilda 
Peterson,  and  is  a  native  of  LoUand,  Den- 
mark, and  a  daughter  of  Peter  and  Trine 
Peterson,  Mrs.  Applegate  has  two  children 
of  her  first  marriage:  lona  Lorena  Turner,  a 
graduate  of  the  Central  Oregon  State  Nor- 
mal school  and  a  teacher  in  the  public  schools 
of  Klamath  county;  and  Hiram  C.  Turner, 
a  ranchman  of  Big  Arm,  Montana. 

In  his  political  affiliations  Oscar  Applegate 
is  a  consistent  republican  but  never  seeks 
public  office.  He  is  a  member  of  Drain  Camp, 
No.  259,  W,  0.  W.  and  of  the  local  Grange 
of  Drain,  Oregon,  in  the  affairs  of  which  he 
takes  an  active  part.  He  learned  farming 
by  personal  activity  in  various  branches  of 
agriculture  and  his  early  training  has  been 
supplemented  by  constructive  experience 
gained  in  the  course  of  a  long  life.  He  is 
ranked  among  the  progressive  farmers  who 
are  raising  the  standard  and  improving  the 
methods    of    agriculture. 

.GEORGE  BELLONI.  Dairying  is  rapidly 
becoming  an  important  industry  in  Oregon 
and  modernly  equipped  and  sanitary  estab- 
lishments of  this  kind  in  Coos  county  are 
making  that  section  a  valuable  factor  in 
state  resources.  Prominent  among  the  men 
who  are  identified  with  this  phase  of  activity 
is  George  Belloni  who  is  now-  operating  a 
large  ilairy  farm  four  miles  above  Cof|uilk\ 
Oregon.  !Mr.  Belloni  was  born  in  Switzer- 
land in  1860.  and  is  a  son  of  .James  and  Mary 
Belloni,  both  natives  of  that  country  where 
the  father  died  and  where  the  mother  is  still 
maintaining  her  residence.  Thej'  were  the 
parents   of   five   children:    Mary,   who   resides 


with  her  mother  in  Switzerland;  George,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch;  William  and  John, 
of  Humboldt,  California;  and  Fred,  of  Co- 
quille,  Oregon, 

George  Belloni  remained  in  Switzerland 
until  he  was  thirteen  years  of  age  and  re- 
ceived his  education  in  that  country.  He 
came  to  America  in  1873  and  settled  first 
in  San  Francisco  and  worked  upon  the  dairy 
farms  in  surrounding  districts  until  1879, 
He  has  thus  been  identified  with  the  business 
in  which  he  is  now  engaged  since  his  boyhood 
and  has  acquired  a  thorough  and  scientific 
knowledge  of  its  details.  In  1879  he  had 
accumulated  sufficient  money  to  start  a  dairy 
of  his  own  and  this  he  operated  in  California 
until  1896.  In  that  year  he  came  to  Oregon, 
settling  in  Curry  county,  where  he  followed 
his  chosen  occupation,  operating  one  of  the 
largest  dairies  in  that  section  of  the  state. 
His  business  constantly  grew  and  expanded 
and  at  one  time  he  was  milking  daily  two 
hundred  cows.  He  operated  this  enterprise 
until  1903  when  he  sold  his  stock  and  came 
to  Coos  county.  Here  he  leased  a  large  dairy 
farm,  including  fine  pasture  lands  and  barns, 
and  stocked  it  with  high-grade  cows  and  is 
now  operating  a  large  and  important  enter- 
prise. He  milks  forty  cows  every  day  and 
sells  his  products  in  tlie  markets  of  the  state. 
He  also  owns  a  large  farm  at  Riverton  known 
as  the  old  Orchard  farm.  It  comprises  one 
hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  fertile  and  produc- 
tive land  and  is  a  valuable  addition  to  Mr. 
Eelloui's  income.  He  has  invested  exten- 
sivel.v  in  town  property  in  North  Bend  and 
Marshfield  and  his  real-estate  holdings  are 
constantly  increasing  in  value. 

In  1882  Mr.  Belloni  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Celia  Ottolini.  a  native  of 
Switzerland  and  a  daughter  of  Glon  Antonia 
and  Lena  Ottolini,  who  lived  and  died  in  that 
country.  Mrs.  Belloni  is  one  of  nine  chil- 
dren: Fred,  of  Humboldt,  California;  Joe. 
Victor,  Peter  and  Maddie,  all  of  whom  reside 
in  California;  Celia.  the  wife  of  our  subject; 
Rachel,  who  is  still  in  Switzerland;  one, 
who  died  in  California;  and  one  sister  who 
passed  away  in  her  native  country.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Belloni  have  been  born  eleven  chil- 
dren: Cora,  who  is  a  typesetter  and  teacher 
and  is  living  at  home;  Henry,  who  is  married 
and  follows  the  occupation  of  butter  making 
in  Coquille,  Oregon;  Lena,  a  teacher  in  the 
Coos  county  schools;  John,  who  is  married 
and  follows  the  occupation  of  dairying  and 
operates  a  creamery  at  Riverton,  Coos  coun- 
ty; Nettie,  who  is  teaching  school  and  makes 
her  home  with  her  parents;  Thomas,  George, 
Masie,  Agnes,  and  Mamie,  all  of  whom  reside 
at  home;  and  Hazel,  who  passed  away  when 
she  was  fifteen  months  of  age.  Mrs.  Belloni 
received  her  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  Switzerland  and  is  a  charming  and  hospi- 
table woman.  All  her  children  have  attended 
the  public  schools  of  Coos  county  and  have 
made  judicious  use  of  their  advantages  in 
this  line. 

In  his  political  affiliations  Mr.  Belloni  is 
a  republican  but  reserves  his  independence  of 
jud}i;nii'nt.  He  is  a  member  of  the  school 
board  and  is  interested  in   the  cause  of  edti- 


164 


THE  CENTENiVIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


cational  expansion.  He  and  his  family  are 
members  of  the  Roman  Catholic  church.  He 
is  representative  of  a  large  class  of  farmers 
in  Coos  county  whose  experience  and  knowl- 
edge of  agriculture  have  been  directed  to  a 
special  branch  of  the  industry  and  who.se 
intelligence  and  skill,  controlled  by  business 
discrimination  and  judgment,  are  making 
their   private    enterprises   public   assets. 

FRANCIS  MARION  WILKINS,  former 
mayor  of  Eugene  is  one  of  tlie  most  highly 
esteemed  residents  of  the  city.  iloreover, 
he  is  one  of  the  oldest  native  sons  of  Oregon, 
his  birth  having  occurred  in  Clackamas  county, 
August  10,  1848.  Throughout  all  the  inter- 
vening' years  w-hich  have  brouglit  Oregon  from 
its- territorial  position  to  a  place  among  the 
leading  states  of  the  Union,  he  has  been 
greatly  interested  in  its  progress  and  in  all 
possible  ways  has  aided  in  its  improvement 
and  development.  His  parents  were  Mitchell 
and  Permelia  Ann  (Allani  Wilkins.  more  ex- 
tended mention  of  whom  is  made  on  another 
page  of  this  work. 

Francis  M.  Wilkins  attended  the  district 
schools  in  the  acquirement  of  an  education 
and  afterward  learned  the  drug  business.  He 
was  graduated  from  the  Portland  Business 
College  in  1809.  and  in  1S77  embarked  in 
business  on  his  OAvn  account  in  connection 
with  Dr.  Shelton,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Shelton  &  Wilkins.  A  brief  period  passed 
and  Mr.  Wilkins  then  purchased  his  part- 
ner's interest  and  continued  alone  in  business 
until  1895.  He  had  a  well  appointed  store 
which  he  successfully  conducted  until  the 
year  mentioned,  wlien  he  retired  from  active 
commercial  pursuits.  He  has.  hoAvever.  been 
much  interested  in  the  Commercial  Club  and 
its  possibilities  and  opportunities.  For  the 
past  three  years  he  has  been  president  of  its 
publicity  department.  In  other  public  con- 
nections Mr.  Wilkins  has  given  equal  demon- 
stration of  his  worth  and  his  loyalty  to  the 
best  interests  of  the  community.  In  1905 
he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  city  council 
for  two  years  and  was  then  elected  mayor, 
in  which  connection  he  rendered  to  the  city 
a  public-spirited  and  beneficial  administra- 
tion that  was  characterized  by  many  needed 
reforms  and  improvements.  His  best  work 
during  his  term  of  office  as  mayor  was  sign- 
ing an  ordinance  for  the  first  paving  ever 
done  in  the  city,  one  for  the  purchase  of  the 
first  land  for  park  purposes  and  one  for  a 
gas  franchise  and  street  car,  besides  the  first 
combination  wagon  for  fighting  fire  which 
was  purchased  during  his  time.  The  city's 
start  and  uplift  along  civic  lines  was  largely 
due  to  his  earnest  work  and  persistent  efTort. 
For  the  past  three  years  he  has  been  presi- 
dent of  the  promotion  work  of  the  Eugene 
Commercial  Club,  which  has  been  largely  in- 
strumental in  settling  up  the  community  in 
and  around  Eugene  and  in  getting  families 
"liack  to  the  soil"  and  promoting  ways  and 
means  for  them  to  pay  for  their  homes.  He 
is  also  a  member  of  the  board  of  the  Lane 
County  Agricultural  Society,  which  has  for 
its  purpose  the  holding  of  fairs  in  Lane 
county,   and    he    has   been    a   member   of   the 


board  of  park  commissioners  for  the  past  six 
3'ears. 

In  1872  Mr.  Wilkins  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Jliss  Emma  Goltra,  a  daughter  of 
Xelson  Goltra.  She  was  born  in  Leoanon, 
Linn  county,  Oregon,  in  the  First  Methodist 
church,  which  her  parents  were  occupying 
while  her  fatlier  built  the  Santiam  Academy. 
Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wilkins  have  been  born 
five  children:  JLaude.  the  wife  of  Herbert  T. 
Condon,  of  Seattle,  Washington,  who  is  finan- 
cial agent  and  manager  for'the  State  Univer- 
sity there;  F.  L.,  living  in  Seattle;  Xina, 
the  wife  of  Lieutenant  C.  C.  JMcCornack,  sur- 
geon of  the  United  States  Army;  Lucia;  and 
(;iadys.  The  parents  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  fraternally 
Mr.  Wilkins  is  connected  with  Spencer  Butte 
Lodge,  Xo.  9.  I.  0.  0.  F..  and  is  also  past 
chief  patriarch  of  Wimawhala  Encampment, 
Xo.  6.  He  was  a  member  of  the  first  Knights 
of  Pythias  lodge  organized  in  Eugene,  and 
he  belongs  to  Eugene  Camp,  Xo.  115,  W.  0. 
W..  of  which  he  became  a  charter  member. 
Lodge  Xo.  357  of  the  Benevolent  and  Pro- 
tective Order  of  Elks  also  numbers  him 
among  its  valued  members.  He  is  actuated 
in  all  he  does  by  a  spirit  of  progress  and  ad- 
vancement and  his  efi'orts  have  therefore 
been  of  material  value  to  his  state.  The 
terms  progress  and  patriotism  might  be  con- 
sidered tlie  keynote  of  his  character,  for 
throughout  his  career  lie  has  labored  for  the 
improvement  of  every  line  of  business  or 
public  interest  Avith  which  he  has  been  as- 
sociated and  at  all  times  has  been  actuated 
by  a  fidelity  to  his  country  and  her  welfare. 

JAMES  H.  ROOKARD  is  living  on  sixteen 
acres  of  land  in  Coos  county  near  Bridge, 
and  has  been  an  active  factor  in  the  agricul- 
tural life  of  this  section  since  1903.  He  is 
a  native  son  of  Oregon,  having  been  born  in 
Douglas  county  on  March  25,  1876,  and  is  a 
son  of  Thomas  and  Catherine  (Howell)  Rook- 
ard.  natives  of  Indiana,  who  later  removed 
to  Missouri  and  thence  to  California,  where 
they  were  married.  They  came  to  Oregon 
in  1876,  settling  on  the  Coquille  river  where 
the  town  of  Bridge  now  stands,  and  here 
they  resided  until  the  father's  death  in  1902. 
His  wife  is  still  living  and  makes  her  home 
with  our  subject.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thomas 
Rookard  had  the  following  children:  Emma 
Margery,  of  California;  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Brid- 
enbusher,  of  Douglas  county,  Oregon;  Mrs. 
Eva  E.  Jenkins,  who  resides  near  Myrtle 
Point,  Oregon;  James  H..  of  this  review; 
Lena,  the  wife  of  Frank  ;McXair.  of  Myrtle 
Point;  and  Louisa.  Ida  and  Thomas,  all  of 
whom  are  deceased. 

James  H.  Rookard  was  reared  at  home 
and  received  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  Bridge,  Oregon.  He  remained  upon 
his  father's  farm  and  actively  assisted  in 
its  operation  until  he  was  twenty-seven 
years  of  age.  During  these  years  he' gained 
an  expert  knowledge  of  the  many  details 
connected  with  the  tilling  of  the  soil  as  it  is 
carried  on  in  the  American  northwest  and 
became  familiar  with  the  science  of  farmino- 
in    all    its   aspects.      Following  his  marriage 


F.    M.   WILKINS 


,-M-^.. 


1 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OP  OREGON 


167 


in  1904,  he  started  farming  for  himself  on  a 
homestead  claim  to  which  he  had  previously 
proved  title.  His  original  land  was  located 
near  Bridge,  Oregon,  and  he  was  successful 
in  its  improvement  and  cultivation  for  one 
year.  He  then  purchased  his  father's  home- 
stead near  Bridge,  comprising  three  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  which  he  later  sold  and, 
in  1909  he  purchased  his  present  holdings, 
on  which  he  has  lived  since  that  time. 

In  1901  Jlr.  Rookard  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Lottie  Belieu,  also  a  native  of 
Coos  county  and  a  daughter  of  JI.  M.  and 
Martha  Belieu,  of  Bridge,  Oregon.  Mrs. 
Rookard's  parents  were  both  born  in  this 
state  and  they  liave  made  it  their  home  all 
during  their  lives.  They  have  Ave  children: 
Wave,  the  wife  of  diaries  Thomas,  of  Marsh- 
field.  Oregon;  Carrie,  the  wife  of  George 
Brownson,  of  Bridge;  Jessie,  the  wife  of  I. 
Houser,  of  Bridge;  Lottie,  now  Mrs.  .James  H. 
Rookard;  and  Bert,  of  Bridge,  ilrs.  Rookard 
received  her  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  Coos  county  and  made  her  home  with  her 
parents  until  her  marriage.  She  is  a  chariri- 
ing  and  hospitable  woman  and  has  many 
friends  in  this  section  of  the  country,  most 
of  whom  have  known  her  since  her  child- 
hood. She  and  her  husband  are  the  parents 
of  five  children:  Freddie,  born  in  1905; 
James,  born  in  1906;  Vclnui,  born  in  190S; 
Ardest.  born  in  1910;  and  Vira.  born  in  1911. 

In  his  political  affiliations  Mr.  Rookard  is 
a  consistent  democrat  but  while  he  always 
votes  the  party  ticket  he  has  never  sought 
public  office.  He  has  assisted  in  much  of 
the  improvement  that  has  been  made  .along 
agricultural  lines  in  Coos  county  and  is 
numbered  among  the  substantial  and  pro- 
gressive citizens  of  the  state. 

DR.  GEORGE  CHARLES  KNOTT  has  been 
successfully  engaged  in  the  general  practice 
of  medicine  as  physician  and  surgeon  since 
1910  in  Yoncalla,"  Douglas  county.  Oregon. 
He  was  born  jn  Anna,  Illinois.  November  11. 
1880,  and  is  a  son  of  John  W.  and  Harriett 
C.  (Starr)  Knott,  the  former  a  native  of  In- 
diana and  the  latter  of  Columbus,  Ohio.  Tlie 
mother  is  descended  from  Revolutionary 
stock,  her  grandfather  having  been  a  colonel 
in  the  Revolutionary  army,  and  having  at 
the  close  of  the  war  received  a  grant  of  sev- 
eral thousand  acres  of  land  on  a  part  of  whicli 
later  was  built  the  city  of  Columbus,  Ohio. 
The  mother  removed  to  Iowa  with  her  par- 
ents when  a  child.  The  father  settled  in 
that  state  as  a  young  man  and  they  were 
married  in  Tipton  in  April,  1S62.  The  father 
was  educated  for  the  ministry  in  the  Univer- 
sity of  Delaware  and  later  completecj  a  course 
in  the  McCormick  Theological  Seminary  in 
Chicago.  He  has  since  devoted  his  time  to 
ministry  in  the  Presbyterian  denomination 
and  now  at  the  age  of  seventy-six  years  oc- 
cupies the  pulpit  every  Sunday  in  the  Yon- 
calla Presbyterian  church.  The  mother  died 
in   1910. 

Dr.  Knott  was  reared  at  home  and  re- 
ceived his  early  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  Iowa.  He  completed  a  course  in 
the   high   school    of   Holdrege,   Nebraska,   and 


some  time  later  pursued  a,  business  course  in 
the  Salt  Lake  Business  College,  after  which 
lie  took  up  office  work  with  tlie  Ingersol- 
Sargant  Drill  Company,  but  on  account  of  dis- 
taste for  the  work  gave  it  up.  Subsequently 
he  spent  one  winter  in  Valparaiso  University 
at  Valparaiso,  Indiana.  He  afterward  en- 
tered Coe  College  at  Cedar  Rapids,  from 
which  institution  lie  was  graduated  with  the 
degree  of  A.  B.  in  the  class  of  1905.  The 
following  fall  he  took  up  the  study  of  medi- 
cine in  the  medical  department  of  the  Iowa 
State  University  at  Iowa  City  and  while  in 
the  pursuit  of  his  medical  studies  he  received 
his  Master's  degree  from  Coe  College.  In 
medical  studies  he  pursued  both  the  old 
school  and  the  homeopathic  courses  and  was 
graduated  as  a  physician  with  the  degree  of 
M.  D.  in  the  class  of  1909.  While  attending 
college  Dr.  Knott  supported  himself  by 
working  at  various  kinds  of  employment  arid 
received  a  compensation  for  his  services  suffi- 
cient to  enable  him  to  pursue  his  long  period 
of  study  without  extended  intervals.  Imme- 
<liately  following  his  graduation  from  tlie 
medical  department  of  the  University  he 
served  for  nine  months  as  interne  in  the 
state  hospital  at  Iowa  City.  In  1910  he 
came  to  Oregon,  located  in  Yoncalla  and 
since  opening  an  office  in  that  city  he  has 
built  up  an  enviable  reputation. 

Dr.  Knott  was  united  in  marriage  in  April, 
1909,  to  Miss  Martha  W.  Fratzke,  a  native  of 
Independence,  Iowa,  and  they  are  the  parents 
of  one  child,  Helen  W.  Dr.  Knott  is  affiliated 
with  the  republican  party  and  is  a  member 
of  Sunset  Lodge,  No.  144.  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and 
of  Alpha  Lodge,  No.  170,  I.  0.  0.  F.,  of  which 
lie  is  a  past  grand.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Woodmen  of  the  World,  the  Modern  Brother- 
hood of  America  and  the  North  American 
Institute  of  Homeopathy.  He  is  one  of  the 
rising  young  physicians  of  Douglas  county 
and  is  a  man  by  nature  and  qualifications 
unusually  adapted  for  the  work  of  his  profes- 
sion and  in  his  chosen  vocation  is  meeting 
with  well  deserved  and  gratifying  success. 

JOHN  McCALEB,  who  has  been  living  in 
Monmouth  since  he  retired  from  his  ranch, 
was  born  July  6,  1839,  in  Cumberland  county, 
Pennsylvania.  He  is  a  son  of  John  and  Mar- 
tha (Kochenour)  McCaleb,  who  spent  their 
lives  in  Cumberland,  Franklin  and  Clinton 
I'dunties  and  engaged  in  farming.  John  Mc- 
t.'aleb.  Sr.,  however,  died  in  Santa  Barbara, 
California.  He  was  the  father  of  nine  chil- 
dren, namely:  Joseph  H,.  deceased;  Eliza- 
beth; John;  Catherine  and  Jennie,  deceased; 
Francis;  Albert;  Anna,  deceased;  and  Wil- 
liam. 

John  McCaleb,  as  a  youth,  received  such 
meager  education  as  was  provided  at  that 
time  in  the  common  schools  of  Pennsylvania 
near  his  home.  Realizing  that  opportunities 
for  success  were  greater  in  a  new  territory, 
he  came  west  to  the  coast,  settling  first  in 
Sacramento,  California,  in  1861,  the  year 
memorable  as  the  one  in  which  that  city 
suffered  from  a  flood.  For  a  year  he  worked 
on  a  race  track  in  Sacramento  and  then 
went    to    Nevada,    where    for    five    years    he 


168 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


was  employed  on  a  ranch.  Leaving  there, 
he  went  back  to  Pennsylvania  and  was  mar- 
ried, April  1,  18G7,  in  Fayette  county,  to 
Mary  Elizabeth  Miller,  a  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam and  Harriet  Miller.  After  their  mar- 
riage Mr.  and  Mrs.  McCaleb  engaged  in  farm- 
ing in  Virginia  for  a  time  and  afterward 
removed  to  the  McCaleb  homestead  in  Penn- 
sylvania. For  two  years  John  McCaleb 
worked  there  before  coming  to  Oswego,  Ore- 
gon, where  he  was  employed  in  the  charcoal 
burning  business  for  three  years.  He  then  re- 
moved to  Polk  county  and  purchased  a  farm 
of  one  hundred  and  five  acres  in  Cooper  Hol- 
low, four  miles  west  of  Monmouth,  and  that 
was  his  home  for  the  next  twelve  years. 
So  successful  had  his  various  enterprises 
proven  that  he  was  then  able  to  retire 
from  active  work  and  live  comfortably  in 
Monmouth.  There  Mrs.  McCaleb  passed 
a\\ay.  October  10,  1909.  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
six  years,  four  months  and  twenty-three 
days.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McCaleb  live  children 
were  born:  Clarence  Eugene,  born  .January 
24,  1S68,  who  is  living  on  a  ranch;  Ida  Flor- 
ence, born  July  8.  1869;  John  Miller,  whose 
birth  occurred  October  23,  1871,  and  who  is 
residing  with  his  father;  Charles  Newton, 
who  was  born  February  16,  1873,  and  died 
February  3,  1904;  and  AVilliam  L.,  who  was 
born   October   29.   1876. 

John  McCaleb  never  interested  himself 
actively  in  politics,  realizing  that  his  agri- 
cultural and  various  commercial  interests  re- 
quired all  his  time  and  energy.  Adhering  to 
the  teachings  of  his  youth,  he  is  a  member 
of  the  Reformed  Mennonite  church,  which 
his  family  also  attends.  Mr.  McCaleb  has 
readied  the  age  of  seventy-three  years  and 
his  has  been  a  well  spent  life,  in  which  he 
has  done  much  to  further  the  agricultural 
development  of  the  northwest,  while  at  the 
same  time  his  efforts  have  brought  him  sub- 
stantial   rewards. 

M.  T.  CLINTON,  a  prosperous  and  repre- 
sentative agriculturist  of  Coos  county,  re- 
sides upon  a  farm  of  forty  acres  and  owns 
one  hundred  and  ten  acres  of  timber  land,  as 
well  as  an  interest  in  a  half  section  of  land 
near  Coquille.  His  birth  occurred  in  Mis- 
souri on  the  28th  of  May,  1S70.  his  parents 
being  J.  W.  and  Eliza  (Fortner)  Clinton,  the 
former  a  native  of  Missouri  and  the  latter 
of  Iowa.  More  extended  mention  of  the  fam- 
ily is  made  on  another  page  of  this  work 
in  connection  with  the  sketch  of  .Jesse  D. 
Clinton,  a  brother  of  our  subject. 

M.  T.  Clinton.  «-ho  was  but  three  years 
of  age  when  brought  to  Oregon  by  his  par- 
ents, obtained  his  education  in  Coos  county. 
He  began  providing  for  his  own  livelihood  on 
attaining  majority,  working  for  his  father 
until  the  time  of  his  marriage.  Subsequently 
he  managed  a  logging  camp  for  his  father 
for  a  period  of  ten  years  and  on  the  expira- 
tion of  that  time  took  up  his  abode  on  a 
farm  of  forty  acres  near  Arago,  which  he 
owns  ami  on  which  he  has  since  resided.  He 
has  one  hundred  and  ten  acres  of  timber  land 
located  in  Coos  county  and  has  an  interest  in 
a   tract   of   three   hundred    and   twenty   acres 


near  Coquille.  His  undertakings  as  an  agri- 
culturist have  been  attended  by  success  and 
he  well  deserves  recognition  among  the  sub- 
stantial and  representative  citizens  of  his 
community. 

On  the  13th  of  April,  1898,  Mr.  Qinton 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Minnie  M. 
Miller,  a  native  of  Josephine  county,  Oregon, 
and  a  daughter  of  Francis  and  Cerilda  Miller, 
of  whom  more  extended  mention  is  made  on 
another  page  of  this  work.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Clinton  have  been  born  four  children,  as 
follows:  Lester  L.,  born  on  the  25th  of 
March,  1900;  Theresa  M..  whose  natal  dav 
was  March  30,  1905;  Shirley  D.,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  eighteen  months  and  Merlin, 
born  on  the  2nd  of  August,   1912. 

ilr.  Clinton  is  a  repuljlican  but  not  strictly 
partisan,  regarding  the  fitness  of  a  candi- 
date as  of  more  importance  than  his  party 
affiliation.  He  is  serving  as  road  supervisor 
of  Coos  county  and  also  acts  as  state  fire 
warden.  He  is  identified  with  the  Independ- 
ent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  having  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Coquille  lodge  of  that  fraternity 
for  the  past  seventeen  years.  His  religious 
beliefs  are  those  of  the  United  Brethren 
church.  Practically  his  entire  life  has  been 
spent  in  the  Sunset  state  and  he  has  watched 
its  continued  growth  and  development  with 
interest  and  pride,  personally  doing  every- 
thing in  his  power  to  promote  the  work  of 
progress   and   improvement. 

JAMES  R.  GARRETT,  who  was  engaged 
in  farming  in  Ccos  county  from  1901  tc  the 
time  of  his  death,  in  1910,  was  about  eighty- 
four  years  of  age  when  he  passed  away.  He 
was  born  in  Ohio,  on  t':e  14th  of  November, 
1826,  a  son  of  John  and  Sarah  Oarrett.  who 
were  married  in  that  state  and  there  resided 
for  thirty  years.  They  then  removed  to 
Iowa,  purchasing  land,  and  were  identified 
with  agricultural  interests  in  that  state 
throughout  their  remaining  days,  the  father 
passing  away  in  ]S64  and  the  mother  in 
1866.  In  their  family  were '  ten  children 
but  only  two  are  living:  Cary  who  is  a  resi- 
dent of  Iowa;  and  Jennie,  the  wife  of  Alvin 
Bodwell,  of  Nebraska. 

James  R.  Garrett  acquired  his  education 
in  the  schools  of  his  native  state  and  with  his 
parents  removed  to  Iowa,  where  he  remained 
until  after  his  marriage.  He  became  identi- 
fied with  the  western  country  in  1875.  in 
which  year  he  arrived  in  California,  where 
he  engaged  in  farming  until  1901,  or  for  a 
period  of  about  twenty-six  years.  He  then 
disposed  of  his  interests  in  the  Golden  state 
and  came  to  Coos  county.  Oregon,  purchasing 
two  hundred  acres  of  land  near  Myrtle  Point. 
He  took  up  his  abode  upon  that  property 
and  there  resided  to  the  time  of  his  death, 
which  occurred  on  the  9th  of  September. 
1910.  He  had  always  carried  on  general 
farming  and  his  labors  were  attended  with 
good  results,  as  he  worked  diligently  and 
persistently  and  employed  such  methods  as 
transformed  his  place  into  a  valuable  and 
productive  property. 

In  1866  ilr.  Garrett  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  ^larv  Porter,  wlio  was  born  in  Iowa. 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


169 


July  23,  184S,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Girard 
and  Mary  (Snider)  Porter.  Her  father  was 
educated  by  the  famous  Steven  Girard,  the 
founder  of  the  well  known  Girard  College  of 
Philadelphia,  of  whioh  city  Mr.  Porter  was 
a  native.  The  mother  was  born  in  Ohio. 
After  their  marriage  they  removed  westward 
to  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  where  Mr.  Porter  fol- 
lowed his  profession  of  civil  engineering  to 
the  time  of  his  death,  in  1852.  His  widow 
long  survived  him  and  was  laid  to  rest  in 
1893,  at  Des  Moines.  In  the  family  were 
five  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Garrett  is  the 
eldest,  the  others  being:  John,  of  Nebraska; 
JIargaret,  who  is  the  wife  of  Henry  Delong, 
of  Oklahoma;  Lydia,  the  wife  of  Mr.  Osgood, 
of  nortliwestern  Iowa;  and  George  Ewing  of 
Des  Moines.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Garrett  became 
the  parents  of  eight  children:  Lewis,  who 
was  born  in  1868,  and  who  is  married  and 
lives  in  Humboldt  county,  California;  Fred, 
born  in  1870,  who  is  married  and  lives  in 
Myrtle  Point,  Oregon;  Edwin,  born  in  ISSO. 
who  is  married  and  makes  his  home  in  Hum- 
boldt, California;  Lillian,  born  in  1876,  the 
wife  of  Ernest  Davenport,  of  Coquille;  Roy, 
born  in  1878,  who  operates  the  homestead 
farm ;  ISTeva,  who  is  the  wife  of  W.  C.  Gear- 
ing, a  civil  engineer  in  the  employ  of  the 
government  in  Coos  county;  Iva,  born  in 
1886,  who  is  at  home;  and  Lina.  who  was 
born  in  1888  and  is  the  wife  of  C.  Carl,  of 
Portland. 

Mr.  Garrett  was  a  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian church,  to  which  faith  his  family  still 
adhere.  In  politics  he  was  a  stanch  republi- 
can and  held  many  local  offices,  the  duties 
of  which  he  discharged  with  promptness  and 
fidelity.  All  who  knew  him  esteemed  him  for 
his  sterling  worth,  for  they  found  him  trust- 
worthy in  every  relation  of  life.  He  was 
honorable  and  straightforward  in  business, 
reliable  in  citizenship  and  true  to  the  ties 
of  home  and  friendship. 

GEORGE  WILLIAM  NORRIS,  a  represen- 
tative agriculturist  and  native  son  of  Ore- 
gon, was  born  in  Oregon  City,  on  the  5th  of 
December,  1S47.  his  parents  being  Thomas 
and  Mary  E.  (Boon)  Norris.  The  father  was 
a  native  of  Maryland,  while  the  mother's 
birth  occurred  in  Missouri.  Unto  them  were 
born  seven  children,  as  follows:  George  Wil- 
liam, of  this  review;  Mary,  who  is  the  wife 
of  J.  L.  Barker,  a  ranchman  residing  in  Fair- 
view,  Oregon:  Lucy  Ann.  the  wife  of  R.  C. 
Dement  of  Myrtle  Point,  Oregon;  Louise 
S..  the  wife  of  L.  A.  Lawhorn.  of  McKinley, 
Oregon;  C.  L.,  who  lives  with  his  sister,  Mrs. 
L.  A.  Lawhorn,  at  McKinley,  Oregon;  Thomas 
C,  of  Fort  Klamath,  Oregon;  and  Albert,  who 
is  deceased. 

The  parents  of  George  William  Norris 
crossed  the  plains  in  1846  and  settled  at  Ore- 
gon City.  Thomas  Norris  took  up  a  donation 
land  claim  four  miles  south  of  Corvallis  and 
lived  there  for  a  time.  Previous  to  this 
Thomas  Norris  established  the  first  foundry 
at  Oregon  City.  He  also  establislied  the 
first  plow  factory  in  this  state  and  did  gen- 
eral machinery  work.  After  a  number  of 
years  he  disposed  of  his   intero^'ts   in   Benton 


countj-  and  removed  to  Douglas  county,  set- 
tling on  Deer  creek,  ten  miles  east  of  Rose- 
burg,  where  he  bought  out  a  number  of  other 
farmers  and  came  into  possession  of  a  sec- 
tion of  land.  He  resideil  thereon  during  the 
Indian  war  of  1855  and  1S56,  and  in  1800  re- 
moved to  the  present  site  of  WilsonviUe,  re- 
maining there  for  two  years.  On  the  expira- 
tion of  that  period  he  returned  to  Douglas 
county  and  in  1868  came  to  Coos  county, 
settling  at  what  is  now  Fairview.  That 
place  was  still  unnamed,  the  country  being 
yet  wild  and  unimproved  and  the  land  un- 
surveyed.  The  Norris  family  had  to  jiack  all 
their  provisions  on  mules  and  liorses,  for  the 
famous  Coos  Bay  wagon  road  was  not  built 
until  after  Thomas  Norris  and  his  son  George 
took  up  their  homesteads.  Our  subject  still 
owns  his  original  tract  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  land,  but  the  father's  quarter 
section  has  been  sold.  George  W.  Norris  has 
been  actively  engaged  in  general  farming  and 
in  daily  farming  in  Coos  county  for  more 
than  four  decades  and  has  won  a  gratifying 
measure  of  prosperity  in  this  connection. 

On  the  25th  of  October,  1884,  at  Sumner. 
Oregon,  Mr.  Norris  was  joined  in  wedlock  to 
Mrs.  Mary  J.  Dyer,  a  native  of  this  state 
and  a  daughter  of  James  and  Patsy  (Rus- 
sell) Catching.  By  her  first  husband,  Sam- 
uel Dyer,  Mrs.  Norris  had  two  children: 
Carrie,  the  wife  of  Thomas  Boon,  of  Fair- 
view,  Oregon;  and  Delma,  who  lives  with  Mrs. 
Patsy  E.  Catching,  of  Sumner,  Oregon.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Norris  have  five  children,  as  follows: 
Mary  L.,  born  September  27,  1885,  who  is 
the  wife  of  Otis  Flitcroft  of  Fairview,  Ore- 
gon, by  whom  she  has  four  children,  Brica, 
George  B.,  Marvin  0.  and  Emma  A.;  Walter 
Boon,  whose  natal  day  was  February  20,  1SS7; 
George  Ray.  whose  birth  occurred  on  the  6th 
of  February,  1889;  Myrtle  A.,  who  was  born 
on  the  16th  of  October,  1893;  and  Olive 
Irene,  whose  natal  day  was  June  14,  1895. 
The  last   four   named  are   still   at   home. 

In  politics  Mr.  Norris  is  independent,  hold- 
ing himself  free  of  party  ties  that  he  may 
support  the  men  whom  he  deems  most  com- 
petent for  office  and  the  measures  which  he 
regards  as  the  most  beneficial  factors  in  the 
life  of  the  community.  He  has  acted  as 
election  judge  and  has  also  served  on  the 
school  board  but  has  not  cared  for  office  other 
than  that  in  which  he  could  serve  the  people 
of  his  immediate  vicinity.  Fraternally  he  is 
identified  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows.  In  the  community  where  so  manv 
years  of  his  life  liave  been  spent  he  has 
gained  an  extensive  circle  of  warm  friends 
who  entertain  for  him  the  utmost  regard  and 
esteem  because  of  his  e.xcellent  traits  of 
character. 

WILLIAM  R.  ADKINS.  Living  near  Pro- 
volt,  where  he  has  a  forty  acres  fruit  ranch, 
William  R.  Adkins,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil 
war,  is  passing  in  comfort,  though  still 
actively  engaged  in  business,  the  declining 
.vears  of  a  well  spent  life.  He  was  born  in 
Kentucky,  June  10.  1838.  a  son  of  Straley 
and  Annie  (Day)  Adkins,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  Virginia. 


170 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OP  OREGON 


William  R.  Adkins  remained  at  home  until 
he  attained  the  age  of  eighteen  years,  re- 
ceiving a  good  common-school  education  and 
lielping  his  father  witli  the  work  of  the 
farm.  lie  then  went  to  Wisconsin,  where  he 
was  employed  in  the  lead  mines  until  Jan- 
uary 4,  1864,  when  he  enlisted  for  service 
in  the  Civil  war.  He  participated  in  many 
battles  and  fought  all  through  the  Red  River 
campaign  in  which  the  Federal  army  lost 
about  fifteen  thousand  men.  He  was  mus- 
tered out  of  service  on  June  29,  1865.  Re- 
turning to  Wisconsin,  he  was  again  employed 
in  tlie  lead  mines  of  that  state  but  at  the 
end  of  two  years  engaged  in  well  drilling 
and  also  in  farming.  In  1900  he  came  to 
Oregon,  where  he  purchased  forty  acres  of 
land  which  he  has  finely  improved,  devoting 
the  greater  portion  of  his  time  to  fruit  cul- 
ture. In  consideration  of  his  sei'vices  in  the 
Civil  war  he  is  drawing  a  pension  of  twent}'- 
four  dollars  a  month  which,  with  his  income 
from  the  farm,  places  him  in  comfortable 
circumstances. 

On  Jaiuiary  29,  1856,  Mr.  Adkins  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Tansy  Peak  and 
to  them  have  been  born  eight  children.  George, 
Minerva,  Stella,  William,  Dora,  Annie,  Jessie 
and  Vesta.  In  his  political  views  Mr.  Adkins 
has  always  been  republican  and  is  much  inter- 
ested in  the  afi'airs  of  his  party.  He  is 
prominently  known  among  the  honored  resi- 
dents of  the  community  in  which  he  lives  and 
is  held  in  high  esteem  by  all  who  know 
him. 

JAMES  L.  HANKS.  In  the  latter  part 
of  the  '40s  and  the  decade  of  the  '50s  the 
trails  extending  westward  from  the  central 
and  eastern  states  were  dark  with  caravans 
drawn  by  oxen  and  mules,  driven  by  the 
numberless  hardy  pioneers  who  opened  up 
the  new  and  undeveloped  country  along  the 
Pacific  coast.  James  L.  Hanks,  now  a  vener- 
able and  honored  resident  of  Glendale,  was 
one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Douglas  county, 
Oregon.  He  was  born  in  Illinois,  February 
14,  1829,  a  son  of  John  and  Susan  (Wilson) 
Hanks,  the  former  a  native  of  Virginia  and 
the  latter  of  Kentucky.  This  is  the  same 
Hanks  family  to  which  Abraham  Lincoln 
was  related  on  the  maternal  side.  In  fact, 
the  martyred  president  at  one  time  lived 
in  the  home  of  John  Hanks  and  James  L. 
Hanks  of  this  review  was  for  several  years 
his  bedfellow.  He  relates  many  interest- 
ing incidents  of  the  period  when  "Uncle  Abe," 
as  he  was  always  called  by  the  children,  be- 
came a  member  of  his  father's  household, 
being  then  a  slender,  beardless  young  man. 
working  on  the  farm  of  John  Hanks,  with 
whom  he  also  made  twelve  different  trips 
down  the  Mississippi  river  to  New  Orleans. 
As  land  was  plentiful.  Lincoln  took  up  a 
homestead  about  that  time  and  John  Hanks 
assisted  him  in  building  his  cabin.  It  was 
while  a  member  of  that  household  that  Lin- 
coln began  reading  law,  studying  at  night 
long  after  the  family  had  gone  to  bed,  pur- 
suing his  reading  often  by  the  light  of  blaz- 
ing pine  knots.  His  relatives  did  not  con- 
sider him   anything   out   of   the  ordinary  at 


the  time  but  were  proud  of  him  after  he  was 
admitted  to  the  bar,  for  he  was  not  long  in 
giving  evidence  of  his  jjower  and  ability  in 
practice. 

James  L.  Hanks  acquired  his  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  state 
and  remained  at  home  until  twentj^-one 
years  of  age,  when  he  started  westward, 
making  his  way  across  the  plains  to  Cali- 
fornia, driving  a  mule  team,  in  1S50.  For 
seven  years  he  remained  in  that  state  and 
in  1S5T  came  to  Oregon,  settling  at  Rose- 
burg.  After  devoting  two  years  to  mining 
lie  bought  a  farm  in  Klamath  county,  which 
he  operated  with  much  success  until  1910, 
when  he  retired  from  active  life.  Ere  he 
started  for  the  west  he  bade  good-bye  to 
his  counsin,  Abraham  Lincoln,  who  was  then 
practicing  law  in  Decatur  and  who  advised 
)iim  not  to  come,  reciting  the  fact  that  the 
country  was  almost  wholly  unknown,  that 
the  trip  was  hazardous  and  that  it  properly 
belonged  to  a  later  generation  to  develop 
Oregon.  However,  Mr.  Hanks  decided  to 
carry  out  his  plans.  He  returned  to  the 
east  when  Lincoln  was  president  and  the 
story  which  he  told  the  chief  executive  made 
him  have  new  views  concerning  this  state. 
The  president  asked  him  if  he  would  like  to 
be  a  United  States  marshal  or  postmaster 
or  hold  some  other  federal  appointriient  in 
Oregon,  but  Mr.  Hanks  informed  him  that 
he  was  still  a  democrat,  and  at  the  time  he 
was  sheriff  of  Lake  county.  He,  therefore, 
did  not  care  to  resign  his  office  to  accept 
rejuiblican  appointment. 

In  1S61  Mr.  Hanks  was  married  to  Miss 
!Mary  Purdue,  a  native  of  Missouri,  and  they 
became  the  parents  of  ten  children,  John, 
ilarion,  Ella,  Linna,  Jessie,  Emma,  Affa, 
Louis,  William  and  Edgar.  The  eldest  son, 
.John  Hanks,  is  now  living  at  home  with  his 
parents  and  is  one  of  the  prominent  citizens 
of  Glendale,  where  he  is  the  owner  of  con- 
siderable real  estate.  He  gives  his  allegiance 
to  the  democratic  party  and  has  always  been 
an  active  political  worker.  He  was  elected 
to  the  office  of  city  marshal  three  years 
ago  and  is  still  serving  in  that  capacity. 
He  also  held  the  position  of  constable  of 
Glendale  for  two  years  and  has  always  been 
actively  interested  in  any  movement  look- 
ing toward  the  municipal  advancement  of 
his  native  city.  His  father.  James  L.  Hanks, 
is  now  in  his  eighty-fourth  year,  a  success- 
ful, prosperous  and  active  man  who  has  spent 
his  life  since  he  became  of  age  in  develop- 
ing and  promoting  the  mining  and  agricul- 
tural interests  of  Douglas  county. 

JOHN  S.  ROOT  is  improving  and  operating 
a  fine  farm  located  eight  miles  below  Myrtle 
Point  on  Fishtrap  creek,  Oregon,  and  has 
gained  recognition  as  a  successful  and  prac- 
tical agriculturist.  He  was  born  in  Illinois, 
on  May  6.  1862,  and-  is  a  son  of  John  and 
Susanna  (Xoflfsinger)  Root,  natives  of  Ohio. 
Their  marriage  occurred  in  Indian.a  and  in 
that  state  the  father  followed  farming  until 
he  moved  to  Illinois,  where  he  engaged  in 
the  same  line  of  activity  until  1874.  In 
that  year  he  came  to  Oregon  and  settled  on 


MR.  AND  ilKS.  JAMES  L,  HANKS 


1 


T1LDEH 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


173 


Fishtrap  creek  in  Coos  county.  There  he 
bought  eighty  acres  of  land  and  was  success- 
ful in  its  management  and  development  for 
a  number  of  years.  Pie  eventually  traded  his 
original  property  for  land  on  the  Coquille 
river  which  he  operated  until  his  death,  on 
November  23,  1887.  His  wife  is  still  living 
near  the  old  homestead  and  has  reached  the 
age  of  eighty  years.  She  and  her  husband 
were  the  parents  of  eleven  children,  five  of 
whom  are  still  living:  Uriah,  of  Cbico,  Cali- 
fornia; Daniel,  of  Myrtle  Point;  John  S.,  of 
this  review;  Joel,  of  Coos  county;  and  Heze- 
kiah,  who  is  farming  near  his  father's  home- 
stead. 

John  S.  Root  received  his  education  in  a 
little  log  schoolhouse  in  Coos  county.  His  ad- 
vantages in  this  respect  were  extremely  lim- 
ited, owing  to  the  primitive  conditions  of  the 
section  in  which  he  resided.  He  remained  at 
home  until  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age, 
and  began  his  active  life  at  that  time.  He 
worked  in  the  logging  camps  in  Coos  county 
for  three  years  and  in  1886  married  and 
started  farming  upon  his  wife's  property 
in  Coos  county.  He  was  successful  from 
the  begninirg  and  was  soon  able  to  purchase 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  on 
Halls  creek.  Coos  county,  which  he  developed 
and  'improved  until  1010.  In  that  year  he 
moved  upon  a  farm  eight  miles  below  Myrtle 
Point,  on  Fishtrap  creek,  and  here  he  carries 
on  general  farming  and  stock-raising,  spec- 
ializing in  the  operation  of  a  modern  and 
sanitary  dairy.  He  also  owns  a  large  amount 
of  real"  estate  in  Bandon.  Oregon,  and  is  a 
representative  aud  enterprising  citizen  of  that 
section. 

On  April  4,  1886,  Mr.  Root  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Julia  Ann  Barklow,  a 
native  of  Keokuk  county,  Iowa,  where  she 
was  born  January  14,  1868.  Mrs.  Root  is  a 
daughter  of  David  and  Elizabeth  (Miller) 
Barklow.  who  were  both  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania. Their  marriage  occurred  in  that  state 
and  they  remained  there  for  several  years 
before  they  moved  to  Freeport.  Illinois.  After 
a  short  period  of  residence  there  they  went 
to  Iowa,  where  the  father  followed  farming 
until  1872.  In  that  year  they  came  to  Ore- 
gon and  settled  in  Coos  county,  buying  land 
in  that  district  upon  which  they  lived  until 
the  father's  death,  on  February  5,  1889.  His 
wife  survived  him  for  many  years,  dying 
on  May  17.  1902.  They  were  the  parents 
of  two  children,  the  sister  of  our  subject 
being  Sarah  E..  who  died  in  infancy.  Unto 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Root  have  been  bom  fourteen 
children:  Sarah  E.,  who  lives  at  home;  Na- 
oma.  who  is  teaching  in  the  Coos  county 
public  schools  and  who  resides  with  her  par- 
ents; John  D.,  Nettie  E.,  Hezekiah.  Samuel 
J.,  Bertha  S..  Elvina,  Minnie  I.,  Mary  Z., 
Thomas  L.  and  Julia  D.  L.,  all  of  whom 
make  their  home  with  their  parents;  and 
two  who  died  in  infancy.  Mr.  Root  and  his 
familv  affiliate  with  the  church  of  the  Breth- 
ren o"f  which  Mr.  Root  is  an  elder.  He  is 
independent  in  liis  political  views  and  always 
votes  for  the  man  regardless  of  his  party. 
He  takes  an  intelligent  interest  in  public 
affairs  but  has  never  sought  public  office,  pre- 


ferring to  concentrate  his  attention  upon 
the  efficient  development  of  his  farm.  His 
agriculture,  based  as  it  is,  on  personal  ex- 
perience, in  the  details  of  planting,  cultivat- 
ing and  harvesting,  has  been  productive  of 
good  results  and  his  farm  is  one  of  the  model 
and  attractive  features  of  Coos  county. 

WILLIAM  J.  BURCHARD  is  a  native  son 
of  Oregon  and  during  his  active  life  has  been 
idontilied  with  tlie  agricultural  development 
of  Douglas  county.  He  is  now  one  of  the 
most  extensive  land  owners  in  the  district 
in  which  he  resides  and,  promoting  his  suc- 
cess along  this  line,  has  added  to  the  re- 
sources of  his  state  seven  hundred  and  four- 
teen acres  of  highly  improved  and  developed 
land.  He  was  born  four  miles  up  the 
Umpqua  river  from  Scottsburg  on  March 
27,  1858,  and  is  a  son  of  Ephraim  H.  and 
iLary  G.  (Sawyers)  Burchard,  tlie  former 
a  native  of  Steubenville,  Ohio,  where  he  was 
born  in  1828,  and  the  latter  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania.  They  were  married  in  Ohio 
and  in  1854  crossed  the  plains  to  Oregon, 
locating  in  the  same  year  in  Douglas  county, 
where  the  father  took  up  a  donation  claim 
and  was  active  in  the  cultivation  of  the  soil 
until  his  death,  on  August  19.  1900.  He 
was  for  many  years  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity  and  was  awarded  all  of  the  honors 
of  this  organization.  He  was  a  stanch  mem- 
ber of  the  democratic  party  and  served  with 
fobility  and  efficiency  for  one  term  as  county 
assessor.  His  wife  is  still  living  and  makes 
lier  home  with  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
She  is  now  in  the  seventy-sixth  year  of  her 
age. 

William  J.  Burchard  was  reared  at  home 
and  acquired  his  education  in  the  common 
schools  of  Douglas  county.  He  has  been  identi- 
fied with  agriculture  from  his  early  manhood 
and  practically  had  charge  of  the  home 
farm  since  he  attained  his  majority.  In  this 
way  he  early  gained  a  personal  experience 
in  the  details  of  tilling  and  cultivating  the 
soil  and  in  the  best  methods  of  caring  for 
grain  and  stock.  In  1897  he  purchased  from 
his  father  one  hundred  and  seventy  acres, 
constituting  a  part  of  the  original  donation 
claim.  In  1902  the  farm  of  two  hundred  and 
ninety  acres  upon  which  he  now  resides  was 
willed  to  him  and  his  mother  conjointly  by 
Job  Hatfield,  and  he  now  owns  and  operates 
besides  this  extensive  tract  of  land  three 
other  pieces  of  property,  one  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres,  a  smaller  farm  of  fifty 
acres  and  one  of  forty  acres  all  of  which 
adjoin  his  original  donation  claim.  Mr.  Bur- 
chard gives  his  personal  supervision  and  his 
active  labor  to  the  carrying  on  of  his  exten- 
sive enterprises  along  the  most  modern  and 
progressive  lines.  He  has  made  improvements 
at  various  times  in  his  career  and  has  brought 
his  property  to  a  state  of  (ailtivation  which 
entitles  it  to  be  ranked  among  the  model 
and  attractive  farms  in  the  county. 

On  November  11,  1884,  Mr.  Burchard  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mamie  Davis  a 
daughter  of  James  Davis  who  came  to  Ore- 
gon from  San  Francisco  in  1877  locating  on 
Paradise  creek  in  Douglas  county.     Unto  Mr. 


174 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


and  Jlrs.  Buichard  have  been  bom  seven 
children:  Marjorie,  Harry,  Margaret,  Eula, 
Vera,  Gard  and  Wihua,  all  ot  wliom  are  still 
at  home.  Mr.  Burchard  15  a  republican  in 
politics  and  is  a  member  of  Gardiner  Lodge, 
No.  132,  I.  O.  0.  F.  Although  he  is  deeply 
and  intelligently  interested  in  the  modem 
developments  of  scientific  agriculture  he  has 
not  allowed  his  activities  along  this  line  to 
narrow  his  mind  into  a  set  groove.  He  is 
public-spirited  and  energetic  and  there  is 
hardly  a  phase  of  activity  in  this  section  in 
which  he  is  not  prominent.  His  intelligent 
methods  of  farming,  his  energy  and  broad- 
minded  characteristics  have  made  him  more 
than  a  successful  agriculturist  by  influencing 
his  career  and  by  making  him  an  honorable 
man  and  a  worthy  citizen. 

J.  H.  LAMB  is  accorded  the  respect  and 
esteem  of  his  fellow  citizens  on  account  of 
his  worthy  activities  as  a  pioneer  in  Coos 
county's  settlement,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil 
war,  a  prosperous  farmer,  an  upright  man 
and  a  sterling  citizen.  He  now  operates  one 
hundred  and  thirty-five  acres  of  land  which 
he  has  been  improving  and  developing  since 
18S1,  and  has  gained  success  as  a  general 
agriculturist.  He  was  born  in  Alabama.  Au- 
gust 10,  1840,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Ann 
Lamb,  both  natives  of  the  southern  states. 
In  1850  the  parents  of  our  subject  removed 
to  Arkansas  where  the  father  followed  farm- 
ing until  his  death.  To  them  seven  children 
were  born,  three  of  whom  are  still  living: 
John  J.,  of  Coquille;  David,  a  resident  of 
Greene  county,  Arkansas;  and  .J.  H.,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch. 

•J.    H.   Lamb   was   educated   in   the   public 
schools  of  Alabama  and  Arkansas  and  came 
to   Oregon   in    1874.   He    settled    immediately 
on  the  Coquille  river  where  he  bought  fifty- 
five   acres   of   land    which   he   improved   and 
developed    for   three    years.      He   disposed   of 
his  holdings  at  the  end  of  that  time  in  order 
to    purchase    the    farm    upon    which    he    now 
resides.      He    has    been    identified    with    the 
agricultural  development  of  this  tract  of  land 
since  1881  and  has  carried  on  general  farming 
upon   his   one   hundred   ami   thirty-five    acres 
since  that  time.     He  is  now  one  of  the  pros- 
perous   and    representative    farmers    of    the 
county,  and  his  enterprise  has  been  increas- 
ingly successful  with  every  year.     When  he 
located  on  the  Coquille  river  there  were  no 
roads  through  Coos  county,  and  he  was  ob- 
liged   in    his    travels    to    follow    the    Indian 
trails.     He  has  seen  the  development  of  the 
section    from   this   unorganized    state   to   its 
present  condition  of  productive  fertility,  and 
he   has  himself   been    a   vital    factor   in   the 
advancement.     He  is  well  known  in  the  dis- 
trict in   which  he  lives  as  a  veteran  of  the 
Civil    war.      His    service    was   given    to   the 
Confederate  government  and  he  served  from 
July.  ISfil.  to  May  25,  1865.    He  was  wounded 
in  the   foot  by  a   cannon  ball  which  tore  off 
the  sole  of  his  shoe  and  inflicted  a  dangerous 
woTind.     He  served  successively  in  two  com- 
panies, one   infantry  and  the  other  cavalry, 
and  held  the  office  of  lieutenant  in  the  Con- 
federate armv.     He  did  able  and  useful  ser- 


vice and  was  discharged  with  honor  at  the 
end  of  the  war. 

Mr.  Lamb  was  married  in  November,  1866, 
to  Miss  Ann  M.  Drummond.  a  native  of  Ten- 
nessee and  a  daughter  of  William  and  Phoebe 
Drummond,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  Vir- 
ginia. They  later  removed  to  Tennessee 
where  the  mother  died.  The  father  afterward 
removed  to  Arkansas  and  there  his  death  oc- 
curred. They  were  the  parents  of  six  chil- 
dren, of  whom  the  wife  of  our  subject  is 
the  only  one  living.  To  Jlr.  and  Mrs.  Lamb 
have  been  born  four  children:  Phoebe  A.,  the 
wife  of  George  Henninger,  of  Coos  county, 
by  whom  she  has  three  children,  Wallace, 
Milton  and  Chester;  John  B.,  who  is  farming 
on  the  Coquille  river  in  Coos  county;  Mary 
N.,  the  wife  of  George  Robison,  of  Coos 
countj',  by  whom  she  has  three  children. 
Ruble,  Opal  and  Houston ;  and  William  David, 
who  passed  away  when  he  was  one  year  old. 

Jlr.  Lamb  and  his  family  affiliate  with  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  South.  He  well 
merits  the  success  which  has  come  to  him  as 
a  direct  result  of  his  earnest  work,  his 
knowledge  of  agriculture  and  his  business 
methods  which  in  all  their  phases  have  never 
sought  nor  required  disguise. 

FRANCIS  M.  MILLER  is  numbered  among 
the  farmers  whose  progressive  work  along 
agricultural  lines  has  done  much  to  promote 
the  development  of  Coos  county.  Oregon.  He 
was  bom  in  Missouri,  on  the  8th  of  May, 
1844,  and  is  the  son  of  Madison  and  Mary 
Jliller,  natives  of  Tennessee.  Their  marriage 
occurred  in  Missouri  and  they  lived  in  that 
state  until  1852,  in  which  year  the  father 
moved  to  California.  In  1872  the  mother 
moved  to  Oregon,  arriving  in  Jackson  county, 
Avhere  she  was  again  married,  her  second 
husband  being  Z.  Crabtree.  They  lived  in 
Oregon  for  a  number  of  years,  where  Mr. 
Crabtree  was  successful  as  an  agriculturist. 
He  and  his  wife  went  upon  a  journey  to 
Kentucky  and  in  that  state  the  mother  of 
our  subject  passed  away.  Her  husband  re- 
turned to  Eugene,  Oregon,  where  his  death 
occurred  shortly  afterward.  Francis  Miller 
is  one  of  four  children  born  to  his  parents, 
the  others  being:  William  T.,  of  Bandon, 
Oregon;  Joseph,  who  died  while  in  the  army; 
and  Eliza,  who  has  passed  away. 

Francis  M.  Miller  received  his  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  ^Missouri  and  came 
to  Oregon  with  his  mother  when  he  was 
about  twenty-nine  years  of  age.  He  worked 
at  various  occupations  in  Jackson  county 
and  remained  at  home  until  he  was  thirty- 
three.  At  that  time  he  moved  to  Coos 
county,  where  he  purchased  forty-five  acres 
of  land  and  began  its  improvement  and 
development.  He  has  operated  this  farm 
since  that  time  and  has  gained  by  his  ener- 
getic labors  a  prosperity  which  is  the  natural 
result  of  his  diligence  and  ability.  He  has 
made  extensive  improvements  upon  his  prop- 
erty, has  fenced  his  farm  into  fields  and  built 
suitable  barns  and  outbuildings.  He  conducts 
his  farm  along  modern  and  progressive  lines 
and  it  is  in  its  present  prosperous  and  thriv- 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


175 


iiig  state  one  of  the  model  piopeities  in  Coos 
county. 

In  1876  Mr.  Miller  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Cerilda  Miller,  a  daughter  of  W.  M. 
and  Mary  Miller,  natives  of  Missouri  who 
crossed  the  plains  to  Oregon  and  settled  in 
Douglas  county  in  1852.  Four  years  later 
they  moved  to  Jackson  county,  where  the 
father  proved  up  a  claim  of  government  land 
upon  which  he  lived  until  his  death.  Mrs. 
Jliller  is  one  of  eleven  children,  all  of  whom 
are  still  living.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Francis  M. 
Miller  have  eight  children;  Mrs.  Minnie  Clin- 
ton; Maud,  who  married  Leon  C.  PauU,  of 
Bandon;  W.  F.,  who  is  farming  on  Fishtrap 
creek;  Mrs.  Sadie  Smith,  of  Bandon,  Oregon; 
Mrs.  Ettie  McAdams,  of  Coquille;  Robert, 
who  is  still  at  home;  Jesse,  who  is  also  with 
his  parents;  and  Grace,  who  is  attending 
scliool.  Mr.  Miller  is  a  devoted  member  of 
the  United  Brethren  faith  and  to  this  religion 
his  wife  and  family  also  give  their  allegiance. 
His  politics  are  consistently  republican  and 
he  has  served  with  ability  and  efficiency  a.9 
road  supervisor.  He  is  now  acting  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  local  school  board  and  his  labors 
along  this  line  are  doing  much  to  promote 
educational  expansion.  His  farm  is  located 
on  Fishtrap  creek,  nine  miles  below  Myrtle 
Point,  in  Coos  county.  His  genuine  personal 
worth  and  his  activity  in  a  useful  line  of 
occupation  have  combined  to  make  him  one 
of  the  enterprising  and  representative  men 
of  this  section  whose  careers  have  been  influ- 
ential factors  in  agricultural  development. 

GUSTAVE  SCHROEDER  owns  an  interest 
in  an  estate  of  two  hundred  acres  but  is  cul- 
tivating a  tract  of  leased  land  in  Coos  county. 
He  was  born  at  Arago,  Oregon,  in  1883,  a 
son  of  John  Henry  and  Emily  Schroeder.  His 
youthful  days  were  quietly  passed  without 
any  event  of  special  importance.  He  gave 
much  of  his  time  to  the  acquirement  of  an 
education  and  remained  at  home  until  after 
his  marriage.  He  learned  the  jewelry  business 
and  conducted  a  store  at  Myrtle  Point  for  two 
years,  but  in  March,  1912,  began  farming 
on  rented  land,  located  on  the  Coquille  river, 
near  Arago.  His  fields  are  well  cultivated  and 
he  has  made  good  plans  for  their  further 
development   and    improvement. 

In  November,  1907,  Mr.  Schroeder  was  uni- 
ted in  marriage  to  Miss  Susie  Smith,  a 
native  of  Oregon  and  a  daughter  of  W.  B. 
and  Ada  (Lamb)  Smith,  both  of  whom  are 
natives  of  Arkansas  and  are  pioneer  settlers 
of  Coos  county,  where  they  have  long  re- 
sided. At  present  they  make  their  home  at 
Coquille.  The  father  engaged  in  the  hard- 
ware business  for  many  years  but  recently 
retired,  retaining  the  building  in  which  his 
store  was  formerly  located  and  a  stock  of 
goods.  The  business  is  now  being  carried 
on  by  his  son.  He  also  owns  other  property 
in  the  town  and  a  good  ranch  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  in  the  county.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  W.  B.  Smith  were  born  four  children: 
Mrs.  Lloyd  Oddy,  of  Coquille:  Mrs.  Schroe- 
der; Kennon.  of  Myrtle  Point;  and  Ethel, 
who   is   at   home.      Mr.   and   Mrs.   Schroeder 


liave  two  cliildren:  Vivian  G.,  born  in  De- 
cember, lUOU;  and  Irene  E.,  born  in  1910. 
The  family  reside  about  seven  miles  above 
Coquille  on  the  river  and  are  well  known  in 
that  locality.  They  hold  to  the  faith  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  Mr.  Schroe- 
der gives  his  political  allegiance  to  the  demo- 
cratic party.  He  is  yet  a  young  man  but  has 
already  made  for  himself  a  creditable  ulace 
in  business  circles  and  his  ambition  and 
energy  will  carrj-  him  steadil}'  forward. 

GEORGE  F.  ROBISON  is  one  of  the  suc- 
cessful dairy  farmers  in  Coos  county  and  is 
contributing  his  share  in  making  tlu>t  indus- 
try important  among  the  resources  of  his 
state.  He  was  born  in  Cole  county,  Missouri. 
November  11,  1874,  and  is  a  son  of  George  T. 
and  Priscilla  (Medloek)  Eobison,  both  natives 
of  that  section.  They  were  married  in  Cole 
county  and  lived  there  until  1888.  The  father 
followed  farming  and  was  successful  in  the 
operation  of  a  large  agricultural  enterprise. 
In  1888  he  came  to  Oregon  and  settled  on  the 
Coquille  river,  four  miles  above  the  city  of 
Coquille,  where  he  proved  up  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  land.  He  later  purchased 
his  parents'  farm  consisting  of  two  hundred 
and  eighty  acres  and  added  this  to  his  home- 
stead claim,  owning  in  all  four  hundred  and 
forty  acres,  comprising  one  of  the  finest 
tracts  of  farm  land  in  the  section.  He  had 
large  pastures  and  made  a  specialty  of  the 
raising  and  breeding  of  high-grade  stock.  He 
gave  his  personal  attention  to  this  branch  of 
his  enterprise  and  was  active  in  it  until  his 
death  in  February,  1912.  His  w-ife  is  still 
living  with  her  youngest  son  upon  the  farm. 
To  their  union  were  born  three  children: 
George  F.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Eva, 
the  wife  of  John  Hickam,  of  Coquille;  and 
James,   who    resides   on   the   old    homestead. 

George  Robison  received  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  Coos  county,  and  his  early 
life  was  identified  with  agriculture  in  all  its 
branches.  He  aided  his  father  in  the  work  of 
the  farm  and  became  acquainted  with  the 
various  details  connect.ed  with  its  operation. 
For  some  time  he  and  his  father  were  associ- 
ated in  the  conduct  of  the  homestead  and 
5Ir.  Robison  remained  at  home  until  one  year 
after  his  marriage.  He  then  rented  land  in 
the  same  section  and  for  four  years  was  suc- 
cessful as  an  independent  agriculturist.  At 
the  end  of  that  time  he  moved  upon  his  wife's 
property  of  seventy-seven  acres  situated  five 
miles  above  Coquille,  and  here  he  has  since 
operated  a  model  dairy.  He  feeds  his  own 
cattle,  and  the  acres  which  comprise  his  farm 
are  used  as  pasture  land.  His  buildings  are 
ke])t  always  dean  and  sanitary  and  are 
equipped  with  suitable  machinery.  The  but- 
ter and  cheese  from  his  dairy  rank  among  the 
finest  products  of  their  kind  in  Coos  county, 
and  their  quality  is  the  direct  result  of  sys- 
tem and  science  in  their  preparation.  He 
keeps  a  large  herd  of  blooded  stock,  and  his 
operations  along  this  line  add  materially  to 
his  income.  At  the  present  time  he  owns,  in 
conjunction  with  his  wife,  seventy  acres  of 
land  aside  from  his  dairy  farm  and  a  one 
third  interest  in  the  four  hundred  and  forty 


ITU 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OEEGON 


acres   which  comprise   the  homestead   of  his 
father. 

Mr.  Robison  was  married  on  January  23, 
190'.,  to  Miss  Mary  W.  Lamb,  who  was  born 
on  the  Coquille  river,  Coos  county.  She  is 
a  daughter  of  J.  H.  Lamb,  whose  sketch  ap- 
pears elsewhere  in  this  work.  To  ilr.  and 
Mrs.  Robison  have  been  born  three  children: 
Ruby  A.,  who  was  born  in  May,  1908;  Opal, 
born  on  the  25th  of  June,  1910;  and  Houston 
T.,  whose  birth  occurred  on  February  20, 
1912.  Mr.  Robison  and  his  family  affiliate 
with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  South. 
He  has  made  a  steady  advance  in  life  and 
his  citizenship  is  of  the  kind  which  finds  its 
most  important  outlet  in  quiet  industry  along 
a  chosen  walk  of  life. 

JOHN  KRONENBERG  came  alone  across 
the  Atlantic  from  Germany  to  America  when 
he  was  a  boy  of  about  twelve,  landing  in  Bal- 
timore with  no  resources  beyond  his  industry 
and  his  readiness  to  work.  He  obtained  a 
position  as  a  shoemaker's  apprentice  and 
labored  diligently  at  this  and  various  other 
occupations.  He  made  his  way  to  different 
parts  of  the  United  States,  mining  in  Cali- 
fornia and  farming  in  Oregon,  working  al- 
waj's  diligently  and  intelligently  until  suc- 
cess and  prosperity  crowned  his  old  age. 
He  was  one  of  the  sturdy,  reliable  and  up- 
right sons  of  Germany  whose  careers  have 
reflected  credit  upon  the  sections  in  which 
they  settled  and  his  death,  which  occurred 
on  June  19,  1910,  brought  to  a  close  a  career 
which  was  in  all  its  aspects  upright,  straight- 
forward and  honorable. 

Mr.  Kronenberg  was  born  in  Germany  on 
the  twenty-third  of  .January,  1826,  and  came 
to  America  in  1837,  landing  in  Baltimore, 
where  he  served  as  an  apprentice  to  a 
shoemaker  for  some  time.  In  1849  he  went 
to  California,  making  the  journey  around 
the  Horn  and  going  to  the  gold  fields,  where 
he  staked  several  claims.  He  was  com- 
paratively successful,  acquiring  during  his 
period  of  residence  nearly  two  thousand  dol- 
lars. In  1859  he  came  to  Oregon  and  took 
up  a  preemption  claim  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres,  to  which  he  later  added  more 
than  two  hundred  acres  of  school  land  on 
Hall's  creek,  near  Arago.  The  property  was 
undeveloped  and  most  of  it  was  covered 
with  heavy  timber.  Mr.  Kronenberg  was 
obliged  to  fell  the  trees  before  he  could 
begin  the  work  of  development  and  improve- 
ment, which,  however,  resulted  in  a  short 
time  in  making  his  farm  one  of  the  most  at- 
tractive and  ably  managed  agricultural  en- 
terprises in  the  section.  During  this  time 
he  was  identified  with  much  of  the  upbuild- 
ing and  progress  of  this  section  of  the  state 
and  was  well  known  for  his  ready  coopera- 
tion in  movements  looking  toward  the  pub- 
lic good.  He  lived  upon  his  holdings  un- 
til 1S88.  when  he  disposed  of  all  the  land 
which  he  had  accumulated  and  moved  to 
Coquille,  whore  he  purchased  a  hardware 
business  which  was  already  established  and 
managed  it  successfully  until  his  building 
was    destroyed   by    a   fire    which   completely 


demolished  the  entire  business  section  of  the 
town.  Mr.  Kronenberg  at  this  time  lost 
a  twelve  thousand  dollar  stock  upon  which 
he  had  no  insurance.  He,  however,  did  not 
allow  his  misfortune  to  discourage  him  in 
any  way  and  immediately  rebuilt  his  en- 
terprise and  at  the  end  of  two  years  had 
one  of  the  most  prosperous  and  flourishing 
hardware  establishments  in  Coos  county.  He 
eventually  sold  out  his  interests  and  retired, 
making  his  home  in  CoquiUe  until  his  death 
on  June  19,  1910.  There  was  hardly  a  line 
of  legitimate  activity  in  which  Mr.  Kronen- 
berg was  not  active  and  prominent.  He 
was  extensively  interested  in  the  Randolph 
Lumber  Company  at  Parker'sburg  and  also 
in  the  Bandon  Tug  Company,  which  operated 
on  the  Coquille  river  between  Bandon  and 
Coquille,  handling  the  large  ships  which  were 
constantly  coming  into  Bandon  harbor  to 
load  for  their  journeys  into  foreign  ports. 

On  March  6,  1856.  ilr.  Kronenberg  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Catherine  Buech- 
ler,  a  native  of  Baltimore,  Maryland,  and 
a  daughter  of  Nicholas  and  Rachel  (Horn) 
Buechler.  ilis.  Kronenberg  came  to  the  Pa- 
cific coast  in  1856  and  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  our  subject  in  San  Francisco  on 
March  6  of  that  year.  She  came  to  Coos 
county  with  her  husband  and  assisted  him 
greatly  in  his  early  farming  career.  In 
1906  they  completed  the  fiftieth  year  of 
their  married  life,  celebrating  on  this  occa- 
sion the  first  golden  wedding  anniversary 
ever  held  in  Coos  county  within  the  memory 
of  the  oldest  inhabitants.  Their  many 
friends  thronged  to  their  home  to  tender  their 
good  wishes  upon  this  occasion  and  were 
heartily  welcomed  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kronen- 
berg. who  during  the  forty  years  of  their 
residence  in  this  section  have  gained  wide- 
spread respect  and  esteem.  Our  subject  and 
his  wife  became  the  parents  of  five  children. 
Emma,  the  eldest,  is  the  wife  of  James 
Blakeley.  of  Lodi,  California,  and  they  have 
two  sons.  John  and  Frank.  John,  the  sec- 
ond in  order  of  birth  is  a  banker  and  capital- 
ist of  Bandon.  Oregon.  He  is  married  and 
has  two  sons.  John  and  George.  Fred  is 
connected  with  the  Parker  Boiler  Company 
of  Denver,  Colorado.  He  is  married  and 
has  a  son,  James.  Rachel  is  the  wife  of 
Alfred  Marsh,  a  farmer  of  Port  Orford.  Ore- 
gon, and  they  have  nine  children,  Mary, 
.John,  Louis,  Donald.  Dorothy.  Frederick. 
Nicholas.  Beatrice  and  Kate.  Ida,  who  com- 
pletes the  family  is  the  wife  of  Dr.  W.  C. 
Owen   an   oculist   of  St.  Louis,  Missouri. 

In  his  political  aflfiliations  Mr.  Kronenberg 
was  a  consistent  democrat.  He  was  ever 
intelligently  and  actively  interested  in  the 
progress  and  growth  of  the  section  to  which 
he  came  as  a  pioneer.  The  only  public 
office  he  held  was  that  of  road  supervisor, 
although  he  was  constantly  called  upon  by 
his  friends  and  acquaintances  to  accept  po- 
litical positions.  He.  however,  preferred 
to  give  his  time  and  attention  to  the  carry- 
ing on  of  his  important  private  enterprise 
and  did  his  public  duty  by  making  his 
private   life   useful   and   valuable.     His  par- 


'■^n„tiY 


JOHN  KROXEXBERCi 


MRS.  CATHERINE  E.  KROXEXBERG 


THE  NEvr  ■ 
PUBLIC     LIBRARY 


MTO?. 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


181 


ents  were  Roman  Catholics  but  he  did  not 
affiliate  with  any  church,  believing  in  the 
doctrine  of  universal  kindness  and  good-will. 
He  belonged  to  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows  and  was  a  personal  friend  of 
the  first  member  of  the  Baltimore  branch 
of  that  organization.  He  was  successful  in 
the  truest  sense  of  the  word,  a  man  of  un- 
usually broad-minded  and  intelligent  views, 
tolerant  and  with  wide  experience,  never 
mercenary  or  grasping,  believing  in  something 
greater  in  importance  than  material  wealth, 
who  in  the  course  of  a  long  life  spent  simply 
and  unostentatiously  was  a  factor  for  good 
in  almost  every  phase  of  community  develop- 
ment. His  death  was  a  distinct  loss  to  the 
city  of  Coquille  and  to  Coos  county,  since 
it  deprived  business  circles  of  a  successful, 
upright  and  able  man,  who  diu-ing  the  course 
of  his  fifty  years'  residence  gave  his  energies 
and  attention  entirely  to  lasting  and  worthy 
things. 

CAPTAIN  JESSE  L.  ROY.  living  about  a 
mile  above  Coquille  on  the  Coquille  river,  is 
a  veteran  of  both  the  Mexican  and  Civil  wars 
and  is  one  of  the  few  survivors  of  that  earlier 
struggle  whereby  the  interests  of  the  coun- 
try were  maintained.  He  was  born  in  Dixon 
county,  Tennessee,  August  28,  1830,  a  son 
of  Abel  and  Sarah  Roy,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  the  central  section  of  Tennessee, 
where  they  lived  until  1840,  when  they  sold 
that  property  and  removed  to  Arkansas. 
There  the  father  purchased  land  and  also 
secured  a  claim  from  the  government. 
Throughout  his  remaining  days  he  followed 
■farming,  passing  away  at  the  advanced  age 
of  eighty-four  years.  He  had  long  survived 
his  wife",  who  died  in  1845.  In  their  family 
were  but  two  children,  the  younger  being 
Elizabeth,  who  is  the  widow  of  James  Burk 
and  resides  in  Arkansas.  Following  the  death 
of  his  first  wife  the  father  married  again  and 
by  that  union  there  were  eight  daughters, 
ail  of  whom  have  passed  away  with  the  ex- 
ception  of  Mrs.  Emily  Turner  of  Arkansas. 

Captain  Roy  was  a"  lad  of  ten  years  when 
he  accompanied  his  parents  on  their  removal 
from  Tennessee  to  Arkansas  and  in  the  schools 
of  the  latter  state  he  acquired  his  education. 
At  twenty  years  of  age  he  left  the  parental 
home  and  began  farming  on  his  own  account. 
In  the  meantime  he  had  served  for  ten  months 
as  a  soldier  in  the  Mexican  war,  enlisting 
when  but  eighteen  years  of  age.  He  con- 
tinued to  devote  his  attention  to  agricultural 
pursuits  in  Arkansas  from  1850  nntil  1862. 
when  he  responded  to  the  call  of  the  Con- 
federacy and  enlisted  as  a  member  of  Com- 
pany H.  of  the  Arkansas  Infantry.  Four 
months  later  he  was  promoted  to  the  rank 
of  captain  following  the  death  of  Captain 
Byers.  who  was  killed  in  action.  With  that 
rank  Captain  Roy  served  until  the  close  of 
hostilities  and  although  he  was  often  in  the 
thickest  of  the  fight,  leading  his  troops  in 
the  forefront  of  battle,  he  was  never  wounded 
or  sustained  an  injury.    • 

When  the  war  was  brought  to  a  close  Cap- 
tain Rov   returned   to  his   farm   in   Arkansas 
and  in  connection  with  its  cultivation  he  also 
Vol.  IV— 8 


operated  a  saw  and  grist  mill  until  he  came 
to  the  west  in  1875,  in  which  year  he  settled 
in  Coos  county,  within  the  borders  of  which 
he  has  since  made  his  home.  His  first  pur- 
chase of  land  made  him  owner  of  fourteen 
acres,  to  which  he  has  since  added  until  he 
now  has  fifty-four  acres  a  mile  and  a  half 
above  Coquille,  bordering  the  river.  He  was 
actively  engaged  in  the  development  and 
improvement  of  this  place  until  1906.  when 
he  retired  from  farming  but  still  occupies  his 
home  farm.  He  also  owns  residence  property 
in   Coquille  and   real   estate   in   Bandon. 

In  1849  Captain  Roy  was  married  to  Miss 
Emily  Courtney,  who  was  born  in  Arkansas 
in  1S38.  Thej'  became  parents  of  five  chil- 
dren, of  whom  two  are  living:  Henry  C,  of 
Arkansas:  and  James  B.,  living  in  Santa 
Rosa,  California.  The  wife  and  mother 
passed  away  in  California  in  1874  and  in 
1875  Captain  Roy  wedded  Delia  A.  Brown, 
who  was  born  in  Ai-kansas,  September  10, 
1S41,  a  daughter  of  Miles  A.  and  Mary 
(Myers)  Brown,  the  former  a  native  of  North 
Carolina,  and  the  latter  of  Indiana.  They 
were  married  in  Arkansas  and  some  years 
thereafter  removed  to  North  Carolina.  Later 
they  were  residents  of  Indiana  and  again 
of  Arkansas,  where  the  father  died  at  the 
age  of  forty-five  years,  while  the  mother 
passed  away  in  Missouri.  They  were  the 
])arents  of  eight  children  but  onlj'  two  are 
living:  Mrs.  Roy;  and  Mrs.  Mary  A.  Garner, 
of  Missouri.  Captain  and  Mrs.  Roy  have  two 
daughters:  Mary  E.,  who  was  born  in  1876 
and  is  the  wife  of  George  S.  Robison  of  the 
Coquille  valley;  and  Hulda  0..  who  was  born 
in  1881  and  is  the  wife  of  Arthur  Ellingson. 
a  hardware  merchant  of  Coquille.  Captain 
Roy  and  his  family  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal" church.  South.  He  be- 
longs also  to  the  Masonic  lodge,  chapter  and 
the  Eastern  Star  and  has  filled  many  of  the 
offices  in  those  organizations.  Politically  he 
is  a  democrat  but  the  honors  and  emoluments 
of  office  have  no  attraction  for  him,  as  he 
has  always  preferred  to  do  his  public  duty 
as  a  private  citizen.  He  is  now  one  of  the 
venerable  residents  of  Coos  county,  having 
reached  the  age  of  eighty-two  years,  and  he 
looks  back  over  a  life  in  which  have  been 
many  interesting  and  varied  incidents,  in- 
cluding service  in  two  of  the  great  wars  of 
the  country. 

HARRY  S.  BRAWN  is  the  well  known  and 
efficient  cashier  and  business  manager  of  the 
Yoncalla  State  Bank.  He  was  born  in  Min- 
nesota on  December  28,  1886,  and  is  a  son 
of  Summer  and  Lillis  J.  (Brace)  Brawn,  the 
former  a  native  of  Wisconsin  and  the  latter 
of  Minnesota.  The  parents  were  married  in 
:Minnesota  and  immediately  afterward  made 
their  home  in  Murray  county,  that  state, 
where  the  father  was  successfully  engaged  in 
farming  for  twenty  consecutive  years.  In 
1900  he  came  with  his  family  to  Oregon  and 
settled  in  Douglas  county  where  he  pur- 
chased a  ranch  of  five  hundred  acres  located 
two  miles  east  of  Yoncalla.  On  that  prop- 
erty he  has  since  lived  and  is  today  engaged 


182 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


in  general  farming  and  stock-raising.     He  is 

an  adlierent  of  the  republican  party. 

Harry  S.  Brawn  was  reared  at  home,  ac- 
quired his  early  education  in  the  public  schools 
and  was  for  some  time  a  student  in  the  high 
school  at  Eugene.  While  in  the  midst  of  his 
high-school  course  he  sufl'ered  an  attack  of 
typhoid  fever  which  rendered  him  unable  to 
continue  his  studies.  In  1907  he  accepted  a 
clerkship  in  the  Yoncalla  State  Bank  and 
one  year  later  was  promoted  to  the  office  of 
cashier  of  that  institution.  At  the  time  he 
received  his  appointment  as  cashier  he  was 
twenty-two  years  of  age  and  probably  the 
youngest   bank   cashier   in   Oregon. 

Harry  S.  Brawn  was  united  in  marriage 
March  9.  1912,  to  Miss  Helen  G.  Burt,  a 
daughter  of  Mr.  and  ilrs.  Henry  Burt  who  are 
prominent  residents  of  Yoncalla.  Mr.  Brawn 
is  affiliated  with  the  republican  party  and 
is  a  member  of  Sunset  Lodge.  Xo.  144.  A.  F.  & 
A.  M..  Alpha  Lodge,  Xo.  ITO,  L  0.  0.  F.  and 
the  Modern  Brotherhood  of  America.  He  is 
in  the  midst  of  his  active  business  career. 
By  strict  attention  to  business  and  integrity 
lie  lias  built  up  a  reputation  and  is  today  a 
desirable  and  influential  citizen  of  Douglas 
county. 

T.  S.  EVERNDEN.  Two  hundred  and 
eighty  acres  of  land  located  on  Bock  creek, 
Coos  county,  Oregon,  and  almost  entirely 
devoted  to  stock-raising  in  its  specialized 
branches  engages  the  attention  of  T.  S.  Evern- 
den.  one  of  the  prominent  and  successful 
agriculturists  of  this  section.  He  is  a  native 
of  New  York  state  where  his  birth  occurred 
on  November  11,  1851,  and  is  a  son  of  Thomas 
and  Elizabeth  .J.  (Turner)  Evernden,  natives 
of  London.  Kent  county,  England.  They 
were  married  in  their  native  country  and 
came  to  America  in  1847,  settling  in  Roch- 
ester. New  Y'ork.  where  they  remained  for 
five  years.  They  spent  the  next  seven  years 
in  Lafayette.  Indiana.  Hence  they  moved  to 
Ashby"s  Mills  in  tlie  same  state  where  they 
maintained  their  residence  for  a  short  time. 
Later  they  removed  to  Victoria,  Missouri, 
where  they  lived  for  a  number  of  years. 
Tliomas  Evernden  left  this  city  to  establish 
his  residence  in  Gallatin.  Missouri,  and  here 
he  died  in  1865.  His  wife  survived  him  tmtil 
1S72  in  which  year  her  death  occurred.  They 
were  the  parents  of  eight  children:  Henry, 
who  is  a  resident  of  Missouri;  T.  S.,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch;  Mrs.  Westly  Lee  of 
Winston.  Missouri ;  W.  F.,  who  resides  in 
Canada:  Alton  A.,  a  railroad  conductor  with 
headquarters  at  Memphis,  Tennessee;  and 
George,  Emma  and  Alice,  all  of  whom  are 
deceased. 

T.  S.  Evernden  received  his  early  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  of  Indiana  and 
began  active  life  for  himself  at  the  age  of 
seventeen.  He  worked  at  various  occupations 
until  his  marriage  in  1S73  in  which  year  he 
began  farming  on  a  homestead  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  to  which  he  had  pre- 
viously proved  title  and  which  he  has  occu- 
pied since  that  time.  His  original  holdings 
now  form  only  a  part  of  his  extensive  farm. 
He  has  added  to  his  property  at  various  in- 


tervals and  now  owns  two  hundred  and  eight 
acres  comprising  one  of  the  finest  and  most 
productive  randies  on  Rock  creek.  He  makes 
a  specialty  of  stock-raising  and  is  known  as 
an  e.xpert  Judge  of  horses  and  cattle  and  as 
a  man  eminently  successful  in  this  line  of 
activity. 

On  August  27,  1873,  Mr.  Evernden  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Susan  J.  Apple- 
ton,  a  native  of  Oregon,  and  a  daughter  of 
James  and  Susan  Appleton,  who  came  to  this 
state  at  an  early  date  and  were  married  here. 
They  lived  for  some  time  in  the  Willamette 
valley  and  were  also  residents  of  Jackson 
county  and  Canyon  City,  Oregon.  Mrs.  Evern- 
den's  father  died  at  Grants  Pass,  Josephine 
county,  and  his  widow  is  now  residing  at 
Ten  Mile.  They  were  the  parents  of  eight 
children,  five  of  whom  are  still  living:  J.  W., 
who  is  a  farmer  in  Coos  county;  S.  E..  of 
Bandon,  Oregon;  Malissa,  now  Mrs.  William 
Coats  of  Ten  Mile.  Oregon;  Harriett,  who 
married  Mr.  Welch,  of  Washington ;  and  Em- 
ma, who  resides  in  Aberdeen,  Washington. 
Mrs.  Evernden  died  on  March  26.  1910,  and  is 
buried  at  Enchanted  Prairie,  Oregon.  She  and 
her  husband  were  the  parents  of  ten  children: 
James  T.,  who  is  married  and  lives  near  his 
fathers  homestead;  Ernie  E.,  who  is  also 
wedded  and  resides  three  miles  from  the  home 
farm;  Fred,  who  makes  his  home  in  Coquille 
city;  Charley,  who  is  married  and  resides  in 
the  same  place;  Alice  and  Zoe,  twins,  the 
former  the  wife  of  L.  M.  Aasen  of  Argo,  Ore- 
gon, and  the  latter  the  wife  of  S.  S.  Shields 
of  Bandon,  Oregon;  Lessie  L.  and  Jesse,  also 
twins,  the  former  of  whom  lives  at  home  and 
the  latter  of  whom  is  now  dead ;  and  Susie 
D.  and  Joseph  L.,  both  of  whom  reside  at 
liome.  All  the  children  born  to  ilr.  and  Mrs. 
Evernden  received  their  education  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Coos  county.  They  all  aflSliate 
with  the  Christian  church  which  is  the  reli- 
gion of  their  parents. 

In  his  political  convictions  Mr.  Evernden 
is  a  republican  and  has  served  as  special  road- 
master  with  ability  and  energy  for  two  years. 
His  record  of  twenty  years  of  service  as  su- 
pervisor is  an  evidence  of  the  quality  of  the 
work  which  lie  does  as  a  public  servant.  His 
activities  in  this  line  are  distinguished  by  the 
same  thoroughness  of  system  and  progressive 
ideas  which  marked  his  farm  life  and  which 
make  his  agricultural  career  as  successful 
and  prosperous  as  his  political  service  is  dis- 
tinguished and  efficient. 

WILLIAM  R.  COLEMAN  has  served  for 
tliree  terms  as  county  clerk  of  Jackson  county, 
his  reelection  being  unmistakable  evidence 
of  his  ability,  fidelity  and  the  confidence  re- 
posed in  him  by  his  fellow  citizens.  He  makes 
his  home  in  Jacksonville  and  is  a  native  of 
Jackson  county,  his  birth  having  there  oc- 
curred December  31,  1870.  His  parents  were 
Matthew  H.  and  Sabra  A.  (Goddard)  Cole- 
man, natives  of  Ohio  and  Missouri  respec- 
tively. The  father,  who  was  born  February 
19,  1826.  came  to  Jackson  county.  Oregon,  in 
October.  1853.  thus  casting  his  lot  with  the 
early  pioneer  settlers.  He  afterward  devoted 
his    attention    to    farming   and    mining   and 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


183 


lived  ill  this  localit}'  to  the  time  of  his  death, 
which  occurred  on  June  38,  190S.  His  wife, 
who  was  born  August  23,  1839,  lives  in  Tal- 
ent, Jackson  county.  In  the  family  were 
seven  children,  of  whom  five  yet  survive: 
Elmer  G.,  a  merchant  of  Phoenix;  Mareia,  the 
wife  of  John  R.  Robinson,  of  Talent;  William 
R. ;  James  B.,  a  mail  carrier  living  in  Talent; 
and  Edith,  the  wife  of  Edward  Cochran,  a 
farmer  of  Talent.  Those  who  have  passed 
away  are  Edgar  Earl  and  Arthur  R. 

William  R.  Coleman  has  spent  his  entire 
life  in  Jackson  county.  He  acquired  a  com- 
mon-school education,  and  after  putting  aside 
his  text-books  became  connected  with  farm 
operation,  to  which  he  devoted  his  time  and 
energies  until  about  eleven  years  ago.  He 
then  left  the  plow  to  engage  in  commercial 
pursuits,  opening  a  general  store  in  Phoenix, 
where  he  also  served  as  postmaster  for  five 
years.  He  was  at  that  time  called  from  pri- 
vate life  to  public  office,  being  elected  county 
clerk  in  June,  1906.  He  was  installed  in  the 
position  on  July  6th  of  that  year,  and  re- 
election has  continued  him  in  the  office  for 
three  terms.  He  has  discharged  his  duties 
promptly  and  systematically  and  his  work 
has  reflected  credit  upon  himself  and  been 
highly  satisfactory  to  his  constituents.  He 
is  republican  in  his  political  views  and  was 
the  first  candidate  who  ever  filed  a  petition 
under   the  primary  law  of  Oregon. 

On  the  20th  of  January,  1891.  Mr.  Cole- 
man was  united  in  marriage  to  Mrs.  Mattie 
A.  Klippel,  a  daughter  of  Louis  and  Martha 
(Culver)  Sisley.  both  of  whom  are  deceased. 
Mrs.  Coleman  is  a  native  of  Baker  county, 
Oregon,  and  by  this  marriage  has  become  the 
mother  of  three  sons:  Frank  L.,  who  was 
born  September  23,  1893;  Elbert,  who  was 
born  April  3,  1900;  and  Russel.  born  April  36, 
1902.  Mr.  Coleman  is  a  charter  member  of 
Phoenix  Camp,  No.  438,  Woodmen  of  the 
World,  and  is  also  a  member  of  Oak  Circle. 
No.  241,  Women  of  Woodcraft.  He  likewise 
belongs  to  the  Odd  Fellows  lodge  at  Medford 
and  Rogue  River  Encampment,  and  to  the 
Elks  Lodge,  No.  944.  His  social  qualities 
render  him  popular,  while  his  fidelity  to 
duty  commands  the  respect  and  confidence 
of  all  with  whom  he  has  come  in  contact. 
He  is  justly  numbered  among  the  progressive 
and  public-spirited  citizens  of  his  native 
county. 

DANIEL  R.  LEWIS.  The  agricultural 
career  of  Daniel  R.  Lewis  dates  back  to  the 
days  of  government  preemption  claims  in 
the  state  of  Oregon,  and  he  has  been  iden- 
tified with  the  modern  and  progressive  feat- 
ures of  farming  since  the  early  days  of  de- 
velopment in  Coos  county.  He  operates  a 
flourishing  property  comprising  one  hundred 
and  five  acres  of  the  most  fertile  and  pro- 
ductive land  in  the  district  and  has  brought 
his  holdings,  through  intelligent  and  prac- 
tical activity,  to  a  high  state  of  cultivation. 
His  farm  is  located  on  the  north  fork  of  the 
Coquille  river  and  is  one  of  the  attractive 
features  of  the  landscape  there.  Mr.  Lewis 
was  born  in  Carter  county.  Tennessee,  in 
1862,   and    is    a    son    of   William    and   Mary 


(Lewis)  Lewis,  the  former  a  native  of  Wilkes 
county.  North  Carolina,  and  the  latter  of 
Tennessee.  The  father  left  his  native  state, 
went  to  the  county  where  his  son  was  born, 
at  an  early  date,  and  was  long  identified  with 
the  development  of  that  section.  He  had 
three  children:  Ida,  who  married  T.  R.  Bill- 
ings, farming  on  the  south  fork  of  the  Co- 
quille river,  by  whom  she  has  one  child,  Per- 
melia  Irene;  Joseph,  w-ho  is  living  in  Carter 
county,  Tennessee;  and  Daniel  R.,  of  this  re- 
view. 

Daniel  R.  Lewis  was  reared  upon  the  home 
farm  and  remained  with  his  parents  until 
his  marriage,  when  he  was  twenty-one  years 
of  age.  His  education  was  acquired  in  the 
district  schools  of  his  native  state.  He  fol- 
lowed the  carpenters'  trade  for  some  years 
in  Tennessee  but  gave  it  up  in  1885,  when  he 
settled  in  Coos  county,  where  he  took  up  a 
government  preemption  claim  and  after  cul- 
tivating and  developing  it  sold  his  holdings 
at  a  profit  and  purchased  the  farm  which  he 
now  owns.  It  is  one  of  the  model  properties 
in  the  vicinity  of  Gravel  Ford  and  comprises 
one  hundred  and  five  fertile  acres  highly  im- 
proved and  cultivated.  Its  condition  is  entirely 
due  to  the  intelligent  labor  which  Mr.  Lewis 
has  spent  upon  it.  He  has  cleared  almost 
his  entire  tract  of  land  and  has  invested  his 
money  judiciously  in  farm  machinery  and 
equipment  for  his  barns  and  outbuildings. 
His  agricultural  career  in  Coos  county  dates 
back  to  the  time  when  there  were  no  public 
roads  and  no  conveniences  for  bringing  provi- 
sions into  the  country  districts.  He  is  a 
practical  and  judicious  farmer  well  versed  in 
the  breeding  of  live  stock,  the  selection  of 
seed  and  the  rotation  of  crops.  He  plants 
his  fields  to  the  grains  and  vegetables  best 
suited  to  the  soil  and  climate  and  his  activi- 
ties have  been  productive  because  they  are 
always  practical.  In  addition  to  general  agri- 
culture Mr.  Lewis  specializes  in  dairying, 
raising  his  own  jersey  cattle  for  this  pur- 
pose. He  is  identified  on  a  small  scale  with 
the  business  of  breeding  thoroughbred  horses. 

Daniel  R.  Lewis  has  been  married  twice. 
In  March,  1883,  he  wedded  Miss  Carrie  C. 
Sumerlin,  a  native  of  North  Carolina  whose 
youthful  days  were  spent  in  Tennessee.  She 
was  a  daughter  of  John  and  Eliza  (Lipps) 
Sumerlin.  the  former  a  native  of  Tennessee 
and  the  latter  of  North  Carolina.  Mr.  Sumer- 
lin has  passed  away.  His  wife  is  yet  living 
and  makes  her  home  in  Myrtle  Point.  They 
had  the  following  children:  Alvin,  who  re- 
sides near  Lee,  Coos  county;  Rube,  minister 
of  the  United  Brethren  church  in  Vancouver, 
Washington;  Carrie  C,  the  wife  of  our  sub- 
ject; Mike  P.,  of  Coos  county,  Oregon; 
Thomas,  a  resident  of  the  same  section; 
Cordie  E.,  the  wife  of  Ed.  Llewellyn,  of  Myrtle 
Point;  Sophronia.  the  wife  of  Walter  Law- 
horn,  of  McKinley,  Oregon;  John  Cleveland, 
of  Myrtle  Point;  Lester  Lee,  who  is  now  in 
Alaska  but  whose  home  is  in  Myrtle  Point; 
Henry  Gradv.  a  resident  of  Myrtle  Point; 
and  two  children  who  are  deceased.  By  Mr. 
Lewis'  first  marriage  he  became  the  father 
of  three  children:  Bessie,  the  wife  of  Robert 
Goetz,  a  prominent  attorney  and  principal  of 


184 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


the  high  school  in  Milwaukie,  Oregon,  by 
whom  she  has  one  child,  Robert  II.;  Butler 
Raybum,  a  dairyman  of  Coos  county,  who 
is  married  and  has  two  children,  Walter  and 
Ellis;  and  Ola  C,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
eight  years.  All  of  Mr.  Lewis'  children  were 
educated  in  the  district  schools  of  Coos  coun- 
ty and  attended  Plymouth  College  near  Cor- 
vallis.  The  son,  Butler  R.,  took  a  commercial 
eour.se  in  that  institution,  while  the  daugh- 
ter Bessie  was  graduated  from  a  special  de- 
partment in  music.  Mr.  Lewis'  first  wife 
passed  away  on  December  12,  1907,  and  on 
November  26.  1910,  he  was  again  married, 
his  second  union  being  with  Miss  Kora  B. 
Fletcher,  a  native  of  Tennessee,  by  whom  he 
lias  one  cliild,  Oveda. 

Daniel  R.  Lewis  is  a  member  of  the  United 
Brethren  church  and  is  an  active  worker  in 
religious  circles.  In  his  political  convictions 
he  is  republican  and  while  he  has  never 
sought  public  office  he  served  with  ability 
and  energy  for  seven  years  as  clerk  of  the 
school  board.  His  political  life  has  been 
useful  and  wortliy  and  distinguished  by  those 
intelligent  and  broad-minded  qualities  which 
mark  alike  his  agricultural  career  and  his 
private  activities. 

ORRIN  E.  BAILEY  was  born  in  Illinois  in 
1862  and  is  the  son  of  Ira  and  Jane  (Gear- 
ing) Bailey,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of 
Missouri  and  in  that  state  were  engaged  in 
the  pursuit  of  general  farming  until  tliey 
removed  to  Illinois  in  1S50.  To  them  six 
children  were  born:  Harry,  an  editor  and  also 
a  breeder  of  fine  poultry  at  West  Point,  Mis- 
sissippi; William  and  Ira.  both  of  whom  are 
residents  of  Parsons,  Kansas;  .lane  and 
Agatha,  both  deceased;  and  Orrin  E.,  of  this 
review. 

The  last  named  was  reared  at  home  and 
educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Illinois. 
In  1893  he  removed  to  this  state  and  made 
his  first  settlement  in  Portland,  where  he 
remained  but  a  short  time  and  afterward 
went  to  British  Columbia  and  there  continued 
to  reside  for  six  years  when  he  removed  to 
St.  Helen  in  1904,  at  which  place  he  was 
engaged  as  a  master  carpenter  for  a  quarry 
company  by  whom  he  was  employed  for 
some  time  and  later  removed  to  St.  Johns  in 
this  state,  where  he  was  engaged  in  work  for 
one  year,  after  which  he  removed  to  Florence 
in  1910.  LTpon  reaching  the  city  of  Florence 
he  engaged  at  once  in  the  contracting  and 
building  business,  during  which  time  he  pur- 
chased two  valuable  residence  lots  in  that 
city,  upon  which  he  later  built  his  beautiful 
and  comfortable  home. 

In  1899  Mr.  Bailey  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Mrs.  Marilla  R.  "(Washburn)  Woodwortli, 
the  widow  of  Andrew  .J.  Woodwortli.  who 
was  a  contractor  and  builder  of  Portland. 
Her  parents,  Alford  M.  and  Mary  J.  (Farring- 
ton)  Washburn,  were  natives  of  New  York 
and  came  of  English  parentage.  In  1852 
they  crossed  the  plains  from  Illinois,  settling 
in  Portland,  Oregon,  on  October  26  of  that 
year.     They  remained,  however,  in  that  citv 


but  a  short  time  and  later  removed  to  Olym- 
pia,  Washington,  where  they  spent  their  re- 
maining days.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Washburn 
thirteen  children  were  born,  two  of  whom 
only  are  living:  Brizilla  of  Alaska;  and  Mrs. 
Marilla  R.  Bailey.  Before  her  marriage  to 
Andrew  J.  Woodworth  Mrs.  Bailey  had  been 
married  to  Mr.  Black  and  of  this  union  were 
born  ten  children,  as  follows:  Amanda  J.,  the 
wife  of  Julius  Fowl,  of  St.  Johns.  Oregon ; 
Cilica,  who  is  the  wife  of  Thomas  Mickle  and 
resides  in  Washington;  Elizabeth,  who  is  the 
widow  of  Charles  Mager  and  makes  her  home 
in  Portland;  Joseph  and  Alfred,  both  of 
whom  are  deceased;  Carrie  R.,  the  wife  of 
Harry  Hender.son,  of  St.  Johns,  Oregon;  Isa- 
belle"  JI.,  the  wife  of  W.  F.  Slaughter,  of 
Portland,  this  state;  Walter,  who  is  a  resi- 
dent of  Carson,  Washington;  John  E..  living 
in  St.  Helen,  Oregon;  and  Charles,  who  has 
passed  away. 

Mr.  Bailey  is  affiliated  with  the  democratic 
party  but  has  never  been  a  seeker  of  political 
preferment  in  any  sense.  He  is  a  member  of 
St  Helens  Lodge  Xo.  117  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows  and  ilrs.  Bailey  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Rebekahs,  belonging  to  Laurel- 
wood  Lodge,  St.  Johns,  this  state.  Both  he 
and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Baptist 
church.  Mr.  Bailey  is  a  useful  and  highly 
respected  citizen  of  his  adopted  city  and  is 
identified  with  many  of  the  business  enter- 
pri-ses  and  social  and  educational  organiza- 
tions of  the  community  in  which  he  resides. 
He  is  regarded  among  all  his  acquaintances 
as  a  man  of  circumspect  life,  distinguished 
for  his  integrity  in  all  business  transactions 
and  for  his  loyalty  to  every  good  cause  seek- 
ing the  betterment  of  the  people  of  his  state 
and  county. 

ELVARUS  CULVER  is  improving  and  cul- 
tivating four  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of 
land  located  on  Rock  creek  near  Bridge,  Coos 
county,  Oregon,  and  has  gained  recognition 
as  a  successful  and  practical  farmer.  He 
was  born  in  St.  Lawrence  county.  New  York, 
on  February  6,  1829,  and  is  a  son  of  Joseph 
Culver  who  lived  in  that  section  for  many 
years  before  he  moved  to  Ohio.  Upon  the 
death  of  his  wife  in  that  state  he  moved  to 
Pennsylvania  wliere  he  passed  away.  He  was 
the  father  of  six  children,  of  whom  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  is  the  only  one  now  liv- 
ing. 

Elvarus  Culver  received  his  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  Ohio  and  early  in  his  life 
learned  the  trade  of  millwright  which  he  has 
never  entirely  abandoned.  He  followed  it  as 
a  steady  occupation  for  many  years  and  was 
successful  in  al!  parts  of  the  United  States. 
He  built  a  large  mill  in  Arkansas  and  one  of 
equal  capacity  in  Savon.  Texas.  Fifty  or 
sixty  mills  in  different  sections  of  the  United 
States  are  due  to  his  enterprise  and  labor 
and  in  this  branch  of  activity  he  gained 
recognition  as  an  expert  workman.  He  has 
owned  sawmills  in  various  states  and  for 
some  time  operated  rafts  on  the  upper  Mis- 
sissippi river.  In  this  section  of  the  country 
he  also  followed  the  occupation  of  a  pilot  and 
was  successful  in  this  field  of  endeavor  until 


o 

to' 

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THE  NEW  YORK 
PUBLIC     LIBRARY 


UTOH,  LtNOX  ANB 
T1LDEH   FOUNDATIQNi, 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


187 


he  came  to  Oregon  in  1899.  He  bought  the 
land  wliicli  he  now  owns  on  Rock  creek  near 
Bridge  in  Coos  county.  His  holdings  comprise 
four  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  the  finest 
land  in  the  section  and  his  operations  are  car- 
ried on  along  practical  and  efficient  lines. 
He  retains  his  identification  with  his  old  in- 
dustry by  operating  in  connection  with  his 
sons,  a  large  sawmill  upon  his  premises  and 
this  forms  a  valuable  addition  to  his  in- 
come. 

Mr.  Culver  has  been  twice  married.  His 
first  union  occurred  in  Iowa  where  he  wedded 
Miss  Ruble  Blaesdell.  They  became  the  par- 
ents of  six:  children;  Charles,  who  lives  in 
Wisconsin;  William  and  Warren,  who  are 
now  deceased;  Mahetable,  the  wife  of  Wil- 
liam Lower  of  South  Dakota;  Nellie  B.,  who 
married  J.  E.  Skinner  of  Arkansas;  and  Ma- 
bel, who  is  the  wife  of  0.  Rogers  of  Sioux 
Falls,  South  Dakota.  Mr.  Culver's  first  wife 
died  in  Missouri  and  some  time  later  he  w'as 
again  married.  His  second  union  was  with 
Miss  Luc}'  E.  Monzingo,  who  was  born  in 
South  Carolina.  December  15,  1851,  and  is 
a  daughter  of  Kinchen  and  Mary  A.  Monzingo, 
both  natives  of  that  state.  In  1858  they 
jnoved  to  Louisiana  where  the  father  operated 
a  farm  for  about  twenty-seven  years  until  his 
death  in  1884.  His  wife  survived  him  until 
1890  and  died  in  Texas  whither  she  had 
moved  in  1885.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Monzingo  were 
the  parents  of  twelve  children,  only  two  of 
whom,  Lucy,  the  wife  of  our  subject  and  John 
L.  of  Arizona,  are  surviving.  The  present 
Mrs.  Culver  received  her  education  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Louisiana  and  came  to  Oregon 
upon  her  marriage.  She  and  her  husband  are 
the  parents  of  three  sons:  James  E.,  born 
June  10,  1887;  Clarence,  born  September  22, 
1889;  and  Dwight  E.,  whose  birth  occurred 
August  2,  1892.  All  three  boys  are  still  liv- 
ing at  home. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Culver  is  a  con- 
sistent republican  and  has  served  his  fellow 
citizens  as  assessor  in  Iowa  and  Wisconsin. 
He  affiliates  with  the  Methodist  church  and 
his  wife  is  a  Baptist.  His  work  along  agri- 
cultural lines  in  Coos  county  based  as  it  is  on 
practical  experience  in  the  details  of  plant- 
ing, cultivating  and  harvesting  has  been  pro- 
ductive of  gratifying  results  and  places  him 
among  the  representative  citizens  of  a  com- 
munity in  which  farming  is  the  principal  and 
most  flourishing  industry. 

WILLIAM  J.  J.  SCOTT.  On  the  long  list 
of  Oregon's  honored  pioneers  appears  the  name 
of  TPilliam  J.  J.  Scott,  who  was  a  public- 
spirited  and  enterprising  citizen  and  did  much 
for  the  development  and  upbuilding  of  tlie 
Willamette  valley.  He  was  born  in  Morgan 
county,  Illinois,  October  15,  1824,  his  father 
being  Levi  Scott  who  married  Miss  Ennis 
and  reared  a  large  family  of  whom  none  are 
now  living.  Levi  Scott  made  his  way  west- 
ward in  pioneer  times  and  became  acquainted 
with  all  the  different  phases  of  frontier  life. 
He  took  up  a  donation  land  claim  in  Douglas 
county  and  the  town  of  Scottsburg  lias  been 
built "  on  the  old  homestead.  He  served 
as  captain  of  a  company  in  the  Rogue  River 


war  and  thus  became  acquainted  with  all  the 
phases  of  Indian  hostility.  William  J.  J. 
Scott  shared,  too,  in  the  hardships  and  diffi- 
culties of  founding  a  home  in  the  far  w'est 
and  his  work  was  at  all  time  of  a  progress- 
ive character  tliat  contributed  to  the  public 
improvement  as  well  as  to  individual  suc- 
cess. 

In  1850  Mr.  Scott,  was  married  in  Clacka- 
mas county,  Oregon,  to  Miss  Surena  J.  Rob- 
inson, who  was  born  in  Shelby  county,  Ohio, 
December  5,  1828,  a  daughter  of  William  and 
Susanna  (Cannon)  Robinson  who  were  na- 
tives of  Kentucky  and  Pennsylvania,  respect- 
ively. In  their  family  were  ten  children: 
Mary  A.,  who  married  G.  W.  Cannon;  James 
C. ;  Elizabeth  R.,  who  was  the  wife  of  Asbury 
Barbur;  Cecilia;  Xancy,  the  wife  of  James 
Butler;  Richard  C,  who  married  Ann  Petree; 
Mrs.  Scott;  Clarinda,  who  was  the  wife  of 
John  Scott;  William  Piatt;  and  Matilda  S., 
who  married  Washington  Riggs,  and  since  his 
death  has  become  the  wife  of  James  Haas,  of 
Cloride,  Arizona.  By  her  first  marriage  she 
had  three  children:  John,  Roy  and  Ann,  the 
last  named  the  wife  of  George  Hubbard  of 
Polk  county.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Scott  were 
born  ten  children:  Eliza  S.,  the  wife  of 
David  Trimble,  of  Condon,  Oregon;  Mary  A., 
the  widow  of  William  C.  Brown  of  Wash- 
ington; Matilda  J.,  the  wife  of  R.  H.  Land- 
ers, of  Creswell,  Oregon,  whose  people 
crossed  the  plains  to  this  state  in  1847;  Wil- 
liam W.  and  .John  R.,  both  residents  of  Cres- 
well; Rose  E.,  the  wife  of  D.  S.  Brown,  of 
Condon,  Oregon;  Dora  C,  the  wife  of  C.  0 
Hazelton,  of  Cottage  Grove;  Viola  S.,  who  is 
living  with  her  mother  in  Creswell;  Ripley 
F.,  who  is  also  a  resident  of  that  place,  and 
Lillie  M.,  the  wife  of  Robert  Dersham,  like- 
wise of  Creswell.  All  of  the  children  were 
given  good  educational  privileges,  attending 
high  school  and  college. 

In  the  family  is  a  most  interesting  pho- 
tographic group  of  Mrs.  Surena  Scott  and  rep- 
resentatives of  four  generations:  her  daugh- 
ter, Mrs.  D.  B.  Trimble,  the  latter's  daugh- 
ter, Mrs.  L.  B.  Tuel,  also  her  daughter,  Mrs. 
II.  Nash,  and  Raymond  W.  Nash,  who  is  a 
great-great-grandson  of  Mrs.  Scott.  Mrs. 
Scott  is  a  remarkably  well  preserved  woman, 
now  in  the  eighty-fourth  year  of  her  age. 
When  eighty-one  years  of  age  she  personally 
prepared  a  birthday  dinner  for  her  family  of 
ten  children,  all  of  whom  are  living.  The 
Creswell  Chronicle  said  of  her,  "She  has 
friends  innumerable,  all  of  whom  hold  her  in 
highest  esteem  and  look  upon  her  as  one 
wlio  has  fulfilled  in  every  respect  the  highest 
type  of  American  pioneer  motherhood." 
'  The  death  of  Mr.  Scott  occurred  in  1896. 
He  was  a  public-spirited  man  and  was  in- 
strumental in  securing  the  location  of  the 
State  University,  at  Eugene.  Wlien  the  first 
building  of  that  institution  was  completed 
funds  were  lacking  with  which  to  pay  for  its 
construction.  The  building  was  to  be  sold  to 
satisfy  a  labor  lien  when  Mr.  Scott  assumed 
the  indebtedness,  saving  the  building  from 
sale.  He  in  turn  was  repaid  by  the  board  of 
airectors  in  later  years.  He  was  a  school  di- 
rector  for   many   years   and   always   took   a 


188 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


most  active  and  helpful  interest  in  educational 
work.  His  political  allegiance  was  given  to 
the  republican  party  and  his  religious  faith 
was  that  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
in  which  Mrs.  Scott  still  holds  membership. 
He  was  among  the  most  highly  esteemed  of 
the  worthy  pioneer  settlers  of  his  district 
and  did  much  to  build  up  the  Willamette 
valley  which  was  a  great  wilderness  at  the 
time  of  his  arrival.  His  life  was  ever  char- 
acterized by  progress  and  improvement  and 
while  he  won  a  fair  measure  of  success  he 
left  to  his  family  the  more  priceless  heritage 
of   an   untarnished  name. 

CHARLES  AGER,  a  farmer  and  stockman 
of  Klamath  county,  owns  and  operates  a  ranch 
of    one    hundred    and    sixty-one   acres   seven 
miles  south  of  Klamath  Falls.     His  birth  oc- 
curred on  a  farm  two  miles  south  of  Ager, 
Siskiyou   county,   California,   on    the   7th   of 
October,  1865,  his  parents  being  Jerome  Bona- 
parte   and    Lucy   Jane    (Axtell)    Ager.      The 
father  was  born  near  Alexandria  Bay,  on  the 
St.  Lawrence  river,  in  New  York,  April  30, 
1829,  and  remained  in  the  Empire  state  until 
fourteen  years  of  age,  when  he  made  his  way 
to  Wisconsin.     He  crossed  the  plains  to  the 
west   on   three   different   occasions — in    1851, 
1852,   and    1853.     In    1858,   at   Yreka,    Cali- 
fornia, he  married  Miss  Lucy  Jane  Axtell,  a 
native  of  Wisconsin,  who  came  west  with  her 
parents  via  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  riding  a 
mule  across  the  Isthmus.   Jlr.  and  Mrs.  .J.  B. 
Ager  spent  the  entire  period  of  their  married 
life  in  Siskiyou  county,  California,  the  former 
devoting  his  attention  to  farming  and  stock- 
raising  interests  throughout  the  greater  part 
of  his  active  business  career.     On  coming  to 
this  part  of  the  country  Mr.  Ager  first  set- 
tled in  Oregon  City  and  later  began  raising 
stock   in    the    Umpqua   valley,    while    subse- 
quently   he    followed    mining   on   the   Kogue 
river.     He   bomesteaded  and  preempted  land 
and  at  the  time  of  his  demise  owned  four- 
teen   hundred    and    thirty-six    acres    in    the 
vicinity  of  Ager,  which  station  was  named  in 
his    honor   when    the   Southern   Pacific    rail- 
road was  built  through.     In  the  early  days 
he  teamed  and  freighted  from  Redding,  Cali- 
fornia,  to   Yreka,  that  state,  being  engaged 
in  teaming  in  Siskiyou  and  Klamath  coimtiea 
during   the  Modoc  Indian   war.     His   demise 
occurred  at   Ager,  California,  on  the   14th  of 
November.  1900,  while  his  wife  passed  away 
at  that  place  on  the  28th  of  January,  1911, 
when   sixty-eight    years   of   age.      They   and 
their  children  always  enjoyed  excellent  health, 
and   a   physician   was   called   into   the   home 
for  the  first  time  when  Jerome  B.  Ager  died. 
The   eleven   children  of  the   family  were  as 
follows:     Judson,  who  is  a  resident  of  Ager, 
California;  Adclia,  the  wife  of  William  Ter- 
williger,   of   Ager;    Charles,   of   this   review; 
Alice,  who  is  the  wife  of  Frank  Parriott  and 
resides    in    southern    California;    George    of 
Klamath  county,  Oregon,  a  sketch  of  whom 
appears  on  another  page  of  this  work;  Mrs. 
Mittic  Twilliger,  who  is  deceased;  Fannie,  the 
wife  of  Frank  Cornelius,  of  Ashland,  Oregon; 
Mark  B.,  a  resident  of  Ager,  California ;  Kate, 
the  wife  of  Claude   Freeman   of   California; 


Jerome  B.,  Jr.,  who  makes  his  home  at  Ager, 
California;  and  Lucy  Jane,  the  wife  of  Louis 
Van  Zandt,  of  Ager. 

Charles  Ager  remained  under  the  parental 
roof  until  five  years  ago,  being  engaged  as  a 
rancher  through  California,  Oregon  and 
Nevada.  In  1907  he  settled  on  his  present 
ranch  of  one  hundred  and  sixty-one  acres  in 
the  Klamath  basin  and  has  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  land  under  cultivation,  seven- 
ty-two acres  thereof  being  under  the  govern- 
ment ditch.  He  devotes  his  time  and  energies 
to  the  cultivation  of  cereals  and  also  raises 
some  stock,  meeting  with  success  in  both 
branches  of  his  business. 

On  the  7th  of  February,  1912,  Mr.  Ager  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Augusta  Kurt,  a 
native  of  Germany.  The  salient  characteris- 
tics of  his  manhood  are  such  as  have  brought 
him  the  warm  regard  of  those  with  whom 
he  has  been  associated. 

WADE  LEE  RAY,  farmer,  dairyman  and 
expert  mechanician,  is  operating  a  tract  of 
land  located  within  one  mile  of  Myrtle  Point, 
Oregon,  and  is  adding  to  the  agricultural  re- 
sources of  that  locality  one  hundred  and  twen- 
ty-four and  one-half  acres  of  land  which  is  in 
an  improved  and  well  developed  condition.  He 
was  born  in  Cass  county,  Nebraska,  March 
18,  1866,  and  is  a  son  of  Wade  Hampton  and 
Mary  E.  (Clinkenbeard)  Ray,  the  former  a 
native  of  Tennessee  and  the  latter  of  Ken- 
tucky. Mr.  Ray's  parents  were  married  in 
Missouri  and  made  that  state  their  home  for 
a  number  of  years  before  they  removed  to 
Nebraska  where  they  were  among  the  early 
settlers.  The  father  helped  haul  the  lumber 
used  in  the  building  of  the  first  house  ever 
erected  in  Lincoln  and  was  one  of  the  active 
forces  in  the  pioneer  development  of  that 
city.  He  bomesteaded  land  in  Cass  county 
and  farmed  until  1879.  He  then  removed  to 
Decatur  county,  Kansas,  and  took  up  land  in 
that  section,  becoming  prosperous  and  well 
known  as  a  farmer.  He  remained  there  until 
1894  and  after  some  years  spent  in  Nebraska 
came  to  Coos  county  in  1901.  Here  he  made 
his  home  with  his  son,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  until  his  death  on  November  7,  1908. 
His  wife  survived  him  for  nearly  two  years, 
dying  on  the  9th  of  March,  1910.  To  them 
were  born  twelve  children,  eight  of  whom  are 
living:  Sam,  who  resides  in  Colorado;  John, 
of  Coos  county;  MoUie,  the  widow  of  .Tames 
H.  Hirst,  of  Norton  county,  Kansas;  Frank, 
of  Coos  county;  Richard,  who  makes  his 
home  in  Norton  county.  Kansas;  Calvin,  of 
Coos  county;  Sarah,  the  widow  of  E.  F. 
Melton,  of  Weiser,  Idaho;  and  Wade  Lee,  our 
subject. 

Wade  Lee  Ray  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Elmwood,  Nebraska,  and  began 
active  life  for  himself  when  he  was  fifteen 
years  of  age.  Even  at  that  early  period  he 
had  become  familiar  with  the  details  of  agri- 
culture by  assisting  his  father  in  the  work 
of  the  farm.  He  worked  as  a  laborer  for 
three  years  and  gained  valuable  and  neces- 
sary experience  in  that  way.  At  the  end 
of  that  time  he  commenced  farming  for  him- 
self in  Nebraska  meeting  with  success.     He 


THP:  centennial  history  op  OREGON 


189 


had  meciianical  taleut.  Thus  it  was  that  he 
operated  machinery  in  connection  with  farm- 
ing and  was  at  one  time  in  the  employ  of  the 
Avery  Manufacturing  Company  as  an  expert 
mechanician.  In  1901  he  came  to  Coos  county, 
Oregon,  where  he  bought  one  hundred  and 
twenty-four  and  one-half  acres  of  land  located 
a  mile  below  Myrtle  Point.  He  has  since  lived 
upon  tliat  property  and  been  successful  in  the 
cultivation  of  its  soil.  His  farm  comprises  a 
large  tract  of  rich  and  productive  land,  well 
equipped  with  granaries  and  other  buildings, 
fenced  and  improved  in  every  way,  and  its 
appearance  manifests  his  progressive  spirit 
and  the  energy  which  he  always  employs.  He 
makes  a  specialty  of  dairying  and  keeps  a 
large  herd  of  cows  for  that  purpose.  This 
branch  of  his  enterprise  receives  his  personal 
supervision  and  attention.  He  keeps  his  dairy 
sanitary  bv  modern  methods,  and  his  prod- 
ucts o-ain  a"  ready  sale  in  the  Oregon  markets. 

On^January  1,  1890,  Mr.  Ray  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Nellie  M.  King,  who  was 
born  in  Nebraska  on  the  11th  of  September, 
IST-l.  She  is  a  daughter  of  T.  M.  and  Lydia 
(Dibble)  King,  natives  of  Iowa.  Her  parents 
were  married  in  Nebraska  and  the  mother 
died  in  that  state.  Mrs.  Ray's  father  is  liv- 
ing in  Johnson  county,  where  he  is  numbered 
among  the  earliest  pioneers.  He  bought  land 
in  that  section  at  an  early  date,  farmed  for 
several  years  and  was  active  in  politics,  serv- 
incf  two  or -three  terms  as  sheriff.  He  en- 
ga°ced  in  stock-raising  here  and  was  well 
knSwn  as  a  representative  and  enterprising 
citizen.  He  had  three  children,  the  eldest  of 
whom  died  in  infancy.  The  others  are:  Nelhe, 
the  wife  of  our  subject;  and  Mrs.  Lydia 
Grace  Williams,  of  Nebraska.  Mrs.  Ray  re- 
ceived her  education  in  Talmage,  Nebraska, 
and  remained  with  her  parents  until  her  mar- 
riage. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ray  have  seven  chil- 
dren- Maurice,  born  in  1892,  who  lives  at 
home;  John  S..  born  in  August,  1893,  also 
at  home;  Floyd,  who  died  in  infancy;  Nona 
May  whose  birth  occurred  in  1898;  Calvin, 
born' in  1900:  Ora,  born  in  1904;  and  Lois 
Grace    whose   birth   occurred   in    1911. 

In  politics  Wade  Lee  Ray  is  independent. 
He  votes  for  the  men  and  measures  which  he 
considers  best  adapted  to  promote  the  welfare 
of  his  section,  and  has  never  sought  public 
office  He  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Wood- 
men of  America  at  M-^Ttle  Point,  Oregon,  and 
is  active  in  the  affairs  of  that  organization. 
He  has  met  with  success  which  is  constantly 
increasing  and  his  present  prosperity  is  well 
merited  for  it  has  come  to  him  through  his 
own  well  directed  labors  and  close  applica- 
tion. 

ARTHUR  C.  LEWIS,  general  manager  of 
the  Farmers  Implement  and  Supply  House  of 
Klamath  Falls,  which  was  incorporated  in 
February,  1906,  was  born  in  Bedford,  Taylor 
countv  Iowa,  September  5,  1871,  and  is  a  son 
of  Leonard  A.  and  Mary  A.  (Bruner)  Lewis, 
the  former  a  native  of  Indianapolis,  Indiana, 
and  the  latter  of  Iowa.  The  father  was  a 
pioneer  of  Tavlor  county  and  was  married  in 
Bedford.  In  the  spring  of  1873,  however  he 
left  that  locality  and  removed  westward  to 


Greenwood,  Custer  county,  Colorado,  where 
he  lived  for  twelve  years.  He  came  to  Klam- 
ath county,  Oregon,  in  January,  1886,  and 
his  last  days  were  passed  in  Eureka  Springs, 
Arkansas,  whither  he  had  gone  for  the  benefit 
of  his  health.  He  had  followed  farming  and 
stock-raising  during  the  greater  part  of  his 
life  and  was  a  man  worthy  of  all  respect. 
His  wife  passed  away  in  Klamath  Falls.  In 
their  family  were  seven  children,  of  whom 
two  died  in  infancy,  the  others  being:  Arthur 
C,  of  this  review;  Nellie  F.,  the  wife  of 
James  B.  Moore,  of  Olene,  Klamath  county; 
Charles  C,  L.  Alva  and  C.  Leon,  all  of  whom 
are  residents  of  Klamath  Falls. 

Arthur  C.  Lewis  resided  upon  the  home 
farm  with  his  parents  until  he  reached  the 
age  of  twenty  years.  He  was  only  in  his 
second  year  when  the  removal  was  made  to 
Colorado  and  was  fourteen  years  of  age  at 
the  time  of  the  arrival  in  Oregon.  Anxious 
to  acquire  an  education  that  would  fit  him 
for  more  than  the  most  humdrum  duties  of 
life,  he  entered  the  State  Agricultural  College 
at  Corvallis.  At  that  time  he  had  but  thirty- 
eight  dollars  but  he  worked  his  way  through 
college,  spending  four  years  as  a  student  in 
that  institution,  from  which  he  was  gradu- 
ated with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Mechan- 
ical Engineering  in  the  class  of  1895.  He 
then  returned  to  Klamath  Falls  and  spent 
two  years  in  the  cattle  business.  He  next 
went  to  Molalla,  Oregon,  where  he  remained 
for  two  and  a  half  years,  there  raising  teasels 
for  woolen  mills.  He  employed  from  thirty 
to  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  men  in  the 
production  of  teasels  but  afterward  returned 
to  Klamath  Falls  and  again  began  raising 
cattle,  continuing  in  the  live-stock  industry 
for  three  years.  He  next  entered  the  butch- 
ering business  in  connection  with  his  cattle- 
raising,  carrying  on  operations  along  that 
line  until  September,  1904.  Then,  in  con- 
nection with  A.  W.  Fell,  he  bought  a  small 
blacksmith  shop,  which  they  conducted  for 
seventeen  months,  this  leading  eventually 
to  the  development  and  incorporation  of  the 
business  in  1906,  now  conducted  under  the 
name  of  the  Farmers  Implement  and  Supply 
House.  Mr.  Lewis  erected  his  present  build- 
ing, which  is  a  two-story  structure,  ninety 
by  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet,  at  the  cor- 
ner of  Sixth  street  and  Klamath  avenue. 
Here  he  carries  on  general  blacksmithing  and 
woodworking  and  handles  all  kinds  of  farm 
implements,  together  with  harness  and  shelf 
hardware.  The  business  has  grown  rapidly, 
as  is  indicated  by  the  fact  that  in  1905  its 
returns  were  thirty-eight  hundred  dollars  and 
in  1911  one  hundred  and  thirty  thousand 
dollars.  He  employs  on  an  average  of  from 
ten  to  twenty-two  men  at  an  average  wage 
of  four  dollars  per  day.  The  business  is 
now  one  of  the  most  important  commercial 
industries  of  this  section,  meeting  a  want 
in  the  development  of  this  district  by  fur- 
nishing all  needed  supplies  to  those  who  are 
actively  engaged  in  tilling  the  soil  and  pro- 
moting the  work  of  improvement  here. 

In  1899  Mr.  Lewis  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Iva  M.  Sawtcll  whom  he  met  while 
both   were   students   at  the   Oregon  Agricul- 


190 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


tural  College.  She  is  a  native  of  Molalla, 
Oregon,  and  a  daughter  of  A.  J.  and  Eliza 
E.  Sawtell.  The  four  children  of  this  mar- 
riage are  Rollin  O.  A.,  R.  Ollis,  ilarian  A.  and 
Xeta  K.  The  family  residence  stands  in  the 
midst  of  six  acres  of  ground  and  is  one  of 
the  most  attractive  homes  in  this  part  of 
the  state,  ilr.  Lewis  found  that  he  had  hot 
water  by  digging  only  three  feet.  He  built  a 
hothouse,  which  is  heated  by  nature,  twenty- 
two  by  one  hundred  and  thirty-eight  feet, 
and  for  the  past  three  years  has  engaged 
in  raising  lettuce  as  a  side  issue,  supplying 
Klamath  Falls.  He  also  produces  other  vege- 
tables and  is  fast  bringing  everj'  inch  of  his 
ground  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation. 
His  place  is  located  in  the  Mills  addition 
and  he  also  has  other  real-estate  interests 
here. 

ilr.  Lewis  belongs  to  the  Benevolent  Pro- 
tective Order  of  Elks  and  also  to  the  Wood- 
men of  the  World.  His  life  has  been  one  of 
imfaltering  activity,  enterprise  and  hard 
work,  and  intelligently  directed  labor  has 
brought  him  his  success.  He  now  accupies  a 
prominent  position  among  the  more  capable 
and  successful  business  men  of  southern 
Oregon,  his  record  proving  what  may  be 
accomplished  when  determination  and  energy 
lead  the  way.  iloreover,  the  reliability  of 
his  business  methods  commends  him  to  the 
confidence  of  all,  proving  that  prosperity  and 
an  honored  name  may  be  won  simultaneously. 

HON.  HENRY  G.  HADLEY  was  one  of  the 
early  Oregon  pioneers  who  came  to  the  Pacific 
coas't  in  1851.  He  was  born  in  Portland, 
Maine,  June  24,  1815,  his  parents  being 
Samuel  and  ilargaret  (Gibson)  Hadley,  who 
were  natives  of  Xew  Hampshire  but  sub- 
sequently settled  in  Maine.  Samuel  Hadley 
followed'  the  practice  of  medicine  as  a  life 
work.  Henry  G.  Hadley  remained  with  his 
parents  until"  fourteen  years  of  age,  when  he 
became  self-supporting  by  peddling  Yankee 
notions  during  the  summer  time  and  returning 
in  the  fall  of  each  year  for  the  purpose  of 
attending  school.  This  he  continued  for  seven 
years,  working  in  the  states  of  Maine,  Xew 
Hampshire.  Vermont  and  Massachusetts.  In 
.1838  he  started  westward,  taking  a  supply 
of  Connecticut  clocks  which  he  sold  through- 
out the  state  of  ilichigan.  In  1839  he  set- 
ted  near  Shelbyville,  Illinois,  where,  form- 
ing a  partnership,  he  operated  saw  and  flour 
mills  and  a  distillery.  This  business  he  con- 
tinued for  several  years  until  fire  destroyed 
his  plants,  when  he  removed  to  Dubuque, 
Iowa,  and  there  engaged  in  the  manufacture 
and  sale  of  confectionery.  He  was  thus  en- 
gaged until  the  California  gold  excitment  of 
1849.  when,  joining  the  tide  of  emigration 
which  flowed  westward,  he  crossed  the  plains 
to  California  with  ox  teams,  in  a  train  of  fifty 
wagons.  The  journey  was  without  notable 
incidents  until  the  Humboldt  river  was 
reached  when,  in  their  eagerness  to  reach  Cali- 
fornia, Mr.  Hadley  with  three  or  four  com- 
panions, taking  their  ponies,  set  out  following 
a  cnt-olT  to  the  Golden  state.  The  road  was 
long,  their  food  gave  out  and  suffering 
seemed  imminent  until  thev  were  fortunate  in 


purchasing  a  quarter  of  an  emigrant  os. 
Thus  enabled  to  continue  their  journey  they 
at  last  reached  the  Sacramento  valley,  arriv- 
ing there  in  the  fall  of  1849.  They  began 
mining  on  Feather  river,  but  having  no 
knowledge  of  stich  work  and  as  the  coyotes 
were  stealing  their  beef,  they  were  greatly 
handicapped,  especially  as  their  money  was 
gone.  They  fortunately  obtained  supplies  on 
credit  at  a  trading  post  and  continued  their 
efforts,  but  shortly  afterward  secured  em- 
ployment at  eight  dollars  per  day  and  board, 
that  being  a  small  consideration  as  provisions 
were  very  expensive.  They  worked  twelve 
days,  thus  securing  valuable  experience  as  well 
as  money  with  which  to  settle  for  the  supplies 
they  had  bought.  They  then  went  to  the 
Tuolumne  river  where  they  earned  a  few 
hundred  dollars,  after  which  Mr.  Hadley  re- 
turned to  Sacramento  and  spent  the  w"inter 
working  at  his  trade  of  confectioner.  In  the 
spring  of  1850  he  again  visited  the  mines 
but  engaged  in  trading  in  the  summer,  re- 
turning in  the  winter  to  his  home  and  family 
in  Iowa.  As  glowing  accounts  of  Oregon's  re- 
sources continued  to  reach  him  he  made  ar- 
rangements in  the  spring  of  1851  to  again  ven- 
ture to  the  far  west.  He  joined  a  wagon 
train  composed  of  the  families  of  Aaron  Rose, 
subsequently  the  founder  of  Roseburg,  Ore- 
gon, Arthur  Denny  and  others.  All  were 
well  equipped  with  horses  and  progress  was 
made  with  comfort,  their  only  rnishap  occur- 
ring in  the  Snake  river  mountains  when  Mel- 
ville Hadley  was  shot  through  the  body  by 
Indians.  He  recovered,  however,  and  lived 
many  years  afterward.  The  company  crossed 
the  Cascade  mountains  by  the  Barlow  route, 
reaching  the  Willamette  valley,  and  thence 
in  the  fall  Mr.  Hadley  proceeded  to  Lane 
county  and  settled  on  a  government  claim 
on  Spencer  creek,  where  he  began  improve- 
ment and  farming.  He  also  engaged  in  rail- 
splitting,  rather  a  severe  experience,  and  in 
the  spring  of  1S52  drove  his  four-horse  team 
to  Portland  and  purchased  ten  thousand  dol- 
lars worth  of  goods,  which  he  began  peddling 
with  success  through  the  valley  from  Port- 
land to  Roseburg  during  the  summer.  In  the 
fall  he  began  trading  in  cattle  and  spent 
several  years  in  that  iine  of  activity,  remain- 
ing in  that  locality  until  1ST8. "  when  he 
moved  to  Eugene,  Oregon,  where  he  lived  re- 
tired until  his  death  which  occtirred  April  2, 
1906.  His  wife  died  July  12.  1904.  At  the 
time  of  his  death  he  owned  two  thousand 
acres  of  land  on  Coyote  creek  known  as  the 
Hadley  Settlement,  where  he  had  built  a 
spacious  residence  and  made  other  substan- 
tial improvements.  On  this  ranch  he  engaged 
extensively  in  the  cattle  and  horse-raising 
business,  residing  there  until  1SS9.  when  he 
built  a  cottage  in  Eugene  in  order  that  his 
wife  might  be  near  her  only  daughter.  !Mrs. 
Eakin.  Subsequent  to  that  time  and  prior 
to  his  retirement  he  passed  his  summers  on 
the  ranch  and  his  winters  in  Eugene.  He 
was  married,  in  Shelbyrille,  Illinois,  in  1840, 
to  Loretta  C.  Cox.  born  in  Sandusky,  Ohio, 
and  to  them  were  born  four  children:  Eliza 
•J.,  the  wife  of  S.  B.  Eakin,  deceased,  of  whom 
further  mention  is  made  in  this  work  and  who 


HENRY    G.    HADLEY 


PUBLIC    L\3H.-«^ 


lsnox 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


193 


was  vice  president  of  the  First  National  Bank 
of  Eugene;  Charles;  Frank  and  George,  who 
are  operating  the  homestead  farm.  ilr.  Had- 
ley  was  the  lirst  justice  of  the  peace  of  Lane 
county,  appointed  by  the  county  commission- 
ers in  is52,  and  held  court  under  an  oak  tree 
before  a  courthouse  had  been  built,  the  tree 
having  been  cut  down  in  the  summer  of  1911, 
and  in  the  following  year  was  elected  to  rep- 
resent his  district  in  the  territorial  legislature. 
Through  his  elTorts  the  borders  of  Lane  county 
were  extended  bj'  the  addition  of  portions  of 
Benton  and  Lincoln  counties.  Throughout  his 
career  both  in  public  and  private  life  he 
showed  himself  to  be  a  gentleman  of  upright- 
ness, integrity  and  high  purpose  and  gained 
the  respect  and  confidence  of  a  large  number 
of  friends  who  greatly  regretted  his  death. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Fraternity. 

PINKSTON  W.  LAIRD  lives  on  a  farm  sit- 
uated two  and  a  half  miles  above  Coquille  on 
the  Coquille  river.  He  owns  there  one  hun- 
dred and  four  acres  of  land  and  in  addition  to 
its  cultivation  is  making  a  specialty  of  dairy- 
ing and  stock-raising.  He  was  born  in  ilodoc 
county,  California,  in  1877,  a  son  of  John  C. 
and  Janie  Laird.  The  mother  was  a  native  of 
Ireland  and  the  father  of  the  state  of  New 
York,  but  they  were  married  in  Modoc  county, 
where  they  resided  until  1S79,  when  they  re- 
moved to  Coos  county,  Oregon,  settling  on  the 
Coquille  river,  about  two  miles  from  the  town 
of  Coquille.  The  father  there  secured  a  claim 
of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  and  also 
bought  other  land  until  he  owned  six  hundred 
and  forty  acres,  largely  covered  with  timber. 
In  1889  he  sold  that  property  and  purchased 
the  farm  now  owned  by  his  son  Pinkston 
W.,  comprising  one  hundred  and  four  acres. 
There  he  made  his  home  until  February.  1904, 
when  death  called  him.  His  widow  still  sur- 
vives and  is  living  in  Coquille,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-nine  years.  In  their  family  were  six 
children:  Eunice,  who  is  the  wife  of  George 
T.  Schroeder,  of  Florence,  Oregon;  Jlrs.  Annie 
Von  Pegert,  of  Coquille;  James  W.,  living 
near  Coquille;  Pinkston  W.;  Warren  C.,  of 
Coquille:  and  CJeorge  P.,  whose  home  is  at 
Bandon,  Oregon. 

Pinkston  W.  Laird  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  Coos  county,  supplementing  the 
work  of  the  grammar  grades  by  two  years' 
study  in  the  high  school.  He  remained  at 
home  to  the  time  of  his  marriage  and  then 
took  charge  of  his  father's  place.  Two  years 
later  he  bought  this  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  four  acres,  of  which  seventy-five  acres 
is  under  cultivation.  There  are  many  excel- 
lent improvements  upon  the  place  and  he 
makes  a  specialty  of  dairying  and  stock- 
raising,  handling  thoroughbred  stock,  both 
cattle  and  hogs.  He  also  owns  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  timber  land  on  Catching 
creek,  in  Coos  county,  and  also  five  business 
lots  in  Richmond,  California. 

In  1903  Mr.  Laird  was  married  to  Miss 
Flora  M.  McCloskey,  a  native  of  Kansas  and 
a  daughter  of  Samuel  J.  and  Mary  A.  Mc- 
Closkey, who  lived  in  that  state  for  a  number 
of  years  and  in  ISSO  came  to  Oregon,  settling 


at  Gravel  Ford,  Coos  county,  where  they  re- 
mained until  1894.  They  then  sold  their 
farm  and  purchased  other  land  at  Norway, 
Oregon,  still  owning  their  sixty-three  acres. 
The  father  conducted  a  general  mercantile 
store  and  a  creamery  to  the  time  of  his  death 
in  June,  1907.  The  mother  still  lives  at  Nor- 
way. In  their  family  were  nine  children, 
seven  of  wliom  survive,  namely:  Mrs.  Agnes 
Smith,  who  makes  her  home  at  Gravel  Ford; 
W.  T.,  living  at  Myrtle  Point;  Lucinda,  who 
is  the  widow  of  Evan  Morgan  and  resides  at 
Bandon;  Mrs.  Minnie  E.  Lester,  of  Angiola, 
California;  Clara,  .at  home;  Mrs.  Laird;  and 
James  H.,  at  home,  who  operates  the  cream- 
ery. Unto  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Laird  three  children  liave  been  born:  Margaret 
J.,  who  was  born  in  1905;  Vernita  M.,  who 
was  born  in  September,  1909;  and  Elda  B., 
October  20,  1911.  The  mother,  Mrs.  Laird, 
acquired  her  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  Coos  county  and  also  attended  the  State 
Normal  at  Ashland,  Oregon.  She  taught 
school  for  eighteen  years  previous  to  her  mar- 
riage, beginning  at  the  age  of  si.xteen  years. 
The  family  i-esidence  is  two  and  a  half  miles 
above  Coquille  on  the  Coquille  river.  Mr. 
Laird  usually  votes  with  the  democratic  party, 
yet  is  liberal  in  his  views.  In  matters  of  citi- 
zenship, however,  he  stands  for  progress  and 
advancement  and  his  cooperation  may  be 
counted  upon  to  further  many  progressive 
movements. 

JOHN  N.  SUMERLIN,  whose  demise  oc- 
curred on  the  24th  of  December,  1911,  was 
for  a  quarter  of  a  century  actively  identified 
with  general  agricultural  pursuits  in  Coos 
eountj'  and  gained  an  enviable  reputation  as 
one  of  its  substantial  and  esteemed  citizens. 
He  was  born  in  Wilkes  county.  North  Caro- 
lina, a  son  of  Griffin  Sumerlin,  who  was  also 
a  native  of  that  state.  John  N.  Sumerlin 
was  reared  to  manhood  in  the  Old  North  state 
and  was  there  married  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
two  years.  About  1857,  shortly  after  the 
death  of  his  first  wife,  he  left  North  Carolina 
and  spent  a  brief  period  in  Tennessee.  Re- 
turning to  his  native  state,  he  there  culti- 
vated rented  land  for  two  years  and  on  the 
expiration  of  that  period  again  removed  to 
Tennessee,  where  he  made  his  home  until 
1884.  In  April  of  that  year  he  came  to  Ore- 
gon, settling  on  the  north  fork  of  the  Coquille 
river,  in  Coos  county,  where  he  purchased 
one  hundred  and  seven  acres  of  land  and 
continued  to  reside  until  witliin  a  few  years 
of  his  demise.  By  dint  of  unremitting  toil 
and  perseverance  he  brought  the  property 
under  a  high  state  of  cultivation  and  improve- 
ment, and  his  labors  were  eventually  re- 
warded in  bounteous  harvests.  In  the  fall 
of  1908  he  put  aside  the  active  work  of  the 
fields,  bought  property  in  Myrtle  Point  and 
there  took  up  his  abode,  renting  liis  farm, 
which  is  still  being  leased  by  his  heirs.  The 
last  few  years  of  his  life  were  spent  in  hon- 
orable retirement  at  Myrtle  Point,  where  his 
death  occurred  on  the  34th  of  December,  1911. 
He  was  a  valued  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  for  forty  years  and  his 
life  was  in  consistent  harmonv  with  its  teach- 


194 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


iugs.  He  gave  his  political  allegiance  to  the 
democracy  but  had  no  lodge  or  fraternal 
relations,  being  a  man  of  domestic  tastes 
and  content  in  tlie  companionship  of  his  wife 
and  children. 

Mr.  Siimerliu  was  first  married  to  Miss 
Martha  Richie,  a  cousin  of  Mrs.  Eliza  Sum- 
erlin.  By  this  union  there  were  three  chil- 
dren, as  follows:  Alvin,  who  is  a  resident  of 
Lee,  Oregon;  Elizabeth,  deceased;  and  one 
who  died  in  infancy.  For  his  second  wife 
Mr.  Sumerlin  chose  Miss  Eliza  Lipps,  a  native 
of  Tennessee,  by  whom  he  had  ten  children, 
namely:  Carrie,  who  is  deceased;  Reuben  G., 
who  is  married  and  is  a  preacher  of  the 
United  Brethren  church  in  Vancouver,  Wash- 
ington; ilichael  P.,  of  Coos  county,  this 
state ;  Thomas  G. ;  Cordia  Belle,  who  was 
drowned  at  the  age  of  two  years;  Cordia 
Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  W.  E.  Lewellen,  of 
Myrtle  Point,  Oregon;  Frona,  the  wife  of 
Walter  Lawhorn,  of  McKinley,  Oregon;  John 
Cleveland,  of  Myrtle  Point;  Lester,  who  re- 
sides in  British  Columbia;  and  Henry  Grady, 
living  at  Myrtle   Point,  Oregon. 

On  the  22d  of  November,  1907,  Thomas  G. 
Sumerlin  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Florence  Carter,  a  native  of  Oregon  and  a 
daughter  of  Isaac  Carter,  who  came  to  Doug- 
las county  with  his  parents  in  the  early 
'oOs.  The  paternal  grandfather  of  Mrs.  Flor- 
ence Sumerlin  fought  in  the  Indian  wars  in 
this  state.  She  is  one  of  a  large  family  of 
children  and  by  her  marriage  has  become  the 
mother  of  a  daughter,  Verla,  whose  natal 
day  was  August  25,  1908.  Thomas  G.  Sum- 
erlin purchased  twenty-five  acres  of  the  old 
Alex  Jackson  place,  one  mile  east  of  Gravel 
Ford,  and  is  there  engaged  in  dairying.  Mr. 
Sumerlin  is  a  democrat  in  politics  and  takes 
an  active  interest  in  public  aft'airs.  His 
religious  faith  is  that  of  the  Presbyterian 
church,  while  fraternally  he  is  identified  with 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and 
the  Knights  of  Pythias.  A  man  of  enter- 
prise and  ability,  he  has  long  been  numbered 
among  the  representative  agriculturists  and 
respected  citizens  of  his  community. 

J.  W.  LAIRD  makes  a  specialty  of  dairy- 
ing on  a  farm  of  twenty-two  acres  near 
CoquiUe,  keeping  ten  head  of  cows  for  this 
purpose.  He  was  born  in  Modoc  county, 
California.  August  25,  1873,  and  is  a  son  of 
John  C.  and  .Jane  (Xorris)  Laird,  of  whom 
more  extended  mention  is  made  on  another 
page  of  this  work  in  connection  with  the 
sketch  of  Pinkston  W.  Laird,  a  brother  of 
our  subject. 

The  removal  of  the  family  to  Oregon  dur- 
ing the  boyhood  days  of  J.  W.  Laird  enabled 
bini  to  pursue  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  Coos  county.  In  his  youth  he  also 
became  familiar  with  agricultural  methods, 
remaining  at  home  witli  his  parents  to  the 
time  of  his  marriage.  He  afterward  served 
as  engineer  for  the  .Johnson  Limiber  Company 
of  Coos  county  for  a  period  of  ten  years, 
and  industrj'  and  careful  expenditure  during 
that  decade  brought  him  the  capital  that 
en.abled  him  to  purchase  one  hundred  and 
eightv-two    acres    of   land.      Of    this    he    has 


since  sold  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  leav- 
ing him  but  twenty-two  acres.  This,  how- 
ever, constitutes  a  well  improved  although 
small  farm  near  Coquille,  which  he  devotes  to 
dairying  purposes,  keeping  ten  head  of  cows. 
His  Well  appointed  dairy  and  the  excellence 
of  its  products  secures  him  a  liberal  patron- 
age. 

On  the  29th  of  May,  1896,  Mr.  Laird  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mabel  Baxter, 
who  was  born  at  Santa  Cruz,  California, 
May  15,  1872,  a  daughter  of  F.  M.  and  Lin- 
wood  (Watson)  Baxter,  natives  of  Iowa  and 
Missouri,  respectively.  They  were  married 
in  Oregon,  to  which  state  the  father  came 
when  fifteen  years  of  age,  while  the  mother 
was  brought  to  the  northwest  by  her  parents 
when  three  years  of  age.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Baxter  were  married  in  the  Willamette  val- 
ley and  afterward  removed  to  California, 
where  they  resided  for  several  years.  Five 
children  were  born  to  them  in  that  state.  In 
1879  they  came  with  their  family  to  Oregon 
settling  in  Coos  county,  where  the  father 
took  up  the  logging  business,  which  he  fol- 
lowed for  twenty  years.  He  then  retired  and 
has  since  lived  af  Coquille.  Of  the  six  children 
of  the  Baxter  family  four  are  still  living: 
Charles  E.,  who  is  a  resident  of  Coquille; 
Mrs.  Mabel  Laird;  George  E.,  living  at  Co- 
quille; and  Harry,  who  makes  his  home  in 
Bandon.  Those  deceased  are  Pearl  and  Cleve- 
land. 

Mr.  Laird  votes  with  the  democratic  party, 
believing  that  the  principles  of  its  platform 
contain  the  best  elements  of  good  government. 
He  is  a  Mason  and  a  Knight  of  Pythias  and 
both  he  and  his  wife  are  connected  with  the 
Eastern  Star  and  the  Pythian  Sisters.  Mr. 
Laird  has  filled  all  of  the  chairs  in  the  orders 
mentioned  and  is  loyal  to  their  teachings 
and  purposes,  so  that  his  is  a  well  spent 
life,  commanding  for  him  the  confidence  and 
good-will  of  all  with  whom  he  comes  in 
contact. 

EDWARD  WATSON,  M.  D.,  was  the  first 
physician  of  North  Bend,  Oregon,  and  is  today 
the  most  prominent  practitioner  in  the  town 
and  its  surrounding  districts.  He  was  born 
in  New  York,  in  August,  1868,  and  is  a  son 
of  William  and  Elizabeth  (Myre)  Watson, 
natives  of  Baden,  Germany.  His  father  came 
to  America  when  a  young  man  and  settled  in 
Ohio  with  his  family  where  he  lived  only  a 
short  time  before  he  removed  to  Des  Moines, 
Iowa.  He  operated  the  first  tannery  in  that 
city  and  was  active  in  that  line  of  business 
until  his  death,  at  the  age  of  ninety-seven. 
His  w'ife  survived  him  but  a  short  time,  dying 
at  the  age  of  eighty-nine  years.  They  were 
the  parents  of  fourteen  children,  three  of 
whom  are  yet  living.  Dr.  Edward  W^atson 
was  the  only  one  of  his  family  to  leave  Des 
Moines  for  Oregon. 

Dr.  Edward  Watson  received  his  early  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools  of  Des  Moines 
and  was  graduated  from  the  high  school  of 
that  city.  He  immediately  entered  the  medi- 
cal department  of  Drake  University,  of  Des 
Moines,  Iowa,  and  was  graduated  therefrom 
with  the  degree  of  M.  D.    He  practiced  medi- 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


19J 


cine  in  Des  Moiues  for  four  years  and  realizing 
the  value  of  a  thorough  and  efficient  educa- 
tion as  a  foundation  for  a  medical  career 
he  entered  Belleville  hospital  in  New  York 
where  he  remained  for  two  years,  gaining 
practical  experience  in  hospital  work.  He 
later  spent  two  years  in  the  medical  depart- 
ment of  the  University  of  Michigan  and  at- 
tended Rush  Medical  College  in  Chicago  for 
a  like  period  of  time.  With  this  education 
as  a  foundation  for  medical  practice  he  went 
to  Aberdeen,  Washington,  wliere  he  remained 
for  eight  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he 
moved  to  North  Bend,  Oregon,  and  has  prac- 
ticed his  profession  in  Coos  county  ever  since. 
He  was  the  first  doctor  in  North  Bend  and 
also  conducted  the  first  drug  store  in  that 
town.  During  the  nine  years  of  his  activity 
in  Coos  county  Dr.  Watson  has  accomplished 
more  real  good  than  any  other  professional 
man  in  the  district.  For  many  years  he  was 
the  only  physician  in  North  Bend  and  was 
obliged  to  make  numerous  sacrifices  of  per- 
sonal ease  and  comfort  in  order  to  attend 
the  sick  and  suffering  of  the  newly  opened 
district.  His  patience  and  a  constant  en- 
deavor have  gained  him  tlie  reward  of  a  large 
and  continually  growing  practice  and  he  is 
today  one  of  the  foremost  physicians  in  Coos 
county.  He  has  amassed  a  comfortable  for- 
tune which  he  invests  judiciously.  He  owns 
various  properties  in  North  Bend  and  a  val- 
uable ranch  on  the  north  lake  front  of  Ten 
Mile  lake,  Coos  county,  where  he  makes  his 
summer  liome.  He  has  faith  in  the  future  of 
the  district  in  which  he  lives  and  has  always 
given  his  cooperation  to  any  movement  cal- 
culated to  promote  its  growth  and  welfare. 
He  owns  some  valuable  properties  in  Aber- 
deen, Washington,  and  possesses  an  ex- 
tensive timber  claim  in  Louis  county  in 
the  same  state. 

Dr.  Watson  is  a  democrat  and  takes  an 
intelligent  interest  in  political  aff'airs,  al- 
though his  duties  as  a  physician  prevent  his 
accepting  public  office.  He  belongs  to  Camp 
No.  264,  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  in 
Iowa  and  is  prominent  in  the  affairs  of  the 
Owls.  He  is  one  of  the  physicians  who  be- 
lieve that  professional  success  can  be  attained 
only  by  constant  endeavor  and  unremitting 
work.  He  is  the  pioneer  doctor  of  North 
Bend  and  takes  an  almost  fatherly  interest 
in  the  health  of  the  community.  His  pro- 
fessional career  has  been  distinguished  by 
personal  sacrifice  in  the  interest  of  his  prac- 
tice, a  practical  knowledge  of  medicine  and 
surgery  and  a  keen  appreciation  of  the  re- 
sponsibilities which  his  calling  entails. 

JUDGE  JAMES  C.  FULLERTON,  one  of  the 
prominent  and  influential  citizens  of  Doug- 
las county,  opened  an  office  for  the  practice 
of  law  at  Roseburg  in  18S5  and  is  still  active- 
ly engaged  in  the  work  of  the  profession. 
He  has  served  as  circuit  judge  from  the  sec- 
ond judicial  district  for  six  years  and  also 
represented  his  county  in  the  state  senate 
during  two  sessions.  His  birth  occurred  in 
Butler  county,  Ohio,  on  the  16th  of  Decem- 
ber, 1848,  his  parents  being  John  and  Jane 
(Rolf)   FuUerton.  who  were  born,  reared  and 


married  in  the  Buckeye  state,  la  ISol.  in 
company  with  James  F.  Gazley,  John  Fuller- 
ton  came  to  Oregon  via  the  Istlimus  route  and 
for  several  years  was  associated  with  Mr. 
Uazley  in  mining  ventures  in  California.  The 
two  gentlemen  located  donation  claims  in 
Douglas  county,  Oregon,  on  the  South  Umpqua 
river,  ilr.  FuUerton  remaining  in  charge  of 
both  claims,  while  Mr.  Gazley  returned  to 
Ohio  for  the  purpose  of  bringing  his  family 
and  also  that  of  his  partner  to  the  west.  The 
party  left  Independence,  Missouri,  with  ox 
teams  in  April,  1853,  and  after  a  long  and 
tedious  journey  across  the  plains  arrived  in 
Douglas  county,  Oregon,  in  the  following 
September.  The  train  was  comparatively 
small  and  there  were  only  twenty  men  in  the 
party  but  the  Indians  did  not  molest  them. 
John  FuUerton  remained  on  his  donation 
claim  until  1S58,  at  which  time  he  was  elected 
sheriff  of  Douglas  county  and  took  up  his 
abode  in  Roseburg,  serving  in  his  official 
capacity  for  five  years.  On  the  expiration  of 
that  period  he  returned  to  his  farm  and  con- 
tinued to  reside  thereon  until  within  a  few 
years  of  his  death,  spending  his  remaining 
days  in  honorable  retirement  at  Roseburg, 
where  his  demise  occurred  in  1897.  He  was 
a  valued  member  of  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows,  w-hich  fraternity  he  had  joined 
in  Ohio  sometime  in  the  '40s.  In  his  passing 
Douglas  county  lost  one  of  its  honored  and 
respected  pioneers  and  one  who  had  aided 
materially  in  the  work  of  ujibuilding  and  de- 
velopment here.  Mrs.  Jane  (Rolf)  FuUerton 
was  called  to  her  final  rest  in  1896. 

James  C.  FuUerton  was  reared  under  the 
parental  roof  and  attended  the  public  schools 
in  the  acquirement  of  an  education.  In  1873 
he  was  made  receiver  of  public  moneys  in  the 
United  States  land  office  in  Roseburg,  ably 
serving  in  that  capacity  for  twelve  years.  In 
1876  he  began  the  study  of  law  and  three 
years  later  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  He  did 
not  begin  the  active  practice  of  the  profession, 
however,  until  after  leaving  the  land  office 
in  1885,  in  which  year  he  opened  an  office 
at  Roseburg.  In  1889  he  was  elected  to  the 
state  senate  from  Douglas  county  and  dur- 
ing two  sessions  ably  represented  the  inter- 
ests of  his  constituents  in  that  legislative 
body.  In  1892  he  was  honored  by  election 
to  the  office  of  circuit  judge  from  the  second 
judicial  district,  remaining  on  the  bench  until 
1S9S.  The  legal  profession  demands  not  only 
a  high  order  of  ability  but  a  rare  combina- 
tion of  talent,  learning,  tact,  patience  and 
industry.  The  successful  lawyer  and  the 
competent  judge  must  be  a  man  of  well  bal- 
anced intellect,  thoroughly  familiar  with  the 
law  and  practice,  of  comprehensive  general 
information,  possessed  of  an  analytical  mind 
and  a  self-control  that  will  enable  him  to 
lose  his  individuality,  his  personal  feelings, 
his  prejudices  and  his  peculiarities  of  dispo- 
sition in  the  dignity,  impartiality  and  equity 
of  the  office  to  which  life,  property,  right  and 
liberty  must  look  for  protection.  Possessing 
these  qualities.  Judge  pSillerton  justly  merited 
the  honor  which  was  conferred  upon  him  by 
his  elevation  to  the  bench.  During  the  past 
fourteen  years  he  has  been  continuously  en- 


196 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


gaged  in  the  general  practice  of  law,  being 
accorded  an  extensive  and  lucrative  clientage. 

On  the  16th  of  December,  187-i,  Judge  Ful- 
lerton  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Clara 
Bunnell,  of  Roseburg,  her  father  being  Dr. 
X.  P.  Bunnell,  who  came  to  Oregon  from  Wis- 
consin in  1872.  Our  subject  and  his  wife 
have  two  children:  Nathan,  a  prominent  drug- 
gist of  Roseburg;  and  Kate,  the  wife  of 
Thomas  W.  Graham,  of  Minneapolis,  Minne- 
sota. 

In  politics  Judge  Fullerton  is  a  republican. 
He  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  city  school 
board  for  several  years  and  is  now  the  presi- 
dent of  the  city  council  of  Roseburg.  His 
fraternal  relations  are  with  the  following 
organizations:  Laurel  Lodge,  No.  13,  F.  &  A. 
M.;  Laurel  Chapter,  R,  A.  M. ;  Roseburg  Com- 
mandery,  K.  T. ;  and  Philetarian  Lodge  No. 
8  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 
Since  he  was  brought  to  Douglas  county  at 
the  early  age  of  five  years  Judge  Fullerton 
has  remained  within  its  borders  and  has 
become  well  known  and  highly  esteemed  as 
one  of  its  leading  and  respected  citizens. 

ALEXANDER  MATSON.  The  rich  farming 
land  that  lies  adjacent  to  Marshfield  atfords 
excellent  advantages  and  opportunities  to  the 
progressive  agriculturist.  Alexander  Matson 
is  numbered  among  those  who  have  made 
good  use  of  their  opportunities  here  and  is 
now  the  owner  of  five  hundred  and  seven 
acres  of  rich  and  productive  land,  much  of 
which  he  has  brought  under  a  high  state 
of  cultivation.  In  addition  to  producing  crops 
best  adapted  to  soil  and  climate  he  is  also 
engaged  in  dairying  and  in  all  of  the  farm 
work  has  ever  had  the  assistance  and  coopera- 
tion of  his  family,  who  well  deserve  mention 
as  among  the  representative  citizens  of  Coos 
county.  Mr.  Matson  was  born  in  Finland, 
June  17,  1845.  His  parents  both  died  in  that 
country  but  one  brother  came  to  the  new 
world,  where  some  time  later  he  was  acci- 
dentally drowned.  Another  brother  is  still  liv- 
ing in  Finland,  while  the  other  children  of  the 
family  have  passed  away. 

Alexander  Matson  remained  a  resident  of 
liis  native  land  until  he  reached  the  age  of 
twenty-seven  years.  He  then  determined  to 
try  his  fortune  in  the  new  world,  hoping  that 
the  opportunities  here  offered  would  enable 
him  to  rise  more  quickly  in  business  circles 
than  he  could  hope  to  do  in  the  land  of  his 
birth.  He  reached  New  York  on  the  29th  of 
September,  1872,  and  for  two  years  thereafter 
was  a  resident  of  Michigan,  He  next  came 
to  Oregon,  settling  on  Coos  bay.  He  was  a 
ship  carpenter,  following  that  occupation  from 
the  time  he  reached  the  age  of  seventeen 
years.  On  coming  to  the  Pacific  Coast  country 
he  continued  at  his  trade,  being  thus  engaged 
imtil  1909,  In  the  meantime  he  carefully 
saved  his  earnings  imtil  he  was  enabled 
twenty-three  years  ago  to  purchase  a  farm  of 
five  hundred  and  seven  acres,  upon  which  his 
family  have  since  lived,  cultivating  the  land 
and  converting  the  place  into  one  of  the 
highly  improved  farm  properties  of  the  dis- 
trict.   It  is  pleasantly  and  conveniently  situ- 


ated about  nine  miles  from  Marshfield  and 
gives  every  evidence  of  the  supervision  of 
the  owner  and  the  eare  and  labor  which  are 
bestowed  upon  the  fields.  General  farming  is 
there  conducted  and  a  dairy  business  is  also 
carried  on,  Mr,  Matson  has  concentrated  his 
energies  upon  his  farm  since  abandoning  his 
trade  and  he  employs  the  most  progressive 
and  scientitic  methods  in  his  dairy  and  also 
in  the   cultivation  of  his  crops. 

On  February  19,  1878,  ilr.  Matson  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Fredrika  Ront- 
jeroc,  wlio  was  born  in  Finland  and  came  to 
America  in  1877.  Her  parents  and  the  other 
members  of  the  family  all  died  in  that  coun- 
try save  two  of  her  sisters  who  crossed  the 
Atlantic,  one  now  living  in  Astoria  and  the 
other  in  Portland,  Oregon,  and  a  brotlicr  and 
sister  who  are  still  living  in  Finland.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Matson  have  become  the  parents 
of  eleven  children,  of  whom  nine  survive. 
Albert,  born  September  19,  1878,  who  is  mar- 
ried and  lives  at  Allegany,  Oregon;  A.  Aug- 
ust, born  in  August,  1881,  John  F.,  born  May 
33,  1883,  and  Elmer,  born  March  23,  1884,  all 
of  whom  are  at  home;  Esther  J.,  who  is  the 
wife  of  Fred  Stone,  of  Blue  Mountain,  Ore- 
gon; Selma,  who  died  at  the  age  of  four 
months;  Ernest,  who  was  born  June  18,  1889, 
and  is  still  at  home;  Otto,  who  passed  away 
when  four  months  old;  Carl  V.,  born 
May,  15,  1892,  Ira,  born  August  21,  1896, 
and  Lena  F.,  born  in  1899,  all  of  whom 
reside  with  their  parents.  To  his  children 
Mr.  Matson  has  given  good  school  advantages 
and  the  family  are  a  credit  to  his  name. 

In  1903  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Matson  celebrated 
their  silver  wedding  in  I.  0.  0.  F.  hall  in 
Marshfield,  the  Rev.  E.  F.  Bengtsen  officiat- 
ing. Tlie  worthy  couple  were  surrounded  by 
their  nine  living  children  and  of  the  ten 
persons  who  had  witnessed  the  ceremony  a 
quarter  of  a  century  ago  there  were  five 
present  to  see  the  silver  anniversary  observed. 
On  this  occasion  Mr.  and  Mrs,  Matson  re- 
ceived the  sincere  wishes  of  the  entire  com- 
munity in  which  they  have  made  their  home 
for  so  many  years.  The  year  1912  was  an 
eventful  one  of  their  lives,  for  on  the  10th 
of  May  of  that  year  they  left  on  an  extended 
trip  to  their  old  home  in  Finland  and  this 
was  their  first  visit  to  their  native  land  since 
they  left  its  shores  many  years  ago  for 
America. 

Mr.  Matson  is  a  republican  and  gives  his 
allegiance  to  the  Lutheran  church.  His  has 
been  an  active  and  useful  life,  which  demon- 
strates how  forceful  are  the  qualities  of 
energy  and  determination  in  this  land  where 
opportunity  is  open  to  all.  He  is  the  owner 
of  a  valuable  farm  property  and  is  justly 
classed  with  the  representative  agriculturists 
of  this  part  of  the  state. 

WILLIAM  AHLSKOG  is  one  of  the  well 
known  farmers  on  Xortli  Inlet  in  Coos  county, 
Oregon,  where  he  is  successfully  engaged  in 
the  cultivation  of  a  ranch  of  two  hundred 
acres  of  valuable  Oregon  farm  land.  He  was 
born  in  Finland,  April  17.  1869,  and  is  a 
son   of  !Marcus  and   Anna   Ahlskog,  both   of 


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THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


199 


wlioiu  were  natives  of  Finland,  the  mother 
having  died  in  her  native  land  in  1901.  The 
father  is  living  and  has  reached  the  advanced 
age  of  eighty  years.  They  were  the  parents 
of  five  children,  four  of  whom  are  living,  the 
subject  of  this  review  being  the  only  member 
of  his  father's  family  who  emigrated  to 
America. 

William  Ahlskog  came  to  America  in  Au- 
gust, 1887,  and  settled  first  on  Coos  bay,  in 
Marshfield,  and  for  four  years  was  engaged 
as  a  farm  laborer.  He  then  rented  a  farm 
for  two  years  after  which  he  worked  in  a 
rock  quarry  for  several  years.  He  later  pur- 
chased two  hundred  acres  of  land  located  one 
half  mile  from  the  upper  landing  of  Xorth 
f^lough  on  which  he  established  his  home  and 
has  since  continued  in  the  cultivation  of  the 
soil.  Fifteen  acres  of  his  land  are  highly 
improved  and  his  place  is  one  of  the  most 
advantageously  located  properties  in  his  dis- 
trict. 

Mr.  Ahlskog  was  united  in  marriage  May 
11,  1901,  to  Miss  Marie  Dahl,  who  was  born 
in  J'inland,  May  13,  1869,  and  is  a  daughter 
of  August  and  Brita  (Liasa)  Dahl.  She  emi- 
grated to  America  in  1898,  reaching  the  shores 
of  the  new  world  on  the  11th  day  of  October 
of  that  year.  Ilcr  mother  died  in  her  native 
land  many  years  ago.  The  father  is  living 
and  has  a  family  of  three  children  of  whom 
Mrs.  Ahlskog  is  the  only  member  who  came 
to  America.  Two  sisters  are  living  in  Fin- 
land. 

William  Ahlskog  is  a  member  of  the  Owls. 
He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Lutheran 
church.  He  is  one  of  the  well  known  men 
in  his  part  of  Coos  county  and  is  in  every 
way  entitled  to  be  numbered  among  the  enter- 
prising and  useful  citizens  of  the  community 
in  which  he  lives. 

CLAUDE  H.  DAGGETT,  serving  for  the 
second  term  as  county  treasurer  of  Klamath 
county  and  well  known  as  a  progressive  and 
representative  business  man,  iiguring  promi- 
nently in  industrial,  commercial  and  financial 
circles,  was  born  in  Lawler,  Iowa.  July  24, 
1878.  His  parents,  Morris  H.  and  Rose  E. 
(Poraeroy)  Daggett,  were  reared  and  married 
in  Iowa,  and  in  1885  made  their  way  to 
Washington,  settling  at  Ritzville.  In  1888 
they  removed  to  California  and  in  1893  came 
to  Klamath  Falls,  where  Mrs.  Daggett  passed 
away  in  1908  at  the  age  of  fifty  years.  Mr. 
Daggett,  who  has  engaged  in  the  drug  busi- 
ness during  the  greater  part  of  his  life,  is  now 
living  in  Lake  county,  Oregon.  In  their  fam- 
ily were  three  children:  Claude  H.:  Edith, 
who  is  the  wife  of  George  Eockwood,  of  Yuma, 
Arizona;  and  ,T.  F.,  living  in  San  Francisco. 

Claude  H.  Daggett  resided  with  his  parents 
until  1896  .and  was  up  to  that  time  a  pupil 
in  the  public  schools,  being  graduated  from 
the  Klamath  Falls  high  school  in  that  year. 
He  afterward  worked  for  wages  until  1899, 
when  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Fred 
Schallock  for  the  conduct  of  a  grocery  busi- 
ness under  the  firm  style  of  Schallock  &  Dag- 
gett. This  was  continued  until  1909,  when 
Mr.  Daggett  sold  out.  The  previous  year  he 
had  been  elected  ccninty  treasurer  and  so  ac- 


ceptably did  he  till  the  office  that  he  was  re- 
elected in  November,  1910,  and  in  1913  was 
renominated  for  a  third  term.  His  personal 
popularity  and  the  confidence  reposed  in  him 
are  indicated  in  the  fact  that  he  has  been 
elected  on  the  democratic  ticket,  although  the 
county  gives  a  normal  republican  majority  of 
one  thousand.  His  fellow  townsmen  have  the 
utmost  confidence  in  him  and  his  loyalty  and 
he  is  spoken  of  in  terms  of  high  regard  in 
connection  with  his  business  career.  He  is 
one  of  the  stockholders  and  the  secretary  of 
the  American  Bank  &  Trust  Company  of 
Klamath  Falls,  is  a  director  and  the  manager 
of  the  Klamath  Falls  Warehouse  &  Forward- 
ing Company  and  in  connection  with  that 
company  built  the  first  ice  and  cold  storage 
plant  here.  lie  assisted  in  organizing  this 
company,  which  has  been  an  important  ele- 
ment in  the  business  development  and  prog- 
ress of  the  community. 

In  1902  Mr.  Daggett  was  married  to  Miss 
Floy  R.  Schallock,  a  native  of  Klamath  Falls. 
Oregon,  and  a  daughter  of  H.  F.  Schallock 
of  Grants  Pass.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Daggett  have 
a  hospitable  liome  always  open  for  the  re- 
ception of  tlieir  many  friends,  and  he  is  well 
known  as  a  charter  member  of  the  Elks 
lodge  of  Klamath  Falls,  of  which  he  was 
the  first  treasurer.  He  has  spent  much  of 
his  life  in  the  northwest  and  is  a  thorough 
believer  in  the  country   and  its  future. 

CHARLES  CROSBY,  who  passed  away  in 
Coos  comity  in  1903,  was  a  factor  in  the 
pioneer  development  of  this  state  along  agri- 
cultural lines  and  his  name  therefore  figures 
in  its  early  history.  He  was  born  in  Kew 
York  in  the  year  1837,  and  in  1855  when 
eighteen  years  of  age,  came  west  across  the 
plains.  He  spent  three  years  in  the  gold 
mines  of  California  and  accumulated  consid- 
erable wealth.  Coming  to  the  Willamette 
valley,  he  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land  in  Linn  county  and  there  car- 
ried on  general  agricultural  pursuits  for  a 
number  of  years.  Subsequently  he  took  up 
his  abode  near  Woodburn  in  jMarion  county, 
purchasing  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  thirty 
acres  which  he  operated  for  ten  years.  On 
the  expiration  of  that  period  he  disposed  of 
the  property  and  came  to  Coos  county  in 
1884,  settling  near  Elk  Creek  on  the  east 
fork  of  the  Coquille  river.  A  short  time 
later  he  removed  to  Spokane,  Washington, 
and  resided  in  that  vicinity  for  five  years, 
while  subsequently  he  made  his  home  in 
Sacramento,  California,  for  several  years. 
Returning  to  Coos  county,  Oregon,  he  spent 
the  remainder  of  his  life  with  his  daughter. 
Jennie,  in  whose  home  he  passed  away  in 
1903.  He  gave  his  political  allegiance  to 
the  democracy  b>it  neither  sought  nor  de- 
sired ofTice  as  a  reward  for  his  party  fealty. 
His  religious  faith  was  that  of  the  Christian 
church,  while  fraternally  he  was  identified 
with  the  ]\Iasons. 

It  was  in  Linn  county,  this  state,  that  Mr. 
Crosby  wedded  Miss  .Jennie  Florince,  a  native 
of  Virginia,  by  whom  he  had  eight  children, 
as  follows:  Albert,  who  is  a  resident  of 
Woodburn,    Oregon;    Charles,   living    in    Fair- 


200 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


vIl'W.  Oregon;  Mary,  deceased;  Mrs.  Martha 
Bly,  of  Portland,  Oregon;  Arthur,  also  of 
Portland;  Walter,  who  makes  his  home  at 
Hepjmer.  Oregon;  Jeff  Lee,  of  Gravel  Ford, 
Oregon;  and  Jennie,  the  wife  of  William 
Cotton,  of  Fairview,  Oregon. 

Jeff  Lee  Crosby,  who  owns  and  operates  a 
farm  of  two  hundred  and  fifteen  acres  four 
miles  from  Gravel  Ford,  near  the  home  of 
his  father-in-law,  Isaac  T.  Weekly,  is  one 
of  the  enterprising  and  representative  agri- 
culturists of  Coos  county.  He  was  but  five 
years  of  age  when  his  mother  died.  As  a 
companion  and  helpmate  on  the  journey  of 
life  he  chose  Miss  Ona  Weekly,  a  daughter 
of  Isaac  Taylor  Weekly.  Unto  them  have 
been  born  five  children,  as  follows:  Arthur 
M.,  whose  birth  occurred  on  the  5th  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1896;  Iva,  who  is  deceased;  Mertie, 
whose  natal  day  was  December  24,  1900; 
Clifford,  who  was  born  on  the  2d  of  January, 
1905;   and  Zclma,  born  March  19,  1907. 

JOHN  H.  BARR,  SR.,  is  the  owner  of  a 
well  cultivated  ranch  located  two  miles  south, 
east  of  Springfield,  which  he  has  been  oper- 
ating for  about  five  years  with  success.  He 
was  born  in  Georgia  in  1834,  and  is  a  son  of 
James  H.  and  Nancy  (Anthony)  Barr,  who 
were  likew'ise  natives  of  Georgia,  where  they 
always  lived,  the  father  passing  away  in 
1883 "and  the  mother  in  1SS5.  The  children 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barr  numbered  six. 

Reared  on  a  farm,  John  H.  Barr  laid  tlie 
foundation  for  an  agricultural  career  while 
still  in  his  boyhood  by  assisting  with  the 
work  of  the  fields  and  care  of  the  stock. 
He  received  a  common-school  education  and 
renuiined  a  member  of  the  parental  house- 
hold until  he  had  attained  his  majority. 
When  he  left  home  he  began  farming  for 
himself  and  for  two  years  thereafter  en- 
gaged in  agricultural  pursuits  in  his  native 
state.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  went  to 
Alabama  and  farmed  until  the  breaking  out 
of  the  Civil  war.  He  enlisted  as  a  private 
in  the  Confederate  army  and  went  to  the 
front  as  a  member  of  the  Twenty-second 
Alabama  regiment,  remaining  in  the  service 
until  the  close  of  hostilities.  He  partici- 
pated in  a  number  of  notable  conflicts,  re- 
ceived one  slight  wound  and  was  discharged 
with  the  rank  of  second  sergeant.  When 
mustered  out  he  returned  to  Alabama  and 
resumed  farming,  continuing  to  reside  in 
that  state  until  1869,  when  he  removed  to 
Texas.  From  there  he  went  to  Washington 
in  1S86  and  four  years  later  became  a  resi- 
dent of  Oregon.  He  located  in  Eugene,  where 
he  bought  some  property,  but  as  he  had  al- 
ways been  in  the  country  he  was  not  satis- 
fied to  reside  in  town  and  the  following 
year,  in  1891  he  traded  his  city  property 
foj  a  ranch  on  the  Mohawk  river,  in  Lane 
county.  He  lived  on  this  land  for  several 
years,  then  selling  it  and  buying  seventy- 
five  acres  two  miles  south  of  Springfield 
where  he  has  ever  since  made  his  home.  Mr. 
Barr  has  attained  the  venerable  age  of  sev- 
enty-eight years  but  has  always  led  an 
active  life  and  continues  to  look  after  his 
property   and  bu.siness   interests. 


In  Te.\as.  in  1874,  was  celebrated  the  mar- 
riage of  ilr.  Barr  and  Miss  Caroline  E.  Price, 
whose  birth  occurred  in  Arkansas.  She 
is  a  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Jane  (Waits) 
Price,  the  mother  a  native  of  Georgia  and 
the  father  of  Illinois,  but  they  were  mar- 
ried in  Arkansas  and  moved  from  there 
to  Texas  in  1863.  In  1887  they  came  to  the 
northwest,  locating  in  Cliehalis  county. 
After  residing  there  for  three  years  they 
returned  to  Texas,  where  the  mother  passed 
away  in  1901.  The  father  is  living  at  the 
venerable  age  of  ninety-one  years  and  con- 
tinues to  reside  in  Texas.  Six  children  were 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Price,  five  of  whom 
are  living.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barr  have  six 
children:  Adelia.  the  wife  of  A.  W.  Dugan,' 
of  Marcola,  this  county;  Georgie  C,  who 
married  Curtis  Hayden,  of  Springfield,  Ore- 
gon ;  John  H.,  Jr.,  who  is  a  resident  of 
Cloverdale,  Oregon;  Joseph  R..  who  is  a  physi- 
cian of  Springfield.  Oregon;  William  C,  who 
IS  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  in 
Springfield;  and  Lola  E..  who  is  living  at 
home  and  attending  high   school. 

Tile  family  are  members  of  the  Baptist 
church  and  the  political  support  of  Mr.  Barr 
is  given  to  the  democratic  party.  He  enjoys 
a  wide  and  favorable  acquaintance  among 
the  citizens  of  his  community,  where  he  has 
always  conducted  his  transactions  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  entitle  him  to  the  esteem  and 
confidence  of  those  with  whom  he  has  had 
df  :iling^. 

JOHN  R.  SCOTT  is  now  living  retired  in 
Creswell.  although  for  many  years  he  was 
closely  identified  with  farming  interests  in 
Lane  county.  He  today  occupies  a  com- 
modious and  beautiful  residence  in  the  town 
and  derives  a  substantial  income  from  care- 
fully placed  investments.  He  was  born  near 
Creswell  and  is  tlie  son  of  W.  .1.  .7.  and 
Surena  J.  (Robinson)  Scott,  of  whom  men- 
tion is  made  elsewhere  in  this  work.  He 
was  reared  to  farm  life  and  during  his 
youthful  days  remained  on  the  old  home- 
stead with  his  parents,  assisting  in  the  culti- 
vation of  the  fields  and  the  care  of  the  crops, 
.^fter  his  marriage  he  removed  to  a  home 
of  his  own.  purchasing  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land  to  which  he  afterward  added  a 
tract  of  one  hundred  acres.  Upon  this  he 
lived  and  farmed  until  1908.  when  he  sold 
it  to  (larties  who  subdivided  it  in  small 
tracts.  Tie  removed  to  Creswell.  where  he 
is  now  enjoying  rest  from  furtlier  labor.  He 
had  developec  his  farm  according  to  modern 
progressive  methods  and  as  the  country  be- 
came thickly  settled  the  land  became  very 
valuable.  In  Creswell  he  erected  a  large  and 
beautiful  residence  of  modern  style  of  archi- 
tecture, which  stands  in  the  midst  of  well 
kept  grounds  covering  four  lots.  In  addition 
to  this  he  was  the  owner  of  the  Central 
hotel  and  also  owns  twenty  acres  of  timber 
land. 

On  the  24th  of  December,  1SS6.  Mr.  Scott 
was  married  to  Miss  Mae  Parsons,  a  daugh- 
ter of  W.  W.  and  Phoebe  (Walton)  Parsons, 
who  were  pioneers  of  Oregon.  Their  family 
numbers  six  children:   C.  L..  who  is  living  in 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


201 


Eugene;  W.  E.,  a  resident  of  Cieswell;  Mrs. 
Scott  and  Belle,  who  were  twins,  the  latter 
being  now  the  deceased  wife  of  R.  W.  Veatch 
of  Cottage  Grove.  Oregon;  and  R.  H.  and  W. 
\V..  both  of  whom  are  living  in  Creswell. 
ilr.  and  Mrs.  Scott  have  become  the  parents 
of  four  children.  Louise,  who  is  a  telephone 
operator  in  Creswell;  Siirena.  the  wife  of 
E.  C.  Phillips,  of  Montana,  by  whom  she 
lias  two  children.  Loyal  and  Frank;  Loyal 
who  has  a  business  college  education  and 
is  now  an  employe  of  the  Southern  Pacific 
Railway  Company  at  Creswell;  and  Belle,  at 
home.  Liberal  advantages  for  intellectual 
progress  have  been  given  the  children,  all  of 
whom  have  been  students  in  the  Creswell 
high  school. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Scott  is  a  repub- 
lican and  for  two  years  held  the  office  of 
supervisor,  but  has  never  been  a  politician 
in  the  sense  of  ollice  seeking.  He  has  done 
good  work  for  education  as  a  school  director 
and  at  all  times  is  interested  in  behalf  of 
)irogress  and  improvement.  Fraternally  he 
is  connected  with  the  Woodmen  of  the  World. 
A  lifelong  resident  of  Lane  county,  his  ster- 
ling traits  of  character  have  gained  for  him 
the  confidence,  good-will  and  higli  respect  of 
all   who  know   him. 

JOHN  WESLEY  REED,  who  is  a  well 
known  contractor  and  builder  in  Estacada, 
Clackamas  county,  was  born  near  Cleveland. 
Ohio.  November  11,  1863.  a  son  of  Aaron  and 
Elizabeth  (Calhoun)  Reed.  The  parents,  both 
natives  of  Ohio,  were  married  in  that  state, 
and  a  few  years  later  removed  to  Iowa 
settling  in  Mahaska  county,  where  the 
mother  passed  away  in  1ST4.  About  eight 
years  later  the  father  removed  to  Xorton 
county,  Kansas,  where  he  resided  until  his 
death  in  1907.  In  their  family  were  eight 
children,  the  two  eldest  of  whom  died  in 
infancy.  Those  who  grew  to  maturity  are: 
Florence,  the  wife  of  David  Rowley,  of  Nor- 
ton county,  Kansas;  Albert  Clinton,  who 
died  in  Kansas,  at  the  age  of  thirty-five  years; 
•lohn  Wesley,  of  this  review;  Ida.  the  widow 
of  Edward  Dobbe  of  Norton,  Kansas;  George 
P.,  of  Billings,  Montana;  and  Charlie  E.,  ot 
Norton  county,  Kansas. 

•lohn  Wesley  Reed  acquired  a  common- 
school  education,  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen 
started  out  in  life  on  his  own  ,accoui:t  by 
working  on  a  farm  in  low'a.  for  three  years. 
He  then  moved  to  Wisconsin,  W'here  he  took 
up  the  carpenter  and  contracting  business, 
which  he  followed  ten  years.  Subsequently 
he  operated  a  barber  shop  for  a  number  of 
years,  and  afterward  returned  to  the  con- 
tracting and  building  business,  remaining  in 
the  same  until  1901.  He  later  farmed  for 
two  years,  and  in  190.'!  came  to  Oregon, 
settling  at  Estacada,  where  he  purchased  the 
two  first  lots  of  the  city,  and  built  its  first 
building.  He  has  erected  one  third  of  the 
buildings  now  in  the  town  of  Estacada,  which 
has  a  population  of  over  five  hundred.  At 
one  time  he  operated  a  furniture  store  there 
and  also  was  interested  financially  in  a  gen- 
eral merchandise  store.  He  erected  and 
stocked  the  largest  general  nierclinndise  store 


in  Clackamas  county  and  opened  and  con- 
ducted a  drug  store  in  Estacada.  He  was 
one  of  the  charter  members  of  the  State 
Bank  of  Estacada  and  was  president  of  that 
institution  until  it  changed  owners  in  1906. 
He  was  one  of  the  active  organizers  and  is 
the  manager  and  leading  shareliolder  of  the 
Estacada  Telephone  and  Telegraph  Company, 
lie  owns  much  real  estate  in  Estacada,  some 
timber  land  and  several  tracts  of  farm  land 
adjoining  the  town. 

in  1893  Mr.  Reed  wedded  Miss  Lucy  M. 
Oakley,  who  was  born  in  Monroe  county, 
Wisconsin,  a  daughter  of  Henry  and  Lucy 
(Barlow)  Oakley.  Her  father  was  a  native 
of  Pennsylvania,  and  her  mother  of  Wiscon- 
sin, and  they  were  married  at  La  Crosse,  Wis- 
consin, where  the  mother  passed  away,  and 
where  the  father  is  yet  living.  In  their 
family  were  seven  children:  Nola,  who  is  a 
school  teacher;  Mrs.  Reed;  Clinton  and  Afl'a, 
of  Wisconsin;  Mary  E..  a  teacher;  Milton 
6.,  of  Newburg,  Oregon;  and  June,  who  ia 
also  a  school  teacher.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Reed 
have  become  the  parents  of  five  children: 
Kacbael.  who  was  born  in  1895.  and  is 
attending  high  school;  Russell,  born  in  1899; 
a  child  who  died  in  infan-.-y;  Mary  Alice, 
born  in  1906;  and  Florence  .June,  born  in 
1908.  Mrs.  Reed  is  an  educated  lady,  and 
for  nine  years  previous  to  her  marriage 
taught   scheol. 

In  his  political  views  John  Wesley  Reed 
is  republican,  has  always  taken  an  active 
part  in  local  party  affairs  and  served  as 
mayor  for  three  terms.  He  has  given  active 
ami  helpful  service  in  educational  movements, 
and  has  been  a  member  of  the  school  board 
for  six  years.  Both  he  and  his  family  are 
earnest  workers  in  the  Congregational  church. 
Mr.  Reed  has  led  a  busy  and  useful  life  and  is 
accounted  one  «f  the  good  substantial  resi- 
dents  of   Estacada. 

F.  L.  BEARD,  enjoying  an  enviable  repu- 
tation as  one  of  the  leading  merchants  of 
Yoncalla.  is  successfully  engaged  in  business 
as  the  junior  member  of  the  firm  of  Hol- 
drcdge  &  Beard.  His  birth  occurred  in  Scio, 
Linn  county,  Oregon,  on  the  16th  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1879,  his  parents  being  Andrew  F.  and 
Rachel  (Prior)  Beard,  who  were  born,  reared 
and  married  in  Davis  county,  Iowa.  In  1865 
they  crossed  the  plains  to  Oregon  with  ox 
teams,  locating  on  a  farm  in  Linn  county. 
Andrew  F.  Beard  subsequently  removed  to 
Scio.  where  he  was  variously  engaged  in 
business.  He  conducted  a  livery  stable  for 
a  time,  later  was  known  as  the  proprietor 
of  a  hotel  for  a  number  of  years  and  also 
engaged  in  merchandising.  At  the  present 
time  he  is  living  retired  in  Scio.  having  won 
a  comfortable  competence  during  the  years 
of  his  active  business  career.  He  gives  his 
jxditical  allegiance  to  the  democracy  and. 
though  not  an  office  seeker,  has  been  an 
active  worker  in  the  local  ranks  of  the  party. 
F.  L.  Beard  remained  under  the  parental 
roof  until  seven  years  of  age  when  he  resided 
with  bis  sister.  Mrs.  Holdredge.  His  educ:ition 
was  acquired  in  the  common  schools  of  Scio. 
In     1S97    conditions    were    favorable    for    an 


202 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


appointment  to  West  Point  ililitary  Acad- 
emy but  no  vacancy  occurred  until  two  years 
later  and  at  that  time  he  did  not  care  to  go. 
When  twenty-one  years  of  age  he  began  his 
career  as  a  locomotive  fireman  on  the  South- 
ern Pacific  railroad.  Six  years  later,  in  190G. 
he  was  promoted  to  the  position  of  engineer, 
running  an  engine  for  two  and  a  half  years. 
Soon  after  assuming  his  duties  as  engineer 
the  Southern  Pacific  installed  their  heavy 
engines  and  to  him  was  assigned  the  task  of 
running  the  new  locomotives.  He  was  in  the 
service  of  the  railroad  at  the  time  of  the 
San  Francisco  earthquake  and  pulled  the  first 
train  of  soldiers  from  the  north  into  Rose- 
burg,  their  destination  being  San  Francisco. 
In  1906  he  bought  a  third  interest  in  the 
mercantile  establishment  of  0.  E.  Holdredge, 
of  Yoncalla,  and  in  1907  obtained  a  ninety 
days'  leave  of  absence,  came  to  Yoncalla. 
and  acquired  a  full  half  interest  in  the  con- 
cern. Since  that  time  he  has  devoted  his 
attention  to  merchandising  as  a  member  of 
the  firm  of  Holdredge  &  Beard  and  in  this 
connection  has  won  a  gratifying  measure 
of  prosperity,  being  widely  recognized  as  a 
man  of  excellent  business  ability,  reliable, 
straightforward  and  up-to-date. 

On"  the  22d  of  May.  1901,  Mr.  Beard  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  ilyrtle  B.  Spaugh. 
of  Looking  Glass,  Oregon.  He  is  a  demo- 
crat in  polities  and  was  a  candidate  for 
nomination  to  the  oflice  of  sheriff  in  1910  but 
failed  to  secure  the  nomination.  In  1912. 
though  importuned  by  his  friends  and  party 
to  allow  his  name  to  be  used  for  the  office 
of  sheriff"  or  for  representative,  he  declined 
to  again  become  a  candidate.  He  has  served 
as  a  member  of  the  town  council  and  for  one 
term  acted  as  mayor  of  Yoncalla.  Frater- 
nallv  he  is  identified  with  the  following  or- 
ders: Laurel  Lodge.  Xo.  13.  A.  F.  &  A.  M.: 
Alpha  Lodge.  Xo.  170.  I.  0.  0.  F.  of  Yon- 
calla; Union  Encampment,  Xo.  9.  of  Rose- 
burg:  Yoncalla  Camp,  No,  480,  W.  0.  W,; 
and  Yoncalla  Lodge,  Xo,  1331,  M.  B.  of  A. 
Of  the  last  named  lodge  he  was  the  first 
president.  His  wife  is  a  devoted  and  consis- 
tent member  of  the  Baptist  church  in  Rose- 
burg,  ilr.  Beard  was  appointed  a  delegate 
to  the  Northwest  Development  Congress, 
which  met  at  Seattle,  June  5th  to  Sth,  1912, 
but  was  unable  to  attend  on  account  of  the 
pressure  of  business  cares.  He  has  done  a 
great  deal  of  journal  work  for  advertising 
circulars  which  are  sent  broadcast  through 
the  United  States.  He  has  qualities  which 
win  enduring  friendship  and  is  a  young  man 
who  has  already  made  a  creditable  record  in 
business  circles  by  his  consecutive  and  hon- 
orable progress. 

WILLIAM  JOHN  MASSEY.  The  well  im- 
proved and  highly  cultivated  farm  belonging 
to  William  .J.  Massey  comprises  two  hundred 
acres  of  land  located  on  Catching  creek.  Coos 
county.  Oregon,  and  in  its  productiveness  and 
fertility  ranks  among  the  important  agri- 
cultural enterprises  of  the  district.  Mr.  Mas- 
sey was  born  in  South  Dakota,  ilarch  14, 
1871.  and  is  a  son  of  George  Washington  and 
Ann  Eliza   (Oipson)  IMassey.     The  father  was 


a  native  of  Indiana  and  the  mother  of  New 
York.  They  were  married  at  Strawberry 
Point,  Iowa,  and  went  at  once  to  South 
Dakota,  where  the  father  bought  land  and 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  for  twelve 
years.  At  the  end  of  that  time,  in  Decem- 
ber, 1S7S,  they  came  to  Oregon  and  settled 
in  Coos  county.  Here  George  W.  Massey 
bought  one  hundred  acres  of  land  and  upon 
this  he  resided  until  his  death  in  June,  1891. 
His  wife  is  still  living  and  resides  upon  the 
old  homestead.  They  became  the  parents  of 
five  children:  Fred,  who  is  a  resident  of 
Coos  county;  Charles,  who  lives  in  the  same 
section ;  William  J.,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch;  George,  who  is  the  owner  of  seventy- 
five  acres  of  land  near  his  father's  farm  but 
who  makes  his  home  with  his  mother;  and 
May  Jane,  the  wife  of  Charlie  Pendleton,  the 
owner  of  two  ranches  near  Coquille,  Oregon. 

William  J.  Massey  was  reared  at  home  and 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Coos  county. 
He  became  acquainted  with  agriculture  by 
working  on  his  father's  farm.  He  now  owns 
two  hundred  acres  located  on  Catching  creek 
in  Coos  county,  and  to  this  he  gives  his  ener- 
gies and  activities  and  has  at  present  brought 
it  to  a  high  state  of  development  and  culti- 
vation. He  farms  along  the  most  progressive 
and  modern  lines  and  pursues  a  constant 
policy  of  expansion  and  improvement.  Be- 
sides the  farm  which  he  operates  he  also 
owns  an  interest  in  his  father's  homestead 
and  is  a  member  of  the  Farmers'  Cooperative 
Educational  Organization  &  Union  of  America. 

Politically  Mr.  Massey  is  a  republican  but 
takes  little  active  interest  in  affairs  of  a 
public  nature,  preferring  to  devote  his  time 
and  attention  to  his  farm.  He  and  his  par- 
ents affiliate  with  the  Christian  church.  He 
is  numbered  among  the  enterprising  and  rep- 
resentative men  of  Coos  county  and  is  well 
known  as  a  farmer  who  is  interested  in  agri- 
culttu'e  as  a  scientific  occupation  and  success- 
ful in  it  along  practical  lines. 

LEWIS  S.  FULLER,  who  has  retired  from 
his  fruit  farm  and  is  residing  in  Monmouth, 
was  born  May  23,  1S4S.  in  Indiana  county, 
Pennsylvania,  his  parents  being  -Jacob  and 
Catherine  (Shank)  Fuller,  who  were  born  in 
ilaryland  and  Indiana  respectively  and  both 
of  w-hora  died  in  Pennsylvania  after  residing 
there  for  the  greater  part  of  their  lives. 
The  father  was  a  mason  and  bricklayer  by 
trade.  To  him  eight  children  were  born, 
namely:  Mary  Ann;  William,  who  enlisted 
for  service  in  the  Civil  war  in  a  Pennsylvania 
regiment  and  was  killed  while  at  the  front; 
Lewis  S,;  Andrew;  Sarah  Jane;  Alex;  Archi- 
bald,  deceased;    and   Elinor, 

Lewis  S,  Fuller  spent  his  youth  in  In- 
diana county,  Pennsylvania,  and  attended  the 
common  schools  there.  ^^^len  the  troops 
were  enlisting  for  serrice  in  the  Civil  war,  in 
1S64,  although  he  was  only  sixteen  years 
of  age,  he  joined  Captain  John  Wilson's  in- 
dependent company  and  remained  at  the 
front  until  the  close  of  the  war.  After  being 
mustered  out  he  immediately  returned  to 
Pennsylvania  and  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits,  an  occupation  in  which  he  continued 


U"^ 


vi 


(;E0R(;K   \VASIllN(iTOX   jiassey 


MRS.   ANN    E.    MASSEY   AND   CllIl.DKEN 


\ 


>*f°"',^UMO*'>^^ 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


until  189S,  when  he  removed  from  his  native 
state  to  Oregon  and  purchased  a  fruit  farm 
of  thirty-eight  acres,  southwest  of  Jlonmouth. 
He  cultivated  that  farm  successfully  until  he 
retired  from  active  business  and  took  up  his 
residence  in  Monmouth. 

In  1S69  occurred  Mr.  Fuller's  marriage  to 
Senith  Smith,  who  was  born  in  Indiana 
county,  Pennsylvania,  August  14,  1S4S.  She 
is  a  daughter  of  John  and  Martha  (Borland) 
Smith,  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  and  is  one 
of  eleven  children  bom  to  them,  all  of  whom 
died  in  infancv  cxceptins  Senith.  Mary  Eliza- 
beth, Milton  B.  and  William  H.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Fuller  eleven  children  have  been  born, 
namely:  Ida  C.  and  Luetta.  deceased;  Xora 
A.:  John  S.;  Millie  Delphina,  deceased; 
Edward  Jennings;  Alpfa.  Merle  and  Stella, 
deceased:  Cleopatra;  and  Cecil  Pansy,  de- 
ceased. 

In  politics  Lewis  S.  Fuller  is  a  stanch  re- 
publican and  has  often  been  elected  to  office 
by  that  party,  having  been  justice  of  the 
peace  in  Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania,  for 
six  years  and  having  served  as  a  member  of 
the  school  board  for  several  years.  In  these 
offices  he  discharged  his  duties  in  accordance 
with  his  high  standards  of  right  and  justice 
and  for  the  general  welfare  of  the  community 
which  he  served.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Indiana  county  post  of  the  G.  A.  R.  and  both 
he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Evan- 
gelical church,  through  which  organization 
they  find  many  opportunities  to  give  vent  to 
their  friendly  and  benevolent  inclinations. 
Mr.  Fuller  has  always  enjoyed  the  regard 
and  esteem  of  his  fellow  citizens,  who  find 
him  conscientious  and  trustworthy  and  who 
enlist  his  support  to  any  uplifting  project, 
knowing  that  his  cooperation  is  both  actively 
and   passivelv  effective. 

ROBERT  E.  CAMPBELL,  the  owner  of 
three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  well  im- 
proved and  highly  cultivated  land  located 
three  miles  east  of  Eugene,  where  he  is  now 
living  retired,  has  passed  sixty-one  of  the 
eighty-one  years  of  his  life  in  Lane  county. 
He  was  born  in  Lafayette  county,  Missouri, 
September  4,  1S30.  and  is  a  son  of  Henry 
and  Xancy  W.  (Ashbum)  Campbell.  The 
father  was  born  in  1799  and  the  mother  in 
1797.  both  natives  of  Kentucky  where  they 
were  also  married.  They  later  removed  to 
Missouri  and  were  numbered  among  the  pio- 
neer settlers  of  Lafayette  county.  There  the 
father  acquired  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  government  land  and  engaged  in  agricul- 
tural pursuits  during  the  remainder  of  his  life. 
He  prospered  in  his  undertakings  and  extended 
his  holdings  until  he  held  the  title  to  nine 
hundred  and  sixty  acres,  the  greater  portion 
of  which  he  acquired  for  one  dollar  and 
twenty-five  cents  per  acre.  It  was  all 
brought  under  cultivation  and  highly  im- 
proved, being  one  of  the  valuable  properties 
of  that  section.  The  father  passed  away  at 
the  age  of  seventy-five,  but  the  mother  sur- 
vived him  for  many  years  and  had  passed  the 
ninetieth  anniversary  of  her  birth  at  the  time 
of  her  death.  Of  the  children  bom  to  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Campbell,  five  are  still  living,  as 
follows:  Henry,  who  is  a  resident  of  Lafay- 
voL  rr— 9 


ette  county;  Aaron,  who  lives  in  Lexington; 
Robert  E.,  our  subject;  Grace  Elizabeth,  who 
married  Givens  Mastison  of  Lafayette 
county;  and  Xancy,  the  wife  of  Alfred  King, 
also  of  Lafayette  county.  Those  deceased 
are  as  follows:  Joshua,  who  died  in  1S56; 
George  T.,  whose  death  occurred  in  1SS4; 
William,  who  died  in  1SS6;  Susan,  who  was 
the  first  wife  of  Givens  Mastison,  and  who 
was  twenty-three  when  she  passed  away  in 
iS62;  Boshann,  who  died  in  1865;  John,  who 
was  twenty-four  at  the  time  of  his  death; 
Xancy,  whose  death  occurred  ia  1847 ;  and 
Melinda  Harriet,  who  married  Alfred  Masti- 
son. 

The  boyhood  and  youth  of  Robert  E.  Camp- 
bell to  the  age  of  twenty  years  was  passed 
on  the  farm  where  he  was  born.  He  left 
the  parental  roof  in  1S31  and  began  his  in- 
dependent career  as  an  agriculturist.  He 
followed  farming  in  his  native  state  for 
about  one  year,  and  at  the  expiration  of 
that  time,  in  1S31,  he  came  to  Oregon,  locat- 
ing in  Lane  county.  During  the  first  year 
of  his  residence  here  he  worked  in  a  mill 
race,  but  in  1852  he  purchased  a  donation 
right  from  Jerry  Sweet.  Under  this  he 
acquired  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
of  land  and  once  more  engaged  in  farming 
and  stock-raising,  diligently  devoting  himself 
to  the  further  improvement  and  cultivation  of 
his  ranch  during  the  remainder  of  his  active 
life.  He  has  given  his  children  tracts  from 
his  original  holding  and  still  retains  the  title 
to  one  hundred  acres.  This  has  all  been 
brought  into  a  high  state  of  productivity  with 
the  exception  of  twenty  acres  that  is  in 
timber.  His  ranch  is  well  improved  and 
equipped  and  is  numbered  among  the  valu- 
able properties  of  the  county,  while  he  is 
known  as  one  of  the  prosperous  citizens  of 
his  community.  In  the  early  days  of  1S52 
Mr.  Campbell  hauled  goods  from  Portland  to 
Springfield  and  in  1859  together  with  .John 
Bovard  and  Alexander  King  built  a  flat  boat 
and  took  thirty-five  tons  of  flour  to  Portland 
receiving  two  dollars  and  seventy-five  cents 
per  barrel   for  the  same. 

Mr.  Campbell  has  been  married  three  times. 
His  first  union  was  with  Miss  Ruth  Campbell, 
a  native  of  Missouri.  They  were  married  in 
1850  and  Mrs.  Campbell  passed  away  in  185S. 
Two  children  were  born  to  them:  Harvey  V.. 
who  was  born  in  1850  and  died  in  Oregon  at 
the  age  of  forty-two  years;  and  Eliza,  whose 
birth  occurred  in  1853,  the  wife  of  Isaac  Stev- 
ens, of  Eugene.  In  1861.  Mr.  Campbell  mar- 
ried Martha  Delzell,  who  was  born  on  the 
13th  of  May,  1S40.  and  died  in  1S65.  They 
were  the  parents  of  one  child,  Henry  D..  who 
died  at  the  age  of  two  years.  Mr.  Camp- 
bell was  married  to  his  present  wife,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Rebecca  Hutchison,  in 
May,  1S67.  Mrs.  Campbell  was  born  in 
Grundy  county.  Missouri,  in  1848,  and  is  a 
daughter  of  .Jackson  and  Theodosia  (Snelling) 
Hutchison,  the  mother  a  native  of  Kentucky 
and  the  father  of  Missouri.  They  were  mar- 
ried in  Kentucky  but  subsequently  removed 
to  Missouri  and  in  that  state  the  father  died 
in  1867  while  the  mother  passed  away  in 
1S70   in   Lane    county,   Oregon.      She   is"  the 


203 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


eighth  in  order  of  birth  in  a  family  of  nine, 
all  of  whom  are  now  deceased  with  the  ex- 
ception of  one  sister,  Gertrude,  the  wife  of 
Elias  Williams,  of  Trent,  Oregon,  and  her- 
self. Those  deceased  are  as  follows:  Sarah  J., 
the  wife  of  Alexius  Miller,  who  died  at  Flor- 
ence. Oregon ;  .Jemina,  who  became  Mrs. 
Hines;  Robert  and  William;  Isabelle,  who 
became  Mrs.  Joseph  ileador;  one  who  died 
in  infancy; and  Mary  A.,  who  was  living  in 
Missouri  at  the  time  of  her  death.  To  iir. 
Campbell  and  his  third  wife  there  were  born 
two  sons,  George  E.,  who  was  born  on  Feb- 
ruary 22,  1S76,  is  married  and  lives  at  Ore- 
gon City.  He  also  has  two  sons:  Wells  0., 
whose  birth  occurred  on  November  5,  189S: 
and  Robert  G.,  whose  natal  day  was  the  1st 
of  July,  1908.  Ernest  E.,  whose  birth  oc- 
curred" on  the  22d  of  July,  1878,  graduated 
from  Kimball  College  at  Salem  and  entered 
the  ministry.  He  married  Miss  Bertha  Wal- 
ker of  Salem  and  they  now  live  at  Randall, 
Washington. 

ilr.  Campbell  is  a  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church  and  Mrs.  Campbell 
affiliates  with  the  Baptist  denomination.  In 
politics  he  is  a  democrat,  but  often  casts  an 
independent  ballot  at  local  elections.  For 
many  years  Mr.  Campbell  applied  himself  tire- 
lessly to  the  cultivation  of  his  vast  holdings, 
thereby  accumulating  a  substantial  com- 
petence and  in  addition  to  his  fine  ranch  he 
is  the  owner  of  residence  property  in  Oregon 
City  and  has  various  other  financial  inter- 
ests. He  is  one  of  the  highly  respected 
pioneer  citizens  of  this  section  and  has  many 
friends  throughout  the  county  of  long  years 
standing. 

LLOYD  T.  LITTLEPAGE,  who  is  one  of 
the  younger  business  men  of  Gresham,  Mult- 
nomah county,  owns  and  operates  a  garage 
there.  He  was  born  in  that  county,  March 
2.  1890,  a  son  of  Clarence  and  Maud  (Holt) 
Littlepage,  the  father  a  native  of  Kansas 
and  the  mother  of  Maine.  The  parents  were 
married  in  Oregon,  in  which  state  they  are 
yet  living,  the  father  having  been  brought 
here  by  his  parents  when  he  was  eleven  years 
of  age.  In  their  family  are  three  children, 
of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the 
eldest.  The  others  are:  John,  of  Portland; 
and  Basil,  of  Nevada. 

Lloyd  T.  Littlepage  received  his  education 
in  the  common  schools  and  at  the  age  of 
sixteen  started  out  in  life  for  himself  by- 
becoming  engaged  in  electrical  work.  He 
remained  at  work  in  that  occupation  until 
1911,  when  he  started  in  Gresham  the  garage 
which  he  is  now  operating. 

In  1910  Mr.  Littlepage  wedded  Miss  May 
Allder,  who  was  born  in  Oregon  in  1891,  a 
daughter  of  George  and  Marie  Allder.  who 
reside  in  Multnomah  county.  Mrs.  Little- 
page is  the  third  in  the  order  of  birth,  of 
four  children,  born  to  her  parents.  The 
others  are:  Mrs.  Pearl  Hayden.  of  Bridal 
Veil,  Oregon;  and  Alta  and" Carl,  of  Trout- 
dale.  Lloyd  T.  Littlepage  is  practical  and 
systematic  and  although  yet  a  young  man, 
is  very  capable  and  reliable  in  his  business 
relations,  always   displaying   those   traits   of 


character  which  everywhere  awaken  respect 
and  admiration.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are 
representatives  of  well  known  families  in 
that  section  of  the  country  and  are  much 
esteemed  there. 

A.  C.  WRENN  has  throughout  the  greater 
part  of  his  life  been  identified  with  the  print- 
ing business,  starting  in  that  line  when  but 
fourteen  years  of  age  in  connection  with  the 
Corvallis  Gazette.     He   was  born  in  Benton 
county,  Oregon,  May  1,  1866,  and   is  a  son 
of  George  P.  and  Frances   (Caldwell)  Wrenn. 
The  family  comes  of  English  ancestry,  trac- 
ing the  line  back  to  Sir  Christopher  Wrenn, 
and    the   American   branch    was    founded    in 
Virginia    during    colonial    days.      George    P. 
Wrenn   was   born   in   Washington,   D.  C,   in 
1S22,  and   in   early   childhood  reiuoved  with 
his  parents  to  Columbus,  Ohio,  where  he  re- 
sided until   1848,  when   he  came   to  Oregon 
by  way  of  the  water  route  around  Cape  Horn. 
He   settled   in   Portland,  becoming  owner  of 
one   hundred   and   sixty   acres   of   land   now 
included    within    the    present    boundaries    of 
that    city.      There    he   remained   until    1852, 
when  he"  returned  to  Ohio  and  the  following 
jear  brought   his  wife  and  two  children   to 
Oregon.     They  were  also  accompanied  by  his 
brother  John,  who  settled  in  Linn  county  and 
there  reared  a  large  family.    George  P.  Wrenn 
drove  ox  teams  to  Ohio  and  back  again  to 
the  northwest  and  soon  his  family  was  com- 
fortably  established  in   Portland.     When  he 
first  settled  in  that  city  he  engaged  in  the 
manufacture    of    plows.     Before    leaving   for 
the    east   he    gave    a    lawyer   the    power   of 
attorney  to  sell  a  portion  of  his  property  at 
a  certain  figure.    On  his  return  to  the  north- 
west he  found  that  the  lawyer  had  disposed 
of  his  entire  holdings  and  had  left  for  parts 
unknown.     It  was  necessary,  therefore,  that 
ilr.  Wrenn  begin  business  life  all  over  again. 
About  1854  he  removed  to  Benton  county  and 
took  up  a  homestead  of  three  hundred  and 
twenty    acres    ten    miles   west    of    Corvallis. 
It  was  upon  that  place  that  A.  C.  Wrenn  was 
born.     The  family  remained  upon  the  ranch 
until   1870    and    then   removed   to   Corvallis, 
where  the  father  engaged  in  contracting  and 
building,  following   that  pursuit   until   1878. 
He  also  served  as  sheriff  of  Benton  county 
for  one  term  and  was  filling  the  position  of 
justice  of  the  peace  for  the  second  term  at 
the    time    of    his    death,    which   occurred    in 
February,  1880.     He  had  been  the  organizer 
and  was  the  chief  of  the  fire  department  of 
Corvallis,  and  was  killed  while  attending  a 
fire.     His   political   allegiance   was  given   to 
the  democratic  party  and  for  much  of  his  life 
he  held  membership  in  the  United  Brethren 
church  but  later  he  became  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian    church.      He   was   very    active 
in  the  former  in  early  years  and  was  one  of 
its   local   preachers.    "Fraternally   he   was   a 
Mason,  holding  membership  in  Corvallis  lodge 
and  attainingthe  thirty-second  degree  of  the 
Scottish  Rite   in   the  consistory.     George  P. 
Wrenn  was  twice   married.     About   1843  he 
wedded  Frances   Caldwell,  who  was  born  in 
Ohio,  about  1822.  and  died  in  Benton  county, 
Oregon,  in  July,  1866.     She  was  the  mother 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OP  OREGON 


209 


of  six  children,  as  follows:  Eugene,  Ernest 
and  Belle,  all  of  whom  are  deceased;  E.  F., 
a  resident  of  Fruitvale,  California;  Alice  M., 
who  has  passed  away;  and  A.  C,  of  this 
review.  In  1867  Jlr.  Wrenn  wedded  Miss 
Lizzie  Freele,  who  died  in  1881,  and  the  five 
children  of  that  marriage  are  Eva,  Myrtle, 
E.  E.,  Rena  and  W.  A. 

A.  C.  Wrenn  spent  his  youthful  days  on  the 
old  home  ranch  and  in  Corvallis,  where  he 
attended  the  public  schools.  He  began  work- 
ing at  the  printer's  trade  here  when  a  youth 
of  fourteen  years,  being  employed  on  the 
Corvallis  Gazette,  with  which  he  was  con- 
nected for  two  years  while  attending  school. 
For  six  months  he  received  a  salary  of  only 
a  dollar  and  a  half  per  week  as  a  printer's 
devil.  In  1881  he  took  a'  position  with  the 
Southern  Pacific  railroad  during  its  construc- 
tion between  Eoseburg  and  Eedding.  He 
then  went  to  California,  where  he  again  took 
up  the  printing  business,  which  he  has  fol- 
lowed most  of  the  time  since.  For  eight  or 
ten  years  he  was  an  editor  in  California, 
being  thus  connected  with  the  Pleasant  Times, 
the  Clovis  Herald  and  the  Madera  Mercury. 
He  also  held  the  position  of  foreman  and  of 
superintendent  in  large  printing  offices  in 
California.  For  the  past  two  years  he  has 
resided  in  Klamath  Falls,  where  he  first  ac- 
cepted a  position  with  the  Klamath  Chronicle, 
soon  afterward  becoming  editor  and  manager 
of  that  paper.  Later  he  took  charge  of  the 
Morning  Express,  which  at  that  time  had 
eighty  subscribers.  He  changed  its  name  to 
the  Pioneer  Press,  under  which  style  he  con- 
ducted the  paper  until  March  1,  1912,  when 
the  paper  was  sold  to  Samuel  M.  Evans, 
who  soon  changed  the  name  to  the  Klamath 
Falls  Northwestern.  Mr.  Wrenn  remained  as 
superintendent  of  printing  in  both  job  and 
newspaper  departments  and  in  this  respons- 
ible position  is  thus  closely  associated  with 
the  business  interests  of  the  city. 

On  the  10th  of  June,  1893,  Mr.  Wrenn  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Eleanor  Esther 
O'Connor,  a  native  of  California,  born  April 
21,  1867,  and  a  daughter  of  James  and  Ellen 
O'Connor.  There  are  three  children  of  this 
marriage:  Harold,  Frances  and  Kenneth  Cald- 
well. In  his  political  views  Mr.  Wrenn  is  an 
earnest  democrat,  stanchly  supporting  the 
principles  of  his  party.  Fraternally  he  is 
connected  with  the  Elks  and  the  Eagles  and 
for  the  past  twenty  years  he  has  been  a 
member  of  the  Typographical  Union.  He 
has  worked  long  and  earnes'tly  at  his  trade 
in  various  connections  and  whatever  success 
he  has  achieved  is  the  merited  reward  of  his 
own  labor. 

ROBERT  S.  AND  MELVIN  SMITH.  The 
proprietors  of  an  excellent  blacksmith  shop 
in  Sandy  are  Robert  S.  and  Melvin  Smith, 
who  are  numbered  among  the  worthy  citizens 
of  Clackamas  county.  They  were  born  near 
Clay  Center.  Kansas,  Eobert  S.,  August  2, 
1886,  and  Melvin  on  August  3.  1888,  their 
parents  being  Alexander  and  Eliza  (Ross) 
Smith,  the  father  a  native  of  Ireland  and  the 
mother  of  Pennsylvania.  The  parents  were 
married    in   Kansas,    where    they    have    since 


resided,  the  father  being  one  of  the  early 
settlers  and  the  owner  of  eighty  acres  of  rich 
land  there.  In  his  family  were  twelve  chil- 
dren: William,  of  Roseberry,  Idaho;  David,  of 
Broughton,  Kansas;  Mary,  of  Seattle,  Wash- 
ington; Eobert  S.;  Melvin;  Kenelm  of  Boriug, 
Oregon;  Oliver,  Sarah,  Jennie  and  Alexander, 
Jr..  all  of  whom  are  at  home;  and  Elizabeth 
and  Edward,  deceased. 

Robert  S.  Smith  was  reared  under  the 
parental  roof,  dividing  his  time  between  his 
studies  in  the  district  school  in  winter  and 
working  on  his  father's  farm  in  summer. 
He  afterward  obtained  a  business  college  edu- 
cation. He  remained  at  home  until  he  was 
eighteen  years  of  age,  when  he  started  out 
in  life  for  himself  and  went  to  British  Colum- 
bia, where  he  was  employed  for  two  years  in 
a  flour  mill.  He  then  took  up  the  trade  of 
blacksmithing,  which  he  followed  for  two 
years  there,  and  afterward  continued  in  dif- 
ferent kinds  of  work  until  1909,  when  he 
started  a  shop  at  Boring,  Oregon,  which  lie 
operated  until  November  1,  1911.  At  that 
time  he  came  to  Sandy  and  opened  a  shop 
with  his  brother  Melvin,  which  they  still 
conduct. 

On  the  irth  of  April,  1911,  Robert  S.  Smith 
wedded  Miss  Vera  Cross,  who  was  born  in 
Washington,  September  14,  1890,  a  daughter 
of  John  L.  and  Sarah  Cross,  the  mother  a 
native  of  Missouri  and  the  father  of  New 
York.  Her  parents  were  married  in  Wash- 
ington, where  they  resided  until  1903,  when 
they  removed  to  Oregon.  The  mother  is 
now  living  in  Boring,  the  father  having  passed 
away  March  28,  1911.  In  their  family  were 
four  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Smith  is  the 
youngest.  The  others  are:  Mrs.  Effie  Lit- 
tle, of  Fruitland.  Washington;  William  H.,  of 
Spokane;  and  Claude  F.,  of  Boring,  Oregon. 
Mrs.  Robert  S.  Smith  was  educated  in  her 
native  state,  having  completed  a  high-school 
course  there. 

Melvin  Smith  grew  to  manhood  on  his  fath- 
er's farm,  receiving  his  early  education  in  the 
district  schools,  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen 
started  out  on  his  own  account,  working 
on  a  farm  in  Kansas,  where  he  was  employed 
for  two  years.  He  then  went  to  Alberta, 
Canada,  but  after  a  short  time  removed  to 
British  Columbia,  remaining  there  one  year. 
He  later  attended  school  in  St.  Paul,  Minne- 
sota, for  one  year,  subsequent  to  which  time 
he  came  to  Oregon,  settling  at  Pleasant  Home, 
where  he  resided  for  over  a  year.  He  after- 
ward took  up  the  trade  of  blacksmithing  in 
Portland,  being  employed  there  for  seven 
months,  when  he  went  to  Boring.  Here  he 
continued  in  his  trade  for  a  short  time  and 
then  came  to  Sandy,  entering  into  partner- 
ship with  his  brother  in  the  shop  which  they 
are  now  so  successfully  operating. 

In  politics  the  brothers  are  republican,  and 
fratenially  Robert  S.  Smith  is  identified  with 
the  United  Artisans  of  Sandy.  Melvin  Smith 
is  a  member  of  the  Triple  Tie  Benefit  Associa- 
tion of  Kansas.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Robert  S. 
Smith  belong  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  while  Melvin  is  affiliated  with  the 
Presbyterian  church.  The  brothers  are  pro- 
gressive   and   enterprising  and    work   in    the 


210 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


utmost  harmonT  in  the  development  and  con- 
tiol  of  an  extensive  and  growing  black- 
smithing  business.  They  are  always  reliable 
in  both  their  business  and  social  relations 
and  during  their  residence  here  have  won  the 
friendship  and  high  regard  of  all  with  whom 
they  have  been  associated. 

C.  M.  SKEELS.  Coos  county  lost  one  of 
her  most  successful  and  upright  business  men 
and  one  of  her  most  liberal  and  charitable 
citizens  when  C.  M.  Skeels  died  at  his  home 
in  Coquille  on  March  6.  1911.  For  twenty- 
four  years  he  had  been  in  the  general  mer- 
chandise business  in  Coos  county  and  had 
built  up  a  substantial  business  by  reason 
of  his  progressive  policies  and  his  unques- 
tioned honesty  and  his  death  closed  a  career 
which  had  been  useful  and  valuable  as  well 
as  upright  and  worthy.  He  was  born  in 
Ohio  in  1848,  a  son  of  Thomas  B.  and  Re- 
becca (Smith)  Skeels,  natives  of  that  state. 
They  were  the  parents  of  seven  children: 
C.  M.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Thomas 
W.,  a  resident  of  Ohio:  Ella,  the  wife  of 
Kev.  Leggith,  of  Ohio:  Oreta.  who  is  the 
wife  of  .John  Beemer.  of  the  same  state; 
Ernest  il..  also  of  Ohio;  Teresa,  who  has 
passed  away;  and  one  child,  who  died  in 
infancy. 

C.  it.  Skeels  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Ohio  and  spent  his  childhood  and 
early  manhood  in  that  state.  In  1887  he 
came  to  Oregon  and  eventually  settled  in 
Coos  c-ounty,  establishing  himself  in  the  gen- 
eral merchandise  business  at  Bandon.  After 
one  year  he  sold  his  enterprise  and  came  to 
Coquille  where  he  operated  a  general  store. 
His  success  was  rapid  from  the  beginning 
and  he  soon  became  well  known  by  reason 
of  his  attractive,  complete  and  tastefully  ar- 
ranged stock,  the  fairness  of  his  prices,  the 
quality  of  his  goods,  and  his  honorable  busi- 
ness methods,  and  a  fine  patronage  soon  re- 
paid his  care  in  all  directions.  At  the  time 
of  his  death  his  prosperity  was  evident,  rank- 
ing him  among  the  most  important  merchants 
in  Coquille. 

In  1ST3  Mr.  Skeels  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Xellie  J.  Henry,  a  native  of  Ohio, 
and  a  daughter  of  .James  and  Xancy  (Durbin) 
Henry,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  that  state. 
Her  father  died  when  Mrs.  Skeels  was  ten 
years  of  age  and  her  mother  passed  away 
in  1893.  In  their  family  were  fourteen 
children,  six  of  whom  are  still  living:  Isaac 
H.,  and  Vincent  H..  both  of  whom  reside 
in  Ohio:  Izora.  the  wife  of  Jacob  Brown,  of 
Ohio;  Elizabeth,  who  became  the  wife  of 
John  Lunsford.  also  of  Ohio;  Sarah  C.  who 
is  the  wife  of  Columbus  Evans,  of  the  same 
state:  and  Xellie,  the  wife  of  our  subject. 
To  Mr.  and  ilrs.  Skeels  were  born  eight 
children:  Charles  T..  who  resides  in  Co- 
quille, and  is  a  partner  in  the  business 
which  his  father  left,  and  who  is  married 
and  has  one  daughter,  ilarvel.  aged  eleven 
years;  ilary.  the  wife  of  Charles  Lorenz, 
who  is  engaged  in  the  merchandising  business 
in  Bandon.  by  whom  she  has  four  children, 
Marjorie.  George,  Harry,  and  Dorothy:  Oreta, 
who  became  the  wife  of  Fred  Xozler  of  Bridsre, 


by  whom  she  has  three  children.  Gladys, 
James,  and  Fred;  Grace,  who  married  George 
Baxter  of  Creswell,  and  who  is  the  mother 
of  two  children,  Xellie  and  Clay;  Portus 
and  Xellie,  twins,  who  have  passed  away; 
Dolly  May,  who  resides  at  home  with  her 
mother;  and  Paul,  who  resides  at  home 
and  who  is  a  partner  in  the  merchandise  busi- 
ness with  his  mother  and  brother.  All  of 
the  children  in  this  family  completed  their 
education  in  Coos  county,  and  Paul  took  a 
business  course  in  a  business  college  at 
Salem. 

Mr.  Skeels  gave  his  allegiance  to  the  re- 
publican party  but  was  never  an  office 
seeker.  He  was  a  devout  adherent  of  the 
ilethodist  Episcopal  church,  Xorth.  and  well 
known  in  religious  circles.  Although  success- 
ful as  a  merchant  his  truest  claim  to  re- 
membrance does  not  rest  upon  his  business 
attainments.  It  lies  in  his  broad  and  liberal 
charity  and  his  deep  religious  spirit  which 
made  his  life  one  of  constant  giving 
to  worthy  causes.  The  poor  of  Coos  county 
hold  him  in  memory  as  a  man  who  did  his  ut- 
most by  personal  kindness  and  material  aid 
to  lighten  their  burdens  and  lessen  the  hard- 
ships of  their  lives. 

ALOIS  GASSNER,  who  is  one  of  the  suc- 
cessful orehardists  of  Washington  county,  is 
the  owner  of  a  fine  ranch  of  sixty  acres, 
located  four  miles  southwest  of  Beaverton. 
He  was  born  in  Austria,  on  the  loth  of  De- 
cember, 1847,  and  is  a  son  of  Cliristian  and 
Catherine  Gassner,  both  of  whom  spent  their 
entire  lives  in  Austria,  the  father  passing 
away  at  the  age  of  forty-six  and  the  mother 
at  sixty.  In  their  family  were  six  children, 
three  of  whom  are  living,  those  beside  our 
subject  being  Edward  and  Josephine,  who 
have  remained  in  the  old  country. 

The  first  twenty  years  of  his  life  Alois 
Gassner  spent  in  his  native  land,  where  he 
obtained  a  good  common-school  education, 
after  which  he  learned  the  stone-mason's 
trade.  A  dissatisfaction  with  the  meager 
opportunities  for  advancement  afforded  in  his 
own  country  early  decided  him  to  seek  his 
fortune  in  the  United  States.  He  arrived  in 
this  country  in  1S69  and  first  located  in  De- 
troit. Michigan,  where  he  followed  his  trade 
for  a  few  months  and  then  removed  to  Free- 
port.  Illinois,  There  he  continued  to  work 
at  the  stone-mason's  trade  until  1870,  when 
he  decided  to  come  to  the  Pacific  coast,  hav- 
ing heard  many  remarkable  stories  of  Cali- 
fornia, He  located  in  that  state  for  a  time, 
but  not  liking  the  climate  he  subsequently 
removed  to  Portland,  Working  during  the 
next  eight  months  in  various  capacities  about 
the  hotels  of  that  city,  he  took  a  position 
as  sausage  maker  in  a  packing  house.  He 
next  filled  a  position  as  driver  on  an  ice 
wagon,  but  he  withdrew  from  this  occupation 
at  the  end  of  a  year,  to  work  for  a  whole- 
sale liquor  firm.  In  this  position  he  con- 
tinued for  three  years  and  resigned  the  same 
to  engage  in  building  sidewalks  and  fences, 
and  afterward  undertook  gardening  for  a 
period  of  seven  years.  At  the  expiration  of 
that  time  he  came  to  Washington  countv  and 


C.  II.  SKEELS 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OP  OREGON 


2i:j 


bought  sixty  acres  of  lailroaj  land  at  six 
and  a  half  dollars  per  acre,  and  here  he  has 
ever  since  resided.  Jlr.  Hassner's  ranch  is 
located  on  section  25.  township  1,  south,  of 
range  2,  and  contains  sixty  acres  of  most 
fertile  land  that  he  has  brought  under  a  high 
state  of  cultivation.  AVlien  he  purchased, 
his  place  was  covered  with  a  heavy  growtli 
of  timber,  the  trees  averaging  from  one  to 
eight  feet  in  diameter,  but  lie  has  cleared 
all  of  his  land  and  erected  thereon  a  com- 
fortable residence,  large  barns  and  other  sub- 
stantial buildings.  He  has  a  fine  orchard 
containing  fourteen  hundred  bearing  apple, 
pear,  prune,  cherry  and  peach  trees,  while  six 
acres  of  his  ranch  are  devoted  to  hop-raising, 
for  which  industry  he  has  provided  a  drying 
house,  press  and  all  other  necessary  equip- 
ment. Mr.  Gassner  is  realizing  substantial 
returns  from  his  various  activities  and  is 
lecognized  as  one  of  the  prosperous  ranch- 
men of  the  county.  His  prosperity  is  the  re- 
sult, however,  of  years  of  close  application, 
intelligent  supervision  and  tireless  energy, 
which  qualities  constitute  the  main  asset  in 
anv  undertaking. 

On  the  tth  of  Xovember,  1ST3.  Mr.  Gassner 
was  married  to  Miss  Justina  Lampert,  who 
was  liorn  in  Austria  on  the  7th  of  July,  1848, 
and  is  a  daughter  of  John  and  Josephine 
Lampert.  The  parents  spent  their  entire 
lives  in  Austria,  where  the  mother  passed 
away  in  1855  and  the  father  in  1861.  They 
were  the  parents  of  six  children,  all  of  whom 
are  now  deceased  with  the  exception  of  Mrs. 
Gassner.  She  came  to  the  United  States  in 
1868,  locating  in  Freeport,  Hlinois.  where 
she  subsequently  met  and  married  Mr.  Gass- 
ner. They  are  the  parents  of  five  children, 
as  follows:  Xavier  Antone.  who  was  born  on 
the  2nd  of  October,  1874,  now  married  and 
living  in  Eeedville,  this  county,  where  he  and 
his  brother  conduct  a  mercantile  business; 
Alois,  born  on  January  11.  1877.  who  is  mar- 
ried and  engaged  in  business  with  his  brother 
in  Rcedville:  Carolina,  the  Avife  of  William 
Taylor,  a  farmer  of  the  county:  Julius,  who 
was  born  on  June  27,  1885,  still  at  home; 
and  Justina.  born  on  the  1st  of  April,  1887, 
who  married  Ernest  Livermore  and  has  one 
son  Ernest  W..  who  was  born  on  the  29th 
of  Xovember,  1909.  Mr.  Gassner  gave  all  of 
his  children  the  advantages  of  a  good  com- 
mon-school education,  thus  well  equipping 
them   for  the  responsibilities  of  life. 

The  family  are  all  communicants  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  church,  and  fraternally  ^Ir. 
Gassner  is  affiliated  with  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  being  identified  with 
Lodge  Xo.  19.  His  political  views  coincide 
with  the  principles  of  the  democratic  party. 
Governmental  matters  have  never  engaged 
much  of  his  attention  not  being  an  aspirant 
to  public  office,  but  for  the  past  seventeen 
>  ears  he  lias  served  on  the  local  school  board, 
the  cause  of  education  having  always  found 
in  him  an  ardent  supporter.  A  gratifying 
measure  of  success  has  been  accorded  Mr. 
Gassner  in  his  undertakings,  but  it  has  been 
the  well  merited  reward  of  thrift  and  tireless 
enerEry.  as  he  arrived  in  this  country  in  his 
earlv    iiKUihood    without    ca|)ital    or    iiilluouce 


to  assist  him  in  his  pursuits.  The  posilioji 
he  holds  today  has  been  attained  through  his 
own  unaided  efl'orts.  and  he  is  justly  entitlcil 
to  the  esteem  and  respect  he  is  accordeil 
in  the  coniiminity  where  he  has  so  long 
resided. 

ALVA  E.  RINGO,  who  was  born  in  Marion 
county  in  1^0S,  resides  on  his  father's  old 
homestead,  which  is  situated  three  miles 
southeast  of  Gervais.  He  is  a  son  of  Hamil- 
ton H.  and  Rispa  (Stevens)  Ringo.  The 
father  was  born  in  Missouri,  August  29,  1832, 
and  died  in  Marion  county,  May  2,  1892. 
He  received  his  education  in  Missouri  and 
during  those  hours  in  which  he  was  not  oc- 
cupied with  school  work  assisted  his  mother. 
In  1851  he  came  with  his  motlier  and  a 
brother,  W.  H.  Ringo,  to  Oregon.  On  Octo- 
ber 18,  1860.  he  married  Rispa  Stevens,  a 
daughter  of  Hanson  and  Levina  (Wickert) 
Stevens,  born  May  17,  1843.  Her  father  was 
married  in  Indiana  and  from  there  removed 
with  his  wife  to  Iowa,  where  they  lived  about 
seven  years  before  they  came  to  ilarion 
county,  Oregon,  where  he  acquired  a  claim  of 
six  hundred  and  forty  acres.  Mr.  Stevens 
passed  away  in  Portland  in  1884,  long  sur- 
viving his  wife.  avIio  had  preceded  him  in 
death,  dying  on  the  old  homestead  on  X^orth 
Howel  Prairie,  Marion  county  in  1859.  There 
were  ten  children  in  the  family  of  Hanson 
and  Levina  Stevens:  one  who  died  in  infancy: 
Emma  Jane,  who  passed  away  when  four- 
teen years  of  age:  Isaac;  Mrs.  Rebecca 
ilount;  Mrs.  Ringo:  Mrs.  Christina  Esson; 
Mrs.  Sarah  McKubbins:  Mrs.  Mary  Smith; 
Mrs.  Mattie  Cahill:  and  ilillard.  Jlrs.  Sarah 
McKubliins  and  Mrs.  ilattic  Cahill  make  their 
home  at  Dayton.  Washington,  and  the  others 
live  in  ilarion  county.  Oregon,  ilr.  and  Mrs. 
Hamilton  II,  Ringo  went  through  the  hard- 
ships of  pioneer  life  and  the  father  served 
for  a  time  in  the  Indian  war  in  eastern  Wash- 
ington. Hamilton  H.  Ringo  and  his  brother. 
W.  H.,  soon  after  their  arrival  in  Oregon 
purchased  one-half  of  the  tract  of  land  which 
is  known  as  the  John  T.  Smith  donation  land 
claim,  which  part  consisted  of  two  hundred 
and  ninety  acres  and  is  located  twelve  miles 
north  of  Salem,  on  the  French  prairie.  Our 
subject's  father  operated  his  portion  of  this 
farm  ttntil  the  time  of  his  death,  owning  at 
that  date  one  hundred  and  forty  acres.  His 
wife,  having  reached  the  age  of  sixty-eight 
years,  and  her  son  Alva,  of  this  review,  are 
living  on  the  old  homestead.  In  the  family 
of  Hamilton  H,  and  Rispa  (Stevens)  Ringo 
were  r'(i\irteen  children;  Mrs,  Roxie  A.  Gros- 
hoiig,  of  Albany.  Oregon:  Emma,  deceaseil: 
.Mva  K,,  of  this  review;  Mrs.  Effie  Richie, 
of  Salem:  Steven  D..  of  Livermore.  Cali- 
fornia: Mrs.  Katie  ilcKee,  of  Albany;  Mrs. 
■Xfary  I.  Galoway.  deceased:  Byron  H.  and 
Guy  E..  both  of  whom  reside  on  the  home- 
stead: Mrs.  Dollie  Buchner.  of  Albany:  Jes- 
sie, at  home;  Robert,  of  California;  and  two 
children  who  died  in  infancy.  Hamilton  H. 
Ringo  gave  his  sitpport  to  the  democratic 
party.  He  was  an  industrious  man.  ener- 
getic, thrifty  and  liighly  esteemed  by  all 
who    knew    him.      He    was    engaged    in    farm 


214 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


work  during  all  the  time  he  lived  in  Ore- 
gon. His  belief  was  that  of  the  Baptist 
church. 

Alva  E.  Ringo  was  reared  under  the  par- 
ental roof,  received  a  good  business  education 
and  at  the  age  of  twenty-three  years,  the 
time  of  his  father's  death,  took  charge  of 
the  old  homestead,  which  he  has  since  oper- 
ated, e.xcept  for  one  year  which  he  spent  in 
California  and  one  summer  in  eastern  Wash- 
ington. Residing  with  his  mother  and  giv- 
ing her  the  support  of  a  faithful  son,  he 
operates  the   farm  on   shares. 

Mr.  Ringo  maintains  an  independent  posi- 
tion in  regard  to  political  parties  and  votes 
for  such  men  and  measures  as  he  deems  best 
fitted  to  serve  to  the  greatest  benefit  of  all 
the  people  irrespective  of  party  lines.  His 
time  has  been  largelj'  occupied  with  the 
duties  of  farm  life  and  he  has  found  no 
time  for  active  participation  in  work  of  a 
public  character,  although  he  takes  that 
righteous  interest  in  all  matters  undertaken 
for  the  public  welfare.  He  and  his  mother 
adhere  to  the  faith  of  the  Church  of  God. 
Having  resided  all  his  life  in  Marion  county, 
he  has  a  host  of  loyal  friends  of  long  stand- 
ing and  is  held  by  all  who  know  him  in  the 
highest  regard.  He  has  gained  a  reputation 
which  ranks  him  among  the  prominent  and 
loyal  citizens  of  the  community  in  which  he 
lives. 

ERNEST   F.   CRUSE,   who   is   one   of    the 

prosperous  young  business  men  of  Estacada. 
Clackamas  county,  being  a  member  of  the 
mercantile  firm  of  Duncan  &  Cruse  Brothers, 
was  born  in  Schleisingerville,  Wisconsin,  on 
March  30,  1882.  He  is  a  son  of  William 
P.  and  Mary  (Doerenbecher)  Cruse,  the  father 
a  native  of  Westphalia,  Germany,  and  the 
mother  of  Kewaskum,  Wisconsin.  The  par- 
ents were  married  in  Wisconsin,  and  resided 
in  that  state  nearly  all  their  lives,  the  father 
having  been  engaged  there  in  the  mercantile 
business  for  over  twenty-nine  years.  Previous 
to  that  time  he  was  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness in  Germany,  although  he  came  to  America 
when  he  was  yet  a  young  man.  The  mother 
passed  away  December  19.  1891,  and  the 
father  October  17,  1003.  In  their  family 
were  five  children:  William,  who  is  a  traveling 
salesman  residing  at  Brainard,  Minnesota; 
Edward,  who  is  in  the  mercantile  business 
at  Osakis,  Minnesota;  Clara,  the  wife  of  F.  J. 
Pelzel,  a  railroad  agent  at  Barnesville,  Min- 
nesota; H.  M. ;  and  Ernest  F.,  of  this  review. 

Ernest  F.  Cruse  was  reared  and  educated 
in  his  native  state,  and  on  coming  to  Ore- 
gon, with  his  brother,  H.  M.  Cruse,  engaged 
in  the  mercantile  business.  He  is  one  of  the 
enterprising  young  business  men  of  Estacada, 
and  the  firm  of  Duncan  &  Cruse  Brothers 
carries  on  an  extensive  mercantile  business. 
Besides  his  interest  in  this  store,  Mr.  Cruse 
also  owns  a  share  in  his  father's  estate  at 
Rice  Lake,  Wisconsin. 

On  the  18th  of  July,  1911.  Mr.  Cruse 
wedded  Miss  Sadie  A.  Mooney,  who  was  born 
in  Wisconsin  in  1886,  a  daughter  of  William 
and  Isabel  (.Slovens)  Mooney,  the  mother  a 
native  of  Wisconsin,  and  tlie  father  of  Can- 


ada. The  mother  passed  away  in  I'JO'J,  and 
tlie  father  is  residing  in  -Superior,  Wiscon- 
sin. In  their  family  were  two  •  children : 
•lames,  of  Superior;  and  Mrs.  Cruse.  Fra- 
ternally Mr.  Cruse  is  identified  with  the 
Knights  of  Columbus,  belonging  to  the  lodge 
at  Portland,  and  both  he  and  Mrs.  Cruse  are 
members  of  the  Catholic  church.  He  is  a 
progressive  citizen,  public  spirited  and  an 
enterprising  merchant,  and  is  considered  one 
of  the  rising  young  business  men  of  Estacada. 

ADAM  BARR  arrived  in  Oregon  nearly 
sixty  years  ago,  and  throughout  this  entire 
period  he  has  been  identified  with  agricul- 
tural pursuits  in  Columbia  county,  owning 
and  developing  a  farm  which  he  has  made 
one  of  tlie  valuable  properties  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  state.  He  was  born  in  Muskingum 
county,  Ohio,  November  23,  1835,  a  son  of 
Andrew  and  Lucretia  (Carter)  Barr,  the  for- 
mer a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  the  latter 
of  the  state  of  New  York.  The  parental 
gi-andfather  was  a  native  of  Germany,  while 
his  wife  was  born  in  the  Dutch  colony  of  New 
Jersey.  The  marriage  of  Andrew  Barr  and 
Lucretia  Carter  occurred  in  Ohio  and  in  that 
state  the  father  died  in  1841,  after  which 
the  mother  came  to  Oregon,  making  the  over- 
land trip  with  an  emigrant  train  and  settling 
in  Columbia  county.  She  was  accompanied 
by  her  five  sons,  while  a  married  daughter 
remained  in  Ohio,  where  she  has  since  passed 
away.  Two  other  daughters  had  died  pre- 
vious to  the  removal  of  the  family  to  the 
northwest.  The  mother  married  again,  her 
second  husband  being  John  Barr,  a  brother 
of  her  first  husband,  but  he  was  drowned  a 
month  after  their  arrival  in  Oregon.  Mrs. 
Barr  passed  away  in  1876,  survived  by  four 
of  her  children:  Adam;  George,  living  at  La 
Center,  Washington;  William,  a  resident  of 
Columbia  county,  Oregon;  and  James,  also  of 
this  county. 

Being  the  oldest  member  of  his  mother's 
family,  Adam  Barr  largely  devoted  the  period 
of  his  boyhood,  youth  and  early  manhood  to 
aiding  his  mother  in  the  work  of  the  farm 
and  providing  for  the  support  of  the  younger 
children.  He  was  but  a  young  lad  when  he 
crossed  the  plains  and  was  here  reared  amid 
the  wild  scenes  and  environment  of  pioneer 
life,  sharing  with  the  family  in  all  the  priva- 
tions and  hardships  which  are  incident  to  the 
establishment  of  a  home  on  the  frontier.  In 
1864  he  returned  to  Ohio,  where  he  was  mar- 
ried and  a  year  later  lie  again  came  to  Ore- 
gon, where  he  started  in  business  on  his  own 
accoiuit.  At  that  time  he  purchased  a  farm 
known  as  the  James  Hill  donation  claim, 
which  he  has  since  owned  and  improved. 
When  the  land  came  into  his  possession  it 
was  covered  with  a  heavy  growth  of  timber 
and  brush.  This  he  has  largely  cleared  away 
and  has  transformed  the  land  into  very  pro- 
ductive fields,  having  now  one  of  the  finest 
farms  in  this  section  of  the  state.  It  is 
situated  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the  town  of 
Clatskanie  and  he  has  admitted  his  sons  to 
a  partnership  in  the  business.  All  of  the 
evidences  of  progressive  agriculture  are  here 
found  and  the  fields  annually  yield  golden 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OP  OREGON 


215 


tribute  for  the  care  and  labor  bestowed  upon 
them. 

On  the  31st  of  March,  1SG5,  Jlr.  Barr  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Sarah  Sagle,  who 
was  born  in  Virginia  and  Avent  to  Ohio  in  her 
childhood  days  with  her  parents,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
John  Sagle  of  the  Old  Dominion.  The  Sagle 
family  numbered  eleven  children,  all  of  whom 
are  deceased  with  the  exception  of  Fenton 
Sagle,  of  Illinois.  The  death  of  Mrs.  Barr 
occurred  January  11,  1S9S,  and  three  sons 
and  one  daughter,  as  well  as  her  hu.sband, 
were  left  to  mourn  her  loss.  These  were: 
John  A.,  who  owns  and  operates  a  valuable 
farm  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in 
Columbia  county ;  Joseph  William,  who  .  is 
associated  with  liis  father  in  business;  James 
A.,  who  is  also  the  owner  of  a  good  farm  in 
Columbia  county;  and  Mary,  the  wife  of 
Albert  Seffert,  of  the  same  county.  Another 
daughter,  Lucretia,  who  was  the  wife  of 
Daniel  Rice  passed  away  previous  to  the 
mother,   her   death   occurring   in    1897. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Barr  has  long 
been  an  advocate  of  democratic  principles. 
He  has  held  the  office  of  county  commissioner 
and  was  also  justice  of  the  peace,  for  one 
term.  But  while  he  has  ever  been  loyal  to 
the  duties  which  have  devolved  upon  him  in 
a  public  connection,  he  has  never  sought  nor 
desired  political  preferment,  wishing  rather 
to  give  his  undivided  attention  to  his  business 
affairs.  His  residence  in  Oregon  covers  a 
period  of  almost  sixty  years.  He  has  wit- 
nessed the  marvelous  development  of  the 
northwest  as  towns  and  cities  have  been 
founded  and  developed  and  as  the  wild  land 
has  been  reclaimed  and  converted  into  splen- 
did farms  and  ranches.  Faithfully  doing  his 
duty  day  by  day,  he  has  assisted  materially 
in  the  improvement  of  Columbia  county  and 
in  this  section  of  the  state  is  held  in  high 
regard. 

JAMES  L.  McCOLM  is  residing  on  _  a 
forty  acre  farm  which  he  owns,  in  Josephine 
county,  near  Wildervillc.  He  was  born  in 
Iowa,'  January  28,  1862,  a  son  of  James  H. 
and  Emily  (Thompson)  McColm,  in  whose 
family  were  twelve  children.  The  parents 
removed  from  Iowa  to  Kansas  and  there 
remained  for  four  years,  after  which  they 
went  by  rail  to  Oregon,  settling  near  Grants 
Pass,  where  the  father  took  up  a  homestead. 
He  resided  on  that  farm  for  a  considerable 
period  of  time  but  later  disposed  of  it. 

James  L.  McColm  acquired  a  common-school 
education  and  remained  at  home  with  his 
parents  until  he  attained  the  age  of  twenty- 
two  years.  He  then  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits  on  his  own  account,  purchasing  an 
eighty  acre  farm  on  the  Applegate  river.  He 
improved  that  property  but  later  sold  it  and 
bought  the  place  on  which  he  now  lives,  which 
comprises  forty  acres  of  well  improved  and 
fertile  land. 

In  early  manhood  Mr.  McColm  w'edded  Miss 
Mary  A.  Jones,  a  native  of  Kansas,  and  to 
them  four  children  have  been  born.  Edith, 
Bessie,  Laverne  and  Freda.  One  of  the  daugh- 
t?T3  is  engaged  in  teaching  school  in  Klamath 
Falls. 


James  L.  McColm  is  a  republican,  has  held 
the  position  of  road  overseer  for  one  year 
and  has  been  school  director  nf  the  local  school 
board  for  several  terms.  He  is  highly  re- 
garded in  the  community  in  which  he  lives 
and  he  takes  an  active  interest  in  matters 
which  concern  the  public  welfare.  He  is  ino- 
gressive,  affable  by  nature  and  possesses  good 
business  judgment,  with  the  result  that  he 
has  an  extensive  acquaintance  and  is  greatly 
esteemed  by  those   who  know  him. 

SILAS  HOLMES  HAZARD  for  a  number  of 
years  maintained  a  position  of  distinction 
as  a  leading  lawyer  of  western  Oregon.  He 
practiced  in  Coos  county,  being  located  for 
some  time  at  Empire  and  later  at  Marsh- 
field,  and  that  he  was  an  extremely  well  read 
lawyer  is  indicated  by  the  fact  that  he  had 
one  of  the  most  complete  laAv  libraries  in  the 
state  outside  of  Portland.  He  was  a  repre- 
sentative of  a  family  that  won  distinction  in 
connection  with  American  affairs — a  family 
probably  of  English  extraction.  He  was  born 
in  Baton  Rouge,  Louisiana,  June  16,  1838,  a 
son  of  the  Rev.  Silas  Holmes  Hazard,  Sr., 
who  was  a  minister  of  the  Presbyterian 
church.  The  son  acquired  his  education  in 
the  public  schools  and  in  1855  entered  the 
University  of  Iowa,  in  which  he  remained  as 
a  student  for  two  years.  During  his  youth 
and  early  manhood  he  was  identified  with 
merchandising  for  eighteen  months  in  con- 
nection with  his  brother-in-law,  G.  D.  Palmer, 
of  Iowa  City,  Iowa.  He  then  turned  his  at- 
tention to  farming,  which  he  followed  in  that 
state  until  1860,  when  he  began  the  study  of 
law  with  the  firm  of  Patterson  &  Robinson,  of 
Iowa  City.  In  1864  he  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  and  then  crossed  the  plains  to  San  Fran- 
cisco. California,  but  the  following  year  re- 
turned to  Iowa.  He  then  purchased  a  tract 
of  land  near  the  old  home  and  in  connection 
■with  farming  practiced  law  for  a  time.  At 
length  he  entirely  abandoned  .agricultural 
pursuits  and  concentrated  his  time  and  ener- 
gies upon  the  profession,  which  he  followed 
until  1873.  In  that  year  he  again  came  to 
the  Pacific  coast,  settling  at  Empire,  which 
was  then  the  county  seat  of  Coos  county. 
There  he  at  once  opened  an  office  and  soon 
became  a  popular  lawyer,  winning  a  large 
and  distinctively  representative  clientage.  In 
1876  he  was  elected  district  attorney  and 
discharged  the  duties  of  the  office  so  capably 
that  he  was  reelected  in  1878.  He  gave  good 
satisfaction  in  that  connection  and  more  and 
more  firmly  established  himself  in  public  re- 
gard as  a  lawyer  of  superior  ability.  He  was 
connected  with  much  of  the  important  litiga- 
tion tried  in  the  courts  of  Coos  county.  His 
handling  of  his  cases  was  full  and  comprehen- 
sive, indicating  his  thorough  knowledge  of 
the  points  involved  and  of  the  law  applicable 
thereto.  On  the  25th  of  July,  1900,  he  re- 
moved to  Marshfield.  where  he  continued  to 
make  his  home  until  his  death,  although  eon- 
( inning  his  practice  in  Empire.  His  large, 
law  lilu'ary  enabled  him  to  inform  himself 
oonoorning  any  precedent  or  principle  of  law, 
and  when   he  entered  the  court  room  he  was 


216 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


ever  well  iJiciiaroil   not  only   for  attack  but 
for  defense. 

Mr.  Hazard  was  married  three  times.  On 
the  27th  of  January,  1867,  he  wedded  Miss 
Margaret  Shircliti',  who  passed  away  on  the 
24th  of  February,  1869,  leaving  one  son,  Louis 
Holmes,  who  is  now  a  banker  of  Coquille,  Ore- 
gon. On  the  3d  of  July,  1876,  Mr.  Hazard 
married  Miss  Emma  Watson,  whose  demise 
occurred  on  the  4th  of  December,  1880.  On 
the  1st  of  Januar_y,  1883,  he  wedded  Miss 
Frances  Adele  ilcKnight,  a  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam and  Mary  Ellen  (Wright)  McKnight. 
Mrs.  Hazard  is  a  lady  of  prominence  and  cul- 
ture, occupying  a  leading  po.sition  in  social 
circles  in  Marshfield  and  Coos  county.  She 
is  a  native  of  Oregon,  having  spent  her  entire 
life  in  this  state.  Sbe  now  belongs  to  the 
Eastern  Star  and  to  the  Episcopal  church — 
niembersliip  relations  that  indicate  mucli  of 
the  character  of  her  interests  and  activities. 
Mr.  Hazaril  was  a  most  progressive  and  pub- 
lic-spirited man.  cooperating  in  all  move- 
ments for  tlie  welfare  of  the  community,  hon- 
orable and  upright  in  all  his  dealings.  He 
was  devoted  to  his  family  and  faithful  in  his 
friendships  and  his  loyalty  to  the  interests 
of  his  clients  became  proverbial.  In  a  word, 
he  was  true  to  every  trust  and  thus  merited 
and  enjoyed  the  confidence  and  good-will 
of  all  who  knew  him. 

DONALD  CAMPBELL  is  one  of  the  well 
known  and  liighly  respected  citizens  of  Coos 
county,  where  he  has  engaged  in  the  develop- 
ment of  a  tine  ranch  consisting  of  two  Inin- 
dred  acres  and  also  in  the  operation  of  a  very 
large  and  successful  woodcutting  oufit  which 
he  has  built  near  Marshfield  and  to  which  he 
gives  his  personal  oversight  and  supervision. 
He  is  a  native  of  Scotland,  having  been  born 
in  that  country  in  1839,  and  is  the  son  of 
Malcolm  and  Jane  Campbell.  His  parents 
were  both  natives  of  Scotland  where  their 
ancestors  for  many  generations  back  had 
lived,  his  ancestors  on  the  paternal  side  hav- 
ing originally  been  identified  with  the  his- 
toric Campbell  clan  of  old  Scotland.  In  the 
family  of  Malcolm  and  Jane  Campbell  were 
eight  children,  namely:  .John,  who  is  mar- 
ried and  lives  at  Seattle.  Washington;  Angus, 
who  has  passed  away,  leaving  a  large  family; 
Donald,  of  this  review;  Ronald,  who  resides 
in  Canada  and  has  a  family;  James,  also 
married  and  residing  in  Seattle;  Mary,  the 
widow  of  Charles  McEochen,  of  Canada,  and 
the  mother  of  a  large  family;  Elizabeth,  the 
widow  of  William  Blair,  of  Canada,  who  also 
has  a  large  lamilj-;  and  ilargaret,  the  de- 
ceased wife  of  James  Kelley,  a  Canadian. 
The  father  of  this  family  passed  away  dur- 
ing the   )H'riod  of  the  Civil  war. 

Donald  Campbell  was  reared  in  his  parents' 
home  and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 
in  the  districts  in  which  he  lived.  With  his 
father  and  mother  he  emigrated  from  his 
native  land  of  Scotland  to  Canada  in  1854, 
where  the  family  home  «as  established  upon 
an  uncleared  tract  of  land  in  a  portion  of 
the  Dominion  which  at  (lie  time  of  the  com- 


ing  of  the   Campbells   was  but   spar.^ely   set- 
tled.    Upon  that  farm  Donald  Campbell  con- 
tinued to  reside  under  the  parental  roof  and 
devoted  his  entire  time  to  the  clearing  and 
developing  of  the  land  and  working  for  the 
support    of    the    family,   contributing   all   of 
his  labor  and  means  to  that  end  during  the 
earlier  years  of  his  life.    At  the  time  of  the 
breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war  his  sympathies 
were  wholly  on  the  side  of  the  southern  cause 
and  with  great  energy  he  determined  to  per- 
suade his   father  to  permit  him  to  become  a 
volunteer  in  the  Confederate  service.    He  was 
not  successful  in  getting  the  parental  consent, 
however,  and  like  a  true  Scotch  son  he  re- 
mained   with     father    and    mother    and    the 
bairns   at   home   and  to  their  keep   and  com- 
fort he  gave  his  strength  and  loyal  care.     He 
continued   thus   to    devote   himself   until    the 
time   of    his    father's    death,    which   occurred 
during  the  Civil  war  period,  while  his  mother 
passed   away    in    1871.      Immediately   follow- 
ing the  death  of  his  mother  he  removed  to 
the  Pacific   coast   and   for  a   short   time   re- 
mained in  California.    Later  he  went  to  Ore- 
gon and  spent  one  winter  at  Portland.    In  the 
opening  of  the   spring  he  cruised  along  the 
Oregon  coast  and  while  on  that  tour  of  sight- 
seeing   and    inspection    he    saw    for   the    first 
time  the  modern  but  none  the  less  marvelous 
band  saw  at  work  in  the  great  lumber  mills, 
through  whose  hungry  maws  the  virgin  forest 
was  making  its  way  to  the  commercial  lum- 
ber markets  of  the  world.     He  continued  his 
journev'  as  far  as  Westport  and  at  that  place 
.secured   employment,   for   a   very   short   time 
only,  in  a  cannery  establishment,  and  from 
there   he   traveled   to   Astoria,  where  he   re- 
mained for  some  time.     While  there  he  be- 
came one  of  the  employes  in  the  excavation 
woi'k  required  to  be  done  in  laying  the  foun- 
dation for  the  present  customs  house.     After 
this   he    worked   at   dift'erent   occupations   for 
many    months    and    later    started    on    an   in- 
dependent   piospccting   tour    down    the   coast 
and.  at  this  time,  paid  a  visit  to  his  brother 
who  owned  a  beautiful   farm  in  the  Willam- 
ette   valley    his    property   being    situated   at 
Hubbard.     He  stayed  for  a  brief  period  only 
at   Hubbard   and   then    returned   to   Portland 
and  from  that  city  started  on  a  long  over- 
land tour  through  the  mountainous  territory 
and  finally  arrived  at  Eugene,  where  he  re- 
mained for  some  time,  and  then  became  in- 
terested   in    the   lumbering   business,   taking 
independent  contracts  in  logging  in  the  tim- 
ber belt  of  this  state.     After  completing  a 
number  of  long  contracts  he  removed  to  Rose- 
burg   and   from  there  to  Coos   bay  in   1873, 
where    he    remained    for    some    time,    during 
which    period    he    was    engaged    in    work    in 
many  of  the  large  lumber  mills  in  that   dis- 
trict.   Later  he  entered  into  the  logging  con- 
tract business  but  his  last  venture  in   that 
line  was  not  successful  and  he  turned  his  at- 
tention   to    the   business    of    supplying    ship 
timber  and   in   that   work   he   continued   for 
seven    years,    meeting    with    gratifying    suc- 
cess.   During  the  time  he  was  engaged  in  the 
ship   timber  business  he   purchased  a   timber 


M)HS    AND    DdNAI.I)   (  A  M  I'liKIJ. 


PUBLIC     Ll'^^ 


ABTOK.  LtNOX  *■ 
T'LOEN    rOUNDATIOM,        I 

_ -■     ^^•■d^ 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


.'19 


claim  on  Coos  river  from  Dan  Davis.  He 
later  proved  up  on  this  property  and  received 
a  certificate  of  ownership  direct  from  the 
government.  Some  years  later  he  disposed 
of  that  property  at  a  satisfactory  advance 
and  engaged  in  the  logging  business,  in  which 
he  continued  for  some  time,  and  then  re- 
moved to  Marshfield.  where  he  established 
himself  in  the  fuel  supply  business,  owning 
a  large  wood  j^ard  in  connection  with  that 
enterprise.  This  business  was  established  in 
1S90  and  since  the  time  of  its  establishment 
he  has  built  a  very  large  and  complete  wood- 
cutting outfit  which  he  erected  upon  a  large 
float,  with  which  he  is  enabled  to  prepare  his 
own  wood  for  the  market  and  in  addition  as 
necessity  and  opportunity  present  themselves 
uses  his  outfit  for  commercial  purposes  at 
various  points  along  the  river  frontage.  In 
addition  to  this  business  he  is  also  the  owner 
of  two  hundred  acres  of  very  fine  land 
on  the  Coos  river  and  owns  a  niunber  of  fine 
liMsiness  properties  in  ilarslilield  and  a  con- 
siderable amount  of  personal  ]iroperty  of 
various  kinds. 

Mr.  Campbell  is  liberal  in  his  political 
views  and  has  never  been  ambitious  for  polit- 
ical preferment.  Fraternally  he  is  asso- 
ciated with  the  Knights  of  Labor  and  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellow"s.  He  in- 
clines to  be  liberal-minded  as  regards  reli- 
gious matters.  He  takes  a  commendable  in- 
terest in  the  social  development  and  well- 
being  of  the  comnuuiity  in  which  he  lives  and 
has  been  successful  in  the  main  in  his  busi- 
ness adventures  and,  notwitlistanding  he  de- 
voted a  very  considerable  portion  of  his  early 
manhood  to  the  care  of  his  father  and  mother 
and  their  family  he  has  secured  for  himself  a 
competence  which  has  made  him  one  of  the 
independent  citizens  of  his  adopted  state. 
Among  his  associates  and  friends  he  is  known 
as  a  man  of  integrity  in  business  dealings 
and  of  upright  character  in  his  social  inter- 
course with  his  fellows. 

MRS.  SARAH  M.  APPLEGATE,  of  Yon- 
calla,  has  spent  practically  her  entire  life  in 
tlie  Sunset  state.  Her  birth  occurred  in  Og- 
den,  Utah,  on  the  5th  of  September,  1851,  her 
parents  being  Caleb  E.  and  Lilly  !M.  (Minar) 
Tracy,  who  were  born,  reared  and  married  in 
Jefferson  county,  Xew  York.  In  1851  they 
came  west,  crossing  the  plains  with  ox  and 
horse  teams  and  spending  the  winter  of  1851-3 
in  Ogden.  Utah.  In  the  spring  of  1852  they 
journeyed  on  to  Oregon,  locating  in  Clack- 
amas county,  ten  miles  from  Oregon  City, 
where  they  took  up  a  donation  claim.  In 
1872  Caleb  E.  Tracy  left  the  farm  in  the 
care  of  his  son.  ,)ames  JI,,  and  took  up  his 
abode  in  Drain,  Douglas  county,  where  he 
engaded  in  merchandising.  Two  years  later, 
in  1874,  he  came  to  Yoncalla.  wliere  he  con- 
tinued in  business  as  a  merchant  for  several 
years.  He  passed  away  on  September  29, 
1897,  when  in  the  eighty-seventh  year  of 
his  age,  the  community  thus  losing  one  of 
its  honored  pioneer  settlers  and  re])rescnta- 
tive    citizens.      His    wife    survived    him    until 


March  20,  1911,  and  was  in  the  ninety- 
fourth  year  of  her  age  at  the  time  of  her 
death. 

Sarah  M.  Tracy  was  reared  under  the  pa- 
rental roof  and  acquired  a  good  education  in 
the  common  schools.  On  the  20th  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1878,  she  gave  her  hand  in  marriage 
to  Jlilton  Applegate,  who  was  born  on  the 
old  Applegate  donation  claim  near  Yoncalla, 
Douglas  count)',  October  14,  1854,  His  parents 
were  Charles  and  Melinda  (Miller)  Apple- 
gate,  more  extended  mention  of  whom  is  made 
in  connection  with  the  sketch  of  George  Apple- 
gate,  which  appears  on  another  page  of  this 
work.  Milton  Applegate  was  reared  to  man- 
hood on  the  home  farm  and  devoted  his  time 
and  energies  to  general  agricultural  pursuits 
throughout  liis  entire  business  career,  liecom- 
ing  one  of  the  successful  farmers  as  well  as 
substantial  and  highly  esteemed  citizens  of 
the  Yoncalla  valley.  His  demise  occurred  on 
the  23d  of  June,  1889,  when  he  was  thirty- 
five  years  of  age.  In  politics  he  was  a  stanch 
republican  but  never  sought  nor  desired  office 
as  a  reward  for  party  fealty. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Jlrs.  Applegate  were  born 
eight  children,  five  of  whom  still  survive,  as 
follows:  Adelaide,  who  is  at  home;  Mildred, 
the  wife  of  J.  E.  Hobbs,  of  San  Francisco, 
California;  Minar  and  Aubrey,  both  of  whom 
reside  in  Scotts  valley,  Douglas  county;  and 
Bertram  C.  living  in  Portland.  Oregon.  The 
mother  of  these  children  resides  in  Yoncalla, 
where  she  has  au  extensive  circle  of  warm 
friends.  She  has  witnessed  the  growtli  and 
development  of  this  state  for  more  than  a 
lialf  century  and  is  largelj-  familiar  with  its 
annals  from  a  pioneer  period  down  to  modern 
times. 

WILLIAM  LINDSTROM  is  one  of  the  well 
known  farmers  of  Cooston,  Oregon,  where  he 
is  successfully  engaged  in  the  conduct  of  a 
highly  improved  ranch  comprising  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty-four  acres.  He  was  torn  in 
Finland  in  1861.  and  is  a  son  of  Xick  and 
Susan  (Abrams)  Lindstrom.  both  of  whom 
were  natives  "of  Finland  and  died  in  that 
country  many  5'ears  ago.  They  were  the 
parents  of  one  child,  ■\^'illianl.  who  is  the 
subject   of  this  review. 

AVilliam  Lindstrom  was  reared  at  home  and 
at  au  early  age  in  life  took  upon  himself 
the  burden  of  self-support.  When  he  had  at- 
tained his  fourteenth  year  he  was  engaged 
as  a  laborer  on  a  farm  in  Finland  and  con- 
tinued in  that  occupation  until  1890.  at  which 
time  he  emigrated  to  the  I'nited  .States,  set- 
tling in  Xortli  P)end,  Oregon,  On  reaching  the 
western  hemisphere  he  first  found  employ- 
ment in  the  sliip  yards  of  A.  M.  Simpson  and 
continued  in  that  work  for  eleven  consecutive 
years.  He  tlicn  i)invhased  one  hunilred  and 
sixty  acres  of  land  upon  which  he  established 
his  home  and  lived  for  five  years.  Later  he 
sold  that  projicrty  and  bought  one  hundred 
and  sixty-four  acres  of  land  located  near 
Cooston  which  he  has  since  cultivated  and 
improved  with  modern  buildings.  He  engages 
princi])ally  in  dairying. 


220 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


William  Liudstrom  was  united  in  marriage, 
April  14,  1SS9,  to  Miss  Sophie  Jacobson,  a 
daughter  of  Jacob  and  Annie  (Monsin)  Jacob- 
son.  Mr.  and  ilrs.  Jacobson  were  the  parents 
of  six  children:  Anne,  John,  Sanna,  and 
ilarie,  all  of  whom  reside  in  Finland;  Sophie, 
the  wife  of  the  subject  of  this  review;  and 
Eric,  a  resident  of  Finland.  The  father  of 
Mrs.  Lindstrom  died  in  1896  and  the  mother 
died  at  the  age  of  eighty-six  years  in  1911. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lindstrom"  five  children 
have  been  born.  Annie  married  .John  Carlson, 
of  Marshfield,  Oregon,  and  they  have  one  son. 
William.  Victor,  who  was  born  May  2,  1891^ 
took  a  course  in  dairying  in  the  Oregon  State 
Agricultural  College  at  Corvallis.  He  resides 
at  home.  Carl,  born  December  27,  1893,  in 
Xorth  Bend,  Oregon,  died  April  24,  1899,  in 
the  same  city.  Hilda,  born  September  19, 
1894,  is  a  graduate  of  the  North  Bend  high 
school,  where  she  pursued  studies  with  special 
reference  to  a  business  career,  resides  at 
home.  Francis  William  was  born  February 
23.  1904,  and  is  a  pupil  in  the  public  schools. 

William  Lindstrom  is  affiliated  with  the  re- 
publican party  and  for  the  past  three  years 
has  been  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors 
of  the  school  district  in  which  he  lives.  He 
and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Lutheran 
church.  He  ranks  as_  one  of  the  leading  and 
representative  farmers  of  Coos  county  and  is 
a  man  who  takes  a  lively  interest  in  all  en- 
terprises of  a  public  nature  which  tend  to 
improve  the  condition  of  the  people  in  his 
county  and  state. 

JOHN  HAGELSTEIN  is  numbered  among 
those  who  are  actively  engaged  in  the  recla- 
mation of  marsh  lands  in  the  vicinity  of 
Upper  Klamath  lake.  His  home  is  beautifully 
situated  with  a  splendid  view  of  the  moun- 
tains and  the  broad  expanse  of  the  lake  be- 
fore him.  His  present  place  of  residence  is 
far  separated  from  his  birthplace,  for  he  is 
a  native  of  Wurtemberg,  Germany.  He  was 
born  July  22.  1870.  a  son  of  John  and 
Barbara  (StrifHer)  Hagelstein.  who  are  still 
re.eidents  of  Wurtemberg,  where  the  father 
follows  the  occupation  of  farming.  In  the 
family  were  three  sons  and  two  daughters, 
of  whom  John  is  the  eldest  and  the  only  one 
that  has  ever  come  to  the  United  States.  He 
arrived  in  America  on  the  Sth  of  Xovember, 
1893,  and  made  his  way  direct  to  Klamath 
county.  Oregon,  settling  about  three  miles 
trom  his  present  home.  He  has  resided  at 
Naylor,  now  Algoma,  for  nineteen  years.  He 
has  always  followed  farming  both  in  the  fath- 
erland and  in  the  new  world.  Soon  after  his 
arrival  here  he  secured  a  homestead,  which 
he  still  owns.  He  now  has  two  ranches,  his 
home  place  comprising  five  hundred  and  forty 
acres,  while  a  mile  and  a  half  to  the  north 
he  still  retains  possession  of  one  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  of  the  tract  which  he  home- 
steaded.  Both  places  are  well  improved  and 
he  is  now  successfully  carrying  on  general 
farming  and  stock-raising.  He  is  reclaiming 
about  two  hundred  acres  of  marsh  land  ad- 
joining  his    lionie   place    on   Upper    Klamath 


lake.  The  view  from  this  place  is  one  which 
would  delight  the  soul  of  an  artist,  for  it 
looks  out  upon  Mount  McLoughlin  as  well  as 
upon  the  waters  of  the  "inland  sea." 

Mr.  Hagelstein  was  married  in  Germany  iu 
1889  to  Miss  Mary  Bauer,  a  native  of  Wur- 
temberg, born  in  1865.  They  have  four  chil- 
dren: John  E.,  who  owns  and  operates  a 
ranch  adjoining  his  father's;  George;  Wil- 
liam, who  is  a  junior  in  the  high  school  of 
Ivlamath  Falls;  and  Fred.  All  of  the  sons 
still  reside  at  home. 

Mr.  Hagelstein  votes  with  the  republican 
party  and  keeps  well  informed  on  the  ques- 
tions and  issues  of  the  day.  He  has  served 
as  road  supervisor  and  is  now  his  party's 
candidate  for  county  commissioner.  He  and 
his  wife  are  consistent  Christian  people,  hold- 
ing membership  in  the  Presbyterian  church. 
His  has  been  a  well  spent  life,  honorable  and 
upright  in  every  relation,  and  he  and  his 
family  have  many  friends  in  Klamath  county. 

DR.  J.  L.  WOODEN,  resident  physician  of 

Clatskanie,  is  a  worthy  representative  of  the 
medical  profession  in  Columbia  county,  where 
his  ability  is  recognized  in  an  extensive  and 
growing  practice.  He  is  yet  a  young  man  and 
the  future  undoubtedly  holds  in  store  for  him 
greater  success.  He  was  born  at  Xess  City, 
Ness  county,  Kansas.  February  22.  1882,  his 
parents  being  William  F.  and  Alice  H.  (Yea- 
ger)  Wooden,  the  former  a  native  of  Indiana, 
and  the  latter  of  West  Virginia.  The  parents 
were  married  in  Kansas,  where  they  resided 
until  1891,  when  the  came  to  Oregon.  They 
first  settled  in  Portland  and  have  since  re- 
mained residents  of  this  state,  their  home  be- 
ing now  at  Mount  Tabor.  The  father  followed 
farming  for  a  few  years  after  his  marriage 
but  since  that  time  has  given  his  attention  to 
railroading  in  diff'erent  capacities.  Unto  him 
and  his  wife  have  been  born  seven  children,  of 
whom  Dr.  Wooden  is  the  eldest.  The  others 
are:  Mrs.  J.  A.  Wilson,  of  Portland:  Roy  L., 
who  is  engaged  in  business  in  Portland; 
Mrs.  Eva  Herman,  whose  husband  is  a  con- 
tractor of  Portland;  Willie,  who  died  in  in- 
fancy; one  who  died  unnamed;  and  Mary 
Ida,  whose  death  occurred  when  she  was  ten 
years  of  age. 

Passing  through  consecutive  grades  in  the 
acquirement  of  his  education.  Dr.  ,T.  L.  Wooden 
was  finally  graduated  from  the  high  school 
of  Ashland  when  nineteen  years  of  age.  after 
which  he  spent  a  year  as  a  student  in  the 
State  University,  at  Eugene,  Oregon.  He  com- 
pleted his  professional  course  in  the  medical 
department  of  the  Oregon  State  University,  at 
Portland.  Oregon,  from  which  he  was  grad- 
uated with  the  class  of  1906.  For  a  year 
thereafter  he  practiced  in  the  Good  Samari- 
tan Hospital  of  Portland  and  in  that  connec- 
tion gained  wide  and  beneficial  experience. 
On  the  expiration  of  the  year  he  came  to 
Clatskanie.  where  he  is  still  practicing.  He 
is  conscientious  in  the  performance  of  all 
professional  duties  and  is  accorded  a  liberal 
patronage,  which  is  indicative  of  the  confi- 
dence and  trust  entertained  for  him  in  his 
professional  capacity  by  his  fellow  towns- 
men. 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


221 


On  the  24th  of  September,  1907,  Dr. 
Wooden  ■vvas  married  to  Miss  Mary  Etta 
Rawiings,  who  was  born  in  Park  Hill,  On- 
tario, February  2S,  1SS3,  a  daughter  of  Mrs. 
Ellen  (Crawford)  Rawlings.  Her  father  died 
when  she  was  only  eight  years  of  age  and 
her  mother  now  lives  on  Portland  Heights, 
the  most  attractive  residence  district  in 
the  city  of  Portland.  Mrs.  AVooden  was  the 
second  in  a  family  of  four  children,  the 
others  being:  George,  who  is  now  engaged 
in  the  live-stock  business  in  Canada;  Mrs. 
Minnie  Byers,  of  Los  Angeles,  California; 
and  Ella,  who  is  a  graduate  physician.  Slie 
resides    with    her   mother    in   Portland. 

The  Doctor  and  his  wife  both  hold  mem- 
bership in  the  Presbyterian  church  and  are 
interested  in  all  that  pertains  to  good  work 
and  to  public  progress.  While  Dr.  Wooden 
usually  votes  with  the  republican  party,  he 
is  yet  liberal  in  his  views  and  somewhat  in- 
dependent in  his  affiliation.  He  belongs  to 
Clatskanie  Lodge,  :So.  133,  A.  F.  &  A.  M., 
and  also  to  the  Odd  Fellows  lodge,  the 
Modern  Woodmen  camp,  the  Fraternal  Order 
of  Eagles,  the  Foresters  court  and  the  J\Iac- 
cabees  lodge,  all  in  Clatskanie.  His  brethren 
of  these  fraternities  hold  him  in  high  regard 
and  wherever  he  has  gone  he  has  won  the 
friendship  and  good-will  of  those  with  whom 
he  has  been  associated.  Much  of  his  life 
has  been  passed  in  the  northwest  and  is  an 
exemplification  of  the  enterprising  spirit  of 
this  section  of  the  country. 

WILLIAM  HELLIWELL,  a  capitalist  of 
Yoncalla,  is  well  known  as  one  of  the  sub- 
stantial and  influential  citizens  of  that  town. 
Since  March,  1892,  or  for  the  past  two  dec- 
ades, he  has  resided  continuously  in  Douglas 
county.  His  birth  occurred  in  Yorkshire, 
England,  on  the  20th  of  August,  1849,  his 
parents  being  Thomas  and  Mally  (Horse- 
fall)  Helliwell.  who  spent  their  entire  lives 
in  that  country.  The  father  was  a  wood 
turner   by    trade. 

At  the  early  age  of  eight  years  William 
Helliwell  began  working  in  the  cotton  mills, 
spending  a  half  day  in  the  mills  and  the  re- 
maining half  in  school.  When  a  youth  of 
thirteen  he  laid  aside  his  text-books  and 
devoted  his  entire  time  to  work  in  the 
mills.  In  1869,  when  twenty  years  of  age, 
he  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  the  United  States, 
locating  in  Minnesota  with  Greenwood.  Charles 
and  .John  Nuttall,  three  brothers,  whose 
sister  he  married  in  the  following  year. 
The  three  Nuttall  brothers  were  awarded 
contracts  in  connection  with  the  building 
of  the  Great  Northern  railroad  out  of  St. 
Paul,  and  ilr.  Helliwell  was  employed  at 
railroad  construction  work  for  about  four 
years.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he 
purchased  a  tract  of  land  in  McLeod  county, 
Minnesota,  there  residing  until  March.  1892, 
when  he  came  west  to  Oregon  and  located 
in  Yoncalla,  Douglas  county.  He  purchased 
seventy  acres  of  land  adjoining  the  town 
and  planted  twelve  acres  thereof  to  fruit. 
Subsequently  he  bought  an  adjoining  tract 
of  thirty-six  acres,  twenty-five  acres  of 
whicli    had    already    been    pl.intod    to    fruit. 


About  two  years  ago,  however,  he  disposed 
of  all  of  his  land  and  now  retains  his  town 
residence  only.  His  record  is  an  excellent 
illustration  of  the  power  of  industry  and 
perseverance  in  the  attainment  of  success, 
for  he  came  to  this  country  empty-handed 
and  has  since  worked  his  way  steadily  up- 
ward to  a  positon  of  prosperity  and  prom- 
inence in  the  community  where  he  resides. 

In  July,  1870,  Mr.  Helliwell  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Evina  Nuttall,  a  native 
of  Yorkshire,  England,  by  whom  he  has 
eight  children,  as  follows:  Frank  J.,  who  is 
engaged  in  business  in  Portland,  Oregon; 
Ernest,  a  business  man  of  Cottage  Grove, 
this  state;  Clara,  the  wife  of  L.  A.  Daugh- 
erty,  of  Portland;  Barton,  assistant  cashier 
in  the  State  Bank  of  Yoncalla;  Sidney, 
who  is  in  the  service  of  the  John  Clark  Sad- 
dlery Company  at  Portland;  Albert,  who  is 
employed  by  "his  brother  Ernest  at  Cottage 
Grove;  Ruth  A.,  a  trained  nurse  in  the  Good 
Samaritan  Hospital  at  Portland;  and  Lena, 
who  is  the  wife  of  H,  T.  Hartley,  a  stock- 
man of  Crook  county,  Oregon. 

Mr.  Helliwell  is  a  republican  in  politics 
and  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  town 
council  of  Yoncalla.  while  for  six  years  he 
served  on  the  Yoncalla  school  board.  He 
is  identified  with  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows,  belonging  to  Alpha  Lodge,  No. 
170.  His  religious  faith  is  indicated  by  his 
membership  in  the  Presbyterian  church,  in 
which  he  serves  as  an  elder  and  to  which 
his  wife  also  belongs.  He  has  risen  through 
concentrated  efforts  intelligently  directed,  and 
the  success  which  has  rewarded  him  is  well 
merited. 

GEORGE  SYLVESTER  DAVIS,  the  owner 
of  a  ranch  comprising  two  hundred  and 
eighty-eight  acres  and  situated  six  miles  from 
Myrtle  I'oint,  on  the  Coquille  road,  is  en- 
gaged in  dairying  on  an  extensive  scale.  He 
has  been  a  resident  of  Coos  county  since 
1900  and  has  gained  an  enviable  reputation 
as  a  successful  and  enterprising  agricultur- 
ist. His  birth  occurred  in  Wisconsin  on  the 
11th  of  Jlay,  1863,  his  parents  being  J.  B. 
and  Polly  (Wolfe)  Davis.  The  father  was 
born  in  Ohio  in  1836.  while  the  mother's  birth 
occurred  in  that  state  in  1843.  In  the  spring 
of  1876  the  family  home  was  established  in 
Humboldt  county,  California,  where  J.  B. 
Davis  purchased  property  and  engaged  in  con- 
tracting. He  now  makes  his  home  with  his 
son  George,  his  wife  having  passed  away  in 
1902.  His  children  were  four  in  number, 
namely:  Xenia  L.,  who  is  engaged  in  the 
teaming  business  at  Oakland,  California; 
Will  0.,  a  building  contractor  of  Ferndale, 
California;  Isaac  W.,  who  died  in  Ferndale, 
California,  and  George  Sylvester,  of  this 
review. 

George  Sylvester  Davis,  who  was  a  youth 
of  tliirteen  when  he  accompanied  his  parents 
on  their  removal  to  California,  began  pro- 
viding for  his  own  support  at  that  early 
age  and  worked  for  others  at  various  occu- 
pations during  a  period  of  sixteen  years.  At 
the  end  of  that  time  he  was  married  and 
rented    a    dair}'    farm,    operating    the    same 


ooo 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


successfully  for  a  number  of  years.  In  the 
meantime,  however,  he  purchased  a  ranch  of 
three  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Coos  county, 
Oregon,  but  has  since  sold  a  part  of  that 
property  so  that  it  now  comprises  only  two 
hundred  and  eighty-eight  acres.  He  first 
came  to  this  state  in  1900  and  settled  on  a 
farm  in  Coos  county  which  he  rented  from 
R.  C.  Dement.  He  likewise  conducted  the 
Xorway  Creamery  for  five  years  but  in  1905 
sold  the  same  to  the  present  owners.  As 
above  stated,  he  conducts  a  dairy  ranch  on 
a  large  scale  and  in  this  connection  has  won 
a  measure  of  success  which  entitles  him  to 
recognition  among  the  substantial  and  rej)- 
resentative    citizens    of    the   communitv. 

On  the  11th  of  ilay,  1S92,  Mr.  Davis  «  as 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Lucy  E.  Trigg,  a 
native  of  Canada  and  a  daughter  of  AVilliam 
and  Mary  Ann  (Edwards)  Trigg,  both  of 
whom  were  born  in  England.  The  father 
passed  away  in  1907,  and  the  mother  sur- 
vives and  makes  her  home  with  our  subject. 
To  Mr.  and  !Mrs.  William  Trigg  were  lx)rn 
the  following  children:  Marie,  deceased; 
John,  of  California:  William,  who  also  lives 
in  California;  Sarah,  the  wife  of  C.  A.  Pet- 
tengill  of  Coquille,  Oregon :  Robert,  who  lives 
in  Canada :  George,  who  makes  his  home  in 
Washington;  Mi's.  Lucy  E.  Davis;  Charlotte 
Ellen,  the  wife  of  W.  L.  Kistner  of  Coquille, 
Oregon;  and  Mary  .Jane,  the  wife  of  G.  W. 
Kistner  of  California.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Davis 
have  two  children:  Harold  Warren,  who  was 
born  on  the  20th  of  June,  1S93.  and  is  pur- 
suing a  course  in  electrical  engineering;  and 
Otto  Loyal,  born  December  3,  1897,  who  is  at- 
tending school. 

Mr.  Davis  is  liberal  in  his  political  views 
and  in  exercising  his  right  of  franchise  is 
not  bound  by  party  ties,  ever  placing  patriot- 
ism above  partisanship.  Fraternally  he  is 
identitied  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and 
the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  while  his  wife 
belongs  to  the  Women  of  Woodcraft.  They 
are  widely  recognized  as  being  of  genuine 
personal  worth  and  have  an  extensive  circle 
of  friends,  ilr.  Davis'  life  has  been  one  of 
intense  and  wisely  directed  activity,  crowned 
with  well  deserved  success,  and  his  record 
may  well  serve  as  a  source  of  inspiration  to 
others,  showing  what  may  be  accomplished 
when  ability  is  coupled  with  determination. 

HON.      ALBERT      GALLATIN      HOVEY. 

Those  fi>rces  which  have  contributed  most 
to  the  development,  improvement  and  bene- 
fit of  the  state  of  Oregon  have  received 
impetus  from  the  labors  of  the  Hon.  Albert 
Gallatin  Hovey.  whose  life  record  has  been  a 
credit  and  honor  to  the  state  which  has 
honored  him.  He  was  distinctively  a  man 
of  affairs  and  one  who  wielded  a  wide  in- 
fluence. Persistency  of  purpose  and  unfalt- 
ering energy  enabled  him  to  accomplish  hi* 
purpose  where  men  of  less  resolute  spirit 
would  have  failed,  and  in  all  that  he  under- 
took he  was  actuated  by  high  ideals  that 
sought  the  benefit  of  his  home  locality  or  of 
the  state  at  large.  He  was  a  native  of  Lon- 
donderry, New  Hampshire,  born  July  11. 
1824,  and  was  descended  in  both  the  paternal 


and  maternal  lines  from  old  and  prominent 
American  families  closely  identified  with 
the  history  of  New  England.  The  earliest 
American  ancestor  of  ilr.  Hovey  arrived 
here  from  England  about  1637  and  finally 
=ettlcd  at  the  town  of  Ipswich,  Massachu- 
setts, where  he  left  numerous  descend:ints. 
I  Ine  of  these.  .Joseph  Hovey.  removed  from 
that  state  to  the  southern  part  of  New 
Hampshire  about  17S3.  Here  was  born  to 
him  a  son.  .John,  at  the  town  of  London- 
derry, in  17S6.  who  was  later  known  as 
Captain  .John  Hovey  and  was  the  father  of 
the  subject  of  this  review.  Although  he  had 
received  no  material  inheritance  from  his 
ancestor,  nature  had  gifted  him  with  an 
observing  eye  and  a  retentive  memory.  He 
had  comparatively  little  opportunity  to  at- 
tend school  and  at  an  early  age  was  ap- 
|irenticed  to  the  carpenter's  trade,  which  he 
so  thoroughly  mastered  that  in  time  he  be- 
came most  ]irolicient  along  that  line.  Jlore- 
over.  he  was  a  citizen  of  value  in  the  com- 
munity where  he  lived,  meriting  and  enjoy- 
ing the  respect  of  all.  He  died  in  1S.")1 
at  the  age  of  sixty-five  years,  and  for  some 
time  was  survived  by  his  wife.  In  early 
manhood  he  had  wedded  Abigail  Duston.  of 
Manchester.  Xew  Hampshire,  who  wa'*  a 
descendant  of  Mrs.  Hannah  Duston.  who  wit- 
nessed the  slaughter  of  her  husband  and 
infant  by  the  Indians  who  then  made  her 
a  captive.  With  one  other  prisoner,  how- 
ever, she  s\icceeded  in  escaping  one  night 
after  scalping  several  of  her  captors  with 
their  own  tomahawks,  and  then  made  her 
way  through  the  wilderness  back  to  a  settle- 
ment. She  was  a  splendid  type  of  courage- 
ous Puritan  womanhood,  strong  and  intrepid 
in  spirit,  yet  gentle  and  kind  in  manner. 
;Mrs.  Abigail  Hovey.  mother  <n"  Albert  G. 
Hovey  was  aft'orded  liberal  advantages  for 
higher  education  and  possessed,  moreover, 
an"  innate  culture  and  refinement  which 
made  her  noted  for  her  general  intelligence 
and  her  inHuence.  She  .survived  her  hus- 
band for  a  long  period,  passing  away  in  1SS3 
when  nearly  ninety  years  of  age.  In  the 
family  were  eight  children,  the  eldest  and 
the   youngest    being   daughters. 

When  quite  young  Albert  C.  Hovey  ac- 
companied his  parents  on  their  removal  to 
^Marietta.  Ohio,  where  he  pursued  a  public- 
school  education.  He  was  about  twenty-five 
years  of  age  when,  in  1849,  he  joined  a  com- 
pany of  twenty  men  that  crossed  the  plains 
with  ox  teams  to  Califoxnia.  attracted  by 
the  discovery  of  gold  in  that  state.  They 
left  St.  Joseph.  Missouri,  in  April,  and  while 
en  route  four  of  their  party  died  of  cholera 
which  raged  among  the  emigrants.  They 
proceeded  by  way  of  the  Nortli  Platte.  South 
Pass.  Bear  river.  Subletfs  cutoff,  Humboldt 
and  Carson  valleys  to  Saei-amento,  where 
the  party  arrived  in  October.  Mr.  Hovey 
there  secured  a  mining  outfit  and  went  to 
Rhoade's  bar,  where  the  fall  months  were 
passed.  The  company,  however,  spent  the 
winter  in  the  diggings  at  Long's  Hollow  in 
the  Weaver  district.  Mr.  Hovey  did  not 
lueet  with  the  success  in  the  mines  which  he 
had    anticipated    and    the    fact    that    congress 


Ai.i'.Kiri'  i;.  IMA  K^ 


THE 'new  VORKI 
PUBLIC     "--'"- f 


TILOt 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


225 


had  passed  tlie  donation  land  claim  act  for 
Oregon  led  him  to  make  his  \vay  nortliward 
to  this  state.  He  proceeded  from  San  Fran- 
cisco by  steamer  to  Portland,  where  he  ar- 
rived in  October.  1850.  and  thence  made  his 
way  up  the  Willamette  valley,  stopping  at 
Oregon  City.  Salem,  Albany"  and  Browns- 
ville, and  at  length  settling  at  Corvallis. 
which  was  then  known  as  Marysville,  be- 
coming the  first  school  teacher  "there.  He 
began  his  work  as  an  educator  in  Decem- 
ber, instructing  the  children  of  the  Dickson, 
Stewart.  Avery.  Stout,  Alexander,  Baker. 
Knott,  Trapp,  ilulkey  and  Newton  families. 
He  was  afterward  in  the  employ  of  tlie 
Hon.  Wayman  St.  Clair,  a  pioneer  merchant, 
and  early  in  lS.il  was  appointed  clerk  of 
the  United  States  district  court  for  Benton 
county  by  0.  C.  Pratt,  one  of  the  judges  of 
the  territory.  Later  he  was  elected  as  clerk 
of  the  county  and  while  thus  serving  in  the 
courts  he  took  up  the  study  of  law.  being 
admitted  to  practice  in  1853  by  Hon.  Georse 
11.  Williams,  then  United  States  district 
jndge.  while  later  he  was  admitted  to  prac- 
tice before  the  supreme  court  of  the  state. 
However,  he  really  never  entered  the  profes- 
sion, preferring  business  pursuits  which  made 
heavy  claim  upon  his  time  and  energies  and 
wliicii  were  successfully  conducted,  owing  to 
his  careful  and  systematic  management  and 
sound  judgment. 

Mr.  ilovey  was  twice  married.  In  1853  he 
wedded  Miss  Mary  Ellen  Mulkey.  the  eldest 
daughter  of  the  Hon.  Luke  Mulkey.  a  Benton 
county  pioneer.  She  died  in  1801  at  the  age 
of  twenty-five  years.  Some  years  previous 
to  this,  "or  in'  1853,  Mr.  Hovey  declined 
longer  to  serve  in  the  county  offices  wliich 
he  had  held  and  took  up  his  abode  upon  his 
donation  claim  near  Corvallis.  where  he  snc- 
cessfufly  carried  on  farming  until  his  wife's 
death.  "  On  September  8.  1804.  he  married 
again,  his  second  union  being  with  Miss 
Lmily  Humphrey,  the  eldest  daughter  of  the 
Hon.  fieorge  and  Cynthia  Ann  (Bristol) 
Humphrey.  iliss  Emily  Humphrey  was 
born  in  Ontario.  Canada.' April  3,  1S42,  and 
removed  to  Hlinois  and  Iowa  with  her  parents 
about  the  year  1844  and  remained  in  Iowa 
until  1S54  at  which  time  she  emigrated  with 
her  parents  to  Oregon,  crossing  the  plains 
in  ox  trains.  It  took  six  months  to  make 
the  trip,  and  she  rode  a  good  part  of  the 
way  on  horseback.  Upon  their  arrival  in 
Oi-egon  they  first  settled  on  a  farm  near 
•TefTerson,  in  Marion  county,  where  they  re- 
mained during  the  first  winter,  her  father, 
subsequcntlj-  taking  up  a  donation  land  claim 
about  eighteen  miles  west  of  Eugene.  Here 
she  spent  her  early  years  bravely  withstand- 
ing the  hardships  of  pioneer  life.  She  taught 
school  for  a  short  time  and  afterward  at- 
tended the  public  schools  of  Corvallis.  Ore- 
con.  and  in  1862  for  one  year  a  private 
school  in  Portland.  She  has  always  been  a 
great  lover  of  home  and  devoted  to  the  inter- 
eats  of  her  household  and  family.  She  is 
still  living  and  enjoying  the  fruits  of  a  life 
of  activity,  which  had  its  share  of  hardshi))s. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ilovey  became  parents  of  a 
ihuightcr.   Carrie    May,   and    two   sons.   A.   0. 


and  Blaine  H.  Both  sons  are  graduates  of  the 
University  of  Oregon  and  in  1S90  A.  G. 
Hovey  entered  the  bank  at  Eugene  as  a 
successor  of  his  father. 

Politically  Mr.  Hovey  was  a  supporter  of 
the  republican  party  and  in  fact  was  one 
of  the  organizers  of  the  party  in  this  state. 
At  the  lirst  state  convention  he  was  chosen 
one  of  tlirce  delegates  to  tlie  republican  na- 
tional convention  held  in  Chicago  in  1860 
and  instructed  for  ilr.  Seward.  None  of  the 
three  delegates,  however,  could  attend  and 
their  proxies  w-ere  sent  to  Horace  Greeley, 
of  Xew  York,  without  instructions,  who  cast 
their  votes  for  Abraham  Lincoln.  In  1S84 
Mr.  Hovey  was  made  one  of  Oregon's  six 
delegates  to  the  national  re]iublican  conven- 
tion which  again  met  in  Chicago,  and  there 
he  supported  James  C!.  Blaine  and  John  A. 
Logan.  In  the  meantime  he  had  done  excel- 
lent service  for  the  state  as  one  of  its  law 
makers,  having  been  elected  to  the  senate  in 
1862,  his  sei"vices  continuing  through  three 
sessions  or  until  1866.  In  that  year  he 
established  the  family  home  at  Portland  but 
after  a  year  removed  to  Springfield,  Lane 
county,  wdiere  he  carried  on  milling  and 
merchandising  for  about  twelve  years  and 
served  as  postmaster  from  1S67  to  1879.  He 
then  became  a  resident  of  Eugene  and  was 
one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Lane  County 
Bank,  conducted  under  the  firm  stjde  of 
Hovey,  Humphrey  &  Company.  He  remained 
as  its  president  to  the  time  of  his  death  and 
made  it  one  of  the  strong  financial  institu- 
tions of  the  county.  In  June,  1S93,  at  the 
time  of  the  wide-spread  financial  panic,  the 
Lane  County  Bank  suspended  payment  for  a 
year  and  again  opened  its  doors  for  business 
in  .June,  1S94.  During  that  time  there  was 
no  demand  for  a  receiver  and  Mr.  Hovey 
remained  in  charge,  managing  the  affairs 
of  the  institution  while  all  depositors  were 
paid  dollar  for  dollar.  He  continueil  actively 
at  the  head  of  the  bank  until  his  life's  labors 
w-ere  ended.  He  always  took  a  deep  and 
abiding  interest  in  the  welfare  of  his  com- 
munity and  gave  earnest  and  generous  su])- 
])ort  to  many  measures  for  the  public  good. 
In  April.  1889,  he  was  elected  mayor  of 
Eugene  by  a  vote  of  two  hundred  and 
eighty-three  to  fifty-nine  and  served  for  two 
years".  He  was  very  active  in  promoting  the 
building  of  the  railroad  from  Eugene  to  the 
coast  and  the  cause  of  education  found  in 
him  a  stalwart  champion.  In  the  spring 
of  1893  he  was  appointed  regent  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Oregon  and  so  continued  until  his 
death."  serving  as  a  member  of  the  executive 
committee  of  the  board  and  for  many  years 
was  treasurer  of  this  institiition.  Again  and 
again  Jlr.  Ilovey  was  called  niion  to  fill  posi- 
tions of  pulilic  honor  and  trust.  He  served 
on  Governor  Gibbs'  staff,  the  war  governor 
of  Oregon.  In  1892  he  was  made  a  delegate 
to  the  national  republican  conventicm  to 
^linneapolis  and  was  also  appointed  by 
President  Harrison  a  member  of  the  board 
of  visitors  to  the  annual  examinations  at 
the  United  States  Military  Academy  at 
West  Point.  New  York,  lie  attended  there 
on  the  1st  and  at  Minneapolis  on  the  Tth  of 


226 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


June.  1892.  His  was  indeed  an  honored- name 
which  malevolence  or  envy  dared  not  to 
assail.  He  stood  for  high  ideals  yet  utilized 
practical  methods  in  their  attainment  and 
at  all  times  his  work  was  a  source  of  benefit 
to  the  state.  He  died  November  27,  1898, 
and  Oregon  thereby  lost  one  of  its  foremost 
pioneers  and  honored  citizens — a  man  who 
had  left  his  impress  upon  the  history  of 
the  northwest  and  its  upbuilding. 

ALBERT  GUY  HOVEY  is  a  native  of  Ore- 
gon, having  been  born  in  Springfield,  June 
is.  1869.  "He  is  the  son  of  the  Hon.  A.  G. 
and  Emily  (Humphrey)  Hovey.  of  whom  fur- 
ther mention  is  made  in  the  preceding  sketch. 

He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
Springfield  and  Eugene  and  the  University 
of  Oregon,  from  which  institution  he  grad- 
uated in  the  class  of  1S90.  He  studied  law 
under  A.  E.  Gallagher  of  Eugene  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  October.  1892.  How- 
ever, he  never  practiced  law  preferring 
literary  and  business  pursuits.  He  accepted 
a  position  in  the  Lane  County  Bank,  a 
private  banking  institution  of  which  his 
father  was  president  and  owner  with  Mr.  H. 
G.  Humphrey.  He  remained  there  until  the 
bank  was  "transferred  to  the  Chambers- 
Bristow  Banking  Company,  which  took  place 
January,  1904.  During  the  panic  of  1S93  the 
bank  was  closed  one  year  but  no  receiver  was 
appointed  and  none  was  demanded  and  the 
depositors  were  paid  in  full.  Since  that 
time,  he  with  his  brother  have  had  a  private 
office  for  the  purpose  of  attending  to  their 
own  property  and  the  estate  of  their  late 
father.  Hon."A.  G.  Hovey. 

He  is  a  member  of  Spencer  Butte  Lodge. 
L  0.  O.  F.  of  Eugene  and  is  also  a  valued 
member  of  the  Eugene  Commercial  Club.  He 
takes  great  interest  in  literary,  research  and 
historical  work. 

BLAINE  H.  HOVEY,  who  succeeded  to  an 
interest  in  the  banking  business  of  which 
his  father  was  one  of  the  founders  and 
owners,  was  born  in  Springfield,  Oregon,  and 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Eugene 
and  the  Oregon  State  University  from  which 
he  was  graduated  in  1899,  with  the  B.  A. 
degree.  He  then  went  into  the  banking 
business  with  his  brother  and  the  two  after 
the  father's  death  took  charge  of  the  bank, 
continuing  to  manage  the  institution  until 
January  1.  1904,  when  they  sold  out.  Blaine 
Hovey  is  now  engaged  in  the  fire  insurance 
business  and  also  has  the  care  and  super- 
vision of  his  mother's  real-estate  interests. 
Fraternallv  he  is  connected  with  the  Wood- 
men of  the  World.  In  politics  he  is  a  pro- 
gressive republican  but  does  not  seek  office. 
He  believes  in  supporting  measures  for  the 
welfare  of  the  community  and  state  regard- 
less of  politics. 

MICHOR  E.  PAGE  is  filling  the  position 
of  postmaster  at  Clatskanie  and  is  also 
proprietor  of  a  general  mercantile  estab- 
lishment which  he  has  conducted  since  1893. 
His  birth  occurred  in  Hlinois,  in  1860,  his 
parents    being    Orsamus    and    Mary    (Ross) 


Page,  the  former  a  native  of  the  state  of 
Xew  York,  and  the  latter  of  Pennsylvania. 
They  were  married  in  Ohio,  where  they  lived 
for  some  years,  after  which  they  removed 
to  Macon  county,  Illinois,  where  they  re- 
sided until  1866.  In  that  year  they  estab- 
lished their  home  in  Will  county.  Illinois, 
where  the  father  carried  on  general  agricul- 
tural pursuits  until  his  retirement,  when  he 
removed  to  Joliet,  Illinois,  where  he  and 
his  wife  yet  reside,  the  former  at  the  age 
of  one  hundred  and  three  years  and  the 
latter  at  the  age  of  ninety  years.  Theirs 
is  a  remarkable  record  for  longevity.  In 
their  family  were,  seven  children,  of  whom 
five  still  survive:  Ada,  the  wife  of  Samuel 
Fishbeck,  of  Kansas;  Hannah,  the  wife  of 
Eichard  Holdsworth,  of  Ohio;  M.  E.,  of  this 
review:  Violet,  who  is  married  and  lives  in 
Texas;  Lydia,  who  is  married  and  resides  in 
Joliet,  Illinois;  and  two  who  died  in  in- 
fancy. 

The  youthful  days  of  JL  E.  Page  were 
spent  upon  his  father's  farm  in  Hlinois  until 
he  had  reached  the  age  of  fifteen  years, 
when  he  started  out  in  life  for  himself,  driv- 
ing a  team  and  doing  other  general  work 
for  eight  years.  He  then  came  to  Oregon,  in 
April,  1884,  settling  at  Clatskanie,  where 
he  secured  a  preemption  claim  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres.  This  he  sold  two 
years  later,  after  which  he  was  employed 
in  a  general  mercantile  store  owned  by  his 
father-in-law.  He  spent  two  years  in  that 
way  and  next  worked  in  the  timber  woods 
for  two  years,  after  which  he  went  to 
Alaska.  He  did  not  meet  with  the  condi- 
tions that  he  had  anticipated  in  the  north 
and  nine  months  later  returned,  since  which 
time  he  has  been  engaged  in  business  on  his 
own  account  in  Clatskanie.  In  1893  he 
opened  the  general  mercantile  store  of  which 
he  is  now  proprietor  and  in  the  intervening 
period  of  eighteen  years  he  has  built  up  a 
large  and  profitable  business,  basing  his  suc- 
cess upon  strictly  honorable  methods  and 
earnest  effort  to  please  his  patrons.  He  is 
likewise  the  postmaster  of  Clatskanie.  which 
office  he  has  filled  for  nine  years.  He  owns 
one  of  the  fine  business  blocks  of  the  town 
together  with  residence  property  here,  in- 
cluding the  home  in  which  he  now  lives. 

In  May,  1889,  Mr.  Page  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Mabel  Edgerton.  a  native 
of  Illinois,  and  a  daughter  of  William  A. 
and  Mary  (Gardner)  Edgerton,  who  were  na- 
tives of  Vermont  and  Kentucky,  respectively. 
Their  family  numbered  five  children,  of  whom 
three  are  vet  living,  namely :  Mrs.  Page; 
Xellie,  the  "wife  of  Ed  McClure,  of  Shelton, 
Washington;  and  E.  L.,  living  in  Clatskanie, 
Oregon.  The  father  makes  his  home  at  Long- 
beach,  California,  and  is  now  sixty  years  of 
age.      The   mother   passed   away   in   1878. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Page  have  become  the  par- 
ents of  four  children.  Lela,  who  was  born 
in  1892.  is  a  graduate  of  the  high  school  of 
Clatskanie,  also  of  the  normal  school  and 
has  a  musical  education.  She  is  now  engaged 
in  teaching  and  she  makes  her  home  with  her 
parents.     Leroy  was  drowned  at  the  age  of 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


ten  years.  Nellie,  born  in  1S96,  is  a  high- 
school  student  and  is  also  studying  music. 
Mary,  born  in  1902,  is  attending  the  public 
schools.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Page  hold  mem- 
bership in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church 
and  their  ■nell  spent  lives  have  gained  for 
them  the  high  regard  of  all  with  whom  they 
have  come  in  contact.  They  have  many 
friends  throughout  Columbia  county  and 
their  own  home  is  justly  celebrated  for  its 
warm-hearted  hospitality.  Mr.  Page  belongs 
to  Clatskanie  Camp,  No.  5241,  M.  W.  A.,  and 
also  the  Odd  Fellows  lodge.  His  political 
support  is  given  the  republican  party  and 
while  not  a  politician  in  the  sense  of  office 
seeking,  he  has  served  for  nine  years  as  a 
member  of  the  school  board  and  also  as  city 
treasurer  for  six  years.  As  a  custodian  of 
public  funds  he  has  proved  himself  most 
faithful  and  his  record  as  both  a  man  and 
citizen  is  one  which  has  gained  for  him  the 
high  regard  and  confidence  of  all  with  whom 
he    has   been    associated. 

JOSEPH  HUGILL,  who  resides  on  his 
farm  six  miles  southeast  of  Gervais,  was 
born  September  2C,  1853,  in  Yorkshire,  Eng- 
land, his  parents  being  Thomas  and  Mary 
(Rigg)  Hugill,  both  of  whom  spent  their 
entire  lives  in  England.  Throughout  his 
active  career  the  father  engaged  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits.  His  death  occurred  on 
December  12,  1878,  and  the  mother  passed 
away  in  1858.  Five  children  were  born  to 
them:  Betsy  Ann  and  Sarah,  who  are  resid- 
ing in  England;  Mary  .Jane,  who  is  living  in 
Virginia  and  is  the  wife  of  Thomas  Swayles; 
Margaret,  living  in  England;  and  Joseph, 
the   subject   of   this   sketch. 

.Josepii  Hugill  received  a  common-school 
education  in  England  and  started  out  upon 
his  independent  career  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
four  years  while  he  was  in  his  native 
country.  After  being  employed  on  a  farm 
for  three  years  he  came  to  America,  settling 
first  at  Brantford,  Ontario,  Canada.  He  re- 
mained there  for  only  a  short  time  before 
removing  to  Hamilton,  where  he  was  em- 
ployed as  a  farm  hand  for  two  years  previous 
to  his  removal  to  the  United  States.  Wlien 
he  left  Canada  he  came  direct  to  the  Dako- 
tas,  where  he  took  up  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  land,  upon  which  he  resided 
for  six  years  previous  to  coming  to  Oregon 
and  settling  in  Salem  for  a  period  of  two 
years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  rented 
land  near  Parkersville  for  two  years  and 
then  in  Clackamas  county  for  a  similar 
length  of  time  before  removing  to  Fairfield, 
Marion  county,  where  he  remained  five  years. 
Subsequently  he  purchased  one  hundred  and 
thirty-six  acres  of  land  located  six  miles 
southeast  of  Gervais  and  has  made  that 
property  his  home  ever  since.  Although  ho 
has  disposed  of  part  of  the  land,  he  has  at 
present  fifty-seven  acres  of  well  improved 
property,  forty-five  of  which  he  has  brought 
to  a  high  state  of  'productivity.  His  farm- 
ing interests  are  caiefully  managed  and  his 
sound  judgment  and  untiring  industry  are 
manifest  in  the  prosperity  which  has  come 
to  him. 


In    September,    1877,    Joseph    Hugill    was 
married    to    Miss    Mary    Wrightsou,    whose 
birth   occurred   in   Ingleby,   England,  on   the 
18th    of    March,     1855,    her    parents    being 
Charles    and    Hannah     (Elliott)     Wrightson, 
who  remained  in  their  native  country  until 
after    their    marriage.      Upon    leaving    Eng- 
land they  came  to  America  in  1855  and  set- 
tled in  Ontario,  Canada,  where  they  remained 
two  years  before  returning  to  England  and 
residing  in  that  country  until  1882  when  they 
again   came  to  America.    They  then  located 
and  remained  in  Hamilton,  Ontario,  for  two 
years  previous  to  removing  to  North  Dakota, 
where  they  resided  until  1891,  the   year   in 
A\hieh  they  came  to  Oregon.  After  living  in  Ma- 
rion county  for  a  short  time  they  removed  to 
Polk  county,  where  they  have  since  remained 
■Mr.   Wrightson  was   gamekeeper   in   his   na- 
tive  land   and   since   coming   to  America  has 
followed    farming.      He    purchased    land    in 
Polk  county,  which  is  now  owned  by  his  son 
Frank.    At  present,  at  the  age  of  eighty-two 
years,    he    is    living    with    Mr.    Hugill    the 
death  of  his  wife   having  occurred  in   1910. 
Eight  children  were  born  to  him :  Mrs.  Hugill ; 
Charles,     of     Alberta,     Canada;     Henry     E., 
of    Portland;    Annie,   residing    in    Manitoba; 
.Jane,  the  widow  of  Hugh  Cosgrove,  of  Wood- 
burn;  Frank,  living  in  Alberta.  Canada;  Era- 
ma,  the  wife  of  Thomas  Kinchin,  of  Alberta; 
and  Elizabeth  H.,  the  deceased  wife  of  Wil- 
liam Henderson,  of  California.     To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.    Hugill    six    children    have    been    born: 
John  Charles,  whose  birth  occurred  July  27, 
1878,  and  who  is  at  home;  Joseph  H.,  born 
m  England.  December  21,  1880,  a  resident  of 
Portland;   Mary  Anna,  born  in  Canada,  Sep- 
tember  13,    1882,   who   is   the   wife  of  John 
Imlah,   of   Fairfield,  Oregon;    Alex.   William, 
vvlio   is   residing   in  Portland   and   was  horn 
May   12,   1886,   in  Dakota;    Lizzie,  who   was 
born  January  23,  1888,  and  taught  school  for 
several   years    previous    to   her   marriage   to 
Omer  Hastie,  of  Monitor.  Oregon:  and  Emma 
F.,  whose  birth  occurred  on  the  30th  of  No- 
vember, 1889.  and  who  taught  school  several 
years   previous   to  her   marriage  to  John  C. 
Sheppard,  of  Silverton,  Oregon. 

Although  a  republican  .Joseph  Hugill  is 
liberal  in  his  views  and  casts  his  ballot  for 
candidates  rather  than  for  party.  He  has 
never  been  an  ofiiee  seeker  nor  desired  polit- 
ical preferment.  He  is  a  man  of  determina- 
tion and  force  of  character  who  carries  for- 
ward to  successful  completion  whatever  he 
undertakes.  In  manner  he  is  modest  and 
unostentatious  and  those  who  know  him  speak 
of  him  in  terms  of  praise.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Modern  Brotherhood  of  America,  in 
which  he  has  held  many  offices,  and  he  is  also 
a   member  of  the  Grange. 

P.  A.  BROWNELL  is  superintendent  of 
the  Gardiner  Mill  Company  and  one  of  the 
early  settlers  of  Gardiner.  Wherever  known 
he  is  spoken  of  in  terms  of  high  regard,  for 
in  every  relation  of  life  he  manifests  sterling 
qualities  of  manhood  and  citizenship.  He 
was  born  in  Tiverton,  Rhode  Island,  Feb- 
ruary 20,  1843,  a  son  of  Cornelius  and  Frances 
B.   (Almy)  Brownell,  both  of  whom  were  na- 


228 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


lives  of  Rhode  Island  and  both  members  of 
old  New  England  families.  The  grandfather, 
Cornelius  Brownell,  Sr.,  was  a  soldier  of  the 
Kevolutionary  war.  His  son  and  namesake 
lived  but  a  comparatively  short  time  in  Tiver- 
ton, removing  thence  to  Little  Compton, 
Khode  Island,  where  his  after  life  was  spent. 
Ilis  time  and  energies  were  devoted  to  agri- 
cultural pursuits  until  his  later  days,  when 
he  passed  away  at  the  age  of  eighty-four 
years,  while  his  wife  reached  the  age  of 
eighty-five  years. 

P.  A.  Brownell  remained  at  home  until 
his  nineteenth  year  and  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools.  In  1865  he  shipped  aboard 
a  whaling  vessel  with  the  privilege  of  leav- 
ing the  vessel  at  the  Sandwich  islands  if 
he  so  chose.  He  decided  on  that  course  and 
sailed  from  the  islands  to  California.  For 
two  years  he  worked  in  the  sawmills  at 
Humboldt  and  then  spent  about  a  year  in 
the  mining  regions  of  Idaho,  where  he  was 
engaged  in  searching  for  the  precious  metal. 
He  next  made  his  way  to  Portland,  Oregon, 
where  he  worked  in  a  mill  for  about  a  year. 
On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  built  a 
mill  in  Portland  which  he  operated  for  about 
three  years,  and  on  selling  out  he  made  his 
way  to  British  Columbia,  on  a  timber  cruise. 
In  that  district  he  worked  for  some  time  as 
a  millwright  in  Vancouver  but  later  returned 
to  Oregon  and  in  1873  took  up  his  abode  in 
Gardiner,  where  he  has  remained  continu- 
ously for  thirty-nine  years.  He  has  been 
identified  with  the  same  mill  throughout 
the  period  of  his  residence  here,  although  it 
has  been  owned  by  three  difl'erent  companies. 
He  has  served  in  the  important  position  of 
superintendent  of  the  mill  all  the  time  and 
his  capable  and  excellent  work  in  that  con- 
nection gives  entire  satisfaction  to  those 
whom   he   represents. 

In  1878  Mr.  Brownell  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Jennie  Balderree,  a  daughter 
of  George  Balderree.  who  came  to  Gardiner 
from  Arkansas  in  1S71  or  1872.  He  followed 
the  occupation  of  ranching  and  passed  away 
in  1ST4.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brownell  have 
been  born  four  sons,  as  follows:  Mark  A., 
engaged  in  the  stationery  business  in  San 
Francisco.  California:  Edward  A.,  a  ranchman 
of  Powder  River  valley,  in  Oregon:  Philip  A., 
a  civil  engineer,  who  is  at  present  associated 
with  the  Oregon  Electric  Company;  and  Aus- 
tin A.,  a  student  of  the  Oregon  State  Agri- 
cultural College  at  Corvallis.  Oregon. 

In  politics  Mr.  Brownell  is  a  republican 
but  without  ambition  for  office.  He  served, 
however,  for  ten  years  on  the  Gardiner  school 
board  and  the  cause  of  education  has  found 
in  him  a  warm  friend.  He  is  prominent  in 
fraternal  organizations,  belonsing  to  Aurora 
Lodge.  Xo.  59.  A.  F.  &  A.  M..  and  to  Gar- 
diner Lodge.  No.  132,  I.  0.  0.  F..  while  both 
he  and  his  wife  are  connected  with  Martha 
Chapter.  O.  E.  S..  and  with  Riverside  Lodge. 
Xo.  100.  of  the  Daughters  of  Rebekah.  Jlrs. 
Brownell  is  also  a  member  of  the  Baptist 
church.  Both  ilr.  and  Mrs.  Brownell  are 
widely  and  favorably  known  in  this  part  of 
the  state,  for  excellent  traits  have  won  them 
warm    friendships.      Mr.    Brownell    has    been 


found  to  be  thoroughly  reliable  under  all 
circumstances  and  his  work  in  connection 
with  the  Gardiner  Mill  Company  has  been 
most    satisfactory. 

HON.  MITCHELL  AND  PERMELIA  ANN 
(ALLAN)  WILKINS.  The  name  of  Wilkins 
is  one  which  will  always  attract  the  atten- 
tion of  the  student  of  the  history  of  Oregon, 
fsr  it  was  borne  by  one  of  the  early  settlers 
of  the  state,  one  whose  high  character  and 
conscientious  efforts  have  left  their  impress 
upon  the  progress  of  events.  This  pioneer, 
the  Hon.  Mitchell  Wilkins,  was  born  in  Orange 
county,  Xorth  Carolina,  in  1818.  His  father, 
who  was  descended  from  a  Scotch  family  of 
the  colonial  period,  died  in  Xorth  Carolina 
when  the  son  was  but  nine  years  of  age. 
Early  in  life  Mitchell  Wilkins  started  out 
in  the  world  to  seek  his  own  livelihood  and 
for  several  years  engaged  in  boating  and 
boat-building  on  the  Mississippi  river.  He 
afterward  settled  in  Andrew  county,  Missouri, 
near  St.  Joseph,  which  was  then  little  more 
than  a  pioneer  camp  on  the  outskirts  of 
civilization.  He  performed  the  first  carpenter 
work  of  any  note  in  that  embryo  town,  erect- 
ing   the    first    substantial   buildings   there. 

In  April,  1847,  Mr.  Wilkins  and  his  wife 
became  members  of  a  party  of  seven  hun- 
dred people  who  started  overland  from  St. 
Joseph  for  the  far  west — a  long  trip  fraught 
with  many  dangers  and  privations  in  those 
days.  Mr.  Wilkins  met  with  his  full  share 
of  trial  and  tribulation.  While  crossing  the 
plains  he  lost  his  team,  this  necessitating 
the  abandonment  of  the  wagon  upon  reach- 
ing the  Cascade  Mountains,  and  the  journey 
to  the  Willamette  valley  was  completed  with 
one  horse,  one  ox  and  two  cows.  Mr.  Wil- 
kins and  his  young  wife,  their  hopes  and  am- 
bitions high  despite  the  drawbacks  with 
which  fate  had  handicapped  them,  walked 
all  the  way  across  the  mountains,  following 
the  old  Barlow  route  and  reaching  their  des- 
tination in  safety,  on  the  25th  of  October, 
1847.  They  spent  the  winter  of  1847-48  near 
what  is  now  Marquam,  Clackamas  county, 
where  Mr.  Wilkins  erected  a  small  log  cabin. 
In  the  spring  of  1848  they  resumed  their 
journey  toward  the  south.  Arriving  in  what 
is  now  Lane  county,  Mr.  Wilkins  took  up  a 
donation  claim  of  six  hundred  and  forty  acres 
located  ten  miles  northeast  of  the  site  of  the 
city  of  Eugene.  Here  he  set  about  erect- 
ing a  temporary  log  cabin,  into  which  he 
moved  his  family  in  the  fall  of  that  year. 
During  the  following  year  he  constructed  a 
more  substantial  house  of  hewed  logs  and  in 
1S54  erected  a  frame  house  of  a  much  more 
pretentious  character,  which  still  stands  in 
fairly  good  repair.  It  is  covered  with  ivy  and 
is  pictured  in  the  historical  part  of  this 
work. 

!Mr.  Wilkins  had  barely  become  established 
in  his  pioneer  home  in  the  wilderness  before 
news  of  the  discovery  of  gold  in  California 
began  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  inhabit- 
ants of  the  western  frontier.  In  the  hope 
of  bettering  his  financial  condition  he  started 
for    the    Eldorado    on   horseback    in    the    fall 


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M 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


ot  1840.  Ho  anivfd  in  the  Sacramento  val- 
ley without  incident  of  note  and  at  once 
engaged  in  placer  mining  on  a  small  scale; 
but  after  fourteen  days  he  and  the  party  as- 
sociated with  him  in  the  work  were  driven 
out  by  the  snow  and  the  depredations  of  the 
Indians,  and  Mr.  Wilkins  returned  to  his 
home  in  Oregon.  From  that  year  until  the 
time  of  his  retirement  from  the  active  re- 
sponsibilities of  life  Jlr.  Wilkins  devoted  his 
energies  to  stock-raising,  in  which  he  met 
witli   most  gratifying   success. 

ilr.  Wilkins  was  never  selfishly  interested 
in  his  work  toward  his  personal  success,  but 
always  cheerfully  and  capably  aided  in  the 
promotion  of  all  worthy  causes,  the  tendency 
of  which  was  to  advance  the  welfare  of  the 
people  at  large.  In  politics  he  was  a  repub- 
lican from  the  time  of  the  Civil  war  and 
served  as  a  member  of  the  Oregon  state 
legislature  in  1862.  For  some  time  prior 
thereto  he  had  taken  a  prominent  part  in 
the  political  Tindertakings  of  the  county  and 
state.  During  the  historical  triangular  fight 
for  governorship  of  the  state  in  1878  he  was 
nominated  for  the  office  on  the  independent 
ticket  but  was  not  able  to  overcome  the  re- 
publican majority.  He  always  manifested 
a  deep  and  abiding  concern  in  the  general 
welfare  of  agricultural  interests  in  Oregon. 
He  became  one  of  the  chief  organizers  of 
the  State  Agricultural  Society  and  for  many 
years  served  as  its  president.  In  1876  he 
visited  the  Centennial  Exposition  at  Philadel- 
phia as  commissioner  from  Oregon,  acted  in 
the  same  capacity  at  the  New  Orleans  Ex- 
position in  1884  and  the  Columbian  Exposi- 
tion at  Chicago  in  1893.  It  was  in  the  fall 
of  that  year  that  he  was  stricken  with  paral- 
ysis, which  caused  his  retirement  from  active 
pursuits  and  from  which  he  never  wholly  re- 
covered. His  death  occurred  .Tanuary  31, 
1904. 

On  Christmas  day  of  1844.  in  Platte  county. 
Missouri,  Mr.  Wilkins  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Pcrmelia  Ann  Allan,  by  the  Rev. 
John  Low.  Miss  Allan  was  born  in  Bates 
county,  Missouri.  April  7.  1827.  and  was  a 
daughter  of  Robert  and  Elizabeth  (Morrow) 
Allan.  In  1847,  following  the  death  of  his 
wife  in  Missouri,  Robert  Allan  crossed  the 
plains  in  the  same  train  with  his  daughter 
and  son-in-law.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Allan  were 
both  natives  of  Tennessee.  Mrs.  Wilkins 
passed  away  in  the  faith  of  the  Cumber- 
land Presbyterian  church,  on  the  10th  of 
•Tune,  1909.  She  was  a  lady  possessed  of 
many  excellent  traits  of  character  and  en- 
joyed the  regard  and  esteem  of  all  who  knew 
her.  She  bore  herself  with  cheerful  forti- 
tude during  the  early  days  of  hardship  and 
privation,  overcoming  the  many  difficulties  of 
life  in  a  frontier  region  by  an  optimistic 
energy  that  was  at  once  encouraging  and 
inspiring.  She  became  the  mother  of  seven 
children,  of  whom  three  are  living:  Francis 
Marion,  Angeline  and  Amos.  Those  deceased 
are  .Jasper,  Eliza  Jane,  Henrietta,  and  May 
Rose. 

Mitchell  Wilkins  belonged  to  the  highest 
type  of  the  pioneer  citizen.  The  character- 
istics which  contributed  most  to  his  success, 

Vol  IV— 10 


as  shown  by  the  record  of  his  life,  were  his 
indomitable  energy  and  perseverance,  his 
integrity  in  all  business  transactions  and 
the  liberal,  broad-minded  manner  in  which 
he  conducted  all  his  operations.  His  record 
in  public  and  private  life  was  above  reproach 
and  free  from  all  suspicion  of  dishonor.  Hon- 
esty, courage,  enterprise  and  fairness  toward 
his  fellowmen  endeared  him  closely  to  all  who 
were  favored  W'ith  his  friendship.  He  and 
his  estimable  wife  were  pioneer  settlers  of 
the  Sunset  state  whose  names  figure  on  the 
pages  of  its  earlj'  history  among  those  W'ho.se 
labors  made  possible  the  wonderful  trans- 
formation   that    has    here    been    effected. 

BENJAMIN  HUNTINGTON,  Sr.,  one  of 
the  substantial  and  influential  citizens  of  the 
Yoncalla  valley,  is  a  worthy  representative 
of  an  honored  pioneer  family  of  this  state. 
His  holdings  comprise  nine  hundred  acres 
of  land,  and  for  over  a  quarter  of  a  century 
lie  has  resided  on  his  present  ranch  situated 
a  mile  and  a  half  southwest  of  Yoncalla. 
Oregon  numbers  him  among  her  native  sons, 
his  birth  having  occurred  in  the  Yoncalla 
valley,  in  Douglas  county,  on  the  3d  of  Sep- 
tember, 1859.  His  parents  were  John  W.  P. 
and  Mary  (Applegate)  Huntington,  the  former 
a  native  of  Norwich,  Connecticut,  anil 
the  latter  of  Missouri.  At  the  time  of  the 
gold  excitement,  in  1849,  John  W.  P.  Hunt- 
ington sailed  around  the  Horn  to  San  Fran- 
cisco and  shortly  afterward  made  his  way 
north  into  Oregon,  taking  up  a  donation 
claim  which  is  now  the  J.  T.  Miller  place  in 
the  Hayhurst  valley,  Douglas  county.  Ilr 
settled  at  the  head  of  this  valley  and  his 
portion  was  later  known  as  the  Huntington 
valley.  Sometinu>  in  the  early  '90s  he  re- 
moved to  Salem,  Oregon,  and  for  a  number 
of  years  owned  and  edited  the  Statesman. 
Subsequently  he  was  appointed  superintend- 
ent of  Indian  agencies  of  the  state  of  Ore- 
gon under  President  Andrew  Johnson,  serv- 
ing in  that  capacity  for  about  four  years, 
or  until  his  death  in  1869.  He  was  a  Royal 
Arch  Mason  and  enjoj'ed  an  enviable  reputa- 
tion as  one  of  the  foremost  citizens  of  this 
state.  His  wife  was  a  daughter  of  Charles 
Applegate  and  in  1843  came  to  Oregon  with 
the  Applegate  Company,  more  extended  men- 
tion of  which  is  made  on  another  page  ol 
this  work.  Mrs.  Mary  (Applegate)  Hunting- 
ton  was   called   to   her   final    rest   in    1879. 

Benjamin  Huntington,  Sr.,  was  reared  un- 
der tlie  parental  roof  and  obtained  his  edu- 
cation in  the  common  schools.  In  1880. 
wlien  twenty-one  years  of  age.  he  started 
out  for  himself  as  an  agriculturist,  cultivat- 
ing land  of  his  own  and  also  rented  laml. 
farming  at  one  time  as  high  as  twelve  liun- 
dred  acres.  In  IssCi  he  took  up  his  abode  on 
a  ranch  a  mile  and  a  half  southwest  of 
Yoncalla.  where  he  has  since  remained  and 
where  he  makes  a  specialty  of  raising  sheep 
and  goats.  His  holdings  embrace  nine  hun- 
dred acres  of  land  and  his  undertakings  as 
an  agriculturist  have  been  attended  with 
highly  gratifying  results. 

In     1880    Mr.    Huntington    was    joined    in 
wedlock  to  Miss  Mary  Jliller,  a  daughter  of 


■234 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OP  OREGON 


James  Miller,  who  crossed  the  plains  from 
Missouri  to  this  state  in  1852  and  took  up 
a  donation  claim  which  now  forms  a  part 
of  our  subject's  home  place.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Huntington  have  thirteen  children,  as  fol- 
lows: Benjamin.  Jr.,  who  is  a  druggist  of 
Drain,  Oregon;  Webster,  living  in  Portland; 
Perit,  a  resident  of  Mahnomen,  Minnesota; 
Phillip,  who  is  engaged  in  the  drug  business 
at  Yoncalla,  Oregon;  ilcKinley,  a  student 
in  the  Oregon  Agricultural  College;  James; 
Thomas;  Ketta;  Anna;  Sarah;  Mary;  Ruth; 
and  Rachel,  The  last  eight  named  are  still 
at  home  with  their  parents.  In  politics  Mr. 
Huntington  is  a  stanch  republican,  having 
supported  the  men  and  measures  of  that 
party  since  age  conferred  upon  him  the 
right  of  franchise.  During  the  period  of  his 
residence  in  this  state,  covering  more  than  a 
half  century,  he  has  not  only  witnessed  but 
also  aided  and  rejoiced  in  the  work  of  prog- 
ress and  improvement  and  richly  merits 
recognition  as  a  prominent  and  representa- 
tive citizen. 

OLE  0.  LUND  is  the  nominee  on  the  re- 
publican ticket  for  sheriff  of  Coos  county, 
Oregon.  He  was  born  in  Xorway  in  1S62 
and  is  a  son  of  Ole  Oleson  and  Christina 
(Christiansen)  Lund,  both  natives  of  that 
country.  They  were  the  parents  of  nine 
children:  Chris",  and  Kels,  both  of  whom  are 
living  in  Wisconsin;  Bennie.  who  makes  his 
home  in  St.  Paul,  Minnesota;  Alfred,  who 
resides  in  Wisconsin;  Christina,  Clara  and 
Gulog,  all  of  whom  are  living  in  their  native 
country;  Varda,  who  resides  in  Wisconsin; 
and   Oie   0, 

Ole   0.   Lund   was   educated   in  the   public 
schools   of  Norway  and  pursued  his   studies 
until  he  was  twelve  years  of  age.     He  was 
reared    on    a    farm   and    became   thoroughly 
familiar  at  an  early  age  with  the  details  of 
practical    agriculture.      Wlien    he   left   home 
he  worked  in  the  employ  of  others  on  farms 
for   four  years.     He  then  learned  the   shoe- 
maker's trade   in  Norway  and  followed  this 
occupation  for  two  years  before  he  came  to 
America.     When  he  crossed  the  Atlantic  he 
settled    in    Wisconsin    and    worked    at   lum- 
bering for  one  year.     He  went  to  Minnesota 
at  the  end  of  that  time  and  realizing  his  dis- 
advantages in  an  educational  way  and  feeling 
hampered  bv  his  foreign  training  he  entered 
the   public  "schools   of   that    state   where   he 
studied  for  one  year  and  a  half.    He  spent  the 
next   three   years   working   at   the  butcher's 
trade   and  after  a   short   residence  in   South 
Dakota  returned  to  Minnesota  and  worked  in 
various  capacities  for  eighteen  months.    His 
principal    occupation    during    this    time   was 
along  the  shoemaking  line  which  trade  he  had 
learned   in   Norway.      He   later   spent    three 
years    in    Minnesota    working   as   a    harness 
and  shoemaker.    After  his  marriage  in  1890, 
ho  spent  some  time  in  the  shoemaking  busi- 
ness and  was  for  three  years  a  member  of 
the    police    force    attached    to    the    sheriff's 
office  in  Bavfield,  Wisconsin.     After  his  ser- 
vice in  that  capacity  he  came  west  and  lo- 
cated   on    a    timber"  claim    in    Oregon.      He 
finallv  settled  on  Coos  bay  in  Marshfield  in 


1907  and  took  up  his  old  trade  of  shoemak- 
ing to  which  he  added  a  harness  and  a  retail 
.shoe  business.  He  previously  had  spent  five 
years  in  Grants  Pass.  Oregon,  where  he  car- 
ried on  a  successful  fuel  enterprise. 

In  1890,  Mr.  Lund  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Anna  Oleson.  a  daughter  of  Peter 
and  Oliva  Oleson,  natives  of  Norway.  Mrs. 
Lund  is  one  of  four  children  born  to  her 
parents:  Martin,  a  resident  of  the  state  of 
Wisconsin;  Anna,  the  wife  of  our  subject; 
•Julia,  who  lives  in  Marshfield,  Oregon;  and 
Hilda,  a  resident  of  Washington.  Mrs.  Lund 
received  her  early  education  in  the  Wis- 
consin public  schools  and  remained  at  home 
until  her  marriage.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lund  are 
the  parents  of  four  children:  Lula.  who  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Wisconsin 
and  Oregon  and  took  a  commercial  course  in 
Portland,  and  who  is  the  wife  of  Mr.  F.  0. 
True,  a  bookkeeper  of  Coquille,  Oregon,  by 
whom  she  has  one  son.  Frank;  Perlie  Oliver, 
who  was  educated  in  Wisconsin  and  Oregon 
and  took  a  commercial  course  in  California 
and  who  is  residing  in  Marshfield,  Oregon; 
Myrtle,  who  attended  the  public  schools  in 
Wisconsin  and  Oregon  and  received  a  com- 
mercial education,  and  is  at  home;  and  Mar- 
garet, who  is  attending  school  in  Marshfield, 
Oregon. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Lund  holds  membership 
in  the  Improved  Order  of  Redmen  and  in 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He 
is  also  prominent  in  the  affairs  of  the  Mod- 
ern Woodmen  of  America,  the  Royal  Neigh- 
bors, the  Equitable  Fraternal  L'nion  and  the 
Sons  of  Norway.  He  is  a  devout  member 
of  the  Lutheran  church  and  to  this  faith,  his 
wife  and  children  also  give  their  allegiance. 
He  is  a  progressive  republican  and  is  a  firm 
believer  in  the  principles  of  that  party,  and 
a  strong  supporter  of  its  policies,  Mr.  Lund 
is  eager  for  the  welfare  of  his  section  of  the 
country  and  has  firm  belief  in  the  future  of 
Coos    county. 

IVAN  D.  APPLEGATE  is  one  of  the  early 
pioneers  of  Oregon,  and  during  a  long  and 
useful  life  he  has  been  identified  with  the 
political  and  business  development  of  his 
adopted  state.  He  was  born  .January  25,  1840, 
in  Saint  CTair  county.  Missouri,  and  is  a  son 
of  Lindsay  and  Elizabeth  (Miller)  Applegate, 
In  1822  the  father  settled  in  Missouri  where 
he  later  celebrated  his  marriage.  In  1S43  he 
crossed  the  plains  to  Oregon  and  settled  in 
the  Willamette  valley  at  a  point  where  now 
stands  the  city  of  Dallas  in  Polk  county.  He 
and  his  brothers  were  the  first  settlers  in 
that  part  of  the  state.  Since  that  time  the 
Applegate  family  has  been  distinguished  for 
their  activities  in  the  development  and  prog- 
ress of  Oregon.  Lindsay  Applegate  and  his 
brother  Jesse  located  the  south  road  through 
the  Tule  lake  country  to  the  Willamette  val- 
ley in  1846,  and  thus  became  the  first  pioneers 
of  Klamath  county.  In  1861  Lindsay  Apple- 
gate  was  captain  of  volunteers,  and  in  the 
course  of  his  duties  he  passed  through  that 
same  territory  again.  He  died  at  Swan  Lake 
in    1S91    at   the    age    of   eighty-three    years, 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


235 


Mrs.  Applegate's  death  having  occurred  six 
years  previously. 

Ivan  D.  Applegate  with  his  parents  came 
to  Oregon  and  received  his  early  education  in 
the  primitive  schools  of  the  district  in  which 
he  lived.  In  1850  the  family  removed  to 
Douglas  county  and  later  settled  in  Jackson 
county.  In  1S62  he  enlisted  in  the  militia 
as  captain  and  in  1SG4  was  appointed  recruit- 
ing officer  by  Governor  A.  C.  Gibbs  and  sta- 
tioned at  Eugene.  In  1868  he  was  appointed 
by  Superintendent  Huntington  to  take  charge 
of  the  commissary  in  the  Indian  department 
of  the  state.  VSTiile  in  this  position  he  acted 
as  interpreter  of  the  Snake  River  Indians 
and  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  transfer  of 
that  tribe  to  its  present  reservation,  and  in 

1869  lie  established  the  Yianax  agency.     In 

1870  he  retired  from  active  public  life  and 
settled  in  Swan  lake  valley  and  there  en- 
gaged in  stock-raising.  The  following  year, 
liowever,  he  received  an  appointment  from 
the  government  as  special  representative  to 
the  Modoc  Indian  camp  on  Lost  river,  and 
while  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties  partici- 
pated in  the  first  battle  of  the  Lava  Beds. 
During  his  service  in  that  campaign  he  was 
one  of  six  men  who,  with  great  danger  to 
their  safety,  secured  the  bodies  of  citizens 
who  had  been  slain  by  the  Indians. 

Mr.  Applegate  was  united  in  marriage  on 
July  14,  1871,  in  Jackson  county,  to  Miss 
Margaret  Hutchinson,  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania and  a  daughter  of  Richard  and  Anna 
(Armstrong)  Hutchinson.  She  came  west  in 
1869.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Applegate  live  chil- 
dren have  been  born,  Alice  is  a  graduate  of 
the  State  Normal  School  at  Monmouth.  Fol- 
lowing her  graduation  she  became  a  member 
of  the  faculty  of  that  institution  in  the 
training  department  and  later  w'as  transferred 
to  the  Ashland  Normal  School  as  principal 
of  one  of  its  departments.  She  later  became 
the  principal  of  the  Klamath  Falls  public 
school  and  later  assistant  principal  of  the 
Klamath  Falls  high  school.  She  is  now  the 
wife  of  C.  E.  Piel,  of  Ashland,  Oregon.  Ada 
F.,  deceased,  was  the  wife  of  J.  G.  Pierce  and 
a  graduate  of  the  State  Normal  School. 
Moray  Lindsay  who  graduated  from  the  State 
Normal  School  at  Monmouth  with  the  class 
of  1896,  later  matriculated  at  the  State  Uni- 
versity at  Eugene.  In  1898  he  enlisted  in 
Company  C,  Second  Oregon  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, and  served  for  eighteen  months  in 
the  Spanish-American  war.  During  his  time 
of  service  his  command  was  engaged  in  con- 
tinuous fighting  from  February  4  until  the 
following  June.  In  1899  he  returned  to  the 
university  at  Eugene  and  from  that  institu- 
tion was  graduated  with  honors  with  the  class 
of  1900.  In  the  fall  of  that  year  he  returned 
to  Manila  and  was  appointed  assistant  super- 
intendent of  public  instruction  in  that  city. 
He  continued  in  that  capacity  until  1902, 
after  which  he  served  for  some  time  with  the 
ethnological  survey.  He  then  accepted  the 
position  as  collector  for  the  Philippine  exhibit 
of  the  World's  Exposition  and  directed  that 
work  until  the  e-xposition  w-as  ready  to  be 
opened  to  the  public  and  then  returned  to 
Klamath  county.    Lena  L.,  who  was  educated 


at  the  State  University,  is  now  the  wife  of 
Dr.  Hargiss  of  Klamath  Falls.  Jessie,  the 
fifth  child,  is  residing  at  home. 

Ivan  D.  Applegate,  as  a  pioneer  of  his 
adopted  state,  has  done  his  full  share  as  a 
patriotic  citizen  in  the  development  of  the 
political  and  industrial  interests  of  Oregon, 
and  his  name  is  a  synonym  for  all  that  stands 
for  the  progress  and  advancement  of  business, 
educational  and  moral  improvement. 

MARSHALL  A.  SWEETMAN  maintains  his 
office  at  No.  150  Broadway,  Marshfield,  Ore- 
gon, where  he  carries  on  a  flourishing  real- 
estate  business.  His  activities  in  this  line  are 
marked  by  an  experienced  knowledge  of  land 
values  and  a  firm  belief  in  the  future  prog- 
ress of  Coos  county.  He  was  born  in  Iowa  iu- 
1871,  and  is  a  son  of  John  P.  and  Tabitha 
(Leach)  Sweetman.  His  father  and  grand- 
father followed  the  contracting  business  and 
were  well  known  builders.  John  P.  Sweetman 
was  born  in  Ohio  and  his  wife's  birth  oc- 
curred in  Hlinois.  They  were  married  in 
Iowa  and  became  the  parents  of  five  children; 
ilartlia  A.,  the  wife  of  R.  B.  Hughes,  of 
Oklahoma,  by  whom  she  has  four  children; 
Marshall,  the  subject  of  this  review;  George 
A.,  a  resident  of  Enid,  Oklahoma;  Sena,  who 
married  D.  Wyrick  of  Mountain  View,  Okla- 
homa, by  whom  she  has  one  child;  and  Ivy, 
the  wife  of  D.  Jennings  of  Oklahoma,  and  the 
mother  of  one  child. 

Marshall  A.  Sweetman  was  reared  at  home 
and  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his 
native  state.  He  lived  on  a  farm  in  Iowa 
until  he  was  fourteen  years  of  age,  when  his 
parents  moved  to  Kansas  where  the  father 
engaged  in  farming  and  in  various  other  oc- 
cupations. Mr.  Sweetman  assisted  his  father 
in  the  work  of  the  farm  and  was  active  along 
other  lines  of  business  in  Kansas  for  four 
years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  removed 
to  Oklahoma  where  he  engaged  in  farming  in 
the  employ  of  others  and  worked  in  various 
other  capacities  for  fifteen  years.  He  was  ac- 
tive in  the  real-estate  line  during  that  time 
and  had  built  up  a  flourishing  business  before 
he  left  Oklahoma.  He  then  lived  in  Wichita, 
Kansas,  and  Kansas  City,  Missouri,  for  a 
short  time  and  in  1906  came  to  Oregon  and 
settled  in  Marshfield  on  Coos  bay.  Mr.  Sweet- 
man has  been  engaged  in  the  real-estate  busi- 
ness in  this  city  during  the  entire  period  of 
his  residence  here  and  is  well  known  through- 
out Coos  county  as  a  discriminating  judge 
of  land  values.  His  business  is  increasing 
every  year  and  is  founded  on  well  known  and 
well  tested  commercial  principles.  He  has 
accumulated  a  moderate  fortune  which  he 
has  invested  in  Coos  county  property.  He 
built  two  houses  in  Marshfield,  one  of  which 
he  occupies.  His  home  is  situated  on  one 
of  the  most  beautiful  sites  in  the  city,  com- 
manding a  fine  view  of  the  bay  and  of  the 
surrounding  country.  The  other  residence 
which  Mr.  vSweetman  erected  he  rents.  He 
is  contemplating  an  increase  in  his  activities 
in   the  home-building  branch  of  his  business. 

.Marshall  A.  Sweetman  has  been  twice  mar- 
ried. His  first  union  was  with  Miss  Clara 
Martin,  a  native  of  Illinois,  and  a  daughter  of 


236 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


John  T.  Martin,  whose  birth  occairred  in  that 
state.  She  was  one  of  four  children.  The 
others  are  Walter.  Edgar,  and  Oscar,  all 
of  whom  are  residents  of  Kansas.  Mr.  Sweet- 
man  became  the  father  of  two  children  by 
his  first  marriage:  Eeulah  E.,  born  Decem- 
ber 26,  1S9T,  who  is  attending  school  in  Okla- 
homa ;  and  William  J.,  born  April  10.  1900. 
who  is  pursuing  his  studies  in  the  same  state. 
Some  time  after  the  death  of  Mrs.  Clara 
Sweetman  our  subject  was  again  married. 
His  second  union  was  with  Mrs.  Louise 
(Trego)  Helm,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Trego,  a 
prominent  physician  of  Mound  City.  Kansas. 
The  second  Mrs.  Sweetman  was  one  of  nine 
children,  eight  of  whom  are  still  living.  Her 
father  died  in  August,  1905,  and  her  mother 
is  living  at  Mound  City,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
one  years.  Mrs.  Sweetman  was  the  widow  of 
William  Helm  and  had  one  child  by  her  first 
marriage,  Eleanor,  who  is  the  wife  of  War- 
ren H.  Painter,  of  North  Bend,  Oregon,  by 
whom  she  has  two  children,  Warren  H..  Jr., 
and  William   John. 

Politically  ]MarshalI  A.  Sweetman  is  a 
stanch  republican  but  has  never  sought  pub- 
lie  office.  He  holds  membership  in  the  Im- 
proved Order  of  Red  ilen  and  the  Order  of 
Moose.  He  and  his  wife  are  devout  members 
of  the  Presbyterian  church.  Mr.  Sweetman 
is  an  upright  and  honorable  business  man. 
keenly  alive  to  tlie  interests  of  his  clients. 
He  never  takes  advantage  of  their  inexperi- 
ence in  business  dealings  and  has  attained  a 
reputation  throughout  ilarshfield  and  Coos 
county  for  thorough  reliabilitj-  and  for  per- 
fect honesty  and  fair  dealing. 

JUDGE  JOHN  F.  HALL  is  rated  among  the 
most  accoin]ilished  and  successful  jurists  of 
Coos  county,  having  been  first  elected  to  the 
office  of  county  judge  in  1906,  and  upon  the 
expiration  of  that  term  was  reelected  and 
is  now  in  the  midst  of  a  four  years"  term,  to 
which  he  was  elected  in  1910.  He  was  born 
in  Polk  county,  this  state,  in  October,  1S36, 
and  is  a  son  of  William  and  Martha  (Cox) 
Hall,  of  whom  more  extended  mention  is 
made  in  another  part  of  this  work.  He  was 
reared  at  home  and  received  his  elementary 
education  in  the  common  schools  of  Polk 
county  and  later  pursued  his  studies  for  a 
short  time  in  California.  In  addition  he  re- 
ceived a  very  careful  training  under  the  tute- 
laae  of  his  father,  who  himself  was  a  college- 
bred  and  very  accomplished  man.  Judge 
Hall  early  in  life  began  the  study  of  law  in 
the  oflice'of  T.  G.  Owens  of  Marshfield,  where 
he  pursued  his  legal  studies  for  three  and 
one-half  years,  and  later  spent  one  year  with 
Judge  Keisay  of  Corvallis.  Having  thoroughly 
prepared  himself  for  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession, he  was  accordingly  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1SS7  and  immediately  thereafter  opened 
an  office  and  at  once  engaged  in  the  general 
practice  of  law.  to  which  he  devoted  his  en- 
tire attention  and  in  the  course  of  his  legal 
duties  has  practiced  in  all  the  courts  of  the 
state  and  also  in  the  United  States  district 
and  circuit  courts.  In  addition  to  the  re- 
quirements of  his  legal  profession,  to  which 
he  has  been  constantly  devoted,  he  is  also  a 


director  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Jlarsh- 
field  and  a  director  of  the  First  National  Bank 
of  North  Bend,  this  state,  and  is  the  owner 
of  the  very  fine  residence  property  in  which 
he  lives,  it  being  located  on  one  of  the  most 
exclusive  residence  streets  of  ilarshfield.  He 
has  other  large  real-estate  holdings  both  in 
city  property  and  acreage  in  Coos  county, 
among  which  is  numbered  a  piece  of  valuable 
timber  land  consisting  of  eighty  acres. 

Judge  Hall  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
ilary  E.  Strickling  on  July  37,  1892.  Mrs. 
Hall  is  a  native  of  Burnet  county,  Texas. 
where  her  birth  occurred  on  the  29th  of 
December.  1859.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Mar- 
maduke  Strickling.  who  died  many  years  ago 
in  Burnet  county,  Texas.  Later,  in  company 
with  her  mother,  Mrs.  Hall  removed  to  Ore- 
gon in  1SS9  and  settled  in  Roseburg,  where 
the  family  remained  for  one  year,  after  which 
they  removed  to  Coos  Bay  and  at  that  place 
maintained  their  home  for  .some  time,  when 
the  mother  removed  to  California,  where  she 
is  still  living  at  the  advanced  age  of  seventy- 
six  years.  To  !Mr.  and  ^Irs.  Strickling  seven 
children  were  born,  five  of  whom  are  still 
living:  Annie,  now  the  wife  of  Henry  Tub- 
bervillc.  of  California:  John  and  Dee,  both  of 
whom  reside  in  California;  Rose,  who  is  the 
wife  of  W.  B.  Simpson,  also  of  California; 
and  Mary  E..  the  wife  of  Judge  Hall.  To 
Judge  and  ifrs.  Hall  two  chiUlren  have  been 
born,  tlie  eldest  of  whom  died  in  infancy. 
Roxie  M..  born  October  1.  1S94.  is  a  pupil 
in  tlie  high  school  at  ilarshfield.  Mrs.  Hall 
and  licr  daughter  are  members  of  the  Chris- 
tian  church. 

Jud<.;e  Hall  is  loyal  to  the  democratic  party 
and  has  served  in  the  office  of  county  sur- 
veyor for  a  period  of  four  years,  after  which 
he  was  first  elected  to  the  office  of  county 
judge  in  1906  and  in  that  office  he  has  since 
continued  to  serve  the  people  of  Coos  county, 
his  last  election  having  occurred  in  1910. 
which  inchules  the  succeeding  quadrennium 
from  that  date.  He  has  served  as  city  treas- 
urer for  five  years  and  is  at  present  a  mem- 
ber of  the  school  board  of  Marshfield.  Judge 
Hall  is  one  of  Oregon's  most  respected  and 
useful  citizens.  During  the  early  years  of 
his  life  he  received  a  thorough  and  careful 
training  for  the  profession  of  his  choice  and 
his  record  of  success  in  the  practice  of  law 
is  proof  of  his  ability  and  integrity  in  deal- 
ing with  the  tangled  and  perplexing  problems 
of  justice  and  equity  such  as  always  present 
themselves  for  investigation  and  adjustment 
to  the  legal  profession.  His  abilities  have 
been  recognized  b.v  his  fellow  citizens  and  by 
them  he  has  lieen  honored  and  rewarded  for 
the  unremitting  attention  to  all  matters  of 
business  committed  to  his  care. 

CHARLES  F.  APPLEGATE,  a  representa- 
tive and  successful  ngrieulturi-^t.  making  a 
specialty  of  stock-raising,  is  the  owner  of  six 
hundred  acres  of  land  comprising  one  of  the 
best  farms  in  Seotts  valley.  This  place  has 
remained  his  home  from  his  liirth  to  the 
|iresent  time,  his  natal  day  being  June  27. 
ls76.  His  ]iarents  were  Albert  and  Nancy 
.1.  (Johnson  I  Apjilegate.  both  natives  of  Polk 


JOHX  F.  HALL 


MEV.   iORkI 
.IC     LIBRARY  f 


I 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


239 


vouuty.  Orepon.  The  father  was  a  son  of 
Charles  Applegate,  of  whom  more  extended 
mention  is  made  on  another  page  of  this 
work.  In  early  manhood  Albert  Applegate 
located  on  the  "present  Applegate  homestead 
in  Scotts  valley,  which  he  acquired  at  that 
time.  This  farm  had  been  taken  up  as  a 
donation  claim  by  .John  .Scott  and  comprised 
six  hundred  and  forty  acres.  As  his  financial 
resources  increased  "ilr.  Applegate  extended 
the  boundaries  of  his  place  until  it  embraced 
more  than  a  thousand  acres.  He  devoted  his 
attention  principally  to  stock-raising  and  in 
that  branch  of  activity  won  a  gratifying 
measure  of  success.  In  polities  he  was  a 
republican,  loyally  supporting  the  men  and 
measures  of  that"  party.  His  demise,  which 
occurred  in  ISSS,  was  the  occasion  of  deep 
and  widespread  regret,  for  it  was  generally 
recognized  that  the  community  had  lost  one 
of  its  valued  and  substantial  citizens.  His 
widow  afterward  gave  her  hand  in  marriage 
to  J.  M.  Shelley,  with  whom  she  resides  in 
Eugene.  She  is  the  mother  of  seven  chil- 
dren, as  follows:  ilercy,  the  wife  of  Dudley 
Holland,  of  Portland,  Oregon;  Nellie,  who  is 
the  wife  of  A.  S.  Sence  and  resides  in  San 
Diego,  California;  J.  Grant,  living  In  Duns- 
muir,  California;  Charles  F.,  of  this  review; 
Lulu,  who  is  the  widow  of  James  Hartley 
and  makes  her  home  in  Eugene ;  and  Irene  and 
Albert  D.,  who  live  with  their  mother  in 
Eugene. 

Charles  F.  Applegate  was  reared  to  man- 
hood under  the  parental  roof  and  obtained 
his  education  in  the  public  schools.  He  was 
married  at  the  age  of  twenty-four  years  and 
brought  his  bride  to  the  home  farm,  which 
he  operated  as  a  renter.  Subsequently  he 
purchased  a  portion  of  the  estate  from  the 
other  heirs  and  now  owns  a  farm  of  six  hun- 
dred acres  which  he  has  carefully  cultivated 
and  improved  until  it  is  one  of  the  best  in 
Scotts  valley.  He  makes  a  specialty  of  rais- 
ing sheep,  cattle,  horses  and  hogs  and  his 
un'tlcrtakings  in  this  connection  yield  him 
an  excellent  annual  income. 

In  1900  Mr.  Applegate  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Maud  Bassett.  of  Halsey,  Ore- 
gon, by  whom  he  has  one  child,  Cliarles  Cal- 
vert, who  was  born  on  the  9th  of  December, 
1902.  He  gives  his  political  allegiance  to 
the  republican  party  and  fraternally  is  iden- 
tified with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows,  belonging  to  Alpha  Lodge.  As  a 
citizen  he  is  public-spirited  and  whatever 
tends  to  promote  the  best  interests  of  the 
community  receives  his  indorsement  and 
hearty  support. 

LAWRENCE  MARION  HALL,  living  at 
Monmo\ith.  has  resided  in  Oregon  since  pi- 
oneer tinu's  and  has  been  a  witness  of  the 
growth  and  progress  which  have  brought  this 
region  into  its  present  prosperous  condition. 
He  was  born  in  Bureau  county.  Illinois, 
Xovember  20.  1839,  a  son  of  Reason  B.  and 
Martha  (Wright)  Hall.  The  grandfather, 
Edward  Hall,  was  a  native  of  Georgia.  He 
served  in  the  Revolutionary  war  under  Gen- 
eral Greene,  enlisting  at  the  age  of  eighteen, 
and   remaining  in   service  until  the   surrender 


of  Cornwallis.  Reason  B.  Hall  was  born  in 
Atlanta,  Georgia,  and  reared  in  Kentucky. 
In  later  years  he  went  to  Louisiana,  where 
he  was  married  and  then  removed  to  Bureau 
county,  Illinois.  In  1840,  with  two  ox  teams, 
he  joined  a  large  wagon  train  which  moved 
over  the  plains,  crossing  the  Missouri  river 
and  taking  a  route  which  led  through  the 
Platte  river  countrj".  Thej'  had  man\-  in- 
teresting and  exciting  as  well  as  arduous  ex- 
periences on  their  journey.  The  buffalo  were 
often  so  numerous  that  they  had  to  stop  and 
drive  them  away  in  order  that  they  miglit 
proceed  on  their  course,  and  they  had  many 
skirmishes  with  the  Indians,  who,  on  the 
Sweetwater  river,  shot  some  of  their  cattle 
and  gave  them  a  great  deal  of  trouble.  When 
they  came  to  what  was  known  as  the 
Applegate  cut  they  were  forced  to  take  their 
wagons  apart  and  convey  their  luggage  across 
the  canyon  by  hand.  The  company  wintered 
at  Elkton,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Elk  river, 
and  in  the  spring  of  1847  they  proceeded  to 
Polk  county,  Oregon,  where  Jlr.  Hall  located 
on  a  donation  land  claim  of  six  hundred  and 
forty  acres,  where  Buena  Vista  was  later 
built  and  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of 
his  life.  He  took  part  in  the  War  of  1812 
and  also  served  in  the  Black  Hawk  war,  un- 
der General  Dodge.  He  died  on  his  donation 
land  claim  in  1869  and  his  wife  passed  aw,i\ 
in  Marion  county  in  1887.  They  were  the 
parents  of  ten  children:  Eliza,  who  died  in 
1846;  Mary,  the  widow  of  Henry  Croisan,  of 
Salem,  Oregon;  Henry  D.,  deceased;  Sarah, 
the  wife  of  Joseph  Smith,  of  St.  Johns,  Ore- 
gon ;  Lawrence  Marion,  of  this  review ;  E.  C. 
a  resident  of  Moscow,  Idaho;  William  R.  and 
Reuben,  twins,  the  former  a  resident  of 
Buena  Vista,  and  the  latter  of  whom  was 
killed  in  1907  by  a  falling  tree;  Andrew 
Jackson,  of  Buena  Vista;  and  Benjamin 
Franklin,  of  Woodbuni,  Oregon. 

Lawrence  M.  Hall  had  little  opportunity 
for  education  in  youth  and  he  remained  un- 
der the  parental  roof  until  the  time  of  his 
marriage.  In  1856  he  served  in  the  Indian 
war  for  one  hundred  and  ten  days,  with 
the  First  Regiment,  under  Captain  E.  J. 
Hardy.  In  1859  he  located  on  the  old  home 
place"  near  Buena  Vista,  where  he  engaged 
in  general  farming  and  stock-raising.  In 
1891  he  sold  that  property  and  in  the  follow- 
ing year   removed  to  Monmouth. 

In"  October.  1859,  Mr.  Hall  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Laura  E.  Watson,  of  Mis- 
souri, who  died  in  1863,  at  Buena  Vista,  leav- 
ing two  children:  James  E.,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  eighteen  years;  and  Laura,  who 
is  the  widow  of  Jasper  Miller  and  resides 
at  Portland,  Oregon.  On  the  20th  of  October. 
1864.  Mr.  Hall  was  again  married,  his  second 
union  being  with  Mrs.  Rachel  May,  the  widow 
of  S.  L.  May,  who  came  from  Illinois  to 
Oregon  in  1846  and  settled  in  Clackamas 
county,  where  he  died  in  1863.  By  her  first 
marriage  Mrs.  Rachel  Hall  had  one  son  who 
died  in  infancy.  Mrs.  Hall  is  a  daughter  of 
Jonathan  B.  Howard,  of  Maryland,  and  Mar- 
garet (VirdenI  Howard,  of  Kentucky.  Jona- 
than B.  Howard  removed  as  a  small  lioy  witli 
his  parents  to  Shelby  county,  Illinois,  when- 


240 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


he  was  reared  and  married.  He  was  a 
cabinel-inaker  and  carpenter  by  trade.  In 
1S53  he  came  to  Oregon  and  located  eight 
miles  south  of  Oregon  City,  on  a  donation 
land  claim  of  thi-ee  hundred  and  twenty  acres, 
where  he  died  in  1S65.  His  wife  passed 
away  in  18S6,  at  Buena  Vista,  Oregon.  He 
served  in  the  Black  Hawk  war  and  his  wife's 
paternal  grandfather  took  part  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary war.  In  the  family  of  Jonathan  B. 
and  ilargaret  (Virden)  Howard  were  twelve 
children:  John,  Amos,  Rebecca,  De  Kalb, 
Polaski  and  Nancy,  all  of  whom  are  deceased; 
Baltimore,  who  makes  his  home  in  Oregon; 
Madison,  deceased;  Rachel,  now  Mrs.  Hall; 
Rudolph,  of  Oklahoma;  and  Thomas  and 
George  L.,  deceased.  By  the  marriage  of 
ilr.  and  Sirs.  Hall  eight  children  were  born: 
Adda,  who  became  the  wife  of  H.  Davidson 
and  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-five  years; 
Ellis;  Clara,  the  wife  of  Joseph  Stover,  of 
Weisser,  Idaho;  Annie,  the  wife  of  C.  E. 
Herren,  of  ilonmouth,  Oregon;  Dora,  at 
home;  Opal,  an  art  teacher  in  New  York 
city;  Ethel,  now  Mrs.  Claude  Skinner,  of 
Independence,  Oregon;  and  Irma,  a  teacher, 
Clara,  Opal  and  Irma  are  graduates  of  the 
State  Normal  School  and  have  been  teachers 
for  twelve,  ten  and  eight  years  respectively. 
Ethel  also  was  a  teacher. 

Lawrence  Marion  Hall  is  a  democrat  and 
has  been  very  active  in  local  party  work.  He 
served  as  sheriff  of  Polk  county  from  1878 
to  18S2.  He  was  justice  of  the  peace  for 
several  years  and  is  the  present  marshal  of 
Monmouth.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  belonging  to 
Buena  Vista  Lodge,  No.  24,  and  is  identified 
with  Logan  Lodge,  No.  29,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.. 
at  Independence,  Oregon,  and  also  Royal  Arch 
Chapter,  No.  17,  at  Dallas.  He  enjoys  a 
wide  circle  of  acquaintances  and  is  familiarly 
known  as  Lark  Hall.  He  is  straightforward 
and  upright  in  all  business  and  social  rela- 
tions and  his  genial  disposition  has  won  for 
him  the  highest  regard  of  all  with  whom  he 
has  come  in  contact. 

H.  B.  STEPHENSEN.  At  the  early  age 
of  nine  years  H.  B.  Stephensen  left  his 
father's  home  and  began  life  for  himself.  He 
was  engaged  by  his  grandparents,  for  whom 
he  worked  for  wages  at  farming  and  teaming 
in  and  around  Jacksonville.  His  birth  oc- 
curred in  Jackson  county  on  the  2d  of  August. 
1862,  his  parents  being  Hank  and  Mellie 
(McKee)  Stephensen.  natives  of  Oregon.  At 
nine  years  of  age  Mr.  Stephensen  of  this  re- 
view "became  an  employe  of,  and  remained 
as  a  laborer  on  his  grandfather's  farm  for  a 
period  of  one  year.  He  then  engaged  as  a 
hired  laborer  in  the  work  of  teaming  and 
freighting  and  continued  in  this  business  for 
the  succeeding  twenty  years  of  his  life.  He 
is  now  the  owner  of  eighty  acres  of  excellent 
farm  land,  which  he  has  'brought  to  a  very 
high  state  of  cultivation  and  which  is  located 
near  Buneom  in  Jackson  county.  This  splen- 
did property  manifests  the  industry  and 
economy  which  he  practiced  with  the  am- 
bitious desire  to  rise  from  a  poor  boy  without 
experience  or  means  to  an  independent  life 


Long  years  of  hardship,  with  the  practice  of 
rigid  and  constant  economy,  together  with 
ceaseless  toil,  have  yielded  Mr.  Stephensen 
the  reward  of  prosperity  which  he  so  truth- 
fully deserves. 

On  the  Sth  of  April,  1904,  Mr.  Stephensen 
was  married  to  Miss  Kate  Anderson,  by 
whom  he  has  four  children,  Homer,  Verine, 
Earl  and  Ernest.  He  is  a  well  known  and 
influential  citizen  of  Buneom  and  contributes 
his  full  quota  to  the  advancement  of  all 
meritorious  matters  which  come  to  his  at- 
tention, and  make  for  the  good  of  the  com- 
munity in  which  he  has  his  home.  He  gives 
his  political  allegiance  to  the  republican  party 
and  was  formerly  identified  with  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 

SHERM  SWANK.  The  flour  mill  at  Aums- 
ville,  Oregon,  is  ably  and  profitably  conducted 
by  Sherm  Swank,  who  is  also  the  owner  of 
considerable  land  in  Marion  county.  His 
birth  occurred  in  Fulton  county,  Ohio,  on 
the  21st  of  January.  1865.  His  parents  were 
David  E.  and  Elizabeth  (Femsell)  Swank, 
both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Ohio,  the 
mother's  death  occurring  in  that  state  in  June. 
1911.  The  father  had  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits  in  his  native  state  for  many  years 
before  removing  to  Oregon  in  1885,  when 
he  located  in  Aumsville  and  purchased  one 
of  the  first  flour  mills  operated  in  the  county. 
This  mill  is  known  as  the  Aumsville  Flour- 
ing Mill.  He  was  thoroughly  familiar  with 
all  the  details  of  milling,  and  because  of  his 
knowledge  and  his  close  attention  to  busi- 
ness he  met  with  more  than  ordinary  success 
and  is  today  one  of  the  prominent  industrial 
men  of  Aumsville.  ilr.  and  Mrs.  David  E. 
Swank  were  the  parents  of  two  children:  a 
daughter,  who  is  deceased;  and  Sherm,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch. 

Sherm  Swank  received  his  education  in  the 
grammar  schools  of  Ohio  and  at  the  same 
time  gave  assistance  to  his  father  in  the 
daily  duties  on  the  home  farm.  At  an  early 
age  he  went  to  Missouri  to  learn  the  milling 
business  under  the  direction  of  the  Kansas 
City  Milling  Company.  For  three  years  he 
remained  there  before  he  came  to  Oregon  with 
his  father.  Lpon  arriving  in  this  county  they 
immediately  engaged  in  the  milling  business, 
and  in  1908  the  son  purchased  the  mill  and 
conducted  it  alone  until  1912,  when  he  dis- 
posed of  a  half  interest  to  -J.  E.  Fitzpatrick. 
ilr.  Swank  is  one  of  the  best  millers  in  this 
section,  and  has  not  only  brought  his  ovm 
mill  to  a  highly  profitable  state,  but  has 
also  done  much  to  further  milling  interests 
throughout  the  country.  In  business  deal- 
ings he  is  honorable,  in  his  relations  with  his 
employes  fair,  and  in  his  knowledge  of  the 
milling  business  unusually  proficient.  He  is 
the  owner  of  several  valuable  tracts  of  land 
which  he  is  improving  as  fast  as  his  time 
permits. 

In  1904  !Mr.  Swank  was  married  to  Miss 
Ada  M.  Murphy,  a  native  of  Missouri,  and  a 
daughter  of  J.  B.  and  Polly  Murphy.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Swank  one  child  has  been  born, 
Elizabeth,   whose   birth  occurred   in   October, 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OP  OREGON 


241 


1905.     She  is  living  at  home  aud  attending 
school. 

Sherm  Swank  gives  his  support  to  the  re- 
publican party,  and  although  he  takes  a 
citizen's  interest  in  its  welfare  he  has  never 
desired  to  hold  office.  He  holds  membership 
in  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  in 
Aumsville  and  has  filled  all  the  chairs  in  that 
lodge.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Encamp- 
ment at  .Stayton,  Oregon,  and  is  chief  patriot, 
and  holds  membership  in  the  Koyal  Arch 
Chapter  of  Masons  of  Salem,  in  which  or- 
ganization he  has  also  filled  all  the  chairs. 
In  fraternal  and  social  relations  ilr.  Swank 
has  been  found  honorable  and  helpful,  and 
among  his  friends  who  are  almost  as  numer- 
ous as  his  acquaintances,  he  is  held  in  high 
esteem  and  regard. 

JOHN  V.  HOUSTON  is  devoting  his  entire 
time  to  the  theatrical  business,  owning  the 
Houston  Opera  House,  which  he  built  in 
1897.  He  was  also  the  first  to  introduce 
moving  pictures  into  Klamath  county  and 
now  controls  five  moving  picture  houses.  He 
has  become  well  known  as  a  wide-awake, 
alert  and  energetic  business  man,  to  whom 
opportunity  always  spells  success.  His  birth- 
place was  a  little  log  cabin  near  South  Eng- 
lish, formerl}-  Houston's  Point,  in  Keokuk 
county,  Iowa.  His  father,  James  H.  Houston, 
was  a  native  of  Indiana  but  was  married  in 
Iowa  and  established  his  home  in  Keokuk 
county,  where  he  lived  until  casting  in  his 
lot  with  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Oregon.  He 
participated  in  the  Rogue  River  Indian  war 
and  afterward  returned  to  the  east,  conduct- 
ing a  hotel  in  South  English,  Iowa.  Again, 
however,  he  came  to  the  west  and  with  his 
sons  purchased  an  interest  in  business  enter- 
prises of  Klamath  Falls,  where  he  made  his 
home  until  his  demise.  His  wife,  who  bore 
the  maiden  name  of  Elizabeth  J.  Tate,  was  a 
native  of  Indiana. 

John  V.  Houston  accompanied  his  par- 
ents to  Nodaway  county,  Missouri,  where  his 
mother  died,  and  he  afterward  went  with  his 
father  to  Leadville,  Colorado,  in  1S7S.  There 
he  engaged  in  mining.  He  had  acquired  a 
good  common-school  education,  after  which 
he  began  to  learn  the  newspaper  business, 
serving  first  on  the  Leadville  Herald.  For 
eight  years  he  was  connected  with  that  paper, 
at  the  end  of  which  time  he  and  his  partner, 
the  Hon.  James  Little,  established  the  Meeker 
Herald  at  Meeker,  Colorado,  in  1SS5.  They 
secured  a  good  circulation  for  the  paper  and 
made  their  venture  a  very  profitable  one,  in 
which  Mr.  Houston  was  interested  until  he 
sold  out  to  his  partner.  He  was  then  ap- 
pointed postmaster  at  Meeker  but  later  re- 
turned to  the  printing  business,  in  which  he 
continued  until  ill  health  caused  him  to  dis- 
pose of  his  entire  interests  and  he  came  west, 
finally  reaching  Klamath  Falls,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  business  with  his  brother,  J.  A. 
Houston,  under  the  firm  style  of  Houston 
Brothers.  This  was  in  1894.  At  a  later  date 
his  father  joined  them  and,  purchasing  the 
interest  of  J.  A.  Houston,  the  business  was 
reorganized  under  the  style  of  J.  H.  Houston 
&   Son.     In   1897   they  erected  the   Houston 


Opera  House  and  on  the  death  of  the  father, 
on  the  ISth  ot  December,  1901,  John  V.  Hous- 
ton took  entire  charge  of  the  business,  which 
he  has  since  successfully  conducted.  He  has 
excellent  property  interests  in  the  center  of 
the  town  and  other  real-estate  holdings  and 
is  now  successfully  engaged  in  the  theatrical 
business.  He  owns  the  opera  house  and  did 
all  of  the  mechanical  work  upon  the  place.  It 
was  erected  in  1897  and  was  at  that  time  the 
finest  building  in  the  city.  Mr.  Houston  was 
also  the  pioneer  in  introducing  moving  pic- 
tures in  Klamath  county.  This  was  iiT  1908 
and  he  has  since  conducted  business  along 
that  line.  He  controls  five  moving  picture 
places  at  the  present  time.  He  is  most  care- 
ful in  the  selection  of  films  and  gives  to  the 
public  a  high-grade  entertainment.  It  was 
through  his  instrumentality  that  nine  camera 
men  came  to  Klamath  Falls  to  secure  films  of 
the  first  annual  rodeo  given  by  the  Elks  here. 
The  pictures  taken  included  many  views  of 
Klamath  Falls  and  its  attractive  surround- 
ings and  no  better  advertisement  of  the  town 
could  be  given  than  in  sending  these  films 
throughout  the  country  to  feature  in  the 
moving  picture  shows  which  are  everywhere 
held.  Mr.  Houston  has  always  taken  great 
interest  in  the  annual  mask  ball,  which  has 
been  one  of  the  features  of  the  town  during 
the  past  sixteen  years — since  the  opera  house 
was  built.  Its  fame,  under  the  name  of  the 
Houston  Mask  Ball,  has  gone  far  and  wide 
and  draws  to  the  city  a  large  number  each 
year.  In  1892  Mr.  "Houston  invented  and 
patented  the  ''novelty  scrapbook."  He  is 
justly  classed  with  the  most  prominent  citi- 
zens of  Klamath  Falls  and  has  been  very 
active  and  helpful  in  the  upbuilding  of  the 
city  and  the  advancement  of  prosperity 
throughout  this  region.  He  is  a  most  public- 
spirited  man  and  in  his  private  interests  has 
gieatly  promoted  public  projects. 

On  the  24th  of  December,  1S82.  Mr.  Hous- 
ton was  married  in  Leadville.  Colorado,  to 
Miss  Mae  McLarren,  a  native  of  Ohio.  They 
have  become  the  parents  of  three  children: 
Thomas  Merle,  Edna  Mae  and  Elizabeth  Ellen. 
Mr.  Houston  is  well  known  in  the  fraternal 
circles  of  Klamath  Falls,  being  a  charter 
member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows and  also  a  member  of  the  Elks  lodge. 
His  political  allegiance  is  given  to  the  demo- 
cratic party  and  while  residing  at  Meeker 
he  served  as  postmaster  during  President 
Cleveland's  first  administration.  He  also 
served  for  two  terms  on  the  city  council  of 
Klamath  Falls,  during  which  period  the  light 
and  water  systems  were  installed.  He  was 
one  of  the  organizers  of  the  first  volunteer 
fire  department,  served  as  its  president  and 
is  now  an  honorary  member.  He  aided  in 
organizing  the  Klamath  County  Fair  Asso- 
ciation, is  one  of  its  stockholders  and  does 
much  to  advance  the  interests  of  its  annual 
exhibits.  He  was  a  member  of  the  orchestra 
when  it  was  first  organized  and  later  was  its 
leader  for  ten  years,  during  which  time  the 
organization  was  known  as  Houston's  Or- 
chestra. It  is  difficult  to  name  any  public 
project  which  has  been  of  real  value  to  the 
community    that   has    not   benefited    by    the 


242 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


cooperation  and  support  of  John  \".  Houston, 
and  Klaniatli  Falls  honors  him  as  one  whose 
worth  is  widely  acknowledged.  He  is  indeed 
public-spirited  and  his  efforts  have  been  of 
far-reaching  and  beneficial  effect  in  the  per- 
manent upbuilding  of  the  community. 

SAMUEL  H.  REDFIELD  was  born  on  a 
ranch  on  Cow  crook,  April  14,  1861,  and  has 
never  left  the  old  homestead  on  which  his 
birth  occurred.  His  parents  were  J.  W.  and 
Adelia  H.  (Hall)  Eedtield,  the  father  a  native 
of  Connecticut  and  the  mother  of  Hlinois. 
They  crossed  the  plains  with  ox  teams  in 
1853  and  in  the  followinf  year  the  father 
took  up  a  donation  claim  of  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres,  which  he  cultivated  and  im- 
proved until  his  death  in  1909.  On  this 
tract  of  land  his  wife  died  in  July,  1907. 
They  were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  as 
follows:  T.  G.,  a  resident  of  North  Yakima, 
Washington;  W.  H.,  who  lives  in  CJlendale, 
Oregon;  Emma,  who  is  now  deceased;  J.  H., 
who  makes  his  home  in  Denver,  Colorado; 
Samuel  H.,  of  this  review;  E.  E.,  who  lives 
in  Glendale,  Oregon;  Boone,  a  resident  of 
Douglas  county;  Nettie,  also  a  resident  of 
Glendale,  Oregon;  and  James,  who  is  de- 
ceased. 

Samuel  H.  Redfield  assisted  his  father  in 
the  work  of  the  farm  during  his  boyhood  and 
youth,  leaving  school  at  an  early  age  to 
engage  in  this  occupation.  He  became  thor- 
oughly familiar  with  the  various  details  of 
ranch  life  and  learned  by  personal  experience 
how  to  operate  and  improve  a  large  tract 
of  land.  On  attaining  majoritj-  he  took 
charge  of  the  old  homestead. 

Mr.  Redfield  is  a  stanch  supporter  of  the 
democratic  party.  He  takes  no  active  interest 
in  public  affairs,  preferring  to  devote  his  time 
and  attention  to  the  cultivation  of  his  land, 
and  he  has  never  sought  public  office.  He  is 
a  member  of  Glendale  Lodge,  Xo.  119,  F.  & 
A.  il.,  and  is  also  prominent  in  the  Order  of 
the  Eastern  Star.  He  has  been  a  rancher 
for  many  years  and  during  that  time  has 
improved  his  holdings,  added  to  his  build- 
ings, acquired  modern  equipment  and  has 
materially  increased  his  wealth. 

CHARLES  HAMILTON  is  one  of  the  suc- 
cessful agriculturists  of  his  community,  own- 
ing, at  Ruch,  eighteen  acres  of  select  land, 
on  which  he  is  raising  choice  fruits  and 
alfalfa,  the  richest  forage  plant  known  to 
agriculture.  He  was  born  in  Jackson  county 
on  the  1st  of  May.  1865.  his  parents  being 
Samuel  B.  and  ilary  C.  (Martin)  Hamilton. 
They  had  a  family  "of  six  children,  three  of 
whom  are  yet  living. 

Charles  Hamilton  was  reared  under  the 
parental  roof  and  educated  in  the  common 
schools.  He  remained  with  his  parents  until 
he  was  thirty  years  of  age.  In  early  life  he 
was  engaged  as  an  apprenticed  carpenter  and 
continuedas  such  until  he  became  a  thorough 
and  competent  master  carpenter.  His  experi- 
ence in  that  line  of  work  has  always  proven 
of  great  financial  value  to  him.  He  lives  on 
his  beautiful  farm  of  eighteen  acres,  and  de- 
votes   his    entire    time    and    energy    to    the 


selection  and  care  of  extra  choice  fruits  and 
the  growing  of  alfalfa.  The  success  he  has 
attained  in  the  development  and  management 
of  this  land  justly  entitles  him  to  defend 
the  claim  that  intense  farming  on  a  small 
acreage,  providing  location  and  soil  are  prop- 
erly selected,  ofteu  yields  greater  returns 
for'  labor  and  money  expended  than  can  be 
realized  on  a  greater  number  of  acres  in- 
sufficiently cared  for. 

As  a  companion  and  helpmate  on  the  jour- 
ney of  life  Mr.  Hamilton  chose  Miss  Mary  G. 
Matney,  a  native  of  Oregon,  by  whom  he  has 
hve  clnldren,  Bryan,  Hazel,  Ruth,  Boyd  and 
Louise.  Mr.  Hamilton  is  affiliated  with  the 
democratic  party.  He  has  the  reputation  of 
being  an  industrious,  reliable  and  successful 
agriculturist. 

MICHAEL  WILLIAM  KENNEDY,  lor 
well  over  a  quarter  of  a  century  Jlichael  W. 
Kennedy  was  identified  with  the  agricultural 
development  of  Coos  county,  Oregon,  and  as 
a  progressive  and  scientific  farmer  did  able 
work  in  promoting  the  growth  of  this  sec- 
tion. His  death  on  January  22,  1893,  de- 
prived all  who  knew  him  of  a  loyal  and 
worthy  friend,  and  agricultural  circles  of  his 
district  of  a  conspicuously  successful  repre- 
sentative. Mr.  Kennedy  was  born  in  Canada 
in  IS-ll.  and  is  a  son  of  Michael  Kennedy,  a 
native  of  that  country.  His  father  was  prom- 
inent in  business  circles  and  died  in  Canada. 

Michael  W.  Kennedy  was  one  of  a  large 
family  of  children  born  to  his  parents.  He 
remained  at  home  until  he  was  twenty-one 
years  of  age  and  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Canada.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm 
and  early  became  acquainted  with  the  details 
and  methods  of  agriculture.  In  1862  he  came 
to  the  Pacific  coast  where  he  followed  the 
carpenter's  trade  and  also  worked  at  ship- 
building. He  took  up  a  homestead  claim 
near  Bandon.  Oregon,  and  was  successful  in 
the  cultivation  of  the  soil.  He  improved  his 
property  and  operated  it  along  progressive 
lines,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  the 
owner  of  one  of  the  model  farms  of  his  state. 
On  April  1.  1S7S.  Mr.  Kennedy  was  united 
in  marriaae  at  Libby.  Oregon,  to  Miss  Jlar- 
garet  Golden,  a  native  of  England  and  a 
daughter  of  Thomas  and  Bridget  (Farl) 
Golden,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Ireland. 
Mrs.  Kennedy  is  one  of  thirteen  children  born 
to  her  parents,  only  two  of  whom  are  living: 
John,  who  is  engaged  in  the  real-estate  busi- 
i\ess  in  Marshfield.  Oregon;  and  Margaret,  the 
widow  of  our  subject.  Mrs.  Ivennedy  is  one 
of  the  best  known  women  in  Bandon  today. 
She  is  managing  the  property  left  her  by  her 
husband  and  has  attained  a  reputation  for 
her  careful  administration  of  her  holdings. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kennedy  became  the  parents  of 
seven  children:  Mar}-  M..  who  was  born  in 
1S79.  and  who  is  the  wife  of  Harry  Nelson, 
of  Bandon.  Oregon,  by  whom  she  has  three 
children.  Marguerite.  Howard  and  Johnnie; 
John  Alexander,  born  February  22.  1880.  who 
is  following  the  blacksmith  trade  in  Bandon, 
and  who  married  Miss  Mary  Hodges,  a  native 
of  Oregon,  by  whom  he  has  two  children, 
Grace  M.  and"  Gladys  M.,  their  mother  being 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


245 


a  daughter  of  ilaiioii  and  Polly  (Audersou) 
Hodges;  ilartin,  born  December  23,  lSij3,  who 
resides  iu  Bandon,  Oregon;  Thomas  D.,  who 
was  born  June  10,  1SS5,  and  is  deceased; 
Michael  and  Theresa,  both  of  whom  have 
passed  away;  and  Rosa  C,  who  was  born 
April  14,  l«9o,  and  is  attending  school  in 
Portland,  Oregon.  After  the  death  of  her 
husband  ilrs.  Kennedy  lived  upon  her  farm 
until  1U02  in  which  year  she  came  to  Bandon 
where  she  purchased  the  home  in  wliich  she 
now  resides. 

Mr.  Kennedy  was  a  democrat  in  his  polit- 
ical views  but  never  an  office  seeker.  He 
affiliated  with  the  Roman  Catholic  church,  to 
which  faith  his  wife  also  gives  her  allegiance. 
She  is  one  of  the  prominent  women  in  the 
city  in  which  she  resides.  She  has  invested 
her  monej'  judiciously  and  now  has  three 
houses  and  three  lots  in  Bandon.  She  makes 
her  home  with  her  son.  John  Alexander,  and 
has  many  friends  in  the  city.  Her  husband 
was,  during  his  life,  a  representative  of  the 
most  modern  and  progressive  ideas  in  agri- 
culture. He  labored  earnestly  to  make  his 
career  successful,  bringiug  his  farm  to  a  state 
of  improvement  and  development  which 
ranked  it  among  the  factors  of  state  expan- 
sion. His  death  brought  to  a  close  a  life 
which  was  in  all  its  relations  upright, 
straightforward  and  honorable. 

GEORGE  S.  WILSON,  one  of  the  highly 
esteemed  citizens  and  representative  agri- 
culturists of  Douglas  county,  owns  a  farm 
of  three  hundred  and  six  acres  in  association 
with  his  father.  It  was  on  this  farm  that 
his  birth  occurred  on  the  17th  of  July,  1874, 
his  parents  being  John  D.  and  Sarah  I. 
(Staley)  Wilson.  The  father  is  likewise  a 
native  of  Oregon,  having  been  born  on  the 
same  farm  where  he  now  resides,  December 
11,  1850.  The  paternal  grandfather  of  our 
subject  was  William  H.  Wilson,  who  is  now 
deceased  and  of  whom  an  extended  review  is 
given  on  another  page  of  this  work.  The 
mother  of  George  S.  Wilson  was  born  in  Lee 
county.  Iowa,  on  the  37th  of  August,  1853, 
her  paront.s  being  George  W.  and  Fannie  V. 
(Washburn)  Staley,  who  were  natives  of 
Pennsylvania  and  Virginia  respectively. 
George  W.  Staley  passed  aw'ay  in  Iowa  when 
his  daughter  Sarah  was  still  but  a  small 
child.  In  18G4  his  widow  crossed  the  plains 
to  Oregon  with  ox  teams  and  with  her  four 
children  settled  in  Portland,  where  she  later 
became  the  wife  of  Dr.  Henley,  with  whom  she 
.subsequently  removed  to  San  Francisco. 
Sarah  I.  Staley  made  her  home  with  an  uncle. 
Stephen  Hefllenian.  who  had  come  to  Oregon 
with  her  mother.  On  the  3d  of  July,  1871. 
in  Roseburg,  Oregon,  she  gave  her  hand  in 
marriage  to  John  D.  Wilson.  She  was  the 
first  woman  over  the  road  built  from  Drain 
to  Elkton  in  1875  and  cooked  the  meals  for 
the  men  who  built  the  road. 

After  his  marriage  John  D.  Wilson  took  up 
a  homestead  a  half  mile  east  of  the  Wilson 
donation  claim  and  resided  thereon  for  five 
years.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he 
took  up  his  abode  in  Drain  and  a  short  time 
later  removed  to  Walla  Walla  county,  Wash- 


ington, where  he  remained  for  seven  years. 
At  the  end  of  that  time  he  returned  to  the 
Yoncalla  valley,  bought  one  hundred  and  fif- 
teen acres  of  the  old  place  and  has  since 
resided  on  a  part  of  the  original  donation 
claim.  In  the  spring  of  190S,  in  association 
with  his  son,  George  S..  he  purchased  the 
present  home  farm  of  three  hundred  and  six 
acres,  which  is  that  part  of  the  homestead 
on  which  stood  the  old  residence.  In  politics 
>lr.  Wilson  is  a  stalwart  democrat.  In  l'J06 
he  was  appointed  deputy  state  game  warden, 
but  resigned  iu  the  spring  of  1907  to  accept 
the  appointment  of  deputy  state  fish  warden. 
The  latter  office  being  not  to  his  liking,  how- 
ever, he  resigned  the  same  in  the  fall  of  190S 
and  was  again  appointed  game  warden,  in 
which  capacity  he  has  served  to  the  present 
time.  In  1S65.  when  not  yet  fifteen  years  of 
age,  he  enlisted  in  the  Union  army  and  served 
on  the  frontier  in  the  Indian  wars  for  about 
thirteen  months,  or  until  mustered  out  in 
1S66.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army 
of  the  Republic  and  his  wife  belongs  to  the 
Christian  church.  John  D.  Wilson  is  well 
known  as  a  native  son  of  Oregon  who  has 
always  done  his  full  share  in  the  work  of  up- 
building and  development  here,  and  his  wife 
also  deserves  mention  among  the  valued 
pioneer  residents  of  the  Sunset  state.  They 
had  eight  children,  five  of  whom  still  survive, 
namely:  George  S.,  of  this  review;  Fannie 
E.,  the  wife  of1;ieorge  M.  Wilcox,  of  Douglas 
county;  Mabel  C,  a  graduate  of  the  State 
Normal  School  at  Drain,  who  is  now  a 
teacher  in  the  Roseburg  schools;  David  C,  at 
home;  and  Olive  I.,  who  is  a  student  in  the 
Yoncalla  high  school  and  is  also  under  the 
parental  roof. 

Cieorge  S.  Wilson,  whose  name  introduces 
this  review,  is  a  graduate  of  the  State  Nor- 
mal School  at  Drain  and  during  the  past  four 
years  has  operated  the  home  farm,  his  father's 
time  being  occupied  by  his  official  duties.  He 
owns  a  half  interest  in  the  home  place  and 
is  widely  recognized  as  one  of  the  progress- 
ive, energetic  and  prosperous  agriculturists 
of  the  county.  He  belongs  to  the  Modern 
Brotherhood  of  America,  at  Yoncalla,  and  is 
also  a  member  of  Alpha  Lodge,  No.  170,  I.  0. 
0.  F.,  and  Yoncalla  Camp,  No.  480.  W.  0.  \\  . 
A  man  of  sterling  worth  and  exemplary  char- 
acter, he  is  known  throughout  his  native 
county  as  one  whose  infiuence  is  always 
found  on  the  side  of  right,  progress  and  im- 
provement and  in  social  circles  is  welcomed 
as  a  faithful  and  valued  friend. 

J.  C.  EVANS,  M.  D.,  a  rising  young  physi- 
cian of  Salem,  is  a  member  of  the  faculty  of 
the  medicM  department  of  Willamette  L'ni- 
versitv  and  is  also  the  attending  physician 
of  the'  Asylum  Institute.  A  native  of  Marion 
county,  he  was  born  November  8.  1881,  a  son 
of  w!  G.  and  Letitia  (Savage)  Evans.  The 
family  came  from  Wales,  his  great-grand- 
father being  a  native  of  that  country.  The 
father  was  born  near  Nashville.  Tennessee, 
and  crossed  the  plains  with  ox  teams  in 
1849,  locating  in  California,  where  he  worked 
for  a'  time  in  the  mines.  In  1857  he  came  to 
Marion  county,  Oregon,  and  bought  the  Swick 


246 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


donation  land  claim,  which  he  improved  and 
developed  into  an  excellent  farm.  He  still 
resides  there,  having  reached  the  advanced 
age  of  eighty  years.  He  has  been  very  suc- 
cessful. He  is  progressive  and  deeply  inter- 
ested in  the  welfare  of  his  community  and 
has  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  for  several 
years.  During  the  Civil  war  he  joined  a 
California  regiment  but  never  was  called  into 
active  service.  His  father,  the  grandfather 
of  Dr.  J.  C.  Evans,  was  a  veteran  in  the 
Mexican  war  and  as  a  soldier  on  the  Northern 
side,  was  killed  in  the  Civil  war.  The 
mother  of  our  subject,  Letitia  ( Savage  j 
Evans,  is  a  native  of  Marion  county,  Oregon, 
and  a  daughter  of  John  Savage,  one  of  the 
early  pioneers  of  the  county  and  a  man  who 
rendered  valiant  service  in  the  Rogue  River 
Indian  war.  He  took  up  a  donation  land 
claim  near  Salem  but  later  went  to  Califor- 
nia and  engaged  in  gold  mining,  at  which  he 
was  very  successful.  He  returned  to  Oregon 
and  became  quite  wealthy,  owning  at  one 
time  a  part  of  the  fair  grounds  of  Salem. 
His  wife.  Miss  Presley,  was  the  daughter  of 
an  old  pioneer  family  in  Oregon.  The  mother 
of  Dr.  Evans  is  still  living.  In  her  family 
were  seven  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of 
this  review  is  the  youngest.  The  others  are: 
Cliftnn.  a  farmer  of  Willow  Valley.  Oregon: 
Nellie,  deceased ;  Theresa, .  the  wife  of  J.  W. 
Fruit,  of  Brooks.  Oregon;  Frank,  an  agri- 
culturist of  Willow  Valley,  Oregon;  and 
Minnie  and  Lena,  deceased. 

Dr.  Evans  completed  his  education  in  the 
medical  department  of  Willamette  University, 
graduating  from  that  institution  in  1906. 
Soon  afterward  he  received  an  appointment 
at  the  Asylum  Institute  and  has  been  there 
engaged  ever  since,  having  three  hundred 
patients  under  his  charge.  In  business  the 
Doctor  has  also  been  successful  and  he  is 
the  owner  of  two  farms  in  eastern  Oregon. 

In  190S  Dr.  J.  C.  Evans  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Elizabeth  L.  Westley,  a  native 
of  Oregon,  and  they  have  become  the  parents 
of  one  child,  J.  Westley.  two  years  old.  Both 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  Evans  belong  to  the  Evangelical 
church.  Socially  the  former  is  connected  with 
the  niihee  Club  of  Salem.  Dr.  Evans  keeps 
in  touch  with  the  proarress  made  in  the  med- 
ical world  through  his  membership  in  the 
County,  State  and  American  Medical  Asso- 
ciations. He  is  a  man  of  great  enterprise 
and  marked  force  of  character  and  is  making 
an  excellent  professioiial  record,  as  is  indi- 
cated by  the  responsible  positions  he  is  now 
holding  and  the  fact  that  his  alma  mater 
soon  after  he  was  graduated  made  him  a 
member  of  its  faculty. 

F.  L.  ARMSTRONG  has  been  a  permanent 
resident  of  Klamath  Falls  since  1S94.  The 
experiences  of  his  life  have  been  varied,  tak- 
ing him  into  many  sections  of  the  country. 
He  was  horn  in  Rochester.  Xew  York.  Janu- 
ary 10,  1849.  and  is  a  son  of  J.  J.  and  Alta  A. 
(Clemons)  Armstrong,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  the  Empire  state,  being  born  and 
reared  in  the  Genesee  valley,  where  they  re- 
sid<^d  until  18.50.  when  they  went  to  Detroit. 
Michigan,   and   thence   started   for   St.   Clair. 


In  the  spring  of  1867  they  came  to  Oregon  by 
way  of  the  Panama  route  and  settled  in  Polk 
county,  where  the  father  died  in  August, 
1S68,  when  about  forty-seven  years  of  age. 
During  the  Civil  war  he  enlisted  for  active 
service  in  the  Jlichigan  cavalry  and  such  were 
the  hardships  and  rigors  of  war  that  his 
health  was  undermined  and  his  early  death 
followed.  He  was  a  bootmaker  by  trade  and 
conducted  a  shop  in  Detroit  and  previously 
worked  with  his  father  in  Baltimore.  He  died 
in  Polk  county,  Oregon,  and  in  1869  his  widow 
became  the  wife  of  J.  G.  Campbell,  one  of 
the  early  pioneers  of  the  state.  .She  spent 
her  last  days  in  the  home  of  her  son,  F.  L. 
Armstrong,  passing  away  March  9,  1899. 
when  seventy-three  years  of  age.  In  the 
family  were  five  children.  J.  W.,  living  in 
Walla  Walla,  Washington,  was  a  soldier  of 
the  Civil  war,  serving  with  JIulligan's  Brigade 
until  captured  and  paroled  at  Lexington, 
Missouri,  in  November,  1861.  He  was  then 
discharged  but  afterward  enlisted  a  second 
time  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  At  the 
battle  of  Lookout  Mountain  he  was  wounded 
and  later  was  again  discharged.  The  second 
of  the  family  was  ]\Irs.  Emma  E.  Wolfe,  de- 
ceased. F.  L.  was  the  third  in  order  of  birth. 
Amelia  E.  died  at  Klamath  Falls  in  June, 
1S95.  C.  W.  is  living  at  Salem.  The  only 
child  of  the  mother's  second  marriage  was 
J.  B.  Campbell,  of  Winberry,  Oregon. 

In  1865  Mr.  Armstrong  went  to  California, 
where  he  was  engaged  as  a  cowboy  at  inter- 
vals until  1871.  In  December  of  that  year 
he  arrived  in  Salem  and  was  employed  as  a 
guard  at  the  state  penitentiary  until  1873, 
when,  owing  to  ill  health,  he  gave  up  his  posi- 
tion and  went  east.  On  his  way  back  he 
stopped  at  Virginia  City,  Nevada,  and  again 
engaged  in  driving  cattle.  In  the  fall  of 
1S75  he  went  to  Humboldt  county,  Califor- 
nia, where  he  made  his  home  until  the  fall 
of  1885.  although  during  that  period  he  en- 
gaged in  shearing  sheep  from  Oregon  to  Mon- 
tana. In  1886  he  arrived  at  Klamath  Falls 
and  in  January,  1887.  went  to  Salem,  where 
he  again  worked  at  the  state  penitentiary. 
In  August,  1890,  he  fitted  out  a  prospecting 
train  and  went  into  the  mountains,  pros- 
pecting and  mining  until  the  fall  of  1894, 
when  he  joined  his  sister  at  Klamath  Falls 
and  has  since  made  this  his  place  of  resi- 
dence. Here  he  engages  in  horticultural  pur- 
suits and  he  has  an  exceptionally  fine  garden 
on  the  west  side  of  Link  river.  His  experi- 
ences have  been  many  and  varied  as  he  has 
traveled  back  and  forth  between  the  east 
and  the  west  and  has  labored  in  various  ways 
that  have  closely  connected  him  with  the  up- 
building of  the  Pacific  coast  country.  He 
has  witnessed  great  changes  here  and  has 
ever  borne  his  part  in  bringing  about  results 
that  have  been  beneficial  in  opening  up  the 
west  and  utilizing  its  natural  resources. 

WILLIAM  L.  BARTON,  a  prominent  and 
prosperous  farmer  of  Douslas  county,  was 
born  in  that  section  July  15.  1866.  His  par- 
ents were  William  and  Rebecca  (Smith)  Bar- 
ton. The  mother  was  a  native  of  Iowa,  in 
which    state   her   birth    occurred   on   May   1, 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


247 


1843.  The  father  was  born  in  Indiana,  Janu- 
ary 22,  1S30.  He  lived  in  his  native  state 
until  1S52,  when  he  crossed  the  plains  with 
ox  teams  in  company  with  his  father,  Edward 
Barton,  and  located  in  Portland,  Oregon. 
William  Barton,  the  father  of  our  subject, 
then  came  direct  to  Douglas  county  and  set- 
tled on  Cow  creek,  where  he  took  up  a  dona- 
tion claim  which  he  improved  and  cultivated 
until  1873,  wheu  he  sold  his  land  and  drove 
his  cattle  to  eastern  Oregon,  near  Fort  Har- 
ney. He  was  a  volunteer  in  the  Rogue  River 
and  Cow  Creek  Indian  wars  in  1853  and  in 
1856,  and  saw  much  service  during  that  time 
and  many  exciting  fights.  He  was  also  in 
the  Piute-Bannock  Indian  war  of  1878,  in 
which  William  L.  Barton,  our  subject,  when 
a  boy  of  only  twelve  years,  made  bullets  for 
the  volunteers.  The  father  was  engaged  in 
stock-raising  in  eastern  Oregon  in  1872  and 
remained  there  until  1881.  He  had  sent  his 
family  here  in  1S80  for  better  educational 
facilities  for  his  children.  He  lived  in  Doug- 
las county  upon  his  holdings  until  his  death, 
in  1883.  "  He  was  the  father  of  eleven  chil- 
dren, six  of  whom  are  deceased.  Those  who 
survive  arc:  Lucy,  the  wife  of  Fletcher  Ed- 
wards, of  Bend,  Oregon;  William  L.; 
Wright  S.,  who  married,  has  eight  children 
and  is  now  a  resident  of  Douglas  county; 
Frank,  also  living  in  this  district;  and  James. 
who  was  married  on  May  8,  1912,  and  makes 
his  home  in  Humboldt  county.  California. 
William  L.  Barton  also  has  a  half-brother, 
Carroll  Smith,  who  is  a  resident  of  Douglas 
county. 

William  L.  Barton  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools  of  his  native  district  and 
was  brought  up  on  his  father's  farm.  He 
learned  the  details  of  agriculture  and  became 
thoroughly  versed  in  the  labors  incident  to 
farm  life.  When  he  grew  to  maturity  he  en- 
gaged in  the  cultivation  of  the  soil  and  has 
been  for  many  years  a  scientific  and  progress- 
ive farmer  in  his  native  district.  He  also 
engages  as  contractor  and  does  a  great  deal 
of  road  building,  tunnelling,  railroad  building 
and  work  of  a  similar  nature.  He  gives  his 
political  allegiance  to  the  democratic  party 
and  although  he  has  never  been  an  office 
seeker  he  nevertheless  takes  an  active  and 
intelligent  interest  in  public  aff'airs  and  is  a 
firm  believer  in  democratic  principles  and 
policies. 

GOTTLIEB  MEHL  was  born  in  Wittenberg, 
fiermanv.  in  1833  and  died  in  Coos  county  on 
the  24t'h  of  April,  1893.  in  the  seventieth 
year  of  his  age.  During  his  long  life  he 
made  many  claims  to  the  respect  and  esteem 
of  his  fellow  citizens.  He  was  an  early 
settler  in  Oregon  and  prominent  in  mining, 
stock-raising  and  business  circles.  His  death 
was  widely  and  deeply  regretted  for  his  up- 
right life  and  high  standards  of  conduct  had 
gained  him  many  friends.  He  came  to  Amer- 
ica, landing  in  New  York  in  1849.  He  ob- 
tained work  as  a  cooper's  apprentice  and 
followed  that  occupation  until  he  went  to 
Philadelphia,  where  he  worked  at  his  trade  of 
brewer,  which  he  had  learned  in  his  native 
country.     He  later   went   to  St.  Louis,  Mis- 


souri, where  he  obtained  a  position  in  a 
brewery,  which  he  held  for  a  number  of 
years.  He  was  among  the  earliest  pioneers 
in  California,  going  to  San  Francisco  when 
that  city  was  little  more  than  an  unorgan- 
ized settlement.  After  a  short  time  he  came 
north  to  Oregon,  where  he  took  up  a  home- 
stead claim  on  the  Umpqua  river,  which  he 
operated  and  improved  for  some  time.  He 
also  worked  in  the  mines  of  this  section  and 
acquired  enough  money  in  that  way  to  buy 
cattle  and  hogs,  with  which  he  stocked  his 
farm.  He  rented  his  property  and  during 
liis  absence  on  one  of  the  trips  to  the  gold 
fields  his  tenant  took  possession  of  all  of  his 
stock  and  burned  his  home.  Mr.  Mehl  was 
obliged  to  abandon  farming  for  some  time. 
In  1861  he  went  to  Roseburg,  where  he  pur- 
chased a  brewery  which  he  operated  with  a 
partner  until  the  Southern  Pacific  Railway 
was  built  into  the  city.  At  that  time  he 
sold  his  interests  and  moved  to  Oakland, 
building  a  brewery  there  and  conducting  it 
for  three  years,  when  he  sold  out  and  came 
to  Coquille  and  established  himself  in  a 
similar  line  of  occupation,  gradually  attain- 
ing success.  His  plant,  however,  was  de- 
stroyed by  fire  and  he  then  came  to  Bandon 
in  company  with  his  eldest  son.  Here  they 
engaged  in  brewing,  building  up  an  important 
and  rapidly  increasing  trade.  Mr.  Mehl  was 
identified  with  the  conduct  of  this  enter- 
prise until  his  death,  which  occurred  on  the 
24th   of   April,    1893. 

Mr.  Mehl  was  united  in  marriage  in  Rose- 
burg on  September  29,  1867,  to  Miss  Mary 
Hervey,  a  native  of  Green  county,  Tennessee. 
Sbe  went  to  Missouri  in  1851  and  crossed  the 
plains  to  Oregon  with  her  parents  in  1864. 
making  the  journey  with  ox  teams.  The 
family  settled  in  tlie  Willamette  valley  and 
after  one  year  spent  there  went  to  Douglas 
county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mehl  became  the  par- 
ents of  seven  children,  two  of  whom  died  in 
infancy.  Those  who  surs-ive  are:  Fred,  who 
was  born  August  S,  1868,  and  who  is  the 
owner  of  a  planing  mill  at  Bandon;  Mary 
Louise,  who  was  born  April  2,  1870.  and  who 
is  the  wife  of  James  Whetstone,  of  Klamath 
Falls,  by  whom  she  has  one  child.  Agnes: 
William  G.,  who  is  engaged  in  farming  near 
Coquille  and  is  married  and  has  one  child. 
Gretchen;  George,  who  was  born  November 
2,  1876,  and  who  makes  his  home  with  his 
rnother  in  Coquille,  where  he  is  conducting  a 
jilumbing  business;  and  Thomas  H.,  who 
was  born  November  27,  1882,  and  is  en- 
gaged in  the  operation  of  a  sawmill  at  Co- 
qviTlle,  where  he  resides  with  his  wife  and 
two  children. 

Gottlieb  Mehl  affiliated  with  no  political 
party,  preferring  to  keep  his  judgment  un- 
biased and  to  preserve  his  independence  of 
conviction.  He  never  accepted  public  office 
;ilthough  many  important  ones  were  offered 
lo  him  by  his  fellow  citizens.  He  belonged  to 
the  Lutheran  church  and  was  widely  known 
as  a  man  of  exemplary  character.  His  death 
was  the  occasion  of  widespread  regret,  for 
his  life  had  been  rn  all  its  relations  both 
useful  and  upright.  He  attained  success 
gradually  and  worked  his  way  upward  until 


248 


THE  CENTENXrAL  HISTORY  OP  OREGON 


he  occupied  an  fiiviable  position  in  tlie  busi- 
ness circles  of  liis  section,  his  life  proving 
conclusively  that  success  is  the  result  of  de- 
termination and  honorable  methods. 

M.  J.  CRANDALL.  For  almost  a  half  cen- 
tury .\1.  J.  Crandall  has  been  identified  with 
Oregon  and  its  development  and  manifests 
an  enthusiastic  devotion  to  his  adopted  state 
and  a  Cum  belief  in  its  future.  He  still  has 
important  business  interests  although  he  has 
practically  retired  from  their  active  manage- 
ment, for  he  is  now  well  advanced  in  years, 
having  passed  the  eiglity-third  milestone  on 
life's  journey.  He  was  born  in  the  state  of 
Xew  York,  February  23,  1829,  a  son  of  Jesse 
and  Harriet  (Dudbridge)  Crandall,  natives  of 
Xew  York  and  Xew  .Jersey  respectively.  His 
great-grandfather  was  a  native  of  England 
and  came  to  America  when  this  country  was 
still  numbered  among  the  colonial  possessions 
of  Great  Britain.  ^Vhen  an  attempt  was 
made  to  throw  off  the  yoke  of  British  oppres- 
sion he  joined  the  American  army  and  served 
throughout  the  Revolutionary  war  as  an  offi- 
cer. His  death  occurred  in  Xew  Jersey  after 
the  close  of  the  war.  The  parents  of  M.  J. 
Crandall  spent  their  lives  in  the  Empire  state, 
where  the  father  followed  farming  until  acci- 
dentally killed  when  sixty  years  of  age.  His 
widow  long  survived  him,  passing  away  at 
the  age  of  eighty-five  years.  In  their  family 
were  nine  children  of  whom  five  are  still  liv- 
ing: Adaline.  who  is  the  widow  of  .J.  J. 
Davis  and  resides  in  Detroit.  Michigan;  Mary, 
the  widow  of  Stoten  Prior,  living  in  Cincin- 
nati. Ohio;  M.  ,J.,  of  this  review;  Eliza,  the 
wife  of  Samuel  Burwell,  of  Fingal,  Ontario. 
Canada;  and  Harriet  L..  the  wife  of  Lxither 
Carpenter,  of  London.  Ontario.  The  deceased 
members  of  the  family  are:  Mrs.  Samantha 
McChire.  who  lived  in  Canada; '  Reuben  D., 
of  Belvidere,  Hlinois ;  .John,  who  also  died  in 
Illinois;  and  Loretta.  the  wife  of  William 
Marshall,  of  Detroit.  Michigan,  who  is  also 
deceased. 

^Vhen  a  youth  of  seventeen  years  !M.  J. 
Crandall  began  to  learn  the  cabinet-maker's 
trade  in  his  native  state,  and  followed  that 
pursuit  until  1S62.  W'hen.  thinking  that  he 
would  have  better  business  opportunities  on 
the  Pacific  coast  he  set  out  for  the  west.  He 
followed  mining  in  British  Columbia,  pros- 
pecting in  1863-64.  From  there  he  went  to 
Idaho  for  a  few  mouths  and  then  came  to 
Oregou  in  1865,  settling  near  Linton  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Portland.  There  he  de- 
veloped a  farm  which  he  continued  to  culti- 
vate until  the  time  of  his  retirement,  when 
he  sold  his  property,  comprising  one  hundred 
and  forty-four  acres.  He  still,  however. 
owns  several  pieces  of  real  estate  at  Linton, 
including  a  residence,  and  has  residence  prop- 
erty in  Portland.  He  is  president  of  the 
Willamette  Box  &  Tjumber  Company  of  that 
town  and  a  stockholder  in  the  Linton  Sav- 
ings Bank.  He  worked  diligently  and  per- 
sistently, knowing  that  industry  is  the  basis 
of  success,  and  as  the  years  passed  by,  he 
gained  a  comfortable  competence  that  now 
enables   him    in    his   later   years   to   enjoy    all 


of  till"  luiiUMrts  and  some  of  the  luxuries  of 
lite. 

In  1876  ilr.  Crandall  was  married  to  Miss 
■Johanna  M.  Richards,  who  was  born  in  Y'am- 
hill  county,  Oregon,  a  daughter  of  Solomon 
and  Sarah  (.Johnson)  Richards.  Her  fathei-'s 
birth  occurred  in  1820  and  he  passed  away 
in  1897,  while  his  wife  died  when  thirty-two 
years  of  age.  ilrs.  Crandall  was  one  of  three 
children  but  all  have  passed  away,  her  death 
having  occurred  in  1898.  By  her  marriage 
she  became  the  mother  of  eight  children: 
Commodore  F.  Crandall,  who  was  born  at 
Jacksonville.  Oregon,  ilarch  28.  1877;  Martha 
J.,  born  February  11,  1879;  Jessie  E.,  who 
was  born  in  May,  1882.  and  is  the  wife  of 
Daniel  S.  Southmaj'd  of  St.  .Johns,  Oregon: 
Solomon  R.,  who  was  born  May  10,  1S34. 
and  lives  in  Linton;  Rose  B.,  who  was  born 
■July  10.  1SS6,  and  is  a  high-school  student; 
Maybelle  V..  born  July  22,  1S94;  Seth  Cliase, 
born  July  .3,  1S9C;  and  Ida  A.,  who  died  when 
twenty  years  of  age.  The  family  attend  the 
Baptist  church  and  Mr.  Crandall  gives  his 
political  support  to  the  republican  party. 
He  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  school 
board  and  for  more  than  twenty  years  was 
a  member  of  the  election  board.  His  infiuence 
has  always  been  on  the  side  of  progress  and 
improvement  and  he  has  labored  to  promote 
the  material,  intellectual  and  moral  progress 
of  his  community.  He  is  todaj'  one  of  the 
venerable  citizens  of  Linton  and  his  years 
rest  lightly  upon  him,  his  interests  and  ac- 
tivities being  those  of  a  man  of  much  vouniier 


J.  P.  TUPPER  is  living  retired  in  Coiiuillo 
after  an  active  career  in  Oregon  of  over  forty 
years.  During  that  time  he  has  been  well 
known  in  business  circles  in  many  part  of 
Coos  county,  having  owned  and  operated  at 
ditTerent  periods  some  of  the  most  important 
hotels  in  the  section.  He  purchased  a  farm 
in  1SS3  at  the  present  site  of  the  town  of 
Bandon  and  made  use  of  the  opportunities 
which  the  rising  land  values  offered  bv  selling 
his  property  in  town  lots,  contributing  thus 
to  his  own  prosperity  and  to  the  progress  and 
development  of  the  communit,v.  He  was  born 
in  Xova  Scotia  in  Colchester  county,  on 
August  24.  1833,  a  son  of  .James  S.  and 
ilargaret  Tupper.  He  received  his  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  country 
and  afterward  learned  the  carpenter's  trade 
at  which  he  worked  until  1857.  In  that  .rear 
he  came  to  the  United  States  and  settled  at 
Bucksport.  Maine,  where  he  continued  at  his 
trade.  After  four  years  he  retin-ned  to  Xo\'a 
Scotia  and  resided  in  that  country  until 
1868,  coming  back  in  that  year  to  the  United 
States  and  settling  in  California  where  he 
obtained  a  position  in  a  shipyard  at  San 
Francisco.  Shortly  afterward  he  came  to  Coos 
county  and  followed  the  ship  carpenter's 
trade  in  Marshfield  for  many  years.  He  es- 
tablished his  residence  in  Bandon  in  1882, 
moving  to  that  vicinity  in  order  to  work  on 
the  government  breakwater.  After  one  sum- 
mer he  purchased  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  of  land  upon  the  present  town  site  and 
he    built    ,n    hotel    at    Tupper   Rock    which    he 


M.   J.   CRANDAI.L 


PUBLIC    UBR.^HX  ^ 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


251 


called  tlie  Ocean  House.  He  sold  tliis  prop- 
erty at  a  good  profit  and  purchased  the  Lewis 
Hotel  at  Bandon,  which  is  now  known  as  the 
Gallier  Hotel.  This  he  operated  until  the 
death  of  his  wife,  which  occurred  in  1S95,  at 
which  time  he  disposed  of  his  interests  and 
moved  to  Coquillc  where  he  bought  the  Curan 
Hotel,  which  he  managed  with  efficiency  and 
ability  for  seven  years,  finally  selling  it  to 
the  Baxter  Brothers.  He  is  now  living  in 
retirement  although  he  is  still  interested  in 
many  business  enterprises  in  Coquille. 

J.  P.  Tupper  married  in  October,  1863,  Miss 
Martha  A.  Lynch,  who  was  born  in  Nova 
Scotia.  Her  parents  were  of  Irish  ancestry, 
although  her  mother  was  born  in  Baltimore. 
Marj'land.  and  her  father  in  Nova  Scotia. 
To  o\ir  subject  was  born  one  son,  Benjamin 
F.,  who  passed  away  when  he  was  forty 
years  of  age.  Mrs.  Tupper  died  on  Jinie  3. 
1895,  and  is  buried  in  the  Bandon  cemetery. 

J.  P.  Tupper  gives  his  allegiance  to  the 
republican  party  but  iias  never  been  an  office 
seeker.  He  atlilintes  with  the  Owls  and  is 
a  member  of  the  Fraternal  Order  of  Eagles. 
He  is  a  devout  adherent  of  the  Episcopal 
church.  He  is  living  retired  at  the  Ba.^ter 
Hotel  in  Coquille,  giving  his  attention  only 
to  the  management  of  his  important  interests. 
He  still  owns  propert.y  at  Port  Orford  and 
has  invested  heavily  in  real  estate  in  Lake 
county,  California  and  in  Riehmond.  that 
state.  He  is  well  known  in  conuuercial  and 
social  circles  of  Ctjos  county  and  has.  through 
his  activity  in  business,  been  an  inlluence  in 
promoting  industrial  development.  He  de- 
serves great  credit  for  what  he  has  accom- 
plished as  a  promoter  of  local  enterprises  and 
Coos  county  is  the  richer  in  citizenship  and 
resources  by  reason  of  his  honorable,  suc- 
cessful and  upright  life, 

JOHN  J.  LONG,  one  of  the  well  known  and 
substantial  citizens  of  Douglas  county,  has 
devoted  his  attention  to  general  agricultural 
pursuits  throughout  his  entire  business  career 
and  is  the  owner  of  a  ranch  comprising  four 
hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  valuable  land. 
His  birth  occuired  in  Polk  county.  Oregon, 
on  the  sth  of  .Tune,  1S4S,  his  parents  being 
John  anil  ^Minerva  J,  (Smith)  Long,  who  were 
born,  reared  and  married  in  Tennessee.  From 
that  stati'  they  removed  to  Missouri  and  in 
1S4C  crossed  the  plains  to  Oregon  with  ox 
teams,  the  joiuncy  consuming  six  months. 
They  made  their  way  into  Klamath  county 
via  Fort  Hall  and  Goose  lake,  crossed  the 
Cascade  mountain  range  and  came  up  thro\iglL 
{\w  Pogue  river  valle.v.  the  trail  they  fol- 
lowed being  ai)Out  the  same  as  the  present 
road,  but  no  wagon  had  ever  passed  through 
before  this  emigration  and  the,v  had  to  build 
the  road  as  thcv  proceeded.  Being  unable  t" 
get  through  with  their  wagons,  partly  be- 
cause of  the  high  water,  and  making  the  roads 
during  the  rainy  season,  they  left  them  in  a 
big  canyon  in  Douglas  county  and  returned 
for  them  in  the  following  spring.  Arriving 
in  Polk  county  in  November,  they  spent  the 
winter  on  Waldo  Hill  and  in  the  following 
spring  built  a  log  cabin  on  a  donation  claim. 
Tt   was   their   intention   to   take   n|i   the   claim 


but  water  uvertlo«ed  the  land  and  they  came 
to  Douglas  county  in  1849.  Here  Mr.  Long 
took  up  donation  claim  No.  46,  comprising 
six  hundred  and  forty  acres  in  the  Yoncalla 
valley,  three  miles  south  of  where  the  town 
of  Yoncalla  now  stands,  where  he  spent  the 
remainder  of  his  life.  As  the  years  passed 
he  ac(|uired  other  lands  adjoining  his  claim 
and  at  one  time  owned  over  fourteen  hun- 
dred acres,  a  portion  of  which  he  gave  to  his 
children  prior  to  his  demise.  He  passed  away 
in  1890,  when  about  eighty  years  of  age, 
while  his  wife  was  called  to  her  final  rest  in 
March.  1908.  being  at  that  time  also  about 
eighty  years  old.  They  were  both  consistent 
and  devoted   members  of  the  Baptist   church. 

John  .J.  Long,  who  was  but  a  year  old  when 
brought  by  his  parents  to  Douglas  county, 
was  here  reared  to  manhood  and  attended 
the  common  schools  in  the  acquirement  of  an 
education  but  his  advantages  in  this  direc- 
tion were  limited.  He  was  married  at  the 
age  of  twent,v-five  years  and  following  that 
important  event  in  his  life  located  on  his 
present  home  farm,  which  was  then  a  part  of 
his  father's  place.  In  the  fall  of  1873  he 
acquired  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  the 
same  and  in  the  intervening  years  has  added 
three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  to  his  farm, 
so  that  it  now  embraces  four  hundred  and 
eighty  acres.  He  keeps  and  raises  high-grade 
cattle  and  sheep.  In  the  work  of  the  fields  he 
has  won  success  and  well  deserves  recognition 
among  the  prosperous  and  representative  citi- 
zens of  his  cotmty. 

In  July,  187.3.  Jlr.  Long  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Sallie  Applegate,  a  daughter  of 
Jesse  Applegate,  who  was  captain  of  the 
Applegate  Company,  which  crossed  the  plains 
to  Oregon  from  Missouri  in  1843.  An  ex- 
tended review  of  Jesse  Applegate  appears  on 
another  page  of  this  work.  Unto  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Long  were  born  three  children,  all  of 
whom   are  deceased. 

In  national  politics  Mr.  Long  is  a  republl 
can.  but  at  local  elections  votes  independently. 
su)iportinff  men  and  measures  rather  than 
party.  His  entire  life  has  been  spent  in 
Oregon  and  he  is  a  worthy  representative  of 
an  lionored  pioneer  family.  Mrs.  Long  is  one 
of  the  best  informed  iiersons  in  the  state  con- 
cerning the  eaily  history  of  Douglas  county. 
She  is  a  giftej  writer  and  has  contributed 
nnnievous   aiticles  to  varicnis  pnl)lications. 

B.  L.  DARBY.  .\  native  of  Oregon  and  a 
man  for  many  years  actively  connected  with 
the  drug  trade  in  the  city  of  Glendale  is 
r..  L.  Darbv.  who  has  been  prominent  in  this 
line  of  activity  since  1902.  He  was  born  in 
Marion  county.  June  11.  1877.  a  son  of  W. 
TT.  H.  and  T.vdia  (Read)  Darby,  the  former 
a  native  of  .Missouri  and  the  latter  of  New 
York.  The  father  came  to  Oregon  at  an  early 
date  and  in  ISO.';  located  in  Marion  county, 
where  he  has  resided  continuously  since.  W. 
II.  TT.  Darby  has  been  three  times  married. 
On  tlie  2d  of  September.  1800.  he  wedded  Miss 
Jemima  iTopiien.  by  whom  he  had  two  chil- 
dren. On  the  0th  of  October.  1872.  he  wedded 
Lydia  Read,  who  bore  him  six  children,  as 
follows:    Delia    S..    who    is    deceased:    Laura. 


252 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


who  married  H.  Crass;  B.  L.,  of  this  review; 
Bertha,  the  wife  of  Ray  Logan;  W.  H.;  and 
Lucy  B.,  now  Mrs.  Elbert  Strum.  The  sec- 
ond wife  and  mother  passed  away  on  the 
26th  of  July,  1884,  and  eight  years  later 
W.  H.  H.  Darby  married  Jliss  Mary  A. 
Rankin. 

B.  L.  Darby  received  his  early  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  Jlarion  county  and 
this  was  later  supplemented  by  a  course  in 
college.  After  he  was  graduated  he  taught 
school  for  some  time  and  later  took  up  the 
study  of  pharmacy.  In  1903  he  opened  a 
drug  store  at  Glendale,  where  he  has  since 
conducted  the  same.  He  has  been  successful 
in  business  and  has  acquired  a  moderate  for- 
tune, which  he  invests  judiciously  in  local 
enterprises.  He  owns  his  home  and  a  num- 
ber of  the  most  important  business  build- 
ings in  Glendale,  and  has  a  large  interest  in 
a  gold  mine  of  the  Union  Leader  Mining 
Company. 

On  June  1,  1905,  Mr.  Darby  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Cathryn  McGregor,  a 
daughter  of  Peter  McGregor,  whose  sketch 
appears  on  another  page  of  this  work.  They 
have  one  daughter,  Louise,  who  lives  with 
her  parents  in  the  beautiful  home  which  Mr. 
Darby  erected  in  Glendale.  He  is  a  stanch 
democrat  and  is  actively  interested  in  local 
affairs.  He  has  served  as  a  member  of 
the  council,  has  held  the  position  of  city 
treasurer  and  has  been  a  member  of  the 
school  board  at  Glendale.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Commercial  Club  of  this  city  and  is 
prominent  in  the  affairs  of  Glendale  Lodge, 
No.  119,  F.  &  A.  M.  He  belongs  to  Lodge 
No.  172,  I.  0.  O.  F.  Mr.  Darby  is  a  keen  and 
intelligent  business  man  with  a  rapid  grasp 
of  details  and  a  shrewd  discrimination  in 
investment.  In  the  drug  business  he  unites 
the  qualities  of  an  accurate  business  sense 
with  an  expert  knowledge  of  the  details  of 
pharmacy  and  his  success  since  the  begin- 
ning of  his  career  has  been  continuous  and 
gratifying. 

ROBERT  ROY  BOOTH,  one  of  the  success- 
ful and  prominent  representatives  of  live- 
stock interests  in  Douglas  county,  is  asso- 
ciated in  business  along  that  line  with  his 
brother,  Floyd  W.  Booth,  in  partnership  with 
whom  he  also  owns  nineteen  hundred  acres 
of  land  six  miles  east  of  Yoncalla.  His  birth 
occurred  in  that  town  on  the  3d  of  May, 
1885,  his  parents  being  Robert  A.  and  Clin- 
tona  (LaRaut)  Booth,  likewise  natives  of 
Oregon.  Robert  Booth,  the  paternal  grand- 
father, was  a  native  of  England,  came  to  the 
United  States  as  a  young  man  and  was  mar- 
ried in  the  east.  In  1849  he  made  his  way 
to  the  California  gold  fields,  crossing  the 
plains  with  an  ox  team.  After  three  years 
spent  in  the  mines  he  came  north  to  Oregon 
in  1852,  locating  in  Yamhill  county.  He 
was  a  circuit  rider  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church  and  preached  in  all  parts  of 
this  state  during  the  early  pioneer  days.  Rob- 
ert A.  Booth,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was 
reared  in  Douglas  county,  where  his  father 
had  removed  after  a  short  residence  in  Yam- 
hill county.     On  reaching  manhood  he  opened 


the  first  store  ever  established  in  Yoncalla 
and  operated  a  sawmill  as  well,  becoming 
prominently  identified  with  merchandising 
and  lumber  interests.  During  his  residence 
in  Douglas  county  he  secured  all  the  tunnel 
and  bridge  timbers  for  the  railroad  which 
was  built  through  the  valley,  as  far  south  as 
Tunnel  9.  In  1886  he  went  to  Grants  Pass, 
where  he  was  identified  with  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  Sugar  Pine  Door  &  Lumber  Com- 
pany, and  while  there  was  president  of  the 
first  National  Bank  of  southern  Oregon  and 
also  the  chief  executive  officer  of  two  other 
banks.  Later  he  became  president  of  the 
Douglas  National  Bank,  at  Roseburg.  He  re- 
sided in  Grants  Pass  for  thirteen  years  and  in 
1899  went  to  Eugene,  where  he  organized  the 
Booth-Kelly  Lumber  Company  and  for  eight 
years  acted  as  manager  of  the  concern.  He 
still  retains  his  stock  in  the  enterprise  but 
for  the  past  five  years  has  practically  lived 
retired.  He  is  a  heavy  landowner  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Oregon  Land  &  Liw  Stock  Com- 
pany, which  holds  thousands  ■  of'  acres  of 
ranch  and  timber  lands  in  eastern  Oregon,  and 
as  manager  of  this  important  enterprise  .he 
is  recognized  as  a  potent  factor  in  the  pres'- 
ent-day  affairs  of  the  state.  His  entire  life 
has  been  spent  in  Oregon  and  he  is  widely 
known  as  one  of  its  prominent  and  wealthy 
citizens.  He  is  a  stanch  republican  in  poli- 
tics and  has  served  in  the  state  senate  for 
four  terms. 

Robert  Roy  Booth  was  reared  under  the 
parental  roof  and  obtained  his  early  educa- 
tion in  the  Grants  Pass  public  schools  and 
the  Eugene  high  school.  Subsequently  he 
attended  the  University  of  Oregon  and  like- 
wise pursued  a  commercial  course  in  the 
Eugene  Business  College.  He  was  employed 
by  the  Booth-Kelly  Lumber  Company  for 
about  three  years  and  on  the  expiration  of 
that  period,  in  1908,  came  to  Douglas  county, 
where  he  has  since  been  successfully  engaged 
in  the  stock  business.  In  association  with 
his  brother,  Floyd  W.  Booth,  he  owns  nine- 
teen hundred  acres  of  land  in  Scotts  valley, 
six  miles  east  of  Yoncalla.  He  is  also  a 
director  of  the  Douglas  National  Bank,  of 
Koseburg,  Oregon. 

On  the  15th  of  May,  1911,  Mr.  Booth  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Edna  May  Hoef- 
lein,  of  Lane  county,  Oregon.  He  gives  his 
political  allegiance  to  the  republican  party 
and  fraternally  is  identified  with  the  Knights 
of  Pythias,  belonging  to  Eugene  Lodge,  No, 
33.  His  religious  faith  is  indicated  by  his 
membership  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  while  his  wife  belongs  to  the  Christian 
Science  church.  He  has  won  a  creditable 
place  in  business  circles  for  one  of  his  years 
and  his  future  Avill  undoubtedly  be  one  of 
continued   and   growing   success. 

WINFIELD  S.  BOOTH  is  one  of  the  prom- 
inent citizens  of  the  Cow  creek  valley,  where 
he  operates  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
the  finest  ranch  land  in  the  district  and  is 
also  interested  in  the  development  of  twen- 
ty-six acres  of  mining  lands  which  he  has 
recently  added  to  his  holdings.  He  was  born 
in   Lake   count}',   Ohio,   November    12,    1853. 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


53 


His  parents  were  Albert  H.  and  Margaret 
(Markell)  Booth,  both  natives  of  Ohio,  who 
lived  and  died  in  that  state.  They  were  the 
parents  of  three  children:  James  A.,  a  resi- 
dent of  Ohio;  Virginia,  who  married  C.  W. 
Root,  of  Ashland,  Oregon;  and  W.  S.,  of  this 
review. 

Winfield  S.  Booth  received  his  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  his  native  state  and 
remained  at  home  until  he  was  twenty-two 
years  of  age.  At  that  time  he  came  to  Ore- 
gon and  located  on  Cow  creek.  Here  he 
bought  the  ranch  upon  which  he  now  lives, 
comprising  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
land.  He  has  built  many  fine  buildings  on 
that  property,  erected  barns,  sheds  and 
fences,  has  improved  the  fertility  of  the  soil 
and  acquired  modern  equipment  every  year. 
He  makes  a  specialty  of  raising  cattle.  He 
recently  added  to  his  holdings  twenty-six 
acres  of  mining  land  and  is  now  engaged  in 
its  operation  and  development. 

In  1S78  Mr.  Booth  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Mary  J.  Barber,  a  daughter  of 
Leonard  and  Virginia  (Williams)  Barber  of 
California.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Booth  are  the  par- 
ents of  fourteen  children:  Ida  M.,  the  wife  of 
Samuel  Hutt  of  this  state;  Ivy  V.,  the  wife 
of  Alfred  Sackett;  Eugenia,  w'ho  married 
Frank  Helms;  James  A.;  Flora  A.,  who  is 
taking  a  course  in  nursing  at  Spokane,  Wash- 
ington; Glenn  B.;  Ellen  R.,  a  resident  of 
Portland,  Oregon ;  Lola  D.,  the  wife  of  Mat- 
thew Dahl;  Edith  V.  and  Agnes  M.,  who 
are  attending  school;  Halbert  W. ;  Ruth  C; 
Genet  D.;   and  Clinton  C. 

Mr  Booth  gives  his  political  allegiance  to 
the  republican  party  and  has  been  active  in 
its  affairs  in  this  district  for  many  years. 
He  is  interested  in  the  cause  of  education 
and  has  served  for  fifteen  years  as  school 
clerk.  He  is  postmaster  of  the  tow-n  of 
Booth  and  has  been  active  in  that  capacity 
for  the  last  five  years.  He  is  in  all  respects 
a  public-spirited  citizen  and  brings  to  his 
various  duties  in  life  the  keen  mind  and  the 
broad -intelligence  which  are  the  basis  of  his 
success. 

W.  L.  NELSON.  Among  the  successful 
business  enterprises  of  Salem  is  the  general 
merchandise  store  which  is  conducted  by  W. 
L.  Nelson.  He  was  born  in  Goodhue  county, 
Minnesota,  May  11,  1881,  a  son  of  Lauranee 
and  Annie  (Anderson)  Nelson,  the  former 
a  native  of  Denmark  and  the  latter  of  Sweden. 
The  father  was  an  agriculturist  and,  settling 
in  Minnesota  when  eighteen  years  of  age,  re- 
mained there  until  he  removed  to  Wash- 
ington in  1900.  Later  he  came  to  Marion 
county,  Oregon,  where  he  passed  away  Oc- 
tober 29,  1910,  at  the  age  of  sixty-three 
years.  His  wife  resides  with  her  son,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lau- 
ranee Nelson,  the  following  children  were 
born:  A.  C,  who  resides  in  Washington; 
Elvira  L.,  the  wife  of  E.  C.  Rice,  of  Salem; 
Clara,  who  resides  in  Vancouver.  Washington, 
is  the  wife  of  J.  E.  Edwards;  W.  L.;  Ralph 
G.,  a  resident  of  Washington;  Maynard  L., 
a  mail  clerk  working  between  Spokane  and 
Seattle;    F.   E.,   the   wife   of   Roily   Vose,  of 


Washington;  and  Herbert,  Florence  and  Win- 
nie, all  of  whom  are  at  home. 

W.  L.  Nelson  received  his  education  in 
Minnesota  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years 
started  to  earn  his  own  livelihood  by  accept- 
ing employment  in  the  baggage  room  of  the 
Great  Northern  Railroad  Company's  station, 
a  position  whicli  he  occupied  for  three  years, 
until  he  gave  it  up  to  become  a  brake-man 
running  between  Red  Wing  and  Rochester. 
After  he  had  been  thus  engaged  for  a  year 
he  drove  a  hack  for  two  years  for  J.  E.  Alius 
before  being  employed  for  about  a  .year  by 
the  Great  Northern  Railroad  Compan}^  Sub- 
scquentlj'  he  went  to  Washington,  where  he 
remained  with  his  father  until  1904.  After 
three  years  spent  in  Aberdeen  he  again  re- 
turned to  his  father's  home  remaining  there 
for  a  year.  In  1910,  however,  he  entered  upon 
an  independent  enterprise  when  he  came  to 
Marion  county  and  living  on  his  mother's 
twenty  acres  of  land  which  he  had  purchased 
he  opened  the  general  mercantile  store  which 
he  is  now  conducting.  Although  this  busi- 
ness is  comparatively  new,  it  has  already 
proven  that  it  fills  a  vacancy  which  had  long 
been  a  drawback  to  the  community  and  it  is 
proving  equally  advantageous  to  its  owner. 
Mr.  Nelson  is  aggressive  and  painstaking  and 
through  his  personal  management  this  stoi'e 
is  one  of  the  best  conducted  in  the  district. 

Mr.  Nelson  gives  his  support  to  the  demo- 
cratic party.  He  lives  in  accord  with  the 
teachings  of  the  Methodist  church.  His 
mother  also  held  membership  in  a  church  of 
that  denomination.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Moose  lodge  in  Salem.  In  social  as  well  as 
in  business  relations  Mr.  Nelson  is  always 
courteous  and  considerate  and  these  qualities 
make  for  popularity  in  an  extensive  acquaint- 
ance. 

JOHN  M.  THRONE,  one  of  the  leading 
factors  in  financial  circles  of  Roseburg,  was 
the  principal  organizer  of  The  Umpqua  Valley 
Bank  and  has  served  in  the  capacity  of  cash- 
ier since  the  institution  opened  its  doors  for 
business.  His  birth  occurred  in  McElhattan, 
Pennsylvania,  on  the  16th  of  March,  1883, 
his  parents  being  James  R.  and  Arabella 
(Deise)  Throne,  who  were  born,  reared  and 
married  in  the  Keystone  state.  The  father 
began  his  domestic  life  on  the  homestead 
on  which  he  had  been  reared  to  manhood, 
continuing  to  reside  thereon  until  189S,  when 
he  came  west  to  Oregon,  locating  at  Anchor, 
Douglas  county,  where  he  has  since  been  suc- 
cessfully engaged  in  farming. 

John  M.  Throne  was  reared  under  the  pa- 
rental roof,  obtaining  his  early  education  in 
the  public  schools  and  subsequently  attend- 
ing the  Central  State  Normal  School,  at 
Lock  Haven,  Pennsylvania.  In  the  year  1900 
he  removed  to  Charleroi,  Pennsylvania,  and 
there  secured  a  position  as  shipping  clerk  for 
the  McBeth-Evans  Glass  Company,  with 
which  concern  he  remained  for  two  years. 
In  1902,  turning  his  face  toward  the  set- 
ting sun,  he  came  to  Oregon  and  took  up  his 
permanent  abode  in  Roseburg.  here  securing 
employment  in  the  abstract  office  of  F.  E. 
Alley,  in  whose  service  he  remained  for  abovit 


254 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


two  years.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period 
he  accepted  the  position  of  assistant  cashier 
in  the  Douglas  County  Bank  (now  the  Doug- 
las Xational  Bank),  ably  serving  in  that 
capacity  for  four  years.  At  the  end  of  that 
time,  in  association  with  J.  H.  Booth  and 
W.  H.  Fisher,  he  bought  out  the  abstract 
business  of  F.  E,  Alley,  resigning  his  posi- 
tion as  assistant  bank  cashier  to  undertake 
the  management  of  the  abstract  company. 
In  the  fall  of  1908.  however,  he  disposed  of 
his  interests  in  the  concern  to  Robert  E, 
Smith.  While  an  employe  in  the  Douglas 
County  Bank,  Mr,  Throne  became  a  very 
warm  friend  of  ilr.  Benson,  the  president  of 
the  institution,  who  in  lOOfi  was  elected  sec- 
retary of  state  and  in  the  spring  of  1909  be- 
came governor  of  Oregon  owing  to  Governor 
Chamberlain's  election  to  the  United  States 
senate.  Through  Governor  Benson  Mr. 
Throne  was  appointed  chief  clerk  of  the  de- 
partment of  insurance  of  the  state  of  Ore- 
gon, remaining  in  that  capacity  until  April. 
1911.  when,  on  the  death  of  Governor  Ben- 
son, our  subject  was  removed  from  office  by 
S.  A.  Kozer,  his  superior,  at  the  request  of 
Governor  West,  because  of  his  too  active  part 
in  the  campaign  against  the  latter,  Mr. 
Throne  being  a  .stanch  republican.  On  the 
ISth  of  ilayT  1911,  in  association  with  B.  W. 
Strong  and  Hon.  .John  A.  Carson,  Jlr,  Throne 
organized  The  Umpqua  Valley  Bank  and 
busied  himself  in  securing  subscriptions.  On 
the  13th  of  April,  1912.  the  new  institution 
opened  its  doors  for  liusiness  and  it  was 
whollv  through  his  exertions  that  its  organ- 
ization was  effected,  ilr.  Throne  has  since 
served  as  cashier  of  the  bank  and  his  efforts 
are  proving  a  potent  element  in  its  continued 
growth  and  success.  He  has  already  won  an 
enviable  position  in  financial  circles  for  one 
of  his  vears  and  his  splendid  ability  will 
doubtless  lead  him  on  to  greater  prosperity 
and  prominence. 

(In  the  12th  of  September.  1905.  Mr. 
Throne  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Susan 
A.  Ollivant.  of  Douglas  county,  her  father 
being  William  H.  Ollivant,  deceased,  who 
was  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Douglas 
countv.  They  have  one  child,  John  Fred- 
erick." who  was  born  on  the  3d  of  Decem- 
ber. 1911.  Mr.  Throne  gives  his  political 
allegiance  to  the  republican  party  and  fra- 
termiUv  is  connected  with  Roseburg  Lodge, 
No.  32(3.  B.  P.  0.  E.;  Oak  Camp,  No.  125,  W, 
0.  W.,  and  Roseburg  Lodge,  No.  1037,  Loyal 
Order  of  Moose,  of  which  he  is  treasurer. 
He  is  well  known  as  a  popular,  enterprising 
young  man.  his  friendly  spirit  winning  him 
recnsniition  in  social  "circles  proportionate 
to  his  advancement  in  the  business  world. 

JOHN  McKINNEY,  who  owns  and  operate-- 
a  general  machine  shop  and  foundry  at  Wood- 
burn  was  born  at  Dunbarton.  Scotland,  Starch 
28,  184C.  He  is  a  son  of  Peter  and  Catherine 
(Redington)  McKinney.  the  father  a  native 
of  Scotland  and  the  mother  of  Ireland.  The 
parents  were  married  in  Ireland  and  six 
months  later  removed  to  Scotland,  where  they 
resided  until  1847,  when  the  father  came  to 
America,  settlina:  at  New  Orleans.  Louisiana. 


in  which  city  he  was  accidentally  killed  the 
following  year.  The  mother  came  to  Amer- 
ica in  1853  and  settled  in  Bloomington.  Illi- 
nois. In  1853  the  mother  married  again, 
her  second  union  being  with  Michael  ilooney. 
who  was  born  in  England,  of  Irish  descent 
After  her  marriage  the  mother  went  to  Chi- 
cago and  resided  there  until  her  death,  pass- 
ing away  at  the  age  of  eighty-four.  In  the 
spring  of  1861  Mr.  Mooney  enlisted  in  the 
Civil  war  and  while  in  service  was  captured 
and  placed  in  prison  at  New  Orleans,  where 
he  died.  By  her  two  marriages  Catherine 
Redington  became  the  mother  of  four  chil- 
dren. Of  her  first  marriage  were  born:  .John, 
of  this  review;  and  Mary,  who  died  at  Pueblo. 
Colorado.  By  her  second  marriage  she  be- 
came the  mother  of  two  children:  Alice 
Mooney  and  Mrs.  Nellie  Veronica  Gallagher, 
both  of  whom  are  residents  of  Cliicago. 

On  the  removal  of  the  mother  to  America 
John     Mcl^inney     remained     in     his     native 
country,  where  "at  the  age  of  nine  years,  he 
started  out  in  life  for  himself  by  working  in 
Denney's   Shipyard,  where  he  was  employed 
for  fourteen  nionths.     His  mother  then  sent 
him  money  from  Chicago,  with  which  he  came 
to   America   under   the    captain's   care,   arriv- 
ing in  New  York  with  only  a  half  crown  in 
his  pocket.     From  there  he  went  to  Albany, 
where    through    sympathy    he    was   provided 
with   money  "and  finally  arrived   in  Chicago. 
In  that  city  he  became  bell  boy  at  a  hotel  and 
worked   at    the    same    for    eighteen    months. 
Subsequently  he  served  an  apprenticeship  oi; 
three   years"  at    the   molder's   trade   and   six 
months  in  a  molding  and  core-making  foun- 
dry   and  then  worked  for  a  time  as  a  journey- 
man.    At  the  age  of  twenty-five  he  went  to 
Mishawaka.  Indiana,  where  he  was  employed 
in  the  St.  Joseph  Iron  Works  for  nine  years, 
during   which   time  he  became  head  molder. 
He   then    worked   at    South   Bend   and   later 
in    Wisconsin.     He   was   afterward  connected 
with  the  Holland  Radiator  Company  at  Chi- 
cago,   being    a    stockholder   and   also   general 
superintendent  of  the  same  until  he  came  to 
Oregon  in  1905,  settling  at  Woodburn.     Ship- 
ping his  machinery  from  Chicago,  he  started 
a   foundry   here   and   also   a   general   machine 
shop,  of  which  he  is  the  sole  owner,  and  he  is 
now  carrying  on  an  extensive  business.     He 
has    beeii    very     successful    financially    and 
also   owns   an   excellent   residence   in   Wood- 
burn,      has      business     property      in      Port- 
land,  and   also   real-estate   interests   in   Chi- 
cago and  Michigan. 

On  October  23.  1879,  Mr.  McKinney  wedded 
Jliss  JIargaret  E.  Kerr,  who  was  born  in 
(Jhio.  the  daughter  of  James  AV.  and  Cyrenia 
(Harmani  Kerr,  the  father  a  native  of  Gettys- 
burg. Pennsylvania,  and  the  mother  of  Ohio. 
The^  parents'  lived  in  Ohio  for  several  years, 
or  imtil  1S60.  when  they  moved  to  Columbus. 
Indiana,  where  the  father  passed  away  in 
1883.  the  mother  surviving  him  until  October, 
1898.  In  their  family  were  six  children: 
Esther:  Chloe:  Slartha:  Margaret  E..  now 
Mrs.  McKinney:  Millard  F.;  and  Laura,  who 
is  deceased.  To  Mr.  and  ilrs.  ilcKinney  have 
lieen  born  five  children:  itrs.  Mau.l  F..  Mochel. 


I',  I      . ,    '■■■  '>^'^''-'^ 
PUBLIC     L 


TILKM  F*k 


JOHN    ^UKINXKV 


MRS.   JOHN    ilcKINNEY 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OP  OREGON 


259 


a  university  graduate  and  the  wife  of  a 
Presbyterian  minister  at  Albany,  Oregon; 
Mrs.  Helen  C.  Guiss,  of  Woodburn,  also  a  col- 
lege graduate;  John  R.,  who  attended  uni- 
versity, graduating  from  the  mechanical  en- 
gineering department,  and  is  now  living  at 
home;  Avon,  who  is  now  attending  high 
school;    and    Alice,    who    died    in    infanc}'. 

In  politics  Jlr.  McKinney  is  a  republican 
but  he  has  never  sought  or  desired  office,  pre- 
ferring to  give  his  entire  time  to  his  business 
interests.  He  has  always  been  an  active 
and  industrious  citizen,  a  man  of  e.xcellent 
business  ability,  and  lias  commanded  the  con- 
fidence and  esteem  of  all  with  whom  he  has 
been  associated.  He  ma}-  truly  be  called  a 
self-made  man,  for  he  started  in  life  empty- 
handed  and  now  is  the  owner  of  a  thriving 
foundry  and  general  machine  shop  and  much 
valuable   real   estate. 

CARL  D.  SHOEMAKER,  active  and  promi- 
nent in  newspaper  circles  of  Roseburg,  with 
which  he  has  been  connected  througli  his 
paper,  the  Evening  News,  since  1911,  is  well 
known  in  that  city  as  an  able  and  conscien- 
tious journalist.  He  was  born  in  Napoleon, 
Ohio,  '.June  20,  1SS3.  His  father,  Milton 
Shoemaker,  was  born  in  Mount  Blanchard. 
Ohio,  November  1,  1857,  and  is  in  the  dry- 
goods  business  in  Napoleon.  The  mother. 
Jemema  (Kuhn)  Shoemaker,  was  born  in 
Heinsheim,  Germany,  October  13.  1859.  To 
the  parents  of  our  subject  four  children  were 
born:  Carl  D.;  Samuel  J.,  in  business  with 
his  father  in  Ohio;  Dr.  Bertram  R.,  a  prac- 
ticing physician,  of  Athens,  Ohio;  and  Hilde- 
garde,  living  at  home. 

Carl  D.  Shoemaker  received  his  early  edu- 
cation in  the  common  schools  of  Ohio  and 
later  attended  the  Napoleon  high  school,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  with  the  class  of 
1900.  He  tlien  attended  the  Ohio  State  Uni- 
versity and  received  his  degree  of  B.  A.  in 
1904.  He  was  graduated  from  the  law  de- 
partment of  the  same  institution  in  1907 
with  the  degree  of  LL.  B.  and  practiced  the 
legal  profession  in  Columbus  until  December, 
1911.  At  that  time  he  purchased  the  Even- 
ing News  in  Roseburg  and  has  been  operat- 
ing it  since.  In  the  course  of  a  year  of  his 
residence  in  this  city  he  has  gained  a  reputa- 
tion for  ability  and  fearlessness  in  the  jour- 
nalistic field. 

On  July  27,  1907,  Carl  D.  Shoemaker  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Loa  E.  Turney, 
a  daughter  of  Dr.  Charles  F.  Turney,  of  Co- 
lumbus, Ohio,  and  they  have  one  son,  Milton 
F.  Jlr.  Shoemaker  is  a  republican  and  his 
position  at  the  head  of  the  largest  news- 
paper in  Roseburg  makes  him  a  power  in 
political  circles.  He  takes  an  intelligent  in- 
terest in  public  affairs  and  is  well  versed  in 
local  and  national  matters  of  government. 
He  holds  membership  in  the  Presbyterian 
church  of  Roseburg,  in  which  faith  he  was 
reared.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Delta  Tau 
Delta  and  Acacia  college  fraternities,  belongs 
to  the  blue  lodge,  the  chapter,  eommandery 
and  shrine  of  the  Masonic  order,  and  is  affil- 
iated with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  and  the  Loval  Order  of  Moose.  Carl 
Vol.  rv— 1 1 


D.  Shoemaker  never  abuses  the  power  which 
his  position  as  owner  of  a  newspaper  gives 
him  and  he  never  uses  his  influence  for  paltry 
or   unworthy    purposes. 

HARRY  WEAVER  WALKER  is  success- 
fully engaged  in  the  operation  of  his  father's 
improved  ranch,  located  thi-ee  quarters  of  a 
mile  from  Cooston  in  Coos  county.  Oregon. 
He  was  born  May  10,  18SS,  in  Coos  county, 
and  is  the  son  of  VV.  L.  and  Alice  R.  (Weaver) 
Walker,  being  an  only  child.  The  father  set- 
tled in  California  at  an  early  day  and  in 
1SS5  removed  to  Coos  Bay  and  established 
his  home  on  Coos  river,  at  which  place  he 
had  his  residence  for  three  years  and  then 
removed  to  Coos  Bay  where  he  purchased 
one  liundred  and  sixty  acres  of  valuable  agri- 
cultural land. 

Harry  Weaver  Walker  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  of  Oregon  and  re- 
mained under  the  parental  roof  until  twenty- 
one  years  of  age  at  which  time  he  rented  his 
father's  farm  and  engaged  in  general  farm- 
ing, to  which  he  has  since  continued  to  give 
his  entire  attention,  making  a  specialty  of 
dairj-  farming  and  also  of  "^raising  potatoes 
which  he  sells  in  the  open  market. 

Mr.  Walker  was  united  in  marriage  July 
3,  1909,  at  Cooston.  to  Miss  Jeanette  E. 
Nass.  a  native  of  Wisconsin  and  a  daughter 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Herman  Nass,  who  became 
the  parents  of  thirteen  cliildren:  Louis,  a 
resident  of  Washington,  who  is  married  and 
has  two  children ;  William,  a  resident  of 
Washington,  who  is  married  and  has  one 
child;  Laura,  who  is  the  wife  of  W.  E. 
Homme,  postmaster  of  Cooston,  Oregon,  by 
whom  she  has  three  children;  Gustave,  a  resi- 
dent of  Washington;  Mamie,  who  is  the  wife 
of  Clarence  Botts.  of  Tacoma,  Washington, 
by  whom  she  has  one  child;  Otto,  a  resident 
of  Washington;  Richard,  who  makes  his  home 
in  Coos  county  with  Harry  W.  Walker,  of 
this  review;  Herbert  and  Grover,  both  of 
whom  reside  in  Wisconsin;  Jeanette  E.,  the 
wife  of  our  subject;  Ella  and  Esther,  both  of 
whom  reside  at  home  with  their  parents  in 
Wisconsin;  and  Ellen,  who  is  deceased. 

Mr.  and  !Mrs.  Walker  are  the  parents  of 
one  child,  Herbert,  who  was  born  May  9, 
1910.  Mr.  Walker  is  liberal  in  the  e.xereise 
of  his  franchise,  having  no  definite  affilia- 
tion with  any  party.  He  is  a  director  of  the 
school  board  of  the  district  in  which  he 
lives  and  is  a  member  of  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  His  wife  is  a  member 
of  the   Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

Mr.  Walker  has  been  in  full  charge  of  his 
father's  farm  since  1909  and  as  the  superin- 
tendent of  that  property  he  has  made  a  very 
creditable  success.  He  is  highly  respected 
in  the  community  in  which  he  resides  and  is 
one  of  the  well  known  and  useful  citizens 
of  Coos  count}-. 

GEORGE  MELVIN  MILLER.  To  George 
Melvin  Miller  more  than  to  any  other  indi- 
vidual is  due  the  development  of  Florence, 
the  seaport  of  Lane  count}-.  His  labors  have 
directly  and  indirectly  benefited  this  part 
of    the    state    and    the    consensus   of    public 


•260 


THE  CENTEN.MAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


opinion  places  him  witli  the  leading  citizens 
of  Eugene.  He  was  born  in  Lane  county, 
Oregon,  Ma}'  22,  1857,  and  is  a  sou  of 
Hulings  and  ilargaret  B.  (Witt)  Miller.  His 
paternal  grandfather,  Hulings  Miller,  Sr., 
laid  down  his  life  on  the  altar  of  his  country 
while  serving  as  a  soldier  in  the  War  of 
1812  under  command  of  General  William 
Henry  Harrison.  His  son  and  namesake  was 
born  in  Ohio,  whence  he  removed  to  Liberty, 
Indiana.  He  was  a  well  educated  man  for 
his  day  and  engaged  in  teaching  school  in 
Indiana,  in  which  state  he  married  and  there 
four  of  the  older  children  were  born.  After 
living  for  a  time  on  the  Indian  Reserve  in 
western  Indiana,  where  he  also  engaged  in 
teaching,  he  emigrated  to  Oregon  in  1852, 
with  his  family,  settling  at  Coburg  in  the 
foothills,  where  he  resided  until  his  death, 
■which  occurred  in  1884.  Unto  him  and  his 
wife  were  born  five  children:  John  C,  who 
was  a  dentist  and  practiced  in  Philadelphia 
but  lost  his  health  through  his  service  in 
the  Civil  war;  -Tames,  living  at  Creswell. 
Oregon;  Joaquin,  who  is  far  famed  as  the 
poet  of  the  Sierras;  Ella,  who  became  the 
wife  of  John  Luckey  but  is  deceased;  and 
George  Melvin. 

The  last  named  attended  the  public  schools 
and  afterward  took  up  the  profession  of 
teaching.  Desirous  of  advancing  his  own 
education,  he  later  entered  Monmotith  (Ore- 
gon) College  and  also  attended  the  Univer- 
sity of  Oregon  in  the  year  in  which  it  was 
opened.  He  began  reading  law  with  Judge 
Walton  and  following  his  admission  to  the 
bajr  practiced  at  Eugene  and  at  Independence 
but  has  given  most  of  his  time  to  real-estate 
dealings,  in  which  connection  he  has  become 
very  widely  known.  On  the  26th  of  May, 
1887,  he  purchased  the  original  town  site 
of  Florence,  becoming  owner  of  ninety  acres, 
for  which  he  paid  ten  dollars  an  acre.  He 
had  first  visited  this  site  in  1883.  driving  a 
wagon  to  a  point  twenty-five  miles  from 
Eugene  and  then  walking  the  remainder  of 
the  distance,  carrying  his  blankets.  He  was 
accompanied  by  D.  P.  Thompson,  S'.  W.  Con- 
don and  Professor  Lee,  who  was  superin- 
tendent of  schools  of  Eugene.  At  Mapleton 
they  found  an  Indian,  who  had  a  boat  and 
took  them  down  to  what  is  now  the  site  of 
Florence.  At  that  time  there  was  only  a 
board  house  there  and  one  white  family — 
about  a  half  dozen  inhabitants  in  all.  There 
was  a  small  store  in  a  shanty  conducted  by 
A.  J.  Moody.  On  that  trip  of  two  days 
Mr.  Miller  saw  the  possibilities  for  the  build- 
ing of  an  attractive  seaport  town  there.  Mr. 
Moody  had  obtained  title  to  his  holdings  of 
ninety  acres  and  when  this  was  put  on  sale 
after  his  death  nobody  bid  for  it  and  the 
sale  was  continued  until  the  following  year. 
In  the  meantime  a  wagon  road  had  been 
opened  between  Eugene  and  Mapleton  and 
settlers  began  to  move  in  and  take  up  gov- 
ernment land.  Biggar  Herman  was  attorney 
for  the  administrator  for  the  Moody  estate 
and  through  him  Mr.  Miller  learned  that  the 
property  could  be  bought  but  only  through 
public  sale  at  auction.  Mr.  Herman  also 
said  that  the  land  would  not  be  put  up  for 


sale  again  without  a  guarantee  of  at  least 
one  bid  and  Mr.  Miller  guaranteed  the  bid. 
He  proved  to  be  the  only  bidder  and  secured 
the  title  to  the  property.  Later  he  secured 
a  homestead  claim  adjoining  the  site  and 
subsequently  purchased  a  half  interest  in  the 
Chicago  addition  and  one  hundred  and  fifty 
acres  in  another  tract.  He  has  since  been 
selling  lots  and  buying  acreage,  and  has 
dealt  extensively  in  that  district.  His  sound 
judgment  and  keen  prescience  were  manifest 
in  his  purchase  of  the  land  at  Florence,  for 
he  recognized  its  possibilities  and  wisely 
used  the  opportunity  that  came  to  him. 
Operating  extensively  in  real  estate  there 
through  the  intervening  years,  he  has  de- 
rived therefrom  a  handsome  and  well  earned 
fortune. 

He  was  the  pioneer  in  cutting  up  the  large 
donation  claims  into  small  tracts  for  higher 
tillage,  beginning  in  1887  with  the  Solomon 
Zumalt  donation  claim  near  Eugene.  Mr. 
Miller  spent  the  greater  part  of  four  years, 
from  1898  to  1902.  in  southeastern  Alaska, 
following  various  occupations  from  practic- 
ing law  to  stampeding  for  mining  claims  in 
elo.se  proximity  to  the  disputed  boundary 
line  between  Alaska  and  Canada,  and  natu- 
rally, as  an  American  citizen,  took  a  deep 
interest  in  the  settlement  of  the  question 
pending  between  the  British  and  American 
g'overnments.  He  happened  to  be  in  Skag- 
way  on  a  morning  in  .June,  1901,  when  the 
Canadian  customs  officials  raised  the  British 
flag  over  their  improvised  customs  house 
in  that  town.  Mr.  Miller,  seeing  the  flag 
floating  over  what  he  knew  to  be  American 
soil,  promptly  cut  the  halyards  and  lowering 
the  British  colors,  carefully  folded  them  and 
laid  them  aside.  Asked  by  what  authority 
he  did  this,  he  replied.  "By  the  authority  of 
an  American  citizen,"  and  added  that  the 
British  flag  could  not  be  raised  again  in 
Skagway  unless  the  flag  of  the  United  States 
floated  above  it.  The  incident  very  nearly 
led  to  international  complications.  The  gov- 
ernment sustained  Mr.  Miller  in  his  action 
and  the  British  government  repudiated  the 
act  of  its  officials  in  Skagway.  President 
Roosevelt  sent  out  a  body  of  soldiers  and 
established  a  post  at  Haines  Mission  on  the 
Chilcat  peninsula.  A  commission  was  ap- 
pointed and  a  boundary  line  established  sub- 
stantially as  claimed  by  Mr.  Miller,  and 
Skagway    remained    in    American    territory. 

Mr.  Miller  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 
Presbyterian  church  in  Florence,  and  was  for 
a  time  one  of  its  elders. 

In  1885  he  married  Lisehen  Coggswell,  a 
daughter  of  John   Coggswell,  of   Eugene. 

THOMAS  APPLEGATE,  a  well  known  and 
respected  resident  of  Yonealla,  is  a  native 
son  of  this  state,  his  birth  having  occurred 
in  Polk  county  on  the  27th  of  August.  1847. 
His  parents  were  Charles  and  Malinda 
(Miller)  Applegate,  who  are  mentioned  at 
greater  length  on  another  page  of  this  work, 
in  connection  with  the  sketch  of  George 
Applegate,  a  brother  of  our  subject.  Thomas 
Applegate  was  but  three  years  of  age  when 
brought   by   his   parents   to   Douglas    county 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


261 


and  it  was  here  tluit  lie  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated, attending  tlie  public  seliools  and  also 
Wilbur  Academy,  in  which  institution  he 
pursued  his  studies  during  a  short  term. 
At  the  time  he  reached  his  majority  his  four 
older  brothers  had  married  and  left  the  farm 
and  his  father  was  approaching  old  age,  so 
that  the  management  and  operation  of  the 
home  place  necessarily  fell  to  his  lot.  When 
twenty-six  j-ears  of  age  he  rented  land  from 
his  father  and  began  farming  on  an  exten- 
sive scale.  In  1878  he  removed  to  Grant 
county,  Oregon,  but  at  the  end  of  a  year 
returned  to  Yoncalla.  While  living  in  Grant 
county  he  had  purchased  about  three  hun- 
dred acres  of  land  in  Douglas  county  and 
after  his  return  resided  thereon  for  two  and 
a  half  years.  On  the  expiration  of  that 
period,  in  the  spring  of  1882,  he  sold  his 
ranch  and  removed  to  .Tackson  county,  return- 
ing to  Yoncalla,  however,  in  the  spring  of 
1883  and  turning  Ids  attention  to  the  saw- 
mill business.  In  1888  he  removed  to  Oak- 
land, California,  and  spent  the  following  six- 
teen years  in  the  Sacramento  valley,  being 
employed  on  the  large  ranches  of  that  valley. 
In  190.5  he  once  more  returned  to  Yon- 
calla, Oregon,  where  he  has  remained  to  the 
present   time. 

In  1875  Mr.  Applegate  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Hortense  Reed,  a  daughter  of 
Dr.  Calvin  Reed,  who  was  the  first  practicing 
physician  of  Douglas  county.  In  1850,  while 
crossing  the  plains  from  Anamosa,  Iowa,  to 
Oregon  with  ox  teams,  he  was  one  of  the 
victims  in  the  epidemic  of  cholera  then 
raging  but  survived  the  dread  disease.  After 
arriving  in  Douglas  county  he  took  up  a  dona- 
tion claim  where  the  town  of  Winchester 
now  stands  and  built  thereon  a  gristmill  and 
also  a  sawmill,  these  being  the  first  mills 
erected  in  the  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Apple- 
gate  have  eight  children,  as  follows:  Agnes, 
who  is  the  wife  of  Edward  Kaehler,  of  Glenn 
county,  California;  Carl  R.,  who  is  engaged 
in  ranching  in  Glenn  county,  California; 
Beatrice,  the  wife  of  Dallas  Crouch,  of  Spring- 
field, Oregon;  Audley  E.,  who  is  a  contractor 
and  builder  of  Portland,  Oregon;  Homer  G., 
who  is  the  proprietor  of  a  hotel  at  Butte 
City,  California;  Harriett,  the  wife  of  C.  Ray 
Beckley,  who  is  in  the  service  of  the  firm 
of  Toft  &  Company,  commission  merchants 
of  Portland.  Oregon;  James  E.,  living  in 
Marshfield,  Oregon;  and  Vivian,  who  is  em- 
ployed in  an  office  in  Portland.  In  politics 
Mr.  Applegate  is  a  stanch  republican,  loyallj' 
.supporting  the  men  and  measures  of  that 
party.  His  wife  belongs  to  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church.  He  has  always  been  a 
hard  worker  and  it  has  been  through  his 
unremitting  energy  that  he  enjoys  his  present 
comfort  and  prosperity. 

WESLEY  A.  BEAN  is  a  native  son  of  Ore- 
gon and  has  been  identified  with  various  rep- 
resentative enterprises  since  he  began  his 
active  life.  At  the  present  time  he  is  suc- 
cessful as  a  general  merchant  in  Riverton, 
having  built  up  a  flourishing  business  from 
a  humble  beginning.  He  was  born  in  Doug- 
las county,  November  5,   1862,  and  is  a   son 


of  Stephen  and  Martha  (Allen)  Bean,  the 
former  a  native  of  Indiana  and  the  latter 
of  Kansas.  The  father  came  to  Oregon  in 
1844  and  settled  in  the  Willamette  valley, 
while  the  mother  came  to  the  Umpqua  val- 
ley with  her  people  in  the  early  days  of  the 
.settlement  of  that  district.  Both  crossed 
the  plains  with  ox  teams  and  were  among  the 
pioneers  in  Oregon.  Stephen  Bean  was  a 
machinist  by  trade  and  after  settling  in  the 
Willamette  valley  he  followed  that  line  of 
occupation  for  a  number  of  years,  finally 
buying  land  in  Douglas  county,  which  he 
operated  until  his  retirement.  He  moved  to 
Coos  county  and  established  his  residence  at 
Lampa,  on  tlie  Coquille  river,  where  he  died 
in  March,  1906.  His  wife  survived  him  until 
1910.  They  were  the  parents  of  eleven  chil- 
dren: Clara,  the  widow  of  A.  Burns,  of  Port- 
land; William  S.,  a  merchant  of  Newburg; 
Susan,  who  has  passed  away;  Mary,  the  wife 
of  C.  E.  Hasard,  postmaster  of  Drain,  Ore- 
gon; Wesley  A.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch; 
James  L.,  postmaster  and  general  merchant 
in  Lampa;  Annie,  the  wife  of  J.  H.  Tiraon, 
of  California;  Myrtle,  who  married  T.  L. 
Kendle,  a  ranchman  of  Tacoma,  Washington; 
Albert  S.  and  Edgar,  both  of  whom  reside 
in  Lampa;  and  a  child  who  died  in  infancy. 

Wesley  A.  Bean  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Douglas  county  and  learned  his 
father's  trade  of  carpentering.  He  remained 
at  home  until  he  was  twenty-one  years  of 
age  and  assisted  in  the  operation  of  the  farm. 
When  he  attained  his  majority  he  entered 
a  normal  school  and  after  a  three  year's' 
course  was  engaged  as  teacher  in  the  district 
schools  of  several  counties  in  Oregon,  fol- 
lowing this  line  of  occupation  for  six  years. 
At  the  end  of  that  time  he  became  identified 
with  coal  mining  in  Riverton.  He  formed  a 
partnership  with  J.  H.  Timon  and  opened 
the  first  mine  of  this  character  in  the  village, 
which  has  since  been  known  as  the  Timon 
mine.  Mr.  J.  H.  Timon  was  the  discoverer 
of  the  vein  and  both  he  and  Mr.  Bean  were 
active  in  the  development  of  the  enterprise 
for  a  number  of  years,  finally  selling  out  his 
interest  to  his  partner,  who  employed  him  as 
superintendent  and  manager.  He  acted  in 
these  capacities  for  eight  years,  abandoning 
mining  at  the  end  of  that  time  in  order  to 
resume  carpentering.  He  worked  at  this  oc- 
cupation and  at  sawmilling  for  several  years 
and  then  established  himself  in  the  merchan- 
dise business  in  Riverton,  being  still  con- 
nected with  this  line  of  activity.  It  was  a 
very  small  enterprise  when  it  was  purchased 
by  Mr.  Bean  but  it  has  grown  rapidly  and 
expanded  along  modern  and  progressive  lines. 
The  store  has  been  enlarged  twice  to  accom- 
modate the  growing  patronage.  Mr.  Bean 
carries  a  stock  worth  about  five  thousand 
dollars  and  this  he  keeps  complete  and  up- 
to-date  in  every  particular,  his  rapidly  in- 
creasing trade  being  an  evidence  of  his  "pros- 
perity. He  has  invested  in  local  property, 
owning  his  own  residence  and  several  busi- 
ness lots  in  Riverton.  When  the  postoffice 
was  reestablished  he  was  appointed  post- 
master and  has  acted  in  this  capacity  since 
that  time,  gaining  success  in  the  conduct  of 


262 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


the  office  by  reason  of  the  same  qualities  of 
painstaking  care  and  conscientiousness  whicli 
have  made  his  commercial  career  a  valuable 
factor  in  expansion. 

On  December  27,  1S97,  Mr.  Bean  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Mabel  Martin,  a  native 
of  California  and  a  daughter  of  J.  E.  and 
Ella  (Hensley)  Martin.  The  parents  came 
to  Oregon  in  1S92  and  after  two  years  set- 
tled in  Riverton,  where  they  purchased  a 
home.  The  father  is  well  known  as  a  painter 
in  the  village.  He  and  his  wife  had  seven 
children:  Archie,  a  resident  of  Riverton; 
Mabel,  the  wife  of  our  subject:  George,  also 
a  resident  of  Riverton;  Clifford,  who  is  in 
business  with  our  subject  and  who  married 
Miss  Mabel  Sanford,  a  native  of  Oregon;  Rob- 
ert, who  is  engaged  in  the  stock  business  in 
Riverton  in  partnership  with  his  brother 
Archie;  Nellie,  who  has  passed  away;  and 
Joseph,  also  a  resident  of  Riverton.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Bean  have  two  children:  Bernice, 
who  was  born  May  2S,  1904.  and  who  died  a 
short  time  afterward;  and  Dorothy  S.,  whose 
birth  occurred  on  July  28,  1905,  and  who  is 
now  attending  school. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Bean  is  inde- 
pendent and  never  seeks  public  office.  He 
holds  membership  in  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows  and  in  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World.  He  has  sought  success  along  commer- 
cial lines  and  has  gained  the  re-ward  of  his 
industry  and  activity  in  increased  efficiency. 
He  is  energetic,  straightforward  and  hon- 
orably ambitious  and  measures  up  to  the 
highest  standards  of  personal  honor  and  pres- 
ent-day business  ethics. 

TILLO  M.  COLLVER  is  one  of  the  success- 
ful farmers  of  Coos  county  located  at  Catch- 
ing inlet  on  his  highly  improved  ranch  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres,  where  he  is  engaged 
in  agricultural  pursuits,  making  a  specialty 
of  dairy  farming.     He  was  born  October  21, 
1869.  on  Coos   river,  and  is   a  son  of  A.  B. 
and  Ruth   (Rice)   Collver.     The  parents  cele- 
brated  their  marriage   in  Iowa  and  in   1852 
crossed  the  plains  with  ox  teams  to  Oregon, 
settling    in    Douglas    county   on    a    donation 
claim    where    they    continued    to    live    until 
1857.   at   which   time   they   removed   to   Coos 
bay  and  purchased   a  farm  of  two  hundred 
and  forty  acres  located  on  Coos  river  where 
they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives,  the 
father  passing  away  in   1902  at  the  age  of 
eighty-two  years  and  the  mother's  death  oc- 
curring   in    1903    when    she    was    seventy-six 
years  of   age.     In  their   family  were  eleven 
children:     Philura,  deceased;  Henrietta.  Avho 
makes  her  home  with  the  subject  of  this  re- 
view;   A.   M..  who   resides   in   Forest  Grove; 
Adelia,  who  is  the  wife  of  Isaac  Powell  of 
eastern   Oregon,  by  whom   she   has   ten   chil- 
dren; Orace  G.,  who  resides  in  Culver,  Crook 
county.  Oregon;  William  A.,  of  Coos  county, 
who   is  married  and  has  two  children;   .Tohn 
T.,  of  North  Bend,  who  is  married  and  has 
two   children:    Sarah   D..   now   deceased,   who 
became  the   wife  of  William  H.  Church,  by 
whom   she   had   five   children;    Andrew   F.,   of 
Newport,    Oregon,    who    is    married    and    has 


eight  children;  Howard,  of  Coquille,  who  is 
married  and  has  seven  children ;  and  Tillo 
M.,  of  this  review. 

Tillo  M.  Collver  was  reared  in  his  parents' 
home  and  received  his  early  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  Oregon.  At  the  age  of 
fourteen  he  started  in  life  for  himself,  taking 
up  work  witli  his  brothers,  with  whom  he 
continued  for  five  years  and  then  purchased 
a  smrll  number  of  cattle  and  some  time  later 
rented  his  brother's  farm  of  two  hundred 
acres  and  engaged  in  general  farming.  He 
afterward  held  the  position  of  lighthouse 
keeper  at  Cape  Argo  for  a  short  time  but  con- 
tinued to  give  the  necessary  attention  to 
his  farming  interests  on  his  brother's  place, 
where  he  remained  for  a  period  of  ten  years 
engaged  in  stock-raising,  truck-farming  and 
dairying.  He  then,  in  company  with  his 
older  brother,  A.  M.  Collver,  purchased  a 
place  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  and  in 
1904  he  bought  his  brother's  interest  in  the 
property  and  since  that  time  as  sole  owner 
and  proprietor  has  devoted  his  attention 
to  the  improvement  and  cultivation  of  his 
ranch.  Twenty  acres  of  his  property  he  has 
brought  to  a  high  state  of  cultivation  and 
uses  in  his  dairy  business  fifteen  well  selected 
cows,  each  of  which  nets  him  eighty-five  dol- 
lars per  annum,  which  is  a  maximum  record 
in  the  dairy  business. 

On  June  15,   1898,  Mr.   Collver  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Carrie  Moore,  a  native  of 
Wasco  county,  this  state,  and  a  daughter  of 
William  H.  and  Elmira    (Towne)   iloore.  the 
former  a  native  of  Indiana  and  the  latter  of 
Illinois.      The    parents    removed    from    Iowa 
to  Oregon,  settling  in  Wasco  county  in  1S91. 
To  them  six  children  were  born.     Marshall, 
who  is  filling  the  office  of  postmaster  at  Fort 
Collins,  Colorado,  is  married  and  has  two  chil- 
dren.     Frank,   residing   at   The   Dalles,   Ore- 
gon, is  married  and  has  two  children.     Carrie 
is  the  wife  of  Tillo   M.  Collver  of  this  re- 
view.    Anna    married   Ed   CofTelt,   of   North 
Bend,  and   they  have   two   children.     .Jennie 
is  the  wife  of  Clarence  R.  Collver  of  Douglas 
countv.  Oregon,  and  she  has  two  children  by 
a    former   husband.     Arthur,   who  completes 
the  family,  resides  with  his  sister.  Mrs.  Tillo 
M.    Collver.      Mr.    and    Mrs.    Collver    are    the 
parents    of    six    children:      Chester   A.,    born 
August  12.  1899.  who  is  now  attending  school; 
Vernon  AV..  born   August   17.   1901.  who  is  a 
pupil  in  the  public  schools;   Gladys  L.,  born 
August  31,  1903,  who  is  also  attending  school; 
Gordon  M..  born   August  28,   1905;    Enid  R., 
born   September  10.   1907;   and  Marshall  M., 
born  May  5,  1911. 

Mr.  Collver  is  a  loyal  adherent  of  the  re- 
publican party  and  has  for  the  past  three 
years  been  one  of  the  officers  of  the  school 
district  in  which  he  resides.  He  belongs  to 
the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  the  Knights  of 
Pythias  and  the  Grange,  and  he  and  his  wife 
are  members  of  the  United  Brethren  church. 
Mr.  Collver  is  one  of  the  well  known  agri- 
culturists of  his  portion  of  the  state  and  is 
interested    in    every    movement    intended    to 


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THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


265 


advance  the  interests  of  his  community.  He 
is  a  man  respected  by  his  friends  and  asso- 
ciates and  in  every  way  one  of  the  substan- 
tial and  desirable  citizens  of  the  county  in 
which  he  resides. 

JOSEPH  McD.  HAYES  owns  and  operates 
two  farms  in  Coos  county  and  as  an  expert 
agriculturist  is  ranked  among  the  represen- 
tative citizens  of  the  district.  The  tract  upon 
which  he  lives  comprises  eightj^  acres  of  fer- 
tile land,  most  of  which  is  in  a  high  state 
of  cultivation.  He  is  also  the  proprietor  of 
a  farm  of  thirty-two  acres  in  another  part 
of  Coos  county  and  divides  his  attention  be- 
tween the  operation  of  the  two  properties. 
He  was  born  in  Watauga  county,  Xorth 
Carolina,  in  186S,  and  is  a  son  of  -John  and 
Susan  (Wagner)  Hayes,  of  whom  further 
mention  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  work. 
Joseph  Hayes  received  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  Coos  county,  whither  he 
had  come  as  a  child,  and  gained  expert  agri- 
cultural knowledge  by  assisting  his  father 
upon  the  work  of  the  farm.  He  began  his  in- 
dependent career  at  the  time  of  his  marriage, 
when  he  was  t\vent,v-two  years  of  age.  and 
farmed  a  tract  of  land  consisting  of  eighty 
acres  which  he  purchased  at  that  time.  This 
property  is  located  on  the  south  fork  of  the 
Coquille  river,  twent,y-five  miles  above  Myrtle 
Point,  and  upon  it  Mr,  Hayes  has  resided  con- 
tinuously with  the  exception  of  three  years. 
He  has  operated  his  farm  along  modern  and 
scientific  lines  during  this  time  and  has 
brought  it  to  a  high  state  of  cultivation. 
He  has  improved  his  outbuildings,  granaries 
and  barns;  fenced  his  fields  and  planted  his 
acres  to  the  grains  most  suitable  to  soil  and 
climate.  He  has  made  a  success  because  he 
has  founded  his  activities  upon  personal  ex- 
perience and  efficiency.  He  has  added  to 
his  holdings  and  now  owns  eight.y-.seven  acres 
in  the  tract  upon  which  he  resides,  twenty 
acres  of  which  are  highly  improved  and  de- 
veloped. He  also  owns  another  farm  in  Coos 
county  comprising  thirty-two  acres. 

In  1892  Mr.  Hayes  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Sarah  Hartley,  a  native  of  North 
Carolina,  who  came  to  Oregon  with  her  par- 
ents when  she  was  a  child.  She  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  Harrison  and  Margaret  Hartley,  who 
were  among  the  pioneers  of  this  state  and 
who  settled  first  in  Myrtle  Point,  where  the 
father  purchased  land  and  cultivated  the  soil. 
He  has  brought  the  farm  to  a  highly  im- 
proved state  and  now  makes  his  home  in 
Myrtle  Point.  Mrs.  Hayes  is  one  of  a  large 
family,  nine  of  whom  are  still  living:  Wil- 
liam, who  resides  in  Coos  county,  Oregon; 
Reuben,  who  makes  his  home  in  North 
Yakima,  Oregon;  Benjamin,  who  is  a  resident 
of  Idaho;  Alice,  the  widow  of  Walter  Ben- 
nett, of  Myrtle  Point;  Leonard,  whose  farm 
is  in  Coos  county;  .Jack,  who  maintains  his 
home  in  Idaho;  Annie,  the  wife  of  Zac  Grant, 
residing  near  Myrtle  Point;  David,  of  Bandon, 
Oregon;  and  Finley,  deceased.  Mrs.  Hayes 
died  in  1902  and  was  buried  in  Norway 
cemetery,  Coos  county.  She  left  to  mourn 
her  three  children:  Adolphus,  born  in  1893, 
who    received    most   of   his   education    in    the 


public  schools  of  Coos  county  and  is  at  home; 
Harrison,  born  in  1S95,  who  lives  with  his 
father;  and  Jesse,  whose  birth  occurred  in 
January,  1897,  and  who  is  attending  school. 
Mr.  Hayes  and  his  sons  are  members  of  the 
Dunkard  faith  and  are  well  known  in  the 
organization  of  that  church.  In  his  political 
affiliations  ilr.  Hayes  is  a  socialist  and 
held  the  office  of  road  supervisor  for  one 
term.  He  is  public-spirited  and  interested 
in  tlie  growth  and  progress  of  this  section 
and  lends  his  influence  principally  to  educa- 
tional matters.  He  has  been  serving  on  the 
school  board  for  a  number  of  years  and  in 
this  capacity  has  done  efficient  work  along 
those  lines. 

JOHN  GEIDER,  well  known  as  a  fruit- 
grower of  the  Yoncalla  valley,  resides  on  a 
tract  of  forty  acres  two  miles  south  of  Yon- 
calla, which  has  been  in  his  possession  for 
almost  a  quarter  of  a  century.  His  birth 
occurred  in  Hesse-Darmstadt,  Germany,  on 
the  20th  of  May,  1856,  his  parents  being 
Franz  and  Margaret  (Engman)  Geider.  who 
passed  away  in  that  country.  The  father 
was  a  farmer  and  liveryman  in  the  town  of 
Kastell,  on  the  Rhine. 

John  Geider  spent  the  first  seventeen  years 
of  his  life  in  his  home  in  Germany.  He  ob- 
tained a  good  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  the  fatherland  and  after  coming  to  this 
country  continued  his  studies  in  Sacramento, 
California.  It  was  in  1873  that  lie  crossed 
the  Atlantic  to  the  United  States,  landing  in 
New  York  city,  where  he  spent  about  two 
months.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period 
he  crossed  the  continent  to  California,  locat- 
ing in  Sacramento.  He  had  learned  the  black- 
smith's trade  in  Germany  and  worked  at  that 
occupation  in  Sacramento  for  about  three 
years.  At  the  time  of  the  construction  of 
the  Southern  Pacific  railway  he  was  employed 
as  a  smith  by  that  corporation  for  three 
years.  During  the  following  eight  or  ten 
years  his  was  a  varied  career.  He  followed 
the  sea  for  about  three  years,  working  on  a 
coasting  vessel,  and  subsequently  was  em- 
ployed as  a  blacksmith  to  assist  in  the  con- 
struction of  the  Oregon  &  California  rail- 
road and  also  the  Canadian  Pacific.  He 
next  conducted  a  blacksmith  shop  in  Dillard, 
Douglas  county,  for  four  years,  and  in  1888 
came  to  the  Yoncalla  valley.  On  the  follow- 
in"  New  Year's  day  he  was  married  and 
later  established  his  home  on  a  farm  two 
miles  south  of  Yoncalla,  where  he  has  re- 
mained to  the  present  time.  The  place  com- 
prises forty  acres  and  was  purchased  by  him 
prior  to  his  marriage.  He  has  won  success 
in  his  undertakings  as  a  fruit-gi'ower  and 
his  is  one  of  the  attractive  little  homes  of 
southern  Oregon. 

On  the  1st  of  .January,  1889,  Mr.  Geider 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Sarah  E. 
Uice,  a  daughter  of  Harrison  Rice,  who  was 
one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Dillard,  having 
crossed  the  plains  with  ox  teams  from  Maine 
in  1853.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Geider  have  four  chil- 
dren, namely:  Harrison  R.,  who  is  a  resident 
of  Sherlock.  Washington;  John  F..  at  home; 
Margaret    K..    wlio    is    employed    in    the    city 


266 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


of  Portland;  and  Edith  G.,  who  is  still  under 
the  parental  roof. 

In  politics  Mr.  Geider  is  independent,  sup- 
porting men  and  measures  rather  than  party. 
He  is  a  worth.y  exemplar  of  the  Masonic  fra- 
ternity, belonging  to  Laurel  Lodge.  Xo.  l-S, 
A.  F.  &  A.  M.  His  wife  is  a  devoted  and 
consistent  member  of  the  Baptist  church.  He 
has  never  regretted  his  determination  to  seek 
a  home  and  fortune  in  the  new  world,  for 
here  he  has  not  only  won  prosperity  but  also 
the  esteem  and  good-will  of  his  fellow  towns- 
men. 

E.  M.  HOFFMAN  owns  and  operates  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  fertile  and  pro- 
ductive farm  land  located  three  miles  above 
Myrtle  Point,  Oregon,  where  he  is  carrying 
on  general  farming,  making  a  specialty  of 
stock-raising  and  dairying.  He  was  born 
in  Douglas  county,  Oregon,  January  29,  185S, 
and  is  a  son  of  Abraham  and  Jemina  (Filett) 
Hofi'man,  the  former  a  native  of  Dearborn 
county,  Indiana,  and  the  latter  of  Winni- 
peg, Canada.  Abraham  Hoffman  came  to 
Oregon  in  1850  and  was  married  in  that  state, 
his  wife  having  been  a  resident  of  Oregon 
since  1841.  She  came  to  the  northwest  in 
her  infancy  traveling  overland  with  her  par- 
ents in  an  emigrant  train,  comprised  of 
thirty-six  pioneer  families.  After  their  mar- 
riage Mr.  and  Mrs.  Abraham  Hoffman  settled 
on  a  donation  claim  of  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  on  the  Coquillc  river,  three 
miles  above  Myrtle  Point.  The  father  cul- 
tivated the  land,  and  developed  and  improved 
it  with  gratifying  success  until  his  death  on 
October  17,  1862,  when  he  was  forty-two 
years  of  age.  His  wife  is  still  living  on  the 
old  homestead  and  has  reached  her  seventy- 
second  year.  E.  M.  Hoffman  is  one  of  three 
children  born  to  his  parents.  The  others 
are:  G.  F.,  of  California;  and  Rachel,  the 
wife  of  Joseph  J.  Marcus,  also  of  California. 

E,  M.  Hoffman  was  reared  at  home  and  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  Coos  county.  He  became  acquainted  with 
the  details  of  farming  as  carried  on  in  the 
state  of  Oregon  and  gained  a  practical  ex- 
perience in  the  best  methods  of  tilling  the 
soil  and  caring  for  the  stock  and  grain.  He 
remained  with  his  parents  until  his  marriage 
when  he  was  twenty-si.x  years  of  age  at  which 
time  he  abandoned  farming  for  work  in  a 
logging  camp.  He  was  also  engaged  in 
ranching  at  this  time  and  was  successful  as 
a  stock-raiser.  He  eventually  took  up  a 
homestead  claim  in  Coos  county  and  lived  for 
some  years  upon  his  holdings  cultivating 
and  improving  them  along  progressive  and 
modern  lines.  He  later  bought  his  father's 
old  homestead  and  at  the  present  time  is  the 
proprietor  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
located  three  miles  above  Myrtle  Point,  Ore- 
gon. He  is  making  a  specialty  of  raising 
high-grade  stock  and  engages  extensively  in 
dairying.  He  has  equipped  his  farm  with  all 
modern'  conveniences,  has  remodeled  his  barns 
and  outbuildings  and  has  made  his  property 
one  of  the  attractive  and  model  features  of 
the  agricultural   development   of  his  section. 


In  his  political  convictions  Mr.  Hoffman  is 
a  republican  and  while  he  never  seeks  public 
office  he  takes  an  intelligent  interest  in  local 
affairs.  He  belongs  to  the  Seventh  Day  Ad- 
ventist  faith  and  with  this  religion  his  fam- 
ily is  also  affiliated. 

On  November  7,  1883,  Mr.  Hoffman  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Henrietta  Wil- 
liams, whose  birth  occurred  in  Atchison 
county,  Kansas,  on  November  2,  1862.  She 
is  a  daughter  of  Henry  C.  and  Martha  W. 
(May)  Williams,  the  former  a  native  of  Mis- 
souri and  the  latter  of  Arkansas.  The  mar- 
riage of  Mrs.  Hoffman's  parents  occurred  in 
Kansas  in  1857,  and  they  made  this  state 
their  home  until  1866.  In  that  year  they 
removed  to  .Jasper  county,  Missouri,  where 
they  remained  five  years.  Their  residence 
in  Oregon  was  established  in  1873  when  the 
father  took  up  a  homestead  claim  in  Coos 
county  near  Myrtle  Point  and  was  successful 
as  an  agriculturist  until  his  death  In  1887. 
He  had  survived  his  wife  for  five  years,  her 
death  having  occurred  in  1882.  To  their 
union  were  born  eleven  children,  five  of  whom 
are  still  living:  Henrietta,  the  wife  of  our 
subject;  Nancy,  now  Mrs.  Brooks  of  Lents, 
Oregon;  .Joseph  W.,  of  Myrtle  Point;  Mrs. 
Maggie  Newington  of  San  Francisco,  Cali- 
fornia; and  Mrs.  Elsie  Moore  of  Coos  county. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs,  Hoflfman  have  been  born 
seven  children:  Mary,  now  Mrs.  Parry  of 
Coos  county,  whose  birth  occurred  on  Au- 
gust 17,  1884;  Edward  F,,  born  February  18, 
1886,  who  resides  at  home;  Walter,  born 
March  2,  1S90,  who  also  resides  at  home; 
Milton  E.,  born  August  28,  1892;  George  W., 
whose  birth  occurred  on  the  23d  of  March, 
1896;  Charles  H.,  born  in  1901;  and  Nellie 
M.,  whose  natal  day  was  January  18,  1906. 

Mr.  Hoffman  is  an  example  of  the  modern 
type  of  farmer.  He  follows  his  occupation 
along  enterprising  and  progressive  lines  and 
is  efficient  and  up-to-date  in  his  methods. 
His  life  has  been  devoted  to  raising  the 
standards  of  agriculture  and  in  promoting 
the  growth  and  development  of  the  resources 
of  Coos  county  by  promoting  his  individual 
prosperity. 

ALEXANDER  MARTIN.  The  history  of 
financial  activity  in  Klamath  Falls  would 
be  incomplete  and  unsatisfactory  were  there 
failure  to  make  prominent  reference  to 
Alexander  Martin,  who  is  the  president  of 
the  First  National  Bank  and  is  still  an  active 
and  valued  factor  in  business  circles,  al- 
though he  has  now  reached  the  seventy- 
eighth  year  of  his  age.  He  was  born  in  Scott 
county,  Illinois,  March  17.  1835,  and  is  a 
son  of  Samuel  and  Susan  (Sisson)  Martin, 
who  were  natives  of  AVest  Virginia  .and 
Baltimore,  Maryland,  respectively.  They 
were  married  in  the  former  state  and  in  1832 
removed  to  Illinois.  The  father  died  on 
the  old  home  farm  in  Scott  county.  He  had 
erected  a  large  brick  residence  upon  his 
place  but  was  not  long  permitted  to  enjoy 
his  new  home,  for  in  the  succeeding  fall — 
the  fall  of  1844— he  passed  away  at  the  age 
of  fiftv-six  years.     He  was  a   stock  farmer 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


267 


and  was  closely  identified  with  the  early 
development  of  his  part  of  the  state.  His 
widow  survived  him  until  1866  and  died  in 
the  old  home  there.  In  their  family  were 
three  sons  and  six  daughters:  Maria  and 
Francis,  both  deceased;  George,  who  was  a 
captain  of  Company  H,  of  the  One  Hundred 
and  Twenty-Ninth  Illinois  Infantry  and 
went  with  Sherman  to  the  sea,  while  his 
last  days  were  spent  in  Kansas  City,  Mis- 
souri, where  he  died  in  1911,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-four  years;  Sarah  and  Eliza,  who 
have  passed  away;  Alexander;  Mrs.  Martha 
Horace  of  Nebraska;  Samuel  of  Nebraska, 
who  served  as  a  lieutenant  in  the  same 
company  with  his  brother  George;  and  Mrs. 
Susan  Cornelia  Cann,  of  Abilene,  Kansas. 
Alexander  Martin  resided  in  Scott  county, 
Illinois,  until  the  spring  of  1853,  when  he  . 
joined  the  hundreds  of  emigrants  to  the 
northwest,  crossing  the  plains  with  ox  teams 
to  the  Rogue  river  valley  of  Oregon.  He 
spent  the  winter  in  Jacksonville  and  in  the 
fall  of  1854  went  to  Sacramento,  California, 
but  in  the  fall  of  1855  he  returned  to  Jack- 
sonville, where  he  followed  blacksmithing 
which  he  had  previously  learned  in  Illinois. 
He  engaged  at  the  trade  there  until  1863 
and  then  turned  from  industrial  to  commer- 
cial pursuits,  operating  a  store  under  the 
firm  name  of  Glenn,  Drum  &  Company.  He 
was  in  this  business  for  two  or  three  years. 
He  acted  as  outside  business  man  for  the 
firm  and  furnished  supplies  for  the  govern- 
ment corporation  being  with  the  army  when 
they  selected  the  site  of  Fort  Klamath.  In 
1866  Mr.  Martin  returned  home  by  way  of 
the  isthmus  route  for  a  visit  with  family 
and  friends  in  Illinois.  He  continued  to  re- 
side in  Jacksonville  till  he  disposed  of  his 
mercantile  interests  about  1872,  when  he 
assumed  the  management  of  the  Overland 
Stage  Route  between  Sacramento  and  Port- 
land. He  was  thus  engaged  until  the  rail- 
road was  built.  He  then  bought  the  mer- 
cantile business  at  Jacksonville  which  was 
owned  by  one  of  his  former  partners.  Major 
Glenn,  and  after  a  few  months  admitted  J. 
B.  White  to  a  partnership.  They  continued 
in  tliis  business  until  1873  and  then  sold  out 
to  Reams  Brothers  &  Company.  On  the  4th 
of  March.  1878,  Mr.  Martin  removed  to  Oak- 
land, California,  and  since  May,  1879,  has 
been  a  prominent  resident  of  that  place.  In 
1880,  however,  he  became  identified  with 
business  interests  at  Klamath  Falls.  He  was 
engaged  in  merchandising  for  a  number  of 
years,  or  until  1900,  when  in  connection  with 
his  eldest  son,  Alexander  Martin,  Jr..  and 
E.  R.  Reams,  he  organized  the  Klamath 
County  Bank,  of  which  he  was  president 
until  December,  1911.  when  this  bank  was 
merged  with  the  First  National  Bank,  of 
Klamath  Falls,  and  Mr.  Martin  became  presi- 
dent of  the  latter,  with  his  son  as  cashier 
and   Mr.   Reams   as   a   director. 

Mr.  Martin  has  been  married  twice.  In 
1857  he  wedded  Miss  Elvira  JI.  Gass.  a  native 
of  Iowa,  and  unto  them  were  born  five  chil- 
dren: Ida,  the  wife  of  G.  H.  Aiken,  of  Fres- 
no, California;  Alexander,  living  in  Eugene; 
William,   who   is   engaged   in    the  practice   of 


dentistry  in  Klamath  Falls;  George,  a  den- 
tist of  Berlin,  Germany;  and  Elvira,  the  wife 
of  F.  H.  Woodward  of  Oakland,  California. 
In  1S82  Mr.  Martin  was  again  married,  the 
second  union  being  with  Miss  Mary  F.  Gass, 
a  sister  of  his  first  wife.  While  Mr.  Martin 
resides  in  Oakland,  California,  he  spends 
most  of  his  time  in  Klamath  Falls,  where  his 
business  interests  are  located.  He  is  an  elder 
of  the  First  Presbyterian  church  of  Oakland 
and  since  1859  he  has  been  identified  with 
the  Masonic  fraternity  in  Jacksonville.  He 
served  for  six  consecutive  terms  as  master 
of  Warren  Lodge,  No.  10,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of 
Jacksonville.  During  the  winter  of  1873  he 
furnished  government  transportation  and 
supplies,  sending  the  latter  from  the  depart- 
ment of  Columbia  to  the  army  in  the  field. 
During  the  occupation  of  Fort  Klamath  he 
practically  furnished  all  the  supplies  and 
transportation  facilities.  He  has  been  an 
interested  witness  of  the  growth  and  devel- 
opment of  the  northwest  and  has  been  an 
active  factor  in  its  progress  In  all  the  years 
which  have  come  and  gone  since  he  came  to 
the  Pacific  coast  he  has  enjoyed  an  unas- 
sailable reputation  in  business  affairs  and 
his  labors  have  been  an  element  in  public 
prosperity  as  well  as  in  individual  success. 
Wherever  known  he  is  held  in  high  regard 
and   most   of   all,   where   he   is   best   known. 

JAMES  W.  MAST  has  been  a  prominent 
figure  in  political  and  business  circles  of 
Bandon,  Coos  county,  for  a  number  of  years. 
He  has  served  his  city  and  county  in  various 
capacities  with  ability  and  success  and  has 
promoted  the  commercial  progress  of  the  city 
by  his  intelligent  management  of  a  growing 
grocery  establishment.  He  was  born  in 
Sugar  Grove.  North  Carolina,  in  1866,  and  is 
a  son  of  William  P.  and  Charlotte  H.  Mast, 
both  natives  of  North  Carolina.  His  parents 
came  to  Oregon  in  1873,  locating  immediately 
in  Coos  county,  where  the  father  purchased 
one  hundred  and  si.Kty  acres  of  land  and 
acquired  the  twenty-three  acres  adjoining 
this  tract  as  a  preemption  claim.  This  now 
constitutes  the  Mast  homestead.  A  more 
extended  mention  is  made  of  William  P. 
Mast  on  another  page  of  this  work.  He  fol- 
lowed agriculture  for  many  years  and  was 
a  successful  and  prosperous  farmer  at  the 
time  of  his  death,  on  December  10,  1889. 
His  wife  survives  him  and  is  living  upon  the 
farm  which  he  improved  and  developed.  In 
their  family  were  five  sons,  the  brothers  of 
our  subject  lieing:  Reuben  H.,  cashier  of 
the  Farmers  &  Merchants  Bank  of  Coquille. 
Oregon;  William  L,,  a  diver  in  the  employ 
of  the  government,  located  at  Bandon;  Webb, 
who  operates  the  old  homestead  near  Myrtle 
Point,  and  who  is  mentioned  at  length  on 
another  page  of  this  work;  and  Hardy  W., 
who  assists  his  brother  Webb  in  the  opera- 
tion  of   the  farm. 

.James  W.  Mast  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Oregon,  whither  he  came  with  his 
parents  when  he  was  a  child.  He  supple- 
mented his  i>rimary  course  by  attending  the 
Monmouth  Normal  School  at  Monmouth,  Ore- 
gon,   from    which    institution    he   was   gradu- 


268 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


ated.  He  taught  for  several  terms  in 
the  public  scliools  of  Coos  county,  follow- 
ing this  line  of  occupation  from  1898  to 
1901.  He  worked  for  some  time  in  the 
assessor's  office  in  Coquille  and  during  the 
winters  aided  in  the  work  of  the  home  farm. 
In  1903  he  obtained  a  position  in  the  employ 
of  the  Prosper  Mill  Company,  at  Prosper, 
Oregon,  and  held  the  office  of  bookkeeper 
for  two  and  a  half  years.  At  the  end  of  that 
time  he  returned  to  the  old  homestead  and 
resided  with  his  mother,  taking  an  active 
part  in  the  operation  of  the  farm.  He 
engaged  in  the  logging  business  for  a  short 
time  but  later  became  identified  with  the  R. 
H.  Rosa  Company,  as  secretary  and  man- 
ager. He  remained  in  Bandon  and  followed 
his  duties  in  this  capacity  for  four  years, 
6ut  eventually  abandoned  it  and  sold  out 
his  interests  in  order  to  establish  himself 
in  the  grocery  business,  which  he  has  oper- 
ated since  that  time.  His  store  is  one  of  the 
largest  of  its  kind  in  Bandon,  Oregon,  and 
his  commercial  methods  are  above  reproach. 
His  stock  is  always  attractive  and  tastefully 
arranged  and  his  patronage  is  constantly 
increasing  as  the  quality  of  his  goods  be- 
comes better  known. 

Mr.  Mast's  identification  with  political  life 
in  Bandon  and  in  Coos  county  forms  one  of 
the  vital  interests  of  his  life.  He  has  served 
his  fellow  citizens  in  various  capacities  and 
has  always  done  able  and  faithful  work. 
His  father  established  the  postoffice  at  Lee. 
Oregon,  in  1886,  and  after  his  death  Mr. 
Mast  was  appointed  to  succeed  him  and  he 
has  held  the  office  continuously  since  that 
time,  having  been  appointed  every  four 
years  since  he  first  became  connected  with 
this  line  of  activity.  Mr.  Mast  now  holds 
this  position  but  as  he  has  established  his 
residence  in  Bandon  his  mother  has  been 
appointed  deputy  in  the  postoffice.  Upon  his 
first  arrival  in  Bandon  Mr.  Mast  was  elected 
to  the  city  council  and  sened  for  one  year, 
beginning  his  term  in  1909.  He  made  such 
a  successful  and  honorable  record  that  he 
was  elected  mayor  at  the  end  of  his  first 
year.  He  has  been  three  times  reelected 
and  is  now  serving  with  ability  and  efficiency. 
His  popularity  and  talent  along  political  lines 
are  evidenced  by  the  fact  that  each  time  he 
defeated  experienced  politicians  who  had 
been  active  in  public  capacity  for  many 
years  and  who  were  well  acquainted  with 
local  conditions.  After  his  first  term  he  was 
the  successful  opponent  of  C.  R.  Wade,  the 
former  city  recorder,  and  at  the  next  elec- 
tion defeated  Stephen  Gallier,  former  sheriff 
of  Coos  county.  In  June.  1911.  he  opposed 
George  P.  Toppington  and  was  elected  by  a 
large  maiority,  qualifying  for  office  on  the 
first  Wednesday  in  .July.  ilr.  Mast  has 
served  his  county  in  various  other  capacities. 
He  served  for  two  years  as  clerk  of  the  school 
district,  holding  this  office  before  he  had  es- 
tablished his  residence.  He  was  also  active 
in  educational  alTairs  when  he  lived  in  Lee, 
Oregon,  and  was  an  influencing  factor  in 
the  building  of  the  large  school  in  that  city 
which  is  one  of  the  best  country  educational 
institutions  in  Coos  countv.     In  1908  he  was 


elected  school  clerk  in  Bandon  and  has  since 
served,  being  reelected  every  year.  During 
this  time  he  has  handled  "the  finances  for 
the  erection  of  the  new  schoolhouse  in  that 
city  and  has  been  an  active  figure  in  the 
enlarging  of  the  school  district.  Under  his 
able  and  honest  administration  the  funds  at 
the  disposal  of  the  school  board  have  in- 
creased from  eight  thousand  dollars  a  year 
to  eighteen  thousand,  and  this  increase  is 
steadily  growing  larger. 

Mr.  Mast  is  prominent  in  fraternal  circles 
of  Bandon.  where  he  has  maintained  his  resi- 
dence for  the  last  six  years.  He  is  a  Royal 
-\rch  Mason  and  holds  membership  in  the 
Order  of  the  Eastern  Star.  He  is  a  promi- 
nent Knight  of  Pythias  and  is  identified  with 
the  Pythian  Sisters.  He  also  belongs  to  the 
Elks  and  is  well  known  in  the  affairs  of  that 
organization.  Mr.  Mast  regards  a  man  in 
public  life  as  a  servant  of  the  people  and  he 
is  using  his  influence  to  carry  out  the  will 
of  his  constituents,  having  made  a  record  in 
his  political  career  for  ability,  never  using 
his  natural  talents  unworthily  nor  support- 
ing dishonorable  causes. 

FRANK  L.  LOWE  is  one  of  the  active  and 
successful  business  men  of  Marshfield  where 
he  has  lived  during  the  greater  portion  of  his 
life  and  is  among  the  most  highly  respected 
citizens  of  this  part  of  the  state' of  Oregon. 
He  was  born  where  Parkersburg  is  now  lo- 
cated, on  the  Coquille  river,  the  place  being  a 
homestead  claim  taken  up  by  his  father  in 
1S56,  the  ranch  being  known  as  the  Myrtle 
OroA-e  Farm.  There  Frank  L.  Lowe  first  saw 
the  light  of  day  on  January  1.  1868.  He  is 
a  son  of  David  J.  and  Urilla  (Slayback) 
Lowe.  The  father  was  a  native  of"  Balti- 
more, Maryland,  having  been  born  near  that 
city  on  Xovember  10,  1823,  while  his  wife 
was  born  in  ilontgomery  county,  Illinois, 
her  birth  occurring  on  the  9th  of  April,  1834. 
Mr.  Lowe  emigrated  to  California  in  1849, 
making  the  journey  across  the  American  des- 
ert with  ox  teams.  Crossing  the  Mississippi 
river  on  the  9th  of  May  of  that  year,  he  con- 
tinued his  westward  journey  without  acci- 
dent and  arrived  in  California,  his  objective 
point,  in  September.  1849.  He  reached  the 
Golden  state  during  the  very  height  of  the 
gold  excitement  and  at  once  engaged  in  min- 
ing and  also  operated  successfully  a  stage 
line  and  conducted  a  mercantile  business,  in 
which  he  continued  until  18,56.  During  that 
year  he  removed  to  this  state  and  settled  at 
Roseburg,  remaining,  however,  at  that  place 
but  a  very  short  time.  He  later  located  in 
Coos  county,  on  the  Coquille  river,  where  he 
took  up  a  homestead  and  there  established 
his  home  and  at  once  began  the  development 
of  his  property,  in  which  he  was  highly  suc- 
cessful and  continued  to  give  his  entire  at- 
tention to  its  improvement  and  cultivation 
until  1S9T,  when  he  removed  to  Bandon,  where 
he  lived  a  retired  life  until  1907,  when  he  re- 
moved to  ^Marshfield  to  make  his  home  with 
his  daughter,  ilrs.  Annie  Wolcott,  and  there 
his  death  occurred  on  April  13,  1911,  leav- 
ing an  estate  for  his  family  consisting  of 
the    old    homestead   of   three   hundred   acres. 


iiwin  .1    i.iiwi-: 


THE  ?^ 
PUBLIC    v.. 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


271 


together  with  all  of  the  improvements  thereon. 
His  widow,  who  is  still  living  at  the  nge  of 
seventy-eight  years,  resides  with  her  daughter 
at  Marshlield.  Unto  ilr.  and  Mrs.  David  J. 
Lowe  six  children  were  born,  namely:  Mrs. 
Annie  Wolcott,  of  Marshfield,  Oregon;  Frank 
L.,  of  this  review;  JIaggie,  who  passed  away 
in  early  life ;  Mary,  also  deceased ;  Alice,  who 
married  J.  W.  Hammerburg  and  died  at  the 
age  of  twentv  years;  and  David  John,  of 
Coquille.  David  J.  Lowe  was  affiliated  with 
the  democratic  party  and  had  served  as  school 
clerk  for  twenty-one  years  and  as  justice 
of  the  peace  for  four  terms,  and  was  count.v 
commissioner  for  two  terms,  after  which  he 
was  elected  county  judge  and  in  that  office 
served  the  interests  of  the  people  of  his 
county  for  four  years.  During  his  incumbency 
in  that  office  he  had  the  distinction  of  hav- 
ing married  a  great  many  couples.  He  was 
also  recorder  of  Bandon  for  one  term. 

Frank  L.  Lowe  was  reared  in  his  parents' 
home  and  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
the  district  in  which  he  lived,  and  later  was 
a  student  at  college  for  one  year.  At  the 
age  of  sixteen  years  he  became  an  appren- 
ticed shipbuilder  and  continued  in  that  em- 
plo.ynient  until  he  had  become  a  master  of 
the  craft.  At  the  age  of  twenty-three  he 
removed  to  Bandon  and  there  worked  at  his 
trade  as  a  shipbuilder  for  eight  years.  In 
the  spring  of  1890  he  had  purchased  a  fine 
property  in  that  place  which  he  still  owns. 
At  the  time  of  his  settlement  in  Bandon  the 
place  was  comparatively  new  and  !Mr.  Lowe 
became  one  of  the  first  town  trustees.  During 
all  the  years  of  his  residence  at  Bandon  he 
has  constantly  been  engaged  in  the  pursuit 
of  his  trade  and  at  present  is  so  engaged,  be- 
ing one  of  the  employes  of  "William  Holland, 
of  Marshfield.  with  whom  he  has  been  identi- 
fied as  master  shipbuilder  since  1S99.  He  is 
the  owner  of  considerable  property  at  Bandon. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Lowe  is  associated  with 
the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  is  one  of  the 
charter  members  of  the  lodge  at  Bandon  and 
has  filled  all  of  the  chairs  therein.  He  is 
also  a  member  of  the  Fraternal  Order  of 
Eagles.  He  is  one  of  the  highly  respected 
citizens  of  the  community  in  which  he  lives 
and  is  regarded  throughout  the  county  in 
which  he  is  widely  known  as  a  man  of  trust- 
worthiness and  high  ideals. 

MINAR  APPLEGATE,  one  of  the  prosrress- 
ive  and  enterprising  agriculturists  of  Seotts 
valley,  devotes  his  attention  to  diversified 
farming,  operating  a  tract  comprising  three 
hundred  acres  and  also  owning  another  of 
one  hundred  acres  a  mile  southeast  of  the 
former  place.  His  birth  occurred  in  Yoncalla. 
Douglas  county.  Oregon,  on  the  10th  of  Janu- 
ary. 1SS4,  his  parents  being  ililtou  and  Sarali 
M.  (Tracy)  Applegate.  a  sketch  of  whom  ap- 
pears on  another  page  of  this  work.  IMinar 
Applegate  was  reared  at  home  and  attended 
the  public  schools  in  the  acquirement  of  an 
education.  In  1903,  when  not  yet  twenty 
years  of  age.  he  started  out  as  an  agricul- 
turist on  his  own  account,  taking  charge  of 
and  operating  the  home  farm  as  a  renter 
until  the  fall  of  1007.     In  the  spring  of  1911. 


in  partnership  with  his  brother  Aubrey,  he 
purchased  three  hundred  acres  in  Seotts 
valley  from  his  uncle,  John  Applegate.  and 
has  given  his  time  and  energies  to  its  fur- 
ther cultivation  and  improvement  continu- 
ously since.  He  is  engaged  in  diversified 
farming  and  in  former  years  operated  a 
threshing  machine  for  five  or  six  years. 
Though  still  a  young  man,  he  has  already 
made  substantial  progress  in  his  chosen  field 
of  labor  and  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  rep- 
resentative and  successful  citizens  of  his  na- 
tive count.y. 

On  the  31st  of  October,  1907,  Mr.  Applegate 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Linna  Wertz, 
her  father  being  Benjamin  F.  Wertz,  de- 
ceased, who  was  a  prominent  farmer  of  Elk 
creek,  in  Lower  Seotts  valley.  Our  subject 
and  his  wife  have  two  children.  Trac.y  W. 
and  Beulah  Juanita.  Mr.  Applegate  gives 
his  political  allegiance  to  the  republican 
party  and  fraternally  is  identified  with  Yon- 
calla" Camp,  No.  480',  W.  0.  W.  He  and  his 
wife  are  people  of  the  highest  respectability, 
enjoying  in  large  measure  the  friendship  of 
those  with  whom  they  have  been  brought  in 
contact. 

A.  L.  THORNTON.  Among  the  towns  of 
rapid  and  substantial  growth  in  southeastern 
Oregon,  Lakeview  is  prominent  and  its  busi- 
ness men  are  of  the  class  whose  laliors 
promise  well  for  the  future  of  the  district. 
Among  them  is  A.  L.  Thornton,  a  druggist, 
whose  well  appointed  store  would  be  a  credit 
to  a  city  of  much  larger  size.  He  was  born 
in  Roseburg,  December  2,  1S78,  a  son  of  Sam- 
uel Isaac  and  Mary  Jane  (Singleton)  Thorn- 
ton. The  father,  who  was  a  native  of  St. 
Joseph.  Missouri,  crossed  the  plains  with  ox 
teams  in  1864  and  made  his  way  to  Rose- 
burg by  way  of  The  Dalles  and  Portland. 
Later  he  was  married  there  to  Mary  J.  Single- 
ton, a  native  of  that  place,  and  they  still 
reside  in  the  town.  Samuel  I.  Thornton,  who 
was  formerly  engaged  in  ranching,  is  now 
living  retired.  Of  their  family  of  five  chil- 
dren A.  L.  Thornton  is  the  eldest,  the  others 
being:  Lena,  the  wife  of  John  Atterbury,  of 
Roseburg;  Edward,  Lane  and  Clifford,  all  of 
that  place, 

A,  L.  Thornton  remained  with  his  parents 
in  Roseburg  until  1894,  and  in  early  life 
secured  employment  in  a  drug  store  there. 
He  afterward' attended  the  Corvallis  State 
College,  where  he  studied  pharmacy,  being 
graduated  from  that  department  with  the 
class  of  1902.  He  afterward  worked  for 
W.  L.  Delano,  of  Eugene,  and  D.  J.  Fry,  of 
Salem,  and  from  Eugene  removed  to  Lake- 
view  on  the  5th  of  August.  1905.  Here  he 
purchased  the  drug  store  of  Lee  Beall  and  for 
a  year  was  in  partnership  with  Alexander 
Patterson,  whose  interest  he  afterward  took 
over.  He  has  since  been  alone  in  business 
and  practicall.v  his  entire  time  is  devoted  to 
the  store,  although  he  also  has  ranching  in- 
terests in  this  localit.y.  He  carries  a  large 
stock  of  staple  and  fancy  drugs  and  drug- 
gists' sundries,  and  the  progressive  policy 
which  he  pursues  and  his  business   methods 


27:^ 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


are  such  as  commend  him  to  the  liberal  sup- 
port of  the  public. 

Mr.  Thornton  is  pleasantly  situated  in 
home  life.  He  married  Kathleen  Canfield,  a 
native  of  McMinnville,  Oregon,  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  F.  J.  Canfield.  They  have  two  chil- 
dren, Lane  and  Lee.  Mr.  Thornton  is  an 
exemplary  representative  of  the  Masonic  fra- 
ternity and  a  past  master  of  his  local  lodge. 
He  also  holds  membership  with  the  Elks  and 
the  Woodmen  of  the  World  and  he  gives  his 
political  support  to  the  democratic  party. 
For  four  years  he  has  served  as  a  member  of 
the  board  of  education  at  Liikeview  and  is 
now  its  president.  The  cause  of  education 
finds  in  him  a  stalwart  champion  who  be- 
lieves that  the  public  school  is  the  bulwark 
of  the  nation  and  therefore  deems  it  right 
that  children  should  be  afforded  the  best  edu- 
cational advantages  possible. 

GEORGE  W.  MAGILL.  The  occupation  of 
stock  ranching  which  forms  one  of  the  in- 
fluential and  rapidly  growing  industries  of 
Coos  county  finds  a  worthy  representative  in 
George  W.  Magill,  who  has  operated  a  farm 
of  one  hundred  and  eighty-seven  and  one- 
half  acres  in  Coos  county  for  a  number  of 
years  and  has  made  gratifying  progi'ess  in 
a  financial  way.  He  was  born  in  Hancock 
county,  Iowa.  May  4,  1859,  and  is  a  son  of 
Thomas  and  Jane  E.  Magill.  natives  of  Illi- 
nois. Their  marriage  occurred  in  Iowa  and 
they  resided  in  that  state  for  a  number  of 
years  before  thev  moved  to  ilinnesota  where 
the  father  died.'  The  mother  of  our  subject 
came  to  Oregon  in  1910  and  is  living  in  this 
state.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thomas  Magill  were 
the  parents  of  eight  children,  six  of  whom  are 
living:  George  W.,  the  subject  of  this  review; 
Rhoda,  the  wife  of  John  Richison  of  ilinne- 
sota;  Abbie,  who  became  the  wife  of  John 
Webster  of  Minnesota;  Harvey,  who  resides 
in  Coos  county.  Oregon;  Melissa,  now  Mrs. 
Martin  Reger  of  ISIorth  Dakota;  and  John, 
of  Coos  county.  Oregon. 

George  Magill  received  his  early  education 
in    Iowa    and    pursued   the    usual    course    of 
studies   in   the   public   schools  of  that  state. 
He  came  to  Oregon  in  1SS7,  settling  in  Curry 
county  where  he  engaged  extensively  in  stock- 
raising  until  1910.    During  this  time  he  built 
up  a  profitable  and  successful  enterprise  and 
became    known    throughout    the    vicinity    m 
which  he  lived  as  an  expert  judge  of  cattle 
and  a  thoroughly  efficient  business  man      He 
eventually  disposed  of  his  holdings  in  Curry 
county    in    order    to    move    to    Coos    county 
where"  he  purchased  one  hundred  and  eighty- 
seven    and   one   half    acres    of    land    adapted 
to   stock-raising   and   immediately   began   its 
operation  as  a  cattle  ranch.    He  is  thoroughly 
conversant    with    all    the    details    connected 
with    the   breeding   and   care   of   stock.      He 
carries    on    his    enterprise    scientifically    and 
thus  makes  it  a  profitable  branch  of  industry 
He  keeps  himself  abreast  of  the  times   and 
well    informed    on   all   modern   developments 
relating  to  his  line  of  work.     Besides  stock 
ranchin"  he  engages  in  general  farming  and 
carries  on  his  labors  along  this  line  with  the 
same  facilitv  and  efficiency  which  marks  the 


other  branch  of  his  endeavors.  He  has 
acquired  a  comfortable  fortune  during  the 
years  of  his  intelligent  activity  and  this  he 
has  judiciously  invested  in  residence  propei-ty 
in  Myrtle  Point  and  Bandon,  Oregon.  In 
both  of  these  cities  he  is  well  known  and 
popular  among  his  many  friends,  although 
he  maintains  his  residence  upon  his  ranch 
seven  miles  above  Myrtle  Point  on  the 
Coquille  river. 

Mr.  Magill's  marriage  occurred  on  October 
6,  18S9,  on  which  date  he  wedded  Miss  Effie 
L.  Hollenbeak,  who  was  born  June  22,   1872. 
in  Shasta  county.  California.     Mrs.  Magill  is 
a   daughter   of   Stephen   and   Amanda    (Ben- 
ham  I  Hollenbeak.  the  former  a  native  of  Iowa 
and  the  latter  of  Missouri.     Their  marriage 
occurred    in    California    where    they    resided 
until  1880,  the  father  operating  a  productive 
farm.      They    subsequently    came    to    Oregon 
where    they    settled    in    Coos    county.     Here 
Stephen  Hollenbeak  purchased  eighty  acres  of 
land    and    conducted    a    modern    agricultural 
enterprise  until   1907   when  he   retired   from 
active    life    and    moved    to    Coquille.    Oregon, 
where  he  died  in  1910.     His  wife  is  still  a 
resident  of  that  city  and  has  reached  the  six- 
tieth year  of  her  age.    They  were  the  parents 
of  eleven  children:   Effie  L..  the  wife  of  our 
subject :    .Jane,    who    married    Otto    Epps,   of 
Coquille,  Oregon;  Belle,  the  wife  of  Lewis  Sell 
of    Riverton,    Oregon;    Georgia,   the    wife    of 
Oscar   Bunch   of   Dora.   Oregon:    James,   who 
now  resides  in  Coquille.  Oregon;   Pearl,  who 
married   Elmer   Willard   of   the'  same   place; 
Grace,    who    is    living    in    Coquille    with    her 
mother;  and  Benham,  Susan.  Ilda  and  Bessie, 
all  of  whom  are  now  deceased.     To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Magill   have  been   born   eight   children: 
Bessie,  now  Mrs.  William  Ocheltree  of  Ban- 
don,  Oregon;    Verner,   Iva.   and   Otto,    all    of 
whom  reside  at  home;  Zimra:  Amanda;  Osie; 
and  Bertie.    All  the  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Magill     received     their     education     in     Coos 
county  and  were  all  born  in  this  section  with 
the  exception  of  four  whose  births  occurred 
in  Curry  county. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Magill  is  a  demo- 
crat with  socialistic  tendencies  and  keeps 
himself  well  informed  upon  public  matters. 
He  has  added  to  the  prosperity  of  Coos 
county  by  promoting  his  individual  success 
along"  lines  of  progress  and  expansion  and 
has  well  earned  the  prominent  place  which  he 
occupies  in  agricultural  circles  of  his  district. 

BEN  DALY  is  extensively  engaged  in  sheep- 
raisiiiff.  having  about  ten  thousand  head, 
which  are  pastured  on  a  ranch  of  two  hun- 
dred acres  about  sixty  miles  east  of  Lake- 
view.  Mr.  Daly  resides  in  town  but  makes 
frequent  trips  to  the  ranch,  supervising  his 
live-stock  interests,  which  are  of  an  impor- 
tant character.  He  has  closely  studied  sheep- 
raising  and  this  study,  combined  with  Ms 
practical  experience,  has  given  him  compre- 
hensive knowledge  of  the  business.  He  was 
born  in  County  Cork.  Ireland,  March  17, 
1876.  a  son  of  Ben  and  .Johanna  (Kennaley) 
Daly.  The  father  spent  his  entire  life  on  the 
Emerald  isle,  where  the  mother  is  still  living. 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


273 


He  was  a  farmer  by  occupation  and  passed 
away  about  twenty  years  ago. 

Ben  Daly  was  the  sixth  in  onler  of  birth  in 
a  family  of  eight  children,  but  he  and  his 
sister,  Mrs.  Nellie  Sullivan,  of  New  York 
city,  are  the  only  ones  who  came  to  the 
United  States.  In  May,  1901,  he  made  his 
way  direct  to  Oregon  after  crossing  the 
Atlantic  and  took  up  his  abode  in  Lakeview. 
He  had  worked  as  a  farm  hand  in  his  native 
country  and  for  two  years  he  was  employed 
as  a  sheep  herder  in  Oregon.  He  then  leased 
a  band  of  sheep  for  two  years,  also  pur- 
chased some  and  has  since  engaged  in  the 
sheep-raising  business,  having  now  about  ten 
thousand  head,  which  feed  over  the  govern- 
ment range.  His  property  interests  include 
two  hundred  acres  in  ,  Lake  county  about 
sixty  miles  east  of  Lakeview,  which  is  pasture 
land,  and  he  also  owns  some  town  property. 
His  flocks  are  increasing  yearly  in  numbers 
and  his  business  has  become  an  important 
one,  making  him  a  leading  representative 
of   sheep-raising   in   southeastern   Oregon. 

On  the  20th  of  July,  1911,  Mr.  Daly  was 
married  to  Miss  Kate  Barry,  a  native  of 
Lake  count}-  and  a  daughter  of  James  and 
Kate  (O'Connor!  Barry,  who  are  also  resi- 
dents of  Lakeview.  the  father  being  the 
owner  of  large  flocks  of  sheep.  Both  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Daly  are  communicants  of  the 
Catholic  church  and  be  holds  membership  with 
the  Elks,  while  his  political  indorsement  is 
given  to  the  republican  party.  Laudable 
ambition  brought  him  to  America  and  he  has 
here  made  steady  progress  along  business 
lines,  winning  a  gratifying  measure  of  suc- 
cess. 

JOHN  F.  CADLE  was  born  at  Agency  City, 
Iowa,  November  28,  1847,  and  is  a  son  of 
James  N.  and  Ellen  D.  (Wallace)  Cadle,  the 
former  a  native  of  Claiborne  county,  Tennes- 
see, and  the  latter  of  Woodford  county, 
Kentucky.  The  father  removed  with  his  fam- 
ily to  Iowa  in  1849  and  there  engaged  in 
farming  until  1864  when  he  went  westward 
by  way  of  the  isthmus  route  and  took  up 
his  abode  first  in  Sonoma  county,  and  later 
in  Plumas  county.  California.  There  he  made 
his  home  until  called  to  his  final  rest  in  1900. 
for  two  years  surviving  his  wife  who  died  in 
189S.  In  their  family  were  nine  children, 
six  sons  and  three  daughters,  of  whom  four 
sons  and  a  daughter  are  now  living,  the  lat- 
ter being  a  resident  of  Washington  while 
two  of  the  sons  are  citizens  of  Nevada  and 
one  of  Fresno.  California. 

John  F.  Cadle,  the  other  member  of  the 
family,  acquired  his  early  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  his  native  state  and  in 
McClure's  Military  Academy.  He  left  school 
to  enter  the  grain-exporting  business  and 
later  spent  three  .vears  in  mining  in  Nevada. 
He  also  engaged  in  mining  in  V^enezuela 
in  1874  and  187."),  but  in  187(1  returned  to 
Nevada  where  he  once  more  followed  mining 
for  a  year.  In  1877  he  removed  to  Plumas 
county.  California,  where  for  ten  years  he 
made  his  home,  coming  to  OroL'on  in  1887,  at 
which  time  he  located  near  Prineville,  Crook 
countv,  where  he  has  since  resided. 


In  1876  Mr.  Cadle  was  married  to  Miss 
Alice  Drury  of  Plumas  county,  California, 
and  to  them  were  born  two  children  but 
both  are  deceased.  In  his  political  views  Mr. 
Cadle  is  republican,  interested  in  the  growth 
and  progress  of  his  party  yet  not  a  politician 
in  the  sense  of  oflice  seeking.  He  served,  how- 
ever, as  recorder  of  Plumas  county  in  1S7S 
and  1879.  He  belongs  to  the  Improved  Order 
of  Red  Men  and  has  been  secretary  of  the 
Central  Oregon  Agricultural  Society  in  which 
connection  he  does  much  to  further  the  inter- 
ests of  the  farming  class  of  people  and  holds 
high  the  standards  of  agricultural  develop- 
ment and  progress  in  his  adopted  state.  He 
believes  the  possibilities  before  the  farmer  in 
Oregon  are  almost  limitless  and  recognizes 
the  fact  that  the  wealth  of  the  country  lies 
largely  in  its  soil.  He  has  therefore  em- 
ployed improved  and  scientific  methods  in  the 
conduct  of  his  own  place  and  does  all  he  can 
to  stimulate  those  similarly  engaged  to  adopt 
the  progressive  ways  of  the  present  day. 

WILLIAM  H.  SHIRK.  The  complex  prob- 
lems of  banking  are  familiar  to  William  H. 
Shirk,  for  comprehensive  study  and  prac- 
tical experience  have  acquainted  him  with  the 
various  phases  of  the  business  and  qualify 
him  for  the  successful  conduct  of  banking 
interests.  The  policy  which  he  has  ever  fol- 
lowed in  this  connection  is  such  as  carefully 
safeguards  the  interests  of  depositors  and  at 
the  same  time  promotes  the  success  of  the  in- 
stitution. He  is  president  of  both  the  First 
National  Bank  and  the  Lake  Loan  &  Sav- 
ings Bank  of  Lakeview. 

Indiana  numbers  William  H.  Shirk  among 
her  native  sons,  his  birth  having  occurred  in 
Park  county,  that  state,  October  1,  18,')3,  his 
parents  being  Joseph  and  Margaret  (Linton) 
Shirk,  who  were  natives  of  Pennsylvania  and 
Indiana  respectively,  their  marriage  being 
celebrated  in  the  latter  state.  They  removed 
to  Will  county,  Illinois,  when  their  son  Wil- 
liam was  but  six  months  old,  and  the  father 
there  owned  and  conducted  a  stock  farm  of 
three  hundred  and  tw'enty  acres.  Both  he 
and  his  wife  remained  on  that  farm  until 
called  to  their  final  rest.  There  were  six 
children  of  that  marriage  and  William  H. 
Shirk  is  the  youngest  of  the  five  yet  living. 
There  were  also  four  children,  two  sons  and 
two  daughters,  born  of  the  fathers  second 
union. 

Reared  in  Illinois.  William  H.  Shirk  re- 
mained at  home  until  1873,  when  he  went  to 
Texas.  He  assisted  in  driving  a  band  of  cat- 
tle ow-ned  by  his  father  and  eldest  brother 
from  Texas  to  Idaho  in  the  summer  of  1873, 
spending  five  and  a  half  months  on  the  road. 
He  was  paid  thirty  dollars  per  month  and  by 
that  trip  made  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars. 
Pleased  with  the  northwest  and  its  possibili- 
ties he  decided  to  remain  there,  and  for 
nearly  nine  years  was  in  the  employ  of  one 
firm  in  Idaho  and  the  southeastern  part  of 
Oregon,  working  on  a  stock  ranch.  His  ini- 
tial position  was  that  of  cook  but  gradually 
he  worked  his  way  upward  until  be  became 
foreman  of  the  ranch.  He  was  einjiloyed  b.v 
the  firm  of  Catalow   &   Shea,  who   were  ex- 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTOEY  OF  OREGON 


tensively  engaged  in  raising  and  selling  cattle 
and  horses.  Thus  Mr.  Shirk  became  familiar 
with  every  phase  of  stock-raising  on  the 
ranches  and  on  the  open  range  in  the  north- 
west, and  is  a  survivor  of  a  period  when 
that  business  presented  many  picturesque 
features. 

On  the  26th  of  December.  1881,  Mr.  Shirk 
was  married  to  Miss  Anna  R.  Crow,  a  native 
of  California  and  a  daughter  of  .John  L.  Crow, 
of  Plumas  county,  that  state.    After  his  mar- 
riage Mr.  Shirk  secured  government  land  in 
Harney   county,   Oregon,   and  also  purchased 
other  land,  continuing  in  the  stock  business 
and  raising  as  high  as  twelve  hundred  head 
of  cattle  at  a  time.     At  length  he  disposed 
of   both   his   land   and   stock   in    1900   and   in 
February  of  the  following  year  left  the  ranch 
and  went  to  Reno,  Nevada,  in  order  to  afford 
his    children    the    educational    opportunities 
obtainable     in     a     city.      Later     Mr.     Shirk 
came  to  Lakeview  and  was  interested  in  the 
California    &    Oregon    Land    Company    there. 
Watchful  of  opportunities  leading  to  success 
he  later  turned  his  attention  to  the  banking 
business    and    in    190,5    organized    the    First 
National  Bank  of   which   he  has   since   been 
the    president,   and    in   1906    established    the 
Lake  Loan  &  Savings  Bank,  of  which  he  is 
also  the  chief  executive  officer.    The  National 
bank  was  started  with  a  capital  of  fifty  thou- 
sand   dollars,    which    with    surplus    and    un- 
divided profits  now  amounts  to  one  hundred 
thousand    dollars.      The    savings    bank    was 
originally    capitalized    for    twenty    thousand 
dollars   but  this   sum   has  been   increased  to 
forty  thousand  dollars.     Today  Mr.  Shirk  is 
one  of  the  prosperous  residents  of  Lakeview 
and  southern  Oregon  and  is  regarded  as  one 
of  the  prominent  business  men.    This  position 
is  attributable  entirely  to  his  own  labors  for 
he  and  his  wife  began  ranching  in  a  primi- 
tive manner,  living  in  a  log  cabin.    They  were 
industrious    and    determined,    however,    and 
each  year  witnessed  their  progress.     In  1878 
Mr.  Shirk  came  very  near  losing  his  life  at 
the  hands  of  the  Indians  during  the  Bannock 
war.  being  the  only  survivor  of  a  party  of 
three     who      were     ambushed     while     riding 
through  the  Cataloh  valley  in  Harney  county. 
This   was  but  one  of  many   exciting  experi- 
ences  which   came   to    ilr.   Shirk    in   pioneer 
times   when  he  was   endeavoring  to  lay  the 
foundation  of  his  fortune  through  the  utiliza- 
tion of  the  natural  resources  of  this  part  of 
the    state.      Traveling   over    the    country   he 
became   conversant  with   its  advantages   and 
he  regards  Harney  county  as  one  of  the  finest 
stock-raising    districts    in    the    world,    being 
adapted    to"  that    industry    throughout     all 
seasons  of  the  year.    In  addition  to  his  other 
business   affairs   Mr.   Shirk  has   small   timber 
interests  and  is  also  the  manager  of  the  Cali- 
fornia &  Oregon  Light,  Heat  &  Power  Com- 
pany of  Lakeview,  which  company  he  aided 
in  organizing  and  incorporating.     He  is  local 
agent    for    the    Oregon   Land    &   Live    Stock 
Company.     Mr.  and  !Mrs.  Shirk  became  par- 
ents of  two  children:   C.  L.,  who  is  assistant 
cashier  of  the   First  National   Bank  of  Taft, 
California;   and  Hazel,  who  died  at  the  age 
of  sixteen  months.     Mr.  Shirk  belongs  to  the 


Masonic  fraternity  and  both  he  and  his  wife 
are  connected  with  the  Eastern  Star.  He  is 
also  a  member  of  the  Elks  lodge  at  Ashland. 
Coming  to  the  northwest  when  a  young  man 
of  twenty  years,  he  recognized  its  possibilities 
and  has  since  utilized  its  opportunities.  Step 
by  step  he  has  advanced  and  he  seems  to  have 
realized  at  every  point  in  his  career  the 
possibilities  for  successful  accomplishment  at 
that  time.  Earnest,  persistent,  arduous  toil 
was  supplemented  by  the  intelligent  under- 
standing and  direction  of  his  labors  and  at 
all  times  his  efforts  have  been  of  a  character 
that  has  never  infringed  on  the  rights  of 
others  but  has  promoted  public  prosperity  in 
advancing  individual  success. 

WILLIAM   H.  SMITH   is  one  of  the  well 

known  and  successful  farmers  of  Coos 
county,  Oregon.  He  was  born  in  Empire, 
Coos  county,  in  1862,  and  is  the  son  of  W.  D. 
L.  F.  and  Mary  R.  (Luse)  Smith,  the  former 
a  native  of  Connecticut  and  the  latter  of 
Pennsylvania.  The  father  crossed  the  plains 
to  Oregon  in  1855  and  settled  in  Coos  county. 
Immediately  following  his  arrival  in  Ore- 
gon he  enlisted  as  a  soldier  in  the  Rogue 
River  Indian  war  and  followed  his  command 
for  about  one  year,  after  which  he  was  em- 
.ployed  as  a  laborer  in  one  of  the  sawmills 
in  Coos  county.  In  1857  he  settled  at  Coos 
bay  and  engaged  in  work  in  sawmills 
at  North  Bend,  Empire  and  Marshfield.  He 
was  one  of  the  early  pioneers  of  Coos  county 
and  did  his  share  of  the  work  in  the  early 
organization  and  building  up  of  that  part  of 
the  state  of  Oregon.  In  his  family  were  five 
children:  Ada  E..  who  is  the  wife  of  Charles 
Dungan.  residing  on  the  Coos  river:  William 
H..  of  this  review:  Florence,  the  wife  of  J.  D. 
Hawes.  of  California;  Gussie,  deceased;  and 
George  F..  of  Empire,  Oregon. 

William  H.  Smith  was  reared  at  home  and 
received  his  early  education  in  the  schools 
of  Coos  county.  He  started  in  life  for  him- 
self at  the  age  of  nineteen  as  an  employe  in 
the  logging  camps  in  Coos  county  and  con- 
tinued in  that  occupation  for  several  years, 
after  which  he  retired  from  the  lumbering 
business  and  leased  a  steamboat  which  he 
operated  on  Coos  bay,  Coos  river  and  its  trib- 
utaries for  two  years.  At  the  same  time 
he  was  interested  largely  in  the  fishing  in- 
dustries in  that  territory.  He  later  took  up 
his  abode  on  his  father's  homestead,  located 
seven  miles  up  the  Coos  river  at  the  forks, 
where  he  is  engaged  in  farming,  making  a 
specialty  of  the  dairy  industry,  using  in  his 
business  at  present  twenty-five  Holstein  cat- 
tle. He  is  the  owner  of  forty  acres  of  highly 
developed  agricultural  land. 

Mr.  Smith  was  united  in  marriage  in  1894 
to  Miss  Iowa  E.  Davis,  a  native  of  Oregon 
and  a  daughter  of  .John  R.  and  Matilda 
(Brown)  Davis,  the  former  a  native  of  In- 
diana and  the  latter  of  Iowa.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Davis  two  children  were  born:  Iowa  E., 
the  wife  of  William  H.  Smith,  of  this  re- 
view; and  Laura,  the  wife  of  William  James, 
of  Santa  Ana,  California.  Mr.  and  ]^Irs. 
Smith  are  the  parents  of  three  children: 
Helen,  born  in   1897;   Bertha,  bom  in   1899; 


ilR.  AND  -MKS.  \V.  11.  S.MITH 


LibH.'.HY 


TILPEH   F0"ND*TI0m.       ' 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


277 


and  Jlary,  born   in   1902.     The  children  are 
all  attending  school. 

iVIr.  Smith  is  alliliated  with  the  republican 
party  and  served  as  county  surveyor  for  four 
years  and  also  as  deputy  sheriff  of  Coos 
county  for  one  year,  having  consented  to  fill 
the  latter  office  for  that  time  as  its  former 
incumbent  failed  to  qualify  as  a  competent 
man  in  that  position.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Woodmen  of  the  World  and  of  the  Fra- 
ternal Order  of  Eagles,  and  is  also  an  active 
and  enthusiastic  member  of  the  Grange.  Mr. 
Smith  is  one  of  the  well  known  and  highly  es- 
teemed citizens  of  Coos  county  and  a  man 
interested  in  every  public  measure  seeking 
the  improvement  of  the  people  of  his  county 
and  state. 

DARIUS    WELLS.      Probably    no    man    in 
Douglas    county    is    better    acquainted    witli 
the   details   of   agriculture   as    it    is   pursued 
under  Oregon  conditions  than  is  Darius  Wells, 
one   of    the   most    prominent    and   successful 
farmers   in   this   section.     He   has   spent   his 
entire   life   in   the   west   and   has   gained  an 
expert    knowledge    of   his    occupation    which 
can  come  only  through  long  and  personal  ex- 
perience.     He    was    born   where    the   town   of 
Cottage  Grove  now  stands,  on  March  2S,  1849, 
and   is  today   counted  the  oldest   native   son 
of   Oregon.     His   parents   were   Ira  and   Ann 
Elizabeth  (Mantler)  Wells,  the  latter  a  native 
of  Germany.     They  crossed  the  plains  from 
Illinois    to    Oregon    with    ox    teams    in    1847 
and  on  their  arrival  they  settled  at  Eugene, 
but  shortly  afterward  removed  to  the  present 
site   of   Cottage   Grove.     In   1851    Ira   Wells 
came  to  Douglas  county,  leaving  his  family 
to   spend   the   winter   in   Yonealla.   while   he 
journej'cd   into   the   Umpqua   valley   in   order 
to  find  a  suitable   location   for  a  "farm.     He 
took  up  a  donation  claim  of  six  hundred  and 
forty   acres  two   miles   southwest  of   Elkton 
and  upon  this  he  built  a  crude  log  cabin,  in 
which   he   resided  alone   until   the   spring   of 
1S52,  when  he  brought  his  family  up  the  Elk 
creek  pack  trail  to  his  new  home.     The  jour- 
ney   was    made    with    pack    horses    and    was 
filled  with  the  hardships  and  inconveniences 
of  pioneer   travel.     Darius    Wells,   who    was 
then    only    three    years   of   age,   was   carried 
over  the  road  by  Mr.  Miller,  who  was  jour- 
neying  in    the    same    direction.      His    father 
lived  on   the   donation   claim   which  he   took 
up  and  was  successful  and  prosperous  in  the 
cultivation   of  the  soil  until  his  death,  when 
he  was  seventy-five  years  of  age.     His  wife 
lived  to  the  age  of  seventy-seven  years.     The 
parents    of    Darius    Wells    were    among    the 
earliest     Oregon    pioneers     and     their    labors  . 
aided  materially   in   the  upbuilding  and   de- 
velopment of  the  section  in  which  they  lived. 
One   of   their   daughters,   Caroline  -Elizabeth, 
who  is  now  the  wife  of  William  Hawley,  of 
Eugene,    Oregon,    was    the    first    white    child 
bom  in  Lane  county. 

Darius  Wells  was  reared  at  home  and 
acquired  a  limited  education  by  attendance 
at  the  district  schools.  He  gained  the  greater 
part  of  his  early  schooling  in  a  six  weeks' 
course  at  Wilbur  Academy,  at  Wilbur,  Ore- 
gon,  and    when    he    had    completed    this    re- 


turned to  the  home  farm  where  he  aided  his 
father  in  the  cultivation  of  the  soil  until 
he  was  twenty-two  years  of  age.  At  that 
time  he  bought  two  hundred  and  ninety-four 
acres,  a  mile  and  a  half  south  of  Elkton, 
which  constitutes  today  a  part  of  his  farm. 
He  began  the  cultivation  of  the  soil  and  has 
carried  it  on  with  constantly  increasing 
success  since  that  time.  He  gained  his  start 
in  agricultural  life  when  lie  was  nineteen 
years  of  age.  At  that  time  his  father  bought 
three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  and 
agreed  to  give  his  son  a  half  of  this  fine 
farm  if  he  would  stay  at  home  and  engage  in 
the  cultivation  of  the  soil.  His  present  suc- 
cess is  due  to  his  personal  experience  in 
the  details  of  scientific  agriculture  and  to 
the  impetus  which  this  early  gift  gave  to 
his  ambition.  He  is  now  accounted  one  of 
the  most  progressive  and  extensive  land  own- 
era  in  Douglas  county.  Besides  his  large 
farm  upon  which  he  resides  he  also  owns 
three  hundred  and  ninety-seven  acres  on  Elk 
creek  which  he  operates  as  a  stock  ranch 
and  which  forms  a  valuable  addition  to  his 
income. 

In  1876  Mr.  Wells  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Julia  Haney,  of  the  Umpqua  val- 
ley, a  daughter  of  Robert  Haney,  one  of  tlie 
earliest  settlers  in  this  district"  to  which  he 
came  from  Iowa  at  an  early  day.  Unto  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Wells  have  been  borii  three  chil- 
dren: Laura,  deceased  wife  of  Arthur  Mack, 
who  upon  her  demise  left  one  son,  Francis, 
who  makes  his  home  with  the  subject  of  this 
sketch;  Roy,  who  is  now  operating  a  portion 
of  the  home  farm  and  who  married  a  Miss 
Myrtle  A.  Lamb,  by  whom  he  has  two  chil- 
dren, Lois  and  Claire;  and  Retta,  who  is 
now  deceased.  In  politics  Mr.  Wells  is  in- 
dependent of  party  lines  and  although  he 
takes  an  intelligent  interest  in  public  affairs 
has  never  sought  office.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Oregon  State  Pioneer  Society  and  is  a 
prominent  figure  in  its  affairs.  He  brings 
to  his  occupation  a  true  sense  of  agricul- 
tural economics  and  never  allows  a  foot  of 
his  land  to  be  unproductive.  Douglas  county 
is  a  rich  and  fertile  country  with  wealth 
and  prosperity  hidden  in  its  acres.  No  man 
has  done  more  toward  its  development  and 
improvement  than  has  Darius  Wells,  and  his 
success  is  the  just  reward  of  his  intelligent 
labor. 

HARRY  E.  OLINGHOUSE.  The  fertile 
farms  and  extensive  ranches  in  the  Cow 
creek  valley  are  the  chief  source  of  the 
prosperity  and  wealth  of  that  region  and 
are  the  foundations  upon  which  many  a  man 
has  built  up  a  successful  career.  Harry  E. 
Olinghouse  is  the  owner  of  two  hundred  and 
forty  acres  of  improved  ranch  land  in  that 
district  and  gives  his  entire  time  and  atten- 
tion to  its  cultivation  and  development.  He 
was  born  in  California,  Jlarch  22,  1870.  a 
son  of  J.  C.  and  Sarah  E.  Olinghouse.  the 
former  a  native  of  Indiana  and  the  latter  of 
Missouri.  The  parents  moved  to  California 
in  18GC  and  in  1890  the  family  became  resi- 
dents of  Doiiglas  county,  Oregon,  where  the 
father    remained    in   business   on    Cow    creek 


278 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


until  1910,  when  he  removed  to  Glendale, 
where  he  now  resides. 

Harry  E.  Olinghouse  is  one  of  thirteen  chil- 
dren, ten  of  whom  are  still  living.  He  re- 
mained at  home  until  he  reached  mature  years 
and  then  started  to  work  in  a  gold  mine 
and  continued  in  that  line  of  activity  until 
lUOS.  He  saved  his  money  during  that  period 
until  he  had  accumulated  suflicient  capital 
to  buy  a  ranch  in  the  Cow  creek  valley,  and 
then  purchased  two  hundred  and  forty  acres 
of  land  in  that  region,  which  he  now  owns 
and  operates.  He  is  a  practical  farmer, 
familiar  with  all  the  details  of  that  occupa- 
tion, is  progressive  and  is  deeply  interested 
in  agricultural  development. 

In  1905  Mr.  Olinghouse  was  miited  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Barbara  Cheney,  a  daughter 
of  George  and  Katie  (Forstall)  Cheney,  of 
California,  and  to  their  union  three  children 
have  been  born,  Edna  V.,  Leonard  C.  and  Ada 
M.  Mr.  Olinghouse  has  always  been  inter- 
ested in  any  movement  looking  toward  the 
educational  and  civic  improvement  of  his 
community.  His  politics  are  essentially  re- 
publican and  he  is  now  serving  as  chairman 
of  the  school  board  of  Galesville.  He  operates 
his  extensive  holdings  actively  and  intelli- 
gently and  is  cultivating  his  ranch  along 
scientific   lines. 

ROY  I.  KILGORE  was  numbered  among 
the  young  men  of  Oregon  who  possessed  the 
enterprising  progressive  spirit  that  has  been 
the  dominant  factor  in  the  rapid  and  sub- 
stantial upbuilding  of  this  part  of  the  coun- 
try. He  carried  forward  to  successful  com- 
pletion whatever  he  undertook  and  his 
labors  were  ever  of  a  character  that  con- 
tributed to  public  progress  and  prosperity 
as  well  as  to  individual  advancement.  There 
were  in  his  life  record  many  estimable  traits 
which  caused  his  death  to  be  deeply  regretted 
by  all  who  knew  him.  He  was  born  in  Ash- 
land, Oregon,  April  C,  1880.  and  was  only  a 
few  months  old  when  his  parents  removed  to 
Langells  Valley,  Klamath  county,  settling  on 
a  ranch,  upon  which  he  was  reared  and  on 
which  he  remained  to  the  time  of  his  mar- 
riage, although  the  winter  seasons  w-ere  spent 
as   a   student   in    the    schools   of   Ashland. 

On  the  6th  uf  March,  189S.  Mr.  Kilgore 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Etta  Mary 
Chastain,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  J.  A.  Chastain, 
and  after  his  marriage  Mr.  Kilgore  began 
the  cultivation  and  improvement  of  a  ranch 
of  two  hundred  and  eighty  acres  given  him 
by  his  father.  He  devoted  two  years  to  its 
development  and  then  removed  to  Bonanza, 
continuing  in  the  stock-raising  business.  He 
early  displayed  a  spirit  of  enterprise  and 
progress  which  made  his  cooperation  appre- 
ciated by  his  father,  in  connection  with  whom 
in  1908  he  built  the  Bonanza  Flouring  Mills, 
of  which  he  remained  manager  to  the  time 
of  his  death,  which  occurred  on  the  24th  of 
February,  1911.  He  was  a  partner  with  his 
father  in  ranching  and  stock-raising  interests 
as  well  as  in  mining  and  they  won  substan- 
tial and  well  merited  success.  Their  pros- 
perity was  never  gained  at  the  sacrifice  of 
the  interests  of  others  hut  was  due  to  con- 


structive business  methods,  to  careful  man- 
agement and  unfaltering  perseverance. 

ilr.  and  Mrs.  Kilgore  became  the  parents 
of  four  children:  Mary  Elizabeth,  thir- 
teen years  of  age;  Inez  A.,  aged  ten;  Gladys, 
eight  years;  and  Roy  .James,  two  years  of 
age.  Mr.  Kilgore  erected  a  large  residence  in 
Bonanza  which  is  still  owned  by  his  widow, 
but  since  his  death  she  has  purchased  and 
removed  to  another  residence  which  is  more 
centrally  located.  His  success  enabled  Mr. 
Kilgore  to  leave  his  family  in  very  comfort- 
able circumstances.  Their  welfare  and  hap- 
piness were  ever  his  first  interest  and  at  the 
same  time  he  proved  himself  a  public-spirited 
citizen  by  his  cooperation  in  movements  for 
the  general  good.  He  kept  well  informed  on 
questions  and  issues  of  the  day,  voted  with 
the  republican  party  and  served  acceptably 
as  a  member  of  the  city  council  of  Bonanza. 
Fraternally  he  was  identified  with  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  in  his  life 
exemplified  the  spirit  of  mutual  helpfulness 
and  brotherly  kindness  which  underlies  that 
organization.  Death  called  him  at  the  very 
early  age  of  thirty-one  years  and  thus  ter- 
minated a  life  of  great  usefulness  to  the 
community,  for  his  influence  and  aid  could 
always  be  counted  upon  to  further  move- 
ments for  the  public  good.  There  were  also 
attractive  social  qualities  in  his  makeup  and 
principles  of  honor  and  integrity  which  com- 
manded the  respect  of  all.  While  his  life 
was  of  brief  duration  he  accomplished  much 
more  than  many  a  man  who  lives  to  twice 
his  years  and  he  left  a  memory  that  is  cher- 
ished  by   all   who   knew   him. 

FRANK  FLAM,  who  is  engaged  in  the  live- 
stock business  in  Coos  county,  buying  and 
selling  in  the  local  markets,  maintains  his 
home  about  six  and  a  half  miles  from  Ban- 
don,  on  the  Bear  creek  road,  through  the 
summer  season,  while  the  winter  months 
are  spent  by  him  in  town.  He  was  born  in 
Minnesota,  May  16,  1864,  and  is  a  son  of 
John  and  Frances  (Winson)  Flam,  both  of 
whom  w-ere  natives  of  Germany.  They  be- 
came parents  of  four  children:  Rosella,  who 
is  the  wife  of  .John  Beach,  of  Bandon  and 
has  five  children;  Katherine,  who  is  the 
widow  of  .John  West  and  has  three  children; 
.Joseph,  residing  in  Parkersburg;  and  Frank. 
The  father  came  to  Oregon  from  Minnesota 
in  1872  and  preempted  a  homestead  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  on  Bear  creek,  which 
is  now  owned  by  his  son  Frank.  The  father 
died  November  21,  1890,  and  the  mother 
passed  away  on  December  21.  1900. 

Frank  Flam  came  to  Oregon  when  about 
eight  years  of  age  and  was  reared  upon  his 
father's  farm  which  was  a  tract  of  wild 
land  when,  it  came  into  the  possession  of  the 
family,  but  the  father  and  his  sons  cleared 
and  developed  it  and  when  old  enough  Frank 
Flam  began  managing  the  place.  He  took 
care  of  his  parents  to  the  time  when  they 
were  called  to  their  final  rest,  thus  repaying 
them  by  filial  devotion  for  the  love  and 
care  bestowed  upon  him  in  his  youth.  Pros- 
pering, he  purchased  another  tract  of  one 
hundred   and   sixty   acres   in   1899   and   soon 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


279 


removed  to  that  place,  later  adding  thereto 
until  today  he  is  the  owner  of  four  liundred 
acres  in  one  tract.  He  built  a  sawmill  which 
he  operated  for  several  years,  cutting  his 
own  timber,  and  he  owns  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  timber  land.  He  has  leased 
all  of  his  land  to  an  oil  well  company 
which  is  sinking  a  well,  having  already  put 
one  well  down,  twenty-three  hundred  and 
fifty  feet.  The  prospec'ts  of  striking  oil  are 
good  and  already  a  good  flow  of  natural  gas 
has  been  found.  Mr.  Flam  is  engaged  in 
the  live-stock  business,  raising,  buying  and 
selling  stock  which  he  handles  in  the  local 
markets.  He  deals  largely  in  stock  used 
for  beef  and  his  success  is  due  to  capable 
business  management,  unfaltering  enterprise 
and  careful  discernment.  He  owns  altogether 
seven  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  farm 
land  together  with  business  and  residence 
property  in  Bandon,  and  he  is  interested  in 
the  Bank  of  Bandon,  having  long  been  a 
stockholder  and  director  in  that  institution. 
He  is  well  known  as  a  prominent  and  pro- 
gressive business  man  and  one  whose  suc- 
cess is  the  direct  reward  of  his  own  labors. 
In  September,  1898,  Mr.  Flam  was  married 
to  Miss  Docia  A.  Haga,  and  they  have  be- 
come the  parents  of  two  children:  Blanch, 
who  was  born  September  33,  1899;  and 
Rosella,  born  December  29,  1903. 

Mr.  Flam  has  served  as  a  school  director  for 
a  number  of  terms  and  also  as  school  clerk. 
He  has  filled  the  office  of  road  supervisor 
and  is  interested  in  all  that  has  to  do  witli 
the  betterment  of  the  community  and  its 
substantial  upbuilding  along  material,  intel- 
lectual and  social  lines.  He  is  a  self-made 
man  in  the  truest  and  best  sense  of  the 
term  for  whatever  he  has  accomplished  is 
due   to  his   own   labors. 

WILLIAM  R.  VINSON  was  boru  in  a  prai- 
rie schooner  in  Nebraska  territory  during 
his  parents'  journey  across  the  plains  and 
all  his  life  he  has  been  a  resident  of  the 
northwest.  He  is  the  founder  and  builder 
of  his  own  fortunes,  having  begun  his  active 
life  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  and  the  success 
which  he  has  met  with  reflects  credit  upon 
the  design  and  the  execution.  He  is  owner 
of  one  thousand  acres  of  the  finest  land  in 
Oregon  and  is  giving  his  attention  to  gen- 
eral agriculture,  fruit  farming  and  dairying. 
He  was  for  many  years  superintendent  of 
the  Douglas  county  poor  farm  and  was  after- 
ward general  manager  of  this  institution, 
the  paupers  being  brought  to  his  own  land, 
where  he  contracted  with  the  county  for 
their  care.  Mr.  Vinson's  birth  occurred  June 
9.  1859,  and  his  parents  were  .John  and 
Phoebe  (Troxel)  Vinson.  They  crossed  the 
plains  with  ox  teams  from  Iowa  in  1859 
and  their  first  location  after  their  arrival 
in  Oregon  was  on  the  North  Umpqua  river, 
east  of  Roseburg,  in  Douglas  county.  Here 
the  father  took  up  a  homestead  claim  upon 
which  he  settled  and  resided  until  1862.  In 
that  year  he  enlisted  for  the  Indian  war 
and  subsequently  in  the  regular  army,  serv- 
ing for  six  years.  His  troop  was  held  on 
the   plains   after   the   close   of   hostilities   in 


order    to    suppress   the   Indian    uprising   and 
to  guard  the  emigration  trains.    When  he  was 
finally    discharged    he    located    in    Montana, 
where   he   lived  until   the   time  of  his  death. 
William  R.   Vinson   received  his  education 
in   the   common   schools  of  Oregon   and  has 
been    earning   his    own    living   since   his    fif- 
teenth year.     From  that  time  until  the  year 
of  his  marriage,  in  1881,  he  worked  at  what- 
ever occupation  ofi'ered  him   an  opportunity 
to  make  money.     For  three  years  he  drove  a 
stage  on  the  old  Coos  bay  road  from  Rose- 
burg  to   Empire   City.     Mr.   Vinson's   career 
as   a    farmer   began   in    1881,   at   which   time 
he  rented  land  two  miles  north  of  Roseburg 
and    continued    his    agricultural    pursuits    in 
this  way   for  twelve  years.     At  tlie  end  of 
that  time  he  bought  a  ranch  near  Winchester, 
where  for  eight  years  he  did  general  farm- 
ing.    In  1901  he  took  charge  of  the  county 
poor   farm   and   acted   as   its   superintendent 
until  the  institution  was  sold,  eighteen  months 
later.      Mr.    Vinson    was    the    purchaser    of 
what  was  the  first  farm  of  its  kind  in  the 
county  and  he  assumed  its  management,  con- 
tracting witli  the  county  to  take  care  of  their 
poor.     He   took  care  of  the  paupers  on  his 
ranch   for   eight    years,   being   aided   in   this 
branch    of   his   activities   by    his    systematic 
business  administration  and  his  kindly  under- 
standing of  the  needs  of  his   charges.     The 
county's   poor   were    finally   removed   to    the 
vicinity  of  Roseburg  and  Mr.  Vinson's  iden- 
tification with  their  interests  ceased.     He  is 
now  the  owner  of  a  thousand  acre  tract  of 
land    in    Coles    valley    and    is    engaged     in 
dairying,    stock-raising    and    fruit    farming. 
He  has  a  prune  orchard  covering  thirty  acres 
of   ground    but    the    success    of    this    branch 
of    his    undertaking    rests    with    the    future, 
as    the    trees    are    still    too   young   to    bear. 
Two  years  after  his  removal  to  his  present 
property    he    erected    a    sawmill,    which    he 
operated  for  seven  years.     It  was  eventually 
destroyed  by  fire  but  a  year  and  a  half  later 
another   mill   was  built  upon   the  same   site 
and   this   is   now   run    by   the   Coles   Valley 
Lumber  Company,  Mr.  Vinson  furnishing  the 
timber. 

On  March  20,  1881,  Mr.  Vinson  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Virinda  Cummins,  a 
native  of  California,  who  came  to  Oregon  in 
1876.  They  had  four  children,  three  of 
whom  are  now  living.  Their  eldest  son, 
Bird  Glen,  is  a  veteran  of  the  Spanish- 
American  war,  who  saw  twenty-two  months' 
service  in  the  Philippines.  Upon  his  return 
home  he  enlisted  in  the  navy  and  was  located 
for  a  short  time  in  the  Mare  Island  navy 
yard,  on  a  training  ship.  He  next  was  a 
bugler  on  the  United  States  ship  Oregon  for 
four  years  with  the  exception  of  a  short  time 
when  he  was  transferred  to  the  United  States 
ship  Wisconsin  and  the  revenue  cutter  Raleigh, 
w'hence  he  was  again  transferred  to  the  Ore- 
gon. He  is  now  in  the  railroad  passenger 
service.  The  other  children  born  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Vinson  were  Iva  Belle,  who  is  now 
deceased;  Ralph  Roy,  a  bookkeeper  in  the 
employ  of  the  National  Hospital  Association 
of    Portland;    and   Vernon    Edgar,   at   home. 


280 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


In  his  political  beliefs  Mr.  Vinson  is  a 
consistent  republican  and  in  1908  was  a  can- 
didate for  the  nomination  to  the  otfice  of 
sheriff  and  of  the  seven  competitors  for 
this  position  he  had  the  second  largest  vote. 
He  is  a  member  of  Laurel  Lodge,  No.  13, 
A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Eoseburg,  and  he  also 
belongs  to  the  Coles  Valley  Grange  and  the 
Douglas  Pomona  Grange  in  which  latter  or- 
ganization he  holds  the  position  of  secretary. 
He  is  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  Douglas 
county  and  has  attained  his  success  by  honor- 
able means.  His  early  struggles  gave  him  a 
broad  and  tolerant  outlook  and  a  practical 
knowledge  of  the  conditions  among  the  poor, 
and  this -he  has  applied  to  making  the  lives 
of  hundreds  of  paupers  better  and  more 
bearable.  His  farm  is  intelligentlj'  operated 
and  improved  and  is  a  credit  to  his  agri- 
cultural skill  and  the  standards  of  citizen- 
ship in  Oregon  have  gained  by  the  life  of 
a  man  of  administrative  business  ability, 
broad  charities  and  upright  and  sti'aight- 
forward   characteristics. 

THOMAS  DEVEREUX  is  one  of  the  most 
important  general  farmers,  dairymen  and 
stock-raisers  in  Coos  county.  He  is  wealthy 
and  successful,  and  prosperity  has  come  to 
him  by  his  own  efforts  as  a  natural  result  of 
energy  well  directed,  and  continuous  labor. 
He  was  born  in  Ireland  on  September  14. 
1851,  and  is  a  son  of  Michael  and  Ellen 
(Hickey)  Devereux,  natives  of  the  Emerald 
isle.  He  is  one  of  a  family  of  eleven  children 
born  to  his  parents:  Peter,  who  died  in  1912 
in  Ireland:  Paul,  a  twin  of  the  former,  of 
Ireland;  Michael,  who  has  also  passed  away; 
Maria,  who  is  residing  in  her  native  country; 
John,  Phillip  and  John,  the  second  of  the 
name,  all  of  whom  are  deceased;  Thomas,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch;  Bridget,  the  wife  of 
Michael  Tobin  of  Ireland;  ilargaret,  who  mar- 
ried Edward  Morrisey.  and  who  also  resides 
in  Ireland;  and  Phillip,  the  second  of  this 
name,   who  has  passed  away. 

Thomas  Devereux  was  educated  in  his  na- 
tive country  and  was  reared  upon  his  father's 
farm.  Before  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age 
he  left  home  and  came  immediately  to  Am- 
erica settling  in  Humboldt  county,  California, 
where  he  worked  as  a  farm  hand  for  five 
years  during  which  time  he  had  two  em- 
ployers. He  saved  his  money  and  was  soon 
able  to  purchase  ninety  acres  of  land  which 
he  developed  and  improved  for  two  years.  At 
the  end  of  that  time  he  became  identified 
with  lumber  work  in  the  redwood  camps  and 
for  thirteen  years  he  was  successful  in  this 
line  of  occupation.  He  came  to  Oregon  im- 
mediately after  his  marriage  and  settled  in 
Coos  county  where  he  purchased  one  hundred 
and  eighty  acres  of  land  four  miles  from  Co- 
quille.  The  property  was  then  in  a  raw  con- 
dition and  Mr.  Devereux  was  obliged  to  clear 
the  timber.  He  is  responsible  for  all  the 
improvements  which  were  made  upon  the 
land  and  which  finally  resulted  in  making  it 
one  of  the  attractive  and  important  farms 
in  the  section.  Here  he  lived  imtil  1000  in 
which  year  he  disposed  of  his  holdings  and 
purchased   two   hundred   acres   near   Parkers- 


burg.  This  place  was  also  unimproved  and 
Mr.  Devereux  with  the  help  of  his  sons  began 
the  work  of  development.  He  cleared  the 
timber,  erected  fine  barns  and  outbuildings 
and  has  it  now  in  an  excellent  condition.  He 
engages  in  general  farming  but  specializes 
in  dairying  and  stock-raising,  both  of  which 
enterprises  form  an  important  source  of  in- 
come to  him,  as  his  cattle  and  dairy  products 
find  a  ready  sale  in  the  Oregon  markets. 

Aside  from  the  farm  upon  which  he  resides 
Mr.  Devereux  owns  also  one  hundred  and 
sixty-eight  acres  of  timber  land  near  Myrtle 
Point,  Oregon,  and  is  interested  in  town  prop- 
erty in  Bandon.  He  owns  the  postotfice  build- 
ing and  also  a  large  amount  of  residence 
property.  Moreover,  he  was  one  of  the  organ- 
izers of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Bandon 
and  has  been  one  of  its  directors  ever  since 
it  was  incorporated. 

In  ISSG  Mr.  Devereux  mai-ried  Miss  Mary 
Larkin,  a  native  of  Ireland  who  came  to  Hum- 
boldt county,  California,  with  her  parents 
when  she  was  two  years  of  age.  She  is  one 
of  a  family  of  two  children,  her  brother, 
Michael,  being  a  resident  of  Eureka,  Cali- 
fornia. Her  father  is  living  and  makes  his 
home  in  San  Francisco.  To  ilr.  and  Mrs. 
Devereux  have  been  born  eleven  children: 
Mary  Ella,  who  resides  in  Portland;  John,  a 
resident  of  Bandon;  Thomas,  who  resides  with 
his  parents;  Margaret,  also  a  resident  of 
Portland;  Henry,  who  makes  his  home  with 
his  parents;  and  James,  Teresa,  Lena,  Phil- 
lip, David  and  Loretta,  all  of  whom  are  at- 
tending school. 

In  his  political  affiliations  Mr.  Devereux  is 
a  consistent  democrat  and  is  always  ready  to 
do  his  duty  in  a  public  way.  He  is  interested 
in  education  and  has  been  school  director  for 
a  number  of  years  and  is  now  serving  as 
school  clerk.  For  some  time  he  did  able 
and  constructive  work  as  road  superinten- 
dent. While  he  recognizes  his  obligations  as 
a  citizen  Mr.  Devereux  has  never  sought  pub- 
lic office  and  prefers  to  concentrate  his  at- 
tention upon  his  agricultural  pursuits.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Roman  Catholic  church 
and  affiliates  with  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World.  He  is  a  self-made  man  and  perhaps 
because  of  this  has  a  thorough  knowledge  of 
values.  Citizenship  means  something  to  him 
and  success  while  important  and  valuable  is 
kept  entirely  secondary  to  the  qualities, 
standards  and  methods  which  promote  it. 

JASPER  DARNEILLE.  'mien  Oregon  was 
in  the  stage  of  pioneer  development,  when 
its  great  forests  were  largely  uncut  and  its 
prairie  and  valley  lands  uncultivated,  Jasper 
Darneille  entered  upon  the  scene  of  earthly 
activities.  He  has  always  remained  a  resi- 
dent of  this  state,  his  birth  having  occurred 
in  Harney  county.  September  1,  1853,  while 
his  parents,  Anderson  and  Mary  (Lane)  Dar- 
neille, were  en  route  for  Jackson  county. 
They  started  from  Missouri  across  the  plains 
early  in  that  year  with  ox  teams,  joining 
a  train  of  four  hundred  wagons.  Various 
obstacles  and  difficulties  confronted  them  as 
they  proceeded  but  each  day  saw  them  a  lit- 
tle   farther    on    the    journey.      At    one    time 


J  THE  NEW  YOrTJ 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


285 


the  Indians  stampeded  their  cattle  and  stole 
some  of  them  but  when  several  months  had 
passed  they  found  that  the  long  stretches 
of  hot  sand  and  the  mountain  trails  lay  be- 
hind them  and  they  had  reached  the  rich 
valley  lands  of  western  Oregon.  The  father 
secured  a  donation  land  claim  of  six  hundred 
and  forty  acres  in  Lane  county  and  upon  that 
place  Ja'sper  Darneille  was  reared.  He  at- 
tended the  schools  of  the  early  day  and  aided 
in  the  arduous  task  of  developing  a  new  farm, 
but  gained  from  his  work  that  practical  ex- 
perience and  comprehensive  knowledge  which 
have  enabled  him  in  later  years  to  success- 
fully conduct  his  own  business  affairs. 

On  attaining  his  majority  Jasper  Darneille 
left  home  and  was  united  in  marriage  to  iliss 
Laura  Custer,  a  native  of  Iowa.  Unto  them 
were  born  ten  children,  as  follows:  Lydia  J., 
Marv  J.,  Laura  A.,  Ida  M.,  Henry  A.,  Ellen 
F.,  Cora  E.,  Lester  L.,  Marion  L.  and  Ken- 
neth W.  The  last  named  was  drowned  in 
1900,  and  on  the  recovery  of  his  body  his 
grave  was  made  in  the  Missouri  Flat  Ceme- 
tery. 

Coming  to  Jackson  county  in  early  man- 
hood, Mr.  Darneille  took  up  a  homestead 
claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  upon 
which  he  lived  for  eleven  years,  making  many 
improvements  thereon  during  that  period.    He 

then  sold  out  and  removed  to  Josephine 
county,  and  is  now  living  on  rented  land 
which  he  has  operated  for  the  past  six  years. 
He  is  a  very  active,  energetic  man.  who  is 
leading  a  busy  and  useful  life,  and  his  re- 
liabilify  in  business  affairs  has  gained  for 
him  in  the  high  regard  and  good-will  of  all 
Avith  whom  he  has  been  brought  in  contact. 

WILSON    SHEPHERD    WILEY,    who    in 

August,  1907,  came  to  Klamath  Falls,  where 
he  is  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law,  was 
born  in  Springfield,  Illinois.  January  9,  1880, 
a  son  of  Colonel  Edmund  R.  and  Ladora  Ella 
(Rice)  Wiley.  The  father  was  born  in  New 
York  city.  June  20,  1833,  and  the  mother's 
birth  occurred  at  Springfield.  Conway  county. 
Arkansas,  October  3,  1852.  In  his  childhood 
days  Colonel  Edmund  R.  Wiley  removed  with 
his  parents  to  Illinois,  and  his  father,  who 
was  a  merchant  tailor,  established  the  first 
clothing  store  in  Springfield,  Illinois,  in  part- 
nership with  Richard  H.  Beach  and  George 
Wood,  which  with  some  changes  continued 
for  twenty  years  under  the  firm  style  of 
Wiley,  Beach  &  Company.  Colonel  Wiley's 
father  was  one  of  the  pioneer  business  men 
of  the  city,  and  contributed  in  substantial 
measure  to  its  early  development  and  prog- 
ress. 

Colonel  Wiley  was  reared  in  Sangamon 
county,  Illinois,  and  supplemented  his  early 
education  by  a  course  in  the  Jacksonville 
(111.)  University,  from  which  he  was  gradu- 
ated. He  afterward  practiced  law  in  Decatur, 
Illinois,  and  the  Civil  war  coming  on  he  was 
appointed  adjutant  of  the  Sixty-second  Illi- 
nois Infantry.  Valiant  and  meritorious  con- 
duct won  him  promotion  through  various 
grades  to  the  rank  of  colonel,  and  he  was 
on  active  duty  throughout  the  period  of 
hostilities.  He  was  mustered  out  in  !May. 
Vol.  TV— 12 


18G6,  being  at  the  time  on  duty  as  judge 
advocate  of  the  Department  of  Tennessee 
with  headquarters  at  Memphis,  Tennessee. 
He  was  married  in  Arkansas,  and  during  his 
residence  there  served  in  the  state  legisla- 
ture, and  also  served  as  clerk  of  Arkansas 
county  from  November  5,  1867,  to  October 
7,  1871.  He  was  elected  sheriff  of  Arkansas 
county  in  the  fall  of  1872  to  serve  two  years. 
He  then  returned  to  Illinois  and  afterward 
went  to  Chicago,  where  he  engaged  in  news- 
paper work  on  the  Chicago  Tribune.  Subse- 
quently, however,  he  again  went  to  Spring- 
field, Illinois.  Some  time  later  he  went  once 
more  to  Arkansas,  establishing  his  home  in 
Little  Rock,  where  he  is  now  living  retired. 
His  wife  also  survives.  Colonel  Wiley  is  a 
republican  in  his  political  views,  and  has 
made  an  excellent  record  in  every  relation 
of  life,  as  a  soldier  on  the  field  of  battle, 
as  a   public  official  and  as  a  business  man. 

Wilson  S.  Wiley  was  the  sixth  in  order 
of  birth  in  a  family  of  seven  children.  He 
resided  in  Illinois  until  nine  years  of  age, 
when  he  accompanied  his  parents  on  their 
removal  to  Little  Rock,  Arkansas.  He  ac- 
quired a  high-school  and  business  education, 
and  afterward  went  to  Washington,  D.  C. 
where  he  took  a  private  course  of  study  and 
did  special  work.  He  received  the  Master  of 
Laws  degree  from  the  National  University 
Law  School,  of  Washington,  D.  C,  in  1904, 
and  then  again  went  to  Little  Rock,  Arkan- 
sas, where  he  practiced  for  a  short  period. 
He  accepted  a  law  clerkship  in  the  office  of 
the  solicitor,  department  of  commerce  and 
labor,  in  March.  1905.  under  Hon.  Edwin  W. 
Sims,  remaining  a  member  of  the  legal  staff 
of  the  department  of  justice,  Washington, 
D.  C,  for  about  two  and  one-half  years.  In 
August,  1907,  he  arrived  in  Klamath  Falls 
as  law  examiner  for  the  United  States  recla- 
mation service,  which  position  he  continued 
to  fill  until  April,  1911.  since  which  time  he 
has  engaged  in  the  private  practice  of  law, 
being  accorded  a  liberal  clientage  that  con- 
nects him  with  much  of  the  important  liti- 
gation  tried   in   the   courts   of   this   district. 

On  the  1st  of  August.  1907.  Mr.  Wiley 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Effie  C. 
Sharpless,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  but  a 
resident  of  Washington,  D.  C,  during  the 
greater  part  of  her  life.  Her  parents  are 
Harry  (deceased)  and  Phebe  E.  Sharpless. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wiley  have  one  child,  a  son, 
named  Wilson  Sharpless  Wiley.  Jlr.  Wiley 
was  brought  up  in  the  "faith"  of  the  republi- 
can party,  and  has  seen  no  reason  to  change 
his  position  in  regard  to  his  support  of  that 
political  organization.  He  is  a  charter  mem- 
ber of  Lodge  No.  1247,  Benevolent  Protect- 
ive Order  of  Elks,  Klamath  Falls,  and  has  a 
wide  acquaintance  here,  his  sterling  traits 
of  character  and  his  professional  ability  liav- 
ing  gained  for  him  a  favorable  and  enviable 
position  in  both  business  and  social  circles. 

GEORGE  A.  STEWARD  is  the  owner  of  a 
line  farm  near  Riverton  and  its  state  of  de- 
velopment and  improvement  is  entirely  the 
product  of  his  own  labor.  His  success  as  a 
general     agriculturist     has     established     him 


286 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


among  the  men  whose  careful  and  conserva- 
tive management  of  a  private  enterprise 
makes  them  valued  citizens  of  the  commu- 
nity. He  has  been  a  resident  of  Coos  county 
all  his  life,  his  birth  having  occurred  on 
Lampa  creek  in  1872.  His  parents  ■were 
Stephen  and  Mary  F.  (Hamlin)  Steward,  the 
former  a  native  of  Maine  and  the  latter  of 
Illinois.  The  father  came  to  Oregon  about 
1S60,  settling  near  Lampa,  where  he  took  up 
a  homestead,  which  he  improved  and  oper- 
ated for  a  short  time.  He  afterward  engaged 
in  the  lumber  business  in  Coquille,  selling 
out  his  holdings  eventually  in  order  to  estab- 
lish himself  as  a  butcher.  He  was  engaged 
in  this  line  of  occupation  at  the  time  of  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  18S7.  He  and  his 
wife  had  ten  children:  Frank  and  Charles, 
both  deceased;  George  A.,  the  subject  of  this 
review;  Charles,  Scott  and  Nellie,  all  of  whom 
have  passed  away;  Nettie,  the  wife  of  Mel- 
vin  Hayter,  of  Riverton:  William,  who  re- 
sides in  Washington;  Freeman,  of  Beaver 
Slough,  Oregon;  and  Steve,  who  makes  his 
home  in  Riverton. 

George  A.  Steward  grew  up  on  his  father's 
farm  and  at  an  early  age  became  acquainted 
with  the  best  and  most  progressive  agricul- 
tural methods,  gaining  at  this  time  a  personal 
experience  which  has  been  invaluable  to  him 
in  his  present  activity.  He  was  educated  in 
the  district  schools  of  Coos  county  and  started 
active  life  for  himself  at  the  age  of  sixteen 
years.  He  obtained  employment  upon  neigh- 
boring farms  and  worked  in  this  way  for  a 
number  of  years,  abandoning  farm  labor 
eventually  in  order  to  become  a  steam  engi- 
neer. For  sixteen  years  he  worked  at  this 
business,  gaining  success  and  prosperity 
during  the  time.  He  purchased  fifteen  acres 
of  land  in  Coos  county  and  upon  this  he 
lived  for  one  year  before  he  bought  his  pres- 
ent farm  near  Riverton.  Here  he  does  gen- 
eral farming,  planting  his  acres  in  the  most 
suitable  grains  and  reaping  abundant  har- 
vests every  year  as  the  reward  of  his  care 
and  labor.  He  has  gained  a  comfortable  for- 
tune, which  he  has  invested  judiciously,  prin- 
cipally in  town  lots  in  Bandon. 

Mr.  Steward  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Lillian  M.  Thomas,  a  native  of  Oregon 
and  a  daughter  of  W.  H.  and  Elizabeth  (Dean) 
Thomas,  who  came  to  this  state  in  1882. 
Mr.  and  5Irs.  Thomas  became  the  parents 
of  three  children:  Lillian,  now  Mrs.  Steward; 
Edna. "  who  married  Freenlan  Steward,  of 
Beaver  Slough;  and  Elva.  who  has  passed 
away.  Our  subject  and  his  wife  have  three 
sons:  M.  Earl,  who  was  born  in  October, 
1902,  and  is  attending  school:  William  H., 
whose  birth  occurred  in  1904  and  who  is  also 
pursuing  his  studies;  and  Henry,  born  in  1909. 
Mr.  Steward  is  a  well  known  member  of  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  his  only 
fraternal  affiliation.  He  is  liberal  and  inde- 
pendent in  his  political  views  and,  while  he 
has  never  sought  office,  his  public  spirit  has 
led  him  to  accept  the  position  of  road  super- 
visor. He  entered  upon  his  duties  in  January, 
1909.  and  has  accomplished  much  progress- 
ive work  along  his  particular  line  since  that 
time,  keeping  the  roads  under  his  charge  in 


excellent  condition.  He  has  conducted  all  the 
afl'airs  of  his  department  in  a  satisfactory 
and  intelligent  manner,  his  ability  and  effi- 
ciency ranking  him  among  the  constructively 
useful   servants  of  the  community. 

C.  B.  CLENDENNING  is  well  known  as  a 
representative  business  man  of  Klamath 
Falls,  where  he  owns  and  conducts  a  large 
livery  stable  and  in  addition  is  extensively 
engaged  in  ranching,  having  planted  more 
than  four  hundred  acres  to  wheat  in  the  year 
1912.  He  was  born  in  Strathroy,  Ontario, 
Canada,  January  9,  1870,  and  is  a  son  of  Rob- 
ert and  Mary  (Ross)  Clendenning,  who  were 
natives  of  Canada,  born  near  Quebec.  They 
remained  in  that  country  until  1878,  when 
they  removed  to  St.  Clair  count}-,  Michigan, 
where  their  remaining  days  were  passed,  the 
father,  who  had  been  a  lifelong  farmer,  dying 
when  seventy-two  years  of  age  and  the 
mother  at  the  age  of  sixty-six. 

C.  B.  Clendenning,  the  youngest  of  six 
children,  resided  in  Michigan  until  he  came 
to  Klamath  Falls.  He  had  worked  in  the 
timber  woods  in  Michigan  and  it  was  tim- 
ber interests  that  brought  him  to  the  north- 
west. He  arrived  here  on  the  16th  of  July, 
1904,  and  for  three  years  worked  at  the 
carpenter's  trade,  since  which  time  he  has  en- 
gaged in  the  livery  business,  building  his 
present  large  livery  barn  on  Klamath  avenue 
in  1909.  He  has  extensive  ranching  inter- 
ests and  employs  progressive  methods  in  the 
care  of  his  crops,  having  four  hundred  acres 
planted  to  wheat  alone. 

On  the  21st  of  October.  1S92,  Jlr.  Clen- 
denning was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Car- 
rie M.  Shook,  a  native  of  Michigan  and  a 
daughter  of  P.  L.  Shook.  Three  children 
have  been  born  to  them,  Beatrice  Hattie, 
Cecil  Calvin  and  Barbara  Elizabeth.  Mr. 
Clendenning  holds  membership  with  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Odd  Fellows  but  his  time 
and  attention  are  chiefly  concentrated  upon 
his  business  interests,  his  capable  manage- 
ment thereof  bringing  to  him  a  goodly  meas- 
ure of  success. 

JOHN  R.  COX  was  born  in  Lane  county, 
Oregon,  and  long  familiarity  with  farming 
as  it  is  carried  on  in  this  state  has  made 
him  successful  and  prosperous  in  the  cultiva- 
tion of  his  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
land  on  the  Bear  creek  road  ten  miles  above 
Bandon.  He  is  a  representative  of  the  best 
agricultural  principles  and  keeps  his  farm 
in  excellent  condition.  He  is  an  important 
stock-raiser  and  dairyman  and  is  influenced 
in  the  management  of  his  entire  enterprise 
by  sound  business  discrimination.  He  was 
born  on  January  5.  1860.  and  is  a  son  of  Solo- 
mon and  Diana  (Cox)  Cox,  the  father  a  na- 
tive of  Missouri  and  the  mother  of  Ken- 
tucky. Solomon  Cox  came  to  Oregon  in 
1852,  taking  up  a  donation  claim  in  Lane 
county  where  he  resided  until  his  death.  He 
and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  ten  chil- 
dren: Jane,  who  married  William  Taylor  of 
Bandon:  Julytha,  who  has  passed  away; 
Samuel  and  James  M..  both  of  whom  reside 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


287 


in  Lane  county;  Emily  the  wife  of  G.  W. 
Carter,  also  residents  of  Lane  county;  Lucy, 
deceased;  William  H.,  who  makes  his  home 
in  Lane  county;  John  R.,  the  subject  of  this 
review;  Jefl'erson  D.  of  Lane  county;  and 
Sarah  who  married  Milton  Harlon  of  Wash- 
ington. 

John  K.  Cox  was  educated  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  Lane  county  and  from  his 
early  childhood  has  been  familiar  with  the 
details  of  the  operation  of  the  farm.  He  was 
fourteen  years  old  when  his  father  died  and 
he  lived  upon  the  farm  where  he  was  born 
for  two  years  after  that  event.  Then  his 
brother  Jefl'erson  D.  Cox  assumed  the  man- 
agement of  the  property  and  a  short  time 
aftenvard  bought  out  the  other  heirs  and  now 
lives  upon  the  homestead.  John  Cox  began 
his  active  life  working  for  wages  in  the 
employ  of  different  people.  After  his  mar- 
riage which  occurred  in  1SS6  he  took  up  a 
homestead  claim  near  Bandon  on  Bear  creek 
where  for  seven  years  he  carried  on  general 
agriculture.  In  1904  he  bought  his  present 
property  which  was  at  that  time  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  of  raw  and  unimproved 
land.  Its  present  attractive  appearance  is 
entirely  due  to  the  hard  work  and  the  un- 
flagging industry  of  Mr.  Cox.  He  set  about 
clearing  the  land  of  timber  and  improving 
his  property  along  systematic  lines.  He  has 
now  one  of  the  finest  ranches  in  Coos  county, 
developed  and  in  excellent  condition.  Upon 
this  he  carries  on  general  farming,  specializing 
in  stock-raising.  He  breeds  sheep,  cows  and 
horses  and  sells  them  in  the  state  markets. 
He  has  now  forty  head  of  stock  and  is  ex- 
tremely successful  in  this  branch  of  his  activi- 
ties. He  also  does  dairying  on  a  small 
scale. 

In  ISSG  Mr.  Cox  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Sarah  J.  Haga  and  they  became  the 
parents  of  nine  children:  Malinda  E.,  de- 
ceased; Floyd,  of  Coos  county;  Etta  J.,  who 
married  George  Colvin  of  Coos  county;  Wil- 
liam H.  and  James  R.,  both  of  whom  reside 
in  Coos  county;  George  F.,  who  is  associated 
with  his  father  in  the  operation  of  the 
home  ranch;  Jensie  A.,  who  lives  at  home; 
Lillie  May,  who  is  attending  school;  and 
Pearl  Leona. 

Mr.  Cox  does  not  affiliate  with  any  political 
party,  voting  according  to  his  own  convic- 
tions. He  is  interested  in  education  and  has 
been  a  school  director.  His  farming  and 
stock-raising,  however,  form  the  principal  in- 
terests of  his  life  and  his  career  has  been 
useful  and  he  is  a  representative  and  enter- 
prising citizen.  His  property,  raw  and  wild 
when  he  purchased  it,  is  today  cultivated  and 
improved  and  in  its  excellent  condition  is  a 
tangible  evidence  of  his  constructive  labor. 

W.  F.  ARANT.  Of  recent  years  public 
thought  and  attention  have  been  called  more 
and  more  largely  to  the  subject  of  conserving 
the  natural  scenic  beauties  and  wonders  of 
the  country  and  with  this  end  in  view  various 
districts  have  been  set  ap;irt  as  national 
parks  that  they  may  be  seen  and  enjoyed 
by  all  Avho  can  find  the  opporl unity  to  visit 
them.     It  was  a  wi<c  step  wlieii   the  country 


decided  to  make  Crater  lake  and  the  sur- 
rounding district  one  of  its  natural  parks 
and  W.  F.  Arant  at  the  present  time  is  act- 
ing as  its  efficient  superintendent.  He  was 
born  September  29,  1850,  in  Tazewell  county, 
Illinois,  the  son  of  Jesse  T.  and  Mary  Jane 
(Emmett)  Arant.  The  father  was  born  east 
of  Nashville,  Tennessee,  April  19,  1S23,  and 
the  mother's  birth  occurred  at  Jtount 
Pulaski,  Pennsylvania,  February  6.  1828. 
Jesse  T.  Arant  went  to  Illinois  with  his 
father  in  1830  and  in  the  same  year  Mary 
J.  Emmett  arrived  in  that  state  with  her 
father,  Samuel  Emmett.  The  paternal  grand- 
father was  William  Arant,  who  enlisted  for 
active  service  in  the  War  of  1812.  He  be- 
came one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Illinois  and 
there  spent  his  remaining  days.  He  displayed 
expert  skill  in  the  making  of  spinning  wheels 
and  looms  and  in  other  mechanical  work  and 
was  a  valued  citizen  of  his  adopted  state 
during  the  pioneer  period  of  its  development. 
His  family  numbered  two  sons  and  two 
daughters,  including  Jesse  T.  Arant,  who  was 
married  near  Peoria  to  Mary  J.  Emmett. 
They  continued  to  reside  in  Illinois  until  1S52 
and  on  the  12th  of  March  of  that  year  they 
left  their  home  in  the  middle  west,  crossing 
the  plains  with  ox  teams  to  Oregon.  They 
arrived  at  the  Sandy  river  in  September  and 
located  near  the  present  site  of  Harrisburg. 
in  Linn  county.  After  a  year  thej'  removed 
to  Douglas  county,  where  some  of  their 
friends  and  relatives  had  previously  settled. 
The  father  secured  a  donation  claim  of  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  seven  miles  north- 
west of  Roseburg  in  September,  1853,  and 
this  property  is  still  in  possession  of  his 
son,  W.  F.  Arant.  The  parents  resided  there- 
on until  1871.  after  which  they  spent  a  few 
years  in  Klamath  county  and  then  returned 
to  the  old  home  farm.  The  father  devoted 
his  entire  life  to  farming  and  stock-raising, 
his  labors  being  terminated  in  death  .June 
17,  1895,  while  his  wife  passed  away  Sep- 
tember 8,  1902.  They  became  the  parents  of 
twelve  children,  of  whom  seven  are  now  liv- 
ing: Mary  E.,  who  is  the  widow  of  James 
H.  Rowley  and  lives  in  Ashland,  Oregon: 
W.  F. ;  Samuel  F.,  whose  home  is  in  Mendo- 
cino county,  California;  A.  Marion,  living  in 
Monmouth,  Oregon;  Arthur  T.,  occupying  the 
old  home  place  near  Roseburg;  Ernest  Jesse, 
of  Ashland;  and  Hattie,  the  wife  of  W.  W. 
Hazen.  of  Chino,  California. 

W.  F.  Arant  resided  with  his  parents  until 
he  attained  his  majority  and  during  his 
youth  acquired  a  common-school  education 
and  worked  on  the  home  farm.  In  the  fall 
of  1872  he  came  to  Klamath  county,  where 
he  engaged  in  stock-raising  and  later  he  also 
took  up  farming,  following  botli  pui'suits  for 
about  thirty  years.  On  the  23d  of  May,  1902. 
the  Crater  Lake  National  Park  was  created 
by  act  of  congress  and  in  August  of  the  same 
year  Mr.  Arant  was  appointed  superintendent 
of  the  park,  which  position  he  has  since  held. 
He  is  the  first  to  enter  the  park  in  the 
spring  and  the  last  to  leave  in  the  fall.  He 
takes  great  jiride  in  making  this  one  of  tlie 
attractive  national  parks  of  the  country  and 
his    practical    methods   and    sound    judgment 


288 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


are  manifest  in  the  work  of  improvement 
that  has  been  carried  on.  During  the  win- 
ter months  he  gives  his  attention  to  his 
private  business  interests  and  thus  he  is  lead- 
ing a  busy  and  useful  life. 

On  the  29th  of  October,  1S71.  Mr.  Arant 
was  married  to  Miss  Emma  L.  Dunham,  who 
was  born  in  Livingston  county,  ilissouri, 
November  6,  1S53.  She  crossed  the  plains 
with  her  parents  in  1864.  starting  on  the 
first  of  April  and  arriving  in  November.  She 
is  a  daughter  of  John  S.  and  Harriet  (Wyatt) 
DnnhanC  the  latter  a  daughter  of  Captain 
.John  Wyatt,  who  commanded  a  company  in 
the  War  of  1812,  while. her  husband  was  a 
veteran  of  the  Civil  war.  The  ancestors  of 
W.  F.  Arant  served  as  soldiers  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary war.  Unto  Mr.  and  ilrs.  Arant  have 
been  born  four  sons:  E.  L.,  a  farmer  and 
stockman  of  Klamath  county;  Chauucey  F..  a 
dairy  farmer  of  Ashland;  Herbert  Lincoln,  a 
dairyman  and  stock-raiser  of  Klamath  county; 
and  Jay  J.,  a  stockman  of  Klamath  county. 
All   four  are  married  and  have   families. 

W.  F.  Arant  has  had  the  usual  experiences 
which  have  fallen  to  the  lot  of  the  pioneer 
of  the  northwest.  His  father  was  a  mem- 
ber of  a  militia  company  known  as  Minute 
Men  during  the  Rogue  River  Indian  war  in 
185.5  and  participated  in  a  number  of  skir- 
mishes in  defense  of  the  settlers  who  were 
living  here.  W.  F.  Arant  served  for  five 
years  in  the  State  Militia,  one  year  as  a 
private,  one  year  as  company  bugler,  two 
years  as  first  sergeant  and  one  year  as  guidon 
sergeant.  He  won  the  championship  medal 
as  the  finest  shot  of  Troop  B.  Oregon  Na- 
tional Guard,  which  was  one  of  the  two  cav- 
alry troops  in  the  state  at  that  time — 1S92. 
Two  of  his  sons,  E.  L.  and  C.  F.  Arant,  served 
with  the  same  troop  during  the  same  time 
as  their  father  but  held  ofiieial  positions, 
one  acting  as  bugler  and  the  other  as  a  cor- 
poral. His  son  Jay  at  seven  years  of  age 
was  presented  with  a  colonel's  uniform  by 
the  troop,  who  regarded  him  as  their  mascot, 
and  he  was  made  special  orderly  by  Briga- 
dier General  Compson.  W.  F.  Arant  was  at 
one  time  a  teamster  in  the  employ  of  the 
United  States  government  and  engaged  in 
furnishing  the  supplies  to  the  army  during  the 
Modoc  Indian  war.  He  acted  as  teamster 
with  wagonmaster  Davidson's  train.  He  has 
always  fed  an  outdoor  life,  spending  much  of 
the  time  in  the  saddle  with  his  gun  by  his 
side.  A  natural  mountaineer,  he  found  in 
his  present  position  as  superintendent  of 
the  Crater  Lake  National  Park  one  that  was 
particularly  congenial.  He  has  always  lived 
close  to  nature  and  knows  her  every  phase. 
His  political  allegiance  is  given  to  the  re- 
publican party  but  he  has  never  sought  nor 
desired  office."  There  is  little  concerning  the 
history  of  Oregon  for  the  past  sixty  years 
that  he  does  not  know,  for  he  has  witnessed 
its  continuous  growth  and  development 
throughout  that  period  and  is  especially 
active  in  connection  with  the  progress  in 
the  southern  part  of  the  state.  He  is  a 
cousin  of  Hon.  Robert  A.  Emmett.  his  mother 
and   Mr.    Emmett   being   sister   and   brother. 


while  Mr.  Araut's  father  and  Mr.  Emmett's 
mother  were  cousins.  W.  F.  Arant  and  Robert 
A.  Emmett  were  born  about  four  miles  apart 
in  Tazewell  county,  Illinois.  Their  parents 
crossed  the  plains  together  and  settled  in  the 
same  locality  in  Douglas  county.  After  the 
t^o  boys  were  grown  they  settled  on  adjoin- 
ing farms  in  Klamath  county  and  are  now 
neighbors  in  Klamath  Falls.  Both  have  be- 
come prominent  in  their  respective  fields  of 
labor  and  are  numbered  among  the  valued 
residents  of  southern  Oregon. 

JOHN  MATTSON  is  numbered  among  the 
successful  farmers  of  Coos  county,  where  he 
is  engaged  in  general  agricultural  pursuits  on 
a  highly  improved  ranch  of  ninety  acres  lo- 
cated six  miles  up  Catching  inlet  from  Mar-sh- 
field.  He  was  born  in  Finland,  December  14, 
1855,  and  is  a  son  of  Matt  and  Margaret  A. 
(Osbocka)  Mattson,  both  of  whom  were  na- 
tives of  that  country.  In  their  family  were 
beside  our  subject  the  following  children: 
Matt.  Leander,  Annie  and  Sophia,  all  of  whom 
are  deceased;  Hannah,  also  deceased,  who 
became  the  wife  of  Alexander  Peterson; 
ilatilda,  deceased;  and  Brita.  now  deceased, 
who  was  the  wife  of  Carl  Carlson. 

.John  Mattson  was  reared  in  his  parents' 
home  and  received  his  early  education  in  his 
native  land.  He  started  in  life  for  himself  at 
the  age  of  seventeen  years,  at  which  time  he 
emigrated  to  America,  making  his  first  set- 
tlement in  ilichigan.  where  he  was  engaged 
for  two  years  as  a  laborer  in  a  stone  quarry. 
He  then  removed  to  California  and  for  two 
years  was  employed  in  the  lumber  camps 
of  that  state.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he 
moved  to  Oregon,  settling  in  Marshfield  in 
1877.  On  taking  up  his  abode  in  Marshfield 
he  found  employment  in  the  lumber  camps 
near  that  city  and  continued  in  that  occu- 
pation for  a  number  of  years.  He  then  pur- 
chased a  farm  consisting  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  and  also  took  up  a  homestead 
which  he  failed  to  prove  up  on.  He  later 
purchased  a  farm  of  one  hundred  acres  and 
was  engaged  in  its  cultivation  for  a  period 
of  four  years.  He  then  bought  a  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres,  upon  which  he  lived 
for  two  years,  after  which  time  he  disposed  of 
that  property  and  in  1890  he  bought  a  farm 
of  ninety  acres  located  on  Catching  inlet  and 
has  since  been  engaged  in  the  cultivation  and 
development  of  that  place.  His  farm  is  well 
located  and  the  soil  is  considered  to  be  equal 
to  if  not  the  best  in  that  portion  of  Coos 
county.  Since  moving  upon  the  property  he 
has  built  a  very  fine  residence  and  surrounded 
his  home  with  shrubbery  of  all  varieties  com- 
mon to  that  portion  of  Oregon.  He  makes  a 
specialty  of  dairy  farming  and  in  that  busi- 
ness has  been  very  successful,  milking  at 
present  twenty  well  selected  dairy  cows. 

On  :May  7,  1880,  Mr.  Mattson  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Sophia  Stora,  a  daughter 
of  Carl  and  Louisa  (Stora)  Stora.  in  whose 
family  were  twelve  children,  six  of  whom  are 
now  living:  .John,  of  ^Marshfield:  Matt,  of 
N'ortli   Bend:    So])liia.   now   Mrs.   .John   Matt- 


JOHN    ■MATTSOX    AM)    FAMILY 


THE  NEW  Yu.^.K. 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


291 


son;  Hannah,  who  is  the  wife  of  Victor  Lox- 
trom,  of  Texas;  Hilma,  who  married  Con- 
dron  Haquist;  and  Selma,  who  is  the  wife  of 
William  Loxtrom,  of  Coos  Bay.  The  parents 
of  these  children  are  both  deceased,  the 
father's  death  occurring  in  1904  and  the 
mother's  in  1907.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jlattson 
six  children  have  been  born.  Selma,  the 
eldest,  married  William  Bjorkquist,  of  Coos 
Bay,  and  they  have  three  children,  Ellen, 
Signe  and  Ture.  Arthur,  who  resides  at  Coos 
Bay,  married  Hilma  Strang  and  they  have 
one  child,  Gladys.  Carl  married  Miss  Rose 
Harris,  of  Sumner,  and  they  have  two  chil- 
dren. Loriu  and  Jean.  Edna  married  Stephen 
Currin,  of  Bandon,  and  they  have  three  chil- 
dren, Lenora,  Leroy  and  Lorna.  Reuben  re- 
sides at  home  with  his  parents  and  is  at- 
tending school.  Walter  completes  the  family. 
Mr.  Mattson  is  liberal  in  his  political 
views,  giving  the  benefit  of  his  support  to 
the  party  which  he  believes  represents  the 
best  interests  of  the  people.  He  has  served  as 
school  director  of  the  district  in  which  he 
now  resides  for  tlie  past  tw^enty  years.  He 
belongs  to  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Work- 
men, and  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the 
Lutheran  church.  Mr.  Mattson  is  one  of 
the  best  known  men  in  his  portion  of  the 
state  and  the  highly  developed  farm  upon 
which  he  lives  is  one  of  the  show  places 
at  Catching  inlet.  He  has  always  taken 
great  pains  not  only  to  succeed  in  his  busi- 
ness but  also  to  adorn  his  farm  with  beautiful 
hedgerows  and  other  ornamental  shrubbery, 
all  of  which  contributes  to  the  beauty  and 
attractiveness  of  his  home  and  farm.  He 
is  one  of  the  substantial  citizens  of  the  com- 
munity in  which  he  resides  and  is  in  every 
respect  a  man  to  be  numbered  among  the 
agricultural  leaders  of  Coos  county. 

WALTER  RYDELL,  the  senior  member  of 
the  firm  of  Eydell  &  Kent,  general  merchants 
of  Elkton,  enjoys  an  enviable  reputation  as 
one  of  the  leading  young  business  men  of 
the  town.  His  birth  occurred  in  Douglas 
county,  Oregon,  about  four  miles  east  of  Elk- 
ton,  on  the  22d  of  August,  1S8S.  his  parents 
being  Xels  and  Ida  (Parson)  Rydell.  both 
natives  of  Sweden.  They  emigrated  to  the 
United  States  about  1876,  locating  in  Chicago. 
Illinois,  where  they  were  married  and  made 
their  home  for  five  or  six  years.  About  1SS3 
they  came  west  to  Oregon,  locating  in  Dou- 
glas county  and  taking  up  a  homestead  some 
four  miles  east  of  Elkton.  Xels  Rydell  con- 
tinued to  reside  thereon  until  1S99.  when 
he  took  up  his  abode  in  Elkton.  While  a 
resident  of  Chicago  he  had  been  employed 
for  a  time  in  an  iron  foundry  and  had  be- 
come much  interested  in  that  line  of  work. 
After  removing  to  Elkton  he  purchased  a 
partnership  interest  in  a  blacksmith  shop 
from  a  Mr.  Smith,  under  whose  direction  he 
learned  the  blacksmith's  trade.  Subsequently 
he  bought  Mr.  Smith's  interest  in  the  shop 
and  has  since  conducted  the  same  alone  with 
gratifying  success.    He  is  a  stanch  republican 


in  politics  and  now  acts  as  central  commit- 
teeman of  his  precinct.  He  has  lived  in 
Douglas  county  for  three  decades,  or  during 
the  entire  period  of  his  residence  in  this  state 
and  is  widely  recognized  as  one  of  the  pro- 
gressive and  public-spirited  citizens  of  Elkton. 
Fraternally  he  is  identified  w'ith  the  follow- 
ing organizations:  Elkton  Lodge,  No.  63,  A. 
F.  &  A.  M.;  Elkton  Lodge,  I.  0.  0.  F.;  and 
the  Jlodern  Woodmen  of  America  of  Elkton. 

Walter  Rydell  was  reared  under  the  pa- 
rental roof  and  obtained  his  early  education 
in  the  public  schools,  subsequently  continuing 
his  studies  in  the  Central  Oregon  State  Nor- 
mal School,  at  Drain.  At  an  early  age  he 
began  assisting  his  father  in  the  blacksmith 
shop,  learning  the  trade  in  all  its  details. 
He  worked  with  his  father  until  lUO'J,  or 
until  he  had  attained  his  majority  and  then 
accepted  a  position  as  bookkeeper  with  the 
Elkton  Mercantile  &  Development  Company, 
remaining  in  that  employ  for  about  one  year. 
On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  was  made 
manager  of  the  concern  but  resigned  at  the 
end  of  a  year  to  embark  in  business  on  his 
ow'n  account.  In  1911,  in  association  with 
W.  W.  Kent,  he  organized  the  mercantile  firm 
of  Rydell  &  Kent.  As  the  junior  member 
he  devotes  practically  his  entire  attention  to 
mercantile  interests  at  Drain.  The  manage- 
ment of  the  business  of  Rydell  &  Kent  de- 
volves solely  upon  W^alter  Rydell,  under 
whose  able  direction  the  enterprise  has  been 
built  up  until  it  is  now  in  a  prosperous  and 
thriving  condition.  His  business  record  is  one 
of  which  he  has  every  reason  to  be  proud, 
for,  prompted  by  laudable  ambition,  he  has 
worked  his  way  steadily  upward  until  at  the 
age  of  twenty-four  years  he  occupies  a  lead- 
ing position  among  the  merchants  of  his 
town. 

On  the  5th  of  September,  1910,  Mr.  Rydell 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Ellene  Bos- 
sen,  a  native  of  Curry  county,  Oregon,  and 
a  daughter  of  Edgar  Bossen,  who  was  born 
in  Germany.  Mr.  Rydell  is  a  republican  in 
politics,  exercising  his  right  of  franchise  in 
support  of  the  men  and  measures  of  that  ■ 
party.  He  is  a  member  of  Elkton  Lodge 
No.  5786,  M.  W.  A.,  and  also  belongs  to  Elk- 
ton Lodge,  No.  1050,  M.  B.  A.  Both  he  and 
his  w-ife  have  always  lived  in  the  Sunset 
state  and  in  the  community  where  they 
reside  are  well  and  favorably  know-n. 

LAURITS  F.  RASMUSSEN,  who  is  the 
proprietor  of  a  general  merchandise  store  at 
Wichita,  in  Clackamas  county,  was  born  in 
Denmark.  October  11,  1S6G.  His  parents 
were  Lars  P.  and  Katie  Rasmussen,  both 
of  whom  died  in  Denmark,  the  mother  pass- 
ing away  in  1879  and  the  father  in  1887. 
Lars  P.  Rasmussen  was  the  youngest  of 
twenty-three  children  born  to  his  parents. 
He  was  the  father  of  the  following  children: 
Hans,  who  was  born  in  1856;  Martin,  who 
was  born  in  January.  1859,  and  is  a  brick 
mason  by  trade;  Marie,  born  July  22,  1862; 
a  cliild  who  died  in  infancy;  Laurits  F. ; 
and  Hansine  born  in  1869.  The  children 
who  are  now  living  reside  in  Denmark,  with 
the  exception  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 


■29-2 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


Laiirits  F.  Easuiussen  was  educated  in 
Denmark  and  remained  in  his  native  coun- 
try until  April  22,  1888,  when  he  came  to 
America,  arriving  in  May  of  that  year.  He 
then  came  directly  to  Walla  Walla,  Wash- 
ington, reaching  that  state  on  tlie  21st  of 
jMay.  He  worked  on  farms  in  that  neigh- 
borhood for  eleven  years,  and  during  this 
time  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Ore- 
gon and  resided  on  the  same  for  three  years, 
after  which  he  sold  out  and  was  engaged  in 
the  lumber  business  until  1897.  At  that 
date  lie  again  took  up  farming,  making  a 
specialty  of  raising  fruit.  After  two  years 
he  moved  to  Portland  and  was  for  a  short 
time  again  engaged  in  the  lumber  business 
and  later  was  in  the  employ  of  the  police 
department  for  a  time.  Subsequently  he  was 
engaged  in  a  wholesale  grocery  store  in  Port- 
land for  seven  years.  On  August  1,  1911, 
he  opened  up  his  general  merchandise  store 
at  Wichita,  which  is  the  only  mercantile 
store  in  the  town.  He  is  here  meeting  with 
excellent  success  and  has  an  extensive  pat- 
ronage. 

On  the  14th  of  November,  1900,  Mr.  Ras- 
mussen  married  Miss  Lydia  A.  Rivers,  a 
native  of  Clackamas  county,  Oregon,  and  a 
daughter  of  Israel  and  Hannah  N.  Rivers, 
both  of  whom  are  deceased.  The  father 
passed  away  in  September,  1907,  and  the 
mother  in  1909.  Mrs.  Rasmussen  is  the 
youngest  of  a  large  family  of  children.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rasmussen  has  been  born  one 
son.  Peder,  whose  natal  day  is  September  2, 
1901. 

Politically  Mr.  Rasmussen  is  a  democrat 
and  he  served  as  road  supervisor  of  Umatilla 
county  for  two  years  and  as  deputy  sheriff 
for  two  years.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member 
of  the  Eagles,  the  Foresters  of  America,  the 
Shepherds  of  America,  the  Companion  of 
Foresters  and  he  also  belongs  to  the  Danish 
Aid  Society  of  Portland.  He  is  a  faithful 
member  of  the  Lutheran  church.  Mr.  Ras- 
mussen has  never  regretted  the  fact  that  he 
.sought  a  home  in  America,  for  he  has  here 
met  with  good  success.  He  has  ever  been 
active  and  energetic  and  his  advancement  in 
life  is  not  the  outcome  of  propitious  cir- 
cumstances but  the  honest  reward  of  labor, 
good  management,  ambition  and  energy. 

SILAS  D.  COATS.  With  the  opening  of 
the  year  1912  one  of  the  most  venerable 
couples  residing  in  Polk  county  was  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Silas  D.  Coats.  The  former  was 
then  a  retired  ranchman  and  miner,  in  the 
eighty-fourth  year  of  his  age.  Ere  the  cele- 
bration of  another  birthday  came  to  him 
he  had  passed  away  and  three  days  later 
the  demise  of  his  wife  occurred.  He  was 
one  of  the  pioneers  on  the  Pacific  coast,  iden- 
tified with  the  early  development  of  Oregon 
as  a  sheep-raiser,  farmer  and  miner.  His 
birth  occurred  in  Ontario  county.  Kew  York, 
October  2,  1S2S,  his  parents  having  been 
Erastus  and  Mary  {La  Munion)  Coats,  the 
former  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  and  the 
latter  of  Rhode  Island.  In  their  family  were 
three  children,  Carlos.  Hannah  M.  and  Silas 
D.      The    father    removed    with    his    family 


from  New  York  to  Ohio  and  in  the  latter 
state  engaged  in  farming  until  1852,  when 
he  visited  Michigan  on  a  business  trip  and 
while  there  became  ill  and  died.  The  mother 
continued  to  reside  in  Ohio  until  she  passed 
away  about  twenty-five  years  after  her  hus- 
band's  death. 

Silas  D.  Coats  was  reared  under  the  pa- 
rental roof  and  remained  at  home  until  1852, 
being  at  that  time  in  his  twenty-fourtli  year. 
It  was  on  the  11th  of  March  that  he  started 
westward  with  a  pair  of  Canadian  ponies, 
which  he  drove  as  far  as  Rock  Island,  Illi- 
nois. There  he  sold  his  team  and  paid 
one  hundred  dollars  for  the  privilege  of  join- 
ing an  ox  train  en  route  to  Y'reka,  California. 
Arriving  at  that  place,  he  engaged  in  min- 
ing for  two  years,  during  wliich  period  he 
made  seven  thousand  dollars.  He  next  bought 
a  pack  team  of  twenty-two  mules  and  man- 
aged a  pack  train  between  Crescent  and 
Yreka  for  a  year.  Subsequently  he  took  up 
land  on  the  outskirts  of  Yreka  and  planted 
twenty  acres  in  garden  selling  the  remainder 
in  town  lots.  Eventually,  however,  he  dis- 
posed of  his  property  there  and  took  up  a 
ranch  in  Shasta  valley,  purchased  cows  and 
engaged  in  the  cattle-raising  business  for 
thirty  years.  He  next  removed  to  Umpqua, 
Oregon,  for  the  purpose  of  educating  his  chil- 
dren and  for  five  years  continued  his  resi- 
dence there.  He  later  spent  four  years  in 
Umatilla,  Oregon,  and  then  removed  to  the 
vicinity  of  Eugene,  purchasing  one  hundred 
and  seventy-three  acres  of  land,  to  which  he 
afterward  added  tracts  to  the  amount  of 
twelve  himdred  acres.  Thereon  he  engaged 
extensively  in  sheep-raising  for  five  years, 
after  which  he  went  to  Grant  county,  where 
he  remained  for  three  years,  during  which 
time  he  raised  cattle.  Finally  he  removed 
to  Monmouth  and  retired  from  active  business 
life,  for  old  age  had  come  upon  him  and  he 
felt  it  meet  that  he  should  spend  his  re- 
maining days   in  well  earned  rest. 

On  the  8"th  of  January,  1858,  Mr.  Coats 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Mrs.  Mary  (Ivers) 
Reynolds,  the  widow  of  Harrison  Reynolds. 
She  was  born  April  28,  1827,  and  crossed  the 
plains  in  the  same  ox  train  with  Mr.  Coat?. 
By  her  first  marriage  she  had  four  children, 
Adeline,  Elmira,  Charles  and  Palmer.  Mr. 
and  jNIrs.  Coats  became  the  parents  of  four 
children:  Erastus,  deceased;  Silas,  living  in 
Monmouth;  Carlos,  who  has  passed  away; 
and  Mary,  who  is  now  Mrs.  W.  0.  Meador. 
In  politics  Mr.  Coats  was  a  democrat  and 
for  fifteen  years  held  the  office  of  marshal. 
He  was  familiar  with  every  phase  of  pio- 
neer life  as  represented  in  the  development  of 
the  far  west  and  he  always  bore  an  active 
and  helpful  part  in  the  upbuilding  of  the 
different  sections  in  which  he  lived,  for  he 
was  a  progressive  and  enterprising  citizen, 
whose  methods  were  ever  honorable  and 
whose  labors  were  resultant.  He  enjoyed  the 
high  regard  of  all  with  whom  he  came  in 
contact  and  when  he  passed  away  on  the 
5th  of  January,  1912,  many  there  were  who 
spoke  of  him  in  terras  of  high  regard  and 
friendship.  His  widow,  living  only  three 
days  longer,  died  on  the  8tli  of  January,  1912, 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


293 


on  tlie  fifty-fourth  anniversary  of  their  mar- 
riage, and  thus  the  couple,  united  so  long  in 
life,  were  separated  for  only  a  brief  period 
in  death. 

ROBERT  A.  DUNCAN,  -svho  is  the  manager 
of  the  general  merchandise  store  of  the 
firm  of  Duncan  &  Cruse  Brothers  at  Estacada, 
was  born  in  Washington,  May  1,  1S7S,  the 
son  of  James  and  Carrie  B.  (Burton)  Dun- 
can. The  father  was  a  native  of  Scotland, 
and  the  mother  of  the  state  of  California, 
and  they  were  married  in  Washington,  the 
father  having  come  to  America  in  1854.  On 
his  arrival  in  this  country  he  first  settled 
at  New  York,  and  there  was  employed  in 
railroad  work  until  1S7S,  when  he  removed 
to  Washington,  where  until  ISO.S  he  was 
superintendent  of  the  rolling  stock  of  the 
Northern  Pacific  Railroad.  He  then  came  to 
Oregon  settling  in  Clackamas  county,  where 
he  is  living  retired.  In  his  family  were 
five  children:  Charles,  who  is  a  farmer  near 
Estacada;  Edward,  deceased;  Robert  A.,  of 
this  review;  Lillie.  deceased;  and  Isabel, 
who   is  attending  high  school   at   Portland. 

Robert  A.  Duncan  received  his  early  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools,  and  started  out 
in  life  for  himself  at  the  age  of  fourteen, 
when  he  went  into  partnership  with  his 
father  in  the  grocery  business  at  The  Dalles, 
Oregon.  Selling  the  grocery  store  after  two 
years  he  located  in  Portland,  where  he  worked 
for  six  months  in  a  sawmill.  Subsequently 
he  went  to  Idaho  where  he  engaged  in 
packing  from  Boise  City  to  Thunder  Moun- 
tains, and  at  the  same  time  he  operated  a 
general  mercantile  store  at  Thunder  Moun- 
tains. Two  years  later  he  returned  to  Port- 
land, and  for  one  year  attended  the  Holmes 
Business  College,  after  which  for  two  years 
he  was  employed  in  fancy  card  writing  and 
drawing.  Then  being  accidentally  hurt  he 
was  forced  to  retire  from  active  work  for 
two  years,  after  which  he  went  to  Kansas 
City,  Missouri,  and  traveled  for  the  Peate 
Brothers  Manufacturing  Company  for  two 
years.  He  was  then  a  traveling  salesman  for 
the  Hunt  Baking  Powder  Company  of  Minne. 
apolis,  Minnesota,  but  after  one  year  was 
again  in  the  employ  of  the  Peate  Brothers 
Company  of  Kansas  City.  Two  years  later 
he  returned  to  Oregon,  settling  at  Estacada, 
where  for  one  year  he  was  in  the  government 
forest  service,  and  then  engaged  for  himself 
in  the  real-estate  and  bond  business  in  Port- 
land. In  .July,  1911,  he  bought  a  share  of 
the  Cruse  Brothers  general  mercantile  store, 
which  has  since  been  operated  under  the  firm 
name  of  Duncan  &  Cruse  Brothers,  and  he 
is  now  the  general  manager  of  tlie  same. 
Mr.  Diincan  still  handles  real  estate  and  has 
options  on  various  tracts  of  land,  one  of  which 
is  a  fourteen  thousand  acre  cattle  ranch  in 
eastern  Oregon,  and  he  also  owns  numerous 
stocks  and  bonds. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Duncan  is  a 
republican,  but  he  has  never  sought  nor  de- 
sired office,  preferring  to  give  all  his  time 
and  attention  to  his  business  affairs.  Fra- 
ternally he  is  a  member  of  the  Lone  Pine 
Lodge,  No.  5.3,  A.   F.  &  A.   M.,   and  is   now 


serving  as  junior  warden  of  the  same.  He 
is  identified  with  the  Estacada  Garfield 
Grange,  is  a  member  of  the  Homesteaders 
Order  at  Des  Moines,  low-a,  and  has  filled 
all  chairs  in  the  local  lodges  of  these  two 
orders.  He  is  a  popular  merchant,  a  well 
known  and  highly  honored  young  man  in 
Estacada,  and  all  interests  which  tend  to 
promote  the  public  welfare  receive  his  in- 
dorsement  and   support. 

HENRY  A.  TRAYLOR,  one  of  the  well 
known  and  inllucutial  citizens  of  Elkton,  is 
now  living  retired  but  in  former  years  was 
actively  identified  with  both  industrial  and 
agricultural  pursuits.  His  birth  occurred  in 
Roseburg,  Douglas  county,  Oregon,  on  the 
29th  of  December,  1861,  his  parents  being 
James  N.  and  Eliza  (Woodcock)  Traylor, 
the  former  a  native  of  Litchfield.  Illinois,  and 
the  latter  of  Kentucky.  It  was  in  1853  that 
James  N.  Traylor  crossed  the  plains  with 
ox  teams  in  General  Brooks'  train  and,  arriv- 
ing in  Oregon,  settled  on  the  Molalla  in  the 
Willamette  valley.  He  was  a  volunteer  in 
the  Rogue  River  and  Modoc  wars  in  1855  un- 
der the  command  of  General  Ross,  serving 
throughout  the  war.  In  1848,  when  but  four 
years  of  age,  Eliza  Woodcock  accompanied 
her  parents  on  their  journey  across  the  plains 
with  ox  teams.  The  party  had  many  skir- 
mishes with  the  Indians  and  several  of  their 
number  were  wounded  but  fortunately  not 
fatally.  Willis  Woodcock,  the  maternal 
grandfather  of  our  subject,  took  up  a  dona- 
tion claim  on  the  banks  of  the  Molalla  in 
Clackamas  count}'.  Following  his  marriage 
James  N.  Traylor  resided  in  Clackamas  county 
for  twenty-seven  years.  He  superintended  the 
construction  of  the  Oregon  City  locks  on  the 
Willamette  river,  and  .subsequently  pur- 
chased a  farm  which  he  successfully  operated 
for  fourteen  years.  After  the  expiration  of 
that  period  he  entered  the  service  of  the 
Southern  Pacific  Railway  Company  under  Ben 
HoUaday  and  was  made  superintendent  of  the 
bridge  building  gang,  acting  in  that  capacity 
for  seven  years.  In  1878  he  removed  to 
southern  Oregon,  locating  in  Jackson  county, 
where  he  engaged  in  farming.  Six  years 
later  he  came  to  Douglas  county  and  bought 
a  small  farm  within  a  mile  and  a  half  of 
Elkton,  residing  thereon  until  he  passed  away 
on  the  31st  of  January,  1909.  His  wife  was 
called  to  her  final  rest  on  the  7th  of  Decem- 
ber, 1877.  In  the  death  of  James  N.  Traylor 
the  community  lost  one  of  its  respected  and 
representative  citizens  and  one  whose  labors 
had  contributed  in  substantial  measure  to  the 
early  upbuilding  and  development  of  the  Sun- 
set state. 

Henry  A.  Tra.vlor  was  reared  at  home  and 
obtained  his  education  in  the  common  schools. 
At  the  early  age  of  fourteen  he  began  learn- 
ing the  blacksmith's  trade  and  after  complet- 
ing his  apprenticeship  worked  at  that  occupa- 
tion for  seven  consecutive  years.  He  also 
learned  the  carpenter's  trade  under  the  direc- 
tion of  his  fatlier  and  has  worked  intermit- 
tently at  both  blaeksmithing  and  carpenter- 
ing to  the  present  time.  He  has  likewise 
bought  and  sold  farm  lands  and  has  owned 


294 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


several  properties  but  disposed  of  his  last 
farm  in  1909  and  lias  since  lived  retired  at 
Elkton.  His  is  one  of  the  neatest  and  most 
attractive   homes   in   the   Umpqua  valley. 

In  1SS5  Mr.  Traylor  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Dora  Heckatliorne,  a  native  of 
Jac^kson  county,  Oregon,  and  a  daughter  of 
Jeremiah  Heckathorne,  who  crossed  the  plains 
from  Indiana  to  this  state  in  1S54.  Unto 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Traylor  have  been  born  eleven 
children,  eight  of  whom  still  survive,  as  fol- 
lows: Siyrtle,  who  is  the  wife  of  Alex  Saw- 
yer and  resides  in  the  Umpqua  valley  in  Doug- 
las county;  Thomas  and  Grace,  both  at 
home;  Etliel,  who  gave  her  hand  in  marriage 
to  D.  0.  Weatherly,  of  Elkton,  Oregon; 
Ernest,  Gerald,  Jesse  and  Henry  R.,  all  of 
whom  are   still  under  the   parental   roof. 

Mr.  Traylor  gives  his  political  allegiance 
to  the  democracy  but  has  never  sought  nor 
desired  the  honors  and  emoluments  of  office. 
Fraternally  he  is  identified  with  the  follow- 
ino-  organizations;  Elkton  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.; 
Efkton  Lodge.  Ko.  359.  I.  0.  0.  F.;  Drain 
Camp,  No.  192,  W.  0.  W.;  and  Elkton  Lodge, 
M.  B.  A.  Both  he  /ind  his  wife  have  spent 
their  entire  lives  in  this  state,  and  therefore 
this  record  cannot  fail  to  prove  of  interest 
to  many  of  our  readers. 

GEORGE  W.  AGER.  The  birthplace  of 
George  W.  Ager  was  a  town  bearing  the  fam- 
ily name  and  so  called  in  honor  of  his 
father.  Jerome  Bonaparte  Ager,  who  was 
born  in  New  York  in  1S29.  He  went  to  Cali- 
fornia in  1S51,  crossing  the  plains  with  ox 
teams.  During  the  first  year  of  his  resi- 
dence on  the  coast  he  engaged  in  mining  at 
Cape  Blanco  and  in  1852  returned  east  with 
seventeen  thousand  dollars  which  he  had 
mined.  In  1853  he  crossed  the  plains  again 
and  spent  the  rest  of  his  life  in  Siskiyou 
county,  being  closely  identified  with  the 
material  development  and  progress  of  the 
district  in  which  he  lived.  He  was  married 
at  Yreka  to  Miss  Lucy  Jane  Axtell,  who  was 
born  in  Wisconsin  iti  1848  and  by  way  of 
the  isthmus  route  came  to  the  Pacific  coast 
with  her  parents.  From  Red  Bluff  she  had 
to  ride  horseback  to  Yreka,  for  there  were 
no  wagon  roads  at  that  time.  Following  their 
marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  B.  Ager  spent 
the  rest  of  their  lives  in  Siskiyou  county 
upon  a  ranch  and  he  was  well  known  as  a 
stockman  of  that  locality.  The  town  of 
Ager  was  named  in  his  honor  and  became  a 
shipping  point  for  a  large  tributary  district 
in  northern  California  and  southern  Oregon. 
He  was  a  prominent  and  infiuential  resident 
of  that  locality  and  his  labors  contributed 
much  to  its  improvement.  He  died  November 
14,  1900,  and  was  survived  by  his  wife  until 
February,  1911.  Their  family  numbered  five 
sons  and  six  daughters  and  with  the  excep- 
tion of  one  daughter  all  are  now  living. 

George  W.  Ager,  the  fifth  child,  made  his 
home  with  his  parents  until  he  came  to  Kla- 
math county  in  1900  and  in  the  meantime 
worked  on  the  ranch  with  his  father.  He 
is  now  the  owner  of  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  in  his  home  place,  together  with  two 
hundred    acres    about    a    mile    distant    near 


Rainier.  He  now  has  a  good  property  and 
many  of  the  improvements  thereon  were 
made  by  him.  His  farm  is  devoted  to  the 
raising  of  both  grain  and  stock  and  he  has 
a  good  orchard  of  two  hundred  trees. 

In  1900  Mr.  Ager  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Blanche  Stearns,  a  native  of  Kla- 
math county  and  a  daughter  of  0.  A.  Stearns, 
a  sketch  of  whom  appears  on  another  page 
of  this  work.  Our  subject  and  his  wife  have 
three  children:  Irnia,  Lowell  and  Julian.  Mr. 
Ager  has  always  lived  in  this  district,  spend- 
ing his  youth  and  early  manhood  in  Siskiyou 
county  and  since  that  time  residing  in  Kla- 
math county.  He  has  been  an  interested 
witness  of  the  work  of  improvement  and 
progress  and  he  is  numbered  among  those 
whose  labors  as  a  farmer  and  stockman  are 
contributing  to  the  improvement  and  sub- 
stantial upbuilding  of  his  part  of  the  state. 

FRANK  VARRELMANN.  Occasionally  this 
humdrum    and    workaday    world   gives    to    a 
man   the   unique  gift  of  a   stirring   and   ad- 
venturous career.    This  boon  has  fallen  to  the 
lot    of   Frank   Varrelmann.   whose    life    is   a 
romance  of  the  sea.     He  is  a  man  who  has 
"gone  down  to  the  sea  in  ships,"  has  pene- 
trated   to    distant    ports    of    the    world,   has 
been  near  death  and  close  to  life  many  times, 
was  one  of  the  pioneers  in  the  settlement  of 
the  great  American  northwest  and  has  lived 
to   retire    in   honor    in   the   sixty-ninth   year 
of   his    age.      Mr.    Varrelmann    was    born    in 
Hanover,   Germany,   August   4,    1844,   and   is 
the  son  of  Fritz  and  Catherine   (Rippe)   Var- 
relmann,   both    of    whom    lived    and    died    in 
their    native    country.      The    father    was    a 
prominent  educator  and  interested  in  school 
expansion.     He   was   a   teacher  or   "kuester" 
in  the  public  schools   in  his  native  country, 
under  a  life  appointment  by  the  government. 
He   gave   his    energies   and   activities    during 
his  entire  career  to  school  expansion  and  was 
prominent  and  honored  as  a  German  educator. 
Frank  Varrelmann  was  reared  at  home  and 
continued  his  studies  in  the  public  schools  of 
his    native    country    until    he    was    fourteen 
years  of  age.     In   1858  he  shipped  aboard  a 
Bremen  vessel  and  made  three  trips  to  New 
Orleans.     On  the  third  journey  he  ran  away 
from  his   ship  and  stopped   in  New  Orleans, 
where  he  obtained  employment  on  an  Ameri- 
can sailing  vessel,  the  J.  P.  Whitney,  and  from 
November  1  to  March  1.  1861,  he"  was  ship's 
keeper  on  this  vessel.     On  March  1.  1861,  he 
sailed  for  Kronstadt.  Russia.     While  passing 
through  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  the  deck  of  the 
ship  was  swept  clean  by  the  heavy  seas  and 
Mr.  Varrelmann  was  washed  overboard.     He 
was  rescued  by  the  mate  and  they  continued 
their  journey,  reaching  Kronstadt   in  record 
time  and  returning  via  Copenhagen,  Denmark, 
to   Liverpool.    England,    where   they    stopped 
and   the   captain   discharged   his   entire   crew 
with   the   exception  of   Mr.  Varrelmann   and 
one  other.    At  this  time  he  had  the  intention 
of  laying  up  his  ship  on  account  of  the  break- 
ing out  of  the  Civil  war  in  the  L'nited  States, 
but   subsequently   he   got   a    cargo  of   coal   to 
Rio   Janeiro    and   employed    another    crew   to 
make  that  journey,  still  retaining  Mr.  Varrel- 


FRANK  vai;i;elmann 


'>J=-vV  YORK 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


mann  in  his  sei'vice.  The  return  journey  was 
made  via  the  West  Indies  and  the  island  of 
St.  Thomas,  a  Danish  colonial  possession, 
where  they  anchored  until  the  news  of  the 
capture  of  New  Orleans  reached  them.  The 
captain  immediately  signed  a  nondescript 
crew  and  returned  to  America,  arriving  in 
Xew  Orleans  six  weeks  after  the  city  had 
been  taken.  He  found  ruin  and  devastation 
everywhere.  He  took  a  cargo  of  sugar  to 
New  York  and  upon  his  arrival  in  that  port 
Mr.  Varrelmann  left  the  vessel.  He  was 
suffering  severely  from  chills  and  fever  caught 
in  the  malarial  districts  of  the  south  and  in 
order  to  overcome  this  shipped  on  a  Nova 
Scotia  brig,  on  which  he  sailed  for  two  years. 
He  remained  in  New  York  for  a  long  time, 
sailing  ont  of  that  port  as  cook  on  pilot  boats. 
On  leaving  this  vocation  he  decided  to  visit 
his  home  in  Germany  and  shipped  as  cook  on 
a  sailing  bark  to  Antwerp  and  from  there 
went  overland  to  Bremen.  After  spending 
about  two  months  he  returned  to  Antwerp, 
but  not  being  able  to  get  on  the  crew  of  a 
vessel  at  that  place  he  went  to  England  and 
finally  shipped  on  an  American  vessel,  the 
Odessa,  and  made  several  trips  between  Balti- 
more and  ports  of  France  and  other  countries. 
He  then  shipped  aboard  an  English  vessel 
for  Cardiff.  Wales.  From  there  he  went  to 
the  West  Indies  on  an  American  ship  and 
thence  returned  to  Baltimore,  Maryland,  via 
Havre,  France.  In  Baltimore  he  was  taken 
ill  with  swamp  fever  and  compelled  to  leave 
his  vessel,  on  which  he  had  been  about  two 
years.  After  a  lingering  illness  he  eventually 
recovered  his  health  and  went  to  Brooklyn, 
New  York,  where  he  shipped  aboard  the  sail- 
ing vessel.  Fleet  Wing,  for  a  voyage  around 
the  Horn  to  San  Francisco.  The  vessel  made 
this  journey  in  one  hundred  and  thirteen  days 
and  iipon  its  arrival  in  California  ilr.  Varrel- 
mann resigned  his  position  in  order  to  ship 
aboard  the  schooner  Enterprise,  plying  be- 
tween San  Francisco  and  Gardiner,  Oregon. 
He  remained  aboard  this  ship  for  one  year, 
later  spending  eighteen  months  on  the  Bobo- 
link, plying  between  the  same  seas.  He  then 
became  a  member  of  the  crew  of  the  Pioneer, 
a  fruit  vessel  operating  between  Sacramento 
and  San  Francisco.  On  one  of  its  journeys  to 
ilarysville  the  Pioneer  sank  and  four  of  the 
crew  were  drowned.  Mr.  Van-elmann  es- 
caped with  his  life  and  made  his  way  to  safety 
in  a  lifeboat.  He  returned  to  San  Francisco, 
shipped  on  the  bark  General  Cobb  and  sailed 
for  two  and  one-half  years  from  San  Fran- 
cisco to  Seabeck.  Eventually  he  left  the  ves- 
sel and  came  overland  to  Gardiner  in  1873 
and  in  this  city  he  has  since  made  his  home. 
He  has  been  identified  with  many  of  the  most 
important  commercial  enterprises  in  Douglas 
county  and  for  three  years  operated  a  local 
hotel  in  company  with  a  Mr.  Kronholm.  He 
has  gained  much  success  in  mercantile  enter- 
prises and  his  commercial  career  has  been 
distinguished  by  that  fearlessness  and  cour- 
age which  was  his  principal  asset  in  his  sea- 
faring life.  For  some  time  he  operated  a 
lirewery  in  Gardiner  in  partnership  with  Mr. 
Kronholm.  This  partnership  was  shortly 
afterward  dissolved.     Mr.  Varrelmann  taking 


charge  of  the  brewery  and  Mr.  Kronholm  of 
the  hotel.  Mr.  Varrelmann  was  successful 
and  prominent  as  a  brewer  in  Gardiner  until 
1906,  when  the  principles  of  prohibition  were 
enforced.  In  that  year  he  abandoned  active 
lite  and  has  lived  retired  in  Gardiner  since 
that  time. 

On  April  21,  ISSl,  Mr.  Varrelmann  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Mrs.  Frederick  Hartsell, 
who  was  in  her  maidenhood  Miss  Blanche 
FJlliott.  a  native  of  San  Francisco.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Varrelmann  have  been  born  five 
children:  Annie  Pauline,  born  .January  14. 
1882,  the  wife  of  Albert  Perkins,  manager  of 
a  salmon  cannery  at  Gardiner:  Alfred  Thomas, 
born  June  2,  1884.  who  is  a  blacksmith  in 
the  same  city;  Franklin  Emil,  born  January 
29,  1886,  who  is  employed  in  the  Umpqua 
Life-saving  Station:  Charles  Wallace,  born 
January  29.  1SS9,  of  Hammond,  California; 
and  Agnes  Blanche,  born  March  9,  1894,  who 
resides  at  home.  Jlrs.  Varrelmann  also  had 
a  son  by  her  former  marriage,  Frederick 
William,  born  October  1,  1879,  who  was  offi- 
cially adopted  by  his  stepfather.  Mrs.  Var- 
relmann is  a  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Jane 
(Hussey)  Elliott.  Her  father  was  an  old 
sea  captain  who  followed  this  line  of  occu- 
pation for  many  years  during  his  life  and 
brought  his  vessel  over  the  Umpqua  bar  into 
the  port  of  Gardiner.  He  subsequently  lost 
his  vessel  when  she  parted  amidships  in  the 
Umpqua  river  but  did  not  abandon  his  sea- 
faring career  for  many  years. 

During  the  last  few  years  of  his  life  Mr. 
Varrelmann  has  been  actively  interested  in 
local  politics,  and  he  is  a  democrat  of  pro- 
gressive tendencies.  In  1912  the  people  of 
Gardiner  held  an  election  to  incorporate  the 
town  but  this  proposition  was  defeated.  Mr. 
Varrelmann  voting  against  it,  although  he 
was  the  nominee  for  mayor  at  the  time.  He 
has  been  identified  with  navigation  in  all  its 
aspects  during  the  greater  part  of  his  active 
life.  He  has  now  given  up  his  adventurous 
career  for  a  well  earned  repose  and  with  many 
years  of  life  before  him  is  interesting  him- 
self in  the  political  and  business  development 
of  the  city  and  will  undoubtedly  do  con- 
spicuously efficient  work  in  this  line  before 
he  is  eventually  summoned  to  cross  the  bar. 

JOHN  MINGER  is  one  of  the  active  and 
prosperous  farmers  of  Marion  county  and 
lives  on  a  tract  of  forty  acres  four  miles  east 
of  Salem.  The  farm's  neat  and  thrifty  ap- 
pearance indicates  Mr.  Minger's  careful  super- 
vision and  his  use  of  practical  methods  in 
its  cultivation.  He  was  born  in  Switzerland, 
December  19.  1S51.  his  parents  being  Bene- 
dict and  Christina  Minger,  also  natives  of 
Switzerland.  The  father  was  a  stone  mason 
and  contractor  and.  being  an  unusually  strong 
and  healthy  man.  he  followed  these  occupa- 
tions throughout  his  life,  his  death  occurring 
at  the  age  of  eighty-three  years,  in  1S99. 
The  mother  passed  away  when  her  son  John 
was  but  a  child.  To  !N[r.  and  Mrs.  Benedict 
^linger  six  children  were  born,  all  of  whom 
are  residing  in  Switzerland  excepting  the 
subject  of  this  sketch.  The  others  are. 
Benedict,  Frederick.  Annie.  Adolph.  and  Eliza. 


298 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


John  Jlinger  received  his  education  in  ihe 
common  schools  of  Switzerland  and  attended 
the  high  school  for  one  year.  After  he  dis- 
continued his  studies  he  enlisted  as  a  recruit 
in  the  army  for  a  short  period  of  service  and 
then  v.-orke'd  with  his  father  as  a  stone-cutter 
for  a  year  and  a  half.  Subsequently  he 
worked  in  hotels  for  four  years  previous  to 
going  to  France,  where  he  studied  languages 
for  a  period  of  three  years.  Afterward  he 
returned  home  and  again  was  employed  by 
his  father  and  in  hotels  until  he  came  to  the 
United  States  in  18S1.  His  first  place  of 
residence  was  in  Allen  county,  Ohio,  where 
he  remained  for  two  years,  after  which  he 
came  to  Salem,  Oregon.  He  has  since  made 
his  home  upon  his  forty  acres  of  highly  de- 
veloped property  near  that  city.  In  addition 
to  cultivating  his  farm  he  has  been  employed 
for  three  and  a  half  years  as  gardener  by  es- 
Governor  J.  F.  Moody  at  Salem. 

John  Minger  has  been  married  twice.  His 
first  marriage  occurred  in  San  Francisco  In 
1884  to  Miss  Martie  Scheidegg<;r.  who  was  a 
native  of  Switzerland.  Her  death  occurred 
twentv-six  months  later.  She  became  the 
mother  of  Theodore,  who  married  and  is  liv- 
ing in  Prineville.  Oregon,  where  he  is  engaged 
in°  the  plumbing  business.  Mr.  Minger's 
second  marriage  took  place  in  1S90.  when  he 
was  united  with  Miss  Adelia  Allenbach.  a 
native  of  Switzerland.  To  them  a  child,  Edna, 
who  resides  at  home  and  attends  school,  was 
born  on  the   10th  of  April,   1S91. 

Mr.  Minger  has  never  affiliated  with  any 
party  but  "casts  his  vote  independently  for 
men' or  measures  which  in  his  opinion  insure 
the  best  government  for  the  community.  He 
is  not  a  member  of  any  church  or  lodges  but 
is  untiring  in  his  efforts  to  work  for  the 
social  good  of  his  community.  His  public 
spirit  was  manifested  in  the  labor  which  he 
gave  gratis  to  the  state  when  he  acted  as 
landscape  gardener  at  the  asylum  at  Salem 
for  fifteen  years.  He  made  a  study  of  this 
work  in  Switzerland  for  two  years.  The 
state  of  Oregon  was  thoroughly  appreciative 
of  the  services  he  rendered  and  has  since 
found  it  difficult  to  fill  his  place  satis- 
factorily. ^Yherever  he  is  known  he  is  re- 
spected'for  his  unfaltering  allegiance  to  the 
principles  of  honorable  manhood  as  mani- 
fest in  his  social  relations  and  in  his  public- 
spirited  citizenship. 

BENJAMIN  E.  KERNS.  Extensive  busi- 
ness interests  claim  the  time  and  attention 
of  Benjamin  E.  Kerns,  who  since  1898  has 
made  his  home  in  Klamath  county,  where 
he  has  large  landed  holdings  and  is  exten- 
sively engaged  in  farming,  stock-raising  and 
industrial  pursuits.  He  was  born  on  the 
banks  of  the  Delaware  in  western  New  Jer- 
sey, March  24,  1877,  and  is  the  eldest  of  the 
four  children  of  Benjamin  S.  and  Martha 
(Everhart)  Kerns,  the  former  a  native  of 
New  Jersey,  and  the  latter  of  Ohio.  They 
were  married  in  Missouri  and  established 
their  home  in  New  Jersey,  where  they  lived 
for  four  years.  In  1379.  however,  they 
located  in  ilissouri,  where  they  remained  for 
a  number  of  rears.    In  the  fail  of  1893  they 


went  to  southern  California  and  now  reside  in 
Chico,  that  state,  the  father  being  a  retired 
ranchman  there. 

Benjamin  E.  Kerns  remained  with  his  par- 
ents until  twenty-one  years  of  age.  Accom- 
panying them  on  their  various  removals,  he 
came  to  Klamath  county  in  1898,  having  but 
recently  attained  his  majority,  and  has  here 
continuously  engaged  in  farming.  He  now 
owns  one  thousand  acres  of  land  near  Keno, 
the  greater  part  of  which  is  under  cultiva- 
tion, and  he  also  rents  six  hundred  acres. 
He  likewise  has  about  one  thousand  acres 
of  hay  land  and  pasture  which  he  rents.  He 
is  a  prominent  stockman  of  southern  Ore- 
gon, extensively  engaged  in  the  raising  of 
cattle  and  horses,  of  which  he  has  about  three 
hundred  head.  He  is  also  associated  with  his 
brother,  James  W.,  in  the  building  of  a  power 
plant  near  Keno,  which  will  be  operated  under 
the  name  of  the  Keno  Light  &  Power  Com- 
pany and  will  furnish  power  for  irrigation 
purposes.  This  is  a  business  in  which  the 
spirit  of  public  service  figures  largely,  for 
the  enterprise  will  be  one  of  untold  value  to 
the  community. 

On  the  14th  of  December,  1905,  Mr.  Kerns 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Agnes  Mat- 
toon,  a  native  of  Douglas  county,  Oregon, 
and  a  daughter  of  H.  J.  Mattoon.  They 
now  have  four  children:  Esther  May,  Edna 
B.,  Claud  C.  and  Mary  Edith.  In  the  four- 
teen years  which  have  come  and  gone  since 
Mr.  Kerns  came  to  the  northwest  he  has 
made  continuous  advancement  in  a  business 
way.  He  realized  the  fact  that  great  oppor- 
tunities are  here  to  be  had  almost  for  the 
asking  and  he  determined  that  he  would  win 
his  share  of  success  if  it  could  be  done 
through  persistent  and  earnest  purpose  in- 
telligently directed.  He  is  working  hard  in 
all  the  different  lines  upon  which  he  con- 
centrates his  energies,  and  Klamath  county 
numbers  him  as  one  whose  efforts  are  con- 
stituting a  vital  force  in  the  upbuilding  of 
this  section. 

A.  W.  COLLINS  is  well  known  in  agricul- 
tural circles  of  Douglas  county,  where  he 
owns  and  operates  a  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  on  Cow  creek.  His  birth  oc- 
curred in  Mercer  county,  Pennsylvania,  on 
the  5th  of  October,  1867.  His  parents  were 
Samuel  and  Angeline  (Worley)  Collins,  both 
natives  of  Pennsylvania,  who  removed  to 
Nebraska  in  1884.  They  made  their  home 
in  that  state  for  ten  years  and  then  moved 
to  California,  where  they  spent  fourteen 
months  before  they  came  to  Oregon  and 
located  on  Cow  creek,  in  Douglas  county. 
Here  the  father  bought  a  ranch  which  he 
operated  with  much  success  until  his  death 
in  1905.  He  was  the  father  of  five  children: 
Martha  E.  and  Clara  J.,  who  have  passed 
away;  A.  W.,  of  this  review;  Mary  E.,  who 
is  deceased;  and  Ella  S.,  who  is  still  living 
on  the  old  homestead. 

A.    W.    Collins    was   reared    at    home    and 

remained  on  the  farm  until  he  had  attained 

his   majority.     By  careful  saving  and  strict 

economy    he    accumulated    a    small    sum^  of 

money  with  which  he  bought  a  farm  iji  Ne- 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


299 


braska,  operating  the  same  until  lie  went 
to  California  in  1894.  After  one  year  in 
that  state  he  came  to  Douglas  county,  Ore- 
gon, and  located  on  Cow  creek.  He  is  now 
the  owner  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  improved  farm  land  in  this  county  and  is 
one  of  the  prominent  agriculturists  of  his 
district.  He  is  well  acquainted  with  the 
details  of  farming  and  takes  an  active  inter- 
est in  every  new  discovery  along  the  line 
of  scientific  agriculture.  He  makes  a  spe- 
cialty of  stock-raising  and  dairying  and  in 
both  of  these  branches  has  met  with  suc- 
cess. He  keeps  a  large  herd  of  graded  cattle 
constantly  on  hand  and  the  products  of  his 
dairy  obtain  a  ready  sale  on  the  market. 

In  1889  Mr.  Collins  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Anna  Mills,  a  native  of  Effmgham 
county,  Illinois,  and  a  daughter  of  Michael 
and  Nancy  (Todrick)  Mills,  the  former  a 
native  of  Indiana,  and  the  latter  of  Mary- 
land. To  Mr.  Collins  and  his  wife  have  been 
born  two  children:  Lola  M.,  the  wife  of 
Walter  J.  Burch  and  Samuel  A.,  who  is  living 
at  home.  Politically  Mr.  Collins  is  a  demo- 
crat and  takes  an  active  interest  in  the 
affairs  of  his  district.  He  is  now  serving  as 
director  of  the  school  board  and  has  always 
been  a  prominent  figure  in  educational  circles. 
He  brings  to  the  cultivation  of  his  land  a 
scientific  knowledge  of  the  details  of  agri- 
culture, a  progressive  mind  and  the  most 
modern  and  up-to-date  equipment  which  the 
markets  of  America  afford. 

WESLEY  J.  HAGA  devotes  his  attention 
to  farming,  dairying  and  gardening,  having 
thirty-nine  acres  of  land  which  he  has  re- 
deemed from  brush  and  converted  into  a 
productive  property.  He  was  born  in  Vir- 
ginia, December  10,  1872,  and  is  a  son  of 
J.  r.  and  Melinda  (Dixon)  Haga,  who  were 
natives  of  Virginia  and  North  Carolina  re- 
spectively. The  family  came  to  Oregon  when 
Wesley  .J.  Haga  was  but  eight  years  of  age 
and  settlement  was  made  at  Eugene,  where 
they  lived  for  eight  years,  removing  thence 
to  Coos  county.  The  father  preempted  a 
place  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  which 
he  began  to  cultivate  and  improve.  Later  he 
bought  about  three  hundred  and  fifty  acres 
but  afterward  disposed  of  that  property  and 
became  owner  of  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  upon  which  he  and  his  wife  still  re- 
side. In  their  family  were  eleven  children, 
as  follows:  Sarah  I.,  the  wife  of  J.  E.  Cox, 
of  Parkersburg,  Oregon ;  George  Columbus, 
also  of  near  Parkersburg;  Wesley  J.,  of  this 
review;  John  W.,  a  resident  of  Parkersburg; 
Docia,  who  married  Frank  Flam,  near  that 
city;  Polly,  the  wife  of  E.  M.  Randleman,  of 
whom  mention  is  made  on  another  page  of 
this  work;  Gussie,  the  wife  of  E.  E.  Doyle; 
Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  F.  Van  Leuven; 
Frances,  who  married  John  McAdams;  David, 
who  died  in  infancy;  and  Joseph,  who  re- 
sides with  his  parents.  With  the  exception 
of  Mrs.  McAdams.  who  makes  her  home  at 
Coquillc,  Oregon,  they  all  live  near  Parkers- 
burg, Oregon. 

Wesley  J.  Haga  accompanied  his  parents 
on   their  various   removals  until  he  reached 


the  age  of  twenty-four  years,  when  he 
started  out  in  the  business  world  on  his  own 
account.  He  had  previously  had  consider- 
able experience  in  the  best  methods  of  re- 
claiming wild  land  and  converting  it  into 
fertile  fields.  At  twenty-four  years  of  age 
he  married  and  rented  land  upon  which  he 
lived  for  six  years,  during  which  time  in- 
dustry and  careful  expenditure  brought  him 
a  sum  sufficient  to  enable  him  to  purchase 
thirty-nine  acres  where  he  now  lives  in  Coos 
county.  The  tract  was  mostly  in  brush  and 
timber  but  with  characteristic  energy  he  be- 
gan its  development,  clearing  the  fields  and 
bringing  them  under  a  high  state  of  cultiva- 
tion. He  carries  on  general  farming,  dairy- 
ing and  gardening  and  his  practical  methods 
are  evidenced  in  his  growing  success.  His 
home  is  pleasantly  situated  on  the  Coquille 
road  about  four  miles  from  Bandon. 

Mr.  Haga  has  been  married  twice.  He 
first  wedded  Miss  Annie  M.  Taylor,  a  native 
of  Oregon  and  a  daughter  of  William  and 
Jane  (Cox)  Taylor,  in  whose  family  were 
eight  children,  and  by  her  marriage  Mrs. 
Haga  became  the  mother  of  four  children: 
Bessie,  who  was  born  .January  10,  1898; 
Clara,  May  22.  1900;  Lester,  March  9,  1903; 
and  Arthur,  October  4,  1905.  All  are  at- 
tending school.  Mrs.  Haga  passed  away  Oc- 
tober 2,  1909,  and  Mr.  Haga  has  since  mar- 
ried Irlean  Evans,  a  native  of  California  and 
a  daughter  of  William  H.  S.  and  Lulu  (War- 
ner) Evans,  who  were  natives  of  Ohio  and 
Mississippi  respectively.  Mrs.  Haga  was  the 
younger  of  two  children,  her  brother  being 
Owen,  living  at  Bullard,  Oregon.  It  was  on 
the  20th  of  October,  1910,  that  she  gave  her 
hand  in  marriage  to  Mr.  Haga,  and  unto  them 
has  been  born  a  son,  Kenneth,  on  June  15, 
1911.  Mr.  Haga  votes  with  the  republican 
party  but  has  never  been  active  in  politics, 
preferring  to  concentrate  his  energies  upon 
his  business   interests. 

ISAAC  ECCLESTON.  The  various  fea- 
tures of  progressive  ranching  as  seen  in  the 
northwest  are  found  on  the  place  of  Isaac 
Eccleston,  who  is  the  owner  of  two  hundred 
and  seventy-four  acres  on  the  east  side  of 
Goose  lake  valley,  seven  miles  south  of  Lake- 
view.  He  was  born  in  Cedar  county,  Mis- 
souri, September  4,  1843,  and  is  a  son  of 
Henry  Harrison  and  Belinda  (Richardson) 
Eccleston.  The  father  was  born  in  Cayuga 
county.  New  York,  September  6,  1811,  and 
the  mother's  birth  occurred  in  North  Caro- 
lina, in  1808.  She  had  been  previously  mar- 
ried and  had  a  son,  John  M.,  who,  however, 
went  by  the  name  of  Eccleston.  His  death 
occurred  in  1852,  while  the  family  were  cross- 
ing the  plains  to  the  west.  Two  children 
were  born  of  the  second  marriage.  The 
family  removed  to  Ohio,  thence  to  Illinois 
and  afterward  to  Missouri.  In  1832  the 
father  served  in  the  Black  Hawk  war,  whore- 
by  the  Indians  of  Illinois  and  the  middle 
west  were  subiugated,  and  in  1838  he  went 
to  Missouri,  where  he  lived  until  1849,  when 
he  crossed  the  plains  to  California  returning 
to  Missouri  the  following  year.  In  1852  he 
came   to   the   Willamette   valley,   settling   in 


300 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


Lane  county  in  1853.  He  was  a  physician 
and  practiced  medicine  throughout  his  entire 
active  life,  yet  otlier  interests  to  some  extent 
claimed  his  time  and  attention,  for  he  secured 
a  donation  claim  of  three  hundred  and  twen- 
ty acres  and  supervised  its  development  and 
improvement.  He  aided  in  organizing  the 
republican  party  in  Lane  county  and  in 
1855  he  served  in  the  Eogue  River  Indian 
war.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Christian 
church  and  his  life  commended  him  to  the 
confidence,  good-will  and  high  regard  of 
those  with  whom  he  came  in  contact.  In 
his  family  were  nine  children:  Ezra,  de- 
ceased; one  who  died  in  infancy:  il.  M..  who 
served  in  the  Rogue  River  Indian  war  and 
resides  in  Junction  City,  Oregon;  James  Y., 
deceased,  who  was  one  of  the  first  pioneers 
of  Lake  county,  arriving  in  1867,  driving  a 
bull  team  from  Idaho  for  D.  R.  Jones;  Henry 
Harrison,  of  the  Deerlodge  valley  of  Mon- 
tana; Isaac;  S.  J.,  deceased;  ilary,  who  be- 
came the  wife  of  William  Ragsdale  and 
after  his  death  married  George  Goodman : 
and  ilartha  Jane,  who  is  the  wife  of  Amos 
Higgins,  of  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah. 

Isaac  Eccleston  resided  with  his  parents 
until  1861,  when  he  left  Lane  county  and 
went  to  Idaho,  which  was  then  a  part  of 
Oregon.  For  five  years  thereafter  he  worked 
in  the  gold  mines  and  subsequently  removed 
to  Yamhill  county,  building  a  good  home  in 
JIcMiiinville.  where  he  worked  at  the  car- 
penter's trade  for  several  years.  In  1872 
he  came  to  Goose  lake  valley,  where  he  has 
resided  most  of  the  time  since,  living  upon 
his  present  ranch  for  thirty-seven  years.  He 
owns  two  hundred  and  seventy-four  acres  of 
land,  on  the  east  side  of  the  valley,  seven 
miles  south  of  Lakeview.  He  homesteaded 
one  hundred  and  seventy-two  acres  of  the 
land  and  made  all  necessary  improvements 
thereon.  He  is  now  engaged  in  raising  hay. 
grain  and  stock.  He  and  his  son  have  three 
hundred  head  of  cattle  on  the  range  and 
thirty-five  head  of  horses  and  mules.  He 
has  learned  to  utilize  his  time,  energies  and 
opportunities  to  the  best  advantage  in  the 
cultivation  of  his  land  and  in  his  stock-rais- 
ing ventures,  and  his  labors  are  being  at- 
tended with  a  gratifying  measure  of  suc- 
cess. 

In  1868,  in  Yamhill  county,  Mr.  Eccle- 
ston was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary 
E.  Miller,  who  was  born  in  Polk  county.  Ore- 
gon, in  July.  1852,  a  daughter  of  .Tohn  and 
Ruth  Ann  (Franklin)  Miller,  the  mother  hav- 
ing been  a  first  cousin  of  Benjamin  Frank- 
lin. The  parents  crossed  the  plains  in  1847 
from  Ohio  to  the  Willamette  valley  and  their 
last  days  were  passed  in  Douglas  county, 
Oregon.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eccleston  have  six 
children:  F.  M..  living  in  Xorth  Yakima, 
Washington;  Lilly,  the  wife  of  William 
Smith,  lighthouse  keeper  in  Lane  county,  six- 
teen miles  north  of  Florence:  Charles,  of 
Lakeview;  George  D..  of  Portland;  Amy,  the 
wife  of  George  Peterson,  of  Eugene;  and 
Harry  B..  who  is  living  at  Drain,  Oregon. 

For  forty  years  Mr.  Eccleston  has  been 
a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows,  having  joined  that  organization  on 


the  26th  of  April,  1872.  He  closely  follows 
the  teachings  of  the  society,  to  which  he 
has  ever  been  loyal.  For  about  six  decades 
he  has  been  a  resident  of  Oregon  and  much 
of  his  time  has  been  passed  in  Lake  county, 
the  development  and  improvement  of  which 
is  due  to  the  work  of  such  men  as  Isaac  Ec- 
cleston— men  who  realize  the  possibilities  for 
progress  here  and  seek  at  all  times  the  bet- 
terment and  upbuilding  of  the  community. 

STEIN    DANIELSON    who   died   upon   his 
farm  on   the   Coquille  river  on  June   7,   1909, 
was    prominent    among    the    many    men    of 
foreign  birth  who   have  given   their  energies 
and  talents  to  promote  the  agricultural  de- 
velopment  of  Oregon   and  his  career  was  a 
factor  not   only   in   farming  progress  but  in 
the  motives  which  influenced  its  success  was 
an  addition  to  the  qualities  of  citizenship  in 
Coos   county.     He   was   born   in   Xorway   in 
1841  and  came  to  Oregon  in  1867  settling  in 
that  year  in  Coos  county.     He  had  followed 
the  sea  for  some  time  in  his  early  youth  and 
came  from  Xorway  to  America  as  ship's  car- 
penter on  a  sailing  vessel.     He  had  learned 
his  trade  in  Xorway  and  also  followed  it  in 
Oregon.     He  was  pleased  w'ith  the  conditions 
in   the  American  northwest  and  determined 
to  settle  in  Coos  county.     He  purchased  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  on  the  Co- 
quille   river  and  began  its  improvement  and 
cultivation.     He  was  successful  from  the  be- 
ginning,  as  his  methods   were  always  prac- 
tical and  his  industry  untiring.     He'  worked 
hard,   plowing   his    fields,   gathering  his   har- 
vests  and    caring    for   his   stock   and   grain. 
His    enterprise   grew   more    lucrative   as   his 
methods    became    more    progressive    and    his 
experience  wider.     At  the  time  of  his  death 
he  was   numbered  among  the  representative 
and  substantial   citizens  of  his  district  and 
was  counted  among  the  individuals  who  made 
their  personal  success  important  in  promot- 
ing public  growth. 

Mr.  Danielson  married  Miss  Elizabeth 
Thrush,  a  native  of  California  and  a  daughter 
of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Trimble)  Thrush, 
who  in  185.3  came  to  California  across  the 
plains  with  ox  teams.  They  lived  in  that 
state  for  a  short  time  and  "then  iourneyed 
north  to  Portland.  Thev  spent  a  few  rears 
in  the  Willamette  valley,  finally  settliiicr  in 
Douglas  county.  To  their  union  were  born 
twelve  children:  Xathaniel.  who  is  deceased; 
Sarah  Jane,  who  is  the  wife  of  Richard  Crow 
of  Lorame,  Oregon;  Phoebe,  who  married  Ike 
Boyles  of  Douglas  count v;  Clementine,  the 
deceased  wife  of  Joseph  McCue;  Rhodie  A., 
who  has  passed  away;  Rosie  A.,  the  widow 
of  Joseph  Russell  of  Prosper.  Oregon:  Susan 
A.,  the  widow  of  James  Blundell  of  Bandon; 
Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  our  subject;  Maggie, 
the  widow  of  Adolph  Hulton  of  Prosper;  Ri'ih- 
ard,  who  is  also  a  resident  of  Prosper;  and 
two  children  who  died  in  infancy.  To 
Jlr.  and  Mrs.  Danielson  have  been  born  nine 
children:  Matilda  L.,  who  married  Jesse 
Smith   of   5Iarshfield;    Rosetta,   who   became 


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THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OP  OREGON 


303 


the  wife  of  William  White  of  Lampa,  Ore- 
gon- Frank  D.,  who  passed  away  leaving  one 
child,  Perna;  John  E.,  of  Bandon;  Lillie  Jlay, 
the  wife  of  Bartie  Davidson  of  Lampa; 
Tora  E.,  the  wife  of  Martin  L.  Randleman  of 
Lampa;  Rene  Arinda,  who  lives  at  home; 
Richard,  who  also  lives  with  his  mother;  and 
Christopher  S.,  wlio  in  conjunction  with  his 
brother  Richard  is  operating  the  home  farm. 
Mr  Danielson  affiliated  witli  the  democratic 
party  in  his  early  life  but  later  l)ecame  a 
socialist.  He  was  one  of  the  prominent  gen- 
eral farmers  and  dairymen  of  Coos  county 
and  operated  his  enterprise  along  modern,  sys- 
tematic and  progressive  lines.  During  his 
life  he  sought  success  entirely  in  agricultural 
circles  and  had  a  fitting  reward  for  his  am- 
bition and  energy  in  the  excellent  condition  of 
his  farm.  lie  founded  a  distinct  and  sub- 
stantial prosperity  upon  a  capacity  for  hard 
work,  well  directed,  and  upon  business  dis- 
crimination of  a  high  order.  He  met  with  a 
success  which  always  rewards  earnest,  per- 
sistent and  intelligent  labor.  His  life  was 
actuated  by  the  principles  and  standards  of 
industry  and  honor  which  tliis  country  wel- 
comes so  eagerly  in  its  adopted  citizens  and 
his  death  was  felt  as  a  distinct  loss  to  bis 
community. 

CHARLES    WHEALAN     SHERMAN,    Sr., 
who   since   1903    has   owned   and  operated  a 
ranch    of    one    hundred    and    sixty    acres    in 
Klamath    county,    was    in    former    years    an 
active    and     well    known    representative    of 
journalistic  interests  in  the  middle  west.   His 
birth  occurred  in  Xew  Castle,  Richland  coun- 
ty, Ohio,  on  the  9th  of  June.  1841.  His  father, 
Captain  Henry   Sherman,  of  the  Ohio   State 
Militia  bad  migrated  from  Franklin  county, 
Pennsylvania,   in    1824,   and  set   up   a   black- 
smith and   wagon   shop   at  the   head   of  the 
village  of  New  Castle,  conducting  the  same 
throughout   the    remainder  of   his   life.     His 
death  occurred   in    1844  and   was   the   result 
of  injuries  received  from  a  vicious  horse.   His 
parents  were  of  English-Irish  extraction.  His 
estate  was  mostly  expended  in  paying  doctor 
bills  and  in  its  administration.     The  mother 
was  left  with  eight  children  and  had  a  hard 
struggle   in   caring   for   the   little   ones,   pos- 
sessing only  a    few  acres  of  ground,  an  or- 
chard   and   garden,    and    a    small    log   cabin 
with    a    "loft"    above.      Charles,    being    one 
of   the   youngest   of   the   children,   was   thus 
reared  amid  poverty,  and  his  schooling  con- 
sisted  of   the    common   district   variety,   in- 
cluding  what   is   now   known   as   the   eighth 
grade.     Wben  bo  readied  his  fourteenth  year 
a  distant   relative    for  whom  he   was  named. 
Charles    R.    Sherman,    a    brother    of    General 
William  T.  Sherman  and  Senator  John  Sher- 
man, offered  to  send  him  to  college  on  con- 
dition   that    after    graduation    he    enter    his 
law  office  at  JIansfield  and  become  a  lawyer. 
But    the    offer    did    not    appeal    to    him.      He 
preferred,  as  he  said  at  the  time,  to  make  his 
way  in  the  world  independent   of  f.avor,  and 
he  had  no  fancy  for  the  law  as  a  life  occu- 
pation.     His    ambition    was    to    go    into    a 
printing    olficc.   learn    the   "art   preservative" 


and  become  an'  editor.  During  the  foUow- 
ino-  winter,  with  two  of  his  older  brothers, 
Ja°ob  and  Henry,  he  split  rails  and  cut  cord- 
wood  thus  earning  the  money  with  which 
to  come  west.  On  the  7th  of  May,  1857,  m 
company  with  bis  eldest  brother  Salisbury, 
be  left  home  and  mother  for  northeastern 
Iowa,  where  his  brother  had  a  small  piece 
of  land  and  expected  to  make  his  home. 
Traveling  bv  rail  via  Toledo,  thence  up  the 
Maumee  valley  to  northern  Indiana,  they 
came  to  a  place  where  the  line  was  unfin- 
ished for  the  space  of  fourteen  miles,  and 
over  that  distance  the  two  were  obliged  to 
walk  and  carry  their  luggage,  there  being 
no  public  conveyance.  Carrying  a  trunk  and 
two  heavy  vaHses  for  that  distance,  they 
found,   was   no   easy   task. 

The  city  of  Chicago  at  that  period  had  a 
population  of  about  forty  thousand  people. 
It  was  the  largest  place,  however,  that  Mr. 
Sherman  had  ever  seen,  and  the  two  brothers 
stopped  over  there  to  view  its  wonders.  The 
o-rade  of  the  streets  was  being  raised  some 
eight  feet  and  he  was  much  interested  m 
watching  the  mechanics  raise  tall  buildings, 
covering  half  a  block,  to  the  new  grade  by 
means  of  hundreds  of  jackscrews,  each  one 
beiiif  turned  at  the  same  instant  by  a  sturdy 
workman  at  a  given  signal.  Reaching  the 
east  side  of  the  Mississippi  river  on  the  even- 
inn-  of  Mav  20th  they  crossed  over  to  the 
city  of  Dubuque  and  there  took  a  steamer 
for  McGregor's  Landing  that  night.  The 
winter  before  had  been  a  very  severe  and 
long  one.  and  it  is  one  of  Mr.  Sherman  s  re- 
membrances that  banks  of  snow  still  filled 
the  clefts  of  the  high  cliffs  along  the  river. 
Arriving  at  McGregor  next  morning,  they 
learned  that  there  was  no  stage  line  lead- 
in"  to  Castalia,  their  destination,  some  thirty 
miles  northwest;  so  there  was  nothing  left 
for  them  to  do  but  to  take  to  the  road,  again 
carrying  their  luggage  between  them.  Severe 
as  was  the  burden,  however,  they  covered 
the  distance  that  day,  reaching  the  village 
some  time  after  nightfall,  footsore  and  tired 
to   the    point   of    utter   exhaustion. 

That  summer  was  spent  working  on  a 
farm  for  a  man  who  kept  a  dairy  and  made 
cheese  from  the  milk  of  some  sixty  cows,  it 
beinc  one  of  the  chores  of  the  morning  and 
evenmg  for  Mr.  Sherman  and  two  others  to 
milk  fhe  cows  and  carry  the  milk  to  the 
house.  He  helped  in  the  hay  and  wlieat  har- 
vest, doing  a  man's  work,  for  which  he  re- 
ceived twenty  dollars  a  month  in  gold.  While 
livinn-  in  that  vicinity  he  had  been  told  that 
the  winters  were  very  severe,  that  during  the 
previous  month  of  March  the  mercury  was 
frozen  in  the  bulb  for  two  weeks.  This  in- 
formation frishtened  him.  He  didn't  want 
to  live  in  such  a  cold  climate,  so  he  bid  his 
brother  farew^ell  in  August  and  set  out  afoot 
for  the  town  of  Knoxville,  tw^o  hundred  miles 
further  soutli.  whither  his  two  younger 
brothers  had  migrated  the  spring  before 
and   where   a   married   sister   was   living. 

North  and  south  roads  in  Iowa  w  ere  scarce 
at  that  time,  all  travel  being  on  east  and 
west  lines.  The  country,  too,  was  thinly  set- 
tled,  a  lid   after   having  crossed   Turkey   river 


304 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


by  fording  it.  and  following  a  dim  trail  till 
night  came  on,  he  was  obliged  to  sleep  out  of 
doors  on  the  prairie.  Fortunately  he  came 
upon  a  giant  boulder  high  up  on  the  divide 
and  found  a  slight  shelter  in  one  of  its 
clefts.  The  night  was  a  warm  one  and,  by 
making  a  pillow  of  his  shoes  and  dividing 
his  clothing  from  his  satchel  between  a  bed 
and  covering,  he  slept  well.  Arising  at  the 
first  gleam  of  sunlight  and  mounting  the 
boulder,  he  could  see  the  houses  of  a  village 
miles  away  to  the  south.  Gathering  his  ef- 
fects, he  followed  a  dim  trail  in  that  direc- 
tion, and  by  seven  o'clock  he  arrived  at  the 
village  of  Eden,  situated  in  a  pretty  grove, 
where  he  breakfasted. 

"There  is  one  incident  of  this  journey  of 
some  two  hundred  miles,"  says  Mr.  Sherman, 
"whicli  deserves  a  place  in  history.  Stopping 
en  route  for  a  few  days  to  visit  relatives  at 
the  town  of  Marietta,  Iowa,  which  was  then 
the  county  seat  of  Marshall  county.  I  pro- 
ceeded southward  on  my  journey,  along  the 
road  on  the  west  side  of  the  Cedar  river, 
passed  by  Waterloo,  a  distance  of  some  twelve 
miles,  when  I  came  to  a  large  stream  known 
as  Wolf  river,  which  I  discovered,  owing  to 
recent  heavy  rains  above,  was  bankful  and 
a  raging  torrent.  Some  six  miles  further 
back  I  passed  by  the  last  house,  and  none 
was  in  sight  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
stream.  How  I  was  to  get  across  this  stream 
was  a  troublesome  problem.  To  turn  back 
seemed  to  me  out  of  the  question.  There 
were  groves  of  timber  bordering  the  torrent 
and  great  logs  and  brush  were  floating  down 
the  stream.  Possibly,  I  thought,  I  might  find 
a  log  further  up,  on  my  side,  and  by  getting 
a  pole,  might  push  myself  across,  floating 
with  the  current.  So  I  walked  on  the  bank 
upstream  for  half  a  mile  or  more,  when  I 
came  to  a  large  tree  that  was  lodged  in  an 
eddy.  It  had  several  branches  and  was 
deeper  in  the  water  near  its  center  than  at 
either  end.  Looking  about,  I  found  a  stout 
pole  some  fifteen  feet  in  length.  Taking  off 
my  shoes  and  stockings  and  tying  them  to  my 
satchel  and  with  my  suspenders  tying  my 
satchel  to  my  shoulders,  I  mounted  the  log 
and  tried  it  to  see  if  I  could  turn  it  over 
easily.  The  result  was  satisfactory.  The 
forks  and  limbs  so  balanced  the  tree  in  the 
water  that  it  would  not  turn.  Thus  reas- 
sured. I  stood  on  the  log  and  with  the  pole 
pushed  boldly  out  into  the  roaring,  surg- 
ing river  in  such  a  w-ay  that  the  butt  of  the 
log  went  downstream  first.  When  the  cur- 
rent struck  the  tree  it  came  near  going  over 
but  soon  righted  up  and  floated  rapidly  with 
the  current.  Finding  it  difficult  to  keep  my 
feet,  I  sat  down,  with  my  feet  in  the  water 
on  either  side.  That  pole  was  not  of  much 
use  to  me,  but  occasionally  I  could  use  it 
with  good  eflFect  in  steering  the  tree  toward 
the  south  side  of  the  stream,  and  after  float- 
ing about  two  miles  downstream  the  tree 
was  drawn,  with  my  help  in  pushing  with 
the  pole,  to  the  south  bank,  in  an  eddy,  and 
I  mounted  the  shore,  thoroughly  frightened 
and  only  then  fully  realizing  what  a  fear- 
ful venture  I  had  made.  Sixteen  miles'  walk 
brought  me  to  a   village  and  a  good  night's 


rest."  The  balance  of  the  journey  was  made 
without    notable    incident.  ' 

The  following  spring,  by  correspondence, 
Mr.  Sherman  ascertained  that  there  was  an 
opening  for  a  boy  in  a  printing  office  at 
Council  Bluffs  and  without  hesitation  he 
made  the  journey  afoot  to  that  place,  al- 
though the  country  was  then  thinly  settled, 
arriving  there  on  the  19th  of  April,  1S5S. 
After  paying  for  his  dinner  he  had  but  ten 
cents  left  in  his  purse.  He  found  the  editop 
of  the  Council  Bluffs  Xonpareil  in  his  sanc- 
tum, introduced  himself  and  was  at  once  in- 
stalled as  "the  new  devil."  In  all  of  his 
experience  with  men  since  then,  he  has  never 
found  a  better  man  than  W.  W.  Maynard, 
the  founder  and  manager  of  that  news- 
paper. 

Getting  a  touch  6f  the  "gold"  fever,  in 
the  spring  of  1S61  he  engaged  himself  to  a 
man  named  McLain,  of  Omaha,  to  drive  a 
freight  team  across  the  plains  to  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  and,  returning  as  far  down  the 
Platte  valley  as  Fort  Kearney,  took  care 
of  his  ranch  and  herd  of  cattle  until  July. 
While  there,  during  the  absence  of  his  em- 
ployer, he  was  made  a  prisoner  by  some 
bands  of  Sioux,  Arapaho  and  Cheyenne  In- 
dians while  they  plundered  the  ranch  of  its 
goods  and  valuables.  On  the  13th  of  July 
he  resigned  his  position  and  started  to  walk 
back  to  Iowa,  determined  to  enlist  as  a 
soldier  in  the  Union  army.  He  arrived  at 
the  home  of  his  mother  and  brothers  in 
Knoxville  on  July  27th.  the  day  after  the 
burial  of  his  youngest  brother,  Henry,  who 
belonged  to  the  Third  Iowa  Infantry  and 
was  the  first  man  of  the  regiment  to  be 
killed.  His  body  had  been  brought  home 
for  interment.  Determined  on  being  one  of 
the  boys  to  answer  the  call  of  Uncle  Abra- 
ham for  men  to  save  the  Union  and  still 
unwilling  to  go  without  his  mother's  bene- 
diction, Charles  Sherman  remained  at  home 
almost  a  month  before  she,  having  just  lost 
one  son,  could  make  up  her  mind  to  part 
with  a  second — her  youngest.  But  finally, 
in  respon.se  to  his  pleadings  and  to  maintain 
unsullied  the  honor  of  the  family,  she  gave 
her  consent  and  the  boy  enlisted  and  be- 
came a  member  of  Company  K.  Third  Iowa 
Cavalry.  He  served  throughout  the  war,  re- 
enlisting  in  1S64  as  a  veteran  and  being 
finally  mustered  out  with  his  regiment  at 
Atlanta,  Georgia,  on  the  9th  of  August,  1865. 
Three  times  he  had  been  slightly  wounded. 
With  his  company  or  regiment  he  was  in 
twenty-one  battles  and  was  under  fire  fifty- 
one  times,  participating  in  the  most  auda- 
cious and  successful  cavalry  charge  that  was 
made  during  the  Civil  war — at  the  battle  on 
the  Marias  des  Cy.gne,  or  Little  Osage,  on 
the  Kansas-Missouri  state  line.  He  was  one 
of  the  sixty-two  men  who  charged  over  the 
enemy's  entrenchments,  creating  a  panic  which 
successfully  ended  the  last  battle  in  the  war 
— in  front  of  Columbus.  Georgia. — his  regi- 
ment making  the  charge  in  a  night  attack, 
on  the  16th  of  March,  1S65.  a  week  after 
Lee    had    surrendered    at    Appomattox. 

After  the  war  Mr.  Sherman  went  back  to 
his  trade  and  before  long  launched  into  the 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


305 


newspaper  business,  in  a  small  way,  being 
greatly  hampered  by  the  lack  of  means.  His 
first  venture  was  the  Eddyville  Star,  a 
small  paper  in  a  small  town  in  Iowa.  This 
undertaking  was  not  a  success  and  he  sold 
his  plant  within  a  year,  going  to  Burling- 
ton, where  he  became  a  compositor  on  the 
Daily  Hawkeye.  He  afterward  published 
newspapers  at  Queen  City,  Quincy,  Villisca 
and  for  ten  years  at  Glenwood,  Iowa.  Sell- 
ing out  there,  he  began  the  publication  of 
the  Plattsmouth  .Journal,  a  daily  and  weekly, 
which  he  continued  for  twenty  years.  Then 
his  office  was  burned,  without  insurance,  and 
the   paper   passed    into   other   hands. 

In  1903  Mr.  Sherman  compiled  and  pub- 
lished a  directory  of  tlie  "gold  belt""  cities 
of  tlie  Black  Hills — Lead,  Deadwood,  Silver 
City,  Terry,  etc.,  and  in  March,  1903,  came  to 
Oregon,  soon  thereafter  taking  up  a  quarter 
section  of  Uncle  Sam's  land  as  a  homestead 
in  Dairy  precinct,  Klamath  county,  where 
he  still  resides.  In  addition  to  improving 
his  place  he  has  been  keeping  in  touch  with 
his  former  life  by  corresponding  with  various 
newspapers,  not  only  writing  the  local  news 
of  tlie  day  but  dissertations  upon  topics  of 
current  interest  and  upon  political  questions 
of  the  day. 

In  early  life  Mr.  Sherman  became  a  "free 
soiler" — an  opponent  of  slavery — and  from 
that  drifted  into  the  republican  party,  to 
which  he  lield  allegiance  till  the  second  nom- 
ination of  Grant  for  president,  when  he  sup- 
ported 'Mr.  Greeley  and  since  then  has 
counted  himself  a  democrat  of  the  reform 
or  progressive  order.  He  was  one  of  the 
earliest  to  recognize  the  abilities  and  power 
of  William  J.  Bryan  as  a  public  orator  and 
statesman  and  a  leader  of  the  people  and 
has  been  a  steadfast  adherent  to  his  stand- 
ard, both  of  morals  and  of  politics.  He  has 
not  been  an  office  lumter,  although  he  served 
a  term  as  councilman  of  the  village  of 
Quincy  and  was  sergeant-at-arms  of  the 
Iowa  house  of  representatives  during  two 
sessions.  He  was  his  party's  candidate  for 
state  senator  while  living  at  Plattsmouth. 
Nebraska,  but  was  not  elected.  In  1913  his 
name  was  on  the  democratic  ticket  at  the 
primaries  for  delegate  to  the  national  conven- 
tion, but  he  was  taken  sick  and  made  no  can- 
vass for  election. 

On  the  20th  of  August,  1866,  Mr.  Sherman 
was  married  to  Orilla  Groom,  the  ceremony 
being  performed  at  Knoxville,  Iowa.  Ten 
children  were  born  to  this  union,  seven  of 
whom,  four  sons  and  three  daughters,  grew 
to  maturity  and  are  living  and  doing  well  in 
the  world.  All  are  married  save  one.  The 
parents  have  nine  grandchildren.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Sherman  are  well  known  throughout 
the  community  in  which  they  reside  and  are 
esteemed  as  people  of  the  highest  respecta- 
bility. 

FRANCIS  FRANKLIN  "WELLS,  who  has 
lived  retired  in  Elkton  for  the  past  three 
years,  was  long  numbered  among  the  en- 
terprising and  representative  agriculturists 
of  Douglas  county  and  is  still  the  owner 
of   a    valuable    ranch    comprising   tlncp    hun- 


dred and  seventy-six  acres.  His  birth  oc- 
curred on  the  old  Wells  donation  claim,  on 
the  LTmpqua  river  above  Elkton,  on  the  8th 
of  November,  1859,  his  parents  being  Ira 
and  Anna  E.  (Manddler)  Wells.  The  father 
was  born  in  Vermont,  on  the  30th  of  July, 
1814,  while  the  mother's  birth  occurred  on 
the  Mayn  river  in  Prussia,  German}-,  her 
natal  day  being  July  10,  1832.  The  "latter 
was  a  maiden  of  sixteen  when  she  crossed 
the  Atlantic  to  America  with  her  parents, 
the  family  home  being  established  in  Illi- 
nois, where  she  gave  her  hand  in  marriage 
to  Ira  Wells.  It  was  in  1847  that  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Wells  crossed  tlie  plains  to  Oregon,  the 
journey  consuming  six  months.  The}'  made 
their  first  stop  in  the  Willamette  vallej',  on 
the  present  site  of  Cottage  Grove,  where  was 
born  their  second  child,  who  was  the  first 
white  child  born  in  Lane  county  and  who  is 
now  Mrs.  W.  W.  Hawley,  of  Corvallis.  In 
1848  they  came  down  into  Douglas  county 
and  located  in  Scotts  valley,  where  Mrs. 
Wells  was  left  to  spend  the  winter  with  the 
Scott  family,  while  Mr.  Wells  made  his  way 
to  the  vicinity  of  Elkton  and  filed  on  a  dona- 
tion claim  of  six  hundred  and  forty  acres  a 
mile  and  a  half  west  of  Elkton.  In  the 
spring  of  1849  he  brought  his  family  to  this 
claim,  their  belongings  being  carried  over 
the  mountain  from  Drain  to  Elkton  by  pack 
horses.  As  time  passed  and  his  financial 
resources  increased  he  extended  the  bound- 
aries of  his  ranch  by  purchase  until  it  em- 
braced ten  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  on  which 
lie  ran  large  herds  of  cattle  and  later  was 
quite  extensively  engaged  in  sheep-raising. 
After  his  sons  grew  to  manhood,  however,  he 
cultivated  a  large  part  of  the  land.  His 
demise  occurred  on  this  farm  on  the  17th 
of  July,  1S93,  when  he  had  attained  the  age 
of  seventy-eight  years.  His  wife  was  called 
to  her  final  rest  on  the  30th  of  December, 
1904,  when  more  than  eighty-two  years  of 
age,  passing  away  in  the  faith  of  the  Chris- 
tian church.  Ira  Wells  gave  his  political 
allegiance  to  the  democracy  for  many  years 
but  in  later  life  joined  the  ranks  of  the  re- 
publican party.  Although  frequently  urged 
to  accept  the  candidacy  for  county  commis- 
sioner and  state  representative,  he  always 
declined,  having  no  desire  for  political  hon- 
ors and   emoluments. 

Francis  Franklin  Wells  was  reared  under 
the  parental  roof  and  supplemented  his  early 
education,  acquired  in  the  public  schools,  by 
a  course  of  study  in  Umpqua  Academy,  at 
Wilbur,  Oregon.  "Wlien  a  youth  of  seven- 
teen he  took  charge  of  the  home  farm,  his 
father  being  practically  an  invalid,  and  con- 
tinued its  operation  until  after  the  death,  of 
his  parents.  He  then  acquired  three  hun- 
dred and  seventy-six  acres,  of  the  homestead 
and  this  land  is  still  in  his  possession.  In 
November,  1909,  however,  he  rented  the 
property  and  took  up  his  abode  in  Elkton, 
where  he  has  since  made  his  home.  He  is 
a  stockholder  and  was  one  of  the  organizers 
of  the  Elkton  Mercantile  &  Development 
Company,  the  principal  mercantile  institu- 
tion of  Elkton.  In  his  undertakings  as  an 
agriculturist   he   was   highly   successful,   util- 


306 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OP  OREGON 


izing  modern  methods  and  improved  ma- 
chinery in  his  "work.  He  bought  the  first  steam 
thresher,  the  first  binder,  tlie  first  cream  sep- 
arator and  also  purchased  the  first  registei'ed 
stoclc  on   the  Umpqua  river. 

On  the  18th  of  June,  1899,  Mr.  Wells  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Elsie  L.  Hefty, 
of  Drain,  her  parents  being  Thomas  H.  and 
Carrie  (Snell)  Hefty,  who  came  to  Oregon 
from  Minnesota  in  18S3.  Our  subject  and  his 
wife  have  three  children:  Lena  Irene,  born 
December  12,  1907;  Frances  Alene,  born  Feb- 
ruary 10,  1910;  and  Ira  Thomas,  born  No- 
vember 10,  1911. 

Mr.  Wells  is  a  democrat  in  politics  and 
about  ten  years  ago  was  the  candidate  of 
his  party  for  state  representative.  The  can- 
didacy having  been  thrust  upon  him  in  spite 
of  his  protest,  he  made  no  campaign  and 
■was  consequently  defeated  at  the  polls.  He 
belongs  to  Elkton  Lodge,  Xo.  46,  A.  0.  U.  W., 
and  Hyacinth  Lodge.  No.  93,  Degree  of 
Honor,  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  Oregon 
Grange.  His  religious  faith  is  indicated  by 
his  membership  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  to  which  his  wife  also  belongs.  Mr. 
Wells  has  always  lived  in  Douglas  county 
and  the  sterling  traits  of  his  character  are 
well  known  to  his  fellow  townsmen,  the 
great  majority  of  whom  number  him  as  a 
friend. 

JOHN  H.  ROBINSON  is  one  of  the  highly 
respected  citizens  of  Oregon  and  has  one 
of  the  largest  orchards  in  Josephine  county 
where  he  resides  upon  his  beautiful  ranch  of 
five  hundred  and  sixty-seven  acres.  He  was 
born  in  Tennessee,  January  16,  1850,  and  is  a 
son  of  James  and  Susanna  (Jackson)  Rob- 
inson, both  of  whom  were  natives  of  John- 
son county,  Tennessee.  They  became  the 
parents   of  eleven   children. 

John  H.  Robinson  was  reared  in  his  father's 
home  and  received  his  early  education  in  the 
public  schools.  He  left  the  parental  roof  at 
the  age  of  eighteen  years,  and  removed  to 
Missouri  where  he  was  engaged  for  several 
years  as  a  common  laborer  at  various  kinds 
of  employment.  By  carefully  saving  his 
money  he  was  later  enabled  to  complete  his 
English  education.  For  some  time  there- 
after, he  was  engaged  in  teaching  in  Missouri 
and  returning  to  Tennessee  he  taught  there 
for  five  years.  He  removed  to  Oregon  in  1883 
and  filed  upon  a  homestead  which  he  has 
since  brought  to  a  high  state  of  cultivation. 
He  engages  in  mixed  farming  and  fruit- 
growing. His  ranch  comprises  five  hundred 
and  sixty-seven  acres,  fifty  of  which  is  planted 
to  apples,  pears  and  prunes.  Mr.  Robinson 
and  his  brother  personally  supervise  the  har- 
vest and  packing  of  the  fruit  crop  which 
averages  ten  carloads  per  annum.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  attention  which  he  gives  to  his 
orchard  he  is  also  specializing  in  the  breeding 
of  pure  blooded  Poland  China  hogs  and  in 
that  particular  branch  of  stock-raising  he 
has   been  highly  successful. 

John  H.  Robinson  was  iinited  in  marriage 
on  October  27,  1879,  to  Miss  Olive  Xewkir'k, 
of  Texas,  and  to  this  iinion  nine  children 
have    been    born:     Claudius    C;    Rov    Ran- 


dolph, who  died  in  1S90;  George  L. ;  Estelle 
G.;  Elsie  E.;  Clifford  B.,  who  died  in  Decem- 
ber, 1909;  Omer;  John  Reginald;  and  Everett. 
Mr.  Robinson  is  affiliated  with  the  repub- 
lican party  and  for  some  years  served  as 
school  examiner  for  Josephine  county.  He 
and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church. 

John  H.  Robinson  is  one  of  the  enterprising 
and  highly  valued  citizens  of  Josephine  coun- 
ty. His  work  as  a  scientific  farmer  and  fruit 
grower  has  demonstrated  to  the  people  in  his 
county  that  intelligent  and  modern  methods 
applied  to  agriculture  bring  gratifying  re- 
sults. , 

NORMAN  L.  LEE,  M.  D.  One  of  the  prom- 
inent men  of  Junction  City,  Oregon,  is  Dr. 
Xorman  L.  Lee,  the  owner  of  landed  and 
other  interests,  who  retired  from  profes- 
sional life  recently  and  gives  his  attention 
principally  to  overseeing  his  investments. 
He  was  born  in  Illinois,  March  29,  1837, 
while  his  parents  were  en  route  to  Iowa 
from  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of  Philester  and 
Eliza  Ann  (Burge)  Lee.  Both  parents  were 
natives  of  New  York,  in  which  state  their 
marriage  occurred.  They  resided  in  the  Em- 
pire state  for  some  time  and  then  removed 
to  Ohio,  where  they  remained  for  a  few 
years.  In  1837  they  went  to  Iowa,  settling 
in  Van  Buren  county,  where  the  father  took 
up  a  homestead  and  for  ten  years  devoted 
Ins  time  and  attention  to  the  improvement 
and  cultivation  of  liis  farm.  He  built  the 
first  frame  barn  ever  erected  in  Wapello  coun- 
ty. In  1847  he  crossed  the  plains  with  ox 
teams  to  Oregon  and  settled  in  Portland, 
making  the  trip  from  The  Dalles  to  Portland 
by  flatboat.  After  living  for  a  time  in 
Portland  he  went  to  California  as  a  gold 
miner,  leaving  his  family  in  Portland.  He 
worked  at  mining  with  success  until  1849 
and  in  the  following  year  removed  with  his 
family  to  Salem,  where  he  engaged  in  the 
mercantile  business.  He  remained  there  for 
only  a  year,  however,  and  then  removed  to 
Linn  county,  taking  up  a  donation  claim  of 
six  hundred  and  forty  acres  upon  which  he 
lived  until  1860,  when  he  retired.  He  attained 
the  age  of  eighty-three  years  and  at  the 
time  of  his  death  was  the  owner  of  his  home- 
stead of  six  hundred  and  forty  acres  and 
also  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  timber 
land.  The  mother  passed  away  when  she 
was  sixty-two  years  of  age.  They  were  the 
parents  of  ten  children,  four  of  whom  are  yet 
living:  Norman  L. ;  Mrs.  Mary  Vale  and 
5Irs.  Lucinda  Mathews,  both  of  whom  reside 
in  Linn  county;  and  Mrs.  Sarah  Hogue,  who 
makes  her  home  near  Grants  Pass,  Oregon. 

Coming  to  Oregon  with  his  parents  when 
he  was  ten  years  of  age,  X'orman  L.  Lee  first 
attended  school  in  a  log  schoolhouse  in  Port- 
land and  later  was  a  student  in  the  Method- 
ist Academy  at  Salem.  He  then  began  the 
study  of  medicine  in  Willamette  University 
and  was  graduated  from  that  institution  in 
1871,  Entering  upon  the  practice  of  his 
chosen  profession  in  Junction  City,  he  soon 
succeeded  in  building  up  a  good  practice  and 
has    since   made   that    citv    his  home. 


JOHX  ir.  Kor.iN'sox 


7  NEW  York] 

LIBRARY 


Tn-De"--   FOUNDATION*.       t 


r 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


311 


On  ilarcli  14.  1868,  Dr.  Lee  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Amanda  M.  Griggs,  who 
was  born  in  Adams  county,  Illinois,  in  Oc- 
tober, 1849,  a  daughter  of  Alej'  B.  and  Sarah 
J.  (Morris)  Griggs.  The  parents  were  both 
born  near  Griggsville,  Adams  county,  Illi- 
nois, whicli  town  was  named  in  honor  of  the 
Griggs  family.  There  they  were  married  and 
resided  until"  1851,  when  with  ox  teams  they 
crossed  the  plains  to  Oregon,  spending  the  first 
winter  in  Oregon  City.  In  the  following 
spring  they  came  to  Linn  county,  locating 
about  twelve  miles  from  Albany,  where  the 
father  took  up  a  donation  claim  of  six  hun- 
dred and  forty  acres.  Here  he  resided  until 
the  time  of  his  retirement,  when  he  removed 
to  Albany,  where  he  passed  away  at  the  age 
of  seventy-tive  years,  the  mother  liaving 
died  at  the  age  o"f  thirty-one.  To  tliem  six 
children  were  born:  Amanda  M.,  now  Mrs. 
Norman  L.  Lee;  Mrs.  Cliarles  Ralston,  of 
Lebanon,  Oregon;  Frances,  who  engaged  in 
teaching  school  for  several  years  and  is  liv- 
ing at  Lebanon;  Mrs.  Mary  McClain  of 
Albany:  Mrs.  Addie  Mxon,  of  Farmington. 
Washington;  and  John  V.,  who  resides  on 
tlie  home  farm.  To  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Lee  seven 
children  have  been  born.  Ernest  U.,  who 
was  born  December  25,  1868,  is  married 
and  lives  in  Eugene.  For  twelve  years  he 
filled  the  office  of  county  clerk  and  is  now- 
serving  as  cashier  of  the  Merchants  Bank  of 
Eugene.  Annie  L.,  who  was  born  in  1873, 
received  a  college  education.  She  is  the 
wife  of  Fred  Fortmiller,  of  Albany,  Oregon. 
Claude,  born  March  15.  1876,  is  a  druggist 
and  resides  in  Albany.  Wright  B.  born  .Jan- 
uary 16,  1884.  is  engaged  in  the  practice  of 
dentistry  in  Junction  City.  Clare  A.,  born 
Janimry  4,  1889,  is  attending  Willamette 
University  at  Salem  and  will  graduate  from 
the  medical  department  of  that  institution 
in  1915.  Abbie  J.  and  Maude  are  both  de- 
ceased. The  former  was  born  in  1871  and 
died  February  1.3,  1873.  while  the  latter  died 
at  the  age  of  one  year. 

Dr.  Lee  gives  his  allegiance  to  the  repub- 
lican party  but  has  never  been  an  office 
seeker  or  taken  an  active  part  in  politics 
although  he  served  for  four  years  as  post- 
master" of  Junction  City.  Fraternally  he  be- 
longs to  the  Masonic  lodge,  the  Ancient  Or- 
der^ of  United  Workmen  and  the  Degree  of 
Honor.  He  has  been  extremely  active  dur- 
ing his  professional  career,  which  has  been  a 
distinguished  one.  He  was  state  medical 
examiner  for  twelve  years,  performing  the 
duties  which  that  appointment  enjoined  upon 
him  in  connection  with  his  other  professional 
work.  In  early  jnanhood  he  enlisted  for 
service  in  the  Civil  war,  becoming  a  member 
of  Company  F.  First  Oregon  Volunteer  In- 
fantry and  served  until  after  Lee's  surrender, 
receiving  his  honorable  discharge  in  1865. 
In  1868' Dr.  Lee  went  to  the  Klamath  reser- 
vation, where  he  was  employed  as  a  car- 
penter and  it  was  there  that  Ernest  U..  the 
eldest  son  was  born.  He  is  the  first  white 
child  born  in  Klamath  county.  When  at 
Klamath  Mrs.  Lee  was  the  only  white  woman 
on  tlie  reservation,  where  she  remained  seven 
niiinths  before  she  saw  another  woman  of 
Vol.  TV— 13 


her  color.  Dr.  Lee  has  an  extended  acquaint- 
ance, is  one  of  the  most  prominent  citizens 
of  Junction  City  and  is  greatly  respected  by 
all  who   know   him. 

B.  B.  GESNER,  a  worthy  and  respected 
representative  of  agricultural  interests  in 
Marion  county,  owns  and  cultivates  a  farm 
of  two  hundred  and  sixteen  and  one-half 
acres,  all  of  which  is  under  cultivation. 
Aside  from  agricultural  connections  he  also 
has  a  strong  hold  upon  the  regard  of  his 
fellowmen  owing  to  a  kindly  spirit  and  gener- 
ous disposition.  He  was  born  in  Marion 
county,  Oregon,  March  19,  1850,  a  son  of 
Reuben  A.  and  Mary  (Alaway)  Gesner.  The 
father  was  born  in  New  York  and  the  mother 
in  Kentucky.  They  were  married  in  1844 
in  Illinois  and  crossed  the  plains  the  follow- 
ing year,  taking  up  a  donation  claim  of  six 
hundred  and  forty  acres  near  Salem  where 
our  subject  now  lives.  This  was  the  father's 
home  until  a  few  years  before  his  death, 
which  he  spent  in  Salem,  where  he  lived  re- 
tired. At  various  times  he  acquired  prop- 
erty in  other  parts  of  Oregon  and  at  the 
time  of  his  demise  was  a  large  landholder. 
He  passed  away  at  the  age  of  seventy-four 
years  and  his  wife  died  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
two.  To  them  twelve  children  were  born, 
eight  of  whom  are  living,  namely:  Alonzo, 
who  is  residing  in  Salem;  Harriett,  who  is 
the  widow  of  Samuel  Rundlett  and  a  resi- 
dent of  Polk  county;  B.  B.,  of  this  review; 
Vanison.  a  physician  of  east  Oregon;  Rame- 
lia.  who  is  married  to  James  Munkeis,  of 
Linn  county,  Oregon;  Sarah,  who  is  the 
widow  of  George  .Terowe  and  is  a  resident 
of  Portland,  where  she  conducts  a  sanato- 
rium; Aninei.  the  wife  of  Thomas  Davidson, 
of  Salem;  and  Rebecca,  who  is  married  to 
George   Haskell,   of  Benton  county. 

B.  B.  Gesner  received  his  education  in  the 
grammar  schools  of  Salem,  after  which  he 
returned  to  the  home  farm,  where  he  as- 
sisted his  father  for  one  year  before  he 
started  out  to  earn  his  own  livelihood  by 
accepting  employment  which  he  held  for  a 
year,  with  a  surveying  party.  Afterward  he 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  for  five  years 
but  in  1883  entered  the  LTnited  States  mail 
service.  For  four  years  he  carried  mail  from 
Salem  to  Silverton  and  for  one  year  from 
Turner  to  Mehama.  During  tlie  follow'ing 
four  years  he  was  engaged  in  teaming  and 
at  the  end  of  that  time  returned  to  the  old 
homestead  and  purchased  twenty-two  and  a 
half  acres  of  his  lirother's  share  of  the  farm, 
thus  making  him  the  owner  of  two  hundred 
and  sixteen  and  a  half  acres,  which  he  has 
since  cultivated.  The  land  is  all  in  a  high 
state  of  improvement,  being  equipped 
with  the  accessories  of  a  modern  farm.  The 
place  presents  an  attractive  appearance  be- 
cause of  its  neatness  and  cultivation  and 
annually  yields  profitable  harvests,  due  to 
the  practical  methods  which  Mr.  Gesner  em- 
ploys in  its  development. 

On  the  9th  of  March,  1874,  Mr.  Gesner  was 
married  to  Mrs.  Frances  E.  Buster,  whose 
birth  occurred  in  Marion  county  in  1857,  her 
parents  being  Samuel  and  Jane  dinger,  who 


312 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


came  here  from  Kentucky  in  1852  and  in 
1S43  respectively.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gesner 
eleven  children  have  been  born:  Frank  X., 
of  Lincoln  county;  Ulysses  S.,  who  is  resid- 
ing at  home  with  his  father;  Jessie,  the  wife 
of  George  Xapske,  of  Florida;  Bessie,  the 
widow  of  Samuel  Updegrati';  Dolph,  at  home; 
CliB'ord,  a  resident  of  ilarion  county:  Ar- 
chie, Ralph,  lola  and  Virgil,  all  at  home;  and 
Harry,  who  died   in  infancy. 

B.  B.  Gesner  is  a  republican  and  has  been 
a  faithful  and  active  advocate  of  the  poli- 
cies of  that  party  since  age  conferred  upon 
him  the  right  of  franchise.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  school  board  and  has  served  as  road 
supervisor,  offices  which  he  has  undertaken 
for  the  good  of  the  community  rather  than 
for  personal  aggrandizement.  Although  not 
a  member  of  church  or  lodges,  he  always 
gives  his  support  to  those  social  iind  moral 
interests  which  he  believes  promote  public 
welfare  and  has  by  so  doing  won  the  con- 
fidence and  esteem  of  all. 

E.  E.  FISHER,  M.  D.,  who  since  1907  has 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine  and  sur- 
gery in  Salem,  specializing,  however,  in  the 
latter  was  born  in  Omaha,  Nebraska,  in 
1870,  his  parents  being  C.  A.  H.  and  Mary 
(Kirby)  Fisher.  The  father  was  born  in  Eng- 
land in  1847  and  on  coming  to  America  in 
1869,  then  a  young  man  of  about  twenty- 
two  years,  settled  in  Michigan.  He  was  mar- 
ried "at  Adrian,  that  state,  to  :Miss  Kirby, 
who  was  born  in  New  York  in  1852.  They 
removed  westward  to  Nebraska  in  1870  and 
in  1892  arrived  in  Salem,  Oregon,  where  they 
now  reside,  the  father  lieing  a  retired  farmer 
who  devoted  the  greater  part  of  his  life  to 
agiicultural  pursuits.  In  their  family  were 
seven   children. 

Dr.  Fisher  attended  the  country  schools 
in  the  vicinity  of  his  father's  home  until 
fourteen  years  of  age.  when  he  became  a 
student  in"  the  Highland  Park  Normal  School, 
at  Des  Moines,  Iowa.  He  also  attended  the 
Fremont  (Nebraska)  Normal  and  was  grad- 
uated with  the  class  of  1892.  He  taught 
school  both  before  and  after  his  graduation, 
devoting  five  years  to  that  profession  and 
in  1894  he  took  up  the  study  of  medicine, 
reading  for  one  year  under  a  physician, 
while  "for  three  years  he  was  a  student  in 
the  medical  department  of  the  University 
of  the  Northwest,  at  Sioux  City,  Iowa.  He 
was  graduated  in  1S98  and  located  for  prac- 
tice at  Rodney.  Iowa.  In  1902  he  entered 
the  Rush  Medical  College  for  post-graduate 
work  and  also  attended  the  University  of 
Iowa,  where  he  pursued  a  special  course  in 
surgerj-  in  1906-7.  In  the  latter  year  he 
came  to  Salem  and  has  since  engaged  in 
general  practice,  making  a  specialty  of  sur- 
gery. He  displays  marked  skill  in  that  de- 
partment of  professional  labor  and  he  has 
also  proven  a  capable  educator  in  two  years' 
work  as  a  teacher  in  the  medical  department 
of  Willamette  University.  He  belongs  to 
the  Marion  County  Medical  Society,  the  Ore- 
gon State  Medical  Society  and  the  American 
Medical  Association  and  keeps  in  close  touch 


with   the   advanced   work    of   the   profession 
and  its  high   ideals. 

In  1901  Dr.  Fisher  was  married  to  Miss 
Alice  Bates,  a  native  of  Iowa,  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  A.  J.  and  Helen  (Morris)  Bates.  Dr. 
and  ilrs.  Fisher  are  well  known  in  Salem, 
where  they  have  a  large  circle  of  warm 
friends.  He  enjoys,  too,  the  high  regard  of 
his  professional  brethren  because  of  his  close 
conformity  to  an  advanced  standard  of  pro- 
fessional  ethics. 

ROBERT  WALKER  is  remembered  in 
Bandon,  Oregon,  as  an  upright,  progressive 
and  representative  citizen  and  as  an  honored 
veteran  of  the  Civil  war.  He  gave  his  ener- 
gies and  attention  for  almost  a  quarter  of  a 
century  to  commercial  activities  in  the  vil- 
lage and  as  its  postmaster  did  able,  con- 
scientious and  useful  work.  His  death  on 
March  30,  1909,  brought  to  a  close  a  career 
which  had  been  identified  with  much  of  the 
upbuilding  and  development  of  Bandon  and 
deprived  that  community  of  a  competent,  suc- 
cessful and  valued  citizen.  Mr.  Walker  was 
born  in  Canada  April  17.  1844,  and  is  a  son 
of  William  and  Sarah  (Gibson)  Walker,  the 
former  a  native  of  England  and  the  latter  of 
Canada.  They  were  the  parents  of  two  chil- 
dren: Robert,  the  subject  of  this  sketch; 
and  James  G.,  of  Gold  I5each,  Curry  county, 
Oregon.  The  latter  was  sheriff  for  a  number 
of  years  but  is  now  living  retired,  his  son 
being  a  candidate  for  the  office. 

Robert  Walker  remained  at  home  until  he 
enlisted  in  the  Federal  army.  He  served  as 
sergeant  for  three  years  and  obtained  his 
honorable  discharge  at  the  close  of  hostili- 
ties. He  immediately  came  west  and  settled 
in  Coos  county  afterward  removing  to  Curry 
county  where  he  resided  for  twelve  years. 
During  his  residence  in  that  section  he  was 
elected  sheriff  to  serve  for  four  years,  from 
1874  to  1878.  In  1888  he  moved"  to  Bandon 
and  made  that  village  his  home  until  his 
death.  He  established  himself  in  business 
and  was  successful,  building  up  a  distinct 
and  substantial  prosperity  upon  the  firm 
foundation  of  hard  work,  ability  and  indus- 
try. In  1901  he  was  appointed  postmaster 
and  held  that  office  for  eight  years,  doing 
efficient  and  practical  work  in  this  capacity. 
After  his  death  his  widow  was  appointed  to 
the  position,  having  been  assistant  postmas- 
ter, for  some  time.  Mr.  Walker  was  one  of 
the  public-spirited  and  active  citizens  of  Ban- 
don. He  built  the  first  house  in  the  city  after 
Bandon  was  laid  out  in  town  lots.  He  was 
connected  all  during  the  twenty-one  years  of 
his  residence  with  much  of  the  work  of  the 
upbuilding  and  development  and  at  the  time 
of  his  death  which  occuned  on  March  30.  1909, 
he  was  numbered  among  the  loyal,  conscien- 
tious and  useful  members  of  his  community. 
On  January  27.  1S75,  Mr.  Walker  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Frame, 
a  native  of  California.  She  was  one  of  two 
children  born  to  her  parents,  her  brother 
Frank  P..  being  a  resident  of  North  Bend, 
Oregon.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Walker  were  born 
five  children:  Mary  L..  who  is  a  trained 
nurse    in    Portland;    Robert    F..    of   Bandon, 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


313 


who  is  married  and  lias  one  son.  Robert, 
Jr.;  Pearl  R.,  who  was  educated  in  the  Ban- 
don  high  school  and  is  a  teacher  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  that  city;  Harry  .1.,  who  is 
connected  with  the  sawmill  business  in  Ban- 
don;  and  Claire  I.,  the  wife  of  G.  T.  Tread- 
gold,  an  attorney  in  Bandon,  by  whom  she 
has   one   child,   Grayden   W. 

Mr.  Walker  was  a  stanch  republican  and 
an  active  worker  in  the  interests  of  the  party. 
He  was  chairman  of  the  state  committee  and 
a  member  of  the  board  of  equalization  hold- 
ing both  positions  for  a  number  of  years. 
He  served  upon  the  city  council,  alwaj's  giv- 
ing his  influence  to  worthy  and  honorable 
causes  and  promoting  in  a  useful  and  valu- 
able way  local  legislation.  He  was  a  school 
director  and  a  factor  in  the  building  of  the 
first  large  school  in  Bandon.  serving  as  a 
member  of  the  first  board  of  education.  He 
was  well  known  in  the  ilasonic  order,  hav- 
ing been  a  charter  member  of  two  lodges. 
He  was  proud  of  his  connection  with  this 
organization  and  active  in  promoting  its  wel- 
fare and  progress.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Episcopal  church  and  widely  known  as 
a  man  of  high  and  exemplary  character. 
During  his  life  he  always  gave  his  influence 
to  constructive  and  valuable  things.  He 
labored  earnestly  to  make  his  career  suc- 
cessful, bringing  his  commercial  enterprise  to 
a  successful  issue  and  making  his  more  pub- 
lic life  upright,  straightforward  and  honor- 
able and  his  death  brought  to  a  close  a 
career  which  was  an  important  factor  in 
local  upbuilding  and  development  and  in  all 
its  relations  useful  and  valuable. 

DR.  REUBEN  H.  FIELDS,  physician  and 
surgeon  practicing  at  Gardiner,  a  large 
measure  of  success  indicating  public  confi- 
dence in  his  ability,  was  born  near  McVey- 
town.  Pennsylvania,  on  the  20th  of  June, 
1S73,  his  parents  being  William  M.  and 
Xancy  (Cutman)  Fields,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  the  Keystone  state  and  of  Scotch 
descent.  The  father  was  one  of  the  promi- 
nent farmers  of  Mifilin  county.  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  he  died  in  early  manhood,  pass- 
ing awav  on  the  5th  of  June,  1S73.  prior 
to  the  birth  of  Dr.  Fields.  At  the  time  of 
the  Civil  war  he  became  a  member  of  the 
Ninth  Pennsylvania  Cavalry  and  served 
under  Kilpatrick  and  later  under  Stoneman. 
He  was  captured  while  at  the  front  and 
sent  to  Libby  prison  where  he  was  confined 
for  four  months  which  contributed  largely 
to  the  cause  of  his  early  death.  His  wife 
long  survived  him.  passing  away  in  1903,  at 
the   age   of   fifty-eight   years. 

Dr.  Fields  was  reared  in  his  mother's  home 
and  acquired  his  early  education  in  Penn- 
sylvania in  the  Soldiers  Orphan  School,  at 
LoysviUe.  and  in  the  public  schools.  Later 
he  attended  the  Brothers  Normal  College, 
now  .Juniata  College,  at  Huntingdon,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  after  leaving  that  institution 
at  the  age  of  eighteen  years,  he  taught  one 
term  of  school  in  his  native  coiinty.  The 
following  year  he  went  west  to  Iowa  where 
he  Avas  employed  for  some  time  at  farm  la- 
bor.     In    the "  fall    of    1893    he    returned    to 


Pennsylvania  and  the  following  year  took 
up  the  study  of  medicine,  entering  the  At- 
lantic iledical  College  in  Baltimore,  Mary- 
land, from  which  he  was  graduated  with  the 
class  of  1897.  Following  his  graduation  he 
went  directly  west  to  Rudd.  Floyd  county, 
Iowa,  where  he  engaged  in  practice  for  four 
years.  He  also  spent  three  years  in  pro- 
fessional work  in  Clarion,  Iowa,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1903  came  to  Oregon.  He  s|)ent 
some  time  in  looking  over  the  state  in  search 
of  a  suitable  location  and  at  length  deter- 
mined on  Gardiner,  here  opening  an  oflSce. 
In  the  intervening  period  of  seven  years  he 
has  built  up  a  large  and  remunerative  prac- 
tice and  is  now  accounted  one  of  the  fore- 
most physicians  of  this  part  of  the  state. 
On  the  1st  of  .June,  1912.  he  became  asso- 
ciated with  Dr.  Frank  S.  Pratt,  formerly 
of  Stevenson,  Washington,  and  they  are  now 
fitting  up  a  modern  private  hospital  in  con- 
nection with  their  office,  which  will  accommo- 
date ten  patients.  They  are  progressive  phy- 
sicians, thoroughly  in  touch  with  the  ad- 
vanced methods  of  the  medical  science,  and 
their  work  is  proving  highly  satisfactory  in 
checking  the  ravages  of  disease. 

Dr.  Fields  was  married,  in  1897.  in  Rock- 
ford,  Iowa,  to  Miss  Mae  Farnham,  a  daugh- 
ter of  John  Wesley  Farnham,  a  prominent 
farmer  of  Iowa,  and  unto  this  union  have 
been  born  two  children,  Nancy  Ruth  and 
Richard  Henry.  Dr.  Fields  belongs  to  Au- 
rora Lodge,  No.  59,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  which  he 
is  now  serving  as  master.  He  also  holds 
membership  with  Gardiner  Lodge,  No.  132, 
I.  0.  0.  F..  and  with  the  ilodern  Woodmen 
camp.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are  members 
of  Martha  Chapter,  0.  E.  S.,  and  of  River- 
side Lodge,  No.  100,  Daughters  of  Rebekah. 
Their  religious  faith  is  that  of  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  church  and  to  its  teachings 
they  are  loyal.  In  politics  Dr.  Fields  is  in- 
dependent, with  republican  tendencies.  His 
professional  relations  are  with  the  Southern 
Oregon  Medical  Association,  the  Oregon 
State  Medical  Society  and  the  American 
Medical  Association,  and  he  is  justly  ac- 
counted one  of  the  pi'Ogressive  and  success- 
ful practitioners  of  Douglas  county,  where 
he  has  again  and  again  given  demonstration 
of  his  ability  to  cope  with  the  intricate  pro- 
fessional problems  and  check  the  ravages  of 
disease. 

E.  D.  MATLOCK.  Business  activity  and 
enterprise  in  Eugene  find  a  worthy  repre- 
sentative in  E.  D.  Matlock,  proprietor  of  one 
of  the  department  stores  of  the  city.  He 
was  born  at  Pleasant  Hill,  February  8,  1870, 
and  supplemented  his  public-school  educa- 
tion by  a  course  in  the  University  of  Ore- 
gon. He  entered  business  life  in  connection 
with  his  father  Joseph  De  Witt  Matlock,  un- 
der the  firm  name  of  J.  D.  Matlock  &  Sons, 
in  the  condiict  of  a  general  mercantile  estab- 
lishment. .\t  length  he  disposed  of  his  in- 
terest in  that  business  and  with  his  father 
went  to  Dawson  City,  Alaska,  accompanied 
by  his  wife  and  son.  The  latter  was  the 
first  white  child  to  cross  the  mountains.  Mr. 
Matlock  and  his  father  started   in  the  mer- 


314 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


cantile  business  tlieie  and  at  length  they  also 
became  connected  with  commercial  pursuits 
at  Bennett,  British  Columbia,  as  owners  of 
a  general  store.  They  were  successful  in 
their  operations  but  after  two  years  re- 
turned to  Eugene,  where  E.  D.  Matlock  es- 
tablished his  present  business.  He  has  an 
attractive  store,  carrying  a  large  and  well 
selected  line  of  goods,  and  his  long  training 
in  mercantile  lines  well  qualifies  him  to  carry 
on  this  business  in  a  most  progressive  man- 
ner. His  sales  are  steadily  growing,  for  the 
integrity  of  his  business  methods  is  widely 
recognized,  as  is  his  conformity  to  a  high 
standard   of    commercial    ethics. 

Jlr.  Matlock  was  married  to  Miss  Xellie 
T.  Marquis,  a  daughter  of  Rufus  Marquis,  of 
Dayton.  Washington,  and  they  have  one  son. 
Earl  Edis.  In  Eugene  their  circle  of  friends 
is  an  extensive  one  and  the  hospitality  of 
the  best  homes  of  the  city  is  freely  accorded 
them.  Mr.  Matlock  belongs  to  Spencer  Butte 
Lodge.  Xo.  9,  I.  0.  0.  F..  to  Wimawhala  En- 
campment and  to  Hovey  Canton,  having 
taken  the  various  degrees  of  the  order.  He 
is  also  a  member  of  the  First  Christian 
church,  to  the  support  of  which  he  gives 
liberally,  doing  all  in  his  power  to  advance 
its  growth  and  extend  its  influence.  All 
-who  know  him  respect  him  for  his  many 
sterling  traits  of  character  and  he  is  prov- 
ing a  helpful  factor  in  the  business  develop- 
ment of  the  city. 

GEORGE  M.  DYER.  In  every  community 
are  found  men  capable  of  guiding  its  destinies, 
of  meeting  exigencies  as  they  arise  and  of 
utilizing  opportunities  so  that  they  redound 
to  the  benefit  of  the  individual  and  the  gen- 
eral public.  Such  a  man  was  George  M. 
Dyer.  He  studied  conditions  in  the  north- 
west and  was  numbered  with  those  who  have 
aided  in  shaping  its  history  and  guiding  its 
destiny.  There  was  nothing  spectacular  in 
his  career  but  through  the  faithful  perform- 
ance of  each  day's  duty  he  rose  to  a  place  of 
prominence  and  honor  in  Coos  county.  He 
was  born  on  his  father's  farm  in  Clermont 
county,  Ohio,  December  5,  1834.  and  had  the 
usual  experiences  of  the  farm  boy  who  de- 
votes his  youth  to  the  work  of  the  fields  and 
the  acquirement  of  an  education  in  the  pub- 
lic schools.  He  resided  at  different  periods 
in  Indiana  and  Iowa  and  from  the  latter 
state  accompanied  his  father  on  his  removal 
westward  across  the  plains  in  1853.  with  Ore- 
gon as  their  destination.  He  was  then  a 
youth  of  eighteen  years  and  when  twenty 
years  of  age  he  began  mining  in  Curry  county 
between  Port  Orford  and  the  Rogue  river. 
About  that  time,  however,  the  Rogue  river  war 
broke  out  and  he  did  active  duty  with  the 
soldiers  who  defended  the  interests  of  the 
white   settlers   on   the   frontier. 

While  !Mr.  Dyer  resided  in  the  northwest 
he  did  not  forget  the  friends  of  his  earlier 
life  and  in  the  winter  of  1858  returned  to 
Iowa,  where  in  August.  1859,  he  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Fannie  E.  Grant,  a  na- 
tive of  Dearborn  county.  Indiana,  born 
ilarch  6.  1840.    She  was  a  daughter  of  Daniel 


B.  Grant,  a  native  of  Ohio,  who  in  early  man- 
hood went  to  Burlington,  Iowa,  where  he 
worked  at  the  cooper's  trade  until  his  death 
in  1862.  His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name 
of  Caroline  Bonker.  was  born  in  Pennsylvania 
and  they  became  the  parents  of  eleven  chil- 
dren, six  sons  and  five  daughters,  of  whom 
Mrs.  Dyer  is  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth. 

'RTieu  he  again  came  to  the  northwest  Mr. 
Dyer  was  accompanied  by  his  young  wife 
and  his  father's  family.  He  settled  in  Curry 
county,  where  he  engaged  in  mining  for  "a 
number  of  years  and  during  that  period  he 
also  served  as  county  assessor  in  1863-63. 
After  his  removal  to  Coos  county  in  1865 
lie  engaged  quite  extensively  in  mining  and 
for  a  time  also  owned  the  McClellan  ranch 
at  Xew  Lake.  He  was  called  from  private 
life,  however,  to  public  office,  being  chosen 
county  commissioner  in  18T8  and  again 
elected  in  18S0.  In  the  latter  year  he  was 
also  chosen  county  judge  and  served  tipon 
the  bench  for  four  years.  In  1886  he  traveled 
extensively  over  Coos  county  in  search  of  a 
favorable  location  and  secured  the  tract  of 
land  upon  which  the  town  of  Bandon  has 
since  been  built.  He  formed  a  partnership 
with  W.  H.  Averill  and  with  characteristic 
energy  and  well  defined  plans  they  began  to 
clear  the  wild  land  of  the  timber  thereon 
and  to  put  forth  efforts  to  induce  settlers 
to  locate  in  this  region.  They  sought  to  ad- 
vance the  work  of  general  improvement  and 
progress  that  comfort  might  be  a  feature  of 
the  new  homes  to  be  established  here,  and  in 
this  work  ilr.  Dyer  displayed  keen  sagacity. 
He  established  a  general  merchandise  store 
and  otherwise  added  to  the  general  improve- 
ment. After  two  years  the  partnership  was 
dissolved,  each,  however,  agreeing  to  further 
as  best  he  could  the  interests  of  the  embryo 
town.  Settlers  began  to  arrive  and  the  work 
of  improvement  and  advancement  was  caiTied 
forward,  as  shown  in  the  establishment  of 
different  business  concerns,  in  the  building  of 
schoolhouses  and  churches  and  in  other  ways. 
With  tlie  growth  of  the  city  the  original 
schoolhouse  became  inadequate  and  two  other 
buildings  have  since  been  erected.  Com- 
mercial and  industrial  enterprises  have  been 
established,  and  with  the  work  of  building 
the  town  Mr.  Dyer  was  ever  closely  and 
helpfully  associated.  Xor  did  he  overlook 
the  harbor  advantages  here  and  did  much  to 
foster  shipping  interests.  He  was  active  In 
securing  the  incorporation  of  the  town  of 
Bandon  and  at  the  first  election  he  was  chosen 
one  of  its  trustees,  after  wliich  he  was  made 
chairman  of  the  town  council.  In  that  posi- 
tion he  continued  uninterruptedly  until  fail- 
ing health  caused  his  retirement.  He  stood 
in  the  vanguard  in  the  progressive  movement 
that  led  to  the  founding  and  building  of  the 
town  and  the  development  of  the  surround- 
ing country.  He  wrought  along  substantial 
and  enduring  lines  and  his  cooperation  could 
always  be  counted  upon  to  ftirther  any  move- 
ment tending  to  advance  the  material,  intel- 
lectual, social,  political  and  moral  progress  of 
the  community. 

•Tudge  and  5Irs.  Dyer  were  the  parents  of 
four  cliildren:      Florence  E..  who  is  the  wife 


.MK.  AM)   Ml;s.  (JEORGE  M.  \)\\:K 


31 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OP  OREGON 


VA'i 


of  John  Garfield,  of  Oakland,  California; 
Alice  C  the  wife  of  D.  D.  Fagan,  of  What- 
com, Washington;  Henrietta,  the  wife  of  A. 
H.  Buckingham  of  Benton  county,  Oregon; 
and  Elbert,  who  is  president  of  the  Bandon 
Water  &  Light  Company.  An  adopted  daugh- 
ter, Hattie,  is  the  wife  of  C.  Y.  Lowe,  of  Ban- 
don. Since  her  husband's  death  Mrs.  Dyer 
has  managed  her  business  interests  in  a  most 
capable  way.  .She  is  the  owner  of  consider- 
able town  property  and  shows  sound  judg- 
ment and  keen  discrimination  in  its  control. 
Her  social  position  is  an  enviable  one  and 
she  is  a  valued  member  of  the  Order  of  Re- 
bekahs  and  the  Degree  of  Honor. 

Mr.  Dyer  passed  away  on  the  1st  of  Au- 
gust. 1896.  To  him  life  had  meant  oppor- 
tunities; he  seized  legitimate  advantages  as 
they  arose  and  labored  not  only  for  his  own 
benefit  but  also  for  the  progress  and  welfare 
of  the  community.  The  town  of  Bandon 
largely  stands  as  a  monument  to  his  enter- 
prise, for  lie  was  the  guiding  spirit  in  its 
progress  for  many  years. 

WILLIAM  J.  STANLEY  is  a  prominent 
representative  of  mining  interests  in  .Jack- 
son county,  being  vice  president  of  the  Sykes 
Creek  Mining  Company.  He  was  born  in 
New  York,  Julv  24,  1S42,  and  is  a  son  of 
John  0.  and  Dolly  (Flausburgh)  Stanley, 
both  of  whom  were  natives  of  the  Empire 
state.  In  184t)  they  removed  westward  to 
Knox  county,  Illinois,  aijd  in  1867  went  to 
Kansas,  where  both  passed  away.  The  father 
was  a  farmer  by  occupation  and  thus  pro- 
vided for  his  family,  wliicli  numbered  eiglit 
children,  four  .sons  and  four  daughters.  Wil- 
liam J.  Stanley  being  the  sixth  in  order  of 
birth.  His  iddcst  sister,  Mary  Ann,  became 
the  wife  of  the  Rev.  T.  F.  Royal,  at  Bates 
Academy,  Salem.  They  crossed  the  plains 
to  Oregon  in  1853.  George  C.  a  brother, 
served  for  three  years  in  the  Civil  war  as  a 
member  of  the  Ninth  Illinois  Cavalry  and 
is  now  deceased.  Another  brother,  James  M., 
was  for  four  years  a  member  of  the  same 
regiment  anil  now  resides  near  Fort  Scott, 
Kansas. 

William  J.  Stanley  was  only  four  years 
of  age  when  the  family  left  the  east  and 
became  residents  of  Knox  county,  Illinois. 
He  there  completed  his  education  by  three 
years'  attendance  at  Knox  College,  in  the 
city  of  Oalesluirg.  Illinois,  and  remained  with 
his  parents  until  1866,  when  he  came  to 
Oregon.  When  not  in  school  he  worked 
upon  the  home  farm  and  after  his  arrival  in 
the  northwest  he  followed  the  profession  of 
teaching,  being  connected  at  different  times 
witli  the  work  of  the  classroom  in  Ashland, 
Jacksonville  and  Roseburg.  He  was  also  a 
teacher  in  the  country  schools,  following  the 
profession  for  eighteen  years,  and  from  1872 
until  1874  ho  served  as  county  superintendent 
of  scliools  in  Jackson  county.  He  was  again 
called  to  jniblic  office  in  his  appointment  to 
the  position  of  deputy  .sheriff,  which  he  filled 
for  one  term.  Mr. "  Stanley  has  since  en- 
gaged in  mining  and  is  interested  in  both 
quartz  and  placer  mines  on  Sykes  creek,  be- 
ing   the    vice    ])resident    of    the    Sykes    Creek 


Mining  Company.  He  was  formerly  inter- 
ested in  the  old  Home  Stake  mine,  a  mile 
west  of  Woodville.  His  activities  in  the 
development  of  the  mineral  resources  of  this 
part  of  the  country  have  been  crowned  with 
a  gratifj-ing  measure  of  success  and  his  la- 
bors always  constitute  an  element  in  public 
progress    and    prosperity. 

In  1S71  Mr.  Stanley  was  married  to  Miss  M. 
L.  Ross,  who  was  born  in  Jacksonville,  Ore- 
gon, in  1854,  a  daughter  of  Colonel  J.  E.  and 
Elizabeth  (Hopwood)  Ross.  Mrs.  Stanley 
was  the  third  white  child  born  in  southern 
Oregon  and  prior  to  her  marriage  was  en- 
gaged in  teaching  for  a  few  terms.  They 
became  the  parents  of  six  children:  Wini- 
fred, the  wife  of  Allen  Hildreth,  of  Ash- 
land; Helen,  Avlio  is  the  widow  of  William 
Marks,  a  druggist  traveling  for  Woodard, 
Clark  &  Company,  of  Portland;  George  C,  a 
successful  merchant  of  Eugene,  who  began 
the  publication  of  the  Town  Talk,  now  the 
Tribune  of  Medford,  and  was  an  editor  for 
a  number  of  years;  Mrs.  Maggie  Hunter, 
whose  deceased  husband  had  at  one  time 
been  a  grocer  of  South  Portland;  Bessie, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-three  years; 
and  Louis  F..  a  traveling  salesman  residing 
in  East  Portland.  The  son  George  married 
Mollie  High,  of  Ashland,  who  was  a  grand- 
daugliter  of  an  own  cousin  of  Abraham  Lin- 
coln.     Thev   have   two   children,   Thelma   and 

<;.  C. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Stanley  is  a 
republican  and  while  not  an  office  seeker 
keeps  well  informed  on  the  questions  and 
issues  of  the  day.  He  has  resided  in  Oregon 
for  forty-six  years  and  has  been  an  inter- 
ested witness  of  its  growth  and  progress  and 
of  the  changes  which  time  and  man  have 
wrought.  He  has  seen  this  section  of  the 
state  transformed  from  a  comparatively  un- 
developed district  into  one  of  the  rich  and 
|irosperous  regions  of  the  northwest  and  has 
iiorne  his  share  in  the  work  of  general  im- 
)uovement.  He  has  a  wide  acquaintance  in 
•lackson  county  and  has  a  large  circle  of 
\Narm  friends. 

CLYDE  PRESTON  BECKLEY,  a  native 
son  of  Oregon  and  one  of  tlie  prominent 
ranchmen  of  Douglas  county,  was  born  on 
tlie  old  Beckley  home  farm,  adjoining  Elk- 
ion.  May  5.  1SS3.  his  parents  being  Henry 
and  Mary  (Woodson)  Beckley,  a  sketch  of 
whom  appears  on  another  page  of  this  work, 
lie  was  reared  on  the  home  jdace  and  in  the 
acquirement  of  an  education  attended  the 
jniblic  schools,  also  pursuing  a  commercial 
course  in  Armstrong's  Business  College,  of 
Portland.  In  1907  he  took  charge  of  the 
home  farm  and  has  since  had  under  his  man- 
agement some  twenty-five  hundred  acres,  de- 
voting his  attention  principallj'  to  sheep- 
raising.  He  has  won  a  creditable  measure  of 
success  and  also  an  enviable  reputation  for 
one  of  his  years,  being  widely  recognized  as 
a    prosperous    ranchman    of   his   county. 

On  the  7th  of  September.  1910,  Mr.'Beck- 
Icy  was  joined  in  wedlock  to  Miss  ^larj'  K. 
Lyons,  a  daughter  of  James  Lyons,  deceased, 
wlio  was  for  many  years  a  leading  merchant 


318 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


of  Elkton.  Oregon.  Our  subject  and  his  wife 
have  one  son,  Henry  L.  Mr.  Beckley  gives 
his  political  allegiance  to  the  democratic 
party  and  is  a  firm  believer  in  its  principles, 
ilis  wife  is  a  devoted  nu-mher  of  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  church  and  exemplifies  its 
teachings  in  her  daily  life.  Upright  and 
honorable  in  all  the  relations  of  life,  Clyde 
P.  Beckley  "ell  merits  the  regard  and  esteem 
Avhich    are   uniformly   accorded  him. 

VICTOR  ANDERSON  is  identified  with 
the  shipj-ard  of  Banks  &  Kruse.  of  Xorth 
Bend,  Oregon.  He  is  a  native  of  Finland  and 
in  his  earl}'  youth  became  familiar  with  ves- 
sels and  nautical  machinery  in  that  country. 
He  was  born  on  November  3,  1863,  and  is  a 
son  of  Andrew  and  Louisa  Anderson.  The 
father  died  in  Finland  in  1889.  The  mother 
crossed  to  America  in  1900.  She  is  living 
in  Xortli  Bend  with  her  son  and  is  in  the 
sixty-eighth  year  of  her  age.  She  is  the 
mother  of  six  children:  Victor,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch;  Albert,  deceased;  Bertha,  who 
makes  her  home  in  JIarshfield;  Alma,  who  re- 
sides in  Beaver  Hill.  Oregon;  Silgna.  who  is 
living  in  Finland;  and  Alec,  who  resides  in 
North   Bend. 

Victor  Anderson  came  to  America  in  ISSl 
and  settled  in  Coos  county,  Oregon.  He 
worked  as  a  logger  for  two  years  and  then 
conducted  a  saloon  in  Marshfield  for  some 
time.  He  spent  four  yeai-s  working  in 
a  sawmill  and  at  the  end  of  that  time  re- 
signed his  position  to  learn  the  trade  of 
ship  carpenter.  He  worked  at  that  occupa- 
tion for  several  years  and  later  became  a 
bridge  contractor.  At  the  present  time  he  is 
employed  in  the  shipyard  of  Bank  &  Kruse, 
owners  of  the  largest  ship-building  estab- 
lishment in  Coos  county,  and  is  doing  effi- 
cient work  there.  For  some  time  ilr.  Ander- 
son engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  in  Coos 
county  but  has  sold  all  of  his  holdings.  He 
is  shrewd  and  economical  and  has  in  the 
course  of  his  career  acquired  a  comfortable 
fortune  which  he  has  invested  Judiciously 
in  North  Bend  real  estate.  He  owns  a  beau- 
tiful home  in  which  he  is  residing  with  his 
mother  and  family.  He  also  owns  two  fine 
residence  properties  in  North  Bend.  He  is 
extensively  interested  in  unimproved  real 
estate  and  has  valuable  holdings  in  the  city 
in   which  he  lives. 

In  1884  Jlr.  Anderson  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Anna  Strong,  a  native  of  Fin- 
land, who  came  to  America  with  her  parents 
in  1881.  They  settled  near  Mar.shfield,  on 
Coos  bay,  where  they  are  still  residing.  Her 
father  is  in  the  eighty-first  year  of  his  age 
and  her  mother  has  attained  the  age  of 
eighty  years.  They  became  the  parents  of 
four  children,  all  of  whom  are  deceased.  Mrs. 
Anderson  died  in  November,  1910,  and  is 
buried  in  ilars^hfield  cemetery.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  .\nderson  were  born  nine  children,  six 
of  whom  are  still  living:  Emma,  who  mar- 
ried Albert  ilatson.  of  Marshfield.  Oregon; 
Ellen,  born  in  1892,  who  is  a  graduate  of 
the  North  Bend  high  school,  and  who  is  liv- 
ing at  home;  Inez,  born  in  1894,  who  attended 
the   public    schools   of   North    Bend   and   who 


was  graduated  from  a  local  business  col- 
lege; Malinda,  born  in  1899,  who  attends 
school:  Louis,  whose  birth  occurred  in  1903; 
and  Fred,  who  was  born  in  1908.  Of  those 
deceased,  Ida  was  the  wife  of  H.  Hallam, 
of   San    Francisco,   California. 

Mr.  Anderson  has  always  been  a  repub- 
lican and  served  as  a  member  of  the  city 
council  for  six  years.  He  is  active  in  the 
affairs  of  the  North  Bend  school  board  and 
takes  an  intelligent  interest  in  matters  of 
education.  He  belongs  to  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Owls.  He  is 
a  devoted  adherent  of  the  German  Lutheran 
church,  in  the  faith  of  which  he  was  reared. 
He  has  been  active  in  many  occupations 
and  has  been  fairly  successful  in  all.  He  is 
a  prosperous  and  intelligent  business  man 
and  Coos  county  has  gained  a  public-spirited 
and  progressive  citizen  by  his  residence  in 
North  Bend. 

MRS.  MARGARET  EDMUNSON  is  well 
known  in  Kugene.  occupying  a  prominent  posi- 
tion in  social  circles  and  taking  an  active 
and  helpful  part  in  church  ami  charitable 
work.  She  is  a  representative  of  one  of  the 
old  pioneer  families  of  Oregon.  Her  father. 
Matthew  Wallis,  was  born  in  North  Caro- 
lina in  1820,  and  died  on  the  17th  of  July, 
1895,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years.  His 
ancestors  came  from  Scotland."  He  was 
reared  to  manhood  in  his  native  state  and 
when  young  removed  to  Missoiu-i.  becoming 
a  farmer  and  stoclc-raiser  there.  He  was 
married  to  Emeline  Lindley  in  Cedar  county, 
that  state,  on  the  ISth  of  February.  1847, 
and  with  his  wife  and  one  child  came  to  Ore- 
gon in  18.")2.  traveling  across  the  plains  with 
ox  teams  to  Lane  county.  They  traveled 
with  two  wagons,  a  few  cattle  and  necessary 
supplies  and  not  only  experienced  many  diffi- 
culties and  hardships,  but  also  had  many 
narrow  escapes  from  the  Indians,  especially 
when  in  the  vicinity  of  Snake  river.  On  the 
13th  of  September  they  arrived  at  their 
destination  and  Mr.  Wallis  seciired  a  dona- 
tion lan.l  claim  of  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres,  situated  two  and  one-half  miles  west 
of  Eugene.  On  that  property  he  built  a 
hewed  log  house  which  still  stands  there. 
His  claim  was  a  beautiful  one.  the  land 
being  adorned  with  oak  trees,  and  the  prop- 
erty is  still  in  possession  of  the  family.  In 
1852  the  Rogue  River  Indians  were  on  the 
war  path  or  threatening,  and  the  white  peo- 
ple gathered  on  the  ranch  of  Mr.  Wallis  and 
stayed  there  for  several  days  but  no  attack 
was  made,  probably  on  account  of  the  white 
forces  being  well  organized.  This  was  what 
is  now  called  Wallis  Butte,  two  and  one-half 
miles  west  of  Eugene.  As  time  passed  on. 
Mr.  Wallis  added  to  his  original  farm  until 
he  was  the  owner  of  between  ten  and  twelve 
hundred  acres  of  land.  In  addition  to  cul- 
tivating the  crops  best  adapted  to  soil  and 
climate,  he  also  engaged  quite  extensively  in 
raising  cattle.  His  business  afTairs  were 
carefully  conducted,  his  judgment  was  sormd, 
his  discrimination  keen,  and  these  qualities 
combined  with  his  industry,  brought  him 
substantial   success.     His   wife   was   born   in 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


319 


Nashville,  Tennessee.  Her  father  was  Jona- 
than Lindley  of  South  Carolina  and  lier 
grandfather  who  came  from  England,  bore 
the  same  name.  He  was  a  planter  and  his 
son  and  namesake  became  a  farmer  and 
stock-raiser  of  Tennessee,  where  he  resided 
until  his  removal  to  Cedar  county,  Missouri. 
There  his  remaining  days  were  passed,  his 
death  occurring  wlien  he  was  tifty-flve  years 
of  age.  In  early  manhood  he  married  Miss 
Clara  X.  Terry!  a  native  of  Georgia,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  eighty  years  at  the  home 
of  her  daugliter  Mrs,  Wallis,  having  crossed 
the  plains  in  1S.52,  Mrs.  Wallis  was  one  of 
a  family  of  nine  children  who  became  resi- 
dents of  Oregon,  and  by  her  marriage  to  Mr. 
Wallis  she  became  the  mother  of  thirteen 
children.  Those  who  reached  adult  age  are : 
Clara,  wlio  is  tiie  widow  of  John  Duncan  and 
resides  in  Dayton,  Washington;  Margaret, 
now  Mrs,  Edmunson;  Mary,  the  wife  of 
Lee  Searcy,  also  of  Dayton;  Alice,  the  wife 
of  John  Welch  of  Portland;  Matthew  Sneed; 
H,  Lee,  living  in  Eugene:  and  Webster,  who 
makes  his  home  in  Garfield,  Washington, 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wallis  continued  to  reside 
upon  the  farm  until  187.3,  when  they  took 
up  their  abode  in  Eugene,  although  the 
father  still  continued  to  manage  his  agri- 
cultural interests  and  added  to  his  property 
until  he  was  one  of  the  most  extensive  land- 
owners of  his  locality.  Both  he  and  his  wife 
were  members  of  the  Christian  church  in  the 
work  of  wliich  they  took  an  active  and  help- 
ful interest,  Mr,  Wallis  serving  as  one  of 
the  deacons.  He  was  a  Mason  and  was  al- 
ways loj'al  to  the  teachings  of  the  lodge. 
Both  he  and  his  wife  were  held  in  the  highest 
esteem  and  had  an  extensive  circle  of  warm 
friends  in   Eugene  and  Lane  county. 

Mrs,  Edmunson  spent  her  girlhood  days 
in  her  father's  home  and  in  early  womanhood 
she  became  the  wife  of  Rufus  ,T.  Edmunson, 
a  son  of  John  Edmunson,  a  pioneer  of  Lane 
county.  Iler  children  are  Lawrence,  of 
Goslicn;  John  Matthews,  also  living  in 
Goshen;  Hyron  Anthony,  a  resident  of  Lane 
county;  Leon  K..  an  attorney  at  law  of 
Eugene;  and  Margaret  Grace,  who  is 
the  wife  of  George  Ohler  of  Astoria,  Ore- 
gon. Mrs,  Edmunson  belongs  to  the  Chris- 
tian ■  chiirch  of  which  she  is  an  active  and 
loyal  memlier,  and  she  i.s  a  member  of  the 
Order  of  tlie  Eastern  Star,  No  good  work 
done  in  the  name  of  cliarity  or  religion 
geeks  her  aid  in  vain.  She  is  ever  ready  to 
extend  a  helping  hand  to  the  poor  and  needy 
and  she  is  also  well  known  in  social  circles, 
while  the  hospitality  of  lier  home  is  greatly 
enjoyed  by  her  many  friends  who  are  almost 
as    numerous   as   her   acquaintances, 

EVANDER  MELVIN  RANDLEMAN  does 
general  farnnng  ami  (hiiryiiig  \i|M>n  one  liun 
dreci  and  seventy-three  acres  of  l:ind  in  Coos 
county  which  constitute  his  father's  original 
homestead  claim  in  this  section.  He  has 
been  a  resident  of  Oregon  since  he  was  two 
years  of  age  and  has  been  an  independent 
agriculturist  since  1S08.  He  was  born  in 
California  on  June  9,  1870,  and  is  a  son  of 
Henrv    and    Racbe]     (Steel)    Randlemaii,    the 


former  a  native  of  Missouri  and  the  latter 
of  Illinois,  The  father  crossed  the  plains 
in  1853  in  order  to  find  a  home  in  the  west- 
ern part  of  America  for  his  family.  He  re- 
turned and  in  1S56  brought  his  wife  and  chil- 
dren to  California.  He  worked  in  the  gold 
mines  for  a  time  but  was  not  particularly  suc- 
cessful. He  left  California  for  Oregon  after 
spending  some  years  in  the  former  state  and 
upon  his  arrival  took  up  a  liomestead  claim 
of  one  hundred  and  seventy-three  acres  in 
Coos  county.  Here  he  followed  farming  until 
his  death.  His  wife  survives  him  and  makes 
her  home  with  her  daughter.  Mrs.  Barklow  of 
Norway,  Oregon,  She  and  her  husband  be- 
came the  parents  of  eight  children:  DeWitt 
C,  and  Martin  L.,  both  of  whom  have  passed 
away;  Mary  H..  the  deceased  wife  of  .John 
Armstrong,  who  has  also  passed  away;  .Jason 
L..  also  deceased;  Madora  A,,  now  Mrs,  Albert 
Sneed  of  Parkersburg;  Louisa  F,,  who  mar- 
ried J,  H,  Barklow  of  Norway;  Evander 
Melvin,  the  subject  of  this  review;  and  La- 
fayette, who  has  passed  away. 

Evander  it.  Randleman  was  reared  at 
home  and  remained  upon  his  father's  farm 
until  he  was  twenty-six  years  of  age.  He 
was  married  in  1895  and  one  year  afterward 
left  home  and  worked  at  carpentering,  which 
trade  he  had  learned  in  his  youth.  He  spent 
three  years  in  this  occupation  and  at  the 
end  of  that  time  was  able  to  purchase  i;he 
family  homestead  where  he  has  since  carried 
on  general  farming  and  dairying.  He  keeps 
a  fine  herd  of  cows  for  the  latter  purpose 
and  the  products  of  this  branch  of  his  en- 
terprise find  a  ready  sale  in  the  markets 
of  the  county.  Their  purity  and  the  sani- 
tary conditions  under  which  they  are  made 
are  well  known.  Mr.  Randleman  has  been 
successful  in  his  enterprise  making  his  soil 
productive  and  his  dairy  lucrative  by  hard 
work,  capable  management  and  judicious 
business  discrimination.  His  farm  is  located 
seven  and  one-half  miles  from  Bandon  on 
the  Bear  creek  road  and  comprises  his  fa- 
ther's original  one  hundred  and  seventy-three 
acres.  It  is  well  cultivated  and  intelligently 
developed  and  is  one  of  the  model  proper- 
ties of  Coos  county. 

In  1895  Mr.  Randleman  Avas  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Polly  C.  Haga  and  to  their 
union  were  born  six  children:  Paloma,  born 
in  1898,  who  is  attending  the  public  schools; 
one  child,  who  died  in  infancy;  Alta,  whose 
birth  occurred  in  191)2,  and  who  is  also  at- 
tending school ;  Tlielma,  born  in  1904;  Orrin, 
who  was  born  in  1907;  and  Ellleda.  whose 
birth  occurred   in   1910. 

In  politics  Mr.  Randleman  keeps  himself 
independent  of  party  lines,  preferring  to  vote 
according  to  his  personal  convictions.  He 
never  seeks  public  office  although  he  is  in- 
telligently interested  in  the  welfare  and 
growth  of  his  section.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  State  Grange.  He  does  not  hold  mem- 
bersliip  in  any  church,  preferring  the  bro.ad 
range  of  universal  brotherhood  to  set  doc- 
trines and  dogmas.  He  deserves  much  credit 
for  his  success  as  an  agriculturist  for  in 
a   large  measiire  he  planneii  and  enforced  his 


320 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


own  prosperity.  His  agricultural  knowledge 
and  experience  liave  been  directed  and 
guided  by  his  keen  business  insight  and 
sagacity  until  he  is  now  numbered  among 
the  representative  and  successful  men  of 
his    section. 

HON.  F.  M.  SPENCER.  Various  business 
interests  have  claimed  the  time  and  energies 
of  Hon.  F.  il.  Spencer,  nor  has  he  been  lui- 
known  in  connection  with  political  activities 
in  Douglas  county.  He  is  now  identilied 
with  the  Umpqua  Cooperative  Packing  Com- 
pany, engaged  in  the  canning  of  salmon.  He 
was  born  in  Maine.  .June  S.  1843.  and  is  a 
son  of  Joseph  and  Jennie  (Huntley)  Spen- 
cer. The  mother  died  in  ilaine  when  her 
son  was  but  four  years  of  age  and  in  1855 
the  father  came  to  the  Pacific  coast  by  way 
of  the  Isthmus  route.  He  was  engaged  in 
mining  in  California  until  1866  when  he  re- 
turned eastward  as  far  as  Michigan  and 
there  spent  lour  years.  About  1870  lie 
came  to  Oregon  where  his  death  occurred 
fifteen  years  later. 

F.  il.  Spencer  was  reared  at  home  acquir- 
ing his  education  in  the  common  schools  and 
from  the  age  of  twelve  years  he  has  prac- 
tically made  his  own  way  in  the  -world. 
When  his  father  went  west  to  California  F. 
M.  Spencer  was  left  with  a  neighboring  fam- 
ily who  were  to  board  and  clothe  him  and 
send  him  to  school  in  exchange  for  his  work 
in  the  hotel  which  the  family  conducted. 
This  contract  was  for  three  years  but  after 
a  year  and  a  half  his  employer  failed  to 
send  him  to  school  and  fell  short  of  the  con- 
tract in  other  ways  so  Mr.  Spencer  ran  away 
and  from  that  time  on  was  dependent  en- 
tirely upon  his  own  resources.  He  was  em- 
plo3"ed  at  various  occupations  until  after 
the"  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war  at  which  time 
he  enlisted  for  active  service,  becoming  a 
member  of  Company  D.  Fourteenth  Regiment 
of  Maine  Volunteers,  in  Xovember.  1801.  He 
was  wounded  in  the  battle  of  Baton  Rouge 
and  was  discharged  on  account  of  his  in- 
juries in  October,  1862. 

In  the  spring  of  1863  Mr.  Spencer  came 
west  with  California  as  his  destination  and 
the  following  spring  made  his  way  north- 
ward to  Gardiner,  Oregon,  where  he  has 
lived  for  the  past  forty-eight  years.  Dur- 
ing this  long  period  he  has  been  identi- 
fied with  various  business  interests  in  Ciar- 
diner  and  in  1910  he  was  one  of  the  dominant 
factors  in  the  organization  of  the  Umpqua 
Cooperative  Packing  Company  for  the  can- 
ning of  salmon,  the  new  canning  factory  be- 
ing built  a  half  mile  east  of  Gardiner  on 
the  Umpqua  river.  Mr.  Spencer  was  made 
fish  cook  in  which  capacity  he  has  since 
served.  The  business  is  a  growing  one, 
and  its  success  already  makes  it  one  of  the 
valued  enterprises  of  this  district.  Mr. 
Spencer,  moreover,  owns  two  humhed  and 
seventy  acres  of  good  ranch  land  and  a 
timber  claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres. 
His  son,  Frank  A.,  is  at  present  using  the 
ranch  for  stock-raising  purposes. 

In  1869  Mr.  Spencer  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to   Miss  Anna  TVade   of  Scottsb\irg.   a 


daughter  of  John  Wade.  They  have  be- 
come the  parents  of  six  children  of  whom 
five  are  still  living:  Belle,  the  wife  of 
John  Black  who  is  engaged  in  the  real-es- 
tate business  in  Portland:  Eva.  the  wife  of 
Thomas  E.  Bloodsoe  of  Portland:  Eugenia, 
the  wife  of  Cieorge  Shelley  of  ilyrtle  Point, 
Oregon;  Mary,  the  wife  of  Henry  Bell  of 
Carlton,  this  state;  and  Frank,  who  is  a 
ranchman  on  Smith  river  in  Douglas  county. 
Mr.  Spencer  is  a  republican  in  politics 
and  in  1880  was  chosen  to  represent  his 
district  in  the  state  legislature  in  which 
he  served  with  distinction  to  himself  and  with 
credit  to  his  constituents,  laboring  earn- 
estly to  promote  the  welfare  of  the  state  at 
large.  He  holds  membership  in  George  E. 
Wright  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Portland,  and 
thus  maintains  pleasant  relations  with  his 
old  army  comrades.  At  all  times  he  is 
as  true  and  loyal  to  his  duties  of  citizenship 
as  when  he  followed  the  old  flag  on  south- 
ern battle  fields.  He  is  likewise  a  busi- 
ness man  whose  record  is  a  credit  to  the 
community  and  his  energy  and  enterprise 
are  bringing  to  the  concern  with  which  he 
is  connected  a   satisfactory  degree  of  success. 

EUGENE  ROY  FISHER  is  a  native  of 
Douglas  county  and  a  son  of  an  Oregon  pio- 
neer. He  is  a  prominent  stock-raiser  and 
has  extensive  interests  along  that  line,  car- 
rying on  his  operations  upon  three  hundred 
and  "sixty-one  acres  of  land  on  the  T'nip- 
qua  river,  near  Kellogg.  His  properly  con- 
stitutes one  of  the  valuable  ranches  of  that 
section.  'Sir.  Fisher  was  born  in  Kellogg, 
ilov  21.  1884.  and  is  a  son  of  William  H. 
anti  ilary  J.  (Maupinl  Fisher,  the  former 
a  native  of  Illinois  and  the  latter  of  Ore- 
gon. In  the  early  days  the  father  crossed 
the  ]ilains  to  California  and  spent  some 
years  in  that  state.  He  served  in  a  Cali- 
fornia regiment  during  the  Indian  war.  Af- 
terward he  came  north  to  Oregon,  locating 
in  Gardiner,  and  found  employment  in  the 
Gardiner  Mills.  He  spent  several  years  thus 
engaged  and  finally  bought  a  farm  on  the 
Umpqua  river,  near  Kellogg,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  stock-raising  and  in  general  farm- 
ing for  sixteen  years,  after  which  he  made 
his  home  with  his  sons.  He  died  in  J 004. 
His  wife  was  born  in  Eugene.  Lane  county, 
and  is  a  daughter  of  Garrett  Maupin,  of 
whom  more  extended  mention  is  made  else- 
where in  this  work.  She  is  still  living  and 
resides  in  Oakland,  Oregon. 

Eugene  R.  Fisher  was  reared  at  houu'  and 
received  a  common-school  education.  In 
1900.  in  partnership  with  his  brotliers.  Wal- 
ter and  William,  he  removed  to  the  Thomas 
Maupin  ranch  and  there  followed  fayning  in 
conjunction  with  Mr.  Jlaupin  for  ^onie  time. 
At  the  end  of  a  year  William  Fisher  dis- 
posed of  his  holdings,  while  our  subject  and 
his  brother  Walter" continued  their  coopera- 
tive management  five  years  longer.  During 
this  time  Eugene  R.  Fisher  added  to  his  lim- 
ited education  by  attending  school  in  Scotts- 
burg  for  one  winter  and  for  an  equal  length 
of  time  in  Albany.  In  1906  he  left  the  Mau- 
jiin    farm    aii.l    came    to    his    present    ranch. 


F.  M.  SPEXCER 


JTHENEv.         > 
PUBLIC     Lt;jri;.RY 


tU.DEH  FOUNOAT—' 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


a23 


Inlying  in  partnership  with  his  brother  Wal- 
ter eight  hundred  and  twenty  acres.  Eugene 
K.  Fisher  had  very  little  money  at  first  and 
liis  operations  upon  the  ranch  which  he  pur- 
cliased  were  conducted  without  much  capi- 
tal for  some  time.  The  enterprise,  however, 
was  successful  and  the  partnership  contin- 
ued until  190S,  when  it  was  dissolved  and 
tlie  land  divided.  Mr.  Fisher  has  been  pros- 
perous since  the  beginning  of  his  independent 
career.  He  is  entirely  responsible  for  his 
success  and  has  made  his  fortune  by  indus- 
try and  intelligent  activity.  He  owns  three 
luindred  and  sixty-one  acres  of  land  and  has 
improved  and  developed  this  along  modern 
lines.  He  is  an  expert  stock-raiser,  special- 
izing in  the  breeding  of  sheep  and  hogs, 
which  he  sells  in  the  Oregon  markets. 

On  Xovember  3,  1000.  Eugene  Roy  Fisher 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Jliss  Jennie  L. 
Hager.  a  daughter  of  Charles  Hager.  who 
is  a  resident  of  Culdesac,  Idaho.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Fisher  has  been  born  one  child,  still  in 
its  infancy.  Our  subject  is  a  democrat  and 
is  actively  interested  in  the  welfare  of  the 
section  in  which  he  resides,  although  he 
never  seeks  public  ollice.  His  wife  alliliates 
with  the  Saints  church.  He  is  an  enterpris- 
ing and  progressive  citizen.  He  has  been  a 
constructive  force  through  his  stock-raising 
activities  and  on  account  of  liis  business 
ability  and  originality  has  attained  a  dis- 
tinct "and  substantial  success. 

JOHN  AND  LAWRENCE  NEUNER.  The 

future  of  any  ccmutry  is  in  the  hands  of 
its  young  men.  Among  tliose  who  are  doing 
much  to  contribute  to  the  prosperity  of  (ilen- 
dale  in  the  present  and  to  its  future  prom- 
inence are  John  and  Lawrence  Neuner,  who 
are  not  only  active  in  business  circles  but 
are  doing  everything  in  their  power  to  ad- 
vance the  welfare  and  progress  of  the  sec- 
tion in  which  they  live.  They  are  sons  of 
George  and  Margaret  Xeuner,  natives  of 
Germany.  The  father  crossed  the  Atlantic 
in  188.5.  becoming  a  I'esident  of  British 
Columbia,  where  two  years  later  he  was 
joined  by  his  wife  and  children.  The  parents 
remained  in  Canada  for  two  years  and  then 
removed  to  Fresno.  California,  where  they 
engaged  in  the  hotel  business  until  1895. 
Inthat  year  they  came  to  Douglas  county. 
Oregon,  'and  are"  still  residents  of  Rose- 
burg.  Unto  them  were  born  five  children, 
George.  John,  Ijawrence,  Louis  and  Frank. 
The  eldest  and  two  youngest  are  still  living 
witli  their  parents  in  Roseburg. 

The  other  two  sons,  John  and  Lawrence,  are 
partners  in  business  in  Glendale,  The  former 
was  born  in  the  village  of  Wesehafelt.  Ger- 
nuiny.  March  14.  1SS2,  and  the  latter  on  the 
IGtii"  of  Octolier.  1SS4,  Tliey  acquired  their 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  British  Co- 
lumbia and  California  and  in  later  years 
.lohn  Xeuner  attended  business  colleges.  The 
family  came  to  Oregon  in  1895  and  the  broth- 
ers remained  with  their  parents  in  Roseburg 
until  1907,  when  they  came  to  Glendale. 
Here  they  established  a  livery  business  in 
connection  with  a  garage  and"  are  meeting 
with  success  in  this  undertaking.     They  con- 


duct their  interests  under  the  name  of  the 
Central  Livery  &  Glendale  Garage  and  the 
1  ntrrprise  is  one  of  the  largest  of  its  kind 
in  the  city.  In  addition  to  their  livery  busi- 
ness .John  and  Lawrence  Xeimer  own  much 
valuable  property  in  Glendale  and  are  ac- 
tively connected  with  the  commercial  devel- 
opment of  their  community. 

On  the  29th  of  Xovember,  1011.  Lawrence 
Xeuner  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Ethel 
Harmon,  a  native  of  Oregon,  and  both  are 
well  known  in  the  social  circles  of  Glendale, 
where  they  are  popular  with  their  many 
fi"iends.  The  political  allegiance  of  the  broth- 
ers is  given  to  the  republican  party  and 
since  coming  to  Cilendale  John  Xeuner  has 
taken  a  very  active  part  in  politics,  holding 
the  offices  of  mayor  and  recorder.  Whil'fe 
residing  in  Douglas  county  lie  has  filled  vari- 
ous positions  of  trust  and  honor,  the  duties 
of  which  have  been  promptly,  capably  and  _ 
faithfully  discharged.  The  record  of  both 
brothers  has  been  at  all  times  creditable  and 
they  are  regarded  as  a  valuable  addition 
to  the  business  circles  of  their  adopted  city. 

ROLAND  V.  LEEP,  M.  D.,  one  of  the  most 
practical,  efiicicnt  and  prosperous  young 
physicians  of  Coos  county,  is  a  native  of 
Oregon  and  is  the  third  representative  of  his 
family  to  live  in  this  state.  He  was  born 
in  Baker  county,  in  ISST,  and  is  a  son  of 
Dr,  K.  A.  Leep.  His  father  was  born  in 
Kentucky  and  came  to  Oregon  with  his  par- 
ents in  pioneer  times,  settling  in  Pine  valley, 
in  eastern  Oregon,  where  the  grandfather  of 
our  subject  resided  until  his  death.  Dr.  K,  A. 
Leep  moved  to  Myrtle  Point  in  1891  and  has 
been  practicing  his  profession  in  that  district 
since  that  time,  gaining  a  gratifying  aiul 
well  deserved  success. 

Dr.  Roland  V.  Leep  was  the  only  child  bom 
to  liis  parents.  He  received  his  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  Myrtle  Point  and 
is  a  graduate  of  the  Agricultural  College  at 
Corvallis.  He  later  took  a  course  in  phar- 
macy, completing  his  studies  along  this  line 
in  1;wo  years,  and  then  went  to  Portland, 
where  he  entered  the  medical  dejiartment  of 
the  State  Universitv,  grailuatiiig  with  the 
degree  of  :M.  D.  on"  the  1st  of  May,  1911. 
After  completing  his  education  he  spent  one 
year  as  interne  in  St,  Vincents  Hospital  in 
Portland,  gaining  a  personal  experience  in 
the  dilfereiit  phases  of  the  practice  of  medi- 
cine. He  located  in  Bandon  for  practice 
on  January  11,  1912,  and  since  that  time  has 
lieeii  very  successful  and  has  gaini'd  a  repu- 
tation for  elliciency  and  ability.  He  brings 
to  his  professional  duties  a  practical  equip- 
ment in  its  scientific  details,  guided  by  busi- 
ness judgment  and  common  sense,  and  the 
high  quality  of  his  work  has  increased  his 
liatronage  during  the  short  period  of  his 
activity  and  made  him  prominent  and  suc- 
cessful" as  a  general  juactitioner.  He  has  re- 
cently opened  a  hospital  in  the  business  sec- 
tion of  the  city  and  gives  a  great  deal  of 
his  time  and  attention  to  its  management 
and  direction.  He  specializes  in  surgery  and 
has  many  successful  operations  to  his  credit. 


324 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


Dr.  Leep  is  independent  in  his  political 
convictions  and  has  never  been  an  office 
seeker,  preferring  to  devote  his  undivided 
energies  to  the  conduct  of  his  increasing  prac- 
tice. He  is  a  member  of  the  Alpha  Kappa 
fraternity  and  prominent  in  tlie  affairs  of 
the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Eiks.  He 
has  been  active  in  his  possession  in  Bandon 
for  less  than  one  year,  but  has  already  gained 
a  gratifying  measure  of  success  by  reason 
of  his  aljility  and  scientific  efficiency.  His 
capable  work  ranks  him  among  the  leading 
members  of  his  profession  and  his  scientific 
knowledge  of  the  many  technical  and  diffi- 
cult features  of  general  medicine  and  sur- 
gery entitles  him  to  recognition  as  an  en- 
terprising, progressive  and  able  physician. 

HON.  HENRY  BECKLEY.  On  the  roll  of 
the  honored  citizens  of  Douglas  county  ap- 
pears the  name  of  Henry  Beckley.  who  dur- 
ing his  lifetime  figured  actively  in  connec- 
tion with  business  aifairs  and  with  public 
interests  that  have  constituted  elements  in 
the  growth  and  prosperity  of  the  state  and 
in  the  establishment  of  its  political  status. 
Mr.  Beckley  came  to  the  Pacific  coast  from 
the  middle  west,  his  birth  having  occurred 
in  Switzerland  county,  Indiana,  January  4. 
1833.  He  was  seven  years  of  age  when,  in 
1840,  his  parents  removed  to  Polk  county, 
Missoviri,  where  he  was  reared  to  manhood  on 
a  farm.  In  1S53  he  came  west  to  Oregon, 
crossing  the  plains  with  an  ox  team.  On 
his  arrival  in  this  state  he  located  at  Yon- 
calla.  Douglas  county,  but  the  following  win- 
ter was  spent  in  the  mines  at  Yreka,  Cali- 
fornia, where  he   met   with   fair  success. 

In  1S64  Mr.  Beckley  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Mary  M.  Woodson,  a  native 
of  Benton  county.  Missouri,  and  a  daughter 
of  .Jesse  and  Verlena  (Linn)  Woodson,  who 
crossed  the  plains  to  Oregon  in  1S50  anl 
spent  the  succeeding  winter  in  Portland, 
whence  they  removed  to  Douglas  county  in 
the  spring  of  1851.  locating  at  Yoncalla. 
After  the  marriage  of  Jlr.  and  Mrs.  Beckley 
they  began  their  domestic  life  on  a  ranch  near 
Elkton.  on  the  Umpqua  river,  there  residing 
until  1895.  when  Mr.  Beckley  retired  from 
active  business  and  took  up  his  abode  in 
the  city  of  Elkton.  For  many  years  he  had 
capably  and  successfully  carried  on  farming 
and  stock-raising  on  an  extensive  scale.  In 
business  matter-!  his  judgment  was  sound, 
his  discrimination  keen  and  his  enterprise  un- 
faltering. As  the  years  passed  he  won  a 
gratifying  measure  of  prosperity,  his  judi- 
cious investments  making  him  the  owner  of 
twenty-five  hundred  acres  of  valuable  land. 
In  IsTrl  he  organized  a  stock  company  capi- 
talized at  twenty  thousand  dollars  and  built 
the  Klkton  Saw  &  Flouring  Mills.  Subse- 
quently he  became  sole  owner  of  the  mills. 
Avhich  he  operated  very  successfully  until 
they  were  destro.ved  by  a  flood.  In  1870  he 
was  elected  county  commissioner  of  Douglas 
county  and  was  instrumental  in  securing 
many  needed  improvements  for  the  count,y 
during  his  term  of  office.  In  1876  he  was 
chosen  to  represent  his  district  in  the  Ore- 
gon   state   legislature,    serving    for   one    term 


with  credit  to  himself  and  satisfaction  to  his 
constituents.  He  carefully  considered  every 
question  which  came  up  for  settlement  and 
his  support  of  any  measure  indicated  his 
firm  belief  in  its  advocacy  as  a  factor  for 
good  government  or  public  improvement.  In 
1893  he  was  nominated  and  elected  to  the 
state  senate  and  at  the  close  of  his  term 
was  reelected  for  a  second  term,  this  vote 
indicating  his  personal  popularity  and  the 
confidence  reposed  in  him  by  the  general  pub- 
lic. He  was  a  stanch  democrat  in  politics 
and  for  years  was  an  influential  factor  in 
the  councils  of  his  party.  For  several  years 
he  held  the  office  of  postmaster  at  Elkton 
and  discharged  the  duties  of  that  minor 
position  with  the  same  fidelity  and  prompt- 
ness that  characterized  his  work  as  a  legis- 
lator. While  residing  in  Elkton  he  also 
engaged  in  merchandising,  controlling  commer- 
cial interests  in  addition  to  his  extensive 
landed   interests. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Beckley  were  born  thir- 
teen children,  ten  of  whom  still  survive, 
namely:  .John  W. :  James  H. :  Verlena  M., 
who  married  Pliilip  Pinkston;  Charles  L. ; 
Pitzer  W.;  Mary  J.,  the  wife  of  Orange  Mat- 
toon;  Jesse  L. ;  Clyde  P.;  Claude  R. :  and 
Orval  S.  Mrs.  Beckley  resides  in  a  hand- 
some residence  in  Elkton  and  is  very  prom- 
inent socially.  She  is  a  member  of  the 
Christian  church  and  is  a  lady  whose  many 
excellent  traits  of  character  have  won  her 
high  and  enduring  regard.  Mr.  Beckley  died 
at  The  Dalles.  Oregon,  while  en  route  to 
ilissouri,  on  the  17th  of  September;  1898. 
Through  all  his  life  he  left  no  duty  undone, 
no  task  neglected.  He  realized  and  met  his 
responsiblities  and  his  obligations  to  his  fam- 
il.V,  to  his  friends  and  to  his  country.  There 
was  nothing  spectacular  in  his  entire  career 
but  his  faithfulness  and  fidelity  to  every 
trust  were  features  that  made  him  one  of 
Oregon's  most  honored  citizens. 

WILBUR  W.  CAMERON  is  one  of  the  rep- 
resentative and  successful  agriculturists 
of  the  state  of  Oregon,  owning  in  one 
body  three  lumdred  and  fifty  acres  of  land, 
also  an  additional  eighty  acre  tract.  He 
was  born  in  this  state  on  the  33d  of  Decem- 
ber. 1867.  and  is  one  of  seven  children  born 
to  Wm.  and  Emma  (.Sturgessl  Cameron.  He 
was  reared  in  his  father's  home  and  edu- 
cated in  the  ptiblic  schools.  He  resided  with 
his  parents  until  he  was  twent.v-one  years 
of  age.  On  starting  in  life  independently 
he  located  on  a  ranch  near  Jacksonville, 
which  he  rented  for  a  number  of  years. 
This  ranch  comprised  three  hundred  and  fifty 
acres  of  excellent  land,  the  soil  and  to- 
pography of  which  admirably  adapted  it  for 
alfalfa  growing.  Shortly  after  having  moved 
tipon  this  ranch  and  tested  its  adaptability 
to  grains  and  forage  plants  Mr.  Cameron 
came  to  the  conclusion  that  no  better  in- 
vestment could  be  made  in  that  part  of  Ore- 
gon than  that  of  acquiring  the  property.  He 
accordingly  purchased  the  ranch  and  here  he 
has  built  his  beautiful  home  and  devotes 
his  time  and  attention  to  the  growing  of 
alfalfa  and  the  raising  of  red  Mexican  beans. 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


325 


His  experience  witli  these  commodities  has 
justified  his  original  opinion  as  to  the  value 
of  the  land  as  an  investment.  He  realizes  a 
handsome  net  return  for  all  labor  and  money 
expended  in  its  operation. 

,\lr.  Cameron  was  married  to  Hiss  Dora 
Bostwick.  a  native  of  California,  with  whom 
he  resides  on  his  farm  near  Jacksonville. 
Jackson  county.  In  politics  Mr.  Cameron  is 
a  repuljiican  and  always  interested  in  all 
affairs  pertaining  to  the  best  interests  of 
his  community.  He  is  one  of  the  most  suc- 
cessful farmers  in  Jackson  county  and  is 
highly  respected  and  well  known  throughout 
this  portion  of  his  native  state. 

FLOYD  W.  BOOTH,  who  owns  nineteen 
hundred  acres  of  valuable  land  in  Douglas 
county  in  association  with  his  brother,  Rob- 
ert Roy  Booth,  is  engaged  with  him  in  the 
stock  business,  their  interests  being  mutual. 
A  native  son  of  Oregon,  he  was  born  in 
Drain,  Douglas  county,  on  the  7th  of  .June, 
]8S7,  his  parents  being  Robert  A.  and  Clin- 
tona  (LaRaut)  Booth,  who  are  mentioned 
at  greater  length  on  another  page  of  this 
work,  in  connection  with  the  sketch  of  Rob- 
ert Roy  Booth.  Floyd  W.  Booth  received  his 
early  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
Grants  Pass  and  the  Eugene  high  school 
and  later  entered  the  University  of  Oregon 
at  Eugene,  from  which  institution  he  was 
graduated  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of 
Arts  in  the  class  of  1909.  He  then  came  to 
Douglas  county  and  joined  his  brother  on  the 
ranch  in  the  stock  business.  In  the  conduct 
of  their  interests  the  young  men  have  dis- 
played excellent  business  ability  and  sound 
judgment  and  have  already  won  a  place 
Hmong  the  prosperous  and  repi"esentat1ve 
citizens  of  the  community. 

On  the  1st  of  September.  1910,  Mr.  Booth 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Editli  Eliza- 
beth Prescott,  of  Eugene,  who  graduated 
from  the  University  of  Oregon  with  the  B.  A. 
degree.  She  likewise  graduated  from  the 
Thomas  Xormal  Training  School  and  also 
studied  and  received  her  musical  education 
under  Maurice  De  Vries  of  the  Michigan 
Conservatory  of  Music  of  Detroit,  Mich. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Booth  have  one  child,  Robert 
William  Prescott.  Mr.  Booth  is  a  republican 
in  politics,  believing  the  principles  of  that 
party  to  be  most  conducive  to  good  govern- 
ment. He  belongs  to  Eugene  Lodge,  Xo.  11, 
A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  has  attained  the  thirty- 
second  degree  of  the  Scottish  Rite  in  Masonry. 
His  religious  faith  is  that  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church. 

EDWARD  E.  OAKES  is  prominent  in  real- 
estate  and  in'iiMaiKc  circles  of  Bandon,  Ore- 
gon, and  by  his  insight  and  sagacity  has 
built  up  a  business  along  these  lines  which 
ranks  him  as  a  force  in  civic  expansion.  He 
was  born  in  Racine,  Wisconsin,  and  is  a  son 
of  Theodore  and  Annie  (Olstetter)  Oakes, 
both  natives  of  Iowa.  His  father  was  a  con- 
tractor and  builder  by  trade  and  follow'ed 
this  occupation  in  Wisconsin  until  his  death. 
He  was  survived  by  his  wife  for  three  years, 
her   death   occurring   when    our   subject   was 


thirteen  years  of  age.  They  were  the  par- 
ents of  tlirce  children.  Edward  E..  Oliver 
and  .Alexander.  Oliver  and  Alexander  are 
married,  have  families  and  reside  in  Racine. 
Wisconsin. 

Edward  E.  Oakes  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  his  native  town  and  pursued 
his  studies  until  after  the  death  of  liis 
mother.  Being  left  an  orphan  at  that  time 
he  was  obliged  to  earn  his  own  livelihood  and 
went  to  work  upon  a  farm  in  Jlinnesota  for 
one  summer.  In  the  fall  he  went  to  Minot. 
Xorth  Dakota,  where  he  worked  in  the  em- 
ploy of  a  large  contracting  firm  which  was 
in  charge  of  the  construction  of  the  Great 
X'orthern  railroad.  He  remained  with  that 
company  only  a  short  time  and  resigned  his 
position  in  order  to  work  in  a  restaurant. 
His  next  line  of  activity  was  as  cabin  boy 
upon  a  boat,  and  he  later  went  to  Montana 
where  he  worked  at  various  occupations  for 
seven  years.  In  1893  he  came  to  the  Pacific 
coast  and  settled  in  Coos  county.  Oregon, 
where  he  hunted  and  trapped  in  the  woods 
for  a  short  time.  After  his  marriage  in 
1900  he  removed  to  Parkersburg  where  he 
operated  a  broom  factory  for  three  years. 
He  then  spent  four  years  in  the  employ  of 
various  lumber  concerns  and  in  1907  estab- 
lished his  residence  in  Bandon.  He  imme- 
diately engaged  in  the  real-estate  and  insur- 
ance business  which  has  occupied  his 
attention  since  that  time.  'He  has  been  a 
leading  factor  in  the  growth  of  the  town  of 
Bandon.  In  his  capacity  as  real-estate  agent 
he  has  added  the  Oakes'  addition  to  the  city 
and  platted  it  off  into  town  lots  and  sold 
them  at  a  good  profit.  He  owns  a  large  two- 
story  buildins.'  in  the  business  section,  and  has 
invested  extensively  in  improved  and  un- 
improved farm  lands.  There  is  scarcely  a 
line  of  activity  in  the  city  in  which  he  is  not 
prominent  and  active.  He  is  assistant  cash- 
ier of  the  First  Xational  Bank  and  was  one 
of  the  organizers  of  that  institution  on  .April 
20.  1910.  His  financial  career  has  lieen  rlis- 
tinguishcd  l)y  honestv  and  systematic  atten- 
tion to  lianking  conditions,  and  has  been  a 
valuable  force  in  the  growth  of  the  city  along 
this  line. 

On  October  28.  1900.  ;Mr.  Oakes  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Ethel  Perkins,  a  native 
of  Oregon,  and  a  dan-rhter  of  William  and 
Francis  (Hamblockl  Perkins,  who  are  among 
the  oldest  settlers  in  the  state.  Mrs.  Oakes' 
grandfather  .settled  on  the  Rogue  river  at  an 
early  date  and  died  in  Bunion  in  1911.  Mrs. 
Oakes  is  the  only  child  born  to  her  parents. 
She  and  her  husband  have  three  children: 
Wallace,  born  October  21,  1901,  w'ho  is  now- 
attending  school;  (;ladys.  who  was  born  in 
190.3:  and  Maxine.  whose  birth  occurred  in 
1905. 

In  his  political  affiliations  Mr.  Oakes  is  a 
progressive  republican  but  has  never  sought 
public  office.  He  is  a  member  of  the  ^Insonic 
order  and  is  treasurer  of  the  Bandon  organi- 
zation. He  also  holds  membersliip  in  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and  is  clerk 
of  that  body.  He  possesses  a  keen  intelli- 
gence which  directs  and  controls  his  long 
experience    as   a   judge   of   land    values.      His 


32() 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


thorough  honesty  which  never  allows  him  to 
take  advantage  of  Ills  customers  is  well 
known,  and  finds  its  rich  reward  in  his  un- 
qualified   sneces*. 

JOHN  CHAPLIN  LOGAN.  The  name  of 
John  Chaplin  Logan  has  long  been  closely  as- 
sociated with  the  development  of  the  educa- 
tional system  of  the  state,  for  through  nine- 
teen years  he  was  a  successful  teacher  in 
Oregon,  entering  upon  his  work  here  with  a 
thorough  experience  that  had  come  to  him 
])reviously  as  a  teacher  in  the  middle  west. 
He  was  born  in  Ohio,  in  1845.  a  son  of  .John 
T.  and  Mar}'  A.  (Loutzenhisarl  Logan.  The 
father  was  of  Scotch  and  Irish  descent  but 
was  born  in  Pennsylvania.  He  was  a  son  of 
Charles  Logan  and  a  direct  descendant  of 
James  A.  Logan,  who  was  secretary  to  Wil- 
liam Penn. 

John  C.  Logan  was  the  second  of  six  chil- 
dren, his  elder  sister  being  Emma,  the  wife 
of  Elislia  T.  Scoville.  of  Ohio.  The  younger 
members  of  the  family  are:  Ella,  the  wife 
of  Homer  Smith,  of  Xewton  Falls.  Ohio; 
William  H.,  a  contractor  and  builder  of  Ban- 
don.  Oregon;  Anna,  the  wife  of  William 
Wills,  of  Columbus.  Ohio;  and  Xetta,  who  i.s 
engaged  in  commercial  and  real-estate  work 
in  Los  Angeles,  California. 

John  C.  Logan  started  out  in  life  for  him- 
self when  eighteen  years  of  age,  taking  up  the 
profession  of  teaching.  He  had  been  reared 
upon  his  father's  farm  and  early  became  ac- 
([uainted  with  the  best  methods  of  tilling  the 
soil  and  caring  for  the  crops.  The  district 
schools  of  Ohio  provided  him  his  educational 
privileges  and  when  he  reached  the  age  of 
eighteen  years  he  devoted  the  winter  months 
to  teaeliing  school  and  the  summer  seasons  to 
farm  labor.  He  was  anxious,  however,  to 
improve  his  own  education  and  with  that  end 
in  view  he  entered  the  Iron  City  Commercial 
College,  from  whicli  he  was  graduated  in 
3S66.  He  afterward  spent  three  years  upon 
the  road  as  a  traveling  salesman  for  a  hard- 
ware company  of  Emlenton,  Pennsylvania. 
He  also  taught  school  in  Ohio  and  to  these 
different  activities  devoted  his  time  until 
586S.  when  through  an  accident  he  lost  his 
left  leg.  As  soon  as  able  lie  entered  college, 
where  he  pursued  the  scientific  and  teacher's 
course  and.  having  thus  further  qualified  for 
the  profession  of  teaching,  he  went  to  Youngs- 
town.  Ohio,  becoming  principal  of  the  public 
schools  there.  For  seven  years  he  remained 
in  that  city  and  for  six  years  he  was  at 
Ashtabula.  He  also  spent  one  year  in  teach- 
ing in  Florida  and  four  years  in  Colorado. 
While  in  the  latter  state  he  was  elected 
inunty   superintendent  of  schools. 

In  the  winter  of  1893  ilr.  Logan  came  to 
Oregon  and  has  taught  almost  continuously 
since  that  time,  although  now  he  is  practi- 
cally living  retired.  He  was  a  teacher  in 
the  district  schools  for  nineteen  years  and 
his  ability  to  impart  readily,  concisely  and 
clearly  to  others  the  knowledge  which  he 
had  acquired  made  him  a  capable  and  valued 
educator.  At  length  he  retired  from  that 
work  and  is  now  devoting  his  attention  to 
the  supervision  of  his  agricultural  interests 


He  owns  two  hundred  acres  of  fine  land,  in- 
cluding eighty  acres  of  timber  and  a  small 
tract  of  bottom  land.  He  is  now  comfort- 
ably situated  in  his  beautiful  home  on  Hear 
creek,  five  miles  from  Bandon,  and  his  at- 
tractive surroundings  indicate  how  active  and 
useful  has  been  his  life,  showing  that  he  has 
made  wise  use  of  time  and  opportunities. 

On  the  29th  of  ilarch,  ISS-t,  Mr.  Logan 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Ella  M. 
Moore,  a  native  of  Ohio  ami  a  daughter  of 
Reviben  F.  and  Lavancha  (Adams)  Moore,  the 
former  a  native  of  Connecticut  and  the  latter 
of  Xew  York.  Mrs.  Logan  was  one  of  three 
children  born  unto  her  parents,  the  others 
being:  Arthur  A.,  a  wealthy  real-estate  owner 
of  Barberton,  Ohio;  and  Elizabeth  S.,  who 
is  a  bookkeeper  in  a  bank  at  Barberton. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Logan  is  a  re- 
publican, thoroughly  informed  concerning  the 
questions  and  issues  of  the  day  but  never 
seeking  public  office.  He  has,  however,  served 
on  the  tearchers'  examining  board  and  has 
been  very  prominent  both  as  a  teacher  and 
citizen.  He  is  public-spirited  and  enterpris- 
ing, manifesting  active  and  helpful  su])port 
in  all  measures  relating  to  the  general  wel- 
fare. He  is  one  of  the  charter  members  of 
Bandon  Lodge.  I.  0.  0.  F.  He  joined  the  so- 
ciety in  Youngstown.  Ohio,  in  1878.  and  is 
actively  identified  with  the  association  here, 
lie  rode  forty-five  miles  one  day  to  assist  in 
founding  the  Bandon  lodge  and  then  rode 
back  the  next  day  to  his  school.  He  is  ever 
loyal  to  the  teachings  of  that  society,  which 
endeavors  to  inculcate  the  most  honorable  and 
manly  principles,  and  these  find  expression  in 
Mr.  Logan's  life.  Mr.  and  !\Irs,  Logan  are 
both  much  interested  in  church  work,  the 
former  being  a  member  of  the  Christiaii 
church  and  the  latter  of  the  Methodist 
church.  His  entire  career  has  been  largely 
one  of  service  for  others  and  his  influence 
has  been  a  beneficial  factor  for  sood. 

WILLIAM  MANLEY  CURRIER  is  tne 
proprietor  of  the  hotel  Chewaucan  and  has 
been  interested  in  this  enterprise  since  1911. 
He  has  made  it  one  of  the  best  hotels  in 
Lake  county,  accomplishing  this  result  by 
following  fair  and  honorable  business  methods. 
He  has  been  a  resident  of  Paisley  only  a 
short  time  but  has  spent  his  entire  life  in 
Lake  county,  having  been  born  on  Summer 
lake,  June  2,  lSS."i.  His  parents  were  Wil- 
liam Andrew  and  Catharine  (Hadley)  Cur- 
rier, both  of  whom  were  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  the  Willamette  valley.  They  were 
among  the  pioneers  in  the  settlement  of 
Lake  county  and  their  marriage  occurred  in 
that  district.  They  are  now  residing  in 
Summer  lake  valley,  where  the  father  oper- 
ates a  large  stock  farm  and  deals  in  thor- 
oughbred liorscs.  They  are  the  parents  of 
three  children:  Frances,  the  wife  of  Francis 
Kimes,  of  King  county.  California;  Eva,  who 
married  Verne  Lutz  of  Bellingham,  Wash- 
ington: and  William  !Manley.  the  subject  of 
this    sketch. 

William  M,  Currier  was  reared  at  home 
and  was  educated  in  the  district  schools  of 
Lake    county.     He    aided   his   father   during 


2 

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O 

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2 


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THE  NtWo^M 
PUBLIC     U>^-"R^* 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OP  OREGON 


i529 


Jiis  (.hildJiood  with  tlie  work  of  the  stock 
liiiich  and  when  he  attained  his  majority 
became  associated  with  him  in  the 
conduct  of  the  stables.  His  residence  in 
Pai^iley  dates  from  ilarch,  1912,  in  which 
year  lie  came  to  this  city  and  purchased 
Hotel  Chewauean.  which  he  has  conducted 
since  that  time.  It  is  new,  having  been  built 
in  1911,  modern  and  up-to-date  in  every  par- 
ticular containing  thirty  rooms  and  equipped 
with  all  the  necessary  accessories  for  the 
comfort  and  convenience  of  guests.  In  one 
year  it  has  become  established  as  a  pros- 
perous local  institution  and  its  proprietor 
has  become  recognized  as  a  business  man 
of  resourceful  ability,  whose  energies  have 
been  important  factors  in  the  growth  of  his 
city. 

0n  April  11,  1909,  Mr.  Currier  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Elsie  Moore  of  Paisley, 
a  daughter  of  Robert  Moore  of  Elmii'a.  They 
are  the  parents  of  one  child,  Manley.  Mr. 
Currier  is  regarded  in  Paisley  as  one  of  the 
most  progressive  and  enterprising  citizens. 
He  is  still  a  young  man  but  the  prosperity 
lie  has  already  attained  by  the  efficient  man- 
agement of  an  important  enterprise  is  well 
deserved  and  promises  well  for  greater  fu- 
ture success. 

ROBERT  WESLEY  BULLARD  has  many 
claims  to  prominence,  being  engaged  actively 
and  successfully  in  many  of  the  representa- 
tive enterprises  of  Coos  county.  For  over 
twenty  years  he  has  operated  a  ferry  across 
the  Coos  river,  first  as  the  proprietor  of  the 
enterprise  and  then  as  manager  in  the  em- 
ploy of  the  government.  He  is  postmaster 
of  Bullards  and  is  well  known  in  commer- 
cial circles  as  the  owner  of  one  of  the  most 
modern  and  up-to-date  general  stores  in  the 
county  and  as  president  of  a  large  iish-can- 
ning  company.  He  has  gained  success  as 
an  agriculturist  in  his  able  conduct  of  a 
line  ranch  of  four  hundred  and  fifty  acres, 
having  based  his  prosperity  in  this  as  in  all 
other  lines  of  his  activity  upon  his  energy, 
forcefulness  and  strict  integrity.  He  has 
been  a  resident  of  Oregon  since  1877.  having 
come  to  this  state  when  he  was  twenty  years 
of  age.  He  was  born  in  Iowa  on  Xovcmber 
26,  1857,  and  is  the  son  of  .James  H.  and 
Charlotte  (Van  Volkanburg)  Bullard.  The 
mother  was  a  daughter  of  Wesley  Van  Vol- 
kanburg. whose  father  was  among  the  early 
settlers  in  New  York  state.  The  father  of 
our  subject  is  of  French  ancestry.  He 
farmed  in  Towa  for  some  years,  when  he  went 
to  California  with  his  family  and  after  sev- 
eral years'  residence  in  that  states  came  to 
f)regon.  where  he  purchased  a  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  at  Arago.  He  and  his 
wife  became  the  parents  of  four  children: 
liobert  Wesley,  the  subject  of  this  sketch; 
I  lark  A.,  deceased;  Lottie  E..  the  wife  of 
•T.  E.  Bundy.  of  Oakland,  California;  and 
Millie  E..  who  married  Dr.  A.  Brandon,  also 
a   resident   of  Oakland. 

Kobert  W.  Bullard  was  reared  at  home 
and  attended  the  public  schools  of  Iowa  until 
lie  was  eighteen  years  of  age.  He  accom- 
panied his  parents  to  California  and  later  to 


Oregon,  his  residence  in  this  state  dating 
from  1S77.  He  helped  in  the  improvement 
and  development  of  his  father's  farm  until 
he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age,  adding  to 
his  activities  by  working  as  a  laljorer  upon 
neiglrboring  places.  When  he  attained  his 
majority  he  obtained  a  position  as  a  school 
teacher  and  for  eight  years  followed  this 
occupation  in  Coos  county.  He  later  fol- 
lowed lishing  for  a  number  of  years  and 
was  one  of  the  organizers  and  founders  of  a 
lish-canning  company.  He  was  elected  presi- 
dent of  tliis  concern  in  3  904  and  still  re- 
tains that  office  although  its  alTairs  are  al- 
most entirely  in  the  hands  of  a  manager.  It 
was  in  1S92  that  Jlr.  Bullard  began  his 
general  merchandise  bu.sine.ss.  starting  upon 
a  small  scale  and  gradually  increasing  his 
enterprise  until  he  now  carries  a  seven  thou- 
sand dollar  stock  of  goods.  His  store  is 
conducted  along  the  most  modern  and  pro- 
gressive lines  and  is  equipped  with  all  mod- 
ern accessories.  His  stock  is  kept  attractively 
arranged  and  his  increasing  trade  is  an  evi- 
dence of  his  success  and  of  the  straightfor- 
ward and  honest  principles  by  which  it  has 
been  attained.  In  the  same  year  in  which 
he  established  himself  as  a  general  merchant 
he  also  began  the  operation  of  a  feriy  across 
the  Coos  river  and  for  twenty  years  has 
been  identified  with  the  conduct  of  this  en- 
terprise. His  original  object  was  to  facili- 
tate his  commercial  dealings  and  his  ferry 
aided  him  materially  in  the  management  of 
his  large  volume  of  business.  In  1906  the 
county  made  it  a  free  ferry  and  employed 
Mr.  Bullard  to  operate  and  manage  the  en- 
terprise. In  1912  he  sold  his  interests  out- 
right to  the  county  but  still  retains  his  posi- 
tion as  operator.  A  postoffice  was  estab- 
lished upon  the  site  of  his  store  on  ,7unc 
19,  1879,  and  Mr.  Bullard  was  appointed 
postmaster,  which  position  lie  has  held  since 
that  time.  He  has  done  able  and  conscien- 
tious work  in  this  capacity  and  his  success 
has  come  as  the  natural  result  of  hard  and 
industrious  labor.  He  is  also  prominent  in 
general  agricultural  circles  of  Coos  county, 
where  he  owns  an  excellent  stock  farm  of 
four  hundred  and  fifty  acres.  He  raises  a 
large  amount  of  hay  with  which  he  feeds  his 
cattle  and  horses  and  has  added  materially 
to  his  income  bv  the  operation  of  this  en- 
terprise. He  also  owns  timber  land  amount- 
ing to  one  hundred  acres  and  has  invested 
extensively  in  town  properly  in  Bandon,  own- 
ing at  the  present  time  twenty-one  city  lots. 
On  April  3.  1883.  Mr.  Rulliird  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Malinda  llamblock.  a 
native  of  Oregon  and  a  daughter  of  .Tohn  and 
.lane  (Long)  Hamblock.  who  were  among  the 
early  settlers  in  Coos  county,  settling  in 
this  section  in  ISo.l.  They  were  the  parents 
of  four  children:  Mary,  deceased;  ^lalinda. 
the  wife  of  our  subject;  John,  who  resides 
in  Bullards;  and  Christina,  the  wife  of  A. 
Barrows,  of  Bullards.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bul- 
lard six  children  have  been  born.  Warren 
R..  born  .Janiuiry  10,  1884,  is  now  engaged  in 
shipbuilding  in  Bullards.  He  is  married  and 
has  one  child.  Howard.  Pearl  A.,  born  April 
2.    1886.   received   her  education   in   the  dis- 


330 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


trict  schools  of  Coos  county  and  is  now  resid- 
ing at  lionie  with  her  parents.  Jolin  Chester, 
born  in  1S8S,  received  liis  education  in  the 
district  schools  and  later  took  a  course  in 
(dcctrical  engineering.  Lawrence,  born  in 
1890,  is  a  pupil  in  the  district  school.  Chris- 
tina, born  in  1894,  is  a  student  in  the  dis- 
trict schools.  Frank,  who  completes  the 
family,  was  born  in  1897  and  is  also  attend- 
ing school. 

Mr.  Bullard  gives  his  political  allegiance 
to  the  republican  party  and  has  always  been 
intelligently  active  in  political  aft'airs.  For 
four  years  he  was  justice  of  the  peace  and 
is  now  serving  as  school  clerk,  which  posi- 
tion he  has  held  continuously  for  twenty- 
three  years,  accomplishing  during  this  time 
much  constructive  work  along  lines  of  edu- 
cational expansion.  He  helped  to  organize 
the  school  district  in  which  he  resides  and 
in  many  other  ways  aided  and  helped  the 
cause  of  education.  For  eight  years  he 
served  as  road  supervisor  and  has  always 
been  prominent  in  any  movement  looking 
toward  the  further  welfare  of  his  community 
and  toward  the  upbuilding  and  progress  of 
the  section  in  which  he  resides.  He  is  a 
member  of  tlie  Woodmen  of  the  World.  In 
all  the  relations  of  his  life  he  shows  a  pro- 
gressive spirit  and  a  policy  of  gradual  ex- 
pansion. These  qualities,  well  directed  and 
intelligently  controlled,  liave  made  him 
thriving  and  prosperous  in  business,  agri- 
cultural and  political  circles  and  a  dominat- 
ing intluence  in  the  development  of  Douglas 
county. 

ARTHUR    THOMAS   MORRISON,   proprie- 
tor of  the  Cocpiillc  Laundry  &   Ice  Company, 
is    luimbered    among    the    representative    and 
important  business  men  of  Coos  county,  hav- 
ing brought  a  small  and  comparatively  value- 
less  enterprise  to  a   flourishing  and  substan- 
tial   condition   by   his    power   of   constructive 
organization   and  his    administrative   ability. 
His  business  is  one  of  the  largest  and  most 
intelligently  managed   in  this  section  of  the 
state  and  his  position  as  its  proprietor  and 
the  dominating  factor  in  its  operation  places 
him  in  the  front  ranks  of  the  prominent  citi- 
zens  of   Coquille.     He   was   born   in   Vernon. 
Alabama,   in    1866,    a   son    of   Miles   H.   and 
Rebecca     (Collins)     Morrison,    the    former    a 
native   of  Tennessee  and   the  latter  of  Ala- 
bama.     The   father   was   a   farmer   and   fol- 
lowed that  occupation  for  some  time,  coming 
to  Oregon  in  1877  and  operating  a  donation 
claim    ui    Jackson    county    for    a    number    of 
years.     He  later  engaged  in  contracting  and 
building,    in    which    business    he    was    active 
in    San    Diego.    California,    whither    he    had 
removed    in    18S6.      He,    however,    gave    up 
that  occupation  eventually,  resumed  farming 
and  is  now  cultivating  a  fine  tract  of  land 
near    San    Diego.      He    is    the    father    of    five 
children:  William,  deceased;  Arthur  Thomas, 
of  this  review;   a  child  who  died  in  infancy; 
Walter  N.,  a  merchant  of  Escondido.  Califor- 
nia, where  he  resides  with  his  wife  and  two 
children:   and  Clarence  A.,  who  is  a  railway 
mail    clerk    residing    in    Los    Angeles,    Oili- 
fornia,  and  who  is  married  and  has  one  child. 


Arthur  T.  Morrison  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  Oregon  and  in  1886  went 
with  his  father  to  Southern  California,  where 
he  resided  for  twenty  years.  In  1890  he 
took  up  the  study  of  scientific  agriculture 
and  horticulture  and  was  given  charge  of 
the  Gay  farm,  belonging  to  John  H.  Gay 
located  near  San  Diego.  He  was  active  in 
the  management  of  that  enterprise  for  five 
years  and  then  went  into  business  in  Los 
Angeles,  where  he  helped  organize  a  com- 
pany, specializing  in  the  sale  of  cement  prod- 
ucts, lie  was  superintendent  of  that  con- 
cern, did  much  work  in  the  building  line  and 
for  five  years  was  prosperous  and  successful 
in  that  occupation.  When  he  sold  out  in 
Los  Angeles  he  came  directly  to  Coquille, 
where  he  purchased  an  interest  in  a  steam 
laundry  and  ice  plant  which  in  1908  was  in- 
corporated under  the  name  of  the  Coquille 
laundry  &  Ice  Company.  In  1910  he  bought 
out  the  other  stockholders,  and  now  owns 
all  the  stock  with  the  exception  of  two 
shares.  When  he  first  became  identified  with 
this  enterprise  it  was  conducted  on  a  small 
scale  and  was  comparatively  unimproved. 
Mr.  Morrison  is  handling,  five  times  the  origi- 
nal volume  of  business  and  the  concern  has 
a  capitalization  of  ten  thousand  dollars.  He 
is  responsible  for  the  addition  of  the  ice 
plant  and  was  instrumental  in  creating  a 
demand  for  ice  in  this  part  of  the  country. 
He  is  a  true  business  man,  energetic,  shrewd 
and  intelligent,  and  has  made  his  business 
expand  and  grow  along  modern  and  progress- 
ive lines  and  has  gained  for  himself  a  high 
place  among  the  representative  citizens  of 
Coquille. 

In  1888  Mr.  Morrison  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Anna  Nosier,  a  native  of  Iowa 
and  a  daughter  of  W.  H.  and  Esther  (Ritt- 
gers)  Nosier,  early  settlers  in  Oregon.  Mrs. 
Morrison's  father  built  the  first  house  in 
Coquille  and  is  living  in  Eugene,  Oregon. 
His  wife  passed  away  in  1888.  In  their 
family  were  nine  children:  Alva  A.,  who  is 
engaged  in  the  transfer  business  in  San 
Diego.  California;  Anna,  the  wife  of  our 
subject;  Oscar  L.,  of  Randolph,  Oregon;  Sam- 
uel M..  a  wholesale  grocer  of  Coquille;  Mary 
A.,  the  wife  of  Clyde  Gage,  of  Coquille,  who 
is  serving  as  deputy  sheriff  of  Coos  county; 
Birdie,  the  wife  of  Charles  T.  Skeels,  who 
is  engaged  in  merchandising  in  Coquille; 
Minnie,  the  wife  of  George  Hartley,  who  is 
secretary  of  the  Randolph  Lumber  Company 
and  whose  home  is  at  Prosper.  Oregon; 
Eugene  E.,  of  Coquille;  and  Israel  R..  who  is 
engaged  in  the  transfer  business  in  San 
Diego,  California.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Morri- 
son has  been  born  a  daughter,  Lois  Gene- 
vieve, whose  natal  day  was  February  1, 
1908.  The  family  belong  to  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church. 

Arthur  T.  Morrison  holds  membership  with 
the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Woodmen 
of  the  World,  He  is  prominent  in  local 
politics,  being  independent  in  his  views,  and 
has  held  many  important  public  offices.  He 
was  elected  to  the  city  council  and  served 
for  a  term  of  two  years,  from  1909  to  1911. 
His   satisfactory  work   with   that   legislative 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


331 


body  was  rewanlrd  by  his  election  to  the 
ulMci-  of  mayor  in  May.  1012.  During  liis 
administration  many  improvements  have 
been  made  in  the  city  streets  and  sewers 
and  he  is  hargely  responsible  for  some  of 
the  most  important  advancements  in  civic 
growth.  He  brings  to  his  official  life  the 
same  shrewdness,  intelligent  grasp  of  local 
conditions,  and  conscientious  ability  which 
have  gained  him  success  in  his  business  life 
and  have  made  his  public  spirit  effective. 

Y.  M.  LOWE,  is  one  of  the  pioneers  in  the 
settlement  of  Oregon  and  came  to  the  site 
of  the  town  of  Bandon  at  a  time  when  there 
was  not  a  single  house  within  the  present 
limits  of  the  city.  He  has  been  associated 
with  representative  industries  in  Coos  county 
for  many  years  and  was  one  of  the  greatest 
individual  forces  in  the  upbuilding  and  de- 
velopment of  the  city  in  which  he  resides. 
He  was  active  in  buying  and  selling  town 
property  in  Bandon  and  has  been  successful 
by  reason  of  his  familiarity  with  local  con- 
ditions and  on  account  of  the  upright  and 
honorable  methods  by  which  he  carries  on 
his  business.  Mr.  Lowe  has  lived  in  Oregon 
since  1857  and  is  numbered  among  the 
earliest  settlers  in  the  state.  He  was  born 
in  Baltimore  county,  ilaryland,  on  June  30, 
182G,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Nancy  (Gos- 
nell)  Lowe,  both  natives  of  that  section. 
His  father  was  a  general  farmer  and  fol- 
lowed that  occupation  until  his  death  which 
occurred  in  Baltimore  county.  His  wife  has 
also  passed  away.  They  had  six  children 
who  grew  to  maturit,v;  Jesse,  who  passed 
away  in  California;  David  J.,  who  made  his 
home  in  ilarshfield,  but  who  is  now  deceased; 
Y.  M.,  the  subject  of  this  review;  Kobert 
H.,  who  passed  away  in  Coos  count.y;  Thomas 
G.,  a  resident  of  South  Tacoma,  Washing- 
ton; and  Ann  E.,  the  deceased  wife  of  Sam- 
uel Harding,  who  has  also  passed  away. 

Y.  M.  Lowe  received  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  Maryland  and  came  w'est 
to  California  in  1849  attracted  by  the  reports 
of  the  gold  discoveries  in  that  state.  He 
made  the  journey  with  ox  teams  across  the 
plains  and  was  twenty-three  years  of  age 
when  he  arrived  at  the  Pacific  coast.  He 
worked  in  the  gold  mines  and  followed 
various  other  occupations  until  1857  when 
he  married  and  came  to  Oregon,  settling  at 
Port  Orford  where  he  remained  for  one  year. 
At  the  end  of  that  time  he  came  to  the 
Coquille  river  valley  and  established  a  squat- 
ter's right  to  a  cpiarter  section  of  land  near 
M.vrtle  Point.  Here  lor  nine  years  he  car- 
ried on  general  agriciiltiiral  pursuits  and  in 
18fiT  purchased  the  property.  Still  later  he 
took  up  a  preemption  claim  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  on  Beaver  slough  and  car- 
ried on  general  farming  and  stock-raising 
for  twenty-two  years,  during  which  time  he 
was  also  active  as  manager,  and  proprietor 
of  a  tavern.  In  18S7  he  disi)osed  of  all  his 
interests  and  moved  to  the  place  where  the 
town  of  Bandon  now  stands.  He  purchased 
land  which  at  the  present  time  constitutes 
a  portion  of  the  town  site  and  has  made  his 
home    in    this    localitv   since    that    time.      He 


has  sold  nu)st  of  his  jtroperty  with  the  ex- 
ception of  six  houses  and  lots.  He  has  been 
identitied  with  much  of  the  upbuilding  and 
])rogress  of  Bandiui  and  has  seen  the  town 
develop  from  an  unsettled  tract  of  land  into 
a   thriving  and   prosperous    village. 

In  1S.)7  j\lr.  Lowe  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Mary  A.  Slayback,  a  native  of  But- 
ler county,  Ohio,  who  came  to  Illinois  with 
her  ])arents  when  she  was  still  a  child.  She 
moved  to  California  in  185.';,  her  parents  hav- 
ing passed  away  some  time  previously.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lowe  have  been  born  six  chil- 
dren: Viola  K.,  the  wife  of  R.  Jl.  Rosa  of 
Bandon;  Thomas  C,  who  resides  in  Los 
Angeles,  California ;  Clarence  Y.,  who  is  en- 
gaged in  the  drug  business  in  Bandon;  George 
Webster,  who  passed  away  in  infancy;  John 
Sumpter.  wiio  has  also  passed  away,  d.ying 
at  the  age  of  eight  years;  and  Florence,  the 
deceased   wife  of  Charles   H.  Clough. 

Mr.  Lowe  gives  his  jiolitical  allegiance  to 
the  democratic  party  and  is  actively  inter- 
ested in  all  movements  whicli  have  for  tlieir 
object  the  further  progress  an<l  liidvance- 
ment  of  the  city  to  which  he  came  as  a 
pioneer  settler.  He  is  a  member  of  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  having 
joined  Franklin  Lodg«^  in  Baltimore,  Mar,v- 
land,  in  1848.  He  has  witnessed  the  de- 
velopment of  a  new  and  unsettled  section 
into  one  of  the  prosperous  regions  of  the 
LTnited  States  and  contributed  largely  to  its 
growth.  He  has  won  success  in  his  business 
enterprises  and  is  representative  of  the  high- 
est standards  of  citizenship. 

MELVIN  HAYTER  is  a  native  of  Oregon, 
the  son  of  a  pioneer  in  its  settleiuent  and 
has  been  a  resident  of  Coos  county  for 
almost  fifty  years.  During  this  time  he  has 
gained  the"  respect  and  esteem  of  his  friends 
and  acquaintances  by  reason  of  a  consist- 
ently honest,  upriglit  and  straightforward 
life.  He  was  born  in  Polk  county,  near  The 
Dalles,  on  March  15.  ISfil!.  and  is  a  son  of 
W.  L.  and  Sarah  (Crowley)  Haytcr.  natives 
of  Piatt  City.  Missouri.  'I'hey  were  married 
in  that  section  and  crossed  the  ]dains  in 
pioneer  times,  locating  in  P(dk  county  where 
they  took  up  a  donation  land  claim  upon 
whfeh  they  lived  until  1S()5.  In  that  year 
they  disposed  of  their  property  and  came 
to  Coos  county  where  the  father  tfHik  up  land 
near  Fishtrap  on  the  Coquille  river,  which 
he  improved  and  ojierated  for  a  number  of 
years,  disjiosing  of  his  holdings  eventtially 
in  order  to  ])Urchase  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  in  the  same  section.  After  a  time 
he  sold  this  ranch  also  and  bought  a  farm 
near  Argo  and  after  a  few  years  successful 
cultivation  of  the  soil  in  that  section  moved 
to  Bandon  where  he  lived  retired  until  his 
death  whicli  occurred  in  lOno.  He  and  his 
wife  became  the  parents  of  fifteen  rhildren: 
Theodosia  and  Richard  M.,  who  reside  in 
California;  Sarah,  who  has  passed  away; 
Melvin.  the  subject  of  this  review;  James, 
also  a  resident  of  California;  William,  whose 
residence  is  unknown;  Priseilla,  the  wife  of 
R.  S.  Knowlton  of  Coquille.  Oregon;  Rob- 
ert, who  makes  his  home  in  Marshlield;  Ella, 


332 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


the  widow  of  Robert  Long  of  Polk  county. 
Oregon;  Cora,  who  married  John  Lindebeek 
of  California:  Edith,  wlio  became  the  wife 
of  Grant  Beal,  also  of  California;  May,  the 
wife  of  Alva  Lee.  a  resident  of  Myrtle  Point; 
Andrew  J.,  who  makes  his  home  in  the  same 
city;  Wilber  0..  of  California:  and  Charles, 
nho  is  deceased. 

Melvin  Hayter  grew  np  upon  his  father's 
farm  and  at  an  early  date  became  acquainted 
with  the  best  agricultural  methods  and 
gained  a  personal  experience  in  the  details 
of  farm  operation.  He  had  the  distinction 
of  attending  the  first  school  in  Coos  county 
and  pursued  the  usual  course  of  studies  until 
he  was  fourteen  years  of  age.  He  then 
went  to  work  in  the  logging  camps  and 
followed  lumbering  for  twenty-eight  years, 
abandoning  the  occupation  at  the  end  of  that 
time  in  favor  of  general  farming.  He  pre- 
empted a  homestead  claim  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  which  he  cultivated  and  im- 
proved for  a  number  of  years,  bringing  it 
to  a  high  state  of  development.  He  recently 
sold  this  property  and  bought  a  home  in  Riv- 
erton  where  he  resided  only  a  short  time 
afterward  leasing  his  father's  property  upon 
which  he  I'esided  for  a  year  and  a  half.  He 
then  retired  from  independent  agricultural 
life,  purchased  other  property  in  Riverton 
and   now   works   upon   neighboring  farms. 

In  1S95  Mr.  Hayter  was  united  in  marriage 
to  iliss  Nettie  Pearl  Steward,  a  sister  of 
George  A.  Steward  of  whom  further  mention 
is  made  elsewhere  in  this  work.  To  their 
union  were  born  two  children:  Lusta  H..  who 
was  born  in  1901.  and  who  is  a  pupil  in  the 
public  schools  of  her  native  city;  and  Alvin. 
whose  birth  occurred  in  1904,  and  who  is  also 
attending  school. 

!Mr.  Hayter  is  liberal  in  his  political  views 
preferring  not  to  affiliate  with  any  party. 
He  takes  an  intelligent  interest  in  public 
affairs  but  has  never  sought  office.  He  be- 
longs to  the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  his 
only  fraternal  affiliation.  During  the  forty- 
eight  years  of  his  residence  in  Oregon  he  has 
•won  true  success  in  gaining  the  respect  and 
esteem  of  his  fellow  citizens. 

WARREN  P.  REED  who  without  invidious 
distinction  may  be  termed  the  leading  busi- 
ness man  of  Gardiner  and  one  of  the  fore- 
most representatives  of  commercial  and  in- 
dustrial interests  in  central  Oregon,  has  won 
that  success  which  follows  well  formulated 
plans  carefully  executed,  unfaltering  enter- 
prise and  honorable  effort.  He  was  born  at 
Winchester  Bay.  Douglas  county.  Oregon, 
ilarch  4.  1S76.  and  is  a  son  of  James  W.  and 
Ellen  (McBride)  Reed,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  Lubec,  Maine,  where  they  were 
reared  and  married.  In  1872  they  came  west 
to  Oregon,  settling  in  Winchester  Bay  at  the 
mouth  of  the  L'rapqua  river  and  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  Mr.  Reed  engaged  in  driving 
stage  from  the  mouth  of  the  Umpqua  to  Coos 
Bay.  Subsequently  he  removed  to  Gardiner 
and  for  several  years  was  identified  with  the 
live-stock  business.  For  a  time  he  was  em- 
ployed in  the  mills  here  and  in  the  '80s  he 
removed   to   Grays  Harbor  where   for  several 


years  he  was  identified  with  the  stock  busi- 
ness after  which  he  returned  to  Gardiner 
about  1902.  Since  that  time  he  has  managed 
the  live-stock  interests  of  his  son,  Warren 
P.  Reed.  The  present  mercantile  business 
conducted  by  Warren  P.  Reed  was  established 
by  his  uncle,  Alfred  William  Reed,  -who 
came  to  Gardiner  in  1870.  On  his  arrival 
here  he  found  employment  as  sawyer  in 
Simpson's  mills  and  was  subsequently  made 
foreman  of  the  mills.  He  was  one  of  a  party 
who  took  the  steamer  Swan  up  the  Umpqua 
river  to  Roseburg,  the  only  time  a  steamship 
ever  made  the  trip.  Later  he  became  identi- 
fied with  steamboating.  becoming  one  of  the 
owners  of  the  steamer  Argo.  Subsequently 
he  and  William  Wade  built  a  steamer  which 
they  called  The  Restless.  This  vessel  plied 
between  Scottsburg  and  the  mouth  of  the 
Umpqua,  and  from  that  point  Mr.  Reed's 
father  took  the  passengers  and  mail  to  Coos 
Bay.  Alfred  W.  Reed  subsequently  became 
identified  with  the  salmon-canning  industry 
and  purchased  an  interest  in  a  cooperative 
cannery  which  up  to  that  time  had  not  proved 
a  successful  enterprise.  Under  his  capable 
management,  however,  several  thousand  dol- 
lars were  cleared  on  the  first  year's  business, 
and  after  paying  off  some  of  the  indebtedness 
of  the  firm  Alfred  W.  Reed  purchased  the  en- 
tire plant.  The  following  year  a  ninety  days' 
catch  netted  him  forty  thousand  dollars,  the 
gross  sales  bringing  one  hiindred  and  twenty 
thousand  dollars.  He  also  established  him- 
self in  the  mercantile  business  and  in  the 
butchering  business  and  likewise  operated  a 
tannery  in  Scottsburg.  In  1896  he  opened 
the  Gardiner  Creamery  which  he  conducted 
up  to  the  time  of  his  death.  He  was  not  only 
one  of  the  most  prominent  factors  in  business 
circles  here  but  also  served  for  two  terms 
in  the  state  legislature  and  was  a  member  of 
the  state  senate  at  the  time  of  his  death.  He 
was  looking  for  a  site  for  a  hatchery  for  the 
government  on  the  Xorth  Umpqua  just  be- 
low Winchester  on  the  9th  of  April,  1899. 
when  the  boat  was  overturned  and  he  and  a 
!Mr.  McGuire.  a  member  of  the  state  fish  com- 
mittee, were  drowned.  He  was  one  of  the 
most  prominent  men  of  southern  Oregon,  few 
doing  as  much  for  the  upbuilding,  improve- 
ment and  advancement  of  this  section  of  the 
state. 

Warren  P.  Reed  follnwins  his  uncle's  death, 
took  charze  of  the  business  to  which  he  suc- 
ceeded. He  had  been  in  his  uncle's  employ 
for  about  eight  years  prior  to  his  death  and 
therefore  was  familiar  with  the  different 
phases  and  interests  of  the  business  and  was 
well  qualified  to  assume  entire  control.  His 
mercantile  business  is  now  one  of  the  most 
extensive  in  Douglas  county,  its  sales  reach- 
ing a  large  annual  figure.  The  Gardiner 
Creamery  was  merged  with  that  of  the  T.  S. 
Townsend  Creamery  Company  of  Portland 
in  1909.  that  company  owning  and  operating 
eiffht  creameries  in  the  state.  The  Gardiner 
Creamery  is  one  of  the  most  modem  in  its 
equipment  and  one  of  the  most  successful 
individual  plants  in  the  state.  At  the  time 
of  the  death  of  Alfred  W.  Reed  the  Gardiner 
■Mill  Company  owned  one-third  interest  in  the 


'"^HE  MEW  '•■' 
:  ,  uBLlC     Li 


J 


ALFRED  W.  KEED 


WAiMiKN  P.  !:ki:i) 


PUBLIC 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


caiining>  plant.  'Wanen  P.  Reed  later  sold  his 
interest  in  the  plant  to  Elmore  &  Company  of  , 
Astoria,  but  subsequently  he  purchased  the 
interest  of  the  fiardincr  Mill  Company  and 
ill  connection  with  Elmore  &  Company  in 
1007  built  the  present  plant  of  the  Umpqua 
Packing  Company  Avhich  is  one  of  the  most 
modern  and  best  equipped  plants  on  the  Ore- 
gon coast.  This  plant  has  a  capacity  of 
one  thousand  cases  of  forty-eight  pounds  each, 
every  ten  hours.  The  enterprise  is  one  of 
the  most  modern  business  interests  of  this 
section  of  the  state,  furnishing  employment 
to  a  large  number  of  workmen  during  the 
season.  Jlr.  Reed  owns  and  laid  out  the 
townsite  of  Tteedsport  across  the  bay  from 
Gardiner  on  a  proposed  route  of  the  Eugene 
&  Coos  Bay  railroad.  He  owns  also  four 
thousand  acres  of  land  in  and  adjoining  this 
townsite.  Tlie  Townsite  Company  owns  adja- 
cent to  the  town  a  body  of  water  known  as 
Clear  lake,  capable  of  supplying  water  for  a 
population  (if  a  half  million  people.  The  lake 
has  a  meandering  shore  line  of  six  miles  and 
its  depth  is  from  fifty  to  three  hundred  feet. 
Mr.  Reed  also  owns  fifteen  hundred  acres  of 
land  adjoining  Gardiner,  five  hundred  acres  of 
which  is  reclaimed  riiarsh  land  on  which  he 
keeps  from  sixty  to  seventy  dairy  cows.  He 
conducts  a  butcher  shop  and  has  removed  the 
tannery  from  Scottsburg.  This  tannery  has 
the  reputation  of  turning  out  the  best  saddle 
leather  in  the  country.  Mr.  Reed  is  also  well 
known  as  a  stockman,  running  from  fift,v  to 
one  hundred  horses  and  from  six  hundred  to 
seven  hundred  bead  of  cattle  on  his  land. 
Moreover,  he  is  interested  in  various  financial 
institutions  and  in  the  Gardiner  Hotel  at 
that  place.  Whatever  he  undertakes  seems 
to  prosper.  His  judgment  is  sound,  his  dis- 
crimination keen  and  he  combines  what  to 
others  appear  diverse  elements  into  a  har- 
monious working  whole. 

In  1898  Mr.  Reed  was  married  to  Miss 
JIarjorie  H.  Wade,  a  daughter  of  Captain 
Henry  Wade,  and  unto  them  have  been  born 
two  children.  Eva  I.  and  Laura  M.  Mr.  Reed 
is  republican  in  his  political  views,  but  while 
he  has  been  a  dominant  factor  in  the  party 
councils  he  has  had  no  aspiration  for  public 
preferment.  On  the  contrary  he  has  concen- 
trated his  energies  upon  his  business  affairs 
and  in  1911  he  incorporated  his  mercantile 
business,  giving  some  of  his  employes  an  in- 
terest therein  so  the  house  is  now  conducted 
under  the  firm  style  of  Reed.  .Tanelle  &  Coni- 
panv.  They  not  only  comluci  the  mercantile 
interests  but  also  operate  the  steamboats 
which  are  used  for  the  collection  of  cream  for 
the  creamery. 

AVarren  P.  Reed  is  a  member  of  Aurora 
r^idge.  No.  .59.  F.  &  A.  M..  of  Gardiner: 
Roseburg  Lodge.  Xo.  .126.  "C.  P.  0.  E.;  Gar- 
diner Lodge,  Xo.  132.  I.  0.  0.  F.:  the  Knights 
of  ^faecabees  of  Gardiner:  and  he  and  his 
wife  are  members  of  the  IMartha  Chapter. 
Xo.  48.  0.  E.  S.  -\Irs.  Reed  is  a  member  of 
the  Episcopal  church,  liotli  arc  widely  known 
in  this  part  of  the  state  and  are  highl.y  es- 
teemed. Mr.  Reed  belongs  to  that  class  of 
progressive  men  who  in  promoting  individual 
interests  contribute  to  public  prosperit.v. 
Vol.  T\■—^  4 


Few  men  seem  to  discriminate  more  readilv 
between  the  essential  and  the  nonessential 
not  only  in  business  matters  but  in  public 
all'airs  and  what  he  has  done  redounds  to  the 
credit  and  benefit  of  the  community  as  well 
as  to  bis   individual  interests. 

E.  F.  CHENEY.  The  history  „f  the  north- 
west and  its  development  is  familiar  to  K. 
V.  Cheney.  For  seven  years  he  was  engaged 
in  conducting  a  fast  freight  stage  line  from 
Lakeview  to  Anderson.  California,  a  distance 
of  two  hundred  and  forty  miles.  He  is  now 
engaged  in  the  liarness-'niaking  business  in 
Lakeview  but  at  dill'erent  periods  various 
other  business  interests  and  activities  have 
claimed  his  time  and  attention.  He  was  born 
in  Vermont.  July  l.i,  185.-).  and  is  a  son  of 
K.  E.  and  Abigail  (Clark)  Cheney,  who  were 
al.so  natives  of  the  Green  iNIountain  state. 
The  mother  died  there  when  her  son  E.  F. 
Cheney  was  but  two  years  of  age  and  later 
the  fatlicr  married  again,  his  death  occurring 
in  South  Dakota.  He  was  a  carpenter  by 
trade  and  afterward  engaged  in  the  lumljc'r 
business.  In  the  family  were  three  children, 
of  whom  one  died  in  infancy,  while  Flora 
has  also  passed  away,  leaving  E.  F.  Cheney 
the  only  surviving  member  of  the  family. 
After  his  mother's  death  he  resided  with  his 
grandparents  until  ten  years  of  age,  when 
he  returned  to  his  father's  home  remaining 
there  for  four  .vears.  but  his  experience  with 
his  stepmother  was  unpleasant,  lie  remained 
at  home,  however,  until  fourteen  years  of 
age  in  order  to  get  his  own  mother's  ,!rold 
watch  but  left  as  soon  as  his  purpose  was 
accomplished.  He  was  then  living  in  Xcw 
Hampshire  and  later  he  went  to  Boston. 
Massachusetts,  where  he  attended  school  for 
one  winter.  He  also  drove  a  butcher's  wagon 
in  Boston  for  four  and  a  half  ,Tears  in  the 
emplov  of  one  man  and  at  the  end  of  that 
time  went  to  Lebanon,  New  Hampshire, 
where  he  was  married  in  1S74  to  Annette 
Clark,  a  native  of  Vermont,  who  died  in 
Lakeview  in  September,  1910.  at  the  age  of 
fifty-five  years. 

For  two  years  after  his  marriage  E.  F. 
Chene,y  remained  in  Xew  Hampshire  and  in 
187(5  went  to  California.  He  located  first 
at  Santa  Rosa,  where  he  conducted  an  ex- 
press train  during  a  part  of  his  time  and 
devoted  some  time  to  carpentering.  On  the 
24th  of  .Tulv.  1S7S.  he  arrived  in  Lakeview. 
Oregon,  where  he  has  since  resided  and  fol- 
lowed carpentering  and  ranching. 

E.  F.  Chenev  left  Santa  Rosa.  California. 
with  his  wife's  parents,  Israel  and  Elizabeth 
(lark,  two  of  his  wife's  brothers  and  three 
other  men  who  were  with  their  families. 
They  arrived  in  Lassen  connt.v,  California, 
where  they  learned  that  the  Indians  were 
on  the  warpath  in  the  north.  Thev  remained 
:it  that  place  for  six  weeks,  waiting  for  bet- 
ter reports  before  proceeding  to  their  destina- 
tion, which  was  Spokane.  Some  of  them, 
however,  became  tired  of  waiting  and  E.  F. 
Cheney,  Nathan  Clark.  Eli  Clark,  ,)ohn 
.\dam3  and  Peter  Post  built  a  house  there. 
Thev  later  decided,  however,  to  proceed  as 
I'ar    as    Lakeview,      It    was    a    tearful    time 


338 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


among  the  women,  for  they  feared  that  they 
would  be  killed  by  the  Indians  if  they  pro- 
ceeded on  the  journey.  The  five  men  above 
mentioned  came  on  alone,  took  up  land,  es- 
tablished homes  and  then  returned  for  the 
other  members  of  the  party.  Ranching  was 
carried  on  successfully  for  a  number  of  years 
and  in  ISSl  Mr.  Cheney  purchased  the  Hot 
Springs,  south  of  town,  and  began  the  pro- 
duction of  vegetables.  Being  the  first  man 
to  raise  garden  products  in  this  location, 
he  supplied  all  the  ranchers  there  with  vege- 
tables that  first  year,  after  which,  Mr. 
Cheney  having  demonstrated  the  possibili- 
ties along  that  line,  others  began  to  plant 
gardens.  The  town  was  just  being  founded 
and  one  could  ride  over  the  country  all 
day  without  seeing  a  fence.  Mr.  Cheney 
owned  Hot  Springs  for  three  years,  or  from 
1S81  to  1SS3  inclusive,  during  which  period 
he  made  vegetable  growing  his  chief  occupa- 
tion. From  1SS3  until  1890  he  conducted  a 
fast  freight  stage  line  from  Lakeview  to 
Anderson,  California,  a  distance  of  two  hun- 
dred and  forty  miles.  He  used  a  regular 
coach,  with  six  horses.  The  trip  was  made 
going  down  in  five  and  a  half  days  but  ten 
days  were  required  for  the  return,  because 
of  coming  back  with  heavy  loads  up  a  grade 
and  over  the  mountains.  In  1890  Mr. 
Cheney  began  ranching,  which  he  followed 
until  1900,  when  he  established  his  present 
business  and  has  since  conducted  a  harness 
making  shop  here.  He  had  learned  the  trade 
through  the  winter  months  while  working 
on  a  ranch,  acquainting  himself  with  the 
trade  in  the  shop  of  S.  F.  Ahlstrom.  He 
has  a  good  harness  business,  employing  two 
men  all  the  time  and  three  some  of  the 
time  in  the  manufacture  of  harness  and 
saddlery.  He  owns  his  shop  on  Main  street 
and  a  good  residence  on  West  street,  also  a 
ranch  of  six  hundred  and  sixty  acres  on  the 
west  side  of  Goose  Lake.  In  the  early  days 
he  enjoyed  some  of  the  fine  hunting  and 
fishing  and  yet  indulges  in  those  sports  when 
opportunity  oft'ers. 

Mr.  Cheney  has  but  one  son.  Albert  E.. 
who  works  in  his  father's  shop,  having  been 
thus  employed  since  the  business  was  estab- 
lished. He  married  Delia  Pratt  and  has  one 
child.  Nettie.  Our  subject  has  been  some- 
what prominent  in  local  affairs.  For  the 
past  two  years  he  has  served  as  a  member 
of  the  city  council  and  exercises  his  official 
prerogatives  in  support  of  various  progress- 
ive measures.  He  has  been  called  upon  to 
settle  some  estates  and  he  is  prominent  in 
several  fraternal  societies,  especially  so  in 
the  Odd  Fellows.  In  the  local  lodge  he  has 
been  secretary  for  many  years  and  also 
scribe  of  the  encampment,  while  in  the  camp 
of  the  Woodmen  of  the  World  he  is  banker. 
He  has  membership  relations  with  the  Forest- 
ers, the  United  Workmen  and  the  Degree 
of  Honor,  and  his  political  allegiance  is  given 
to  the  democratic  party.  All  phases  of 
pioneer  life  in  this  section  of  the  state  are 
familiar  to  him  and  he  is  one  of  those  char- 
acters who  lend  picturesqueness  to  the 
history  of  the  past  because  of  the  varied 
and   interesting  experiences   which  he  had   as 


a  stage  driver  as  well  as  a  rancher  before 
entering  upon  his  more  quiet,  yet  equally 
remunerative,  occupation  of  manufacturing 
harness   and  saddlery. 

HON.  CLARENCE  E.  RICKER.  "The  race 
is  to  the  swift  and  the  battle  to  the  strong," 
and  in  business  and  political  activities  in 
Douglas  county  the  Hon.  Clarence  E.  Ricker 
is  both  swift  and  strong.  He  is  the  owner 
of  one  of  the  finest  ranches  on  the  Smith 
river  and  as  a  representative  of  one  of  the 
leading  industries  in  this  section  has  gained 
prominence  and  comparative  wealth.  He  has 
been  identified  for  many  years  with  political 
affairs  of  his  state  and  county  and  as  a 
member  of  the  Oregon  legislature  did  con- 
structive work  along  developing  and  e.xpand- 
ing  lines.  He  was  born  in  Slaine  on  the 
10th  of  November,  1850,  and  is  a  son  of 
Ezekiel  and  Catherine  P.  (Buker)  Ricker, 
both  of  whom  were  natives  of  the  Pine  Tree 
state.  In  1559  they  removed  to  Minnesota 
and  located  in  Minneapolis,  where  they  lived 
for  many  years  and  where  their  deaths 
occurred. 

Clarence  E.  Ricker  was  reared  at  home  and 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Minnea- 
polis. He  worked  for  his  livelihood  from 
an  early  age,  engaging  in  logging  in  the 
lumber  woods  of  Minnesota.  He  was  also 
identified  with  the  sawmill  industry  and 
was  engaged  in  this  line  of  occupation  until 
the  spring  of  1S75,  when  he  journeyed  west- 
ward to  California.  After  three  months  spent 
in  Eureka  he  started  for  Oregon,  landing  in 
Gardiner  on  July  22,  1875.  He  spent  the 
following  winter  as  a  student  at  DeFrance 
&  White's  Business  College  and  in  the  spring 
of  1876  established  his  residence  in  Douglas 
county.  He  married  in  the  same  year  and 
immediately  settled  on  the  north  fork  of 
the  Smith  river,  where  he  took  up  a  preemp- 
tion claim,  proving  his  title  in  1879.  He  was 
successful  as  a  general  agriculturist  for  a 
little  over  three  years  and  at  the  end  of 
that  time  had  been  prosperous  enough  to  buy 
his  present  ranch  on  the  Smith  river,  at  the 
junction  of  the  north  fork.  He  purchased 
this  property  in  the  summer  of  1881  and  in 
the  following  fall  removed  to  his  new  home, 
where  he  has  since  resided.  He  now  operates 
one  of  the  most  fertile  and  productive  prop- 
erties in  Douglas  county,  comprising  two 
hundred  acres  of  land  seventeen  miles  above 
Gardiner.  He  brings  to  its  operation  a  scien- 
tific knowledge  of  modern  agriculture  and  a 
progressive  and  open  mind.  He  has  equipped 
his  holdings  with  all  the  newest  devices  in 
farm  machinery,  has  erected  convenient  barns 
and  outbuildings  and  has  brought  his  prop- 
erty to  a  model  and  attractive  state.  He 
represents  in  his  agricultural  career  the  in- 
telligent and  upright  qualities  which  are  an 
important  source  of  the  prosperity  and  de- 
velopment of  the  state  of  Oregon.  Iden- 
tified as  he  is  with  one  of  the  principal  in- 
dustries of  his  section,  he  holds  a  prominent 
place  among  his  fellow  citizens,  which  he  has 
done  much  to  deserve. 

Mr.  Ricker  besides  being  successful  and 
prosperous  as  an  agriculturist  is  also  promi- 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


339 


nent  and  well  known  as  a  politician.  He 
affiliates  with  the  republican  party  and  rep- 
resented his  district  in  the  Oregon  state  legis- 
lature in  the  session  of  1SS9.  He  has  for 
years  been  an  active  worker  and  a  dominat- 
ing factor  in  the  local  republican  organiza- 
tion and  his  name  is  a  synonym  for  honor- 
able and  upright  qualities  of  statesmanship. 

Mr.  Ricker  has  been  twice  married.  His 
first  union  occurred  in  1S76,  when  he  wedded 
Miss  Emma  E.  Sherett,  a  daughter  of  John 
Sherett,  who  was  among  the  pioneers  in  the 
settlement  of  Douglas  county.  He  crossed 
the  plains  with  ox  teams  from  Xew  Phila- 
delphia, Ohio,  to  Oregon  in  1851,  locating  for 
a  short  time  in  Oregon  City,  but  shortly 
afterward  removed  to  Seottsburg.  In  1S61 
he  took  up  a  donation  claim  on  the  Smith 
river,  sixteen  miles  above  Gardiner,  and  was 
successful  in  its  operation  for  many  years. 
To  Mr.  Ricker  by  his  first  marriage  three 
children  were  born:  Maud  I.,  the  wife  of 
Giles  Fowler,  of  Meadow,  Oregon;  Grace,  the 
wife  of  Evermont  Minor,  of  Cottage  Grove; 
and  Roscoe  R.,  who  lives  at  home.  The 
mother  passed  away  on  November  10,  1893, 
and  on  February  6,  1897,  Mr.  Ricker  was 
again  married,  his  second  union  being  with 
Mrs.  C.  0.  Helmick,  who  was  in  her  maiden- 
hood Miss  Cora  0.  Cain,  a  native  of  Indiana, 
who  came  to  Oregon  in  1889.  To  this  union 
were  born  two  children :  Warren  Dale,  who 
is  deceased;   and  Bernice  Olive. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Ricker  is  a  member  of 
Aurora  Lodge,  No.  59,  F.  &  A.  M.;  and  St. 
Anthony's  Chapter,  No.  3,  R.  A.  M.,  of 
Minneapolis.  For  the  past  five  years  he  has 
given  almost  all  of  his  attention  to  dairy- 
ing and  this  in  combination  with  his  political 
career  has  kept  him  busy  and  active.  By 
his  swiftness  in  action  and  his  dominating 
strength  of  purpose  he  has  won  the  race  in 
which  he  started.  There  are  many  more 
contests  open  to  him  equally  honorable  and 
worthy,  which  hold  forth  conspicuous  re- 
wards to  his  industry,  common  sense  and 
intelligence. 

JOHN  IRWIN  is  a  capable  attorney  well 
known  as  one  who  has  made  a  strenuous 
fight  for  the  people  to  obtain  their  water 
rights.  In  this  connection  his  work  has  been 
extremely  beneficial  to  the  community,  and 
the  city  of  Klamath  Falls  and  the  surround- 
ing district  owe  to  him  a  debt  of  gratitude 
for  his  efforts  in  this  connection.  His  sym- 
pathy has  been  with  the  small  farmer  wiio 
must  irrigate  his  land  in  order  to  make  it 
productive  rather  than  with  the  corporations 
and  companies  who,  in  the  building  of  ditches 
and  the  development  of  irrigation  systems, 
have  placed  water  at  almost  a  prohibitive 
price.  Mr.  Irwin  is  accorded  a  good  law 
practice,  connecting  liim  with  much  important 
litigation  of  his  part  of  the  state.  He  was 
born  in  Westmoreland  county,  Pennsylvania. 
May  11.  1878,  a  son  of  John  and  Margaret  J. 
(Rankin)  Irwin,  the  former  a  native  of  West- 
moreland county.  Pennsylvania,  and  the  lat- 
ter of  Armagh,  Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania. 
The  father  spent  a  number  of  years  in  Wis- 
consin  and   Illinois   and   in   1859   engaged    in 


rafting  on  the  Mississippi  river.  He  and  his 
brother  Robert  operated  the  first  sawmill  and 
cut  the  timber  for  the  first  Catholic  church 
at  La  Crosse.  About  the  time  of  the  Civil 
war  John  Irwin  returned  to  Pennsylvania 
and  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  in  farm- 
ing. He  died  in  1889,  at  the  age  of  sixty-six 
years,  and  is  survived  by  his  wife,  who  is 
residing  at  Livermore,  Westmoreland  county, 
Pennsylvania,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five 
years.  In  their  family  were  seven  children, 
of  whom  one  daughter  died  in  1897.  Six  are 
yet  living. 

John  Irwin  remained  at  home  until  he  had 
attained  his  majority  and  in  the  meantime 
supplemented  his  public-school  education  by 
a  course  in  JetJ'erson  Academy  at  Canons- 
burg,  Pennsylvania,  which  he  entered  at  the 
age  of  seventeen  years,  and  also  in  the  State 
Normal  School  at  Slippery  Rock,  where  he 
was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1900.  He 
engaged  in  teaching  school  for  two  sessions 
in  Pennsylvania  and  in  the  spring  of  1902 
went  to  Illinois.  In  the  fall  of  the  same 
year  he  made  his  way  to  Boulder,  Colorado, 
and  entered  the  law  department  of  the  Llni- 
versity  of  Colorado,  from  which  he  was  grad- 
uated with  the  class  of  1905.  He  then  took 
the  bar  examination  in  that  state  on  the  23d 
and  34th  of  June  and  in  ilarch,  1906,  was 
admitted  to  practice.  He  spent  the  months 
until  the  following  September  in  traveling 
through  the  northwest  and  on  the  19th  of 
October,  1906,  settled  at  Klamath  Falls,  where 
he  began  practice  on  the  4th  of  May,  1908. 
He  has  since  engaged  in  general  prac- 
tice, taking  up  the  active  work  of  the 
profession  after  teaching  in  the  rural  schools 
of  this  locality  for  a  time.  It  was  with 
difficulty  that  he  secured  his  education, 
for  after  his  father's  death  it  was  necessary 
for  him  to  work  upon  the  home  farm  through 
the  summer  months  and  he  only  had  the 
opportunity  of  attending  school  in  the  win- 
ter seasons.  While  pursuing  his  studies  in 
Colorado  he  devoted  the  summer  months  to 
work  in  the  mines  and  in  the  winter  seasons 
conducted  a  boarding  house  in  order  to  help 
pay  his  way  in  the  law  school.  lie  came  to 
Klamath  Falls  during  the  long  continued 
struggle  over  the  water  rights  and  his  sym- 
pathy being  with  the  small  farmer,  he  has 
made  it  his  purpose  to  extend  aid  to  those 
who  need  it  most  and  has  done  good  work  in 
behalf  of  the  people  against  corporation  greed. 
He  is  a  capable  lawyer,  strong  in  argument, 
logical  in  his  deductions,  and  )ias  won  many 
verdicts   favorable  to  his  clients. 

On  the  27th  of  July,  1910,  Mr.  Irwin  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Josephine  M. 
Seng,  of  La  Crosse,  Wisconsin,  a  daughter  of 
Iliram  Seng.  Mrs.  Irwin  is  a  graduate  nurse 
of  the  La  Crosse  Hospital  of  the  class  of  1911. 
Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Irwin  have  become  widely 
and  favorably  known  during  the  period  of 
their  residence  in  Klamath  Falls.  His  polit- 
ical allegiance  has  always  been  given  to  the 
republican  party  and  he  was  made  its  nom- 
inee for  the  office  of  prosecuting  attorney  of 
the  district  comprising  Klamath  and  Lake 
counties.  This  nomination  is  equivalent  to 
an   election,   as   there   is   no   opposing  candi- 


;;4() 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


datf.  lie  has  been  a  member  of  the  board 
of  directors  of  the  Klamath  Water  Users 
Association  and  for  the  past  two  years  has 
been  vice  president  of  the  board.  He  is  now 
attorney  for  the  iClamath  Water  Users  Asso- 
ciation and  he  does  other  important  work 
as  a  practitioner,  indicating  the  scope  of  his 
knowledge  and  his  devotion  to  his  clients' 
interests. 


JOHN  LETSOM,  who  came  to  this  state  in 
1S5U,  is  one  of  the  few  surviving  representa- 
tives of  the  early  pioneers  of  southern  Ore- 
gon and  is  one  of  the  most  highly  esteemed 
citizens  of  Douglas  county,  residing  on  a 
ranch  six  miles  northeast  "of  Yoncalla.  As 
an  agriculturist  he  has  won  a  gratifying 
measure  of  prosperity,  owning  three  imn'^ 
dred  acres  of  valuable  land  in  Scotts  valley. 
His  birth  occurred  in  .Shropshire,  England,  on 
the  13th  of  ilarch,  1828,  his  parents  being 
Thomas  and  Margaret  (Davis)  Letsom,  both 
of  whom  were  natives  of  Wales.  Thev  came 
from  England  to  the  United  States  in 
1845.  and  after  two  years'  residence  in  Xew 
York  city,  removed  to  Wisconsin,  purchas- 
ing a  farm  near  Racine,  on  which  they  spent 
tlie  remainder  of  their  lives. 

•John  Letsom  was  a  youth  of  seventeen 
when  he  accompanied  his  parents  on  their 
removal  to  M'isconsin  in  1845  but  did  not 
remain  in  that  state,  returning  to  New  York, 
where  he  olrtained  employment  as  a  die  sinker 
in  a  steel  toy  factory.  In  the  spring  of  1848 
he  formed  one  of  the  first  parties  to  leave  for 
the  California  gold  fields  and  made  the  voy- 
age by  sailing  vessel  around  Cape  Horn, 
reaching  his  destination  at  the  end  of  six 
months.  During  the  following  winter  he 
worked  in  San  Francisco  and  in  the  spring 
of  1849  began  mining  on  Stanislaus  river, 
remaining  there  through  the  summer.  In  the 
fall  he  formed  one  of  a  company  of  about 
fifty  men  who  banded  tlieinselves  together 
for  cooperative  mining.  Imt  tlie  venture  proved 
unprofitable  and  Mr.  Letsom  left  the  gold 
fields.  In  the  spring  of  1850  he  came  north, 
to  Oregon,  spending  the  follow  ing  summer  and 
winter  in  ililwaukie.  Clackamas  county, 
where  he  worked  in  a  black.smith  shop.  In 
the  spring  of  1851  he  went  to  the  gold  fields 
of  Y'reka,  California,  and  there  spent  one 
year.  In  the  spring  of  1853  he  came  to 
Douglas  county,  locating  about  six  miles 
northeast  of  Y'oncalla,  where  he  took  up  a 
donation  claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
and  where  he  resided  for  five  years  or  until 
he  had  proved  up  his  claim."  During  this 
time  he  had  married  the  widow  of  S.  il.  Lewis, 
formerly  Miss  Sarah  Harrer,  who  was  a  na- 
tive of  Arkansas  and  who  had  three  living 
cliildren  by  her  first  husband.  It  was  in 
order  to  give  these  children  the  advantages 
of  an  education  that  in  1861  Mr.  Letsom  took 
up  his  abode  in  Y'oncalla.  where  he  remained 
for  about  ten  years.  On  the  expiration  of 
that  period  he  removed  to  the  place  whereon 
he  has  resided  continuously  since — a  fine 
ranch  six  miles  northeast  of  Y"oncalla.  He 
owns  three  hundred  acres  of  valuable  and 
productive  land  and  has  long  been  numbered 


among  the  best  known  and  most  highly  re- 
spected citizens  of  southern  Oregon. 

Unto  Mr.  and  ilrs.  Letsom  were  born  five 
daughters  and  four  sons.  The  six  surviving 
members  of  the  family  are  as  fellows'! 
Thomas,  who  is  a  resident  of  Portland,  Ore- 
gon; ilary,  who  is  the  widow  of  F.  M.  bood- 
ell  and  now  resides  with  her  father:  Lewel- 
lyn,  living  in  eastern  Oregon:  Martha,  the 
wife  of  .J.  W.  Harris,  of  Chelan,  Washington; 
Evan,  who  operates  the  home  farm;  and 
Talitha,  who  is  the  wife  of  B.  E.  Hedrick.  of 
Douglas  county.  The  wife  and  mother  was 
called  to  her  final  rest  on  January  19,  1898. 

In  politics  Mr.  Letsom  is  a  stanch  and 
loyal  republican.  For  two  terms  he  served  as 
assessor  of  old  Umpqua  county  before  Douglas 
county  was  cut  off.  From  "the  time  of  his 
arrival  in  the  county  until  1911,  covering  a 
period  of  about  fifty-nine  years,  he  served 
continuously  on  the  school  board  in  one 
capacity  or  another.  To  fill  vacancies  he 
served  by  appointment  as  justice  of  the  peace 
and  also  in  the  office  of  postmaster  at  Y'on- 
calla. In  the  early  days  he  knew"  everyone 
living  in  the  northern  part  of  Douglas  coiinty 
and  the  circle  of  his  friends  was  almost 
coextensive  with  the  circle  of  his  acquain- 
tances. He  has  now  passed  the  eighty- 
fourth  milestone  on  life's  journey  and  en- 
joys the  respect  and  veneration  which  should 
ever  be  accorded  one  who  has  traveled  thus 
far  on  this  earthly  pilgrimage  and  whose 
career  has  been  at  all  times  upright  and 
honorable. 

H.  M.  FLEMING  is  a  member  of  the  firm 
of  Fleming  Brothers,  merchants  of  Xew  Pine 
Creek,  who  recognize  the  fact  that  satisfied 
patrons  are  the  best  advertisements  and. 
therefore,  carry  a  large  and  well  selected  line 
of  goods,  suitable  to  a  general  trade,  and  win 
a  liberal  patronage  by'  progressive  methods, 
fair  prices  and  honorable  dealing.  H.  it. 
Fleming  was  born  in  .Jackson  county,  Ore- 
gon. January  13,  1876.  a  son  of  Henry  Clay 
and  ilinnie  (Marchbanks)  Fleming,  who  were 
natives  of  Tennessee,  the  former  bom  in  1842 
and  the  latter  in  1841.  The  parents  were 
reared  and  married  in  that  state  and  made 
their  advent  on  the  Pacific  coast  in  1872 
as  residents  of  Siskiyou  county,  California. 
Soon  afterward,  iiowever.  they  removed  to 
.Jackson  county,  Oregon,  where  they  remained 
for  fifteen  years,  and  then  went"  to  Modoc 
county.  California,  taking  up  their  abode  near 
Xew  Pine  Creek,  Oregon,  where  the  father 
now  resides.  For  many  years  he  followed 
farming  and  had  extensive  interests  but  is 
now  living  retired,  enjoying  a  well  earned 
rest.  The  mother  passed  away  here  in  1910. 
In  tlieir  family  were  eight  children:  Dora, 
the  widow  of  D.  T.  Colvin.  of  Willowrancli. 
Modoc  county.  California:  W.  S.,  also  living 
at  Willowranch:  T.  M.,  a  partner  of  H.  M. 
Fleming:  H.  A.,  living  at  Willowranch;  H. 
M.;  L.  P.,  who  is  a  twin  brother  of  H.  M. 
and  resides  near  Fresno.  California;  Wini- 
fred, of  Santa  liosa.  California:  and  Wil- 
liam, of  Lake  county.  Oregon. 

In  the  county  of  his  nativity  H.  M,  Flem- 
ing remained  until  lie  reached  the  ace  of  thir- 


PUBLIC    UBR.'P- 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


843 


teeu  years  and  IIr'H  eame  witli  his  part'iils 
to  Lake  county,  where  he  has  since  lived 
with  the  exoejitidii  of  seven  years  spent  in 
Modoc  county,  I'alitornia.  He  was  on  a 
ranch  until  he  attained  his  majority  and  his 
educational  opportunities  were  those  all'orded 
by  the  public  schools.  While  in  ilodoc 
county  he  worked  in  a  store  for  seven  years 
but  laudable  ambition  prompted  him  to  en- 
gage in  business  on  his  owu  account  and 
with  his  brother  T.  il.  Fleming  he  purchased 
his  present  store  in  1904.  The}'  have  since 
conducted  the  same  under  the  style  of  Flem- 
ing Brothers,  general  mercliants.  They  own 
a  brick  building,  one  story  and  basement, 
thirty  by  seventy  feet,  and  also  own  ware- 
houses in  the  town.  They  have  a  large  and 
growing  trade  and  their  business  is  a  profit- 
able one.  Tiiey  also  loan  money  and  are 
interested  in  many  projects  in  this  locality, 
including  gold  mining,  which  is  fast  de- 
veloping into  an  important  feature  in  the 
business  of  this  section  of  the  state. 

Mr.  Fleming  holds  membership  with  the 
Klks  and  with  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows  and  he  has  attractive,  genial 
qualities,  which  render  him  popular  in  these 
organizations.  Moreover,  his  record  proves 
that  success  and  an  honorable  name  maj-  be 
won  simultaneousl}-,  for  energy  and  industry 
have  ever  been  supplemented  by  fair  dealing 
in  the  conduct  of  his  mercantile  interests. 

JOHN  B.  SWEET  has  been  a  resident  of 
Oregon  for  many  years  and  his  agricultural 
career  in  Coos  county  was  important  as  an 
element  in  its  general  advancement.  He  cul- 
tivated a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land  which  in  its  highly  developed 
and  improved  state  is  regarded  as  a  model 
enterprise  of  its  kind.  He  is  at  present  liv- 
ing retired  in  Coquille,  having  sold  his  farm 
to  his  son.s,  and  is  enjoying  a  rest  earned 
by  diligent  and  patient  labor.  He  was  born 
in  Xova  Scotia  in  1S4S  and  went  to  Cali- 
fornia in  pioneer  times,  settling  in  Hum- 
boldt county  where  he  purchased  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  of  land  upon  which  he 
operated  a  large  and  prosperous  dairy  for 
nineteen  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he 
came  to  Oregon,  purchasing  a  farm  near 
Coquille  upon  which  he  resided  for  six  years. 
He  then  retired  and  moved  to  Coijuille  in 
order  to  give  his  children  the  advantage  of 
adequate  educational  facilities.  When  ilr. 
Sweet  purchased  his  farm  hardly  any  im- 
provements had  been  made  upon  it  and  its 
excellent  condition  at  the  present  lime  is 
almost  entirely  due  to  his  well  directed  an<l 
practical  labors.  He  gave  his  entire  time 
and  attention  for  many  years  to  nuiking 
his  land  productive  and  it  has  increased  in 
value  many  times  since  it  first  came  into 
his  possession.  He  recently  sold  the  farm 
to  his  two  oldest  sons,  who  are  now  active 
in  its  management  and  operation.  Mr.  Sweet 
has  lived  in  Coquille  since  1907  and  owns 
the   attractive   home   in   wliich   he  lesides. 

On  September  o,  1877,  .lohn  B.  Sweet  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Susan  Oormely, 
a  native  of  North  Carolina  and  a  daughter 
of   .James   and    Elizabeth    (Atkins)    Cormely. 


Mr.  and  .Mrs.  Sweet  became  tiie  parents  of 
nine  cliildren.  .\lired  .J.  received  his  educa- 
tion in  Cou.s  county  and  is  employed  by  the 
Cody  Lumber  Company  at  Tampa.  William 
■I.,  who  is  assistant  cashier  in  the  liaidc  of 
liandon,  is  married  and  has  two  children, 
Helen  and  Percy.  He  is  also  acting  as  post- 
master of  Bandon.  Sarah  aii.l  .Maggie  Bell, 
passed  away  in  infancy.  Arthur  I'ercy,  re- 
ceived a  good  business  education  and  is 
>erving  as  assistant  postmaster  oi  Bandon. 
Pearl  A.  is  the  wife  of  Edward  Ellingson, 
of  Coquille,  who  is  engaged  in  the  contract- 
ing and  building  business.  They  are  the  par- 
ents of  one  daughter,  Pauline  U.  Maud  G. 
resides  at  home  with  her  parents.  Jessie 
M.  received  a  college  education  and  is  at 
home.  Hattie  makes  her  home  with  her 
parents. 

John.B.  Sweet  is  liberal  in  his  political 
views  and  actively  and  intelligently  inter- 
ested in  the  growth  and  advancement  of 
Coos  county,  although  he  never  seeks  public 
office.  He  has  achieved  success  by  hard 
work  and  industry  and  bj'  thoroughly  prac- 
tical business  qualifications  and  his  fine  farm 
stands  today  as  evidence  of  the  value  anil 
usefulness  of  his  activities. 

JAMES  L.  COLE,  a  lifelong  resident  of 
Oregon,  was  born  on  tlie  old  family  homestead 
in  the  Calapooia  precinct  of  Douglas  county, 
September  21,  1800.  Mention  is  made  of  his 
family  in  connection  with  the  sketch  of  his 
brother  Joel  A.  Cole  on  another  page  of  this 
work.  James  L.  Cole  was  reared  at  home  in 
the  usual  manner  of  farm  lads,  early  be- 
coming familiar  with  the  duties  and  labors 
incident  to  the  development  of  the  fields.  He 
acquired  his  education  in  the  public  schools 
and  after  reaching  young  manhood  was  asso- 
ciated with  his  brothers  in  the  development 
and  improvement  of  the  home  farm,  for  the 
father  was  for  many  years  in  ill  health  and 
thereby  incapacitated  for  farm  work.  The 
early  experiences  of  James  L.  Cole  well  quali- 
fied him  for  tiie  duties  and  labors  that  have 
devolved  ujion  him  in  later  years  and  which 
have  brought  to  him  a  substantial  measure 
of  success. 

In  November.  ISS",  was  celebrated  his  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Jlay  Starr,  a  native  of  Oregon 
and  a  daughter  of  Felix  and  Icepheiia  (Wil- 
lefts)  .Starr,  who  crossed  the  plains  with  ox 
teams  from  Indiana  to  Oregon  in  1852,  with 
their  family,  the  father  being  captain  of  the 
wagon  train,  lie  spent  the  first  winter  in 
Oregon  City  anil  in  lSo3  Mr.  and  Mrs.  .Starr 
returned  to  Indiana  and  remained  a  year. 
He  then  bought  a  lot  of  blooded  mares  and  • 
drove  them  across  the  plains  to  Oregon.  It 
was  the  fir.st  good  stock  to  come  to  this 
-ection.  He  then  made  his  way  southward 
into  the  Calapooia  valley.  There  he  traded 
a  span  of  oxen  for  three  hundred  ami  twenty 
acres  of  land,  upon  which  he  located,  and  he 
also  bought  another  tract  of  similar  size,  thus 
becoming  owner  of  six  hundred  and  forty 
acres  in  the  heart  of  the  valley  and  comprising 
some  of  the  finest  land  to  be  found  in  Doug- 
las covnity.  He  built  a  sawmill  on  the  Cala- 
pooia   river,   twelve   or   Ionrt<'en    miles   above 


344 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


Oakland,  which  was  the  first  sawmill  erected 
in  Douglas  county.  Felix  Starr  died  in  ISTl, 
while  his  wife  long  survived  him.  passing 
away  in  1901. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Cole  continued  to 
reside  on  the  old  homestead  until  1S92,  when 
he  and  his  wife  purchased  two  hundred  and 
eighty-eight  acres  of  the  Felix  Starr  home 
farm,  to  which  they  removed  and  upon  which 
they  have  since  resided.  Jlr.  Cole,  however, 
still  retains  his  equity  in  the  Cole  homestead. 
He  is  one  of  the  substantial  citizens  of  this 
part  of  the  state,  enterprising,  industrious 
and  energetic,  and  the  methods  which  he 
employs  in  the  cultivation  and  development 
of  his  place  indicate  that  he  is  thoroughly 
conversant  with  the  most  progressive  ideas 
of  farming. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cole  have  been  born 
four  children:  Grace  M.,  who  is  now  a  stu- 
dent in  the  senior  year  in  the  State  Uni- 
versity of  Oregon;  Bessie,  deceased;  Lucian, 
at  home;  and  Elsie,  who  is  attending  the 
Eugene  high  school.  The  parents  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Christian  church  and  Mr.  Cole 
is  a  republican  in  politics.  While  he  has 
never  been  an  office  seeker,  he  has  served  for 
the  past  ten  years  as  deputy  assessor  of  his 
district.  Matters  relative  to  the  welfare  and 
upbuilding  of  this  part  of  the  state  receive 
his  earnest  consideration  and  when  his  judg- 
ment dictates  he  gives  to  all  such  stalwart 
endorsement.  He  stands  for  all  that  is  pro- 
gressive in  matters  of  citizenship,  as  he  does 
in  business  life,  and  he  is  justly  accounted 
one  of  the  leading  farmers  of  Douglas  county. 

FRANK  MORSE  is  one  of  the  leading  busi- 
ness men  of  Coquille.  where  he  is  operating 
an  independent  light  and  power  plant,  sup- 
plying electric  light  to  the  cities  of  Coquille, 
Myrtle  Point  and  Xorway.  He  has  advanced 
rapidly  in  the  engineering  profession,  his 
efficiency  and  knowledge  being  guided  and 
controlled  by  true  business  ability.  He  has 
been  identified  with  his  line  of  business  prac- 
tically all  his  active  life,  working  in  different 
cities  in  various  capacities  but  always  ad- 
vancing. He  is  one  of  the  foremost  figures  in 
the  business  world  of  Coquille,  where  as  man- 
ager and  proprietor  of  an  important  enter- 
prise he  has  made  his  influence  felt  in  com- 
mercial circles.  He  was  born  in  California, 
August  S,  1865,  and  is  a  son  of  Harris  and 
Mary  C.  Morse,  natives  of  Maine.  The  par- 
ents" went  to  California  in  1S4S,  traveling 
around  the  Horn  and  spending  six  months 
on  the  journey.  They  settled  at  Stockton, 
where  the  father  engaged  in  the  contracting 
business  for  a  short  time,  later  abandoning 
this  occupation  in  order  to  take  up  mining. 
Eventually  he  purchased  land  and  carried  on 
general  agricultural  pursuits  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  1907.  His  wife  is  still 
living  upon  the  old  homestead  in  California. 
She  is  the  mother  of  three  children,  two  of 
whom  arc  yet  living:  Frank,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch;  and  Milton,  who  is  in  the  black- 
smithing  business  in   California. 

Frank  Morse  received  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  Stockton  and  remained  with 
his   parents  until  he   was  nineteen  years   of 


age,  when  he  was  appointed  engineer  in  the 
mines,  working  in  that  capacity  for  two 
years.  He  then  returned  to  Stockton  in  order 
to  take  a  two  years'  course  in  a  business 
college  and  when  he  had  completed  it  he  again 
worked  in  the  mines.  Later  he  clerked  in  a 
general  store  for  two  years  and  during  that 
time  purchased  an  interest  in  an  electric 
light  plant.  He  became  assistant  manager 
of  that  enterprise,  gaining  during  this  period 
experience  not  only  in  the  scientific  aspects 
of  his  occupation  but  also  in  the  details  of 
the  operation  of  a  modem  and  progressive 
business  establishment,  '\^^len  he  married 
he  sold  out  his  interests  and  went  to  Clover- 
dale,  where  he  established  a  plant  of  a  similar 
character.  In  1897  he  went  to  Ukiah,  formed 
a  partnership  with  Mr.  Montgomery  and  en- 
gaged in  the  operation  of  a  large  electric- 
light  enterprise.  After  four  years  they  moved 
the  plant  to  Coquille  and  conducted  it  suc- 
cessfully until  1910,  when  it  was  completely 
destroyed  by  fire.  Mr.  Morse  is  now  oper- 
ating a  similar  enterprise  at  Coquille  and  is 
furnishing  light  for  that  city  and  for  Myrtle 
Point  and  Norway.  He  is  progressive,  ener- 
getic and  successful  and  his  plant  is  modern 
in  all  its  equipment  and  accessories,  and  in- 
telligently and  efficiently  managed.  He  thus 
ranks  among  the  enterprising  business  men 
of  his  district.  He  owns  property  in  Coquille 
and  also  in  Bandon. 

On  July  3,  1S97,  Mr.  Morse  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Margaret  M.  Smith,  who 
was  born  at  Sebastopol,  California.  Her  par- 
ents are  deceased.  They  had  three  children, 
the  wife  of  our  subject  and  her  two  brothers, 
both  of  whom  live  in  Saginaw,  Oregon.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Morse  are  the  parents  of  four  chil- 
dren: one  who  died  in  infancy;  Philip  and 
Ruth,  twins,  born  in  1906;  and  Fred  S.,  who 
was  born  January  26,  1912.  and  died  August 
3d  of  the  same  year.  Mrs.  Morse  is  a  devout 
adherent  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
Frank  Morse  gives  his  political  allegiance  to 
the  republican  party  but  is  not  unusually 
active  in  public  affairs,  preferring  to  devote 
his  entire  time  to  commercial  activity. 

HARLEY  E.  MORRIS,  who  settled  in 
Eugene  in  1900,  is  a  dealer  in  pianos,  organs 
and  other  musical  instruments  and  manager 
of  the  Postal  Telegraph  &  Cable  Company  in 
this  city.  He  was  born  June  5,  1S64.  in  Linn 
county,  Oregon,  his  parents  being  George  J 
and  Elezanna  (Cook)  Morris.  George  J. 
Morris,  the  father,  was  born  in  Richmond, 
Kentucky.  March  15,  ISIS,  and  Elezanna 
(Cook)  Morris,  the  mother,  was  born  in  Cross 
Creek  Village.  Pennsylvania.  January  6,  1825. 
She  moved  with  her  parents  to  Steubenville, 
Ohio,  where  she  received  her  education  in  the 
Young  Ladies  Seminary,  thence  going  to  Clark 
coimty.  Missouri,  where  she  taught  school 
and  was  married.  February  13,  1S44.  The 
parents  crossed  the  plains  by  ox  team  to 
Oregon,  arriving  here  in  the  fall  of  1853,  and 
spending  over  si.K  months  on  the  journey. 
While  en  route  one  of  their  children,  a  boy, 
a  year  and  a  half  old.  was  taken  from  them 
by  the  grim  hand  of  death  and  they  had  to 
burv  him   on   the  road.     Thev   settled   on  a 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


345 


government  claim  two  miles  east  of  Harris- 
burg,  in  Linn  county,  where  the  father  gave 
his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits  and  the 
mother  taught  school  in  their  log  cabin  home 
for  the  benefit  of  the  children  of  the  neigh- 
borhood. George  J.  Morris  and  his  wife 
helped  to  organize  the  first  Christian  church 
in  Harrisburg,  in  which  the  father  was  a 
deacon.  He  passed  awaj'  Augaist  2,  1896,  and 
the  mother  died  January  9,  1903.  They  were 
the  parents  of  eight  children,  of  whom  seven 
are  living:  Sarah  R.,  the  wife  of  W.  M. 
Davidson,  of  Brownsville,  Oregon;  Minnie  H., 
the  wife  of  -J.  T.  Dinwiddie,  of  Seattle,  Wash- 
ington; Addie;  L.  A.,  a  contractor  of  Eugene; 
Charles  L.,  postmaster  at  Harrisburg,  Oregon; 
Harley  E.,  of  this  review;  and  Irene  E.,  the 
wife  of  J.  S.  Porter,  of  Portland,  Oregon. 

Harley  E.  Morris  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  at  Harrisburg.  and  between  school 
terms  he  assisted  his  father  on  the  farm. 
His  first  venture  in  the  commercial  world 
was  as  traveling  salesman  for  the  Kohler  & 
Chase  Music  House  of  Portland,  Oregon,  which 
position  he  held  for  about  ten  3-ears,  his  terri- 
tory being  the  states  of  Oregon  and  Wash- 
ington, In  1900  he  settled  in  Eugene  and 
formed  a  partnership  with  George  F.  Craw, 
eng.aging  in  his  present  business  as  dealer 
in  pianos,  organs  and  musical  instruments, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Morris  &  Craw. 
Shortly  after  the  firm  was  established  he 
purchased  the  interest  of  his  partner  and 
became  the  sole  owner  of  the  business,  which 
he  has  since  conducted.  The  Morris  Music 
House  is  today  the  largest  and  best  known 
house  of  this  kind  in  the  valley  south  of 
Portland,  and  is  factory  distributer  for  goods 
put  forth  by  the  National  Piano  Companj-,  of 
Boston,  which  line  embraces  the  famous 
Briggs  piano,  the  Merrill,  Norris  &  Hyde, 
also  the  Mehlin  &  Sons  and  many  other 
makes. 

On  the  18th  of  November,  1891,  Mr.  Morris 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary  E. 
Baker,  a  daughter  of  J.  S.  Baker,  of  Benton 
county,  Oregon,  whose  parents  had  crossed 
the  plains  in  the  '40s.  Three  children  have 
been  bom  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Morris;  an  infant 
daughter,  who  died  soon  after  birth;  Beatrice 
Thecla;  and  Winnie  Clarice.  Mrs.  Morris  and 
her  two  daughters  are  members  of  the  Con- 
gregational church  of  Eugene. 

Fraternally  Harley  E.  Morris  is  a  charter 
member  of  Juniper  Camp.  Xo.  217,  Woodmen 
of  the  World,  of  Harrisburg.  Oregon,  having 
passed  through  all  the  chairs,  and  having  the 
distinction  of  holding  the  office  of  consul  com- 
mander for  two  successive  terms.  He  has 
transferred  his  membership  to  Eugene  Camp, 
Xo.  115.  He  is  also  a  member  of  Eugene 
Aerie,  Xo.  275,  Fraternal  Order  of  Eagles,  a 
charter  member  of  the  Eugene  Commercial 
Club  and  a  member  of  the  Merchants  Pro- 
tective Association. 

ALBERT  E.  CLAYTON  is  a  native  son  of 
Oregon  and  one  of  the  substantial  agricul- 
turists of  Melrose  and  Coles  Valley,  Douglas 
county,  where  he  owns  three  fine  farms.  He 
has  been  active  in  their  management  for 
many  years  and  his  systematic  and  progres- 


sive methods  of  operation  have  made  them 
finely  developed  and  highly  productive.  He 
is  now  turning  over  the  supervision  of  these 
tracts  to  his  son.  Mr.  Clayton  was  born  in 
the  district  where  he  now  resides  on  June 
17,  1857,  and  is  a  son  of  Ashford  and  Jemima 
(Harper)  Clayton,  natives  of  Ohio.  They 
were  married  in  Illinois  whither  they  had 
previously  removed  and  in  1S52  crossed  the 
plains  witli  ox  teams  to  Oregon,  spending 
six  months  upon  the  journey  from  the  Mis- 
souri river  to  Portland.  They  arrived  in  the 
latter  city  about  the  lat  of  October  and  pushed 
on  to  Douglas  county,  where  they  both  took 
up  donation  claims  of  one  hundre'd  and  sixty 
acres,  each  in  Coles  valley.  Upon  this  they 
located  and  here  they  resided  until  their 
deaths,  the  father  passing  away  in  1902,  when 
he  was  seventy-seven  years  of  age  and  his 
wife  in  1S90,  in  her  sixtieth  year.  Ashford 
Clayton  was  a  stanch  republican  in  his  polit- 
ical beliefs  and  while  he  never  sought  public 
ollice  he  was  an  influential  factor  in  his 
party's  councils.  His  wife  was  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

Albert  E.  Clayton  was  reared  at  home  and 
acquired  his  education  in  the  public  schools. 
Upon  reaching  his  twenty-first  year  he  took 
upon  himself  the  operation  and  management 
of  the  home  farm  and  for  two  years  he  was 
successful  as  a  practical  agriculturist.  At  the 
end  of  that  time  he  purchased  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  adjoining  his  father's  dona- 
tion claim  and  upon  this  he  lived  for  twenty 
years,  cultivating  the  soil  according  to  the 
most  approved  principles  and  becoming  in- 
creasingly prosperous.  At  the  end  of  that 
time  he  removed  to  Melrose  and  a  short 
time  later  bought  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  in  that  vicinity  which  is  now  accounted 
the  finest  ranch  in  Douglas  county.  Mr. 
Clayton  is  still  the  owner  of  both  of  these 
tracts  of  land  and  is  also  the  proprietor  of 
his  mother's  donation  claim  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres.  He  has  given  his  personal 
attention  and  efforts  to  making  his  holdings 
productive  and  profitable  and  has  spent  over 
a  quarter  of  a  century  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits. He  is  now  relaxing  in  his  more  arduous 
labors  and  is  turning  over  the  principal  ac- 
tivities in  connection  with  his  ranches  to 
his  son. 

In  1S83  Mr.  Clayton  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Emma  Hawn,  a  daughter  of 
Henry  and  Elizabeth  (Woodruff)  Hawn,  early 
pioneers  in  the  settlement  of  the  Sacramento 
valley,  California,  who  came  to  Oregon  in 
1875.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clayton  have  been 
bom  four  children:  Margaret  Elizabeth,  the 
wife  of  E.  II.  Stivers  of  Portland,  Oregon; 
William  E.,  who  for  the  past  nine  years  has 
been  a  teacher  in  commercial  colleges  and 
the  high  schools  of  San  Francisco  and  Santa 
Clara,  California,  but  who  is  now  active  in 
the  management  of  his  father's  lands;  Effie 
Violet,  who  married  W.  F.  Drew,  an  architect 
and  builder,  of  Oakland,  California;  and  Dora 
Grace,  who  holds  the  position  of  bookkeeper 
in  the  Roseburg  National   Rank. 

Mr.  Clayton  was  a  republican,  but  is  now 
independent,  and  while  he  has  never  sought 
public  office  his  interest  in  education  has  led 


346 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTOKY  OF  OREGON 


him  to  accept  a  position  on  the  local  school 
board  where  he  has  served  for  the  past  six- 
teen years  and  has  given  his  undoubted  talents 
and  abilities  to  the  cause  of  education  and 
has  given  all  his  children  an  excellent  high- 
school  and  business  course.  He  is  a  member 
of  Rising  Star  Lodge,  of  the  Independent  Or- 
der of  Odd  Fellows,  of  Roseburg.  Mrs.  Clay- 
ton is  a  devout  adherent  of  the  Christian 
Science  church.  Albert  E.  Clayton  is  one  of 
tlie  progressive  and  substantial  agriculturists 
of  the  section  and  his  policy  has  always  been 
to  expand  and  develop  his  holdings  in  an  in- 
telligent way.  His  ranches  have  been  im- 
proved constantly  and  are  now  numbered 
among  the  private  enterprises  which  are  also 
valuable  as  state  resources. 

CHARLES  A.  PERKINS.  A  model  hotel 
in  its  intricate  operations  is  a  mammoth 
undertaking  when  run  successfully.  Xo  one 
can  question  the  administrative  ability  of 
Charles  A.  Perkins,  manager  and  director  of 
the  Gardiner  Hotel  of  Gardiner,  Oregon,  who 
sees  his  smoothly  running  enterprise  operated 
without  noise  or  confusion  along  the  most 
prosressive  and  modern  principles  of  inn- 
keeping.  Mr.  Perkins  is  a  native  son  of  Ore- 
gon having  been  born  in  Gardiner,  Douglas 
county,  on  July  6.  1866.  He  is  a  son  of 
Solomon  A.  and  Catherine  (Elliott)  Perkins, 
the  former  a  native  of  New  Brunswick,  Nova 
Scotia,  and  the  latter  of  New  York  state. 
Mr.  Perkins'  mother  came  with  her  parents 
when  she  was  a  girl  nine  years  of  age  to  San 
Francisco.  Her  father.  Thomas  Elliott,  was 
captain  of  the  vessel  which  brought  him  and 
his  family  around  the  Horn  in  1S56.  He 
located  in  San  Francisco  and  continued  the 
seafaring  life  for  many  years.  He  was  the 
first  man  to  sail  a  vessel  into  the  port  of 
Umpqua  which  was  later  called  Gardiner.  He 
lo^t  his  vessel  in  attempting  to  cross  the  bar 
His  ship  foundered  on  the  south  beach  and 
was  completely  disabled.  In  1S65  Thomas 
Elliott  removed  his  family  to  Gardiner,  Ore- 
gon where  he  resided  until  his  death._  Mr. 
Elliott  was  one  of  the  sturdy  pioneers  in  the 
early  settlement  of  the  state  of  Oregon.  He 
was  the  man  who  helped  Silas  Hedden  carry 
T  L  Williams,  who  had  been  shot  by  the 
Indians  at  the  mouth  of  the  Coquille  river  up 
that  stream  to  Scottsburg  in  order  to  obtain 
medical  aid.  Mr.  Elliott  died  in  1907  after 
having  passed  his  ninetieth  year.  His  death 
deprived  Douglas  county  of  a  man  of  keen 
and  constructive  intelligence  whose  labors 
always  directed  along  developing  lines,  had 
been'  a  conspicuous  factor  in  progress  and 
growth.  ,         ,  , 

Solomon  A.  Perkins,  the  father  of  our  sub- 
iect.  came  west  to  California  from  New 
Brunswick  when  he  was  a  young  man  and  m 
the  early  '50s  worked  in  the  red  woods  of 
that  state.  He  gave  his  entire  active  life  to 
the  logging  industry.  In  1865  he  came  to 
Gardiner.  Oregon,  in  company  with  Thomas 
Elliott  and  later  married  his  daughter  Cather- 
ine with  whom  he  resided  in  Gardiner  until 
four  years  previous  to  his  death  when  he  re- 
moved to  Portland  where  he  passed  away  in 


January,  lull.     His  wife   is  still  living  and 
maintains  her  home  in  Portland. 

Charles  A.  Perkins  was  reared  at  home  and 
acquired    a    limited   education    in   the   public 
schools  of  Gardiner.     The  facilities  which  tlie 
city  offered  in  this  line  were  extremely  primi- 
tive.    The  schools  opened  for  instruction  only 
three  months  in  the  year  and  were  then  car- 
ried  on   in   a    haphazard    way.     From   early 
boyhood  Charles  Perkins  was  accustomed  to 
work  in  the  logging  woods  of  Oregon  during 
the  time  not  occupied  by  his  studies  and  as 
early   as   his   fifteenth   year   was   drawing   a 
man's    wages.      His    advancement   was   rapid 
and   continuous   and   in   the   seventeen  years 
of   his  labor   in   the   logging  wood   he   gained 
an    expert    and    scientific    knowledge    of   the 
details  of  lumbering  and  the  method  of  oper- 
ation in  the  great  camps  in  the  northern  part 
of  the  state.     In   April.   1898.  he   abandoned 
his  original  line  of  occupation  and  accepted 
a  position  in  the  life  saving  station  at  the 
mouth    of   the    Coquille    river    where   he    re- 
mained in  the  service  until  September,  1901. 
In   that   year   he   returned   to   Gardiner   and 
bought  the  old  Gardiner  Hotel  which  he  con- 
ducted   along   modern   and    progressive   lines 
with  gratifying  success  for  a  number  of  years. 
On  March  15,  1910.  he  sold  his  property  and 
was   appointed   superintendent   of   the   build- 
ing of  the  new  cannery  belonging  to  the  Ump- 
qua Cooperative  Packing  Company,  in  which 
he  is  a  stockholder  and  director.     In  the  fol- 
lowing year  his  executive  ability  and  business 
discernment  earned  him  the  position  of  man- 
ager of  the  concern  and  he  was  active  in  this 
line  until  1911  when  the  new  Gardiner  Hotel 
was  built  and  in  March  of  the  following  year 
Mr.  Perkins   was  made  its  manager,  and  is 
also  a  heavy  stockholder  and  director.     Dur- 
ing the  sliort  period  of  his  administration  he 
has   shown  himself  to  be  thoroughly  conver- 
sant  with   the   many   details   connected   with 
modern  innkeeping  in  all  its  aspects.     He  has 
made  the  hotel  which  he  manages  one  of  the 
most  modern  enterprises  of  its  kind  in  south- 
ern Oregon  and  has  gained  for  the  manage- 
ment a  reputation  for  courtesy  and  considera- 
tion in  every  particular.     The  patrons  of  the 
hotel    are    increasing   in   number   every    year 
as  they  become  acquainted  with  the  comforts 
and  luxuries  to  be  obtained  there.    The  build- 
ins   is   equipped    with   hot  and   cold   running 
water   and    is    liuhted    by   acetylene   gas.      It 
offers   all  modern  ennveniences  and  is  known 
throuahout  Douglas   county  as   a   thoroughly 
])rogres?ive   and  up-to-date  hostelry. 

Tn  1891  'Mr.  Perkins  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  .Tulia  Murphy,  a  native  of 
Callais.  IMaine.  and  a  daughter  of  George  E. 
■Murphy,  who  came  to  Gardiner  in  1877.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Perkins  have  been  born  two 
children:  Clifford  A.,  who  was  graduated 
from  a  four  years'  Inisiness  course  in  Columbia 
L^niversity.  Portland.  Oregon,  in  1911 :_  and 
Flovd  Francis,  now  pursuing  the  same  line  of 
studies   in   the  Columbia   University. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Perkins  is  a  re- 
publican and  actively  interested  in  furthering 
the  progress  and  development  of  his  section 
of  the  "country.  His  wife  is  a  devout  ad- 
herent of  the  Roman  Catholic  church  and  is 


SOLOMON    A.    PKKKINS 


A8TOX,  LtNOX  A 
fiLOF-K    eOUIOAT 


i. 


•.w  yorkI 

lONI.       1 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


349 


well  known  in  Gardiner  as  an  exemplary  and 
high-minded   woman. 

Charles  Perkins  in  the  management  of  the 
Gardiner  Hotel  is  building  up  an  enviable 
reputation  as  a  practical  innkeeper.  He  pos- 
sesses a  shrewd  and  discriminating  mind,  a 
capacity  for  detail,  combined  with  broad  com- 
prehension, an  economic  knowledge  of  modern 
food  values  and  a  specialized  grasp  of  the  art 
of  hotel-keeping  which  amounts  almost  to  an 
inborn  talent. 

EARL  E.  ELLIOTT,  who  is  extensively  en- 
gaged in  the  general  merchandise  business  at 
Eagle  Creek,  where  he  is  also  postmaster,  was 
born  at  Damascus,  Oregon,  on  the  13th  of 
August,  1877.  a  son  of  Eli  and  Ophelia  A. 
(Caton)  Elliott.  His  paternal  grandparents 
were  natives  of  Tennessee  and  his  mother's 
parents  were  born  in  Kentucky.  The  father 
was  one  of  nine  children  and  the  mother  was 
one  of  a  family  of  seven.  Mr.  and  Jlrs.  Eli 
Elliott  were  married  in  1861,  and  to  their 
union  seven  children  were  born:  Albian  R. 
of  Powell  Valley,  Oregon,  who  is  married 
and  has  three  children,  Ruby,  Harold  and 
Elsie;  John  C.  of  Damascus,  Oregon,  who  is 
married  and  has  four  daughters,  Nellie.  Ber- 
nice,  Mabel  and  Geneva ;  Edward  L..  also  of 
Powell  Valley,  who  is  married  and  has  four 
children.  Ray.  Ruth.  May  and  William;  Frank 
W.,  who  is  living  in  Alaska;  Earl  E..  who 
is  the  subject  of  this  review;  Lulu  M.,  who  is 
the  wife  of  Charles  Simmons  of  Gresham. 
Oregon,  and  the  mother  of  three  children. 
Allen.  Earl  and  Edward;  and  Florence  I.,  who 
is  the  wife  of  H.  F.  Wihion  of  Powell  Valley, 
and  has  two  children,  Esther  and  Frances. 

Earl  E.  Elliott  acquired  bis  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  Damascus,  where  he 
studied  until  he  was  thirteen  years  of  age. 
At  that  time  his  parents  removed  to  Powell 
Valley  and  he  entered  the  schools  of  that 
district  and  was  a  student  there  until  he  was 
twenty-one  years  of  age.  After  graduating 
he  taught  school  in  Highland.  Clackamas 
county,  for  two  years  before  entering  upon 
a  normal  course  at  ilonmouth  College.  Fol- 
lowing the  completion  of  his  college  course  he 
went  into  his  father's  store  in  Powell  Valley 
as  a  partner.  He  remained  there  until  1904. 
but  in  that  year  removed  to  Eagle  Creek  and 
opened  a  general  merchandise  store.  Since 
his  advent  into  the  commercial  circles  of 
Eagle  Creek  he  has  built  up  a  large  busi- 
ness, carrying  a  complete  stock  of  general 
merchandise.  In  addition  to  his  store  he  has 
also  interested  himself  in  real  estate  and  is 
at  present  the  owner  of  not  only  his  store 
and  residence  but  also  a  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres,  ninety  acres  of  which  have 
been  brought  under  a  high  state  of  produc- 
tivity, while  the  balance  is  in  timber.  This 
farm  is  located  three  miles  east  of  Eagle 
Creek  and  is  valued  at  twenty  tboiisand  dol- 
lars. When  he  came  to  Eagle  Creek  Mr. 
Elliott  had  only  thirty-five  hundred  dollars 
in  cash,  but  after  beginning  business  his 
finances  at  once  began  to  increase.  During 
the  first  year  he  did  about  eighty-five  hun- 
dred dollars  worth  of  business  and  he  is  now 
doing  from   fourteen   to  fifteen  thousand  dol- 


lars worth  per  year.  He  has  sold  more  than 
one  hundred  thousand  dollars  worth  of  goods 
during  his  eight  years  he  has  been  conducting 
his  store,  and  during  all  that  time  has  so 
nuinaged  his  business  that  he  has  made  him- 
self one  of  the  most  valued  citizens  of  the 
comnumity.  He  seems  to  possess  natural 
ability  for  dealing  with  the  public  and  be- 
cause of  his  careful  study  of  the  needs  and 
requirements  of  his  custoiuers  be  has  made 
his  store  one  of  the  most  important  assets  of 
the  commercial  enterprises  in  Easle  Creek. 

On  the  23d  of  January,  1902. ":Mr.  Elliott 
was  married  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Jones,  a  daugh- 
ter of  N.  J.  and  Annie  (Bartlett)  ,lones.  of 
Kansas.  In  politics  Mr.  Elliott  gives  his 
support  to  the  democratic  party,  and  although 
he  is  thoroughly  alive  to  the  issues  of  the 
day  and  is  a  sympathizer  and  supporter  of  the 
policies  of  his  party  he  has  never  sought  nor 
desired  office  as  a  reward  for  party  fealty. 
For  twelve  years  he  has  been  a  member  of 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  of 
Gresham. 

JAMES  BERRY  COLE,  who  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  Klamath  county  for  more  than  two 
decades,  is  the  owner  of  two  ranches  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  each  and  in  their 
operation  has  met  with  gratifying  success, 
making  a  specialty  of  potato  culture.  His 
birth  occurred  near  Sedalia,  Missouri,  on  the 
10th  of  March.  1866.  his  parents  being  Leon- 
ard and  Louisa  A.  (Spence)  Cole.  The  father 
was  a  native  of  Boone  county,  Missouri,  while 
the  mother's  birth  occurred  near  Sedalia,  that 
state.  During  the  infancy  of  their  son  James, 
they  took  up  their  abode  in  Christian  county, 
Illinois,  and  about  six  years  later  removed  to 
Dallas  county,  Texas,  .settling  on  a 
ranch  fifteen  miles  south  of  the  city 
of  Dallas.  Leonard  Cole  there  passed 
away  on  the  5th  of  April,  1910,  when 
eighty-five  years  of  age.  but  is  survived  by 
his  widow,  who  makes  her  home  at  Wheat- 
land, Texas.  General  agricultural  pursuits 
claimed  his  attention  throughout  his  active 
business  career.  He  learned  the  saddler's 
trade  in  earl.v  life  and  later  familiarized  him- 
self with  the  occupation  of  plasterer,  but 
found  the  work  of  the  fields  more  congenial 
and  as  a  farnu>r  won  prosperity.  To  him 
were  born  four  children,  as  follows:  Charles, 
who  is  a  resident  of  Happy  Camp.  Siski\'0u 
county.  California;  James  Berry,  of  this  re- 
view; Thomas,  living  in  Dallas  county,  Texas; 
and  Edward,  of  Eagle  Ford,  Texas. 

.Tames  Berry  Cole  remained  under  the  pa- 
rental roof  until  twenty-two  years  of  age 
and  in  ISSs  made  his  way  to  San  Diego, 
California.  A  short  time  later  he  took  up 
his  abode  in  Dixon,  that  state,  working  on  a 
ranch  for  a  few  years.  In  1891  he  came  to 
the  Klamath  basin  in  Klamath  county.  Ore- 
gon, and  took  up  a  homestead  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres,  which  he  improved  and  still 
owns.  Subsequently  he  purchased  his  present 
home  ranch  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres, 
which  he  operates  in  connection  with  the 
former,  devoting  his  attention  to  genera! 
farming  with  excellent  results.  During  a 
number  of  years  he  was  a   ■"bueearo,"  riding 


350 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


after  cattle  for  many  years.  For  the  past 
three  years  he  has  owned  and  operated  a 
threshing  machine.  He  makes  a  specialty  of 
potato  culture  and  in  the  season  of  1912 
planted  eighty  acres  to  that  vegetable. 
Through  the  successful  conduct  of  his  agri- 
cultural interests  he  has  won  a  reputation 
as  one  of  the  substantial  and  representative 
citizens  of  his  community.  Fraternally  he  is 
identified  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows,  belonging  to  Lodge  No.  172  at  Dixon, 
California. 

JOHN  D.  BENNETT,  who  successfully  oper- 
ates his  tract  of  seventy-five  acres  of  land 
in  Coos  county  where  he  is  also  active  as  a 
ranchman  and'  a  carpenter  and  builder,  was 
bom  in  Illinois  in  JIay.  184S.  His  parents 
were  Thomas  and  Sarali  (Baker)  Bennett,  the 
former  a  native  of  Ohio  and  the  latter  of 
Indiana.  In  the  last  mentioned  state  their 
marriage  occurred  and  to  their  union  w-ere 
born  ten  children,  six  of  whom  are  still  living. 
The  surviving  members  of  the  family  are: 
Mary,  the  wnfe  of  ilr.  Peck  of  Spokane,  Wash- 
ington; Elizabeth,  now  ilrs.  John  Jenkins  of 
Bandon,  Oregon;  George  Washington,  who  is 
living  in  Texas;  Orange  S..  who  is  a  traveling 
salesman  of  South  Dakota;  Samuel  A.,  who 
lives  in  Spokane ;  and  John  D.,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch. 

John  D.  Bennett  started  in  independent  life 
when  he  was  extremely  young.  He  was  raised 
in  Indiana  and  Minnesota  and  educated  in 
the  public  schools  of  those  states.  He  left 
home  when  he  was  twenty-three  years  of 
age  and  came  to  Oregon.  His  residence  in 
this  state  dates  from  1S71.  In  boyhood  he 
had  learned  the  carpenter's  trade  and  was 
active  in  this  line  of  occupation  for  some 
time.  He  later  took  up  land  in  Oregon,  near 
the  Washington  boundary  line,  which  he  im- 
proved and"  developed  for  four  years  but 
eventually  established  himself  in  sawmill 
operation"  on  the  Coquille  river.  His  mill  he 
brought  to  a  prosperous  condition  and  then 
sold^it  to  Binger  Herman.  Mr.  Bennett  en- 
tered the  employ  of  Mr.  Herman  and  operated 
the  sawmill  for  a  salary  for  a  short  time. 
He  then  took  up  carpentering  again,  making 
a  specialty  of  bridge  work  and  has  never  dis- 
continued" this  occupation  although  he  has 
also  engaged  in  the  cultivation  of  soil.  He 
bought  seventy-five  acres  of  land  near  Gravel 
Ford  in  1SS7  and  has  since  operated  it  along 
modern  and  approved  lines.  He  specializes  in 
dairving  and  breeds  and  raises  his  own  cows. 
He  has  twenty-five  acres  of  land  under  cul- 
tivation and  rich  harvests  of  hay,  grain  and 
garden  produce  reward  his  enterprise  and  dili- 
gence every  year.  He  is  numbered  among 
the  representative  agriculturists  of  Coos 
county. 

In  1877  Mr.  Bennett  -was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Mary  Belle  Bunch,  a  native  of 
Kansas  and  a  daughter  of  James  C.  and 
Mary  (Saunders)  Bunch,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  Tennessee.  Mrs.  Bennett  is  one  of 
ten  children  born  to  her  parents,  nine  of 
whom  are  still  living.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ben- 
nett have  been  born  seven  children:  William, 
educated  in  the  district  schools  of  Coos  county 


and  for  many  years  a  prominent  agriculturist 
in  that  region  who  upon  his  death  left  a 
widow  who  in  her  maidenhood  was  Miss  Alice 
Heartlev;  Edna  M.,  deceased;  Charles  R.,  a 
dentist  of  Pasco,  Washington;  Arthur  R., 
engaged  in  general  agriculture  in  Gravel  Ford; 
Kay  K.,  a  teacher  in  the  public  schools  of 
Coos  Bay;  Eva  M.,  attending  school;  and 
Lois  L.,  who  is  also  pursuing  her  studies. 

-Mr.  Bennett  is  a  republican  and  actively 
interested  in  local  affairs  although  he  never 
seeks  public  office.  He  belongs  to  the  Seventh 
Day  Adventist  church  and  is  well  known  in 
religious  circles.  He  has  assisted  to  the  best 
of  his  ability  and  with  gratifying  success  in 
the  slow  process  of  development  which  has 
made  Coos  county  one  of  the  most  productive 
sections  of  Oregon  and  has  added  that  state 
to  the  rich  and  prosperous  communities  of 
America. 

WILLIAM  WESLEY  TRAYLOR  is  follow- 
ing general  farming  in  the  Hard  Scrabble 
district  of  Douglas  county,  and  as  a  land 
owner  and  practical  farmer  has  gained  success 
which  has  come  gradually  and  been  natural 
evolution.  He  was  born  in  Josephine  county, 
Oregon,  on  October  12,  1859,  and  is  a  son  of 
James  N.  and  Eliza  (Woodcock)  Traylor,  of 
whom  further  mention  is  made  elsewhere  in 
this  work.  Mr.  Traylor  was  reared  at  home 
and  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Jose- 
phine county.  He  remained  with  his  parents 
until  he  was  twenty-three  years  of  age  and 
at  that  time  commenced  his  active  life.  He 
has  been  identified  with  agriculture  since  the 
beginning  of  his  career.  For  four  or  five 
years  he  worked  for  wages  upon  a  neighbor- 
ing farm  and  acquired  in  this  time  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  systems  and  methods  which  make 
farming  practicable  and  lucrative.  He  was 
ambitious  and  economical  and  had  soon  saved 
a  sufficient  sum  to  rent  a  farm.  His  land  was 
located  in  Jackson  county  and  he  brought 
it  to  a  high  state  of  cultivation  before  he 
came  to  Douglas  county  where  for  some  time 
he  rented  land  near  Elkton.  After  a  short 
period  he  purchased  one  hundred  and  ninety- 
eight  acres  adjoining  his  present  farm  but 
later  sold  this  tract  and  bought  the  land  which 
he  now  occupies.  His  holdings  comprise  three 
hundred  and  fourteen  acres  of  productive  and 
fertile  land  in  the  Hard  Scrabble  district  of 
Douglas  county,  and  by  practical  and  efficient 
methods  and  personal  supervision  of  all  the 
details  of  his  enterprise,  he  has  brought  it 
to  a  highlv  developed  and  improved  state. 

On  the  "l9th  of  October.  1883.  Mr.  Traylor 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Sarah  E. 
Powell,  a  native  of  Oregon  and  a  daughter 
of  Samuel  Powell,  a  pioneer  in  the  settlement 
of  the  state  of  Oregon.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Traylor  have  been  born  four  children :  James, 
who  is  in  partnership  with  his  father;  Julia, 
the  wife  of  Ivan  Haines,  of  Loraine,  Oregon; 
and  Millie  and  Edna,  at  home. 

Mr.  Traylor  is  a  democrat  in  his  political 
views  and  "keeps  himself  well  informed  upon 
public  questions.  He  and  his  wife  affiliate 
with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  are 
well  known  in  the  aflfairs  of  that  organization. 
Influenced  always  by  the  most  practical  and 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


351 


scientific  methods  and  guided  by  high  ideals 
Mr.  Traylor  lias,  through  his  own  well  directed 
elforts,  worked  his  way  upward  until  he  is 
today  placed  among  the  worthy  and  prom- 
inent agriculturists  of  Douglas  county. 

E.  R.  C.  WILLIAMS,  a  ranchman  residing 
five  and  a  half  miles  southeast  of  Klamath 
Falls,  is  the  owner  of  one  hundred  and  eighty 
acres  of  land  in  Klamath  county.  His  birth 
•occurred  in  Attala  county,  Mississippi,  on  the 
10th  of  October,  1862,  his  parents  being  Ben- 
jamin and  Sally  (McMath)  Williams,  both  of 
whom  died  when  our  subject  was  but  an 
infant.  The  McMath  family  owned  a  part 
of  the  present  site  of  Birmingham,  Alabama. 
Mr.  and  Mrs,  Benjamin  Williams  had  six 
children,  three  sons  and  three  daughters,  of 
whom  Mr,  Williams  of  this  review  is  the  only 
survivor. 

E.  R,  C,  Williams  spent  the  first  twenty 
years  of  his  life  in  his  native  state.  He  was 
reared  in  the  home  of  his  grandmother  until 
ten  years  of  age,  when  the  latter  died  and 
left  him  to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world. 
In  18S5  he  came  to  Oregon,  reaching  Klamath 
count v  on  the  20th  of  June  of  that  year. 
Throughout  the  intervening  twenty-seven 
years  he  ha.s  remained  in  that  county  and 
has  lived  on  a  ranch  in  the  Klamath  basin. 
He  makes  a  specialty  of  dairying  and  has 
long  enjoyed  an  enviable  reputation  as  an 
enterprising  and  prosperous  agriculturist. 
His  holdings  embrace  one  hundred  and  eighty 
acres  of  valuable  land. 

In  1890  Mr.  Williams  was  joined  in  wed- 
lock to  Miss  Mary  H.  Bryant,  who  was  born 
in  Missouri  on  the  12th  of  November,  1871, 
and  arrived  in  this  state  with  her  parents  on 
the  19th  of  March,  1889.  A  sketch  of  her 
father,  Rev.  J.  W.  Bryant,  appears  on  an- 
other page  of  this  work.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Williams  have  been  born  seven  children,  as 
follows:  J,  L.  Ferd;  Robton,  who  passed 
away  at  the  age  of  three  years;  Sally  W.; 
William  M.;  Mary  Z.;  Bryant  R.;  and  George 
Louis.     All  were  "born  in  Klamath  county. 

The  democratic  party  has  received  Mr. 
Williams'  loval  support  since  age  first  con- 
ferred upon  "him  the  right  of  franchise.  His 
religious  faith  is  that  of  the  ilethodist  Epis- 
copal church,  the  teachings  of  which  he  ex- 
emplifies in  his  daily  life.  He  has  the  courage 
of  his  convictions  a'nd  is  recognized  as  a  man 
of  strict  integrity,  whom  neither  fear  nor 
favor  can  swerve  from  a  course  which  lie  be- 
lieves to  be  right.  His  record  is  an  excellent 
illustration  of  the  power  of  industry  and 
perseverance  in  the  attainment  of  success. 

REV.  JOHN  WALLACE  BRYANT.  A  tract 
of  land  of  ninety  acres  constitutes  the  home 
place  of  the  Rev.  John  Wallace  Bryant,  who 
with  the  exception  of  a  period  of  three  years 
has  resided  continuouslv  in  Klamath  county 
since  January,  1889,  His  land  has  greatly 
increased  in  value  and  his  attention  is  no\v 
largely  given  to  the  raising  of  chickens.  He 
was  born  in  Wilson  county,  Tennessee,  July 
19  1847,  his  parents  being  Elijah  London 
and  Mary  A.  (McConnctl)   Bryant,  who  were 


also  natives  of  that  state.  The  maternal 
grandparents  removed  from  North  Carolina  to 
Tennessee  anil  the  paternal  grandfatlier,  Eli- 
jah Bryant,  was  a  native  of  England,  whence 
he  crossed  the  Atlantic  with  a  hrother  and 
settled  in  North  Carolina.  Following  the  war 
Elijah  L.  Bryant,  the  father,  removed  with 
his  family  to  Hart  county,  Kentucky,  and 
was  there' drowned  in  1865,  when  about  fifty- 
five  years  of  age,  his  birth  having  occurred  in 
ISll".  He  was  a  carpenter  and  cabinet-maker 
and  was  a  skilled  workman.  His  wife,  who 
was  born  in  1811,  died  when  nearly  eighty 
years  of  age.  In  their  family  were  twelve 
children,  one  of  whom,  William  Bryant,  was 
a  captain  of  the  Twenty-third  Tennessee 
Regiment  during  the  Civil  war,  espousing  the 
cause  of  the  Confederacy  at  an  early  period 
in  hostilities.  He  went  out  with  one  hun- 
dred and  ten  men  and  returned  with  only 
nine.  All  these  were  crippled,  and  Captain 
Bryant  almost  lost  his  life  at  Murfreesboro. 
He  participated  in  most  of  the  important 
battles  of  Mississippi  and  Virginia  and  was 
captured  at  Richmond.  James  L.  Bryant  was 
a  soldier  of  the  Twenty-second  Tennessee 
Infantry  and  afterward  reenlisted  under  Cap- 
tain Forest,  doing  scout  duty.  Of  the  twelve 
children  of  the  family,  four  sons  and  three 
daughters  are  yet  living. 

The  Rev.  John  W.  Bryant  resided  at  home 
with  his  parents  until  twenty-two  years  of 
a^e  when  he  married  and  went  to  Missouri 
but'  afterward  returned  to  Kentucky.  Later 
he  resided  for  a  time  in  Tennessee  and  sub- 
sequently in  Arkansas,  whence  he  came  to 
Oregon.  "  When  twenty-seven  years  of  age  he 
began  preaching  regularly  as  a  minister  of 
the  Methodist  church,  but  in  1896  united  with 
the  Congregational  church  and  entered  the 
dcnominStio^n  as  pastor.  His  religious  in- 
struction proved  a  tangible  force  for  good  in 
the  various  communities  in  which  he  made  his 
home.  He  removed  from  Arkansas  to  Ore_ 
aon  in  January.  1SS9.  and  has  since  resided 
m  Klamath  county  with  the  exception  of  two 
years  spent  in  Jackson  and  one  ,yc"  in 
.Josephine  county.  He  has  been  interested 
in  ranching  most  of  his  life  and  sold  a  ranch 
in  Arkansas  before  he  came  to  the  northwest. 
Wien  he  arrived  here  he  homestcaded  on 
Ixist  river,  Klamath  county,  securing  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  of  land  which  he  still 
owns  He  proved  up  on  two  hundred  acres 
of  desert  land,  which  he  sold.  He  now  owns 
and  resides  on  a  ranch  of  ninety  acres  not 
far  from  Klamath  Falls,  This  was  formerly 
a  tract  of  one  hundred  and  sixty-two  and  a 
half  acres  but  he  gave  his  son  a  portion  of 
this  It  is  situated  on  the  Lakeview  road, 
a  mile  from  the  corporation  limits  of  the  town 

Something  of  the  ".'T''^' T ■'"T"  fLrtha? 
in  this  district  is  indicated  in  the  fact  that 
while  he  paid  four  and  a  hal  dollars  per 
acre  for  the  land  in  1900,  he  has  since  re- 
fused two  hundred  dollars  per  acre  for  it. 
He  also  has  one  hundred  and  sixty-tliree  acres 
in  another  tract  and  forty  acres  in  still  an- 
other tract  on  Lost  river.  He  now  makes  a 
specialty  of  raising  pedigreed  ''l'''^';^"^  »f 
has  upon  his  place  many  of  the  finest  fowls 
produced  in  this  section  of  the  country. 


35:^ 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


On  the  liud  of  Deceuiber,  1S69,  in  Kentucky, 
the  Rev.  .J.  W.  Bryant  was'  manied  to  .Miss 
Sarali  X.  De  Witt,  who  was  born  in  Hart 
county.  Kentnelcy,  and  there  resided  until  her 
marriage.  She  is  a  daughter  of  the  Rev.  N. 
C.  and  H.  A.  (^Markham)  De  Witt,  who  were 
natives  of  Bedford  county,  Virginia,  and  were 
married  there.  Two  children  were  born 
unto  the  parents  ere  their  removal  to 
Kentucky,  wliere  both  the  father  and 
motlier  passed  away.  He  was  a  minister 
of  '  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  South, 
and  during  the  last  sixteen  years  of 
his  life  he  served  as  assessor  of  Hart  county, 
Kentucky.  Two  of  the  great-grandfathers  of 
Mrs.  Bryant  were  soldiers  of  the  Revolution- 
ary war  and  her  grandfathers  were  both 
soldiers  of  the  War  of  1812.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Bryant  have  been  born  the  following 
children:'  Mamie  H.,  the  wife  of  E.  R.  C. 
Williams,  of  Klamath  county;  Emily  B.,  the 
wife  of  J.  H.  Farrar,  of  Ashland,  Oregon; 
James  L.,  who  passed  awaj'  at  Medford  when 
a  youth  of  nineteen;  William  N.,  whose  de- 
mise occurred  at  Medford  when  he  was  six- 
teen years  of  age;  Theo  J.,  a  resident  of  New 
Mexico;  Elijah  C.,  who  died  in  infancy;  Ella 
B.,  the  wife  of  Leon  Lewis,  of  Klamath 
county;  Mrs.  Sally  W.  Curran.  who  lives  at 
home;  and  .John  Franklin  De  Witt,  wJio  was 
born  in  this  state  and  is  yet  under  the  pa- 
rental roof. 

Both  ilr.  and  Jlrs.  Bryant  are  strong  tem- 
perance people  and  belong  to  families  that 
have  long  been  total  abstainers.  In  politics 
he  is  a  stanch  democrat  and  his  fraternal 
relations  are  with  the  Masons,  the  Eastern 
Star,  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows, 
the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Independent 
Order  of  Good  Templars.  He  has  ever  sought 
to  conform  his  life  to  those  principles  of 
truth  and  honor  which  uplift  the  individual 
and  to  those  teachings  which  recognize  the 
brotherhood  of  mankind  and  the  obligation 
of  the  individual  to  his  fellows.  By  example 
as  w-ell  as  by  precept  he  has  pointed  out  to 
others  the  best  way  of  life  and  his  course 
has  at  all  times  awakened  honorable  regard. 

CARL    LOUIS    ALBRECHT    is   one   of  the 

large  landowners  of  (loos  county,  Oregon, 
having  an  undivided  third  interest  in  a  valu- 
able tract  of  agricultural  land  comprising  a 
total  of  six  hundred  and  forty  acres.  He  was 
born  in  Bremen.  Germany,  on  May  29,  1872, 
and  is  the  son  af  Carl  Henry  and  Hermania 
S.  (Windier)  Albrecht.  His  parents  were  both 
natives  of  Germany  who  emigrated  to  Am- 
erica in  188.3,  reaching  New  York  harbor  on 
April  10  of  that  year.  Immediately  upon 
reaching  American  shores  they  continued  their 
iourney  to  the  Pacific  coast  and  settled  at 
Marshfield  in  Coos  countv.  this  state,  on  Mav 
10.  1883.  Carl  Henry  Albrecht  was  by  trade 
and  occupation  a  shoemaker  and  had  accumu- 
lated during  his  industrious  and  economical 
life  a  very  large  amount  of  personal  and  real 
property,  of  whicli  he  was  possessed  at  the 
time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1S95. 
as  did  also  the  death  of  his  w-ife.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Albrecht  five  children  were  born: 
Jennie,  the  wife  of  Robert  Krnger.  of  IMarsh- 


field.  by  wliom  slie  has  five  children;  Carl 
Louis,  of  tliis  review;  Herman,  who  is  de- 
ceased;  and   two  who  died  in  infancy. 

Carl  Louis  Albrecht  was  reared  in  his 
father's  home  and  educated  in  the  district 
schools.  He  began  life  for  himself  at  the  age 
of  eighteen  as  an  emi)loye  of  a  steamboat 
company  at  Coos  Bay  and  continued  in  this 
occupation  imtil  1891.  after  which  he  was 
employed  by  a  railroad  corporation  as  one  of 
a  party  in  the  surveying  department  of  that 
company  and  continued  to  be  so  employed  for 
two  years.  Their  field  of  operations  during 
that  time  was  largely  confined  to  the  terri- 
tory of  Arizona.  After  severing  his  connec- 
tion with  the  railroad  company  he  was  en- 
gaged in  the  employ  of  a  river  and  harbor 
contracting  company,  with  which  he  remained 
for  four  years,  after  which  he  was  employed 
by  a  surveying  company  operating  in  Mexico. 
While  in  the  employ  of  that  concern  he  was 
engaged  in  topographical  work  and  continued 
in  that  occupation  for  nearly  a  year,  during 
which  time  his  health  became  impaired  and 
he.  on  that  account,  returned  to  Coos  Bay 
and  at  once  was  engaged  as  the  foreman  for 
a  fruit-drying  company  for  one  year  and  was 
afterward  employed  by  the  Simpson  Lumber 
Company  to  survey  for  that  concern  a  lod- 
ging road,  and  since  the  date  of  his  first  en- 
gagement with  that  concern  he  has  continued 
in  the  employ  of  that  company.  He  is  noAv 
the  owner  of  a  third  interest  in  six  hundred 
and  forty  acres  of  valuable  agricultural  land 
in  tliis  state. 

On  the  24th  of  December.  1901,  in  Marsh- 
field,  this  state,  Mr.  Albrecht  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Fannie  E.  Warner,  a  daugh- 
ter of  William  and  Laura  (Phillips)  Warner, 
who  were  natives  of  Indiana  and  Missouri 
respectively.  Both  the  fatlier  and  mother  of 
Mrs.  Albrecht  crossed  the  plains  with  their 
respective  parents  when  they  were  children 
and  upon  reaching  maturity  their  wedding 
was  celebrated  in  this  state,  where  her  father 
purchased  the  donation  claim  of  William  Row- 
land and  continued  to  live  upon  that  property 
until  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred 
in  1809.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Warner  four  chil- 
dren were  born:  John  C,  of  IMyrtle  Point, 
this  state,  who  lives  on  the  old  donation 
claim  purchased  bv  his  father;  itarv  C.  the 
wife  of  William  Wise,  of  Myrtle  Point;  Wil- 
liam, also  of  Myrtle  Point;  and  Mrs.  Fannie 
E.  Albrecht.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Albrecht  one 
child  has  been  born.  Vera  L..  her  birth  hav- 
ing occurred  January  22.  1903.  She  is  now 
in  attendance  at  the  public  school. 

Mr.  Albrecht  is  a  loyal  adherent  of  the  re- 
publican party.  He  has  served  three  years  as 
city  councilman,  his  last  term  having  re- 
cently expired.  During  his  time  of  service  as 
city  councilman  practically  all  of  the  harbor 
dredging  and  street  ])aving  and  other  import- 
ant municipal  improvements  in  Marshfield 
were  started  and  many  of  them  completed 
before  the  expiration  of  his  last  year's  ser- 
vice in  the  council.  Botli  he  and  his  wife  arc 
members  of  the  I-"raternal  L'nion.  Their 
residence  is  located  at  215  North  Fourth 
street.  Marshfield.  Coos  county,  this  state. 
Carl   Louis   Albrecht   is  distinguished   amonff 


THE  N^ 
PUBLIC 


■     MTOR,  LCMOX 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


355 


his  fellows  lor  his  public-spirit  and  the  sup- 
port he  gives  to  the  development  and  improve- 
ment of  his  community.  He  is  an  earnest, 
capable  and  trustworthy  business  man  and 
recognized  as  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of 
I'oos  county   and  the  city  of  Marshficld. 

HON.  JOSEPH  DE  WITT  MATLOCK.    The 

life  history  of  the  lion.  Joseph  De  Witt  Mat- 
lock   forms    a    connecting    link    between    the 
primitive    pioneer    past    and    the    progressive 
jiresent.     He  came  to  Oregon   when  all  this 
district   had   every   evidence   of   frontier   life; 
he     also    lived     and    conducted     business     in 
Alaska   during  that  period   wlien   it  was  just 
entering  upon   the  commercial   and  industrial 
activity    that    has    wrought    such    marvelous 
changes  there  in  the  past  two  or  three  dec- 
ades.    He   has   been   no  mere   idle  witness  of 
all  that  has  occurred  but  a  most  helpful  fac- 
tor in  the  work  of  progi-css  and  improvement 
of   the    northwest    in   a   material    way,   while 
upon  its  political  history  he  has  also  left  the 
impress  of  his  ability  and  individuality.     He 
is  now  living  retired  in  Eugene,  well  meriting 
the  rest   that  crowns  his   former  labors.     He 
has    passed    the    seventy-third    milestone    on 
life's    journey,   his    birth    having    ipccurred    in 
llenton    county,    Tennessee,    March    S.    1S39. 
His    father.    Edward    Lane    Matlock,    was    a 
farmer   of   that   locality   for   many   years   al- 
though a  native  of  the  state  of  Georgia.     In 
the  fall  of  1809  he  removed  with  his  family 
to  Dade  county.  Missouri,  where  he  not  only 
continued   in   the   occupation   of   farming  but 
was  also  prominent   in  the  public  life  of  the 
community,   serving   for  one   term   as   county 
judge.      In    1SJ3.    attracted    by    the    glowing 
stories  of  the  golden   west,  he  came  to   Ore- 
gon, settling  north  of  Goshen,  in  Lane  county, 
upon  a   donation  claim  of  two  hundred  and 
ninety-six   acres.     For   nine  years   thereafter 
his  time  and  labors  were  devoted  to  the  cul- 
tivation   and    improvement    of    that    tract    of 
land.     Like  the  great   majority  of  settlers  in 
this   section,   however,   he  'attempted    to    win 
a    fortune   in   the   mines,   following   the   dis- 
covery  of   the   rich   mineral   resources   of   the 
state.      In    1S62    he    went    to    the    mines    at 
Florence  and  the  following  year  to  the  Boise 
liasin,  but  in  the  latter  year  contracted  lung 
fever,  which   caused   his   death,  July   1.   1803, 
wlien  he  was  forty-six  years  of  age,  his  birth 
having    occurred    April     IS.     1817,      He    had 
seived  as  a  wagon  master  in  the  Rogue  River 
Indian  war  of  iS.-j-j-.')!!  and  in  many  ways  was 
luominently  and  helpfully  connected  with  the 
[lioneer  development  of  the  state.     His  wife. 
who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  S\isan  C.  Fr.V- 
was    born    in    Xorth    Carolina,    December    3. 
1813,  and  died   in  Hejipner,  Oregon,  May   11. 
1896.     In  the  family  wcrc'   seven  sons   and  a 
daughter:      Caswell  John   A.,  who  was  a  sol- 
dier of  the   Koguc  River  Indian   war  and  is 
no'w    owner   of    a    ranch    in    .Morrow    comity, 
Oregon:    Joseph    De    Witt,    of    this    review; 
James  W..  formerly  sherilV  of  Marion  county 
and  now  a  resident  of  TIepimer:  Eilward  Lane. 
who  died  in  Heppner  while  serving  as  shcrifT 
of   the    county;    William    F..   a    capitalist    of 
I'endleton,  Oregon,  who  served  for  two  terms 
in  the  state  senate  and  was  a   major  general 


of  the  Orcg.Jii  National  Guard;  Tliomas  J.. 
a  rancliman  of  lleppni-r;  Benjamin  F..  who 
died  in  Morrow  county ;  and  l^arah.  who  be- 
came the  wife  of  I.ec  Greenwood  and  died  in 
Eugene. 

Josepli  De  Will  .Matlock  began  his  educa- 
tion in  the  schools  ot  Dade  county,  Missouri. 
His  father  was  a  man  of  public  spirit  in  that 
comnuMiity  and  had  borne  half  the  e.\peuse 
of  maintaining  a  school  in  his  district.  The 
sou  was  lourteen  years  of  age  when  the  fam- 
ily started  across"  the  plains  in  April,  1853. 
They  traveled  with  ox  teams  and  had  a  large 
number  of  loose  cattle,  which  the  boy  drove, 
walking  the  entire  distance  from  the  -Mis- 
sissippi valley  to  the  ntu'thwest.  The  family 
brought  with  them  six  or  seven  wagons  and 
completed  the  journey  with  no  unusual  oc- 
currences save  the  incidents  and  hardships 
which  always  featured  in  such  a  trip.  They 
followed  the  old  Oregon  trail  until  they 
reached  Fort  lioisc  and  thence  came  by  Meek""s 
cutoff,  which  led  along  the  Malheur'river  to 
the  big  lakes.  Two  weeks  were  consumed  in 
going  around  the  lakes.  They  also  crossed 
the  desert,  where  their  supply  of  water  be- 
came exhausted.  They  afterward  crossed  the 
Deschutes  river  and  at  lengtli  reached  what 
is  known  as  the  Military  road.  While  en 
route  they  were  forced  to  cross  the  Willam- 
ette river  nineteen  different  times  but  at 
length  reached  their  destination  on  the  20th 
of   October.   1853. 

In  his  boyhood  days  J.  De  W.  JIatlock 
worked  on  his  father's  farm  for  several  years. 
At  times  he  had  the  opportunity  of  continu- 
ing his  education  in  the  common  si'liools  of 
(_Joshen  and  in  the  Eugene  high  school.  He 
ne.\t  entered  Columbia  College  but  the  school 
building  was  destroyed  by  tire  while  he  was 
still  a  student  there.  He  afterward  continued 
his  studies  in  the  high  school  at  Cornelius, 
Oregon,  this  ending  his  work  in  the  class- 
room. In  1802  he  went  to  the  mines  at 
Florence,  where  he  met  with  fair  success, 
after    which    he   returned    to   Lane   county. 

Ill  tile  fall  of  that  year  Mr.  .Mat lock  wedde.l 
Elizabeth  E.  Kutledge,  who  was  born  in  Illi- 
nois, November  9,  1844.  and  was  brought  to 
Oregon  in  1833.  The  young  couple  began 
their  domestic  life  on  a  farm  seven  miles 
southeast  of  Eugene,  Air.  Matlock  purchas- 
ing one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land, 
which  he  cultivated  luitil  the  death  of  his 
wife  in  1864.  He  then  look  up  the  profession 
of  t<'aching,  which  he  followed  for  two  years, 
and  within  that  time  he  was  elected  county 
superintendent  of  public  instruction,  in  which 
capacity  he  served  for  a  term.  He  preferred 
commercial  interests,  however,  and  on  his 
retirement  from  ollicc  engaged  in  pork  pack 
ing  and  in  general  merchandising  at  I'lcasant 
Hill,  Lane  county.  After  twenty  months, 
however,  he  again  took  up  his  abode  upon  a 
farm,  selecting  eight  hundred  and  fifty  acres 
in  the  vicinity  of  Pleasant  Hill,  whereon  he 
carried  on  general  agricultural  i)ur9iiits  and 
stock-raising  for  fifteen  years.  He  met  with 
excellent  success  in  that  undertaking  and 
within  the  period  of  time  designated  had 
won  a  very  gratifying  little  fortune.  He  then 
sold  his  property  and  removed  to  Eugene,  but 


356 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


lie  did  not  retire  permanently  at  that  time 
from  business  life.  On  the  contrary,  he  be- 
came identified  with  commercial  interests, 
purchasing  the  store  of  T.  G.  Hendricks  in 
1SS4.  Two  years  afterward  he  erected  at 
the  corner  of  Willamette  and  Eighth  streets 
a  handsome  three-story  business  block,  to 
which  he  removed  his  stock  of  goods,  there 
successfully  continuing  in  business  until 
1896,  when  he  sold  out  and  prepared  to  go  to 
Alaska.  He  was  en  route  for  that  country 
in  January.  1898,  going  fii-st  to  Skagway, 
after  which  he  engaged  in.  business  at  Lake 
Bennett,  British  Columbia,  for  two  years.  He 
sold  out  there  with  the  intention  of  moving 
his  stock  to  Dawson  and  proceeded  down  the 
Yukon  river,  taking  his  goods  with  him  on 
flatboats.  While  en  route  he  lost  about  two 
thousand  dollars  through  the  sinking  of  a 
boat  in  a  storm,  for,  although  he  succeeded 
in  raising  the  boat,  the  stock  was  almost 
worthless.  In  Dawson  he  again  embarked  in 
general  merchandising  but  after  eighteen 
months  closed  out  his  store  there  and  re- 
turned to  Eugene,  making  the  trip  down  the 
Yukon  river  to  St.  ilichael  and  thence  to 
Xome.  He  is  now  practically  living  retired, 
although  he  owns  valuable  property  interests 
in  this  part  of  the  state,  including  five  hun- 
dred acres  about  five  miles  from  Eugene, 
which  is  devoted  to  stock-raising.  For  many 
years  he  was  interested  in  the  Eugene  Lum- 
ber Company  as  one  of  its  directors.  In  busi- 
ness matters  his  judgment  has  ever  been  found 
to  be  sound  and  reliable  and  his  enterprise 
unfaltering.  Prosperity  has  crowned  his 
labors,  enabling  him  to  live  retired  in  the  en- 
joyment of  rest  which  has  been  truly  earned 
and  is  richly  deserved. 

Having  lost  his  first  wife.  Mr.  Matlock 
married  her  half-sister.  Louisa  Kutledge,  who 
was  born  in  Illinois.  April  1.  1851.  and  died 
in  Eugene,  July  17,  1891.  He  later  Avedued 
Mrs.  Sarah  Durant,  the  widow  of  William 
Durant.  She  was  born  in  Indiana.  August 
15,  1843,  and  became  a  resident  of  Oregon 
in  1874.  Her  father  was  Samuel  Lowe,  a 
native  of  Ireland,  who,  on  coming  to  America, 
followed  farming  near  Omaha.  Nebraska,  for 
a  considerable  period  and  after  he  retired 
made  his  home  in  that  city  until  his  death. 
The  first  husband  of  Mrs.  Matlock  was  a 
merchant  of  Eugene,  who  died  in  1SS7.  Of 
the  six  children  born  of  their  union  five  are 
now  deceased,  while  a  daughter,  Jennie,  is 
the  wife  of  Robert  M.  Pratt,  of  Eugene.  Mr. 
Matlock  is  the  father  of  twelve  children: 
Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  S.  C.  Smith,  of  Eugene; 
Edis  De  Witt;  Caswell  C;  Lulu  S.,  who  died 
in  Eugene;  Louisa  C,  the  wife  of  George 
Randebusch.  of  Los  Angeles;  Bertha,  the  wife 
of  E.  E.  Emmons,  of  Dawson,  British  Colum- 
bia; Mary  M..  who  died  in  Eugene;  Joseph 
Frye;  Frankie  and  William,  who  have  passed 
away;   Eugene;  and  Hazel,  also  deceased. 

Mr.  Matlock  is  well  known  as  a  member 
of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  holding  membership 
in  Eugene  Lodge,  Xo.  11,  F.  &  A.  M.;  Eugene 
Chapter,  No.  10,  R.  A.  M.;  Ivanhoe  Com- 
mandery,  No.  2,  K.  T.;  the  consistory;  and 
Al  Kader  Temple  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  He 
is  also  a  past  noble  grand  of  Spencer  Butte 


Lodge,  No.  9.  I.  0.  0.  F.;  and  belongs  to 
Wimawhala  Encampment.  His  religious  faith 
is  evidenced  in  his  membership  in  the  Chris- 
tian church.  He  has  always  taken  an  active 
part  in  public  aflairs  and  is  a  broad-minded 
citizen,  whose  eflforts  have  been  an  effective 
force  for  progress  and  improvement  in  the 
communities  in  which  he  has  lived.  In  1874 
he  was  elected  on  the  democratic  ticket  to 
the  state  legislature  and  he  was  chosen  mayor 
of  Eugene  for  two  terms,  or  six  years.  He 
also  served  as  a  member  of  the  city  council 
for  ten  years  more  and  has  been  chairman 
of  the  street  commissioners  and  health  com- 
missioners. He  was  mayor  and  the  moving 
spirit  when  the  power  plant  on  the  ilcKinzie 
and  waterworks  of  Eugene  were  put  in.  and 
laid  the  foundation  for  the  city  electric  light- 
ing system,  all  of  which  the  city  now  owns. 
It  took  him  eight  years,  as  mayor  and  coun- 
cilman, to  accomplish  these  things,  owing  to 
the  opposition  of  capitalists  and  corpora- 
tions who  owned  these  public  utilities.  He 
was  instrumental  in  having  a  committee  ap- 
pointed to  look  after  these  various  measures 
and  was  the  chief  factor  in  bringing  to  pass 
the  movements  which  have  proved  beneficial 
to  the  city.  He  has  acted  as  chairman  of 
the  Lane  county  democratic  central  committee 
and  was  a  member  of  the  first  congressional 
district  committee  of  his  party.  His  inter- 
ests and  activities  have  touched  the  various 
phases  of  life  which  are  factors  in  progress 
and  improvement.  He  has  ever  kept  abreast 
with  the  thinking  men  of  the  age,  has  held 
to  high  ideals  and  yet  has  utilized  the  most 
practical  methods  in  their  accomplishment. 
It  would  be  difficult  to  determine  wherein 
has  been  the  field  of  his  greatest  usefulness, 
yet  all  acknowledge  the  value  of  his  service 
along  many  lines,  honoring  him  for  what  he 
has  accomplished  and  for  the  public-spirited 
devotion  which  he  has  displayed  to  the  city 
and  state  of  his  adoption. 

NICKOLAUS  BECKER.  Germany  has  fur- 
nished many  of  the  thrifty  and  substantial 
citizens  of  Marion  county.  Among  these 
Nickolaus  Becker,  who  condticts  a  harness 
store  in  Woodburn,  stands  prominent.  His 
birth  occurred  in  the  fatherland  on  the  2d 
of  August.  1848.  his  parents  being  Johanas 
and  Mary  (!Mueller)  Becker,  both  of  whom 
were  born  in  Germany  but  came  to  America 
in  1874.  After  their  "arrival  in  this  country 
they  settled  in  Wisconsin  for  a  short  time 
previous  to  going  to  Nebraska  where  they 
remained  until  their  deaths,  which  occurred 
at  the  ages  of  ninety-eight  and  sixty  respec- 
tively. They  were  the  parents  of  eight  chil- 
dren, three  of  whom  passed  away  iji  Germany, 
the  others  being:  Jacob  A.,  a  resident  of 
Idaho;  Mary,  who  still  makes  her  liome  in 
Germany;  Nickolaus.  who  is  the  subject  of 
this  review;  Michael,  a  resident  of  Kansas; 
and  Mrs.  Bogner  of  Nebraska. 

In  1872,  at  the  age  of  twenty-four  years, 
Nickolaus  Becker  left  his  native  land  and 
came  to  America.  Previous  to  his  departure 
he  had  received  a  good  common-school  educa- 
tion and  had  served  as  a  soldier  in  the  Franco- 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


357 


Prussian  war.  His  first  residence  in  America 
was  in  Wisconsin,  but  after  a  few  years  he 
removed  to  Nebraska  and  two  years  later, 
in  1ST9,  took  up  his  residence  in  Grand  IsUiiid. 
that  state.  In  this  latter  city  he  managed  a 
harness  store  which  eventually  became  a 
wholesale  harness  and  shoe  finding  establish- 
ment and  which  he  conducted  for  twenty-two 
years.  In  1901  he  removed  to  Woodburn,  Ore- 
gon, and  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits.  He 
purchased  a  farm  of  thirty  acres,  a  mile  and 
a  half  from  Woodburn  and  for  four  years 
he  was  engaged  in  the  cultivation  and  man- 
agement of  this  property.  At  the  end  of  that 
time  his  sons,  Edward  A.,  and  Anthony  J., 
took  charge  of  it,  and  at  the  same  time  Mr. 
Becker  again  engaged  in  the  harness  business, 
this  time  opening  a  store  in  Woodburn  which 
is  now  conducted  by  himself  and  his  son, 
George  N.  He  has  met  with  great  success  in 
this  line  and  has  a  good  knowledge  of  leather 
goods.  His  practical  judgment  and  business 
ability  have  enabled  him  to  work  up  a  profit- 
able trade,  and  also  to  give  complete  satis- 
faction to  tliose  wh)  arc  numbered  among 
his  patrons.  He  also  owns  one  quarter  block 
of  valuable  business  property  in  Woodburn 
which  is  proving  a  good  investment. 

On  the  14th  of  January,  1879.  Mr.  Becker 
was  married  to  Miss  Barbara  Bogner,  whose 
birth  occurred  in  Missouri  and  who  was  a 
daughter  of  Christopher  Bogner.  The  father 
is  a  native  of  Bavaria,  Germany,  and  came 
to  America  when  a  young  man.  He  first  set- 
tled in  Missouri  where  the  death  of  his  wife 
occurred  and  later,  in  1S70,  he  removed  to 
Nebraska,  where  he  resided  until  his  death 
in  1890.  Mrs.  Bogner  was  one  of  ten  chil- 
dren, six  of  whom  are  living.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Becker  seven  children  have  been  born. 
George  X..  the  eldest,  was  born  on  the  3d 
of  February,  1880,  and  is  married  to  Salina 
Eckhout.  a  native  of  Michigan  and  the  daugh- 
ter of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  A.  Eckhout,  the  former  a 
native  of  Belgium  and  the  latter  of  Germany. 
They  are  both  residing  in  Woodburn.  George 
Becker  is  in  partnership  with  his  father  in 
the  harness-making  business  in  Woodburn. 
John  H..  the  second  son.  was  born  in  Septem- 
ber 1882,  and  is  residing  in  Portland  where 
he  conducts  a  dry-goods  business  at  Twelfth 
and  Washington  streets.  Edward  A.  was 
born  in  1886.  and  is  a  resident  of  Marion 
county  where  he  lives  upon  his  farm  and  is 
also  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  cigars. 
He  cultivates  and  raises  all  the  tobacco  which 
he  uses  in  making  his  cigars.  Clara  M..  who 
is  living  at  home,  was  born  in  18SS.  Anthony 
Joseph  and  Lucy  !M.  E.  were  born  in  1S92 
and  1893  respectively,  and  are  also  living  at 
home.  Elizabeth  died  at  the  age  of  nine 
years. 

In  religious  faith  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Becker  are 
Catholics,  holding  membership  in  the  Roman 
Catholic  church  which  they  and  their  family 
attend.  During  his  residence  in  Woodburn. 
Mr.  Beeker  has  shown  himself  to  be  a  reliable 
and  public-spirited  citizen.  He  cooperates  in 
many  movements  for  the  general  good,  and  is 
particularly  interested  in  developing  the  busi- 
ness interests  of  the  countv.    He  is  an  active 


and  willing  worker  and  stands  high  in  the 
regard  of  all  who  know  him  while  his  acquain- 
tances cover  a  wide  territory  because  of  the 
e.xtent  of  his  business  interests. 

PALMER  AYRES  owns  and  operates  a 
ranch  of  five  hundred  and  fifty  acres,  located 
five  miles  north  of  Eugene,  where  for  over 
forty  years  he  has  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits.  His  birth  occurred  in  Iowa,  in  1848, 
his  parents  being  Eli  and  Ruth  (Stevens) 
Ayres,  both  of  whom  are  deceased,  the  mother 
having  passed  away  in  Wasliington,  in  18S2. 
The  father,  who  was  a  minister  of  the  Bap- 
tist church,  was  a  native  of  England,  but  the 
mother  was  born  in  Canada.  'I'licy  were  mar- 
ried in  Illinois  but  subsequently  removed  to 
Iowa.  After  the  death  of  tlie  father  the 
mother  married  again,  her  si'cnnd  union  be- 
ing with  Sampson  Shaw,  and  together  with 
her  husband  and  family  crossed  the  plains 
in  an  emigrant  train  to  Oregon  in  1864.  Six- 
children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ayres.  of 
whom  our  subject  is  the  youngest.  The  others 
in  order  of  birth  are  as  follows:  Sarah  R., 
the  widow  of  D.  M.  Kerby.  of  Dayton.  Wash- 
ington; W.  E.,  who  is  also  a  resident  of  Day- 
ton: Amelia  and  Charles,  both  of  whom  are 
deceased;  and  J.  A.,  who  lives  in  Harrisburg, 
Linn  county.  Oregon.  There  were  two  chil- 
dren born  of  the  second  marriage:  Grace, 
who  died  young:  and  Abel,  who  lives  in  Idaho. 

The  first  sixteen  years  in  the  life  of  Pal- 
mer Ayres  were  passed  in  his  native  state, 
whence  he  removed  with  his  mother  and  step- 
father to  Oregon  in  1864.  In  December  of 
the  following  year  he  located  in  Lane  county, 
and  for  a  time  attended  scliool  in  Euffene. 
At  the  age  of  eighteen  years,  he  started  out 
to  make  his  own  wa.v  in  the  world,  and  dur- 
ing the  succeeding  seven  years  devoted  his 
energies  to  teaching  in  the  country  schools 
and  followed  such  other  occupations  as  af- 
forded him  the  means  of  earning  an  honest 
living.  LTpon  attaining  his  majoritv  he  was 
married  and  two  years  later  he  invested  his 
earnings  in  one  liundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
land  that  formed  the  nucleus  of  his  present 
ranch.  He  immediately  settled  upon  his  place 
and  h:is  ever  since  devoted  his  energies  to 
its  further  improvement  and  cultivation.  He 
has  prospered  in  his  undertakings  and  has 
extended  the  boundaries  of  his  ranch  until 
it  now  embraces  five  hundred  and  fifty  acres, 
one  hundred  and  forty  of  which  are  under 
cultivation. 

Mr.  Ayres  was  married  on  the  22d  of 
March.  1869.  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Benson,  the 
youngest  child  of  Edward  S.  and  Sarah 
"(Tandy)  Benson,  both  of  whom  are  deceased. 
They  were  the  parents  of  five  children,  the 
others  being  as  follows:  Rebecca,  Francis 
and  Kmil.v.  all  of  whom  are  deceased:  and 
Damaris.  the  wife  of  M.  M.  Gillespie,  of  Lane 
county.  The  father,  who  was  a  Baptist 
minister,  died  when  Mrs.  Ayres  was  a  child. 
The  mother  crossed  the  plains  with  her 
mother  and  brothers  in  18.51.  and  located  in 
Lane  county  near  Mrs.  Ayres'  present  home. 
After  the  death  of  Mr.  Benson  she  was  again 
married,  her  second  union  belni;  with  Vincent 
S.    JlcCIure.      Their    only   child    died    in    in- 


358 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


fancy.  AiU-v  the  deatli  of  Mr.  McClure.  Jlrs. 
McCiure  made  lier  liouio  with  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Ayres  until  she  passed  away  on  the  20th  of 
•January,  1890.  Xine  children  were  born  to 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ayres,  five  of  whom  are  still 
living,  as  follows:  Edward  L.,  who  is  a  resi- 
dentof  Junction  City.  Oregon,  is  married  and 
has  three  children:"  Chester,  Palmer  and 
Wallace.  Fannie  married  J.  S.  Walls  of  Lane 
county,  and  they  have  three  children: 
Charles.  Palmer  aiid  Xellie.  Cora,  the  wife 
of  G.  F.  Saunders,  also  of  Lane  county,  has 
four  children:  Merle.  Venita,  Ruth  and 
Pasco.  William,  who  is  likewise  a  resident 
of  this  county,  has  two  children,  Thelma  and 
Harold.  Lillian,  the  youngest  member  of  the 
family,  is  living  at  "home  with  her  parents. 
The  deceased  members  of  the  family  are  as 
follows:  Sarah  Ruth,  who  was  the  second  in 
order  of  birth,  first  married  John  D.  Fooshee, 
and  after  his  death  wedded  Joseph  Wood, 
and  became  the  mother  of  one  child,  who  is 
deceased:  Charles  and  Anna,  the  fourth  and 
fifth  in  order  of  birth;  and  Xellie.  They 
were  all  "-iveii  a  good  education  and  William 
is  a  gradmite  of  the  business  college  at  Mc- 
Minnville.  Oregon. 

Both  Mr.  and  Jlrs.  Ayres  belong  to  the 
Baptist  church,  in  the  faith  of  which  tliey 
have  reared  their  family,  ilr.  Ayres  votes 
the  democratic  ticket.  '  He  is  one  of  the 
highly  esteemed  pioneers  of  this  section,  as 
is°also  his  wife,  who  located  here  in  1S51 
with  her  parents,  and  still  holds  the  deed  to 
eiffhty  acres  of  the  old  Benson  donation  claim. 
He  has  become  one  of  the  substantial  ranch- 
men of  the  community,  which  fact  must  be 
attributed  to  his  own  efforts,  as  he  began  his 
business  career  without  any  capital  and  is 
ill   cviTV  sense  of  the  word   a   self-made   man. 

HON.  HARRISON  RITTENHOUSE  KIN- 
CAID.  Long  a  leader  of  public  thought  and 
action.  Hon.  Harrison  Rittenhou.se  Kincaid 
has  left  his  impress  in  notable  measure  upon 
the  history  of  Eugene  and  of  Oregon  at 
large.  His  labors  have  taken  tangible  form 
in  support  of  progressive  measures,  and  many 
specific  incidents  may  be  cited  where  advance- 
ment has  bei'u  greatly  conserved  directly 
throuijh  his  elVorts.  He  was  long  identified 
with  the  Oregon  State  Journal,  the  oldest 
weekly  newspaper  in  the  state  owned  by  one 
party,  and  in  addition  to  the  duties  which 
the  management  of  this  jiaper  entailed  his 
work  of  a  public  nature  has  been  of  far- 
reaching  and  beneficial  elTect. 

Judge  Kincaid  has  now  passed  the  seventy- 
sixth  milestone  on  life's  joiuney.  He  was 
born  in  :\Iadison  county.  Indiana.  January  3. 
183G.  and  is  the  eldest  of  a  family  of  seven 
children.  With  the  exception  of  his  sister. 
Elizabeth  M.  Gale,  the  widow  of  James  :M. 
Gale,  formerly  a  noted  newspaper  man  and 
owner,  but  liow  deceased,  and  himself,  all 
have  passed  away.  The  Kincaids  come  of 
Scotch-Irish  ancestry,  the  first  American  rep- 
resentative locating"  in  Virginia,  where  Fran. 
cis  Kincaid.  the  grandfather,  was  born.  It 
was  subsequent  to  Francis  Kincaid's  marriage 
that  he  moved  westward  to  Madison  county. 
Indiana,  and  with  his  family  settled  eighteen 


miles  northeast  of  Indianapolis.     He  became 
one    of   the    pioneer   farmers   of   that    state. 
His  son.  Thomas  Kincaid.  was  born  in  Green- 
brier   county.    Virginia,    in    1800.    and    there 
spent   the   first   seventeen   years  of  his   life, 
after  which  he  accompanied  his  parents  to  the 
Hoosier    state.      His    business    training    was 
of  a  most  practical  character.     He  aided  in 
the    various    duties    of    the    farm    and    also 
learned  the  blacksmith's  trade,  which  he  fol- 
lowed in  connection  with  general  agricultural 
pureuits    throughout    his    entire    life.      More- 
over,  he    possessed    notable   musical   ability, 
becoming  an  excellent  performer  on  the  vio- 
lin, and  thus  he  added  not  only  to  his  own 
pleasvire   but   also   greatly   to   the   happiness 
and   enjoyment    of   others.     He   was   ever   a 
wide-awake,  alert  and  progressive  man,  deep- 
ly   interested   in   the   important   questions    of 
the  day  whether  of  a  local  or  national  char- 
acter,   and    while    a    resident    of    Indiana    he 
became  captain  of  a  company  of  state  militia. 
Xo  duty  of  citizenship  was  ever  neglected  by 
him   aiid   his   political    allegiance   was   given 
to  the   republican  party,  which   was   formed 
to  prevent  the  further  extension  of  slavery, 
of  which  he  was  a  strong  opponent.     He  w^as 
small  of  stature  but  was  vfgorous  and  active 
and  was  a  great  runner.     Pioneer  life  proved 
attractive  to  him.  as  it  had  to  his  ancestors, 
and   with   the    intention    of   establishing   his 
home   on   the    frontier   of   Texas   he   started 
for   the   southwest   but   in   St.   Louis   met   a 
friend   who  induced   him   to   choose   Iowa   as 
a  place  of  location.    He  accordingly  became  a 
resident  of  Appanoose  county,  where  he  spent 
the  winter,  which  was  a  severe  one  and  fixed 
his  determination  of  becoming  a  resident  of 
Texas.     In  April.  1845.  he  set  out  once  more 
for   the   south   but   in   Van   Buren.  Arkansas, 
he   met    so    many    who    were    returning   that 
he  became  discouraged  and  went  east  to  St. 
Francis.  Arkansas,  where  he  spent  the  winter. 
After  a  short  sojourn  at  Memphis.  Tennessee, 
he  returned  to  Madison  county.  Indiana,  and 
occupied   his   old   home   until    1S53.      In   that 
vcar  he   made  the  long  and  arduous  journey 
across  the  jdains  to  the  Pacific  coast,  settling 
on  a  farm  three  miles  southeast  of  Eugene  in 
Lane  county.  Oregon.     However,  the  town  of 
Eugene  had  been  laid  out  only  the  year  before 
and  as  yet  not  a  house  had  been  built  within 
its  corporation  limits,  although  Eugene  Skin- 
ner  was   the   owner  of   a   house   below   Skin- 
ner's Butte  and  Hilyard  Shaw  had  one  where 
the  main  building  of  the  University  of  Ore- 
gon  now   stands.     Jim    Huddleston   and  Cap- 
tain Ankeny  had  a  plank  shanty  at  the  ferry 
where    the   bridge   has    since   been   built   over 
the   Willamette'  river.     The   father  continuecl 
to   make   his   home  upon   the   farm  on   which 
he   originally    settled   until   he   went   to   live 
with  his  son  Judge  Kincaid.  passing  away  at 
his   residence    in    186.5.   at   the   age   of   sixty- 
five  years.     He  had  married  Xancy  Chodrick. 
a  native  of  Butler  county.  Ohio,  and  a  daugh- 
ter   of    Peter    Chodrick.    who    removed    from 
Ohio  to  Indiana,  where  Ik-  spent  his  remain- 
ing days.    At   the  remarkable   age  of  ninety- 
five   years   ilrs.   Kincaid    is   a   well   preserved 
woman   and    makes   her   home   with    her    son 
Judge  Kincaid. 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


361 


Judge  Kincaid  began  his  education  in  the 
district  school  in  the  vicinity  of  his  father's 
home.  He  was  a  youth  of  seventeen  when 
the  family  started  across  the  plains  with  ox 
teams,  he  driving  one  of  the  teams  from 
Indiana  to  the  Willamette  valley.  The  trav- 
elers encountered  many  hardships  and  diffi- 
culties incident  to  a  trip  of  that  character. 
Leaving  Indiana  in  February,  they  crossed 
the  Mississippi  river  on  the  ice  and  from  the 
city  of  Burlington  made  their  way  through 
Iowa  to  the  Missouri  river,  crossing  to  the 
west  side  of  that  stream  at  a  point  nine 
miles  below  where  Omaha  now  is.  It  was 
necessary  for  them  to  tarry  for  a  brief  period 
in  order  that  the  grass  might  grow  and  thus 
furnish  pasturage  for  the  stock.  They  con- 
tinued to  the  northwest  over  the  Barlow 
route  to  Oregon,  at  which  time  there  was  not 
a  single  house  on  the  site  of  Omaha  nor  did 
they  see  any  habitation  on  the  way  until 
they  reached  Foster.  Oregon,  about  twelve 
miles  from  Oregon  City,  where  they  arrived 
September  29,  185.'i,  reaching  Lane  county 
on  the  11th  of  October.  During  the  succeed- 
ing two  years  Judge  Kincaid  was  largely 
occupied  with  the  task  of  assisting  his  father 
in  the  development  and  improvement  of  the 
home  farm.  Especially  in  the  winter  time 
did  he  give  his  attention  to  that  work,  while 
in  the  summers  he  was  employed  by  Isaac 
and  Elias  Briggs  in  digging  a  mill  race  at 
what  is  now  Springfield.  In  1855  he  pur- 
chased a  pony  and  miner's  outfit  and  started 
for  the  Rogue  river  mines.  In  the  placer 
mines  at  Althouse  creek  the  Indians  became 
troublesome,  surprised  the  miners  and  killed 
several  before  the  otliers  saw  the  necessity 
of  preparing  for  attack.  They  then  erected 
a  fort  in  that  location  and  for  several  weeks 
were  compelled  to  remain  continually  en 
the   defensive. 

Seeing  no  further  chance  for  mining,  Judge 
Kincaid  and  his  partner  started  for  Cres- 
cent City,  California,  where  they  remained 
until  spring,  earning  their  livelihood  by  chop- 
ping cord  wood  and  splitting  rails,  making 
fourteen  thousand  rails.  In  the  spring  of 
1856  as  a  steerage  passenger  Judge  Kincaid 
journeyed  on  the  steamer  Goliath  to  San 
Francisco  and  for  several  weeks  was  engaged 
in  erecting  a  plank  fence  where  the  wharves 
of  the  Pacific  Steamship  Company  are  now 
found.  He  then  went  by  steamer  to  Sacra- 
mento, walked  from  there  to  Folsom  City 
and  was  soon  engaged  in  mining  on  the 
American  river  near  Aulnirn,  where  he  con- 
tinued until  the  water  dried  up.  He  after- 
ward worked  in  the  stables  of  the  American 
Express  Company  at  !Marysville  and  later 
found  employment  with  Matthew  Sp.irks 
upon  his  ranch  at  Bear  river.  \\Tien  his  em- 
ployer sold  his  property  there  Judge  Kin- 
caid accompanied  him  to  Colusa  county  and 
was  there  engaged  in  making  rails  for  his 
employer.  The  following  summer  he  fol- 
lOAved  freighting  in  the  mountains  near  Marys- 
ville  but  in  1857  decided  to  return  to  Ore- 
gon. However,  he  expected  to  go  back  to 
California  and  there  left  his  outfit  valued 
at  about  five  hundred  dollars,  for  which  he 
Vol.  IV— 1 B 


never  was  paid.  At  San  Francisco  he  boarded 
a  steamer  bound  for  Portland  and  thence 
proceeded  to  Corvallis,  whence  he  walked  to 
Eugene. 

The  first  work  that  Judge  Kincaid  did  in 
Oregon  was  cutting  logs,  Mhich  he  hauled  to 
tlie  mill  race  and  had  sawed  on  shares,  using 
tlie  lumber  to  build  his  house,  having  pur- 
chased six  acres  of  land  in  the  southern  part 
of  Eugene  before  going  to  California.  He 
also  employed  the  burning  of  charcoal  as  a 
means  of  livelihood  and  sold  tlie  product  to 
Eugene  blacksmiths.  In  the  meantime  he 
had  come  into  full  recognition  of  the  value 
of  education  and  when  he  had  saved  a  little 
money  he  decided  to  attend  school,  enter- 
ing Columbia  College  as  a  mcmljer  of  a  class 
which  numbered  many  men  wlio  afterward 
became  famous,  including  Joaquin  Miller  and 
his  brother  John  Jliller,  D.  D.  S.,  Judge  Wat- 
son, Joseph  D.  Matlock,  Judge  J.  J.  Walton 
and  JetTerson  Blevins.  It  was  about  this 
time  that  Judge  Kincaid  entered  upon  his 
journalistic  career.  It  was  the  j'ear  1860, 
when  most  momentous  questions  were  being 
everywhere  discussed.  The  Herald,  a  demo- 
cratic paper,  strongly  supported  the  secession 
movement  in  articles  written  by  President 
Ryan,  of  Columbia  College,  \inder  the  pseu- 
donym of  Vindex.  At  lengtli  Judge  Kin- 
caid was  induced  to  answer  these  through 
B.  J.  Pengra's  paper,  called  the  People's 
Press,  writing  under  the  name  of  Anti  Vin- 
dex. President  Ryan  ascribed  the  articles 
to  Mr.  Pengra  and  made  an  attempt  to  kill 
him.  after  which  he  escaped  to  Virginia  and 
entered  the  Confederate  array.  The. next 
summer  found  Judge  Kincaid  as  a  staff  mem- 
ber of  the  People's  Press,  the  leading  re- 
publican paper  of  the  state,  and  when  its 
proprietor  was  nominated  for  presidential 
elector  and  was  making  campaign  speeches 
the  .Judge  was  loft  to  learn  printing,  while 
the  presswork  and  nearly  all  of  the  writing 
was  done  by  him  during  the  camjjaign  of 
1860.  A  short  time  afterward  he  gave  up 
this  work  and  for  two  summers  was  engaged 
in  packing  (lour  and  produce  to  Canyon  City 
but  again  became  connected  with  editorial 
work,  writing  for  a  short  time  for  the  State 
Republican,  tlie  Union  Crusader  and  the  Cop- 
perliead  Killer.  Tlie  last  named  was  edited 
by  tlie  Rev.  A.  C.  Edmunds,  who  wrote  prin- 
cipally upon  religious  subjects,  leaving  Judge 
Kincaid  to  liandle  the  political  questions.  A 
year  later  he  and  Josepli  Ware  pureliased  the 
paper  and  changed  its  name  to  the  Oregon 
State  Journal.  The  partnership,  which  had 
begun  March  12,  1864.  continued  for  a  year, 
when  Judge  Kincaid  became  sole  proprietor. 
lie  conducted  this  paper  for  forty-five  years 
and  twenty-two  weeks,  the  last  issue  being 
dated  May  29.  1900.  owing  to  the  fact  that 
daily  newspapers  killed  the  demand  for  week- 
ly publications.  He  ever  held  his  paper  to  the 
highest  possible  standard  and  he  is  today 
the  oldest  newspaper  man  in  the  state.  As 
dean  of  the  profession  he  occupies  an  hon- 
ored place.  A  contemporary  biographer  has 
written:  "Politically  no  man  has  exercised 
more  influence  than  .judge  Kincaid,  for  he  has 
proven    himself   one    of   the   strong   and    re- 


362 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


liable  men  of  his  party  and  as  such  has  won 
the  commendation  of  leaders.  He  has  always 
been  a  stanch  republican  and  in  1896  joined 
the  ranks  of  the  silver  republicans,  in  entire 
sympathy  with  whom  he  has  since  remained." 
When  the  convention  of  his  party  met  in 
Portland  April  7.  1870.  all  the  nominations 
were  speedily  made  except  that  of  state 
printer,  for  which  position  there  were  three 
candidates,  the  late  Henry  L.  Pittock,  of  the 
Oregonian,  Henry  Denlinger,  of  the  Oregon 
Statesman,  and  Dr.  N.  C.  Gault.  The  friends 
of  Judge  Kincaid,  who  was  then,  from  1866 
until  1879,  a  clerk  in  the  United  States  sen- 
ate, three  thousand  miles  away,  and  was  not 
a  candidate,  used  his  name.  He  was  nomi- 
nated on  the  fifth  ballot,  receiving  one  hun- 
dred and  nine  votes,  while  Denlinger  and 
Pittock  were  each  given  seventy-six.  The 
nomination  was  then  made  unanimous  and 
Judge  Kincaid  returned  from  Washington  to 
conduct  the  campaign.  Further  political  ion- 
ors  came  to  him  in  1894  in  his  election  to  the 
position  of  secretary  of  state  on  the  repub- 
lican ticket,  his  service  beginning  in  January, 
1895,  and  covering  four  years.  In  1898  the 
same  position  was  virtually  his  but  he  could 
not  indorse  the  gold  standard  platform  and, 
therefore,  would  not  again  become  a  candi- 
date on  that  basis.  He  cast  his  lot  with  the 
silver  republican  ticket  and  was  defeated, 
though  he  led  the  ticket.  In  1900  he  was 
nominated  on  the  citizens'  ticket  for  coimty 
judge  and  overcame  a  majority  of  five  hun- 
dred votes,  entering  upon  the  duties  of  the 
position  in  July.  1900.  for  a  four  years' 
term.  For  thirteen  years,  from  1866  until 
1879,  he  was  a  clerk  in  the  United  States 
senate,  first  in  the  finance  room,  later  in 
the  executive  room  and  afterward  in  the  en- 
rolling room,  while  subsequently  he  served 
as  indexing  clerk  until  1879.  when  a  change 
in  the  political  situation  at  Washington 
made  it  more  profitable  for  him  to  return  to 
Eugene.  He  then  again  assumed  charge  of 
his  paper,  for  which  he  had  written  letters 
and  editorials  throiighout  the  entire  time. 
Aside  from  all  his  varied  activities  Judge 
Kincaid  took  a  deep  interest  in  agricultural 
aflfairs  in  the  county  and  devoted  three  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  of  the  old  Kincaid 
donation  claim  to  stock-raising.  He  was 
likewise  interested  in  mining.  He  has  also 
dealt  largely  in  real  estate,  having  platted 
Kincaid's  addition  of  thirty  lots,  while  there 
are  yet  seven  and  a  half  acres  unplatted. 
At  the  east  end  of  Eugene  he  laid  out  Kin- 
caid Park  of  one  Inmdred  and  fifty  lots  and 
a  sixty-three  acre  tract  which  lies  across  the 
railroad,  extending  to  his  father's  donation 
claim  and  a  mile  and  a  quarter  south,  mak- 
ing two  and  a  half  miles  of  land  from  the 
head  of  the  mill  race  extending  southward. 
This  is  called  Kincaid  Park.  His  son  now 
has  charge  of  his  real-estate  interests.  Judge 
Kincaid  also  owns  eight  hundred  and  ninety- 
four  acres  two  and  a  half  miles  from  Cres- 
well  and  the  Eugene  &  Great  Western  Land 
Company  has  charge  of  the  sale  of  this  tract. 
H.  E.  Kincaid  went  to  Washington,  D.  C. 
in  the  fall  of  1866  along  with  Hon.  J.  H.  D. 
Henderson,    member   of    congress    from    Ore- 


gon, by  steamer  from  San  Francisco  via  the 
Isthmus  to  New  York,  and  tbence  by  rail. 
V^Tiile  in  government  service  at  Washington 
about  thirteen  years,  most  of  the  time  being 
a  clerk  in  the  United  States  senate,  he  trav- 
eled across  the  continent  to  and  from  Ore- 
gon by  rail  frequently  when  congress  was 
not  in  session,  the  first  time  just  after  the 
Union  &  Central  Pacific  railroad  had  been 
completed  between  Omaha  and  Sacramento. 
He  was  one  of  the  six  delegates  from  Ore- 
gon in  the  republican  national  convention  at 
Chicago  in  1S6S  that  nominated  U.  S.  Grant 
for  president  and  Schuyler  Colfax  for  vice 
president,  and  represented  one  of  the  other 
delegates  by  proxy,  which  he  transferred  to 
and  which  was  voted  by  Congressman  Rufus 
Mallory.  He  was  also  one  of  the  six  dele- 
gates from  Oregon  in  the  republican  national 
convention  at  Philadelphia  in  1872  that  nom- 
inated U.  S.  Grant  for  reelection  as  president 
and  Henry  Wilson  for  vice  president,  and 
represented  one  of  the  other  delegates  by 
proxy,  which  he  transferred  to  and  which  was 
voted  by  United  States  Senator  Henry  W. 
Corbett.  He  was  elected  to  and  served  in 
many  republican  county  and  state  conven- 
tions in  Oregon  during  a  period  of  more  than 
thirty  years. 

While  serving  as  secretary  of  state  of 
Oregon,  having  been  elected  by  a  large  popu- 
lar vote  in  1894.  at  a  special  session  of  the 
legislature,  in  1898  he  was  the  choice  of  the 
opposition  members  of  the  legislature  to 
the  regular  party  candidate  and  received 
twenty-three  votes  for  United  States  sen- 
ator on  the  final  vote  when  .Joseph  Simon 
was  elected,  secretary  of  state  was  then 
the  most  influential  and  by  far  the  most 
lucrative  office  of  the  state  and  consequently 
the  most  sought  after  and  the  hardest  to 
obtain,  much  more  so  than  the  ofiice 
of  governor.  It  included  not  only  the 
office  of  secretary  of  state  as  in  other  states, 
but  also  the  office  of  state  auditor,  state  in- 
surance commissioner,  state  incorporation 
commissioner,  state  building  and  loan  com- 
missioner, and  member  of  the  boards  that 
controlled  the  state  insane  asylum,  the  state 
deaf-mute  school,  the  state  reform  school 
(now  called  the  "State  School"),  the  state 
blind  school,  the  State  Agricultural  College, 
the  State  Xormal  School,  the  Soldiers  Home 
and  the  sale  and  management  of  all  state 
lands  and  the  loaning  and  management  of 
the  large  sums  of  money  belonging  to  the 
school  fund.  Governor  William  P.  Lord  at 
the  close  of  his  term  of  office  in  1900.  ap- 
pointed his  friend  H.  R.  Kincaid  a  regent 
of  the  University  of  Oregon,  but  his  name 
was  withdrawn  by  Governor  Geer  immedi- 
ately after  he  had  entered  upon  the  duties  of 
his  office  before  the  senate  had  an  oppor- 
tunity to  confirm  it.  although  a  large  major- 
ity of  the  senators  protested  against  the 
withdrawal  and  would  have  confirmed  it  had 
not  the  chairman  of  the  committee  returned 
it  to  the  governor  without  giving  the  senate 
a  chance  to  vote  on  it. 

Perhaps  no  two  other  men  ever  served  in 
important  positions  where  they  were  closely 
associated  and  their  duties  sometimes  brought 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


363 


them  into  conflict  more  harmoniously  and  cor- 
dially than  did  Governor  Lord  and  Secretary 
of  State  Kincaid.  Their  association  made 
them  lifelong  friends.  Jlr.  Kincaid  was  very 
active  in  securing  the  passage  of  the  act  locat- 
ing the  University  of  Oregon  at  Eugene,  and 
remained  at  the  state  capitol  during  the  en- 
tire session  of  the  legislature,  when  the  act 
was  passed,  working   for  it. 

On  the  29th  of  September,  1873,  in  Macomb 
county,  Michigan,  Judge  Kincaid  wedded  Au- 
gusta Lockwood,  a  native  of  that  locality. 
Her  brother,  C.  il.  Lockwood,  for  many  years 
was  identified  with  the  interests  of  Oregon 
although  he  died  in  Michigan.  He  and  John 
Haley,  of  Idaho,  father  of  Judge  Haley, 
owned  a  stage  line  from  Salt  Lake  to  The 
Dalles.  Mr.  Lockwood  brought  his  sister  to 
The  Dalles  on  a  visit  and  there  she  became 
acquainted  with  Judge  Kincaid,  whom  she 
also  met  in  Washington,  D.  C.,  and  they 
were  married  at  her  Michigan  home.  Their 
only  child  is  Webster  Lockwood. 

Judge  Kincaid  is  connected  with  the  State 
Pioneer  Association,  the  Oregon  Historical 
Society,  the  Eugene  Commercial  Club  and 
formerly  belonged  to  the  Illihee  Club  of  Sa- 
lem and  was  a  member  of  the  Multapor 
Club  of  Portland,  which  is  now  out  of  exist- 
ence. Judge  Kincaid's  life  has,  indeed,  been 
one  of  great  usefulness.  His  ideas  have  al- 
ways been  practical  and  his  methods  pro- 
gressive and  what  he  has  undertaken  he  has 
accomplished.  The  years  have  brought  him 
not  only  success  but  honor,  and  he  stands 
today  among  the  foremost  residents  not  only 
of  Eugene  but  of  all  Oregon,  where  he  has  a 
very   wide   acquaintance. 

MRS.  NANCY  KINCAID  was  born  in  But- 
ler county,  Ohio,  a  few  miles  from  Cincin- 
nati. July  7,  1816.  Her  parents  were  Peter 
and  Elizabeth  (Steele)  Chodrick.  Her  father 
was  a  native  of  Delaware  and  her  mother 
was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  of  German 
descent.  Her  parents  moved  from  Pennsyl- 
vania to  Ohio,  floating  down  the  Ohio  river 
in  a  flatboat,  about  1812.  They  moved  to 
the  thickly  timbered  wilderness  of  Indiana 
about  the  year  1823,  when  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  was  about  six  years  old,  and  set- 
tled about  eighteen  miles  northeast  of  where 
Indianapolis  is  now  located,  with  a  popula- 
tion of  two  hundred  and  forty  thousand.  In- 
dianapolis was  founded  in  1820,  and  became 
the  seat  of  government  in  1S25,  the  state 
government  having  been  established  in  1810. 
The  land  where  they  cleared  the  timber  and 
made  a  small  farm  and  resided  the  remain- 
der of  their  lives  is  in  the  corner  of  what  is 
now  Madison  county  on  Fall  creek  at  the 
mouth  of  Lick  creek.  They  had  nine  chil- 
dren, four  boys  and  five  girls,  Nancy  being 
the  fourth  child.  Three  were  born  in  Penn- 
sylvania, two  in  Ohio,  and  four  in  Indiana. 
'  In  1831  Nancy  Cliodrick  was  married  to 
Thomas  Kincaid.  sixteen  years  her  senior,  at 
the  residence  of  her  parents.  He  was  the 
second  son  of  Francis  and  Nancy  Kincaid, 
nee  Murdock.  who  came  from  Virginia,  now 
West  Virginia,  and  settled  in  the  wilderness 
of  Indiana,  about  the  same  time  as  the  Chod- 


ricks.  They  had  nine  children,  five  boys  and 
four  girls.  They  were  both  of  Scotch- Irish 
descent,  that  is  their  parents  were  Scotch 
who  migrated  to  the  north  of  Ireland  and 
thence  to  America  in  colonial  times. 

Thomas  and  Nancy  Kincaid  had  born  to 
them  nine  children,  five  boys,  and  four  girls, 
seven  while  residing  in  Indiana,  one  while 
residing  temporarily  in  Iowa,  and  one  at  their 
home  near  Eugene,  Oregon.  Three  died  in 
infancy.  The  other  six  lived  to  mature  ages, 
but  only  two  are  now  living,  Harrison  R., 
the  eldest,  and  Elizabeth  M.  Gale,  both  resid- 
ing in  Eugene,  Oregon. 

In  1844  Thomas  and  Nancy  Kincaid,  with 
their  three  children.  Harrison,  Rebecca  and 
Elizabeth,  started  in  a  two-horse  wagon  to 
move  from  Indiana  to  Texas.  At  St.  Louis, 
Missouri,  they  met  with  friends  who  per- 
suaded them  to  go  to  Iowa.  They  traveled 
in  the  winter  of  1844-5  up  througli  Illinois, 
and  crossed  the  Mississippi  river  with  their 
team  on  the  ice  at  Fort  Madison.  They  spent 
the  remainder  of  the  winter  near  lowaville 
on  the  Des  Moines  river.  This  village  is  not 
now  on  the  map.  The  winter  was  so  in- 
tensely cold  that  in  the  fall  of  1845  they 
started  on  for  Texas.  They  crossed  the 
Des  Moines  river  at  Attumwa,  and  the  Mis- 
souri river  on  a  boat  propelled  by  horse 
power  at  Lexington.  They  then  traveled 
southwesterly  through  Missouri  and  Arkan- 
sas to  Van  Buren  on  the  east  bank  of  the 
Arkansas  river,  opposite  Fort  Smith  on  the 
western  bank  in  Indian  Territory.  There 
they  met  so  many  discouraged  people  re- 
turning from  Texas  that  they  turned  cast- 
ward  and  spent  the  winter  near  the  St. 
Francis  river.  In  the  spring  they  traveled 
across  the  Mississippi  bottom  which  is  about 
forty  miles  wide,  made  up  of  cane  brakes 
and  swamps  with  a  black  mud  bottom  that 
sticks  to  a  wagon  like  tar.  They  camped 
a  few  weeks  on  the  west  side  of  the  Missis- 
sippi river  and  a  short  time  on  the  east  side 
in  the  upper  end  of  Memphis.  Tennessee,  at 
the  mouth  of  Wolf  creek.  After  this  they  took 
passage  with  their  wagon  and  team  on  the 
steamboat  Cincinnati,  and  landed  at  JelTer- 
sonville  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Ohio  river 
opposite  Louisville,  Kentucky.  They  then 
traveled  out  to  the  old  home  in  Indiana. 
Some  of  the  distance  the  wagon  road  was 
along  the  side  of  the  first  railroad  built  in 
Indiana,  from  Aladison  on  the  Ohio  river  to 
Indianapolis.  It  was  a  very  primitive  afTair, 
with  little  engines  and  cars  running  on  flat 
bars  of  iron  nailed  on  thick  boards  or  string- 
ers running  lengthwise  of  the  tracks,  scarcely 
resembling  the  railroads  of  today. 

In  1852  Thomas  and  Nancy  Kincaid 
started  from  their  old  home  in  Indiana  with 
an  ox  team  and  a  two-horse  carriage  for 
Oregon.  Their  children  then  living  were: 
Harrison  R.  Kincaid.  clerk  in  the  United 
States  senate  for  eleven  years,  secretary  of 
state  of  Oregon  for  four  years,  county  judge 
of  Lane  county,  Oregon,  for  four  years,  and 
managing  editor  and  proprietor  of  the  Ore- 
gon State  Journal  at  Eugene,  forty-five  years 
and  five  months;  Rebecca  Ann:  Elizabeth 
Maria;     John     Sanford;     and     Jlary     Alice. 


36-t 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


George  S.,  the  youngest,  was  born  in  Ore- 
gon, on  the  homestead  three  miles  from 
Eugene.  They  stopped  one  year  Avith  friends 
in  Benton  count}'.  Indiana,  about  thirty  miles 
west  of  Lafayette.  In  February,  1853,  they 
started  for  Oregon,  camping  in  snow  and  ice 
through  Illinois,  crossed  the  Mississippi  river 
with  their  teams  on  the  ice  at  Burlington, 
and  reached  Kanesville.  now  Council  Bluffs, 
some  time  in  April;  crossed  the  Missouri 
river  on  a  steamboat  that  had  come  up  from 
St.  Louis  to  ferry  the  emigrants  over.  May 
9.  There  was  not  a  house  then  where  Omaha 
now  stands  nor  one  in  sight  along  the  trail 
between  the  Missouri  river  and  the  Willa- 
mette valley.  There  was  not  then  a  stick 
of  timber  along  the  Platte  river  for  three 
hundred  miles,  where  there  are  now  plenty 
of  trees.  It  rained  nearly  all  the  time  dur- 
ing the  first  two  or  three  weeks.  The  water 
was  so  deep  in  the  sloughs  that  it  sometimes 
ran  into  the  wagon  beds.  The  buffalo  chips 
were  too  wet  to  burn.  Xo  fires  could  be 
made  and  they  had  to  live  mostly  on  crack- 
ers. The  driver  of  the  ox  team  had  to  wade 
the  sloughs  and  was  wet  day  and  night  until 
the  dry  country  was  reached  about  Fort 
Laramie  on  the  North  Platte.  And  from 
there  on  the  dust  was  like  a  fog,  and  every- 
body was  covered  with  it. 

Nancy  Kincaid  drove  the  horse  carriage 
nearly  all  the  way  as  far  as  the  Grande 
Ronde  valley,  near  "where  La  Grande  is  now, 
where  it  became  disabled  and  was  left.  Her 
husband  walked  or  rode  horseback  and  drove 
the  loose  stock,  and  Harrison,  their  oldest 
son.  drove  the  ox  team.  They  crossed  the 
Cascade  mountains  just  south  of  Mount 
Hood,  and  arrived  in  the  Willamette  valley, 
September  29,  1853,  and  at  Eugene,  which 
then  did  not  contain  a  house  on  the  town- 
site,  which  had  been  platted  the  year  before, 
October  11.  They  settled  three  miles  south- 
east of  Engene  and  lived  there  about  seven 
years.  They  then  moved  to  Eugene,  where 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  has  ever  since  re- 
sided, aiid  where  her  husband  passed  away  in 
the  fall  of  1806. 

She  has  resided  in  a  house  on  a  six  acre 
tract  near  the  middle  of  Eugene  during  the 
last  fifty  years,  and  has  in  all  that  time  re- 
fused to  visit  the  coast  or  Portland  or  any 
place  outside  of  the  Willamette  valley.  She 
visited  the  state  fair  at  Salem  in  a  wagon 
before  the  railroad  was  built  nearly  fifty 
years  ago,  but  that  is  the  limit  of  her  travel- 
ing since  crossing  the  plains  fifty-nine  years 
ago.  Until  a  few  years  ago  she  had  seven  or 
ci'ght  pet  deer  in  a  park  on  the  lot,  and  has 
a  chicken  park,  and  raises  dozens  of  chickens 
every  vear.  She  lives  alone  nearly  all  the 
time  of  her  own  choice,  and  does  her  own 
house  work.  She  attends  to  feeding  the 
chickens  and  gathering  the  eggs.  Her  son, 
who  is  twenty  years  hor  junior,  usually 
dines  with  her  every  day,  and  she  prepares 
the  meal,  and  her  daughter  usually  spends 
an  hour  or  more  with  "her  every  afternoon, 
and  neighbors  frequently  call  to  talk  over 
familiar  matters,  or  to  got  information  con- 
cerning pioneer  or  local  history,  for  she  has 
a  wonderful   memory  and  remembers   every- 


thing that  has  ever  come  within  her  knowl- 
edge during  her  whole  life  of  ninety-six 
years  up  to  the  present  time.  Her  mind 
is  as  clear  and  bright  as  it  ever  was.  She 
seems  to  be  as  young  and  in  nearly  as  good 
a  condition  physically  and  mentallv  as  she 
was  fifty  years  ago.  She  is  small,  about  five 
feet  tall,  and  did  not  weigh  more  than  one 
hundred  and  fifteen  pounds  in  her  prime  and 
weighs  less  now.  Considering  her  age  and 
the  terrible  hardships  and  privations  she 
has  endured,  not  one  in  a  million  having 
endured  so  much,  she  is  a  human  phenom- 
enon, a  living  wonder.  Recently  Mrs.  Kin- 
caid was  made  queen  of  the  pioneer  women 
of  Oregon,  being  the  oldest  pioneer  woman 
in   the  state. 

About  twelve  years  after  her  husband 
passed  away  she  married  T.  S.  Riddel,  a  fine 
old  gentleman,  a  few  years  her  senior,  who 
came  out  from  Illinois.  He  passed  away 
about  twelve  or  fifteen  years  ago.  But  she 
prefers  to  retain  and  is  almost  uniformly 
known  by  her  family  name,  the  name  of  her 
children,  Kincaid. 

ANDREW  A.  LEE,  who  is  president  and 
manager  of  the  Salem  Abstract  Company 
and  one  of  the  first  abstractors  of  the  city 
of  Salem,  was  born  in  Iroquois  county.  Illi- 
nois, on  the  15th  of  .June,  1865.  a  son 'of  Al- 
fred D.  and  Mary  Jane  (Slack)  Lee.  The 
father  was  born  in  Indiana  and  the  mother 
was  a  native  of  Ohio.  After  their  marriage 
they  located  upon  a  farm  in  Iroquois  county 
where  they  remained  several  years  before 
removing  to  Michigan  and  later  to  Ren- 
sselaer, Indiana.  They  are  now  living  there 
retired.  They  are  members  of  the  Christian 
church  and  Mr.  Lee  gives  his  political  sup- 
port to  the  democratic  party. 

Andrew  A.  Lee  was  reared  at  home  and 
acquired  his  education  in  the  public  schools 
and  subsequently  in  Grand  Prairie  Semi- 
nary at  Onarga,  Illinois.  Following  the  com- 
pletion of  his  studies  in  that  institution 
he  took  up  the  abstract  business,  securing 
a  position  with  the  Barber  Abstract  Com- 
pany at  .Joliet.  Illinois.  After  remaining 
there  for  less  than  a  year  he  went  to  Wat- 
seka  and  spent  the  following  winter  in  an 
abstract  office  there.  He  subsequently  left 
the  middle  west  and  came  to  the  Pacific 
coast,  locating  in  Salem.  From  the  time  he 
was  in  the  public  schools  he  had  fully  de- 
termined upon  abstracting  as  his  life's  pro- 
fession, and  the  immediate  and  earnest  ap- 
plication he  gave  to  it  after  leaving  school 
showed  his  persistent  purpose  to  succeed. 
When  he  arrived  in  Salem  he  was  a  stranger 
in  a  strange  land  with  no  equipment  but 
his  honesty  and  his  ability.  On  the  1st 
of  January,  1900,  he  secured  a  position  in 
the  Salem  Abstract  offices,  and  from  that 
minor  position  he  rose  to  manager  of  the 
company.  For  several  years  following  he 
had  charge  of  the  work  in  the  offices  and 
in  1906  he,  in  partnership  with  LT.  G.  Boyer. 
purchased  the  business  and  good-will  of  "the 
Salem  Abstract  Company.  At  that  time  he 
was  made  pi'csident  and  manager  of  the  busi- 
ness.    For  five  vears  the  business  was  con- 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


367 


ducted  by  these  men,  but  in  April,  1911, 
Jlr.  Boyer  severed  bis  connections  witb  the 
lirm  and  Mr.  Lee  took  D.  F.  Skene,  George 
J.  Watson  and  A.  P.  Planning  into  partner- 
ship with  him.  The  firm  Mas  reorganized 
with  a  capital  stock  of  fifty  thousand  dol- 
lars, Mr.  Lee  remaining  president  and  general 
manager.  The  able  conduct  of  this  enter- 
prise showed  to  tlie  citizens  of  Salem  the 
unusual  business  ability  which  Mr.  Lee  pos- 
sessed. He  has  ahead}'  won  the  confidence 
of  the  entire  community,  and  so  thoroughly 
cognizant  were  they  of  his  capability  as  the 
manager  and  director  of  large  enterprises 
that  he  became  one  of  tlie  most  prominent 
organizers  at  tlie  time  the  ilutual  Savings 
&.  Loan  Association  was  incorporated.  Sub- 
sequently he  became  its  president  and  he 
is  now  serving  in  that  capacity.  Mr.  Lee's 
connections  witli  Salem  have  extended  in 
various  directions.  He  has  been  one  of  the 
most  public-spirited  citizens  Salem  ever  had. 
He  is  very  prominent  in  educational  circles. 
While  he  was  a  member  of  the  school  board 
he  did  more  than  any  other  one  man  to  bring 
the  system  of  the  public  schools  of  Salem 
to  the  high  state  of  perfection  wliieli  it  today 
enjoys.  Upon  his  retirement  from  tlie  board 
he  was  presented  with  a  gold  watch  in  ap- 
preciation of  the  services  he  had  rendered. 
He  has  also  been  a  member  of  the  board 
of  trustees  of  Willamette  University.  His 
prominence  in  church  work  is  also  note- 
worthy. He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  and  was  chosen  lay  dele- 
gate to  tlie  conference  to  be  held  in  May, 
1912,  at  Minneapolis,  Minnesota.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  church 
and  is  active  in  church  work  generally.  '  He 
holds  membership  in  the  City  Library  com- 
mission which  is  now  completing  plans  for 
a  twenty-eight  thousand  dollar  library  to 
be  erected  at  the  corner  of  State  and  Winter 
streets.  He  has  always  taken  a  foremost 
part  in  all  civic  improvements  and  is  recog- 
nized as  a  man  who  fills  an  important  posi- 
tion  in   the  allairs   of  the  city. 

In  1893  Mr.  Lee  was  married  to  Miss  Lin- 
nie  Atwood  of  Onarga,  Illinois.  She  is  a 
daughter  of  Professor  J.  H.  Atwood,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  faculty  of  the  Grand  Prairie  Sem- 
inary. To  their  union  two  children  have 
been  born,  Lloyd  and  Paul. 

Mr.  Lee  holds  membersliip  in  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  is  past 
grand  of  his  lodge.  His  course  has  ever 
been  marked  by  steady  progress,  and  the 
distinctively  representative  circle  of  citizens 
numbered  as  his  friends  attests  his  fidelity, 
integrity  and  altruism. 

BUTLER  BROTHERS.  Representatives  of 
the  Butler  family  in  Oregon  need  no  intro-. 
duction  to  the  residents  of  Douglas  county. 
The  local  pioneer  history  is  filled  witli  the 
story  of  the  settlement  of  Rufus  Butler,  who 
was  one  of  the  stanch  and  sturdy  frontiers- 
men to  whom  America  owes  her  great  north- 
west. He  it  was  who  founded  the  family  in 
Oregon.  The  spirit  of  tlie  fatlier  has  de- 
scended to  the  sons  and  the  fidelity  and 
forceful   personality   whidi   energized  his   na- 


ture are  today  alive  in  Benjamin  and  Abra- 
ham Lincoln  Bufler,  wlio  are  numbered 
among  the  men  who  represent  in  their  sec- 
tion all  that  is  honorable  and  worthy  in  agri- 
cultural development.  They  are  now  operat- 
ing conjointly  the  farm  which  constituted 
their  father's  original  homestead  and  their 
united  efl'orts  have  resulted  in  a  property  of 
many  level  acres  planted  in  grain  and  grasses, 
and  equipped  witli  tine  burns  and  outbuild- 
ings grouped  at  regular  intervals,  with  fields 
lying  m  productive  fertility.  The  farm 
torms  one  of  the  attractive  features  of  the 
landscape  in  Douglas  county  and  is  one  of 
the  largest  agricultural  enterprises  in  this 
section.  The  older  brother  is  Benjamin  But- 
ler, a  son  of  Rufus  and  Sarah  (Wells)  But- 
ler, the  former  a  native  of  New  Bedford, 
Massachusetts,  and  the  latter  of  Kentucky. 
The  father's  birth  occurred  in  1812  and  he 
received  his  early  training  and  education  in 
liis  native  state.  "Wlien  he  had  attained  his 
manhood  he  shipped  on  board  a  vessel  and 
for  twelve  years  followed  a  seafaring  life. 
In  1849  he  came  via  the  Isthmus  of  Panama 
to  the  California  gold  fields  and  was  one 
of  a  company  of  twelve  men  who  came  from 
Massachusetts  seeking  their  fortunes.  In  the 
years  that  followed  he  helped  to  bury  all 
of  his  eleven  companions  and  in  1850  came 
to  Oregon  on  account  of  failing  health.  He 
was  one  of  the  earliest  pioneers  in  the  set- 
tlement of  the  state.  He  first  engaged  in 
freighting  and  lumbering  and  loaded  the  first 
vessel  which  ever  came  up  the  Umpqua  river 
to  its  mouth.  It  was  loaded  with  piling  for 
which  he  received  twenty-two  cents  a  run- 
ning foot.  He  drove  tlie  first  freight  wagon 
out  of  Scottsburg  to  Roseburg  and  organ- 
ized the  first  school  district  on  the  Umpqua 
river.  He  took  up  a  donation  claim  when 
he  first  came  into  the  county  and  this  con- 
stitutes the  present  Butler  farm.  He  w-as 
a  republican  in  his  political  views  and  while 
never  an  ofliee  seeker  was  an  inlluential  force 
in  local  public  life.  He  was  justice  of  the 
jieace  and  held  the  first  court  ever  held  in 
Scottsburg.  When  he  settled  in  this  district 
there  were  only  nine  white  men  on  the  Ump- 
i|ua  river  and  he  aided  in  the  gradual  develop- 
ment and  expansion  of  one  of  the  greatest 
states  in  America.  He  resided  on  his  dona- 
tion claim  until  his  death,  in  ISSl.  The 
mother  of  our  subjects  crossed  the  plains  to 
Oregon  in  1S54  and  soon  after  lier  arrival 
liere  was  united  in  marriage  to  Rufus  Butler. 
She  aided  her  husband  in  his  pioneer  work  of 
development  and  lived  in  Oregon  until  her 
death  in  1898.  She  was  a  devout  member 
of   the   Christian   church. 

Benjamin  Butler  who  was  born  on  the  old 
liomestead,  on  March  12.  1800.  was  reared  at 
home  and  received  his  education  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Douglas  county  and  at  Wilbur 
Academy.  His  agricultural  career  dates  from 
his  childhood  and  when  he  was  still  a  boy 
he  was  an  active  assistant  to  his  father  in 
the  labors  of  the  farm.  When  Rufus  Butler 
ilied  he  began  active  life  for  himself,  rent- 
ing the  home  property  wliieh  he  operated 
for  five  years.  .\t  the  end  of  that  time  ho 
was  joined  by  bis  brother,  Abraham  Lincoln 


368 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


Butler,  and  the  two  have  brought  the  home 
farm  to  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  operat- 
ing it  along  lines  of  progress  and  expansion. 
They  keep  abreast  of  the  times  and  are  in- 
terested in  every  new  piiase  of  agricultural 
life.  Benjamin  Butler  besides  his  interest 
in  his  father's  property  owns  another  of  two 
hundred  and  thirty-seven  acres  which  ad- 
joins the  homestead.  Here  he  carries  on 
diversified  farming  and  stock-raising  and 
meets  with  the  success  which  has  attended 
him  in  all  the  labors  of  his  life. 

In  1899  Benjamin  Butler  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Mrs.  Charles  Smith,  a  native 
of  the  Yoncalla  valley,  Douglas  county,  Ore- 
gon, who  was  in  her  maidenhood  Rosa 
Walker,  a  daughter  of  Alpheus  Walker.  Mrs. 
Butler's  father  came  to  Oregon  in  1848  and 
located  in  Douglas  county  in  1852.  Unto 
our  subject  and  his  wife  has  been  born  one 
child,  Cordelia  S.,  who  is  living  with  her  par- 
ents. Mrs.  Butler  affiliates  with  the  Chris- 
tian church  and  is  an  active  worker  in 
religious  circles.  In  his  political  views  Mr. 
Butler  is  a  consistent  republican  but  has 
never  been  an  office  seeker.  He  is  one  of  the 
substantial  men  of  the  Umpqua  valley  and 
has  extensive  fraternal  affiliations.  He  be- 
longs to  the  Elkton  Lodge,  No.  192,  I.  0.  0. 
F.,  and  to  Sunset  Lodge,  No.  8,  A.  0.  U.  W., 
of  Gardiner,  Oregon.  He  is  a  man  of  undoubted 
talent  along  agricultural  lines  and  has  given 
many  years  of  his  life  to  making  the  farm 
which  he  operates  productive  to  the  highest 
degree.  He  is  ably  assisted  in  the  fulfilling 
of  his  ambition  by  his  brother,  Abraham 
Lincoln  Butler,  who  has  attained  an  equal 
reputation  as  a  scientific  agriculturist.  The 
brothers  unite  in  their  efforts  along  expan- 
sion and  professional  lines  and  much  of  their 
success  is  due  to  their  harmonious  relations. 

Abraham  L.  Butler  is  also  a  native  son  of 
Douglas  county  and  was  born  on  his  father's 
homestead  on  July  30. 1865.  He  was  reared  at 
home  and  acquired  his  education  in  the  pub- 
lie  schools,  later  attending  the  Central  Ore- 
gon State  Normal  School  at  Drain.  He  was 
nineteen  years  of  age  when  his  father  died 
and  one  year  later,  in  partnership  with  his 
brother  Benjamin,  rented  from  the  estate  the 
homestead  which  constituted  the  original 
Butler  farm.  For  five  years  they  farmed  in 
partnership  and  in  1890  bought  the  land 
which  they  have  operated  with  conspicuous 
success  since  that  time.  Abraham  Butler 
has  since  bought  a  smaller  tract  of  land  of 
thirty-three  acres  adjoining  the  home  farm 
and  this  he  has  also  developed  along  pro- 
gressive lines. 

In  October,  1891,  Abraham  Butler  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Aurilla  Maxfield, 
a  native  of  Kansas  and  a  daughter  of  T.  J. 
Maxfield,  who  came  to  Oregon  about  1889. 
He  is  now  a  resident  of  Siskiyou  county,  Cali- 
fornia. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Abraham  Butler  have 
two  children,  Muriel  and  Roy.  In  his  politi- 
cal views  Mr.  Butler  is  a  stanch  republican. 
In  1910  he  was  a  candidate  for  nomination 
for  the  office  of  county  commissioner.  He 
had  a  strong  support  but  failed  of  nomina- 
tion on  account  of  peculiar  political  condi- 
tions.    His   fraternal  affiliations   include   his 


connection  with  Elkton  Lodge,  No.  192,  I.  0. 
0.  F.,  and  with  Sunset  Lodge,  No.  8,  A.  O. 
U.  W.,  in  which  organization  he  holds  mem- 
bership in  Gardiner,  Oregon.  Abraham  Lin- 
coln Butler  is  an  energetic,  broad-minded 
and  public-spirited  citizen,  stanchly  loyal  to 
local  institutions  and  formulating  his  doc- 
trine of  activity  according  to  the  creed  of 
his  illustrious  namesake,  and  with  him  he 
believes  that, "There  is  something  better  than 
making  a  living— making  a  life."  He  has  lived 
up  to  worthy  standards  and  carried  on  his 
activities  along  progressive  lines,  and  with 
his  brother  stands  today  a  worthy  repre- 
sentative of  the  spirit  of  the  American  north- 
west. 

FRANK  S.  BUNCH,  one  of  the  progressive 
and  public-spirited  citizens  of  Coos  county,  re- 
sides one  half  of  a  mile  from  Gravel  Ford, 
Oregon,  up  the  north  fork  of  the  Coquille 
river,  and  is  the  owner  of  thirty-eight  acres 
of  land  which  he  cultivates  along  with  one 
hundred  and  forty  acres  which  he  rents. 
He  does  an  extensive  dairy  business  and  is 
actively  interested  in  the  breeding  and  rais- 
ing of  high-grade  cattle  and  horses.  He  was 
born  in  Kansas,  on  February  11,  1865,  and 
is  a  son  of  James  and  Mary  (Saunders) 
Bunch.  The  parents  were  natives  of  Ten- 
nessee and  came  to  the  American  northwest 
in  1872  in  which  year  they  settled  near 
Milton  in  Umatilla  county.  Their  children 
are  as  follows:  Ann.  the  widow  of  Charles 
Watkins,  who  makes  her  home  with 
her  daughter,  Mrs.  E.  A.  Mereen:  John 
M.,  who  lives  with  his  family  in  Los  Angeles, 
California;  William  H.,  who  holds  the  posi- 
tion of  superintendent  of  the  public  schools 
of  Coos  county  and  resides  at  McKinley, 
Oregon;  Mary  B.,  the  wife  of  John  D.  Ben- 
nett of  Gravel  Ford,  of  whom  more  extended 
mention  is  made  on  another  page  of  this 
work;  Charles  H.,  of  Coquille,  Oregon;  Alice, 
now  Mrs.  Charles  Holt  of  Gaston,  Oregon; 
Frank  S.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  May, 
the  wife  of  Joseph  Bright  of  Gaston.  Oregon; 
and  Hattie  M.,  who  married  Professor  Robert 
Airey  of  Cottage  Grove,  Oregon. 

Frank  S.  Bunch  was  reared  upon  his 
father's  farm  and  received  his  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  Coos  county.  By  a  wise 
use  of  every  opportunity  and  extensive  read- 
ing combined  with  innate  intelligence  he 
fitted  himself  for  teaching  and  when  he  laid 
aside  his  books  at  the  age  of  nineteen  was 
given  a  position  as  teacher  in  the  public 
schools.  He  also  taught  in  the  Gravel  Ford 
Academy  under  the  direction  of  the  Seventh 
Day  Adventists  and  was  principal  of  that 
institution  for  six  years.  In  1900  he  bought 
thirty-eight  acres  of  land,  half  a  mile  from 
'Gravel  Ford  and  began  its  cultivation.  He 
then  rented  one  hundred  and  forty  adjoining 
acres  and  has  since  been  engaged  in  farming 
on  both  tracts.  He  raises  all  kinds  of  grasses 
and  grain  and  specializes  in  the  breeding 
of  high-grade  horses  and  cows. 

On  October  15.  1890.  Mr.  Bunch  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  JIary  Leek,  a  native  of 
Illinois,  and  a  daughter  of  Rev.  William  and 
Nancy    (Hodges)    Leek.     Mrs.   Bunch   is   one 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


369 


of  nine  children  born  to  her  parents: 
Fannie,  who  married  Thomas  Vert  of 
Turlock,  California;  Jlary,  the  wife  of 
our  subject;  Ila,  who  married  Orville 
Messenger  of  Cliadron,  Nebraska;  John  H., 
who  resides  in  Newcastle,  Wyoming;  Amy. 
the  wife  of  Benjamin  F.  Roy  of  Rushville, 
Nebraska;  George,  who  lives  in  Hot  Springs. 
South  Dakota;  and  three  children  who  are 
deceased.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bunch  have  been 
born  seven  children:  Raymond,  whose  birth 
occurred  on  July  11,  1893,  and  who  is  teach- 
ing school  at  Parkersburg,  Oregon;  Frank 
L.,  born  July  ;)2.  1894,  who  is  attending  the 
Gravel  Ford  Academy;  William,  a  twin 
brother  of  Frank  L.,  also  attending  school; 
Edith,  whose  birth  occurred  on  the  2d  of 
February,  1900.  and  who  is  attending  school; 
Paul,  born  July  14,  1904;  Dorsey,  whose 
birth  occurred  on  the  24th  of  August,  1907; 
and  Bessie,  born  April  23,  1910. 

Frank  S.  Bunch  is  a  republican  ami  takes 
an  intelligent  interest  in  public  affairs  al- 
though he  never  seeks  public  office.  He  is 
a  Seventh  Day  Adventist.  In  his  career  as  a 
teacher  he  did  able  and  effective  work  in 
the  expansion  and  development  of  educa- 
tional facilities,  and  as  a  farmer  is  justly 
accorded  a  place  among  the  prominent  and 
representative  citizens  of  the  county. 

JOHN  L.  KENT.  The  Kent  family  is  one 
of  the  best  known  in  Douglas  county  today 
and  its  prominence  is  due  to  an  honorable 
record  dating  from  the  early  times  of  pioneer 
settlement.  Its  representative  at  the  present 
day  is  John  L.  Kent,  one  of.  the  substantial 
and  influential  citizens  of  the  district,  who  in 
the  cultivation  of  his  fine  farm  of  two  hun- 
dred acres  is  carrying  on  the  work  of  expan- 
sion and  development  begun  by  his  father. 
Mr.  Kent  is  a  native  son  of  Oregon  and  was 
born  in  Douglas  county,  July  24,  1865.  He 
is  a  son  of  Levi  and  Mary  E.  (Allison)  Kent, 
who  were  among  the  very  first  settlers  in  the 
state  of  Oregon.  They  crossed  the  plains 
with  ox  teams  from  Illinois-  to  Douglas 
county  in  1849  and  were  identified  with  the 
growth  and  development  of  this  section  for 
many  years.  Their  first  location  was  made 
in  Scottsbnrg  but  they  subsequently  removed 
to  a  farm  three  miles  south  of  Elktou  and 
here  Levi  Kent  became  greatly  inHuential 
and  prominent.  He  was  at  the  time  of  his 
death  one  of  the  most  extensive  land  owners 
of  the  county  in  which  he  resided  and  one  of 
the  greatest  individual  forces  in  agricultural 
expansion.  He  died  in  1901  and  was  survived 
by  his  wife  until  1904  or  1905.  His  passing 
left  a  place  in  farming  circles  of  Douglas 
county  which  is  yet  unfilled  and  deprived  the 
citizens  of  this  section  of  a  loyal  and  upright 
friend. 

John  Kent  was  reared  at  home  and 
acquired  his  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  Douglas  county.  He  became  acquainted 
with  the  rudimentary  principles  of  agricul- 
ture when  he  was  still  a  child  and  as  he 
advanced  in  years  was  given  more  respon- 
sible duties  upon  his  father's  farm  until  he 
became  an  expert  in  all  the  details  connected 
with    the    tilling   and    cultivating  of   the    soil 


and  the  caring  of  grain  and  stock.  When 
he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age  he  began 
active  life  for  liimseff,  cultivating  a  part  of 
the  home  farm  for  ten  years.  At  the  end 
of  that  time  he  purchased  from  his  father 
one  luindred  and  sixty  acres  which  now  form 
a  part  of  his  present  tract  of  two  hundred 
acres.  He  cultivates  his  land  along  the  most 
modern  and  jirogressive  principles  and  has 
already  brought  it  to  a  high  state  of  devel- 
opnuuit.  He  has  fenced  i"t  into  fields,  has 
built  substantial,  barns  and  outbnildings 
equipped  with  modern  labor-saving  machinery 
and  has  drained  and  tiled  his  liotdings.  mak- 
ing his  farm  one  of  the  model  pnqiertics  in 
Douglas  county.  He  owns  beside  this  ranch 
three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  valuable 
land  in  other  places  of  the  state. 

In  1891  Mr.  Kent  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Kittle  Powell,  a  native  of  Lane 
county,  Oregon,  and  a  daughter  of  Samuel 
Powell,  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  that 
district.  Mrs.  Kent  is  a  devout  adherent  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  churcli  and  is  widely 
known  in  religious  circles.  In  his  political 
views  Mr.  Kent  is  a  stanch  repul)lican  but 
has  never  sought  public  ollice,  devoting  his 
entire  time  to  the  progressive  cultivation  of 
the  soil.  Agriculture  is  every  day  assuming 
new  aspects  and  becoming  more  systematic 
and  scientific  and  Mr.  Kent  has  keiit  abreast 
of  this  modern  evolution  and  his  labors  have 
assisted  in  county  and  state  progress  by  pro- 
moting the  richness  and  productiveness  of 
a  valuable  farm. 

LUTHER  FLETCHER  ORPURD,  whose 

earlier  years  of  maturity  were  spent  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits  in  Missouri  :ind  K;insas,  has 
since  1891  been  engaged  in  the  teaming  and 
transfer  business  in  Cottago  (Jrove.  He  was 
born  in  Indiana  in  1S54,  ;i  son  of  (nlvin  and 
Eliza  (Newkirk)  Orpurd,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  that  state.  He  was  the  eldest  of 
five  children  born  to  his  parents,  the  other 
members  of  the  family  being:  Arminda,  who 
is  a  widow  and  resides  in  California;  Mis- 
souri, (he  wife  of  Frank  Alford,  of  Salem, 
Oregon;  Ira,  deceased;  and  Florence,  the  wife 
of  Frank  Woodhouse,  of  California. 

Luther  Fletcher  Orpurd  renuiined  at  home 
and  assisted  his  father  with  the  farm  work 
until  he  was  twenty  years  of  age,  having 
in  the  meantime  received  a  good  common- 
school  education.  He  then  engaged  in  farm- 
ing in  Missouri  and  later  in  Kansas,  and  in 
1891  came  to  Oregon,  settling  in  Cottage 
Grove,  where  he  engaged  in  the  teaming  busi- 
ness and  has  since  successfully  contimied  in 
this  line  of  work.  He  pays  s'trict  attention 
to  his  work,  is  prompt  in  filling  all  orders 
and  is  prosperous.  He  is  the  owner  of  a 
comfortable  home  and  is  respected  by  the 
public  in  general. 

On  September  1.  1880.  Mr.  Orpurd  was 
married  to  Miss  Lillie  Jones,  whose  mother 
passed  away  in  1S77,  after  which  the  father 
removed  to"  Oregon  in  1885,  settling  in  Cot- 
tage Grove.  He  was  a  carpenter  Dv  trade 
but  is  now  living  retired.  A  brother  of  Mrs. 
Orpurd.  .1.  I.  Jones,  has  taken  much  interest 
in    the    development    of    the    comnuinity     in 


370 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


which  lie  lives  and  operates  a  sawmill  about 
twenty  miles  from  Cottage  Grove.  He 
founded  the  town  there  of  which  he  was  post- 
master and  where  he  conducted  a  store. 
Mr.  and  iJrs.  Orpurd  are  the  parents  of 
two  children:  Hattie,  the  wife  of  Harry 
Hart,  a  druggist  of  Cottage  Grove,  and  the 
mother  of  two  children,  Velma  and  Harry 
Luther;  and  Lizzie,  the  wife  of  Charles 
Cochran,  a  teacher  of  music,  of  Eugene,  and 
the  mother  of  two  children,  Herbert  Luther 
and  Gertrude.  Mr.  Oi-purd  is  a  socialist  but 
he  has  never  taken  a  particularly  active 
interest  in  polities  and  has  never  sought 
office.  During  his  residence  of  over  twenty 
years  in  Cottage  Grove  Mr.  Orpurd  has  estab- 
lished a  good  reputation  as  a  business  man, 
has  enjoyed  the  confidence  of  a  large  num- 
ber of  customers  and  has  been  held  in  high 
esteem  by  all  his  acquaintances. 

HENRY  SPORES  is  a  representative  of  one 
of  the  old  and  lionored  pioneer  families  of 
the  Sunset  state  and  is  still  the  owner  of 
five  hundred  acres  of  the  original  donation 
claim  which  was  entered  from  the  govern- 
ment by  his  father  on  coming  to  the  Pacific 
coast.  The  greater  part  of  his  life  has  been 
passed  in  Oregon,  for  he  was  only  about  a 
year  old  when  he  came  to  the  northwest.  He 
was  born  in  Hlinois,  February  6.  1846,  and 
the  following  j-ear  the  family  made  the  long 
trip  across  the  plains  witli  a  Flathead  Indian 
as  their  guide,  while  the  father,  Jacob  C. 
Spores,  acted  as  captain  of  the  wagon  train 
with  which  they  traveled.  Amid  pioneer 
conditions  and  surroundings  Henry  Spores 
was  reared  and  his  education  was  obtained 
in  one  of  the  old-time  log  schoolhouses  of 
the  frontier.  When  not  busy  with  his  text- 
books he  was  assisting  his  father  in  the 
development  of  the  donation  land  claim  and 
continued  at  home  until  his  marriage  when 
he  started  out  in  life  for  himself.  He  built 
the  house  which  he  now  occupies  but  still 
continued  upon  his  father's  ranch,  devoting 
his  energies  to  farming  and  stock-raising.  He 
handled  both  cattle  and  horses  and  still 
raises  stock.  He  has  a  well  developed  prop- 
erty, comprising  five  hundred  acres  of  the 
original  donation  claim  and  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  adjoining  which  he  purchased. 
He  also  owns  land  in  other  localities,  for  he 
has  made  judicious  investment  in  real  estate, 
from  which  he  derives  a  good  income. 

In  February,  186S,  in  Coburg,  Mr.  Spores 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Philena  Monroe, 
a  daughter  of  William  and  Margaret  (Mann) 
Monroe,  who  came  to  Oregon  in  1865.  Her 
father  was  prominent  in  political  circles  here 
and  was  filling  the  office  of  state  senator  at 
the  time  of  his  death  in  1873.  The  mother 
survived  him  for  many  years,  reaching  the 
advanced  age  of  one  hundred  and  two  years 
ere  she  was  called  to  her  final  rest  on  the 
19th  of  February,  1911.  Of  the  children  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Spores  seven  are  living.  Edgar. 
Jacob,  Carson,  Walter,  Elmer,  Melvin  and 
Ethel.  Of  these  Elmer  is  now  in  Alaska. 
Those  who  have  passed  away  are:  Mrs.  Le- 
ona  Howard,  of  Pendleton,  Oregon,  who  died 
at  the  age   of  thirty-five  years;   and  Harry 


and  Bertha,  both  of  whom  were  three  years 
of  age  at  the  time  of  their  demise. 

Henry  Spores  votes  with  the  republican 
party  but  has  never  sought  nor  desired  office, 
preferring  to  concentrate  his  energies  upon 
his  business  affairs,  which  he  directs  with 
substantial   success. 

R.  H.  BUNNELL  needs  no  introduction  to 
the  readers  of  this  volume  or  the  residents 
of  Klamath  county,  for  he  is  a  member  of 
the  well  known  firm  of  Bunnell  Brothers- 
prominent  ranchmen  of  this  district — owning 
and  cultivating  five  hundred  acres  of  land  six- 
teen miles  south  of  Klamath  Falls  and  seven 
and  a  half  miles  north  of  Merrill.  He  and 
his  brother,  A.  C.  Bunnell,  are  natives  ot 
('alifornia,  the  former  born  in  Alameda,  on 
the  27th  of  June,  1878,  and  the  latter  in 
Siskiyou  county,  on  the  15th  of  December, 
1S70.  They  are  sons  of  A.  F.  and  Matilda 
(Nantzel)  Bunnell,  the  former  a  native  of 
Xew  Jersey  and  the  latter  of  Xcw  York  city. 
The  parents  were  reared  in  the  east  but  were 
married  in  Siskiyou  county,  California,  the 
father  having  made  the  trip  there  around 
Cape  Horn  in  1849,  while  the  mother  arrived 
at  a  later  date,  having  come  to  the  coast 
with  her  sister.  A.  F.  Bunnell  in  1852  located 
on  Scott  Barr.  in  Siskiyou  county,  and  sub- 
sequently made  his  way  to  Alameda.  He 
was  a  shop  man,  machinist  and  millwright, 
working  along  those  lines  during  the 
greater  part  of  his  life,  although  at  an 
early  date  he  engaged  in  mining  in  Scott 
valley.  Subsequently,  however,  he  worked 
at  trades  and  spent  the  last  part  of  his  life 
at  farming.  He  died  at  the  home  of  his 
sons,  when  seventy-one  years  of  age.  his 
birth  having  occurred  in  1839.  The  mother 
survives  him  and  is  living  in  Ashland,  Ore- 
gon. In  her  familv  are  seven  children;  A. 
C;  Lottie,  the  wife  of  Frank  Triplett.  of 
Maxwell.  California;  Ella  Mav,  the  wife  of 
S.  T.  Reeve,  of  Ashland,  Oregon;  R.  H.,  of 
this  review;  Evelyn,  the  wife  of  Howard  G. 
Turner,  of  Portland;  and  two  children  who 
died  in  early  life. 

R.  H.  Bunnell  spent  his  youthful  days 
under  the  parental  roof,  and  is  indebted  to 
the  public  schools  for  his  education  and  to 
his  father's  training  for  his  business  knowl- 
edge. He  came  to  Klamath  county  in  1896 
and  has  here  remained  through  the'  interven- 
ing years.  He  has  always  been  engaged  in 
ranching  and  for  four  or  five  years  has  been 
a  partner  wdth  his  elder  brotlier.  A.  C.  Bun- 
nell, in  the  ownership,  development  and  cul- 
tivation of  a  ranch  of  five  hundred  acres,  all 
in  one  body.  This  is  not  only  irrigated  by 
the  government  ditch  but  they  also  have  "a 
private  system  of  irrigation  and.  being  thus 
able  to  turn  the  water  on  and  off  when  it  is 
needed,  they  keep  their  fields  in  excellent 
condition  and  produce  good  crops.  The  place 
presents  a  neat  and  attractive  appearance  and 
manifests  the  careful  supervision  and  prac- 
tical methods  of  the  owners. 

R.  H.  Bunnell  is  a  republican  and  is  acting 
as  foreman  of  road  construction  work,  having 
charge  of  a  crew  employed  on  the  building 
of  a  new  country  road.     He  is  also  serving 


IIKXKY  SPORES 


TflF 

PUBUC^   LIBRAHY 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


373 


as  a  member  of  the  school  board  of  his  dis- 
trict. His  fraternal  connection  is  with  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  which 
organization  finds  him  a  worthy  and  valued 
member. 

On  the  1st  of  June,  1912,  E.  H.  Bunnell 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Ida  Smead, 
a  native  of  St.  Louis.  His  brother,  A.  C. 
Bunnell,  was  married  in  1907  to  Miss  Laura 
Goudie,  a  native  of  Scotland,  and  they  have 
three  children,  James,  Lois  and  John.  Mrs. 
A.  C.  Bunnell  gave  birth  to  four  children, 
three  daughters  and  a  son,  in  June,  1911, 
each  weighing  four  and  a  quarter  pounds, 
but  all  died.  .Seven  children  were  thus  born 
to  them  during  the  first  four  years  of  their 
married   life. 

Tile  Bunnell  brothers  are  widely  and  favor- 
ably known  in  Klamath  county  and  the  work 
which  they  are  doing  establishes  them  as 
progressive  and  representative  agriculturists. 

SJUR  P.  NESS,  a  practicing  attorney  of 
Eugene  and  the  president  of  the  city  council, 
demonstrates  in  his  life  the  fact  that  neither 
the  accident  of  birth  nor  fortune  has  to  do 
with  a  man's  opportunities  for  advancement. 
Mr.  Ness  is  a  native  son  of  Xorway,  yet  in 
the  new  world  he  has  found  the  chances  for 
progress  and  in  their  utilization  has  worked 
iiis  way  upward  to  a  prominent  place  among 
tlie  citizens  of  the  community  in  which  he 
lives.  He  was  born  in  the  parish  of  Lyster, 
Bergen,  Norway.  January  13.  1S71,  and  is  a 
son  of  Peter  and  Ingeborg  (Talsater)  Ness. 
The  father  was  reared  to  manhood  in  the 
land  of  the  midnight  sun  and  there  became 
a  carpenter  and  cabinet-maker.  At  length  iie 
resolved  to  try  his  fortune  on  tliis  side  of  the 
Atlantic  and  came  to  America  in  1870.  set- 
tling in  Goodhue  county,  Minnesota,  about 
thirty  miles  from  a  railroad.  There  he  en- 
gaged in  raising  wheat  to  the  time  of  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  June,  1885,  when 
he  was  not  quite  fifty  years  of  age. 

His  son,  Sjur  P.  Ness,  was  educated  in  the 
public  sciiools  of  Minnesota,  but  he  had  only 
limited  opportunities,  attending  a  few 
months  in  the  winter  seasons,  while  as  he 
grew  older  liis  educational  period  each  year 
grew  shorter,  owing  to  the  need  of  his  serv- 
ices on  the  home  farm.  However,  he  found 
time  in  the  intervals  of  farm  work  to  pursue 
his  studies  privately  and  was  at  length  en- 
abled to  pass  the  examination  for  a  teacher's 
certificate.  Being  the  eldest  in  the  family  and 
the  only  son  it  was  necessary  that  he  assume 
charge  of  the  fann  following  his  father's 
deatli,  and  to  that  work  he  devoted  his  ener- 
gies until  twenty-six  years  of  age.  In  the 
meantime,  however,  he  had  acquired  sufficient 
education  to  enable  him  to  secure  a  teacher's 
certificate  and  during  the  last  three  years 
which  he  spent  upon  the  farm  he  followed 
the  profession  of  teacliing.  In  1S9G  he  be- 
came connected  with  commercial  interests, 
opening  a  hardware  and  farm  implement 
business  at  the  neighboring  town  of  Kenyon, 
where  he  remained  for  three  years.  In  1899 
he  disposed  of  his  farm  implement  business 
and  matriculated  in  the  law  school  of  the 
University  of  Minnesota,  from  which  he  was 


graduated  with  the  class  of  1902.  He  com- 
pleted a  year's  academic  work  and  a  three 
years'  law  course  within  two  years  and  one 
term.  , 

Mr.  Ness  then  came  to  Eugene  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1902.  at  which  time  he 
entered  into  partnership  with  the  Hon. 
Joshua  J.  Walton,  one  of  the  leading  attor- 
neys of  this  city,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Walton  &  Ness.  This  association  was  main- 
tained until  about  a  month  before  Judge 
Walton's  death  in  1909,  since  which  time 
Mr.  Ness  has  practiced  alone.  He  is  an 
able  lawyer,  constantly  studying  in  order 
to  thoroughly  acquaint  himself  with  the  prin- . 
ciples  of  the  profession  and  with  precedents, 
and  his  presentation  of  a  case  is  always  full, 
accurate  and  comprehensive.  He  has  served 
as  city  attorney  of  Springfield  and  of  Cres- 
well  for  about  seven  years.  Mr.  Ness  was 
likewise  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Bank 
of  Commerce,  of  Eugene,  and  has  served  on 
the  directorate  from  its  inception  to  the  pres- 
ent time. 

In  public  affairs  Mr.  Ness  has  taken  an 
active  and  helpful  interest,  doing  much  elfect- 
ive  service  for  the  public  good.  In  1910,  he 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  city  council 
of  Eugene  and  served  as  president  of  the 
council.  Mr.  Ness  was  always  in  favor  of 
municipal  ownership,  and  it  was  while  he 
was  serving  on  the  city  council  that  the 
water  and  power  plant  became  the  property 
of  the  city.  He  has  taken  a  very  active  and 
aggressive  part  in  illuminating  the  imdesir- 
able  sections  of  the  comraunitj'  and  in  elevat- 
ing the  moral  tone  of  the  city. 

November  26,  1903,  occurred  the  marriage 
of  Mr.  Ness  and  Miss  Mary  S.  Watson,  a 
daughter  of  Samuel  Watson,  of  Eugene,  and 
they  have  become  the  parents  of  four  chil- 
dren, Ida,  Martha,  Anna  and  Julia.  The  par- 
ents are  members  of  the  Norwegian  Lutheran 
church  and  Mr.  Ness  was  its  secretary  from 
its  organization  until  the  last  annua!  meet- 
ing. He  belongs  to  the  Lane  County  Bar 
Association  and  to  Spencer  Butte  Lodge,  No. 
9,  I.  0.  0.  F.,  of  which  he  is  a  past  grand,  and 
to  Eugene  Camp,  No.  .52.  K.  O.  T.  M.,  of 
which  he  is  a  past  commander.  He  is  one 
of  the  public-spirited  and  progressive  citi- 
zens of  Eugene,  never  self-seeking  and  thor- 
oughly modest  and  unassuming  in  manner, 
yet  his  fellow  townsmen  recognize  his  worth 
and  accord  him  respect  and  honor  by  reason 
of  the  part  which  he  has  lillcd  in  the  growth 
and  development  of  this  section. 

REUBEN  H.  MAST  was  one  of  the 
f<iunders  and  organizers  of  the  Farmers  & 
Jlcrehants  Bank  of  Coquille  and  since  1909 
has  held  the  ollice  of  cashier  in  this  institu- 
tion. He  is  well  known  as  an  able  financier 
and  a  banker  of  more  than  ordinary  ability, 
who  has  promoted  the  success  of  the  enter- 
prise with  which  he  is  connected  by  syste- 
matic and  progressive  work.  He  has  been  a 
resident  of  Oregon  since  he  was  fourteen 
years  of  age  and  from  the  beginning  of  his 
active  career  has  been  interested  in  various 
important  local  enterprises,  being  essentially 
public-spirited    and    eager    for    the    progress 


374 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


and  growth  of  Coos  county.  He  was  born 
in  North  Carolina  on  Xovember  14.  1858. 
and  is  a  son  of  William  Penn  and  Charlotte 
H.  Mast,  of  whom  furtlier  mention  is  made 
elsewhere  in  this  work.  The  parents  of 
our  subject  were  natives  of  Xorth  Carolina 
and  representatives  of  the  paternal  branch 
of  the  family  have  lived  in  that  state  since 
1800.  William  P.  ilast  came  to  Douglas 
county  in  1S73  and  rented  land  in  that  sec- 
tion, which  he  improved  and  operated  for 
one  year,  going  to  Coos  county  at  the  end 
of  that  time.  Here  he  purchased  a  squat- 
ter's right  In  the  wilderness  and  evolved 
•from  an  uncultivated  tract  of  land  one  of  the 
most  highly  developed  farms  in  the  section. 
His  wife  is  still  living!  upon  the  home- 
stead and  is  making  her  home  with  two  of 
her  sons.  She  had  five  children:  Reuben  H.. 
the  subject  of  this  review;  William  L.  and 
James  W.,  both  of  whom  reside  in  Bandon ; 
and  Webb  and  Hardy,  who  reside  on  the 
home  farm  with  their  mother. 

Reuben  H.  Mast  was  still  a  boy  when  he 
came  with  his  parents  to  Oregon.  He  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Coos  county 
and  by  the  utilization  of  every  opportunity 
and  outside  reading  and  study  he  fitted  him- 
self for  teaching,  following  that  profession 
in  the  district  schools  for  four  years.  He 
remained  upon  the  farm  until  he  was  twenty- 
one  years  of  age,  aiding  his  father  in  the 
work  of  improvement  and  development  dur- 
ing the  summer  months.  In  1SS8,  however, 
he  left  home  and  went  to  Portland,  where 
he  took  a  course  in  a  local  business  college. 
He  afterward  came  to  Bandon.  where  he 
entered  the  employ  of  George  M.  Dyer  as 
clerk  and  bookkeeper,  doing  work  until  Mr. 
Dyer  sold  his  interests  and  retaining  his 
position  under  the  new  management.  At 
the  end  of  three  years  he  purchased  an  in- 
terest in  the  business  but  after  a  short  time 
disposed  of  his  holdings,  going  to  Hood 
River  in  Xovember.  1S9S.  There  he  worked 
in  a  general  merchandise  store  for  four 
months,  resigning  his  position  in  1899  in 
order  to  go  to  Portland,  where  he  kept  books 
in  a  large  auction  house  for  a  short  time. 
In  February.  1900.  he  returned  to  Coos 
county  to  accept  a  position  as  deputy  county 
clerk,  serving  in  this  capacity  for  about  ten 
years.  At  the  end  of  that  time,  in  association 
with  several  prominent  men  of  Cnquille,  he 
organized  the  Farmers  &  Jlerchants  Bank 
and  was  elected  to  the  position  of  cashier. 
The  bank  is  capitalized  at  twenty-five  thou- 
sand dollars  and  is  one  of  the  important 
financial  institutions  in  Coos  county.  Mr. 
Mast  owns  a  one-fifth  interest  in  it  and  has 
done  able  and  efllcient  work  as  cashier  since 
the  10th  of  March,  1909.  He  is  well  versed 
in  the  details  of  modern  banking  and  his 
knowledge  is  guided  and  directed  by  liis  gen- 
eral business  ability.  He  is  shrewd,  system- 
atic and  unquestionably  honest  and  these 
qualities  have  gained  for  him  the  respect 
and  confidence  of  the  men  who  do  business 
with  him  and  have  consequently  influenced 
the  prosperity  of  the  enterprise  with  which 
he  is  connected.  He  also  helped  organize 
the  Coquille  Lumber  Company  and  owns  stock 


in  the  Coquille  Land  &  Improvement  Com- 
pany and  also  in  the  Coquille  Valley  Cream- 
ery. He  is  extensively  interested  in  farm 
lands,  being  the  proprietor  of  one  hundred 
and  thirty  acres  on  the  Coquille  river,  which 
he  purchased  in  1SS4  and  which  he  has  rented 
out  since  that  time.  He  owns  four  hundred 
acres  of  timber  land  in  the  same  section  and 
is  interested  in  city  property.  He  is  a  firm 
believer  in  the  future  of  the  city  in  which 
he  resides  and  always  does  his  utmost  to 
promote  the  growth  and  development  of  his 
county. 

On  August  12.  1890,  Mr.  Mast  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Lola  M.  Leabo,  a  native 
of  Oregon  and  a  daughter  of  .James  R.  and 
Charlotte  (Hawes)  Leabo,  who  were  among 
the  pioneers  in  the  settlement  of  the  state, 
coming  here  in  1852.  The  father  was  a  na- 
tive of  Tennessee  and  the  mother  was  born 
in  Iowa.  In  their  familv  were  five  children: 
Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  Amos  Cliff,  of  Port- 
land; Lola  M.,  the  wife  of  our  subject:  Ster- 
ling, a  resident  of  Astoria,  Oregon;  Roland, 
whose  home  is  in  Portland;  and  Predetta, 
of  Winnipeg,  ilanitoba,  Canada.  Jlr.  and 
ilrs.  Mast  are  the  parents  of  three  children. 
Leta  R.  received  her  primary  education  in 
the  district  schools  of  Coos  county  and  later 
took  a  course  in  music  and  art  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Oregon,  in  Eugene.  She  was  also 
a  student  for  one  year  in  Mills  College  at 
Oakland,  California,  and  is  now  employed  in 
the  Farmers  &  Merchants  Bank  of  Coquille. 
Reuben  H.,  .Jr.,  and  James  are  both  attending 
school. 

Reuben  H.  Mast  is  a  democrat  and  is 
one  of  the  public-spirited  citizens  of  his  com- 
munity and  a  dominating  factor  in  the  pro- 
motion of  its  welfare  and  advancement.  He 
is  prominent  in  the  Masonic  order  and  holds 
membership  in  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  He 
is  one  of  the  leading  and  important  busi- 
ness men  of  Coquille.  He  has  made  the 
various  entei-prises  with  which  he  is  con- 
nected successful  by  seizing  always  any 
favorable  opportunity  for  expansion  and  by 
adhering  faithfully  to  high  standards  of  com- 
mercial honor. 

ALFRED  B.  HAINES  is  one  of  the  enter- 
prising agriculturists  in  Douglas  county. 
He  comes  of  a  line  of  farmers  whose  activi- 
ties in  the  cultivation  of  the  soil  have  pro- 
moted the  development  of  their  section  of 
the  state,  and  in  his  personal  labors  is  fol- 
lowing long  and  honorable  traditions.  He 
is  a  native  son  of  Oregon  and  was  born  on  a 
farm  one  mile  south  of  Elkton  on  June  17, 
1874.  His  parents  were  Alfred  B.  and  Mari- 
etta (Ransom)  Haines.  His  father  was  a 
native  of  Albany.  Whiteside  county,  Illi- 
nois, where  his  birth  occurred  in  1844.  He 
was  a  son  of  Alfred  and  Sarah  (Xixon) 
Haines,  of  whom  further  mention  is  made 
elsewhere  in  this  work.  The  father  of  our 
subject  was  sixteen  years  of  age  when  he 
came  to  Oregon.  In  1864  he  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany K.  First  Oregon  Infantry,  and  his  regi- 
ment did  service  in  suppressing  Indian  up- 
risings. When  he  returned  home  at  the 
close  of  hostilities  be  remained  for  a  short 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


875 


time  upon  the  farm  and  then  went  to  work 
on  the  Klamath  reservation  in  the  employ 
of  the  government  where  he  remained  for 
about  two  years.  In  1873  he  returned  home 
and  was  married  to  Miss  Marietta  Ransom, 
a  native  of  Xapa  county,  California,  and  a 
daughter  of  William  Clark  Ransom,  a  distant 
relative  of  Captain  William  Clark,  the  famous 
pioneer  who  is  known  in  history  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Lewis  and  Clark  expedition.  After 
his  marriage  the  father  of  our  subject  bought 
the  present  Haines  homestead  farm  one  mile 
south  of  Elkton  where  he  cultivated  the  soil 
and  became  one  of  the  extensive  land  own- 
ers in  Douglas  county.  He  acquired  three 
hundred  and  fifty-four  acres  in  the  home  farm 
and  was  also  proprietor  of  large  tracts  of 
farm  and  timber  land  in  various  parts  of 
Oregon.  He  was  a  successful  and  highly 
esteemed  man  and  his  death  on  May  19, 
1007.  was  sincerely  regretted  as  a  loss  to 
agricultural  development.  He  was  a  stanch 
republican  in  his  political  views  but  never 
sought  public  office.  His  wife  still  resides 
on  the  home  farm. 

Alfred  B.  Haines  received  his  education  in 
the  common  schools  of  Douglas  county  and 
supplemented  this  by  a  course  at  the  Arm- 
strong Business  College  in  Portland.  By  wise 
use  of  every  opportunity  and  by  constant 
outside  study  he  fitted  himself  for  teaching 
and  pursued  this  occupation  in  the  district 
schools  of  his  native  section  for  three  years. 
A\nien  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age  he  was 
appointed  deputy  assessor  of  Douglas  county 
in  recognition  of  his  broad-minded  and  in- 
telligent activities  in  all  movements  looking 
toward  the  public  welfare.  After  a  term  of 
efficient  and  capable  service  lasting  four 
years  he  was  appointed  forest  ranger  and 
served  in  this  capacity  for  one  year.  At  the 
expiration  of  this  time  he  returned  home 
and  in  the  following  spring,  1900.  bought  his 
present  farm  on  the  Umpqua  river  four  miles 
south  of  Elkton.  His  purchase  consisted  of 
eight  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  fertile 
and  productive  land  and  he  immediately  be- 
gan cultivation.  Since  that  time  he  has  given 
his  personal  supervision  to  the  management 
and  direction  of  his  enterprise  and  by  pro- 
gressive and  scientific  methods  and  constant 
labor  along  many  lines  has  made  his  farm 
one  of  the  most  valuable  ranches  in  Doug- 
las county. 

On  April  4.  1900,  Mr.  Haines  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Agnes  Wainscott.  a  daugh- 
ter of  Andrew  J.  and  Ada  E.  (Jack)  Wain- 
scott. Mrs.  Haines'  father  came  to  Oregon 
when  he  was  a  young  man  making  the  jour- 
ney across  the  plains  from  the  iniddlewest 
to  Oregon.  His  wife  is  a  native  of  this  state 
and  now  resides  with  her  husband  in  Idaho. 
To  J[r.  and  Mrs.  Alfred  Haines  have  been 
born  three  children,  Marcus  W.,  Inez  and  Dex- 
ter. Mr.  Haines  is  a  member  of  Elkton 
Lodge.  No.  63,  F.  &  A.  M.;  Laurel  Chajjier. 
No.  31,  R.  A.  M. ;  and  belongs  to  Hiram 
Council,  No.  7,  of  Eugene,  and  is  connected 
prominently  with  Elkton  Camp.  No.  .'>S6.  M. 
W.  A.  He  and  his  wife  are  devoted  adherents 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  ch(u-ch.  and  in 
the   local   oriranizalion    Mr.   Haines   serves   as 


steward.  As  a  public  official  he  is  honest  and 
conscientious;  as  a  farmer  progressive,  mod- 
ern and  efficient  and  as  a  private  citizen 
straightforward,  sincere  and  uniformly  cour- 
teous. 

AMOS  NELSON,  who  owns  and  operates 
a  highly  cultivated  and  improved  ranch 
located  a  mile  northwest  of  Newberg,  is 
one  of  the  thrifty  and  energetic  citizens  that 
Denmark  has  furnished  Yamhill  county.  He 
was  born  on  Fyen  island,  a  possession  of  the 
Danish  crown,  on  the  2Sth  of  June,  1S4S, 
and  is  a  son  of  Niels  and  Anna  Rusnuissen, 
both  of  whom  are  deceased.  The  father 
passed  away  in  1880  and  the  mother  in 
1884.  The  family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rasmus- 
sen  numbered  five  children,  three  sons  and 
two  -daughters,  three  of  whom  are  now  de- 
ceased, they  having  died  in  Denmark. 

Amos  Nelson  spent  the  first  twenty-two 
years  of  his  life  in  the  land  of  his  birth,  to 
whose  common  schools  he  is  indebted  for 
liis  education.  There  he  was  also  trained 
to  agricultural  pursuits,  obtaining  a  thor- 
ough and  practical  knowledge  of  the  best 
methods  of  tilling  the  fields  and  caring  for 
the  crops.  It  was  his  desire  to  own  a  farm, 
but  early  realizing  the  difiiculty  of  achieving 
his  ambition  in  his  native  land,  in  1870  he 
emigrated  to  the  United  States.  He  first 
settled  in  St.  Louis,  Missouri.  From  there 
he  went  to  Iowa,  continuing  his  agricultural 
pursuits  until  1873,  when  he  crossed  the  west- 
ern prairies  to  the  mining  regions  of  Nevada. 
He  worked  in  the  quartz  mills  during  the 
succeeding  six  years,  but  at  the  end  of  that 
time  he  withdrew  from  this  and  coming  to 
Oregon  once  more  turned  his  attention  to 
agricultural  pursuits.  He  first  located  in 
the  vicinity  of  Hurlbiirt.  but  two  years  later, 
in  ISSl,  he  removed  to  the  Clielialera  valley, 
settling  on  a  ranch  near  Newberg.  There 
in  connection  with  his  farming  he  also  worked 
at  blacksmithing  until  1909.  In  the  latter 
year  he  disposed  of  his  interests  there  and 
came  to  his  present  location  northwest  of 
Newberg.  Mr.  Nelson  possesses  the  thrift 
and  enterprise  that  characterizes  the  Danish 
people  generally,  and  during  the  period  of 
his  residence  here  has  so  intelligently  exer- 
cised these  qualities  as  to  become  one  of 
the  most  successful  ranchmen  in  his  com- 
munity. 

In  iowa,  in  ]S71.  Mr.  Nelson  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  .-inna  Maria  Peterson, 
who  is  also  a  native  of  Denmark  and  a 
daughter  of  Peter  Hansen,  and  they  have 
become  the  parents  of  seven  children  who 
are  living.  In  order  of  birth  they  arc  as 
follows:  Stina.  who  was  born  in  1872.  and  is 
the  wife  of  Chris  Hansen,  of  Scholls,  Ore- 
gon; Anna,  whose  birth  occurred  in  1S74. 
and  who  is  now  the  wife  of  Charles  Waide. 
a  rancher  of  the  Chehalem  valley:  N.  P.. 
who  was  born  in  1877,  and  is  living  on  a 
farm  in  Chehalem  valley;  Frank,  who  was 
l)orn  in  1879,  married  Elsa  Bartlmlemew. 
and  is  now  ranching  in  the  Chehalem  valley; 
Hannah,  who  was  born  in  1881.  and  married 
Crant  Marsh,  of  Portland;  Ceorge.  whose 
birth  occurred  in  1884.  now  residing  in  .Seattle 


376 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


and  Emma,  whose  natal  year  was  1887,  and 
who  is  living  at  home  with  her  parents. 

Mr.  Nelson  belongs  to  the  Grange  and  in 
politics  he  is  a  republican.  He  takes  an 
active  and  helpful  interest  in  local  political 
affairs  and  his  fellow  citizens  have  mani- 
fested their  appreciation  of  his  services  by 
electing  him  to  various  offices.  He  served 
for  four  j-ears  as  county  commissioner  and 
a  similar  period  as  justice  of  the  peace, 
while  for  a  long  period  he  was  a  member 
of  the  school  board.  Mr.  Nelson  has  always 
been  loyal  to  all  American  institutions  and 
is  held  in  high  regard  in  his  community, 
where  he  has  manifested  qualities  that  well 
entitle  him  to  the  respect  in  which  he  is 
held. 

HIRAM  WEATHERLY.  One  of  the  .ster- 
ling and  substantial  citizens  of  Dodge  county 
wlio  lias  done  actively  constnictive  work 
along  modern  lines  of  agriculture  is  Hiram 
Weatherly,  who  has  given  most  of  his  career 
in  Oregon  to  the  cultivation  and  improve- 
ment of  three  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  the 
finest  ranch  land  in  Douglas  county.  He  has 
now  turned  over  the  management  of  the  farm 
to  his  adopted  son  and  is  living  retired  in 
Scottsburg,  Oregon,  where  he  occupies  an  in- 
fiuential  place  in  public  affairs.  He  was 
born  in  Genesee  county,  New  York,  July  31, 
1838,  and  is  a  son  of  Lewis  and  Sarah  (Mer- 
itliew)  Weatherly,  both  natives  of  New  York 
where  they  were  reared,  educated  and  mar- 
ried. On  t)ie  paternal  side  Mr.  Weatherly 
comes  of  old  Pennsylvania  Dutch  stock  while 
his  grandfather,  Hiram  Jleritliew.  was  a  na- 
tive of  the  Isle  of  Man.  Lewis  Weatherly, 
the  father  of  our  subject,  left  his  native 
state  for  Illinois  in  1841  and  located  in  Win- 
nebago count}'  seven  miles  from  Rockford 
wliere  he  was  prosperous  and  successful  as 
an  agriculturist  until  1856.  In  that  year  he 
removed  to  Lake  county,  Illinois,  where  he 
resided  until  his  death  on  April  1,  1868.  His 
wife  later  married  Mr.  Joshua  Slusser  and 
removed  to  Kansas  w'here  she  died  on  the 
22d  of  August,  1886,  when  she  was  sixty- 
seven  years  of  age.  Lewis  Weatherly  to- 
gether with  his  two  sons,  Hiram  and  Elias, 
were  veterans  of  the  Civil  war. 

Hiram  \A'catherIy  was  reared  at  home  and 
received  a  limited  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  Illinois.  His  schooling  was  re- 
ceived at  irregular  intervals  and  almost  all 
of  it  was  self-acquired.  At  the  age  of  nine- 
teen he  was  obliged  to  gain  a  livelihood  for 
himself  and  returning  to  New  York  state 
he  worked  for  two  years  as  a  farm  laborer. 
At  the  expiration  of  this  time  he  came  west 
to  Illinois  and  for  a  time  followed  the  same 
line  of  activity.  He  subsequently  rented 
a  farm  and  was  prosperous  and  successful 
in  the  cultivation  of  the  soil  for  some  time. 
In  1862  he  enlisted  in  Company  B,  Ninety- 
Sixth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry  and  served 
as  a  private  for  one  year.  His  able  services 
wei;e  rewarded  at  the  end  of  that  time  by 
a  promotion  to  the  office  of  fife  major,  in 
which  capacity  he  was  active  until  the  end 
of  the  war.  He  participated  in  the  battles 
of  Shiloh,  Fort  Donelson,  I.K)okout  Mountain, 


Shelbyville,  Chickamauga,  Franklin,  Ring- 
gold, Resaea  and  many  others.  He  received 
his  honorable  discharge  at  Huntsville,  Ala- 
bama, February  6,  1865,  and  returned  imme- 
diately to  Lake  county,  Illinois,  where  he 
again  followed  agriculture  with  much  suc- 
cess. In  1869  he  removed  to  Iowa,  locating 
in  Jlontgomery  county  where  he  resided 
until  1871.  In  that  year  he  came  to  Cali- 
fornia and  for  eiglit  years  worked  upon  a 
stock  ranch  in  Mendocino  county.  His  resi- 
dence in  Oregon  dates  from  October,  1879, 
when  he  located  two  and  one-half  miles  east 
of  Scottsburg  in  Douglas  county  and  farmed 
with  gratifying  results  for  three  or  four 
years.  He  .subsequently  disposed  of  this  prop- 
erty and  bought  the  ranch  where  "tlie  Long 
Prairie  schoolhouse  is  now  located,  six  miles 
from  Scottsburg.  Here  he  maintained  his 
home  and  operated  his  farm  until  1894  when 
he  retired  from  active  life  and  took  Tip  his 
residence  in  Scottsburg,  where  lie  lias  since 
resided.  He  still  owns  his  farm  of  three 
hundred  and  fifty  acres.  This  is  being  oper- 
ated by  his  adopted  son.  In  the  course  of 
a  long  agricultural  career  Mr.  Weatherly  ob- 
tained a  degree  of  success  whicli  was  the 
natural  outcome  of  his  scientific  methods  and 
his  concentrated  industry.  He  made  exten- 
sive improvements  upon  liis  land  and  brought 
it  before  his  retirement  to  a  high  state  of 
cultivation. 

On  February  4,  1860,  Mr.  Weatherly  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Almina  Lampliere, 
a  native  of  New  York  state  and  a  daughter 
of  Henry  and  Eunice  (Potter)  Lampliere, 
Tlie  father  was  one  of  the  prominent  and 
substantial  farmers  of  Lake  county,  Illi- 
nois, and  died  in  Iowa  and  the  mother  in 
Illinois.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Weatherly  have 
adopted  a  son,  Fred,  whom  they  have  reared 
from  infancy  and  who  is  now  operating  his 
father's  property.  Mr.  Weatherly  gave  his 
son  a  lialf  interest  in  the  home  farm  which 
lie  is  conducting  along  progressive,  modern 
principles. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Weatherly  is  re- 
publican and  was  elected  in  18SS  for  a  four- 
year  term  as  county  commissioner.  He  is 
a  member  of  Gardiner  Lodge,  No.  132,  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  his  only  fra- 
ternal affiliation.  He  is  prominent  in  any 
movement  looking  toward  the  further  de- 
velopment and  improvement  of  Douglas 
county  and  his  long  life  has  been  one  of 
the  greatest  individual  forces  in  the  progress 
of  that  section. 

STERLING  P.  FENLEY  is  prominent  and 
successful  in  the  operation  of  a  large  livery 
business  in  Elkton,  Oregon,  and  is  pursuing  a 
prosperous  career  which  was  begun  at  the 
early  age  of  fourteen.  He  was  born  in 
Solano  county,  California,  on  December  IS, 
1868,  and  is  a  son  of  Columbus  and  Eliza- 
beth (West)  Fenley,  both  natives  of  Mis- 
souri where  they  were  reared  and  married. 
Mr.  Fenley's  father  learned  the  engineering 
trade  when  he  was  a  young  man  and  in 
1852  he  crossed  the  plains  with  ox  teams 
to  the  California  gold  fields,  where  he  worked 
as  engineer  in  the  mines  for  two  years.     In 


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PUBLIC     Ll3h. 


A8T0R.   LENOX    ' 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


379 


1854  he  returned  to  Missouri,  where  he  was 
married  and  where  he  remained  until  1862. 
In  that  year  he  again  crossed  the  plains, 
taking  his  wife  and  children  to  California, 
where  he  worked  at  his  trade  in  the  mines 
for  several  years.  He  continued  his  residence 
in  that  state  until  1880,  in  which  year  he 
came  north  to  Oregon,  locating  in  Fossil, 
Wasco  county,  which  is  now  Gilliam  county. 
Here  he  engaged  in  general  farming  and 
stock-raising,  buying  three  or  four  liundred 
acres  of  laud  which  he  brought  to  a  high 
state  of  development  before  his  death  in 
1S9T  or  1898.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  waa 
one  of  the  representative  and  inlluential  men 
of  his  section.  His  wife's  death  had  long 
since  preceded  his  and  occurred  in  California 
in    1876. 

Sterling  P.  Fenley  was  reared  at  home  and 
remained  with  his  parents  until  he  was 
fourteen  years  of  age.  At  this  early  date 
he  began  active  life  for  himself,  engaging  in 
farm  work  and  as  a  monthly  laborer.  He 
added  to  his  agricultural  activities  any  oc- 
cupation which  offered  him  a  chance  to  earn 
a  livelihood.  By  the  time  he  was  twenty 
years  of  age  he  had  gained  an  independence 
and  a  power  of  initiative  which  were  val- 
uable assets  to  him  all  during  his  life.  He 
became  acquainted  witli  the  details  of  agri- 
culture as  it  is  carried  on  in  the  American 
northwest  and  became  an  expert  workman 
in  all  the  branches  of  this  activity.  In  1888 
he  married  and  rented  land  in  the  Umpqua 
valley,  which  he  began  developing  and  culti- 
vating. He  was  successful  from  the  begin- 
ning and  in  1903  was  able  to  purchase  eighty 
acres,  on  which  he  continued  farming  xuitil 
1907.  He  spent  the  years  from  1895  until 
1902,  however,  in  southern  California,  al- 
though he  retained  his  property  in  Oregon. 
In  1907  he  came  to  Elkton  where  he  bought 
the  livery  with  which  he  is  now  connected. 
For  the  past  five  years  he  has  given  his 
entire  attention  to  this  business  and  has 
won  the  same  success  in  commercial  fields 
■which  attended  his  labors  as  an  agricultur- 
ist. He  is  a  progressive,  representative  and 
public-spirited  man  and  his  cooperation  can 
always  be  counted  upon  in  movements  which 
have  for  their  object  the  expansion  and 
development  of  his  city  and  county.  He 
invests  his  money  judiciously  and  almost 
always  in  local  enterprises.  He  is  a  stock- 
holder in  the  Elkton  Mercantile  &  Develop- 
ment Company  and  his  business  sagacity 
has  influenced  the  success  of  this  enterprise. 

In  1888  Mr.  Fenley  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Ella  Weatherly,  a  daughter  of 
Ansil  Weatherly,  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers 
of  the  Umpqua  valley  in  Douglas  county.  To 
this  union  have  been  born  six  children,  three 
of  whom  are  living.  Stacey.  Floyd  and  Kva. 
Mr.  Fenley  is  identified  with  the  republican 
party  but  has  never  sought  ofl^ce.  He  holds 
membership  in  Elkton  Lodge.  No.  62,  A.  F. 
&  A.  M.:  in  Elkton  Lodge,  No.  2132.  I.  0. 
0.  F. ;  and  is  also  prominent  in  Elkton  Camp, 
No.  5786,  M.  W.  A.;  and  in  Elkton  Lodge. 
No.  1050,  M.  B.  A.  His  wife  is  a  devoted 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


Mr.  Fenley  has  built  his  success  gradually 
and  his  labors  have  been  along  dilferent  lines 
of  activity,  all  of  which  liave  united  to 
promote  his  prosperity  and  have  inlluenccd 
the  progress  of  his  success. 

EUGENE  H.  HAMBLOCK.  Six  miles  from 
Bandon  on  the  Coquille  road  is  located  the 
farm  belonging  to  Eugene  II.  llarablock,  who 
is  one  of  the  successful  general  agriculturists 
and  stock-raisers  of  Coos  county.  The  land 
constitutes  his  father's  original  claim  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  and  has  been  the 
home  of  Eugene  Hamblock  all  liis  life.  Our 
subject  was  born  in  Coos  county,  on  March 
6,  1870,  and  is  a  son  of  Jolui  Frederick 
and  Mary  (Campbell)  Hamblock.  His  father 
was  a  native  of  Germany  and  his  mother 
of  Virginia.  They  came  to  Oregon  in  1S09 
from  Missouri  where  their  marriage  occurred. 
The  father  had  been  engaged  in  sawmilling, 
but  after  their  settlement  in  Coos  county 
he  engaged  in  general  farming.  He  took  up 
a  homestead  claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  near  Parkersburg  on  tlie  Coquille  river 
and  resided  upon  his  property  until  his  death 
which  occurred  in  1909.  He  had  survived 
his  wife  by  three  years.  To  their  union 
were  born  the  following  children:  Emma, 
who  is  the  wife  of  Thomas  Drain  of  Parkers- 
burg; Mary  Frances,  now  Jlrs.  Joseph  Flam, 
of  Parkersburg;  Margaret,  who  married  Ed- 
ward Rose,  also  of  Parkersburg;  Jolui  Vin- 
ton, of  Parkersburg;  and  Eugene  H.,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch. 

Eugene  H.  Hambloek's  early  life  was  spent 
upon  his  fatlier's  farm.  He  early  became 
acquainted  with  the  minor  duties  connected 
with  its  operation  and  as  he  advanced  in 
years  filled  more  responsible  positions.  Even- 
tually he  took  entire  charge  and  operated 
tlie  enterprise  systematically  and  success- 
fully. At  times  in  his  early  youth  he  worked 
for  wages  in  the  sawmills  and  logging  camps 
of  Coos  county  and  at  various  other  occupa- 
tions but  he  always  lived  at  home.  After 
his  father's  death  he  purchased  the  interests 
of  the  other  heirs  and  is  now  sole  proprietor. 
Following  the  policies  of  his  father  who  was 
practical  and  successful  in  his  occupation 
ilr.  Hamblock  has  made  his  soil  productive. 
He  does  dairying  on  a  small  scale  but  gives 
his  special  attention  to  stock-raising,  deal- 
ing in  high-grade  cattle  and  sheep  and  ship- 
liing  his  stock  to  the  markets  where  they 
find  a  ready  sale.  He  has  been  successful 
and  his  prosperity  is  founded  tipon  practical 
labor.  His  industry  has  met  with  its  natural 
reward  in  harvests  which  have  increased  in 
quality  and  abundance  while  his  stock-rais- 
ing interests  have  grown  every  year  more 
important   and  lucrative. 

On  June  16,  1901,  Mr.  Hamblock  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Annie  Carman,  a  native 
of  Oregon  and  a  daughter  of  James  A.  and 
Julia  (Grant)  Carman,  who  were  among 
the  early  settlers  near  Myrtle  Point  in  Coos 
county,  i^lrs.  Hamblock  is  one  of  a  family 
of  six  children.  The  others  are:  Etifa,  the 
wife  of  Hugh  Coke  of  Berkeley,  California; 
Robert  and  Clinton,  both  of  whom  reside  in 
Myrtle    Point;     Florence,    who    married    Ora 


380 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


Masters  of  Myrtle  Point;  and  Asa,  who  lives 
in  Myrtle  Point.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hamblock 
are  the  parents  of  live  children:  John  Ray- 
mond, born  May  6,  1902,  who  is  attending 
the  public  school;  Sadie  Carrol,  whose  birth 
occurred  August  23,  1903,  and  who  is  also 
pursuing  her  studies  in  the  public  schools; 
Frances  Wesley,  born  October  3,  1905;  Julia 
Mae,  who  was  born  August  9,  190S;  and 
Eugene  Carman,  whose  birth  occurred  March 
2,  1911. 

Mr.  Hamblock  is  liberal  in  his  political 
views  and  is  not  an  office  seeker.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  but  is  not  particularly  active  in 
fraternal  circles  preferring  to  devote  his  at- 
tention to  stock-raising  and  farming.  He 
is  a  native  of  Coos  county  and  has  always 
been  a  resident  of  the  same,  which  makes 
him  familiar  with  agricultural  conditions  of 
his  section  and  he  knows  the  best  methods 
of  coping  with  them.  He  has  that  practical 
knowledge  which  is  the  basis  of  productive 
agriculture. 

R.  D.  VARNER  is  practically  living  re- 
tired but  is  the  owner  of  good  ranch  prop- 
erty, his  home  being  situated  three  and  a 
half  miles  east  of  Klamath  Falls  on  the 
Lakeview  road.  He  was  born  in  Posey  coun- 
ty, Indiana,  January  7,  1S27,  and  has  there- 
fore passed  the  eighty-tifth  milestone  on  life's 
journey.  His  is  an  honored  old  age  and  his 
rest  is  well  merited,  for  his  life  has  been 
worthily  spent.  He  was  one  of  a  family 
of  nine  children  wliose  parents  were  John 
and  Rebecca  (McCarty)  Varner.  natives  of 
Pennsylvania,  the  former  born  in  1792  and 
the  latter  in  1795.  The  parents  were  reared 
however,  in  Virginia  and  went  to  Kentucky 
as  pioneers.  Later  they  located  in  Indiana 
and  their  last  days  were  spent  in  Illinois, 
both  passing  away  when  more  than  eighty 
years  of  age.  The  father  was  a  farmer  by 
occupation  and  after  crossing  the  plains  to 
California  in  1S52.  attracted  by  the  discov- 
eries of  gold  on  the  Pacific  coast,  he  engaged 
in  mining.  He  also  worked  on  a  ranch  to 
some  extent,  dividing  his  time  between  the 
two  occupations  until  1861.  when  he  returned 
to  Illinois.  His  nine  children  all  lived  to 
adult  age.  The  eldest.  M.  Samuel  Varner, 
born  in  1819,  is  a  resident  of  Indiana.  James 
Francis  Asbury,  who  is  more  than  ninety 
years  of  age.  is  a  resident  of  Posey  county, 
Indiana.  A  daughter.  Mrs.  Sarah  Ann  Mills, 
is  living  in  Illinois,  but  the  others  have  all 
passed  away. 

R.  D.  Varner  resided  in  Indiana  until 
1844,  when  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years 
he  went  to  Hlinois.  where  he  spent  the 
succeeding  decade  of  his  life.  In  1854  he 
arrived  in  California,  where  he  engaged 
in  mining  for  about  ten  years  and  later 
he  followed  farming  at  Goose  Lake  in  Modoc 
county.  California,  until  he  came  to  Oregon 
on  the  10th  of  N'ovember.  1887.  He  has 
since  resided  in  Klamath  county,  his  home 
being  three  and  a  half  miles  east  of  Kla- 
math Falls,  on  the  Lakeview  road,  where 
he  has  a  good  tract  of  land.  The  active 
management  and  development  of  the  ranch. 


however,  is  left  to  his  sons,  who  are  operat- 
ing two  hundred  and  forty  acres,  all  wheat 
land.  To  this  they  have  given  their  energies 
for  the  past  si.x  years.  At  different  periods 
in  his  life  R.  D,  Varner  followed  other  pur- 
suits than  farming.  While  in  Illinois  he 
worked  for  ten  years  at  cabinet-making  and 
on  going  to  California  he  worked  at  bridge 
building  and  carpentering  and  afterward  at 
gardening.  His  life  has  been  a  busy  and 
useful  one  and  his  success  has  come  to  him 
as  the  merited  and  logical  reward  of  his 
labors. 

Mr.  Varner  has  been  married  twice.  In 
1S5S  he  wedded  Miss  Sarah  Hassel,  who  was 
born  in  Xew  York  in  1830  and  passed  away 
in  Illinois  in  the  year  18G7.  She  left  two 
children:  Julian,  who  is  a  resident  of  White 
county,  Illinois;  and  Harriet,  the  wife  of 
Joseph  Curtis,  of  White  county,  Illinois.  In 
1870  Mr.  Varner  was  again  married,  his  sec- 
ond union  being  with  Miss  Caroline  Hollar, 
who  was  born  in  Iowa  in  1847  and  died  in 
this  state  in  1893.  To  R.  D.  and  Caroline 
(Hollar)  Varner  were  born  seven  children, 
as  follows:  Carey,  wlio  passed  away  at  the 
age  of  eighteen  years;  John  A.,  who  assists 
in  the  operation  of  the  home  ranch:  Fannie, 
at  home;  .Sarah  L.,  the  wife  of  F.  C.  Smith, 
residing  on  the  Merrill  road  in  Klamath 
county;  R.  D.,  living  in  Nevada;  and  T.  A. 
and  Samuel,  both  at  home. 

Mr.  Varner  has  always  voted  with  the 
democratic  party  and  has  always  held  to 
high  standards  of  citizenship.  In  his  busi- 
ness dealings  he  has  been  straightforward 
and  reliable,  knowing  that  all  honorable  suc- 
cess can  only  be  won  through  individual  ef- 
fort and  unfaltering  perseverance.  He  is 
one  of  the  esteemed  citizens  of  Klamath 
county  and  a  well  spent  life  has  won  for 
him  the  veneration  which  should  ever  be 
accorded  one  of  his  years. 

FREDRICK       WILLIAM       COLEBROOK. 

Probably  no  man  lias  done  more  for  the 
development,  upbuilding  and  advancement  of 
agricultural  and  business  interests  of  Curry 
county  than  Fredrick  William  Colebrook, 
who  died  on  his  old  homestead  in  that  county 
in  1SS9.  He  was  one  of  the  early  settlers 
of  Oregon  and  the  most  forceful  years  of  his 
life  were  given  to  the  representative  indus- 
try of  pioneer  times.  His  death  was  felt 
as  a  distinct  loss  to  his  many  friends  who 
honored  and  respected  him  for  the  quality 
of  his  attainments  and  his  honorable  and 
upright  life.  Mr.  Colebrook  was  born  in 
England  in  1818  and  educated  in  Blue  Coat 
College,  London,  in  preparation  for  a  career 
as  a  sea  captain.  He  held  that  position  on 
an  English  vessel  until  1849  when  he  crossed 
to  America  and  went  to  California  where  he 
was  engaged  as  store  keeper  in  French  Camp 
in  the  gold  mines.  He  afterward  followed 
general  farming  upon  a  large  tract  of  land 
which  he  rented  and  after  several  years 
spent  in  that  occupation  came  to  Oregon, 
settling  in  Curry  county,  where  he  took  up 
a  number  of  acres  of  land  upon  which  he 
carried  on  stock-raising.  He  was  elected 
county    surveyor    and    surveyed    almost    the 


THE  CENTEiNNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


381 


whole  of  Curry  county.  Later  he  purchased 
land  half  way  between  Port  Orford  and 
Gold  Beach,  buj'ing  live  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  upon  which  for  a  number  of  years  he 
engaged  in  stock-breeding  and  raising.  It  is 
today  considered  the  finest  ranch  in  this  sec- 
tion of  the  country.  Mr.  Colebrook  gave  his 
entire  time  and  attention  to  the  improve- 
ment and  development  of  this  property, 
breeding  his  stock  along  the  most  modern 
and  progressive  lines.  Whatever  success  he 
attained  in  life  was  a  direct  result  of  his 
industry  and  well  directed  activity.  His 
widow  now  owns  a  tract  of  six  hundred 
acres  of  fertile  and  productive  land  in  Curry 
county,  a  farm  which  is  one  of  the  finest 
and  most  intelligently  developed  in  this  sec- 
tion. 

On  the  23d  of  July,  1875,  Mr.  Colebrook 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary  A. 
.Shmitt,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Barbara 
(Martin)  Shmitt.  She  was  nine  years  of  age 
when  her  parents  removed  to  Indiana  and 
she  later  took  up  her  residence  in  Oregon. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Colebrook  became  the  parents 
of  seven  children:  Fredrick,  deceased;  Mary, 
who  is  the  wife  of  William  Coy  of  Curry 
county,  by  whom  she  has  five  children; 
EUenora,  who  became  the  wife  of  Otto  New- 
man of  Bandon,  by  whom  she  has  six  chil- 
dren; Louisa,  who  married  Richard  Svius. 
of  California,  and  who  is  the  mother  of  four 
children;  Anna,  the  wife  of  George  Jensen, 
of  San  Diego,  California;  and  William  J., 
and  George,  both  of  whom  reside  in  Portland. 
.  Mr.  Colebrook  was  a  consistent  democrat 
and  took  an  intelligent  interest  in  public 
afTairs  although  he  never  sought  public  of- 
fice. He  was  prominent  in  the  Masonic  order 
and  had  many  friends  in  the  section  in  which 
he  resided  for  so  many  years.  The  impor- 
tance of  his  work  in  agricultural  circles  and 
the  place  he  had  attained  in  the  respect  and 
esteem  of  his  fellow  citizens  were  evidenced 
by  the  widespread  regret  at  his  death  which 
was  a  genuine  tribute  of  sorrow,  for  the  close 
of  a  useful,  valuable  and  upright  life. 

WILLIAM  SPENCER  SAWYERS  is  a 
native  son  of  Oregon  and  was  born  on  the 
old  Sawyers  donation  claim  nine  miles  east 
of  Scottsburg,  on  April  9.  1855.  His  parents 
were  Andrew  and  Frances  (McDowell)  Saw- 
yers, the  former  a  native  of  Main.  His 
mother  was  born  on  the  sea  while  her  parents 
were  crossing  from  Ireland  to  the  United 
States.  Mr.  Sawyers'  father  was  amolig  the 
earliest  of  the  Oregon  pioneers  and  saw 
many  cities  become  organized  and  flourisliing 
communities  from  undeveloped  beginnings. 
He  assisted  in  agricultural  expansion,  aided 
in  the  suppression  of  Indian  rebellions  and 
witnessed  the  evohition  of  a  great  and  pros- 
perous commonwealth  from  a  wilderness. 
He  was  born  on  .\pril  19,  1823.  on  disputed 
territory  between  IMainc  and  Canada.  When 
he  was  four  montlis  old  his  parents  moved 
to  Philadelphia.  Pennsylvania,  where  his 
mother  died  some  years  later.  He  began  his 
active  career  when  he  was  only  nine  years 
of  age,  at  which  early  time  he  was  obliged 
to   earn   his  own   livelihood.     At  sixteen   he 


was  taken  as  apprentice  to  learn  the  carpen- 
ter's trade  under  Reuben  Oliver,  with  whom 
he  served  for  live  years.  In  May,  1843,  he 
left  Pennsylvania  for  Xew  York  and  from 
there  went  to  New  Orleans  in  September  of 
the  same  year.  On  December  25,  1844,  he 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Fannie  Mc- 
Dowell, a  daughter  of  Andrew  and  Sarah 
McDowell  of  Philadelphia,  He  lived  in  New 
Orleans  for  over  six  years  and  became  suc- 
cessful as  an  expert  carpenter.  In  Septem- 
ber, 1849,  he  started  for  California  on  the 
bark  JIary  Waterman,  under  the  captaincy 
of  Mr,  Higgins,  The  party  stopped  at  Rio 
de  Janeiro  for  one  week  and  were  becalmed 
in  a  fog  in  a  cove  two  miles  off  Valparaiso. 
Some  flat  boat  men  who  were  aboard  con- 
structed an  improvised  raft  from  spars  and 
planks  and  with  tliis  they  towed  the  vessel 
out  to  sea,  where  it  encountered  a  good 
breeze  and  sailed  into  Valparaiso.  Here 
Mr.  Sawyers  remained  for  one  week.  Early 
in  May,  1850,  the  vessel  again  put  out  to  sea, 
sailing  later  through  the  Golden  Gate  to 
San  Francisco.  There  Mr.  Sawyers  found 
plenty  of  work  to  do  at  carpentering,  receiv- 
ing for  his  services  from  twelve  to  sixteen 
dollars  a  day.  In  June  he  purchased  three 
shares,  at  one  hundred  dollars  each,  in  an 
exploring  stock  company  known  as  Winches- 
ter Paine  &  Company,  The  operators  of  this 
enterprise  went  first  to  the  Rogue  river  val- 
ley but  stayed  only  one  week  in  that  vicinity, 
later  coming  to  the  vicinity  of  Scottsburg 
and  exploring  the  Umpqua  river  as  far  as 
the  big  canyon.  They  went  back  to  .'^an 
Francisco,  taking  along  a  good  report  of  the 
regions  of  Oregon  which  they  had  investi- 
gated. They  called  a  meeting,  levying  an 
assessment  of  twenty-five  per  cent  of  what 
had  been  paid  them  for  stock.  This  gave 
Andrew  Sawyers  an  interest  in  the  founda- 
tion and  promotion  of  the  towns  of  Umpqua. 
Scottsburg  and  Elkton,  In  October,  1850. 
he  and  his  family  took  passage  on  the 
steamer  Kate  Heath  and  arrived  at  Scotts- 
burg in  the  same  year.  As  they  entered  the 
harbor  they  saw  the  wreck  of  the  Bostonian 
with  its  scattered  timbers  piled  upon  the 
beach.  In  December,  1850,  Mr.  Sawyers' 
daughter,  Anna  Augusta,  was  born.  She  had 
the  distinction  of  being  the  first  white  child 
born  on  the  Umpqua  river.  Soon  afterward 
Jlr,  Sawyers  took  up  a  donation  claim  nine 
miles  east  of  Scott.sburg  and  began  its  culti- 
vation. He  was  active  as  a  farmer  and  was 
a  force  in  agricultural  development  for  many 
years.  When  he  first  came  to  Oregon  he 
built  a  house  for  Mr.  Garnier,  of  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company,  and  worked  at  his  trade  for  n 
number  of  years.  During  the  first  days  of 
his  settlement  the  carpentering  business  was 
extremely  dull  and  he  did  not  earn  even 
a  moderate  competence  by  it  for  some  time. 
However,  when  the  pack  trains  from  various 
parts  of  the  T'nifed  States  began  to  come  in 
and  the  population  increased  there  was  work 
for  hira  to  do  in  building  houses  for  the 
pioneers.  In  1854  he  traveled  to  Oregon  City 
to  meet  his  father,  John  Jacob  Sawyers,  who 
with  his  family,  consisting  of  two  daughters. 
Marr,  with  her  husband  and  one  ch'ld.  and 


382 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


Margaret,  who  afterward  married  Cyrus  Hed- 
den,  and  his  two  sons,  Jacob  A.  and  James 
Earl,  had  just  arrived  after  a  journey  across 
the  plains.  In  1855  the  Indians  of  the 
Rogue  river  were  in  a  hostile  state  and  tlie 
military  ferry  being  upon  Mr.  Sawyers'  place, 
a  fort  was  built  upon  his  land  and  all  thq 
settlers  congregated  within  its  walls  and  re- 
mained for  some  time  until  the  danger  was 
over.  In  1858  or  1859  Andrew  Sawyers  moved 
with  his  family  to  Eoseburg  in  order  to  give 
his  children  the  advantages  of  a  better  edu- 
cation. He  worked  at  various  occupations 
until  1863,  in  which  year  he  started  for  the 
mines  at  the  Cascades.  He  did  carpentering 
on  the  steamers  and  in  February.  186::. 
returned  to  his  family.  In  the  following 
June  he  started  for  Bannock  City,  Idaho,  and 
after  working  at  his  trade  for  a  year  and  a 
half  returned  to  Roseburg  and  established 
himself  on  a  farm  where  he  improved  and 
cultivated  the  soil  until  his  death,  on  Decem- 
ber 20,  1906.  His  wife's  death  had  preceded 
his  and  occurred  on  the  2d  of  .January,  1902. 
Andrew  Sawyers  was  a  representative  citi- 
zen and  a  prominent  agriculturist  in  Doug- 
las county.  He  served  through  one  of  the 
most  important  Indian  wars,  enlisting  in 
an  Oregon  regiment  on  November  S,  1855, 
and  being  discharged  at  Eoseburg  on  Janu- 
ary 18,  of  the  next  year.  His  services  were 
under  the  command  of  E.  L.  Williams  as 
colonel  of  the  regiment.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Saw- 
yers were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  three 
of  whom  died  in  infancy.  The  others  were: 
Elizabeth,  the  deceased  wife  of  H.  C.  Slocura, 
by  whom  she  had  one  son,  Harry  C,  of  Rose- 
burg; John  J.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  seven- 
teen years;  Anna,  the  wife  of  Joseph  Reed, 
of  Emmett,  Idaho;  Catherine,  who  married 
J.  Q.  Stephens,  of  Los  Angeles,  California; 
Margueritta,  the  wife  of  Peter  Nelson,  of 
Gai'diner,  Oregon;  William,  of  this  review; 
and  Fannie  Isabelle,  the  wife  of  L.  C.  Haines, 
of  Elkton,  Oregon,  of  whom  more  extended 
mention  is  made  on  another  page  of  this 
work. 

William  Sawyers  was  reared  at  home  and 
secured  his  education  in  the  common  schools 
of  Oregon.  From  his  early  childhood  he  was 
identified  with  the  labors  incident  to  general 
agriculture  and  when  he  had  reached  his 
majority  he  continued  to  assist  his  father  in 
the  work  of  the  farm.  He  spent  two  years 
in  Washington  and  Idaho  and  one  year  in 
southern  Oregon,  working  on  a  cattle  ranch. 
He  married  in  1885  and  for  seven  years 
afterward  he  and  his  wife  made  their  home 
with  Mr.  Sawyers'  parents,  where  in  con- 
junction with  his  father  William  Sawyers 
operated  the  home  farm.  Their  iniited  labors 
caused  the  property  to  expand  and  develop 
rapidly  and  when  the  father  died  it  was 
already  one  of  the  model  places  in  Douglas 
county.  William  Sawyers  inherited  two 
hundred  acres  of  the  finest  land  in  the  Ump- 
qua  valley  and  later  bought  from  his  sister, 
Mrs.  Haines,  two  hundred  and  seventy-five 
acres  adjoining.  His  farm  now  comprises 
four  hundred  and  seventy-five  acres,  well 
improved  and  highly  cultivated,  equipped 
with  efficient  farm  machinery  and  with  suit- 


able barns,  outbuildings  and  granaries.  Mr. 
Sawyers  follows  upon  his  property  diversi- 
fied farming  and  has  been  successful  in 
every  branch. 

On  November  16,  1885,  Mr.  Sawyers  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Belle  Andrews,  a 
daughter  of  Asa  and  Mary  (Wentworth) 
Andrews,  who  came  to  Oregon  from  Illinois 
in  1878.  A  further  history  of  Mrs.  Sawyers' 
father  appears  on  another  page  of  this  work 
in  connection  with  the  sketch  of  his  son, 
T.  W.  Andrews.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sawyers  are 
the  parents  of  five  children:  William.  Jr., 
who  was  educated  in  the  Oregon  State  Agri- 
cultural College  and  is  now  aiding  in  the 
work  on  his  father's  farm;  Ralph  A.  and 
Dena  Belle,  both  of  whom  reside  at  home; 
Oscar  W.,  who  is  deceased;  and  Arizona. 
Mr.  Sawyers  is  a  republican  in  his  political 
beliefs  but  has  never  sought  public  office.  He 
and  his  wife  hold  membership  in  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  church.  He  is  one  of  the  sub- 
stantial and  influential  men  of  the  Umpqua 
valley  and  the  qualities  which  made  his  father, 
when  a  child  of  nine,  face  an  unfriendly 
world  courageously  and  wrest  from  it  an  hon- 
orable and  in  some  points  an  unusual  career, 
are  today  influencing  the  son  in  his  less  con- 
spicuous but  equally  worthy  life  and  are  mak- 
ing his  activities  useful  and  valuable  to  Doug- 
las county  and  to  the  commonwealth  of 
Oregon. 

ROBERT  McKENZIE.  Modern,  progress- 
ive agriculture  finds  a  worthy  representative 
in  Robert  McKenzie,  who  owns  one  thousand 
acres  of  land  in  Curry  county,  near  Port 
Orford,  and  by  his  practical,  intelligent  and 
systematic  methods  has  made  it  one  of  the 
finest  farm  properties  in  this  section.  His 
success  is  the  result  of  specialized  activity 
and  earnest  labor  along  developing  linos  and 
has  made  him  one  of  the  leading  figures  in 
agricultural  circles  of  Curry  county.  He  was 
born  in  Scotland  in  1835,  a  son  of  John  and 
Catherine  McKenzie,  who  lived  and  died  in 
their  native  country,  the  father  passing  away 
when  the  subject  of  this  review  was  only 
six  weeks  old.  He  and  his  wife  had  two 
children,  of  whom  Robert  McKenzie  is  the 
younger.  His  brother  David  died  in  Aus- 
tralia. 

Robert  McKenzie  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  his  native  country  and  remained 
at  home  until  1857.  when  he  went  to  Aus- 
tralia and  lived  in  that  country  until  1874. 
In  the  latter  year  he  went  to  San  Francisco, 
coming  shortly  afterward  to  Curry  county, 
where  he  settled  on  a  farm  at  the  mouth  of 
Flk  river,  purchasing  four  hundred  and  eighty 
acres  of  land  from  George  Dyer,  to  which  he 
has  subsequently  added.  He  owns  one  thou- 
sand acres,  well  improved  and  highly  devel- 
oped, one  of  the  largest  and  most  valuable 
agricultural  properties  in  this  section  of  the 
county.  Upon  this  farm  he  carries  on  stock- 
raising  and  specializes  in  dairying,  keeping 
a  fine  herd  of  sixty  cows  for  this  purpose. 
His  dairy  buildings  are  modern,  sanitary 
and  thoroughly  ('qui])ped  and  the  entire  enter- 
prise is  ably  and  intelligently  conducted  and 
is  a  valuable  addition  to  his  income.    He  also 


■  L'Lio      L 


MTan,  LSNo- 


ROBERT  Mckenzie 


MRS.  i;i)I!i;i;t  McKKNZIK 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OP  OREGON 


38/ 


specializes  in  the  breeding  and  raising  of 
liigh-grade  stoelc,  handling  sheep,  cattle  and 
hogs,  -nhich  he  sells  in  the  Oregon  markets. 
He  is  interested  in  every  phase  of  develop- 
ment in  this  section  of  the  state,  which  is 
manifest  in  his  investments  in  various  im- 
portant local  enterprises.  In  his  farming 
operations  he  has  been  thorough  and  ener- 
getic, his  well  directed  labor  and  progressive 
methods  resulting  in  gratifying  success.  He 
has  devoted  practically  all  of  his  time  since 
the  beginning  of  his  active  career  to  agri- 
cultural pursuits  and  by  upright  and  honor- 
able standards  has  gained  that  prosperity 
which  results  from  earnest  and  well  directed 
efforts  and  is  accounted  one  of  the  substan- 
tial  and   leading   citizens   of  his   district. 

Robert  McKenzie  was  married  on  July  18, 
1S63.  in  Australia  to  Miss  Georgina  Tulloch, 
a  native  of  Scotland,  and  they  became  the 
parents  of  ten  children:  John,  "of  Elk  river; 
Kate,  whose  death  occurred  in  Curry  county; 
Eliza,  who  resides  at  home;  Annie,  the  wife 
of  Eugene  Schuyler,  of  Santa  Barbara,  Cali- 
fornia; Margaret,  at  liome;  Isahelle,  who 
married  Ed  A.  Ashman,  of  Santa  Cruz,  Cali- 
fornia; Ena,  who  is  following  the  profession 
of  nursing  at  San  Francisco,  California; 
Flora,  at  home;  David,  who  is  married  and 
resides  on  the  Elk  river;  and  Robert  G.,  at 
home.  The  family  belong  to  the  Presby- 
terian   church. 

Mr.  McKenzie  gives  his  allegiance  to  the 
republican  party  but  never  seeks  public  office, 
preferring  to  devote  his  attention  to  the  de- 
velopment of  his  farm.  Actuated  always 
by  the  most  practical  and  scientific  methods 
and  guided  by  high  ideals  of  business  in- 
tegrity, he  has  through  his  own  well  directed 
energies  worked  his  way  upward  until  he  is 
today  classed  among  the  wealthy  and  promi- 
nent  agriculturists   of   Curry  county. 

MARGUERITE  E.  (CORNELIUS)  POME- 
ROY,  M.  D.,  needs  no  introduction  to  the  read- 
ers of  this  volume,  for  she  is  known  as  one 
of  Salem's  leading  physicians.  Jloreover.  the 
high  and  upright  principles  of  her  life  have 
commended  her  to  the  confidence  and  good 
will  of  all  with  whom  she  has  been  brought 
in  contact.  She  was  born  at  Hillsboro,  Ore- 
gon, her  parents  being  Jesse  and  Caroline 
(Ingles>  Cornelius.  Her  father's  birth  oc- 
curred in  Missouri,  on  the  7th  of  .June,  1S29. 
while  his  death  occurred  on  the  19th  of 
December.  1S95.  He  crossed  the  plains  in 
1845  with  his  parents  and  passed  his  entire 
life  in  Oregon,  where  he  engaged  in  agricul- 
tural pursuits.  The  mother  was  also  born 
in  Missouri  and  when  she  was  but  six  weeks 
of  age  was  taken  across  the  plains  to  Ore- 
gon by  her  parents.  .She  is  now  living  in 
Portland.  To  their  union  twelve  children 
were  born,  six  dying  after  they  reached  ma- 
turity. Both  the  paternal  and  maternal 
grandfather  of  Dr.  Pomeroy  took  part  in  the 
Yakima  Indian  war. 

Dr.  Pomeroy  received  her  education  in  the 
common  schools  of  Hillsboro  and  was  grad- 
uated from  the  high  school  with  the  class  of 
1886.  Subsequently  she  studied  in  the  Pacific 
University  at  Forest  Grove,  and  after  com- 

Vol    IV— IG 


pleting  the  college  course  entered  the  train- 
ing school  for  nurses  at  the  Good  Samaritan 
Hospital,  in  Portland.  Later  she  completed 
the  medical  course  in  Willamette  University, 
from  which  institution  she  was  graduated 
with  the  class  of  1904,  after  which  she  took 
a  post-graduate  course  in  the  Polyclinic,  at 
San  Francisco,  in  1905.  So  successful  had  her 
work  been  in  these  institutions  that  she  went 
east  to  Chicago  and  took  a  post-graduate 
course  in  Rush  Medical  College  in  1909.  Pre- 
viously, after  her  graduation  from  Willamette 
University  in  1904,  she  began  the  active  prac- 
tice of  medicine  in  Portland  and  in  1906, 
after  her  return  from  San  Francisco,  located 
permanently  in  Salem,  and  now  occupies  a 
suite  of  offices  in  tlie  United  States  National 
Bank  Building.  Her  ability  is  recognized  by 
the  general  public  and  a  large  patronage  is 
accorded  her.  She  is  careful  in  the  diagnosis 
of  her  cases  and  her  judgment  in  professional 
matters  is  seldom  if  ever  at  fault.  Although 
she  is  a  general  practitioner,  she  has  special- 
ized in  pediatric  and  genealogical  surgery. 

In  1SS8  Marguerite  E.  Cornelius  was  mar- 
ried to  Charles  Pomeroy,  who  was  born  on 
the  17th  of  .July,  1S65,  and  is  a  son  of  Calvin 
and  Henrietta  (Blish)  Pomeroy.  the  former 
having  passed  away.  The  father  came  to 
Oregon  in  1S42.  and,  in  partnership  with  the 
Cornelius  family,  tool-c  up  a  donation  land 
claim,  which  has  since  been  known  as  the 
Cornelius  claim  and  upon  which  he  resided 
for  many  years.  Mr.  Pomeroy's  grandfather 
owns  the  mill  site  at  Oregon  City.  Charles 
Pomeroy  came  to  Salem  in  1896  and  opened 
a  jewelry  store,  which  he  is  still  conducting. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pomeroy  two  children  have 
been  born:  Wilbur,  deceased;  and  Ray,  who 
is  a  junior  in  Willamette  University. 

Dr.  Pomeroy  is  a  member  of  the  Marion 
County  and  the  Oregon  State  Medical  Socie- 
ties, and  of  the  Ladies'  Multnomah  Jledical 
Society.  She  also  holds  membership  in  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  wliilc  fraternally 
she  is  identified  with  the  Rebekahs,  the 
Pvthian  Sisters,  the  Royal  Neighbors,  the 
Women  of  Woodcraft,  the  United  Artisans, 
the  Brotherhood  of  American  Yeomen,  the 
Modern  Brotherhood  and  the  Ladies  of  the 
Maccabees,  and  is  acting  as  physician  for 
each  of  these  orders.  Her  broad  sympathies 
and  her  superior  training  have  already  won 
her  an  enviable  reputation  and  she  stands 
prominent  among  the  physicians  of  Marion 
county. 

W.  L.  TINGLEY,  who  devotes  his  time 
and  energies  to  the  raising  of  grain  and 
stock,  is  the  owner  of  a  ranch  comprising 
four  hundred  and  eighty  acres  and  situated 
about  three  miles  east  of  Midland  in  Kla- 
math county.  His  birth  occurred  in  New 
Bninswick.  Canada,  on  the  9th  of  September. 
1867,  his  parents  being  Harvey  and  Abby 
(Dob.son)  Tingley.  who  spent  their  entire 
lives  in  that  province.  The  father  devoted 
his  attention  to  general  agricultural  pur- 
suits  throughout   his  active   business  career. 

W.  L.  Tingley.  who  was  the  second  in 
order  of  birth  in  a  family  of  seven  children, 
remained     under     the     parental     roof    until 


388 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


eighteen  years  of  age  and  then  made  his 
way  to  Siskiyou  county,  California,  where 
he  worked  as  a  laborer.  For  a  number  of 
years  he  was  employed  in  lumber  camps  by 
Abner  Weed.  In  the  summer  of  1906  he 
purchased  his  present  ranch  of  four  hundred 
and  eighty  acres  in  Klamath  county,  Oregon, 
and  took  up  his  abode  thereon  the  following 
April.  One  hundred  and  eighty  acres  thereof 
is  under  the  government  ditch.  During  the 
past  five  years  he  has  been  engaged  in  the 
pursuits  of  farming  and  stock-raising  and 
his  labors  in  this  connection  have  been  at- 
tended with  excellent  results. 

In  March,  1904,  Mr.  Tingley  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Bertha  L.  Moss,  a  native 
of  California  and  a  daughter  of  William 
Moss.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tingley  have  two  chil- 
dren. Floyd  and  Thelma.  Mr.  Tingley  is 
republican  in  his  political  views,  loyally  sup- 
porting the  men  and  measures  of  that  party. 
He  well  deserves  a  place  among  the  repre- 
sentative agriculturists  and  respected  citi- 
zens of  his  community. 

NATHAN  SMITH  MERRILL.  The  town  of 
Merrill  owes  its  existence  as  well  as  its  name 
to  the  subject  of  this  review,  one  of  the 
honored  and  valued  citizens  of  Klamath  coun- 
ty who  is  still  actively  connected  with  agri- 
cultural and  stock-raising  interests  although 
he  has  now  passed  the  seventy-sixth  milestone 
of  life's  journey.  He  was  born  August  23, 
1836,  in  Hillsboro  county.  New  Hampshire, 
a  son  of  Nathan  Merrill  and  a  grandson  of 
William  Merrill,  who  were  also  natives  of 
the  old  Granite  state.  The  ancestry  of  the 
family  is  traced  back  to  three  brothers  who 
emigrated  from  Paris  and  arrived  in  the  new 
world  soon  after  the  Mayflower  reached  the 
shores  of  New  England.  They  settled  in  Bos- 
ton and  became  the  founders  of  the  Merrill 
family  in  America.  Nathan  Merrill  wedded 
Julia  A.  Morrill  who  was  also  a  native  of  New 
Hampshire  and  was  a  daughter  of  a  veteran  of 
the  War  of  1812,  who  died  in  service,  Nathan  S 
Merrill  is  the  eldest  of  his  father's  family,  the 
others  being:  William  R.,  of  Colusa,  Califor- 
nia; John  A.,  of  Redding,  California;  Charles 
H..  of  Merrill,  Oregon;  Morris  A.,  of  Willows. 
California;  and  Mrs.  Henrietta  Scroggins,  who 
has  resided  with  her  brother  Nathan  since 
the  death  of  his  wife. 

Nathan  S.  Merrill  left  New  England  and 
went  with  his  parents  to  Kane  county.  Illi- 
nois, in  1846.  There  he  pursued  his  "educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  and  in  the  fall  of 
1857  the  family  removed  to  McDonald  county. 
Missouri.  In  the  spring  of  1863  he  returned 
to  Kane  county,  Illinois,  and  in  the  fall  of 
1869  started  for  California,  accompanied  by 
his  wife  and  his  father.  Settling  in  Colusa 
county,  he  first  cultivated  land  on  shares  and 
afterward  purchased  land  near  what  was  then 
Colusa  but  is  now  Glenn  county,  California. 
For  thirteen  years  he  wag  thus  engaged  but 
raised  only  one  good  crop  during  that  time. 
In  1881  he  removed  to  Chehalis  county,  Wash- 
ington, where  he  followed  farming  until 
November,  1890,  when  he  came  to  his  present 
place  of  residence  in  what  is  now  the  town 
of  Merrill.     Here  he  has  since  remained.     He 


purchased  a  ranch  and  in  the  spring  of  1894 
laid  off  a  portion  of  the  town  of  Merrill,  the 
town  site  comprising  eighty  acres,  of  which 
he  owns  two-thirds.  At  one  time  he  had  five 
hundred  acres  adjoining  the  town,  all  of  it 
under  cultivation,  two  hundred  acres  being 
planted  to  alfalfa  and  the  remainder  to  grain. 
He  has  since  sold  oil  much  of  this  land  but 
still  retains  two  hundred  and  seventy  acres, 
which  is  devoted  to  the  raising  of  hay  and 
for  stock.  He  handles  registered  stock,  in- 
cluding Durham  cattle  and  Berkshire  hogs. 
He  has  also  engaged  successfully  in  raising 
mules.  He  sold  two  mules  at  three  years 
of  age  that  weighed  twenty-six  hundred  and 
fifty  pounds  and  were  over  eighteen  hands 
high.  They  were  bred  in  1908  and  at  one 
year  had  attained  the  height  of  sixteen  hands 
and  one  inch,  being  said  to  be  the  largest 
mules  ever  raised  in  the  United  States.  All 
of  his  land  is  now  under  government  ditch. 
At  one  time  he  w-as  a  stockholder  in  the  Little 
Klamath  Ditch  Company,  which  sold  out  to 
the  United  States  government,  at  which  time 
four  million,  five  hundred  thousand  dollars 
was  invested  in  the  project. 

On  the  26th  of  October.  1860,  in  McDonald 
county,  Missouri,  Mr.  Merrill  wedded  Miss 
Nancy  J.  Newland,  a  native  of  Washington 
county,  Arkansas.  They  celebrated  their 
forty-sixth  wedding  aniversarv  on  the  28th  of 
October,  1906.  eating  their  first  meal  in  their 
new  home.  This  is  a  twelve  room  house, 
modern  in  its  appointments  and  equipments, 
supplied  with  hot  and  cold  water  and  electric 
lights.  Electric  power  also  operates  the  pump, 
churn,  separator  and  washing  machine.  He 
has  built  his  own  water  works  upon  the 
place,  including  a  three  thousand  gallon  tank. 
The  Merrill  home  is  said  to  be  the  finest 
farm  house  in  Klamath  county.  The  house 
stands  far  back  from  the  road,  "with  a  beauti- 
ful drive  leading  to  it  lined  with  cottonwood 
and  poplar  trees.  On  the  30th  of  September, 
1908,  Mr.  Merrill  was  called  upon  to  mourn 
the  loss  of  his  wife,  with  whom  he  had  lived 
in  happiness  and  harmony  for  forty-eight 
years.  She  was  a  lady  of  many  excellent 
qualities,  loved  and  esteemed  by  all  who 
knew  her.  She  took  a  very  active  interest 
in  the  Rebekah  lodge,  the  woman's  auxiliary 
of  the  Odd  Fellows  society,  and  was  its 
representative  in  the  grand  lodge,  Mr.  Mer- 
rill has  always  accredited  his  wife  with  much 
of  his  success,  profiting  by  her  wise  counsel 
and  keen  insight  as  well  as  by  her  able  man- 
agement of  the  household  affairs. 

In  politics  Mr.  Merrill  has  been  a  lifelong 
democrat  and  in  1902  he  was  elected  county 
commissioner,  serving  for  four  year,  during 
which  time  the  beautiful  county  high  school 
was  erected  at  Klamath  Falls,  his  support 
being  given  to  the  project.  His  election  was 
a  tribute  to  his  personal  popularity  and 
worth,  for  the  county  is  strongly  republican. 
In  1885  he  became  a  member  of  Sylvia  Lodge, 
No.  37.  I.  O.  0.  F..  in  Washington,  and  his 
is  the  first  name  that  appears  on  the  charter 
of  Klamath  Falls  Lodge,  No.  137.  With  the 
organization  of  Tule  Lake  Lodge,  No.  187, 
at  Merrill,  his  name  was  again  placed  first 
on   the   charter   and   he   was  the    first   noble 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


389 


grand  of  the  organization.  This  is  the  only 
fraternal  society  that  he  has  ever  joined. 
He  has  been  a  hard  worker  and  is  a  well 
preserved  man.  He  has  led  a  very  exemplary 
life,  never  using  tobacco  and  never  tasting 
liquor  of  any  kind  as  a  beverage.  He  attrib- 
utes his  good  health  and  vigor  to  his  regu- 
larity of  habits  and  temperate  life.  Three 
meals  a  day  and  a  good  night's  rest,  with  no 
abuse  of  nature's  laws,  have  made  him  a 
well  preserved  man.  Eight  o'clock  in  the 
evening  usually  finds  him  in  bed  and  four 
o'clock  in  the  morning  awake  and  preparing 
for  the  day's  duties.  His  influence  has  al- 
ways been  on  the  side  of  right  and  progress, 
truth  and  improvement.  He  helped  build 
the  four  churches  in  Merrill  and  wherever 
possible  has  promoted  the  welfare  of  the 
community  along  various  lines.  His  has. 
indeed,  been  a  well  spent  life  and  ilerrill 
counts  him  as  one  of  her  most  honored  and 
valued  citizens. 

CHARLES  L.  McNARY,  dean  of  Willam- 
ette College  of  Law,  is  one  of  the  capable 
and  highly  successful  attorneys  of  Salem. 
He  was  born  in  Marion  county,  on  the  12th 
of  June,  1874,  and  is  a  son  of  Hugh  L.  and 
Margaret  (Claggett)  McNary.  the  father  a 
native  of  Pike  county,  Hlinois,  and  the 
mother  of  Kentucky.  Hugh  L.  McNary 
crossed  the  plains  to  Oregon  as  a  boy  with 
his  parents,  who  located  on  a  donation  claim 
in  the  vicinity  of  Oregon  City,  Clackamas 
county,  in  1845.  During  the  succeeding  ten 
years  he  remained  at  home,  assisting  his 
father  in  the  cultivation  and  improvement  of 
the  farm.  At  the  expiration  of  that  time  he 
went  to  Linn  county  and  taught  scliool  for 
several  years,  and  while  there  took  up  a 
donation  land  claim  but  later  came  to  Marion 
county  and  acquired  a  farm  near  Salem. 
which  he  cultivated  until  his  death  in  1882. 
The  family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McNary  num- 
bered ten  children,  those  living  being:  John 
H.  who  was  recorder  of  Marion  county  from 
1890  to  1894,  and  is  now  serving  his  second 
term  as  attorney  of  the  third  judicial  dis- 
trict, comprising  the  counties  of  Marion,  Polk. 
Tillamook,  Linn  and  Yamhill,  with  his  office 
located  in  Salem;  Ella,  the  wife  of  W.  J. 
Stolz,  of  the  Stolz  Vinegar  Factory  of  Salem: 
Mary,  who  married  H.  T.  Bruce,  a  retired 
farmer;  Nina,  who  is  with  her  sister,  Mrs. 
Stolz  in  .Salem ;  and  Charles  L.,  our  subject. 

Charles  L.  McNary  was  reared  at  home  and 
in  the  acquirement  of  his  preliminary  educa- 
tion attended  the  public  schools  of  Salem. 
After  his  graduation  from  the  high  school 
he  matriculated  in  the  law  department  of 
Leland  Stanford  University,  at  Palo  Alto, 
California.  In  October,  1898,  he  established 
an  oflice  in  Salem  and  engaged  in  general 
practice  with  his  brother,  John  H.  McNary. 
He  is  a  very  capable  representative  of  his 
profession  and  for  two  years  he  filled  the 
chair  of  medical  jurisprudence  in  Willamette 
University,  and  for  the  past  four  years  he 
has  been  dean  of  the  law  department  of  that 
institution. 

Salem  was  the  scene  of  the  marriage  of 
Mr.  McNary  on  the  19th  of  November.  1903. 


to  Miss  Jessie  Breyman.  a  native  of  this 
city  and  a  daugliter  of  Eugene  Breyman, 
who  was  born  and  reared  in  Germany.  He 
emigrated  to  the  United  States  in  1852,  and 
located  in  Amity,  Polk  county,  Oregon.  He 
was  one  of  the  pioneer  merchants  of  the  Wil- 
lamette valley,  and  being  a  very  capable  busi- 
ness man  met  with  success  in  his  undertak- 
ings. For  his  wife  Mr.  Breyman  chose  Miss 
Margaret  Skaife  of  Marion  county,  who  is 
still  living. 

Mr.  McNary  has  fijied  all  of  the  chairs  in 
the  Masonic  fraternity,  the  Elks  and  the 
Odd  Fellows,  and  is  a  most  worthy  exem- 
plar of  each  order.  He  has  taken  an  active 
interest  in  all  public  questions  and  munici- 
pal affairs  since  attaining  his  manhood,  and 
can  always  be  depended  upon  to  champion 
every  movement  that  will  in  any  way  tend 
to  promote  the  development  of  the  com- 
munity. He  was  president  of  the  Salem 
Board  of  Trade  for  two  years,  assuming  the 
duties  of  this  office  in  1909.  He  was  one  of 
the  organizers  of  the  Salem  Fruit  Union  the 
same  year  and  has  ever  since  been  president 
of  this  association.  In  his  political  views 
he  is  a  stanch  republican  and  is  president  of 
the  Taft-Sherman  Club.  He  is  one  of  the 
enterprising  and  progressive  citizens  of  Salem, 
whose  energies  are  largely  expended  in  pro- 
moting the  public  welfare,  and  advancing  its 
development  along  the  various  lines  of  human 
activity. 

JOHN  A.  KOONTZ  is  engaged  in  general 
farming,  owning  eighty  acres  of  land  under 
the  government  ditch.  This  tract  he  has 
rapidly  transformed  into  a  highly  cultivated 
place,  its  many  improvements  bearing  evi- 
dence of  his  industry  and  practical  methods. 
He  was  born  in  Putnam  county,  Illinois, 
April  9,  1858,  and  is  a  son  of  Henry  and  Lucy 
(Grubb)  Koontz,  both  of  whom  were  natives 
of  Pennsylvania.  The  mother  died  in  Put- 
nam county  when  her  son  John  A.  was  nine 
years  of  age.  He  was  the  eldest  of  six 
children,  the  others  being  Henry,  William, 
Lucy,  Charles  and  Alfred. 

John  A.  Koontz  in  his  early  childhood  went 
to  live  with  his  grandfather,  with  whom  he 
remained  between  the  ages  of  two  and  sev- 
enteen years.  He  continued  in  Putnam 
county  until  .January  22,  1876,  when  he  went 
to  Missouri,  where  he  started  in  active  life 
on  his  own  account,  working  at  farm  labor. 
He  spent  twelve  years  in  Missouri  and  in 
1889  arrived  in  Klamath  county.  Oregon, 
where  he  worked  for  wages  until  1905.  In 
1893,  however,  he  homesteaded  his  present 
place  but  for  twelve  years  thereafter  contin- 
ued in  the  employ  of  others  until  he  felt  that 
his  capital  and  conditions  were  such  as  to 
justify  him  in  beginning  the  improvement 
of  his  own  land.  He  now  owns  eighty  acres 
of  the  one  hundred  and  sixty  acre  home- 
stead and  is  diligently  and  persistently  car- 
rying on  the  work  of  the  farm.  The  govern- 
ment ditch  supplies  this  with  water  and 
excellent  irrigation  is  making  his  fields  most 
productive  so  that  he  annually  raises  pood 
crops.  He  is  a  public-spirited  citizen  and 
that  he  does  not  look  onlv  to  his  own  inter- 


390 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


ests  and  welfare  is  indicated  by  the  fact  that 
he  has  given  nine  acres  for  the  riglit  of  way 
of  the  Modoc  Northern  Railroad  which  is 
now  under  construction  upon  condition  that 
they  build  a  depot  and  put  in  a  siding  here. 
This  will  aflford  excellent  shipping  facilities 
for  the  people  of  the  surrounding  country 
and  will  prove  of  inestimable  benefit  to  the 
ranchers  of  this  part  of  Klamath  county. 

Mr.  Koontz  has  been  married  twice.  In 
September,  1880,  he  wedded  Miss  Ella  Drum- 
mond  and  unto  them  \yas  born  a  daughter, 
Julia  A.,  now  the  wife  of  B.  E.  Hull,  of  St. 
Josepli,  Missouri.  His  present  wife  was 
formerly  Mrs.  Ida  E.  Greeley,  whom  he  wed- 
ded December  29,  1908. 

In  politics  Mr.  Koontz  is  a  republican, 
interested  in  the  welfare  and  success  of  his 
party  to  the  extent  of  advocating  its  prin- 
ciples and  voting  for  its  candidates,  yet  he 
never  seeks  nor  desires  office  for  himself. 
He  is  generous  in  his  support  of  the  Pres- 
byterian church  and  gave  an  acre  of  his 
farm  upon  which  to  build  a  house  of  worship 
of  that  denomination.  In  fact  he  advocates 
all  progressive  measures  that  will  advance 
the  material,  intellectual,  political  and  moral 
progress  of  tlie  community  and  thereby  has 
become  a  valued  citizen  of  Klamath  county. 

JOSEPH  LANE  HAMPTON  is  living  prac- 
tically retired  in  Paisley,  although  he  has 
timber  and  mining  interests  in  this  region 
whicli  return  to  liim  a  good  income  on  his 
investment.  It  is  characteristic  of  the  native 
sons  of  Oregon  that  they  put  forth  earnest 
and  persistent  effort  in  the  upbuilding  of 
their  state  and  endeavor  to  place  it  on  a 
par  with  the  older  states  of  the  east  in  all 
that  constitutes  a  great  commonwealth.  Mr. 
Hampton,  ever  interested  in  the  work  of 
progress  in  the  northwest,  has  cooperated 
heartily  in  the  improvement  of  the  commu- 
nity in  which  he  has  lived.  He  was  born 
February  14,  1854,  on  a  ranch  six  miles 
south  of  Eugene,  in  Lane  county,  Oregon,  a 
son  of  Jacob  and  Elizabeth  (Fickle)  Hamp- 
ton. The  father  was  born  in  Kentucky  in 
1804,  the  mother  in  Virginia  in  1812,  and 
they  were  married  in  Missouri.  In  1845,  sev- 
eral years  before  the  discovery  of  gold  in  Cal- 
ifornia, they  crossed  the  plains  by  ox  teams, 
to  enjoy  the  opportunities  offered  in  the  north- 
west and  settled  upon  a  donation  claim  in 
Yamhill  county,  about  six  miles  below  Sheri- 
dan. Tliey  came  with  the  famous  Joseph 
Meek's  train  passing  through  what  is  now 
Harney  and  Lake  counties.  At  length  the  old 
farm  was  sold  and  IMr.  Hampton  engaged  in 
the  stock  business.  He  went  to  northern  Cali- 
fornia but  afterward  returned  to  Eugene  and 
in  1871  he  removed  to  Lake  county,  which  was 
then  a  part  of  Jackson  county.  Subsequently 
he  went  once  more  to  Eugene  and  his  last 
days  were  spent  in  the  home  of  a  son  seven 
miles  south  of  that  city,  where  he  died  in 
1884,  having  for  about  four  years  survived 
his  wife,  who  passed  away  in  1880.  Their 
children  were  eleven  in  number:  Lilburn,  who 
died  when  about  eighteen  years  of  age;  John 
D.  and  .Tames,  both  deceased;  Mary,  deceased, 
who  became  the  wife  of  S.  A.  Caldwell,  also 


deceased;  Eliza,  who  is  the  widow  of  M.  S. 
Riggs  and  resides  in  Harney  count}',  Oregon; 
Ralph,  who  died  in  childhood;  Jesse  Green 
and  Andrew  J.,  both  of  whom  died  in  1907; 
William  Wade,  of  Paisley;  Joseph  L. ;  and 
Julia  Elizabeth,  who  became  the  wife  of 
William  Moore  and  died  in  1883. 

Joseph  L.  Hampton  accompanied  his  par- 
ents on  their  removal  to  Lake  county  and 
remained  with  them  until  they  returned  to 
Eugene  in  1873,  at  which  time  he  was 
eighteen  years  of  age.  He  enlisted  for  ser- 
vice in  the  Modoc  Indian  war  imder  Captain 
Thomas  Mulholland,  serving  during  the  last 
montli  of  the  hostilities  with  the  Indians. 
He  then  turned  his  attention  to  the  stock- 
I'aising  business,  in  which  he  engaged  suc- 
cessfully for  many  years  or  until  he  sold 
out  in  1901,  since  which  time  he  has  lived 
practically  retired  in  Paisley,  enjoying  in 
well  earned  rest  the  fruit  of  his  former  toil. 
He  has  made  judicious  investment  in  timber 
and  mining  properties,  being  interested  in  the 
Paisley  mines. 

In  188S  Mr.  Hampton  was  married  to  Miss 
Sadie  L.  Follett,  who  was  born  in  Elgin,  Iowa, 
April  3,  1870,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Captain 
E,  Follett.  They  had  two  children:  May  E., 
who  died  at  the  age  of  six  years;  and  Ruth, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  eighteen  months. 

Joseph  Lane  Hampton  is  a  Master  Mason 
and  he  and  his  wife  are  connected  with  the 
Eastern  Star  and  with  the  Methodist  Episco- 
]ial  church — associations  which  indicate  much 
of  the  principles  which  govern  their  conduct. 
At  the  present  time  he  is  .serving  as  county 
fruit  inspector.  He  is  one  of  the  city  fathers, 
interested  in  the  progress  and  upbuilding  of 
Paisley,  and  in  politics  he  is  a  Taft  republi- 
can, holding  to  the  more  conservative  branch 
of  the  party.  He  is  mindful  of  all  the  duties 
of  citizenship  and,  keeping  well  informed  on 
the  questions  and  issues  of  the  day,  is  able  to 
support  his  contentions  by  intelligent  argu- 
ment. 

HENRY  FISCHER  is  tlie  vice  president 
and  manager  of  the  Fischer  Lumber  Com- 
])any  and  has  been  associated  with  his  brother 
Carl  E.  in  the  lumber  business  in  Oregon 
for  many  years.  He  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  Wisconsin  and  at  an  early 
age  started  out  in  life  to  make  his  own  way 
in  the  world.  He  came  to  Oregon  one  year 
later  than  his  brother  and  has  since  that  time 
been  actively  engaged  with  him  in  business. 
He  is  a  capable  business  man  and  has  been 
instrumental  in  promoting  the  growth  of  the 
enterprise  with  which  he  is  connected.  The 
Fischer  Lumber  Company  is  a  corporation, 
(if  which  Fred  Fisclier,  Sr.,  is  president ;  Carl 
E,  Fisclier.  secretary;  Fred  Fischer.  .Tr..  treas- 
urer; Henry  Fischer,  our  subject,  vice  presi- 
dent and  manager;  while  'Walter  Fischer  has 
charge  of  the  sawmill  work.  Their  annual 
business  amounts  to  about  fourteen  million 
feet,  and  they  have  a  complete  plant,  com- 
prising dry  kilns  and  planing  mills.  They 
manufact\ne  columns  and  general  lumber. 
They  own  a  lumber  supi)ly  which  they  calcu- 
late will  last  them  about  twenty-five  years 
and  ship  lumber  east  as  far  as  Montreal  and 


THE  N 
PUBLIC 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTOKY  OF  OKEGON 


393 


other  e.istcni  markets  and  own  several  retail 
yards  and  shipping  yards  at  various  points 
to  handle  their  wholesale  business.  Their 
offices  and  mills  are  located  at  JNIarcola  and 
they  own  retail  yards  at  Junction  City  and 
Halsey. 

In  1898  Henry  Fischer  was  married  to 
Amelia  Lunan,  a  daughter  of  August  and 
Minnie  Lunan.  She  was  born  in  Wisconsin 
and  is  one  of  a  large  family  of  children,  of 
whom  eight  survive.  Her  parents,  who  were 
natives  of  Germany,  came  to  Oregon  in  1907 
and  purchased  a  farm  near  Cottage  Grove, 
upon  which  they  make  their  home.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Fischer  have  been  born  three  chil- 
dren, Oressa,  Cleona,  and  Glenn,  of  whom  the 
two  eldest  are  now  attending  school  in 
Springfield. 

Mr.  Fischer  is  a, capable  man  and  has  given 
strict  attention  to  his  business,  with  the 
details  of  which  he  has  become  thoroughly 
conversant.  He  is  well  known  and  esteemed 
in  the  local  circles  of  the  lumber  trade  and 
in  Springfield,  where  he  makes  his  home,  is 
accorded  the  highest  respect  by  all  those 
with  whom  he  associates. 

EDWARD  A.  REVENUE,  an  agriculturist 
who  resides  on  his  farm  one  and  a  half  miles 
northeast  of  Sandy,  Clackamas  county,  was 
born  July  15,  1864,  a  son  of  Francis  and 
Lyddie  (Lawrence)  Revenue.  After  receiving 
his  education  in  the  public  schools  and  occu- 
pying his  leisure  hours  by  earing  for  the 
duties  which  came  to  hand,  Edward  A.  Reve- 
nue started  out  on  his  own  account  at  the 
age  of  eighteen  years.  His  first  position  was 
with  the  Oregon  Railroad  &  Navigation  Com- 
pany as  a  member  of  the  construction  crew. 
He  was  thus  employed  during  the  winter  of 
1883  but  subsequently  cleared  land  under 
contract.  In  1883  he  removed  to  Baker 
county,  Oregon,  and  after  remaining  there 
for  one  year  returned  to  Portland,  where  he 
was  employed  at  various  occupations  before 
working  for  the  Xorthern  Pacific  Railroad 
Company,  at  Tacoma.  He  also  worked  in 
the  Coeur  d'Alene  mines  in  Idaho  and  sub- 
sequently for  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad 
Company.  Later  he  was  engaged  in  log- 
ging on  the  Columbia  river  and  for  nine 
years  he  roamed  tlirough  the  country  before 
returning  to  the  farm,  where  he  remained 
until  his  father's  death,  which  occurred  June 
1.  1909.  His  father  deeded  the  farm  to  him. 
which  was  part  payment  for  the  labor  lie  had 
previously  given  in  aiding  in  its  cultivation 
and  since  he  has  been  the  ow-ner  of  the  jjrop- 
erty  he  has  continued  to  improve  and  develop 
it." 

On  the  13th  of  October,  1895,  Mr.  Rev- 
enue was  married  to  Miss  Myra  Flynn, 
whose  birth  occurred  March  3,  1879,  and  who 
is  a  daughter  of  Nelson  A.  and  Jane 
(Mooney)  Flynn.  The  father  was  born  Sep- 
tember 31,  1841.  and  during  his  early  life 
lived  in  Wood  county,  West  Virginia.  AVliile 
still  a  resident  of  that  state  he  joincHl  Com- 
pany E,  First  West  Virginia  Cavalry,  for 
service  in  the  Civil  war.  Being  woiinded 
before  his  first  year  was  completed,  he  was 
discharged  but  later  joined  the  state  guard 


and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  In  the 
fall  of  1SG5  he  went  to  Hancock,  Illinois, 
where  he  resided  for  eight  years  before  re- 
turning to  West  A'irginia.  After  two  years 
he  removed  to  Missouri  and  made  his  home 
in  that  state  for  seven  years  and  after  a 
three  years'  residence  in  West  Virginia  set- 
tled in  Kansas.  He  lived  in  the  Sunllower 
state  for  live  years  on  a  homestead  claim 
but  in  April,  1883,  came  to  Oregon.  After 
making  his  home  in  Sycamore  for  two  years 
where  he  was  postmaster,  he  located  in 
Clierryville  upon  a  homestead  claim  of  forty 
acres,  upon  which  he  resided  for  thirteen 
years.  Mrs.  Flynn  was  born  on  the  31st  of 
March,  1843,  and  her  marriage  occurred  De- 
cember 35,  1863.  After  her  death  Mr.  Flynn 
retired  from  active  work  and  has  since  lived 
with  hia  daughter  Mrs.  Revenue.  Unto  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Flynn  nine  children  were  l)orn: 
Gilmore  N.  and  Vira  A.,  both  of  whom  are 
deceased;  Alice  M.,  who  is  the  wife  of  L. 
B.  Trullinger,  of  Lents,  Oregon,  and  the 
mother  of  one  son,  Roy  M. ;  Noah  W.,  of 
eastern  Oregon,  who  is  married  and  has  seven 
children,  Ira,  Clyde,  Benjamin,  Celia.  Orville, 
Jessie  and  Leslie;  Minnie  J.,  who  became  the 
wife  of  D.  W.  Douglas,  of  Cherryville,  Ore- 
gon, and  has  three  children,  Vira,  Alice  and 
Waldo  E. ;  Mrs.  Revenue;  George,  a  resident 
of  Oregon;  Sarah,  who  has  passed  away;  and 
Ira,  of  Hood  River,  who  is  married  and  has 
three  children,  Louis,  Arlie  and  an  infant 
son.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Revenue  two  children 
have  been  born,  one  of  whom  died  in  infancy. 
The  surviving  member  of  the  family  is  Alice 
Ruth,  who  was  born  March  14,  1899,  and  is 
attending  school. 

Although  Mr.  Revenue  is  in  sympathy  with 
the  greater  number  of  the  policies  of  the  re- 
publican party,  he  easts  his  vote  for  man  or 
measure  rather  than  according  to  the  dictates 
of  the  party  machine.  He  has  never  sought 
nor  desired'office  but  takes  a  citizen's  inter- 
est in  the  political  welfare  and  civic  govern- 
ment of  Clackamas  county.  He  has  ever 
been  diligent  and  industrious  and  the  word 
fail  has  no  place  in  his  vocabulary.  His  life 
in  all  of  its  various  relations  has  been  of 
such  character  as  to  command  the  respect 
and  esteem  of  those  with  whom  he  has  been 
associated. 

J.  W.  MANNING  resides  upon,  owns  and 
cultivates  a  rancli  ten  miles  south  of  Klamath 
Falls,  having  at  one  time  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  land  which  was  covered  with 
sagebrush.  His  place  now  comprises  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres,  much  of  which  has 
been  brought  under  cultivation  and  is  de- 
voted to  general  farming.  He  was  born  in 
Mansfield,  Ohio,  May  3,  1838,  and  is  a  son 
of  Horace  and  Wata  A.  (Crandall)  Manning. 
The  paternal  grandfather,  a  native  of  Scot- 
land, established  his  home  in  Maryland  on 
coming  to  the  new  world.  His  son  Horace 
was  liorn  cither  in  Scotland  or  in  Maryland 
and  thence  removed  to  Ohio,  where  his  death 
occurred  a  short  time  after  the  birth  of  his 
son.  J.  W.  Manning.  He  was  a  miller  by 
occupation.  His  wife  was  a  native  of  New 
York    and   went   to   Ohio   with   her  parents. 


394 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


In  the  days  of  her  widowhood  she  became 
a  resident  of  Missouri,  going  to  that  state 
with  her  father  in  the  fall  of  1838.  She 
afterward  became  the  wife  of  Aaron  Cham- 
bers and  in  1852  crossed  the  plains  with  her 
husband  and  her  son,  J.  W.  Manning.  They 
traveled  with  ox  teams  and  were  six  months 
upon  the  way,  settling  three  and  a  half  miles 
below  Jacksonville,  where  both  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Chambers  died.  Mr.  Chambers'  first  wife 
was  a  sister  of  the  mother  of  our  subject 
and  by  that  first  marriage  there  were  two 
children. 

J.  W.  Manning  worked  on  the  ranch  in 
Jackson  county  with  his  stepfather  until 
1862  and  afterward  engaged  in  mining  and 
freighting  in  Idaho  and  Montana,  following 
the  discovery  of  gold  in  those  states.  He 
returned  to  Jackson  county  in  the  fall  of 
1866  and  subsequently  was  proprietor  of  a 
livery  stable  during  most  of  the  period  of 
his  residence  in  Jacksonville  but  was  sheriff 
of  Jackson  county  from  1874  until  1878. 
After  he  had  been  two  years  in  the  office, 
Lake  county  was  cut  oS  from  Jackson  county 
and  later  Klamath  county  was  set  off  from 
Lake.  For  two  years  Mr.  Manning  conducted 
a  livery  stable  in  Klamath  Falls  and  subse- 
quently secured  a  homestead  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres,  on  which  he  took  up  his 
abode  in  1890.  He  also  preempted  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres,  thus  securing  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  all.  The  tract 
was  covered  with  sagebrush  and  he  was  one 
of  the  first  settlers  of  the  locality  and  no 
improvements  had  been  made.  His  ranch 
is  situated  ten  miles  south  of  Klamath  Falls. 
Having  disposed  of  part  of  this,  he  now 
devotes  his  time  to  the  improvement  of  the 
remaining  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  car- 
rying on  general  farming.  His  fields  are  well 
tilled,  his  methods  are  practical  and  pro- 
gressive and  the  results  which  follow  his 
labors  are  desirable.  During  the  Modoc  In- 
dian war  he  engaged  in  teaming  for  the 
United  States  government.  Jacksonville  was 
the  nearest  postoffice  at  that  time  and  Mr. 
Manning  carried  the  mail  and  passengers 
from  Jacksonville.  He  did  an  extensive  livery 
business,  owning  stables  in  that  town,  and 
in  fact  in  every  business  relation  he  has  won 
success,  owing  to  his  diligence,  careful  man- 
agement  and   well   directed   labors. 

Mr.  Manning  was  married  first  to  Sarah 
E.  Bellford.  a  native  of  Iowa  who  crossed 
the  plains  to  Rogue  river  in  the  'BOs  and  died 
in  Jacksonville  in  1878.  There  were  three 
children  of  that  marriage:  Wata  A.,  the  wife 
of  James  Fay,  of  Medford,  Oregon;  Maggie 
Bell,  the  deceased  wife  of  Levi  Ward;  and 
John  W.,  living  in  Klamath  county.  In  1878 
Mr.  Manning  was  again  married,  his  second 
union  being  with  Belle  Callaway,  a  native 
of  Mississippi,  who  crossed  the  plains  with 
her  parents,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  Callaway. 
Her  father,  who  served  through  the  Mexican 
war  and  also  through  the  Civil  war,  is  now 
living  in  Idaho  at  the  age  of  nearly  one  hun- 
dred years.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Manning  have 
five  children:  H.  M.;  George  W.,  a  ranchman 
of  Lake  county;  A.  J.,  of  Klamath  Falls; 
Grover   Cleveland,   who   died   at   the   age  of 


sixteen  years;  and  Frances,  the  wife  of  W. 
H.  Wynant,  of  Klamath  Falls.  Although  Mr. 
Manning  has  passed  the  allotted  Psalmist's 
span  of  three  score  years  and  ten,  he  is  still 
an  active  factor  in  business  circles,  carefully 
managing  his  ranching  interests,  and  what- 
ever success  he  has  achieved  in  life  is  attribu- 
table to  his  own  industry,  determination  and 
perseverance.  His  straightforward  business 
dealings  have  gained  him  the  confidence  of 
his  fellowmen  and  made  him  one  of  the 
valued  citizens  of  Klamath  county. 

JOHN  MERIT  WRIGHT.  The  death  of 
John  Merit  Wright,  who  passed  away  in 
Roseburg  on  July  19,  1897,  deprived  the  state 
of  Oregon  of  one  of  the  sturdy  pioneers  in 
its  settlement,  who  defied  natural  forces, 
endured  hardships,  privations  and  defeat  and 
evolved  by  their  own  labor  out  of  an  uncul- 
tivated wilderness  and  opposing  timber  for- 
ests the  fertile  land  and  well  developed 
farms  which  are  making  the  state  prominent 
among  the  great  agricultural  regions  of  Amer- 
ica. Mr.  Wright  was  among  the  early  set- 
tlers in  Douglas  county,  his  residence  in  this 
section  dating  from  1852.  He  was  born  in 
Kanawha  county.  West  Virginia,  June  12, 
1826,  and  moved  to  Missouri  with  his  parents 
in  1834.  In  1850  he  crossed  the  plains, 
going  to  California,  where  he  remained  until 
1851,  when  he  returned  to  Missouri.  In  the 
following  year  he  again  crossed  the  plains, 
this  time  accompanied  by  his  family.  He 
settled  in  Oregon  in  the  Flournoy  valley, 
Douglas  county,  whence,  after  a  short  period 
of  residence,  he  moved  to  French  Set- 
tlement in  the  same  section  and  there  re- 
mained until  1889.  In  that  year  he  removed 
to  Roseburg,  where  he  lived  retired  until  his 
death.  During  practically  all  of  his  active 
life  he  followed  general  agricultural  pursuits 
and  when  he  died  was  the  owner  of  one  of 
the  most  excellent  and  most  intelligently 
developed  farms  in  French  Settlement. 

In  Missouri,  in  1846,  Mr.  Wright  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Emily  Simmons,  who  was 
born  in  Howard  county,  Missouri,  April  20, 
1830.  Their  marriage  occurred  in  Linn 
county  and  Mrs.  Wright  accompanied  her 
husband  to  Oregon  in  1852.  Seven  children 
were  born  to  their  union:  W.  T.,  cashier  of 
the  First  National  Bank  of  Roseburg;  Cal- 
vin W.,  of  Marshfield;  Lee  S'.,  a  resident  of 
Portland;  Mrs.  Rowena  L.  Jones,  of  Ronan, 
Montana;  Mrs.  L.  T.  Thompson,  of  Coles 
Valley;  and  Mrs.  Alice  G.  Van  Buren  and 
Mrs.  Emily  Merit  West,  both  of  Roseburg. 
Mrs.  Wright  passed  away  at  her  home  in 
Roseburg  in  1902,  at  the  age  of  seventy-two 
years.  She  was  the  highest  type  of  Chris- 
tian woman,  kind,  sympathetic,  companion- 
able and  generous.  Acquaintances  imme- 
diately became  her  friends  and  admirers,  her 
wholesome  nature  adding  to  the  irresistible 
charm  of  her  personality. 

Mr.  Wright  gave  his  political  allegiance  to 
the  democratic  party  but  never  sought  pub- 
lic office,  preferring  to  concentrate  his  atten- 
tion upon  the  absorbing  duties  connected  with 
the  conduct  of  his  agricultural  enterprise. 
He  was  a  man  of  sterling  worth,  honest  in 


THE  CENTEiNNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


395 


his  convictions  and  courageous  in  tlie  sup- 
port of  them.  He  had  few  enemies,  his  rigid 
adherence  to  principles  of  honor  and  integ- 
rity gaining  him  the  respect  and  esteem  of 
everyone  who  was  in  any  way  associated 
with  him.  He  was  a  devout  adherent  of  the 
Baptist  church,  having  joined  that  religion 
in  1845,  and  lived  a  consistent  Christian  life. 

MERLE  SHELLY  KILGORE.  The  agri- 
cultural interests  of  Klamath  county  find  a 
worthy  representative  in  Merle  Shelly  Kil- 
gore.  Moreover,  he  is  one  of  the  native  sons 
of  the  county,  having  been  born  in  Langells 
Valley  on  the  16th  of  April,  1890.  His  par- 
ents were  Silas  Wright  and  Mary  A.  (Herrin) 
Kilgore.  The  father  was  one  of  the  pioneer 
settlers  of  Klamath  county  and  was  long 
identified  with  stock-raising  here  but  spent 
his  last  ten  years  in  retirement.  He  was  the 
owner  of  three  hundred  acres  eleven  miles 
south  of  Klamath  Falls,  of  which  he  had 
one  hundred  and  fifteen  acres  planted  to 
alfalfa.  He  also  engaged  quite  extensively 
in  stock-raising  and  at  one  time  had  five 
hundred  head  of  cattle  of  the  Durham  breed. 
In  addition  to  his  home  place  he  owned 
a  section  of  land  in  Langells  valley  and  at 
one  time  resided  thereon.  He  was  born  near 
Canton,  Stark  county,  Ohio,  July  18,  1842, 
a  son  of  James  and  Mary  Ann  (Dean)  Kil- 
gore, natives  of  Westmoreland  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  Stark  county  Ohio,  respectively. 
The  grandparents  of  our  subject  were  mar- 
ried in  the  latter  county  about  1837  and 
Mrs.  Kilgore,  who  was  born  October  8,  1819, 
■was  of  German  and  English  descent.  On  the 
11th  of  April,  1854,  they  left  Ohio  and  after  a 
difficult  and  arduous  but  safe  journey 
reached  Ashland,  Jackson  county,  Oregon,  on 
the  1st  of  October.  Two  years  later  the 
grandfather  rented  a  farm  near  Central  Point 
and  in  1859  removed  to  the  J.  F.  Miller  farm, 
two  miles  north  of  Jacksonville.  He  pur- 
chased the  property  and  continued  its  culti- 
vation for  a  number  of  years  but  in  the 
spring  of  1873  disposed  of  his  interest  and 
removed  to  Klamath  county.  While  the 
Modoc  war  was  in  progress  he  was  carrying 
mail  from  Ashland.  Oregon,  to  Cedarville, 
Modoc  county.  California.  In  1875  he  re- 
turned to  Ashland  and  purchased  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  adjoining  the  town. 
He  took  up  his  residence  in  the  town  and 
there  lived  until  his  death,  December  37, 
1887.  when  he  was  seventy-six  years  of  age, 
his  birth  having  occurred  in  December,  1811. 
His  wife  died  in  Ashland,  April  11,  1902. 
Their  children  were:  Lucetta,  deceased;  Mar- 
tha Washington,  the  widow  of  Robert  Har- 
gadine;  Felix,  deceased;  Silas  W. ;  Amanda, 
the  wife  of  G.  W.  Wliitmoro;  Mary,  the  wife 
of  Henry  Duncan,  of  Langells  Valley;  James 
deceased;  Josephine,  the  wife  of  A.  F. 
Squires,  of  Milwaukee,  Oregon;  and  Flor- 
ence, of  Ashland. 

Wlien  the  family  settled  in  Oregon  Silas 
W.  Kilgore  was  a  boy  of  twelve  years.  He 
supplemented  his  education  acquired  in  Ohio 
by  study  in  Jackson  county.  Oregon,  and  in 
1862  started  out  for  himself,  going  to  the 
mines  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  state.     In 


1864  he  returned  to  Jackson  county  and  in 
1869  came  to  Klamath  county,  where  he  se- 
cured employment  as  a  farm  hand  on  an  In- 
dian reservation  under  Captain  A.  C.  Knapp. 
After  two  years  he  moved  to  Langells  Valley 
and  located  on  a  farm  near  the  post  office  of 
that  name,  taking  up  three  hundred  acres  at 
that  time.  He  afterward  made  a  specialty 
of  stock-raising  until  his  retirement  and  met 
with  deserved  success.  During  the  last  ten 
years  of  his  life  he  resided  with  his  children 
and  passed  away  July  9,  1911.  He  wedded 
Mary  Alice  Herrin,  who  was  born  May  1, 
1857,  and  they  became  the  parents  of  three 
children.  Roy  died  at  Klamath  Falls,  Feb- 
ruary 29,  1911,  leaving  a  widow,  a  son  and 
three  daughters,  who  now  reside  at  Bonanza, 
Klamath  county.  The  last  few  years  of  his 
life  he  was  identified  with  milling  at  Bon- 
anza, previous  to  which  time  he  had  been  a 
stockman.  Silas  Warren  engages  in  general 
farming  and  stock-raising  near  Langells  Val- 
ley. The  father  left  an  estate  valued  at 
seventy  thousand  dollars  to  be  divided  among 
his  three  heirs,  including  ranch  lands,  live 
stock  and  mills  at  Bonanza. 

Merle  S.  Kilgore  is  now  residing  on  a  part 
of  his  father's  estate,  having  three  hundred 
acres  on  the  Merrill  road,  ten  miles  south 
of  Klamath  Falls.  Here  he  has  made  his 
home  for  three  years  and  is  engaged  in  farm- 
ing and  stock-raising.  He  has  the  entire 
ranch  under  irrigation,  well  built  ditches  en- 
abling him  to  drain  the  water  from  any  part 
of  the  place  and  thus  by  careful  development 
produce  large  crops.  For  a  time  he  worked 
in  the  mills  but  all  of  the  time  has  given 
part  of  his  attention  to  ranching. 

On  December  39,  1909,  Mr.  Kilgore  was 
married  to  Miss  Mary  Emma  Butler,  who  was 
born  in  Ashland,  Oregon.  November  11,  1891, 
and  there  resided  until  December,  1905,  when 
she  came  to  Klamath  county  with  her  par- 
ents, Joel  Wesley  and  Susan  Frances  (Bag- 
ley)  Butler.  The  father  died  when  Mrs.  Kil- 
gore was  only  thirteen  months  old.  The 
mother  in  1911  returned  to  Ashland,  where 
she  now  resides.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kilgore  have 
an  interesting  little  son,  Silas  Shelly. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Kilgore  is  a 
republican,  giving  stanch  support  to  the 
party  but  never  seeking  or  desiring  office. 
He  is  a  young  man,  alert  and  enterprising, 
thoroughly  in  sympathy  with  the  spirit  of 
the  northwest  and  doing  all  he  can  to  pro- 
mote its  progress  and  improvement.  His 
father  was  one  of  the  prominent  and  influ- 
ential citizens  of  the  community  who  did 
much  for  the  material  development  of  Oregon 
and  the  work  instituted  by  the  father  is  now 
being  carried  on  by  the  son. 

JOHN  P.  ANDERSON  is  a  self-made  man 
not  only  in  the  sense  that  he  had  no  early 
advantages  but  in  that  he  conquered  his 
destiny  against  hampering  obstacles.  He 
was  born  in  Sweden,  December  27,  1842,  and 
is  a  son  of  Charles  and  Mary  Anderson,  both 
of  whom  lived  and  died  in  their  native  coun- 
try. 

Mr.  Anderson  was  reared  at  home  and  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Sweden.    He 


396 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OP  OREGON 


came  to  the  United  States  in  1869  and  located 
in  Henry  county,  Illinois,  where  he  worked 
as  a  farm  laborer  for  one  year  at  ten  dollars 
per  month.  He  was  employed  in  the  coal 
mines  for  four  years  and  during  this  time 
was  able  to  save  enough  money  with  which  to 
purchase  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Webster 
county,  Iowa.  He  bought  this  property  from 
his  uncle,  taking  the  land  upon  the  latter's 
word.  When  in  1874  he  removed  to  Iowa 
with  the  intention  of  locating  upon  his  farm 
he  found  that  the  soil  was  not  fertile  and 
that  it  would  not  pay  him  to  cultivate  this 
tract.  In  1877,  therefore,  he  came  in  com- 
pany with  four  other  men  to  Oregon,  leav- 
ing his  family  in  Iowa  until  his  fortune  was 
assured.  Upon  his  arrival  in  this  state  he 
selected  land  on  the  Umpqua  river  in  Douglas 
county  and  homesteaded  eighty  acres,  which 
was  the  beginning  of  his  present  large  and 
excellently  cultivated  ranch.  He  wrote  his 
wife  to  sell  the  farm  in  Iowa  and  this  she 
succeeded  in  doing  in  April,  1878.  leaving  Iowa 
in  the  same  year  to  join  her  husband.  Mr. 
Anderson  then  entered  a  claim  to  the  eighty 
acres  adjoining  his  original  tract  and  set 
about  its  clearing.  He  built  a  log  cabin 
with  a  clapboard  lloor  and  a  half-window  for 
light.  He  had  no  money  upon  his  first  com- 
ing to  the  state  and  his  success  is  entirely 
the  result  of  his  energy,  ambition  and  deter- 
mination. His  farm  was  wild  brush  land 
which  he  grubbed  and  which  evolved  his  pres- 
ent improved  farm.  From  time  to  time  ho 
purchased  other  land  until  he  now  owns  nine 
hundred  acres  and  is  one  of  the  substantial 
and  representative  citizens  of  Douglas  county. 
He  is  not  only  a  successful  man  but  also  a 
progressive  one  and  it  is  his  delight  to  keep 
his  ranch  model  and  attractive  in  all  of  its 
aspects  and  to  operate  it  along  systematic 
lines. 

Mr.  Ander.son  was  married  in  Sweden  in 
1866  to  iliss  Clara  Christina  Abrahamson 
and  of  the  children  born  to  this  union  five  are 
now  living,  all  natives  of  the  United  States; 
Harry,  whose  birth  occurred  in  Sweden  and 
who  is  farming  on  Eagle  creek.  Multnomah 
county;  Ernest,  who  resides  in  Alaska;  Ann- 
ette, now  Mrs.  Eoy  Walker,  of  Lebanon.  Ore- 
gon; Hilda,  who  married  William  Schultz.  a 
ranchman  of  Eagle  creek;  and  Emil.  at  home. 
In  his  political  views  Mr.  Anderson  is  a 
republican  but  has  never  sought  public  of- 
fice. He  and  his  wife  belong  to  the  Lutheran 
church.  His  early  life  was  filled  with  hard- 
ships, which  he  conquered  by  energy,  deter- 
mination and  hard  work.  His  career  has  had 
a  tangible  success  since  he  has  risen  from 
poverty  against  hampering  obstacles  to  his 
present  substantial  condition.  He  is  one  of 
the  most  successful  men  of  his  section  but 
while  the  conditions  of  his  life  are  changed 
there  has  been  no  lessening  of  the  stalwart 
and  forceful  qualities  which  have  made  it 
prosperous. 

J.  A.  H.  KOCH  is  living  retired  in  a  pleas- 
ant home  in  Port  Orford  after  an  active 
career  in  Curry  county  of  almost  thirty  years. 
He  has  been  a  resident  of  this  section  since 
1871  and  during  this  period  a  great  deal  of 


the  time  has  been  a  general  farmer,  operat- 
ing for  a  number  of  years  attractive  land  on 
Elk  river  which  he  acquired  as  a  homestead 
claim. 

He  was  born  in  Prussia,  February  25,  1824, 
and  his  parents  died  in  that  country  when 
he  was  a  child.  He  received  his  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  Germany  and  came 
to  America  when  he  was  twenty  years  of 
age,  having  followed  the  sea  for  a  number  of 
years.  He  landed  in  New  Orleans  in  1844 
and  for  three  years  sailed  out  of  that  port. 
In  1851  he  came  to  California  where  he  re- 
sided until  1871,  spending  his  time  in  min- 
ing for  gold.  In  the  latter  year  he  moved 
to  Oregon  and  mined  in  Curry  county  for 
two  years  before  he  took  up  stock-raising 
in  which  line  of  activity  he  engaged  for  a 
short  time.  Eventually,  however,  he  proved 
up  a  homestead  claim  and  there  lived  until 
his  retirement. 

-Mr.  Koch  had  served  for  six  months  in  the 
American  army  during  the  Mexican  war  and 
in  1SS7  applied  to  the  government  for  a 
pension  and  for  the  back  pension  due  him. 
This  was  granted  in  1890  and  shortly  after- 
ward he  sold  his  homestead  and  came  to  Port 
Orford  where  he  erected  a  comfortable  home 
in  whicji  he  lives.  He  gives  his  allegiance 
to  the  democratic  party  but  has  never  been 
an  office  seeker.  During  the  forty-one  years 
of  his  residence  in  Curry  county  he  has  made 
man}-  friends  in  the  section,  all  of  whom 
honor  and  esteem  him  for  the  upright  and 
straightforward  qualities  of  his  mind  and 
character. 

BURRELL  W.  SHORT.  A  good  ranch  of 
three  hundred  and  twenty-four  acres  about 
six  and  one-half  miles  southeast  of  Klamath 
Falls  pays  tribute  to  the  care  and  labor  be- 
stowed upon  it  by  Burrell  W.  Short,  its 
owner.  Here  he  is  engaged  in  general  farm- 
ing and  he  ranks  among  the  progressive  citi- 
zens of  the  community,  whose  cooperation 
can  always  be  counted  upon  to  further  ad- 
vancement along  beneficial  lines.  He  was 
born  in  Union  county,  Georgia,  Xovember  8, 
1875.  His  father,  John  A.  Short,  was  born 
in  Carthage,  Xorth  Carolina,  December  24, 
1S50,  a  son  of  B.  H.  and  Mary  (Cole)  Short, 
the  latter  a  native  of  Moore  county  and  the 
former  of  Anson  county,  Xorth  Carolina. 
The  Shorts  are  of  English  descent  and  the 
family  was  founded  in  America  during  Colo- 
nial days.  The  parents  spent  their  entire  lives 
in  their  native  state  and  the  grandfather, 
who  was  drafted  for  service  in  the  Confeder- 
ate army,  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Rich- 
mond, June  25,  1862.  He  had  three  broth- 
ers in  the  Confederate  army,  the  youngest 
being  killed  at  Gettysburg.'  In  the  family 
were  five  sons,  four  of  whom  joined  the  army 
while  two  met  death  in  battle.  There  were 
also  seven  daughters  in  the  family. 

John  A.  Short  resided  with  his  mother  until 
her  death  in  1864.  He  was  the  third  of  four 
children,  the  others  being:  Martha  Jane,  who 
is  the  widow  of  James  Ingham,  of  Texas; 
P.  W..  living  in  Greensboro.  Xorth  Carolina: 
and  J.  B..  of  Poe  valley.  Oregon.  In  1867 
John  A.  Short  went  to  northern  Georcia  and 


^^^^^^^K                '^^^^^^^^^^^^^1 

^^B^  jp^l 

r/    J 

lL  uMrm 

J.  A.  1].  KOCH 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


399 


in  1S84  came  to  Klaniatli  county,  wlioie  he 
has  since  resided.  He  has  been  a  lifelong 
farmer  and  success  has  attended  him  in  his 
efl"orts.  He  preempted  and  homesteaded  land, 
using  both  rights  on  the  same  place.  That 
property  was  located  near  his  present  home 
but  after  a  time  he  sold  it  and  purchased 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  where  he  now 
resides.  He  is  engaged  in  general  farming 
and  in  addition  to  his  home  place  he  has 
some  town  property.  In  politics  he  is  a 
stanch  democrat  and  his  religious  faith  is 
indicated  in  his  membership  in  the  Baptist 
church.  In  1ST4  he  married  Clementine  Odom, 
who  was  born  in  Union  county,  Georgia,  Feb- 
ruary 21,  1855,  a  daughter  of  W.  W.  Odom, 
who" died  in  Georgia.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  A. 
Short  became  the  parents  of  four  children, 
of  whom  Burrell  W.  is  the  eldest.  Cohimbus 
is  living  on  the  Merrill  road.  Mary  is  the 
wife  of  James  Dixon,  of  Klamath  county, 
and  Samuel  P.  resides  upon  part  of  the  land 
belonging  to  his  father.  All  of  the  children 
are  now   married  and  are  prospering. 

Burrell  \V.  Short  was  a  lad  of  about  nine 
Years  when  he  came  with  his  parents  to  the 
"far  west  in  1884.  He  resided  with  them  until 
1901  and  has  since  followed  ranching  on  his 
own  account.  In  that  year  he  took  up  his 
abode  at  his  present  place  of  residence  on  the 
Merrill  road,  about  six  miles  southeast  of 
Klamath  Falls.  Here  he  owns  three  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  of  land  upon  which  are 
many  good  improvements  all  made  by  him. 
He  carries  on  general  farming  and  liis  well 
tilled  fields  return  to  him  good  crops.  In 
addition  he  owns  eighty  acres  of  timber  six- 
teen miles  east  of  Klamath  Falls  and  seven 
lots  in  the  city. 

In  1901  Mr.  Short  was  married  to  Miss 
Elizabeth  Susan  Routlv.  who  was  born  in 
Lindsay,  Canada,  May  10,  1881.  and  in  1889 
came  to  Oregon  with  her  widowed  mother. 
Her  parents  were  Samuel  and  Margaret 
Routly.  By  her  marriage  she  has  become  the 
mother  of  four  children,  Delia,  Alton,  Dorothy 
and  Mary. 

Mr.  Short  votes  with  the  democratic  party 
and  keeps  well  informed  on  the  questions 
and  issues  of  the  day  but  has  never  been  a 
politician  in  the  sense  of  office  seeking.  He 
holds  membership  with  the  Independent  Or- 
der of  Odd  Fellows  and  in  matters  of  citi- 
zenship is  most  public-spirited.  The  work 
that  he  has  done  in  behalf  of  improving  the 
highways  of  the  state  is  far-reaching  and 
beneficial  and  by  reason  thereof  he  merits 
the  gratitude  and  high  regard  of  his  fellow 
townsmen.  He  was  the  second  vice  president 
of  the  state  good  roads  league  and  it  is 
characteristic  of  him  that  his  influence  and 
aid  are  always  given  on  the  side  of  advance- 
ment and  improvement  whereby  the  welfare 
of  the  community  will  be  promoted. 

PAUL  R.  MEINIG.  Among  the  citizens  of 
Sandy  who  through  their  energy,  industry 
and  public  spirit,  reinforced  by  natiiral  abil- 
ity, have  become  prominent  in  the  commercial 
and  civic  circles  of  the  city  is  Paul  K.  Meinig. 
His  business  interests  have  always  been  of 
a   character   that   has   contributed    not    only 


to  his  individual  success  but  also  constituted 
an  important  factor  in  general  progress.  A 
native  of  Germany,  he  was  born  on  the  17th 
of  April,  1869.  his  parents  being  F.  A.  and 
Bertha  Wilhelmina  (Fischer)  Meinig,  both 
of  whom  were  also  natives  of  Germany.  They 
came  to  America  in  1870,  settling  "at  Cape 
Girardeau,  Missouri.  After  residing  there  for 
five  years,  during  which  time  Mr.  Meinig 
operated  a  flour  mill,  he  disposed  of  his  mill 
and  the  family  came  to  Oregon  in  October, 
1876,  settling  at  Sandy.  For  the  first  few 
years  he  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits, 
having  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land,  but 
later  he  bought  a  small  store,  which  also 
served  as  the  postofiice.  He  was  the  first 
postmaster  of  Sandy  and  served  in  that 
capacity  for  two  years.  Although  he  con- 
tinued conducting  this  store  he  also  pur- 
chased a  flour  mill,  which  ho  managed  in 
connection  with  his  mercantile  business  until 
the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  Feb- 
ruary 22,  1903.  The  mother  is  still  residing 
upon  the  old  home  place  with  one  of  her  sons. 
Otto.  To  the  parents  four  children  were 
born:  Paul  R.,  the  subject  of  this  review; 
Albon  0.,  an  agriculturist  and  mill  ow-ner  of 
Sandy,  who  is  married  and  has  one  child, 
Milton;  Clara  F.,  who  is  residing  with  her 
mother;  and  Otto  H.,  who  is  also  living  at 
home  with  his  mother. 

Paul  R.  Meinig  received  his  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  Clackamas  county,  Ore- 
gon. As  he  was  the  eldest  son,  it  was  fre- 
quently difiicult  for  him  to  find  time  to  at- 
tend school,  his  father  requiring  his  assist- 
ance in  the  various  pursuits  in  which  he 
was  engaged.  After  the  father's  death  he 
started  in  business  on  his  own  account  and 
he  and  his  brothers  took  charge  of  the  mer- 
cantile store  which  the  father  had  formerly 
conducted.  Until  two  years  ago  he  remained 
in  partnership  witli  his  brothers  but  at  that 
time  purchased  his  brothers'  interests  and  has 
since  been  sole  owner.  He  has  demonstrated 
his  ability  to  deal  with  the  public  and  has 
also  shown  that  he  possesses  unusual  capa- 
bilities in  business  transactions.  He  owns 
sixtv  acres  of  land  within  the  town  limits, 
his  store  building  and  residence,  a  two-story 
warehouse  and  the  public  hall  building. 

On  the  21st  of  October,  1890,  in  .Marmot, 
Oregon,  Mr.  Meinig  was  married  to  Jliss  Marie 
AscholT,  whose  birth  occurred  in  Kansas, 
September  25,  1873.  and  who  is  a  daughter 
of  Adolph  and  Dora  (Gein)  AschofT.  She  was 
the  eldest  of  nine  children,  the  others  being: 
Frnest  J.,  of  Junction  City,  Oregon,  who  is 
married  and  has  one  child.  Otto,  whoso  birth 
occurred  February  20.  1909;  Amelia,  who  is 
married  to  Harry  Bramhall,  of  Troutdalc. 
Oregon,  and  has  two  children.  Marie  and 
Florence;  Otto,  a  resident  of  Marmot.  Ore- 
gon ;  Henry,  also  of  Marmot,  who  is  married 
and  has  two  children,  Virgil  and  Chester; 
Emma,  the  wife  of  Harry  Thomas,  of  Grcsh- 
ani.  Oregon,  and  the  mother  of  two  children, 
Maxino  and  ClilTord:  Margaret,  who  makes 
her  home  in  Portland;  and  Carl  and  Gustav, 
who  are  residing  with  their  parents.  Mr.s. 
Meinig  was  brought  to  Oregon  by  her  parents 
from    Kansas    March    10.    1882."    Her    father 


400 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


was  a  farinor  and  stock-raiser  in  Kansas  for 
eleven  years.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are 
natives  of  Germany.  To  Jlr.  and  Mrs.  Meinig 
three  children  have  been  born:  Gertrude, 
whose  birth  occurred  October  1,  1897,  and 
who  is  at  home  and  attending  school  in 
Sandy ;  and  Frances  and  Alfred,  born  June 
5,  1900,  and  December  7,  1902,  respectively, 
both  of  whom  are  attending  school. 

In  politics  Mr.  Meinig  has  always  given  his 
support  to  the  republican  party  and  he  is 
one  of  its  most  active  members  in  Sandy. 
He  has  held  the  office  of  road  supervisor  and 
since  the  incorporation  of  the  town  in  August. 
1911,  has  served  as  its  mayor,  lie  has  also 
been  clerk  of  the  school  board  for  a  number 
of  years.  He  is  one  of  the  public-spirited 
men  of  Sandy  and  his  interest  in  its  upbuild- 
ing and  growtli  has  been  responsible  for  much 
of  its  success.  The  postofiice  is  located  in 
his  store  and  he  is  at  present  acting  as  post- 
master. He  holds  membership  in  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  United 
Artisans.  His  record  measures  up  to  the  full 
standard  of  honoroble  manhood  and  those 
who  know  him  recognize  in  him  a  citizen 
whose  loyalty  to  the  public  welfare  has  never 
been  questioned,  while  his  integrity  and  honor 
in  the  private  affairs  of  life  are  matters 
familiar  to  all  with  whom  he  has  been  asso- 
ciated. 

H.  S.  NEWTON  is  the  owner  of  eighty  acres 
of  land  all  under  cultivation  and  in  addition 
rents  and  operates  two  hundred  acres.  Every 
state  in  the  Union  has  furnished  its  quota 
of  citizens  to  Oregon  and  among  those  who 
have  come  from  Texas  is  H.  S.  Newton,  who 
is  a  native  of  Grayson  county.  His  natal 
day  was  December  24,  1851.  His  parents, 
Thomas  and  Eliza  (Morris)  Newton,  were  na- 
tives of  Tennessee,  where  they  were  reared 
and  married,  removing  to  Texas  in  1848. 
The  father  was  a  ranchman  and  miller  and 
continued  to  make  his  home  in  the  Lone 
Star  state  throughout  the  remainder  of  his 
life.  He  operated  two  large  gristmills  which 
were  the  first  in  Grayson  county  and  he  w-as 
closely,  actively  and  helpfully  associated  with 
the  development  and  upbuilding  of  that  sec- 
tion of  the  state.  The  father  died  in  1874 
and  was  survived  by  his  wife  for  only  about 
a  year. 

H.  S.  Newton,  one  of  a  family  of  nine 
children,  resided  in  Texas  until  1878,  when 
at  the  age  of  twenty-six  years  he  came  to 
Oregon,  settling  in  Oregon  City.  He  re- 
moved thence  to  Klamath  county  in  1893 
and  has  since  lived  in  this  neighborhood. 
He  has  always  followed  farming  and  stock- 
raising  since  he  started  out  in  active  life 
and  he  is  now  the  owner  of  eighty  acres, 
all  of  which  is  under  cultivation  according 
to  modern  and  progressive  methods.  In  ad- 
dition he  leases  two  hundred  acres,  which 
he  has  also  developed  and  in  addition  to  culti- 
vating the  crops  best  adapted  to  the  soil 
and  climate  he  is  engaged  in  dairying,  keep- 
ing for  this  purpose  a  number  of  high-grade 
cows. 

In  1874  Mr.  Newton  was  united  in  marriage 
to    Miss    Fannie    Miller,    who    was    born    in 


Grayson  county,  Texas,  in  August.  1851, 
and  is  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Miller,  a 
native  of  Tennessee.  Nine  children  have  been 
born  of  this  marriage:  Almo,  living  in  Kla- 
math county;  Dovie  May.  who  is  tlie  wife 
of  Archie  Colson,  of  Klamath  county ;  Tliomas 
W.,  at  home;  Maude,  the  wife  of  Thomas 
Short,  of  Wood  river  valley;  Claudie,  who  is 
a  twin  of  Maude  and  is  the  wife  of  John 
Short,  of  Wood  river  valley;  Obie  H.,  who 
is  a  lieutenant  in  the  constabulary  depart- 
ment— a  government  position  in  the  Philip- 
pines; Ethel,  the  wife  of  Neil  Campbell,  of 
Albany;  and  Jessie  and  Ruby,  both  at  home. 
For  nineteen  years  Jlr.  Newton  has  resided 
in  Klamath  county  and  he  and  his  family 
are  widely  and  favorably  known  within  its 
borders. 

WILLIAM  H.  SHELLEY.  General  farm- 
ing and  stock-raising  engage  the  attention 
of  William  H.  Shelley,  who  owns  an  attrac- 
tive ranch  of  two  himdred  and  fifteen  acres 
seven  miles  north  of  Creswell.  He  was  born 
in  Lane  county,  on  the  6th  of  April.  1872, 
and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Margaret  (Park) 
Shellej'.  The  father,  whose  birth  occurred 
in  the  state  of  Illinois  on  the  7th  of  Septem- 
ber, 1827,  is  still  living  at  the  venerable  age 
of  eighty-five  years.  Together  with  his  wife 
and  family,  John  Shelley  crossed  the  plains 
from  Iowa  to  Oregon  in  1852,  locating  in 
Lane  county.  Upon  his  arrival  here  he  filed 
on  a  donation  claim  of  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres,  a  portion  of  which  was  cleared, 
in  the  vicinity  of  Pleasant  Hill,  and  there  he 
has  ever  since  resided  with  the  exception  of 
one  year.  He  has  disposed  of  all  of  his 
ranch  with  the  exception  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres,  one  hundred  acres  of  which  are 
under  cultivation.  The  family  of  ilr.  and 
Mrs.  .Shelley  numbered  twelve  children,  our 
subject  being  the  eleventh  in  order  of  birth. 
The  others  are  as  follows:  Thomas  J.,  who 
is  ranching  at  Greer,  Idaho;  one  who  died 
in  infancy;  Pascal  N.,  who  was  a  farmer, 
now  deceased;  Caroline,  the  deceased  wife  of 
John  Waring;  Weston  P..  a  resident  of  Con- 
don, Oregon;  Ann,  the  wife  of  E.  P.  Lattin. 
a  ranchman  at  Pleasant  Hill,  Oregon;  Leroy 
L.,  who  lived  in  Mayville,  this  state,  but  who 
is  deceased;  Leona,  the  wife  of  T.  S.  Winfrey, 
of  Eugene;  Eva.  who  married  P.  L.  Bristow. 
of  Sheridan,  Oregon;  Zora  E.,  the  wife  of 
John  West,  of  Eugene;  and  Ira  G.,  of  Salem. 

The  entire  life  of  William  H.  Shelley  has 
been  passed  in  the  vicinity  of  his  present 
home.  He  was  educated  in  the  district  schools 
and  when  old  enough  began  assisting  his 
father  about  the  ranch.  Upon  attaining  his 
majority  he  rented  the  home  place  and  began 
ranching  on  his  own  account.  He  continued 
to  rent  from  his  father  for  nineteen  years  and 
during  that  time  he  bought  one  hundred 
and  fifty-eight  acres  of  the  old  homestead 
and  a  tract  adjoining  it  containing  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty-six  acres.  His  holdings  at  that 
time  aggregated  three  hnudred  and  fourteen 
acres,  ninety-nine  of  which  he  has  since 
sold.  Seventy-five  of  the  two  hundred  and 
fifteen  acres  he  now  owns  are  planted  to  grain 
and  the  remainder  of  his  ranch  is  in  pasture 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


401 


and  brush.  His  property  is  entirely  free  from 
incumbrance  and  ia  one  of  the  best  improved 
and  equipped  as  well  as  most  attractive 
ranches  in  the  community.  Mr.  Shelley  makes 
a  specialty  of  raising  hogs,  goats  and  cattle 
for  the  market  in  connection  with  the  culti- 
vation of  his  fields  and  is  prospering  in  his 
undertakings. 

On  Christmas  day,  1901,  Mr.  Shelley  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Myrtle  Buchanan, 
the  eldest  of  the  six  children  born  to  James 
and  Ida  M.  (Rutledge)  Buchanan.  In  order 
of  birth  the  other  members  of  the  family 
are  as  follows:  Faith,  the  wife  of  Jake  Bartch, 
of  Alberta.  Canada;  Malva,  who  married 
Forest  Drudy,  of  Marcola,  this  state;  Claude, 
who  is  a  resident  of  Alberta.  Canada;  Leta. 
the  wife  of  Albert  Evans,  of  Medford,  Ore- 
gon; and  one  who  died  in  infancy.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Shelley  have  four  children:  Myron  L.. 
who  was  born  June  21,  1903,  and  is  now  at- 
tending school ;  John  Franklin,  whose  birth  oc- 
curred on  the  ISth  of  July,  1905;  Clarence 
H.,  whose  natal  day  was  June  3,  1907;  and 
Elmer  C,  who  was  born  on  the  10th  of 
June.   1909. 

The  parents  are  members  of  the  Christian 
church,  and  Mr.  Shelley  is  a  member  of  Pleas- 
ant Hill  Camp,  No.  271,  W.  0.  W.,  and  in 
politics  he  is  a  democrat.  He  is  leading  a 
life  of  activity  and  business  enterprise  and 
is  meeting  with  a  corresponding  degree  of 
prosperity. 

FELIX  M.  GREEN.  The  productiveness  of 
the  region  along  the  boundary  line  between 
Oregon  and  California  is  well  demonstrated 
in  the  success  that  is  crowning  the  efforts 
of  Felix  M.  Green,  ranchman,  who,  though 
making  his  home  in  New  Pine  Creek,  Ore- 
gon, owns  eleven  hundred  acres  of  land  on  the 
California  side  in  Modoc  county.  His  labors 
in  its  development  are  being  attended  with 
excellent  results  and  show  that  progressive 
methods  bring  gratifying  returns.  Mr.  Green 
is  a  native  of  Colusa  county,  California,  born 
February  14,  1857,  and  is  a  son  of  William 
and  Harriet  (Holland)  Green,  who  were  na- 
tives of  Illinois,  where  they  were  reared  and 
married.  In  1856  they  crossed  the  plains 
to  Colusa  county,  California,  and  in  1872 
removed  to  Oregon,  settling  in  the  Willamette 
valley.  The  mother  now  resides  in  Lakeview. 
but  the  father  passed  away  in  Colorado  in 
1887,  when  sixty  years  of  age.  He  had 
devoted  his  entire  life  to  ranching.  In  his 
family  were  eight  children:  Felix  M.;  Joseph, 
a  miner  of  Ckilorado;  William;  Cliarles  of 
Colorado;  Carrie,  the  wife  of  William  Struth- 
ers,  of  Junction  City,  Colorado;  Hattie,  the 
wife  of  Lee  Bell;  James  of  Sacramento,  Cali- 
fornia ;  and  Annie,  the  wife  of  H.  Westmore- 
land of  Washington. 

Felix  M.  Green  was  reared  in  Chico,  Butte 
county,  California,  and  accompanied  his  par- 
ents on  their  removal  to  Eugene,  Oregon, 
being  then  a  youth  in  his  teens.  In  1878 
he  went  to  Lakeview  and  has  since  resided  in 
Lake  county.  In  April,  1911,  he  located  at 
his  present  place  of  residence  and  while  he 
has  his  home  in  New  Pine  Creek  on  the 
Oregon  side   of  the  boundary  line,  his   resi- 


dence being  a  beautiful  ami  commodious  one. 
his  ranch  lies  in  Modoc  county  California.  It 
comprises  eleven  hundred  acres  and  is  im- 
proved with  good  buildings,  including  an  at- 
tractive dwelling  and  all  barns  and  sheds 
necessary  for  the  shelter  of  grain  and  stock. 
The  ranch  is  owned  by  Mr.  Green  and  his 
father-in-law,  W.  P.  Heryford,  of  Lakeview. 
and  is  known  as  the  Hery ford-Green  ranch. 
Mr.  Green  engages  in  the  cultivation  of  grain, 
hay  and  fruit  and  raises  some  stock.  He 
has  five  orchards,  fifty  acres  being  planted 
to  fruit,  and  in  1911  he  harvested"  over  ten 
thousand  bushels  of  grain,  inchiding  barley 
and  wheat,  and  cut  over  eight  hundred  tons 
of  hay,  including  both  alfalfa  and  timothy. 
His  farming  interests  are  as  is  thus  indi- 
cated extensive.  The  success  which  he  has 
attained  is  the  merited  reward  of  persistent, 
earnest  labor,  intelligently  directed.  In  ad- 
dition to  his  ranch  interests  Mr.  Green  is  a 
director  and  stockholder  in  the  Lakeview 
Mercantile  Company  and  is  president  of  the 
Sunshine  Mining  Company  of  New  Pine 
Creek,  owning  what  is  reputed  to  be  the 
best  gold  mine  in  this  section. 

In  1894  Mr.  Green  was  married  to  Miss 
Cora  Heryford,  who  was  born  in  Shasta 
county,  California,  Slay  6,  1873,  and  is  a 
daughter  of  William  P.  Heryford,  of  Lake- 
view.  Their  children  are  Clarence,  Nellie, 
William  and  Fay.  Felix  M.  Green  votes 
with  the  democratic  party  and  for  two  years 
served  as  deputy  sheriff  of  Lake  county.  His 
fraternal  connections  are  with  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Benev- 
olent Protective  Order  of  Elks.  He  has 
always  been  a  resident  of  the  west  and  the 
spirit  of  progress  which  has  brought  about 
the  wonderful  development  of  the  Pacific 
coast  country  is  manifested  in  his  life  rec- 
ord. He  has  recognized  and  utilized  the  op- 
portunities presented  by  this  section  of  the 
countrj'  and  is  among  those  whose  labors 
are  an  important  clement  in  bringing  about 
the  change  that  is  converting  it  from  an 
arid  and  xindeveloped  region  into  one  of  the 
richly  cultivated  and  prosperous  districts  of 
the  northwest. 

WILLIAM  T.  WRIGHT  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  Oregon  since  pioneer  times,  having 
come  to  this  state  with  his  parents  when 
he  was  only  four  years  of  age.  He  has 
spent  practically  his  entire  life  here  and  dur- 
ing its  course  has  gained  prominence  in  polit- 
ical, fraternal  and  business  circles.  He  is 
assistant  cashier  and  a  director  and  stock- 
holder in  the  Roseburg  National  Bank  and 
is  prominently  connected  with  several  other 
representative  enterprises.  He  was  born  in 
Linn  county,  Missouri,  on  February  8.  1848. 
and  is  a  son  of  J.  JI.  and  Emily  (Simmons) 
Wright,  of  whom  further  mention  is  made 
elsewhere  in  this  work.  He  crossed  the 
plains  with  his  parents  in  1852,  being  at  that 
time  only  four  years  of  age.  He  was  reared 
at  home  and  educated  in  the  public  schools 
of  Oregon  and  when  he  had  completed  his 
studies  followed  general  farming,  as  assistant 
to  his  father  until  he  became  of  age.  From 
that  time  until   1876  he  engaged  in  general 


402 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


agricultural  pursuits  for  himself  discontinu- 
ing this  occupation  in  order  to  accept  the 
position  of  county  treasurer  to  which  office 
he  was  elected  upon  the  democratic  ticket. 
His  first  majority  was  by  two  votes  only 
but  he  carried  his  two  successive  elections 
with  large  majorities.  Mr.  Wright  later 
filled  the  position  of  deputy  county  clerk, 
doing  able  and  etticient  work  in  this  capacity. 
In  1S83  he  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business 
as  bookkeeper  for  an  important  firm  in  Oak- 
land, Oregon,  and  in  1884  went  to  California 
where  he  spent  nearly  a  year  in  traveling. 
In  1885  he  returned  to  Oregon  and  spent 
one  year  upon  his  farm  after  which  he  again 
was  appointed  deputy  county  clerk.  After 
serving  for  one  year  and  a  half  in  this  office 
he  was  appointed  in  ISSS  chief  clerk  in  the 
registry  department  of  the  Portland,  Oregon- 
postoffice  where  he  remained  for  seven  months 
resigning  at  tlie  end  of  that  time  on  account 
of  ill  health.  After  one  year's  rest  he  ac- 
cepted a  position  as  bookkeeper  and  cashier 
for  the  Transfer  Company,  operated  by  Cook 
&  Kiernan  and  was  successful  in  this  occu- 
pation for  a  year  and  a  half.  He  began  his 
banking  career  in  1891  when  he  accepted  the 
position  as  cashier  of  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Roseburg  and  for  thirteen  years  held 
this  office,  managing  the  affairs  under  his 
charge  ably  and  efficiently  during  that  time. 
He  was  obliged  to  resign  finally  on  account 
of  failing  healtli  but  eventually  resumed  his 
active  career,  accepting  the  position  of  assist- 
ant cashier  of  the  Roseburg  National  Bank, 
an  institution  which  was  organized  in  1907 
and  which  opened  for  business  in  January  of 
the  following  year.  He  is  still  active  in  this 
capacity  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  board 
of  directors  and  a  stockholder  in  the  institu- 
tion. He  has  acquired  considerable  wealth 
which  he  has  invested  in  California  real  es- 
tate. He  was  treasurer  of  the  Second  South- 
em  Oregon  Agricultural  Society  from  1893 
until  1905  and  held  the  same  position  in 
the  County  Agricultural  Society.  He  has 
been  treasurer  of  the  Building  &  Loan  Asso- 
ciation for  a  number  of  years  and  has  been 
a  prominent  factor  in  the  success  of  that 
enterprise.  He  sold  his  farm  when  he  moved 
to  Portland  and  has  not  been  actively  identi- 
fied with  agriculture  since  that  time. 

Mr.  Wright  has  been  three  times  married. 
His  first  wife  was  Miss  Amanda  E.  Williams, 
of  Looking  Glass.  Oregon,  whom  he  married 
in  November,  1867.  They  had  one  child  who 
has  passed  away.  In  1872  Mr.  Wright  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Marietta  Williams, 
by  whom  he  had  four  children:  W.  W.,  who 
is  in  business  in  Portland;  Myrtle  E.,  who 
married  L.  E.  Belfils,  cashier  of  the  Estacada 
State  Bank:  Pearl,  who  resides  in  California; 
and  Lester,  who  has  passed  away.  On  July 
14,  1883.  Mr.  Wright  wedded  Miss  Fannie 
A.'wright,  of  Clinton.  Illinois,  and  a  daughter 
of  Dr.  John  Wright  of  that  city.  Her  parents 
lived  during  the  latter  part  of  their  lives 
in  California  and  both  have  now  passed  away. 
Our  subject  and  his  wife  belong  to  the  First 
Presbyterian  church  and  Mr.  Wright  is  treas- 
urer and  trustee  of  that  organization. 


William  T.  Wright  gives  his  political  alle- 
giance to  the  democratic  party  and  has  al- 
ways taken  an  active  and  intelligent  interest 
in  public  affairs,  serving  his  fellow  citizens 
when  called  upon  to  do  so  with  ability  and 
efficiency,  never  seeking  to  evade  obligations 
of  citizenship.  He  is  well  known  in  fraternal 
circles,  holding  membership  in  Philetarian 
Lodge,  No.  S,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows and  is  its  treasurer;  he  is  also  secretary 
and  treasurer  of  the  Odd  Fellows  Hall  com- 
mittee. He  is  treasurer  of  Alpha  Lodge  No. 
47,  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  holds  a  similar 
position  in  Oak  Camp,  No.  125,  Woodmen  of 
the  World  and  Union  Encampment,  No.  9, 
and  Canton  Robertson,  No.  13,  all  of  Rose- 
burg. He  also  holds  membership  in  Roseburg 
Lodge,  No.  16,  Ancient  Order  of  United  Work- 
men and  is  treasurer  of  the  Douglas  County 
Odd  Fellows  Association.  He  has  gained 
success  as  a  banker  because  his  methods  have 
always  been  practical  and  consequently  pro- 
ductive of  good  results.  He  understands 
the  principles  of  his  ocupation  and  the  details 
of  modern  finance  and  has  won  a  gratifying 
measure  of  success  by  his  ability  and  system- 
atic work. 

JOSEPH  B.  STRAVENS,  who  is  residing 
upon  his  two  hundred  and  fifty-five  acre  farm 
three  miles  northeast  of  Gervais.  was  born 
in  Louisville,  Kentucky,  on  the  22d  of  Novem- 
ber, 1853,  his  parents  being  Martin  and  Kath- 
ryn  (Blystine)  Stravens,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  Germany.  Their  marriage  occurred 
in  Kentucky,  where  they  resided  for  three 
years  previous  to  removing  to  Minnesota 
where  they  lived  fourteen  years.  They  then 
removed  to  Oregon  in  1873  and  settled  near 
Woodburn.  At  that  place  the  father's  death 
occurred  in  1900  but  the  mother  is  still  living 
in  Gervais,  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight  years. 
At  the  time  of  the  formers  death  he  was  the 
owner  of  two  hundred  and  fifteen  acres  of 
valuable  land,  the  improvement  and  cultiva- 
tion of  which  was  practically  dependent  upon 
his  own  exertion  and  efforts.  To  them  nine 
children  were  born:  Joseph  B.,  who  is  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch ;  Peter,  of  Colfax,  Wash- 
ington; Mrs.  Kathryn  Lentz,  who  is  living 
in  Marion  county;  Margaret,  who  is  the  wife 
of  Alexander  Moison,  also  a  resident  of 
Marion  county;  Martin,  Avho  is  a  priest  and 
missionary  in  New  York;  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Assman  of  Portland,  Oregon;  Theodore,  of 
California;  Mrs.  Lena  Vogel,  who  is  living  in 
Alaska ;   and  Therese,  deceased. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-six  years  Joseph  B. 
Stravens  started  in  life  on  his  own  account 
by  farming  on  the  land  which  he  purchased 
from  the  home  property.  He  has  made  this 
his  home  ever  since  and  during  the  last  few- 
years  has  purchased  the  remainder  of  his 
father's  farm  so  that  he  is  now  the  owner 
of  two  hundred  and  fifty-five  acres  of  highly 
improved  land,  one  hundred  and  forty  acres 
of  which  has  been  highly  productive.  Orig- 
inally this  property  was  covered  with  heavy 
timber  but  through  the  efforts  of  its  various 
owners  it  has  been  cleared  and  is  now  as  pro- 
ductive as  is  the  greater  part  of  the  soil  in 
this  rich  agricultural  district.      Mr.  Stravens 


5-( 


H 


a. 


:P^ 


Th::  '  .■•  ''Oi^Kl 

PUBLIC     LIH 


A8T0K,  LtNOX 
TILOEM  FOUNDAV'iJii:', 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OP  OREGON 


405 


has  carried  on  farming  according  to  modern 
and  scientific  methods  and  lias  so  arranged 
his  labor  that  he  is  receiving  the  greatest 
returns. 

On  the  11th  of  November,  1879,  Mr.  Strav- 
ens  was  married  to  Hiss  Annie  Hagenauer, 
whose  birth  occurred  in  Austria.  She  came  to 
America  with  her  parents  when  she  was  but 
eighteen  years  of  age.  They  first  settled  in 
Wisconsin,  where  they  remained  for  five 
years  previous  to  removing  to  Oregon  in 
1874  and  locating  in  Marion  county,  which 
was  their  home  until  their  deaths.  To  them 
seven  children  were  born:  Wensel,  of  New- 
port, Oregon;  Mrs.  Barbara  Gulden,  who  is 
residing  in  Marion  county;  Frank,  of  Tacoma, 
Washington;  Mrs.  Stravens;  Mary,  the  wife 
of  Joseph  Schentz,  of  California;  Peter,  a 
resident  of  Seattle;  and  John,  Avho  is  living 
in  Marion  county.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stravens 
eight  children  have  been  born,  namely:  Joseph, 
whose  birth  occurred  on  the  8th  of  August, 
1880,  and  who  is  now  living  on  part  of  the 
homestead;  Matilda,  who  was  born  .January 
19,  1883,  and  is  the  wife  of  Peter  Kahut,  of 
Marion  county;  Marie,  a  resident  of  Port- 
land; John,  who  was  born  in  ISSS  and  is  liv- 
ing at  home;  Annie,  whose  birth  occurred  on 
the  19th  of  May,  1889,  and  who  is  the  wife 
of  Charles  Spalding,  of  Watkins.  Minnesota; 
Frank,  whose  birth  occurred  in  July,  1891, 
and  who  is  residing  at  home;  Helen  C,  who 
was  born  on  the  23d  of  November,  1894,  and 
is  also  living  at  home;  and  Albert,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  two  and  one-half  years.  These 
children  have  all  received  a  good  common- 
school  education,  their  father  realizing  that 
his  had  been  invaluable  to  him  and  hence 
desiring  to  fit  his  children  as  well  for  their 
start  in  life  as  he  had  been  equipped. 

In  politics  Mr.  Str.avens  gives  his  support 
to  the  democratic  party  but  has  never  sought 
office.  In  religious  faith  he  and  his  family 
are  members  of  the  Roman  Catholic  church. 
His  life  has  been  lived  in  accordance  with 
the  high  principles  which  he  has  always  held 
in  regard  to  moral,  social,  religious  and  politi- 
cal activities.  He  is  accounted  one  of  the 
active  workers  and  progressive  farmers  of 
his  district  and  has  the  unqualified  confidence 
and  esteem  of  the  entire  community. 

EDWARD  KELLER  is  of  that  class  who 
recognize  and  utilize  opportunities  and  in  so 
doing  contribute  to  public  prosperity  as 
well  as  to  individual  success.  He  has  been 
the  chief  promoter  of  various  enterprises  and 
interests  which  featured  prominently  in  the 
growth  and  upbuilding  of  this  state  and  he 
never  falters  in  the  accomplishment  of  any 
task  to  which  he  sets  himself,  if  success 
may  be  gained  by  jiersistent  endeavor  and 
honorable  effort.  He  lives  at  New  Pine  Creek 
and  is  the  treasurer  of  the  Pine  Creek  Water 
Company,  also  jiresident  of  the  Eureka,  Min- 
ing &  Milling  Company  and  a  stockholder  in 
several  of  the  banks  of  this  district.  He  has 
not  always  been  a  resident  of  the  far  west, 
although  he  has  ever  resided  west  of  the 
Mississippi.  His  birth  occurred  in  Buchanan 
county,  Iowa,  January  10.  1858,  his  parents 
being  ^lorris   and   Crecensia    (Gruman)    Kel-- 


ler,  both  of  wliom  were  natives  of  Germany, 
born  in  1814  and  ISIG  respectively.  They 
were  reared  and  married  in  that  country  and 
with  the  desire  to  enjoy  better  business  op- 
portunities came  to  the  United  States  in 
1840,  settling  first  in  Wisconsin.  They  were 
afterward  pioneers  of  Iowa,  removing  thither 
about  the  time  when  the  state  was  admitted 
to  the  Union.  In  1866  they  went  to  Nebras- 
ka and  in  1882  became  residents  of  Alameda 
county,  California,  where  their  last  d;iys  were 
passed,  the  mother  dying  about  IHO'i  and 
the  father  in  1899.  The  latter  had  long 
been  a  farmer  and  in  early  life  was  a  cabi- 
net-maker. In  his  family  were  nine  sons. 
of  whom  one  died  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years, 
while  eight  are  now  living.  He  also  had  two 
daughters.  The  living  are:  B.  IL.  a  resident 
of  Columbus.  Nebraska;  John,  of  Richland, 
Nebraska;  Christine,  the  widow  of  Henry 
Foster,  of  Clearwater,  Nebraska;  J.  J.,  of 
Newport,  Nebraska;  II.  W.,  living  in  David 
City,  Nebraska;  Richard,  whose  home  is  in 
Oakland,  California;  M.  J.,  of  Seattle,  Wash- 
ington; Amelia,  the  wife  of  C.  M.  Taylor,  of 
New  Pine  Creek;  Edward,  of  this  review; 
and  Albert,  of  Alaska. 

Edward  Keller  remained  with  his  parents 
until  1881.  In  1877  the  family  went  to  the 
Black  Hills  of  Dakota  and  later  the  parents 
came  to  the  coast,  Mr.  Keller  joining  tlieiii 
the  following  year.  He  resided  in  San  Fran- 
cisco for  ten  years  and  then  came  to 
New  Pine  Creek,  where  he  has  since  made 
his  home.  He  performed  the  different  ser- 
vices incident  to  the  development  of  the 
ranch  when  at  home  and  after  starting  out 
independently  in  life  he  worked  with  cattle 
for  two  years.  After  his  arrival  on  the  coast 
he  engaged  in  clerking  in  a  store  in  .Mamcda. 
Subsequent  to  coming  to  New  Pine  Creek 
he  engaged  in  merchandising  here  for  three 
years  and  in  1893  he  entered  the  flour  milling 
establishment,  of  which  he  took  personal 
charge  in  189;').  This  has  been  his  principal 
activity  since  and  he  lias  developed  a  large 
trade,  for  he  manufactures  flour  according 
to  modern  processes  and  the  excellence  of 
his  product  insures  a  ready  sale.  In  various 
other  fields,  too.  his  labors  have  constituted 
an  element  for  public  progress  here.  In  190.') 
he  became  the  iirst  lu-esident  of  the  Califor- 
nia &  Oregon  Light.  Heat  &  Power  Company 
and  has  since  remained  its  chief  executive 
officer,  giving  his  entire  attention  to  its  inter- 
ests during  the  first  year  of  its  existence. 
He  was  one  of  five  men  who  put  up  the  first 
telephone  system  here,  called  the  Lakeview 
&  New  Pine  Creek  Electric  Company,  Inc. 
Mr.  Keller  was  one  of  the  directors  but  later 
disposed  of  his  interest  in  the  business.  He 
is  the  treasurer  and  was  one  of  the  incor- 
porators of  the  Pine  Creek  Water  Company 
and  since  its  incorporation  has  been  president 
of  the  Eureka  Mining  &  Milling  Ounpany. 
He  was  one  of  the  original  stockholders  in 
the  First  National  Bank  of  Lakeview  and  the 
Lakeview  Savings  Bank  and  is  still  connected 
with  those  institutions.  His  investments  in 
property,  too,  have  been  extensive.  He  has 
one  hundred  and  twent.v  acres  of  timber 
and  three  hundred  and  scA-enty  acres  of  farm 


406 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


land  in  Goose  lake  valley  and  he  raises  more 
grain  than  any  other  man  in  the  valley.  He 
also  has  one  of  the  pleasant  homes  here, 
which  is  situated  in  the  east  side  of  the  vil- 
lage, at  the  foothills  of  the  mountains,  near 
his  mill,  the  power  for  which  is  generated 
by  the  water  from  Xew  Pine  creek. 

In  1892  Mr.  Keller  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Sarah  M.  Dick,  who  was  born  in 
Mono  county,  California,  in  1874,  a  daughter 
of  Morris  Dick,  deceased.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Keller 
have  three  children,  Richard,  Elsie  and  The- 
resa, all  born  in  California,  near  New  Pine 
Creek.  The  state  line  runs  through  this 
town  but  Mr.  Keller's  home  is  on  the  Oregon 
side.  It  is  a  beautiful  and  attractive  resi- 
dence, which  he  erected  in  1906.  He  owns 
here  seventy- four  acres,  on  which  stand  his 
home  and  his  mill.  A  part  of  the  tract  is 
on  the  mountain  side,  while  a  portion  is 
within  the  corporation  limits  of  the  city. 
Mr.  Keller  is  a  republican  but  has  never 
held  public  office,  always  declining  to  accept 
positions  of  political  preferment.  He  recog- 
nizes what  is  necessary  in  town  building 
and  in  his  business  career  has  labored  to 
anticipate  and  meet  the  needs  of  the  public. 
At  all  times  he  is  actuated  by  a  spirit  of 
loyalty  to  the  community  at  large  and  yet 
is  not  without  that  laudable  ambition  which 
is  ever  the  spur  to  industry,  causing  a  man 
to  push  beyond  the  point  to  which  he  has 
already  attained  and  reach  the  heights  of 
success. 

E.  H.  AMSDEN,  M.  D.  The  qualities  which 
contribute  to  success  in  the  practice  of  medi- 
cine and  surgery  are  possessed  in  large  degree 
by  Dr.  E.  H.  Amsden,  as  is  evidenced  in  his 
excellent  work  as  a  representative  of  the 
profession  since  locating  in  New  Pine  Creek, 
where  he  makes  his  home.  He  was  born  in 
Walden.  Caledonia  countv.  Vermont.  May  4, 
1857,  a  son  of  Bert  B.  and  Amelia  (Walcott) 
Amsden,  the  former  a  native  of  Vermont 
and  the  latter  of  New  York.  The  father 
died  at  Greensboro  Bend,  Vermont,  in  1905, 
at  the  age  of  seventy-nine  years,  and  the 
mother  is  still  living  there  at  the  age  of 
eighty-four.  The  father  w-as  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, was  in  the  insurance  business,  practiced 
law  to  some  extent  and  for  many  years  was 
justice  of  the  peace.  In  fact,  he  was  a  very 
active  man  along  many  lines. 

Dr.  Amsden  was  the  fifth  in  order  of  birth 
in  a  family  of  eight  children,  of  whom  three 
are  living.  When  fifteen  years  of  age  he  left 
home  after  having  been  graduated  from  the 
high  school  at  Hardwick.  Vermont.  He  lived 
for  a  short  time  at  Manchester.  New  Hamp- 
shire, and  then  entered  the  West  Point  Mili- 
tary Academy  but  while  there  suffered  an 
injury  which  necessitated  his  leaving  the 
school.  In  1877  he  entered  the  Eclectic 
Medical  College  in  Maine  and  was  graduated 
therefrom  in  18S4.  He  devoted  the  year 
1887  to  the  mastery  of  a  post-graduate  course 
in  Bellevue  College  of  New  York  and  he  then 
entered  upon  his  professional  career  in  Bos- 
ton, where  he  practiced  for  a  year.  He  next 
sailed  as  ship's  physician  on  a  whaling  ves- 
sel, three  months  being  consumed  in  the  vov- 


age  and  then  traveled  extensively  through 
South  and  Central  America  and  British  Co- 
lumbia. Coming  to  Oregon  he  remained  a 
resident  of  Portland  for  fifteen  years.  He 
was  identified  with  the  Gold  Eidge  Mining 
Company  of  Portland  for  a  number  of  years 
but  since  1905  has  engaged  in  practice  in 
New  Pine  Creek,  where  his  ability  has  been 
recognized    in    a    liberal    patronage. 

In  March,  1898,  Dr.  Amsden  was  married 
to  Miss  Agnes  Plumer,  a  daughter  of  Fremont 
Plumer,  who  was  a  grandson  of  Lord  Fre- 
mont of  England.  They  became  parents  of 
two  children:  Ellis,  who  was  born  February 
15,  1899;  and  Carroll,  who  died  at  the  age 
of  eleven  months.  The  wife  and  mother 
passed  away  February  10.  1906.  and  on  the 
7th  of  March,  1908,  Dr.  Amsden  married 
Bertha  Charlton,  the  widow  of  Oliver  Charl- 
ton. She  was  a  school-teacher  for  five  years 
in  Lake  county  and  by  her  first  marriage 
had  four  children. 

Dr.  Amsden  was  a  member  of  the  Oregon 
State  Militia  for  five  years,  being  connected 
with  a  Portland  battery.  He  is  widely 
known  in  fraternal  organizations,  holding 
membersliip  with  the  Red  Men,  the  Knights  of 
Pythias,  the  Elks,  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows,  the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  the 
Modern  Woodmen,  the  Foresters,  the  Druids 
and  the  Masons.  His  political  support  is 
given  the  republican  party  but  he  has  no 
ilosire  for  otfice.  preferring  always  to  concen- 
trate his  energies  upon  his  professional  duties, 
which  have  been  of  an  important  character 
and  are  constantly  growing  in  volume.  He 
never  regarded  his  professional  education  en- 
tire with  the  completion  of  his  college  course 
but  has  remained  throughout  all  these  years  a 
close  and  discriminating  student  of  the  prin- 
ciples and  practice  of  medicine,  and  that  his 
knowledge  is  broad  and  his  judgment  sotind 
is  evidenced  in  the  excellent  results  which 
follow  his  administrations  to  the  sick. 

ENDS  S.  McDonald  has  since  the  summer 
of  1876  resided  in  the  Chewaucan  valley  and 
has  aided  largely  in  reducing  its  wild  lands 
to  a  state  of  fertility  and  productiveness,  his 
time  being  given  to  the  improvement  of  his 
ranch  and  to  the  raising  of  stock.  He  was 
born  in  Overton  county.  Tennessee.  March  11, 
1850.  and  is  a  son  of  .James  and  Salinda 
(Elder)  McDonald,  both  of  whom  were  natives 
of  Tennessee,  in  which  state  the  father  died 
when  his  son  Enos  was  but  six  years  of  age. 
The  mother's  death  occurred  in  Tennessee 
after  Enos  McDonald  left  that  state.  The 
father  was  a  farmer  by  occtipation  and  in 
tilling  the  soil  provided  for  the  support  of 
his   family,   which   numbered   eleven  children. 

Enos  S.  McDonald  continued  a  resident  of 
Tennessee  until  1876.  when  he  came  to  the 
Willamette  valley  of  Oregon  and  for  a  short 
time  was  a  resident  of  Linn  county.  Later 
in  the  year,  however,  he  removed  to  the 
Chewaucan  valley  in  Lake  county,  where  he 
has  since  made  his  home  and  throughout  the 
entire  period  of  thirty-six  years  has  been  con- 
nected with  ranching  and  stock-raising.  He 
is  now  the  owner  of  one  hundred  and  forty- 
five   acres  in   his  ranch  in  addition  to  moun- 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


407 


tain  lands,  and  in  connection  witli  Jolin  B. 
Elder  he  owns  a  ranch  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres,  upon  which  they  both  reside, 
this  place  being  pleasantly  and  conveniently 
situated  about  a  mile  and  a  lialf  south  of 
Paisley.  Mr.  McDonald  puts  up  about  two 
hundred  tons  of  hay  annually  and  employs 
twelve  men  during  the  harvest  season.  He 
is  winning  substantial  success  in  his  busi- 
ness affairs  and  his  sound  judgment  and 
unfaltering  industry  are  evidenced  in  the 
prosperity  which  he  has  obtained. 

W.  H.  PARKER,  one  of  the  well  known 
photographers  of  Salem,  where  he  has  been 
successfully  conducting  a  gallery  for  a  num- 
ber of  years,  was  born  in  Michigan,  on  the 
16th  of  October,  1877.  He  is  a  son  of  W. 
D.  and  Sarah  (Heath)  Parker,  also  natives 
of  Michigan,  where  the  father  is  still  liv- 
ing but  the  mother  passed  away  in  1911. 
They  were  the  parents  of  four  children, 
three  of  whom  are  still  living. 

In  his  life  and  achievements,  W.  H.  Parker 
is  an  excellent  example  of  what  it  is  pos- 
sible for  a  man  to  attain  through  his  own 
efforts,  as  he  has  been  entirely  dependent 
upon  himself  since  he  was  a  lad  of  nine 
years.  Despite  the  fact  that  he  became  self- 
supporting  at  an  age  when  the  average  lad 
is  hardly  able  to  earn  his  own  spending 
money,  he  succeeded  in  obtaining  a  very 
good  education,  completing  a  high-school 
course,  after  which  he  spent  two  years  in  a 
theological  seminary.  During  his  early  years 
he  followed  such  occupations  as  presented 
themselves,  giving  up  a  position  whenever 
he  found  anything  else  that  proved  more 
lucrative  or  offered  better  advantages.  He 
subsequently  learned  photography  and  by 
the  time  he  had  attained  his  majority  he  had 
succeeded  in  accumulating  sufficient  capital  to 
engage  in  business  for  himself  at  Plainville. 
Georgia,  but  very  soon  thereafter  he  had  the 
misfortune  to  lose  his  gallery  by  fire.  This 
necessitated  his  beginning  over,  so  he  once 
more  entered  the  employ  of  others,  continu- 
ing to  work  on  a  salary  until  he  had  acquired 
the  means  to  again  engage  in  business. 
Returning  to  his  native  state,  he  established 
a  gallery  at  Harbor  Springs.  Michigan, 
where  he  was  located  for  nine  years,  meet- 
ing with  success.  At  the  expiration  of  that 
time  he  disposed  of  his  enterprise,  came  to 
Salem,  an<l  purchased  a  studio  that  he  has 
ever  since  been  conducting.  Mr.  Parker  is 
an  artist  of  unquestioned  merit,  possessing 
excellent  taste  in  posing  and  the  arrange- 
ment of  groups  as  well  as  a  keen  appre- 
ciation of  the  value  of  light  and  shade  and 
turns  out  work  that  bespeaks  skill  and  care- 
ful study.  During  the  period  of  his  resi- 
dence here  he  has  succeeded  in  building  up 
a  very  good  patronage  and  his  business  is 
constantly  increasing.  His  studio  is  taste- 
fully furnished  and  fully  equipped  with  ev- 
erj'thing  essential  to  the  successful  conduct 
of  a  first-class  gallery,  and  as  he  is  a  man 
of  pleasing  personality  who  accords  all  vis- 
itors gracious  and  courteous  treatment,  he 
has  become  very  popular. 


Ill  1U05.  Mr.  I'arker  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Pearl  E.  Ellis,  who  was  born  and 
reared  in  Michigan,  and  is  a  daughter  of  E. 
D.  and  Elizalietli  Ellis.  The  father  is  a 
native  of  Ohio  and  the  motlier  of  England 
but  they  located  in  Jlichigaii  many  years  ago 
and  there  they  continue  to  reside.  One  child 
has  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Jlrs.  Parker,  a 
little  son,  Edward  M.,  w-hose  birth  occurred 
on  the  26th  of  August,  1908. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Parker  affiliate  with  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  fraternally 
he  is  identified  with  the  JIasonic  order,  being 
a  member  of  Harbor  Springs  Lodge,  No.  378, 
A.  F.  &  A.  M..  of  Harbor  Springs,  Michigan. 
In  his  political  views  he  is  an  independent 
republican.  Mr.  Parker  is  an  industrious  and 
capable  man  of  enterprising  and  progressive 
spirit,  who  is  constantly  striving  to  bring 
his  work  to  a  higher  artistic  standard  and 
as  a  result  is  meeting  with  deserved  success 
from  both  a  commercial  and  artistic  point 
of  view. 

PAUL  JACOB  BRATTAIN  is  a  prominent 
and  worthy  resident  of  Paisley,  where  he 
maintains  his  home,  while  in  Lake  county 
he  has  extensive  ranching  and  stock-raising 
interests.  He  was  born  in  Phoenix,  .Jackson 
county,  Oregon,  February  19,  1870,  his  par- 
ents being  Thomas  .Jefferson  and  Permelia 
Jane  (Gillespie)  Brattain.  The  father  is  de- 
ceased, while  the  mother  resides  on  a  ranch 
four  miles  south  of  Paisley.  Their  four  chil- 
dren are:  Maude,  the  wife  of  James  Small, 
of  Summer  Lake;  Judge  Eldon,  of  Lakeview; 
Hazen  Adelbert,  who  is  on  the  ranch  with 
his  mother;  and  Paul  Jacob.  All  three  of  the 
sons  are  graduates  of  the  State  University 
of  Oregon,  having  been  provided  with  liberal 
educational  opportunities,  and  the  eldest  is 
now  a   practicing  attorney. 

Paul  Jacob  Brattain  came  with  his  parents 
to  Lake  county  in  his  youthful  days  and  has 
resided  here  during  the  greater  part  of  the 
time  since,  although  he  spent  seven  years 
away  at  school,  supplementing  his  early  ad- 
vantages by  a  course  in  the  State  University, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  witli  the  class 
of  1894.  Ho  made  high  rank  and  was  orator 
of  his  class.  His  natural  ability  in  this 
direction  has  been  well  developed  and  he  has 
made  many  public  speeches,  being  ever  able 
to  hold  the  attention  of  his  hearers.  Since 
his  graduation  he  has  engaged  in  the  cattle 
business,  formerly  associated  w-ith  his  father 
and  now-  in  partnership  with  his  brother 
Hazen.  They  conduct  a  very  extensive  busi- 
ness, having  the  largest  individual  stock  in- 
terests in  Lake  county,  although  two  cor- 
porations in  the  county  have  larger  interests. 
They  run  hundreds  of  head  of  stock  upon 
their  ranch  and  the  extent  and  volume  of 
their  business  has  made  them  most  successful 
men. 

In  1899  Mr.  Brattain  was  married  to  Miss 
Grace  Geneva  Mercer,  who  was  born  in  Port- 
land. March  10.  1879.  a  daughter  of  .lames 
and  Harriet  (Warren)  Mercer.  The  father 
was  born  in  Columbus.  Ohio,  in  IS.'iO,  and  the 
mother   in   Winnipeg,   Canada,   Felinmry    22, 


408 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


1854.  He  died  in  Ohio,  in  1883.  and  his  wife 
in  Lakeview,  Oregon,  in  April,  1900.  Mrs. 
Mercer  went  to  Portland  with  her  parents 
in  1854,  being  about  five  months  old  when 
the  family  crossed  the  plains.  Mr.  Mercer 
went  to  that  city  early  in  the  '70s  and  they 
were  married  in  Portland  in  1877.  He  was  a 
newspaper  man  and  died  in  Ohio  when  on  a 
trip  in  the  east.  In  1886  his  widow  became 
the  wife  of  Jesse  Waters,  of  Roseburg.  Ore- 
gon, who  was  a  native  of  Virginia  and  is 
now  deceased.  Mrs.  Brattain  is  the  only 
child  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mercer  but  her  mother 
had  two  children  by  her  second  marriage, 
who  were  reared  by  Mrs.  Brattain.  The  last 
named  was  the  granddaughter  of  Charles 
James  and  Mary  Ann  (Bird)  Warren,  natives 
of  London,  England,  and  Winnipeg,  Canada, 
respectively.  The  grandfather  was  a  hard- 
ware merchant  and  became  a  well  known 
business  man  of  Portland,  where  both  he 
and  his  wife  died.  They  were  the  parents  of 
seven  children,  the  two  eldest  being  born  in 
Canada  and  the  others  in  Oregon.  Unto  ilr. 
and  ilrs.  Brattain  have  been  born  five  chil- 
dren. Paul  .Jacob,  Hazel,  Thomas  Jefferson. 
Ruth  and  Maud,  all  born  in  Paisley  and  all 
yet  at  home.  Mr.  Brattain  holds  membership 
in  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  but 
concentrates  his  energies  most  largely  upon 
his  business  affairs  which  are  of  constantly 
growing  volume  and  importance.  He  has 
worked  his  way  steadily  upward  until  he  is 
now  a  leader  among  the  stock-raisers  of 
southern  Oregon,  bringing  to  the  manage- 
ment of  his  business  keen  sagacity,  sound 
judgment  and  unabating  energy. 

FRANK  A.  TOPPING,  one  of  the  early  set- 
tlers of  Oregon  living  on  the  old  Powell  fam- 
ily  homestead,  situated  near  AVilliams.  was 
born  in  Illinois,  a  son  of  Oscar  F.  and  Eliza- 
beth E.  (Powell)  Topping,  in  whose  family 
were  five  children.  J.  F.  Powell,  the  father 
of  Mrs.  Elizabeth  E.  Topping,  came  to  Ore- 
gon in  1850  and  took  up  a  donation  claim 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  and  to  this 
place  his  daughter  later  added  forty  acres 
by  purchase.  On  Mr.  Powell's  death  in  1900 
he  willed  his  land  to  his  daughter,  her  com- 
bined holdings  being  then  two  hundred  acres. 
The  place  has  thus  continued  to  be  owned 
by  the  family  and  is  the  only  piece  of  prop- 
erty on  Williams  creek  which  has  not  passed 
out  of  the  hands  of  the  original  owners  or 
their  heirs. 

Frank  A.  Topping  was  given  a  good  com- 
mon-school education  in  the  state  of  Ore- 
gon. He  accompanied  his  parents  on  the 
trip  to  that  state,  the  journey  being  made  on 
the  first  Central  Pacific  train  to  cross  the 
coimtry.  The  family  settled  in  Josephine 
county,  where  was  located  the  donation  claim 
of  !Mrs.  Topping's  father,  and  to  the  improve- 
ment of  that  property  Oscar  F.  Topping  and 
his  son  Frank  gave  their  undivided  attention 
for  many  years.  In  addition  the  father 
homesteaded  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres, 
which  he  afterward  sold.  Frank  A.  Top- 
ping has  continued  to  make  the  old  Powell 
farm  his  home.  His  father  passed  away  about 
1903.  He  engages  in  diversified  farming  and 
makes  a  specialty  of  raising  hay  and  grain. 


Mr.  Topping  was  married  October  12.  1892, 
to  Miss  Mary  Gill,  a  native  of  Oregon,  and 
to  them  have  been  born  two  children,  Wil- 
liam R.  and  Josephine,  both  living  at  home, 
ilr.  Topping  is  a  member  of  the  Patrons  of 
Husbandmen  Lodge,  an  organization  in  which 
he  takes  considerable  interest.  He  is  one  of 
the  most  respected  men  of  the  community, 
where  he  has  long  been  an  advocate  of  the 
temperance  cause,  being  a  pronounced  pro- 
hibitionist. The  family  are  well  liked  and 
all  of  its  members  are  esteemed  for  their 
qualities  of  character  and  heart. 

WILLIAM  H.  BORING,  an  honored  veteran 
of  the  Civil  war,  is  now  living  retired  at  Bor- 
ing, which  city  was  named  in  his  honor.  He 
was  born  in  Greene  county.  Illinois.  Febru- 
ary 26,  1841,  his  parents  being  Dorsey  and 
Susanna  (Melvin)  Boring,  the  father  a  native 
of  Maryland,  and  the  mother  of  Tennessee. 
They  were  married  in  Illinois,  where  the 
father  resided  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
in  1852.  The  mother  died  in  1884.  Through- 
out his  entire  life  the  father  followed  the 
occupation  of  farming.  In  his  family  were 
three  children:  George,  of  Clarence.  Missouri; 
one  who  died  in  infancy;  and  William  H.,  of 
this  review. 

William  H.  Boring  grew  to  manhood  in  his 
native  state  and  received  a  common-school 
education.  He  remained  at  home  until  he 
was  twenty-one  years  of  age.  when  he  en- 
listed for  service  in  the  Civil  war,  joining 
Company  D,  of  the  Thirty-third  regiment  of 
Illinois  Infantry.  The  line  of  movement  of 
his  regiment  during  the  war  was  a  very 
interesting  one.  He  was  in  the  following 
places  in  engagements:  Fredericktown.  ilis- 
souri;  Cash  River,  Arkansas:  Fort  Gibson, 
Mississippi;  Jackson,  Mississippi;  Black 
River  Bridge:  the  siege  of  Vicksburg;  and 
the  battles  of  Oppolusus  Bayou:  Fort  Esper- 
anza,  Texas;  and  Mobile,  Alabama.  At  the 
expiration  of  his  term  of  service,  in  1863, 
he  reenlisted  in  the  same  regiment  with  which 
he  served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  During 
his  service  he  was  wounded  six  times  and 
now  receives  a  pension  of  seventeen  dollars 
per  month.  At  the  close  of  the  war  Mr.  Bor- 
ing returned  to  Illinois  and  operated  his 
father's  farm  for  five  years.  In  June.  1874. 
he  came  to  Oregon  and  settled  in  Clackamas 
county,  where  he  homesteaded  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  timber  land.  He  resided 
on  this  farm  until  January,  1911,  when  he 
retired  from  active  life.  He  now  resides  in 
a  beautiful  home  in  Boring,  which  town  was 
named  in  honor  of  him  when  it  was  started 
in  1901,  at  the  time  of  the  building  of  the 
0.  W.  P.  electric  line. 

In  1867  iMr.  Boring  wedded  iliss  Sarah 
Wilder,  the  daughter  of  .Samuel  and  Margaret 
Jane  Wilder,  the  father  a  native  of  Tennes- 
see and  the  mother  of  Kentucky.  The  par- 
ents were  married  in  Illinois,  in  which  state 
the  father  was  engaged  in  farming.  The 
mother  died  November  14.  1868.  and  the 
father,  June  3,  1893.  in  the  faith  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  in  the  work  of 
which  they  took  an  active  part.  In  their  fam- 
ily were  six  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Boring  is 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


411 


the  eldest.  The  others  are:  Frances,  who 
now  lives  in  Kansas  and  is  the  wife  of  Bruce 
Jiaker;  William,  who  is  a  Methodist  minister 
and  is  president  of  the  Lew  C.  Webb  Deacon- 
ess College,  of  Washington,  D.  C;  Milton,  of 
Baldwin,  Kansas;  Jennie,  w'ho  is  the  wife 
of  S.  L.  Bay,  of  Richmond,  Missouri;  and 
Oscar,  a  resident  of  Bloomington,  Illinois.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boring  have  been  born  two 
children,  but  the  younger,  Elsie,  died  in  in- 
fancy. The  elder.  "Orvillc  Wilder,  was  born  in 
1S79.  He  is  a  graduate  of  the  normal  course 
of  the  Portland  University  and  in  1905  mar- 
ried Miss  Lucy  Parrott,  who  was  born  in 
Minnesota  and'came  to  Oregon  with  her  par- 
ents when  a  child.  The  father  died  in  189S 
but  her  mother  is  now  living  near  Boring. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Orville  Boring  have  two  sons: 
Lester  L..  born  June  12,  I'.tOti;  and  Orvillc 
W'.,  born  October  31,  1910. 

Mr.  Boring  and  his  family  are  active  work- 
ers iu  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  He 
has  ever  been  an  active  and  progressive  man 
and  especially  deserves  mention  in  this 
work  as  an  honored  veteran  of  the  Civil  war. 
He  stands  as  an  advocate  of  all  that  tends 
to  advance  the  welfare  of  his  community 
along  material,  social,  political,  intellectual 
and  "moral  lines  and  is  a  worthy  representa- 
tive of  the  highest  type  of  American  citizen- 
ship. 

DR.  JAMES  M.  KEENE  has  been  identi- 
fied with  the  business  interests  of  Medfordfor 
the  past  fifteen  years  and  during  that  time 
lias  succeeded  in  building  up  a  large  and 
lucrative  practice.  He  is  a  native  of  Oregon, 
born  in  Marion  county,  on  the  26th  of  Octo- 
ber, 1864.  His  father  was  tlie  late  D.  M. 
Keene.  who  was  born  in  eastern  Tennessee, 
but  came  to  Oregon  in  1847  and  was  one 
of  the  early  pioneers  of  Marion  county.  Here 
Mr.  Keene"  met  and  married  Miss  Elizabeth 
Campbell,  a  native  of  Kentucky  who  came 
to  this  state  as  a  child  in  1843  with  her  par- 
ents. The  mother  is  also  deceased.  The 
family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Keene  numbered  six 
children,  all  of  whom  are  residents  of  this 
state  with  the  exception  of  one  son,  who 
makes  his  home  in  Pittsburg.  Pennsylvania. 

Reared  at  home,  in  the  acquirement  of  his 
preliminary  education.  James  51.  Keene  at- 
tended the  public  schools.  Having  decided 
to  become  a  dentist,  after  attending  school 
at  Forest  Grove  he  went  to  Philadelphia  and 
pursued  his  professional  studies  iu  the  Phila- 
delphia Dental  College,  graduating  from  that 
institution  in  1888.  Upon  his  return  to  Ore- 
gon he  opened  an  office  in  Salem  which_  he 
maintained  for  nine  years.  At  the  expira- 
tion of  that  time,  in  1897,  he  came  to  Med- 
ford  and  has  since  been  located  here.  Dur- 
ing the  intervening  years  he  has  succeeded  in 
building  up  a  large  and  lucrative  practice 
and  is  now  numbered  among  the  leading  rep- 
resentatives of  his  profession  in  the  state, 
lie  possesses  unusual  mechanical  .skill  and  is 
very  eflicient  and  thorough  in  all  of  his  work. 
That  he  is  progressive  and  enterprising  is 
manifested  by  the  modern  methods  he  adopts 
and  his  finely  equipped  oPTice.  where  are  to  be 
found  the  most  recent  appliances  and  devices 
Vol.  rv— 17 


used  in  the  practice  of  dentistry.  He  has 
always  been  identified  with  the  various  asso- 
ciations of  his  profession  and  has  held  a 
prominent  position  among  his  fellow  prac- 
titioners in  the  state.  Dr.  Keene,  having  the 
greatest  confidence  in  the  future  of  his  state, 
has  invested  extensively  in  land  in  this  vicin- 
ity, and  now  has  some  valuable  lioldings.  He 
is  also  a  stockholder  in  the  Mcdford  National 
Bank  and  is  one  of  the  directors  of  this 
institution. 

On  the  23d  of  December,  1901,  Dr.  Keene 
was  united  iu  marriage  to  Miss  MoUie  Barne- 
burg,  a  native  of  Jackson  county  and  a  da\igh- 
ter  of  the  late  Frederick  and  Rlvetia  Barne- 
burg,  both  of  whom  are  deceased.  The  father 
was  one  of  tlie  early  pioneers  in  this  section 
of  the  state,  having  located  here  in  18,52. 

The  political  supjiort  of  Dr.  Keene  is  ac- 
corded to  the  republican  party  and  he  has 
always  taken  a  verj'  active  interest  in  all 
governmental  matters.  He  has  for  many 
years  been  a  delegate  to  the  state  convention, 
and  in  1904  he  was  a  delegate  to  the  national 
convention  at  Chicago.  During  the  adminis- 
tration of  Governor  Lord  he  was  appointed 
to  the  state  dental  board,  and  represented 
this  body  at  the  Xational  Association  of 
Dental  Examiners,  at  Niagara  Falls,  in  1899, 
At  that  time  he  was  elected  the  western  mem- 
ber of  the  examining  board  of  the  National 
College  committee.  He  is  an  enthusiastic 
member  of  the  Medford  Commercial  Club  and 
heartily  indorses  the  various  movements  of 
this  organization.  Fraternally  he  is  a  charter 
member  of  Salem  Lodge,  No." 333.  B.  P.  0.  E. 
Dr.  Keene  is  very  popular  in  professional  and 
business  as  well  as  social  circles  in  Medford 
and  is  a  most  worthy  representative  of  one 
of  the  prominent  pioneer  families.  He  is 
a  nephew  of  Granville  Keene  who  was  killed 
by  the  Indians  during  the  uprising  in  the 
Rogue  river  valley  in  1853,  on  the  hanks  of 
Keene  creek,  which  was  named  in  his  honor. 

R.  E.  BRADBURY.  Successfully  engaged 
in  ranching  in  Klamatli  county  not  far  from 
Klanuith  Falls,  It.  K.  Bradbury  is  a  native  of 
the  northwest  and  the  spirit  of  enterprise 
that  has  led  to  the  substantial  development 
of  this  section  of  the  country  finds  exempli- 
fication in  his  business  activity.  He  was  born 
in  Portland.  Oregon.  July  10,  1S80,  and  is 
a  son  of  Clement  and  Flora  Irene  (Newcomb) 
Bradbury  The  father  was  born  in  Columbia 
county.  Oregon.  The  mother,  a  native  of 
New  York,  crossed  the  plains  on  one  of  the 
first  trains  which  ran  into  Ogdeu  over  the 
I'nion  Pacific  Railroad.  From  that  point  her 
journey  was  continued  with  ox  learns  to  Ore- 
gon aiid  in  Columbia  county  slie  mado  the 
acquaintance  of  Clement  Bradbury,  who 
sought  and  won  her  hand  iu  marriage.  .She 
died  at  Seaside,  Oregon,  in  1900.  Clement 
Bradbury  makes  his  home  at  Seaside.  He 
has  practically  retired  from  business  al- 
though he  is  still  giving  supervision  to  his 
real-estate  interests,  having  made  extensive 
investments  at  Seaside  and  in  Josephine  and 
Klamath  counties.  The  family  numbered 
seven  children:  R.  E.;  Sarah  Etta,  who  lives 
with  her  father;  Clement  J.,  who  lives  with 


4i; 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


his  eldei-  brother;  Clarissa  A.,  the  wife  of 
Perry  Gaines,  of  Klamath  county;  Helen,  who 
died  in  Seattle.  Washington,  in  1909,  when 
twenty  years  of  age;  Helen,  who  lives  with 
her  sister,  Mrs.  Gaines;  and  Irene,  who  is 
attending  the  Holmes  Business  College  at 
Portland. 

R.  E.  Bradbury  spent  the  first  four  years 
of  his  life  at  Oak  Point,  Oregon,  at  the  end 
of  which  time  his  parents  removed  to  Sea- 
side, where  he  resided  until  1906.  He  pur- 
sued his  education  in  the  common  schools 
there  and  afterward  worked  in  his  father's 
dairy.  In  1906  he  came  to  Klamath  county 
but  the  following  year  returned  to  Portland, 
where  he  was  employed  as  a  millwright  in 
connection  with  the  large  mills  of  that  city. 
He  had  always  worked  around  machinery  in 
his  father's  mill  and  his  natural  genius  and 
acquired  ability  in  that  direction  enabled 
him  to  command  good  positions.  In  ilay, 
1911,  Mr.  Bradbury  returned  to  Klamath 
county  and  became  foreman  in  the  building 
of  the  United  States  government  dam  and 
also  of  the  Lost  river  diversion  dam.  In 
the  spring  of  1912  he  took  charge  of  his 
ranch  adjoining  the  government  project.  This 
is  a  tract  of  two  hundred  and  sixteen  acres 
and  he  is  also  looking  after  his  father's  prop- 
erty here,  comprising  four  hundred  acres. 
The  two  interests  make  large  demands  upon 
his  time  and  energies  and  rank  him  as  one 
of  the  representative,  active  and  progressive 
young  business  men  of  the  district. 

In  1906  Mr.  Bradbury  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Zara  L.  Young,  a  native  of 
Marion  county,  Oregon,  and  a  daughter  of 
Jlilton  Young.  Their  children  are  Aubra, 
Richard  E.,  Maxine  and  Lyda  Elaine.  Mr. 
Bradbury  votes  with  the  democratic  party, 
and  his  fraternal  relations  are  with  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  at  Seaside  and  with  the 
Elks  lodge  at  Astoria.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Klamath  Falls  Chamber  of  Commerce  and 
in  this  connection  is  greatly  interested  in 
all  measures  and  movements  put  forth  for 
the  benefit  and  upbuilding  of  the  community 
and  the  exploitation  of  its  resources  and  ad- 
vantages. 

FRANK  A.  SACCHI  is  one  of  the  enterpris- 
ing, successful  men  of  Marshfield  where  he 
is  engaged  in  the  general  wholesale  and  retail 
milk  business.  He  was  born  in  Switzerland. 
June  29.  1868,  and  is  a  son  of  Ned  and  Ellen 
Sacchi.  The  father  emigrated  to  America  in 
1884  settling  first  in  Plumas  county.  Cali- 
fornia, where  he  continued  to  live  for  a  period 
of  ten  years  and  then  returned  to  Switzerland 
where  he  died  .some  time  later,  the  mother 
having  passed  away  in  the  early  'TOs.  To  Mr. 
and  ;Mrs.  Xed  Sacchi  five  children  were  born: 
Frank  A.,  who  is  the  subject  of  this  review; 
Ant  one.  a  resident  of  Coos  county.  Oregon; 
Judis.  the  wife  of  Theodore  MarcoHo.  of  Rich- 
mond. California;  Xed.  who  still  resides  in 
Switzerland;  and  R.  J.,  who  makes  his  home 
with  his  brother  Frank. 

Frank  A.  Sacchi  was  reared  at  home  and  re- 
ceived his  early  education  in  tlie  schools  of 
Switzerland,  and  later  completed  a  commer- 
cial course  after  settling  in  this  countrv.     .\t 


the  age  of  eighteen  years  he  emigrated  to 
America  and  settled  in  Humboldt  county, 
California,  and  was  there  engaged  in  the 
operation  of  the  creamery  department  of  one 
of  the  well  known  dairies  located  in  that 
county,  for  nine  years.  In  1895  he  removed 
to  Oregon  and  settled  in  Marshfield  where 
he  accepted  a  clerkship  in  a  grocery  store 
and  in  that  occupation  he  continued  for  one 
year.  He  then  established  himself  in  the 
gi-ocery  business  to  which  he  added  a  de- 
partment devoted  to  the  wholesale  and  retail 
milk  business.  In  1911  he  sold  his  grocery 
stock,  but  retained  the  milk  business,  which 
he  at  once  enlarged  and  more  perfectly 
equipped  and  has  since  continued  to  devote 
his  entire  time  to  its  interest.  He  is  the 
owner  of  a  fine  home  in  Marshfield  and  also 
a  residence  property  adjoining  his  home  place. 

Jlr.  Sacchi  was  united  in  marriage,  in  1900. 
to  Miss  Etta  Elrod,  a  native  of  Xorth  Bend, 
Oregon,  and  a  daughter  of  \Villiam  F.  and 
Mary  (Madden)  Elrod,  the  former  a  native 
of  Prince  Edward  Island  and  the  latter  of 
Xova  Scotia.  They  celebrated  their  wedding 
in  Marshfield  at  the  Central  Hotel,  A.  P. 
Owen  ofiiciating  at  the  ceremony.  The 
father  passed  away  July  8,  1902,  and  the 
mother,  who  is  still  living,  maintains  her 
residence  in  Marshfield,  where  she  is  en- 
gaged in  the  millinery  business.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Elrod  four  children  were  born: 
Etta  and  Frances,  the  former  the  wife  of 
the  subject  of  this  review,  and  the  latter 
the  wife  of  Mr.  McCloud,  of  Marshfield,  Ore- 
gon; Mrs.  L.  F.  Denning,  who  is  a  resident 
of  Mar.shfield  Oregon;  and  Iris,  who  is  en- 
gaged as  a  salesman  in  the  woolen  mills 
of  Marshfield. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sacchi  two  children  have 
been  born:  Francis,  who  was  born  Jlay  18, 
1904;  and  Jack  L.,  born  June  16,  1906.'  Mr. 
Sacchi  is  affiliated  with  the  republican  party, 
but  liberal  in  the  use  of  his  franchise.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Woodmen  of  the  World, 
also  of  the  Fraternal  Union  of  America, 
and  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the 
Episcopal  church. 

Mr.  Sacchi  is  one  of  the  enterprising  and 
useful  citizens  of  the  city  in  which  he  lives. 
He  is  a  man  of  strict  integrity  and  always 
identifies  himself  with  public  measures  in- 
tended to  improve  the  condition  of  the  people 
in  his  county  and  state. 

HORACE  G.  FAIRCLO.  On  the  Merrill 
road,  about  ten  miles  south  of  Klamath  Falls. 
is  the  ranch  of  Horace  G.  Fairclo.  one  of 
Oregon's  native  sons  and  representative  citi- 
zens. He  was  born  near  Roseburg,  on  Deer 
creek,  December  25.  18.")9,  and  is  a  son  of 
Paul  and  Amanda  (Burt)  Fairclo.  The 
father,  a  native  of  Indiana,  was  reared  in  De 
Kalb  county,  Illinois,  and  the  mother  was 
born  and  reared  in  Wisconsin.  They  were 
married,  however,  at  Roseburg.  Oregon,  the 
father  having  crossed  tlie  plains  in  1850. 
while  the  mother  came  by  the  same  route 
in  the  '50s.  the  Burt  family  settling  on  Deer 
creek.  The  parents  of  our  subject  spent  the 
greater  part  of  their  lives  in  Jackson  and 
Josephine    counties,     Mr.     Fairclo     following 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


413 


miiiiiif;  most  of  llie  time.  He  died  in  Yreka, 
(  aliioriiiii,  and  his  wife  in  Benton  county, 
(lie;^on.  Paul  Faircio  had  active  experience 
in  the  Indian  war  of  1855  and  1S56,  serving 
as  a  volunteer  in  that  struggle  for  the  su- 
premacy of  the  civilized  race.  He  actively 
assisted  in  the  development  of  southern  Ore- 
gon and  at  all  times  and  on  all  occasions 
proved  himself  a  worthy  and  valued  citizen. 
His  wife  was  at  one  time  shot  by  Indians, 
causing  her  the  loss  of  the  use  of  her  right 
arm  for  a  year.  Their  home  was  burned 
by  Rogue  river  Indians  a  number  of  times 
when  they  were  living  in  Jackson  and  Joseph- 
ine counties,  but  notwithstanding  all  these 
hardships  they  continued  to  make  their  home 
on  the  frontier  and  aided  largely  in  its  devel- 
opment and  progress,  being  now  numbei'ed 
among  the  honored  pioneers  to  whom  the 
state  owes  a  debt  of  gratitude  for  the  work 
which  they  accomplished  in  the  improvement 
of  the  west.  They  had  five  children:  Clara, 
the  wife  of  Charles  Craft,  of  Kennett,  Cali- 
fornia; Horace  G..  of  this  review;  Isabelle, 
who  is  the  wife  of  Enoch  Powell  and  resides 
near  Lebanon,  Oregon:  Eva.  the  wife  of 
Thurston  King,  of  Spokane,  Washington;  and 
Eunice,  deceased. 

Horace  G.  Faircio  spent  his  youthful  years 
in  Jackson  and  Josephine  counties  and  in 
1888  came  to  his  present  ranch,  which  com- 
prises one  hundred  and  sikty  acres  and  w^hich 
he  homesteaded.  He  has  been  identified 
with  mining  in  California  and  Oregon  dur- 
ing much  of  his  life  and  has  always  been 
a  busy  maii,  occupied  with  important  inter- 
ests. He  received  a  normal-school  education, 
being  graduated  in  18S.5  from  the  Philo- 
math Normal  School  of  Oregon  and  for  seven 
years  engaged  in  teaching  in  Oregon  and  Cali- 
fornia. He  has  since  followed  mining  and 
farming  and  has  today  a  good  property, 
which  yields  substantial  returns  through  the 
care  aiid  labor  which  he  bestows  upon  it. 
His  ranch  presents  a  neat  and  attractive 
appearance  and  upon  it  are  many  good  im- 
provements which  he  has  made. 

In  1S87  Mr.  Faircio  was  married  to  ]\Iiss 
Anna  Hurray,  who  was  born  in  Illinois  and 
crossed  the  plains  with  her  parents  about 
1880.  By  her  marriage  she  became  the 
mother  of  three  children.  James,  Bessie  and 
3a.j.  li\  1906  JNIr.  Faircio  was  called  upon 
to  mourn  the  loss  of  his  wife,  who  was  then 
about  thirty-seven  years  of  age.  her  birth 
having  occurred  in  1860.  He  is  a  well  known 
representative  of  a  worthj-  pioneer  family 
and  has  for  more  than  a  half  century  wit- 
nessed the  growth  and  upbuilding  of  Oregon. 
He  has  seen  its  w  ild  lands  reclaimed  and  cul- 
tivated, its  rich  mineral  resources  developed 
and  its  waterways  utilized.  At  all  times  he 
has  rejoiced  in  what  has  been  accomplished 
and  his  work  has  brought  to  him  substantial 
returns. 

L.  D.  WARD.  An  excellent  farm  of  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  pays  tribute  for 
the  care  and  labor  bestowed  ujion  it  hy 
L.  D.  Ward.  Waving  fields  of  grain  and  al- 
falfa, broad  pastures  upon  whicli  are  fouml 
high   grades    of    stock,   all    indicate    his    pro- 


gressive methods  and  show  that  the  work  oi 
imi)rovement  is  being  steadily  carried  for- 
ward, ilr.  Ward  was  born  in  Henderson 
county,  Illinois,  March  32,  1860,  a  son  of 
C.  W.  and  Ellen  Elizabeth  (Crenshaw)  Ward, 
the  former  a  native  of  Illinois  and  the  latter 
of  Iowa.  The  parents  resided  in  the  middle 
west  until  1864,  when  they  crossed  the  plains 
with  teams,  spending  eighteen  months  in 
Xe^'ada.  They  next  removed  to  Yuba  coun- 
ty, California,  where  the  lather  died  in  1873, 
at  tlie  comparatively  early  age  of  thirty-six 
years.  The  mother  still  lives.  In  the  fall 
of  18S5  she  came  to  Oregon,  residing  at  Khv- 
niath  Falls  until  four  years  ago,  since  which 
time  she  has  made  her  home  in  San  Uiego, 
California.  In  her  family  are  four  children 
of  whom  L.  D.  Ward  is  the  eldest,  the  others 
being:  Eva,  the  wife  of  Charles  Graves,  of 
Klamath  Falls,  who  is  mentioned  elsewhere 
in  tliis  work;  Frank,  who  is  a  member  of 
the  grocery  firm  of  Ward  &  Oberchain.  of 
Klamath  Falls;  and  Susie,  the  wife  of  11.  K. 
Smith,  of  San  Diego. 

L.  D.  Ward  spent  the  first  four  years  of 
his  life  in  his  native  county  and  was  then 
brought  by  his  parents  to  the  west.  He 
resided  in  Yuba  county,  California,  from  1S66 
until  1884.  when  he  came  to  Klamatli  county, 
Oregon,  where  he  has  since  made  his  home. 
For  a  time  he  was  proprietor  of  a  hardware 
store  in  Klamath  Falls  and  in  the  fall  of 
1885  went  to  Linkville,  where  he  became  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  Graves,  Ketchem  & 
Ward,  dealers  in  hardware.  In  1888  he  sold 
his  interest  in  that  business  and  afterward 
speculated  in  timber  and  farm  lands  for  three 
or  four  years.  Subsequently  with  J.  W. 
Semens  he  conducted  a  barlicr  shoj)  and  club 
room  for  two  years  in  Klamath  Falls,  and 
at  the  end  of  that  time  began  farming.  lb- 
owns  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in 
addition  to  which  he  rents  and  improves  two 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land.  He  is 
thus  extensively  engaged  in  general  farming, 
and  makes  a  specialty  of  the  production  of 
grain  and  alfalfa.  He  has  one  hundred  and 
forty-five  acres  of  his  land  under  government 
ditcii  and  has  greatly  improved  his  property 
with  modern  equipment  and  buildings.  He 
raises  stock  to  some  extent.  He  has  alto- 
gether improved  four  ranches  and  has  thus 
contributed  largely  to  the  work  of  progress 
and  upbuilding  in  this  part  of  the  state. 

In  October,  1901,  Mr.  Ward  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Mrs.  Mary  E.  Brantlacht,  who 
was  born  in  Shasta  county,  California,  May 
12,  1876.  and  is  a  daughter  of  A.  M.  and 
IMartha  (Walker)  Zwely,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  Missouri.  The  father  crossed  the 
iilains  in  1860  and  the  mother  in  ISOS.  She 
died  on  the  3d  of  March,  1912.  at  the  age  of 
fifty-seven  years,  and  the  father  is  living  at 
Alturas.  California.  Mrs.  Ward  was  first 
married  to  Henry  Brantlacht.  who  died,  leav- 
ing two  children.  Jessie  and  Aletha.  To  Mr. 
an'il  5Irs.  Ward  has  been  born  a  son.  T.evi  7... 
and  a  daughter.  Mary  Ellen.  Fraternally  Mr. 
Ward  is  connected  with  the  Inilependent  Or- 
der of  Odil  Fellows  and  the  Ancient  Order  of 
I'nited  Workmen.  He  takes  comparatively 
little  active  part  in  outside  interests,  prefer- 


414 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


ling  to  conceutrate  his  energies  upon  business 
affairs  which  are  proving  a  profitable  source 
of  income,  owing  to  his  careful  direction  and 
able  management.  His  home  is  pleasantly 
situated  about  twelve  miles  south  of  Kla- 
math Falls,  in  the  Klamath  valley,  and  he 
is  recognized  as  one  of  the  representative 
agriculturists  of  this  community. 

JOSEPH  FRANKLIN  BARROWS.  On  Au- 
gust 18,  1886,  one  of  the  pioneers  in  the  set- 
tlement of  Oregon  died  in  Coos  county. 
Joseph  Franklin  Barrows  first  settled  in  this 
state  in  1S47  and  since  that  time  with  a  few 
iuterrtiptions  engaged  in  important  enter- 
prises here  tintil  his  death.  He  saw  the  de- 
velopment of  Oregon,  and  his  individual  ac- 
tivities were  prominent  factors  in  it.  The 
various  representative  occupations  to  which 
he  gave  his  attention  repaid  his  efforts  by 
prosperity  and  success  and  his  death  was  felt 
as  a  distinct  loss  to  business  and  agricultural 
circles  of  the  state.  He  was  born  in  Lexing- 
ton, Kentucky,  .January  1.  1822,  a  son  or 
Isaac  and  Matilda  (Fry)  Barrows.  In  the 
family  were  three  children:  Joseph  F.,  of 
this  review:  Samuel  B.,  deceased:  and  Susan 
C,  who  died  in  infancy. 

Joseph  F.  Barrows  was  reared  upon  his 
father's  farm  in  Kentucky  and  received  his 
early  education  in  a  little  fog  schoolhouse  in 
his  native  district.  He  later  took  a  classical 
course  in  a  Chicago  college.  In  1847  he 
located  in  Oregon  and  remained  in  the  state 
for  two  years,  joining  the  rush  to  the  Cali- 
fornia gold  fields  in  1S40.  He  was  successful 
in  his  mining  operations  btit  later  lost  the 
money  which  he  made  in  this  work.  In  Cali- 
fornia lie  married  and  settled  in  Alviso  where 
lie  opened  a  general  merchandise  store  and  a 
large  warehouse  wliieli  Avas  the  only  enter- 
prise of  its  kind  in  the  county.  For  some 
years  ilr.  Barrows  conducted  this  establish- 
ment, gaining  success  by  reason  of  his  in- 
near  Astoria,  wliere  he  purchased  a  farm  on 
the  Lewis  and  Clarke  river  and  followed  gen- 
eral agricultural  pursuits  for  a  number  of 
years.  He  eventually  added  to  his  activities 
boat  building  in  which  he  was  deservedly  suc- 
cessful for  some  time.  When  he  disposed  of 
his  property  in  Astoria  he  went  to  Forest 
Grove,  where  he  remained  for  two  years.  In 
1865  he  went  to  Idaho  and  mined  in  that 
state  for  one  year,  returning  to  Forest  Grove 
and  then  to  Astoria,  where  he  resided  until 
he  came  to  Coos  county.  Here  he  established 
himself  in  the  contracting  and  building  busi- 
ness and  soon  became  identified  witli  the  con- 
struction of  many  important  business  build- 
ings. He  erected  a  large  cannery  and  ware- 
house besides  numerous  smaller  structures, 
branching  out  gradually  into  the  boat  build- 
ing line  in  whicli  he  became  successful  and 
prosperous.  In  the  later  years  of  his  life  he 
rented  a  ranch  near  Bandon  and  upon  this  re- 
sided and  worked  at  the  carpenter's  trade 
until  his  death  which  occurred  August  18. 
1886.  He  was  numbered  among  the  ven- 
earliest  settlers  in  Oregon  and  his  life  was 
an  exemplification  of  the  forceful  and  vital 
(|ualities  which  distinguished  the  pioneers  of 
the  state.     He  fought  in  the  Cavuse  Indian 


war  of  1847  and  1848,  helping  to  carry  the 
cannon  to  the  fort  during  the  night."  He 
always  strove  to  do  his  duty  in  every  rela- 
tion of  life  and  this  conscientiousness"  made 
his  business  activities  successful  and  his  more 
personal   career   lionorable  and   upright. 

Mr.  Barrows  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Margaret  Stevenson,  a  native  of  Illinois,  who 
died  sometime  afterward.  In  1850  Mr.  Bar- 
rows was  again  wedded,  his  second  wife  being 
Miss  Diana  T.  Lightner,  who  was  born  in 
Missouri,  a  daughter  of  A.  T.  and  Jemima 
(Snelling)  Lightner.  Their  marriage  occur- 
red in  California.  Mrs.  Barrows  is  a  de- 
scendant of  one  of  the  oldest  American 
families,  her  grandfather  having  fought  in 
the  Revolutionaiy  war.  She  is  one  of  nine 
children  born  to  her  parents,  tlie  otlicrs  being : 
Isaac,  Sarah.  Ann,  William  and  Daniel,  all 
of  whom  have  passed  away;  Mary,  the  wife  of 
Daniel  Wolser.  of  California:  Lovina.  who 
married  Walker  Rankin,  of  California:  and 
A.  T..  wlio  resides  in  Bakersfield.  California. 
Mr.  and  ^Mrs.  Barrows  became  the  parents  of 
nine  children:  William  and  Alice,  deceased: 
Samuel,  a  machinist  of  Bandon:  Frank,  who 
has  passed  away:  Carrie,  the  wife  of  L.  C. 
Gibson,  a  building  contractor,  of  Bandon. 
Abia.  who  is  engaged  in  the  sawmilling  busi- 
ness in  Prosper;  Lee,  who  resides  in  Bandon: 
Cassie.  who  died  in  infancy;  and  Charles,  also 
deceased. 

Mr.  Barrows  gave  his  allegiance  to  the 
democratic  party  and  was  a  prominent  figure 
in  the  affairs  of  the  local  organization.  When 
a  resident  of  California  he  served  for  two 
years  as  justice  of  the  peace  and  in  Oregon 
was  for  two  terms  sheriff  of  Clatsop  county 
and  also  county  commissioner.  He  was  a 
devout  adlierent  of  the  Presbyterian  cliurch 
and  well  known  in  the  Masonic  order.  Dur- 
ing liis  life  he  acquired  a  comfortable  for- 
tune which  he  invested  judiciously,  mostly  in 
farm  and  timber  lands  in  Coos  county.  His 
widow  owns  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
valuable  property  besides  important  manu- 
facturing sites  upon  the  water  front.  Twenty- 
six  years  have  iioav  passed  since  .Jo.seph  Bar- 
rows died,  but  he  is  well  remembered  as  a 
tiseful,  upright  and  representative  citizen. 
The  regret  which  attended  his  death  was  a 
tribute  of  sorrow  for  the  passing  of  a  pio- 
neer in  the  settlement  of  Oregon  and  was  an 
evidence  of  the  importance  of  the  place 
which  he  had  attained  in  the  esteem  and 
honor  of  his  friends. 

JESSE  APPLEGATE.  Though  almost  a 
quarter  of  a  century  has  passed  since  the 
demise  of  Jesse  Applegate.  pioneer  and  state 
builder,  his  memory  yet  remains  enshrined 
in  the  hearts  of  many  who  knew  him  and  his 
name  figures  in  history  as  that  of  one  of 
the  most  dominant  characters  in  the  early 
pioneer  life  of  Oregon.  .Jesse  Applegate  could 
claim  pioneership  by  the  threefold  title  of 
inheritance,  training  and  lifelong  habit.  His 
father,  Daniel  Applegate.  of  English  lineage, 
was  reared  in  New  Jersey.  He  entered  the 
Revolutionary  army  as  a  fifer  at  fifteen,  and 
when  the  war  closed  emigrated  to  the  wilder- 
ness of  Kentucky.     There  he  married  Rachel 


'A 

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\  PUBLIC 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


4n 


Lindsey,  of  a  distinguished  pioneer  family. 
and  settled  on  a  farm.  Forty  years  later,  in 
1S23.  caught  up  once  more  in  the  resistless 
■'westward  movement."'  he  was  carried  over 
into  the  new  state  of  Jlissouri,  accompanied 
now  by  a  large  family  and  settled  near  the 
present  city  of  St.  Louis.  Jesse  was  the 
youngest  child  of  Daniel  and  Rachel  Apple- 
gate.  He  was  born  on  the  5th  of  July,  1811, 
and  was  a  lad  of  twelve  years  when  the  fam- 
ily moved  to  Missouri.  While  Kentucky  was 
no  longer  strictly  a  "hunter's  paradise,"  as 
in  the  days  of  Boone  and  Kenton,  pioneer 
conditions  had  by  no  means  disappeared  when 
the  Applegates  took  up  the  line  of  march  to 
a  newer  frontier.  Yet  the  boy  had  acquired 
in  his  early  home  a  good  elementary  educa- 
tion, so  that  on  going  to  Missouri  he  was 
able,  within  a  year  or  so,  to  fit  himself  for 
the  work  of  a  village  schoolmaster.  But  this 
was  a  temporary  occupation,  for  he  soon 
found  more  congenial  employment  in  the 
city  of  St.  Louis,  where  ho  remained  until 
183i; 

Lito  the  environment  of  St.  Louis  during 
this  period  of  her  history,  presenting  a  strange 
jumble  of  more  or  less  contradictory  elements, 
young  Applegate  came  with  a  mind  dilated 
to  its  most  divergent  influences.  Xo  phase 
of  life,  rude  or  refined,  was  to  liim  indifferent. 
The  profane  but  original  and  strenuous  obser- 
vations of  the  well  seasoned  '•river-man."  and 
the  learned  disquisitions  of  St,  Louis'  great- 
est lawyer,  alike  interested  him ;  he  sought 
information  from  men  of  classical  training 
and  in  libraries  crowded  with  the  works  of 
great  minds,  but  did  not  fail  to  go,  also, 
to  the  humble  and  rude  fellow  who  had  had 
some  unique  experience  or  could  furnish  a 
desired  fact.  Applegate's  strong  pioneering 
bent  is  shown  by  the  efforts  he  made,  while 
at  St.  Louis,  to  gather  information  of  every 
sort  about  the  great  western  region  embrac- 
ing the  Rocky  Mountains  and  the  Pacific 
slope,  ^\^latever  he  cotild  find  in  print  he 
read,  but  that  was  very  little:  the  most  im- 
portant single  item  was  the  journal  of  Lewis 
and  Clark,  published  in  1814.  But  better 
than  the  written  record  of  their  wonderful 
journey  was  a  personal  meeting  he  had.  about 
1825,  'with  Captain  Clark  himself,  then  a 
white-haired  veteran  who  inspired  him,  as 
he  long  afterward  confessed,  with  a  genuine 
enthusiasm  for  pioneering.  Three  years  later, 
while  clerking  in  the  surveyor-general's  of- 
fice, Apjilegate  gained  the  intimate  friendsliip 
of  Wilson  Price  Hunt,  then  postmaster  at 
St.  Louis,  ilr.  Hunt  will  be  remembered 
by  all  readers  of  Irving  as  .Xstor's  agent  in 
the  dramatic  commercial  enter))rise  on  which 
he  sent  the  shijj  Tonquin  to  the  Columbia 
in  1811.  He  was  the  founder  of  Astoria  and. 
in  a  certain  sense,  of  the  tran.s-Roeky  iloun- 
tain  trade  for  which  that  fort  was  the  earliest 
emporium.  Hunt  talked  freely  about  these 
romantic  episodes  of  his  younger  days,  stimu- 
lated no  doubt  by  the  eager  imniisitiveness 
of  his  youthful  friend.  In  this  manner 
Applegate  secured  from  tlie  higliest  living 
authority  a  graphic  account  of  the  first  occu- 
pation of  the  Cohirabia.  and  this  many  years 
before  the  publication  of  Irving's  Astoria. 


Mr,  Applegate  boarded  at  the  Old  Green 
Tree  Tavern,  an  unpretentious  hostelry  which 
commonly  served  as  the  winter  rendezvous 
of  the  Rocky  Mountain  Fur  Company.  There 
the  partners,  Jedediah  Smith,  David  Jackson 
and  William  L,  Sublette  would  meet,  in  their 
leisure  time,  to  settle  the  season's  accounts 
and  plan  the  operations  of  the  following 
year.  Each  of  the  three  had  spent  many  years 
in  the  heart  of  the  Rockies,  Besides,  the  vast 
spaces  beyond  the  Rockies  were  to  them  by 
no  means  a  sealed  book,  Jedediah  Smith 
had  explored  for  his  company  an  overland 
route  from  Salt  Lake  to  southern  California; 
he  had  traversed  the  entire  length  of  that 
then  mysterious  Mexican  province,  had  forced 
a  way  northward  to  Fort  Vancouver  on  the 
Columbia,  where  he  spent  the  winter  of  1828- 
29  as  the  guest  of  Dr.  John  McLoughlin,  and 
had  made  himself  conversant  with  the  fur 
trade  as  conducted  by  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company  in  Oregon  under  McLoughlin's  skill- 
ful  supervision.  He  therefore  brought  to  St. 
Lotiis,  when  he  next  met  his  partners  at  the 
Green  Tree  Tavern,  the  freshest  and  most 
complete  report  obtainable  on  conditions  all 
along  the  coast,  from  San  Diego  to  Vancouver 
and  inland  from  the  Rio  Colorado  to  Coeur 
d'AIene  lake.  Little  wonder  that  a  high- 
spirited,  adventurous  youth  like  Applegate 
should  improve  the  o|)portiniity  of  a  fellow 
guest  to  ingratiate  himself  with  these  mcii 
in  order  to  lose  no  item  of  their  exciting 
discourse.  "I  was  then  handy  with  the  pen," 
he  writes,  "and  handier  still  with  figures, 
and  volunteered  my  services  to  these  moun- 
tain heroes,  my  sole  reward  being  to  hear 
them  recount  their  adventures,"  These  vet- 
erans of  the  inland  trade,  with  its  glamour  of 
romance  and  alhu'emcnt  of  riches,  had  al- 
most won  in  Ajiplegate  a  convert  to  their 
wild,  irregular  mode  of  life.  But  the  appeal 
of  his  kind,  wise  master.  Colonel  McKce,  was 
iven  stronger  tlian  theirs,  and  our  young 
fiioneer  was  saved  for  other  |)ioneering 
labors  that  should  yield  nobler  frnits  to 
society  if  smaller  gain.s  to  himself. 

Another  man  who,  during  the  St.  Louis 
jieriod,  exerted  a  profound  inlliu'nce  on  Ap- 
plegate's mind,  was  the  distinguished  lawyer. 
Edward  Bates,  later  a  member  of  Lincoln's 
first  cabinet.  Bates  was  always  revered  by 
A]>i)legate  as  benefactor  and  friend.  There 
is  a  tradition  that  he  assisted  the  boy  to 
improve  his  education,  also  that  he  took  him 
into  his  office  for  a  time  as  clerk;  at  all 
events,  the  association  between  them  was  ex- 
ceedingly close  anil  left  an  abiding  iccord  in 
the  character  of  the  younger  man.  This  as- 
sociation probably  helps  to  explain  Apple- 
gate's  clear,  strong  view.s  on  government,  as 
he  afterward  im]nessed  them,  through  numer- 
ous channels,  tipon  the  Oregon  people:  it  may 
have  contributed  to  develop  in  him  the  pas- 
sion for  order  and  the  pviiictilious  regard  he 
ever  showed  for  forms  and  precedents  in 
legislative  matters.  His  militant  nationalism 
and  his  abhorrence  of  shivery  are  explicable 
on  other  grotmds.  but  to  both  trait.s  the 
great  lawyer's  influence  lent  positive  support. 

The  St,  Louis  period,  extending  from  about 
1S25  to   1831.  or  from  hi,s  fourteenth  to  lii> 


4k 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


twoiitieth  year,  is  manit'estly  the  time  in 
wliieli  young  Ajiplegate  was  being  specially 
sehooled  for  his  later  career.  It  was  then  that 
his  youthful  fancy,  rioting  in  tales  of  far 
west  adventure,  began  to  form  those  bold  de- 
signs of  pioneering  that  foreshadow  the  dis- 
tinctive work  of  his  life.  And  it  was  during 
the  same  period  of  time  that  he  laid  the 
foundations  for  a  broad  and  accurate,  though 
general  knowledge,  of  literature,  history  and 
science  which  marked  him  later  as  one  of  the 
best  read  men  on  the  Pacific  coast.  He  gained, 
also,  considerable  familiarity  with  Latin,  be- 
came highly  proficient  in  mathematical  sub- 
jects, and  developed  a  literary  style  which 
was  singularly  pure  and  graceful  as  well  as 
virile  and  dignified.  He  acquired  in  addition 
at  least  the  fundamentals  of  both  law  and 
engineering,  each  of  which  proved  of  distinct 
service  to  the  new  community  he  was  to  help 
build  beyond  the  mountains. 

Mr.  Applegate's  proficiency  as  a  surveyor 
obtained  for  him  at  the  age  of  about  nineteen, 
a  deputyship  in  the  office  of  surveyor-general. 
Thereafter  much  of  his  time  was  spent  in 
field  work,  especially  in  the  southwestern 
portion  of  the  state,  ilarrying  in  the  spring 
of  1831,  he  settled  on  a  fine  tract  of  land  in 
the  Osage  valley  in  .?t.  Clair  county,  and 
made  his  home  there  as  a  farmer  and  stock- 
raiser  for  twelve  years,  but  he  continued  to 
act  as  deputy  surveyor  also  during  the 
greater  part,  if  not  the  whole,  of  that  time, 
in  1843  he  carried  his  trusty  compass  to  the 
western  shore  of  the  continent  and  at  once 
resumed  its  use  in  a  significant  service  cover- 
ing almost  forty  years.  He  was  commissioned 
to  set  apart  donation  claims  with  the  title 
of  surveyor-general  of  Oregon.  He  was  also 
commissioned  to  find  and  survey  a  wagon 
road  for  military  purposes  connecting  the 
western  slope  with  the  country  east  of  the 
<'ascades.  This  is  the  military  road  running 
out  by  Diamond  peak. 

The  interest  in  Oregon  had  widened  and 
intensified  since  Applegate  first  met  the 
mountain  traders  at  the  Green  Tree  Tavern, 
and  sources  of  information  about  the  coun- 
try had  multiplied.  Oregon  was  no  longer, 
as  it  had  once  been,  the  object  of  desire  to 
exploiters  of  furs  only  but  was  coming  to 
be  regarded  as  a  practicable  field  of  opera- 
tion for  agricultural  pioneers.  Something 
had  already  been  done  to  establish  proper 
relations  with  the  Oregon  tribes  of  Indians 
through  the  sending  of  an  Indian  sub-agent 
in  1842.  The  government,  however,  was  in 
general  too  slow  for  the  pioneers.  Before 
congress  could  pass  a  law  to  encourage  set- 
tlers, before  Webster  and  his  successors  in 
office  could  negotiate  a  treaty,  before  the 
war  secretaries  could  accomplish  the  design 
of  opening  a  road,  the  frontiersmen  them- 
selves, imder  the  leaders  of  their  own  choos- 
ing and  hence  of  their  own  type,  had  rendered 
the  contemplated  governmental  action  if  not 
superfluous  at  least  less  urgent.  They  had 
opened  a  road  all  the  way  to  the  Columbia, 
had  occupied,  in  an  orderly  manner,  for 
agricultural  purposes,  much  of  the  best  land 
in  western  Oregon,  and  without  charter,  law 
or    other    authorization    beyond    the    treaty 


of  joint  occupation  which  merely  gave  them 
a  right  to  be  in  the  country,  they  had  or- 
ganized on  the  shores  of  the  Pacific  a  true 
American  government,  the  first  of  its  kind 
in  that  portion  of  the  world.  After  the 
Mexican  war  congress  discussed  plans  to 
promote  the  settlement  of  the  country,  and 
the  department  of  state  was  trying  to  ter- 
minate the  Oregon  dispute  with  Great  Brit- 
ain, and  the  war  department  moved  for  the 
exploration  of  a  road  to  the  Columbia  in 
order  to  facilitate  emigration  thither. 

In  all  the  momentous  activities  here  out- 
lined. Jesse  Applegate  was  a  prime  leader. 
He.  like  many  others  of  his  time  and  sec- 
tion, had  become  discouraged  at  the  long 
duration  of  the  "hard  times.''  which  pressed 
heavily  upon  those  frontier  settlers  living 
away  from  navigable  streams,  then  almost 
the  sole  means  of  transportation  for  the 
country  west  of  the  Mississippi.  Besides,  the 
progress  of  slavery  was  rapid  in  Missouri. 
Applegate,  who  would  not  own  negroes,  was 
forced  to  hire  their  labor  from  neighboring 
owners  in  order  to  be  able  to  cultivate  his 
fields.  He  felt  keenly  the  social  as  well  as 
the  economic  evils  of  the  slave  system  and 
was  constrained  to  remove  his  young  family 
beyond  its  influence.  He  had  kept  up  with 
the  new  information  regarding  Oregon  and 
was  in  personal  correspondence  with  a  friend 
who  lived  there.  Applegate  had  long  known, 
what  others  were  just  learning,  that  western 
Oregon  was  a  paradise  for  the  stock-raiser. 
So.  after  mature  deliberation,  he  decided  to 
transfer  his  Osage  valley  herd,  which  was 
all  but  valueless  from  the  prevailing  de- 
pression, to  the  virgin  meadows  of  the  Wil- 
lamette, two  thousand  miles  away. 

The  story  of  the  great  immigration  to 
Oregon  in  1S43  has  been  frequently  told, 
sometimes  with  embellishments  that  sadly 
mar  the  truth  of  history.  It  should  be  re- 
membered that  the  movement  was  a  per- 
fectly natural  expression  of  the  pioneering 
genius  of  our  people  and  not,  as  often  mis- 
represented, an  outburst  of  Quixotic  pa- 
triotism. The  emigrating  company  of  nearly 
one  thousand  persons  was  recruited  by  no 
one  man;  it  gathered  almost  spontaneously, 
in  response  to  feelings  and  motives  that 
were  widespread  along  the  border  and  that 
came  to  fruition  in  a  variety  of  ways — 
sometimes  through  public  discussion,  oftener 
in  the  neightorly  chat  or  the  fireside  con- 
ference. Personal  influence  was  felt  in  this 
as  in  every  large  human  event.  Emigrat- 
ing parties  were  organized  in  different  locali- 
ties, and  the  accession  anywhere  of  an  able 
or  a  prominent  man  was  the  signal  for  others 
less  independent  to  give  in  their  names.  The 
decision  of  .Jesse  Applegate  to  go  to  Oregon 
probably  caused  a  number  of  others  in  St. 
Clair  county.  Missouri,  to  do  likewise,  among 
them  his  two  elder  brothers,  Charles  and 
Lindsey. 

The  several  companies  from  Missouri  and 
other  western  states  met  near  Independence, 
Mi.ssouri,  in  April,  1843,  prepared  for  the 
long  overland  march,  Applegate's  outfit  is 
said  to  have  consisted  of  about  one  hundred 
head  of  live  stock,  and  four  wagons,  "loaded 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OP  OREGON 


41  y 


.  .  .  .  with  Ikiur.  bacon  and  siieli  fruits 
and  vegetables  as  were  fit  for  transporta- 
tion; tools  of  all  kinds;  houseliold  goods 
and  wearing  apparel ;  a  few  valuable  books, 
among  them  the  schoolbooks  of  his  children. 
some  historical  works,  a  Worcester's  dic- 
tionary, a  copy  of  Shakespeare,  the  Bible  he 
had  carried  on  his  surveying  trips,  his  mathe- 
matical works,  .  .  .  ."  The  emigrants 
organized  for  the  journey  with  Peter  11. 
Burnett  as  captain,  intending  at  first  to  travel 
as  a  single  great  company.  But  at  the  Kan- 
sas river  trouble  arose  over  the  question  of 
caring  for  the  loose  stock,  those  having  no 
cattle  objecting  with  some  justice  to  the  per- 
formance of  guard  duty.  Burnett  now-  re- 
signed and  a  reorganization  took  place,  those 
without  the  encumbrance  of  cattle  forming 
the  light  column,  the  others  the  so-called 
'■cow  column."  Of  the  latter  company  Jesse 
Applegate   was   chosen   captain. 

It  is  a  trite  but  true  remark  among  far 
west  pioneers  that  no  severer  test  of  a  man's 
fitness  for  leadership  was  ever  devised  than 
the  captaincy  of  an  Oregon  or  California 
emigrating  company;  and  it  is  the  universal 
testimony  of  the  1843  immigrants  that  Ap- 
plegate more  than  met  the  requirements  of 
this  exacting  office.  By  his  accurate  knowl- 
edge of  the  difficulties  to  be  encountered,  his 
resourcefulness  in  overcoming  them,  his  tact 
and  courage,  his  commanding  personality,  and 
withal,  the  kind,  helpful  spirit  he  always 
manifested,  he  not  only  held  the  uniform  re- 
spect of  all  these  stanch  frontiersmen  but 
•won  their  loyal  afTection.  His  charming  es- 
say, "A  Day  With  the  Cow  Column."  <le- 
seriptive  of  "the  movement  of  his  company 
across  the  plains,  is  a  classic  in  the  litera- 
ture of  western  adventure.  From  Fort  Hal! 
westward,  the  region  through  which  a  road 
had  yet  to  be  found.  Applegate  is  said  to 
have  been  in  advance,  with  his  compass,  to 
determine  at  critical  points  the  route  to  be 
taken.  In  this  he  was  greatly  aided  by  Dr. 
Marcus  Whitman,  whose  general  knowledge 
of  the  country  enabled  him  to  make  valua- 
ble suggestioiis.  While  the  company  was 
descending  the  Columbia  with  rafts,  from 
Fort  Walia  Walla,  an  accident  occurred  by 
which  three  persons  were  drowned;  one  of 
them  was  Jesse  Applegate's  eldest  son,  a 
bright,  studious  boy  of  eleven  summers, 
named,  for  his  friend  and  patron.  Edward 
Bates. 

Mr.  Applegate  selected  a  piece  of  land 
within  the  present  limits  of  Polk  county, 
where  he  remained  until  the  year  1849.  He 
followed  farming  to  some  extent,  raised  a  fine 
herd  of  cattle.' built  a  small  gristmill  and 
worked  much  at  his  profession  of  surveying, 
layiu"  off  the  settlers'  claims,  marking  out 
roadst  etc.  The  legislature  of  1844  appointed 
him  surveyor-general  of  the  colony,  with  the 
special  diity  of  investigating  certain  canal 
projects.  He  was  a  man  of  great  activity, 
industry  and  skill,  accomplishing  with  ap- 
parent "ease  seemingly  difficult  undertakmgs. 
and  with  the  dispo"sition  to  multiply  in- 
terests in  such  a  way  as  to  keep  himsell 
more  than  fully  occupied.  There  was  no 
busier   man    in    the   little   colony.      Applegate 


often  averred  that  he  had  in  this  period 
no  time  for  politics,  the  care  of  a  growing 
and  still  helpless  family  absorbing  all  his 
energies.  But  his  sense  of  duty  impelled 
him,  in  the  summer  of  1845,  to  devote  not 
only  his  time  but  his  best  talents  to  the 
public  service  in  the  hope  of  improving  the 
political  condition  of  the  people.  Govern- 
ment in  Oregon  had  thus  far  been  in  process 
of  painful  evolution.  The  Hudson's  Bay 
Company's  officers  liad  exercised  a  civil  juris- 
diction adequate  to  the  needs  of  an  unsettled 
country  harboring  a  few  traders.  But  when 
Americans  began  to  collect  in  numbers  around 
the  Methodist  mission  a  demand  soon  arose 
for  some  sort  of  American  government.  In- 
asmuch as  the  United  States  was  merely  a 
claimant  to  the  country,  not  its  sovereign, 
congress  felt  unable  to  afford  relief  but  left 
the  people  of  Oregon  to  create  for  themselves 
such  political  institutions  as  were  deemed 
necessary.  A  preliminary  step  was  taken  in 
1841,  when,  to  meet  a  sudden  emergency, 
a  probate  judge  was  elected  by  the  people. 
This  seemed  at  the  time  to  be  all  the  ''gov- 
ernment" needed.  The  first  formal  organiza- 
tion, in  May,  184.3,  was  probably  premature. 
for  practically  one-half  of  the  settlers  voted 
it  to  be  unnecessary,  and  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company  were  jirepared.  for  national  rea- 
sons, to  place  obstacles  in  the  way  of  its 
successful  working  which  there  was  not 
strength  enough  in  the  American  portion  of 
the  community  to  overcome.  I'lie  organiza- 
tion itself  was  faulty.  There  was  a  body  of 
"organic  laws."  somewhat  loosely  drawn, 
which  had  been  adopted  by  popular  vote. 
It  professed  to  create  a  provisional  govern- 
ment for  Oregon  until  such  time  as  the 
United  States  should  take  the  country  under 
its  jurisdiction.  The  frame  of  government 
embraced  an  executive  committee  of  three,  a 
legislative  committee  of  nine,  and  several 
justices,  constables,  a  sherilV.  recorder,  etc. 
To  .support  this  somewhat  pretentious  sys- 
tem resort  was  lia<l  to  the  fatuous  expedient 
of  a  poi)ular  subscri])tion.  The  executive 
committee  was  as  ineffectual  as  such  commit- 
tees usually  are.  and  the  judiciary  was  pecu- 
liarly ill  adapted  to  its  work.  Moreover,  the 
Jletiiodist  mission,  whose  agents  had  engi- 
neered the  provisional  government  movement. 
granted  to  itself  an  entire  township  of  land, 
"iving  a  like  amount  to  the  Catholic  mission, 
a  move  which  many  felt  was  wholly  ])oliti- 
cal  and  which  engendered  much  opposition. 
WTien  the  great  body  of  new  immigrants 
arrived  in  the  following  winter,  the  effect 
was  to  subordinate  the  missionary  parly  as 
well  as  the  fur  company.  In  the  next  elec- 
tion the  pioneers  secured  control  of  all'airs 
and  proceeded  at  once,  by  their  legislative 
committee  to  reorganize  the  government. 
The  three-headed  executive  was  abolished 
and  a  "governor"  substituted,  a  legis- 
lature of  thirteen  members  was  created  and 
the  judiciary  was  reformed.  The  committee 
also  struck  a  blow  at  their  missionary  prede- 
cessors by  restorinc  to  imlividiial  entry  the 
two  townships  of  lanil  appropriated  by  the 
two  missions.  Finally  they  adopted  a  sim- 
ple   but    effective    method    of    raising    money 


420 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


by  virtual  taxation.  While  the  character  of 
this  legislation  was  undeniably  wholesome, 
the  committee  showed  a  surprising  lack  of 
orderliness  and  foresight  in  the  mode  of  its 
enactment.  They  practically  ignored  the 
existence  of  a  constitution,  treating  the  or- 
ganic laws  adopted  by  the  people  the  year 
before  as  mere  statutes,  subject  to  unlimited 
amendment  or  to  abolition  bj-  a  body  which, 
though  actually  deriving  its  exisitence  from 
them,  assumed  thus  to  stand  outside  of  and 
above  the  laws.  Nor  did  the  committee  sub- 
mit their  acts  to  the  people,  who  alone  had 
the  power  to  legitimize  them,  but  on  their 
own  motion  declared  them  to  be  in  efl"ect 
throughout  that  part  of  Oregon  south  of 
the  Columbia.  Since  the  organic  laws  had 
applied  to  the  whole  of  Oregon,  it  could 
be  plausibly  charged  against  the  committee 
that  in  addition  to  their  other  high-handed 
acts,  they  had  also  sought  to  limit  the 
American  territorial  claims. 

Testimony  varies  as  to  the  elfect  of  this 
revolution  upon  the  country.  Perhaps  the 
danger  of  "anarchy  and  internecine  war'' 
was  not  so  eminent  as  Applegate  at  a  later 
time  supposed  it  to  have  been,  yet,  between 
the  positive  and  the  negative  acts  of  the 
committee,  many  thoughtful  persons  felt  that 
the  people  had  been  grievously  wronged.  The 
upshot  of  the  agitation  was  another  reor- 
ganization which  brought  order  and  political 
prosperity  to  the  distracted  colony.  In  this 
final  readjustment  the  guiding  hand  was  that 
of  Jesse  Applegate.  He  allowed  himself  to 
be  chosen,  by  the  people  of  Yamhill,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  legislature  of  1845.  He  entered 
the  session  with  a  complete  program  of  re- 
form which  he  was  able  to  carry  out  to  the 
letter.  "My  intention  was,"  he  wrote  at  a 
later  time,  '"to  reassert  the  right  of  the 
United  States  to  the  whole  of  Oregon,  which 
the  legislature  of  1844  had  limited  to  the 
south  bank  of  the  Columbia — and  to  secure 
the  peace  of  the  country  by  binding  the  whole 
white  population  in  a  compact  to  maintain 
it."  His  point  of  departure  was  the  organic 
laws  of  1843.  These  he  revised  and  im- 
proved, producing  a  document  which  in  form 
and  substance  was  a  true  constitution.  He 
then  asked  the  people  to  choose  between  the 
old  organic  laws  and  the  new.  copies  of  both, 
written  laboriously  by  hand,  being  read  to 
them  at  the  polling  places.  By  an  over- 
whelming majority  they  chose  the  revision, 
thereby  indicating  complete  satisfaction  with 
the  legislature's  work.  A  new  lease  of  power 
was  also  voted  to  the  officers  chosen  in  June. 

Mr.  Applegatp's  program  having  triumphed 
so  signally  among  the  Americans  south  of 
the  Columbia,  he  proceeded  to  the  more  deli- 
cate task  of  securing  for  it  the  indorsement 
of  the  British  residents  north  of  the  river. 
For  this  purpose  he  became  the  diplomatic 
agent  of  the  Oregon  government  to  nego- 
tiate an  arrangement  with  McLoughlin  of 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Company.  McLoughlin 
at  first  repelled  the  idea  of  British  subjects 
becoming  parties  to  an  American  govern- 
ment; but  Applegate  had  prepared  the  way 
for  union  so  skillfully,  he  urged  his  reason? 
with  such  convincing  force,  and  was  so  fair 


in  his  treatment  of  the  company's  interests, 
his  personality  commanded  such  unlimited 
respect,  that  gradually  every  obstacle  was 
removed.  The  officers  of  the  company  for- 
mally gave  in  their  adherence  to  the  pro- 
visional government,  agreeing  to  accept  its 
jurisdiction,  to  pay  certain  taxes  for  its  sup- 
port, and  in  all  respects  to  abide  by  its 
laws.  This  brought  to  an  end  the  dual  juris- 
diction which  had  subsisted  for  several  years 
and  incidentally  demonstrated  to  the  world 
that  the  much  mooted  occupation  of  Oregon 
by  Americans  was  a  fact  accomplished.  The 
effect  upon  the  British  government  may  be 
inferred  from  the  words  of  one  of  its  special 
agents.  Lieutenant  Henry  Warre.  who  hail 
been  sent  to  report  on  conditions  in  Oregon 
and  who  reached  Fort  ^'ancouver  a  few  days 
after  this  diplomatic  episode  was  closed. 
"The  Hudson's  Bay  Company,"  he  wrote, 
"were  so  completely  overruled  by  the  num- 
ber of  Americans  that  they  were  oljliged  to 
join  in  this  compact  which  neutralized  tlieir 
authority    in    the    country     .     .     .     ." 

Mr.  Applegate's  significant  work  of  reor- 
ganization was  now  completed  and  the  gov- 
ernment he  put  in  operation  remained  in  force 
until  March,  1849,  when  Oregon  was  pro- 
claimed a  territory  of  the  United  States.  In 
all  that  time  it  commanded  universal  re- 
spect, secured  equal  justice  and  promoted  the 
prosperity  of  the  colony.  The  people  had 
gained  full  control  of  affairs,  and  special  in- 
terests had  to  comply  with  laws  passed  for 
the  general  good.  "Both  the  Methodist  mis- 
sion and  tlip  Hudson's  Bay  Company  ceased 
to  be  political  powers  either  to  be  feared 
or  courted  in  the  colony,  and  to  the  end  of 
its  existence  the  provisional  government  of 
Oregon  attained  all  the  ends  of  good  govern- 
ment." The  verdict  of  history  on  the  Ore- 
gon provisional  government  is  identical  with 
the  judgment  expressed  by  Applegate  him- 
self in  the  words  just  quoted.  'S'et.  so  im- 
perfectly has  the  work  of  1S45  been  differ- 
entiated, in  the  popular  mind,  from  earlier 
and  tentative  essays  at  political  organiza- 
tion, that  Applegate's  right  to  be  lionored  as 
the  true  founder  of  Oregon's  pioneer  gov- 
ernment is.  by  the  present  generation,  com- 
monly ignored. 

In  the  beginning  it  was  not  so.  Oregonians 
of  that  day  gladly  acknowledged  him  as  the 
sage  and  law-giver  of  the  colony,  while  Brit- 
ish visitors  to  the  northwest  coast  in^tinct- 
ively  recognized  his  leadership.  Lieutenant 
Warre  and  his  associate.  Lieutenant  Vava- 
sour, paid  their  respects  to'this  extraordinary 
American  frontiersman:  and  Lieutenant  Peel, 
son  of  Ihe  then  premier  of  Great  Britain,  vis- 
ited him  at  his  farm,  enjoyed  the  simple  boun- 
ties of  his  table  and  discoursed  with  him 
concerning  the  qualities  of  the  men  who 
would  cross  a  continent  in  order  to  make 
liomes  in  the  Oregon  wilderness.  Dr.  Mc- 
Loughlin's  letters  to  the  Hudson's  Ba.y  Com- 
pany in  London  afford  a  complete  proof  of 
Applegate's  stiperior  agency  in  securing  the 
company's  adherence  to  the  provisional  gov- 
ernment. 

The  record  of  the  sessions  of  1845  is  pre- 
served,  with   those   of   earlier  aiid   later  pro- 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


421 


ccedings,  in  the  maim-icript  arehivt's  rolativo 
to  the  provisional  government.  To  the  stu- 
dent who  will  scan  patiently  the  documents 
in  that  mass  of  unarranged  material — reading 
over  resolutions,  laws,  memorials  to  congress, 
and  constitutions — so  many  of  which  are  in 
Applegate's  handwriting,  his  legislative  pre- 
eminence in  this  age  of  beginnings  will  stand 
revealed.  Such  a  study  cannot  fail  to  en- 
gender a  feeling  of  profound  respect  for  the 
pioneer  statesman  who,  under  the  conditions, 
was  able  to  lay  such  true  foundations  for 
America's  tirst  eommonwealth  on  the  Pacific 
coast. 

Jesse  Applegate"s  later  career  was  almost 
wholly  that  of  a  private  citizen.  In  1S57 
he  represented  his  southern  Oregon  constit- 
uency in  the  convention  which  framed  the 
state  constitution  but.  owing  to  a  serious 
objection  to  the  policies  of  tliose  who  con- 
trolled that  body,  he  refused  to  remain  till 
the  convention  completed  its  labors.  For  this 
he  has  been  much  criticised.  The  incident 
seems  to  illustrate  some  of  his  shortcomings 
as  a  public  man — he  lacked  that  sense  of 
humor  which  characterizes  the  "good  loser"' 
and  he  had  an  almost  Jacksonian  disinclina- 
tion to   follow  another's  lead. 

After  the  beginning  of  the  gold  rush  to 
California.  Jlr.  Applegate.  in  1849,  had  re- 
moved his  family  to  the  Umpqua  valley  and 
settled  at  a  place  which  he  named  Yoncalla 
on  the  Oregon-California  trail.  There,  under 
the  shadow  of  the  inountains,  he  tilled  his 
fields  and  cared  for  extensive  herds  of  cattle 
reared  for  the  California  market.  There  he 
built  his  great  house,  a  kind  of  latter-day 
Shirley  or  Westover.  where  for  many  years 
he  dispensed  a  generous  and  equal  hosjiitality 
to  visitors  of  all  grades  of  social  merit.  To- 
day it  might  be  a  rude  woodsman  wanting 
fodder  for  his  cattle,  shelter  and  food  for  him- 
self; tomorrow  a  polished  jurist  or  publicist 
eager  for  the  sage  discourse  for  which  the 
host  was  famed.  Occasionally  he  entertained 
men  of  national  distinction,  as  in  the  fall 
of  1865  when  Schuyler  Colfax  and  Samuel 
Bowles  alighted  one  morning  from  the  Cali- 
fornia stage  to  breakfast  with  him.  From 
his  frontier  retreat  at  Yoncalla.  .Jes.se  Apple- 
gate  looked  out  upon  the  world  of  politics 
with  the  pathetic  interest  of  one  whom  na- 
ture has  designed  for  leadership  and  fate 
condemned  to  a  humdrum  existence.  Not 
being  in  a  position  to  direct  public  affairs, 
he  scrutinized  sharply  the  conduct  of  those 
who  were,  and  always  assumed  a  direct  per- 
sonal responsibility  for  the  doings  of  those 
he  had  helped  to  place  in  oflice.  His  opin- 
ions on  public  questions,  always  luminous 
and  finely  wrought,  if  sometimes  suggestive 
of  the  closet  rather  tlian  the  council,  wore 
impressed  upon  his  fellows  through  luindreds 
of  letters  to  friends  or  jiublic  inen,  througli 
political  ]ilat forms,  legislative  liills  and  news- 
paper articles.  TUv  investigator  rarely  finds 
in  the  spontaneous  written  utterances  of  pub- 
lic men  such  vitality  of  thought  or  such 
blended  vigor  ami  felicity  of  exju'ession  as 
are  to  be  met  witli  in  the  everyday  familiar 
letters  of  this  extraordinary  pioneer.  They 
reveal    a   character   not   unmarred   with    idio- 


syncrasies, not  free  from  peccadillos  or  even 
serious  faults,  yet  upright  and  generous,  with 
broad  sympathies  and  a  sensitive  regard  for 
social  justice.  He  was  an  unselfish,  sacrific- 
ing, piiblie-spirited  citizen. 

Jlr.  Applegate  was  a  member  of  the  govern- 
ment commission  appointed  to  settle  the 
treaty  claims  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company 
and  tlie  attiliated  Puget  Sound  Agricultura"l 
Compau.v.  In  tliis  connection  he  prepared 
a  voluminous  riqiort  which  is  in  the  nature 
of  a  closely  reasoned  legal  brief.  It  illus- 
trates his  justice  to  opponents,  his  scrupu- 
lous regard  for  the  public  welfare  and  his 
extraordiiuiry  grasp  of  the  principles  of 
equit}'  which  the  case  involved.  lie  always 
flattered  himself  that  through  this  report  he 
had  saved  the  American  government  a  large 
sum  of  mone,v.  In  186.5  Applegate  wrote 
at  the  request  of  Schuyler  Colfax  a  series 
of  letters  on  the  then  paramount  problem  of 
reconstruction.  They  were  printed  in  the 
Oregon  State  Journal,  published  at  Eugene, 
and  also  sent  to  Mr.  Colfax.  These  letters. 
constituting  a  treatise,  are  cast  in  a  pleas- 
ing literary  mold.  and.  although  somewhat 
disappointing  from  their  impracticable  rec- 
ommendations and  their  innocence  of  research, 
tliey  will  not  fail  to  charm  the  reader  who 
a]ipreciatcs  original  thinking  on  political 
questions  or  a  unic(ue  restatement  of  time- 
worn  principles.  His  views  on  the  race  ques- 
tion, on  negro  enfranchisement,  and  the  gen- 
eral diffusion  of  political  power  are  highly 
suggestive.  His  theory  that  the  right  of  suf- 
frage should  be  regulated  by  the  nation  on 
a  uniform  basis  was  logically  consi.stent  but 
it  was  destined  to  make  little  impression 
upon  the  reconstruction  committee  of  con- 
gress. Samuel  Bowles,  who  possibly  as  an 
eastern  man  was  unprepared  for  such  a  phe- 
nomenon, marvelled  to  find  a  political  sage 
in  the  Umpqmi  forests  and  wrote  it  as  his 
opinion  that  the  jicople  of  Oregon  ought  to 
send  Jesse  Applegate  to  the  I'nitcd  Slates 
senate,  .\pplegatc.  however,  had  none  of  the 
politician's  arts  and  his  frontier  individual- 
ism was  of  that  militant  cast  which  rather 
repelled  than  encotiraged  the  assistance  of 
friends  who  sought  his  elevation  to  high  office. 
Once,  it  is  said,  he  could  have  had  a  scna- 
torship  at  the  behest  of  the  reigning  "boss" 
and  in  declining  to  receive  it  on  such  terms 
he  honored  his  manhood  more  than  any 
oflice  could  lionor  it. 

In  18:n  .Jesse  Applegate  was  married  to 
Cynthia  Ann  Parker,  a  native  of  Tennessee 
and  a  daughter  of  Captain  Jeremiah  Parker. 
Their  marriage  was  celebrated  in  St.  Louis. 
Missouri,  and  to  this  union  thirteen  children 
were  born,  nine  of  whom  uuirried  and  had 
families,  The  record  is  as  follows:  Koselle. 
who  became  the  wife  of  Charles  Putnam  and 
both  are  now  deceased;  Edward  Bates,  who 
was  drowned  in  (he  Columbia  river;  William 
Milbnrti.  who  passed  away  in  Alissouri;  Alex- 
ander McCIellan.  deceased;  Robert  Shortcsa, 
who  has  also  passed  away;  Certnide,  the  wife 
of  James  Ti.  Fay,  deceased;  William  Henry 
Harrison,  a  resident  of  Jackson  county,  Ore- 
gon; Daniel  Webster,  who  has  departed  this 
life;  Sally,  the  wife  of  J.  J.  Long,  of  Douglas 


422 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTOKY  OP  OREGON 


county,  this  state;  Peter  Skeeii  Ogden,  living 
in  Salem,  Oregon;  Alenia,  who  is  the  widow 
of  M.  L.  JlcCall  and  now  resides  in  Idaho; 
Flora,  the  wife  of  H.  C.  Long,  of  Grant  county, 
Oregon;  and  one  who  died  in  infancy.  The 
father  of  this  family  died  in  ISSS.  *He  lies 
buried  under  a  lone  fir  tree  on  a  gentle  slope 
of  Mount  Yoncalla,  a  plain  slab  of  native 
sandstone  marking  the  grave.  Th&  lusty  com- 
monwealth nurtured  to  vigor  by  his  fostering 
hand  would  honor  itself  and  win  the  blessing 
of  reverence  well  bestowed  by  erecting  on 
that  spot  or  elsewhere  a  suitable  memorial 
to  this  prince  among  Oregon  pioneers. 

WILLIAM  ARTHUR  HALL  is  the  pro- 
prietor of  one  of  the  leading  business  inter- 
ests of  the  enterprising  town  of  Clatskanie, 
there  conducting  a  drug  store  which  is  well 
appointed  and  is  accorded  a  liberal  patron- 
age. Other  business  interests,  too,  profit  by 
his  cooperation  and  capable  management,  and 
Columbia  county  classes  him  with  its  pro- 
gressive and  representative  men.  He  was 
born  in  Pennsylvania.  October  5.  1875,  a  son 
of  William  H."  and  Elizabeth  (Shields)  Hall, 
both  of  whom  were  natives  of  the  Keystone 
state,  where  the  father  has  spent  his  entire 
life.  For  many  years  the  father  was  actively 
engaged  in  farming  but  is  now  living  retired 
in  Brookville.  Pennsylvania.  His  first  wife 
died  in  1903.  since  which  time  he  married 
Mrs.  Rettie  Stahlman  of  Pennsylvania.  By 
his  first  marriage  ten  children  were  born,  of 
whom  nine  are  yet  living:  E.  O.,  a  resident 
of  Hood  River,  Oregon;  Eleanor  Craft,  the 
■wife  of  W.  A.  Craft,  of  Sheridan,  Oregon; 
William  A.,  of  this  review;  Walter  C,  of 
Summerville,  Pennsylvania;  H.  S..  who  is 
living  in  Brookville,  Pennsylvania;  Charles 
and  .Joseph  E..  who  are  residents  of  Hood 
River;  .Jennie  il..  also  living  at  Hood  River; 
and  Fred  who  lives  on  the  old  homestead  in 
Pennsylvania.  A  daughter.  Minnie,  who  was 
the  eldest,  died  at  the  age  of  eight  years. 

In  the  public  schools  William  A.  Hall  pur- 
sued his  education  to  the  age  of  twenty 
years,  after  which  he  attended  the  Grove 
City  College  of  Grove  City.  Pennsylvania. 
He,  however,  had  taught  school  for  several 
terms  prior  to  entering  college,  which  he 
attended  for  one  year.  When  twenty-three 
years  of  age  he  made  his  way  westward  to 
the  Pacific  coast  and  for  three  years  there- 
after was  engaged  in  teaching  in  Clatskanie. 
He  then  went  to  Forest  Grove,  where  he  at- 
tended the  Pacific  University,  from  which 
he  was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1905.  On 
returning  to  Clatskanie  he  established  a  drug 
store  which  he  is  still  conducting,  building 
up  a  large  and  gratifying  business.  He  has 
not  confined  his  efforts  entirely  to  one  line, 
however,  being  interested  financially  in  the 
Cooperative  Creameiy  Company  of  Clatskanie 
and  also  owning  a  half  interest  in  the  Clat- 
skanie Telephone  Company,  of  which  he  is 
the  general  manager.  He  is  likewise  part 
owner  of  a  fruit  ranch  at  Sheridan.  Oregon, 
and  his  real-estate  holdings  include  both 
business  and  residence  property. 

In  1905  Jlr  Hall  was  married  to  ^liss  Ger- 
trude STarsh.  who  «as  born  at  Forest  Grove. 


Oregon.  April  27,  1883,  and  is  a  daughter  of 
Joseph  W.  and  Mary  (Knowlton)  Marsh. 
Her  father  was  born  in  Vermont  and  her 
mother  in  Canada  and  they  were  married 
in  the  east  but  soon  afterward  came  to  Ore- 
gon, settling  in  this  state  among  its  pioneer 
residents.  In  their  family  were  the  fol- 
lowing children:  .James  R..  living  in  Au- 
rora. Oregon;  Mrs.  Laura  Cadwell,  deceased; 
William,  of  Boston,  Massachusetts;  Sidney, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty  years;  Fred, 
a  dentist  practicing  at  Woodbu'rn.  Oregon; 
David,  of  Forest  Grove,  this  state;  Ger- 
trude; and  four  who  died  in  infancy.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hall  have  been  born "  a  son 
and  a  daughter:  Elizabeth  S..  whose  birth 
occurred  April  15,  1909;  and  Walter  luiowl- 
ton,   born   January    10,    1911. 

William  Arthur  Hall  votes  with  the  re- 
publican party  and  his  fellow  townsmen,  ap- 
preciative of  his  worth  and  ability,  have 
called  liim  to  public  office.  He  has  served  as 
a  member  of  the  city  council  and  the  school 
board.  In  1912  he  was  nominated  by  the  re- 
publican party  as  candidate  for  represen- 
tative froin  Columbia  county  to  the  state 
legislature.  He  was  appointed  mayor  of 
Clatskanie  in  June,  1913,  by  the  city  coun- 
cil. He  has  been  president  of  the  Commercial 
Club  of  Clatskanie.  Mr.  Hall  holds  member- 
ship with  the  Modern  Woodmen  camp  and 
both  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church.  Personal  worth 
has  gained  them  high  regard  and  they  have 
a  host  of  friends  in  Columbia  county  that  is 
almost  coextensive  with  the  number  of  their 
acquaintances. 

WALTER  VIRGIL  SCHROEDER  lives 
three  miles  up  the  river  on  the  north  side  of 
North  Fork.  Oregon,  and  gives  general  super- 
vision to  his  farming,  dairying  and  stock- 
raising  interests.  He  owns  eighty-four  acres 
of  productive  land  in  Coos  county  which  he 
has  brought  to  a  high  state  of  cultivation 
and  which  is  improved  with  modern  equip- 
ment. He  is  well  known  in  this  district  as 
an  enterprising  and  representative  agricul- 
turist. He  is  a  native  of  Oregon,  his  birth 
having  occurred  in  Coos  county,  November 
26.  1874.  and  a  son  of  John  H.  and  Emily 
(Perry)  Schroeder,  the  former  a  native  of 
Baltimore.  ^Maryland,  and  the  latter  of  Clat- 
sop county.  Oregon.  John  H.  Schroeder  re- 
moved at  an  early  date  to  Coos  county  and 
was  niimbered  among  its  enterprising  and 
successful  agriculturists  for  many  years.  He 
and  his  t^^o  brothers  married  three  Perry  sis- 
ters who  were  natives  of  Oregon.  The  Perry 
family  has  been  in  that  state  since  the  early 
days  of  its  pioneer  settlement.  The  parents 
of  Mrs.  Schroeder  were  in  the  emigrant  train 
drawn  by  ox  teams  which  crossed  the  plains 
under  the  guardianship  of  the  famous  Kit 
Carson.  The  father  of  our  sxibject  engaged  in 
agriculture  on  Coos  bay  and  was  ]irominent 
and  siiccessful  as  a  farmer.  He  was  the  first 
man  in  the  state  of  Oregon  to  own  a  wagon 
which  was  constructed  in  Empire.  Tie  also 
bad  the  distinction  of  being  the  first  dairy- 
man in  Coos  county,  bringing  a  .lersey  cow 
to  Coos  bav  at  an  earlv  date.     He  established 


WII.MAM   A.  II.M.I. 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OP  OREGON 


and  organized  the  first  creamer}-  in  tliis  sec- 
tion of  the  country  and  upon  his  deatli  on 
May  30.  19015,  ^vas  regarded  as  an  eminent 
and  conspicuously  successful  agriculturist  and 
business  man.  His  wife  is  still  living  at 
Argo,  Oregon,  on  the  old  homestead. 

Walter  V.  Schroeder  is  one  of  eleven  chil- 
dren born  to  his  parents:  Dora  A.,  the  wife 
of  Pierce  Hanley,  of  Lampa,  Oregon;  Mary, 
now  Mrs.  Harry  S.  Cribbs.  of  Myrtle  Point. 
Oregon;  William  H..  a  jeweler  in  Coquille. 
Oregon,  and  the  father  of  three  sons:  Ella, 
who  married  George  Loingor  of  Myrtle  Point; 
George,  in  the  hotel  business  in  Florence. 
Oregon,  of  whom  more  extended  mention  is 
made  elsewhere  in  this  work;  Alice,  the  wife 
of  A.  0.  Hite  of  Coquille.  Oregon;  Walter  V., 
the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Clarence  E., 
operating  the  old  home  farm  in  Argo;  and 
Ralph.  Gustave  and  Henry,  all  of  whom  are 
residents  of  Argo. 

Walter  Schroeder  remained  at  home  and 
assisted  his  father  in  the  work  of  the  farm 
until  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age.  He 
then  followed  the  timber  business  for  three 
years,  and  worked  in  the  shipyards  at  North 
Bend  in  the  employ  of  A.  M.  Simpson  for  a 
year  and  a  half.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he 
married  and  immediately  began  working  on 
a  dairy  ranch  at  a  montlily  salary.  In  this 
way  he  gained  personal  knowledge  of  the 
details  connected  witli  dairying,  and  his  in- 
telligent and  alert  mind  made  him  an  apt 
scholar.  He  worked  for  his  cousin  for  one 
year  and  subsequently  joined  with  his  brother 
Clarence  in  the  renting  of  the  old  home  farm 
comprising  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
of  the  finest  Coos  county  land.  He  was 
active  in  its  operation  and  for  three  years 
developed  and  expanded  it  along  modern  and 
progressive  lines.  Eventuallj'  he  purchased 
eighty-four  acres  of  land  on  the  north  fork 
of  the  Coquille  river  eleven  miles  from  Myrtle 
Point  and  three  miles  from  Gi-avel  Ford,  and 
began  its  cultivation  and  improvement.  He 
does  general  farming  and  has  Ijrought  his 
land  to  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  lie  has 
prospered  as  the  years  liave  gone  by  and 
his  success  is  indicated  by  tlie  excellent  ap- 
pearance of  his  farm.  In  connection  with 
the  general  work  of  ^tilling  and  cultivating 
the  soil  he  makes  a  specialty  of  dairying 
and  milks  twenty  jersey  cow.s.  This  branch 
of  his  activity  is  rapidly  growing  in  impor- 
tance and  is  a  substantial  source  of  his  in- 
come. The  protit  which  he  gains  from  each 
cow  averages  one  hundied  dollars  a  year. 
He  engages  to  .some  extent  in  stock-raising, 
having  been  directed  into  this  line  of  activ. 
ity  by  raising  his  own  cows. 

On  the  22d  of  Xovember.  ISilll.  Mr.  Schroe- 
der was  united  in  marriage  to  Jliss  Dorlisca 
Clinton,  a  native  of  Oregon  and  a  daughter 
of  .Tohu  W.  and  Kllza  (linssell)  Clinton.  Mrs. 
Sihniech'r's  mollier  was  born  in  Ohio  and  her 
father's  birth  occurred  in  Jlissouri.  Her 
parents  came  to  Oregon  and  seflled  in  Coos 
county  in  1ST4  where  the  father  bought  a 
farm.  He  had  jueviously  engaged  in  agri- 
culture in  Missouri,  giving  some  of  his  time 
to  blacksmithing.  hut  since  his  settlement 
in  Oregon  has  etitircdy  discontinued  the  latter 
line    iif    iircup:i(inM.      l"(ir    M)mc    ycai's   he   en- 


gaged in  tlie  timber  business  in  the  northern 
woods  where  he  was  noted  for  the  large 
amount  of  work  he  could  accomplish  in  one 
day.  He  has  engaged  in  farming  during  the 
latter  years  of  his  life  and  is  now  living  with 
liis  wife  on  the  old  homestead  in  Norway, 
Oregon,  where  some  of  his  children  still  re- 
sid'^.  Mrs.  Schroeder  is  one  of  twelve  chil- 
dren born  to  her  parents:  James  D.,  who  is 
now  farming  near  Norway,  Oregon,  where 
lie  resides  with  his  wife  and  five  children; 
Marion  T..  who  resides  in  Argo.  and  is  the 
mother  of  two  children;  Jessie,  who  lives  upon 
the  old  homestead  in  Norway;  Mary,  the  wife 
of  William  Schroeder  of  Coquille.  Oregon; 
George  of  California;  Albert  1!..  who  operates 
a  sawmill  in  Coquille;  Dorlisca,  the  wife  of 
our  subject:  Edward,  engaged  in  general  mer- 
chandising in  Parkersburg,  Oregon;  Samuel. 
who  resides  in  the  same  city;  Clarence,  who 
maintains  his  home  in  Coquille;  Koy,  a  resi- 
dent of  Norway;  and  Annie,  the  deceased 
wife  of  Charles  Fox.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Walter 
Schroeder  have  been  born  three  children: 
Adrian,  born  July  20.  1904.  who  is  attending 
the  public  schools  of  Coos  county  and  is  mak- 
ing a  brilliant  record;  Thelma.  born  J;inuary 
12.  1900.  wlio  is  also  pursuing  her  studies; 
and  Velda.  born  August  24,  1907. 

In  his  political  atTiliations  Mr.  Schroeder 
is  a  democrat,  always  voting  his  party  ticket 
on  national  issues  although  he  reserves  inde- 
pendence of  jiulgment  on  local  questions.  He 
has  never  sought  office  but  has  served  as 
clerk  of  the  school  board  for  four  years.  He 
deserves  great  credit  for  what  he  has  accom- 
plished in  agricultural  pursuits  by  reason  of 
his  intelligent  activities  and  his  honorable 
and  upright  life. 


ISAAC  WRIGHT,  JR.,  is  a  well  known 
and  popular  liveryman  of  Woodville,  where 
he  owns  and  operates  a  fine  livery  barn. 
He  has  two  residence  properties  in  this  city 
and  is  a  prominent  business  man  in  the  town 
of  his  adoption.  He  was  born  in  Ohio.  June 
22,  183.').  a  son  of  Isaac  and  Nancy  (Hart- 
ness)  Wright,  both  natives  of  the  state  of 
New  York,  who  removed  to  Ohio  at  an  early 
date,  where  they  lived  for  several  years.  In 
1842  the  family  removed  to  Wisconsin  and 
there  resided  uiitil  the  death  of  the  jiarcnts. 
In  their  family  were  nine  children  of  whom 
seven  are  still  living. 

Isaac  Wright.  -Ir..  remained  at  honu'  until 
after  attaining  nuijority  and  received  a  good 
common-school  education,  assisting  his  father 
with  the  <lnties  of  the  farm.  At  the  age  of 
twenty-one  years  he  began  farming  on  his 
own  account  in  Wisconsin,  a  vocation  which 
he  followed  in  that  state  until  1890.  when 
he  removed  to  Oregon.  After  coming  to  this 
state  he  went  into  the  saloon  business,  in 
which  h<'  continued  for  seventeen  years,  but 
in  1910  he  settled  in  Woodville.  where  he 
built  a  fine  livery  barn  and  has  since  con- 
ducted the  same.  His  business  lia.s  been  suc- 
cessful and  he  is  now  the  owiu-r  of  two  resi- 
dence properties  in  Woodville. 

Jfr.  Wright  was  married  in  early  nninhood 
to  Miss  .\ulena  Lamb  and  to  them  were  born 
six   I'luldri'M.   of   wlioni    Duncan    i-  :i    roiilent 


4:26 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


of  Wisconsin.  Dura  married  Cliarles  Was- 
son,  also  of  Wisconsin.  Samuel  makes  his 
home  in  the  Badger  state.  Chester  resides  in 
South  Dakota.  The  wife  and  mother  passed 
away  in  Wisconsin  in  188 T..  having  been  a 
faithful  helpmate  to  her  husband  during  her 
lifetime.  iMr.  Wright  is  independent  in  his 
political  views,  preferring  to  support  for 
public  olllce  such  men  as  in  his  opinion  are 
best  fitted  for  the  office  to  which  they  aspire. 
He  has  long  been  recognized  as  one  of  the 
leading  and  most  valuable  men  of  his  town. 
He  gives  strict  attention  to  his  business,  seiT- 
ing  his  customers  with  promptness  and  af- 
fording them  such  accommodations  as  give 
entire  satisfaction.  He  is  active  in  civic  as 
well  as  business  life  and  does  what  is  in  his 
power  to  promote  the  interests  of  the  busi- 
ness welfare  as  well  as  the  social  conditions 
of  the  town  in  which  he  lives. 

CHARLES  SNEDDON  is  one  of  the  highly 
respected  citizens  of  ilarshfield,  having  lived 
a  retired  life  in  that  city  for  many  years. 
He  was  born  in  Glasgow,  Scotland.  February, 
1841.  and  is  the  son  of  Robert  and  Jeannette 
(XesbitI  Sneddon.  To  his  parents  ten  chil- 
dren were  born:  Robert,  Richard.  .John,  Jean- 
nette and  Agnes,  all  of  whom  are  deceased; 
ilargaret,  who  is  the  wife  of  William  Nesbit, 
of  Glasgow,  Scotland;  Charles,  of  this  review; 
Andrew,  of  Glasgow,  Scotland;  and  Thomas 
and  Betsy,  both  of  whom  are  deceased. 

Charles  Sneddon  was  reared  in  his  father's 
home  and  received  a  limited  education  in  the 
jniblic  schools  of  his  native  city.  At  the 
early  age  of  ten  he  started  in  life  for  him- 
self, securing  his  first  employment  in  the 
mines,  at  which  work  he  continued  to  be  en- 
gaged for  a  period  of  ten  years.  In  the  year 
1865  he  emigrated  to  America,  making  his 
first  stop  in  the  new  world  in  Pennsylvania. 
He.  however,  remained  but  a  very  short  time 
in  that  state,  after  which  he  removed  to 
West  Virginia,  where  he  continued  to  reside 
for  two  years.  During  his  residence  in  Vir- 
ginia lie  s-cnt  for  his  betrothed  wife,  who  at 
that  time  was  still  living  in  Scotland  and 
who  reached  the  American  shores  in  the 
month  of  Xovember  and  immediately  there- 
after occurred  her  marriage  to  5Ir.  Sneddon. 
Shortly  after  the  date  of  their  wedding  Mr. 
and  Jfrs.  Sneddon  removed  to  Boone  county. 
Towa.  lie  had  previously  been  engaged  for 
a  short  time  in  the  mining  business  in  Mary- 
land. Mr.  Sneddon  established  his  home  in 
the  montli  of  September  in  Iowa  and  in  that 
state  was  engaged  in  the  mining  industry 
until  April  of  the  following  spring,  at  which 
time  he  and  his  wife  removed  to  Coos  Bay, 
reaching  that  place  on  May  10.  1871.  He 
at  once  filed  upon  a  preem])tion  claim  in  this 
state,  upon  which  he  lived  until  he  purchased 
a  residence  ju'operty  in  Marshfiold.  where  he 
has  since  lived  a  retired  life.  He  is  the 
owner  of  a  beautiful  farm  of  two  hundred 
and  five  acres  and  his  home  is  one  among  the 
finest  residences  in  Marshfield.  located  at 
Xo.  99.">  Seventh  street,  south. 

On  Xovember,  23.  1865.  Mr.  Sneddon  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Ellen  Blakeley,  a 


daughter  of  John  and  Hannah  (Sherry) 
Blakeley.  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Scot- 
land, 'io  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Blakelej-  eleven  chil- 
dren were  born:  llosan,  who  is  the  widow  of 
John  McDougal  and  resides  in  Scotland; 
Hugh,  Jane  and  John,  all  of  whom  are  de- 
ceased; John,  the  second  of  that  name,  who 
has  also  passed  away;  Mrs.  Ellen  Sneddon; 
Agnes,  who  is  deceased;  Agnes,  the  second 
of  that  name,  who  is  the  wife  of  Robert 
Mitchell,  of  Scotland;  and  Mary,  James  and 
Hannah,  all  of  whom  have  passed  away.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles  Sneddon  nine  children 
have  been  born:  Robert,  deceased;  Hannali, 
the  wife  of  David  Reese,  of  Marshfield,  by 
whom  she  has  two  children.  Helen  and  Edna : 
John  B.,  of  Marshfield,  who  is  married  and 
has  one  child,  Mabel;  Charles,  who  is  a  resi- 
dent of  Marshfield;  Hugh,  likewise  of  Marsh- 
field, who  is  married  and  has  two  children, 
Walter  and  Louise;  Walter,  of  Roslyn.  Wash- 
ington, who  is  married  and  has  one  child, 
Ruth;  William,  who  resides  in  Marshfield; 
Ellen,  deceased;  and  .Jeannette,  of  California. 
Mr.  Sneddon  is  a  loyal  and  enthusiastic 
member  of  the  republican  party.  He  has. 
however,  never  sought  political  office  of  any 
kind.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Iiidepeiulent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  with  which  fraternal 
society  he  has  been  identified  for  thirty  years. 
Both  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  church.  Charles  Sneddon  is  one 
of  the  best  known  men  in  Coos  county.  He  is 
in  every  respect  entitled  to  be  numbered 
among  the  early  pioneers  of  this  portion  of 
the  state  and  throughout  his  long  life  of 
activity  and  citizenship  in  his  adopted  stale 
he  has  been  known  as  a  man  of  high  ideals 
of  honor  in  social  and  business  life.  He  is 
always  vitally  interested  in  every  public 
measure  seeking  to  improve  the  condition  of 
the  people  in  the  state  and  county  in  which 
he  resides. 

J.  B.  RIDDLE.  Emerson  ranks  the  quality 
of  prortciency  as  liighest  in  the  influences 
which  make  for  success.  He  says  that  if-  a 
man  can  do  any  one  thing  well,  be  it  preach 
a  sermon  or  make  a  mouse  trap,  'though  he 
build  his  house  in  the  wilderness,  the  world 
will  make  a  beaten  path  to  his  door."  J.  B. 
Riddle  has  done  even  better  than  this.  He 
has  built  a  town;  and  with  what  success,  the 
thriving  and  prosperous  city  of  Riddle  is 
ample  eviiiencc.  He  is  today  one  of  the  fore- 
most men  in  the  city  which  bears  his  name 
and  actively  interested  in  all  lines  of  com- 
mercial development.  He  is  a  native  of  San- 
gamon county.  Illinois,  where  his  birth  oc- 
curred Xovember  1).  1844.  His  parents  were 
William  and  ilaxamilia  Riddle,  botli  natives 
of  Ohio,  who  settleil  in  Illinois  soon  after 
their  marriage  and  in  1351  crossed  the  plains 
with  ox  teams.  The  journey  took  about 
six  months  to  accomplish  and  alter  many 
hardships  they  located  in  Cow  creek  valley, 
Oregon,  where  the  father  took  up  a  dona- 
tion claim  of  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  and  lived  upon  his  land  until  his  death. 
The  mother  died  in  1868. 

J.  B.  Riddle  was  only  seven  year.s-  of 
age   when   his   parents  left   Illinois   for   Ore- 


Th 

pUbL 


^TC<,  Ltsex 

TIUBE"  FOUND*- 


.'1 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


429 


goii.  His  father  had  tlie  distinction  of  being 
tlu-  lirst  white  man  to  settle  in  Cow  creek 
vaUcy  and  here  his  son  was  reared  among 
tiic  Indians.  The  schooling  facilities  of  the 
district  were  extremely  inadequate  and  J. 
i!.  Kiddle's  only  instruction  was  that  gained 
in  a  little  log  cabin  schoolliouse  with  a  dirt 
floor  and  slab  benches.  When  he  was  nine- 
teen years  old  he  bought  a  farm  in  the 
region  where  he  lived  from  J.  C.  Vandenbauch, 
who  had  come  into  the  valley  shortly  after 
the  Riddle  family  settled  there.  .T.  B.  Riddle 
and  his  brother  Abner  became  owners  at  this 
time  of  a  half  section  of  the  valley  farm 
lands  and  un  this  location  the  town  of  Riddle 
now  stands.  When  the  railroad  was  built 
through,  J.  B.  Riddle  followed  the  line  of 
construction,  conducting  small  eating  houses 
along  the  way.  \'\Tien  he  reached  Medford 
he  opened  the  Xash  hotel,  the  first  institution 
of  this  kind  in  the  city.  This  he  conducted 
for  three  years  and  theu  returned  to  Riddle, 
where  he  built  the  first  hotel  in  that  city. 
He  remained  in  active  operation  of  this  en- 
terprise for  twenty  years  but  recently  leased 
it  to  his  son-in-law,  D.  W.  Crosby,  who  is 
now  its  proprietor. 

There  is  no  line  of  activity  in  the  city  of 
Riddle  in  which  our  subject  has  not  been 
active  at  some  period  of  his  career.  He  was 
one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Riddle  State  Bank 
and  was  elected  president  at  the  time  it  was 
founded  in  1010.  He  has  erected  many 
of  its  finest  buildings  and  has  had  a  share 
in  the  organization  of  most  of  its  business 
enterprises.  He  has  seen  its  development 
from  a  wholly  unimproved  section  of  land 
to  a  rapidly  growing  and  prosperous  city. 
He  owns  today  a  large  quantity  of  valu- 
able real  estate  in.  the  business  and  residence 
sections  of  Riddle  and  is  always  keenly  alive 
to  the  needs  and  advancement  of  his  home 
town. 

J.  B.  Riddle  has  been  twice  married.  His 
lirst  union  occurred  when  he  was  nineteen 
years  of  age.  At  this  time  he  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Jennie  Feathgrs,  a  daughter 
of  William  Feathers,  a  Baptist  minister  who 
came  to  Cow  creek  valley  from  California 
in  1863.  She  was  drowned  while  fording  the 
Umpqua  river  in  186j  and  her  nine  months 
old  child  met  death  at  the  same  time.  Two 
years  later,  in  1867,  John  Riddle  was  again 
married.  His  second  wife  was  Miss  Mary 
Frances  Catching,  who  was  the  first  white 
child  born  in  this  section  of  the  state  of 
Oregon.  Her  birth  oocurred  in  Cow  creek 
valley  in  1832,  her  father.  John  Catching, 
having  come  to  Oregon  from  Missouri  in 
184.i.  He  was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers 
in  northwestern  America.  He  first  located 
on  the  Tualitin  plains  in  Washington  county 
but  joined  the  California  gold  seekers  in 
1S49.  He  later  returned  and  located  in  the 
Cow  creek  vallev.  where  his  dauglitcr  was 
born.  To  Jlr.  a"nd  Mrs.  J.  B.  Riddle  have 
been  born  seven  children,  five  of  whom  are 
still  living:  Jennie,  who  married  D.  W.  Crosby, 
of  Riddle,  Oregon:  Millie,  the  wife  of  Charles 
Stauffer.  of  the  same  city;  Frances,  now  Mrs. 
(ieorge  Frater.  who  resides  in  Riddle;  Ira 
B..  who  is  a  court  rei)orter  at  Roseburg.  Ore- 


gon; and  Edward,  now  in  business  in  Riddle. 
Our  subject  and  his  family  are  now  living  in 
one  of  the  most  beautiful  private  homes  in 
Douglas  county.  This  residence  was  built  by 
J.  B.  Riddle  when  he  gave  up  his  active  man- 
agement of  the  Riddle  Hotel.  The  house 
stands  in  the  midst  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  beautifully  kept  land  adjoining  the 
city.  Here  Mr.  Riddle  is  giving  most  of  his 
time  and  attention  to  overseeing  and  oper- 
ating his  extensive  fruit  ranch. 

J.  B.  Riddle  has  always  been  a  republican 
in  his  political  views  and  served  for  several 
years  as  mayor  of  his  city.  He  devotes  a 
great  deal  of  his  time  to  the  commercial 
development  of  the  town  which  he  founded, 
and  takes  an  intelligent  interest  in  national 
and  local  politics.  Fraternally  he  is  member 
of  Riddle  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  of  the 
Umpqua  Chapter,  Xo.  11,  R.  A.  M.,  of  Rose- 
burg. He  is  a  Knight  of  Pythias  and  is  a 
prominent  member  of  the  Roseburg  lodge  of 
that  organization  and  active  in  the  atl'airs  of 
Roseburg  Lodge,  No.  336,  B.  R.  0.  E..  of 
which  he  is  a  charter  member.  J.  B.  Riddle 
is  the  foremost  man  in  his  city  today.  He 
has  promoted  its  industries,  spread  its  busi- 
ness, erected  many  of  its  buildings  and  has 
developed  and  improved  its  municipal  life. 
He  has  done  his  work  well  and  the  pathway 
to  his  door  is  beaten  and  trampled  by  the 
eager  footsteps  of  his  many  friends. 

WARREN  D.  MEE  is  the  fortunate  owner 
of  a  most  attractive  and  valuable  ranch  prop- 
erty, containing  two  hundred  and  forty  acres, 
located  on  Thompson  creek  in  Jackson 
county,  this  state.  His  birth  occurred  June 
15,  1868,  and  he  is  a  native  son  of  Oregon, 
his  parents  being  Thomas  and  Drusilla 
(Wooldridgo)  Mee,  both  of  whom  were  early 
pioneers  to  this  state.  The  father  emigrated 
to  Oregon  in  1852  and  the  mother  crossed 
the  plains  w-ith  her  parents  in  1853.  Af- 
ter their  marriage  they  settled  on  Thompson 
creek  in  Jackson  couirty,  where  Thomas  Mee 
engaged  in  farming,  being  one  of  the  first 
settlers  in  that  part  of  the  county.  Here 
he  established  his  home  and  spent  the  re- 
maining years  of  his  life.  He  was  very  suc- 
cessful in  business  and  highl}'  esteemed  by 
all  who  knew  him  as  a  man  of  upright 
character,  generous  impulses  and  fidelity  to 
the  highest  ideals  of  moral  life.  He  has 
long  since  passed  to  his  reward  but  is  sur- 
vived by  his  wife,  who  still  resides  in  their 
old   home. 

Warren  D.  Mee  was  reared  in  his  father's 
home  and  obtained  his  early  education  in 
the  public  schools.  At  the  age  of  twenty 
he  left  the  parental  roof  and  accepted  a 
position  as  superintendent  of  a  sawmill, 
which  he  operated  for  a  box  factory  dur- 
ing several  years.  Later  he  removed  to 
California,  in  that  state  becoming  the  owner 
and  proprietor  of  a  box  factory,  which  hi' 
operated  very  successfully  for  a  number  of 
years.  After  selling  this  property  he  re- 
turned to  his  boyhood  home  for  the  pur- 
pose of  looking  after  his  father's  estate, 
which  consisted  of  two  hundred  and  forty 
acres  on  Thompson  creek.     This  he  operated 


430 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


lor  a  number  ot  years  and  later,  by  pur- 
chase, came  into  possession  of  the  property, 
^vhich   he  still   owns. 

In  1S96  Mr.  Mee  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Effie  B.  Hesslegrave,  a  native  of 
Iowa,  by  whom  he  has  si.x  children,  namely : 
Charlie,  Helen,  Thomas,  Gertrude,  Eugene 
and  Ruth.  All  are  living  and  reside  at 
home  with  their  parents.  Mr.  Mee  is  a 
republican  in  politics  and  a  member  of  the 
Knights  and  Ladies  of  Security.  He  is  a 
worthy  successor  of  his  honored  father.  By 
inheritance  he  bears  a  name  that  stands 
for  the  highest  ideals  in  business  and  social 
life  and  his  influence  is  always  to  be  counted 
upon  in  the  promotion  of  any  issue  looking 
to  the  improvement  of  the  community  in 
which  he  lives. 

JOHN  W.  PERNOLL  is  the  well  known  and 
popular  postmaster  of  Applegate.  Jackson 
county,  this  state,  and  is  a  native  son  of 
Oregon  and  the  county  and  city  in  which  he 
lives.  He  was  born  April  30,  1S77,  his  parents 
being  William  and  Xancy  (Miller)  Pernoll. 
The  father  was  a  native  of  Germany  and  the 
mother  of  Rogue  river  valley  in  Jackson 
county.  The  father  of  ilrs.  Pernoll,  John  S. 
Miller,  came  to  Oregon  in  1S46  from  Mis- 
souri, crossing  the  plains  with  ox  teams, 
stopping  for  a  short  time  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  state,  thence  continuing  his 
journey  to  Jackson  county  where  he  ef- 
fected his  permanent  settlement  and  estab- 
lished his  home.  He  and  Burrell  B.  Griffin, 
the  great-grandfather  of  him  whose  name 
introduces  this  review,  were  veterans  of  the 
Indian  wars  from  which  this  section  of  the 
state  suff'ered  during  the  early  years  of  their 
pioneer  life. 

^Yilliam  Pernoll  in  his  early  life  was  a  sea- 
faring man.  roving  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific 
oceans,  making  all  merchantable  ports  of  the 
world.  His  vessel  on  touching  port  on  the 
Pacific  coast  afforded  him  an  opportunity  to 
obtain  a  glimpse  of  the  undeveloped  re- 
sources of  the  Pacific  seaboard,  which  proved 
to  be  so  attractive  that  he  deserted  his 
ship  and  joined  the  great  body  of  men  in 
their  rush  to  the  rich  diggings  in  the  gold 
fields.  In  1853  he  removed  to  Oregon  and 
located  at  Jacksonville  in  Jackson  county, 
where  he  continued  his  occupation  of  miner 
for  some  two  or  three  years.  Later  he 
changed  his  place  of  residence  to  Old  Wil- 
liamsburg where  he  took  up  a  homestead 
and  engag«>d  in  diversified  farming  and  stock- 
raising  to  which  he  also  added  the  occupa- 
tion of  a  liutcher.  Some  years  later  he  filed 
upon  a  government  homestead  on  Applegate 
river,  two  miles  northwest  of  the  present 
site  of  Applegate  postoffice.  He  removed  to 
this  homestead,  upon  which  he  lived  for 
many  years,  but  in  later  life  came  to  Apple- 
gate  where  he  maintained  his  residence  until 
the  time  of  his  death  which  occurred  in 
June.  1900.  For  some  years  before  his  death 
he  was  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business 
which  he  conducted  first  on  his  ranch  and 
later  removed  to  Applegate. 

John  W.  Pernoll  was  reared  in  his  father's 
home    while     he    acquired    his    education    in 


the  public  schools.  From  his  childhood  he 
has  never  left  the  parental  root  and  during 
all  these  years  has  been  engaged  in  the 
mercantile  business,  identified  with  the 
growing  interests  of  his  father's  farm  and 
merchandising  enterprise.  Immediately  fol- 
lowing the  death  of  his  father  he  suc- 
ceeded to  the  management  of  the  farm  to 
which  he  has  since  continued  to  give  his 
attention.  On  December  1,  1901,  he  re- 
ceived the  appointment  of  postmaster  of 
Applegate  and  in  this  office  he  has  faith- 
fully and  conscientiously  served  the  gov- 
ernment and  the  people.  He  is  a  member 
of  Warren  Lodge,  Xo.  10,  A.  F.  &  A.  JI., 
of  Jacksonville;  Jaekson\iile  Lodge,  No.  10, 
I.  0.  0.  F.;  and  Grants  Pass  Camp,  Xo. 
SOOT,  M.  W.  A.  He  is  independent  in  his 
political  affiliations,  giving  his  ballot  to  the 
candidates  and  the  issues  which  he  be- 
lieves will  render  most  faithful  and  effec- 
tive service  to  the  cause  of  the  people.  He 
is  still  a  single  man  but.  nevertheless,  is 
identified  with  all  the  healthy  social  growth 
of  his  county  and  community.  He  is  al- 
ways to  be  relied  upon  to  lend  his  influence 
to  the  furtherance  of  any  enterprise  seek- 
ing the  educational,  social,  indtistrial  or 
moral  development  of  his  county  and  state. 

F.  E.  WALL,  who  is  a  resident  of  Jeffer- 
son, was  born  in  Kings  Lynn,  England,  De- 
cember 31,  1853,  his  parents,  Edward  and 
Eliza  (ilathews)  Wall,  being  lifelong  resi- 
dents of  England.  The  father  was  an  agri- 
culturist and  engaged  in  that  pursuit 
throughout  his  life.  He  died  at  the  age  of 
fifty-six  years  and  Mrs.  Wall  passed  away  in 
1900,  at  the  age  of  ninety  years.  They  were 
the  parents  of  nine  children,  namely:  Har- 
riet, who  resides  in  England  and  is  the 
widow  of  John  Patterson;  Charles,  a  resident 
of  England;  Frances,  who  is  also  residing  in 
England  and  is  the  widow  of  Thomas  Rack- 
ham;  Alice,  deceased;  F.  E.;  Emily  and  Wil- 
liam, both  deceased;  Nellie,  who  is  the  wife 
of  Ed  Morton  .and  resides  in  England;  and 
Edward,  who  is  residing  in  England. 

F.  E.  Wall  received  his  early  education  at 
Franlingham  College  in  England  and  in 
August,  1868,  when  nearly  fifteen  years  of 
age  he  went  to  Scotland,  where  he  remained 
for  three  years  as  an  agricultural  student. 
After  this  he  left  for  Canada  and  engaged  in 
agricultural  pursuits  for  nineteen  years,  at 
the  end  of  that  time  coming  to  Jefferson, 
where  he  has  since 
carpenter's  trade. 

In  1897  Mr.  Wall  was  married  to  Evelyn 
Gulvin,  whose  birth  occurred  in  Wisconsin 
in  1865  and  who  is  the  daughter  of  Henry 
and  Mary  (ilarybe)  Gulvin.  the  former  a  na- 
tive of  England  and  the  latter  of  the  state 
of  New  York.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wall  five 
children  have  been  born,  namely:  Henry 
^Milton,  whose  birth  occurred  September  14, 
1898:  Roland  Arthur,  who  was  born  March 
6.  1900:  Kennetli  Bentley.  born  June  29. 
]902:  Donald  W.,  born  October  29.  1904;  and 
Margaret   Evelyn,  born   February   25.  1906. 

In  politics  Mr.  Wall  is  a  stanch  republican 
and   he  has  been  elected  to  several  civic  of- 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTOKY  OP  OREGON 


4;il 


fices.  among  those  being  tliat  of  -city  recorder 
and  city  marshal.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Masons,  having  been  secretary  of  tlie  lodge 
and  of  the  Eastern  Star  for  fourteen  years; 
of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  in 
which  he  has  tilled  all  of  the  chairs  and  is 
now  acting  as  secretary;  and  of  the  Royal 
Arch  Masons.  In  his  various  pursuits  ilr. 
Wall  has  always  displayed  ability  and 
abundant  energy  and  in  his  political  and 
fraternal  relations  he  has  been  honorable  and 
loyal,  thus  making  for  himself  a  name  which 
stands  for  the  best  there  is  in  manhood  and 
citizenship. 

D.  W.  KNUTZEN  is  one  of  the  representa- 
tive farmers  of  .Jackson  county,  owning  a 
highly  improved  ranch  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  located  on  Thompson  creek.  His 
birth  occurred  in  California  on  the  19th  of 
October,  1859.  his  parents  being  .John  W.  and 
Angelica  Knutzen.  both  of  whom  were  born 
near  Hamburg.  Germany.  They  were  united 
in  marriage  in  San  Francisco.  California,  to 
which  state  John  W.  Knutzen  had  emigrated 
during  the  early  gold  excitement  in  1849.  He 
was  engaged  in  the  business  of  mining  for  a 
period  of  twelve  or  fifteen  years,  and  later 
became  interested  in  farming  and  stock- 
raising.  In  1873  he  removed  to  Oregon,  lo- 
cating on  Thompson  creek,  ■where  he  con- 
tinued to  live  until  the  time  of  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  1906.  His  wife  was  called 
to   her  final   rest   in  .July.   1910. 

D.  W.  Knutzen  was  reared  at  home  and 
educated  in  the  common  schools.  At  the  age 
of  seventeen  he  became  an  employe  on  a 
neighboring  ranch,  where  he  remained  for 
some  time  and  then  became  interested  in 
mining,  with  which  occupation  he  ivas  con- 
nected for  a  considerable  period.  Later  he 
purchased  his  present  home  ranch,  consist- 
ing of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  on 
Thompson  Creek,  where  he  has  since  resided. 

In  the  year  188.5  Mr.  Knutzen  was  married 
to  Miss  Laura  Mee.  a  daughter  of  Thomas 
Mee,  one  of  the  early  settlers  on  Thompson 
creek.  To  this  home  two  children  have  been 
born,  .Jessie  and  Frank.  ;Mr.  Knutzen  is  a 
loyal  member  of  the  republican  party  and 
belongs  to  Rogue  River  Camp.  Xo.  .5.5,  W.  0. 
W.,  of  Grants  Pass,  Oregon.  He  is  one  of  the 
solid,  representative  citizens  of  his  county 
and  a  successful  farmer  and  is  always  keenly 
alive  to  the  best  interests  of  the  people  of  his 
state.  He  is  highly  respected  wherever  known 
for  the  integrity  of  his  character  and  his 
sound  methods  of  business  practice. 

T.  F.  HAYES,  who  is  living  retired  in 
Woodburn.  Oregon,  was  born  in  Indiana  on 
the  11th  of  August.  1844.  his  parents  being 
Henry  and  S.  E.  (Guerin)  Hayes,  the  former 
a  native  of  North  Carolina  and  the  latter 
of  New  Jersey.  The  parents  were  married 
in  Indiana,  where  they  resided  until  1S4S, 
the  year  in  which  they  removed  to  Iowa, 
where  they  were  among  the  pioneer  settlers 
of  their  section  of  the  state.  After  residing 
there  for  four  years  they  crossed  the  plains 
with  ox  teams  and  arrived  in  Oregon  in 
1852.     nuring>  this  trip  the  father's  death  oc- 


curred when  they  were  at  the  Roise  river. 
ri)on  arriving  in  Oregon  the  mother  and  her 
family  located  in  Jlarion  county  but  they 
soon  took  up  a  donation  claim  oiie  mile  east 
of  Mount  Angel,  Marion  county,  'i'his  was 
the  mother's  home  until  her  retirement  in 
1888  from  an  active  life  of  at  least  thirty 
years.  In  that  year  she  sold  the  properly 
and  made  her  home  until  her  death  in  190(i. 
son,  T.  F.  Hayes.  .Mr.  and  ilrs.  Henry  Hayes 
were  the  parents  of  five  children:  John'C, 
at  the  age  of  eighty-three  years,  with  her 
whose  death  occurred  at  Silverton.  Oregon, 
when  he  was  forty-eight  years  of  age;  T.  F.. 
who  is  the  suljject  of' this  review;  Mrs.  Eliza 
J.  JlcCulloch,  a  resident  of  Baker  City,  Ore- 
gon; Henry  T.,  who  is  living  in  Marion 
county;  and  ■R'illiam  Albert,  who  died  at 
Baker  City,  at  the  age  of  thirty-three  years. 

T.  F.  Hayes  was  but  eight  years  of  ag« 
when  his  parents  started  across  the  plains 
and  because  of  the  death  of  his  father  it  was 
necessary  that  he  begin  earning  his  own 
livelihood  while  he  was  still  young.  At  the 
age  of  fourteen  he  began  working  out  dur- 
ing the  greater  part  of  the  year,  devoting 
but  three  months  in  the  winter  to  school. 
By  this  means  he  was  able  to  assist  his 
mother  in  the  support  of  the  family.  Three 
years  later,  in  1862  he  went  to  the  Florence 
gold  mines  in  Idaho,  where  he  remained  for 
seven  months  before  going  home  for  a  short 
time.  He  soon  returned  to  Idaho,  locating 
in  Boise,  where  he  worked  in  the  mines  for 
two  years.  In  1S6S.  however,  he  again  re- 
turned to  Oregon  and  engaged  in  agricultural 
puiusits.  During  the  following  summer  he 
again  worked  in  the  mines  but  before  winter 
returned  to  Oregon  and  purchased  his 
mother's  donation  land  claim,  where  he  re- 
sideil  until  IS-^S  when  he  sold  this  place  and 
bought  another  farm  in  the  vicinity.  Lentil 
1900  he  resided  upon  this  ]n-operty  and  was 
engaged  in  its  cultivation,  a  pin'suit  which 
he  found  both  agreeable  and  remunerative. 
Because  of  his  varied  experience  in  several 
states  he  ftmnd  himself  well  equipped  to 
undertake  tlie  development  of  the  soil  along 
careful  and  scientific  lines  and  bi'cause  of  his 
thrift  and  industry  he  s\icceeded  in  earning 
a  competence  sufficient  to  allow  him  in  later 
years  to  eniov  the  comforts  and  pleasures 
of  a  retired  life.  In  1900  he  rented  his  prop- 
erty and  moved  into  Woodburn,  where  he  is 
still  residing.  Nine  years  later  he  disposed 
of  the  property  and  is  now  interested  in  real 
estate  in  Woo'dbiirn  only,  where  he  owns  his 
own  substantial  dwelling  and  several  other 
properties.  In  addition  to  his  real-estate  in- 
vestments he  is  also  interested  as  a  stocl;- 
holder  in  a  general  mercantile  store  in 
Woodburn. 

In  1869  Vr.  Hayes  Avas  married  to  Miss 
Mary  J.  Brown,  whose  Ivrth  occurred  in 
Iowa,  Hor  parents  both  died  when  she  waa 
very  young  and  she  was  reared  by  Josiah 
Beaman,  who  came  across  the  plains  to  Ore- 
gon in  1864,  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hayes  four 
children  have  been  horn:  Henry  M..  whose 
birth  occurred  in  1871  and  who  is  now  married 
and  residing  in  Linn  county;  Mrs.  Cvnthia 
A.  Bobbins,  whose  birth  occurred  in  1873  and 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


who  is  a  resident  of  Hood  River;  Mrs.  Leona 
G.  Hendricks,  born  in  1S75  and  living  in 
Portland;  and  Mrs.  Addie  L.  Doud,  vvlio  is 
living  in  Woodburn.  They  all  received  com- 
mon-school educations  and  subsequently 
were  given  the  advantage  of  courses  in  busi- 
ness training. 

In  politics  Mr.  Hayes  gives  his  support  to 
the  democratic  party  but  is  liberal  in  his 
views,  and  while  as  a  general  rule  he  be- 
lieves in  the  broad  and  e.vpansive  policies  of 
democracy,  he  is  not  bound  at  any  election 
bj-  the  dictates  of  his  party.  For  fifteen 
years  he  has  served  as  justice  of  the  peace 
and  has  executed  the  duties  of  this  office 
with  skill  and  discernment.  In  religious 
faith  the  family  are  Presbyterians,  holding 
membership  in  the  Woodburn  church.  Mr. 
Hayes  has  spent  a  useful  and  well  ordered 
life  and  his  services,  not  only  to  his  mother 
and  his  family,  but  also  to  the  community  in 
which  he  resides  are  beyond  estimation.  His 
geniality  and  social  nature  have  won  him  a 
circle  of  friends  almost  coextensive  with  the 
circle  of  his  acquaintances. 

MRS.  CATHARINE  S.  DAVIS.  Volumes 
have  been  written  concerning  the  part  which 
men  have  played  in  the  development  of  vari- 
ous sections  "of  the  country  during  pioneer 
times,  but  comparatively  little  has  been  writ- 
ten concerning  what  has  been  done  by  pio- 
neer women,  whose  work,  on  the  whole,  has 
been  of  a  quieter  and  therefore  less  conspicu- 
ous character  but  is  none  the  less  important. 
Enshrined  in  the  hearts  of  all  who  knew  her 
is  the  memory  of  the  life  of  Mrs.  Catharine 
S.  Davis — a  life  fraught  with  good  deeds  and 
kind  words.  The  spirit  of  helpfulness  seemed 
to  find  its  embodiment  in  her,  and  no  task 
seemed  too  difficult  when  it  would  alleviate 
the  sufi'ering  or  add  to  the  happiness  of 
those  who,  like  herself,  lived  in  the  Willam- 
ette valley  in  pioneer  days. 

Mrs.  Davis  was  born  of  Dutch  parentage, 
in  the  state  of  New  York.  January  23,  1811. 
Her  father.  William  K.  Sluyter,  belonged  to 
the  old  Knickerbocker  stock  of  New  York. 
Unto  him  and  his  wife  were  born  eleven  sons 
and  two  daughters.  Catharine  and  Elizabeth, 
and  the  mother  and  daughters,  in  addition 
to  doing  the  cooking  and  caring  for  the  ho\ise. 
carded,  spun  and  wove  all  the  wool  and  flax 
used  in  making  clothing  for  the  entire  family. 
Catharine  S.  Sluyter  was  but  nine  years  of 
age  when  the  family  removed  to  Pennsylvania 
and  was  a  maiden  of  eighteen  when  they 
went  to  Ohio.  There,  three  years  later,  she 
gave  her  hand  in  marriage  to  Benjamin  Davis. 
They  were  both  strict  Quakers  and  were  mar- 
ried' on  the  26th  of  October,  1831,  according 
to  the  Quaker  rite,  which  requires  the  an- 
nouncement of  the  intended  marriage  read 
in  meeting  a  certain  number  of  times,  and 
then  at  the  appointed  hour  for  the  marriage 
the  couple  "stand  up  in  meeting"  together 
and  marry  themselves.  They  lived  in  Ohio 
for  about'  seven  years  and  in  1838  removed 
to  Indiana,  settling  near  the  present  site  of 
Plymouth.  In  the  spring  of  1847.  with  their 
six  children,  they  joined  the  train  of  Captain 
Peek,   preparing   to   cross   the   plains  to   Ore- 


gon. The  journey  was  without  startling  in- 
cident during  its  earlier  stages  with  the  ex- 
ception of  some  annoyance  from  the  Pawnee 
Indians  and  the  exaction  of  toll  by  them.  The 
train  divided  at  Fort  Hall,  the  Davis  family 
traveling  with  that  section  which  made  its 
way  over  the  southern  or  Applegate  route 
across  the  desert,  through  the  iModoc  country 
and  the  Rogue  river  valley.  They  had  hardl'y 
left  the  old  track  when  they  experienced 
great  trouble  with  the  Indians,  especially  in 
the  Modoc  country,  the  red  men  harassing 
them  on  every  hand.  When  they  reached  the 
Rogue  river  valley  complete  annihilation 
seemed  almost  certain,  for  two  hundred  war- 
riors surrounded  their  camp,  in  which  were 
not  more  than  eighteen  men  capable  of  bear- 
ing arms.  Had  the  attack  been  made  the  re- 
sult, to  say  the  least,  would  have  been  doubt- 
ful. By  a  bit  of  strategy,  however,  Mr.  Davis 
prevented  the  attack.  In  the  back  part  of  his 
wagon  was  a  cook  stove  with  a  drum  and  from 
this  the  smoke  was  issuing  through  a  pipe 
that  extended  through  the  top  of  the  wagon 
cover.  Mr.  Davis  made  signs  that  this  was 
a  cannon  or  some  sort  of  explosive  machine 
which  at  his  word  would  destroy  vhem. 
Fancying  its  resemblance  to  artillery,  of 
which  they  had  some  knowledge,  and  not 
daring  to  approach  near  its  gaping  mouth, 
the  Indians  gradually  withdrew  and  allowed 
the  train  to  pass.  .Some  years  later,  at  a 
council  of.  these  Indians  and  the  whites,  the 
chief  recalled  this  incident  and  said  they  had 
planned  to  destroy  the  whole  train  and  would 
have  done  so  but  for  the  big  gun  in  the 
wagon.  Hardly  had  the  train  reached  the 
Indian  country  before  Mrs.  Davis  became 
seriously  ill  with  a  fever  which  continued  to 
grow  worse  until  one  morning  her  condition 
was  such  that  her  husband  decided  that  he 
would  stop  in  camp  until  she  became  bettor, 
as  it  appeared  that  it  would  surely  be  fatal 
to  her  to  proceed.  The  captain  and  the 
balance  of  the  train,  however,  determined  to 
contintRi  on  their  way,  as  they  were  in  a 
hostile  Indian  country,  far  from  their  des- 
tination. Mr.  Davis  adhered  to  his  resolu- 
tion to  remain,  fearing  that  it  would  prove 
fatal  to  his  wife  to  journey  farther.  The 
remainder  of  their  party  started  on  their  way 
except  the  wife  of  one  prominent  member  of 
the  train,  who  was  ministering  to  Mrs.  Davis. 
^^^len  her  husband  called  to  her  to  join  the 
others,  she  replied:  "Father,  you  can  go  on 
if  you  want  to.  but  my  duty  is  with  Cathar- 
ine and  these  little  children,  and  I  will  stay 
with  them."  The  husband  therefore  turned 
his  wagons  to  rejoin  his  wife;  the  next 
wagons,  seeing  this,  also  turned,  and  soon 
the  whole  train  was  in  corral  again,  where 
they  stayed  until  the  fever  had  abated  and 
Mrs.  Davis  was  able  to  resume  the  jotirney. 
The  party  proceeded  on  their  way  until 
the  beauty  and  fertility  of  the  land  in  the 
vicinity  of  Eugene  led  Mr.  Davis  and  his 
wife  to  secure  a  claim  there.  But  seventy- 
five  cents  remained  at  the  end  of  their  jour- 
ney and  they  were  compelled  to  trade  off  a 
portion  of  their  cattle  for  flour  and  seed 
wheat,  which  cotild  only  be  obtained  sixty 
miles    awav.      A    cow    brouglit    them    twelve 


JtRS.    CATIIAIMNI':    8.   DAVIS 


r  u u!_i V 


THE  CEXTE.XMAL  HISTORY  OP  OREGON 


43o 


bushels  01  wlji'at  anil  a  yoke  of  oxen  was 
traded  for  a  thousand  pounds  of  Hour,  which 
it  seemed  would  be  sufficient  for  the  family 
until  springtime,  but  their  liberal  hospitality 
to  the  imniiyrauts  who  came  straggling 
through  the  mountains  exhausted  tlieir  sup- 
ply until  tlie  familj'  were  compelled  to  live  on 
boiled  wheat.  In  the  spring  an  abundance 
of  milk  and  delicious  wild  strawberries,  with- 
out sugar,  constituted  a  part  of  their  diet 
until  William  Dodson,  an  earlier  settler  of 
the  upper  Willamette,  discovered  their  lack 
of  money  and  insisted  on  loaning  Jlr.  Davis 
an  amount  sufficient  to  piuchase  provisions 
at  A'ancouver.  one  hundred  and  forty  miles 
away. 

Mrs.  Davis  not  only  shared  in  all  the  hard- 
ships which  the  family  experienced  but  was 
ever  ready  to  aid  her  neighbors  who  were 
in  need  of  medical  experience  or  the  care  of 
a  nurse.  .She  had  read  medicine  and  nursed 
under  a  brother-in-law.  Dr.  Peter  Crumb,  of 
Plymouth,  Indiana,  and  again  and  again  her 
services  were  sought  by  families  from  ^larys 
river  to  the  Calapooia  mountains. 

In  1S5T  ilr.  Davis,  having  prospered  on  the 
farm  and  owning  a  number  of  horses,  cattle 
and  sheep,  to  make  use  of  his  horses  took  a 
contract  to  carry  the  mail  from  Corvallis  to 
Winchester.  He  made  his  headquarters  in 
Eugene,  which  was  equidistant  from  the  ter- 
minal points  of  his  route,  and  there  he  pur- 
chased property  and  built  a  livery  stable  on 
the  southeast  corner  of  Ninth  and  Pearl 
streets  and  a  residence  on  the  northeast  cor- 
ner of  the  same  streets;  but  after  a  short 
illness  he  passed  away  on  the  6th  of  April, 
1858.  After  coming  to  Oregon,  remembering 
the  trials  and  vicissitudes  of  his  own  journey 
across  the  plains,  he  twice  traveled  eastward 
with  supplies  and  provisions  to  the  assistance 
of  incoming  immigrants.  In  1849  he  went 
over  t  le  old  trail  as  far  as  Fort  Hall,  and  in 
1S52  aided  in  rescuing  the  lost  train  coming 
down  the  middle  fork  of  the  Willamette  over 
the  present  route  of  the  Oregon  Eastern  rail- 
road. These  immigrants  weie  almost  fam- 
ished when  aid  reached  them.  He  always 
bore  his  part  in  the  work  of  pioneer  develop- 
ment until  death  claimed  him.  His  widow 
was  left  with  the  care  of  the  three  younger 
children.  In  the  familv  were  seven  chil- 
dren, one  Mm  having  been  born  after  their 
arrival  in  Oregon.  Mrs.  Davis  continued  at 
the  old  home  until  1874,  when,  the  last  of 
her  children  having  married  and  moved  away, 
>he  broke  up  housekeeping  and  thereafter 
li\ed  with  her  children  as  she  felt  inclined 
until  her  own  demise  on  the  24th  of  Jan- 
uary, 1898.  Never  will  her  memory  cease 
to  be  revered  and  honored  by  those  who 
knew  her.  She  was  imleed  a  ministering 
angel  to  the  isolated  families  of  pioneer 
times,  scattered  for  perhaps  a  hundred  miles 
through  Lane  county  and  adjacent  terri- 
tory. She  was  skilled  in  the  methods  of 
medical  practice  of  that  day.  using  herbs 
and  the  simpler  remedies,  which,  however, 
proved  effective  in  checking  many  an  ill- 
ness. Never  was  she  known  to  fail  or  to 
refuse  to  go  on  her  errands  of  mercy  when 
the    call    came.      Seldom     did    she    ever    re- 

Vol.  IV— IS 


ceive  any  remuneration  lor  her  services.  It 
was  at  a  time  when  all  good  neighbors 
■helped  out"  and  it  is  probable  that  those 
who  sought  her  services  had  no  money  with 
which  to  pay;  but  with  the  spirit  of  the 
Uood  Samaritan,  she  never  remembered  those 
things  and  was  always  prompt  in  the  role 
of  the  ministering  angel  of  mercy.  No  mat- 
ter how  dark  or  stormy  the  "night,  how 
long  the  distance  or  from  whom  the  sum- 
mons came,  her  horse  was  quickly  saddled, 
the  saddlebags  put  on  and  she  was  gone. 
The  midnight  journey  might  be  across  the 
paths  of  wild  beasts,  along  treacherous  trails 
into  the  foothills  of  the  middle  fork  or  the 
ilcKenzie  or  over  to  Lake  creek;  but  never 
was  this  fearlesSj  stout-hearted  woman  knowu 
to  ask  or  expect  escort.  Often,  late  at  night, 
the  family  would  hear  the  clatter  of  a  hard- 
pressed  horses  hoofs  on  the  "big  road." 
They  knew  it  was  a  messenger  after  the 
mother,  and  even  before  the  rider  had  reached 
the  door  one  of  the  boys  was  saddling  up 
the  horse  that  Mrs.  Davis  rode  for  many 
years.  This  horse  was  a  mixture  of  In- 
dian cayuse  with  some  high-grade  animal, 
and  she  could  easily  outdistance  anything 
iu  the  country.  It  is  vouched  for  that  her 
pony  would  pace  away  from  the  fastest 
mount  known  to  the  early  settlers  of  Ore- 
gon. She  would  return  at  dawn  if  her  mis- 
sion was  ended,  but  at  times  such  a  call 
required  days  or  perhaps  weeks  of  faithful 
nursing  of  the  sick  and  frequently  she  would 
also  have  to  act  as  cook,  housekeeper  and 
caretaker.  .She  continued  in  her  work  and 
her  errands  of  merej'  until  the  limitations  of 
age  caused  her  to  desist.  In  an  account  of 
her  life  published  in  the  Oregon  Journal  is 
found  the  following:  "The  Davis  home  was 
for  almost  a  lifetime  an  attractive  white 
house  of  the  L  type,  surmounting  the  crest 
of  a  sightl.v  knoll  set  back  a  short  quarter 
of  a  mile  from  the  main  highway.  Once  a 
mere  Indian  trail,  this  avenue  became  the 
"big  road';  now  it  is  the  'river  road.'  Here, 
where  the  Calapooya  Indians  made  friends 
with  these  settlers,  and  deer  swarmed,  the 
Davis  family  remained  and  the  world  with 
all  its  wonders  have  come  along  the  'big 
road'  to  their  yard  gates.  As  one  turns 
in  at  the  big  gate  the  vista  of  the  old  home- 
stead is  framed  between  two  giant  tir  trees 
that  mark  either  side  of  the  drive  to  the 
house.  They  are  the  only  reminders  of  the 
thick  grove  of  firs  that  once  marked  this  spot. 
In  her  lifetime  Mrs.  Davis  conceived  a  great 
natural  affeetioii  for  these  splendid  speci- 
mens of  the  i)riineval  forest.  When  the  time 
came  the  old  farm  was  sold,  she  stipulateil 
that  the  buvers  shcnild  not  cut  down  or 
otherwi.se  destroy  or  mar  those  trees  as  long 
as  she  lived.  It  is  pleasant  to  note  that,  al- 
though Mrs.  Davis  passed  awa.v  about  four- 
teen years  ago,  her  wishes  have  been  re- 
spected and  in  all  proliabilit.v  sentiment  will 
decree  that  the  trees  shall  remain  as  a 
memorial  to  her  as  long  as  they  survive.  At 
a  recent  gathering  of  Lane  county  jiioneers. 
the  incalculable  services  of  this  grand  |)io- 
Iieer  woman  were  discussed  appreeiativel,v 
and   it   has  since  been  suggested  b.v  Colonel 


436 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


W.  G.  D.  ileicer  that,  with  the  consent  of 
the  present  owners,  the  pioneer  society  might 
well  distinguish  its  existence  and  express 
a  well  deserved  tribute  by  erecting  a  memo- 
rial tablet  on  the  big  tree  nearest  the  high- 
way in  commemoration  of  this  woman's  faith- 
ful service  to  her  countrymen.''  How  much 
more  splendid  it  is  to  trace  one's  ancestry 
to  a  woman  of  this  character,  a  woman  whose 
life  was  filled  with  deeds  of  kindness  and 
mercy,  than  to  the  most  eminent  of  the 
crowned   heads   of   Europe! 

JOHN  A.  LEWMAN.  For  fifty-three 
years  John  A.  Lewman  has  been  a  contin- 
uous resident  in  the  vicinity  of  Applegate 
creek  in  Jackson  county,  this  state.  He  is 
numbered  among  Oregon's  early  pioneers,  his 
arrival  in  the  state  dating  from  1S53,  when 
he  was  a  young  man  of  eighteen,  his  birth 
having  occurred  in  Plymouthburg,  Kentucky, 
on  August  15,  1S34.  He  is  the  son  of  Amos 
and  Rebecca  (Bramble  i  Lewman,  both  of 
whom  were  natives  of  England  and  who  with 
their  respective  families  emigrated  to  this 
countiT  when  they  were  small  children.  ■ 

John  A.  Lewman  left  his  Kentucky  home 
in  1S51,  making  his  first  business  venture  in 
the  state  of  Iowa  and  in  the  following  year 
he  crossed  the  plains  with  ox  teams,  arriv- 
ing in  Portland,  November  22,  1S52,  after 
having  endured  a  perilous  joirrney  of  nine 
continuous  months.  He  remained  in  Port- 
land until  May,  1S53,  after  which  he 
journeyed  to  the  Puget  Sound  country, 
spending  one  year  in  that  locality  and  then 
removing  to  Jacksonville.  Oregon,  where  he 
became  interested  in  various  mining  ventures 
in  and  about  Jackson  county.  He  shortly 
after  removed  to  Yreka,  California.  Here  he 
was  engaged  in  the  saloon  business  until  the 
spring  of  1S59,  when  he  removed  to  Fraser- 
ville,  British  Columbia,  going  there  on  a  min- 
ing venture  which  proved  to  be  an  unfort- 
unate investment.  Two  months  afterward 
he  returned  to  Jacksonville  and  soon  after 
established  himself  in  the  saloon  business  in 
Williamsburg,  where  he  remained  for  the 
following  eighteen  months.  This  business 
establishment  he  later  sold  and  again  be- 
came interested  in  mining  in  Whiskey  Gulch, 
where  he  continued  to  live  and  engage  in 
mining  for  a  period  of  eight  years.  Event- 
ually retiring  from  the  life  and  occupation  of 
the  miner,  he  purchased  a  ranch  in  the 
Applegate  valley  adjoining  his  present  ranch 
and  there  established  his  home,  later  selling 
a  portion  of  his  original  holdings,  retain- 
ing, however,  for  his  personal  use  forty  acres, 
of  choice,  rich  agricultural  land. 

In  the  year  1S53  Mr.  Lewman  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Celia  Smith,  who  came 
to  Oregon  from  Michigan  in  1852.  To  them 
four  children  were  born,  as  follows:  Wil- 
liam, now  a  resident  of  Grants  Pass,  this 
state :  Charles,  living  at  Chico,  California ; 
George,  of  Trinity  county.  California:  and 
Anna,  the  wife  of  George  Glass,  of  Oakland. 
California.  The  mother  of  this  family  passed 
away  in  1S60.  In  1875  Mr.  Lewman  was 
again  maiTied,  his  second  union  being  with 
Miss   Isabelle   Meek,    a    daughter   of   George 


ileek  and  a  cousin  of  Joe  Meek.  To  them 
were  born  eight  children,  as  follows:  Richard, 
who  makes  his  home  at  Roseburg;  John,  de- 
ceased; Thomas,  still  living  at  home:  Ever- 
ett, a  prosperous  ranchman  in  the  Applegate 
valley;  Margaret,  now  the  wife  of  William 
Ash,  also  a  ranchman  in  the  Applegate 
valley;  Alice,  the  wife  of  Charles  Hardman. 
of  Wenatchee,  Washington:  Ora,  the  wife  of 
Roy  Powers,  residing  at  Wilderville,  Wash- 
ington; and  Edith,  who  has  passed  away. 
The  mother  of  this  familv  died  on  December 
30;   189T. 

Mr.  L<?wnian  is  affiliated  with  the  demo- 
cratic party  and  served  for  a  number  of 
years  as  postmaster  of  Applegate  in  the 
early  days.  He  is  one  of  the  well  known 
early  pioneers  of  Jackson  county  and  dur- 
ing his  active  business  career  he  has  been 
successful  in  his  ventures  and.  all  his  natural 
powers  being  still  unimpaired,  he  is  actively 
engaged  in  his  business  affairs,  to  which  he 
devotes  his  undivided  attention.  He  is  uni- 
versally respected  by  his  associates  and  al- 
ways identified  with  the  interests  relating 
directly  to  the  advancement  of  the  people  in 
the  valley  and  throughout  the  county  and 
to  the  industrial  development  of  the  country. 

DR.  WARREN  L.  CAMERON  is  one  of  the 

well  known  and  highly  educated  physicians 
of  Jackson  count\%  his  home  at  present  be- 
ing maintained  in  the  Applegate  valley  and 
located  on  Big  Applegate  creek.  He  was  born 
in  Jackson  county,  in  the  house  in  which  he 
now  resides,  on  ilarch  7,  1S79,  his  parents  be- 
ing Robert  J.  and  Esther  J.  (LeFever)  Cam- 
eron, who  were  natives  of  New  York  and 
Virginia  respectively.  They  were  married 
in  Iowa,  to  which  state  they  had  removed 
with  their  respective  parents  when  they  were 
children.  Robert  J.  Cameron  emigrated  to 
Oregon  in  1852.  making  the  long  journey  by 
water  by  way  of  Cape  Horn.  Ten  years 
later  he  returned  to  Iowa,  at  which  time  he 
was  married  and  immediately  thereafter 
ci-ossed  the  plains  with  ox  teams  and  on 
reaching  this  state  located  the  family  home 
on  Applegate  creek.  He  afterward  largely 
increased  his  holdings  by  the  purchase  of 
adjoining  lands  until  at  the  time  of  his  death, 
which  occurred  May  6.  1910,  his  estate  in  real 
property  consisted  of  five  hundred  acres  of 
excellent  faim  and  range  land.  His  wife, 
still  surviving  him,  has  her  residence  in  the 
city  of  iledford.  The  first  hydraulic  mining 
undertaken  in  this  state  was  done  on  the 
home  ranch  of  !Mr.  Cameron  by  a  Chinese 
company  which  had  purchased  from  him  forty 
acres  of  suitable  placer  ground. 

Warren  L.  Cameron  was  reared  in  his 
father's  home  and  acquired  his  early  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  of  Medford,  being 
graduated  from  the  high  school  of  that  place 
with  the  class  of  1SC6.  He  then  entered  the 
University  of  Illinois  for  a  short  preliminary 
course  of  study  and  in  the  fall  of  1896  be- 
came a  student  in  the  College  of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons  in  Chicago,  being  graduated 
from  that  institution  with  the  degree  of 
M.  D.  in  the  class  of  1901.  He  later  pursued 
a  post-graduate  course  in  the  Bellevue  Hospi- 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


4;:J 


tal  of  Xew  York  during  the  years  1905  and 
1906.  After  obtaining  his  degree  he  spent 
a  few  months  in  the  city  of  Chicago  and 
then  made  his  first  location  in  Leeds,  North 
Dakota.  Here  he  remained  for  one  year, 
after  which  he  returned  for  a  brief  visit  to 
his  home  in  iledford.  tSubsequently,  going  to 
Pomona.  California,  he  pursued  a  post-grad- 
uate course  for  one  year  and  then  again  re- 
turned to  iledford.  In  1910  he  took  up  the 
study  of  a  special  course  in  medicine  in  the 
College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  in  Chi- 
cago and  in  the  year  1911  returned  to  his 
home  ranch  on  Big  Applegate  creek  for  rest 
and  recuperation. 

In  Chicago,  on  the  25th  of  April,  1901,  Dr. 
Cameron  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Katherine  Vail  of  that  city,  by  whom  he  has 
one  child,  Lloyd  V.  Fraternally  he  is  iden- 
tified with  the  following  organizations:  Rose- 
burg  Lodge,  Xo.  326,  B.  P.  0.  E.;  Medford 
Lodge,  No.  103,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. ;  and  the  Royal 
Arch  ilasons,  of  Jacksonville.  Dr.  Cameron 
has  very  materially  contributed  to  the  well- 
being  of  .Jackson  county,  bringing  into  service 
in  the  practice  of  his  profession  a  mind 
thoroughly  skilled  in  the  delicate  scientific 
field  of  surgery  and  general  medicine  and  de- 
voting his  entire  time  exclusively  to  the 
service  of  the  people  in  the  practice  of  his 
profession.  To  him  belongs  the  credit  of  hav- 
ing established  the  first  hospital  in  the  city 
of  Medford,  to  which  institution  he  devoted 
his  energies  and  skill,  assuring  its  complete 
success,  until  failing  health  compelled  rest 
and  retirement  from  active  practice.  He  is 
universally  respected  throughout  his  county 
and  regarded  in  every  sense  as  a  public  bene- 
factor in  the  community  in  which  he  Avas 
born  and  where  he  still  maintains  his  home. 

LOUIS  W.  GIBSON  has  for  many  years 
been  one  of  the  enterprising  agriculturists 
of  Josephine  county,  wliere  he  is  engaged  in 
the  cultivation  of  his  farm  of  forty  acres 
Jocated  near  Merlin.  He  was  born  in  Lane 
county,  this  state,  .June  23,  1861.  and  is  a 
son  of  L.  D.  and  Sarah  (Crow)  Gibson,  tlie 
former  a  native  of  Kentucky  and  the  latter 
of  Wisconsin.  The  father  emigrated  to  Ore- 
gon in  1849  and  settled  in  Lane  county, 
where  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Sarah  Crow,  To  tliem  fifteen  children  were 
born,  thirteen  of  wliom  are  living.  The 
father  continued  to  reside  in  Lane  county 
until  the  time  of  his  deatli,  which  occurred 
in  June,  1911,  The  mother  is  still  living  and 
resides  upon  the  old  homestead, 

Lotiis  W,  Gibson  was  reared  in  his  parents' 
home  and  educated  in  the  public  schools  in 
the  district  in  which  he  lived.  He  remained 
under  the  parental  roof  until  he  was  twenty- 
three  years  of  age  and  at  that  time  he 
moved  to  .Josephine  county,  where  he  pur- 
chased a  ranch  of  forty  acres,  upon  which 
he  has  since  continued  to  reside.  He  is  the 
owner  of  ten  choice  and  valuable  residence 
lots  in  Merlin, 

Mr,  Gibson  was  united  in  marriage  in  1889 
to  ^Irs,  Ellen  (Houser)  Bland,  who  is  the 
widow  of  ,Tolin  Bland  and  a  native  of  ^lichi- 
gan.      To  ilr,  and  ^Irs,  Gibson   four  children, 


all  of  whom  live  at  liome,  have  been  born: 
Barak  D,;  Alean;  and  Dow  and  Bee,  twins, 
Mr,  and  Mrs.  Gibson  are  loyal  and  active 
members  of  the  Baptist  churcli  of  Merlin, 
ilr.  Gibson  is  possessed  of  integrity,  is 
highly  respected  for  his  upright  character 
and  well  known  because  of  liis  progressive 
activities  in  business. 

HUNDLEY  SEVIER  MALONEY  who  is 
serving  for  the  second  term  as  county  re- 
corder of  Yamhill  county,  making  his  home 
in  Jlcilinnville,  was  born  in  Tennessee,  Feb- 
ruary 28,  1849.  His  father,  W.  C.  Malouey. 
was  also  a  native  of  that  state.  He  died 
Januar}-  5,  1SS2,  when  about  sixty-nine  years 
of  age.  his  birth  having  occurred  in  1813, 
He  had  devoted  his  life  to  farming  and  sur- 
veying. His  wife,  who  bore  tlie  maiden  name 
of  Louisa  C.  Cureton,  was  born  in  Tennes- 
see, and  has  also  passed  away.  H.  S.  Ma- 
loney  is  the  only  survivor  of  their  family  of 
ten  children,  although  eight  reached  maturity. 
Of  these  H.  D.  Maloney  who  served  four  years 
during  the  Civil  war  under  the  confederate 
General  Wheeler,  died  in  Tennessee,  leaving 
five  children.  Sallie  became  the  wife  of  J.  P. 
Johnson,  and  died  leaving  a  son  in  Tennes- 
see. Thomas,  who  served  two  years  as  color 
bearer  of  the  Eleventh  Tennessee  Union  Cav- 
alry, is  survived  by  a  daughter  living  in 
Ogden,  Utah.  Nannie  became  the  wife  of  J. 
H.  Herring,  and  at  her  death  left  a  son  who 
is  now  county  surveyor  of  Yamhill  county. 
John  A.  died  leaving  three  children,  two  oi 
whom  are  in  Tennessee,  while  one  is  in  Port- 
land, Oregon. 

Hundley  Sevier  Maloney  pursued  liis  educa- 
tion in  the  common  schools  of  his  native  state, 
and  on  leaving  home  joined  the  United  States 
army,  becoming  a  member  of  the  Fourth  Ten- 
nessee Infantry,  and  thus  aided  in  the  defense 
of  the  Union  during  the  dark  days  of  the 
Civil  war.  In  his  first  engagement,  when  but 
fifteen  years  of  age,  he  was  on  the  picket 
line  when  attacked  by  the  command  to  which 
his  Confederate  brother  belonged.  He  started 
with  Sherman  on  his  famous  march  to  the  sea 
but  with  his  command  was  sent  back  to  his 
native  state  to  take  part  in  the  border  war- 
fare there.  He  served  for  nineteen  months 
and  was  then  honorably  discharged,  but  for 
three  years  was  on  active  duty  for  the  gov- 
ornnicnt  commanding  a  company  of  United 
States  Regulars  during  tlic  reconstruction 
period  in  the  south.  \\  hen  mustered  out  of 
the  army  he  was  holding  the  rank  of  lieu- 
tenant, his  valor  and  loyalty  during  the  war 
liaving  won  him  promotion.  He  still  main- 
tains pleasant  relations  with  his  old  army 
comraiies  through  his  membership  in  Custer 
Post,  Xo,  9,  of  JlcMinnville,  His  title  as 
captain  comes  to  him  as  captain  of  a  cavalry 
company  of  the  Oregon  .State  Militia, 

After  three  years  of  service  in  the  regular 
army  Mr.  Malone}'  continued  his  education, 
for  he  was  but  a  boy  when  he  entered  the 
service.  He  attended  school  for  a  time  at 
Greenville.  Tennessee,  becoming  a  student  in 
Tuseulum  College,  and  in  1873  he  removed 
to  the  northwest,  settling  first  in  Linn  county, 
Oregon.     He  afterward   went  to  eastern  Ore- 


438 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OEEGON 


gon,  where  lie  devoted  three  years  to  farming 
and  also  to  teaching.  He  then  returned  to 
Linn  county  where  he  taught  school  for  a 
time,  and  in  1S7T  removed  to  Yamhill  county 
where  he  engaged  in  farming  and  surveying. 
In  ISSO  he  was  elected  county  surveyor  and 
continued  to  follow  that  profession,  either  as 
county  surveyor,  or  as  deputy,  until  elected 
to  the  ofTice  of  county  recorder  in  190S.  Dur- 
ing the  session  of  1892-93  he  represented 
Yamhill  county  in  the  Oregon  legislature. 
In  1910  he  Avas  reelected  county  recorder  and 
is  still  tilling  that  position,  making  an  ex- 
cellent record  as  county  official. 

Jlr.  Maloney  was  married  in  Tennessee  to 
Miss  Laura  F.  Hale,  June  13,  1870.  hut  his 
wife  died  near  Newmarket,  Alabama,  Novem- 
ber 2,  1872,  before  his  removal  to  Oregon. 
After  coming  to  this  state  in  1873,  he  wedded 
Miss  Mollie  F.  Metzgar.  who  is  now  deceased. 
They  were  parents  of  seven  children :  Lillie 
Scott;  Louise,  the  wife  of  H.  JI.  Hoskins, 
postmaster  of  McMinnville;  Hugh.  John  T., 
Carl  JI.  and  H.  Ray,  all  at  home;  and  Nannie, 
the  wife  of  Charles  P.  Nelson,  of  Portland. 
The  mother  died  in  1893  and  in  1896  Mr. 
Maloney  married  Miss  Lucy  Scruggs.  The 
children  of  this  marriage  are  Flora,  Emma, 
Frank,  Lee,  Alice  and  Dorothy  A, 

Jlr.  Maloney  has  held  membership  in  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  since 
March,  1873.  and  is  connected  with  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic,  and  has  nianj'  friends 
in  those  organizations.  His  acquaintance  in 
Yamhill  county  is  a  wide  one  and  wherever  he 
is  known  he  is  held  in  high  regard. 

DR.  W.  C.  HAWK,  M.  D.,  a  prominent  and 
successful  nioilical  practitioner  of  Bay  City, 
has  erected  and  conducts  a  hospital  and  is 
also  engaged  in  the  drug  business  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  of  Hawk  &  Miller.  His 
birth  occurred  near  Cumberland  Gap.  Vir- 
ginia, on  the  29th  of  November.  1853,  his 
jiarents  being  A.  M.  and  Harrietta  (Smith) 
Hawk,  who  were  natives  of  Virginia  and 
Ohio  respectively.  The  father,  whose  natal 
year  was  1814,  was  a  carpenter  by  trade, 
came  to  Oregon  in  1887  and  passed  away 
three  years  later.  The  mother,  who  was 
born  in  the  year  1820,  still  survives  and 
makes  her  home  in  Kansas.  Unto  them 
were  born  ten  children,  four  of  whom  are 
yet  living,  as  follows:  Jennie,  the  wife  of 
W.  B.  Richardson,  of  Kingman,  Kansas;  W. 
C,  of  this  review;  Elizabeth,  the  wife  of 
Mack  Henderson,  of  Morrisonville.  Illinois: 
and  A.  Frank  Hawk,  who  is  a  resident  of 
Longbeach.  California. 

Dr.  W.  C.  Hawk  obtained  his  early  educa- 
tion in  the  common  schools  of  Indianapolis. 
Indiana,  and  was  graduated  from  the  high 
school  with  the  class  of  1874.  Having  deter- 
mined upon  the  practice  of  medicine  as  a 
life  work,  he  entered  tlie  College  of  Physi- 
ciixns  and  Surgeons  in  Keokuk.  Iowa,  and 
was  graduated  therefrom  in  1881.  The  year 
1884  witnessed  his  graduation  from  Rush 
Medical  College  of  Chicago.  He  had  virtu- 
ally begun  |uacticing  the  profession,  how- 
ever, when  but  nineteen  years  of  age  anil 
has   been    ecuit  inuously    engaged    in    the    prac- 


tice of  medicine  and  also  in  the  drug  liusi- 
ness  since  his  vouth.  For  one  term,  in 
ISSG,  he  attended  the  St.  Louis  iledical  Col- 
lege. He  first  practiced  at  Morrisonville. 
Illinois,  and  later  continued  his  professional 
labors  at  Fair  Weather.  Illinois,  there  at- 
tending lectures  while  practicing  and  being 
known  as  the  "boy  doctor."  In  1886  he 
came  west  to  Aberdeen,  Washington,  and  the 
same  year  made  his  way  to  Portland. 
Thence  he  removed  to  Jefferson.  Oregon, 
where  he  opened  an  office  and  practiced  his 
profession  for  twenty  years.  In  1907  he  took 
up  his  abode  at  Bay  Cit}',  Oregon,  where  he 
has  remained  to  the  present  time.  He  has 
built  and  is  conducting  a  hospital  and  also 
owns  and  operates  a  drug  establishment  un- 
der the  firm  name  of  Hawk  &  Jliller.  His 
labors  have  been  attended  with  a  gratifying 
measure  of  success  and  his  practice  has 
steadily  grown  in  volume  and  importance  as 
he  has  demonstrated  his  ability  to  cope  with 
the  intricate  problems  which  continually 
confront  the  physician  in  his  elTorts  to  re- 
store health  and  prolong  life.  He  has  a 
fourth  interest  in  the  Rockaway  Beach  Com- 
pany and  likewise  owns  three  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  land  in  the  Sumptcr  valley  of 
Oregon. 

In  1876,  at  Bei'ry,  Illinois,  Dr,  Hawk  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Emma  D.  ilc- 
C'lain,  a  daughter  of  J.  G,  and  Eliza  (Hindi) 
JlcClain.  The  father,  who  was  a  merchant, 
is  now  deceased.  Dr,  and  Mrs.  Hawk  have 
one  daughter,  Edith  B.,  who  is  the  wife  of 
B.    H.    Miller,    an    editor. 

In  his  political  views  Dr.  Hawk  is  a  stanch 
republican,  loyally  supporting  the  men  and 
measures  of  that  party.  He  has  served  as 
coroner  of  Tillamook  county  for  a  number  of 
years  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  port  com- 
mission of  Bay  City.  In  religious  faitli  he 
is  a  Presbyterian,  while  fraternally  he  is 
identified  with  the  Masons  and  the  Independ- 
ent Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  Prompted  in  all 
that  he  does  by  laudable  ambition  and 
broad  humanitarian  principles,  as  a  member 
of  the  medical  fraternity  he  has  attained 
high  rank  among  those  whose  skill  is  uni- 
formly acknowledged,  while  his  prosperity  is 
recognized  as  the  merited  reward  of  his  la- 
bor. 

W.  F,  KLECKER,  a  leading  merchant  of 
Stayton,  was  born  in  Pierce  county,  Wiscon- 
sin, November  IS,  1873,  the  son  of  Bernard 
and  Justina  (Armbruster)  Kleckcr,  The 
father,  a  native  of  Austria,  came  to  the 
United  States  at  the  age  of  twenty-one,  lo- 
cating in  Wisconsin,  where  he  remained  until 
1897,  when  he  came  to  Oregon,  settling  at 
Sublimity,  and  in  1907  removing  to  Stayton, 
where  he  still  resides.  In  early  life  he  was 
a  mason  by  trade  but  followed  the  occupa- 
tion of  farming  whib  in  Wisconsin  and  Ore- 
gon. He  deserves  to  be  called  a  self-made 
man  for  when  he  reached  the  United  States 
he  was  penniless,  and  by  energy  and  persever- 
ance he  has  worked  his  way  along  until  he 
now  owns  two  hundred  and  five  acres  of  ex- 
cidlent  land  and  is  able  to  live  retired,  sur- 
iciiMiilid   by   ]ilenty.     The   mother  is  a   native 


TILLAilOOK  BAY  IIOSriTAL 


j  PUbLiO     LI3R.VHY 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OP  OREGON 


HI 


of  re)iii>ylvania.  was  luanii'd  in  Wistoiisin 
and  is  still  living.  The}'  were  the  parents 
of  twelve  children,  of  whom  W.  F.,  of  this 
review,  is  the  eldest.  The  others  are:  Celia, 
the  wife  of  Joseph  Zuber,  residing  near  Stay- 
ton;  Theresa,  the  wile  of  John  Keniraerer, 
of  Wisconsin;  Anna,  of  Portland;  Elizabeth, 
of  Los  Angeles,  California;  Josephine,  the 
wife  of  Ben  Korten,  of  Portland,  Oregon;  Ben- 
jamin, a  resident  of  Sublimity,  Oregon; 
Prank,  who  resides  with  his  brother,  Benja- 
min in  Sublimity;  Joseph,  of  Stayton;  Jus- 
tina,  the  wife  of  Martin  Berg,  of  Stayton; 
Edmund,  deceased;  and  Leo,  at  home. 

W.  F,  Klecker  w-as  educated  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  Wisconsin  and  remained  at 
home  until  he  was  twenty-three  years  of  age, 
after  which  he  traveled  for  some  time,  in  the 
meantime  working  in  I'ortland  for  a  half- 
year.  Subsequently  he  engaged  in  the  mer- 
cantile business  in  Stayton  under  the  firm 
name  of  Kerber  &  Klecker  but  after  three 
and  one-half  years  he  bought  the  Kerber  stock 
and  now  has  developed  the  business  until 
he  owns  a  well  arranged,  completely  stocked 
store,  covering  a  tloor  space  of  over  five  thou- 
sand square  feet,  and  it  is  by  far  the  largest 
department  store  in  Stayton.  He  also  owns 
a  store  building  on  Third  street. 

On  the  ISth  of  Xovcniber,  1902,  Mr.  Klecker 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary  Sus- 
bauer,  a  native  of  Oregon,  and  they  have  be- 
come the  parents  of  two  children,  Edmond 
and  Alice,  both  at  home.  In  his  political 
views  Mr.  Klecker  is  an  earnest  democrat  and 
for  two  years  has  served  as  a  member  of 
the  town  council.  Fraternally  he  is  identified 
with  the  Elks  at  Albany  and  both  he  and 
his  ^^ife  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 
He  is  an  energetic  and  conscientious  business 
man  whose  prosperity  has  been  well  merited. 

R.  C.  DEMENT.  One  of  the  leading  and 
representative  agriculturists  of  Coos  county 
is  R.  C.  Dement,  who  is  engaged  in  the  oper- 
ation of  three  thousand,  nine  hundred  and 
eighty  acres  of  land  near  M.vrtle  Point,  on 
which  he  is  engaged  in  stock-raising  and 
general  agriculture.  His  early  life  was  inti- 
mately connected  with  the  pioneer  settlement 
of  Oregon,  his  father  having  been  one  of  the 
earliest  agriculturists  in  that  state.  He  early 
became  acquainted  with  the  various  economic 
phases  of  activity  in  that  state  as  they  were 
molded  by  the  peculiar  conditions  of  life.  Mr. 
Dement  was  born  in  Ohio  in  1S4T.  and  is  a 
son  of  S.  M,  and  Caroline  (Spencer)  Dement. 
Both  of  his  parents  were  born  in  Ohio  and 
educated  and  reared  in  that  state.  They 
came  to  Oregon  in  1852  and  did  not  make  a 
permanent  settlement  for  some  time,  S.  M. 
Dement  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade  and  fol- 
lowed his  occupation  for  one  winter  in  Cor- 
vallis.  He  then  moved  to  Jacks<]n  coimty  and 
served  as  a  home  guard  during  the  Indian 
war  which  broke  out  at  that  time.  His 
residence  in  Coos  county  began  in  1853  in 
which  year  he  moved  to  Empire  city  and  was 
active  in  various  phases  of  town  life  for  one 
year.  He  tlien  determined  to  engage  in  agri- 
culture, being  firmly  convinced  that  the  future 
of  tlie  state  of  Oregon  lay  along  this  line  of 


activity,  lie  tuuU  up  a  donation  claim  on  the 
south  fork  of  the  C'oquille  river  and  estab- 
lished his  family  on  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  land.  He  moved  ujion  his 
holdings  in  1S55  but  tlie  Indians  were  at  that 
time  in  a  state  of  insurrection  and  their  many 
depredations  caused  tlie  isolated  farm  life  to 
be  extremely  dangerous  and  the  family  was 
compelled  to  move  back  into  Empire  city 
for  a  year,  in  which  time  tlie  Indians  were 
removed  to  the  reservation.  Mr.  Dement  and 
his  family  then  returned  to  the  donation 
claim  and  here  the  father  operated  the  land 
and  cultivated  the  soil  until  his  death.  He 
was  one  of  the  valued  and  representative 
citizens  of  Coos  county  during  his  life  and 
his  services  were  one  of  the  great  individual 
forces  in  its  development.  He  was  one  of 
its  earliest  pioneers,  and  in  the  days  of  his 
first  settlement  when  he  was  traveling  about 
the  state  looking  for  the  most  suitable  place 
to  establish  his  residence  he  was  often  obliged 
to  pack  upon  his  back  provisions  for  a  forty- 
mile  journey.  There  were  no  roads  in  tlie 
district  and  in  his  travels  he  was  compelled 
to  employ  either  horses  or  oxen.  When  he 
established  his  stock  farm  he  bought  his 
first  cows  two  hundred  and  twent.v  miles 
from  home  and  drove  them  back  himself  over 
the  unimproved  Oregon  country.  At  the  time 
of  his  death  he  had  made  his  farm  a  model 
and  highly  improved  property  and  his  activ- 
ities are  still  remembered  in  Coos  count.v. 
He  died  in  18S6  at  the  age  of  sixty-three 
years.  He  was  twice  married.  His  first 
union  was  with  Miss  Caroline  Spencer  by 
whom  he  had  three  children  of  wliom  K.  t . 
Dement,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  is  the 
only  one  now  living.  Of  the  other  two  chil- 
dren born  to  his  first  union  one  died  in 
infancy  and  the  other  passed  aAvay  at  the 
age  of  eleven  years.  S.  M.  Dement 's  second 
marriage  occurred  in  1866  when  he  wedded 
Miss  Louisa  Lovett  of  Ohio.  They  bec-amc 
the  parents  of  six  children:  one  child  who 
died  in  infancy;  W.  T.,  who  now  ri'sides 
upon  his  father's  original  donation  claim: 
George,  who  passed  away  at  the  age  of  eleven 
years;  Clay,  now  farming  in  Douglas  county: 
Max.  of  Myrtle  Point,  Oregon;  and  Caroline 
B..  who  married  J.  C.  iMoomaw  of  Hubbard. 
Oregon. 

R.  C.  Dement,  although  not  a  native  son  of 
Oregon  has  been  a  resident  of  this  state 
since  he  was  five  years  of  age.  Ho  came 
with  his  parents  in  1852  and  has  passed  prac- 
tically all  the  active  years  of  his  life  in 
stock"  farming.  He  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  Coos  county  but  his  studies 
were  limited  and  pursued  at  irregular  inter- 
vals. He  definitely  laid  aside  his  hooks  at 
the  ago  of  twenty-one  and  entered  the  employ 
of  his  father,  working  by  the  month  at  the 
various  hibors  incident  to  the  operation  of 
a  large  and  constantly  developing  farm. 
Shortly  after  attaining  his  majority  he  took 
up  a  preemption  claim  of  one  hundred  and 
sixtv  acres.  He  subsequentl.v  acquired  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  by  a  homesti'ad 
grant  and  after  his  marriage  in  1874  he 
settled  upon  this  farm  and  engaged  in  agri- 
cultural   pursuits    for   eight   years.      At    the 


44: 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OP  OREGON 


expiration  of  tliat  period  he  moved  to  the 
south  fork  of  the  Coquille  river  wliere  lie 
carried  on  farming  on  a  more  extensive  scale 
for  seven  years.  He  bought  land  near  Nor- 
way, Coos  county,  known  as  the  Sanders 
donation  claim  and  was  successful  in  its 
operation  for  seven  years.  He  always  re- 
garded farming  and  stock-raising  however,  as 
a  life  work  and  never  had  any  definite  idea 
of  entirely  severing  his  connection  w'ith  this 
occupation.  In  1898  he  bought  sevent.y-eight 
acres  of  land  near  Myrtle  Point,  Oregon, 
which  he  now  owns  and  operates.  This  land 
lies  partly  within  the  limits  of  Mj'rtle  Point. 
His  original  purchase  of  land  in  this  section 
w-as  seventy-eight  acres.  He  has  been  con- 
stantly adding  to  his  holdings  as  opportunity 
ofTered.  He  is  a  discriminating  judge  of  land 
values  and  the  three  thousand,  nine  hundred 
and  eighty  acres  of  which  he  is  now  the 
proprietor  represents  some  of  the  most  fertile 
and  productive  soil  in  the  state  of  Oregon. 
His  stock  farming  has  been  practical  and 
has,  therefore,  been  rewarded  with  success. 
He  carries  on  his  agriculture  along  general 
lines  but  specializes  to  some  extent  in  dairy- 
ing. He  owns  two  dairy  ranches  equipped 
with  modern  and  sanitary  facilities,  jlr. 
Dement  is  a  stanch  believer  in  the  future 
agricultural  greatness  of  the  state  of  Oregon. 
Wherever  he  can  buy  farm  property  he  in- 
vests his  money  and  is  now  the  owner  of 
several  fertile  ranches  throughout  the  state. 
Mr.  Dement's  extensive  holdings  are  near 
Myrtle  Point  and  upon  the  Coquille  river  and 
his  agriculture  has  brought  him  a  gratifying 
degree  of  success. 

In  1874  Mr.  Dement  Avas  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Lucy  A.  Norris,  whose  birth 
occurred  in  the  Willamette  valley,  Oregon. 
Her  mother  was  a  direct  descendant  of  the 
great  frontiersman.  Daniel  Boone,  and  with 
her  husband  was  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers 
in  Oregon.  Mrs.  Dement's  parents  crossed 
the  plains  in  1846  and  spent  the  remainder  of 
their  lives  in  Oregon.  They  died  in  Coos 
county  and  are  buried  side  by  side  near  Fair- 
view.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dement  have  been 
born  nine  children,  eight  of  whom  are  living: 
Nellie,  a  graduate  of  the  Normal  school  of 
Ashland.  Oregon,  and  now  a  teacher  at  Kla- 
math Falls;  Eunice,  the  wife  of  L.  A.  Braden 
of  Hubbard,  Oregon;  Ray  B.,  who  operates  a 
stock  ranch  of  his  father's  in  Coos  and  Curry 
counties;  Winifred,  the  wife  of  Dr.  \'\niite. 
a  practicing  physician  of  Klamath  Falls.  Ore- 
gon; Lester  T.  and  Ellis  S..  twins,  the  former 
married  and  a  resident  of  Myrtle  Point,  and 
the  latter  in  the  stock  business  with  his 
brother  in  Coos  county;  Clara,  who  lives  at 
home;  Harry,  now  attending  school  in  Coos 
county;  and  one  child.  Lorain,  who  passed 
away  at  the  age  of  eight  years. 

Politically  Mr.  Dement  gives  his  allegiance 
to  the  republican  party  and  has  served  his 
county  and  city  in  various  capacities.  He 
has  never  sought  office  but  is  always  willing 
to  do  his  duty  when  elected  in  a  public 
capacity.  He  brings  to  his  pursuits  an  intelli- 
gent, open  and  liberal  mind  and  a  keen  inter- 
est in  modern  scientific  developments.  In  the 
final  analysis  the  farm  is  the  basis  of  pros- 


perity in  America.  It  is  tlie  very  beginning 
of  the  intricate  operations  which  furnish  men 
with  food.  Mr.  Dement's  agricultural  success 
has  been  obtained  by  judicious  and  intelligent 
labor  among  the  familiar  conditions  and  his 
career  has  infiuenced  the  resources  of  his 
section  and  has  developed  the  science  of  agri- 
culture. 

JAMES  WILLIAM  JORY,  a  prominent  and 

successful  farmer  and  stockman  of  KLamath 
county,  is  an  extensive  landowner,  his  hold- 
ings embracing  nine  hundred  and  twenty 
acres.  His  birth  occurred  near  Springfield, 
Illinois,  on  the  18th  of  March,  1858,  his 
parents  being  Henry  and  Martha  Jane  ('\'^an 
Pelt)  .Jory.  the  former  a  native  of  Cornwall. 
England,  and  the  latter  of  this  countrv.  In 
thc^  fall  of  ISe.S  the  family  left  Illinois  and 
crossed  the  plains  with  teams  to  Marysville. 
California,  where  Henry  .Jory  passed  away 
in  1886.  having  for  several  years  survived  his 
wife.  He  was  a  wagon-maker  by  trade  but 
devoted  his  attention  to  farming  in  this  part 
of  the  country  and  also  conducted  a  store 
at  I\Iarysville  for  a  number  of  years.  Our 
subject  was  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth  in 
a  family  of  nine  children,  seven  of  whom 
still  survive. 

James  William  Jory,  who  was  a  little  lad 
of  five  years  when  he  accompanied  his  parents 
on  tlieir  journey  to  the  far  west,  lived  in  the 
vicinit}'  of  Marysville  until  he  came  to  Ore- 
gon in  the  spring  of  1886.  In  the  fall  ot 
the  following  year  he  located  permanently 
in  Klamath  county,  having  in  1886,  preempted 
a  quarter  section  of  land  and  homesteaded  a 
tract  of  similar  size.  By  purchase  he  has 
augmented  his  holdings  until  at  the  present 
time  he  owns  nine  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
of  land.  He  has  two  hundred  and  seventy- 
three  acres  under  irrigation  and  devotes  his 
attention  to  the  pursuits  of  general  farming 
and  stock-raising,  in  which  he  has  met  with 
gratifying  and  well  merited  success.  He  was 
the  second  man  to  bring  a  herd  of  cattle  into 
Klamath  county.  In  IflOS  and  1911  he  was 
awarded  contracts  by  the  t'nited  States  gov- 
ernment for  irrigation  work  and  during  the 
years  ]!in  and  1912  worked  on  the  Lost 
river  diversion  channel.  From  Ager,  Cali- 
fornia, he  hauled  the  first  load  of  freight  that 
went  into  the  plant  of  the  Electric  Light  & 
Power  Company  at  Klamath  Falls,  Oregon. 
He  has  been  a  freighter  and  has  also  cleared 
considerable  land  for  others  as  well  as  for 
himself.  His  efforts  have  contributed  in  sub- 
stantial measure  to  the  work  of  development 
and  improvement  licre  and  he  is  well  entitled 
to  a  foremost  place  among  the  prosperous 
agriculturists  and  representative  citizens  of 
the  Sunset  state. 

In  politics  Mr.  .Jory  is  a  democrat,  believing 
firmly  in  the  principles  of  that  party.  The 
cause  of  education  has  ever  found  in  him  a 
stanch  champion  and.  with  the  exception  of 
two  or  three  terms,  he  served  continuously 
as  school  clerk  of  district  No.  2r>.  from  1888 
until  1902.  During  one  season  he  acted  in 
the  capacity  of  road  overseer.  He  is  an 
enterprising  and  public-spirited  man  whose 
record  as  a  public  official,  as  a  business  man 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


443 


aiui  a  private  citizen  has  been  so  honorable 
tliat  he  has  gained  the  confidence  and  good- 
^vill  of  all  vith  whom  he  has  been  bronght 
in  contact. 

H.  H.  McINTOSH  is  one  of  the  enterpris- 
ing and  highly  respected  citizens  of  Golden, 
Oregon,  where  he  is  engaged  in  the  operation 
of  a  general  merchandising  store.  He  was 
born  in  Josephine  county,  September  3,  1889. 
and  is  a  son  of  H.  C.  and  Myra  Mcintosh. 
The  parents  were  natives  of  Missouri  and  re- 
moved to  Oregon  in  the  early  '80s,  settling 
at  Golden,  in  Josephine  county,  where  tliey 
still  maintain  their  residence.  In  their  fam- 
ily were  fourteen  children,  of  whom  nine  are 
living. 

H.  H.  Melntosh  was  reared  at  home  and 
received  his  early  education  in  the  public 
schools.  He  remained  under  the  parental 
roof  until  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age 
and  at  that  time  he  established  himself  in 
the  general  nu'rchandising  business  at  Golden. 
He  has  met  with  well  deserved  success  in  his 
undertaking  and  his  store  is  one  of  the  most 
popular  and  best  known  establishments  of  its 
kind  in  this  part  of  Josephine  county. 

On  April  1,  1911,  Mr.  Melntosh  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Bethel  Ruble,  a  native 
of  Josephine  county,  this  state,  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  N.  Ruble,  residents  of 
Lane  county.  Mr.  IMcIntosli  is  affiliated  with 
the  democratic  party  but  has  never  sought 
political  preferment.  He  is  known  among  his 
acquaintances  as  a  man  of  strict  integrity  in 
all  his  transactions  and  is  highly  esteemed 
for  his  uprightness  of  character.  He  is  al- 
ways to  be  relied  upon  to  assist  in  the  pro- 
motion of  any  measure  of  public  interest. 

THOMAS  HANCOCK.  Everything  stirring, 
forceful,  powerful  and  vitally  efficient  con- 
tained in  the  word  pioneer  finds  its  exempli- 
fication in  the  life  and  career  of  Thomas  Han- 
cock. He  has  been  a  power  in  constructive  de- 
velopment and  evolution.  He  has  been  an 
efficient  factor  in  its  upbuilding,  is  an  influ- 
ence in  its  present  greatness  and  is  today  one 
of  the  most  powerful  individual  forces  in  the 
agricultural  expansion  of  Oregon.  He  was 
born  in  Australia.  December  16,  1842,  and  is 
a  son  of  William  and  Elizabeth  (Dixon)  Han- 
cock, both  natives  of  Lancastershire,  England, 
where  they  were  reared  and  married.  Imme- 
diately after  their  marriage  the  parents  went 
to  Australia  and  resided  in  that  country  for 
nine  years.  Early  in  IS.iO  they  sailed  for  the 
United  States,  landing  in  .San  Francisco  on 
July  4.  Here  the  father  worked  at  various 
occupations  until  the  following  fall,  at  which 
time  he  came  north  to  Oregon,  making  the 
iourney  by  schooner  to  .Seottsburg.  where  ho 
landed  on  December  16,  18.50.  From  Seotts- 
burg he  came  by  river  to  Elkton  and  located 
a  donation  claim  two  miles  east  of  the  town 
which  he  and  his  wife  filed  upon  and  where 
they  settled.  His  holdings  comprised  six  hun- 
dred and  forty  acres  of  unimproved  land  and 
tlie  cultivation  of  the  soil  ranks  him  among 
the  developing  forces  in  tlie  state.  His  wife 
was  the  third  white  woman  to  settle  on  the 
Umpqua  river.     In  1880  William  Hancock  re- 


moved to  San  Diego,  California,  where  he 
resided  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
1900,  within  one  week  of  his  eightieth  birth- 
day. His  wife  survived  him  for  three  years 
and   died  in  March,  190.3. 

Thomas  Hancock  was  reared  at  home  and 
did  not  have  one  day"s  schooling  in  his  whole 
life.      He    learned    agriculture    through    per- 
sonal experience  and  hard  work  and  remained 
upon  his  father's  farm  until   1861.     In  that 
year   he    offered   his   services   to   the   Federal 
government   but   was  refused   on  account  of 
age.     In   1865.  however,  upon  the  president's 
call    for   six    hundred    thousand   men,    he    re- 
sponded immediately  and  was  mustered  into 
Company  K,  First  Oregon  Volunteer  Infantry, 
and  served  for  fourteen  months  and  twelve 
days,  his  regiment  doing  service  on  the  plains 
in  suppressing  Indian  uprisings.     They  were 
held  for  a  year  after  the  close  of  the  war  on 
accoiuit  of  the  hostile  attitude  of  the  Indians 
and  Mr.  Hancock  received  an  honorable  dis- 
charge June   25.   1866.     AMiile  in  the   service 
one  of  his  comrades,  a  Frenchman,  gave  him 
his  first  lessons  in  reading  and  writing.   These 
were,  however,  in   the  French  language  and 
upon  the  death  of  his  companion  Mr.  Han- 
cock's schooling  stopped.    He  later  picked  up 
reading   and   writing   in   his  own   tongue  but 
beyond  this  had  no  education  whatever.    Mr. 
Hancock  has  been  identified  with  agricultural 
pursuits   since  he   was   old   enough   to  hold   a 
plow  or  drive  an  o.x  team.    When  the  war  was 
over  he  took  up  a  homestead  claim  of  one 
hundred  and   sixty  acres   five   miles   east  of 
Elkton  on  the  Drain  road     where  he  resided, 
engaged  in  tilling  the  soil  and  developing  the 
land,  until   1908,  when   he   removed  to  Elk- 
ton where  he  is  now  living  retired.     His  ag- 
ricultural   work   has    been   a    force   in    state 
expansion.     He  dates  his  residence  in  Oregon 
from  the  earliest  days  of  its  settlement  and 
is  prominent  among  the  oldest  pioneers.     He 
keeps  abreast  of  the  times  and  as  agriculture 
progressed  as  a  science  he  advanced  with  it. 
His  place  was  at  the  time  of  his  retirement 
highly  improved  and  cultivated  and  was  one 
of  the  most  attractive  properties  in  Douglas 
county.     He  has  been  an  aggressive  and  per- 
sistent  hunter   during   his  active   life   and    it 
is  said  that  he  has  killed  more  panthers  and 
bears   than  any  other  man   in   the   state   of 
Oregon. 

On  June  l.'i.  1886.  ^Mr.  Hancock  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Mrs.  Kiersta  (Pearson)  John- 
son, a  native  of  Sweden,  and  a  daughter  of 
Peter  and  Nettie  Pearson,  both  natives  of 
Sweden,  in  which  country  they  died.  Mrs. 
Hancock  came  to  the  Cnited  States  in  1882 
when  she  was  thirty-live  years  of  age  and 
settled  in  Gardiner.  Oregon.  She  was  the 
widow  of  .John  Johnson  and  had  two  children 
by  her  former  marriage,:  Christian,  who  is  a 
ranchnuin  on  his  stepfather's  farm:  and  Eda, 
the  wife  of  A.  L.  Hancock,  who  is  farming  in 
Douglas  county.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hancock 
have  been  born  two  children:  Oscar,  who  is 
engaged  in  agriculture  in  Douglas  county; 
and  Clara,  the  wife  of  .Tames  Riley,  of  Elkton. 
Mr.  Hancock  is  a  republican  in  his  political 
views.  He  i.s  a  member  of  Elkton  Lodge,  No. 
63.  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  was  one  of  the  mem- 


444 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTOKY  OF  OREGON 


bers  of  tbe  Drain  Post,  G.  A.  E.,  until  that 
organization  disbanded.  He  has  wrested  his 
prosperity  from  unfriendly  fortune  and  has 
constructed  his  own  success,  working  in  a 
direct  and  simple  way  with  the  tools  at  hand 
and  evolving  a  structure  of  life  which  in  its 
simplicity  and  greatness  is  worthy  of  the 
hands  of  a  master  builder. 

JOHN  THOMAS  WILLIAMS  resides  on  a 
farm  of  twenty-six  acres  a  mile  east  of 
Beaverton  but  leases  the  property  and  is 
living  retired,  having  accumulated  a  hand- 
some competence  during  the  years  of  an  active 
business  career.  He  is  well  known  in  finan- 
cial circles  as  the  vice  president  of  the  Bank 
of  Beaverton  and  also  has  other  interests. 
His  birth  occurred  in  Xorth  Andover,  Jlassa- 
chusetts,  on  the  28th  of  Xovember,  1842, 
his  parents  being  George  H.  and  Mary  (Rog- 
ers) Williams,  who  came  of  Welsh  and  Eng- 
lish ancestry  respectively.  The  father  was 
born  in  Xcw  Hampshire,  while  the  mother 
was  a  native  of  Massachusetts.  Ebenezer 
Clioate.  the  maternal  great-grandfather  of 
our  subject,  was  a  sea  captain  in  the  East 
India  mercantile  service.  While  on  a  trip 
from  Africa  he  became  ill  and  was  left  at 
Guadalupe.  Spain,  where  he  died  and  was 
buried.  William  Rogers,  the  maternal  grand- 
father of  .John  T.  Williams,  was  a  descend- 
ant of  Thomas  Rogers,  who  came  to  this 
country  on  the  Mayflower.  He  was  a  native 
of  Xewburyport.  Massachusetts,  and  always 
maintained  his  home  there.  He  was  part 
owner  and  captain  of  a  ship  and  engaged  in 
bringing  sugar  and  molasses  from  New  Or- 
leans to  Liverpool.  England.  As  he  was 
never  heard  from  after  embarking  on  his  last 
sea  voyage,  it  is  supposed  that  he  was 
drowned. 

The  parents  of  'Sir.  Williams  of  this  review 
were  married  in  Massachusetts  in  1836  and 
there  continued  to  reside  throughout  the  re- 
mainder of  their  lives,  the  mother  passing 
away  at  Araesbury  in  1848  and  the  father  in 
1871.  George  H.  Williams  was  a  wool  buyer 
for  a  Massachusetts  mill,  purchasing  wool 
all  over  the  United  States.  He  was  twice 
married  and  by  his  first  wife  had  the  fol- 
lowing children:  Georgiana  B..  the  widow  of 
E.  Thompson,  who  passed  away  in  Rhode 
Island  in  1881:  Annie,  the  wife  of  Elisha 
.Jordan,  of  Washington  county.  Oregon:  .John 
Thomas,  of  this  review;  George  Henry,  living 
in  Portland,  Oregon:  and  William  R..  who 
is  a  resident  of  ^lassachusetts.  In  October. 
1882.  the  eldest  of  these  children,  ilrs.  Geor- 
giana Thompson,  came  to  Oregon,  making 
her  home  in  Portland  until  1905.  since  which 
time  she  has  lived  in  Washington  county. 
For  his  second  wife  George  H.  Williams  chose 
^liss  Mary  Locke,  by  whom  he  had  two  chil- 
dren, namely:  Samuel  Grant,  who  is  a  resi- 
dent of  Skamokawa,  Washington;  and  Frank 
T..  deceased. 

John  Thomas  Williams  began  earning  his 
own  livelihood  when  a  yo>ith  of  twelve,  oper- 
ating a  carding  machine  in  a  woolen  mill  at 
Danielsville.  Connecticut,  for  one  year.  Dur- 
ing tlie  following  four  years  lie  remained  at 


home  and  subsequently  spent  two  years  in 
the  Pacific  Calico  Mills.  \\Tien  the  Civil  war 
broke  out  he  enlisted  for  three  months'  ser- 
vice with  the  celebrated  Sixth  Massachusetts 
Infantry,  which  was  the  first  regiment  out 
of  the  state  and  was  commanded  by  E.  F. 
.Jones.  After  the  battle  of  Bull  Run  he  was 
honorably  discharged  in  August,  1861,  and  on 
the  6th  of  September  following  again  en- 
listed, joining  the  command  of  A.  B.  Farr 
and  serving  as  corporal  of  Company  F,  Twen- 
ty-sixth Massachusetts  Infantry,  under  Cap- 
tain Thomas  A.  Anable.  Afterward  he  be- 
came veteranized  at  Xew  Iberia.  Louisiana, 
on  tlie  4th  of  January,  1864,  by  reason  of 
reenlistment  for  three  years'  ,ser\-ice,  becom- 
ing a  member  of  Company  A,  Twenty-sixtli 
Massachusetts  Infantry,  on  the  24th  of  Jan- 
uary, 1864,  and  serving  under  Captain  A. 
Troy  until  discharged  at  Savannah.  Georgia, 
on  the  26th  of  August,  1865. 

Returning  home  with  a  creditable  military 
record,  ilr.  Williams  again  entered  the  calico 
mill  of  Lawrence  Brothers  in  Massachusetts, 
being  employed  therein  for  one  year,  while 
subsequently  he  spent  three  years  in  a  shoe 
manufacturing  establishment  of  Clarke  & 
Company  at  Methuen.  Massachusetts.  On  the 
expiration  of  that  period  he  came  to  Oregon, 
locating  at  Seio,  Linn  county,  where  he  worked 
on  his  brother-in-law's  ranch  for  six  months. 
Then  he  began  teaming  in  eastern  Oregon, 
hauling  supplies  to  the  mines  for  one  year. 
At  the  end  of  that  time  he  went  to  Baker 
City,  there  conducting  a  cobbler's  shop  for 
six  months.  He  next  started  for  Portland 
on  horseback,  reaching  that  city  at  the  end 
of  three  weeks  and  securing  employment  in 
a  shoe  shop,  wherein  he  remained  for  ten 
years.  With  the  assistance  of  George  Hinies 
&  Walling,  printers,  he  then  embarked  in 
the  billposting  business,  being  thus  engaged 
until  1905.  Disposing  of  his  interests  in  that 
connection,  he  purchased  a  farm  of  twenty- 
six  acres  near  Beaverton.  Washington  county, 
and  has  since  occupied  the  same,  the  prop- 
etry  being  finely  improved  and  under  a  high 
state  of  cultivation.  He  leases  the  land, 
however,  and  is  now  living  retired  in  the 
enjoyment  of  well  earned  rest.  Mr.  Williams 
is  a  factor  in  financial  circles  as  the  vice 
president  of  the  Bank  of  Beaverton  and  is 
likewi.se  one  of  the  stockholders  of  the  Beaver- 
ton Brick  &  Chiy  Manufacturing  Company. 

Ml'.  Williams  lias  been  married  twice.  In 
1S63.  in  ilassacliusetts.  he  wedded  !Miss  Jos- 
ephine Houston,  by  whom  he  had  one  daugh- 
ter. Mary  Ella,  wlio  is  the  widow  of  Allen  E. 
Riley  and  resides  in  Washington  county.  Ore- 
gon." On  the  25th  of  December.  1881.  Mr. 
Williams  was  again  married,  his  second  union 
being  with  Mrs.  :\Iary  .1.  Minehan.  the  widow 
of  John  Minehan.  and  a  daughter  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Brack,  both  of  whom  are  deceased,  ilr. 
and  Mrs.  Minehan  had  one  daughter.  Estella. 
who  obtained  a  high-school  education  in  Kan- 
sas City.  Missouri,  and  is  now  a  resident  of 
Los  Angeles.  California,  ilrs.  Mary  .J.  Wil- 
liams was  called  to  her  final  rest  in  1886.  leav- 
ing two  other  daughters.  Hazel  Anna,  who  was 
born  on  the  20th  of  December.  1882.  is  a  high- 


.KIIIN    T.    WILLIAMS 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


44'; 


school  giailuatf  and  also  pursued  a  couisi-  of 
study  in  the  Annie  Wright  Seminary  ot  Ta- 
coma,  Washington.  Slie  likewise  has  an  excel- 
lent musical  education  and  is  nov  the  'wife  of 
John  F.  Malarkey,  of  Portland,  Oregon.  Al- 
freda.  born  ilay  21,  1S84,  was  educated  at 
St.  Mary"s  Academy  and  is  the  wife  of  James 
M.  Allen,  of  Beaverton.  Oregon. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Williams  is  a 
republican,  loyally  supporting  the  men  and 
measures  of  the  party  which  was  the  defense 
of  the  Union  during  the  dark  days  of  the 
Civil  war.  His  religious  faith  is  indicated  by 
liis  membership  in  the  Unitarian  Society  of 
Portland.  He  is  spending  the  evening  of  life 
in  honorable  retirement,  happy  in  the  friend- 
ship and  esteem  of  all  who  know  him. 

J.  W.  SMITH,  who  since  tlie  winter  of 
1907  has  resided  in  Klamath  county.  Ore- 
gon, is  now  the  owner  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  five  miles  south  of  Klamath 
Falls.  He  was  born  at  Chatham.  Ontario. 
Canada,  December  S.  1S36.  and  is  a  son  of 
Sol  and  Elizabctli  (Wood)  Smith,  the  former 
a  native  of  Ontario  and  the  latter  of  Xew 
York.  In  1S44  the  father  went  to  tlie  lead 
mines  of  Galena,  Illinois,  and  the  mother  ar- 
rived there  the  following  year.  They  spent 
six  years  in  that  locality  and  later  went 
to  Denver.  Colorado.  The  father  died  in 
1861,  at  the  age  of  sixty  years,  and  the 
mother  passed  away  at  Fort  Scott.  Kansas, 
about  1882.  at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years. 
In  their  family  were  ten  children,  five  sons 
and    five   daughters. 

J.  W.  Smith  spent  his  youthful  days  in  his 
parents'  home  and  developed  habits  of  in- 
dustry and  enterprise  which  have  proven  of 
value  to  him  in  the  conduct  of  liis  business 
affairs  in  later  years.  In  April.  1S61.  he  en- 
listed for  service  in  the  Civil  war  at  the  first 
call  for  seventy-five  thousand  troops,  join- 
ing Company  K  of  the  First  Iowa  Infantry 
at  Mount  Vernon.  Iowa.  He  served  for  five 
months  and  reenlisted  in  October.  1S63.  as  a 
member  of  Company  A.  Thirteenth  Iowa  In- 
fantry, with  which  he  served  until  August. 
1865.  He  was  with  Sherman  in  the  Atlanta 
campaign  and  on  the  march  to  the  sea.  and 
he  afterward  participated  in  the  grand  re- 
view where  the  victorious  army  marclied 
through  the  streets  of  Wasliington  and  under 
the  banner  that,  hanging  across  Pennsylvania 
avenue,  was  emblazoned  with  the  wonls: 
"The  only  debt  which  the  country  owes  that 
she  cannot  pay  is  the  debt  that  she  owes  to 
her  soldiers."  Jlr.  Smith  was  one  of  the 
twenty  of  his  company  that  placed  the  col- 
ors on  the  state  hoiise  of  South  Carolina  at 
the  surrender  of  Raleigh.  Throughout  his 
connection  with  the  army  lie  was  with  his 
company  on  active  duty  and  made  a  most 
creditable    military    record. 

When  the  war  was  over  he  went  to  Kan- 
sas, where  he  resided  until  1893.  engaged 
in  farming  and  carpentering*.  He  next  lo- 
cated in  Oklahoma  and  in  the  rush  there  se- 
cured a  town  lot  at  Pawnee  and  helped  build 
that  city.  In  1900  he  went  from  Oklahoma 
to  Colorado.  Avhere  he  worked  as  a  laborer 
and  as  a  contractor   for  the  construction  of 


electric  light  and  telephone  lines.  In  the 
winter  of  1907  ho  came  to  Klamath  county, 
Oregon,  and  purchased  one  hundred  aiid 
twenty  acres  of  land  five  miles  south  of  Kla- 
inatli  Falls.  He  is  devoting  his  energies  to 
the  development  of  his  place  and  has  already 
set   out   an   orchard   of   five   hundred   trees. 

^Ir.  Smith  was  marrie<l  in  Iowa,  in  the  fall 
of  1801.  to  Miss  Malinda  Arasmith.  who  was 
born  in  that  state  and  passed  away  in 
Adams,  Colorado,  in  1901.  Unto  this  union 
were  born  seven  children  but  two  passed 
away  in  infancy.  Another.  Libby.  died  at 
the  age  of  six  years,  while  the"  siu-viving 
members  arc:  Sherman,  a  resident  of  Straw- 
berry valley.  Utah;  Lilly,  the  wife  of  E.  S. 
Barnes,  of  Merrill,  Klan"iath  county;  B.  H.. 
living  in  Calida.  Colorado;  and  Jolin"C..  whose 
home  is  near  Mexico  City,  Mexico.  Mr.  Smith 
has  been  a  lifelong  republican.  He  voted 
twice  for  Lincoln  for  the  presidency  but  has 
never  sought  oflice  for  himself.  He  was,  how- 
ever, street  commissioner  at  Fort  Scott.  Kan- 
sas. Fraternally  he  is  connected  -with  the 
tirand  Army  of  the  Re])ublic  and  with 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  In  the 
former  connection  he  keeps  in  close  touch 
with  his  old  army  comrades  and  throughout 
his  life  in  matters  of  citizenship  he  manifests 
the  same  loyalty  to  his  country  that  he  dis- 
played when  he  followed  the  old  flag  on  south- 
ern  battlefields. 

DR.  HENRY  0.  WILLIAMS,  who  retired 
from  the  active  practice  of  his  profession  in 
1899.  wlien  lie  removed  to  his  seven  hundred 
and  fifty  acre  ranch  in  Josephine  county,  was 
for  many  years  a  successful  physician  of 
Washington,  where  he  lived  from  1879  to 
1899.  He  was  born  in  Kentucky,  February 
33,  1851,  a  son  of  Isador  and  Velina  A. 
(Stearns)  Williams,  the  father  a  native  of 
Ohio  and  the  mother  of  Vermont.  The  par- 
ents crossed  the  ]ilains  in  IS.^."!  with  ox  teams 
to  Oregon  and  settled  in  Jackson  county, 
where  the  father  took  up  a  donation  claim, 
residing  upon  it  until  1859.  He  then  removed 
to  Fast  Portland  and  later  settled  in  Idaho. 
After  remaining  in  that  state  for  a  time  he 
returned  to  Oregon  where  both  ])arents 
passed  awjiy.  In  their  family  w<'re  five 
children,  two  of  whom   survive. 

Dr.  Henry  0.  Williams  started  out  in  active 
life  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years,  first  being 
employed  at  riding  the  range.  He  had  ac- 
quired, however,  a  good  academic  education 
and  during  his  spare  time  studied,  with  the 
result  that  in  early  manhood  he  was  com- 
petent to  act  as  a  public  instructor,  and,  tak- 
ing up  teaching,  continued  in  that  profession 
for  about  eight  years.  He  then  took  a  course 
in  the  medical  department  of  Willamette 
University  and  in  1879  commenced  practicing 
his  profession,  remaining  thus  employed  for 
twenty  years.  In  1889  he  purchased  the 
ranch  upon  which  he  ia  living  and  in  1899 
took  up  his  residence  there,  having  since 
made  it  his  home.  It  is  a  splendid  agricul- 
tural ]iroperty  of  .seven  hundred  ami  lift.v 
acres,  a  large  portion  of  which  is  under  cul- 
tivation. He  engages  successfully  in  general 
farming. 


448 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTOEY  OF  OREGON 


Dr.  Williams  was  married  in  1S88  to  Miss 
Elizabeth  Major,  a  native  of  Ohio  and  a 
daughter  of  Joseph  A.  and  Sarah  J.  (Cooper) 
Jlajor,  both  natives  of  that  state,  where  they 
passed  their  entire  lives.  To  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Williams  have  been  born  five  children,  Percy 
A.,  Inez  A.,  .Jacques  0.,  Jean  E.  and  Nina. 
Dr.  Williams  is  a  republican  and,  being  prom- 
inent is  serving  as  a  central  committeeman 
of  his  precinct.  Mrs.  AYilliams  is  an  active 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  giving 
material  aid  to  that  organization  and  also 
assisting  by  her  influence  to  make  it  effective 
for  good  in  the  community.  Dr.  Williams  is 
one  of  the  well  known,  highly  respected  and 
valuable  men  of  his  section  of  the  state,  where 
he  has  led  an  active  life  for  many  years. 

PETER  W.  CARIS,  born  in  France,  left  his 
native  land  with  his  parents  when  a  small 
boy  and  emigrated  to  the  new  world,  land- 
ing in  New  York.  He  went  to  Ohio,  taught 
school  for  some  years,  and  settled  in  .Jackson 
county.  Oregon,  in  1S65.  He  located  near 
Murphy  where  he  bought  a  farm  which  he 
has  improved  and  has  since  lived  upon,  being 
now  a  well  known  and  respected  citizen  of 
the  community  where  he  has  lived  for  nearly 
fifty  years.  He  was  born  in  France,  .January 
6.  is42,  a  son  of  Peter  and  Mary  (Styard) 
Caris,  both  natives  of  that  country.  Tlie  fam- 
ily becoming  convinced  that  the  new  world 
offered  superior  advantages  to  those  held 
out  by  the  old  country,  embarked  for  Amer- 
ica when  the  subject  of  this  review  was  a 
small  boy.  Landing  in  New  York  they  went 
to  Ohio  and  lived  in  that  state  until  their 
deaths. 

Receiving  a  good  common-school  education 
and  later  supplementing  that  with  a  course 
in  tlie  Vermilion  Institute  in  Ohio,  Peter  W. 
Caris  began  teaching  school  after  attaining 
his  twenty-first  year  which  was  subsequent 
to  the  death  of  his  parents.  His  first  work 
as  an  educator  was  in  Ohio,  where  he  taught 
for  a  considerable  period,  and  later  he  fol- 
lowed that  profession  in  Oregon,  whither  he 
came  in  1865.  At  an  early  date  he  bought  a 
farm  comprising  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres, 
near  ilurphy  which  is  the  home  farm  and 
eighty  acres  in  .Josephine  county.  He  made 
some  necessary  improvements,  cultivated  it 
and  has  made  it  his  home  since.  Peter  W. 
Caris  enlisted  for  service  in  the  Civil  war  and 
for  two  years  followed  the  Union  flag  with 
Company"  G,  Twenty-first  Ohio  Infantry  Regi- 
ment. 

ilr.  Caris  was  married  in  ISOS  to  Miss  Ap- 
plegate  and  to  their  tmion  were  born  five  chil- 
dren, of  whom  three  are  living.  Alice.  Rol- 
ston  and  Eugene.  Olive  passed  away  in  1869. 
and  Fanny  in  1870.  Mr.  Caris  is  a  republican 
and  although  not  active  in  politics  gives 
commendable  attention  to  ptiblie  questions. 
Having  lived  in  Oregon  for  nearly  half  a  cen- 
tury he  has  witnessed  the  marvelous  develop- 
ment of  this  state,  has  seen  it  wrested  from 
the  grasp  of  the  wilderness  and  made  to  blos- 
som as  the  rose  of  Sharon.  Being  by  incli- 
nation a  literary  man  he  has  not  followed  the 
strenuous  farm  life  to  the  same  extent  which 
has    characterized    so    manv    westerners   but 


he  has  developed  a  valuable  piece  of  agricul- 
tural property.  He  is  widely  known  in  his 
community  where  he  is  held  in  high  esteem 
by  his  large  number  of  friends  and  acquaint- 
ances and  is  greatly  respected  by  all  who 
know  him. 

CHARLES  A.  METLIN  is  one  of  the  ener- 
getic and  enterprising  business  men  of  Marsh- 
tield  where  he  is  engaged  in  the  successful 
conduct  of  one  of  Marshlield's  well  appointed 
hotels.  He  was  born  in  Summit  county 
Ohio,  in  1858,  and  he  is  a  son  of  James  A. 
and  Julia  (Wise)  Metlin,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  Pennsylvania.  As  young  people 
they  emigrated  to  Ohio  and  in  that  state 
celebrated  their  wedding,  and  there  the 
motlier  passed  away  in  1860,  when  the 
subject  of  this  review  was  a  child  of  two 
years  of  age.  To  Jlr.  and  Mrs.  .James  A. 
iletlin  eight  children  were  born,  of  whom  two 
only  are  living:  Thomas  F.  of  Tallmadge, 
Ohio,  and  Charles  A.,  the  subject  of  this  re- 
view. Four  members  of  the  family  died  in 
Ohio,  and  one  sister  in  Kansas  and  another  in 
Coquille,  Oregon.  In  1874  the  father  emi- 
grated to  California  and  there  settled  on  one 
liundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  in  Butte 
county  where  he  continued  to  live  for  five 
years.  He  then  disposed  of  that  property 
and  moved  to  Oregon,  settling  in  Polk  county 
where  he  was  engaged  in  farming  for  five 
years  after  which  he  removed  to  Coos  county 
and  settled  on  a  rented  farm  near  Fairview-. 
He  later  filed  upon  a  homestead  of  timber 
land  and  some  time  later  removed  to  Cunning- 
ham creek  near  Coquille  where  he  continued 
to  live  until  the  time  of  his  death  which  oc- 
curred in  1897.  He  was  twice  married,  his 
second  wife  passing  to  her  reward  in  1907. 

Charles  A.  Metlin  was  reared  at  home  and 
received  his  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  Ohio.  In  1874  he  emigrated  with  his  fa- 
ther to  California  and  later  settled  in  Polk 
county  near  Salem,  at  which  place  he  was 
jointly  engaged  with  his  father  in  agricultural 
pursuits  for  five  years.  He  then  moved  to 
Coos  county,  settling  near  Fairview  on  a 
rented  farm  and  while  engaged  in  the  opera- 
tion of  that  property  he  took  up  a  homestead 
and  also  a  timber  claim  upon  which  at  dif- 
ferent times  he  was  engaged  in  the  develop- 
ment of  his  homestead  for  a  number  of  years 
and  in  1887  he  secured  a  contract  from  the 
government  for  four  years  to  deliver  the 
United  States  mail  in  the  district  in  which  he 
lived.  At  the  end  of  the  four  years  above 
cited  he  removed  to  Coos  bay  and  tliere  for 
three  years  was  engaged  in  the  livery  busi- 
ness, after  which  time  he  established  an  ex- 
press btisiness  in  Marshfield  to  which  he  gave 
his  attention  for  one  year  and  then  sold  out 
his  interest  there  and  moved  to  Empire  city 
where  he  opened  a  livery  btisiness,  sectiring 
at  the  same  time  a  contract  from  the  govern- 
ment for  the  delivery  of  United  States  mail 
in  that  portion  of  the  county.  He  continued 
in  that  business  fpr  seven  years  after  which 
he  returned  to  ;Marshfield  and  there  was  en- 
gaged in  mining  in  the  Graham  Coal  Mine,  of 
which  he  was  the  outside  superintendent  for 
two  and  one-half  years.     He  then  accepted  a 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


449 


position  in  the  Jlarsliliuld  Water  Company  to 
wliicli  he  devoted  liimself  for  one  year.  At 
the  expiration  of  that  time  he  was  engaged 
in  various  business  enterprises  for  a  number 
of  years.  In  1910  he  purchased  the  Coos  Ho- 
tel of  Marshlield,  and  as  proprietor  of  this 
hotel  has  since  given  his  attention  to  its 
operation.  He  is  the  owner  of  a  very  fine 
home  in  Marshlield  and  also  owns  property 
near  North  Bend,  Oregon.  He  also  is  the 
owner  of  valuable  property  in  Richmond, 
California.  He  has  some  time  since  disposed 
of  his  timber  land. 

Mr.  Metlin  was  united  in  marriage  in  1891, 
to  Miss  Margaret  McKnight,  a  native  of  Doug- 
las county,  Oregon,  where  her  birth  occurred 
in  1864.  She  is  the  daughter  of  William  and 
Mary  (Wright)  McKnight,  of  whom  a  more 
extended  review  is  given  in  another  part  of 
this  work.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Metlin  two  chil- 
dren have  been  born:  Elton  C,  born  April  11, 
1S93,  who  has  completed  his  education  and 
resides  at  home;  and  Mary  M.,  who  was  born 
in  1900  and  is  a  pupil  in  the  public  school. 
Mr.  Sletlin  is  a  loyal  adherent  of  the  demo- 
cratic party,  but  has  never  been  a  candidate 
for  public  office.  He  and  his  children  are 
members  of  the  Christian  church  and  Jlrs. 
Metlin  is  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  church. 

Charles  A.  Metlin  is  one  of  the  highly  re- 
spected and  useful  citizens  of  Coos  county. 
His  integrity  of  character  is  one  of  the  moral 
forces  whicii  is  always  exerted  to  advance 
and  improve  the  condition  of  the  people  in 
liis  county  and  state. 

JAMES  C.  HERVEY,  the  owner  of  an  ex. 
cellent  ranch  comprising  one  hundred  and 
fifty-six  acres  in  Coos  county,  has  been  ex- 
tensively engaged  in  dairying  since  1906  and 
prior  to  that  time  devoted  his  attention  prin- 
cipally to  the  raising  of  grain.  His  birth  oc- 
curred in  Greene  county.  Tennessee,  on  the 
12th  of  January.  1847.  his  parents  being 
Thomas  and  Catherine  (Weras)  Hervey.  who 
Were  natives  of  South  Carolina  and  Tennes- 
see, respectively.  The  father,  an  agricultur- 
ist by  occupation,  removed  from  the  Big  Bend 
state  to  Missouri  and  in  1864  crossed  the 
plains  to  Oregon  with  ox  teams,  locating  first 
-near  Albany,  where  he  lived  on  rented  land 
for  one  year.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period 
he  took  up  his  abode  in  Douglas  county,  where 
his  W'ife  passed  away  and  tlie  family  circle 
was  broken,  the  sons  starting  out  in  life  for 
tliemselves.  Thomas  Hervey  operated  a  rented 
farm  in  Douglas  county  for  one  year.  His 
demise  occurred  at  the  home  of  his  son. 
Thomas  W.,  when  lie  had  attained  the  age 
of  eighty-four  years.  Unto  him  and  his  wife 
were  born  nine  children,  as  follows:  .Tames 
C.  of  this  review;  two  who  died  in  infancy; 
William  and  .Tohn  R..  both  of  whom  are  de- 
ceased: Thomas  W..  who  is  a  farmer  residing 
near  Roseburg.  Douglas  county.  Oregon; 
Abraham,  an  agriculturist  of  .Josephine 
county,  this  state;  Temperance,  the  widow 
of  John  B.  Morgan,  and  a  resident  of  the 
state  of  Washington;  and  Mary,  who  is  the 
widow  of  Oottlieb  Mehl  and  makes  her  home 
at    Coquille.    Oregon. 


James  C.  Hervey  assisted  his  father  in  the 
operation  of  the  home  farm  until  twenty- 
two  years  of  age,  when  his  mother  died  and 
he  left  the  parental  roof,  taking  charge  of  a 
large  ranch  on  a  salary.  He  worked  for  dif- 
ferent people  at  various  occupations  for 
several  years.  In  1873  he  came  to  Coos 
county  and  took  up  a  preemption  and  home- 
stead claim  at  what  is  now  Bridge,  Oregon, 
residing  there  for  twelve  years,  during  which 
time  he  was  married  and  his  children  were 
born.  In  1886  he  removed  to  Coquille,  Ore- 
gon, but  at  the  end  of  a  year  came  to  his 
present  homestead  of  one  hundred  and  fifty- 
six  acres.  Though  the  lan<l  was  practicaliy 
covered  with  timber  at  the  time  it  came  into 
his  possession,  sixty  acres  thereof  are  now 
under  cultivation.  Mr.  Hervey  and  his  sons 
d\ig  out  the  stumps  and  cleared  tlie  land,  and 
the  ranch  is  now  one  of  the  finest  in  the  lo- 
cality, the  improvements  thereon  including 
a  commodious  and  attractive  residence  and 
substantial  barns.  The  place  was  devoted 
principally  to  the  raising  of  grain  until  1906. 
when  Mr.  Hervey  and  his  sons  turned  their 
attention  to  dairying  and  have  since  been 
engaged  in  this  business  on  an  extensive 
scale.  He  formerly  raised  hogs  and  cattle 
for  the  market  and  for  three  years  was  en- 
gaged in  the  logging  business,  having  ])ur- 
chascd  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  timber 
land,  of  which  he  still  owns  eighty  acres.  His 
undertakings  have  been  attended  with  suc- 
cess and  he  lias  long  been  numbered  among 
the  substantial  and  representative  citizens 
of  his  county. 

On  the  20th  of  December.  1876,  at  Rural, 
Oregon,  5Ir.  Hervey  was  united  in  marriage 
to  JNIiss  Martha  Hayes,  a  native  of  Tennessee, 
and  a  daughter  of  ,Iohn  an<l  Susan  (Wag- 
ner) Haves.  The  former  passed  away  on 
the  10th"  of  June.  1905.  but  the  latter'  still 
survives  and  makes  her  home  at  Rural,  tliis 
state.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hayes  were  the  parents 
of  fifteen  children,  of  whom  ten  survive.  The 
family  record  is  as  follows:  James,  Henry, 
.loseph  M.,  John,  Jacob  and  Thomas,  all  re- 
siding in  Coos  county;  Peter  W„  who  owns 
one  luindred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  near 
Rural.  Oregon,  his  mother  living  with  him; 
:\Iartha.  the  deceased  wife  of  our  subject; 
DdIIv,  the  deceased  wife  of  Calvin  Oant.  of 
l!ural:  Julia,  the  wife  of  Benjamin  Gant,  of 
Gravel  Ford,  Oregon;  Lura.  the  wife  of  Cal- 
vin Gant;  Mary,  the  wife  of  Leonard 
Hartly,  of  Coos  county;  Eva,  deceased;  one 
who  died  in  infancy;  and  Margaret,  who 
passed  away  in  Tennessee. 

Mr.  and  ifrs.  Hervey  became  the  parents 
of  three  children.  Lafayette,  who  was  born 
on  the  10th  of  September.  1S77.  obtained  his 
early  education  in  the  district  schools  of  Coos 
county  and  was  later  graduated  from  a  busi- 
ness college  in  San  Francisco.  He  is  now  liv- 
ing near  Doyle.  California,  where  he  has  taken 
up  a  homestead  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres.  AVillinm  IT.,  whose  birth  occurred  on 
the  20th  of  May.  1881.  acquired  his  educa- 
tion in  the  district  schools  of  Coos  county 
and  in  the  high  school  at  Gravel  Ford.  Ore- 
gon.    He  wedded  Miss  Mary  Hall,  a  native  of 


ir.o 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


Coos  county.  Oregon,  and  a  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam S.  Hall,  of  Gravel  Ford,  this  state,  ilrs. 
Mar}'  Hervey  is  one  of  seven  children,  the 
others  being  as  follows:  Annie,  the  wife  of 
Uiley  ilatheny,  of  Willamette  Valley,  Ore- 
gon-" Bertha,  who  is  the  wife  of  F.  L.  ilinard. 
of  Arago,  this  state;  James,  of  Gravel  Ford, 
Oregon;  Lula,  the  wife  of  George  Morehouse, 
of  Gravel  Ford;  Thomas,  who  is  still  at  home 
with  his  parents;  and  Amanda,  the  wife  of 
Thomas  Weekly,  of  Gravel  Ford.  ilr.  and 
Mrs.  William  11.  Hervey  have  two  children. 
Ovid  and  Bvron.  .James  H.  Hervey,  whose 
birth  occurred  on  the  16th  of  October,  1883, 
was  educated  in  the  district  schools.  Gravel 
Ford  Academy  and  the  Coquille  high  school. 
He  is  still  single  and  lives  with  his  father. 
The  wife  and  mother  passed  away  on  the 
30th  of  August,  1911,  and  is  buried  in  the 
cemetery  at  Norway,  Oregon,  by  the  side  of 
her  father.  John  Hayes. 

In  his  political  views  James  C.  Hervey  is 
liberal,  supporting  men  and  measures  rather 
than  party  and  ever  placing  patriotism  above 
partisanship.  The  honors  and  emoluments  of 
office  have  never  had  any  attraction  for  him, 
as  his  time  has  been  fully  occupied  in  the 
conduct  of  his  private  business  interests.  His 
Christianity  is  not  restricted  by  sect  or  creed 
and  in  his  daily  life  he  endeavors  to  heed  the 
admonition  of  the  Golden  Rule.  He  was  for- 
merly identified  with  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows  and  at  present  is  identified 
with  the  Farmers  Union.  The  period  of  his 
residence  in  the  Sunset  state  covers  almost 
a  half  century  and  he  is  therefore  largely  fa- 
miliar with  its  annals  from  pioneer  times 
down  to  the  present. 

WILLIAM  T.  MILLER,  who  at  the  time  of 
his  retirement  from  active  life  had  attained 
an  enviable  position  in  agricultural  circles 
of  Coos  county.  Oregon,  by  reason  of  his  long 
continued  and  intelligent  activity  is  the  owner 
of  a  large  and  efficiently  managed  farm,  was 
born  in  Cole  county,  Missouri,  on  June  8, 
1839.  He  is  a  son  of  Madison  and  Mary 
(Hunter)  Miller,  natives  of  Tennessee.  The 
parents  were  married  in  ilissouri  and  resided 
in  that  state  for  a  number  of  years.  In  1853 
the  father  went  to  California  and  never  re- 
turned. The  mother  remained  in  Missouri 
until  18T3.  when  she  came  to  Oregon,  land- 
ing in  Jackson  county  in  October  of  that 
year.  She  married  her  second  husband  in  this 
state  and  subseq^uently  went  to  Kentucky 
for  a  visit  and  died  while  there.  Her  husband 
returned  to  Eugene.  Oregon,  where  some  time 
afterward  his  death  occurred.  William  T. 
:\Iiller  is  the  eldest  of  four  children  born  to 
his  parents,  the  others  being:  Joseph,  who 
died  while  he  was  serving  in  the  army;  F.  M.. 
of  Fishtrap  Creek,  Oregon;  and  Eliza,  who  is 
deceased. 

William  T.  Jliller  received  his  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  Missouri  but  his  advan- 
tages in  this  respect  were  extremely  limited, 
owing  to  the  inadequate  school  conditions. 
He  remained  at  home  until  1803.  in  which 
year  he  enlisted  in  Company  E.  Fifth  Mis- 
souri Cavalry,  under  Colonel  Albert  Sigel. 
and  remained  as  a  member  of  this  regiment 
until   the  end  of  the  war.     He  received  his 


discharge  on  April  G.  lS(i5.  He  was  present 
at  various  important  engagements  and  was 
never  wounded  but  his  health  was  entirely 
broken  down  when  he  returned  home.  Fol- 
lowing his  discharge  he  engaged  in  carpenter 
ing  and  contracting  and  also  did  geneial  farm- 
ing in  Missouri  until  1871,  when  he  came  to 
Oregon  and  settled  in  Jackson  county.  In 
1873  he  took  up  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  land  six  miles  above  Coquille  on  Fishtrap 
creek,  in  Coos  county,  and  for  thirty-seven 
years  developed  and  improved  his  property. 
He  carried  on  agriculture  along  the  most 
modern  and  progressive  lines,  constantl}'  add- 
ing to  his  holdings  until  at  the  time  of  his 
retirement  he  was  the  owner  of  four  hun- 
dred and  forty  acres  of  fertile  and  productive 
land.  His  activity  in  this  regard  entitled 
him  to  be  numbered  among  the  citizens  whose 
caieers  have  influenced  the  development  of 
the  county  and  state.  Mr.  Miller  is  now 
living  in  Bandon.  Oregon,  where  he  has  be- 
come extensively  interested  in  real  estate 
He  has  abandoned  farming  and  gives  his  en- 
tire attention  to  the  management  of  the 
business  connected  with  his  seventeen  town 
lots.  Ho  owns  a  beautiful  and  comfortable 
home  in  Bandon  and  has  many  friends  in 
this  city. 

In  September.  1871.  Mr.  Miller  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Orvilla  Robison,  who 
was  born  in  Missouri,  August  10,  1841.  a 
daughter  of  S.  L.  and  Lucina  (Lampsoni 
Robison.  more  extended  mention  of  whom 
is  made  on  another  page  of  this  work.  Unto 
Jlr.  and  ilrs.  Miller  have  been  born  five  chil- 
dren: Wirt,  who  passed  away  at  the  age 
of  twenty-seven  years;  Mary,  who  was  the 
wife  of  Clarence  Edmunds  and  who  died  at 
the  age  of  thirty-two  years,  leaving  two  sons. 
Arthur  and  Rollin;  George  G..  who  lives  in 
Curry  county  and  who  married  Miss  Cora 
Ransier.  by  whom  he  has  three  children,  Wil- 
liam Loreii.  Harley  and  Arvilla;  Orvis  Nile, 
who  resides  on  Fishtrap  creek  and  who  is 
married  to  Effie  Hammock  and  has  two 
sons.  Wallace  Tyrrell  and  Orvis;  and  Mar- 
tha, the  wife  of  Albert  Paull.  of  Bandon,  by 
whom  she  has  two  children.  Alden  A.  and 
Lyle.  ilrs.  Miller  passed  away  on  ilarch  3. 
1901.  anil  is  buried  in  the  family  lot  in  the 
cemetery  at  Fishtrap.  ilr.  ililler  athliate.- 
Avith  the  Brethren  church  and  is  well  known 
in  Bandon  as  a  man  of  exemplary  character. 
During  his  career  as  an  agriculturist  lie  was 
numbered  among  the  farmers  who  infiuenced 
to  a  large  extent  the  growth  of  the  state  of 
Oregon  by  cidtivating  the  soil  with  an  intelli- 
gent efficiency  which  is  the  basis  of  success. 
He  is  highly  esteemed  by  his  fellow  citizens 
and  enjoys  "the  respect  of  his  many  friends 
for  his  well  deserved  success,  so  honoralily 
attained. 

CHARLES  D.  SEXTON.  There  are  many 
valued  natives  of  Oregon  for  whom  the 
natural  advantages  of  this  state  have  such 
charm  that  although  they  have  reached  ma- 
ture age  their  homes  have  always  been  here. 
As  an  example  Charles  D.  Sexton,  who  resides 
on  a  finely  improved  farm  of  four  hundred 
acres  in  tiie  Rogue  river  valley,  near  Hugo. 


b 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


453 


Joscpliiiio  cuiiiity.  may  be  cited.  Hi'  -was  boru 
on  the  farm  on  which  he  resides,  September 
27,  1S59.  a  son  of  David  H.  and  Caroline 
iStumbo)  Niday  Sexton,  natives  of  New 
York  and  Iowa  respectively.  The  father 
crossed  the  plains  in  1847,  with  ox  teams,  and 
settled  in  Portland  when  there  was  bnt  one 
log  honse  on  the  present  site  of  that  popu- 
lous city.  In  the  spring  of  1S50  he  removed 
to  California  and  after  remaining  there  one 
year  returned  to  Oregon  and  settled  in 
Josephine  county,  where  until  1853  he  fol- 
lowed mining.  He  took  part  in  the  Indian 
wars  in  1853,  1855  and  1856  as  a  volunteer. 
lie  was  married  in  1850  to  Mrs.  Caroline 
Xiday,  the  widow  of  Hiram  Niday,  who  was 
then  residing  on  the  old  donation  claim  taken 
up  by  Jlr.  Niday  in  1854,  a  property  which 
comprises  three  hundred  and  twenty-seven 
acres  and  is  now  owned  by  the  .subject  of  this 
review.  On  this  farm.  David  li.  Sexton 
l)assed  away  on  the  3d  of  February,  1906,  at 
the  age  of  eighty  years,  the  mother  surviving 
him  until  May  20.  1910.  when  she  had  reached 
the  age  of  eighty-five  years. 

Charles  D.  Sexton,  an  only  child,  remained 
with  liis  parents  until  their  death,  receiving 
a  good  common-school  education,  and  a  col- 
lege course.  He  has  since  made  his  home  on 
the  old  homestead  and  now  owns  four  hun- 
dred acres  of  fine  land  situated  in  the  lower 
Rogue  river  valley. 

Mr.  .Sexton  was  married  in  1SS4  to  Jliss 
Mary  Adams,  of  Salem,  Oregon,  and  to  tliem 
were  born  tAvo  children:  Frank  H..  born  De- 
cember 10.  1885.  on  the  homestead;  and  Ada 
T.,  born  JIarch  2.  1890.  who  is  the  wife  of 
.1.  D.  Everton,  of  Grants  Pass.  Mrs.  Sexton 
died  in  1893  and  in  1897  Mr.  Sexton  was 
again  married,  his  second  union  being  with 
Miss  Tarris  Drayer.  a  native  of  Nevada. 
To  this  union  two  children  were  born:  Dia- 
dama  T..  whose  birth  occurred  August  15, 
1898;  and  Fred  Fay.  born  Jlay  4.  1900.  Mr. 
Sexton  is  a  democrat  and  has  served  as  school 
director  and  road  sni)ervisor.  He  is  at  pres- 
ent master  of  the  Grange  in  his  locality,  an 
organization  in  which  ho  takes  an  active  in- 
terest. He  is  one  of  the  public-s]iirited  citi- 
zens of  .Josephine  county,  taking  a  lively  in- 
terest in  public  affairs,  and  lending  his  aid 
and  influence  to  the  furtherance  of  those  pro- 
jects which  in  his  opinion  are  likely  to  prove 
of  benefit  to  the  community,  lie  is  a  capable 
business  man.  honorable  in  all  his  dealings, 
and  has  tlie  ri'spect  and  esteem  of  a  laige 
number  of  ])eo])le  in  Die  county  and  elsewhere 
A\  ith  whom  he  i>  ac<|uainl<'(l. 

W.  B.  CURTIS  is  the  jiopular  postmaster 
of  Marsliliclil.  this  state.  His  birth  occurred 
at  Searsport.  Maine,  on  the  19th  of  August. 
1853.  his  parents  beiiiir  Samuel  and  Kliz;i  .lane 
fGriffin)  (  nrtis.  the  former  a  native  of  Leeds. 
Maine,  and  the  latter  of  Stockton,  that  state. 
Samuel  Curtis  was  a  sailor  by  occupation 
and  for  many  years  before  his  retirement  was 
a  licensed  sea  captain.  They  were  the  par- 
ents of  ten  children,  as  follows:  Sirs.  KUa 
Nickels  of  Maine:  Henry  G..  who  is  likewise 
a  resident  of  that  state:  W.  I'...  of  this  re- 
view;   Everett    P>..   of   Slvrtlc    I'oiiit.   Oregon: 


Clifton,  a  sea  captain  who  resides  at  .San 
Francisco;  Lida  J.,  of  Maine;  and  Benjamin 
F..  Lizzie.  Samuel,  (irst  of  the  name,  and 
Samuel  second,  all  of  whom  are  deceased. 
Sanuicl  Curtis,  the  father  of  this  family, 
passed  away  at  the  age  of  fifty-six  years, 
while  the  nu)ther  lived  to  attain"  the  age  of 
seventy-four. 

W.  B.  Curtis  was  reared  at  home  and  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools  of  Maine,  later 
completing  his  education  at  Bucksport  Semi- 
nary, after  which  he  was  engaged  in  teaching 
for  one  year  and  then  at  the  age  of  eighteen 
lie  shipped  as  ordinary  seaman  and  followed 
the  life  of  a  sailor  for  four  years,  retiring 
from  that  occupation  at  the  end  of  that 
period  holding  the  position  of  first  mate  in 
the  service.  In  ]S75  lie  removed  to  California 
and  settled  in  Solano  county,  where  for  one 
year  he  was  engaged  in  farming.  He  then 
removed  to  this  state  and  located  on  the 
St-uslaw  river  at  a  point  near  the  present 
site  of  Florence.  Here  he  remained  for  two 
years  and  then  removed  to  Coos  bay,  where 
lie  was  engaged  in  work  on  a  ranch  located 
on  the  Coos  river.  He  tlien  obtained  the  posi- 
tion of  clerk  in  the  Hotel  Blanco  at  Marsh- 
lield.  in  which  occupation  he  continued  for 
seventeen  years.  In  1898  he  received  the  ap- 
pointment as  postmaster  of  Mar.shfield  and 
to  that  office  has  since  continued  to  devote 
his  attention.  He  is  the  owner  of  a  beauti- 
ful residence  property  in  MarshlieM  in  which 
he   resides. 

In  1880  Mr.  Curtis  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Rosetta  Hirst,  a  native  of  Oregon  and 
a  daughter  of  William  and  JIary  Ann  Hirst, 
who  were  jiioneers  of  Oregon  and  are  now 
both  deceased.  Mrs.  Curtis  is  one  of  the  six 
living  members  of  her  father's  family,  the 
otiiers  being:  Mrs.  Emma  Naslmrg,  of  Marsh- 
field,  Oregon;  Mrs.  Mary  Cody,  of  San  Fran- 
cisco. California;  .Tohn  W..  who  is  a  resident 
of  Sunnyvale.  California;  Mrs.  .-Mice  Richard- 
son, of  Fresno.  California;  and  J.  B.  Davis, 
a  half-brother  of  Mrs.  Curtis,  who  resides  at 
:\Iarslil),  Id.  Oregon.  To  Mr.  and  Airs.  Curtis 
Iciiir  cliildien  were  born:  Edward  N..  who 
jiassed  away  in  childhood:  William  B.,  .Tr.. 
who  was  born  in  1890.  was  educate<l  in  the 
jiublic  schools  of  this  state,  later  completed 
a  college  education  and  is  at  home:  Alice  E.. 
who  was  born  in  1891.  is  a  graduate  of  the 
liigli  school  who  resides  with  her  parents; 
and  Frank,  born  in  1896.  a  pupil  of  the  pub- 
lic school. 

Mr.  Curtis  is  a  member  of  the  repviblioan 
jiarty  ami  has  served  as  councilman  in  the 
lity  of  JIarshfield.  He  and  his  family  are 
afiiliated  with  the  Episcopal  cliurcli.  Fra- 
ternally he  is  identified  with  the  Masons. 
till'  Independent  Oiiler  of  Odd  Fellows,  the 
Knii;hts  of  Pythias  and  the  .\ncient  Order  of 
Inited  Workmen,  all  of  Marshfielil.  and  in 
the  local  organizations  of  the  three  Inst 
named  orders  has  filled  nil  of  the  chairs. 
\V.  B.  Curtis  is  recognized  as  one  of  the 
foremost  and  useful  citizens  of  Mnrshfield. 
where  he  has  for  many  years  served  ns  the 
cllicient  and  popular  postmaster.  Ho  is  a  man 
of  recognized  integrity  in  all  business  trans- 
ai'tions    nnd    his    inlluence    for    good    in    the 


4r.4 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OP  OREGON 


social  and  religious  life  of  the  community  is 
one  of  his  marked  characteristics.  He  is  well 
known  throughout  Coos  county  as  one  of  the 
most  influential  men  in  this  section  of  the 
state  of  Oregon. 

D.  W.  VANDERBURG  is  one  of  the  suc- 
cessful farmers  of  Lane  county,  this  state. 
His  birth  occurred  in  Dubuque  county,  Iowa 
in  1859,  his  parents  being  John  K.  and  Emily 
(Culver)  Vanderburg,  the  former  a  native  of 
Canada  and  the  latter  of  Ohio.  They  were 
united  in  marriage  in  the  state  of  Iowa,  where 
they  maintained  their  residence  until  the 
year  1864,  at  which  time  Mr.  Vanderburg  with 
his  family  crossed  the  plains  to  Oregon  and 
settled  at  ilarshfield.  Coos  county,  where  he 
purchased  a  body  of  land  on  which  he  settled 
with  his  family  and  continued  to  reside  un- 
til 1880.  He  then  moved  to  the  Siuslaw  river 
country  in  Lane  county  and  filed  upon  a  gov- 
ernment claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres, 
upon  which  he  lived  for  a  number  of  years, 
after  which  he  sold  the  property  and  lived 
a  retired  life  until  the  time  of  his  death.  His 
demise  occurred  in  ISSS.  while  his  wife  was 
called  to  her  final  rest  in  1906.  Unto  them 
were  born  ten  children,  five  of  whom  are  still 
living,  as  follows:  Winficld,  who  is  a  resident 
of  San  Francisco.  California;  Mrs.  J.  J.  Clink- 
enbeard,  of  Coos  county;  D.  W.,  of  this 
review;  Charles,  a  resident  of  Lane  county; 
and  Mrs.  Charlotte  Hawley,  who  resides  in 
Crook   county,   this   state. 

D.  W.  Vanderburg  at  the  age  of  five  years, 
in  company  with  his  parents,  crossed  the 
plains  at  the  time  of  their  emigration  to  this 
state.  He  was  reared  in  his  parents'  home 
and  received  his  early  education  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  the  district  in  which  he  lived. 
He  remained  under  the  parental  roof  until 
twenty-two  years  of  age  when  he  engaged  at 
various  occupations  until  1885.  He  filed  upon 
a  government  homestead  of  ona  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  and  in  due  time,  by  proof  of  oc- 
cupancy, received  his  title  from  the  govern- 
ment to  the  property,  after  which  he  pur- 
chased an  additional  forty  acres  and  after  a 
period  of  some  years  he  disposed  of  his  entire 
holdings  and  later  purchased  three  hundred 
and  thirty-seven  acres  five  miles  from  Flor- 
ence on  the  Siuslaw  river,  upon  which  he 
established  his  home  and  is  now  engaged  in 
dairy  farming. 

In  1S91  yir.  Vanderburg  was  married  to 
Miss  Emma  Kamowsky,  who  is  a  native  of 
Germany  and  emigrated  to  America  with  her 
parents  in  1882,  the  family  home  being  estab- 
lished on  the  Siuslaw  river  in  the  year  1885. 
She  was  reared  at  home  and  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  this  state  and  remained 
under  the  parental  roof  until  the  time  of  her 
marriage.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kamowsky  the 
following  children  were  born,  namely :  Albert, 
of  Lane  county,  Oregon:  Arnold,  who  now  re- 
sides on  the  old  homestead  in  Lane  county; 
Mrs.  Emma  Vanderburg;  and  Mrs.  Amelia 
Morris,  of  Chicago.  Both  parents  of  this 
family  have  passed  away.  To  Mr.  and  !Mrs. 
Vanderburg  five  children  have  been  born : 
Raymond,  at  home,  born  October  20.  1891: 
Ralph,    also    at    home,    born    May    23,    1893; 


Leona.  born  ilay  5,  1895;  Alice,  born  April 
23.  1898;  and  Warren,  born  .July  30,  1906. 
Leona  and  Alice  are  attending  public  school. 
The  mother  of  this  family  is  an  accomplished 
linguist,  having  a  thorough  knowledge  of 
both  the  English  and  German  languages. 

;Mr.  Vanderburg  is  affiliated  with  the  social- 
ist party  and  has  for  many  years  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  school  board  of  his  district.  1).  W. 
Vanderburg  is  one  of  the  substantial  and  use- 
ful citizens  of  Lane  county.  He  is  devoted  to 
the  interests  of  his  family  and  engaged  in 
giving  his  entire  attention  to  the  development 
and  cultivation  of  his  farm.  He  is  known 
throughout  Lane  county  as  a  man  ready  to 
give  the  benefit  of  his  influence  to  any  pub- 
lic measure  having  for  its  object  the  welfare 
of  the  people  throughout  the  county  and  the 
community  in  which  he  lives. 

W.  W.  S.  ADAMS  erected  the  first  store 
and  dwelling  in  the  town  of  Malin  and  estab- 
lished The  Pioneer  Grocery  Store  but  also 
handles  a  general  line  of  merchandise.  He 
was  born  in  Redwood  City,  California,  ^March 
16.  1862.  and  is  a  son  of  George  and  Sarah 
Ellen  Adams,  of  whom  mention  is  made  in 
connection  with  the  sketch  of  .J.  Frank 
Adams  on  another  page  of  this  work.  He  is 
the  youngest  of  three  children  and  was  reared 
by  his  parents  in  Sacramento  until  twenty 
years  of  age.  He  was  for  twenty  years  alto- 
gether in  the  employ  of  the  Southern  Pacific 
Railroad  Company,  working  for  sixteen  years 
in  the  rolling  mill  and  for  four  years  in  the 
fouiiilry.  On  coming  to  Klamath  county.  Ore- 
gon, he  Avorked  with  his  brother  -J.  Frank 
Adams  on  his  irrigation  project  and  after 
that  was  sold  to  the  United  States  govern- 
ment. W.  W.  S.  Adams  continued  with  them 
for  about  two  years.  On  the  1st  of  .July, 
1910.  he  came  to  Malin  and  erected  his  pres- 
ent store  and  dwelling,  which  was  the  first 
building  in  the  town.  Here  he  opened  a  stock 
of  groceries  and  a  general  line  of  merchandise 
and  has  since  carried  on  the  business  siiccess- 
fully.  He  was  also  appointed  the  first  post- 
master of  the  town  on  the  21st  of  September, 
1910.  and  on  the  24th  of  June,  of  the  same 
year,  was  appointed  the  first  notary.  When 
he  came  here  he  lived  in  a  tent,  which  was 
pitched  in  the  midst  of  the  sagebrush,  until 
he  could  erect  a  dwelling.  He  brought  his 
wife  and  baby  with  him  and  they  were  the 
first  settlers  on  the  town  site.  Xow  four- 
fifths  of  the  surrounding  country  is  cleared 
of  sagebrush  and  under  cultivation.  A  Bo- 
hemian colony  has  settled  here,  the  families 
just  taking  up  their  abode  in  this  district  at 
the  time  of  the  arrival  of  5Ir.  Adams.  In  ad- 
dition to  his  other  interests  he  owns  a  ranch 
two  miles  west  of  Merrill  and  his  labors  are 
contributing  largely  to  the  upbuilding  of 
this  district. 

On  the  14th  of  April.  1908.  Mr.  Adams  was 
married  to  Miss  Gladys  Ellen  Chamberlin,  a 
native  of  Oregon,  and  a  daughter  of  Mrs. 
May  E.  Barton.  Her  father  died  before  her 
birth  and  her  mother  afterward  married  again. 
Jlr.  and  Mrs.  Adams  now  have  one  child. 
Frances  Ellen,  and  they  also  lost  a  son.  George 
Chamberlin.   who   was   the   first   bov   born    in 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


455 


this  settlement  but  died  at  the  age  of  one 
month. 

Mr.  Adams  gives  his  political  allegiance  to 
the  republican  party  and  is  now  serving  as 
justice  of  the  peace.  He  was  reared  in  the 
Episcopal  church  and  while  residing  in  Sac- 
ramento he  was  active  in  fraternal  affairs 
but  is  now  concentrating  his  energies  upon 
his  business  interests  and  the  upbuilding  of 
his  district,  his  labors  proving  an  effective 
force  here  in  promoting  the  progress  of  the 
town. 

MRS.  MARY  J.  TYLER.  Among  the  prom- 
inent residents  of  the  Rogue  river  valley  may 
be  mentioned  Sirs.  Mary  J.  Tyler,  a  woman 
who  for  years  has  given  her  services  to  the 
alleviation  of  human  suffering  and  to  those 
who  require  the  aid  of  skilled  and  soothing 
hands  to  carry  them  through  the  crisis  when 
sickness  overcomes  them.  Mrs.  Tyler  resides 
in  Merlin,  .Josephine  county,  Avhere  she  owns 
several  pieces  of  property,  having  sold  her 
homestead  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres 
which  she  settled  upon  and  obtained  a  patent 
for.  many  years  ago.  She  was  born  in  Knox 
count}-.  Illinois,  a  daughter  of  Hiram  and 
Katherine  Simpkins.  both  natives  of  Penn- 
sylvania. The  familv  removed  to  Ohio  at  an 
early  date  and  later  settled  in  Knox  county. 
Illinois.  The  father  fought  in  the  Black 
Hawk  war,  rendering  valuable  service  to  the 
state  in  that  connection.  The  family  removed 
to  Josephine  county.  Oregon,  in  1872  and  there 
the  father  passed  away  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
seven  years,  while  the  mother's  death  oc- 
curred when  she  was  ninety-one  year.^  uf  age. 
They  were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  tln'ce 
of  whom  survive. 

Mrs.  Mary  J.  T.vler  received  a  ooniraou- 
school  education  and  when  the  family  had 
become  established  in  Oregon,  took  up  a  home- 
stead on  the  Rogue  river,  upon  which  she  re- 
sided until  she  obtained  a  patent  for  her  land 
from  the  government.  Comparatively  early 
in  life  she  took  up  the  profession  of  nursing 
and  in  years  past  journeyed  on  horseback  all 
over  .Josephine  county  on  her  missions  of 
mercy,  frequently  riding  as  far  as  sixty  miles 
on  horseback  to  attend  a  sick  person.  Some 
time  ago  she  dis])osed  of  her  homestead  of 
one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  and  in  1009  re- 
moved to  Jlerlin,  where  she  owns  several 
pieces   of   property. 

Mrs.  T.vler  has  four  children:  TTenry  and 
Hiram,  residents  of  California:  Catherine, 
the  wife  of  Milt  Mason;  and  A.  F..  at  home. 
!Mrs.  Tyler  is  well  known  and  favorably  re- 
garded in  .Josephine  county  and  her  services 
as  a  skilled  nurse  are  in  great  demand.  She 
is  highly  esteemed  by  a  larije  numl)er  of  per- 
sonal friends  and  is  regarded  as  one  of  the 
valuable  residents  of  the  community. 

GEORGE  W.  HEDRICK  is  prominently 
idcntilied  with  farming  in  its  modern  and 
progressive  aspects  and  in  his  operation  of 
a  fine  farm  of  five  hundred  acres  in  Douglas 
county.  Oregon,  which  he  owns  in  partner- 
ship with  his  brother-in-law,  is  doing  effective 
work  in  scientific  ;igriculture.  He  is  a  native 
son  of  Oregon  and  was  born  in  Drain.  Douglas 


county,  on  January  12.  1S59.  His  parents 
were  John  and  Louisa  (Jackson)  Hedrick.  the 
former  a  native  of  Tennessee  and  the  latter 
of  Iowa.  The  father  went  to  the  latter  state 
as  a  young  man  and  his  marriage  occurred 
there.  In  1853  he  crossed  the  plains  to  Ore- 
gon, making  the  journey  as  a  member  of  a 
wagon  train  belonging  to  Charles  Drain.  He 
spent  the  first  winter  in  Oregon  City  and  in 
the  following  year  came  to  Douglas  county, 
where  he  took  up  a  donation  claim  upon  the 
site  where  the  town  of  Drain  now  stands. 
The  Central  Oregon  Normal  School  building 
occupies  a  portion  of  his  original  holdings. 
He  was  successful  from  the  beginning  and 
subsequently  added  to  his  activities  by  farm- 
ing three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  laud 
which  he  bought  as  a  settler's  donation  claim. 
About  1864  he  traded  this  land  for  a  three 
luuidred  and  twenty  acre  tract  in  Linn 
county,  near  Lebanon,  and  to  this  he  re- 
moved and  became  active  in  its  operation  and 
successful  as  a  general  agriculturist  for  three 
years.  He  spent  one  summer  in  Jackson 
county  and  at  the  expiration  of  that  time 
returned  to  Douglas  county,  where  he  bought 
a  ranch  in  the  Hard  Scrabble  district,  where 
he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  died 
about  1904  and  was  survived  by  his  wife 
until   1909. 

George  W.  Hedrick  was  reared  at  home  and 
received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
Douglas  county.  Upon  reaching  manhood  he 
began  farming  for  himself.  He  owns  about 
five  hnndrcil  acres  of  fertile  and  ])roductive 
soil  in  Douglas  county  conjointly  with  his 
brother-in-law,  Horace  Putnam.  It  constituted 
the  original  home  of  Jlr.  Iledrick's  father- 
in-law,  Charles  F.  Putnam,  and  is  one  of 
the  finest  tracts  of  land  in  Oregon. 

In  ISSS  Sir.  Hedrick  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Susan  Putnam,  a  native  of 
Douglas  County,  where  she  was  born  ujion  the 
farm  on  wliich  she  now  resides.  Mr,  and  Mrs. 
Hedrick  have  three  children.  Maud.  Joseph 
and  Harry,  all  of  whom  live  at  home.  In  his 
|iolitiiiil  views  ilr.  Hedrick  is  a  consistent  re- 
publican and  always  votes  the  party  ticket. 
He  is  a  member  of  Drain  Camp.  Xo.  iiO.  W.  0. 
yV..  and  is  also  identified  with  the  Oregon 
State  Orange.  His  wife  is  a  devout  adherent 
of  the  Christian  church.  Mr.  Hedrick  pos- 
sesses a  keen  intelligence  which  has  directed 
all  his  labors  and  as  a  result  he  has  met  with 
unqualified  success.  He  is  distinctively  a 
representative  citizen  of  Douglas  county  and 
a  native  son  whose  re<'ord  is  a  credit  to  his 
community. 

AUGUST  A.  LISKEY  cultivates  a  ranch 
and  also  conducts  a  livery  barn  at  Midland. 
He  is  yet  a  young  man.  who  is  meeting  with 
success  in  his  undertakings.  He  was  born 
in  Berlin,  nernnmy.  August  2.  18S0.  and  is  a 
son  of  .John  and  Caroline  (Banks |  Liski'y. 
who  were  natives  of  the  fatherland.  In  ISSl 
they  crossed  the  .\tlantic  and  made  their 
way  to  Westfall.  Nebraska.  For  three  years 
they  there  resided,  after  which  they  came  to 
Swan  Lake.  Klamath  county,  Oregon  and 
i«till  live  there.  The  father  is  the  owner  of 
a    large   stock   ranch   and   runs  an   extensive 


456 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


number  of  horses  and  cattle  over  the  range. 
Unto  Mr.  and  ilrs.  Liskey  have  been  born 
eiglit  children:  Charles,  a  resident  of  Horn- 
brook.  California;  ilrs.  JIary  Thompson,  of 
Reno.  Xevada;  August  A.;  Fred,  living  in 
Jlerrill,  Oregon:  John,  Daniel  and  David,  all 
of  Swan  Lake;  and  Emma,  the  wife  of  Riley 
Wood,  of  Bonanza. 

August  A.  Liskey  was  brought  by  his  par- 
ents to  the  northwest  and  was  reared  here 
upon  the  frontier.  He  resided  at  home  until 
twenty-seven  years  of  age,  when  he  sold  his 
interest  in  the  old  home  property  to  his 
brothers  and  for  a  year  thereafter  engaged 
in  buying  cattle.  He  has  since  dealt  in  cat- 
tle and  horses.  Coming  to  Midland,  he  leased 
three  hundred  and  thirty  acres  from  Abel 
Ady.  and  also  leased  a  livery  barn.  He  now 
■conducts  both  branches  of  his  business,  buy- 
ing and  selling  horses  quite  extensively  and 
also  handling  other  stock.  He  has  learned  to 
quickly  recognize  the  good  points  of  a  horse 
and  has  thus  been  able  to  make  judicious 
purchases   and  profitable  sales. 

Mr.  Liskey  is  a  republican,  interested  in 
the  success  of  his  party  but  without  aspira- 
tion for  office.  He  holds  membership  in  the 
Baptist  church  of  Bonanza  and  is  well  known 
among  his  circle  of  friends  who  hold  him  in 
high  regard  for  an  active,  useful  and  well 
spent  life.  Whatever  success  he  has  achieved 
is  well  merited  because  it  has  been  honorably 
earned  and  his  industry  gives  good  promise 
for  the  future. 

JOHN  HENRY.  One  of  the  well  known 
residents  of  Beaverton  was  the  late  John 
Henry,  who  for  many  years  was  engaged 
in  the  cultivation  of  a  fine  tract  of  land,  a 
portion  of  which  lay  just  within  the  city 
limits.  He  was  born  in  Quebec.  Canada,  in 
1832,  and  there  he  resided  until  he  was  thir- 
teen years  of  age.  In  1845  he  came  to  the 
United  States,  locating  in  Oregon,  where  for 
fifteen  years  he  engaged  in  gold-mining  and 
prospecting.  During  that  period  he  acquired 
sufficient  ca])ital  to  enable  him  to  purchase 
a  fine  tract  of  land  containing  fifty-three 
acres,  adjoining  Beaverton  and  partly  within 
the  city  limits.  It  was  mostly  beaver  dam 
land,  very  fertile  and  most  productive,  and 
'Mr.  Henry  met  with  excellent  success  in  its 
cultivation.  During  the  long  period  of  his 
occupancy  he  wrought  many  and  extensive 
improvements  on  his  property,  bringing  the 
land  imder  high  cultivation,  continuing  its 
operation  until  his  death,  in  Marcli.  1908. 
He  was  one  of  the  progressive  and  capable 
agricultvnists  of  the  county  and  introduced 
into  this  section  of  Oregon  the  horseradish 
industry,  which  proved  to  be  a  very  lucrii- 
tive  undertaking,  and  he  was  awarded  many 
premiums  at  the  state  fairs  on  his  product. 

Mr.  Henry  was  married,  in  1877.  to  Miss 
Rose  Filbert,  whose  birth  occurred  in  Can- 
ada, on  the  29th  of  April.  1860.  her  parents 
being  Charles  and  Delia  Filbert.  She  was 
left  an  orphan  at  the  age  of  five  years  and 
thereafter  made  her  home  with  strangers, 
and  during  the  succeeding  twelve  years  lived 
in  various  portions  of  the  United  States. 
Her   first   place   of   residence    in    tliis   country 


was  in  Buffalo.  Xew  York,  and  from  there 
she  was  taken  to  Chicago,  where  she  was  liv- 
ing at  the  time  of  the  great  fire.  Her  next 
removal  brought  her  to  San  Francisco,  of 
which  city  she  was  a  resident  during  one  of 
the  severe  earthquakes  in  the  early  days. 
In  1875  she  came  to  Oregon,  locating  in 
Portland,  which  at  that  time  gave  very  lit- 
tle promise  of  its  wonderful  development 
and  present  position  of  importance  among 
the  cities  of  the  United  States.  There  she 
was  married  thirteen  months  later  to  John 
Henry  and  has  ever  since  made  her  home  in 
this  state.  She  was  one  of  five  children  born 
unto  her  parents,  but  has  never  seen  or 
heard  from  the  other  members  of  her  family 
since  she  was  taken  from  home  at  the  age 
of  five.  ilr.  and  ilrs.  Henry  were  the  par- 
ents of  two  children:  Cora  A.,  who  was 
born  on  April  17,  1881,  now  the  wife  of  J.  B. 
Wetlierill,  of  Sumpter.  Oregon:  and  Alice, 
whose  birth  occurred  on  the  29th  of  April. 
1883.  and  who  died  on  the  25th  of  March. 
1901. 

On  the  26th  of  October.  1909,  Mrs.  Henry 
was  married  to  George  Kewman.  who  was 
born  in  London.  England,  in  1855,  a  son  of 
.John  and  Annie  (Leet)  Newman,  also  na- 
tives of  England.  They  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1860.  first  locating  in  Summit 
county,  Ohio,  where  the  father  bought  a 
small  tract  of  land  that  he  operated  for  ten 
years.  Disposing  of  his  farm  at  the  end  of 
that  time  he  removed  with  his  family  to 
Polk  county,  Iowa,  where  he  bought  a  place 
that  he  operated  until  his  retirement.  He 
and  his  wife  then  went  to  Des  Moines,  where 
he']ia>sed  away  in  1S9S.  The  mother  sur- 
vived until  1907,  her  demise  occurring  in 
the  old  home  in  Des  Moines  at  the  venerable 
age  of  eighty-six  years.  Nine  children  were 
born  to  Jlr.  and  Mrs.  Newman,  the  second 
in  order  of  birth  being  the  son  George,  above 
mentioned.  The  others  are  as  follows: 
.lane,  who  is  living  in  Des  Moines:  Lillie. 
who  died  in  England  at  the  age  of  two 
years:  .lohn.  whose  birth  occiirred  in  Lock- 
port.  New  York,  now  living  in  Des  Moines; 
Edward,  who  was  born  in  Ohio,  a  resident  of 
Kansas  City.  Missoiiri:  Hannah,  also  born 
in  Ohio,  living  in  Des  Moines:  Minnie,  whose 
birth  occurred  in  Ohio,  now  living  in  Des 
Moines;  and  Arthur  and  Ollic.  both  of  whom 
were  natives  of  Polk  county,  now  deceased. 

George  Newman,  who  as  a  yovmg  lad  ac- 
companied his  parents  when  they  emigrated 
to  the  United  States,  began  his  independent 
career  at  the  age  of  twenty  years,  when  he 
married  iliss  Elizabeth  Ellen  Porter.  She 
was  a  native  of  Polk  county  and  a  daughter 
of  William  and  Elizabeth  (Stewart)  Porter, 
the  mother  a  Kentuckian  and  the  father  a 
native  of  Hlmois.  Their  marriage  occurred 
in  Indiana,  however,  and  there  they  began 
their  domestic  life ,  but  subsequently  re- 
moved to  Polk  county.  Iowa,  where  the  fa- 
ther acquired  some  government  land.  He 
proved  u]>  fin  his  homestead  and  there  he  and 
ills  wife  continued  to  live  until  their  death. 
All  of  the  liardships  and  privations  that  de- 
volved upon  Iowa's  lirst  ])ioneers  were  en- 
ilurcd    liv    Iliem.     .Mr.    Porter   broke    the    land 


PUBLIC 


MTOP 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OP  OREGON 


461 


on  his  homestead  with  a  wooden  plow  and 
a  team  of  oxen,  while  all  of  the  implements 
with  which  he  worked  during  those  early 
days  were  equally  crude.  Their  family 
numbered  seven,  as  follows:  Edward  and 
Sarah  Ann,  both  of  whom  are  deceased; 
Mary,  who  is  living  in  Seattle,  Washington; 
John,  who  is  a  resident  of  Polk  comity, 
Iowa;  Malinda,  of  Dallas  county,  Iowa;  Wil- 
liam, also  of  Polk  county,  and  Ellen  Eliza- 
beth, the  first  wife  of  George  Newman.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Newman  there  were  born  six 
children :  John,  who  died  at  the  age  of  six 
years;  Ida,  the  wife  of  Benjamin  McCall, 
of  Idaho;  Mary,  who  died  in  Seattle  at  the 
age  of  fourteen  years;  Dora,  whose  death 
occurred  at  Portland  when  she  was  fifteen; 
William,  who  is  married  and  living  in  Idaho; 
and  Lillie,  the  wife  of  John  Chattison,  of 
Beaverton,  Oregon. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Newman  are  residing  on  the 
farm,  which  has  been  her  home  for  so  many 
years,  and  both  are  well  known  and  highly 
regarded  in  Beaverton.  She  is  a  member  of 
the  Congregational  church  and  he  is  of  the 
Christian  denomination,  and  both  take  an 
earnest  interest  in  all  the  work  of  the  var- 
ious departments  of  their  respective  churches. 

WILLIAM  MACKENZIE  is  one  of  the  en- 
terprising merchants  of  Hugo,  where  he  i^ 
engaged  in  the  operation  of  a  general  mer- 
chandising establishment  and  owns  a  valua- 
ble orchard  of  eighteen  and  one-half  acres. 
He  is  a  native  of  Scotland,  where  he  was  born 
August  4,  1875,  and  is  a  son  of  William  and 
Ellen  Mackenzie,  both  of  whom  were  natives 
of  that  country  and  continued  to  live  there 
until  the  time  of  their  death.  They  were  tlie 
parents  of  eight  children,  seven  of  whom  are 
living. 

William  Mackenzie  was  reared  in  his  fa- 
ther's home  and  received  his  early  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  the  district  in  which 
he  lived  and  later  completed  a  college  course. 
He  remained  under  the  parental  roof  until 
sixteen  years  of  age  and  at  that  time  started 
in  life  for  himself,  his  first  occupation  being 
that  of  a  common  sailor.  In  that  vocation 
he  continued  for  a  period  of  three  years  and 
at  the  end  of  that  time  he  returned  to  his 
home  in  Scotland,  where  he  remained  for 
three  years.  He  later  emigrated  to  America 
and  settled  in  Washington,  where  he  con- 
tinued to  reside  for  six  years  and  then  re- 
moved to  old  Mexico,  where  he  was  engaged 
in  mining  for  six  years,  after  which  he  re- 
moved to  .Josephine  county,  this  state,  and 
purcliased  near  Hugo  a  ranch  of  one  hundred 
and  thirty  acres,  upon  which  he  located  and 
established  his  home.  He  later  sold  a  large 
portion  of  that  property  in  small  tracts  which 
have  since  been  developed  by  their  owners 
into  commercial  orchards.  He  still  owns 
eighteen  and  one-half  acres  of  the  ranch,  on 
which  he  has  in  bearing  a  fine  apple  orchard. 
On  May  1,  1011,  he  opened  a  general  store  at 
Hugo  and  is  meeting  with  well  deserved  suc- 
cess ill  that  business.  He  is  president  of  the 
Hugo  Telephone  Company. 

William  Mackenzie  votes  with  the  republi- 
can party.     He  is  one  of  the  progressive  citi- 

VoI.'lT— 19    ■ 


zens  of  .Josephine  county  and  among  his  as- 
sociates and  acquaintances  is  highly  respected 
for  his  integrity.  He  takes  a  deep  interest  in 
the  affairs  of  the  community  in  which  he  lives 
and  is  a  member  of  the  Hugo  Development 
League. 

JULIAN  WELLS  PERKINS  was  born  Octo- 
ber 27,  1870,  in  the  manufacturing  town  of 
Meriden,  Connecticut.  His  parents  were  Wil. 
liam  Henry  Perkins,  born  August  6,  1843,  in 
Glastonbury,  Connecticut,  and  Julia  Ellen 
(Atkins)  Perkins,  born  April  .5,  1847,  in  Bris- 
tol, Connecticut,  and  both  parents  were  of 
direct  English  descent.  His  father,  William 
H.  Perkins,  at  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war, 
enlisted  in  the  First  Connecticut  Volunteers, 
Heavy  Artillery,  and  served  the  entire  term 
of  four  years.  At  the  termination  of  the 
war  he  received  his  honorable  discharge  as 
sergeant,  and  located  in  Meriden,  Connecti- 
cut, and  was  married  to  Julia  Ellen  Atkins. 
William  H.  Perkins  died  December  19,  1S97. 
Julia  Ellen  Perkins  still  survives  at  the  time 
of  this  writing,  residing  in  Portland,  Oregon. 
Two  children  were  born  to  this  union,  William 
G.  Perkins,  on  August  6,  18fi7,  now  residing 
in  Portland,  Oregon,  and  Julian  Wells 
Perkins. 

Julian  Wells  Perkins  lived  in  Connecticut 
with  his  parents  until  the  age  of  fourteen, 
attending  the  public  schools  of  that  state.  In 
the  fall  of  1884,  the  entire  family  moved  to 
Indianapolis,  Indiana,  in  which  city  his 
father,  William  H.  Perkins,  assumed  general 
management,  at  the  solicitation  of  his  wife's 
uncle.  E.  C.  Atkins,  of  the  saw  manufacturing 
establishment  incorporated  as  E.  C.  Atkins  & 
Company.  J.  W.  Perkins  completed  his  educa- 
tion in  Indianapolis,  and  was  ofl"ered  by  his 
father  the  choice  between  a  profession,  with 
the  necessary  preparatory  education,  and  a 
practical  life  at  the  factory,  including  learn- 
ing the  trade  as  sawmaker,  and  advancement 
as  merit  justified,  and  he  chose  the  latter. 
Graduating  from  the  Indianapolis  high  school 
in  1888,  he  immediately  entered  the  factory 
serving  in  the  various  departments,  in  the 
office,  and  on  the  road  as  traveling  salesman, 
until  his  father's  death  in  1897.  at  which  time 
he  was  elected  assistant  secretary  of  E.  0. 
Atkins  &  Company,  and  also  a  director,  which 
position  he  resigned  in  1900  to  become  general 
manager  of  the  Portland  branch  of  E.  C.  At- 
kins &  Company,  which  branch  he  established 
and  handled  successfully  until  1903.  when 
on  account  of  failing  health  he  was  obliged 
to  leave  office  work,  and  he  purchased  a  ranch 
in  Medford,  Jackson  county,  Oregon,  for  the 
purpose  of  recuperation. 

He  remained  in  Medford  for  your  years, 
from  1904  to  1908,  and  was  active  in  start- 
ing the  boom  which  made  Medford  famous  as 
a  frnit-producins  center.  For  three  years  his 
orchard,  now  celebrated  and  known  as  Hill- 
crest,  carried  the  world's  record  for  fniit  sold 
at  auction  in  New  York  city,  obtained  on  a 
fancy  grade  of  pears  known  as  Cornice.  Leav- 
ing Medford.  in  1908.  after  selling  out  his 
property  in  that  section,  he  went  to  Rose- 
burg.  Douglas  county.  Oregon,  and  his  first 
work  was  the  organization  and  promotion  of 


462 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


■what  is  known  as  the  Sutherlin  project,  being 
a  large  irrigated  orchard  proposition,  and  in- 
cluding a  town-site  proposition,  the  present 
town  of  Sutherlin.  This  project  was  pro- 
moted successfully,  and  after  selling  out  to 
advantage  he  centered  his  interests  in  Rose- 
burg,  where  he  is  now  promoting  a  large  bitu- 
minous coal  property,  which  will  be  by  far 
the  most  extensive  of  any  of  his  enterprises. 
Mr.  Perkins  erected  the  Perkins  building  in 
Roseburg,  completed  in  1912,  being  exclus- 
ively an  office  building  of  the  highest  grade 
of  construction,  and  the  finest  building  of  its 
kind  in  the  state  of  Oregon,  outside  of  the 
citv  of  Portland. 

On  .January  21,  1902,  ilr.  Perkins  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Ethel  McKay 
Sherman,  of  Portland,  a  daughter  of  Mr,  and 
Mrs.  W.  J.  Sherman. 

The  political  affiliations  of  Mr.  Perkins 
have  always  been  republican,  although  he 
leans  to  the  progressive  branch  of  that  party 
and  has  been  firm  in  the  support  of  its  prin- 
ciples. He  was  elected  on  the  republican 
ticket  in  190T  to  the  Oregon  state  legislature 
from  Jackson  county.  He  is  a  thirty-second 
degree  Mason,  a  Knight  Templar  Mason,  and 
a  noble  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  He  is  also 
prominent  in  the  order  of  Elks. 

CORNELIUS  BUCHANAN  is  one  of  the 
large  and  successful  farmers  of  Lane  county. 
His  highly  developed  ranch  is  located  eight 
miles  above  Florence  on  the  Siuslaw  river. 
He  was  born  in  North  Carolina  in  the  mouth 
of  April,  1868,  and  is  a  son  of  Joseph  D.  and 
Salinda  (Harris)  Buchanan,  both  of  whom 
were  natives  of  Xorth  Carolina  and  in  that 
state  they  were  married  and  established 
their  family  home.  There  Mrs.  Buchanan 
now  resides  at  the  age  of  seventy-one,  her 
husband  having  died  May  10,  1911.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Joseph  D.  Buchanan  six  children 
were  born,  four  of  whom  are  still  living, 
namely:  Marcellus,  Mrs.  Gertrude  Gray  and 
Mrs.  Bessie  Geisler,  all  of  whom  are  residents 
of  North  Carolina;  and  Cornelius,  of  this 
review. 

The  last  named  was  reared  in  his  parents' 
home  and  educated  in  the  public  schools, 
completing  his  studies  as  a  graduate  of  the 
high  school.  He  remained  under  the  parental 
roof  until  the  age  of  nineteen,  at  which  time 
he  began  life  for  himself  as  an  employe  of 
a  general  merchandising  establishment  in 
North  Carolina,  He  continued  this  relation 
for  one  year  only,  after  which  he  removed 
to  Texas  and  was  engaged  for  one  year  on 
his  uncle's  ranch  in  that  state  and  then 
returned  to  North  Carolina,  where  he  spent 
two  years  as  deputy  United  States  marshal, 
after  which  he  was  employed  as  express  mes- 
senger for  the  Southern  Express  Company. 
In  the  service  of  that  company  he  remained 
for  three  years  and  then  established  himself 
in  a  general  merchandising  business  in  com- 
pany with  his  brother  at  Sylva,  North  Caro- 
lina. He  continued  in  the  merchandising  busi- 
ness for  a  period  of  two  years,  after  which 
he  became  deputy  county  sheriff  and  served 
in  that  office  for  two  years,  after  which  he 
was    employed    as    brandy    gauger    for    the 


brandy  distilleries  of  Jackson  county  for  one 
year.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  again 
started  in  the  mercantile  business,  with  his 
brother,  Marcellus.  To  this  business  he  gave 
his  undivided  attention  for  a  period  of  two 
years,  after  which  he  was  employed  for  three 
years  as  manager  by  the  Buchanan-Grindstaff 
Mica  Mining  Company  of  Haywood  county, 
this  company  being  the  owners  and  operators 
of  the  largest  mica  mining  plant  in  the 
United  States.  Their  mines  were  in  Haywood, 
Jackson  and  Macon  counties.  North  Carolina 
and  their  equipment  and  supplies  at  Sylva, 
Jackson  county.  North  Carolina.  He  also 
owned  the  mercantile  business  that  supplied 
the  company's  men  and  the  company.  Imme- 
diately after  completing  his  contract  period 
with  the  Mica  Company  he  purchased  a  farm 
near  Sylva,  North  Carolina,  upon  which  he 
moved  and  continued  to  reside  and  devote 
his  attention  to  its  operation  for  a  period 
of  three  years.  In  connection  with  his  agri- 
cultural interests  he  also  at  this  time  suc- 
cessfully operated  a  custom  sawmill.  In 
1909  Mr.  Buchanan  sold  a  portion  of  his 
interests  in  North  Carolina  and  removed  to 
Lane  county,  Oregon.  He  arrived  in  this  state 
on  the  16th  of  March  and  on  the  21st  of  that 
month  he  purchased  one  hundred  and  thirty- 
five  acres  of  land  on  the  north  fork  of  the 
.Siuslaw  river,  eight  miles  above  the  city  of 
Florence.  To  his  original  purchase  in  this 
state  he  has  since  added  forty-two  acres  of 
merchantable  timber  land.  He"  still  owns  real 
estate  in  North  Carolina  and  is  also  the 
owner  of  valuable  town  properties  in  that 
state.  He  resides  upon  his  farm  located  on 
the  Siuslaw  river,  where  he  specializes  in 
dairy  cattle   and   dairy   products. 

oil  the  2Sth  of  May,  1891.  Mr.  Buchanan 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Katie  Keen, 
whose  birth  occurred  in  North  Carolina  on 
the  23d  of  January,  1870,  her  parents  being 
John  R.  and  Ann  (Hannah)  Keen,  who  were 
born,  reared  and  married  in  Virginia.  During 
the  Civil  war  they  maintained  their  residence 
in  the  state  of  Georgia  and  at  the  close  of  that 
conflict  they  removed  to  North  Carolina,  where 
Mr.  Keen  passed  away  on  October  21.  1910, 
after  which  Mrs.  Keen  removed  to  Columbia. 
South  Carolina,  of  which  city  she  is  now  a 
resident,  being  in  her  seventy-fifth  year.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Keen  nine  children  were  born, 
four  of  whom  are  still  living:  Mrs.  Scott 
Brown,  of  Columbia.  South  Carolina;  William 
H..  of  Pine  Bluff,  Arkansas;  Charles  B..  a 
resident  of  South  Carolina;  and  Mrs.  Katie 
(Keen)  Buchanan.  John.  Mamie,  Frank.  Car- 
rie and  Bessie  are  deceased.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Buchanan  ten  children  have  been  born : 
Nimmo.  whose  natal  day  was  September  11, 
1892;  Mamie,  born  .January  13,  1894;  Wal- 
ter R.,  whose  birth  occurred  on  the  31st 
of  August,  1895;  Katie  K.,  who  was  born 
February  10,  1898,  and  has  passed  away; 
Elizabeth  D.,  born  May  20.  1899:  Corneliiis, 
Jr.,  born  April  1,  190l";  Hilliard  B.,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  two  years;  Nannie  B.,  whose 
birth  occurred  on  the  26th  of  June,  1904;  and 
Ray  and  Fay,  who  died  in  infancy.  All  of 
the  children  are  pupils  of  the  public  school 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


4(33 


and  two  of  their  luimbiT  are  also  stiuleiits  of 
music. 

Cornelius  Buchanan  is  affiliated  witli  the 
democratic  part}'  and  follows  the  standard  of 
that  political  organization  in  all  its  national 
and  state  campaigns.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
ilasonic  lodge  of  Sylva,  North  Carolina,  in 
which  he  held  several  official  positions.  He 
is  likewise  identified  with  the  Woodmen  of 
the  World  at  Florence.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bu- 
chanan and  family  are  members  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  church. 

Cornelius  Buchanan,  since  nineteen  years  of 
age,  has  been  constantly  engaged  in  business 
enterprises  in  which  he  has  been  uniformly 
successful.  He  is  a  man  of  great  activity 
and  studies  carefully  the  details  of  his  various 
business  propositions.  He  has  long  since 
been  known  among  his  friends  and  associates 
as  a  man  who  intelligently  operates  and  di- 
rects his  business  interests.  His  beautiful 
farm,  located  above  Florence  on  the  Siuslaw 
river,  is  of  itself  an  evidence  of  the  w-isdom 
and  painstaking  methods  of  its  owner,  and 
his  success  in  the  dairy  business  has  become 
a  source  of  public  inquiry  and  education  to 
his  surrounding  agricultural  associates.  He 
is  a  man  of  the  strictest  integrity  and  his 
moral  influence  is  a  constant  benediction  to 
the  community  in  which  he  lives. 

LOTIIS  HESSIG.  A  spirit  of  enterprise 
and  progress  has  actuated  Louis  Hessig 
throughout  the  entire  period  of  his  connection 
with  business  affairs,  bringing  him  to  a  point 
where  he  ranks  with  the  leading  merchants 
of  Fort  Klamath,  where  he  began  business  in 
1900.  He  was  Ijorn  at  Galena,  Hlinois,  on 
the  27th  of  .June,  1843.  a  son  of  Jacob  Hessig, 
a  native  of  Switzerland,  who  became  a  resi- 
dent of  Illinois  in  pioneer  times  and  was  one 
of  the  first  miners  at  Galena.  He  also  worked 
in  copper  mines  in  the  Mississippi  valley  until 
1849,  when  he  crossed  the  plains  with  ox 
teams.  It  was  a  strenuous  trip  and  twelve 
of  the  party  were  killed  by  Indians.  Being 
one  of  the  early  settlers  of  California,  Jacob 
Hessig  took  an  active  part  in  the  work  of 
laying  the  foundation  upon  which  has  been 
built  California's  growth  and  greatness.  He 
followed  the  carpenter's  trade  at  various  min- 
ing districts  and  erected  a  quartz  mill  at 
French  Gulch.  He  was  connected  with  many 
of  the  leading  camps  of  the  state  and  con- 
tinued his  operations  in  mining  to  the  time 
of  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1863  in  Shasta 
county.  California.  His  funeral  services  were 
conducted  by  the  Royal  Arch  Masons,  for 
he  was  a  worthy  member  of  the  chapter.  His 
wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Rosa 
Versell,  is  a  native  of  Switzerland.  After 
his  death  she  married  a  Mr.  Francis  and  is 
now  living  at  Edgewood,  Shasta  county,  Cali- 
fornia, at  the  age  of  ninety-two  years.  She 
had  a  brother,  Joseph  Versell,  who  lived  to  be 
nearly  one  hundred  years  of  age.  He  was  a 
pioneer  of  Rock  Island  county.  Hlinois.  and 
was  prominent  in  his  community,  serving  as 
assessor  of  his  county  for  about  twenty-two 
years.  Louis  Hessig  is  the  eldest  of  three 
children.  His  brother.  John  Hessig,  was  slain 
by  the  Indians  in  1864  while  mining  at  Hay- 


fork, Trinity  county,  California,  being  then 
but  nineteen  years  of  age.  Mary,  the  only 
(laughter,  was  the  wife  of  Dave  Gibson,  who 
went  to  California  in  1S49  and  was  the  first 
man  in  Humboldt  county,  that  state.  He 
arrived  there  about  ISoO  and  remained  until 
his  death  in  1883.  He  wlas  there  when  the 
Laura  Virginia  came  into  port — the  lirst  ship 
to  enter  Humboldt  bay.  !Mr.  Gibson  also 
conducted  the  first  pack  train  into  that  part 
of  the  country  and  at  length  he  was  shot 
by  the  Indians,  a  ball  entering  his  body 
wliile  an  arrow  pierced  the  groin.  After  being 
thus  injured  he  staggered  back  to  camp  and 
being  mistaken  for  an  Indian  by  his  friends 
they  shot  him  witli  a  charge  of  buckshot.  He 
survived  all  these  injuries,  however,  and  lived 
until  1885. 

Louis  Hessig  came  to  the  Pacific  coast  by 
way  of  the  isthmus  route  in  18.54,  arriving  in 
San  Francisco  on  the  2d  of  April.  He 
immediately  went  to  French  tiulch  to  join  his 
father  but  afterward  attended  school  at 
Weaverville.  Subsequently  he  engaged  in 
packing  in  Humboldt  county,  spending 
a  number  of  years  in  that  vocation  mostly 
in  Humboldt  and  Trinity  counties  of  Cali- 
fornia. He  afterward  engaged  in  general 
merchandising  with  his  brother-in-law,  Dave 
Gibson,  for  fourteen  years  and  subsequently 
removed  to  Siskiyou  county,  where  he  took 
up  stock-raising.  During  all  these  years  Mr. 
Hessig  was  well  acquainted  with  pioneer  life 
and  experiences,  being  out  in  the  camps,  in 
the  snows  and  storms  and  enduring  all  kinds 
of  hardships  while  performing  the  arduous 
labor  of  a  packer.  On  June  16,  1884,  he  came 
to  Klamath  county  and  located  at  Klamath 
Hot  Springs,  where  he  engaged  in  farming 
and  stock-raising,  although  he  gave  the  prin- 
cipal part  of  his  time  and  attention  to  the 
latter.  In  1898  he  came  to  Fort  Klamath, 
where  he  has  since  1900  engaged  in  general 
merchandising.  He  has  disposed  of  all  of 
his  ranching  interests  but  still  has  his  com- 
mercial holdings,  although  during  the  past 
three  years  he  has  not  been  personally  active 
in    the   management  of   his   business   affairs. 

On  the  1st" of  May,  1872,  Mr.  Hessig  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Charlotte  Keer, 
a  native  of  Denmark,  who  died  seventeen 
years  later.  They  were  the  parents  of  four 
children:  Harry  Herbert,  who  is  now  the 
owner  of  his  father's  old  ranch  at  Shovel 
Creek,  Siskiyou  county,  California;  John 
Humboldt,  who  is  secretary  and  manager  of 
the  Klamath  Telephone  &  Telegraph  Com- 
pany at  Fort  Klamath  and  is  also  notary 
jnibiic  and  justice  of  the  peace;  Joseph,  who 
spends  the  summer  months  at  Fort  Klamath 
but  makes  his  home  throughout  the  re- 
mainder of  the  year  in  San  Francisco.  Cali- 
fornia; and  Mrs.  Saloma  Josephine  Farewell, 
of  San  Francisco.  The  two  youngest  children 
are  graduates  of  Heald's  Business  College  of 
San  Francisco.  After  losing  his  lirst  wife 
Jlr.  Hessig  was  again  married  in  1895,  his 
second  union  being  with  Mrs.  Mary  Bridget 
Frances  Butler,  a  daughter  of  Patrick  and 
Elizabeth  (McCormick)  Sullivan,  who  were 
natives  of  Ireland  and  in  1844  came  to  the 
United      States   settling  in  Vermont,  where 


464 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


Mrs.  Hessig  was  born.  Later  they  removed 
to  Burnham,  Maine,  where  they  now  reside. 
Whatever  success  has  come  to  Louis  Hessig 
is  the  direct  result  of  his  own  labors.  He 
began  packing  as  soon  as  he  was  old  enough 
to  drive  and  soon  owned  an  outlit  of  his 
own.  When  he  retired  from  that  business 
he  was  the  owner  of  forty  mules  that  had 
long  been  thus  used  and  were  most  trust- 
worthy, so  that  over  the  rough  mountain 
trails  there  was  little  danger  for  the  burdens 
that  they  carried.  Mr.  Hessig  has  gone 
through  all  the  experiences  and  privations 
which  are  incident  to  such  a  life  and  lives 
to  tell  many  an  interesting  tale  of  the  early 
days  before  this  part  of  the  country  became 
thickly  settled. 

J.  H.  HESSIG,  who  since  1904  has  been 
identified  with  the  Klamath  Telephone  & 
Telegraph  Company,  was  born  in  Hydesville, 
California,  June  16,  1880,  a  son  of  Louis  and 
Charlotte  Hessig,  the  father  a  resident  of  Fort 
Klamath,  while  the  mother  is  now  deceased. 
He  was  one  in  a  family  of  four  children. 
In  1884  the  family  removed  to  Kla- 
math Hot  Springs  and  there  J.  H.  Hessig 
resided  until  1898,  when  he  came  to  Fort 
Klamath.  He  homesteaded  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  land  four  miles  north  of  Fort 
Klamath  and  became  identified  with  agricul- 
tural interests  in  this  section  but  since  1904 
has  been  identified  with  the  Klamath  Tele- 
phone &  Telegraph  Company  as  its  secretary 
and  general  manager,  in  which  connection  he 
is  rendering  valuable  service  to  the  public 
through  the  efficient  service  which  the  com- 
pany gives  to  its  patrons. 

In  1910  Mr.  Hessig  was  married  to  Miss 
Augusta  Melhase,  who  was  born  at  Fort  Kla- 
math, February  3",  1893,  and  is  a  daughter 
of  Richard  Melhase.  They  now  have  one  son, 
Richard  Louis.  In  politics  Mr.  Hessig  is  a 
democrat  and  has  served  as  justice  of  the 
peace,  in  which  connection  he  has  rendered 
decisions  that  are  strictly  fair  and  impartial 
and  proved  his  fidelity  in  office.  His  fra- 
ternal relations  are  with  the  Masons  and  the 
organization  finds  in  him  a  worthy  represen- 
tative. 

CARL  KIMMEL.  When  death  overtook  Carl 
Kimmel  at  the  early  age  of  thirty-five  years 
it  cut  off  one  of  the  most  active  citizens  of 
Canyonville,  Oregon,  in  the  full  tide  of  a 
promising  career.  He  was  a  native  of  Ger- 
many, born  October  27,  1S61.  His  death  oc- 
curred March  22,  1897.  His  parents  were  God- 
fred  and  Elizabeth  (Kaylor)  Kimmel,  who 
lived  and  died  in  their  native  country. 

The  son  received  his  education  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  his  native  coimtry  and  remained 
at  home  until  he  was  twenty-five  years  old. 
In  18S7  he  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  America 
and  landed  in  New  York.  From  there  he 
came  directly  to  Canyonville,  Oregon,  and 
bought  a  ranch  in  Douglas  county  near  this 
city,  which  he  operated  for  one  year.  He 
had  learned  the  trade  of  wagon-making  in 
his  native  country  and  after  this  period  of 
farm  life  he  entered  upon  this  as  an  occupa- 
tion and  worked  in  his  wagon-making  shop 


until  his  death.  His  sturdy  German  qualities 
of  unllagging  industry  and  intelligent  thrift 
made  him  extremely  successful  in  this  line 
of  work.  He  saved  his  money  and  acquired 
a  moderate  fortune,  which  he  invested  judi- 
ciously in  farm  lands  of  the  section  in  which 
he  lived. 

Mr.  Kimmel  was  married  in  Germany,  in 
1887,  to  Miss  Fredericka  Sharr  and  they  be- 
came the  parents  of  four  children:  Annie, 
who  died  January  21,  1900;  Max;  Clara;  and 
Elsa.  During  his  life  Mr.  Kimmel  was  a 
prominent  member  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal church  and  in  this  faith  he  died  in  1897 
and  was  buried  at  Canyonville,  Oregon.  His 
wife  still  survives  him  and  is  well  known  in 
this  district  as  a  capable  and  efficient  busi- 
ness woman.  She  is  sole  owner  of  the  most 
important  hotel  in  Canyonville  and  is  per- 
sonally active  in  its  operation.  She  is  the 
proprietor  of  seventy-one  acres  of  improved 
and  cultivated  farm  land  in  Douglas  county 
and  is  extensively  interested  in  town  prop- 
erty in  Canyonville.  She  is  also  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  belongs 
to  the  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star,  the  Degree 
of  Honor  and  the  Rebekahs.  Jlr.  Kimmel 
was  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order,  Douglas 
Lodge  I.  0.  0.  F.,  and  of  the  Workmen.  His 
success  during  his  short  span  of  life  might 
well  be  envied  by  a  much  older  man.  His 
career  exemplified  the  rewards  w-hich  come  to 
a  man  who  carries  on  his  work  actively  and 
intelligently,  and  his  early  death  will  long 
be  regarded  by  his  many  friends  as  a  distinct 
loss  to  his  community. 

GEORGE  SMITH  is  the  owner  of  a  fine 
ranch  of  two  hundred  and  four  acres  located 
three  and  a  half  miles  northeast  of  Eugene, 
where  he  engages  in  general  farming  and 
dairying.  He  is  one  of  Oregon's  native  sons, 
having  been  born  at  Fairmount  in  the  vicinity 
of  Eugene,  on  the  7tli  of  August.  1852.  He  is 
a  son  of  William  and  Nancy  Adeline  (Luckey) 
Smith,  the  father  a  native  of  England  and 
the  mother  of  Indiana.  William  Smith  emi- 
grated to  the  United  States  in  1836,  locating 
in  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  He  resided  at  various 
places  in  that  section  of  the  country,  and 
subsequently  removed  to  Indiana.  In  1847, 
he  made  his  first  trip  across  the  plains  to 
Oregon,  being  a  member  of  the  same  party 
as  Eugene  Skinner,  for  whom  the  town  of 
Eugene  was  named.  The  mother  of  our  sub- 
ject came  to  Oregon  with  her  parents  in  1S50 
and  located  in  Lane  county  where  she  married 
Mr.  Smith  in  1851.  The  children  born  to  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Smith  were  as  follows:  Hulda, 
the  wife  of  E.  J.  McClanahan  of  Eugene,  and 
the  mother  of  two  children ;  George,  our  sub- 
ject; Colonel  F..  a  resident  of  Prineville,  Ore- 
gon, who  is  married  and  has  one  child;  and 
W.  H.,  of  Portland. 

George  Smith  was  given  the  advantages 
of  such  educational  facilities  as  were  afl'orded 
in  the  rural  districts  of  this  state  at  that 
period,  and  after  mastering  the  common 
branches  he  assisted  his  father,  who  owned 
and  operated  a  dairy  ranch,  until  he  was 
twenty-one.  He  then  left  the  parental  roof 
and    went  to  the  eastern    part  of  the    state 


C    LIBR.' 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


467 


where  he  and  his  brother  engaged  in  the  cat- 
tle business  for  four  years.  At  the  expira- 
tion of  that  period  he  withdrew  from  this 
and  went  to  Idaho.  There  he  followed  vari- 
ous pursuits  but  he  subsequently  returned  to 
Lane  county  and  after  his  marriage  rented 
and  operated  the  old  home  ranch  for  seven 
years.  In  1891,  he  purchased  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  improved  land,  that  formed 
the  nucleus  of  his  present  homestead.  Here 
he  has  ever  since  engaged  in  general  and 
dairy  farming,  meeting  with  a  goodly  degree 
of  success.  He  has  extended  the  boundaries 
of  his  ranch  by  tlie  purchase  of  another  forty- 
four  acres,  and  his  lioldiugs  now  aggregate 
two  hundred  and  four  acres,  sixty-one  of 
which  are  under  high  cultivation,  ilr.  Smith 
continued  to  occupy  the  residence  that  was 
standing  on  the  place  at  the  time  he  bought 
it  until  the  summer  of  1911.  when  he  erected 
a  large  two-story  house  that  is  entirely  mod- 
ern in  all  of  its  appointments.  As  his  cir- 
cumstances have  warranted  he  has  made 
various  other  improvements  thus  adding 
greatly  to  the  appearance  and  value  of  his 
property,  and  now  owns  one  of  the  most  at- 
tractive and  best  equipped  ranches  in  this 
vicinity. 

For  his  wife  Mr.  Smith  chose  Miss  Joseph- 
ine D.  Graves,  one  of  the  five  children  horn  of 
the  marriage  of  H.  C.  and  Diana  (Bellus) 
Graves,  the  father  a  native  of  Ohio  and  the 
mother  of  New  York.  Mrs.  Smith  is  the  third 
in  order  of  birtli,  the  other  members  of  the 
family  being  as  follows:  0.  M.,  a  resident  of 
Washington,  who  is  married  and  has  three 
children;  H.  D..  a  merchant  at  Roseburg;  T. 
L.,  who  is  unmarried,  living  at  home  with  his 
mother;  and  Merta,  the  wife  of  F.  M.  Mehl, 
of  Bandon,  Oregon.  The  father  passed  away 
on  the  1st  of  March,  1895.  The  family  o"f 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  numbers  three;  Hazel, 
who  was  born  in  June,  1887,  and  educated  in 
the  district  school,  living  at  home  with  her 
parents ;  Mabel  Adelaide,  whose  natal  year 
was  1889,  a  high-school  graduate:  and  Fidelia, 
whose  birth  occurred  in  1893,  the  wife  of  R. 
E.  Corum,  of  Lane  county. 

Mr.  Smith  has  been  a  member  of  the  Ma- 
sonic fraternity  for  twenty-three  years  and 
he  also  belongs  to  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen.  In  politics  he  is  a  republican,  but 
he  has  never  held  any  offices  save  those  of 
road  supervisor  and  school  clerk,  never  hav- 
ing aspired  to  public  honors.  Practically  his 
entire  life  has  been  passed  in  this  section  of 
the  state,  toward  the  development  and  prog- 
ress of  which  he  and  his  family  have  substan- 
tially contributed.  Mr.  Smith  remembers 
when  there  was  no  timber  in  this  region  .save 
in  the  lowlands,  the  Indians  having  burned 
it  off  in  order  to  drive  the  game  to  the  low- 
lands, so  they  would  not  be  compelled  to 
cover  such  large  tracts  in  hunting.  He  is  one 
of  the  widely  known  residents  of  the  county 
and  a  worthy  representative  of  a  highly  re- 
spected pioneer  family. 

HORACE  PUTNAM.  An  enterprising 
farmer  of  Doiglas  count5'.  Oregon,  and  a 
man  who  is  representative  of  modern  methods 
of    agriculture,    is    Horace    Putnam,    who    is 


half  owner  of  one  of  the  richest  and  most 
productive  farms  in  this  section.  He  is  a 
native  son  of  Oregon,  having  been  born  in 
Douglas  county,  at  Yonealla,  on  the  26th  of 
April,  1852.  His  parents  were  Charles  F.  and 
Rose  L.  (Applegate)  Putnam,  the  former  a 
native  of  Lexington,  Kentucky,  where  he  was 
born  in  1824,  and  the  latter  of  Missouri. 
The  Putnam  family  has  been  founded  in 
America  for  many  generations  and  the  direct 
line  can  be  traced  back  to  Revolutionary 
times.  The  father  of  our  subject  was  a  son 
of  Joseph  and  Susan  (Hull)  Putnam,  who 
were  both  representatives  of  old  colonial 
stock.  Xathan  Putnam,  the  great-grand- 
father of  our  subject,  served  under  General 
Washington  in  the  Revolutionary  war. 
Charles  F.  Putnam  was  reared  in  Kentucky 
and  as  a  yoxuig  man  crossed  the  plains  to 
Oregon,  locating  in  this  state  in  1846.  His 
parents  followed  him  a  few  years  later,  com- 
ing to  the  northwest  by  way  of  the  Isthmus 
of  Panama  in  1853.  They  located  in  what  is 
now  Sunnydale,  Douglas  county,  where  the 
grandfather  of  our  subject,  Joseph  Putnam, 
took  up  a  donation  claim  of  three  hundred 
and  twenty  acres,  a  half  of  which  Horace 
Putnam  now  owns.  Joseph  Putnam  was 
prominent  in  business  circles  when  he  was  a 
resident  of  Kentucky  but  lost  his  fortune  in 
that  state.  On  coming  to  Oregon  he  was 
dissatisfied  with  agricultural  conditions  and 
soon  abandoned  this  in  favor  of  the  hotel 
business.  He  operated  enterprises  of  this  kind 
in  the  towns  of  Wilbur,  Roseburg  and  Scotts. 
burg  and  soon  recovered  the  money  which 
he  had  lost.  In  1864  or  1865  he  returned  to 
the  Simnydale  district  and  made  his  home 
with  his  son,  the  father  of  our  subject,  where 
lie  died  in  1866.  His  wife  survived  him  for 
many  years  and  made  her  home  with  her 
children  until  her  death. 

Charles  F.  Putnam  was  a  printer  by  trade 
and  when  he  came  to  Oregon  found  employ- 
ment in  this  line  of  occupation  in  Oregon 
City  as  a  member  of  the  staff  of  the  Oregon 
Spectator.  While  a  resident  of  this  district 
he  set  the  type  for  a  speller  written  by  Mr. 
(Iriffen,  which  had  the  distinction  of  being 
the  first  book  published  in  Oregon.  In  1849 
he  went  to  California  where  he  was  engaged 
in  mining  until  1S50.  In  that  year  he  re- 
turned to  Oregon  and  located  in  Douglas 
county,  taking  up  a  donation  claim  of  six 
hundred  and  forty  acres  on  section  39.  town- 
ship 22,  south  range  6,  west,  which  is  the 
property  which  his  son  is  now  operating  and 
improving.  Charles  Putnam  remained  upon 
this  farm  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
1903.  He  had  long  survived  his  wife,  who 
passed  away  in  1861.  He  was  one  of  the 
largest  land  owners  in  Oregon  at  the  time  of 
his  death  and  was  constantly  adding  to  his 
property  and  at  one  time  was  the  proprietor 
of  seventeen  hundred  acres  of  the  most  fer- 
tile and  productive  land  in  Douglas  county. 
He  was  a  prominent  and  influential  citizen 
and  agriculturist  and  one  of  the  earliest 
settlers  of  his  district. 

Horace  Putnam  was  reared  at  home  and 
acquired  his  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  Douglas  county.    He  lived  for  a  number  of 


468 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


years  in  liis  fhildliood  with  his  trriiiiilt';itlRT, 
witli  whom  his  brothers  and  sisters  also  re- 
sided after  the  death  of  their  mother  in  1861. 
After  reaching  manhood  he  worked  in  part- 
nership with  his  father  in  the  operation  of 
extensive  farm  lands  and  during  these  years 
gained  a  specialized  knowledge  of  agriculture 
which  has  been  a  valuable  asset  to  him  in 
his  career.  He  gained  success  rapidly  and  was 
soon  able  to  buy,  in  partnership  with  his 
brother-in-law.  G.  W.  Hedrick,  five  hundred 
acres  of  the  home  farm  which  thcj'  are  now 
operating  in  conjunction  and  which  by  their 
progressive  and  scientific  methods  is  flour- 
ishing. 

In  1878  Mr.  Putnam  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Aurilla  Hedrick,  a  daughter  of  John 
Hedrick,  of  whom  more  extended  mention  is 
made  on  another  page  of  this  work.  Unto 
Mr.  and  ilrs.  Putnam  have  been  born  three 
children:  Chester  Hull,  who  lives  at  home; 
Ethel,  the  wife  of  Wilfi'ed  Brown,  of  Camas 
valley,  Douglas  county;  and  Louise  Rosella, 
who  married  F.  P.  Cunningham,  of  Sunny- 
dale,  Douglas  county.  In  his  political  views 
Mr.  Putnam  is  a  consistent  republican  but 
has  never  sought  public  office.  His  wife 
affiliates  with  the  ilethodist  Episcopal  church. 
He  now  has  a  half  interest  in  five  hundred 
acres  of  land  constituting  one  of  the  vahu^blc 
and  well  improved  farms  in  Douglas  count}', 
equipped  with  all  modern  improvements  and 
conveniences.  He  has  made  extensive  changes 
and  has  installed  modern  machinery,  being- 
aided  in  this  work  of  development  by  his 
partner,  G.  W.  Hedrick.  Mr.  Putnam  repre- 
sents agriculture  in  its  newest  and  most 
progressive  aspects.  He  has  won  success  by 
industry,  ability  and  common  sense  and  these 
qualities  imite  to  make  him  an  upright  man 
and  usi'ful  citizen. 

RODERICK  W.  McGARVIE.  Tliere  was  a 
period  in  the  history  of  the  world  when  real- 
estate  transactions  amounted  to  little  more 
than  the  purchase  of  property  if  the  indi- 
vidiuil  could  find  what  he  desired,  or  the  sale 
of  buildings  or  land  if  one  could  find  an 
available  purchaser.  But  with  the  growth  and 
imjirovement  in  other  lines  there  has  come 
development  and  progress  in  real-estate  opera- 
tions, and  a  carefully  organized  and  systema- 
tized business  is  that  of  the  real-estate  dealer. 
whether  h,andling  improved  or  unimproved 
property.  The  upbuilding  of  a  town  depends 
largely  upon  the  men  who  handle  real  estate 
and  the  character  of  the  city  is  determined 
in  great  measure  by  their  labors  and  the 
spirit  that  actuates  them.  Roderick  W.  Mc- 
Garvie  was  one  of  the  promoters  and  is  one 
of  the  partners  in  the  Home  Building  and 
Realty  Company,  at  Klamath  Falls,  and  in 
this  connection  is  contributing  in  no  small 
measure  toward  the  improvement  of  the  city 
in  which  his  operations  are  conducted.  He 
was  born  in  Williamson.  Lawrence  county, 
Pennsylvania.  May  24.  1861.  and  is  a  son  of 
John  Wesley  and  Charlotte  ( Skinner i  Mc- 
Garvie,  the  former  a  native  of  Williamson 
and  the  latter  of  Painesvillc.  Ohio,  in  which 
district  she  was  reared.  The  father  largely 
spent  his  youthful  days  near  Pittsburg  and 


in  IsGl  removed  to  Grosse  He,  Wayne  county. 
Michigan.  In  1869  he  went  with  his  family 
to  Monroe  county,  Michigan,  where  both  he 
and  his  wife  died,  the  former  on  the  22d  of 
April,  1872,  and  the  latter  on  the  30th  of 
the  same  month.  Mr.  ilcGarvie  was  a  farmer 
by  occupation  and  in  early  life  he  also  owned 
a  boat  on  the  Erie  canal.  His  father,  John 
W.  McGarvie,  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania 
and  a  soldier  of  the  Revolutionary  war,  par- 
ticipating in  the  battle  of  Brandywine  under 
General  Wayne.  His  father  was  a  native  of 
the  north  of  Ireland  and  became  the  founder 
of  the  family  in  the  new  world. 

Roderick  W.  McGarvie  was  the  eldest  of  a 
family  of  three  sons.  His  brother.  H.  F. 
McGarvie,  of  New  York  city,  was  director 
general  of  the  special  exploitation  at  the 
World's  Fair  in  St.  Louis  in  1904.  and  is 
now  manager  of  the  Auto  Photo  Company, 
of  Xew  York.  The  youngest  brother,  0.  P. 
McGarvie,  died  in  Los  Angeles,  California,  in 
August,  1902.  After  their  parents'  death 
R.  W.  McGarvie  and  his  brothers  went  to 
reside  with  their  grandparents  at  Newport, 
Michigan.  The  subject  of  this  review  was 
then  not  quite  eleven  years  of  age.  He  there 
remained  until  1875  and  pursued  his  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  until  fourteen  years 
of  age.  when  he  began  the  battle  of  life  for 
himself.  He  learned  telegraphy  and  railroad- 
ing, which  he  followed  until  1882,  when  he 
went  to  St.  Ignace,  Michigan,  and  began  the 
publication  of  the  ,St.  Ignace  Semi-Weekly 
News,  the  first  semi-weekly  paper  published 
in  the  northern  peninsula  of  Michigan.  He 
continued  in  the  field  of  journalism  until  the 
lumber  panic  of  1883.  when  he  returned  to 
railroading,  entering  the  employ  of  the  Union 
Pacific  Railroad,  in  Colorado,  where  he  con- 
tinued for  a  year.  He  then  made  his  way 
to  California  and  opened  the  railroad  station 
at  Barstow  for  the  Southern  California  Rail- 
road Company  on  the  15th  of  November,  18S5. 
In  March.  1886,  he  was  transferred  to  San 
Diego  as  ticket  agent  and  in  August  of  the 
same  year  entered  upon  real-estate  transac- 
tions. He  was  very  successful  in  his  dealings 
in  property  in  that  district  but  because  of  the 
wide-spread  panic  of  1888  lost  heavily.  On  the 
22d  of  April,  1889,  he  made  the  run  into 
Oklahoma  City  and  was  the  first  real-estate 
agent  to  put  out  a  sign  there.  He  spent  one 
year  in  Utah  in  the  real-estate  business  and 
then  returned  to  San  Diego,  California,  where 
he  was  appointed  deputy  county  clerk  under 
W.  M.  Gassoway.  He  then  resigned  and  be- 
came general  organizer  for  the  Order  of  Rail- 
road Telegraphers,  in  which  capacity  he  con- 
tinued for  five  years,  traveling  all  over  the 
west  in  the  organization  of  local  societies. 
In  1896  he  entered  the  building  and  loan 
bu.siness  at  San  Francisco  with  Frank  H. 
True  and  there  operated  until  1904.  when 
he  went  to  Goldfield.  Nevada,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  the  brokerage  business.  However, 
he  returned  to  .San  Francisco,  where  he  con- 
tinued in  the  real-estate  business  until  the 
earthquake.  In  1906  he  went  to  New  York 
city,  where  for  three  years  be  was  a  repre- 
sentative of  the  New  York  Life  Insurance 
Company.    He  then  returned  to  San  Francisco 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


469 


and  soon  afterward  became  general  agent 
for  the  Phoenix  Mutual  Life  Insurance  Com- 
pany, at  Oakland,  California.  In  Febiuary, 
1912,  he  came  to  Klamath  Falls  and  in  con- 
nection with  Frank  H.  True  organized  the 
Home  Building  and  Realty  Company,  of  which 
he  is  now  a  representative.  This  was  capi- 
talized for  two  hundred  thousand  dollars 
and  is  fast  becoming  a  valued  factor  in  the 
upbuilding  of  the  city.  Its  policy  enables 
many  to  secure  homes  at  reasonable  rates  or 
to  invest  in  property.  Mr.  McGan-ie's  pre- 
vious experience  as  a  real-estate  dealer  is 
proving  of  immense  value  to  him  in  this  con- 
nection and  the  Home  Building  and  Realt}' 
Company  is  now  upon  a  substantial  and  pros- 
perous basis. 

On  the  2d  of  May,  1886,  Mr.  McGarvie  was 
married  to  Miss  Ella  L.  Allsop.  of  Huron, 
Ohio,  and  they  had  one  child,  Ella  L.,  who 
is  the  wife  of  R.  H.  Hollingsworth,  of  Los 
Angeles,  California.  On  the  12th  of  April, 
1907,  Mr.  McGarvie  was  again  married.  Ins 
second  union  being  with  Miss  May  Rolls,  of 
Detroit,  Michigan,  and  they  now  have  one 
child,  Beverly.  In  all  of  his  business  career 
Mr.  McGarvie  has  not  found  the  days  equally 
briglit,  but  with  persistency  of  purpose  he  has 
worked  on  and  success  has  eventually  come 
to  him. 

JARED  SCOTT  is  the  trusted  representa- 
tive and  manager  of  the  commission  business 
of  R.  M.  Wade  &  Company,  of  Portland,  at 
Acme,  this  state,  where  he  resides.  He  was 
born  in  .Jackson  county,  Michigan,  on  the 
25th  of  December,  1849,  his  parents  being 
Cornelius  and  Rhuamah  (Hurlburt)  Scott, 
who  were  natives  of  New  Jersey  and  New 
York  respectively.  Both  were  of  Scotch  ex- 
traction. They  were  married  in  .Jackson 
county,  Michigan,  where  they  continued  to 
reside  until  1854,  when  they  removed  to 
Gratiot  county,  Michigan,  where  the  death  of 
Mrs.  Scott  occurred  in  that  year.  Cornelius 
Scott  removed  to  Oregon  in  1880  and  made 
his  first  settlement  in  this  state  on  the  north 
fork  of  the  Siuslavv  river,  where  he  continued 
to  live  until  1899  and  during  that  year  he 
returned  to  Michigan  and  there  continued  to 
live  during  the  remaining  years  of  his  life. 
His  demise  occurred  in  1904.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Scott  seven  children  were  born,  three 
of  whom  died  in  infancy.  The  others  were  as 
follows:  Mrs.  Hulda  E.  Mangus.  of  Sumner, 
Michigan;  Mrs.  Rachel  A.  Jaquish.  of  Mc- 
Brides,  Michigan;  Jared,  of  this  review;  and 
Mrs.  Amanda  L.  Baker,  who  passed  away 
in  Michigan  at  the  age  of  thirty-seven  years. 

tjared  Scott  was  reared  in  his  father's  home 
and  educated  in  the  district  public  schools.  At 
the  age  of  fifteen  he  started  in  life  for  himself, 
his  first  occupation  being  that  of  riding  race 
horses,  in  which  he  continued  for  two  sea- 
sons, after  which  he  engaged  at  labor  in  the 
lumber  camps  of  Michigan  during  the  winter 
and  continued  so  to  be  employed  for  nine 
years,  finding  employment  during  the  spring 
seasons  as  a  log  driver  on  the  riv(>r.  Tie  was 
engaged  in  rafting  the  season's  timber  cut 
to  the  booms  and  mills  below.  He  then  be- 
came foreman  of  a  brick  yard  belonging  to 


A.  W.  Wright  at  Alma.  Michigan,  and  con- 
tinued in  the  employ  of  Mr.  Wright  in  that 
position  for  four  years.  He  then  rented  a 
threshing  machine  outfit  and  one  year  later 
removed  to  South  Dakota,  where"  he  spent 
one  summer  and  tlien  removed  to  this  state 
and  settled  on  the  north  fork  of  the  Siuslaw 
river,  where  he  purchased  several  tracts  of 
land,  totaling  six  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
to  which  he  gave  his  attention  for  a  number 
of  years.  He  afterward  found  it  greatly  to 
liis  financial  advantage  to  dispose  of  his  "land 
in  small  allotments,  which  he  accordingly  did, 
and  on  March  1,  1911,  he  disjjosed  of  the  last 
unsold  portion  of  his  holdings  and  invested 
immediately  in  city  property  in  Acme,  this 
state,  where  he  established  his  home  and  is 
now  engaged  in  the  commission  business,  rep- 
resenting the  house  of  R.  M.  Wade  &  Com- 
pany of  Portland,  the  business  of  this  cor- 
poration being  that  of  the  sale  of  electric 
weld  wire  fence  and  agricultural  implements. 
In  addition  to  his  duties  as  representative 
of  R.  JI.  Wade  &  Company  he  owns  and 
operates  a  second-hand  store  in  Acme  and  is 
also  the  owner  of  three  valuable  city  prop- 
erties, including  a  very  fine  residence  in  which 
he   resides. 

On  the  1st  of  January,  1874.  at  Evart, 
Michigan,  Mr.  Scott  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Mrs.  Amanda  R.  Douglas,  whose  birth 
occurred  in  Ohio  on  the  35th  of  Febrviary, 
1847.  her  parents  being  Samuel  and  Mary  A. 
(Kernes)  Rash,  the  former  a  native  of  Ire- 
land and  the  latter  of  Pennsylvania.  They 
were  united  in  marriage  in  the  state  of  New 
York  and  removed  immediately  to  Delaware, 
where  they  lived  for  a  period  of  six  years  and 
then  removed  to  Ohio,  remaining  in  that  state 
for  seven  years,  after  which  they  moved  to 
Indiana,  where  they  continued  to  live  for 
five  succeeding  years,  after  which  they  re- 
moved to  Allen  county,  Ohio,  where  Mr.  Rash 
died  in  the  year  18G8,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
five,  and  his  wife  passed  away  at  the  age 
of  eighty  years  in  1874.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Riish  thirteen  children  were  born, 
but  Mrs.  Jared  Scott  is  the  only  mem- 
ber of  the  family  who  came  to  Oregon.  She 
was  twice  married,  her  first  husband  being 
R.  L.  Douglas  and  to  them  two  children  were 
born:  Mary  A.  E..  the  wife  of  Jack  Wallace, 
of  Convoy!  Ohio;  and  Oliver  P.  M.,  who  re- 
sides at  Alma,  Michigan.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Scott 
are  the  foster  parents  of  Miss  Roslee  Scott, 
wlio  was  a  child  of  two  years  of  age  when 
adopted.  She  remained  with  her  foster  par- 
ents until  twenty  years  of  age,  at  which  time 
she  was  united  in  wedlock  to  .John  Costello, 
a  native  of  the  state  of  Washington.  To 
them  two  children  have  been  bom:  Hildred, 
who  died  in  infancy;  and  Guy  Leroy,  born 
July  6.  1909. 

Mr.  Scott  is  affiliated  with  the  republican 
party  and  has  served  as  supervisor  of  his 
township  for  eight  years  and  has  for  many 
years  been  a  member  of  the  school  board 
of  Acme.  He  is  one  of  the  active  and 
influential  men  of  Lane  county  and  for  many 
years  has  been  actively  identified  with  the 
political  interests  of  this  state  and  especially 
with  the  public  interests  of  Lane  county.     In 


470 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OP  OREGON 


early  life  he  unfortunately  was  deprived  of 
the  benefit  of  an  education  in  the  public 
schools  but  being  a  man  of  unusual  ambition 
and  literary  inclinations,  he  has  during  the 
years  of  his  active  business  career  succeeded 
in  acquiring  a  very  liberal  education  in  the 
English  language,  as  has  also  his  wife.  Mrs. 
Scott  is  a  member  of  the  Evangelical  church. 
Mr.  Scott  is  a  man  of  unquestioned  integ- 
rity and  a  natural  leader '  among  his  fel- 
lows. His  influence  and  assistance  are  to  be 
relied  upon  in  the  advancement  of  any  issue 
of  public  interest  having  for  its  object  the 
advancement  of  the  people  among  whom  he 
has  established  his  home. 

CHRISTOPHER  LONG  has  been  a  resident 
of  Oregon  for  almost  sixty  years  and  has 
spent  a  useful  and  valuable  life  in  this  sec- 
tion. For  over  a  quarter  of  a  century  he 
was  engaged  in  dairying  and  was  afterward 
active  as  a  general  farmer  bringing  to  both 
of  these  pursuits  an  industry  and  intelligence 
which  made  him  rapidly  successful.  His 
farm  is  located  eight  and  one  half  miles  from 
Bandon  on  the  Bear  creek  road  and  comprises 
three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land. 
Upon  this  Mr.  Long  is  living  retired  in  the 
seventy-fifth  year  of  his  age.  He  was  born 
in  Canada  in  December,  1837,  and  came  to  Ore- 
gon with  his  parents  when  he  was  fourteen 
years  of  age.  He  is  now  numbered  among 
the  old  settlers  of  Coos  county.  His  father 
settled  at  Port  Orford  for  a  short  time  but 
later  took  up  a  donation  claim  near  Bandon 
where  he  cultivated  the  soil  until  his  death 
in  1S57.  He  was  survived  by  his  wife  for 
several  years.  They  were  the  parents  of 
three  children:  Sylvester,  who  was  killed  in 
an  Indian  war  on  the  Rogue  river;  Chris- 
topher, the  subject  of  this  review;  and  Jane, 
the  widow  of  John  Hamblock  of  Bullards, 
Oregon. 

Christopher  Long  began  his  active  career 
upon  the  death  of  his  father.  He  engaged  in 
the  stock-raising  business  for  a  short  time 
in  Coos  county  and  later  went  to  Idaho  to 
work  in  the  mines.  He  thus  engaged  three 
years,  returning  at  the  end  of  that  time  to 
Coos  county  where  he  located  in  Dairyville. 
He  established  himself  in  the  dairy  business 
and  for  thirty  years  was  prominently  iden- 
tified in  this  occupation.  Eventually,  however, 
he  disposed  of  his  holdings  and  settled  upon 
three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  on 
Bear  creek  in  1S94.  Upon  this  property  he 
carried  on  general  farming  and  stock-raising 
and  his  modern  and  progressive  methods  and 
his  intelligent  activity  soon  gained  him  a 
gratifying  success.  He  improved  and  devel- 
oped his  land,  made  needed  improvements 
from  time  to  time  and  pursued  a  policy  of 
expansion  which  soon  ranked  him  among 
the  progressive  and  enterprising  agricultur- 
ists in  the  state.  Mr.  Long  has  now  retired 
from  active  life  having  earned  his  rest  by 
sincere  and  long  continued  labor.  He  is  liv- 
ing with  his  daughter  May.  who  is  superin- 
tending the  construction  of  a  beautiful  and 
and  commodious  home  upon  her  father's 
property. 


In  1ST2  Mr.  Long  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Alice  Cheney,  a  native  of  Iowa,  and 
they  became  the  parents  of  six  children.  The 
eldest  daughter  is  May,  who  married  Edward 
Ohman,  who  was  born  in  California  and  is  a 
son  of  John  and  Christina  (Reed)  Ohman, 
natives  of  Xorway.  Edward  Ohman  began 
active  life  for  himself  when  he  was  fifteen 
years  of  age,  shipping  aboard  a  vessel  sail- 
ing from  Xorway,  as  a  cabin  boy.  He  landed 
in  San  Francisco  where  he  worked  in  a  black- 
smith shop  and  later  engaged  in  railroad  con- 
struction work  for  one  year.  At  the  end  of 
that  time  he  came  to  Coos  county  where  he 
took  charge  of  the  rock  quarries,  at  the  time 
the  jetties  were  built  upon  the  bay.  After 
his  marriage  he  settled  upon  his  father-in- 
law's  ranch  and  has  resided  there  since  that 
time.  He  and  his  wife  are  the  parents  of 
four  children:  Cecil,  who  was  born  on  De- 
cember 2,  lS9o,  and  who  is  now  attending 
school;  Howard,  whose  birth  occurred  on  the 
30th  of  January,  1908;  Mary  C,  born  May 
21,  1909;  and  Sylvia  May,  born  October  2S, 
1911.  The  other  children  born  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Long  are:  Rose  J.,  who  married  Walter 
W.  Wood  of  Myrtle  Creek;  Amelia,  and 
Georgia,  both  of  whom  have  passed  away; 
John  M.  of  Parkersburg;  and  Charles  A.,  of 
Port  Orford. 

Mr.  Long  is  a  republican  in  his  political 
beliefs  but  has  never  sought  public  ofiice,  his 
attention  having  always  been  absorbed  by  the 
duties  connected  with  his  agricultural  pur- 
suits. He  is  a  member  of  the  Universalist 
church.  The  activity  of  over  half  a  cen- 
tury, during  which  time  he  worked  sincerely 
and  earnestly,  entitles  him  to  the  respect  he 
is  now  enjoying.  He  has  borne  his  part  in 
the  gradual  development  of  this  section  and 
has  worked  honorably  and  worthily  through 
the  years  until  now  in  his  retirement  peace 
and   happiness   crown  his   old  age. 

J.  W.  DEPXIY,  who  operates  a  ranch  of 
three  hundred  and  sixty  acres  at  Midland, 
Klamath  county,  is  also  the  owner  of  what 
is  known  as  Spring  Lake  Ranch,  comprising 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  and  situated  near 
Midland.  His  birth  occurred  in  Linn  county, 
Oregon,  on  the  11th  of  October.  1S67,  his  par- 
ents being  James  and  Martha  (Royse)  Depuy. 
The  father  was  born  near  Auburn,  New  York, 
while  the  mother  is  a  native  of  the  middle 
west.  They  came  to  eastern  Oregon  at  an 
early  date,  were  there  married  and  subse- 
quently took  up  their  abode  in  the  Willam- 
ette valley.  James  Depuy  came  to  the  coast 
in  1854,  locating  first  in  California  and  after- 
ward in  eastern  Oregon.  He  assisted  in  sub- 
duing the  Indians  during  the  troublous  period 
of  the  '70s  and  at  that  time  was  engaged  in 
business  as  a  merchant  and  liveryman  at  Red 
Bluff,  California,  out  of  which  "town  he  ran 
pack  trains.  His  demise  occurred  in  Morrow 
county,  Oregon,  in  August,  1894,  when  he  had 
attained  the  age  of  sixty-three  years.  The 
mother  of  our  subject,  who  married  a  second 
time,  makes  her  home  at  Pomeroy,  Washing- 
ton. 

J.  W.  Depuy,  the  first  born  in  a  family  of 
six  children,  was  but  one  year  of  age  when 


CHIUSTCU'IIKK  U>NG 


ATTOIt,  LfUflX  ANO 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


473 


taken  by  his  parents  to  Californiii  and  was  a 
lad  of  six  or  seven  -when  tliey  returned  to 
Linn  county,  Oregon.  In  the  fall  of  18S1  he 
went  to  Umatilla  county,  this  state,  and 
after  spending  a  number  of  years  there,  re- 
sided for  a  short  time  in  eastern  Washing- 
ton. In  1904  he  came  to  Klamath  county  and 
has  here  made  his  home  since.  As  above 
stated,  he  operates  a  ranch  of  three  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  at  Midland  and  owns  the 
Spring  Lake  Ranch,  a  tract  of  land  compris- 
ing one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  near  Midland. 
Progressive,  practical  and  persevering,  he  has 
won  success  in  his  undertakings  and  is  widely 
recognized  as  a  substantial  agriculturist  and 
valued  citizen  of  his  community. 

On  the  9th  of  December,  1889.  Mr.  Depuy 
was  joined  in  wedlock  to  Miss  Mary  Corbin, 
who  was  born  in  Will  county.  Illinois,  on  the 
11th  of  Xovember.  1869,  her  parents  being 
Oliver  G.  and  Elizabeth  (Giest)  Corbin.  She 
came  to  Oregon  when  eighteen  years  of  age 
and  subsequent  to  the  arrival  of  her  parents, 
who  had  crossed  the  plains  to  California  and 
had  later  taken  up  their  abode  in  this  state. 
Oliver  G.  Corbin.  who  served  in  an  Illinois 
regiment  during  three  years  of  the  Civil  war. 
is  deceased.  His  widow  makes  her  home  in 
Washington.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Depuy  have  the 
following  children:  Harvey:  Edna,  who  is 
the  wife  of  Walter  A.  Turner,  of  Klamath 
Falls;  Homer;  .Jessie;  Alfred;  Elza;  and  a 
baby.  With  the  exception  of  the  second 
named,  all  of  the  above  children  are  still  at 
home.  The  parents  are  well  known  and  the 
hospitality  of  the  best  homes  of  the  locality 
is  cordially  extended  to  them. 

CHESTER  L.  WITHERS  resides  in  the 
Summer  lake  valley  near  the  old  homestead 
of  the  Withers  family.  In  addition  to  the 
cultivation  of  sixty  acres  of  fruit  land  he  is 
now  engaged  in  the  operation  of  a  tlour  mill 
and  he  controls  water  power  used  in  connec- 
tion with  the  Chewaucan  &  Summer  Lake 
Electric  Light  &  Power  Company.  Incorpo- 
rated, of  which  he  is  the  manager.  His  active 
connection  with  various  interests  constitutes 
him  a  leading  business  man  of  the  district 
in  which  he  makes  his  home.  Moreover,  he 
is  entitled  to  representation  in  this  volume  as 
one  of  the  native  residents  of  the  Summer 
Lake  valley,  his  birth  having  here  occurred 
March  9,  1877.  He  is  a  son  of  John  A.  and 
Melvina  or  "Dolly"  (Hadley)  Withers  and  a 
grandson  of  Peter  and  EiSe  Withers.  The 
grandfather  was  a  native  of  Missouri  and  a 
pioneer  of  the  Willamette  valley,  having 
crossed  the  plains  with  ox  teams.  He  served 
his  country  as  a  soldier  in  both  the  Mexican 
and  Civil  wars  and  was  receiving  from  the 
government  a  pension  at  the  time  of  his 
death,  which  occurred  at  Irving,  Oregon,  where 
his  widow  still  resides.  Their  children  were: 
John  A.;  Peter  Clay,  living  at  Irving;  Mary, 
the  wife  of  Charles  Hadley,  of  Eugene,  Ore- 
gon; and  Ada,  the  wife  of  Wall  Roberts,  of 
Arizona. 

John  Allen  Withers,  the  father  of  Chester 
L.  Withers,  was  born  May  1,  1854,  in  Benton 
county,  Oregon,  was  reared  under  the  par- 
ental roof  and  became  one  of  the  first  settlers 


of  the  Summer  lake  valley,  arriving  here 
about  1872.  He  engaged  in  the  live-stock 
business,  raising  sheep,  cattle  and  horses  dur- 
ing the  greater  part  of  his  life.  He  became 
the  owner  of  about  a  thovisand  acres  in  this 
valley,  securing  six  hundred  acres  of  school 
land,  receiving  three  luindred  and  twenty  acres 
from  his  father  and  purchasing  still  other 
tracts.  He  was  married  May  10,  1875,  to  Mel- 
vina Frances  Hadley,  a  native  of  Shasta 
county,  California,  and  a  daughter  of  Samuel 
B.  Hadley,  who  crossed  the  plains  from  Illi- 
nois to  Oregon  in  the  early  '40s  and  wjis  one 
of  the  first  settlers  upon  the  present  site  of 
the  city  of  Portland.  He  afterward  went  to 
Douglas  county,  becoming  one  of  its  early 
pioneers  and  securing  there  a  donation  claim. 
Subsequently  he  removed  to  Shasta  county, 
California,  but  returned  to  Douglas  co\inty 
and  later  came  to  the  Summer  lake  valley, 
where  he  was  again  one  of  the  first  to  locate. 
Here  he  made  his  home  until  his  death  in 
1891.  In  early  manhood  he  married  Emily 
A.  Hammond,  who  accompanied  him  across 
the  plains  and  died  in  Douglas  county  in 
1886.  Their  children  were:  Albert  H."  and 
Mrs.  Margaret  L.  Hannan,  both  now  deceased; 
S.  G,.  of  Silver  Lake;  Mrs.  John  A.  Withers; 
Melville  F.,  a  twin  brother  of  Melvina  and  a 
resident  of  Lincoln  county,  Washington;  John 
T,,  deceased;  Mrs.  Kitty  E.  Currier,  of  Sum- 
mer Lake ;  and  Henry  M.,  of  Fruitland,  Wash- 
ington. Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  A.  Withers  be- 
came parents  of  two  children.  Chester  Law- 
rence and  Charles  Wayman,  the  latter  resid- 
ing on  the  old  homestead  on  Summer  lake. 
He  married  Lottie  D.  Harris.  The  mother, 
having  lost  her  first  husband,  became  the 
wife  of  John  H,  Hayes,  a  prominent  sheep- 
raiser  of  Heppner.  Oregon.  They  spend  most 
of  their  time,  however,  in  Portland. 

Chester  L.  Withers  was  reared  in  the  usual 
manner  of  lads  who  spend  their  youth  upon 
the  ranches  of  the  northwest.  He  remained 
at  home  until  1901.  when  he  went  to  Paisley, 
where  he  embarked  in  general  merchandising, 
continuing  in  business  there  for  seven  years. 
He  establi-shed  an  enterprise  conducted  under 
Ihe  name  of  the  Paisley  Mercantile  Company 
and  when  L.  S.  Ainsworth  joined  him  as  a 
partner  the  store  was  carried  on  under  the 
firm  style  of  Ainsworth  &  Withers.  At  length 
they  sold  to  the  Paisley  Mercantile  Company, 
Mr.  Withers,  however,  still  remaining  as  a 
stockholder.  The  business  is  now  carried  on 
under  the  style  of  the  Chewaucan  Mercantile 
Company  of  Paislej'  and  has  a  paid-up  capi- 
tal of  seventy-five  thousand  dollars.  While 
he  still  remains  a  director  of  the  company,  he 
has  retired  from  active  management,  devoting 
his  energies  to  other  interests.  He  now  gives 
considerable  attention  to  horticultural  pur- 
suits, residing  near  the  old  homestead,  where 
he  cultivates  sixty  acres  of  fruit  of  almost 
every  variety,  producing  some  of  the  finest 
fruits  that  have  been  raised  in  the  northwest. 
In  1908  he  built  a  flour  mill,  with  a  capacity 
of  thirty-five  barrels.  In  the  operation  of  the 
mill  he  has  good  water  power,  which  also 
furnishes  power  for  the  Chewaucan  &  .Sum- 
mer Lake  Electric  Light  &  Power  Company, 
Incorporated,   of   which    Mr.   Withers   is   the 


474 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


manager.  He  is  an  alert  and  enterprising 
business  man,  watchful  of  opportunities,  and 
the  spirit  of  progress  and  improvement  actu- 
ates him  in  all  that  he  does. 

In  1904  Jlr.  Withers  was  maiTied  to  Miss 
Melva  Lewis,  who  was  born  in  Chicago  in 
1888.  a  daughter  of  the  Rev.  M.  M.  and  Emma 
Lewis.  Her  father  was  the  builder  of  the 
Second  Baptist  church  in  Portland  and  was 
long  active  in  the  work  of  the  ministry  in  the 
northwest  but  is  now  deceased.  Mr.  Withers 
holds  membership  with  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows.  He  is  a  worthy  representa- 
tive of  one  of  the  honored  pioneer  families 
of  this  section  of  the  country  and  the  work 
instituted  by  his  grandfather  and  carried  on 
by  his  father  is  now  being  continued  by  him, 
for  he  is  proving  himself  a  public-spirited  citi- 
zen who  in  advancing  individual  interests 
through  his  business  connections  is  also  pro- 
moting the  general  welfare  and  prosperity. 

ALBERT  BROWNELL  is  president  .and 
manager  of  the  Portland  Wholesale  Nursery 
Company,  which  was  organized  and  incor- 
porated in  1907,  since  which  time  he  has  been 
the  chief  executive  officer,  his  enterprise  and 
ability  being  manifest  in  the  continuous 
growth  and  success  of  this  undertaking.  New 
York  claims  Mr.  Brownell  as  one  of  her  native 
sons,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  Erie  county, 
April  34,  1854,  his  parents  being  Thomas  I. 
and  Priscilla  (Southwick)  Brownell.  The  fa- 
ther was  born  in  New  Bedford,  Massachusetts, 
but  when  he  was  quite  young  his  parents  re- 
moved from  New  England  to  western  New 
York,  where  he  was  reared  as  a  farm  boy. 
Not  desirous  of  making  agricultural  pursuits 
his  life  work,  however,  he  later  turned  his 
attention  to  merchandising.  He  died  in  1886, 
at  the  age  of  sixty-four  years,  his  birth  hav- 
ing occurred  in  1822.  His  wife  was  a  de- 
scendant of  Cassandra  Southwick  and  was  a 
representative  of  the  Southwick  family  whose 
American  progenitor  came  to  this  country  on 
the  ship  following  the  Mayflower  and  settled 
in  New  England.  The  maternal  grandfather 
of  Albert  Brownell  was  Job  Southwick,  a 
nurseryman. 

In  the  acquirement  of  his  education  Albert 
Brownell  passed  through  consecutive  grades 
until  he  eventually  became  a  high-school  stu- 
dent in  Evans.  New  York.  When  a  young 
man  he  removed  to  the  vicinity  of  Traer, 
Iowa,  where  he  engaged  in  teaching  and  farm- 
ing for  five  years.  He  afterward  spent  the 
succeeding  five  years  in  Missouri  in  the  same 
lines  of  business  and  in  1884  came  to  Ore- 
gon, establishing  his  home  near  Albany,  where 
he  engaged  in  farming.  In  1888  he  turned  his 
attention  to  the  nursery  business,  being  one 
of  the  pioneers  in  that  line  of  labor  in  this 
state.  He  continued  to  reside  at  Albany  until 
five  years  ago,  when  he  came  to  Portland  and 
organized  the  Portland  Wholesale  Nursery 
Company,  whicli  was  at  that  time  incorpo- 
rated with  Mr.  Brownell  as  its  president  and 
manager.  They  grow  their  own  stock  at 
Woodburn.  carrying  a  general  line  of  nursery 
stock  and  nurserymen's  supplies,  which  they 
sell  at  wholesale,  doing  only  a  mail  order 
business.      Their   trade   covers   the   territory 


as  far  east  as  Iowa  and  they  have  a  large 
sale  in  eight  or  ten  western  states.  Three 
years  ago  the  company  purchased  The  Dalles 
Nursery,  which  was  established  in  1890  by 
R.  H.  Weber,  and  thus  extended  the  scope  of 
their  activities. 

Mr.  Brownell  was  married  in  1878  to  Miss 
Nettie  M.  Read,  a  daughter  of  William  C. 
Read,  of  Tama  county.  Iowa,  and  a  represen- 
tative of  one  of  the  old  families  of  New  York 
that  received  a  grant  of  land  from  the  king. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brownell  are  the  parents  of 
three  children:  .Joyce  P.,  the  wife  of  J.  D. 
Neiland,  of  Portland;  Clare  A.,  the  wife  of 
E.  W.  Read  of  Sandy,  Oregon;  and  Dorothy. 
The  parents  are  members  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church  and  Mr.  Brownell  is  a  progress- 
ive, public-spirited  citizen,  interested  in  all 
that  has  effect  upon  the  upbuilding  and  wel- 
fare of  his  city  and  state.  He  has  the  tact 
which  enables  him  to  know  how  to  meet  peo- 
ple and,  whether  in  business  or  social  rela- 
tions, he  is  ever  the  same  courteous,  genial 
gentleman,  whose  sterling  and  admirable 
traits  of  character  win  him  high  regard.  More- 
over, he  has  been  the  architect  of  his  own 
fortunes  and  has  builded  wisely  and  well,  his 
life  history  constituting  an  example  of  in- 
dustry, determination  and  honorable  dealing 
that  others  might  profitably  follow. 

WILLIAM  LAUGHLIN,  JR.,  manages  the 
farm,  three  miles  east  of  Yamhill,  which  his 
father  has  owned  for  many  years.  It  is  one 
of  the  most  valuable  properties  in  this  section 
and  is  the  result  of  the  energj',  perseverance 
and  intelligent  foresight  expended  upon  it  by 
the  Laughlin  family.  Mr.  Laughlin  was  born 
February  8,  1871,  "on  the  old  Hutt  donation 
claim,  and  is  the  son  of  William  and  Phoebe 
(Roberts)  Laughlin,  of  whom  a  more  extended 
review  is  published  on  another  page  of  this 
work. 

William  Laughlin,  .Jr..  left  his  native  state 
to  make  his  start  in  life  and,  going  into 
Washington,  secured  a  position  as  teamster, 
which  he  held  for  about  two  years.  He  re- 
turned home  about  1892  and  then  undertook 
the  management  of  his  father's  farm. 

On  July  13,  1895.  William  Laughlin  was 
united  in  marriage,  at  McMinnville,  Oregon, 
to  Addie  Pearl  Maxwell,  a  daughter  of  Albert 
P.  and  Sarah  (Branstetter)  Maxwell.  The 
latter's  father  was  in  service  on  the  Union 
side  in  the  Civil  war  and  was  mustered  out 
in  Fort  Leavenworth.  Kansas,  on  the  26th  of 
October.  1865.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Maxwell  were 
both  born  in  the  state  of  Missouri  but  have 
been  residents  of  the  coast  states  since  1874. 
when  they  first  came  to  Oregon  and  settled 
in  Polk  county.  One  year  later  they  went  to 
Benton  county  for  a  two-year  sojourn,  but  at 
the  end  of  that  time  they  returned  to  Polk 
county,  and  having  purchased  a  team  and 
rented  a  farm,  engaged  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits for  about  five  years.  Their  permanent 
home,  however,  was  to  be  in  Washington,  and 
in  1881  they  moved  to  that  state.  About 
this  time  the  father  was  left  with  the  re- 
sponsibility of  taking  up  new  land  and  of 
rearing  his  family,  for  the  mother  passed 
away  in  1881.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  Maxwell  were 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  VF  OREGON 


475 


the  parents  of  six  ehiklren:  Aca  anil  Arthur 
F.,  both  deceased;  Mrs.  Annie  0.  Roberts,  of 
Yamhill  county;  Mrs.  William  Laughlin,  Jr.; 
and  Peter  P.  and  Mrs.  Susie  A.  Works,  both 
of  whom  reside  in  Portland,  Oregon.  Mr. 
Maxwell  has  lived  in  various  parts  of  Wash- 
ington during  the  last  thirty  years  but  has 
now  come  to  Yamhill  to  spend  his  retired  life 
at  the  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Laughlin. 

To  Jlr.  and  Mrs.  Laughlin  five  children  have 
been  born:  Marcus  Ray,  born  May  23,  1896; 
Albert  E.,  who  was  born  September  2,  1897 ; 
Mary  Ella,  born  July  19.  1900;  Charlie,  born 
March  31,  1903;  and  Leona,  born  August  20, 
1906.  At  the  present  time  the  four  oldest 
children  are  attending  school  and  it  is  the 
intention  of  the  parents  to  give  to  them  all 
the  school  advantages  it  will  be  possible  to 
provide,  as  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Laughlin  both  ap- 
preciate the  value  derived  in  later  life  from 
a  good  school  education.  With  the  exception 
of  six  months  in  Alaska  Mr.  Laughlin  has 
lived  continuously  on  the  farm  in  Yamhill 
county  since-  his  marriage  and  has  been 
interested  and  active  in  this  community, 
striving  to  raise  the  educational  and  social 
standards  and  to  develop  the  natural  resources 
of  the  county.  In  politics  Mr.  Laughlin  has 
never  sought  recognition  by  seeking  office. 
He  is  a  stanch  republican,  believing  that  the 
principles  of  his  party  stand  for  the  best  that 
there  is  in  political  and  economic  welfare. 

ROBERT    GLENN   SMITH    is   one   of   the 

acknowledged  leaders  of  the  democratic  party 
of  his  state  and  one  of  the  well  known  and 
successful  attorneys  of  Grants  Pass,  Josephine 
county.  Oregon,  where  he  is  successfully  en- 
gaged in  the  general  practice  of  law.  He  was 
born  in  Jack.sonville,  Oregon,  November  27, 
1864,  and  is  a  son  of  Edwin  and  Minerva  V. 
(Fidler)  Smith.  The  former  was  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania  and  the  latter  of  Iowa.  The 
founder  in  this  country  of  his  family  was  Rob- 
ert Smith,  a  native  of  Ireland,  who  emigrated 
at  a  very  earl.v  date  to  America  and  settled  in 
New  York.  The  next  in  line  of  descent  was 
Daniel  Smith,  a  native  of  Troy,  New  York. 
He  purchased  an  entire  township  of  land  in 
Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  was 
engaged  in  general  farming  for  the  remain- 
ing years  of  his  life,  his  death  having  oc- 
curred at  the  age  of  ninety-nine  years.  He 
was  deacon  in  the  Presbyterian  church  for 
forty  years  and  an  officer  in  the  commissary 
department  during  the  Revolutionary  war. 
The  paternal  grandfatlier,  Daniel  Smith.  Jr., 
was  born  on  the  old  lionicstoad  in  Indiana 
coiinty.  Pennsylvania,  and  on  selling  his  in- 
terests there,  he  removed  to  Pittslnirg  where 
he  was  engaged  in  the  l)anking  business  until 
1844.  at  which  time  he  suffered  a  complete 
financial  loss,  occasioned  by  the  great  fire 
which  destroyed  a  large  portion  of  that  city. 
He  afterward  engaged  in  the  general  con- 
tracting business  for  some  time  from  which 
lie  later  retired  and  established  his  residence 
at  Clairsville,  Pennsylvania,  whore  he  con- 
tinued to  live  until  the  time  of  his  death. 
Paiiicl  Smith.  Jr.,  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Elizabetii  C'opely.     She  was  a  native  of 


Indiana  county.  Pennsylvania,  and  passed 
away  in  Clairsville,  Pennsylvania.  Jlrs.  Smith 
was  the  daugliter  of  Josiah  Copely,  Sr.,  a 
native  of  England,  who  emigrated  to  America 
settling  in  Indiana  county  iirst,  and  later  was 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  woolen  goods 
at  Kittanning,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  con- 
tinued to  live  until  the  time  of  his  death.  To 
Jlr.  and  Mrs.  Daniel  Smith,  Jr.,  seven  chil- 
dren were  born,  the  youngest  being  Edwin, 
who  was  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this 
review.  He  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  Sep- 
tember 7,  1837,  and  after  his  father's  failure 
in  business  he  secured  employment  as  a  nail 
cutter  in  Pittsburg  and  later  went  to  Ohio 
from  which  state  he  removed  to  Newcastle, 
Pennsylvania,  and  was  there  engaged  in  the 
same  line  of  employment.  In  1850  he  was 
employed  as  a  clerk  at  Madison,  Georgia, 
until  1853  and  in  that  year  he  removed  to  the 
Pacific  coast  making  the  journey  by  way 
of  the  Isthmus  of  Panama.  The  boat  on 
wiiich  he  sailed  was  wrecked  outside  the 
Golden  Gate  but  he  succeeded  in  extricating 
himself  from  the  wreckage  and  after  swim- 
ming an  almost  incredible  distance  he  final- 
ly reached  the  shore.  He  settled  in  El- 
dorado county,  California,  and  engaged  in 
mining.  During  the  .years  1855-6  he  was 
one  of  the  volunteer  soldiers  in  the  war  with 
tlie  Piute  Indians  and  followed  his  command 
in  that  campaign  throughout  California  and 
Utah  and  was  wounded  in  the  leg  during  his 
time  of  service.  In  1856  he  went  to  Placer- 
ville  and  there  engaged  in  the  ice  business. 
In  18.58  he  removed  to  Portland  and  followed 
the  occupation  of  a  carpenter  until  1861  at 
which  time  he  settled  in  Jacksonville  and 
there  established  himself  in  the  contracting 
and  building  business  in  which  he  continued 
for  a  period  of  twenty  years.  He  then  estab- 
lished his  residence  at  Grants  Pass  in  Jose- 
phine county  where  he  has  since  continued  to 
reside. 

Edwin  Smitii  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Minerva  V.  Fidler,  a  native  of  Iowa  and  the 
daughter  of  Dr.  George  and  Jane  (Strain)  Fid- 
ler. Her  father  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania 
and  ill  early  life  removed  to  Iowa  where  for 
some  time  he  was  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his 
profession.  In  1849  he  emigrated  to  Oregon, 
settling  at  the  site  of  Coburg,  Lane  county, 
and  three  years  later  he  removed  to  Jackson 
county,  where  he  established  his  home  and 
was  continuously  engaged  in  the  practice  of 
medicine  until  the  time  of  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  California,  at  the  age  of  ninety- 
two  years.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Edwin  Smith 
eiglit  children  were  born;  Robert  (llenn,  who 
is  the  subject  of  this  review;  Anna  C,  a  clerk 
in  the  Portland  postoffice;  Samuel  C.  pub- 
lisher of  the  Hay  ward  Review,  of  Hay  ward, 
California;  Mary,  the  wife  of  a  Mr.  Martin, 
of  San  Franci.sco;  Lincoln,  of  Montcllo.  Ne- 
vada; Myra,  the  wife  of  a  Mr.  Phelps,  of  Eu- 
reka. California;  William  C,  a  resident  of 
Portland.  Oregon:  and  Mabel,  the  wife  of  Dr. 
Ralph  Fenton,  of  Portland,  Oregon. 

Robert  Glenn  Smith  was  reared  at  liome  and 
received  his  early  education  in  the  public 
schools.  He  went  to  Portland  at  the  age  of 
fifteen  and  was  employed  as  clerk  in  the  ollice 


476 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


of  the  Hon.  James  C.  Tolman,  who  was  United 
States  surveyor-general  for  Oregon.  In  that 
office  he  continued  for  a  period  of  eighteen 
months  at  which  time  failing  health  com- 
pelled his  resignation  and  he  then  engaged 
in  educational  work  as  teacher  of  the  pub- 
lic school  at  Klamath  Falls,  Klamath  county. 
In  1SS4  he  settled  at  Grants  Pass  where  he 
was  employed  as  clerk  in  a  drug  store  for 
a  period  of  three  years.  He  had  during  the 
immediate  years  last  past  been  engaged  in 
the  study  of  law  and  in  18S8,  having  thor- 
oughly qualified  himself  for  the  practice  of 
that  profession  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
and  has  since  been  continuously  engaged  in 
that  profession.  Previous  to  his  admission 
to  the  bar  he  had,  however,  served  for  two 
years  as  deputy  district  attorney  under  Wil- 
liam Colvig. 

Mr.  Smith  was  united  in  marriage  in  Grants 
Pass,  to  Miss  Emily  Greenstreet,  a  native  of 
Iowa  and  the  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
George  Greenstreet.  Her  father  emigrated  to 
California  at  an  early  day  and  after  spending 
some  time  in  that  state  he  started  for  the 
east,  but  was  never  heard  from  afterward, 
and  it  is  believed  that  he  became  one  of  the 
unfortunate  victims  of  hostile  Indians.  Mrs. 
Emily  Smith  passed  away  in  December,  1904. 
In  ilay,  1906,  Mr.  Smith  "married  Miss  Ida  V. 
La  liaut  and  one  child,  Helen,  now  five  years 
old  has  been  born  to  them.  Mrs.  Smith  is  a 
native  of  Oregon  and  a  daughter  of  Narcisse 
La  Raut.  one  of  the  early  pioneers,  who  came 
to  Oregon  in   1849. 

ilr.  Smith  was  for  many  years  a  loyal  ad- 
herent of  the  republican  party  and  was  elected 
a  member  of  the  state  legislature  in  1894  and 
.served  in  the  session  of  that  body  in  1895  at 
which  time  he  was  chairman  of  the  committee 
on  railroads  and  transportation.  Later,  on 
account  of  his  strong  and  conscientious  anti- 
tariff  views,  he  transfeiTed  his  political  af- 
fdiations  to  the  democratic  party  of  which  he 
is  one  of  the  representative  members  in  his 
portion  of  the  state.  In  1904  he  was  elected 
as  a  democrat  to  the  legislature  from  his 
county  and  in  the  session"  of  1905  he  intro- 
duced and  contended  for  several  important 
measures  that,  though  defeated  then,  were 
made  laws  in  the  next  few  years,  among  them 
being  an  anti-pass  law,  a  railroad  commission 
law  and  a  corrupt  practices  act.  In  1908 
Mr.  Smith  received  the  democratic  nomi- 
nation although  not  a  candidate  for  repre- 
sentative in  congress  from  the  first  congress- 
ional district.  His  opponent  W.  C.  Hawley, 
however,  was  elected  two  years  before  by  a 
plurality  of  seventeen  thousand.  Without 
making  any  but  a  perfunctory  effort  he  suc- 
ceeded in  cutting  Hawley's  majority  to  six 
thousand  and  he  has  again  been  nominated 
for  the  same  office.  In  December,  1911,  he 
was  elected  mayor  of  Grants  Pass  for  one 
year. 

Hon.  Robert  Glenn  Smith  is  descended  from 
one  of  the  oldest  of  American  families 
and  is  a  man  whose  ability  as  an  attorney 
and  enterprising  citizen  of  his  state  is  recog- 
nized through  the  western  inter-mountain 
country.  He  is  one  of  the  popular  and  dis- 
tinguished  orators   of   the  Pacific  coast  and 


a  man  who  readily  associates  himself  with 
every  public  enterprise  intended  to  advance 
and  secure  the  best  interests  of  the  people 
in  his  state  and  county. 

CHARLES  AKEN  PETERSON.  The  death 
of  Charles  Aken  Peterson  on  March  19,  1910, 
removed  from  Coos  county  one  of  its  upright,' 
straightforward  and  progressive  citizens,  and 
deprived  agricultural  and  mining  interests  in 
that  section  of  a  worthy  and  successful  rep- 
resentative. Mr.  Peterson  was  a  man  whq 
lived  a  quiet  life  among  his  friends  and  with 
his  family  and  who  counted  his  most  sub- 
stantial prosperity  in  their  respect,  esteem 
and  love.  He  was  born  in  Scotland  in  1832, 
a  son  of  John  and  Christina  (Aken)  Peter- 
son, natives  of  that  country.  He  was  the 
third  in  a  family  of  six  children,  all  of  whom 
have  passed  away.  The  others  were:  James. 
Andrew,  Maggie,  Christina  and  Miriam. 

Charles  Peterson  obtained  a  limited  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  of  Scotland  and  came 
to  America  when  he  was  seventeen  years  of 
age,  making  the  journey  across  the  Atlantic 
with  his  brother  Andrew.  They  settled  in 
Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania,  and  remained  their 
one  year,  at  the  end  of  which  time  Mr.  Peter- 
son was  called  to  Scotland  by  the  death  of  his 
father.  He  remained  there  only  six  months, 
returning  to  Pennsylvania  at  the  end  of  that 
time  where  he  followed  the  occupation  of  a 
coal  miner  for  a  long  time.  His  residence  in 
Oregon  dates  from  1S73  in  which  year  he 
came  to  Coos  Bay,  remaining  for  one  year  in 
that  locality.  At  the  end  "of  that  time  he 
settled  in  Riverton  where  he  took  up  a  pre- 
emption claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
to  which  he  added  one  hundred  and  fifty- 
three  acres  by  purchase.  He  subsequently 
bought  more  adjoining  land  and  at  the  time 
of  his  death  was  the  owner  of  a  fine  tract  of 
four  hundred  acres,  most  of  which  had  rich 
coal  deposits.  Mr.  Peterson  did  a  small 
amount  of  coal  mining  and  carried  on  general 
farming,  being  successful  in  both  lines  of 
occupation.  He  retired  from  active  work  sev- 
eral years  before  his  death  and  sold  the  home- 
stead, moving  to  Riverton,  where  his  widow 
now  resides  in  an  attractive  and  pleasant 
home.  She  has  invested  her  comfortable  for- 
tune judiciously  and  loans  money  out  at  in- 
terest and  adds  to  her  income  in  this  way. 

On  July  21,  1872,  Mr.  Peterson  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary  L.  Gamble,  a  native 
of  Pennsylvania  and  a  daughter  of  John 
and  Susan  (Fritz)  Gamble,  also  natives  of 
that  state.  Mrs.  Peterson  is  one  of  a  fam- 
ily of  two  children,  her  brother  John  hav- 
ing passed  away.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Peterson 
became  the  parents  of  four  children :  Harrison 
James,  born  September  5,  1873,  who  married 
Miss  Mettle  Kight,  a  native  of  Kansas;  Susan, 
who  became  the  wife  of  M.  W.  McCormick  of 
Riverton,  by  whom  she  has  two  children, 
Charles  and  Grant;  Elson  Monroe,  born  De- 
cember 9,  1876,  who  is  engaged  in  business 
with  his  mother;  and  Charles  A.,  whose  birth 
occurred  on  November  9.  1879.  and  who  mar- 
ried Miss  May  Price,  a  native  of  Iowa,  by 
whom  he  has  three  children,  Herbert,  Charles 
and  Theodore. 


V- 


c 


;  THE  Nr. .-.   fORK 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


479 


ilr.  Peterson  was  a  member  of  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  a  devout 
adherent  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
He  was  practical  in  his  religion  and  his  be- 
liefs and  standards  influenced  his  every-day 
life.  He  took  an  active  part  in  church  af. 
fairs  and  in  every  way  possible  aided  in  the 
upbuilding  and  expansion  of  the  religion 
which  he  professed.  He  gave  his  political 
allegiance  to  the  republican  party  but  never 
sought  public  office  preferring  to  achieve  his 
success  in  less  conspicuous  ways.  He  is  a 
splendid  example  of  a  self-made  man,  hav- 
ing come  to  America  with  no  money  and  very 
little  education.  He  gained  prosperity  in 
business  and  the  respect  and  esteem  of  his 
fellow  citizens.  The  character  of  the  work 
which  he  did  during  his  life  and  the  impor- 
tance of  the  place  which  he  attained  are 
evidenced  by  the  deep  and  widespread  regret 
which  followed  his  death.  He  won  success 
but  he  was  a  man  who  leaned  more  upon 
the  friendship  and  popularity  which  he 
gained  and  quiet  domestic  happiness  than 
upon  business  prominence  and  he  was  for- 
tunate in  the  attainment  of  both  ambi- 
tions. 

JAMES  M.  HOXIE  is  one  of  the  early 
pioneers  of  Oregon  and  after  many  years  of 
hardship  as  a  frontiersman  and  a  veteran  of 
the  Indian  and  Civil  wars,  to  which  he  later 
added  a  less  hazardous  line  of  activity,  now 
lives  in  the  enjoyment  of  a  well  earned  com- 
petency at  Wilderville  in  Josephine  county, 
this  state.  He  was  born  in  South  Dartmouth, 
ilassachusetts,  June  12,  1S36,  a  son  of  Ma- 
jor Obadiah  D.  and  Eliza  A.  (Stevens)  Hoxie 
the  former  a  native  of  Massachusetts  and 
the  latter  of  New]5ort,  Rhode  Island. 

Major  Obadiah  D.  Hoxie  in  the  early  years 
of  his  life  served  for  seven  years  as  an  ap- 
prentice at  the  watchmaker's  trade  but  after- 
ward decided  to  abandon  that  as  an  occupa- 
tion for  life  and  shipped  as  a  sailor  on  board 
a  whaling  vessel,  continuing  in  that  employ- 
ment until  he  became  captain  of  his  own  ship. 
In  1849  he  sailed  around  the  Horn  and  made 
the  port  of  San  Francisco  with  four  hundred 
barrels  of  .sperm  oil.  He  had  the  misfortune 
to  reach  the  Golden  state  at  the  very  time 
when  the  whole  country  was  obsessed  by  an 
insatiable  passion  for  gold,  as  that  mineral 
had  just  been  discovered  in  large  quantities 
in  certain  portions  of  the  state.  On  hearing 
of  the  possible  fabulous  fortunes  to  be  ob- 
tained in  mining,  his  entire  crew  deserted 
ship  for  the  gold  fields  and  in  that  helpless 
condition  he  sent  to  the  o%vner3  of  the  ves- 
sel for  instructions  as  to  his  future  course. 
and  the  company  at  once  ordered  him  to  sell 
the  oil  and  anchor  the  vessel  in  the  harbor 
of  San  Francisco.  He  disposed  of  his  cargo 
of  oil  and  by  exerting  himself  to  the  very 
utmost  he  succeeded  in  securing  a  crew  suf- 
ficient to  man  his  ship  and  at  once  sailed  to 
Sacramento,  where  the  vessel  was  finally  an- 
chored and  for  years  thereafter  was  put  in 
commission  as  a  prison  ship.  Having  thus 
disposed  of  his  ship  and  being  without  occu- 
pation at  the  time,  he  purchased  a  four-mule 
team   and   a   yoke   of   oxen   and   with   these 


crossed  the  mountains  to  the  head  of  the 
Trinity  river,  where  he  remained  for  the  en- 
suing winter.  Provisions  of  all  kinds  were 
extremely  scarce  in  that  part  of  the  country 
during  that  winter  and,  taking  advantage  of 
the  pressing  necessities  of  the  miners,  he 
butchered  his  oxen  and  disposed  of  the  meat 
at  the  rare  price  of  one  dollar  per  pound.  He 
then  engaged  in  mining,  in  which  he  con- 
tinued until  the  fall  of  1851,  and  then  re- 
moved north  to  Jackson  county,  this  state, 
where  he  located  on  a  ranch  one  and  one-half 
miles  north  of  where  the  city  of  Medford  is 
now  situated.  He  lived  on  this  ranch  for 
the  remaining  years  of  his  life,  which  closed 
in  the  year  1871,  his  wife's  death  occurring 
in  1876. 

James  M.  Hoxie  was  reared  at  home  and 
received  his  early  education  in  the  publi« 
schools  of  Massachusetts.  In  1855,  in  com- 
pany with  his  mother  and  his  youngest 
brother,  Charles  H.  Hoxie,  he  removed  from 
his  native  state  to  San  Francisco,  California, 
making  the  journey  by  way  of  the  isthmus. 
On  reaching  that  city  they  were  met  by  the 
husband  and  father,  who  at  that  time  was  a 
commissioned  major  of  the  Second  Battalion 
of  Volunteers  enlisted  to  suppress  the  Indian 
uprisings  which  were  then  disturbing  the  in- 
habitants of  the  Pacific  coast  states.  Here 
the  family  remained  for  the  winter  and  early 
in  the  following  spring  removed  to  the  north- 
ern part  of  this  state,  where  Major  Hoxie  had 
established  the  family  home  one  and  one-half 
miles  north  of  the  present  site  of  Medford. 
James  M.  Hoxie  on  reaching  this  state,  imme- 
diately after  seeing  his  mother  and  the  other 
members  of  the  family  comfortably  settled, 
enlisted  in  the  United  .States  service,  in  which 
he  continued  for  three  years  as  a  soldier  in 
the  ranks,  engaged  in  Indian  warfare.  At  the 
termination  of  his  enlistment  he  returned  to 
his  father's  home  and  became  associated  with 
him  in  the  improvement  and  development  of 
the  ranch.  On  November  26,  1861,  he  enlisted 
in  Company  A,  First  Regiment  of  Oregon  Cav- 
alry, and  continued  with  this  command  for 
the"  three  succeeding  years,  being  mustered 
out  at  Vancouver,  Washington,  on  November 
26,  1S64,  and  returned  to  his  home  in  this 
state,  where  he  continued  to  reside  until  1879. 
In  that  year  he  removed  to  Bozeman.  Mon- 
tana, at  which  place  he  continued  to  live  for 
two  and  one-half  years,  engaged  in  logging 
in  the  lumber  woods.  He  then  made  an  in- 
spection tour  through  Idaho.  Nevada,  eastern 
Oregon  and  a  considerable  portion  of  the  Sac- 
ramento valley.  On  reaching  Sacramento  he 
entered  the  employ  of  the  Southern  Pacific 
Company,  in  the  service  of  which  he  continued 
for  two  years.  During  the  latter  months  of 
his  stay  in  California  his  health  became  im- 
paired and  he  returned  to  Oregon  and  located 
in  Josephine  county,  where  he  has  since  main 
tained  his  residence.  For  some  years  he  was 
engaged  in  the  blacksmithing  business  at  Wil. 
derville  but  during  his  later  years  has  lived 
a  retired  life. 

!Mr.  Hoxie  is  politically  an  adherent  of  the 
republican  party  giving  his  support  to  the 
progressive  wing  of  that  great  organization 
and  is  interested  in  the  social  activities  of  the 


480 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


community  in  whicli  lie  lives.  He  is  a  member 
of  General  John  A.  Logan  Post,  No.  39,  G.  A. 
E..  at  Grants  Pass,  Oregon,  and  is  one  of  the 
well  known  and  highly  esteemed  citizens  of 
his  portion  of  the  state.  In  the  early  days 
of  his  manhood  he  bravely  did  his  part  in 
the  interests  of  the  peace  and  safety  of  the 
frontier  settlements  of  the  Pacific  coast,  serv- 
ing for  many  years  in  the  United  States 
service  in  commands  whose  duty  it  was  to 
traverse  the  entire  length  of  the  intermoun- 
tain  coast  states  and  wherever  the  savage 
red  man  was  found  upon  the  warpath,  there 
was  the  place  of  duty  for  the  command  to 
which  he  belonged.  Later  he  became  a  ready 
volunteer  in  the  defense  of  the  flag  during 
the  internecine  war  between  the  states,  in 
which  he  did  service  in  camp  and  on  battle- 
field for  a  period  of  three  years,  which  in- 
cluded the  heaviest  fighting  period  of  that 
national  struggle.  Later  he  returned  to  the 
more  peaceful  pursuits  of  life  and  .having 
passed  through  all  these  vicissitudes  of  hazard 
and  hardship,  he  now  lives  a  retired  life  in 
Wilderville.  where  he  enjoys  the  universal  re- 
spect of  all  his  friends  and  associates. 

OSCAR  B.  TYRER  was  born  in  Wisconsin, 
ilay  1.  1884,  and  is  a  son  of  Oscar  and  Mari- 
etta (Boring)  Tyrer,  the  former  a  native  of 
Xew  York  state  and  the  latter  of  Kentucky. 
They  were  the  parents  of  nine  children.  Ef- 
fie.  the  eldest  member  of  the  family,  is  the 
wife  of  Robert  Maxwell,  of  Milwaukee,  and 
they  have  two  children.  Millie  married  Wil- 
liam Douglas,  of  Milwaukee,  and  they  have 
become  the  parents  of  one  child.  Cora  is  the 
wife  of  .John  Holland,  of  Dodgeville,  Wiscon- 
sin, and  they  have  three  children.  Xellie  is 
the  wife  of  Richard  Jones,  of  Dodgeville.  and 
they  have  three  children.  Louise  married 
Frank  Sanborn,  of  California,  now  living  in 
Cooston,  Oregon,  and  they  have  three  children. 
Lela  is  the  wife  of  Willett  Billington,  of 
Spring  Green,  Wisconsin,  and  they  have  two 
children.  Virginia  is  the  wife  of  Thomas 
Crook,  of  Dodgeville.  and  they  have  three 
children.  Oscar  B.  is  the  subject  of  this 
review.  Kate,  the  fifth  in  order  of  birth,  is 
deceased. 

Reared  at  home.  Oscar  B.  Tyrer  received 
his  early  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
Wisconsin.  He  remained  under  the  parental 
roof  iintil  he  was  twenty  years  of  age  and 
at  that  time  started  in  life  for  himself,  rent- 
ing from  his  father  the  old  homestead  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  and  there  was  con- 
tinuously engaged  in  mixed  farming  for  a 
period  of  four  years.  He  then  became  an  em- 
ploye in  the  gas  engine  shops,  where  he 
learned  the  machinist's  trade,  and  remained 
in  that  service  for  two  years.  In  1910  he  re- 
moved to  Coos  bay,  settling  at  Cooston,  where 
he  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land,  upon  which 
he  established  his  home  and  has  since  been 
continuously  engaged  in  the  development  and 
cultivation  of  his  place.  .\t  present  he  is  pre- 
paring and  equipping  his  farm  for  specializing 
in  the  growing  of  merchantable  fruit. 

Mr.  Tyrer  was  united  in  marriage  Septem- 
ber 12,  1906,  to  Miss  Beulah  M.  Rowe.  a  na- 
tive of  Wisconsin  and  a  daughter  of  .James 


and  Bessie  (Johnson)  Rowe,  the  former  a 
native  of  Wisconsin  and  the  latter  of  Nor- 
way. To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rowe  two  children 
were  born:  Bessie  M..  the  wife  of  Herbert 
Gullick,  of  Granton,  Wisconsin;  and  Beulah 
il.,  now  Mrs.  Oscar  B.  Tyrer.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Tyrer  are  the  parents  of  a  son,  Leland  Rowe, 
who  was  born  September  19,  1909. 

Mr.  Tyrer  is  aiJiliated  with  the  republican 
party  but  has  never  sought  political  prefer- 
ment. He  is  forging  rapidly  to  the  front  as 
one  of  the  enterprising  and  successful  farmers 
of  his  district  and  is  a  man  whose  integrity 
of  character  and  industrious  habits  of  life 
make  him  one  of  the  desirable  citizens  of  his 
adopted  state. 

JONATHAN  JOHNSON,  for  many  years, 
was  engaged  in  educational  work,  having 
given  the  early  years  of  his  life  almost  en- 
tirely to  teaching  in  the  public  schools  of 
Missouri  and  Washington.  Later,  he  became 
a  successful  agriculturist  in  Washington  and 
in  Oregon,  in  which  occupation  he  continues 
although  he  will  soon  lay  out  his  holdings 
near  Eugene  in  plats. 

He  was  born  in  Harrison  county.  Ohio,  Jan- 
uary 20.  1846.  and  is  a  son  of  Robert  and 
Sarah  Helen  (To^^^lsend)  Johnson.  His  pa- 
ternal grand  parent,  Jonathan  Johnson,  was  a 
native  of  Virginia,  and  for  a  period  of  twenty- 
six  years  was  a  government  inspector  of  to- 
bacco. He  was  a  man  of  strictest  integrity 
and  had  very  settled  convictions  regarding 
the  maintenance  of  slavery.  Being  of  the 
Quaker  faith,  he  had  the  strength  of  will  to 
follow  in  the  path  which  he  believed  to  be 
the  one  of  righteousness,  and  early  in  his 
life,  he  freed  the  slaves  which  had  come  to 
him  by  inheritance  and  moved  from  the  Old 
Dominion  to  the  then  northwestern  state  of 
Ohio,  where  he  died  in  1863. 

Robert  Johnson  came  with  his  parents  to 
Ohio  at  an  early  age  and  remained  in  that 
state  until  1866,  and  then  removed  with  his 
family  to  Missouri.  In  1877.  when  his  son 
Jonathan  removed  to  the  state  of  Washing- 
ton, he  came  with  him  and  made  his  home 
there  until  the  time  of  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred in  188.J,  at  the  age  of  seventy-three 
years.  He  was  by  occupation  a  farmer,  con- 
tinuing in  that  occupation  during  his  entire 
life. 

.Jonathan  Johnson  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty  he  re- 
moved with  his  father  to  ilissouri.  where  he 
remained  for  eleven  years,  following  his  chosen 
vocation  of  teaching  in  the  counties  of  Lewis, 
Macon,  and  Holt,  in  that  state.  In  1877,  de- 
ciding to  change  his  place  of  residence  and 
believing  that  the  far  west  offered  better  ad- 
vantages than  the  middle  states,  he  removed 
to  the  state  of  Washington,  intending  to  make 
his  first  location  at  Spokane.  On  arriving 
at  that  place,  he  was  not  favorably  impressed 
with  the  surroundings  and  extended  his  jour- 
ney to  the  Palouse  country,  that  state,  and 
there  he  located  a  timber  culture  homestead 
and  preemption  claim.  The  soil  of  this  land 
was  favorable  to  the  growing  of  wheat. 
Here  he  established  his  home  and  gave 
his     attention    largely    to    the     development 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


481 


of  his  farm  for  a  period  of  five  years. 
During  tliis  time,  however,  he  followed 
his  vocation  as  a  teacher  during  the  win- 
ter months.  Having  become  familiar  with 
the  general  prospects  of  this  part  of  Wash- 
ington and  remembering  the  mistake  he  had 
made  in  failing  to  make  his  original  location, 
at  the  place  now  occupied  by  the  city  of 
Spokane,  he  removed  to  Eugene  to  educate 
his  children  in  the  University  of  Oregon,  and 
in  search  of  a  possible  opportunity  which, 
in  some  respects,  might  serve  to  compensate 
him  for  the  loss  he  had  sustained  in  his 
error  of  location  in  Washington.  Having  ar- 
rived at  Eugene,  at  a  most  opportune  time, 
he  was  successful  in  locating  a  place  south 
of  that  city,  near  its  boundary  and  another 
near  the  town  of  Springfield  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty  acres. 

On  -June  26,  1SS7,  Mr.  Johnson  was  imited 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Margaret  Ellen  Lewis,  a 
daughter  of  .Jesse  H.  and  Mahala  Jane  (Dick- 
son) Lewis,  of  whom  mention  is  made  on  an- 
other page  of  this  work.  They  were  married 
in  the  town  of  Johnson,  in  what  was  then  the 
territory  of  Washington.  Mrs.  Johnson  is 
descended  directly  from  colonial  stock,  and 
is  eligible  to  membership  in  the  Daughters 
of  the  American  Revolution.  Her  paternal 
grandparent,  .James  Lewis,  was  a  second  cous- 
in of  Daniel  Boone.  Kentucky's  frontier  hero. 
He  was  also  a  son-in-law  of  Jonathan  Couch, 
famed  in  American  Iiistory  as  one  who  fought 
at  the  side  of  General  Washington. 

Four  children  have  been  born  to  bless  the 
union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Johnson:  Jonathan 
Lewis,  in  the  class  of  1912  of  the  University 
of  Oregon ;  Pearl,  a  graduate  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Oregon,  now  employed  as  an  as- 
sistant principal  at  the  Sheridan  school,  of 
Sheridan,  this  state;  Ida,  who  has  graduated 
from  the  Eugene  high  school,  and  is  now 
teaching;  and  Thomas,  at  home  with  his  par- 
ents. 

Mr.  Johnson  and  his  family  are  members 
of  the  Presbyterian  church,  in  which  he  is 
one  of  the  officiating  elders. 

After  many  years  spent  in  one  of  the  most 
useful  of  vocations,  that  of  an  educator,  Mr, 
Johnson  has  retired  from  the  active  field  of 
educational  work  and  is  devoting  his  time  to 
the  development  of  his  properties.  He  has 
been  successful  in  securing  a  beautiful  home 
body  of  land  in  one  of  the  richest  territories 
of  western  Oregon,  and  while  in  the  prime 
of  life  he  is  provided  with  enough  wealth  to 
make  the  remainder  of  his  life  comfortable. 
He  is  highly  respected  by  all  who  know  him 
and  ever  at  the  service  of  the  public,  when 
issues,  material  to  the  advancement  of  the 
educational  and  religious  interests  of  his 
county  and  state,  are  presented  to  him. 

LEWIS  THOMAS  THOMPSON  is  a  pioneer 
in  the  settlement  of  Coles  Valley,  Oregon, 
and  has  all  the  force  of  personality  and  the 
initiative  and  resource  which  is  implied  in 
the  meaning  of  the  word.  He  has  been  a 
factor  in  upbuilding  for  almost  half  a  cen- 
tury, an  extensive  landowner  and  a  farmer. 
He  is  now  living  retired  in  Roseburg,  having 
well  earned  the  substantial  success  which  has 


come  to  him.  Mr,  Thompson  was  born  in 
Logan  county,  Illinois,  December  14,  1842, 
and  is  a  son  of  Lewis  and  Ann  (Ragsdale) 
Thompson,  natives  of  Tennessee,  The  par- 
ents of  our  subject  were  reared  and  married 
in  that  state  and  in  1832  removed  to  Logan 
county,  Illinois,  where  the  father  died  in  1845. 
Thirteen  years  afterward  the  mother  with 
her  two  sons,  Lewis  Thomas  and  William  R., 
came  to  Oregon  via  the  Isthmus  of  Panama. 
They  landed  in  San  Francisco  on  the  day  w  hen 
Lewis  Thomas  was  si.xteen  years  of  age  and 
from  that  city  took  passage  on  the  old 
steamer  Columbia,  arriving  in  Portland  about 
the  20th  of  December.  Their  ticket  from  San 
Francisco  read  to  Gardiner,  Oregon,  but  on 
their  arrival  off  the  bar,  near  that  city,  the 
ocean  was  found  to  be  too  rough  for  the  ves- 
sel to  cross  the  bar  and  they  were  carried 
on  to  Portland,  where  the  captain  compro- 
mised with  them,  giving  each  ten  dollars. 
With  this  money  they  paid  a  man  to  haul 
them  by  wagon  >ip  the  Willamette  valley  and 
into  Douglas  county,  where  they  joined  two 
sisters  of  our  subject  in  Coles  Valley,  These 
sisters  were  Mrs,  S,  D,  Evans  and  Mrs.  .John 
Emmett,  who  had  crossed  the  plains  in  1852 
and  were  among  the  first  families  to  locate 
in  the  valley.  After  Mrs.  Thompson's  arrival 
in  Oregon  she  made  her  home  with  her  daugh- 
ters and  lived  with  them  until  1867,  when  she 
took  up  her  residence  with  her  son.  Her  de- 
mise occurred  in  1869. 

Lewis  Thompson  is  numbered  among  the 
earliest  pioneers  in  Coles  Valley.  In  the  early 
days  of  his  life  in  this  section  the  country 
w-as  in  its  primitive  state,  the  forests  abound- 
ing in  game,  especially  in  panthers.  Mr. 
Thompson  holds  a  record  of  having  killed  more 
of  these  animals  than  any  other  man  in  Doug- 
las county.  He  delights  in  telling  a  story  of 
an  excursion  in  the  brush  which  he  took  in 
the  early  days  of  his  residence.  He  jumped 
off  a  cliff  and  found  himself  in  a  den  of  three 
panthers.  Being  entirely  unarmed,  he  jerked 
off  his  hat  and,  waving  it  in  all  directions, 
frightened  two  of  the  animals  up  a  tree,  while 
the  other  ran  away.  He  called  for  help  and 
was  joined  by  other  men.  who  shot  the  pan- 
thers and  finally  killed  the  one  that  ran 
away.  This  is  an  example  of  the  early  condi- 
tions of  life  in  the  Oregon  settlement.  After 
his  arrival  in  Douglas  county  Mr.  Thompson 
obtained  employment  as  a  farm  hand  and  for 
about  five  years  was  active  in  this  capacity. 
In  July,  1862.  he  started  for  Truckee  Mead- 
ows, Nevada,  with  a  band  of  three  hundred 
and  sixty  head  of  cattle  belonging  to  S.  D. 
Evans,  his  brother-in-law.  On  reaching  the 
Rogue  river  valley  he  and  his  companions 
learned  that  there  was  a  party  ahead  with  a 
band  of  cattle  belonging  to  Captain  Joseph 
Bailey  and  others.  They  had  pone  throush 
by  the  Klamath  lake  country  to  avoid  the 
high  tax  that  was  levied  on  cattle  driven 
from  Oregon  to  California  at  that  time.  Mr. 
Thompson's  party  followed  the  old  emigrant 
trail,  forded  the  Klamath  river  about  six 
miles  below  the  lakes,  went  west  of  Little 
Klamath  lake  and  there  caught  up  with  the 
Bailey  party.  They  then  turned  north  around 
the  south  side  of  Little  Klamath  lake,  crossed 


482 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


over  a  ridge  into  Tule  lake  valley,  crossed 
Lost  river  on  what  was  called  the  natural 
bridge,  went  north  of  Tule  lake,  crossed 
another  ridge  to  Clear  lake,  then  in  an 
easterly  direction  to  the  south  end  of  Goose 
lake,  whence  they  turned  west  down  Pitt 
river.  Two  days  after  they  reached  that 
river,  in  the  vicinity  of  Hot  Spring  valley, 
they  were  attacked  by  about  one  hundred 
and  fifty  Pitt  River  and  Piute  Indians,  both 
Bailey  and  Evans  being  killed  and  three  oth- 
ers wounded.  Tlie  party  was  obliged  to  re- 
treat or  rather  go  ahead,  abandoning  all  their 
cattle  and  leaving  their  clothes,  two  wagons 
and  their  outfit.  They  took  all  of  their  horses, 
however.  The  attack  occurred  about  sun- 
down and  they  traveled  all  through  the  fol- 
lowing night.  Several  times,  how-ever,  it  was 
necessary  to  stop  in  order  to  rest  their 
wounded  men,  who  had  been  shot  with  poi- 
soned arrows.  The  party  traveled  all  the 
next  day,  through  the  ensuing  night  and 
until  noon  of  the  third  day  without  food.  At 
Fort  Crook,  on  Fall  river,  they  obtained  relief 
and  placed  their  wounded  in  the  care  of  the 
government  physician.  One  of  them,  Ed  Sims, 
who  had  received  serious  injury,  died  the 
following  day.  With  thirty-six  soldiers  and 
twelve  volunteers  the  party  prepared  to  re- 
turn to  the  scene  of  conflict  in  order  to  recover 
their  cattle.  At  the  end  of  two  days'  journey 
they  reached  the  spot,  found  that  their  wag- 
ons had  been  burned  and  saw  a  number  of 
Indians  killing  cattle  and  drying  the  meat. 
In  the  figlit  which  ensued  four  of  the  Indians 
were  killed.  The  lieutenant  was  wounded, 
having  been  struck  by  two  arrows,  but  soon 
recovered  from  his  injuries.  After  burying 
Bailey  and  Evans  the  party  took  up  the  trail 
of  the  main  body  of  the  cattle  and  followed 
it  to  the  south  fork  of  Pitt  river,  where  they 
found  more  Indians  engaged  in  slaughtering 
the  stock  and  drying  the  meat.  The  red 
men.  however,  would  not  fight  and  fled  to  the 
mountains.  Many  of  the  cattle  had  been 
killed,  only  about  three  hundred  remaining 
of  the  eight  hundred  and  sixty-three  head 
which  the  party  had  when  first  attacked. 

From  1865  to  1867  Mr.  Thompson  engaged 
in  the  buying  of  sheep,  driving  his  herds  to 
Virginia  City.  Nevada.  He  married  in  1867 
and  in  the  same  year  purchased  six  hundred 
and  forty  acres  of  land  in  Coles  valley,  on 
which  he  located  and  began  his  career  as  an 
agriculturist.  He  later  purchased  adjoining 
acres  and  added  to  his  holdings  from  time  to 
time  until  he  owned  fourteen  hundred  .acres 
of  rich  and  productive  land  improved  and  de- 
veloped according  to  modern  ideas.  He  was 
at  one  time  one  of  the  most  extensive  land- 
owners in  the  county  but  has  subsequently 
sold  off  some  of  his  farms  and  is  now  the  pro- 
prietor of  foiir  hundred  and  fifty  acres.  In 
September.  190S.  Mr.  Thompson  gave  the 
operation  of  his  holdings  to  the  charge  of  his 
son  Clarence  and  removed  into  Koseburg, 
where  he  is  making  his  home. 

On  September  8,  1867,  Mr.  Thompson  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Missouri  Ann 
Wright,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Emily  (Sim- 
mons) Wright,  who  crossed  the  plains  from 
Linn    countv.   Missouri,   to   Oregon    in    1852. 


They  located  in  the  French  settlement  now 
known  as  Melrose  in  Douglas  county  and 
were  among  the  early  settlers  in  that  section. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thompson  have  been  bom 
fourteen  children,  eleven  of  whom  are  living: 
Parialee.  who  is  the  wife  of  George  Leslie,  of 
Philomath,  Oregon;  Olive,  who  married  Sher- 
man Fortin.  of  Coles  valley;  Leonora,  the  wife 
of  Horace  Chicane,  a  resident  of  Idaho  county, 
Idaho;  Edwin,  who  resides  in  Bakersfield,  Cal- 
ifornia; Anna  Laura,  who  married  W.  F.  Hill, 
of  Klamath  county,  Oregon;  Lewis,  who  is 
the  general  superintendent  of  the  Monte 
Christo  Oil  Company  at  Bakersfield.  Califor- 
nia; Clarence,  who  is  operating  the  old  home- 
stead in  Coles  valley;  Chester,  also  a  resident 
of  Oil  Center,  California;  Mary,  the  wife  of 
Irvin  Pringle,  of  San  Francisco.  California; 
Emma,  who  married  W.  F.  Dillon,  of  Santa 
Rosa,  California;  and  Clifford,  who  resides  in 
Idaho  county,  Idaho,  and  who  is  pursuing  his 
studies  in  the  Oregon  State  Agricultural  Col- 
lege. 

In  his  political  affiliations  Mr.  Thompson 
is  a  socialist  and  is  one  of  the  best  known 
pioneer  settlers  in  the  section  in  which  he  re- 
sides. Many  changes  have  taken  place  in 
Douglas  county  in  fifty  years.  Civilization 
has  come,  cities  have  been  built,  lands  culti- 
vated and  business  enterprises  founded  and 
promoted.  Mr.  Thompson  has  not  only  been 
a  witness  of  this  development  but  has  been 
active  in  furthering  it  and  his  retirement  at 
the  present  time  is  a  well  earned  rest  after 
useful  labor. 

CAPTAIN  OLIVER  CROMWELL  APPLE- 
GATE  was  born  in  a  log  cabin  in  Yamhill 
district,  in  what  is  now  Polk  county,  Ore- 
gon territor.y,  June  11.  1S45.  He  was  the 
sixth  son  and  seventh  child  of  the  well-known 
pioneer,  Lindsay  Applegate.  a  native  of  Ken- 
tucky, and  of  his  wife.  Elizabeth  (Miller) 
Applegate,  who  was  born  in  Tennessee  in 
1816.  Captain  Lindsay  Applegate's  father. 
Daniel,  and  his  grandfather.  Richard  Apple- 
gate,  were  both  soldiers  of  the  Revolution, 
and  Lindsay  Applegate  was  himself  one  of 
the  leaders  of  the  great  immigiation  of  184.3 
which  Americanized  Oregon  and  was  promi- 
nent also  in  the  early  Indian  wars,  and  as 
an  explorer. 

\Mien  Oliver  Applegate  was  five  years  of 
age  the  family  removed  to  the  Yoncolla  val- 
ley in  middle  western  Oregon,  when  that 
favored  valley  was  a  wilderness,  there  being 
only  three  or  four  other  families  in  that 
region  at  that  time  besides  the  Applegate 
contingent,  which  consisted  of  the  brothers, 
Charles,  Lindsay  and  Jesse,  and  their  fami- 
lies. 

The  system  of  common  schools  was  in 
a  rudimentar,v  state  in  those  days,  and  their 
continuity  could  not  be  depended  upon  for 
more  than  a  few  weeks  or  months  in  each 
year.  The  Applegate  families  were  fairly 
well  supplied  with  books,  however,  to  sup- 
plement the  otherwise  meager  opportunities 
for  education,  and  as  a  rule  the  scions  of 
these  strong  frontiersmen  availed  themselves 
of  every  opportunity  offered  to  inform  their 
minds,    as    well    as    to    become    accomplished 


CArr.  O.  C.  Al'l'LEUATE 


1 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


485 


horsemen,  efficient  iu  the  use  of  the  rifle 
and  othenvise  prepared  for  the  border  wars 
which  were  liable  to  occur  at  any  time  with 
the  aboriginal  inhabitants  of  the  country. 

In  1860  the  family  removed  to  the  Sislti- 
you  mountains  near  the  California  boundary. 
Lindsay  Applegate  having  become  owner  of 
the  toll  road  over  the  mountains,  and  in 
1862.  removed  to  Ashland,  Oregon,  which 
continued  to  be  the  family  home  for  many 
years. 

During  the  winter  of  1863,  the  subject 
of  our  sketch  attended  the  district  school 
in  Ashland,  and  the  next  spring  received  a 
certificate  and  in  the  ensuing  fall  became 
himself  the  teacher,  and  for  four  successive 
winters,  very  successfully  conducted  the 
Ashland  school.  In  the  spring  of  1863  he 
became  a  member  of  an  independent  mili- 
tary company,  the  only  one  in  southern 
Oregon,  a  cavalry  company  known  as  the 
"Mountain  Rangers,"  to  which  many  of  the 
leading  citizens  of  the  country  belonged.  In 
this  company  he  served  as  a  private  the  first 
year,  the  second  year  as  a  sergeant  and 
in  the  third  year  was  chosen  captain,  receiv- 
ing his  commissions  before  he  had  reached 
his  twentieth  year  from  Addison  C.  Gibbs, 
the  old  war  governor  of  Oregon. 

In  1865  his  father  was  appointed  United 
States  Indian  agent  over  the  Klamaths  and 
Modocs  at  Fort  Klamath.  By  the  treaty 
of  1864  the  Indians  were  to  be  gathered  on 
the  Klamath  reservation.  The  fort  was  the 
only  place  east  of  the  Cascades  where  there 
were  any  white  people.  Captain  0.  C.  Ap- 
plegate  was  appointed  assistant  to  the  agent, 
and  that  was  the  beginning  of  a  service  that 
lasted  for  several  years,  under  various  agency 
administrations,  during  which  time  he  gained 
unusual  influence  over  the  tribes  of  south- 
eastern Oregon,  an  influence  that  was  used 
to  good  advantage  later  when  the  Modoc 
outbreak  of  1872  occurred,  and  probably 
more  than  any  other  agency  resulted  finall.v 
in  the  conversion  of  the  most  turbulent  of 
the  Indian  tribes  into  quiet  farmers  and 
stockmen. 

When  but  twenty-one  years  of  age  Captain 
Applegate  had  charge  of  a  unique  company 
of  scouts,  called  the  "Ax  and  Rifle  Com- 
pany," because  every  man  carried  an  ax 
as  well  as  a  rifle.  This  company  consisted 
of  fifty  men.  the  captain  the  only  white  man. 
while  diU'erent  chiefs  of  the  various  tribes 
ranked  as  lieutenants  and  sergeants.  The.v 
cleared  the  way  through  the  pine  forests 
for  a  great  wagon  train  of  provisions  and 
beef  cattle  that  came  down  to  the  Klamath 
agency  from  The  Dalles,  marking  the  first 
step  in  the  commencement  of  operations  un- 
der the  treaty  of  1864  for  the  benefit  of  the 
southeastern  tribes  of  Oregon.  This  was  dur- 
ing the  war  with  the  Snake  or  Painte  Indians. 

For  some  time  before  the  Modoc  outbreak 
of  1872  Captain  Applegate  had  charge  of 
Yainax  sub-agency,  forty  miles  west  of  the 
headquarters'  agency,  then  under  supervision 
of  Agent  Laroy  S.  Dyar.  Near  Yainax  was 
located  the  main  band  of  the  "Modocs.  under 
the  famous  old  Chief  Schonchin,  and  with 
him  were  to  be  domiciled  the  turbulent  bands 

Vol  IV— 20 


under  the  haughty  Modoc  chieftain.  Captain 
Jack.  The  story  of  how  Captain  Jack  and 
his  band  refused  to  come  onto  the  reserva- 
tion, and  the  subsequent  events,  make  up  the 
history  of  the  iModoc  war.  In  this  brief 
sketch  it  can  only  be  stated  that  Captain 
Applegate  as  a  captain  of  a  company  of  vol- 
unteers and  Indian  scouts  played  a  prominent 
part  in  the  bloody  drama,  and  to  follow  him 
through  its  scenes  would  be  to  go  over  the 
history  of  that  Indian  outbreak,  which  can- 
not be  done  briefly. 

In  1876  some  of  Captain  Applegate's 
friends  asked  to  have  him  appointed  general 
Indian  agent  for  Oregon,  assuming  that  in 
such  a  way  his  unusual  experience  in  the 
management  of  Indian  afl'airs  could  be  used 
to  good  purpose  in  promoting  progressive 
conditions  to  the  several  agencies  in  the 
state.  Ex-Senator  Nesmith,  who  was  him- 
self a  democrat,  was  an  ardent  advocate  of 
the  plan  and  wrote  as  follows,  to  Hon.  Zach 
Chandler,  Grant's  secretary  of  the  interior, 
with  whom  he  had  served  in  the  senate: 
"Mr.  Applegate  is  a  gentleman  of  culture 
and  ability,  and,  unlike  myself,  he  is  a  prom- 
inent republican  and  is  as  honest  as  is  pos- 
sible for  a  man  to  be  possessing  his  perverted 
political  notions.  You  will  pardon  me,  I 
know,  for  proposing  appointments  to  an  ad- 
ministration which  I  do  not  indorse,  but  I 
do  so  in  order  to  promote  the  reforms  which 
you  have  so  happily  inaugurated."  In  1S9S 
Captain  Applegate  took  charge  of  the  Kla- 
math reservation  as  United  States  Indian 
agent,  and  served  as  such  for  five  years.  Con- 
gress then  discontinued  the  position  of  agent 
and  he  was  appointed  bonded  superintendent 
of  the  agency  and  training  school,  a  position 
which  he  resigned  after  serving  two  years. 

During  this  period  of  seven  years  he  did 
much  to  advance  the  Indians  in  civilization. 
prosecuted  to  a  successful  issue  their  claim 
to  over  half  a  million  of  dollars  for  land.s 
excluded  from  the  reservation  by  erroneous 
boundary  surveys,  and  developed  comprehen- 
sive plans  for  irrigation  and  drainage,  which 
will  add  materially  to  the  wealth  of  the  res- 
ervation, an  area  approximating  in  size 
the  state  of  Delaware,  when  that  splendid 
section  shall  be  freed  from  reservation 
restraints. 

Captain  Applegate  is  always  an  enthusias- 
tic boomer  of  his  native  state,  and  especially 
of  the  Klamath  country,  the  fine  section 
where  he  has  so  long  made  his  home,  and  he 
has  been  a  forceful  factor  in  the  develop- 
ment of  the  entire  country,  in  its  moral,  edu- 
cational and  material  aspects. 

He  has  been  identified  with  various  en- 
terprises looking  (o  the  development  of 
southern  Oregon,  has  had  experience  in  the 
newspaper  business  and  has  a  reputation  as 
a  writer  of  both  prose  and  verse. 

In  1878.  Captain  Applegate  was  married 
to  Miss  Ella  Anderson,  a  daughter  of  Rev. 
.Jesse  Jlarion  Anderson,  a  pioneer  Methodist 
minister,  who  was  widely  known  in  south- 
ern Oregon  as  a  man  of  ability  and  worth. 
The  bride,  like  the  groom,  was  a  native  of 
Oregon,  having  been  born  in  the  territory 
in  1855.     The  union  has  been  a  most  happy 


486 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


one,  and  three  sons  and  three  daughters 
have  been  born  to  them,  all  worthy  of  their 
honorable  parentage  and  giving  promise  of 
usefulness  to  their  community  and  state. 
Frank  Lindsay,  the  oldest,  was  born  Octo- 
ber 10,  1879;  Annie  Elizabeth.  September 
13,  1881;  Laroy  Gilbert,  August  19,  1885; 
Rachel  Emma,  November  23,  1887;  .Jennie 
Margaret,  April  5,  1894;  and  Oliver  C,  Jr.. 
July  5,  1896.  Captain  Applegate  now  re- 
sides at  Klamath  Falls,  Klamath  county. 
Oregon.  In  politics,  though  not  an  unrea- 
sonable partisan,  he  has  always  been  a  con- 
sistent republican  and  was  a  delegate  to  the 
national  republican  convention  at  Chicago 
in  1893. 

FRANK  M.  HARRIS  is  the  owner  of  a 
ranch  of  six  hundred  and  fifty  acres,  of  which 
two  hundred  and  fifty  acres  is  included  in  his 
home  place  on  the  west  side  of  Summer  lake. 
Iron  county,  Missouri,  numbers  hira  among 
her  native  sons,  his  birth  having  there  oc- 
curred January  31,  1864.  His  parents  were 
Zed  and  Malissa  (Pease)  Harris.  The  father 
was  born  in  Kentucky  in  1825  and  the  mother 
in  Connecticut  in  1827.  They  were  married 
in  Missouri,  January  6,  1848,  and  Zed  Harris 
died  in  that  state  in  1880.  He  had  devoted 
his  entire  life  to  farming.  The  mother,  not 
long  after  her  husband's  death,  came  to  Lake 
county,  Oregon,  with  her  children  and  here 
passed  away  in  1900.  Three  of  the  children 
died  in  Missouri  and  one  remained  in  that 
state  at  the  time  when  four  of  the  sons  and 
three  of  the  daughters  accompanied  their 
mother  to  the  west.  They  located  first  at 
Willowranch  in  the  Goose  lake  valley  of  Cali- 
fornia, there  remaining  until  1888,  when  they 
came  to  the  Summer  lake  valley,  locating  on 
the  west  bank  of  the  lake.  Of  the  children 
the  eldest  is  Mrs.  Flavia  McDowell,  while  the 
others  who  reached  adult  age  are:  S.  B..  who 
died  in  Goose  lake  valley  of  Modoc  county. 
California;  Farnum  E..  of  Lakeview,  Oregon; 
Mrs.  Delia  Fisher,  of  Ashland,  Oregon;  Clar- 
ence C,  living  on  Summer  lake;  Martin  E.,  of 
Chehalis  county,  Washington;  Frank  M., 
of  this  review;  and  Mrs.  Florence  Wakefield, 
of  Elma,  Washington. 

Frank  M.  Harris  was  a  youth  when  he  came 
mth  his  mother  and  other  members  of  the 
family  to  Oregon.  He  resided  with  a  brother 
and  his  mother  to  the  time  of  his  marriage  in 
1888  to  Miss  Emma  Barnes,  a  native  of  Cali- 
fornia, who  died  here  in  1891.  The  children 
of  that  marriage  were:  Glenn,  who  died  in 
infancy;  and  Reason.  In  1898  Mr.  Harris  was 
again  married,  his  second  union  being  with 
Alta  Piatt,  a  native  of  Wisconsin.  There  are 
three  children  of  this  marriage,  Dean,  Lewis 
and  Ruth. 

For  more  than  three  decades  Mr.  Harris 
has  resided  continuously  in  the  Summer  lake 
valley  and  his  time  and  energies  have  ever 
been  devoted  to  the  development  of  his  ranch 
and  to  the  raising  of  stock.  His  home  place 
is  well  improved,  constituting  one  of  the  at- 
tractive farms  on  the  west  side  of  Summer 
lake,  and  his  holdings,  embracing  altogether 
six  hundred  and  fifty  acres,  give  him  excellent 
opportunity  to  promote  the  work  of  agricul- 


tural development  in  this  section  and  to  ad- 
vance his  individual  interests.  This  he  is 
doing  along  progressive  lines  and  his  labors 
are  meeting  with  good  returns. 

CHARLES  A.  DAVIS  is  the  owner  of  a  fine 
ranch  of  one  hundred  and  thirteen  acres  lo- 
cated in  the  vicinity  of  Pleasant  Hill,  where 
he  engages  in  general  farming  and  stock-rais- 
ing. He  is  a  native  of  Linn  county,  his  birth 
having  occurred  on  the  6th  of  November, 
1855.  and  a  son  of  Caleb  and  Anna  M.  (Christ- 
man)  Davis.  The  father,  who  was  one  of 
six  children,  was  born  in  Ohio,  but  in  his 
early  childhood  accompanied  his  parents  on 
their  removal  to  Indiana.  There  he  was 
reared  to  manhood  and  subsequently  married, 
continuing  to  reside  in  the  vicinity  of  his  boy- 
hood home  during  the  early  years  of  his  do- 
mestic life.  In  1852.  with  his  wife  and  six 
children  he  removed  to  Missouri,  whence  he 
later  continued  his  journey  westward,  arriv- 
ing in  Oregon  in  Octobei-,  1853.  The  following 
spring  he  filed  on  a  donation  claim  of  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  near  Halsey,  Ore- 
gon, which  he  cultivated  for  thirteen  years 
and  which  was  the  birthplace  of  our  subject. 
He  disposed  of  this  property  about  1857  and 
invested  in  four  hundred  and  thirty  acres  of 
land  located  about  five  miles  from  Eugene. 
Six  years  later  he  likewise  sold  that  and 
bought  a  ranch  of  two  hundred  and  eighty 
acres  near  Pleasant  Hill  in  the  cultivation  of 
which  he  actively  engaged  until  a  few  years 
prior  to  his  death.  He  was  living  at  Salem 
when  he  passed  away,  on  the  21st  of  January, 
1890,  at  the  age  of  sixty-nine  years,  his-birth 
having  occurred  September  27.  1820.  The 
mother  was  born  in  Virginia  on  the  35th  of 
March.  1823,  and  died  in  the  vicinity  of  Pen- 
dleton, this  state  on  February  10,  1865.  The 
children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Caleb  Davis  num- 
bered eleven,  as  follows:  James,  deceased, 
formerly  a  farmer,  who  lived  in  the  vicinity 
of  Harrisburg.  Oregon;  Barton  W.,  deceased; 
John  C..  who  lives  at  Shedds,  this  state,  where 
he  engages  in  stock-raising;  W.  E.,  a  ranch- 
man of  Granite  Falls.  Washington;  George  C, 
an  agriculturist  of  Lebanon.  Oregon;  Oliver 
M.,  who  is  engaged  in  the  hotel  business  at 
Portland;  Jasper  P.,  who  is  ranching  at  Clack- 
amas, this  state;  Charles  A.,  the  subject  of 
this  review;  Mary  C,  the  wife  of  J.  W.  Gross, 
of  Halfway.  Oregon;  Elizabeth  H.,  deceased; 
and  Leander  J.,  who  is  ranching  at  Talent, 
Oregon. 

The  entire  life  of  Cliarles  A.  Davis  has 
been  passed  on  a  ranch.  He  was  educated 
in  the  district  schools  and  remained  at  home 
until  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age,  and  then 
started  out  to  make  his  own  way  in  the 
world.  For  two  years  he  worked  by  the  day, 
and  as  he  was  thrifty  and  enterprising  he 
managed  during  that  period  to  save  enough 
out  of  his  earnings  to  enable  him  to  engage 
in  ranching  on  his  own  account.  He  rented 
one  hundred  and  seventeen  acres  of  land 
which  he  cultivated  with  such  success  that 
at  the  end  of  three  years  he  bought  seventy 
acres.  This  formed  the  nucleus  of  his  present 
ranch  the  boundaries  of  which  have  been 
extended    from    time   to   time    until    he    owns 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


487 


one  liuiuhed  and  thirteen  acres.  Sixty  acres 
of  this  tract  lias  been  brought  into  a  high 
state  of  productivity  and  the  remainder  is  in 
pasture.  In  connection  with  the  cultivation 
of  his  fields  Mr.  Davis  raises  such  stock  as 
he  needs  on  his  farm  and  hogs  for  the  market. 

Charles  A.  Davis  was  married  on  the  22d 
of  June.  ISTC),  to  iliss  Xarcissa  Rutledge, 
one  of  nine  children  born  to  Blasingim  and 
Sarah  Jane  (JIanley)  Rutledge.  In  order 
of  birth  they  are  as  follows:  Cynthia  A., 
deceased;  Daniel,  deceased;  Louisa,  the  widow 
of  J.  D.  Matlock,  formerly  of  Eugene,  Oregon; 
Evelyn,  deceased,  who  had  married  J.  H. 
Gilbert,  of  Goshen,  Oregon;  Blasingim,  de- 
ceased; Mrs.  Davis,  deceased;  Sylvester,  who 
is  deceased;  Ida  May,  the  wife  of  J.  11. 
Buchanan,  of  Alberta:  and  Thomas  L., 
deceased.  Mr.  and  Mrs  Davis  liave  five 
children:  Ada  L..  the  wife  of  Elmer  E.  Hall, 
an  undertaker  of  Spokane,  Washington;  Oren 
C,  a  bookkeeper  in  the  sheriflf's  office  at 
Eugene;  Homer,  who  is  deceased;  Lee,  who. 
is  farming  with  his  father;  and  LaVelma  R., 
who  died  at  the  age  of  thirteen  years. 

Charles  A.  Davis  is  a  member  of  the 
Christian  church,  to  which  his  wife  also 
belonged  and  in  the  work  of  which  he  takes 
an  active  and  earnest  interest.  Mr.  Davis' 
fraternal  connections  are  confined  to  his 
membership  in  Pleasant  Hill  Camp,  Xo.  271, 
W.  0.  W.  He  has  always  led  a  life  of 
intense  activity  and  has  through  his  per- 
sistent diligence  and  capable  management 
become  numbered  among  the  substantial  citi- 
zens of  his  community,  where  he  is  held  in 
high  esteem. 

THOMAS  B.  TETHEROW,  one  of  Polk 
county's  well  known  citizens,  now  living 
retired  in  Independence,  was  born  in  Platte 
county.  Missouri,  on  the  12th  of  Feb- 
ruary. 1838.  He  is  a  son  of  Solomon 
and'ibby  (Baker)  Tetherow,  both  of  Ger- 
man extraction,  the  father  a  native  of 
Kentucky  and  the  mother  of  Missouri.  Solo- 
mon Tetherow  was  reared  in  the  Blue  Grass 
state  but  upon  reaching  mature  years  he 
went  to  Missouri  and  there  met  the  lady 
who  subsequently  became  his  wife.  He  was 
very  fond  of  outdoor  life  and  spent  much  of 
his  time  in  the  woods,  hunting  and  trapping. 
He  was  a  first-class  shot  and  in  his  early 
manhood  he  accompanied  the  soldiers  when 
they  crossed  the  Rockies,  and  with  his  gun 
provided  them  with  fresh  meat.  He  was  also 
a  bee  hunter.  In  1844  he  and  his  faniily 
left  Platte  county  and  went  to  Texas,  making 
the  journey  in  a  wagon  drawn  by  an  ox 
team.  Not  liking  the  climate,  however,  they 
did  not  unload  their  household  elTects  but 
retraced  their  steps,  again  taking  up  their 
residence  in  Missouri.  The  following  year, 
in  184."),  Mr.  Tetherow  with  his  wife  and 
eight  children  joined  a  train  consisting  of 
forty-four  wagons  with  one  hundred  and 
twcntv-five  passengers,  at  St.  Joe,  Missouri, 
and  started  for  the  northwest.  Six  months 
anil  twenty  days  were  spent  en  route  and 
upon  their  arrival  in  Oregon,  the  Tetherow 
family  first  located  a  half  mile  nortli  of 
Dallas.  They  remained  tliere  until  1847. 
when    the    fat'lier    took    up    a    donation    claim 


of  six  hundred  and  forty  acres,  practically 
all  prairie  land  in  the  Luckiamute  valley, 
in  Polk  county.  Here  he  erected  a  cabin 
and  he  and  his  wife  passed  the  remainder 
of  their  lives  on  their  claim,  his  death 
occurring  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine,  while 
his  wife  passed  away  on  the  2Sth  of 
March,  1868.  Mr.  Tetherow  devoted  much  of 
his  time  to  hunting  and  trapping  as  well  as 
fishing  after  coming  here.  The  forests 
abounded  with  game  of  all  kinds,  there  being 
many  buff'alo  and  deer,  and  in  the  creeks  and 
rivers  were  to  be  found  practically  every 
variety  of  fresh  water  fish  in  abundance. 
He  was  one  of  the  best  known  pioneers  in 
this  section  and  had  many  friends.  Both 
he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Ctimber- 
land  Presbyterian  church,  and  ])oliticaliy  he 
was  a  Republican.  Tlieir  family  luimbered 
fifteen  children,  ten  of  whom  lived  to  ma- 
turity. Six  of  the  number  are  still  living, 
as  follows:  Evaline.  who  has  attained  the 
venerable  age  of  eighty-two  years,  and  re- 
sides south  of  Luckiamute  in  Polk  county; 
Lucinda,  the  wife  of  William  Parker,  of 
Ashland,  Oregon;  Samuel,  who  lives  in  Falls 
City,  this  .state;  Thomas  B..  our  subject; 
Martha,  the  widow  of  David  Burns,  of  Dal- 
las, Oregon;  and  Anna,  the  wife  of  Richard 
Johnson,   of    Colfa.x,   Washington. 

In  common  with  other  pioneer  children. 
Thomas  B.  Tetherow  received  but  a  limited 
education.  In  the  early  days  educational 
advantages  were  very  limited,  the  settlers 
being  few  and  scattered,  the  constant  men- 
ace of  the  Indians,  and  conditions  generally 
making  it  practically  impossible  to  have 
regular  school  sessions  or  to  obtain  the  serv- 
ices of  a  good  teacher.  As  he  was  a  lad 
of  seven  years  when  he  accompanied  his 
people  on  their  removal  to  the  northwest  he 
began  his  education  in  his  native  state. 
After  coming  to  Oregon  he  attended  school 
for  a  few  winters,  but  as  the  distance  was 
very  great  he  did  not  go  often  or  very 
regularly.  He  remained  at  home  until  he 
was  seventeen,  when  he  started  upon  an 
independent  venture  being  employed  by  others 
for  three  years.  At  the  expiration  of  that 
period,  when  he  was  twenty,  he  was  mar- 
ried and  with  his  bride  located  on  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  of  land,  that  he  had 
bought  southwest  of  Independence,  lie 
cleared  and  placed  this  under  cultivation  and 
subsequently  added  to  his  holdings  an  eighty 
acre  tract  of  timber.  His  fields  were  devoted 
to  such  cereals  as  were  best  adapted  to  the 
soil  and  he  also  raised  stock,  meeting  with 
success  in  both  branches,  .^s  the  years 
passed  and  his  circuiustanees  permitted  he 
wrought  many  improvements  upon  his  ranch, 
making  it  a  comfortable  and  attractive  home, 
as  well  as  a  valuable  property,  and  in  duo 
time  he  was  able  to  retire  from  business 
life.  When  he  left  the  ranch  he  and  his  wife 
resided  in  Monmouth  for  two  years,  but  in 
1891  he  came  to  Independence  and  bought  an 
acre  of  land.  Here  he  erected  a  comfortable 
residence  and  they  have  ever  since  made 
this  their  home.  lie  has  been  r|uite  a  sports- 
man and  in  his  earlier  years  took  much 
pleasure    in   hunting   and   fishing. 


488 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


On  the  ISth  of  November,  1858,  Mr. 
Tetlierow  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Martli<a  A.  McLauglilin,  a  native  of  Pike 
county,  Illinois,  and  a  daughter  of  Robert 
and  Mary  (Griffith)  McLaughlin.  The 
father  was  born  in  Kentucky  but  in  his 
early  childhood  was  sent  to  Pennsylvania 
to  his  grandparents,  by  whom  he  was  reared. 
After  leaving  school  he  learned  the  black- 
smith's trade,  and  soon  thereafter  went  to 
Illinois,  locating  in  Pike  county,  where  he 
met  and  married  Miss  Griffith,  who  was 
born  and  reared  there.  He  followed  his 
trade  in  Missouri  until  1853,  when  with  his 
wife  and  family,  he  crossed  the  plains  to 
Oregon.  The}'  were  six  months  in  making  the 
trip  and  upon  their  arrival  in  this  state 
located  at  Buena  Vista,  Polk  county.  Here 
the  father  acquired  some  government  laud 
that  he  cultivated,  and  at  the  same  time 
continued  to  work  at  blacksmithing.  He 
passed  away  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine 
years,  and  the  mother  was  eighty-nine  at 
the  time  of  her  death.  They  were  both  well 
known  in  this  section  of  the  state.  They 
held  membership  in  the  Cumberland  Presby- 
terian church,  and  the  father  was  a  stanch 
lepublican.  Ten  children  were  born  to  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  McLaughlin:  Joseph  A.,  who  is 
living  in  Umatilla  county,  this  state;  Martha 
A.,  now  Mrs.  Tetherow;  .John,  who  is  a 
resident  of  Marion  county,  Oregon;  Harriet 
E.,  who  lives  in  Echo,  this  state;  Elizabeth, 
whose  home  is  in  Cottage  Grove,  Oregon; 
Mary  E..  who  is  living  at  Prosser.  Wash- 
ington; Catherine,  of  Alberta,  Canada; 
George,  who  makes  his  home  in  Buena  Vista, 
Oregon;  William,  of  Cottage  Grove;  and 
Alfred,  who  is  living  on  the  old  home  place 
in  this  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tetherow  have 
had  two  chiidren.  Joseph  A.,  who  married 
Lilly  Sebring,  is  operating  a  ranch  located 
three  miles  southwest  of  Independence. 
Minnie  E.  is  the  wife  of  John  Hildebrand 
and  lives  in  Independence. 

Mrs.  Tetherow  is  a  member  of  the  Cum- 
berland Presbyterian  church,  and  Mr.  Tethe- 
row in  his  political  views  is  a  republican 
hut  lie  has  never  been  an  office  seeker.  He 
began  his  independent  career  with  no  capital 
save  his  ambition  and  determination  of  pur- 
pose, but  by  close  application,  tireless  energy 
and  the  intelligent  direction  of  his  activities 
he  met  with  the  success  whereby  he  is  now 
able  to  spend  his  last  days  in  ease  and  com- 
fort, being  accorded  the  respect  of  all  who 
know  him  by  reason  of  his  well  spent  life. 

RALPH  G.  JENNINGS  is  one  of  the  pros- 
perous and  successful  farmers  of  .Jackson 
county  owning  one  hundred  and  si.\ty  acres  of 
choice  Oregon  land  located  on  Big  Applegate 
creek.  He  was  born  in  that  county,  April  10. 
1881.  and  is  the  son  of  William  F.  and  Eliza 
(Dews)  Jennings.  His  father  was  a  native 
of  Hawkinsville.  California,  and  his  mother 
of  Jackson  county,  Oregon.  When  William 
F.  Jennings  was  but  one  year  old  his  parents 
removed  to  Oregon,  locating  in  this  county, 
where  he  has  continiiously  maintained  his 
residence.  At  present  he  is  making  his  home 
with  his  son,  the  subject  of  this  review. 


Ralph  G.  Jennings  was  reared  in  his 
father's  home  and  acquired  his  early  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools,  while  the  early 
years  of  his  business  career  were  spent  in 
the  Sterling  mines.  After  a  number  of  years, 
in  1907,  he  purchased  a  ranch  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres,  located  on  the  Little  Apple- 
gate  river  and  for  three  years  he  continued 
to  develop  and  improve  this  farm,  after 
which  he  disposed  of  it  at  a  handsome  profit 
and  in  1910  purchased  his  present  home. 
This  ranch  contains  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  and  is  located  on  the  Big  Applegate 
river,  at  one  of  the  most  picturesque  points 
in  this  county. 

Mr.  .Jennings  was  united  in  wedlock  to 
Miss  Letitia  Gilson,  a  native  Oregonian,  and 
the  daughter  of  Thomas  Gilson,  who  was  one 
of  the  prominent  farmers  of  Jackson  county. 
He  passed  away  many  years  ago.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  .Jennings  two  children  have  been 
born:  Paul  C.  and  William  Louis,  both  of 
whom  are  at  home  with  their  parents.  Mr. 
Jennings  is  a  loyal  and  enthusiastic  member 
of  the  democratic  party,  following  its  stand- 
ard in  all  national  and  state  issues.  He  is  a 
member  of  Jacksonville  Lodge,  Ko.  10,  In- 
dependent Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  Mr.  Jen- 
nings is  one  of  the  up-to-date,  energetic  and 
successful  farmers  of  this  county.  He  is  rec- 
ognized throughout  this  portion  of  the  state 
as  an  enterprising  citizen,  always  associated 
with  every  measure  seeking  improvement  of 
the  business  and  educational  interests  of 
his  community. 

JOHN  J.  MURPHY  is  a  well  known  and 
successful  agriculturist  located  on  a  highly 
developed  ranch  of  sixteen  hundred  acres 
where  he  is  engaged  in  general  farming  and 
stock-raising.  He  is  a  native  son  of  Oregon, 
his  birth  having  occurred  on  the  farm  where 
he  now  lives  on  December  29,  1860,  and  is  a 
son  of  John  and  Mary  (Goodwin)  Murphy, 
both  of  whom  are  natives  of  Ireland,  the  for- 
mer of  County  Cork  and  the  latter  of  County 
Tyrone.  The"  father  emigrated  to  the  United 
States  in  1847  and  on  reaching  the  new  world 
located  in  Orange  county,  New  York,  where 
he. continued  to  live  until  1852.  He  then  re- 
moved to  Lee  county,  Iowa,  and  thence  in 
]  853  came  to  Oregon  with  the  emigrant  train 
of  Jleyer  and  Walker.  On  reaching  this  state 
he  located  in  Jackson  county  and  there  for  a 
short  time  engaged  in  work  on  the  Mountain 
House.  He  later  located  a  donation  claim  of 
three  himdred  and  twenty  acres  on  which  he 
established  his  home.  In  1854  he  joined  Cap- 
tain Williams'  company  and  served  in  the 
Rogue  River  Indian  war  until  the  close  of 
that  campaign  in  the  latter  part  of  that  year. 
In  1858  Mr.  :Murphy  went  to  San  Francisco, 
California,  and  there  was  married  to  Mrs. 
Mary  (Goodwin)  Carr.  who  was  the  mother 
of  one  child  by  her  former  husband.  Imme- 
diately after  their  marriage  Mr.  Murphy  re- 
turned with  his  wkfe  to  his  home  in  Jackson 
county.  Oregon,  making  the  journey  with  his 
wife  on  muleback  over  the  Siskiyou  moun- 
tains. He  continued  in  the  development  and 
cultivation  of  his  donation  claim  and  later 
added  by  purchase  to  his   original  holdings 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


491 


until  he  vas  the  owner  of  twenty-two  hun- 
dred acres  of  land  at  the  time  of  his  death, 
which  occurred  February  26,  1S9S,  at  the  age 
of  seventy-eight  years.  His  wife  died  Novem- 
ber 6,  1904,  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight  years. 
He  was  affiliated  with  the  democratic  party. 

John  J.  Murphy  was  reared  at  home  and 
received  his  education  in  the  public  schools. 
He  made  his  home  with  his  father  and  was 
engaged  with  him  in  the  cultivation  and  de- 
velopment of  his  farm  properties.  His  father 
suffered  much  from  rheumatism  and  the  son 
was  but  twenty-one  years  of  age  when  he 
practically  took  complete  charge  of  the  opera- 
tion of  his  father's  ranch. 

Mr.  Murphy  was  united  in  marriage  on  June 
18,  1884  to  Miss  Gertrude  Neil,  a  daughter  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clayborn  Neil  and  a  sister  of 
the  Hon.  R.  P.  Neil,  of  Ashland,  of  whom 
more  extended  mention  is  made  in  another 
part  of  tliis  work.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mur- 
phy were  born  five  children  of  whom  four  are 
living,  namely:  Carl,  residing  in  Ashland; 
and  Murray,  Eay  and  Clyde,  all  at  home.  Mr. 
Murphy  affiliates  with  the  democratic  party 
but  has  never  had  any  time  nor  desire  to  ac- 
cept political  office.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Ashland  Lodge,  I.  0.  0.  F.,  and  is  one  of  the 
most  enterprising  farmers  of  the  district  in 
which  he  lives,  being  numbered  among  the 
highly  esteemed  and  useful  men  of  his  county 
and  state. 

0.  E.  ROSE  was  born  in  the  state  of  Illi- 
nois, December  8.  1849,  and  sustained  an 
irreparable  loss  in  the  untimely  death  of 
both  his  father  and  his  mother  at  a  tender 
age.  He  encountered  farther  down  on  the 
journey  of  life  other  trials  and  sorrows,  but 
notwithstanding  his  misfortunes  has  risen 
above  all  obstacles  with  a  manly  fortitude. 
He  has  succeeded  as  the  soldier  succeeds  who 
fghts  in  the  battle's  front  until  victory  is 
won.  This  is  in  part  the  key  to  the  char- 
acter of  Mr.  Rose  who  is  today  one  of  the 
land  owners  in  the  great  state  of  Oregon,  in 
which  he  has  four  hundred  and  seven  acres 
of  highly  improved  land  in  Jackson  county, 
adjacent'  to   Applegate,  Oregon. 

His  parents,  Charles  and  Sarah  (Cogle) 
Rose,  were  both  natives  of  Illinois  and  in 
that  state  they  passed  away  in  the  early 
history  of  their  married  life.  To  this  family 
one  son  was  born,  0.  E.  Rose,  who  was  left 
orphaned  by  their  death  at  the  tender  age 
of  four  years.  Fortunately,  however,  he 
found  a  welcome  at  the  fireside  of  his  grand- 
parents where  he  received  sympathetic  and 
loving  care  and  enjoyed  the  privileges  and 
advantages  of  their  home.  He  was  reared 
in  this  home  and  educated  in  the  public 
schools,  remaining  with  his  grandparents  un- 
til he  was  twelve  years  of  age  at  which 
time  he  bade  adieu  to  the  scenes  of  his  early 
childhood  and  in  company  with  his  uncle, 
Harve  Benedict,  emigrated  to  Oregon.  The 
journey  across  the  plains  and  over  the  moun- 
tains was  made  with  ox  teams  and  horses. 
O.  E.  Rose  made  the  entire  journey  on  horse- 
back. He  remained  with  his  uncle  as  a 
member  of  his  family  until  he  attained  his 
majority.     On   reaching   the   age   of   twenty- 


one  he  filed  upon  a  government  homestead 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Jackson 
county.  This  land  he  occupied  and  improved 
and  as  the  years  brought  abundant  harvests 
and  increased  means  as  compensation  for 
his  devoted  toil  he  was  enabled  to  make  ad- 
ditional investments  in  land,  until  he  ac- 
quired four  hundred  and  seven  acres  to  which 
he  has  given  the  best  years  of  his  life  in 
development  and  careful  systematic  atten- 
tion. He  confines  his  agricultural  interests 
entirely  to  the  raising  of  cereals  and  liay  and 
in  their  production  his  farm  is  in  no  way 
behind  the  prize-winning  farms  in  this  un- 
usually rich  portion  of  the  state  of  Oregon. 
Mr.  Rose  has  been  twice  married.  At 
the  age  of  twenty-two  he  wedded  Miss  Nael, 
a  native  of  Oregon.  Mrs.  Rose  died  in  1879, 
and  is  buried  in  the  cemetery  on  Williams 
creek.  He  was  later  married  to  Miss  Lottie 
Rogers  and  to  this  union  a  daughter  was 
born.  Gladys,  who  makes  her  home  with 
her  father.  The  mother  died  February  22, 
1910,  and  is  buried  in  the  cemetery  of  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  at  Jack- 
sonville, Oregon. 

O.  E.  Rose  is  a  member  of  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  is  a  republican  in 
politics.  He  is  one  of  the  substantial  and 
valuable  citizens  of  his  county.  His  long 
years  of  residence  in  Applegate  together 
with  his  consistent  life  ever  accentuated  by 
integrity  and  loyalty  to  all  that  is  true  and 
best  for  the  commonwealth  in  which  he  lives 
have  earned  for  him  the  high  esteem  to 
which  the  practice  of  these  virtues  justly 
entitles  all  men.  His  hearty  cooperation  and 
lielp  in  all  matters  relating  to  the  further 
advancement  of  his  county  and  community 
can  always  be  relied  upon  to  contribute  to 
the  benefit  of  the  general  public. 

WILLIAM  P.  MILLER,  who  is  living  at 
317  Jliller  avenue,  Dallas,  is  successfully  en- 
gaged in  diversified  farming  in  Polk  county. 
He  was  born  at  Adel.  Iowa,  on  the  17th  of 
July,  1870,  a  son  of  William  and  Lydia 
(Le'ming)  Miller.  The  father  was  born  in 
Clay  county,  Illinois,  December  28.  1831,  his 
parents  being  William  Wilson  and  Lucinda 
(Wilkinson)  Miller,  the  former  a  native  of 
Kintuckv.  and  a  son  of  John  Miller,  one  of 
the  pioneer  settlers  of  the  Blue  Grass  state. 
In  his  early  manhood  William  Wilson  Miller 
removed  to  Indiana,  where  he  was  subse- 
f|uent!y  married.  The  first  six  years  of 
their  domestic  life  he  and  his  wife  spent  in 
Indiana,  but  at  the  end  of  that  time  they 
went  to  Clay  county,  Illinois.  They  re- 
mained there  for  four  years  then  located  in 
Hancock  county,  whence  they  removed,  in 
1843,  to  Jefferson  county,  Iowa.  They  next 
located  in  Dallas  county,  that  state,  taking 
up  their  residence  there  in  184G.  and  were 
the  first  white  family  to  settle  west  of  Fort 
Des  Moines.  There  the  mother  passed  away 
in  1862,  after  which  the  father,  with  two 
of  his  children.  Elijah  and  Jane,  started 
across  the  plains  to  Oregon.  They  located 
in  Dallas  and  there  the  father  passed  away 
in  1866.  William  Miller,  who  had  been  mar- 
ried in  Iowa,  in  1957,  later  started  across  the 


492 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


country  to  Oregon  to  join  his  father  and  the 
other    members    of    his    family.      He    made 
the   journey    in   three   months   and   eighteen 
days,  whicii  was  considered  excellent  time  in 
those  days,  as  the  teams  had  to  walk  all  of 
the  way.     Upon  his  arrival  here  he  engaged 
in   the  'sawmill   business,  but   owing   to   the 
hardships  and  privations  incident  to  frontier 
life  he  became  disgusted  with  things  gener- 
ally   and    in    1869    started    back    to    Iowa. 
There  was  quite  a   large  party  making  the 
journey  east  and  Mr.  Miller  was  made  cap- 
tain   of    the    wagon    train.    His    short    resi- 
dence in  the  west  had  unfitted  him  for  the 
conditions  he  found  in  Iowa  upon  his  return, 
and  in   1S71,  with  his  wife  and  family,  he 
again    started    for    Oregon.    He    again    en- 
gaged  in   the   sawmill   business,  but   at   the 
end  of  three  years  he  abandoned  milling  and 
leasing  some  "land,  at  a  rental  of  four  hun- 
dred   dollars    cash,    took    up    farming.     This 
proved  to  be  quite  a  successful  venture  and 
after   renting   land  for   eight  years  he  pur- 
chased a  tract  of  two  hundred  and  fifty-two 
acres,  for  which  he  was  compelled  to  incur 
a   debt  of  five  thousand  dollars.    He   indus- 
triously applied  himself  to  the  improvement 
of   this   place    during   the   remainder   of   his 
active  career,  making  it  one  of  the  valuable 
properties    of    the    county.     As    his    children 
reached  maturity  he  gave  them  portions  of 
the    land   and   he   and   his   wife   removed   to 
Dallas    and    lived   retired.     Of   the   marriage 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Miller  there  were  born  six 
children,  but  they  lost  three  sons  in  infancy. 
Those    living    are    as    follows:      Mrs.    Chloe 
Butts.   Mrs.   Lucretia   Holman   and   William 
P.     The  father  of  this  family  passed  away 
January  27,  1912.  at  the  age  of  eighty  years, 
but  the  mother  still  survives  and  makes  her 
home  in  Dallas.     In  his   political  views  Mr. 
Miller  was  a  prohibitionist  and  cast  his  vote 
in  support  of  the  candidates  of  that  party 
since     1853.     He    held    membership    in    the 
Christian    church,    having    united    with    this 
organization   in    185S. 

The  birth  of  William  P.  Miller  occurred 
during  the  return  trip  of  his  parents  to 
Iowa  from  Oregon,  but  as  he  was  less  than 
two  years  of  age  when  they  again  located  in 
the  northwest,  practically  his  entire  life  has 
been  spent  in  this  state.  In  the  acquire- 
ment of  his  education  he  attended  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Dallas  and  graduated  from  the 
academy  in  1891.  Having  been  trained  in 
agricultural  pursuits  from  his  earliest  boy- 
hood, naturally  when  ready  to  adopt  a  voca- 
tion he  selected  the  one  he  felt  he  was  best 
qualified  to  successfully  follow.  He  has 
been  very  successful  in  his  undertaking  and 
has  recently  erected  the  beautiful  modern 
residence  now  occupied  by  himself  and  fam- 
ily. The  greater  part  of  his  land  is  devoted 
to  the  raising  of  small  fruits  and  vegetables. 
On  his  farm  he  keeps  thoroughbred  poultry 
and  engages  in  dairying,  having  a  fine  herd 
of  Jersey  cows.  His  business  sagacity  and 
clear  judgment  as  well  as  his  agricultural 
skill  are  ably  manifested  in  the  annual  re- 
turns yielded  by  his  ranch,  the  operation  of 
\rhich   is  under  his  personal  supervision. 


In   1S94,  Mr.  Miller  was  united   in  mar- 
riage   to    Miss    Grace    Chapin,    a    daughter 
of  Rawson  H.  and  Cordelia    (King)    Chapin. 
Her  birth  occurred  at  Kelleys  Island,  Ohio, 
August  1,  1870,  but  she  was  taken  to  Kansas 
when  two  years  of  age,  where  she  lived  to 
her  eighteenth  year,  when  she  came  to  Dal- 
las.    Rawson  Chapin  was  born  in  the  state 
of  Kew  York  and  was  a  son  of  Luther  and 
Mary  (Brewer)  Chapin,  the  mother  a  distant 
relative    of   Chief   Justice    Brewer.       Luther 
Chapin,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  Massa- 
chusetts,  always   engaged   in    farming,   first 
in  his  native  state  and  later  in  Xew  York, 
while  his  last  years  were  spent  in  Michigan. 
Unto    Mr.    and    Mrs.    Luther    Chapin    there 
were    born    the    following   children:    Luther, 
Wallace,    Henry,    Rawson,    Brewer,    Martin, 
Marj-  and  Webster.     ^Vhen  old  enough  to  de- 
cide upon  a  vocation,  Rawson  Chapin  decided 
to  follow  the  lakes,  and  being  an  ambitious 
and  enterprising  young  man  he  rose  to  the 
position  of  captain,  having  had  the  command 
of  several  different  sailing  vessels.     Later  he 
withdrew   from   this   and   turned   his   atten- 
tion   to    farming    first    in    Ohio,    where    he 
owned  a  large  vineyard,  and  later  in  Kansas 
and  Oregon.     In   1866  Captain  Rawson  Cha- 
pin was  married  to  Miss  Cordelia  King,  who 
was  born  in  Michigan,  on  the  22d  of  April, 
1837.     They  began  their  domestic  life  on  a 
farm  in  Ohio,  whence  they  later  removed  to 
Kansas,   locating   in   Ottawa    county,   where 
they    filed   on   a   homestead.     In    1889    they 
went   to   Oregon,   settling   on   a    ranch   near 
Dallas,    which    Mr.    Chapin    operated    until 
1899.     In   the   latter  year   they   removed  to 
Ellensburg,  Washington,  and  there  the  father 
died   in   1902,  at  the  age   of  sixty-nine,   his 
natal  day  being  December  17,  1833.     lie  was 
a  progressive   man  in  all  of  his   ideas,  par- 
ticularly in  his  political  views,  always  cham- 
pioning  every   new   party,   the   principles   of 
which  he  felt  assured  better  government  and 
a  higher  standard  of  citizenship.     When  first 
granted  the  right  of  franchise  upon  attain- 
ing   his    majority    he    voted    the    republican 
ticket,  but   he   transferred  his   allegiance  to 
the  greenback  party  when  that  was  formed, 
while  he  later  became  a  populist.    He  next 
voted  the  prohibition  ticket  and  at  the  time 
of   his   death    he    was   a    socialist,   believing 
that   this   party's  policy  promised   the   solu- 
tion,  if   put   into   practice,   of   many   of   the 
most  complex  matters  confronting  the  public 
today.     In  religious  faith  he  was  a  Method- 
ist,  as   is  also  his   widow,  who   now   makes 
her   home    with    her    daughter,   Mrs.    Miller. 
Mr.  and  !Mrs.  Chapin  became  the  parents  of 
four   children:    Frank,   who   is   a   contractor 
and     builder     at     Ellensburg,     Washington; 
?<rrs.   Grace   ]\Ii!ler;   Luther  J.,  who  is  state 
agronomist  of  the  Western  Washington  Ex- 
periment Station :  and  Alice  Mary,  who  mar- 
ried J.  L.  Dunn,   of  Portland.   Oregon. 

LTnto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Miller  have  been  born 
nine  children,  as  follows:  Harold,  who  was 
born  August  22,  1895,  now  in  high  school; 
Aileen.  who  was  born  April  1.  1897.  and  died 
.fuly  8,  1907,  as  the  result  of  injuries  sus- 
tained at  school;  Ruth  L..  whose  birth  oc- 
curred on  the  31st  of  December,  1898;  Wil- 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


493 


liaiu  Earl,  who  was  born  January  27,  1901, 
and  was  accidentally  shot  on  the  30th  of 
July,  I'JIO;  Marjorie,  who  was  born  Decem- 
ber 29,  1902,  and  died  on  the  21st  of  Febru- 
ary, 1903;  Pauline  G.,  who  was  born  Decem- 
ber S,  1903;  Paul  F.,  whose  birth  occurred 
February  10,  1906;  Raymond  L.,  who  was 
born  on  the  25th  of  July,  1908;  and  Claire 
M.,   born   on  June   25,   11109. 

Botli  Mr.  and  ilrs.  Miller  are  active  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and 
take  a  helpful  interest  in  the  work  of  the 
various  departments,  particularly  that  of  the 
Sunday  school,  Mr.  Miller  having  the  larg- 
est class  of  boys  in  Dallas.  He  is  one  of 
the  public-spirited  men  of  the  town  and  de- 
votes much  of  his  time  and  attention  to  the 
betterment  of  local  conditions.  His  political 
views  accord  with  the  principles  of  the  pro- 
hibition party,  and  since  1908  he  has  been 
chairman  of  the  central  committee,  having 
held  this  office  when  the  county  was  voted 
dry.  He  is  also  chairman  of  the  law  and 
enforcement  league.  Ever}'  movement  in- 
augurated for  the  betterment  of  conditions 
afi'ecting  the  moral  welfare  of  the  community 
receives  the  indorsement  and  cooperation  of 
Mr.  Miller,  who  has  high  standards  of  the 
duties  of  citizenship.  He  is  a  man  of  worth 
to  the  locality  by  reason  of  his  high  prin- 
ciples and  many  substantial  personal  qual- 
ities. 

RUDOLPHUS     S.     KNOWLTON.     One    of 

the  most  prominent  and  highly  respected 
citizens  of  Coquille  is  Rudolphus  S.  Knowl- 
ton,  who  beside  conducting  a  flourishing 
drug  business  in  the  city  is  president  of  the 
Farmers  &  Merchants  Bank  and  a  stoek- 
liolder  in  various  other  important  enterprises. 
He  gives  most  of  his  attention,  however,  to 
his  drug  store,  which  is  one  of  the  finest 
in  Coquille  and  which  he  has  made  expand 
and  grow  by  constantly  following  progress- 
ive and  upright  methods.  Mr.  Knowlton 
was  born  in  Tennessee  in  1855  and  is  a  son 
of  Horace  C.  and  Mary  Agnes  (Stone)  Knowl- 
ton. the  former  a  native  of  Vermont  and  the 
latter  of  Tennessee.  The  father  of  our  sub- 
ject was  of  New  England  ancestry,  his 
people  having  settled  in  Massachusetts  at 
an  earlv  date.  His  marriage,  however,  oc- 
curred in  Tennessee,  and  in  that  state  he 
owned  a  large  plantation  which  he  operated 
for  a  number  of  years.  He  later  followed 
the  blacksmith's  trade,  which  he  had  learned 
under  his  father,  and  afterward  engaged  in 
the  sawmilling  business.  He  was  left  almost 
bankrupt  after  the  war  and  engaged  in  farm- 
ing until  his  death.  He  and  his  wife  had 
nine  children:  Marv  C.  the  widow  of  Dr. 
M.  C.  Wells;  Horace  C;  Rudolphus  S.,  of 
this  review:  Charles,  deceased;  Emerson  E.; 
John  D.;  William:  Bruce,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  eight;  and  Lelia,  the  wife  of  John 
Cate.  ,  . 

Rudolphus  S.  Knowlton  grew  up  upon  his 
father's  plantation  in  Tennessee  and  assisted 
his  father  in  the  work  of  the  fields  for  a 
number  of  years.  He  was  not  yet  twenty- 
one  vears  old  when  the  family  moved  to 
.\rkansas  and  in  that  state  he  took  a  course 
in   the   Searcv   Academy.     He  broadened  his 


knowledge  by  making  use  of  every  opportu- 
nity and  by  constant  and  well  selected  read- 
ing and  fitted  liimself  for  teaching,  follow- 
ing this  occupation  in  the  country  schools 
for  two  years.  He  afterward  stuilied  phar- 
macy and  while  he  was  taking  this  course 
worked  in  a  local  drug  store.  After  some 
time  he  took  charge  of  a  similar  enterprise 
in  Lonoke,  Arkansas,  managing  tlie  store  for 
its  owner,  who  was  a  practicing  physician. 
He  lived  in  that  city  for  seven  years  and 
tlien  secured  a  position  in  a  pharmacy  in 
San  Francisco.  After  two  years  lie  caiiie  to 
Coos  bay,  settling  at  Empire,  which  was 
then  the  county  seat,  and  clerked  in  a  drug 
store  for  two  years,  saving  his  money  until 
he  was  able  to  establish  himself  in  business 
i'l  Coquille.  He  took  charge  of  his  enter- 
prise in  1S90  and  two  years  afterward  lost 
his  entire  savings  in  a  fire  which  devastated 
the  town.  However,  he  immediately  rebuilt, 
purchased  a  new  stock  and  reopened  his  busi- 
ness, which  he  has  continued  since  that  time. 
He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Farm- 
ers &  Merchants  Bank,  which  opened  its 
doors  on  March  10,  1909.  He  was  elected 
president  at  that  time  and  has  held  this 
office   ever  since. 

On  May  2,  1892,  Mr.  Knowlton  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Annie  Hayter,  a  na- 
tive of  Coos  county  and  a  daughter  of  W. 
L.  Hayter,  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  on 
the  Coquille  river.  He  crossed  the  plains 
from  Jlissouri  at  an  early  date  and  settled 
in  Polk  county,  coming  in  18G5  to  Coos 
county  and  locating  on  the  Coquille  river, 
where  he  died  in  1908,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
five  years.  Mrs.  Knowlton  is  one  of  a  fam- 
ily of  fifteen  children,  namely:  Dosia;  Rich- 
ard M. ;  Melvin;  James  T.;  William  R.; 
Annie;  Cora;  Ella;  Robert;  Edith;  May; 
Wilbur  0.;  Charles  A.,  who  was  accidentally 
killed  in  March,  1909;  Andrew  J.;  and  Eliza- 
beth, who  died  in  infanc}'.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Knowlton  have  three  children,  Owen  H.,  R. 
Clay  and  Xaomi. 

Mr.  Knowlton  gives  his  allegiance  to  the 
democratic  party  but  never  seeks  public 
office.  He  is  a "  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church.  South.  His  business  abil- 
ity, his  belief  in  the  future  of  his  section, 
his  interest  in  local  growth  and  improve- 
ment, all  entitle  him  to  his  present  represen- 
tative place  among  the  citizens  of  Coquille. 

RUFXTS  N.  PHELPS  has  resided  almost 
continuously  in  Lake  county  since  1873  and 
during  the  "greater  part  of  the  time  has  been 
connected  with  the  sheep  industry,  but  in 
1912  he  opened  a  livery  barn  in  Paisley.  He 
is  also  tlie  owner  of  a  blacksmith  shop  and 
feed  yard.  He  was  born  May  13,  1869,  in 
Washington  Territory,  while  his  parents 
were  en  route  from  Ohio  to  Portland,  Ore- 
gon. His  father.  .Joseph  B.  Phelps,  was  born 
Tn  the  Buckeye  state  in  1S22  and  was  there 
married  to  Mary  A.  Prior,  whose  birth  oc- 
curred in  Pennsylvania  in  1830.  .''tarting 
westward  they  drove  across  the  country, 
stopping  at  different  points  for  a  year  or 
two  but  ultimately  locating  in  Portland. 
After   a   short   time   they  removed  to  Rose- 


494 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


burg  and  Mr.  Plielps  was  employed  on  the 
construction  of  a  railroad  in  tlie  bridge- 
building  department.  In  June,  1873,  lie  re- 
moved to  Drews  valley  in  Lake  county, 
v>-here  he  remained  for  ten  years,  during 
which  period  he  %vas  engaged  in  running 
stock  on  the  range.  On  the  expiration  of 
that  decade  he  removed  to  Paisley  and  in 
1898  took  up  his  abode  at  Grants  Pass, 
where  he  died  in  1902.  His  wife  survived  him 
for  five  years,  passing  away  in  1907.  Joseph 
B.  Phelps  had  followed  carpentering  and  also 
conducted  a  hotel  in  the  east,  but  after 
coming  to  the  northwest  had  engaged  in  the 
cultivation  of  ranch  property  and  in  stock- 
raising.  To  him  and  his  wife  were  born  nine 
children  of  whom  three  died  in  infancy,  the 
others  being:  Charles,  a  resident  of  Siskiyou 
county,  California;  Caroline,  the  wife  of  Dan 
Cameron,  of  Gold  Hill,  Oregon;  Ida  Kate,  the 
wife  of  J.  H.  Bull,  of  San  Juan,  California; 
Jennie,  the  wife  of  S.  P.  Cleland,  of  Arizona; 
Joseph  B..  also  living  in  Arizona;  and 
Rufus  N. 

Rufus  N.  Phelps  was  about  four  years  of 
age  when  the  family  came  to  Lake  county, 
where  he  has  since  made  his  home  with  the 
exception  of  a  year  spent  in  Reno,  Nevada, 
and  six  years  in  the  gold  mines  at  Grants 
Pass.  The  sheep  industry  claimed  his  at- 
tention throughout  the  greater  part  of  the 
period  of  his  residence  in  Lake  county  but 
in  1912  he  purchased  a  livery  stable  in  Pais- 
ley and  erected  a  barn  one  hundred  by  sixty 
feet.  The  mows  hold  one  hundred  and  thir- 
teen tons  of  hay.  He  keeps  seven  teams 
and  two  saddle  horses  and  also  conducts  a 
feed  yard.  He  is  also  the  owner  of  a  black- 
smith shop  which,  however,  he  rents  out. 

On  the  17th  of  April,  1895,  Mr.  Phelps 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Adelaide 
Ross,  who  was  born  in  Jackson  county,  Ore- 
gon, in  1867,  and  is  a  daughter  of  General 
John  E.  Ross,  long  a  prominent  and  influ- 
ential resident  of  this  state.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
I'helps  are  the  parents  of  four  children, 
Ross,  Marie  Ethel,  Eva  and  Carl.  The  fam- 
ily is  w^ell  known  in  Paisley  and  Lake  county 
and  they  have  many  friends  here.  Jlr. 
Phelps  has  led  a  busy  and  useful  life,  work- 
ing persistently  for  the  success  which  he  has 
attained  and  giving  his  attention  at  all 
times  closely  to  his  work. 

JOHN  L.  POWELL.  The  state  of  Oregon 
lost  a  pioneer  and  a  man  whose  life  had  been 
closely  identified  with  the  settlement,  growth 
and  change  in  the  state  when  John  L.  Powell 
died  on  June  11,  1900,  in  Bandon.  He  was 
eighty-four  years  at  the  time  of  his  death  and 
had  spent  almost  forty-five  years  in  Oregon. 
He  saw  the  evolution  of  a  wild  and  unsettled 
country  filled  with  hostile  Indians  into  a  pro- 
ductive, fertile  region,  rich  in  developed  re- 
sources and  supplied  with  all  the  conveniences 
of  modern  civilization.  The  history  of  his 
life  is  interesting  and  its  results  have  been 
valuable.  He  was  born  at  Circleville,  Picka- 
way county,  Ohio.  .July  11,  1816.  His  parents 
were  of  German  descent  and  moved  at  an 
early  date  to  Sangamon  county,  Illinois,  tak- 


ing with  them  their  family'  of  four  sons  and 
two  daughters. 

Mr.  Powell  remained  at  home  until  he  was 
twenty-one  years  of  age.  He  then  went  with 
his  brother-in-law  to  \\'liiteside  county,  Illi- 
nois, where  they  purchased  government  land. 
He  remained  in  this  section  until  1850,  when 
he  w-as  influenced  by  reports  of  the  rich  Cali- 
fornia gold  discoveries  to  journey  westward. 
His  original  intention  was  to  remain  but  a 
short  time  and  he  left  his  family  in  Illinois. 
However,  his  gold  hunting  proved  unsuccess- 
ful. He  reached  the  Pacific  coast,  leading  one 
worn-out  horse,  which  was  all  that  remained 
of  an  extensive  outfit.  He  mined  during  the 
following  winter  without  success  and  at  the 
end  of  that  time  determined  to  try  his  for- 
tune in  southern  Oregon.  He  journeyed  by 
boat  to  Portland,  Oregon,  went  from  there  to 
Jacksonville  in  Jackson  county  and  mined  for 
a  short  time  in  that  vicinity  and  at  other 
points.  He  still  met  with  no  success  and  his 
life  at  this  time  was  filled  with  the  hardships 
incident  to  poverty.  He  took  supplies  on 
mules  and  journeyed  to  the  different  mining 
camps,  from  Scottsburg  to  EUensburg  and  to 
Crescent  City  and  at  one  time  engaged  in 
the  freighting  business,  having  his  head- 
quarters at  the  latter  point.  He  was  with  a 
government  surveying  party  and  his  compan- 
ions named  Powell  creek,  a  tributary  of  Wil- 
liams creek,  in  his  honor.  He  was,  however, 
still  unsuccessful  financially  and  in  1852  de- 
termined to  make  a  definite  settlement  in 
Oregon  and  engage  in  farming.  He  took  up 
a  donation  claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  on  Williams  creek  and  with  several 
others  located  his  home  in  that  section  in 
1856.  The  land  was  raw  and  unimproved  and 
the  conditions  of  living  primitive.  Mr.  Pow- 
ell encountered  all  of  the  hardships  and  some 
of  the  dangers  of  pioneer  life  and  his  indi- 
vidual experiences  made  his  character  even 
more  forceful  and  vital.  Immediately  after 
he  took  up  his  land  he  set  about  improving 
and  developing  it.  He  built  farm  buildings 
out  of  logs,  erected  a  residence  and  divided 
his  fields  by  rairfences.  His  success  was  be- 
coming noticeably  greater  at  the  time  when 
the  Indians  became  hostile.  Mr.  Powell  left 
his  property  for  one  season  in  order  to  joiir- 
ney  to  the  Willamette  valley  and  during  his 
absence  everything  which  he  owned  was 
burned  and  destroyed  together  with  the  barns, 
outbuildings  and  homes  of  the  other  settlers. 
The  savages  spared  the  lives  of  the  settlers 
on  condition  that  they  would  not  try  to  save 
their  property.  MTien  he  returned  to  his  farm 
he  found  it  .a  desolate  tract  of  land  but  he 
did  not  allow  himself  to  become  discouraged 
and  immediately  set  about  the  work  of  re- 
building. From  that  time  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  June,  1900,  he  was  greatly 
successful,  although  he  met  with  reverses  from 
time  to  time.  He  brought  to  his  vocation  an 
industry  and  thrift,  which  were  important 
qualities  in  his  character,  and  a  practical 
knowledge  gained  through  long  and  hard  ex- 
perience. His  farm  yielded  him  abtmdant  har- 
vests and  became  ultimately  one  of  the  most 
highly  developed  and  important  properties 
in  the  section. 


.lilllN    I,.    I'OWKI.I, 


_^_— — — "^ 

PUBLIC    UBR'.RV 


L 


iXTC". 


^ 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


497 


In  1837  Mr.  Powell  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Clarinda  Campbell,  formerly  of  Ken- 
tucky, and  to  their  union  were  born  five 
children,  two  of  whom  are  still  living:  F.  M. 
Powell,  who  is  now  in  business  in  Chicago; 
and  Mrs.  E.  E.  Topping.  The  latter  with  her 
husband  and  four  children  came  to  Oregon  in 
1S69  as  a  passenger  on  the  first  railroad  train 
across  the  continent.  They  made  their  home 
with  the  subject  of  this  review  upon  his  dona- 
tion claim  and  here  George  P.  Topping  was 
born  August  15,  1871.  He  is  now  practicing 
law  at  Bandon.  F.  A.  Topping,  another  grand- 
son of  our  subject,  is  still  farming  the  origi- 
nal donation  claim  in  partnership  with  his 
mother.  They  have  added  forty  acres  to  the 
tract,  making  it  at  the  present  time  two  hun. 
dred  acres.  Mr.  Topping  is  a  practical  farmer 
and  his  methods  have  resulted  in  making  the 
land  which  he  operates  more  productive  every 
year.  The  two  youngest  children  born  to 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  0.  F.  Topping  were  Mrs.  James 
W.  Turvey,  who  resides  with  her  family  on 
Williams  creek;  and  George  P.  Topping,  men- 
tioned above,  who  lives  at  Bandon.  Oregon. 

Mr.  Powell  died  on  June  11.  1900,  in  the 
eighty-fourth  year  of  his  age.  His  descend- 
ants number  twenty-three  living,  one  son  and 
one.  daughter,  three  grandchildren  and  eight- 
een great-grandchildren.  Three  of  his  sons 
served  in  the  Civil  war  and  the  one  who  is 
now  living,  F.  M.  Powell,  is  a  veteran  of  that 
conflict.  The  pioneers  in  Oregon  were  force- 
ful, sturdy  and  vital  men  and  the  conditions 
of  their  living  tested  these  qualities  to  their 
utmost  and  intensified  them  to  a  great  de- 
gree. Mr.  Powell  had  all  the  characteristics 
of  an  able  frontiersman.  He  saw  the  develop- 
ment of  a  great  section  and  to  the  best  of 
his  ability  assisted  in  it.  His  life  was,  there- 
fore, useful  and  valuable,  as  it  was  at  all 
times  straightforward  and  upright. 

HUGH  R.  GRANT,  deceased,  was  a  res- 
ident of  Polk  county  for  fifty-nine  years, 
during  the  greater  part  of  which  time  he 
was  successfully  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits.  He  was  born  in  Lafayette  county, 
Missouri,  on  the  10th  of  November,  1830, 
his  parents  being  John  and  Mary  (Rice) 
Grant,  who  spent  their  entire  lives  in  Ten- 
nessee. In  the  family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John 
Grant  were  the  following  children :  a  son, 
who  died  in  infancy;  Hugh  R.,  our  subject; 
James,  who  is  living  in  Davis  county,  Mis- 
souri; Nancy  Ann,  the  deceased  wife  of  Reed 
Brown;  Benton,  who  died  at  Pikes  Peak, 
Colorado;  Rachel  I.,  who  is  living  in  Davis 
county,  Missouri;  and  John  Milton,  who 
lives  in  Joplin,  Missouri.  The  family  al- 
ways attended  the  Presbyterian  church,  of 
which  the  mother  was  a  member,  and  the 
lather  accorded  his  political  support  to  the 
democratic  party. 

As  he  was  the  eldest  of  a  large  family  of 
very  limited  circumstances,  Hugh  R.  Grant 
had"  but  meager  schooling.  He  remained  at 
home  with  his  people  until  he  had  attained 
his  majority,  his  energies  being  enlarged  in 
farm  work!  When  he  was  twenty-one  he 
was  married,  and  he  and  his  bride  located 
on   a   farm  in  Missouri,  where   they  resided 


until  1852.  In  that  year  they  started  for 
the  northwest  with  a  wagon  and  two  yoke 
of  oxen,  the  first  division  of  their  journey 
being  to  Elizabeth,  Missouri.  They  crossed 
the  Platte  river  at  Fort  Kearney,  where  our 
subject  was  met  by  an  uncle,  Jackson  Grant, 
who  told  him  tliat  they  had  kept  account 
of  the  teams  going  across  the  plains  and 
sixty  thousand  had  been  recorded.  It  took 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Grant  six  months,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  one  day,  to  cover  the  distance  be- 
tween their  Missouri  home  and  their  desti- 
nation in  Polk  county.  Upon  their  arrival 
here  they  took  up  their  abode  with  a  pater- 
nal uncle,  David  (Jrant,  who  was  living  a 
mile  east  of  Dallas.  They  remained  with 
him  from  October  24th  to  the  3d  of  January, 
1853,  then  removed  to  their  own  ranch  eight 
miles  northwest  of  Dallas,  near  Falls  City, 
upon  which  Mr.  Grant  had  erected  a  log 
cabin  sixteen  feet  square,  without  either 
floor  or  windows.  They  lived  for  some  time 
thereafter  in  true  pioneer  style,  their  bed 
being  made  of  boughs  and  twigs,  as  they 
had  no  furniture  save  what  they  brought 
with  them  when  they  crossed  the  plains. 
Their  ranch  contained  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  land  in  the  cultivation  of 
which,  as  well  as  in  the  raising  of  cattle, 
sheep  and  goats,  Mr.  Grant  met  with  such 
lucrative  returns  that  he  was  able  to  ex- 
tend his  holdings  at  various  times  until  he 
owned  five  hundred  and  five  acres  of  land. 
Later  he  engaged  successfully  in  breeding 
and  raising  high-grade  horses.  Through  his 
industry  and  the  intelligent  direction  of  his 
various  undertakings.  Mr.  Grant  acquired  a 
competence  sufficient  to  enable  him  to  re- 
tire in  1903.  He  then  went  to  Falls  City, 
where  he  resided  until  1907,  when  he  came 
to  Dallas,  and  here  he  made  his  home  until 
his  death,  April  3,  1912,  when  he  had  reached 
the  advanced  age  of  eighty-one  years. 

The  13th  of  June,  1851,  was  the  wedding 
day  of  Hugh  R.  Grant  and  Josephine  Wil- 
liams, who  was  born  in  Richmond,  Wray 
county,  Missouri,  on  the  6th  of  November, 
1835.  Her  parents  were  John  A.  and  Nancy 
B.  (Jamison)  Williams,  who  were  born  and 
reared  in  Kentucky.  In  their  early  days 
they  went  to  Wray  county,  Missouri,  but 
later  located  in  Davis  county,  where  they 
resided  until  1852,  when  they  came  over- 
land to  Multnomah  county,  Oregon.  They 
located  on  a  ranch  four  miles  north  of  Van- 
couver, on  the  Columbia  river,  where  they 
made  their  home  for  thirty  years.  Owing 
to  the  state  of  the  mother's  health,  at  the 
expiration  of  that  time  they  removed  to 
\'ancouver,  and  there  she  subsequently  passed 
away.  Later  Mr.  Williams  came  to  Polk 
county  and  married  Eliza  Gardner,  the  widow 
of  Samuel  Gardner,  and  they  located  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  county,  where  Mr. 
Williams  died.  Of  the  marriage  of  John  A. 
Williams  and  his  first  wife  there  were  born 
eleven  children,  ns  follows:  Margaret,  the 
wife  of  John  Childs.  who  died  while  crossing 
the  plains  in  1852;  Sarah  Jane,  the  widow 
of  Jackson  Grant,  who  passed  away  in  Polk 
county;  Thomas,  who  died  in  childhood; 
Martha,  who  married  Jeremiah  Shelley,  both 


498 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OP  OREGON 


of  -n-hom  are  deceased;  Missouri,  tlie  de- 
ceased wife  of  John  Dodd;  Judith  Ann,  who 
married  Owen  Bozar.  both  of  whom  are  de- 
ceased; Mrs.  Hugh  R.  Grant;  Elizabeth,  who 
passed  away  in  Oregon;  Milton,  who  died  in 
Vancouver;  Wiley,  who  died  iu  Polk  county; 
and  Sanford,  who  is  also  deceased.  The 
mother  was  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church. 
Mr.  Williams  gave  his  political  allegiance  to 
the  democratic  party.  He  always  took  a 
very  active  interest  in  all  local  governmental ' 
affairs,  and  represented  his  district  in  the 
state  legislature  both  while  residing  in  Mis- 
souri and  Multnomah  counties.  Unto  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Grant  there  were  born  the  follow- 
ing children:  Rachel  Ann,  the  eldest,  passed 
away  in  Polk  county.  Mar}',  deceased,  was 
the  "wife  of  Andrew  Sheldon,  who  is  living 
in  Union  county,  Oregon.  Nancy  became  the 
wife  of  Isaac  Hubbard,  but  is  deceased.  .John, 
formerly  marshal  of  Dallas  for  twenty- 
five  years,  is  now  sheriff  of  Polk  county.  He 
owns  several  ranches  in  this  county. 
He  married  Grace  Doty  of  Monmouth,  Oregon. 
Wickliff  married  .Jessie  Steele  and  engaged 
in  farming  but  is  now  deceased.  David  is  a 
member  of  the  night  police  force  of  Dallas, 
where  he  was  formerly  engaged  in  the  meat 
business.  He  now  owns  a  store  in  Falls 
City.  Milton  B.,  a  rural  mail  carrier  of  Dal- 
las," married  Frances  Brower.  Rosie  died 
at  the  age   of  nineteen  years. 

Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Grant  were  lifelong 
members  of  the  Baptist  church,  and  he  voted 
the  democratic  ticket  and  for  a  time  served 
as  school  director  in  his  district.  He  was 
among  the  last  of  the  early  pioneers  of  Polk 
county,  where  he  spent  the  greater  part  of 
his  life  and  had  a  large  circle  of  friends, 
who  accorded  him  the  respect  and  esteem 
that  is  the  just  tribute  to  an  honorable  old 
age. 

HENDRICK  H.  GODDARD  is  one  of  the 
prominent  ranchmen  and  public-spirited  citi- 
zens of  the  Wagner  creek  district  in  Jackson 
county,  residing  near  Talent.  He  is  a  carpen- 
ter by  trade  and  occupies  nineteen  acres  of 
the  old  homestead.  He  was  born  November 
30,  1858,  in  Missouri,  the  son  of  Blin  C.  and 
Damaris  (McClain)  Goddard,  the  former  a 
native  of  New  York  and  the  latter  of  North 
Carolina.  After  their  marriage  the  parents 
removed  to  Missouri  and  made  that  state 
their  home  until  1864,  when  they  crossed 
the  plains  with  ox  teams  to  Oregon,  spending 
their  first  winter  on  the  old  E.  K.  Anderson 
place,  west  of  Talent.  In  the  following  spring 
they  moved  to  a  farm  west  of  Phoenix, 
where  they  spent  nearly  two  years.  In  the 
fall  of  1867  the  father  "traded "that  property 
for  a  ranch  of  one  hundred  and  twenty-six 
acres  on  Wagner  creek,  of  which  nineteen 
acres  is  now  owned  by  the  subject  of  this 
review.  In  1880  the  father  bought  a  ranch 
at  the  head  of  Elk  creek,  but  after  residing 
for  two  years  upon  that  property  he  returned 
to  the  old  home  farm,  where  he  lived  until 
the  time  of  his  death,  in  August.  1893.  the 
mother  passing  away  in  March  of  the  same 
year.  The  father  was  a  republican  of  con- 
siderable prominence  in  the  community  and 


served  for  two  terms  as  county  assessor  of 
.Jackson  county.  He  was  by  trade  a  carpenter 
and  during  his  agricultural  pursuits  at  various 
times  occupied  himself  with  the  business  of 
building. 

Hendrick  H.  Goddard  was  reared  in  the 
home  of  his  parents  and  in  the  schools  of 
Oregon  pursued  his  education.  When  a  young 
man  he  learned  the  carpenter's  trade  and 
during  the  greater  part  of  his  life  he  was 
employed  in  the  construction  of  buildings. 
His  little  farm,  upon  which  he  makes  his 
home,  is  cultivated  by  his  son,  Ormy. 

On  October  22,  1882,  Mr.  Goddard  married 
Miss  Maggie  A.  Sherman,  of  Phoenix,  Oregon, 
and  to  them  were  born  three  children:  Fred 
R.,  who  is  attending  the  Littlejohn  Medical 
College  at  Chicago,  Illinois;  and  Adelbert  C. 
and  Ormy  M.,  both  of  whom  reside  at  home. 
In  his  political  views  Mr.  Goddard  is  a 
republican  and  although  he  has  never  been 
an  office  seeker  he  has  served  for  one  term 
as  deputy  assessor  and  also  for  one  term  as 
justice  of  the  peace  of  the  Talent  precinct. 
He  also  takes  an  active  interest  in  educational 
matters  and  for  twenty  years  was  a  member 
of  the  local  school  board.  Fraternally  he  is  a 
member  of  Oregon  Camp,  No.  438,  W.  0.  W. 
He  is  one  of  the  well  known  and  highly 
respected  citizens  of  his  community  and  is 
greatly  esteemed  by  a  large  circle  of  friends. 

HENRY  WENDT,  JR.    New  Pine  Creek  is 

a  thriving  and  rapidly  growing  town  on  the 
California  border  and  enterprising  citizens  are 
here  pushing  forward  the  wheels  of  progress. 
Among  their  number  is  Henry  Wendt,  Jr., 
who  seems  to  know  that  success  must  be 
wrested  from  the  hands  of  fate  and,  there- 
fore, is  with  energy  and  determination  meet- 
ing every  situation  and  winning  constant 
advancement.  He  is  identified  with  several 
business  enterprises  of  the  town  and  is  also 
serving  as  its  postmaster.  His  birth  occurred 
in  Beatrice.  Nebraska.  October  14,  1874.  his 
parents  being  Henry  and  Mary  (Cluseman) 
Wendt,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Ger- 
many. Having  come  to  America  in  early  life, 
they  were  married  in  Nebraska  and  afterward 
established  their  home  in  Santa  Cruz.  Cali- 
fornia. Subsequently  they  removed  north- 
ward to  Jacksonville,  Oregon,  where  they 
have  resided  for  many  years,  the  father  being 
a  stage  contractor  and  ranchman.  He  has 
served  as  a  member  of  the  city  council  there 
and  was  street  commissioner  at  one  time. 
In  his  family  were  nine  children,  of  whom 
four  sons  and  four  daughters  are  living. 

Henry  Wendt.  Jr.,  the  eldest  son,  re- 
mained with  his  parents  until  he  reached  the 
age  of  fifteen  years  and  in  the  meantime  had 
acquired  a  good  public-school  education  in 
Jacksonville.  He  then  determined  to  follow 
the  art  of  photography  and.  acquainting  him- 
self therewith,  he  devoted  a  number  of  years 
to  the  work.  Locating  at  Bieber,  California. 
he  there  remained  for  four  years,  conducting 
a  photograph  gallery,  a  barber  shop  and  a 
candy  manufactory.  On  the  1st  of  October. 
1907.  he  came  to  New  Pine  Creek,  where  he 
established  a  photographic  gallery  and  candy 
kitchen,   but    on   the   1st   of   January,   1912, 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OEEGON 


499 


discontinued  the  operation,  of  his  gallery  for 
his  business  in  the  candy  line  was  growing 
and  demanded  his  undivided  attention.  On 
the  latter  date  the  Wendt  building  was  com- 
pleted. In  it  are  the  Wendt  Opera  House, 
with  a  seating  capacity  of  four  hundred,  a 
candy  kitchen  and  a  postoffiee.  Mr.  Wendt 
erected  the  building  and  conducts  moving 
picture  shows  and  also  furnishes  other 
attractive  entertainments  in  the  opera  house. 
His  sale  of  confectionery  is  large  and  the 
business  is  constantly  increasing  in  volume. 
Mr.  Wendt  learned  the  trade  of  candy  making 
■while  traveling  and  engaged  quite  extensively 
in  that  line  of  business  for  ten  years.  He 
began  learning  the  barber's  trade  at  Yreka, 
California,  when  but  fifteen  years  of  age,  and 
continued  to  follow  it  until  he  came  to  New 
Pine  Creek.  Here  he  concentrates  his  ener- 
gies upon  the  conduct  of  the  candy  kitchen, 
the  moving  picture  theater  and  the  manage- 
ment of  the  opera  house. 

In  1905  Mr.  Wendt  was  married  to  Mrs. 
Minnie  (Nusbaum)  Short,  a  widow,  who  had 
one  child,  Owena.  By  her  second  marriage  a 
son,  Chester,  has  been  born,  wliose  deatli 
occurred  August  29,  1912,  at  the  age  of  five 
years  and  ten  months.  Politically  Mr.  Wendt 
is  independent  and  the  onlj'  public  office  he 
has  ever  held  is  that  of  postmaster  of  New 
Pine  Creek,  to  which  he  was  appointed  on  tlie 
2od  of  January,  1911.  He  holds  membership 
with  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and 
with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows 
and  those  qualities  which  make  him  a  faithful 
member  of  these  organizations  make  him  also 
a   loyal    citizen. 

GEORGE  W.  EBBERT.  Sixty  years  have 
elapsed  since  George  W.  Ebbert,  with  his 
three  brothers,  arrived  in  Oregon,  and  here  lie 
has  since  made  his  home.  His  birth  occurred 
in  Fayette  county,  Pennsylvania,  on  the  12th 
of  August.  1829,  his  parents  being  James  and 
Eliza  (DeVickman)  Ebbert.  In  1851  the 
family  residence  was  established  in  Van  Buren 
county.  Iowa,  where  the  parents  passed  away. 
Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs  .James  Ebbert  were  born 
twenty-two  children,  all  of  whom  are  de- 
ceased with  the  exception  of  four  sons  and 
two   daughters. 

Being  a  member  of  a  large  family  of  small 
means,  the  educational  advantages  of  George 
W.  Ebbert  were  very  limited.  At  a  very 
early  age  he  assumed  his  share  of  the  re- 
sponsibility connected  with  the  maintenance 
of  the  family,  remaining  under  the  parental 
roof  until  he  was  twenty-three.  In  1852,  the 
year  after  the  family  located  in  Iowa,  he  and 
three  of  his  brothers.  James,  who  lives  in 
Lane  county.  Oregon.  William,  who  is  a  resi- 
dent of  Gilman  county,  this  state,  and  Harri- 
son, whose  home  is  in  Saleni.  decided  to  come 
to  the  northwest.  On  the  4tli  of  May  of  that 
year  they  started  across  the  plains  to  Ore- 
gon with  a  wagon  and  an  ox  team.  On  tlie  4tli 
of  August  following  they  reached  their  des- 
tination, having  had  an  uneventful  journey. 
When  he  first  located  here  George  W.  Ebbert 
worked  in  the  mines,  but  he  later  withdrew 
from  this  and  located  in  the  Willamette  val- 
lej',    where    he    farmed    for    a    time.      From 


there  he  went  to  Portland  and  worked  with 
one  of  his  brothers  for  two  years,  at  the 
expiration  of  which  time  he  went  to  Lane 
county.  There  he  was  married  in  1856,  and 
he  and  his  bride  at  once  settled  on  a  ranch. 
They  began  their  domestic  life  in  a  shanty 
made  of  slabs,  with  the  planed  side  in,  con- 
tinuing to  reside  there  for  three  years.  They 
subsequently  purchased  another  place  located 
near  by,  upon  whicli  tliey  erected  a  log  house, 
and  there  for  thirty  years  they  lived  comfort, 
ably  and  happy.  General  farming  and  stock- 
raising  engaged  the  attention  of  Mr.  Ebbert, 
who  met  with  a  most  gratifying  degree  of 
success  in  both  lines  of  his  business.  In  the 
'SOs  he  disposed  of  this  property  and  invested 
the  proceeds  in  a  ranch  adjacent  to  Mon- 
mouth, which  he  still  owns.  He  and  his  wife 
are  now  living  retired  in  the  village  of  Mon- 
mouth, where  they  occupy  a  comfortable 
residence. 

Mr.  Ebbert  chose  for  his  wife  Miss  Eliza- 
beth Landes,  who  was  born  in  Jefferson  coun- 
ty, Iowa,  on  the  6th  of  September,  1840,  a 
daughter  of  Abraham  and  Amanda  (Levell) 
Landes.  The  father  was  a  native  of  Hardy 
county,  West  Virginia,  and  the  motlier  of 
Wayne  county,  Indiana,  in  which  state  they 
were  married.  They  subsequently  removed 
to  Iowa,  where  they  resided  for  sixteen  years. 
In  1854  the  parents  and  nine  children  started 
for  Oregon  with  a  wagon  and  ox  team.  They 
crossed  the  Missouri  river  on  the  28th  of  May, 
and  three  months  later  arrived  in  Lane  coun- 
t}',  locating  in  Eugene,  Oregon,  on  the  2d  of 
September.  The  family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Landes  numbered  thirteen  children,  two  of 
whom,  Nancy  Ann  and  Miranda,  passed  away 
in  Iowa.  The  others  are  as  follows:  William 
Henry,  deceased;  Mrs.  Ebbert;  Martha  Jane, 
also  deceased;  Sarah;  Mary  Ann;  Jlelissa; 
Winfield  S.;  Zachariah  T.;  Catherine;  Frances 
Amanda;  and  Elmira,  deceased.  The  two 
last  named  were  born  in  Oregon.  The  mother 
passed  away  at  the  family  home  in  Lane 
county,  at  the  age  of  fiftytliree.  The  father 
.subsequently  married  again  and  went  to 
California,  but  later  returned  to  Oregon,  pass- 
ing away  in  the  vicinity  of  Eugene,  at  the 
venerable  age  of  ninetj'-five  years.  Of  the 
marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ebbert  there  were 
born  the  following  children:  Harriet;  Belle; 
Dempsey,  deceased;  Melissa;  Adna;  Idis; 
Henry ;  Lulu ;  and  Elbie. 

Mr.  Ebbert's  residence  in  Oregon  covers  the 
formative  period  in  the  history  of  the  state's 
development,  in  the  progress  of  which  he  has 
taken  a  deep  interest.  He  has  witnessed  the 
introduction  of  modern  methods  and  ideas  in 
the  promotion  of  the  state's  natural  resources, 
as  pioneer  conditions  have  receded  with  the 
advent  of  a  newer  and  higher  civilization  that 
stamps  the  nation's  progress. 

RALPH  C.  FOSTER  is  the  owner  of  a  ranch 
of  four  hundred  and  eighty-eight  acres  on 
the  west  bank  of  Summer  lake  in  Lake  county 
and  devotes  his  time  to  the  raising  of  hay 
and  grain  as  well  as  to  running  cattle.  He 
was  born  November  7.  1874.  a  mile  south  of 
his  present  home,  his  parents  being  James 
and  Elizabeth    (Currier)    Foster.     The  father 


500 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


was  an  early  pioneer  of  the  Summer  lake 
vallej-.  He  was  born  in  Coshocton  county, 
Ohio,  July  4,  1827,  and  was  a  son  of  Andrew 
Foster,  who  was  a  native  of  Virginia  and  a 
soldier  of  the  War  of  1812.  Removing  west- 
ward in  1845,  Andrew  Foster  took  up  his 
abode  in  the  Willamette  valley,  being  one 
of  the  first  to  penetrate  into  the  wilderness 
of  that  region  and  reclaim  wild  land  for  the 
purpose  of  cultivation.  He  married  Elizabeth 
Smith,  a  native  of  Ireland,  and  they  had 
nine  children,  of  whom  James  was  the  last 
survivor.  James  Foster  made  the  journey 
across  the  plains  with  ox  teams  in  1845, 
the  train  coming  by  way  of  Meek's  cut-ofi', 
with  Mr.  Meek  as  a  guide.  They  continued 
to  the  Harney  valley  and  Mr.  Foster  thence 
made  his  way  to  the  present  site  of  Cor- 
vallis  in  Benton  county.  Previous  to  this 
time  he  had  removed  with  his  parents  from 
Ohio  to  Missouri  and  it  was  from  the  latter 
state  that  the  start  was  made  across  the 
plains  to  the  northwest.  On  the  30th  of 
November,  1848,  James  Foster  married  Eliza- 
beth Currier,  who  was  born  in  Vermont,  June 
IS,  1832,  and  went  to  Missouri  with  her 
parents,  who  died  in  that  state.  Mrs.  Foster 
and  her  sister,  Mrs.  A.  L.  Humphrey,  jour- " 
neyed  across  the  plains  to  Benton  county  in 
1846  by  way  of  the  Goose  lake  valley  and 
the  Rogue  river,  being  the  first  white  w'omen 
who  went  through  the  Cow  creek  canyon. 
They  crossed  the  Missouri  river  on  the  10th 
of  May  and  arrived  in  Benton  county  on  the 
5th  of  December. 

James  Foster  w-as  engaged  in  farming  and 
stock-raising  in  the  Willamette  valley  until 
the  spring  of  1871,  when  he  removed  to  the 
Summer  lake  valley,  which  remained  his 
home  until  the  time  of  his  death.  He  was 
recognized  as  one  of  the  prominent  and  influ- 
ential residents  of  Lake  county.  There  were 
few  settlers  here  at  the  time  of  his  arrival 
and  he  saw  the  county  develop  from  a  wil- 
derness to  its  present  prosperous  condition. 
He  assisted  materially  in  this  work.  He  has 
always  been  on  the  frontier,  for  Ohio  was 
undeveloped  when  he  lived  in  that  state.  Mis- 
souri was  in  a  like  condition  while  he  was 
there,  and  when  he  became  a  resident  of  the 
Willamette  valley,  he  was  a  pioneer  there, 
while  later  he  was  one  of  the  first  settlers 
of  Lake  county.  He  was  always  engaged  in 
the  stock-raising  business,  was  the  owner  of 
a  large  herd  of  cattle  and  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  good  hay  land.  On  his  ranch 
he  erected  a  commodious  twelve-room  resi- 
dence, good  stables  and  other  outbuildings 
for  the  shelter  of  grain  and  stock.  He  had  a 
four-acre  orchard  containing  peaches,  pears, 
apples,  plums,  prunes,  apricots  and  cherries, 
and  he  also  raised  berries.  At  one  time  he 
made  a  specialty  of  raising  race  horses  and 
was  the  owner  of  the  noted  Oregon  Eclipse, 
which  he  ultimately  sold  for  seven  thousand 
dollars.  He  also  owned  Hercules,  a  full 
brother  of  Oregon  Eclipse.  .James  Foster  died 
on  the  old  homestead  December  19,  1909,  at 
the  age  of  eighty-two  years,  and  his  widow 
now  resides  in  Lakeview.  In  their  family 
were  the  following  children:  Lorena  and  J. 
Manley,  deceased;   John  A.;   James  A.,  who 


is  a  resident  of  Lakeview  and  is  county 
assessor  of  Lake  county;  Angeline,  William 
H.  and  Annie  E.,  all  of  whom  have  passed 
away;  Frederick  W. ;  Marion  L.,  deceased; 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  F.  Klipple;  Lcuvia  S.,  de- 
ceased; Mrs.  Eudora  Hartin,  who  died  in 
December,  1910;  Mrs.  Aurora  A.  Walters,  liv- 
ing in  Portland;  Ralph  C,  whose  name  intro. 
duces  this  record;  and  Mrs.  Lulu  Schminck,  of 
Lakeview. 

Ralph  C.  Foster  has  always  resided  on  Sum- 
mer lake  and  from  early  boyhood  has  been 
actively  connected  with  ranching  and  stock- 
raising.  The  industry  and  sound  judgment 
which  he  has  manifested  along  this  line  have 
led  to  his  success  and  he  is  now  the  owner 
of  four  hundred  and  eighty-eight  and  fifty- 
five  hundredths  acres  of  land  on  the  west 
bank  of  Summer  lake,  on  which  he  runs 
about  two  hundred  head  of  cattle.  He  also 
raises  hay  and  grain  extensively  and  his  prod- 
ucts find  a  ready  sale  on  the  market,  bring- 
ing to  him  a  substantial  financial  return. 

On  the  17th  of  November,  1902,  Mr.  Fos- 
ter was  married  to  Miss  Princess  Belt,  of 
Corvallis,  Oregon,  who  was  born  at  Inde- 
pendence, this  state,  and  is  a  daughter  of 
Thomas  and  Jennie  Belt.  The  father  is  de- 
ceased but  the  mother  resides  in  Corvallis 
w'ith  her  son  George.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Foster 
have  four  children:  Thomas  James,  Vivian, 
Dora  and  Leona. 

Mr.  Foster  votes  with  the  democratic  party, 
but  is  not  a  politician,  having  no  desire  for 
olfiee  or  to  mingle  actively  in  politics.  He 
finds  that  his  business  fully  occupies  his  time 
and  attention  and  he  is  living  a  life  of  in- 
dustry and  thrift  whereby  success  is  crown- 
ing his  efforts,  so  that  he  is  recognized  as  one 
of  the  prosperous  and  representative  agricril- 
lurists  of  the  Summer  lake  district. 

HIRAM  BETTYS  whose  demise  occurred 
on  the  IGth  of  March.  1909,  was  identified 
with  general  agricultural  pursuits  in  Coos 
county  for  more  than  a  third  of  a  century 
and  enjoyed  an  enviable  reputation  as  one 
of  its  substantial  and  representative  citizens. 
He  was  born  in  Rochester,  New  York,  on  the 
13th  of  September,  1835,  a  son  of  Gillead 
Bettvs,  who  was  likewise  a  native  of  the 
Empire  state.  When  a  youth  of  sixteen 
Hiram  Bettys  removed  to  Canada  with  his 
widowed  mother,  who  purchased  land  in  that 
country.  In  1861  he  wedded  Miss  Catherine 
Desmond,  a  native  of  Canada,  and  in  that 
country  continued  to  reside  until  the  spring 
of  1866.  At  that  time  he  took  up  his  abode 
near  Topeka,  Kansas,  purchased  a  large 
tract  of  land  and  devoted  his  attention  to 
its  cultivation  for  eight  years.  On  the  expira- 
tion of  that  period  he  disposed  of  the  prop- 
erty and  came  to  Coos  county  in  the  fall  of 
1874,  settling  on  the  Coos  bay  wagon  road 
at  Fairview.  where  he  purchased  a  quarter 
section  of  land.  He  made  all  necessary  im- 
provements on  the  place,  erecting  a  com- 
modious and  attractive  residence  and  sub- 
stantial barns.  The  operation  of  that  farm 
claimed  his  attention  throughout  the  remain- 
der of  his  life,  and  the  property  is  still  in 
possession  of  his  widow. 


MR.  AND  iiuy.  11 1  HAM  HKTTV8 


ruDui 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


503 


To  ilr.  and  ilrs.  Bettys  wore  born  six  chil- 
dren, as  follows:  William,  who  acts  as  post- 
master and  road  supervisor  of  Fairview,  Ore- 
gon, and  who  is  married  to  Emma  Laird,  a 
native  of  California  and  a  danghter  of  James 
Laird,  of  whom  more  extensive  mention  is 
made  elsewhere  in  this  work;  Harry,  who  is 
deceased;  Albert  E.;  Barbara,  the  wife  of 
E.  J.  Coke,  of  i>forth  Bend,  Oregon;  Annie, 
the  wife  of  J.  D.  Clinkenbeard,  of  Sumner, 
Oregon;  and  Walter,  who  has  passed  away. 
Albert  E.  Bettys  wedded  Miss  Pearl  Fee,  a 
native  of  Kansas  and  a  d.aughter  of  Dwight 
and  Lillian  Fee,  residents  of  Looking  Glass, 
Oregon.  Mrs.  Pearl  Bettys  is  one  of  three 
children  born  to  her  parents,  the  others  being 
as  follows:  Horace,  who  is  a  resident  of  Illi- 
nois; and  Harlan,  who  is  still  at  home.  Al- 
bert E.  Bettys  started  out  in  life  for  himself 
when  twenty-two  years  of  age,  securing  work 
in  the  logging  camps  and  being  thus  employed 
for  two  decades.  He  now  lives  with  his 
widowed  mother  and  has  charge  of  the  home- 
stead farm  and  also  operates  an  adjoining 
tract  of  eighty  acres  which  he  purchased. 

Hiram  Bettys  gave  his  political  allegiance 
to  the  republican  party,  being  a  strong  be- 
liever in  its  principles.  He  served  as  road 
supervisor  and  election  judge  and  also  held 
minor  positions  but  was  not  an  office  seeker 
in  the  generally  accepted  sense  of  the  term. 
His  religious  faith  was  that  of  the  Christian 
church.  A  man  of  exemplary  habits,  of  high 
principles  and  of  upright  conduct,  he  com- 
manded the  good-will  and  trust  of  all  who 
knew  him. 

JOHN  F.  WEEKS.  For  thirty-two  years 
John  F.  Weeks  has  been  engaged  in  general 
farming  and  stock-raising  two  miles  south 
of  Creswell.  where  he  owns  a  ranch  of  two 
hundred  and  iifty-two  acres.  Mr.  Weeks  is  a 
Canadian,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  Prince 
ICdward  county,  Ontario,  in  February,  1846. 
The  family  is  of  German  and  English  extrac- 
tion. The  father,  Minard  Weeks,  was  the  sec- 
ond in  order  of  birth  in  a  family  of  seven  chil- 
dren, the  others  being  as  follows:  Steven,  Sol- 
omon, Townsend  and  John,  all  of  whom  fol- 
lowed farming;  Rebecca,  the  wife  of  Daniel 
Young,  a  farmer;  and  Polly,  who  married 
James  Drummond,  also  a  farmer.  All  lived  in 
Prince  Edward  county.  The  mother  of  these 
children  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Masterson. 
For  his  wife  Minard  Weeks  chose  Charlotte 
Aldrich,  who  was  also  of  German  and  English 
descent,  and  a  native  of  Prince  Edward  coun- 
ty. She  was  the  youngest  in  a  family  of 
three,  the  eldest  being  Rebecca,  who  married 
John  Deuzen,  a  farmer  of  Prince  Edward 
county,  while  the  only  son,  George,  subse- 
quently became  a  citizen  of  the  United 
States,  locating  in  Ohio.  The  children  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Minard  Weeks  numbered  thirteen: 
Court  L.,  a  farmer  of  Prince  Edward  county, 
Ontario;  Isaac,  who  was  a  farmer  of  Cres- 
well, but  is  now  deceased;  William  H.,  a 
contractor  and  builder  of  Chicago;  Sarah 
Elizabeth,  who  married  Henry  Clark,  of 
Prince  Edward  county,  both  deceased;  George 
M„  who  engaged  in  ranching  at  San  Diego, 
California,  but  is  also  deceased;  John  F.,  our 


subject;  Samuel  J.,  deceased,  who  was  a 
farmer  of  Prince  Edward  county;  Lydia  A., 
the  wife  of  Horace  Took,  a  contractor  of 
Watertown,  Xew  York ;  Hulda  A.,  deceased,  a 
twin  of  Lydia  A.;  Eliza  J.,  a  teacher  in  the 
public  schools  of  ]?rince  Edward  county;  and 
three  who  died  in  infancy. 

John  F.  Weeks  received  but  a  meager  edu- 
cation, for  at  the  age  of  thirteen  years  he 
left  home  and  started  out  to  make 'his  own 
way  in  the  world.  Reared  in  the  country,  he 
was  familiar  with  the  duties  of  the  agricul- 
turist and  found  employment  as  a  farm  hand. 
He  continued  to  follow  this  occupation  for 
thirteen  years  thereafter  with  the  exception 
of  one  year  which  he  spent  in  Michigan.  On 
the  8th  of  April,  1872,  he  arrived  in  Santa 
Clara,  California,  and  for  three  years  worked 
in  the  redwood  forests  of  that  vicinity.  The 
year  after  his  marriage,  in  the  spring  of  1876, 
lie  bought  twelve  acres  of  land  in  Santa  Cruz 
county,  California,  and  for  two  years  devoted 
his  attention  to  grape  culture,  hut  in  May, 
1S79,  he  came  to  Eugene  and  for  a  year  fol- 
lowed various  occupations,  lie  subsequently 
rented  one  hundred  and  eighty-five  acres  of 
land  in  Lane  county  and  engaged  in  grain 
farming.  This  proved  to  be  so  lucrative  that 
in  the  fall  of  1880  he  bought  his  present 
ranch,  only  forty-five  acres  of  which  was  at 
that  time  under  cultivation.  He  has  since 
cleared  and  put  another  sixty  acres  under 
cultivation,  now  annually  planting  eighty 
acres  of  his  tract  in  grain,  while  he  has  one 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  pasture,  the  bal- 
ance being  in  oak  timber  and  brush.  Mr, 
Weeks  has  always  devoted  the  greater  part 
of  his  attention  to  the  raising  of  goats,  hogs 
and  cattle  for  the  market  and  ho  also  raises 
his  own  horses.  He  has  bred  his  hor.ses  up  to 
a  high  standard  and  now  owns  some  excellent 
animals,  and  has  sold  some  of  his  four  and 
five  year  old  hor.ses  for  five  hundred  dollars  a 
pair.  Mr.  Weeks  has  fenced  liis  farm  and 
has  made  many  other  improvements  on  the 
place,  including  the  erection  of  two  barns 
and  a  comfortable  residence. 

Santa  Clara  county,  California,  was  the 
scene  of  Mr.  Weeks'  marriage,  on  the  30th  of 
March,  1S75,  to  Miss  Emma  Lane,  the  young- 
est child  of  James  W.  and  Adeline  (Shephard) 
Lane,  the  father  a  native  of  Kentucky,  and  the 
mother  of  Virginia,  The  paternal  grandpar- 
ents were  Jacob  and  Dorothy  (.Schroder) 
Lane,  while  the  grandparents  on  the  mater- 
nal side  were  William  and  Nancy  (Anderson) 
Shephard,  and  the  maternal  great-grand- 
mother prior  to  her  marriage  was  a  Miss 
Mary  Williams.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  W. 
Lane  crossed  the  plains  from  Illinois  to  Cali- 
fornia in  1852,  settling  at  Dutch  Flat.  In 
1S60  they  removed  to  Oregon,  locating  in  the 
vicinity  of  Eugene,  but  five  years  later  they 
returned  to  California  and  there  passed  the 
remainder  of  their  lives.  The  father  died  in 
the  fall  of  1888,  and  the  mother  pas.scd  away 
April  15,  1906.  There  wore  eight  children 
in  their  family,  those  besides  Mrs.  Weeks  be- 
ing as  follows:  Nancy,  who  died  at  the  age 
of  four  years;  Sarah,  who  died  in  infancy; 
William  J.,  who  is  living  retired  at  Cottage 
Grove,  Oregon;   Joseph  M.,  who  died  in  in- 


504 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTOKY  OF  OREGON 


fancy;  George  E..  who  passed  away  at  Chico, 
California,  at  the  age  of  fifty-eight ;  Adeline, 
the  wife  of  Charles  Harrington,  who  operates 
a  lumber  mill  at  Santa  Clara,  California;  and 
Josephine,  who  died  in  childhood.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Weeks  have  had  six  children:  Etna  M., 
who  was  born  on  the  12th  of  June,  1876,  and 
is  living  at  home;  Julia  E.,  who  was  born 
February  14.  1880,  and  is  now  the  wife  of 
Adam  Sehmitt,  a  farmer  of  Creswell;  Elsie 
J.,  who  was  a  musician,  born  on  the  3~th 
of  June,  1885,  and  died  on  the  21st  of  August, 
1907;  E.  Leslie,  a  farmer,  who  was  born  on 
the  7th  of  February,  1892;  Minard  E..  born 
on  the  12th  of  May,  1897,  and  now  attending 
school;  and  Ermin  X.,  whose  natal  day  was 
the  28th  of  March,  1904,  and  is  also  in  school. 
The  family  manifest  their  religious  faith 
through  their  membership  in  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  and  fraternally  ilr.  Weeks 
is  affiliated  with  Gilfroy  Lodge.  Xo.  169,  A. 
F.  &  A.  M.  and  he  votes  the  republican  ticket. 
He  served  as  superintendent  of  roads  for  seven 
or  eight  years  and  for  thirty  years  he  has 
been  a  school  director  and  is  now  clerk  of  the 
school  board.  Mr.  Weeks  is  a  capable  busi- 
ness man  and  has  directed  his  interests  most 
successfully.  In  addition  to  his  ranch  he 
owns  four  lots  and  a  residence  in  Creswell. 
and  he  is  also  a  stockholder  and  director  of 
the  Creswell  Fruit  Growers'  Bank.  He  has 
always  led  an  active,  diligent  life  and  the 
prosperity  that  has  attended  his  efforts  is  the 
well  merited  and  highly  deserved  reward  of 
earnest  efl'ort  and  unceasing  application. 

HENRY  HILL,  deceased,  was  one  of  Polk 
county's  successful  pioneer  agriculturists,  and 
at  the  time  of  his  death  owned  nine  hundred 
acres  of  valuable  land,  that  he  had  brought 
under  high  cultivation.  He  was  born  in  Jef- 
ferson county.  Xew  York,  on  the  20th  of  Jan- 
uary. 1829.  and  was  a  son  of  Ladue  and  Eliza 
(Taylor)  Hill.  The  father  was  a  native  of 
Connecticut  and  the  mother  of  Massachusetts, 
Init  they  were  married  in  the  state  of  Xew 
York,  whence  they  later  removed  to  Ohio. 
Subsequently  they  crossed  the  prairies  of  In- 
diana to  Illinois,  settling  in  Kane  county,  in 
the  vicinity  of  Elgin.  They  next  removed  to 
Lake  county,  that  state,  and  there  passed 
the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Farming  always 
engaged  the  attention  of  Mr.  Hill  until  he 
went  to  Lake  county,  where  he  owned  and 
operated  a  mill.  He  was  a  public-spirited 
man  and  took  an  active  interest  in  political 
affairs.  When  first  granted  the  right  of  fran- 
chise he  cast  his  ballot  for  the  men  and 
measures  of  the  whig  party,  but  later  he  be- 
came a  democrat.  In  religious  faith  he  and 
his  wife  were  Methodists.  The  family  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Hill  numbered  eleven  children,  all  of 
whom  are  now  deceased  with  the  exception 
of  the  youngest.  Riley,  who  lives  in  Kenosha, 
Wisconsin. 

Henry  Hill  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm 
in  Ohio  and  obtained  his  education  in  the 
common  schools.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  to- 
gether with  a  sister  Mrs.  Emily  Burbank  he 
started  across  the  plains  with  a  wagon  and  an 
ox  team  for  Oregon.  Six  months  elapsed 
before  they  reached  their  destination  which 


was  Polk  county.  They  first  settled  on  a 
ranch  two  miles  north  of  Independence  but 
later  Mr.  Hill  took  a  donation  claim  of  six 
hundred  and  forty  acres  south  of  Independ- 
ence, that  formed  the  nucleus  of  the  home- 
stead now  owned  by  his  widow.  When  word 
was  received  of  the  discovery  of  gold  in  Cali- 
fornia in  1849,  he  was  lured  away  from  the 
operation  of  his  ranch  and  started  for  the 
mining  regions,  and  the  succeeding  two  years 
were  spent  in  prospecting  in  different  parts 
of  the  state.  In  1850  he  went  to  Yreka, 
where  he  prospected  for  gold  for  a  time,  then 
came  back  to  his  ranch.  Thereafter  his  entire 
time  and  attention  was  devoted  to  the  culti- 
vation and  improvement  of  his  land.  This 
proved  to  be  a  financial  success,  and  he 
acquired  suflicient  capital  to  extend  his  hold- 
ings from  time  to  time  tmtil  he  owned  nine 
himdred  acres.  The  greater  part  of  this  was 
devoted  to  general  farming,  although  he  en- 
gaged quite  extensively  in  hop  culture  and 
stock-raising.  He  was  a  capable  man.  intelli. 
gent  and  practical  in  his  methods,  and  became 
recognized  as  one  of  the  sticcessful  agricul- 
turists of  the  county. 

On  the  14th  of  July,  1851,  Mr.  Hill  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Martha  A.  Virgin, 
whose  birth  occurred  in  Kentucky  in  1834. 
Her  parents  were  Reason  and  Clariuda  (Wam- 
mock)  Virgin,  the  father  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  the  mother  of  Virginia.  When  a 
youth  of  sixteen  years  Reason  Virgin  mi- 
grated to  Greenup  county,  Kentticky,  with  his 
parents,  and  there  he  met  the  lady  who  sub- 
sequently became  his  wife.  They  began  their 
domestic  life  on  a  farm  in  the  Blue  Grass 
state,  but  in  1835  they  removed  to  Boone 
county,  Missouri,  residing  there  until  1846. 
when  they  settled  in  Sheridan  county,  that 
state,  and  there  they  both  passed  away.  Dur- 
ing the  entire  period  of  his  active  career  Mr. 
Virgin  devoted  bis  energies  to  general  farm- 
ing and  stock-raising.  In  matters  politic  he 
was  first  a  whig,  but  when  this  party  was 
absorbed  by  the  republicans,  he  gave  his  un- 
qualified support  to  that  party.  Eleven  chil- 
dren were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Virgin.  Init 
all  are  now  deceased  with  the  exception  of 
Mrs.  Hill  and  one  son,  Samuel,  who  lives  in 
Sheridan  count}-.  Missouri.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hill 
had  nine  children,  as  follows:  Rosalthe, 
who  died  in  1861,  at  the  age  of  nine  years; 
Aurelia,  who  died  in  1880,  and  who  was  the 
wife  of  Samuel  Bush  and  the  mother  of  one 
son,  Ellis,  who  lives  in  Denver.  Colorado: 
Ladue,  who  married  Carrie  Root,  and  is  now 
operating  a  part  of  the  home  ranch;  ilary 
Elizabeth,  who  died  on  the  8th  of  Xovember, 
1863;  Lucy,  whose  death  occurred  September 
15,  1868;  Xellie.  who  became  the  wife  of 
Harry  Denlinger.  of  Portland.  Oregon,  by 
whom  she  had  one  son,  Wendell,  her  death 
occurring  in  the  spring  of  1900;  Homer,  who 
married  Fannie  Martin,  and  is  operating  part 
of  the  home  place;  Verd,  who  lives  with  bis 
mother  and  manages  the  ranch;  and  Garlin, 
who  married  George  Cohrs  of  Spokane.  Wash- 
ington. All  of  the  children  were  given  the 
advantages  of  a  good  education  and  !Mrs. 
Denlinger  and  Mrs.  Cohrs,  both  of  whom  at- 
tended   the   Oregon   Agricultural    College,   at 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


505 


Corvallis,  taught  before  their  marriage. 
Verd,  who  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of 
Pythias  fraternit}-,  also  completed  his  educa- 
tion at  Corvallis. 

Mr.  Hill  was  highly  esteemed  in  Polk  coun- 
ty, in  which  he  had  resided  for  fifty-six  years, 
when  he  passed  away  on  the  17th  of  October, 
190-1.  He  began  his  career  here  with  little 
capital  save  his  determination  of  purpose  and 
tireless  energy  and  through  the  intelligent 
and  capable  direction  of  his  endeavors  be- 
came one  of  the  substantial  citizens  of  the 
county.  He  led  a  very  unobtrusive  life,  and 
although  he  took  an  active  interest  in  all  local 
afl'airs,  giving  his  political  support  to  the 
independent  party,  he  never  aspired  to  official 
honors,  preferring  to  devote  such  time  as  was 
not  absorbed  by  his  business  with  his  family, 
to  whom  he  was  very  mtich   devoted. 

BARNETT  Y.  ROE  is  the  owner  of  eight 
hundred  acres  of  valuable  property,  situated 
six  miles  northeast  of  Yamhill,  and  one  hun- 
dred acres  of  this  tract  which  is  well  culti- 
vated shows  that  his  energy  and  progressive 
activity  have  been  rewarded.     Mr.  Roe  was 
born    December    15,    1858.    and    is   a    son    of 
Thomas  and  ilary  A.  (O'Strander)  Roe.    The 
father  was  born  in  Auburn.  Xew  York,  and 
the  mother  was  a  native  of  Brownsville,  Mis- 
souri.    The  former,  when  seven  years  of  age, 
accompanied   his    parents   to   Huron    county, 
Ohio.     His  parents  were  married  in  1806  and 
their  family  numbered   nine  children,  all   of 
whom    are    now    deceased,    namely:    Charles, 
Anna,     Barnett.     Thomas.     William.     Joseph. 
Mary  Ann.  Thomas  and  Reuben.    Thomas,  the 
eighth  child  of  this  union,  was  early  called 
upon  to  support  himself  and  take  his  place  in 
assuming   responsibilities,   his   father   having 
died    when    he    was    but    twelve    years    of 
age.     Nine  years  later  he  worked  in  a  saw- 
mill in  Michigan  and  there  made  some  of  the 
first   rails   used   for  the   construction  of  the 
Lake  Shore  Railroad.     The  rails  were  sawed 
from   timber   and   made   two   by'  four   inches 
with  strap  iron  nailed  on  the  top  side.     The 
progress   made    is   typified  by   these   wooden 
rails   if  considered   in  contradistinction  with 
the  steel  ones  now  used.     Leaving  Michigan, 
he  joined  the  great   number  of  people  going 
to  California  in   1849,  a  trip  which  cost  him 
one  hundred  dollars  cash  in  addition  to  which 
sumhewasto  act  as  driver  of  a  six-mule  team 
which  belonged  to  the  party  he  accompanied 
on   the   journey   across   the   plains.     His   trip 
proved  to  be  an  unfortunate  one  for  him  for 
he  was  taken  ill  with  typhoid  fever  almost 
immediately   upon    his   arrival    in    California 
and  was  tlius  delayed  in  his  search  for  gold. 
When   he  was   able  to  punsue  his  undertak- 
ing his  physician  advised  him  to  go  further 
north   where  there  was  less  malaria.     Arriv- 
ing in  Washington  in  1S50.  he  settled  on  the 
Cowlitz  river  and  for  twenty  years  developed 
a  donation  claim  there.     Having  cleared  two 
acres  on  his  farm,  he  planted  it  to  potatoes 
and    so    successful    was    this    crop    that    he 
realized  two  thousand  bushels,  which  sold  for 
two   dollars   per  bushel.     The   next  year   he 
doubled  his  planting  capacity,  but  that  year 
potatoes  were  so  plentiful  that  he  was  unable 


to  dispose  of  them,  even  by  offering  to  give 
them  away.  In  the  autumn  of  1870  Mr. 
Roe  left  Washington  and  came  to  Forest 
Grove,  Oregon,  where  he  lived  until  his  death, 
at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-two  years.  His 
entire  life  had  been  one  of  exceptional  activ- 
ity. During  his  life  time  he  filled  many  town- 
ship, county  and  state  offices,  among  them 
being  those  of  probate  judge,  postmaster  and 
member  of  the   legislature. 

The  Roes  are  of  English-Xorman  ancestry, 
having  come  to  England  with  William,  the 
Norman  and  one  of  the  Roes,  (Thomas),  was 
knighted  by  William,  the  Norman, 

At  Monticello,  Washington,  Thomas  Roe, 
the  father  of  our  subject,  was  married  to 
Mary  A,  O'Strander,  a  daughter  of  Dr,  Na- 
thaniel and  Elizabeth  .Jane  (Yantis)  O'Stran- 
der, who  were  married  April  11,  1838,  and 
became  the  parents  of  the  following  children: 
Mrs.  Charles  B.  Montague,  a  resident  of  Port- 
land; Mrs,  Mary  Ann  Roe;  Mrs.  Sarah  T. 
Cathie,  of  Portland,  Oregon;  Mrs.  Margaret 
O'Connor,  of  Olympia,  Washington;  Mrs.  Eve- 
lyn Maria  Work,  deceased;  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Eastman,  residing  in  Olympia,  Washington; 
■Judge  John  Y.  O'Strander  of  Alaska;  Mrs. 
Florence  Crosby  and  ilrs.  Fannie  L.  Moore, 
both  residents  of  Olympia,  Washington.  The 
children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thomas  Roe  were 
four  in  number:  Barnett  Y.,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  who  was  born  December  15,  1858; 
Walter,  deceased;  Charles  O'Strander,  born 
in  December,  1865,  and  who  now  resides  at 
Forest  Grove.  Oregon:  and  ilrs.  Anna  Eliza- 
beth (Roe)  Gofl'.  born  November  26,  1874, 
living  at  Forest  Grove,  Oregon. 

Barnett  Y.  Roe  began  his  independent 
career  in  1884  as  a  school  teacher.  He  en- 
gaged in  farming,  later  studied  law  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  October,  1886.  For  five 
years  Mr.  Roe  continued  practicing  law  and 
gave  evidence  of  more  than  ordinary  ability. 
His  previous  diligent  study,  which  had  trained 
him  to  think  hard  and  conscientiously,  and 
his  natural  sense  of  justice,  were  of  great 
value  to  him  as  an  attorney.  But  physically 
he  was  unable  to  continue  upon  this  career, 
his  eyesight  failing  him.  Naturally  he  re- 
turned to  agricultural  pursuits  on  the  farm 
which  he  now  manages  with  progressive  and 
practical  methods.  The  owner  of  eight  hun- 
dred acres,  one  hundred  of  which  is  developed 
to  the  greatest  possibilities  for  cattle-raising, 
grain,  hay  and  dairying,  he  has  one  of  the 
largest  tracts  in  Yamhill  county. 

On  December  15,  18S6,  Mr.  Roe  was  mar- 
ried to  Julia  A.  Brown,  a  daughter  of  Reuben 
W.  N.  and  Melvina  B.  (Fisher)  Brown,  who 
were  both  born  in  Floyd  county.  Indiana. 
From  Indiana  they  came  west  and  settled  in 
Clarke  county,  Washington,  in  April.  1S77. 
Now  the  success  of  their  earlier  years  so 
rewards  them  that  they  can  live  comfortably 
the  life  of  retired  farmers.  They  became  the 
parents  of  seven  children:  Abraham  and  Jane, 
both  deceased;  Noah  N.,  who  resides  in  Wash- 
ington; Mrs.  Barnett  Y.  Roe;  RcuImmi  .\. 
and  George  W.,  both  residents  of  Monitor, 
Washington;  and  Elinora,  deceased.  Of  Mrs. 
Roe's  ancestors,  Abraham  Brown  and  John 
Steelnian  were  with  Washington  during  the 


506 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


Revolutionary  'war.     They  both  died  at  Xew 
Albany,  Indiana. 

To  ilr.  and  ilrs.  Koe  six  children  have  been 
born:  Edna  A.,  at  home;  Evelyn,  deceased; 
Kate  E.,  who  is  attending  college;  and  Thomas 
Reuben,  John  C,  and  Charles  Brown,  who  are 
both  living  at  home  and  attending  school.  It 
is  the  well  planned  intention  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Roe  to  give  their  children  all  the  education 
in  school  and  college  which  will  be  possible. 
Mr.  Roe  is  endowed  with  a  feeling  of  public 
spirit  and  national  pride  and  is  ever  an  advo- 
cate of  the  furthering  of  these  sentiments  in 
others.  In  politics  he  is  an  adherent  of  the 
democratic  party,  and  fraternally  he  is  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  order  in  Forest  Grove 
Chapter,  R.  A.  M.  He  is  also  a  member  of 
the  Congregational  church.  Any  community 
is  fortunate  in  having  as  one  of  its  citizens 
a  man  as  upright  and  as  earnest  in  his  en- 
deavors to  further  the  standard  of  citizen- 
ship as  Mr.  Roe. 

W.  N.  JACOBSEN.  Industry— strong, 
persistent,  indefatigable — has  been  the  basis 
of  the  advancement  which  W.  N.  Jacobsen 
has  made  since  starting  out  in  the  business 
world  when  a  lad  of  twelve  years.  His  at- 
tention is  now  given  to  farming  in  Wash- 
ington county,  where  he  has  resided  since 
1906.  His  youthful  days  were  spent  in  the 
middle  west.  He  was  born  in  La  Salle 
county.  Illinois,  February  14,  1855,  his  par- 
ents being  0.  A.  and  -\zubah  (Thompson)  Ja- 
cobsen, both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Ohio, 
in  which  state  they  were  married  and  began 
their  domestic  life.  Hoping  to  find  better 
opportunities  elsewhere  they  removed  to  La 
Salle  county,  Illinois,  where  Mr,  Jacobsen 
operated  a  farm  until  1861,  He  then  removed 
with  his  family  to  Xebraska,  where  he  se- 
cured a  homestead  claim  and  upon  it  placed 
the  necessary  improvements  that  gave  him 
a  clear  title  to  the  property.  He  continued 
to  reside  in  that  state  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  October,  1902,  For  seven 
years  he  survived  his  wife,  who  died  in 
1895,  Of  their  twelve  children  six  are  vet 
living:  W.  N.;  ilrs.  J,  B,  Fair,  of  North 
Plains,  Oregon;  Mrs.  L.  B.  Fair,  living  near 
Banks,  this  state:  George  H„  a  resident  of 
Broken  Bow,  Nebraska;  John  M.,  who  is 
living  in  McCool,  Nebraska;  and  Mrs,  Amy 
Reed,  also  of  Broken  Bow,  The  six  who 
have  passed  away  are  John  H„  Robert  H,, 
Ora  E„  Ralph,  Victoria  and  one  who  died 
unnamed  in  infancy. 

As  his  parents  were  in  somewhat  limited 
financial  circumstances,  -  W,  N.  Jacobsen 
early  took  up  the  task  of  providing  for  his 
own  support,  and  when  twelve  years  of  age 
secured  a  position  that  gave  him  a  living. 
He  continued  in  the  employ  of  others  until 
1905,  and  during  that  period  always  contrib- 
uted to  the  support  of  his  parents.  He  early 
learned  to  place  the  correct  value  upon  dili- 
gence and  persistency  of  purpose  and  he  knew 
that  those  qualities  would  overcome  all  dif- 
ficulties and  obstacles.  While  still  a  resi- 
dent of  Nebraska  he  was  married,  on  the  3d 
of  June.  1886.  to  Miss  Elva  C.  Todd,  who 
was  born  in  Middleport,  New  York,  a  daugh- 


ter of  John  and  Augusta  (Cotton)  Todd, 
who  were  natives  of  England  and  New  York 
respectively.  They  resided  for  a  short  time 
in  the  Empire  state  following  their  marriage, 
and  then  removed  to  Green  Bay,  Wisconsin, 
where  they  made  their  home  until  they  mi- 
grated to  York,  Nebraska,  where  both  passed 
away,  the  father  in  1908  and  the  mother  in 
1906.  In  their  family  were  six  children:  El- 
mer E.;  Mrs.  Jacobsen;  Mary  I.;  John  and 
Walter,  both  deceased;  and  Otto,  who  is  liv- 
ing in  Louisville,  Colorado, 

Following  his  marriage  Mr,  .lacobsen  began 
farming  in  Nebraska,  but  after  some  years 
removed  to  Joplin,  Missouri,  in  1893.  For 
thirteen  years  he  continued  at  that  place  and 
in  1906  came  to  the  Pacific  coast,  settling  in 
Washington  county,  Oregon,  where  his  wife 
purchased  eighty  acres  of  land.  She  has 
since  sold  that  property  and  he  is  now  de- 
voting his  attention  to  the  improvement  of 
a  farm  of  sixty-four  acres  owned  by  his  wife, 
of  which  he  has  brought  one-half  under  a  high 
state  of  cultivation,  adding  thereto  many 
modern  improvements  and  equipments. 

LTnto  Mr,  and  Mrs,  Jacobsen  have  been 
born  three  children:  Walter  H,,  born  March 
19,  1887,  and  now  married  and  living  in 
Blodgett,  Oregon;  Clyde  L„  born  October  3, 
1891;  and  Samuel,  born  November  24,  1900, 
Mr,  .Jacobsen  holds  member.ship  with  the 
Ancient  Order  of  L^nited  Workmen,  He  is 
appreciative  of  friendship  and  enjoys  the  high 
regard  of  his  fellowmen.  He  has  not  had 
time  to  take  an  active  part  in  public  affairs, 
however,  for  his  business  interests  have 
claimed  his  entire  attention  and  the  years 
have  brought  him  a  comfortable  living  as 
the  outcome  of  his  persistent  industry.  In 
politics  he  is  a  socialist, 

CHARLES  E.  CAMPBELL  is  Paisley's  first 
mayor,  having  been  called  to  the  office  on 
the  incorporation  of  the  city.  He  is  a  public- 
spirited  man,  willing  at  all  times  to  give 
his  aid  and  influence  in  matters  of  general 
improvement  and  progress  and  in  his  admin- 
istration of  the  affairs  of  the  newly  created 
city  is  proving  his  devotion  to  the  general 
good.  He  was  born  in  Eugene,  Oregon,  Janu- 
ary 12,  1867,  and  is  a  son  of  George  and 
Matilda  (Gillespie)  Campbell,  who  were 
natives  of  Missouri.  The  mother  made  the 
journey  westward,  crossing  the  country  with 
her  parents,  while  the  father  crossed  the 
plains  alone.  They  were  married  in  Lane 
county  and  there  spent  their  remaining  days. 
Mr.  Campbell  passing  away  at  the  age  of 
fifty-two  years,  while  his  wife  was  about 
forty  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  her  demise. 
He  iiad  followed  farming  during  the  greater 
part  of  his  life  although  he  engaged  in  min- 
ing during  the  days  of  early  mining  excite- 
ment in  California,  After  losing  his  first  wife 
he  married  :Mrs,  Bullard,  There  were  five 
sons  and  a  daughter  born  by  his  first  mar- 
riage and  two  daughters  by  the  second  mar- 
riage, one  of  whom  is  deceased, 

Charles  E,  Campbell,  the  second  of  the  chil- 
dren by  the  first  marriage,  resided  at  home 
with  his  father  until  the  latter's  death  about 
1882,    He  went  as  a  youth  of  seventeen  years. 


•'OX    »N» 


.'1 


■J 


W.  N.   JACOBSEN 


MRS.   W.   X.   JACOBSE.V 


ORK 

I  i^i-UiiLio     LIBRARY 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


511 


to  Lake  county  in  1S84  and  in  early  manhood 
rode  the  range.  He  subsequently  conducted 
a  blacksmith  and  wagon-making  shop  at 
Paisley  for  a  number  of  years,  after  which 
he  became  interested  in  the  sheep  industry, 
with  which  he  was  connected  until  1907, 
when  he  went  to  California,  where  for  four 
years  he  followed  farming.  In  1911  he  re- 
turned to  Paisley  and  his  fellow  townsmen, 
who  had  previously  known  him  and  recog- 
nized his  many  sterling  traits,  elected  him  the 
first  mayor  of  the  city  which  in  that  year 
liad  been  incorporated.  His  business  afi'airs 
are  represented  by  a  five-twelfths  interest  in 
the  Sherlock  ranch  of  seventeen  hundred  and 
tiftv  acres  on  Summer  lake  and  also  by  four 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  which  he  owns  a 
mile  and  a  half  southwest  of  Paisley.  The 
development  of  these  properties  is  bringing 
him  substantial  and  merited  success.  He  is 
interested  in  the  Chewaucan  district  mines, 
gold,  silver  and  lead-bearing  properties,  and 
he  has  a  mining  interest  in  the  gold  fields  of 
Nevada.  His  long  residence  in  the  northwest 
and  his  sound  judgment  have  enabled  him  to 
immediately  recognize  the  opportunities  for 
good  investment  and  have  directed  the  ac- 
quirement of  the  properties  which  he  now 
holds. 

On  the  9th  of  July.  1S9S.  Mr.  Campbell 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary  E. 
Wingfield,  who  was  born  in  Arkansas,  Octo- 
ber 3.  1870,  and  about  1872  was  brought  to 
Oregon  by  her  parents.  Thomas  and  Martha 
(Spradling)  Wingfield.  who  remained  resi- 
dents of  this  state  for  a  number  of  years. 
The  father,  however,  died  in  San  Francisco, 
California  and  the  mother  is  now  a  resident 
of  Reno.  Nevada.  Mrs.  Campbell  has  spent 
the  greater  part  of  her  life  in  Oregon  and 
for  six  years  was  a  teacher  in  Lake  county, 
spending  three  years  of  that  time  in  Paisley. 
Mr.  Campbell  votes  with  the  republican  party 
and  is  a  stalwart  advocate  of  its  principles. 
He  served  four  terms  as  deputy  sheriff  of 
Lake  county  and  has  been  school  clerk.  His 
duties  of  citizenship  are  always  discharged  in 
a  prompt  and  capable  manner  and  he  is  a 
loyal  and  exemplary  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity  and  the  Woodmen  of  the  World. 
As  Paisley's  chief  executive  officer  he  is 
making  an  excellent  record,  giving  to  the 
newly  created  city  a  business-like  administra- 
tion. 

BURRES  L.  HASTINGS,  who  was  a  resi- 
dent of  Monnioutli  bi'fure  his  death,  in  1907. 
was  a  native  of  Georgia  but  the  greater  part 
of  his  life  after  he  crossed  the  plains  in  1852 
was  spent  in  Oregon.  In  185.5  he  settled  on 
Soap  creek.  Polk  county,  and  entered  upon 
his  agricultural  pursuits  on  a  donation  claim 
of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres.  For  four 
years  he  cultivated  this  tract,  after  which  he 
located  on  a  ranch  of  three  hundred  and  sev- 
enty-nine acres  in  Pee  Dee  valley  which  is 
still  held  by  his  widow,  in  addition  to  a  tract 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  on  the  Luck- 
iamute  river,  which  she  also  holds.  During 
liis  twenty-nine  years'  residence  on  his  farm 
he  raised  "cattle  and  did  general  farming. 
Vol.  rv— 2 1 


In  1855  Mr.  Hastings  was  married  to  So- 
phia Simpson,  who  was  born  in  Arkansas, 
April  5,  1837,  and  crossed  the  plains  in  1845 
with  her  parents.  Rice  Wilson  and  Rebecca 
(Lasater)  Simpson.  Jlr.  Simp.son  was  born 
in  Georgia  in  ISOS  and  Mrs.  Simpson,  in  Ten. 
nessee,  in  1812.  After  their  marriage  tliey 
lived  in  Missouri  and  Arkansas  until  they 
came  to  Oregon  in  1845,  having  made  the 
trip  with  ox  teams  in  six  months.  They  were 
especially  fortunate  on  their  trip  not  having 
any  trouble  witli  Indians.  Arriving  at  Colum- 
bia river,  they  remained  in  the  north  and 
farmed  there  for  one  year  before  removing 
to  Polk  county.  Oregon,  and  settling  on  the 
Luekiamute  river,  where  they  made  their  home 
until  they  joined  the  great  army  going  to 
California  in  1850  in  search  for  gold.  They 
were  among  the  successful  ones  in  the  ven- 
ture and  soon  returned  to  locate  again  upon 
the  Luekiamute  river,  this  time  purchasing 
the  land  which  they  farmed.  Mr.  Simpson 
died  at  the  age  of  seventy-four  years  and 
Mrs.  Simpson  was  fifty-two  years  old  at  the 
time  of  her  death.  They  were  the  parents  of 
twelve  children  of  whom  four  are  living:  .So- 
phia, who  is  the  widow  of  the  subject  of  tliis 
sketch;  Albert;  Jane;  and  Reuben.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Hastings  were  the  parents  of  four  chil- 
dren, namely:  Alice,  deceased;  Reuben,  who 
resides  on  the  Luekiamute  property;  Hannah, 
who  is  a  resident  of  Albany,  Oregon;  and 
Rice,  who  resides  in  Cottage  Grove.  Oregon. 

Mr.  Hastings  accorded  his  political  sup- 
port to  the  democratic  party  and  was  al- 
ways a  believer  in  the  principles  of  that 
party.  In  his  business  dealings  he  was  up- 
right and  fair  and  to  his  fellowmon,  cordial 
and  sincere.  He  belonged  to  that  type  of  men 
who  have  built  up  the  west,  the  optimistic, 
liard-laboring,  broadly   human   class. 

JOHN  A.  HARRY.  Though  almost  four 
decades  have  passed  since  John  A.  Harry  was 
called  from  tliis  life,  he  is  still  remembered 
by  many  of  the  older  residents  of  Coos  county 
as  a  substantial  agriculturist  and  esteemed 
citizen.  His  birth  occurred  in  Indiana  on  the 
15th  of  Xovember.  1827,  his  parents  being 
Elijah  and  Belle  Harry,  who  wore  likewise 
natives  of  the  Hoosier  state.  In  1851.  when 
a  young  man  of  twenty-four  years,  John  A. 
Harry  came  to  Oregon,  settled  in  Coos  county 
and  took  up  a  donation  land  claim  near  Myr- 
tle Point.  He  cleared  the  property  and  de- 
voted his  attention  to  its  cultivation  through- 
out the  remainder  of  his  active  business  ca- 
reer, selling  the  farm  at  the  time  of  his  re- 
tirement. His  demise,  which  occurred  in  1874. 
was  the  occasion  of  deep  and  widespread  re- 
gret, for  he  had  gained  an  extensive  circle  of 
friends  by  reason  of  his  upright  and  honor- 
ahle   life." 

In  1857  Mr.  Harry  was  united  in  ranrringc 
to  Miss  Chloe  Cook,  a  native  of  Cedar  county 
Towa.  and  a  daughter  of  S.  M.  Cook.  In  April 
1S5I.  she  began  the  journey  across  the  plains 
in  company  with  her  parents,  who  settled  on 
Long  Tom  creek  in  Lane  county,  where  Mr. 
Cook  took  up  a  donation  land  claim  and  con- 
tinued to  reside  until  within  twenty  years  of 


31: 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


his  demise.  He  passed  away  iu  Xovember,  1905. 
wlien  ninety-three  years  of  age,  liaving  for 
more  tlian  three  decades  .survived  his  wife, 
whose  demise  occurred  in  1874.  Unto  John 
A.  and  Chloe  (Cook)  Harry  were  born  five 
children.  Even  N.,  wliose  birth  occurred  on 
the  1st  of  September,  1859,  resides  in  Sitkum, 
Oregon,  and  has  seven  cliildren.  Grant  W., 
whose  natal  day  was  February  2,  1864,  is  a 
resident  of  McCoy,  Oregon,  and  has  nine  chil- 
dren. Xancy  Belle,  who  was  born  on  the  15th 
of  November,  1805,  is  the  wife  of  James  D. 
Laird,  of  Sitkum,  Oregon,  by  whom  she  has 
eight  children.  Eva  S.,  born  April  13,  1867, 
gave  her  hand  in  marriage  to  Thomas  Krew- 
son  of  Drain,  Oregon,  by  whom  she  has  nine 
children.  Osmer  C,  who  was  born  on  the 
10th  of  March,"  1869,  resides  in  Sitkum  and 
has  four  children. 

In  1875  Mrs.  Chloe  Harry  wedded  James 
Laird,  a  native  of  Xew  York  and  a  son  of 
John  and  Marion  Laird,  both  of  W'hom  w^ere 
born  in  .Scotland.  James  Laird  began  pro- 
viding for  his  own  support  at  the  early  age 
of  eight  years,  leaving  home  and  going  to 
work  for  others.  He  made  his  way  to  Cali- 
fornia in  the  early  days  and  operated  the 
pony  e.xpress  from  Salt  Lake  City  to  Den- 
ver. In  1874  he  came  to  Coos  county  and 
took  up  a  homestead  in  the  Brewster  valley, 
near  Sitkum.  He  also  became  well  known  as 
a  stage  contractor  and  his  efforts  were  a  po- 
tent element  in  the  upbuilding  and  develop- 
ment of  the  Coos  bay  couiitry.  His  demise 
occurred  on  the  8th  of  May,  1909,  when  he 
had  attained  the  age  of  seventy-seven  years 
and  seven  days.  The  period  of  his  residence 
in  Coos  county  covered  more  than  a  third 
of  a  century  and  his  memory  is  honored  by 
all  who  knew  him.  for  his  life  was  exemplary 
in  all  respects  and  his  influence  was  ever 
found  on  the  side  of  right,  progress  and  im- 
provement. 

The  first  wife  of  James  Laird  bore  the 
maiden  name  of  Katie  Smith,  who  became  the 
mother  of  six  children,  as  follows:  Eunice, 
who  is  the  wife  of  John  McDaniel  and  resides 
in  California;  Anice.  the  wife  of  Robert  An- 
derscni,  of  Lake  county,  Oregon ;  Mrs.  Isco 
Fariss,  who  resides  in  California;  Emma,  who 
gave  her  hand  in  marriage  to  AVilliam  Bet- 
tys, of  Fairview.  Oregon;  Fannie,  the  wife 
of  Albert  Alford.  of  Coquille,  Oregon;  and 
James  D.,  of  Sitkum.  Oregon,  who  married 
Miss  Nancy  Belle  Harry,  his  stepsister.  By 
his  second  wife,  Mrs.  Chloe  Harry.  James 
Laird  had  four  children.  Walter,  who  was 
born  on  the  30th  of  June.  1876,  is  the  pres- 
ent postmaster  of  Sitkum.  Oregon,  and  has 
four  children.  Joseph  L..  whose  birth  oc- 
cm-red  on  the  28th  of  January.  1878.  is  en- 
gaged in  the  livery  business  at  !Myrtle  Point, 
Oregon.  He  is  married  and  has  four  chil- 
dren. C3rl  E..  who  was  born  on  the  5th  of 
September,  1880,  passed  away  in  1887,  John 
Hailey,  whose  natal  day  was  September  8, 
1883  married  Miss  Verna  M,  Weekly,  a 
daughter  of  Jefferson  D,  Weekly,  of  Gravel 
Ford,  Oregon.  Mrs.  Verna  Laird  was  one  of 
a  family  of  four  children,  the  others  being 
as  follows:  Viola  E..  who  is  deceasd;  Mabel 
G.,  the  wife  of  Michael  M.  Minard,  of  Gravel 


Ford,  Oregon;  and  Anna  I.,  the  wife  of  Bin- 
ger  Herman  Laird,  of  Roseburg,  Oregon. 

James  Laird  gave  his  political  allegiance 
to  the  democracy  but  neither  sought  nor  de- 
sired office  as  a  reward  for  his  party  fealty. 
Fraternally  he  was  identified  with  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  His  widow, 
who  has  lived  in  the  .Sunset  state  for  more 
than  six  decades,  can  relate  manj^  interesting 
incidents  of  pioneer  times  which  show  what 
a  wonderful  transformation  has  been  ef- 
fected as  the  work  of  progress  and  develop- 
ment has  been  carried  forward  in  the  north- 
west. She  resides  on  the  Coos  bay  wagon 
road,  three  miles  west  of  Sitkum,  and  has 
many   friends   throughout   the   community. 

WILLIAM  ANDREW  CURRIER.  Witli 
four  miles  of  frontage  along  Summer  lake 
and  a  large  acreage  included  within  his  ranch. 
William  Andrew  Currier  is  developing  one 
of  the  finest  properties  in  Lake  county.  Fruit 
of  every  varietj',  vegetables  of  every  kind, 
the  cereals  best  adapted  to  soil  and  climate, 
all  grow  luxuriantly  here;  but  the  principal 
feature  of  his  work 'is  the  raising  of  horses, 
he  being  recognized  as  conducting  the  most 
extensive  business  of  that  kind  in  his  county. 
He  was  born  in  Corvallis,  Benton  county,  Ore- 
gon, October  12,  1851,  His  father,  Jacob 
ilanley  Currier,  was  a  native  of  Irasburg, 
Vermont,  born  February  12,  1827,  On  leav- 
ing the  Green  Mountain  state  he  resided  for 
ten  years  in  Ixiwell,  Massachusetts,  and  went 
to  New  York  in  1842,  In  1844  he  became  a 
resident  of  Missouri  and  two  years  later 
crossed    the    plains   with   his   brother-in-law, 

A.  L.  Humphrey,  and  two  sisters,  Elizabeth 

B.  and  Sally  Foster,  He  settled  on  a  donation 
claim  near  Corvallis  and  still  resides  there. 
Altliough  he  has  reached  the  advanced  age  of 
eighty-five  years,  his  mind  is  clear  and  he  re- 
lates many  interesting  incidents  of  the  early 
days,  including  his  experiences  when  he 
served  as  a  soldier  in  the  Cayuse  Indian  war. 
In  August.  1850.  he  married  Maria  Foster, 
who  was  born  in  Coshocton  county,  Ohio, 
April  11.  1834,  and  was  a  daughter  of  An- 
drew Foster,  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  1812. 
Maria  Foster  had  crossed  the  plains  with  her 
parents  in  1845  and  she  died  when  her  son, 
William  A.,  was  eight  years  of  age.  He  was 
the  eldest  of  four  children,  the  others  being: 
Lorena.  the  wife  of  J.  W.  Belknap,  of  Han- 
ford,  California;  M.  C,  living  in  Paisley;  and 
Anna  Maria,  who  died  when  one  year  old. 
Mr.  Humphrey,  who  accompanied  Jacob  M. 
Currier  to  the  northwest,  served  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  first  Oregon  legislature. 

William  A.  Currier,  born  and  reared  on  the 
old  homestead  in  Benton  county  and  indebted 
to  its  public-.school  system  for  the  educa- 
tional advantages  which  he  enjoyed,  came 
to  Lake  county  in  1875.  when  about  twenty- 
four  years  of  age.  and  settled  on  Summer 
lake,  where  he  still  lives.  On  the  19th  of 
January,  1879,  he  married  Miss  Kitty  E, 
Hadley,  who  was  born  in  Siskiyou  county, 
California,  a  daughter  of  a  lieutenant  of  the 
Rogue  River  war,  !Mr,  and  Mrs,  Currier  be- 
came the  parents  of  three  children:  Ada  F,, 
the  wife  of  Francis  Kimea,  of  Hanford,  Cali- 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


Ji;] 


fornia;  Eva.  the  wife  of  John  Lutz,  oi  Bel- 
liiigham,  Washington;  and  William  Manlev. 
nu'ntioned  elsi-whorc  in  this  work.  There 
are  also  four  grandchildren,  the  elder  daugh- 
ter having  two  children,  William  Francis  and 
Virgil  David,  while  Mrs.  Lutz  has  one  son, 
Harold  Andrew,  and  William  Manley  Cur- 
rier has  a  son,  Manley  George. 

Throughout  the  period  of  his  residence  in 
Lake  county  William  Andrew  Currier  has 
been  numbered  among  its  most  prominent 
and  respected  citizens  and  enjoys  the  confi- 
dence and  esteem  of  all  who  know  him.  He 
and  his  wife  are  owners  of  about  twenty-five 
hundred  acres  of  land,  of  which  a  tract  of 
one  hundred  and  five  acres  is  near  Hanford, 
California,  while  the  remainder  is  in  or  near 
the  Summer  lake  valley.  He  has  never 
specialized  to  any  extent  in  cattle-raising, 
never  owning  more  than  four  hundred  head, 
and  he  now  has  only  about  forty  head,  but 
he  is  the  largest  owner  of  horses  in  Lake 
county.  He  branded  two  hundred  and  fifty 
colts  in  1910  and  he  now  has  about  eight 
hundred  horses.  He  has  some  very  valuable 
horses,  standard-bred,  and  he  owns  fifteen 
iacks,  about  fifty  mules  and  fifteen  stallions. 
His  great  business  activity  has  constituted 
an  important  feature  in  the  upbuilding  and 
progress  of  the  district  in  which  he. lives  and 
the  course  which  he  lias  pursued  has  fur- 
nished a  splendid  example  to  his  neighbors, 
showing  what  can  be  accomplished  through 
industry  and  determination  and  also  prov- 
ing how  productive  the  district  is  in  cereals, 
fruits  and  vegetables.  He  has  developed  a 
fine  orchard,  containing  all  kinds  of  fruit, 
which  he  raises  for  his  own  use  and  also  for 
local  consumption.  His  apples,  known  as 
Summer  Lake  Beauties,  won  the  first  pre- 
mium at  the  county  fair  at  Lakeview  in 
190T,  as  did  also  his  cherries.  His  prune 
trees,  heavily  laden  with  fruit,  are  a  beau- 
tiful sight  to  behold,  and  in  1911  his  orchard 
produced  a  late  Crawford  peach  which  was 
eleven  inches  in  circumference.  His  fruit  and 
vegetables  have  attained  the  highest  possible 
degree  of  perfection  and  he  has  one  of  the 
best  gardens  in  the  county.  In  addition  to 
his  individual  efforts  along  agricultural  and 
iiorticultural  lines  and  in  stock-raising.  Mr. 
Currier  has  had  other  interests.  He  was  at 
one  time  owner  of  the  Chewaucan  hotel  at 
Paisley,  which  he  sold  to  his  son.  Ke  is  a  di- 
rector  of  the  Chewaucan  Mercantile  Company 
of  Paislej'.  He  is  likewise  interested  in  the 
Chewaucan  &,  Summer  Lake  Electric  Light 
&  Power  Company.  His  home  is  pleasantly 
and  attractively  located,  with  the  movintains 
in  the  rear  and  the  lake  in  front,  the  broad 
expanse  of  waters  enabling  him  to  see  for 
a  distance  of  fifty  miles  on  a  dear  day. 

Mr.  Currier's  political  allegiance  has  always 
been  given  to  the  democratic  party  but  he 
has  never  been  a  politician  in  the  sense  of 
office  seeking,  although  for  four  years  he 
filled  the  office  of  county  commissioner.  He 
was  also  postmaster  of  Paisley  for  two  or 
three  V'ears  and  has  carried  the  mail  for  a 
few  months  at  a  time  on  a  number  of  occa- 
sions, making  the  trip  from  Paisley  to  Sil- 
ver Lake,  a  distance  of  sixty  miles.    His  fra- 


ternal relations  are  with  Paisley  Lodge.  No. 
177,  L  0.  0.  F.  Mr.  Currier  belongs  to  that 
progressive  type  of  men  who  have  been  in- 
strumental in  the  upbuilding  and  development 
of  southern  Oregon.  Recognizing  and  utiliz- 
ing its  opportunities,  he  has  promoted  the  in- 
terests and  welfare  of  the  county  and  at  the 
same  time  has  upbuilded  his  own  fortunes 
until  he  is  now  one  of  the  prosperous  resi- 
dents of  the  Summer  lake  valley.  He  has 
never  infringed  upon  the  rights  of  others  and 
in  all  his  dealings  has  been  strictly  straight- 
forward, so  that  his  business  integrity  and 
honor  have  won  for  him  the  highest  com- 
mendation and  regard. 

JOHN  JAMES  WILLIAMS.  One  of  the 
few  surviving  settlers  of  the  pioneers  in  Polk 
county  is  John  J.  Williams,  whose  residence 
here  covers  a  period  of  more  than  half  a  cen- 
tury. He  has  been  identified  with  varitnis 
enterprises  in  Dallas,  and  has  several  times 
been  called  to  public  office  both  in  the  city 
and  count}',  having  served  for  eight  years  a.i 
sheriff'.  His  birth  occurred  in  Granger  county, 
Tennessee,  on  the  5th  of  January,  1830,  his 
parents  being  James  Edward  and  Martha 
(Wicher)  Williams.  In  the  paternal  line  he 
is  of  Welsh  extraction,  his  forefathers  hav- 
ing settled  in  Tennessee  during  colonial  days. 
His  father  was  also  born  in  Granger  county, 
and  for  many  years  he  lived  in  Panther 
Springs,  Tennessee,  but  the  mother  was  a 
native  of  Virginia.  James  Edward  Williams 
was  a  cabinet-maker  by  trade,  as  likewise 
were  four  of  his  brothers,  devoting  his  ener- 
gies to  this  occupation  and  farming  during 
the  entire  period  of  his  active  life.  In  the 
spring  of  1845  he  and  his  family  joined  a 
party  and  train,  consisting  of  forty-seven 
wagons,  that  was  coming  to  Oregon.  \Mien 
they  reached  .Jackson  county,  Missouri,  they 
were  joined  by  eight  himdred  soldiers,  who 
escorted  them  the  entire  distance,  six  months 
being  occupied  in  making  the  journey.  The 
Williams  family  located  at  Portland,  and  at 
that  time  there  was  standing  on  Morrison 
street  the  remains  of  an  old  tree,  that  meas- 
ured fourteen  feet  in  circiuuference,  and  thi.': 
provided  them  with  shelter  until  they  could 
build  a  house.  The  father  filed  on  a  claim 
in  that  vicinity  but  not  liking  it  there,  sub- 
sequently removed  further  south,  to  Polk 
county.  He  located  on  land  eight  miles  south 
of  Dallas,  some  of  which  was  covered  with 
timber,  while  a  part  was  prairie,  and  there 
he  and  his  wife  spent  the  remainder  of  their 
lives.  In  connection  with  the  cultivation  of 
his  claim  Mr.  Williams  also  did  some  car- 
jientry  work  aiul  cabinet-making,  and  manu- 
factured furniture  for  his  neighbors.  He  was 
a  man  of  intelligence  and  good  judgment,  who 
always  took  an  active  interest  in  all  public 
questions,  and  was  one  of  the  first  legis- 
lators. His  opinion  on  all  subjects  of  the 
day  was  valued  by  those  who  knew  him, 
wliile  his  views  on  questions  pertaining  to 
the  community  welfare  had  much  weight  in 
deciding  local  matters.  In  his  political  views 
he  was  a  stanch  democrat.  The  family  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  Edward  Williams  num- 
bered seven  children:  Jonathan,  who  died  in 


.'114 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


Salem,  Oregon:  Orlinia.  who  became  the  wife 
of  Isaac  Staats.  but  both  are  deceased:  John 
J.,  our  subject ;  Wesley,  who  is  living  at 
Rainier,  Oregon;  Wayne  W.,  also  deceased, 
who  was  a  commercial  salesman  and  a  farmer 
uf  Independence,  Oregon:  Thomas,  a  resi- 
dent of  Independence,  Oregon:  and  William, 
living   at   Airlic,  Oregon. 

The  educational  advantages  aflorded  John 
J.   Williams   were   very   limited.     After   the 
family  located  in  Oregon  he  assisted  his  fa- 
ther in  his  carpentry  work  and  cabinet-mak- 
ing, and  thej'  built  the  first  house  in  Port- 
land.     The   first   eighteen   years   of   his   life 
were  spent  under  the  parental  roof,  but  when 
word  reached  their  community  of  the  discovery 
of  gold   in   California,   he   decided  to   try  his 
lucic  as  a   prospector.     In   1848  he  joined  a 
party   composed   of   two   hundred   and   forty 
people  and  started  for  the  mining  district  in 
the  vicinity  of  Sacramento.     They  made  the 
journey   in  wagons,  forty   being  required   to 
convey  their  party  and  supplies.     Upon  his 
arrival  in  the  gold  fields  he  worked  at   the 
carpenter's  trade  and  also  did  some  mining. 
He  built  the  first  house  in  the  city  of  Sac- 
ramento and  soon  thereafter  returned  to  Ore- 
gon,  but   made    several   subsequent   trips   to 
California.     Together  with  several  others  he 
crossed  the  north  fork  of  the  American  river 
to  Los  Angeles,  on  his  first  journey  to  the 
southern   part    of   the    state.     Returning    to 
Polk  county,  Mr.  Williams  lived  on  the  ranch 
with    his    parents    with    whom    he    remained 
until  their  death.     Later  he  engaged  in  con- 
tracting   and    building    and    did    much    work 
in  thaf  line,  not  only  erecting  buildings  but 
also  constructing  bridges.     He  is  now  living 
retired,   having    acquired   a   competence   that 
enables  him  to  spend  his  last  days  in  comfort. 
Mr.  Williams  has  been  married  twice,  his 
first  union  having  been  with  Miss  Alice  Eck- 
ersley.     Unto  them  there  were  born  the  fol- 
lowing  children:    Otho.    who    is    a    tailor   in 
Dallas;  Ethel,  at  home:  Ralph  E.,  a  banker  of 
Dallas,   who   is   also   interested   in  banks   in 
Falls  Citv  and  Independence.  Oregon;  Hattie, 
who  married  A.  J.  Rhodes,  of  Seattle,  Wash- 
inston;   and  Walter,  a  banker,  who  married 
Pauline   Gainer   and   lives   in   Dallas.     After 
the  death  of  his  first  wife,  Mr.  Williams  was 
married  to   ilrs.   Annie  M.    (Earned)    Stiles. 
December  23.  1889.     She  was  born  and  reared 
in   Luzerne    county.   Pennsylvania,    and   is   a 
daughter  of  Theopholis  and  Elizabeth  (Smith) 
Earned  who  were  natives  of  the  same  county, 
where   they   spent   their   entire   lives.     Upon 
attaining  "womanliood    she    married    Samuel 
C.  Stiles    who  was  a  harness-maker,  and  in 
1853  thev  came  to  Oregon  and  here  he  passed 
away   in"  1886.     They  had  one  child.   Frank 
Stiles,   who   is   now   engaged   in    farming   in 
Polk  county. 

Mr.  Williams  gives  his  political  allegiance 
to  the  democratic  party.  He  has  always 
taken  an  active  interest  in  all  public  affairs 
and  first  entered  official  life  in  1874,  when  he 
was  elected  sheriff  of  Polk  county.  He  gave 
most  efficient  service  in  this  capacity  and 
discharged  the  duties  of  the  office  for  eight 
years.  He  has  since  been  street  commissioner 
"and    has    also    represented   his   ward   in    the 


city  council.  Fraternally  he  is  a  charter 
member  of  both  the  Masonic  and  Odd  Fel- 
lows lodges  of  this  city  and  Mrs.  Williams 
holds  membership  in  the  Christian  church.  It 
is  sixty-six  years  since  Mr.  Williams  first 
came  to  Oregon  and  the  greater  part  of  that 
time  has  been  spent  in  Polk  county.  He  has 
been  a  resident  of  Dallas  for  thirty-seven 
years,  and  many  are  the  interesting  reminis- 
cences he  relates  of  tlie  early  settlers  and  the 
pioneer  days.  The  period  of  his  residence 
in  Oregon  covers  the  great  formative  epoch 
in  the  history  of  the  state's  development, 
the  progression  of  which  he  has  observed  with 
the  keen  pleasure  of  one  who  from  the  first 
saw  its  wonderful  possibilities,  fully  realizing 
and  appreciating  its  great  natm-al  resources 
and  advantages. 

GROVE  GAYLORD  SWAN,  a  representa- 
tive agriculturist  and  esteemed  citizen  of  Coos 
coiuity,  is  the  owner  of  a  tract  of  land  com- 
prising one  hundred  and  forty-eight  acres, 
seventy-five  acres  of  which  is  in  a  high  state 
of  cultivation.  His  birth  occurred  in  Ohio 
on  the  10th  of  December,  1850.  his  parents 
being  Edward  and  Pamilla  (Fitch)  Swan, 
who  were  natives  of  Xew  York  and  Massa- 
chusetts respectively.  Their  children  were 
four  in  number,  namely:  Edward  and  Lewis, 
who  died  in  infancy;  Emmie  Elizabeth,  the 
mother  of  two  children  and  the  wife  of  Frank 
Ransom,  of  Berkeley,  California;  and  Orove 
Gaylord,  of  this  review. 

Grove  Gaylord  Swan,  who  was  a  youth  of 
eighteen  when  his  father  died,  remained  under 
the  parental  roof  until  twenty  years  of  age. 
At  tliat  time  he  came  west,  settling  on  the 
east  fork  of  the  Coquille  river  in  Coos  county, 
Oregon,  where  he  took  up  an  unsurveyed  tract 
of  land  comprising  one  hundred  and  sixty- 
eight  acres.  There  was  not  even  a  trail 
through  the  heavily  timbered  tract,  which 
was  inhabited  by  elks,  bears  and  deer.  By 
resolute  and  untiring  industry  Mr.  Swan  at 
length  cleared  the  property  and  has  gradu- 
ally improved  the  same  until  it  is  today  one 
of  the  most  productive  and  valuable  farms  of 
the  county.  He  sold  twenty  acres  of  the 
place  but  still  owns  one  hundred  and  forty- 
eight  acres  and  as  an  agriculturist  has  won 
gratifying  success.  For  the  past  five  years 
or  since  its  organization  he  has  served  as 
secretary  of  the  Coquille  Valley  Fruit  Asso- 
ciation, and  he  is  also  the  president  of  the 
Dora  Cemeterv  Association. 

On  the  1st  "of  February.  1882.  Mr.  Swan 
was  married  to  Miss  Mary  I.  Dysert.  a  native 
of  Missouri  and  a  daughter  of  Aaron  and 
Angeline  (Woods)  Dysert,  who  crossed  the 
plains  to  this  state  with  ox  teams  in  1859 
and  settled  in  Douglas  county.  They  were 
the  parents  of  ten  children,  five  of  whom 
survive,  as  follows:  D.ivid.  who  is  a  resident 
of  Douglas  county.  Oregon;  Cimara,  the  wife 
of  George  Cassidy.  of  California;  William, 
w^ho  makes  his  home  in  Douglas  county,  this 
state;  Mrs.  Mary  Swan;  and  Annie,  the  wife 
of  David  Crockett  Krantz.  of  Arago,  Ore- 
won.  To  ilr.  and  Mrs.  Swan  have  been  born 
five  children,  namely:  William,  deceased; 
Annie,   the   wife   of  Bruno  Lang,   of  Myrtle 


n 


.MK.  AM)  Mi;s.  (;i;(i\  K  c.  swan 


irii.  NEVA'  York] 

C     LIBRARY 


*«TeH.  LENOX  Ar: 
tlLOEH   FOUNDAT 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OliKGOX 


:>n 


Point,  Oregon,  by  wliom  she  has  onu  ohikl, 
Tillie;  LeKoy  J.,  at  home  with  his  parents; 
Edith,  the  wife  of  John  Xeer,  of  Myrtle 
Point.  Oregon;  and  Itty  True,  who  has  com- 
pleted her  education  and  is  at  home.  All  of 
the  children  were  educated  in  the  district 
schools  of  Coos  county. 

Grove  Gaylord  Swan  is  a  stanch  repvibliean 
and  holds  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace, 
the  duties  of  which  position  he  has  com- 
mendably  discharged  for  a  number  of  years. 
The  cause  of  education  has  ever  found  in 
him  a  warm  friend  and  for  a  period  of 
twenty  j-ears  he  served  as  director  and  clerk 
of  the  school  board.  His  religious  faith  is 
indicated  by  his  membership  in  the  United 
Brethren  church,  in  which  lie  serves  as  gen- 
eral steward.  He  belongs  to  the  Grange. 
Mr.  .Swan  has  resided  on  his  present  farm 
for  more  than  four  decades  and  is  well  known 
and  highly  esteemed  throughout  the  com- 
munity. 

WILLIAM  FOX.  Among  the  native  sons  of 
Oregon  of  English  parentage  may  be  mentioned 
William  Fox,  who  lives  on  his  sixty-one  acre 
ranch  on  Wagner  creek  in  Jackson  county 
near  Talent.  He  was  born  on  Jackson  creek, 
December  21,  1SG4.  a  son  of  Heaton  and  Mary 
A.  (Richards)  Fox,  both  natives  of  York- 
shire. England,  being  reared  and  married  in 
the  place  of  their  nativity.  The  father  came 
to  the  new  world  as  a  young  man  and  joined 
some  of  his  brothers  in  Wisconsin,  where  he 
resided  for  a  time,  after  which  he  crossed 
the  plains  to  Crescent  City,  California,  and 
there  obtained  employment  on  a  ranch.  He 
subsequently  removed  to  Oregon  and  engaged 
in  mining  on  .lackson  creek  in  .Jackson  county, 
\\here  he  met  with  considerable  success.  A 
little  later  he  returned  to  England  where  he 
was  married,  and  shortly  afterward  came 
back  with  his  bride  to  Oregon  and,  being  a 
miller  by  trade,  took  up  the  old  Eagle  mill 
in  .Jackson  county  and  subsequently  operated 
the  old  Phoenix'  mill.  Later  he  took  up  a 
honn>stead  on  Wrights  creek,  wlierc  he  made 
his  home  and  for  a  time  conducted  the  Ash- 
land mills.  Following  this  he  removed  to 
Ashland  wliere  lie  resided  for  about  thirty 
years.  During  the  time  he  lived  there  he 
operated  the  Ashland  mills  for  a  time,  and 
later  was  employed  in  the  implement  busi- 
ness and  ran  a  blacksmith  shop.  His  death 
occurred  in  1910,  long  surviving  his  wife, 
who  had  passed  away  about  ISTtl. 

William  Fox  was  reared  at  Iioine  and  dur- 
ing his  youth  acquired  a  coinmon-scliool  edu- 
cation in  .Jackson  county.  After  attaining 
manhood's  estate  he  continued  at  home  for 
several  years,  working  at  various  occupations. 
In  Isn.V  he  with  another  man  in  partnership 
bought  a  transfer  business  in  Ashland,  which 
they  conducted  for  about  five  years.  He 
next  engaged  in  the  livery  business,  being 
thus  employed  for  about  five  years  and  then 
removed  to'his  present  home,  a  ranch  of  about 
sixty-one  acres  on  Wagner  creek  where  he 
has  since  resided. 

Mr.  Fox  was  married  in  1S9.S  to  Miss  Anna 
Belle  Briner.  a  native  of  this  county,  and 
one  child.  Eula  Bay.  has  been  born  to  them. 


In  his  political  alliliations  Mr.  Fox  is  a  re- 
publican. He  belongs  to  .Ashland  lodge.  Xo. 
33,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  and  is  a  member  of  Gran- 
ite Lodge.  Xo.  T.i,  K.  P.  He  also  belongs  to 
Granite  Tent.  Xo.  4,  K.  O.  T.  i[.  He  is  one  of 
the  extensively  known  and  highly  esteemed 
men  of  -Jackson  county,  a  business  man  of 
ability  and  a  popular  citizen. 

JOHN  P.  IRVIN,  who  lives  retired  in  Esta- 
cada,  Oregon,  was  born  in  Jessamine  county, 
Kentucky,  February  36,  1S3G.  His  parents 
were  John  L.  and  Xancy  (X^ave)  Irvin,  the 
former  a  native  of  Virginia  and  the  latter 
of  Kentucky.  They  were  married  in  the  lat- 
ter state  and  there  spent  the  remainder  of 
their  lives,  the  father  passing  away  in  183S. 
The  mother,  surviving  him  for  several  years, 
jiassed  away  at  tlie  age  of  sixty-seven.  In 
tlieir  family  were  two  children,  of  whom  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  elder.  The 
younger.  Elizabeth,  died  in  infanc.v.  After 
the  father's  deatli  the  mother  married  again, 
her  second  union  being  with  Owen  Minor,  of 
Kentucky.  Mr.  Minor  passed  away  several 
years  before  his  wife.  By  her  second  luiion 
the  mother  had  four  children:  Joseph  E., 
Macy  E..  Emil.v  H..  and  Annie. 

John  P.  Irvin  received  his  education  in  the 
common  schools,  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen 
started  out  in  life  for  himself  by  learning 
the  blacksmith  trade.  He  worked  in  the 
employ  of  others  for  six  j'ears,  and  then 
opened  a  shop  of  his  own  at  Independence, 
ilissouri,  which  he  conducted  for  three  years. 
Subsequently  he  spent  two  years  in  the 
mines  of  Colorado,  and  then  resumed  work 
at  his  trade  in  .\tehison.  Kan.sas,  being  thus 
engaged  live  .years.  He  afterward  o])eiied  a 
blaeksmitli  sliop  in  Harlan.  Kansas,  which  he 
conducted  for  three  years.  He  then  pur- 
chased a  ranch  at  Lonejack,  ]Missouri,  but 
after  operating  it  for  three  years,  lie  sold 
his  interests  and  moved  to  Independence,  and 
ill  partnerslii])  with  his  fatlier-in-law.  en- 
gaged in  tlie  lumber  business.  He  remained 
there  until  IST.'),  when  he  came  to  Oregon. 
settling  at  Salem,  and  once  more  resumed 
work  at  the  bhicksmith's  trade,  which  he  fol- 
loAved  until  ISSO.  In  that  year  he  removed 
to  Clackamas  county  where  he  purchased 
three  liuiidred  and  twenty  acres  of  land,  four 
miles  east  of  Estacada.  operating  the  same 
until  1909.  when  lie  retired  and  took  up  his 
abode  in  a  beautiful  home  in  this  city.  He 
still   owns   forty-four  acres  of  land. 

In  August.  1802,  Jlr.  Irvin  married  Miss 
Mary  kT  Shortridgc,  who  was  born  in  In- 
dependence. Missouri.  May  .'..  1S44,  a  daugh- 
ter of  John  T.  and  Sallie  A.  (Phelps!  Short- 
ridge.  Tlie  parents  were  born  near  Louis- 
ville. Kentucky,  but  were  married  in  Mis- 
souri, and  if  was  in  Independence,  that  state, 
that  tlie  mother  passed  away.  Several  years 
later  the  father  again  married  and  removed 
to  Denver,  where  he  died  in  1894.  In  his 
family  were  three  children,  of  whom  Jfrs. 
Irvin' was  the  eldest.  The  others  were  Lil- 
lian M.  and  -Tobn  Edgar,  both  of  whom  arc 
ileceased.  the  latter  passing  away  in  child- 
hood. To  Mr.  anil  Mrs.  Irvin  were  born  ten 
children,  five  of  whom  are  still  living.     They 


r.18 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


arc:  Alice  A.,  \vlio  was  born  in  December, 
1SC5,  and  is  now  the  wife  of  Frank  L.  Fol- 
som,  of  Kice,  Stevens  county,  Washington ; 
John  T.,  who  was  born  December  2,  1S67.  ami 
is  at  home;  Frank,  who  was  born  March  L'-'. 
1869,  married  Ada  Rich  and  now  resides  in 
Boring,  Oregon;  J.  A.,  who  was  born  Jan- 
uary 2,  1875.  married  Miss  Mildred  A.  Davis, 
and  now  resides  at  Garfield;  and  W.  K.,  who 
was  born  February  12,  1877,  and  is  at  home. 
Those  deceased  are:  Anna  B.,  who  became  tlie 
wife  of  Fred  M.  Covey  and  died  in  1903; 
Charles  C..  who  died  September  28.  1889; 
Katie  Maud  and  George  S.,  both  of  whom  died 
in  infancy;  and  Xannie.  who  died  at  the  age 
of  fourteen  months. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Irvin  is  a  demo- 
crat, and  lie  and  his  family  are  members  of 
the  Christian  church.  He  has  now  resided  in 
.  Clackamas  county  for  more  than  thirty-seven 
years,  and  he  lias  not  only  been  an  interested 
witness,  but  has  been  a  helpful  factor  in  the 
progress  and  advancement  that  have  here 
been  made.  He  lias  led  a  busy  life,  and  by 
hard  and  faithful  work  has  earned  the  com- 
fortable competence  that  lie  is  now  enjoying. 

DAN  MATTSON  is  successfully  engaged 
in  agricultural  pursuits  on  a  well  developed 
ranch,  which  he  owns,  located  six  miles  from 
Marshfield  on  Catchings  inlet.  Coos  county. 
Oregon.  He  was  born  in  Finland.  April  17. 
1SG8,  and  is  a  son  of  Matt  and  Lizzie  ilatt- 
son.  The  father  died  many  years  ago  in  Fin- 
land but  the  mother  is  still  living  there  at 
the  age  of  si.Kty-six  years.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Matt  Mattsoii  one  son  was  born.  Dan.  who 
is    the    subject    of    this    review. 

Dan  Mattson  emigrated  to  America  in 
1888,  settling  first  in  Marshfield,  Oregon, 
where  for  some  years  he  was  engaged  in  the 
mining  and  logging  business.  In  1893  he 
took  up  a  homestead  in  township  24,  range 
10,  in  Coos  county.  In  1906  he  disposed  of 
that  property  and  purchased  a  farm  of  fifty- 
five  acres  located  six  miles  from  Marshfield 
o(T  Catchings  inlet  where  he  now  resides.  He 
is  successfully  engaged  in  dairy  farming  and 
purposes,  it  being  his  intention  to  plant  a 
large  orchard  of  well  selected  trees  and  ul- 
timately devote  himself  to  the  fi'uit-growing 
biisine.-.s. 

Mr.  JIattson  was  united  in  marriage  De- 
cember 12.  1906,  to  Mrs.  Josephine  (Xyman) 
Holm,  the  widow  of  August  Holm,  who  died 
in  ilay.  1901.  To  her  union  with  Mr.  Holm 
four  children  were  born:  Arthur  A.,  who  was 
born  July  28,  1897;  Estrid  S..  born  January 
28,  1899:  Irene  A.,  whose  birth  occurred  in 
August.  1900:  and  Earnest  Fridolf.  born  Feb- 
ruary S.  1902.  :Mrs.  Matt-son  is  the  daugh- 
ter of  Frederick  and  ,'^ophia  Xyman.  both  of 
whom  were  natives  of  Finland,  where  her 
father  died  at  the  age  of  seventy- four  years 
and  her  mother  at  the  age  of  seventy-five 
years.  To  her  parents  eleven  children  were 
born,  of  whom  five  are  still  living,  three  be- 
ing residents  of  Finland,  Those  in  this 
country  are:  .Josephine,  who  is  the  wife  of 
the  subject  of  this  review;  and  Herman,  a 
resident  of  Seattle.  Washington.  Mrs.  !Matt- 
son  emigrated   to  America   in   1893.  settling 


first  at   Coos  bay   where  she  has  since  con- 
tinued to  reside. 

Mr.  Mattson  is  affiliated  with  the  repub- 
lican party,  but  has  never  sought  political 
office  of  any  kind.  He  has,  however,  served 
as  a  member  of  the  school  board  for  many 
years.  He  is  a  member  of  Suomi  Lodge,  X6. 
1.  of  Marshfield,  and  he  and  his  family  are 
members  of  the  Lutheran  church.  He  is  one 
of  the  enterprising  and  useful  citizens  of  his 
county  and  a  man  always  associated  with 
the  advancement  of  every' public  measure  in- 
tended to  improve  tlie  condition  of  the  peo- 
])Ie, 

PHILLIP  E,  DRANE  has  been  engaged  in 
the  general  merchandise  business  in  Coquille 
for  eleven  years  and  during  that  time  has 
built  up  a  prosperous  and  rapidly  increasing 
trade  which  is  evidence  of  his  ability  and  of 
the  straightforward  and  honorable  "methods 
liy  which  his  enterprise  is  conducted.  He 
has  been  a  resident  of  Oregon  since  1873  and 
has  been  engaged  in  various  business  enter- 
prises in  Coos  county  since  that  time.  He 
was  born  in  Kentucky  in  1854  and  is  a  son 
of  Thomas  and  Mary  Drane.  natives  of  Vir- 
ginia. His  father  died  when  our  subject  was 
eleven  years  of  age  and  his  mother  made  her 
home  with  her  children  for  a  number  of  years. 
She  moved  from  Kentucky  to  Kansas  and 
then  to  Texas  and  finally  to  Oklahoma  where 
she  died  at  the  age  of  ninety  years.  Later 
lie  was  adopted  by  Jlordica  Day  with  wliom  he 
lived  until  he  was  sixteen.  In  that  year 
he  went  to  Kansas  and  after  three  years  in 
that  state  came  to  Coos  county,  settling  on 
the  Coquille  river  where  he  took  up  a  home- 
stead claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
near  Arago.  L'pon  this  he  carried  on  general 
farming,  operating  and  improving  his  prop- 
erty for  seven  years,  aliandoning  agricultural 
pursuits  at  the  end  of  that  time  in  order  to 
engage  in  business.  He  went  to  Coquille  and 
operated  a  hotel,  working  in  a  sawmill  dur- 
ing the  same  period.  For  ten  years  he  con- 
ducted a  butcher  shop  in  the  city  and  in  1901 
erected  his  ])resent  building  and  established 
himself  in  the  general  merchandise  business 
which  he  has  followed  since  that  time.  He 
has  sought  success  by  straightforward  and 
worthy  means  and  has  proven  capable  and 
reliable,  his  industry  and  well  directed  ac- 
tivity bringing  him  a  gratifying  measure  of 
prosperity.  He  has  invested  his  money  ju- 
diciously ill  local  enterprises  being  a  stock- 
holder in  two  sawmills  near  Coquille  and  also 
in  a  creamery.  He  owns  his  store  building 
and  other  town  property  and  resides  in  an  at- 
tractive and  pleasant  home. 

In  1877  Mr.  Drane  was  united  in  marriage 
in  Coos  county  to  Mrs.  Belle  Pike  the  widow 
of  Russell  Pike  of  New  Hampshire  and  a 
daughter  of  Joseph  and  Hannah  (Shambrook) 
Smith,  natives  of  England.  Her  parents  died 
in  Douglas  county.  Jlr.  and  Mrs.  Drane  be- 
came the  parents  of  two  children.  Mary,  who 
was  born  in  February.  1878.  is  the  wife  of 
E.  F.  Lawrence,  of  Indianapolis.  Indiana.  He 
is  editor  of  the  Indianapolis  Star,  the  Terre 
Haute  Star,  and  also  of  the  Muncie  Star  pa- 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTOKY  OF  OREGON 


:.19 


pels.  Julia,  whose  birth  occurred  in  October. 
1S80,  became  the  wife  of  E.  E.  Johnson  of 
l-'oquille.  He  is  manager  of  the  Randolph 
Lumber  Company  on  the  Coquille  river,  and 
is  also  interested  in  the  Farmers  &  Merchants 
Bank  of  Coquille  and  is  president  of  the 
Bandou  Water  Company.  The  family  belong 
to  the  Jlethodist  Episcopal  church.  South. 

ilr.  Drane  gives  his  allegiance  generally  to 
the  democratic  party  but  often  reserves  in- 
dependence of  judgment  in  regard  to  political 
issues.  He  has  never  sought  public  office,  be- 
ing a  practical  business  man  interested  in  the 
growth  of  his  enterprise  and  capable  of  pro- 
moting it.  He  has  been  quick  to  perceive  op- 
portunities for  advancement  and  in  this  way 
has  made  his  business  prosperous.  The 
straightforward  and  upright  qualities  which 
are  the  foundation  of  his  commercial  pros- 
perity are  elements  in  his  character  and  have 
made"  him  successful  in  business  and  impor- 
tant in  citizenshiii. 

WILLIAM  A.  COLLVER  for  many  years 
past  was  one  of  the  successful  farmers  of 
Coos  county.  He  has  for  some  years  lived  on 
his  highly  cultivated  ranch  located  on  Catch- 
ing inlet!  six  miles  up  the  inlet  from  Jlarsh- 
field.  He  was  born  in  Douglas  county,  Ore- 
gon. Mav  14.  1855.  and  is  a  son  of  Alfred  B. 
and  Ruth  (Rice)  Collver.  the  former  a  na- 
tive of  Ohio  and  the  latter  of  Illinois.  The 
parents  were  mSfcied  in  Iowa  where  the  fa- 
tlier  had  preei^^^  a  homestead  upon  which 
he  established  his  home  immediately  after 
his  marriage  and  there  c-ontinued  to  live  for 
a  number  of  years.  In  1852  he  emigrated 
to  Oregon,  crossing  the  great  plains  and  stop- 
ping for  one  winter  on  his  journey  in  Salt 
Lake  City.  Utah.  In  the  spring  he  contin- 
ued his  westward  course  and  on  reaching 
Oregon  settled  in  Douglas  county  and  took 
up  a  donation  claim  of  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  near  the  town  of  Oakland. 
Upon  that  property  he  continued  to  live  un- 
til 1857,  at  which  time  he  sold  his  claim  and 
settled  on  Coos  river  in  Coos  county,  at 
which  place  he  purchased  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  land  and  later  added  additional 
land  which  he  obtained  by  purchase  until  he 
owned  a  farm  consisting  in  all  of  two  hun- 
dred and  forty  acres.  Some  time  afterward 
lie  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixt.v  acres 
located  at  a  point  on  the  bay  where  Cooston 
now  stands.  On  that  farm  he  did  not  re- 
side, but  afterward  he  moved  to  Culvert 
I'oint  and,  there  homesteaded  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  land  and  devoted  himself 
to  its  improvement  and  cultivation  until  the 
time  of  his  death  which  occurred  at  the  age 
(if  eiyhtv-two  rears,  the  mother  passing  away 
shortly  afterward.  To  them  eleven  children 
were  Ijorii:  Henrietta,  who  resides  at  Catch- 
ing's  inlet;  Ansel,  of  Forest  Grove;  Jtrs. 
Adelia  Powell,  of  Tie  valley,  Wasco  county. 
Oregon;  Orace  G.,  of  Culver,  Crook  county: 
William  A.,  of  this  review;  John  T.,  of  Xorth 
Bend:  Sarah  D..  who  became  the  wife  of  W. 
11.  Church  and  is  now  deceased:  Andrew  F.. 
of  Newport.  Oregon:  Arthur  Howard,  of  Co- 
quille.   Coos   county;    Tillo   'S]..    who    resides 


near  Catching  inlet,  in  Coos  county;  and  Phi- 
lura.  who  died  at  the  age  of  two  years. 

William  A.  Collver  was  reared  in  his  par- 
ents' home  and  received  his  early  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  Marshfield,  later  at- 
tending high  school  in  Marion  county.  He  re- 
mained under  the  parental  roof  until  he  was 
twenty-eight  years  of  age  after  which  he 
became  a  carpenter.  lie  also  took  up  a  home- 
stead of  one  hundred  and  sixt.v  acres  in  Coos 
county,  located  near  Catching  inlet.  He  later 
purchased  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  ad- 
ditional and  upon  that  property  established 
his  home  and  continued  to  reside  for  twenty- 
six  years.  He  later  disposed  of  a  portion 
of  that  farm  and  purchased  ninety-seven 
acres,  retaining  forty  acres  of  his  original 
farm,  and  upon  this  land  he  has  been  suc- 
cessfully engaged  in  dairy  farming.  The 
farm  is  now  operated  by  his  son-in-law. 

On  January  1.  1S90,  Mr.  Collver  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Xaomi  Steinnon,  who 
was  born  in  Kansas  on  August  4,  1872,  and 
is  a  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Josephine  (Eg- 
iiet)  Steinnon.  The  parents  settled  in  Doug- 
las county.  Oregon,  in  1875.  and  later  removed 
to  Coos  county  where  they  tiled  on  a  gov- 
ernment homestead  which  was  their  home  for 
a  number  of  years,  after  which  they  sold  the 
propertv  and"  moved  to  Catching  inlet.  In 
1006  thev  took  up  their  abode  at  Tillamook  in 
Tillamook  county,  where  the  mother  died  in 
1910.  but  the  father  is  still  living.  They  be- 
came the  parents  of  fifteen  children  of  whom 
seven  are  now  living:  Mrs.  Mary  Blake,  who 
resides  on  the  Coos  river;  ilrs.  Sarah  Blake, 
of  Marshfield:  Isaac,  a  resident  of  Tillamook: 
Xaomi,  now  :Mrs.  William  A.  Collver:  Daniel, 
of  Allegany.  Coos  county;  Mrs.  Esther  Barnes. 
of  Woodland.  Washington;  and  Eli,  who  re- 
sides in  Tillamook.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Collver 
two  children  have  been  born.  Josephine  Ruth. 
the  elder,  is  the  wife  of  Fred  G.  'Messerle,  who 
is  engaged  in  operating  his  father-in-law's 
farm.'' and  to  them  has  been  born  a  son, 
Everett  C  whose  natal  day  was  March  31, 
1912.  ilyrtlc  L.  is  the  wife  of  .James  J. 
Foster,  wiio  resides  on  Coos  river,  and  they 
are  the  parents  of  a  daughter.  Mane  A.  X.. 
who  was  born  September  21.  1911. 

Politically  Mr.  Collver  is  affiliated  with  the 
socialist  party,  ^fp  is  a  member  of  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  also  of 
the  Woodmen  of  the  World  of  Marshfield 
and  he  and  his  family  are  members  of  the 
TTnited  Brethren  church  at  Marshfield.  He 
is  one  of  the  enterprising  and  valued  citizens 
of  Coos  county  and  a  man  who  is  deeply  in- 
terested in  every  educational  and  religious 
movement  intend'ed  to  improve  the  condition 
of  the  people  in  his  county  and  state. 

ROBERT  MARSDEN,  JR.,  is  one  of  the  en- 
terprising business  men  of  Marshfield.  where 
he  is  successfully  engaged  in  the  operation 
of  a  very  profitable  moving  picture  business. 
He  was  born  in  Plattbridge.  England,  N'ovem- 
ber  8,  1882.  and  is  a  son  of  Robert  and  Ra- 
chel '(Barnesi  Jlarsden.  The  parents  were 
married  in  England  and  in  1887  the  father 
emigrated  to  America,  settling  at  Center- 
villeT  Iowa,  and  one  year  later  was  joined  by 


5:^0 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


his  family.  They  establislied  their  home  at 
Centerville,  where  ilr.  ilarsden,  St.,  was  en- 
gaged in  coal  mining  for  the  nine  years  fol- 
lowing. In  1S96  he  came  to  Coos  county  and 
in  1897  his  family  came  to  Oregon  and  set- 
tled at  Eiverton,  Coos  county,  where  he  re- 
mained for  one  year  and  then  took  up  his 
residence  in  Marshfield.  While  residing  in 
Eiverton  he  was  engaged  in  coal  mining  and 
for  some  time  after  settling  at  Marshfield  he 
continued  to  fill  the  position  of  foreman  of 
the  Eiverton  Coal  Company  at  Klondike,  in 
this  state.  He  later  engaged  in  business  at 
Marshfield,  in  which  he  continued  until  1011. 
when  he  retired  from  active  business  life.  At 
the  time  of  his  retirement  he  was  one  of  the 
largest  real-estate  owners  of  residence  and 
business  property  at  Marshfield.  He  has. 
however,  recently  disposed  of  fifty  thousand 
dollars  worth  of  his  city  holdings  but  still 
retains  approximately  fifteen  thousand  dol- 
lars worth  of  city  property  and  farm  lands 
Bcattered  in  various  portions  of  the  county. 
Mrs.  Marsden  passed  away  in  1910.  At  tin- 
age  of  sixty-six  years  Eobert  Marsden,  Sr., 
is  devoting  his  time  to  the  care  of  his  per- 
sonal and  real-estate  interests  at  Marshfield. 
In  his  family  were  nine  children:  Richard, 
who  is  engaged  in  mining  at  Wilkinson.  Wash- 
ington; Peter,  who  is  assistant  manager  of 
the  Crane  Plumbing  Supply  Company  of  Port- 
land; John,  a  resident  of  Marshfield;  Rachel, 
the  wife  of  E.  M.  Smith,  of  FlagstatT.  Coos 
county;  Alice,  the  wife  of  Arnold  Bradshaw, 
of  Albia.  Iowa;  Robert,  of  this  review;  Sam- 
uel, who  is  the  owner  of  a  moving  picture 
theater  and  resides  at  Orange.  California; 
James,  whose  death  occurred  when  he  was 
twenty-six  years  of  age;  and  Samuel,  who 
passed  away  when  he  was  a  child  of  eleven 
months. 

Robert  Marsden.  Jr..  was  reared  at  home 
and  received  his  early  education  in  the  schools 
of  Oregon.  He  started  in  life  for  himself  at 
the  age  of  sixteen  years,  being  first  engaged 
in  the  newspaper  business,  in  which  he  con- 
tinued for  three  years,  and  later  added  to  his 
paper  business  that  of  a  general  confection- 
ery store.  Subsequently  he  invested  in  a 
gasoline  boat  which  he  leased  out  to  various 
societies  and  organizations.  After  success- 
fully operating  these  lines  for  a  period  of 
eighteen  months  he  disposed  of  all  his  inter- 
ests, as  above  described,  and  invested  in  a 
pool  and  billiard  hall,  with  which  he  was  con- 
tinuously identified  for  four  years,  after 
which  he  disposed  of  the  property  and  later. 
in  company  with  his  brother,  purchased  a 
moving  picture  theater  at  Marshfield  and  in 
that  business  continued  in  partnership  with 
his  brother  for  some  time.  He  afterward 
purchased  the  entire  interests  of  his  brother 
and  has  since  been  sole  owner  of  the  business 
which  he  is  operating  with  great  success. 

Robert  Marsden.  Jr..  was  united  in  mar- 
riage in  1906  to  Miss  Eulalia  F.  Cordes.  a  na- 
tive of  Marshfield  and  a  daughter  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  R.  C.  Cordes.  The  father  was  one  of 
the  early  pioneers  of  Oregon  and  has  for 
many  years  lived  a  retired  life  in  Marshfield. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cordes  were  born  four  chil- 
dren, all  of  whom  are  living.     Jlr.  and  Mrs. 


ihu>den  are  tlie  parents  ol  one  son.  Wallace 
Franklin,  who  was  born  Xovember  11,  1909. 
Mr.  Marsden  is  affiliated  with  the  republi- 
c-an  party,  and  both  he  and  his  wife  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Episcopal  church  of  Marshfield.  He 
is  one  of  the  enterprising  and  popular  men  of 
Marshfield  and  is  well  known  throughout 
Coos  county.  His  integrity  as  a  business  man 
is  above  reproach  and  his  influence  is  always 
to  be  counted  on  to  advance  in  every  just  and 
laudable  way  the  welfare  of  his  county  and 
state. 

JOSEPH  FLOYD  HAGA,  well  known  in 
Coos  county  as  a  representative  farmer,  was 
born  in  Grayson  county,  Virginia,  January 
23.  1849.  a  son  of  Jackson  and  Polly  (Fry) 
Haga.  who  were  likewise  natives  of  tli<'  i  lid 
Dominion  although  the  paternal  grandparents 
were  natives  of  Germany.  In  the  family 
were  the  following  children:  Susanna,  de- 
ceased; Joseph  Floyd,  of  this  review; 
Malinda,  the  wife  of  Nicholas  Phipps, 
of  Virginia;  Polly  Jane,  who  married  John 
Ham,  of  Eugene,  Oregon;  Jincy,  the  wife  of 
Joseph  Ham.  also  residing  in  Eugene;  and 
AndreAv    Jackson,   living    in    Virginia. 

At  the  age  of  fifteen  years  Joseph  Floyd 
Haga  started  out  to  earn  his  own  living.  He 
was  about  thirteen  years  of  age  at  the  time 
of  his  father's  death.  He  had  spent  his 
youth  upon  the  home  farm  and  was  indebted 
to  the  district  schools  for  his  education,  but 
liis  opportunities  in  that  direction  were  some- 
what limited.  He  was  about  sixteen  years 
of  age  when  he  was  married.  He  possessed 
industry  and  determination  and,  working 
hard  and  long,  he  saved  enough  money  to 
buy  a  place  upon  which  he  lived  for  nearly 
twenty  years.  On  leaving  his  old  home  he 
came  direct  to  Eugene,  Oregon,  arriving  in 
1883,  with  about  twenty-five  dollars  in 
money.  Here  he  began  by  renting  land,  hop- 
ing that  by  coming  to  a  new  country  he 
would  give  his  children  better  advantages. 
Again  the  family  exercised  the  strictest  econ- 
omy and  unfaltering  industry,  and  finally  Mr. 
Haga  was  able  to  purchase  a  place  near  Eu- 
gene. After  a  short  time  he  sold  that  and 
removed  to  Coos  county,  renting  a  farm  on 
Bear  creek,  where  he  lived  for  several  years. 
He  then  preempted  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  near  where  he  now  makes  his  home.  In 
the  early  days  he  worked  in  the  logging 
camps  and  did  everything  he  could  to  make 
a  good  start.  Later  lie  bought  three  hniulrpd 
and  fifty  acres,  occupying  the  farm  for  a  time 
or  until  1904.  when  he  sold  that  property  and 
purchased  the  old  Pruette  place  of  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres,  on  which  he  is  now 
living.  He  is  engaged  in  the  dairy  business 
on  a  large  scale,  also  raises  stock  for  the 
market  and  carries  on  general  farming.  His 
life  record  indicates  what  may  be  accomp- 
lished when  ]>ersevcrance,  diligence  and  deter- 
mination lead  the  way. 

In  September.  1S65.  ilr.  Haga  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Malinda  Dickson,  a  na- 
tive of  North  Carolina  and  a  daughter  of 
Wesley  and  Charlotte  (Phipps)  Dickson,  who 
were  also  natives  of  the  same  state  and  in 
whose   familv   were   six   children:    Jane,   now 


THE  NEW 

■     LIBRARY 


■<  AN9 
■TIONS. 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTOKY  OF  OKK(iON 


523 


deceased;  Sarali,  the  wife  of  Jerome  Ander- 
son, of  Virginia;  Maliala,  wlio  lias  also  passed 
away;  Joseph  Wiley,  of  Virginia;  ilarion.  of 
Kentucky;  and  Mrs.  Haga.  The  last  named 
by  her  marriage  has  become  the  mother  of 
eleven  children:  Sarah  I.,  the  wife  of  J.  K. 
Cox.  of  Parkersburg.  Oregon ;  George  Colum- 
bus, who  is  married  and  has  one  child,  and 
who  lives  Avith  his  father;  Wesley  J.,  of 
Parkersburg,  Oregon,  who  is  mentioned  on 
another  page  of  this  work;  Docia,  who  mar- 
ried Frank  Flam,  of  Parkersburg;  Frances,  the 
wife  of  John  McAdams,  of  Coquille:  David, 
who  died  in  infanc}-;  John  W.,  who  lives  in 
Parkersburg;  Polly,  the  wife  of  E.  M.  Randle- 
man.  of  Parkersburg;  Gussie,  who  wedded 
Elmer  Doyle,  of  Parkersburg;  Elizabeth,  the 
wife  of  Frank  Van  Leuven,  of  Parkersburg; 
and  Jo.seph  M..  who  lives  with  his  parents  and 
lias  charge  of  the  ranch.  Since  1911.  when 
the  father  retired  from  active  farming,  the 
sons  have  cultivated  the  fields  and  now  have 
the  management  of  the  old  home  property 
which  is  pleasantly  and  conveniently  located 
four  and  a  half  miles  from  P>andon.  on  the 
Bear  creek  road.  In  politics  Jlr.  Haga  is  a 
republican  and  has  served  as  road  suiiervisor. 
He  does  not  seek  nor  desire  office,  however, 
but  manifests  a  public-spirited  interest  in  all 
that  pertains  to  the  general  good.  For  four 
terms  lie  has  served  as  school  director  and 
the  cause  of  education  finds  in  him  a  stal- 
wart champion.  He  belongs  to  the  Masonic 
fraternity  and  to  the  State  Grange,  and  is 
interested  in  various  elements,  movements 
and  projects  which  tend  to  advance  the  intel- 
lectual, material,  political  and  moral  prog- 
ress of  the  community.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs, 
Haga  are  members  of  the  Baptist  church. 

G.  M.  ALLEN  is  engaged  in  the  cultivation 
of  a  tract  of  land  comprising  three  hundred 
and  thirty-nine  acres  located  two  miles  south 
of  Amity  that  has  been  in  the  possession  of 
the  family  for  sixty-four  years.  He  was 
born  in  Buchanan  county,  ilissouri,  on  De- 
cember 17,  1844,  and  is  a  son  of  Solomon  and 
Xancy  (Powell)  Allen.  The  father  was  a  na- 
tive of  Hancock  county.  Missouri,  and  the 
mother  of  Xortli  Carolina,  and  they  were  mar- 
ried in  the  former  state.  With  his  wife  and 
family  Mr.  Allen  began  the  long  trip  across 
the  plains  to  Oregon  in  the  spring  of  1S47. 
arriving  at  Portland  on  the  14th  of  October. 
On  his  way  he  had  traded  a  sack  of  flour  to 
some  Indians  for  a  pony,  and  this  same  pony 
together  with  a  silver  watch  and  three  hun- 
dred dollars  ]u-ocured  for  him  a  section  of 
land,  more  than  half  of  which  is  now  being 
operated  by  his  son,  G.  M..  our  subject.  Here 
the  famil,v  located,  the  parents  continuing  to 
make  this  property  their  home  during  the  re- 
mainder of  their  lives.  With  such  assistance 
as  his  elder  sons  could  render  ^fr.  Allen  en- 
gaged in  improving  and  cultivating  his  place 
during  the  balance  of  his  active  career,  meet- 
ing with  good  success  in  his  agricultural  pur- 
suits. In  the  famil.v  were  seven  children,  of 
whom  our  subject  is  the  youngest,  and  the 
others  according  to  birth  are  as  follows:  Wil- 
liam P..  deceased;  John  W..  an  Indian  war 
veteran,    residing    in    Montana;     Smith,    de- 


ceased; Emeline  and  Elizabeth,  also  deceased; 
and  Levi,  a  resident  of  southern  Oregon. 

As  he  was  only  three  years  of  age  when  he 
accompanied  his  parents  on  their  removal 
from  ilissouri  to  Oregon,  G.  M.  Allen  had  only 
the  advantages  of  such  education  as  could 
be  obtained  in  the  common  schools  in  his  lo- 
cality. While  mastering  the  elementary 
branches  of  learning  in  common  with  other 
pioneer  farmer  boys  he  assisted  with  the  work 
of  the  homestead,  remaining  with  his  [larents 
until  their  death.  He  subsequently  took 
charge  of  the  farm  and  now  owns  three  hun- 
dred and  thirty-nine  acres  of  the  original 
six  hundred  and  forty.  5Ir.  Allen  has  proven 
a  very  capable  agriculturist  and  has  met  with 
most  gratifying  returns  from  his  undertak- 
ings. He  has  one  of  the  most  highly  culti- 
vated and  valuable  properties  in  the  vicinity. 
He  has  erected  large  barns  and  subst;uitial 
outbuildings  u])on  his  place,  and  built  ;i  tlior- 
oughl}-  modern  residence,  with  plumbing  ;ind 
electric  lights.  A  man  of  progressive  ideas 
he  has  provided  his  farm  with  every  facility 
in  the  way  of  modern  machinery  for  the  cul- 
tivation of  the  fields  and  harvesting  of  the 
crops.  His  fields  have  always  been  operated 
under  his  personal  supervision,  and  as  a  re- 
sult the  harvests  have  been  abundant  and  of 
a  superior  quality. 

On  the  14th  of  October,  1877,  was  cele- 
brated the  marriage  of  5Ir.  Allen  and  Miss 
(Mlic  V.  Beckett  and  to  them  have  been  born 
four  cliildren :  Ina  Pearl,  who  is  teaching  in 
the  high  school  at  Corvallis;  and  Valine.  Lee 
Roy  and  Lottie  Wave,  at  home.  Leo  Roy 
after  completing  his  education  in  the  common 
schools  took  a  business  course  at  Eugene  ;ind 
also  studied  electrical  engineering  at  the 
Scranton  Si-liool.  He  is  a  past  nolih'  grand 
of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and 
also  belongs  to  the  Encampment  and  the  Re- 
bekahs.  Mrs.  Allen  is  a  daughter  of  William 
and  Jane  (Thoin])Son)  Beckett,  both  natives 
of  Ohio.  They  were  married  in  Oregon.  The 
father  came  to  Oregon  in  1S52  with  a  brother, 
Samuel,  and  settleil  in  Polk  count.v.  near  Sa- 
lem, where  he  contiinied  to  reside  until  his 
doath  in  August.  1S77.  His  brother  Samuel  is 
also  deceased.  The  mother  passeil  away  in 
December,  lilOfi.  There  were  four  children  in 
the  family  of  ^Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  Beckett: 
Pearley  J.,  who  has  passed  away;  Mrs.  G.  M. 
Allen;  Tone,  the  wife  of  John  Locknane  of 
Seattle.  Washington;  and  Clyde  W.,  of  Polk 
countv.  living  near  Salem. 

]Mr.  Allen  gives  his  political  support  to  (he 
ri>|iublican  |iarty  and  fraterii-illy  he  is  an  Oild 
Fellow  and  belongs  to  the  Kncanipment.  He 
is  very  much  attached  to  his  homestead, 
where  he  has  practically  devoted  his  entire 
life  to  its  development.  It  bears  little  re- 
semblance today  with  its  beautiful  modern 
buildings  and  tastefully  arranged  grounds  to 
the  home  of  his  boyhood.  One  of  the  most 
ilearlv  ))rized  possessions  of  Mr.  Allen  is  a 
inincheon  that  was  in  the  floor  of  the  first 
cabin  erected  by  his  father,  which  was  for 
many  years  the  family  home.  His  place  com- 
mands a  beautiful  view  of  a  fine  grove  of 
firs  on   the  mountain   side,  which  has  stood 


0-2-i 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


lier  for  inoie  tlian  half  a  century.  During 
the  long  period  of  his  residence  Mr.  Allen  has 
■witnessed  the  marvelous  development  of  the 
country.  The  great  forests  and  wild  stretches 
of  prairie  have  been  converted  into  beautiful 
farms  and  orchards  since  that  time,  making 
Oregon  one  of  the  leading  agricultural  states 
of  the  Union. 

W.  T.  MERCHANT  is  the  proprietor  of  one 
of  the  largest  and  most  successful  dry-goods 
and  clothing  establishments  of  ilarshfield. 
Oregon.  He  was  born  Slay  5,  ISTO,  a  son  of  C. 
H.  and  M.  L.  (Gunn)  Merchant,  the  former  a 
native  of  New  York  and  the  latter  of  New 
Bedford,  Massachusetts.  The  father  emi- 
grated to  San  Francisco  via  the  Isthmus  of 
Panama  in  1S55,  and  in  that  city  continued 
to  live  until  1858  when  he  removed  to  Port- 
land and  the  year  following  he  established 
his  home  at  North  Bend.  Coos  county,  this 
state.  While  in  California  he  was  engaged  as 
a  clerk  in  a  mercantile  establishment  and 
later  for  one  year  continued  in  that  occupa- 
tion, as  an  employe  of  John  R.  Foster,  of 
Portland.  On  settling  in  Oregon  he  was  en- 
gaged as  bookkeeper  for  the  Simpson  Lum- 
ber Company  in  which  capacity  he  contin- 
ued for  one  year  and  then  accepted  the  posi- 
tion as  general  manager  for  the  same  com- 
pany, continuing  as  such  for  thirteen  years. 
He  then  removed  to  Marshfield  where  he  pur- 
chased a  sawmill  of  John  Pershbaker,  which 
he  successfully  operated  until  1903,  after 
which  he  retired  on  account  of  failing  health, 
and  died  in  Marshfield.  July  2(;.  190C.  He  was 
a  man  of  remarkable  independence  of  charac- 
ter and  pos.-icssed  of  a  strong  and  all  but  un- 
conquerable will.  At  the  age  of  thirteen  years 
he  ran  away  from  home  going  direct  to  San 
Francisco  where  he  arrived  without  a  cent. 
His  penniless  condition,  however,  in  no  way 
altered  his  determination  to  succeed,  and  dur- 
ing all  his  life  he  persisted  in  maintaining 
silence  as  to  his  whereabouts,  never  at  any 
time  notifying  his  parents  what  had  be- 
(ome  of  their  venturesome  boy.  His  career 
in  the  state  of  Oregon  was  marked  with 
unusual  success.  His  education,  such  as  he 
hail,  was  obtained  by  his  own  unaided  efforts, 
and  being  a  man  of  great  industry,  capable 
aiul  resourceful,  he  grasped  the  opportunities 
jn-esented  him  in  the  new  country  and 
his  many  accomplishments  entitle  him  to 
the  distinction  of  having  been  the  father  of 
Marshfield.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he 
owned  thousands  of  acres  of  land  in  Coos 
county  and  also  a  large  amount  of 
business  property  in  !Marshfield.  and  in  Oak- 
land. (  alifornia. 

Politically  Jlr.  Sleiohant  Avas  a  radical,  pro- 
gressive republican,  but  at  no  time  ever  al- 
lowed his  name  to  be  used  as  a.  candidate  for 
political  oflice.  His  wife,  who  is  still  living, 
at  the  age  of  sixty-nine  years,  maintains 
her  residence  at  Oakland.  California.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  C.  H.  Merchant  became  the  parents 
of  a  large  family,  of  whom  ten  children  are 
still    living. 

W.  T.  Merchant  was  reared  at  home  and 
received  his  early  education  in  the  public 
schools   of   this   state   and   later   ])ursued   his 


studies  in  the  University  of  Oregon  and  also 
at  the  E.  B.  Hill's  Business  College  of  San 
.Francisco.  He  started  in  life  as  a  traveling 
salesman  and  later  established  himself  in 
the  general  mercantile  business  in  ilarsh- 
field  and  has  since  continued  to  devote  his 
entire  attention  to  its  interest.  He  is  pro- 
prietor of  the  largest  dry-goods  and  clothing 
establishment  at  Marshfield,  located  in  the 
First  National  Bank  building.  He  is  the 
owner  of  a  beautiful  home  on  one  of  the 
principal  residence  streets  of  that  city  and 
is  also  heavily  interested  in  real  estate. 

Mr.  Merchant  was  united  in  marriage  to 
IMiss  Elizabeth  Preuss.  a  native  of  New  York 
city.  She  was  reared  at  home  and  received 
her  education  in  a  seminary  of  that  city  and 
removed  to  Oregon  in  1890.  Her  father, 
while  on  a  trip  to  Europe,  died  and  was 
buried  at  sea.  The  mother  removed  to  Oregon 
in  1892  and  established  her  home  in  Marsh- 
field where  she  now  resides  at  the  age  of 
seventy-four.  To  Mr.  and  ilrs.  Preuss  three 
children  were  born  of  whom  Mrs.  Merchant 
is  one  of  two  now  living.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Merchant  three  children  have  been  born:  C. 
II..  born  in  1894,  who  is  a  graduate  of  the 
high  school  of  San  Francisco.  California; 
John  W..  born  in  April.  1900,  who  is  a 
pupil  in  the  public  school;  and  Helen,  born 
in  September.  1905. 

ilr.  Merchant  is  affiliated  with  the  republi- 
can party,  but  has  never  sought  political 
preferment.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Slasonic 
Lodge  of  Marshfield,  and  he  and  his  wife 
are  members  of  the  Episcopal  church. 

W.  T.  Merchant  is  one  of  the  well  known 
citizens  of  Coos  county  and  a  man  whose 
enviable  success  in  life  is  entirely  due  to 
attention  to  his  business  interests.  His 
merchandising  establishment  is  one  of  the 
most  complete  and  up-to-date  of  its  kind 
in  this  portion  of  the  state.  He  is  an 
enterprising  and  public-spirited  citizen,  always 
to  be  depeiuled  upon  to  do  his  part  to  ad- 
vance any  measure  of  public  interest,  intended 
to  improve  the  educational  and  civic  condi- 
tions of  his  county  and   state. 

DR.  P.  H.  FITZGERALD,  a  physician  and 
surgeon,  in  charge  of  the  State  Tuberculosis 
Institute  at  Salem,  was  born  in  Woodburn. 
Oregon,  in  ilarch,  1858.  a  son  of  Thomas  and 
Mary  (O'Laughlin)  FitzGerald,  both  n.atives 
of  Ireland.  The  father,  the  only  child  of 
his  parents,  came  to  America  at  the  age  of 
thirteen,  settling  near  Dubuque,  Iowa.  lie 
crossed  the  plains  in  1847,  locating  on  a  dona- 
tion land  claim  one  mile  east  of  Woodburn. 
Oregon,  where  he  remained  until  1861,  having 
improved  the  land  by  clearing  it.  developing 
and  cultivating  the  fields,  and  by  erecting 
good  buildings.  This  claim  is  still 'in  posses- 
sion of  the  family.  Thomas  FitzGerald  was 
twice  married.  His  first  wife  was  Miss 
Permelia  Eldridge  who  became  the  mother 
of  four  children:  Honora.  who  is  the  widow 
of  John  Mm-phy  a  former  resident  of  Portland 
and  also  of  Mount  Hood.  Oregon:  Mary  M.. 
deceased,  who  was  the  wife  of  .J.  J.  ilurphy. 
of  Portland:  Julia,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
thirteen:    and   a    child    who    died    in    infancy. 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


Icir  his  sueond  wife  Thomas  l''itz(jor;il(l  chose 
Mary  O'Laughlin,  \\}\o  came  to  Oregon  in 
IS52,  where  she  lived  until  tlie  time  of  her 
death,  in  lOOS.  By  this  union  were  born 
tour  children:  Thomas,  a  judge  of  the  munici- 
pal court  at  Pendleton,  Oregon;  Kdward,  de- 
ceased; P,  li.,  of  this  review:  and  Catherine, 
tlie  wife  of  X.  S.  Scutter.  of  Woodburn.  Ore- 
gon. After  the  deatli  of  the  father  of  our 
subject  his  second  wife  was  married  again, 
lier  second  husband  being  Jacob  Ilersliberger, 
and  one  child  was  born  of  this  marriage, 
Mary  E..  wiio  lives  with  Dr.  P.  IT.  Fitz- 
U era Id. 

P.  H.  FitzGerald  attended  the  common 
schools  of  ^^'oodburn.  Oregon,  and  began  the 
study  of  medicine  at  home.  In  1884  he 
entered  tile  ollice  of  Dr.  j\l.  A.  Fl3-nn,  of  Port- 
land, where  he  remained  for  one  year.  He 
then  became  a  student  in  the  Willamette 
University,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in 
1S,S6.  In  1SS8  he  went  to  eastern  Oregon  and 
became  a  physician  on  an  Indian  agency, 
where  he  remained  six  months.  Then  going 
to  Vale,  Oregon,  he  engaged  in  general  prac- 
tice for  one  year,  after  which  he  continued 
in  general  practice  at  Huntington  for  another 
year  and  at  Gervais  for  si.xteen  years.  On 
the  1st  of  April.  1911,  he  entered  upon  the 
duties  of  the  oftice  which  he  still  fills  w-ith 
the  State  Tuberculosis  Institute  at  Salem. 

Dr.  FitzGerald  has  given  much  time  to  the 
study  and  practice  of  medicine  and  of  recent 
years  has  devoted  his  attention  largely  to 
tuberculosis.  His  work  along  this  line 
qualified  him  for  practice  in  that  department 
and  was  responsible  in  a  large  measure  for 
his  selection  for  the  position  which  he  now 
fills.  His  opinions  concerning  tubercular  ail- 
ments are  freely  accepted  as  authoritative. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  State  and  County 
Medical  Societies  and  of  the  State  Pharma- 
ceutical Society.  He  is  also  a  loyal  member 
of  the  I'loman  Catholic  chinch. 

REUBEN  LEE  CAVANAUGH  is  one  of  the 

enterprising  and  respec(e<l  citizens  of  Fast- 
-ide  where  at  present  he  holds  the  ])osition 
of  city  engineer.  He  was  born  in  1S79,  and 
is  a  son  of  Abraham  and  Minerva  (Buck^  Ca\- 
anaugh.  the  former  a  native  of  Ireland  and 
the  latter  of  Canada.  In  1891  the  father  Avith 
his  family,  moved  to  Oregon  and  settled  in 
('oos  county  where  he  purchased  land,  seven 
miles  from  Marshfield.  There  he  establishcil 
liis  home  anil  continued  to  be  engaged  in  the 
cultivation  of  his  farm  until  the  time  of  his 
ilrath,  which  occurred  in  1904.  The  mother 
maintains  her  residence  at  Eastside.  this 
state,  at  the  age  of  seventy-three.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Abraham  Cavanaugh  the  following 
children  were  born:  Mrs.  Emma  Kittson,  a 
resident  of  Eastside.  Oregon:  Heiiiian.  who 
makes  his  home  in  California:  IMiltoii  and 
Fred,  both  of  whom  are  residents  of  Canada  : 
AVilliam.  a  resident  of  Portland.  Oregon:  Reu- 
ben Lee,  the  subject  of  this  review;  and  Wil- 
kinson, a  resident  of  Eastside.  Oregon. 

Keuben  Lee  Cavanaugh  was  rean'd  at  home 
and  received  his  early  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  Canada,  .\fter  passing  through  the 
lower  grades  he  was  later  graduated  from  (hi- 
high  school  of  ^Marshllold.    He  afterward  took 


a  mathematical  course  in  Cliillicolhe.  Missouri. 
and  later  pursued  a  complete  course  in  civil 
engineering  in  San  Francisco,  California.  In 
1904  he  engaged  in  the  occupation  of  engi- 
neering and  surveying  in  California  and  de- 
voted his  attention  to  that  business  for  three 
years.  In  1907  he  returned  to  Marshfield 
where  he  established  himself  in  business  as  a 
civil  engineer  and  some  time  later  accejjted 
the  position  of  city  engineer  for  the  east 
side  of  Marshfield.  lie  owns  a  beautiful  homo 
in  that  city  and  also  a  ten  and  one-half  acre 
tract  of  valuable  business  property  in  the 
heart   of   the   Eastside   business   district. 

Mr.  Cavanaugh  was  united  in  marriage  in 
1907,  to  Miss  Edith  Miller,  a  native  of  Kan- 
sas, who  as  a  child  removed  with  her  mother 
to  Washington.  The  father  died  many  years 
ago  in  the  state  of  jMissouri  and  the  mother 
at  Monteztnna,  Washington.  Mrs.  Cavanaugh 
was  the  only  child  born  to  her  parents.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cavanaugh  two  children  have 
been  born:  Mtiriel  E..  born  January  4.  1909; 
and  Robert  Lee,  who  was  born  May  22,  1910. 

Mr.  Cavanaugh  is  afliliated  with  the  demo- 
cratic party  but  has  never  sought  jiolitical 
|)referment  of  any  kind.  He  and  his  wife 
are  members  of  the  United  Brethren  church 
of  JIarshfield.  ilr.  Cavanaugh  is  one  of  the 
enterprising  and  useful  men  of  his  county 
and  state.  His  well  known  ability  as  a  civil 
engineer  has  brought  him  in  contact  with 
many  of  the  leading  business  men  of  the  city 
in  which  he  lives  and  the  surrounding  county. 
He  is  ready  at  all  times  to  give  his  assistance 
to  the  advancement  of  every  enterprise  in- 
tended to  further  develop  and  advance  the 
interests  of  his  part  of  the  stale. 

HENRY  G.  KERN  is  one  of  the  successful 
business  men  of  North  Bend  where  he  is  en- 
gaged in  the  foundr.v  and  machine  business, 
being  the  owner  of  the  largest  shop  of  its 
kind  in  that  city.  He  was  born  in  Coos 
county,  in  187.').  and  is  a  .son  of  Henry  and 
Mary  Kern,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of 
(iermaiiy  and  who  emigrated  to  America 
where  tliey  celebrated  their  marriage  at  St. 
r.ouis.  Jlissouri.  Immediately  afterward 
they  established  their  home  in  Missouri  and 
leter  removed  to  Illinois.  In  1873  they  came 
to  Oregon,  settling  in  Coos  county  where 
tliey  remained  until  1902  at  which  time  the 
latiier  retired  from  active  business  and  es- 
tablished his  residence  at  Eureka,  Califor- 
nia,  where  he  now   resides. 

Henr,\'  (;.  Kern  was  reared  at  home  and 
received  his  education  in  Coos  county.  At 
the  age  of  seventeen  years  he  started  in 
business  for  himself  as  a  cooper  and  for  one 
\  ear  succi'ss fully  operated  a  cooper  .shop  in 
Marshfield.  He  later  engaged  in  work  in  a 
blacksmith  shop  where  he  renuiined  for  three 
\ears  when  he  enlisted  in  the  Second  Oregon 
\'olunteer  Infantry  and  with  his  command 
went  to  Manila  where  he  continued  in  the 
army  for  fifteen  months.  He  then  went  to 
Nome,  Alaska,  and  was  engaged  in  mining 
and  also  worked  at  his  trade  for  three  years. 
In  1903  he  returned  to  Coos  bay  and  took 
up  work  as  a  blacksmith  for  the  Simpson 
Lumber    Company    with    whom    he    remained 


520 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


for  one  year.  He  tben  established  a  foundry 
and  machine  shop  at  North  Bend  and  has 
since  been  successfully  engaged  in  the  opera- 
tion of  the  business,  his  shop  being  the  larg- 
est of  its  kind  in  Xorth  Bend.  He  is  the 
owner  of  twelve  lots  in  Xorth  Bend  and 
eight  lots  in  Glasco,  Oregon.  He  also  has 
stock  in  the  ilillicoma  ilining  Company,  of 
which  lie  is  vice  president,  the  mining  prop- 
erty being  located  at  the  mouth  of  the  Coos 
river. 

Mr.  Kern  was  united  in  marriage  Octo- 
ber 15,  1903,  to  Miss  Winnie  Chapman,  a 
native  of  Salem,  Oregon,  and  a  daughter  of 
John  and  Lucy  Chapman,  who  are  among 
the  old  pioneers  of  Salem.  Both  are  living 
in  Washington  county,  this  state.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Kern  two  children  have  been  born: 
Harry  H..  in  September.  1904;  and  Lucille, 
whose  birth  occurred  December  28,  1910. 
Mr.  Kern  belongs  to  the  republican  party 
and  is  a  member  of  the  city  council  of  North 
Bend.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Woodmen  of 
the  World  and  also  a  member  of  the  Hoo 
Hoos.  a   lumbermen's  organization. 

Henry  (t.  Kern  is  one  of  the  popular  and 
successful  business  men  of  North  Bend  and 
a  man  whose  activities  have  added  mate- 
rially to  the  upbuilding  and  improvement  of 
the  city  in  which  he  has  established  the  well 
known  "Foundry  and  Iron  Works"  of  which 
he  is  the  owner. 

JOHN  WESLEY  CLINTON  is  a  man  who 
during  the  thirty-nine  years  of  his  life  in 
Oregon  has  constantly  stood  for  all  that  is 
progressive  and  scientific  in  modern  agricul- 
ture and  for  all  that  is  honorable  and  worthy 
in  business  activities.  He  was  born  in  Craw- 
ford county.  Missouri,  November  10.  1848, 
and  is  a  son  of  .lames  A.  and  Perlina  (Lamb) 
Clinton,  the  former  a  native  of  ilissouri  and 
the  latter  of  Kentucky.  The  parents  had 
the  following  children:  Catherine,  who  is 
deceased:  -T.  DeWitt,  who  is  a  rancher  of 
travel  Ford.  Oregon,  where  he  resides  with 
his  family:  ilargaret  E..  the  widow  of  Elzie 
Wolverton.  of  California;  John  W.  and  Mary 
Ann.  twin.s,  the  former  of  whom  is  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  and  the  latter  of  whom 
is  deceased:  Joseph  E..  a  rancher  of  Eugene. 
Oregon :  Robert  .J.,  who  has  now  retired  from 
active  life  and  is  living  in  Myrtle  Point, 
Oregon,  with  his  family:  George  W.,  who  is 
also  retired  and  resides  with  his  wife  and 
children  in  Myrtle  Point :  Sarah  E..  who  is 
the  wife  of  Thomas  W.  Johnson  of  North 
Yakima.  Washington:  Henry  I..  .James  A. 
anil  Nancy  .!..  all  of  whom  are  deceased; 
and  three  children  who  died  in   infancy. 

John  Clinton  was  reared  upon  his  father's 
farm  in  Missouri  and  received  his  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  that  state.  When 
he  was  nineteen  years  of  age  he  married 
and  bought  one  hundred  acres  of  land  in  his 
native  state  where  he  carried  on  general 
farming  with  gratifying  success.  In  addi- 
tion to  his  agricultural  pursuits  he  took 
contracts  for  railroad  construction  and  be- 
came a  prominent  figure  in  this  line  of  activ- 
ity. His  residence  in  Oregon  dates  from 
1S7.3,  in  which  year  he  located  in  Coos  county 


and  purcha.sed  forty  acres  of  land  on  the 
Coquille  river  near  Norway.  Retaining  his 
property,  he  again  resumed  railroad  con- 
tracting in  which  occupation  he  was  suc- 
cessful for  two  years.  He  returned  to  Coos 
county  in  order  to  engage  in  the  logging 
business  and  he  made  this  branch  of  activity 
his  work  for  twenty-six  years.  He  has  the 
distinction  of  having,  during  the  period  of 
his  connection  with  the  lumber  business, 
sent  eighty-nine  million  feet  of  timber  down 
the  Coquille  river  and  has  furnished  logs 
to  all  the  sawmills  in  Coos  county.  He  was 
active  in  all  phases  of  the  lumber  business, 
buying  and  selling  cut  logs  and  dealing  in 
imcut  timber.  All  this  time  he  kept  the 
farm  which  he  bought  upon  his  arrival  in 
Oiegon  but  did  not  cultivate  it  himself,  turn- 
ing over  its  management  to  his  son  and 
during  the  twenty-six  years  in  which  he 
conducted  his  logging  enterprise  had  almost 
entirely  severed  his  active  connection  with 
agriculture.  In  1903  however,  he  sold  out 
his  business  equipment  including  his  horse 
and  ox  teams  and  three  donkey  engines  and 
in  1908  returned  to  Missouri  to  visit  his 
boyhood  home.  He  remained  in  that  state 
a  short  time  and  on  his  return  settled  upon 
his  forty  acres  of  land  on  the  Coquille  river. 
He  has  to  some  extent  retired  from  active 
life  but  still  operates  a  dairy  on  a  small 
scale  and  does  general  farming. 

On  April  8.  1867.  Mr.  Clinton  was  married 
to  Miss  Eliza  Ann  Russell,  a  native  of  Ken- 
ton. Ohio,  and  a  daughter  of  David  and  ilaiy 
(ilartini  Russell,  ilrs.  Clinton  is  one  of 
six  children  born  to  her  parents.  The  others 
are:  Dorlisca  E..  the  wife  of  George  R.  Garry, 
of  Ohio:  Clinton  and  Milford.  who  are  now 
deceased:  Riley,  who  is  a  resident  of  Chicago. 
Illinois:  and  Cinderella,  the  wife  of  Richard 
Dick  of  Ohio.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clinton  have 
been  born  twelve  children:  .James  David,  who 
is  a  rancher  in  Norway.  Oregon,  and  the 
father  of  five  children.  Delia.  Theo.  011a, 
Elita  and  Silva;  Marion  Thomas,  of  Arago. 
Oregon,  and  the  father  of  two  children.  Les- 
ter and  Thresa;  .Jesse  DeWitt.  of  Norway, 
who  is  the  father  of  three  children.  Lilas. 
Lawrence  and  Ardiee;  Mary  G.,  the  wife  of 
W.  H.  Schroeder  of  Coquille.  Oregon,  by 
whom  she  has  three  children.  Earl.  Leslie 
and  Lorau:  Dorlisca  E..  who  married  Walter 
V.  Schroeder  of  Gravel  Ford.  Oregon,  of  whom 
more  extended  mention  is  made  elsewhere 
in  this  work:  George  H..  who  is  living  in 
California  with  his  wife  and  one  child:  Al- 
bert R..  who  is  in  the  lumber  business  in 
Coquille.  Oregon,  and  who  is  married  and 
has  one  child:  Edward  O.,  who  is  postmaster 
of  Parkersburg.  Oregon,  and  the  father  of 
one  child:  Samuel  H..  also  of  Parkersburg, 
who  has  two  children:  Clarence  A.,  of  Co- 
quille: Jolm  R..  who  is  associated  with  his 
father  and  resides  at  home:  and  one  who 
passed  away  in  infancy. 

In  his  political  views  ilr.  Clinton  is  iden- 
tified with  the  republican  party  and  has 
served  as  county  supervisor,  judge  of  election 
and  central  committeeman.  He  takes  an 
intelligent  interest  in  public  affairs  but  has 
never   sought    office   and   the  positions   which 


s; 


THE  NEW  YORK 
PUBLIC     LIBRARY 


MTOR,  Lty  . 
TILDEN   FOysCATlON*. 


J 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTOKY  OF  OUECiUN 


529 


lie  lias  held  liavc  been  liteniUy  forced  upon 
him.  He  is  a  hijjh-minded.  clean-cut  man 
of  exemplary  morals  and  habits  and  has 
never  tasted  a  drink  of  intoxicating  liquor, 
played  a  game  of  cards  for  money  or  been 
involved  in  a  lawsuit.  He  is  upright  and 
honorable  in  all  his  relations  in  life  and 
seeks  his  greatest  success  in  conquering  him- 
self. 

CAPTAIN  JAMES  B.  MAGEE  for  many 
years  has  been  identified  with  the  shipping 
interests  of  the  Pacific  coast,  having  for  a 
long  period  of  time  been  the  master  of  boats 
which  he  owned  and  engaged  also  in  the 
building  and  operation  of  schooners  and  tugs 
used  on  Coos  bay  and  on  the  navigable 
streams  of  Oregon.  He  was  born  in  Ireland. 
ICovember  19,  1841.  and  is  a  son  of  Bernard 
and  Mary  (Mackan)  Magee,  both  of  whom 
were  natives  of  that  country,  who  emigrated 
to  New  York  in  1851.  In  that  state  they  lived 
for  a  number  of  years  and  then  returned 
to  Ireland.  In  1S5S  they  settled  in  Queens- 
laud.  Australia,  and  there  continued  to  live 
until  the  time  of  their  death.  The  father 
died  at  the  age  of  eighty-eight  years  and 
the  mother  at  ninety-four.  They  were  the 
parefits  of  eleven  children,  five  of  whom  are 
still  living,  namely :  James  B.,  of  this  review ; 
and  Bernard,  Ellen.  Agnes  and  .Tohn.  all  of 
whom  reside  in  Queensland. 

Captain  Magee  was  reared  at  home  and  at 
the  early  age  of  thirteen  commenced  his 
career  at  sea.  becoming  a  member  of  the 
crew  on  the  brig  Hope,  of  Dublin.  Cajitain 
Simon  Carvin  commanding,  which  sailed  be- 
tween ports  in  the  British  isles.  In  1857. 
while  he  w-as  on  the  bark  Catherine,  of 
Thomaston,  Maine,  sailing  from  CarditT  to 
New  York,  with  coal,  he  was  cast  at  sea 
after  a  collision  between  his  ship  and  the 
bark  Malla.  of  Liverpool.  The  Catherine  sank 
immediately  but  the  crew  succeeded  in  clear- 
ing the  bark  before  she  went  down.  They 
were  taken  aboard  the  bark  Malla  and  after 
remaining  three  days  aboard  her  were  trans- 
ferred to  different  fishing  schooners  .on  the 
banks  of  Newfoundland  and  Captain  Magee 
was  put  aboard  the  schooner  A.  Freeman,  on 
which  vessel  he  staid  for  one  year.  Leaving 
this  ship,  he  signed  on  for  the  schooner  De 
Soto,  which  was  engaged  in  fishing  for  cod  on 
the  banks  of  Newfoundland.  In  1859,  after 
sailing  on  vessels  of  all  rigs,  he  decided  to 
learn  something  of  their  construction  and 
went  to  New  York,  where  he  thoroughly 
learned  the  art  of  shipbuilding.  In  1863  he 
sailed  from  New  York  on  the  ship  Webster, 
boimd  for  Liverpool.  Arriving  in  that  city,  he 
left  this  ship  and  proceeded  to  London,  where 
he  took  passage  on  the  clipper  ship  Flying 
Cloud,  bound  for  Australia,  and.  arriving  in 
that  country,  was  placed  as  foreman  of  a  gang 
of  men  engaged  in  the  building  of  bridges 
and  the  Cleveland  jetty  at  Morton  bay. 
Leaving  Australia  in  1866.  he  took  passage 
on  the  ship  Nimrod,  bound  for  San  Francisco, 
and,  arriving  there,  engaged  in  various  em- 
ployments. In  1867  he  was  sent  to  Coos 
liay  to  assist  in  building  a  sawmill  and  three 


vessels,  including  the  tugboat  Kscort.  for 
John  Pushbaker  at  Maishtield. 

On  the  Sth  of  May,  1870,  he  took  com- 
mand of  the  tugboat  Escort,  which  was 
emidoyed  in  bringing  vessels  over  tlie  bar. 
He  was  so  occupied  for  a  number  of  years 
and  especially  in  1870  and  1871  showed  his 
skill  when  there  was  strong  opposition  be- 
tween the  tug  of  which  he  had  command, 
owned  by  John  Pushbaker,  and  the  Fearless 
and  Merrimac,  belonging  to  the  Simpson 
Lumber  Company.  During  the  time  of  the 
strenuous  competition  between  the  three  ves- 
sels Captain  Magee  showed  himself  to  be  a 
fearless  navigator,  always  keeping  a  cool 
head  in  time  of  danger.  In  1882  he  was 
transferied  to  the  tug  Escort  No.  2.  of  the 
E.  B.  Dean  Company,  and  again  ran  his 
boat  in  opposition  to  the  Simpson  Lumber 
Company's  tugs  Fearless  and  Sol  Thomas. 
During  1883  he  took  the  tug  Escort  No.  2 
to  the  Columbia  river  and  Puget  sound, 
towing  at  both  places.  In  1885  he  resumed 
command  of  the  tug  Escort  and  remained 
in  command  of  her  until  in  1887  she  blew 
up  in  Coos  bay.  After  the  loss  of  the 
Escort  he  entered  upon  employment  with 
the  Simpson  Lumber  Company  as  master  of 
the  tug  Columbia,  towing  on  Coos  bay  and 
Umpqua  river  bars.  He  was  transferred  to 
the  tug  Hunter  in  1889,  remaining  master 
until  1894,  in  which  year  he  left  this  boat 
to  take  command  of  the  steamer  Wes<-ott. 
belonging  to  the  C.  P.  Doe  Company  of  Saii 
Francisco,  sailing  her  successfully  between 
San  Francisco  and  Eel  river.  In  189G  he 
left  the  steamer  \Vescott  and  took  coiii- 
niand  of  the  steamer  Czarina,  running  be- 
tween San  Francisco  and  Coos  bay.  In  1897 
he  gave  up  this  command  to  take  charge  o. 
the  tug  Columbia,  towing  at  .San  Francisco, 
going  from  there  to  Seattle  and  towing  be-> 
tween  Seattle  and  southeastern  Alaska  ports. 
In  1898  he  returned  with  tlie  tug  Columbia 
to  Coos  bay  and  staid  on  her  and  the  tug 
Astoria  for  awhile.  Both  of  these  vessels 
belonged  to  the  Simpson  Lumber  Company. 
At  the  present  w'riting  he  is  master  of  the 
tug  Columbia.  During  all  his  career  at  sea 
he"  has  been  faithful,  fearless  and  cool- 
lieaded  during  the  many  thrilling  experiences 
lie  has  undergone. 

In  1873  Captain  Magee  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Sarah  Gigar,  a  daughter  of  Mr. 
;in(!  Mrs.  William  (iigar.  The  father  was  a 
native  of  Buffalo,  New  York,  and  emigrated  to 
Oregon  in  1837.  settling  at  Salem,  where  he 
took  up  a  donation  claim  upon  which 
has  since  been  built  the  city  of  Salem.  On 
that  land  he  lived  for  one  year  and  then 
donated  liis  rights  in  the  property  for  mis- 
sion purposes,  after  which  he  removed  to 
Honolulu  and  was  there  engaged  in  teach- 
ing school  for  several  years.  He  later  re- 
tunied  to  California,  where  he  maintained 
his  residence  for  a  number  of  years  and 
then  settled  at  Forest  Grove.  Oregon,  upon 
a  donation  claim  of  six  hundred  and  forty 
acres.  He  filed  upon  that  land  in  the  early 
'40s  and  there  continued  to  live  during  the 
remaining  days  of  his  life.  He  passed  away 
at    Forest    Grove    in    1902.    at    the    age    of 


530 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


ii<'Uty-live  years,  and  liis  wife's  death  there 
occurred  in  1904.  To  them  nine  children 
were  born:  William,  who  resides  on  the 
old  homestead;  Sarah,  now  Mrs.  James  B. 
Ma<J-ee;  Charles,  a  resident  of  Forest  Grove; 
Millard,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
■^ix  years;  Lincoln,  of  Hillsboro;  Walcott, 
of  Salem;  Ella,  the  wife  of  S.  B.  Huston, 
of  Portland;  Mrs.  Laura  Wells,  of  Salem; 
and  Hugh,  of  California.  Captain  and  Mrs. 
Maoee  arc  the  parents  of  five  children: 
Mrs  Edna  Jerrett.  whose  husband  is  a 
civil  engineer  of  Eldorado  county,  Cali- 
fornia; Charley,  who  is  engaged  in  car- 
pentering and  contracting  at  Portland; 
James  who  is  first  mate  on  one  of  the 
boats  '  belonging  to  the  l>acific  Steamship 
Company;  William,  who  is  a  captain  on 
the  steamer  Radonda,  plying  between  Coos 
bay  and  San  Francisco;  and  May,  at  home 
Captain  Magee  reserves  independence  of 
iud<^ment  on  political  issues,  having  no  con- 
nection with  any  political  party.  He  has 
never  been  an  otlice  seeker  although  he  has 
served  as  a  member  of  the  school  board 
and  also  as  a  member  of  the  eoi.ncil  of 
Empire  He  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic 
church 'and  his  wife  of  the  Presbyterian 
church.  He  is  one  of  the  well  known  and 
respected  men  of  Coos  county  and  has  been 
identified  with  many  of  its  important  busi- 
ness enterprises.  He  is  justly  entitled  to 
he  numbered  among  the  early  pioneers  ot 
his  portion  of  the  state  and  has  always 
been  an  enterprising,  active  and  useful 
citizen    of   Oregon. 

A  E  LINDSEY.  The  business  interests 
of  Gresham  find  an  able  representative  in 
the  person  of  A.  E.  Lindsey,  junior  partner 
of  the  firm  of  Shattuck  &  Lindsey,  one  of 
tlie  more  recent  but  thriving  mercantile  en- 
terprises of  the  town.  He  is  a  native  of 
Kansas,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  Ivirwm 
on  the  31st  of  January,  1S76,  and  a  son  of 
E  C.  and  Miranda  S.  (Drake)  Lindsey.  The 
paternal  grandparents  were  Ebenezer  and  Re- 
becca Lindsey.  and  unto  them  were  born  six 
children,  of  whom  their  son,  E.  C,  the  father 
of  our  subject,  was  the  youngest.  In  order  of 
birth  the  others  are  as  follows:  John,  who  is  a 
resident  of  Atchison,  Kansas,  and  the  father 
of  five  children:  Alta,  the  deceased  wife  of 
Georo-e  Doebler  bv  whom  she  had  two  chil- 
dren°  Dora,  wdio 'is  also  deceased;  William, 
also  'deceased,  who  has  three  children  living 
in  Iowa;  and  Warren,  of  Boise.  Idaho,  who 
has  three  children,  Clyde,  Guy  and  Lola.  The 
mother  is  also-  the  youngest  member  in  a 
family  of  six.  as  follows:  Robert,  a  resident 
of  Kansas,  who  jiassed  away  leaving  two 
children;  Frank;  .Joe.  also  living  in  Kansas; 
Mattie,  the  wife  of  Abraham  Drake  and  the 
mother  of  four  children,  Maud,  Jessie,  Ernest 
and  Ada;  and  Jessie.  E.  C.  Lindsey  was 
one  of  the  pioneer  business  men  of  Kirwin, 
Phillips  county,  Kansas,  and  there  he  es- 
tablished the  first  drug  store.  He  qualified 
as  a  pharmacist  under  the  capable  direction 
of  his  brother,  a  well  known  druggist  at 
that  period  of  Pataskala,  Ohio,  in  which 
state  he  was  first  granted  a  license.     In  his 


eaily  manliood  he  went  to  Kansas  and  en- 
j;aged  in  business,  but  he  later  sold  his  store 
and  bought  a  farm  in  the  same  county.  Dur- 
ing the  succeeding  three  years  he  devoted 
his  entire  time  and  attention  to  the  cultiva- 
tion of  his  land,  but  at  the  expiration  of 
that  time  he  removed  with  his  wife  and  fam- 
ily to  Ogden,  Utah.  There  he  resumed  his 
agricultural  pursuits  and  for  two  years  cul- 
tivated rented  land.  From  there  he  went  to 
Eagle  Rock,  Idaho,  and  again  went  into  the 
drug  business.  Three  years  later,  in  188S,  he 
went  to  Portland  and  became  associated  in 
business  with  his  brother,  a  painting  con- 
tractor. After  following  this  for  two  years 
he  turned  his  attention  to  general  contract- 
ing, which  he  followed  for  a  similar  period 
and  then  came  to  Gresham.  During  the  first 
five  years  of  his  residence  here  Mr.  Lindsey 
was  connected  with  the  drug  Imsiness.  but 
he  subsequently  withdrew  from  this  and  en- 
gaged in  contracting  and  building,  which  line 
of  work  he  still  follows.  At  Kirwin,  Kan- 
sas, in  1874,  Mr.  Lindsey  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Miranda  S.  Drake,  and  there 
they  passed  the  first  six  years  of  their  do- 
mestic life.  Three  children  have  been  born 
to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lindsey,  our  subject,  who 
is  the  eldest  and  only  son.  and  two  daugh- 
ters. Mabel  Grace,  the  older  daughter,  first 
married  William  Metzger,  by  whom  she  had 
one  child.  Helen.  Later  she  became  the  wife 
of  John  Quick  and  they  are  living  in  Quincy, 
Oregon.  Pearl  May,  the  youngest  member 
of  the  family,  became  the  wife  of  Oscar 
Erickson,  of  Warren,  Oregon,  a  merchant  of 
that  place. 

A.  E.  Lindsey  began  to  earn  his  own  living 
at  the  age  of  twelve  years  and  at  the  same 
time  continued  his  studies  in  the  public 
schools.  He  was  first  employed  in  the  capac- 
ity of  cash  boy  in  the  store  of  Meier  &  Frank 
at  Portland  and  later  was  taken  into  their 
wholesale  department,  where  he  worked  dur- 
ing the  summer  months.  After  finishing 
school,  he  engaged  in  the  tailor  business,  fol- 
lowing that  for  four  years.  Withdrawing 
from  this  he  went  to  work  in  his  father's 
drug  store,  remaining  with  him  for  two  years. 
At  the  end  of  that  time  he  once  more  became 
identified  with  the  firm  of  Meier  &  Frank  and 
for  two  years  thereafter  worked  in  their 
clothing  department.  From  there  he  went 
to  the  firm  of  Ben  Selling,  continuing  in 
their  service  for  two  years.  As  he  is  a  man 
of  more  tlian  average  ability  and  industry. 
Sir.  Lindsey  proved  to  be  a  most  efficient 
employe  and  commanded  a  good  salary,  the 
greater  portion  of  which  he  managed  to  save. 
By  reason  of  his  thrift  and  enterprise  he 
succeeded  in  accumulating  suflfteient  money 
to  engage  in  business  for  himself.  Returning 
to  Gresham  in  July,  1910.  he  bought  a  half 
interest  in  the  mercantile  establishment  that 
is  now  being  operated  under  the  firm  name 
of  Shattuck  &  Lindsey.  This  is  one  of  the 
leading  concerns  of  the  kind  in  the  town  and 
is  favored  with  a  large  patronage,  which  is 
constantly  increasing.  They  carry  a  full  and 
well  assorted  stock  of  merchandise  that  they 
offer  at  reasonable  prices  and  in  the  conduct 
of  their  business  they  have  adopted  a  policy 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


sai 


that  wins  the  confidence  of  all  with  whom 
they  have  transactions. 

For  his  wife  Mr.  LinJsey  chose  Miss  Nellie 
Slerett  whose  natal  day  was  the  ITth  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1S78.  She  is  the  youngest  of  eleven 
children  born  to  George  and  Barbara  (Banm- 
gardner)  Slerett,  natives  of  Germany,  who 
crossed  the  plains  in  18(51.  Three  children 
have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lindsey:  Al- 
bert S.,  who  was  born  on  February  18,  1903, 
and  is  now  attending  school;  Donald  E.,  whose 
birth  occurred  on  the  29th  of  November,  1906; 
and  Dorothea,  whose  natal  day  was  the  27th 
of  May.  1911. 

The  family  attend  the  Christian  church  in 
which  the  parents  liold  membership  and  Mr. 
Lindsey's  fraternal  relations  are  confined  to 
his  membership  in  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World,  while  his  political  support  is  given 
to  the  republican  party.  The  achievements 
of  Mr.  Lindsey  fully  entitle  him  to  the  com- 
mendation of  his  fellow  citizens,  as  every- 
thing he  has  achieved  is  the  result  of  his 
own  unaided  ell'ort.  He  has  been  self-sup- 
porting from  early  childhood,  and  when  other 
lads  were  indulging  in  such  sports  and  amuse- 
ments as  delight  the  heart  of  every  yuutn  ne 
was  industriously  applying  himself  to  the 
mastery  of  a  business,  and  now  has  the  sat- 
isfaction of  knowing  that  he  is  indebted  to 
no  one  for  such  success  as  has  crowned  his 
efforts. 

FREDERICK  T.  SANDERSON.  In  the 
death  of  Frederick  T.  Sanderson,  which  oc- 
curred at  Ashland  on  the  29th  of  .June,  1912, 
his  family  and  friends  experienced  a  sudden 
and  sad  bereavement  and  Klamatli  Falls  lost 
one  of  its  most  respected,  influential  and  es- 
teemed citizens.  With  the  history  of  Kla- 
math Falls  and  its  development  his  name  has 
been  closely  associated.  He  left  his  impress 
upon  its  business  and  political  activities  and 
during  liis  recent  term  as  mayor  of  the  city 
he  instituted  many  improvements  which 
have  taken  Klamath  Falls  out  of  the  rank  of 
an  undeveloped,  raw  western  town  and  placed 
it  with  the  progressive  cities  of  this  great 
empire  of  the  northwest.  He  was  born  in 
Tehama  county,  California,  July  23.  1863.  a 
son  of  William  and  Ellen  Clara  (Feathers) 
Sanderson,  who  were  natives  of  New  York 
and  Ohio  respectively.  The  maternal  grand- 
father was  one  of  the  first  to  penetrate  into 
the  wilderness  of  the  northwest,  going  witli 
Lewis  and  Clark  on  their  expedition  into  Ore- 
gon early  in  the  nineteenth  century.  The 
parents  were  married  in  the  east  and  in  1859 
made  their  way  to  California,  crossing  the 
plains  with  ox  teams.  During  the  hard  win- 
ter of  1861-62  William  Sanderson  lost  prac- 
tically everything  that  he  had  and  thus 
empty-handed  started  in  life  anew  on  the 
Pacific  coast.  About  1870  he  came  to  Oregon, 
settling  on  Myrtle  creek,  in  Douglas  county, 
where  he  and  his  wife  resided  until  Mrs. 
Sanderson  was  called  to  her  final  rest  in 
1895,  when  forty-eight  years  of  age.  Wil- 
liam Sanderson  now  resides  at  Roseburg  at 
the  age  of  seventy-seven  year.s.  The  greater 
part  of  his  life  has  been  devoted  to  carpen- 


tering and  farming.  In  his  family  were  four 
children:  George,  who  was  drowned  when  a 
boy;  Frederick  T,;  Mrs.  Nancy  Gilmore,  who 
died  about  1901;  and  W.  C,  living  in  Ash- 
land. 

Until  sixteen  years  of  age  Frederick  T. 
Sanderson  remained  inuler  tlie  parental  roof 
and  then  started  out  to  make  his  own  W'ay  in 
the  world,  working  at  anything  tliat  yielded 
him  an  honest  living.  On  first  coming  into 
tliis  district  he  made  his  way  to  Linkville, 
now  Klamatli  Falls,  and  spent  two  years  in 
Longing  Camp,  on  Pelican  bay,  where  the. 
Harriman  resort  is  now  found.  The  next 
summer  he  was  at  Little  Klamath  lake, 
working  as  a  farm  hand.  He  then  went  to 
British  Columbia,  where  he  was  employed 
by  the  Lake  Shore  &  Eastern  Railroad  .as  a 
surveyor  for  more  than  two  years  along  the 
International  line.  He  later  returned  to 
Whatcome,  Washington,  and  had  charge  of 
a  gang  of  carpenters,  after  which  he  was  en- 
gaged in  making  a  clearing  for  the  town  site 
of  Seattle.  Washington.  From  Canfield  he 
made  his  wa.y  back  to  Portland  and  on  to  his 
home.  He  afterward  took  up  a  homestead 
claim  in  Douglas  county  and  for  about  four 
years  engaged  in  conducting  a  stock  ranch. 
He  then  became  superintendent  of  the  Inter- 
national nickel  mines,  of  which  he  had  charge 
for  six  years,  and  also  during  that  period  he 
acted  as  superintendent  of  the  Victor  placer 
and  quartz  mines  for  the  same  ]ico]ilc.  He 
next  turned  his  attention  to  merchandising 
at  Coi|uiIle  City  and  when  he  sold  out  there 
began  business  as  a  general  merchant  at 
Bandou,  Coos  county,  at  tlie  mouth  of  the 
Coquille  river.  After  conducting  his  store 
for  four  or  five  years  he  sold  out  and  be- 
gan speculating  in  timber.  From  1901  until 
his  demise  he  resided  continuously  at  Kla- 
math Falls,  and  for  one  year  was  proprietor 
of  the  American  Hotel  but  at  the  end  of 
that  time  sold  out  and  established  a  general 
store  which  he  managed  successfully  until 
1909,  when  he  disjiosed  of  his  stock.  He 
made  heavy  investments  in  real  estate, 
mostly  improved  property.  He  built  and 
owned  the  bath  house  and  sanitarium  here, 
and  also  owned  good  business  property  on 
ilain  and  Seventh  streets  and  a  large  number 
of  town  dwellings.  His  home,  a  fine  residence, 
was  erected  by  liim  and  stands  at  the  cor- 
ner of  Tenth  and  Pine  streets.  He  had  ex- 
tensive timber  interests,  also,  in  this  county 
and  made  large  investments  in  timber  lands 
in  Coos  and  Curry  counties. 

In  1892  Mr.  Sanderson  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Cora  Ann  Butler,  a  native  of 
Fairfield,  Illinois,  who  when  three  years  of 
age  came  across  the  plains  to  Oregon  with  her 
)iarents.  :Mr.  and  Mrs.  T.  ,7.  Butler.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Sander-son  were  born  three  chil- 
dren: Maysel  Ellen;  Lawrence,  born  Decem- 
ber 12,  1898,  in  Douglas  county;  and  Doro- 
thy. Fraternall.v  Frederick  T.  Sanderson 
was  connected  with  the  Masonic  lodge,  the 
Eastern  Star,  the  Woodmen  of  the  World  and 
the  Women  of  Woodcraft.  His  political  al- 
legiance was  always  given  to  the  democratic 
party,  of  which  he  was  a  stanch  advocate, 
yet  he  did  not  hold  himself  to  party  ties  at 


5-i-2 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


local  elections  involving  no  issue,  and  in 
May.  1908,  lie  was  elected  mayor  of  Kla- 
math Falls  on  a  nonpartisan  ticket  to  fill 
out  the  unexpired  term  of  John  R.  Stilts. 
He  served  in  that  capacity  for  two  and  a 
lialf  years  having  been  elected  for  two  con- 
secutive regular  terms  and  during  his  ad- 
ministration accomplished  much  for  the  bene- 
fit and  upbuilding  of  the  city.  AMien  he  en- 
tered the  office  there  was  not  a  foot  of 
street  paving,  no  sewer  system  had  been  es- 
tablished and  there  were  no  cement  side- 
walks in  the  city.  He  advocated  all  of 
these  improvements,  and  while  he  was  mayor 
fifty-two  tliousand  feet  of  sewer  were  put  in 
on  Main  street  at  a  cost  of  seventy-five  thou- 
sand dollars,  and  eighty  thousand  square 
yards,  or  about  three  miles  of  street  pavement 
were  laid  and  about  two  miles  of  cement  side- 
walk built.  Mr.  Sanderson  always  stood  for 
progress  and  improvement,  whether  he  was  in 
office  or  out  of  it.  and  his  administration  was 
businesslike  and  beneficial.  The  following  is 
an  extract  from  an  editorial  published  at  the 
time  of  his  death:  "During  the  short  two 
and  a  half  years  in  which  he  directed  the  des- 
tinies of  the  city,  more  public  improvements 
were  made  than  had  been  made  in  many 
years  previously.  Ko  part  of  the  city  was  to 
him  entitled  to  any  more  consideration  than 
any  other  part.  He  knew  no  'end'  of  town 
but  saw  only  the  whole  city  of  Klamath  Falls 
improved  and  beautified  as  he  knew  it  would 
be  liefore  many  years  had  elapsed.  .  .  .  Kla- 
math Falls  will  be  a  better  city  because  it 
was  permitted  that  he  should  spend  some  of 
his  years  here  and  give  some  of  his  labor 
to  the  study  of  our  municipal  problems." 
He  died  on  the  29th  of  June,  1912.  in  Ashland, 
to  which  city  he  had  gone  two  weeks  before 
to  have  an  operation  performed  on  his  knee. 
When  this  had  been  successfully  accomplished 
he  was  advised  by  the  surgeons  attending 
him  to  undergo  an  operation  for  appendicitis, 
which  resulted  in  his  death.  The  local  press 
commiserated  his  loss  and  lauded  the  work 
that  he  had  done  both  as  a  private  citizen 
and  as  a  servant  of  the  people.  The  North- 
western published  the  well  deserved  tribute 
of  a  close  friend,  which  reads  in  part  as 
follows :  "As  a  member  of  the  city  board  of 
school  directors  Fred  T.  Sanderson  showed 
the  same  progressive  spirit  that  marked  his 
whole  business  life.  ...  He  was  a  kind- 
hearted  man.  believed  in  his  neighbors  and 
was  true  to  his  friends,  of  whom  he  had  a 
host.  His  untimely  death  came  as  a  great 
shock  to  the  people  of  this  city  and  the  great 
heart  of  that  people  today  beats  in  sympathy 
for  the  bereaved  wife  and  children  of  the 
departed  husband  and  father." 

CHRISTIAN  FRICKEY.  Among  the  pro- 
gressive and  enterprising  pioneers  of  Marion 
county,  who  worked  tirelessly  to  promote  the 
development  of  Salem  must  be  numbered 
Christian  Frickey,  who  was  born  in  Han- 
over. Germany,  on  the  29th  of  August,  1820. 
He  was  one  of  five  children  born  to  his 
parents,  four  of  whom  came  to  the  United 
States.  One  sister.  Mrs.  S.  Nieper  was  a 
resident  of  Indiana  and  is  deceased,  while  two 


of  his  brothers  located  in  Minnesota  and  one 
of   these   is   also   deceased. 

Christian  Frickey  was  reared  and  educated 
in  his  native  land,  and  before  beginning  his 
life  vocation  spent  the  usual  term  of  service 
in  the  German  army.  He  subsequently  fitted 
himself  for  the  vocation  of  a  landscape  gar- 
dener. Feeling  assured  that  better  oppor- 
tunities awaited  him  in  the  United  States 
than  were  to  be  found  in  his  native  land  he 
decided  to  become  an  American  citizen,  so  on 
the  15th  of  September,  1S50,  just  three  days 
after  he  was  married,  he  and  his  bride  took 
passage  for  this  country.  They  crossed  the 
Atlantic  on  a  sailing  vessel  named  "Faneuil 
Hall,"  spending  three  months  en  route.  They 
landed  at  New  Orleans  about  Christmas  time, 
1850.  sailing  up  the  Mississippi  from  there 
to  Evansville,  Indiana,  where  Mr.  Frickey 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  for  four  years. 
Subsequently  he  removed  to  Minnesota  and 
while  residing  in  the  latter  state  he  joined 
other  settlers  and  fought  against  the  Sioux  In- 
dians, leaving  his  wife  and  family  in  St. 
Peter,  where  they  were  then  living.  She  was 
as  unselfish  and  noble  a  character  as  her  hus- 
band and  during  that  time  generously  threw 
open  her  home  to  the  refugees  and  wounded 
who  were  brought  into  the  settlement,  and 
gave  her  assistance  and  aid  wherever  needed. 
They  found  the  climate  of  Minnesota  very 
severe,  and  after  twelve  years  residence  there 
removed  to  San  .Jose.  California.  ^^Hiile  living 
in  the  former  state,  Mr.  Frickey  had  engaged 
quite  extensively  in  landscape  gardening,  con- 
tinuing to  follow  this  vocation  during  the 
two  years  of  his  residence  in  San  .Jose.  In 
1872,  they  once  more  changed  their  place  of 
residence,  this  time  settling  in  Salem.  Upon 
his  arrival  here  he  purchased  two  tracts  of 
land,  one  a  portion  of  the  Alvin  F.  Waller 
land  claim,  which  at  that  time  was  a  forest. 
.  With  the  assistance  of  some  men  from  the 
state  penitentiary  this  was  gradually  cleared 
and  platted  as  a  subdivision,  and  is  now  one 
of  the  most  attractive  residence  portions  of 
the  city.  During  the  intervening  years  it  has 
been  rapidly  built  up  and  now  contains  more 
than  one  hundred  homes.  The  other  tract 
was  formerly  included  in  the  I.  L.  Parrish 
land  claim,  northeast  of  Salem,  and  this  was 
also  made  into  a  subdivision  having  on  it 
now  over  a  hundred  dwellings.  Mr.  Frickey 
always  championed  every  progressive  move- 
ment" and  enthusiastically  cooperated  to  the 
extent  of  his  ability  in  the  upbuilding  of  the 
city.  He  substantially  assisted  in  promoting 
the  development  of  the  various  public  utili- 
ties, such  as  the  constructon  of  bridges  and 
the  installation  of  better  transportation  facili- 
ties. The  causes  of  religion  and  edtication 
found  in  him  a  strong  advocate  and  enthu- 
siastic supporter.  He  was  one  of  the  main 
factors  in  the  organization  and  building  of 
the  First  German  Methodist  Episcopal  church 
in  the  city,  and  he  always  generously  contri- 
buted toward  the  maintenance  of  various 
religious  and  benevolent  institutions.  His 
life  was  one  of  unceasing  self-denial,  volun- 
tary sacrifices  and  self-imposed  hardships, 
his'first  thought  and  consideration  always  be- 
ing for  others.    He  not  only  aided  the  afflicted 


aiEISTIAN  FRICKEY 


' -^ C     LijriARY 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  ORK(;ON 


r);J5 


and  unfortunate  who  appealed  to  liim  for 
assistance  but  he  sought  out  and  hunted 
vip  cases  of  sufl'ering,  apparently  finding  his 
keenest  pleasure  and  greatest  delight  in 
working  to  relieve  the  needy.  Despite  the 
fact  that  during  the  latter  portion  of  his 
life  he  was  afflicted  with  deafness  and 
found  great  difficulty  in  listening  to  the 
conversation  of  those  about  him,  he  con- 
stantly frequented  places  of  worship  and  reli- 
gious services  and  he  was  passionately  fond 
of  music.  He  was  a  well  known  figure  on  the 
streets  of  Salem,  where  he  had  hosts  of 
friends,  as  he  looked  upon  all  mankind  as  his 
brother  and  so  conducted  himself  in  all  of  his 
relations  in  life  as  to  retain  the  esteem  and 
respect  of  all  with  whom  he  came  in  con- 
tact. 

At  Hanover.  Clermaiiy.  on  the  12th  of  Sep- 
tember. 1850.  Jlr.  Frickey  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Cliristina  Cordes.  the  ceremony 
being  performed  by  Pastor  .Tacobi.  the  first 
Methodist  missionary  in  Germany.  Mrs. 
Frickey's  mother  was  left  a  widow  in  early 
life  with  five  children  and  had  the  misfortune 
to  be  defrauded  of  a  comfortable  estate 
by  unscrupulous  administrators.  Despite  the 
hardships  this  entailed  upon  her  and  her 
children,  she  reared  them  all  to  be  noble  men 
and  women  who  were  a  credit  to  themselves 
and  her  and  proved  useful  members  of  society. 
On  the  ."iOth  of  August.  1905,  Mr.  Frickey  was 
called  upon  to  mourn  the  loss  of  his  wife, 
who  had  been  his  constant  companion  and 
helpmate  for  almost  fifty-five  years.  His  own 
health  then  began  to  decline  and  on  the  2Ttli 
of  December.  1907  he  sustained  a  stroke  of 
paralysis  that  resulted  in  his  death  on  the 
12th  of  January.  1908.  The  family  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Frickey  numbered  seven.  William 
F..  who  is  engaged  in  the  breeding  and  rais- 
ing of  thoroughbred  horses  at  Fossil,  Oregon, 
is  married  and  have  one  son.  Frank,  who  is 
bookkeeper  for  Ladd  &  Bush,  bankers,  and 
one  daughter.  Mrs.  ilinnie  !Maley  of  Cor- 
vallis,  Oregon.  Christian,  who  passed  away 
as  result  of  an  accident  at  Plateau.  Cali- 
fornia, in  February,  19(Ki.  married  Eva  Per- 
rin,  who  was  a  member  of  a  long-lived  pio- 
neer family  living  in  the  vicinity  of  Waldo 
Hills.  She  died  at  the  birth  of  their  son 
Royal  E.  Frickey.  who  was  reared  by  his 
grandparents.  The  lad  was  cihu'aled  in  the 
public  schools  of  Salem,  followim;  wliicli  he 
pursued  a  course  in  electrical  engineering  at 
Berkley  University,  being  graduated  from 
that  institution  in  1903.  He  took  a  prom- 
inent part  in  all  college  affairs  and  was  very 
popular  both  with  the  students  and  bis  pro- 
fessors and  manifested  unusual  ability  and 
mechanical  skill.  Although  he  is  very  young 
he  has  invented  a  wrecking  machine  that  has 
caused  him  to  become  recognized  as  one  of 
the  most  promising  members  of  his  profes- 
sion. This  machine  makes  it  possible  to  cut 
away  by  means  of  electricity  the  tangled 
masses  of  steel  eonstructon  with  a  great  sav- 
ing of  time  and  labor  and  without  entailing 
any  likeliliood  of  serious  accidents.  In  con- 
nection with  the  construction  of  great  fur- 
naces for  the  smelting  of  iron  by  means  of 
electricitv      in      Shasta.      California.     Royal 


Frickey  has  achieved  recognition  for  his  ser- 
vices in  useful  inventions.  After  recovering 
from  a  serious  accident  resulting  from  an  ex- 
plosion during  experiments  with  the  new  fur- 
naces, he  is  continuing  his  constructions  and 
the  run  of  the  big  electric  furnace  beginning 
February  1,  1912,  turned  out  thirty-six  tons 
of  pig-iron,  the  greatest  day's  run  in  its 
history  or  in  the  history  of  iron  smelting  by 
electricit}-  in  this  or  any  country.  The  in- 
stallation of  three  more  furnaces,  now 
proposed,  would  bring  the  output  up  to 
one  hundred  and  fifty  tons  a  day  and  cement 
Shasta's  name  as  "The  Pittsburg  of  the  Paci- 
fic." His  career  promises  to  be  a  most  bril- 
liant one,  as  he  is  a  close  student  and  in- 
defatigable worker.  After  leaving  college  he 
spent  a  year  as  an  electrical  engineer  in  Hono- 
lulu and  he  is  now  employed  in  the  same 
capacity  with  the  Northern 'California  Power 
Company,  one  of  the  largest  enterprises  of 
the  kind  in  the  west.  The  third  in  order  of 
birth  of  the  Frickey  family  is  Henry,  who 
is  now  deceased.  The  next  is  a  daughter. 
Christina,  who  married  F.  Gricder,  of  Fossil. 
Oregon.  Mary  married  E.  G.  Casebere,  who 
for  three  years  was  superintendent  of  the 
farm  at  the  state  asylum,  but  was  engaged 
in  the  operation  of  his  ranch  near  Salem  at 
the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1S92. 
To  them  were  born  three  children:  of  whom 
Cordes  is  employed  in  the  Xatiomil  Bank  at 
Portland.  Xellie  is  a  kindergarten  teacher 
in  the  Lucy  Webb  Hayes  National  Training 
School  and  is  greatly  interested  in  mission- 
ary work.  Emily  married  Profes.sor  Thonuis 
C.  Jory  of  Salem,  who  for  ten  years  held  tlu- 
chair  of  mathematics  in  Willamette  Univer^ 
sity  and  is  a  member  of  one  of  the  old  pio- 
neer families  of  Oregon.  Mrs.  .Jory  was  edu 
cated  at  Willamette  and  there  she  also  pur- 
sued a  musical  course  and  for  six  years  prior 
to  her  marriage  was  a  teacher.  Their  oldest 
son.  Raymond,  is  a  bookkeeper  in  Bishop's 
Woolen  Mill  at  I'einlleton  and  Constance 
and  Harold  are  pur>uing  college  courses  at 
Willamette   I'ui versify. 

The  youngest  child  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chris- 
tian Frickey  is  a  daughter,  Minna,  who  is  a 
well  known  missionary  and  religious  worker 
in  the  northwest.  She  was  graduated  from 
the  Willamette  University  with  the  class  of 
1891,  and  during  the  succeeding  year  taught 
in  Lafayette  Seniinaiy.  At  the  expiration  of 
that  time  she  went  abroad  to  perfect  her 
knowledge  of  German  and  French,  and  upon 
her  return  a  year  later  became  the  teacher 
of  these  two  languages  in  her  alma  mater. 
She  retained  this  position  for  live  years  and 
during  that  time  she  also  had  a  class  in 
Bible  study.  Feeling  strongly  called  to  enter 
the  mission  field,  she  resigned  her  jiosilion 
and  went  to  Chicago,  where  she  spent  a  year 
in  missionary  training  and  Bible  study  at 
bloody  Institute.  She  then  returned  to  the 
coast  and  became  a  teacher  in  the  Deaconess 
Training  School  at  San  Francisco.  At  the 
end  of  her  year's  teaching  there  she  became  an 
active  worker  in  the  mission  field,  and  spent 
three  years  in  the  states  of  Oregon.  Wash- 
ington. Idaho,  and  Montana.  .She  next  went 
to  Tennessee  and  worked  among  the  American 


536 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTOliY  OF  OKEGOxN 


highlaudeis  in  the  eastern  part  of  that  state 
with  Chattanooga  as  her  lieadquarters.  She 
withdrew  from  the  work  there  to  become 
Bible  teacher  in  the  Lucy  Webb  Hayes  Na- 
tional Training  School  for  Missionaries  and 
Deaconess,  and  has  ever  since  been  connected 
with  this  institution.  In  April.  lyOil.  she 
obtained  leave  of  absence  and  went  abroad 
for  five  months,  and  during  that  time  she 
visited  every  countrj'  in  Europe  with  the 
exception  of  Spain  for  purpose  of  stud\'ing 
conditions  and  needs  of  mission  work  and 
also  made  a  trip  thiough  the  Holy  Land. 
Upon  her  return  slie  resumed  her  duties  at 
the  Lucy  Webb  Hayes  Training  School  and 
also  took  up  some  held  work,  giving  stereop- 
tican  lectures  in  connection  with  evangelistic 
work   in   Pennsylvania   and   other   states. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Frickey  were  active  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  reared 
all  of  their  family  in  the  faith  of  that  de- 
nomination. They  have  all  developed  into 
noble  men  and  women,  and  are  useful  and 
helpful  members  of  society,  and  highly  credit- 
able representatives  of  an  honored  pioneer 
famil}'. 

L.  H.  HAZARD  is  cashier  of  the  First  Na- 
tional ISank  of  Conuille  and  is  doing  able 
and  intelligent  work  in  this  capacity.  He  is 
a  practical  business  num  with  a  talent  for 
making  his  ability  effective  and  has  brought 
the  enterin-ise  with  which  he  is  connected 
to  a  gratifying  degree  of  success.  He  has 
lieen  a  resident  of  Oregon  since  he  was 
seventeen  years  of  age  and  was  born  in 
Johnson  coimty.  Iowa,  on  the  3d  of  Xovem- 
ber,  1867.  His  parents  were  Silas  H.  and 
Margaret  Hazard,  the  former  a  native  of 
Louisiana  and  tlie  latter  of  Iowa.  The 
father  come  to  Oregon,  settling  in  Empire 
citj-  in  1S7.3.  In  the  same  year  he  was  again 
married,  his  second  wife  being  a  Miss  Wat- 
son, a  native  of  Douglas  county  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Oregon.  In 
1876  the  second  Mrs.  Hazard  passed  away 
and  the  father  later  wedded  Miss  Fannie 
!McI\night.  also  a  native  of  Oregon  and  the 
daughter  of  an  early  settler.  She  is  still 
living  in  Marshfield.  Oregon.  The  subject 
of  this  sketch  was  the  only  child  born  to  his 
father's  first  union.  By  his  second  marriage 
Silas  H.  Hazard  had  two  children,  both  of 
whom  died  in  infancy.  He  was  a  prominent 
attorney  at  law  for  some  years,  practicing 
in  all  the  courts  of  the  state  of  Oregon,  and 
he  followed  his  profession  until  liis  dcatli. 
which   occurred  in  Juh'.   1001. 

L.  H.  Hazard  received  his  education  in 
!N[adison  county.  Iowa,  and  in  1885  came  to 
Oregon,  settling  in  Empire  city,  where  he 
accepted  a  position  as  clerk  for  the  Southern 
Oregon  Company.  He  was  active  in  this 
capacity  for  several  years,  resigning  in  order 
to  become  connected  with  the  commissary 
department  of  the  Ignited  States  government 
while  instituting  harbor  improvements  in 
this  section  of  Oregon.  For  three  years  he 
was  active  in  this  work  and  then  went  to 
Marshfield.  Oregon,  where  he  obtained  a  posi- 
tion a.s  bookkeeper  in  the  store  of  Henry 
Senstacken.     After   three   years   he   was   ap- 


pointcil  deimty  county  clerk  and  at  the  end 
of  a  similar  period  of  time  was  elected  county 
clerk,  serving  for  two  terms.  His  banking 
career  began  at  the  end  of  that  time,  when 
he  entered  the  First  National  Bank  of  Co- 
quille  as  cashier,  in  which  capacity  he  has 
served  since  that  time.  Tlie  bank  was  or- 
ganized on  the  5th  of  August.  1903,  to  suc- 
ceed the  Coquille  Valley  Bank.  The  olficers 
are:  A.  .T.  Sherwood,  president:  R.  E.  Shine, 
\  ice  president;  L.  H.  Hazard,  cashier;  and 
O.  C.  Sanford.  assistant  cashier.  The  bank 
was  organized  with  a  capital  stock  of  twen- 
tj'-live  thousand  dollars,  which  in  1910  was 
increased   to   fifty   thousand   dollars. 

Mr.  Hazard  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Ellen  Mabel  Hacker,  a  native  of  Coos  county 
and  a  daughter  of  Isaiah  and  Addie  G.  Hacker, 
natives  of  Maine,  who  came  to  Oregon  in 
the  late  '60s.  They  had  two  children:  the 
v.ife  of  our  subject;  and  one  child  who  died 
in  infanc,v.  The  parents  are  still  living  and 
make  their  home  in  Coos  county.  To  Mr. 
and  Jlrs.  Hazard  have  been  born  three  chil- 
dren: Austin  H.,  who  was  born  in  June, 
1897.  and  who  is  now  attending  a  military 
academy  at  San  Rafael.  California:  Alice  M., 
wlio  was  born  May  17.  1902.  and  is  attend- 
ing school;  and  Adrienne.  born  April  20, 
1905.  The  family  alliliate  with  the  Episco- 
pal cluircli  and  they  have  many  friends  in 
Coquille. 

Mr.  Hazard  is  interested  in  the  future  of 
the  city  in  which  he  resides  and  is  always 
eager  to  invest  in  local  enterprises.  He  is 
an  officer  and  director  in  the  Bandon  Water 
Company  and  vice  president  of  the  Coquille 
Lumber  Company.  He  has  invested  exten- 
sively in  city  property  and  has  also  real 
estate  near  Empire  city,  on  Coos  bay.  He 
owns  his  own  home  in  Coquille  aiid  has  made 
it  a  pleasant  meeting  place  for  his  many 
friends.  He  gives  his  allegiance  to  the  demo- 
cratic party  but  never  seeks  i)ublic  office, 
jireferring  to  concentrate  his  attention  upon 
the  atl'airs  under  his  charge.  He  is  well 
known  in  the  Masonic  order,  liolding  mem- 
liership  in  the  lodge,  and  has  been  through 
all  the  chairs  of  that  organization  and  is 
holding  the  oflfice  of  treasurer  at  the  present 
time.  He  is  a  successful  banker  because  he 
lias  had  personal  experience  in  the  various 
as])ects  of  that  occupation  and  because  he 
IS  conservative  and  systematic  as  a  iinancier. 
He  is  a  valued  citizen  of  Coos  county  by 
reason  of  his  industry,  practical  methods  and 
intelligent  skill,  which  have  made  him  per- 
sonally successfiil  and  Avhich  have  been  fac- 
tors in  the  growth  of  tlie  various  important 
busini'ss  enterprises  with  which  he  is  con- 
nected. 

WILLIAM  GORDON  EVANS,  who  lias 
been  a  resident  of  Waconda  since  his  re- 
tirement from  his  farm,  seven  miles  south- 
west of  Gervais.  was  born  in  Tennessee, 
January  21.  1833.  He  is  a  son  of  William 
and  R(?becca  (Keaton)  Evans,  the  former 
a  native  of  Tennessee,  and  the  latter, 
whose  death  occurred  when  William  G. 
Evans  was  a  young  boy.  a  native  of  Vir- 
"iiiia.       Shortlv     after     the     mother's     death 


THE  CENTENiNIAL  HISTORY  OP  OREGON 


537 


the  famih-  leinovoil  to  Kentucky  and  in 
1843  tliey  wont  to  Arkansas,  where  the 
father  died  at  tlie  age  of  sixty  years,  leav- 
ing tlie  eifjht  children  to  manage  the'  farm. 
When  twenty-four  years  old  William  G. 
Evans  left  home  to  come  to  California  and 
began  life  on  his  own  account.  He  made 
the  trip  across  the  plains,  helping  to  drive 
a  five  hundred  head  herd  of  cattle  and 
arrived  in  California  in  1857.  Until  1865 
lie  accepted  various  kinds  of  emplovment. 
mainly  fanning  and  mining,  but  in  that 
year  he  settled  near  Brooks  and  for  four 
years    worked   on    farms. 

ilr.  Evans  was  married  to  Letitia  Savage 
on    Xoveml>er    21.    1870.      Mrs.    Evans    was 
•     born    November    3.    1852,   and    is   a   daughter 
of   .Tohn    and    Rhoda    (Presley)    Savage.    The 
former,    although    a    native    of    Ohio,    born 
September     16.     1826.     resided     in    Michigan 
until   he   crossed    the    plains    and    came    to 
Oregon   in    1846.      In    1849   he   M-ent   to   Cali- 
fornia   for    (me    year.      Upon    his    return    to 
Oregon,   in   1850.   he   was  married   to  Ehoda 
Presley   and   a   year   later   took  up   a   dona- 
tion   land    claim    of    six    hundred    and    forty 
acres,    holding    jjart    of    it    for    his    younger 
brother.      After    farming    this    for    a    time 
he  M-ent  to  Idaho  and  worked  in  the  mines 
for      three      years.      He   also    served    in    the 
Indian    war    on    the    Pacific    coast    and    his 
wife  still  draws  a  pension   from  the  govern- 
ment.     He      died      in      1008.   at   the    '^ige   of 
eighty-two,    at    his    home    near    Salem.      He 
had    accumulated    considerable    property    and 
left   an   estate    valued    at    seventv-live    thou- 
sand  dollars,   which    did    not    include   all   the 
liroperty   he   had  given   to  his  children.     Mr. 
and    :Mrs.    .Savage    were    the    parents    of    the 
following    cliildren:       ilorgan    L..    deceased; 
ilrs.    Evans;    Mrs,    Eliza   Keiipinger.   who   is 
a    resident    of    (iervais;    Oeorge    ()..    who    i-e- 
sides    in    Salem.   Oregon;    Hannah,   deceased; 
Mrs.   Ella    Byrne,   who   is  the   wife   of   Prince 
Byrne,    of    Salem;     :\trs.    Alice    Martin,    de- 
ceaseil.    who    was    tlie    mother    of    four    chil- 
dren  and   resided    at    Salem;    and   Mrs.   Kttti 
Oleason.    residing    in    Orvais.    Oregon,    who 
is      the      wife     of      Louis    P.   Qleason.      Mr.s, 
Evans   had    kept    house   for   her   father   since 
her    mother's    death,    in    1865,    having    reared 
her   younger   sisters   and   brothers,   and   after 
lier   marriage   she   continued   livijig   there   for 
one    year,    but    at    that    time    she    and    Mr. 
Evans    settled    on    the    farm    of    three    hun- 
dred   and    six   acres   on    Frencli    prairie,   near 
Waconda,   which   has   since   been   their   home, 
although    at    the    present    time    it    is    divided 
among   four   of   their   children,   with    the   ex- 
ception   of    eighty    ;ieres.    ui)ou     whieli     :\rr, 
Evans    lives    retired, 

:\lr.  and  JIrs,  Evans  Imve  l)econu'  the 
parents  of  seven  children,  H,  Clifton,  the 
eldest,  is  an  agriculturist  and  resides  in 
Eostine,  Oregon.  Mrs.  Nellie  Dodge  died 
February  23.  1U01.  .She  is  surviv.-d  by  one 
daughter.  Grace  Dodge,  born  .Tuly  5.  1809. 
\yhom  yiv.  and  Jlrs.  ICvans  are  rearing.  ;\rrs. 
Teresa  Fruit  is  the  wife  of  .Tames  Fruit, 
of  Brooks,  Oregon,  Louis  Franklin  is  a 
resident     of     Lostine,    Oregon.     Mrs,     Minnie 


Xusom  died  April  19,  i<jo;j.  Lena  died 
August  9,  190S.  John  C.  has  been  a  pliv- 
sician  at  the  State  Asylum  at  .Salem  fl.r 
the    past    five    years. 

In  politics  Mr.  Evans  is  an  adherent  of  the 
progressive  reiniblican  party,  and  in  religious 
taith  he  is  an  mteresteil  member  of  the  Evan- 
gelical church.  He  has  always  been  an  en- 
thusiastic supporter  of  anv  measure  which 
tends  to  promote  the  welfare  of  his  ,-om- 
inunity  and  has  frequently  accepted  ollices 
111  which  he  could  further  his  plans  for  gen- 
eral improvement,  among  these  offices  being 
justice  of  the  peace,  road  supervisor  and 
clerk  of  schools.  He  is  looked  upon  as  one 
of  the  representatives  of  the  social  ;ind  politi- 
cal circles  of  his  district  and  has  justly  won 
that  distinction  by  his  energetic  and  per- 
sistent efforts  in  aiding  whatever  tends  to 
aid  development. 

JOSEPH  D,  REGNER,  who  is  living  retired 
in  (Iresham.  is  one  of  (he  highly  esteemed  pi- 
oneer settlers  of  Multnomah  county,  where  he 
has  resided  for  over  thirty-five  years.  He 
was  born  in  the  district  of  Three  Rivers, 
Canada,  on  July  15.  1837.  and  is  a  son  of 
Joseph  and  Mary  (Garrett)  Regner,  likewise  , 
natives  of  Canada.  The  families  are  both  of 
German  origin,  however,  the  grandparents 
in  both  lines  having  been  born  in  the  Rhine 
Province.  Germany.  The  father  who  was  a 
contractor  and  builder  passed  away  at  the 
old  home  in  Canada  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
eight  years,  but  the  mother  was  only  forty- 
five  at  the  time  of  her  death.  Joseph  Reg- 
ner was  one  of  three  children,  born  to  his  par- 
ents, and  Mrs.  Regner  was  the  youngest  mem- 
ber of  a  family  of  five,  tlie  others  being  Peter, 
];)avid.  Baptiste  and  Sarah,  all  of  whom  are 
deceased.  The  family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Regner 
numbered  four,  our  subject  being  the  young- 
est. In  order  of  birth  the  others  are  Slary. 
Sophie  and  Pliihunine.  all  of  whom  are  living 
in  Canada, 

Tlie  boyhood  and  youth  of  .Joseph  D,  Itcg- 
iier  i-ontained  little  of  the  joy  and  none  of 
the  advant:igcs  that  distinguish  the  early 
years  of  the  average  imlividual.  Born  in 
a  family  of  limited  circumstaiucs  he  received 
but  meager  schooling,  the  greater  part  of  his 
education  having  been  self-acquired  after  at- 
taining his  maturity.  At  the  age  of  seven 
years  he  was  apprenticed  to  a  shoemaker, 
being  continuously  emidoyed  at  this  trade 
until  he  was  thirteen,  when  lie  left  home  of 
his  own  accord  and  started  (uit  to  make  his 
own  way  in  the  world.  He  worked  his  way 
to  the  Fnited  .states,  .settling  in  A'erinont, 
:md  as  he  was  entirely  unfamiliar  with 
the  language  and  was  among  strangers  in 
order  to  provide  himself  with  the  necessities 
of  life  he  contracted  to  give  his  services  to 
a  harness  maker  tintil  he  was  twenty-one. 
.\fter  the  expiration  of  his  period  of  service 
he  continued  to  follow  this  trade  in  Vermont 
until  1870,  with  the  exception  of  three  years 
when  he  was  in  the  army.  He  enlisted  as 
regimental  bugler  in  the  flleventh  Vermont 
^'olunteer    Infantry    and    served    under    both 


538 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


General  Grant  and  General  Sheridan.  In 
1870  with  his  wife  and  family  he  removed  to 
Iowa,  wliere  he  bought  a  farm  and  engaged 
in  agricultural  pursuits  for  six  years.  At 
the  end  of  that  time  he  disposed  of  his  prop- 
erty and  again  started  westward,  .Oregon  be- 
ing his  destination  on  this  oceasion.  They 
made  the  journey  to  San  Francisco  by  rail, 
taking  the  boat  from  there  to  Portland, 
whence  they  came  directly  to  Gresham.  Upon 
his  arrival  in  Jlultnomah  county,  Mr,  Reg- 
ner  filed  on  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
land,  a  soldier's  claim,  devoting  his  entire 
time  and  attention  to  its  cultivation  with 
constantly  increasing  success  until  1902.  In 
the  latter  year  he  disposed  of  his  ranch  and 
coming  into  Gresham  bought  some  land  and 
erected  his  present  residence ;  here  he  also 
engaged  in  the  boot  and  shoe  business  until 
his  retirement  in  1909.  Mr,  Regner  has  ac- 
quired quite  extensive  property  interests 
since  coming  here,  and  has  some  valuable 
holdings  in  both  the  residence  and  business 
portions  of  the  town. 

In  Montpelier,  Vermont,  on  the  29th  of 
December,  1S58,  Mr.  Regner  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  .Julia  Louizell,  who  was  born 
in  St.  Marys,  province  of  Ontario.  Canada,  in 
•  ilay.  1839,  She  is  a  daughter  of  Gregorie 
and  Julia  (Vegent)  Louizell.  who  were  like- 
wise natives  of  Canada,  whence  they  mi- 
grated to  Vermont,  settling  in  Montpelier. 
where  !Mr.  and  Jlrs.  Regner  met  and  were 
subsequently  married.  Her  parents  pas.sed 
the  remainder  of  their  lives  in  Vermont  where 
the  father  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits 
until  his  death,  Mr,  and  Mrs.  Regner  liave 
been  the  parents  of  five  children,  as  follows: 
Frederick,  who  is  deceased;  Hattie,  the  widow 
of  Edwin  C'otrell  of  San  Francisco,  Califor- 
nia, by  whom  she  had  one  child,  Laura : 
Arthur,  who  is  engaged  in  contracting  and 
building  in  Gresham:  Frank,  who  is  also  de- 
ceased: and  Mary,  who  died  in  infancy.  The 
children  were  all  given  the  advantages  of  a 
good  common-school  education. 

Mr,  Regner  has  never  identified  himself 
with  any  religious  denomination,  but  he  is 
a  man  of  high  ideals  regarding  the  conduct 
of  our  daily  lives  and  has  adopted  for  his  own 
guiding  principle  the  Golden  Rule,  the  philos- 
ophy of  which  he  has  always  striven  to  fol- 
low. His  political  allegiance  he  gives  to  the 
republican  party,  but  although  he  takes  an 
active  interest  in  all  matters  pertaining  to 
the  community  welfare  he  has  never  par- 
ticipated in  local  governmental  affairs.  He 
is  a  man  of  genial,  kindly  nature,  broad  in 
his  views  and  charitable  in  his  judgments, 
who  recognizes  the  strong  bond  of  luiman 
brotherliood.  Such  qualities  always  attract 
the  finest  natures  and  Mr.  Regner  has  many 
friends,  wliose  intense  loyalty  has  been  won 
and  retained  through  the  admirable  traits  of 
character  he  has  manifested  during  the  long 
period  of  his   residence   in  the  county. 

PETER  LOGGIE  is  one  of  the  enterprising 
business  men  of  North  Bend.  Oregon.  Avhere 
he  is  engaged  in  the  seneral  real-estate  busi- 
ness. He  was  born  in  Xew  Brunswick,  Can- 
ada, on  .June  9.  1847.  and  is  a  son  of  Alexan- 


der and  Georgiua  Loggie,  both  of  whom  were 
of  Scotch  descent  and  natives  of  Xew  Bruns- 
wick. The  father  followed  farming  and  fish- 
ing for  a  livelihood  and  in  his  native  country 
he  continued  to  live  xmtil  the  time  of  his 
death,  whch  occurred  in  1900,  The  mother 
died  in  1897,  They  were  the  parents  of  seven 
children,  six  of  whom  are  living.  Peter  is  the 
subject  of  this  review,  Andrew,  who  is  en- 
gaged in  the  general  wholesale  and  retail 
merchandising  business  and  is  also  interested 
as  owner  of  a  fish  cannery  and  sawmill,  re- 
sides in  Xew  Brunswick,  Canada.  George, 
wlio  is  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Watcom  Falls 
Mill  Company,  maintains  his  home  in  Belling- 
liam,  Washington,  Robert  is  the  next  in 
order  of  birth,  James  is  also  a  member  of  the 
firm  of  Watcom  Falls  Mill  Company  and  re- 
sides in  Bellingham,  Washington.  Frank,  who 
completes  the  family,  is  a  partner  in  the  firm 
of  A.  &  R,  Loggie. 

Peter  Loggie  was  reared  in  his  parents' 
liome  and  received  his  early  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  Xew  Brunswick  and  later 
was  graduated  from  one  of  the  colleges  at 
Xew  Brunswick,  In  early  life  he  was  engaged 
in  the  sawmill  business,  operating  at  the  same 
time  a  sash  and  door  factory.  He  later  re- 
moved to  Boston,  Massachusetts,  where  he 
was  employed  as  a  carpenter  and  where  he 
coutinued  for  some  time.  In  1890  he  removed 
to  Seattle.  Washington,  and  was  there  en- 
gaged in  the  contracting  business  for  one  year 
after  which  he  came  to  Coos  county  where 
lie  built  the  Coos  Bay  life  saving  station  for 
tlie  government  and  was  afterward  engaged 
in  various  occupations  in  the  Coos  Bay  dis- 
trict. In  1904  he  took  up  work  with  the 
Simpson  Lumber  Company  and  built  the  ship 
Marconi  for  Mr.  Simpson.  He  was  later  com- 
missioned by  tlie  Simpson  Lumber  Company 
to  travel  throughout  the  state  to  obtain 
signatures  to  a  petition  for  the  deep  water 
ways  improvement  of  Coos  Bay.  Mr.  Loggie 
was  extraordinarily  successful  in  obtaining 
the  best  of  indorsement  for  the  success  of 
the  petition  and  in  1908  went  to  Washing- 
ton to  have  a  special  bill  put  through  'con- 
gress to  provide  for  a  government  dredge 
to  be  sent  to  Coos  Bay  to  dredge  out  the 
harbor.  In  this  he  was  entirely  successful 
and  the  dredge  Oregon  is  now  at  work  in 
Coos  Bay  deepening  the  channel.  Too  much 
credit  cannot  be  given  to  Mr.  Loggie  for  the 
completion  of  this  work  both  before  the 
people  of  the  state  of  Oregon  and  also  in 
getting  his  bill  through  the  various  commit- 
tees in  congress  and  finally  through  congress, 
so  that  it  could  become  a  law.  In  the  course 
of  his  duties  he  attended  the  various  deep 
water  congress  assemblies  in  various  parts 
of  the  L'nited  States,  among  them  being  the 
congress  at  Boise.  Idaho,  and  at  Kansas  City, 
Missouri,  During  that  period  Hon.  George  E. 
Chamberlain  was  the  governor  of  Oregon  and 
Mr.  Loggie  received  from  Jlr.  Chamberlain 
eight  different  appointments,  each  of  which 
were  directly  related  to  his  work  as  an  agent 
for  the  promotion  of  deep  water  ways  at 
Coos  Bay.  He  was  a  member  of  the  ^lissis- 
sippi  Commercial  Congress  during  this  time 
and    was    also   president   of   the   Xortli   Bend 


PETKU    LUGGIE 


z  NEW  YORK  k 
Lie-   LIBRARY  r 


TILDEh 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  0BEC40N 


.n 


Chamber  of  Commerce,  ill  190U  he  discon- 
tinued his  services  with  the  Simpson  Lumber 
Company  and  engaged  in  the  real-estate  busi- 
ness in  Xorth  Bend  and  has  since  continued 
to  give  his  attention  to  that  work.  He  is 
also  a  dealer  in  all  kinds  of  building;  material. 
He  is  the  owner  of  a  number  of  valuable 
properties  at  Xorth  Bend  and  at  Bandon  and 
has  property  at  Ten  ilile  Lake  in  Coos  county. 
Mr.  Loggie  was  united  in  marriage  in  1871 
to  iliss  Elizabeth  T.  Williston,  a  native  of 
New  Brunswick,  and  they  are  the  parents 
of  five  children.  Annie  is  "the  wife  of  Hillery 
Sheets,  a  resident  of  New  York.  She  is  a 
college  graduate  and  taught  school  until  the 
time  of  her  marriage.  Stymest  is  the  de- 
ceased wife  of  Charles  Bradway  of  ilonson, 
Massachusetts.  Lina  D.  is  employed  as  a 
stenographer  in  Boston,  Massachusetts.  Alli- 
son married  Arthur  Elsworth  Stevens,  a  resi- 
dent of  Sommerville,  Massachusetts.  George 
W.,  the  youngest  of  the  family,  is  married  and 
engaged'  in  business  in  Boston.  Mr.  Loggie 
is  affiliated  with  the  republican  party  and 
has  served  on  the  city  council  of  Xorth  Bend 
and  was  president  of  that  body  during  his 
last  term.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
lodge,  being  a  Royal  Arch  Mason,  of  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and  the  Knights 
of  Pythias.  Peter  Loggie  is  one  of  the  well 
known,  enterprising  men  of  Xorth  Bend  and  a 
man  who  is  held  in  high  esteem  by  the  citi- 
zens of  his  county  and  state. 

THOMAS  CONDON.  There  was  a  lime- 
stone quarry  near  the  home  of  Mr.  Condon's 
childliood  that  must  have  made  a  deep  im- 
I^ression  upon  his  thoughtful  mind  and  shed 
the  affectionate  glamor  of  early  association 
over. his  study  of  the  rocks,  for  his  interest 
in  geology  began  with  his  childhood. 

Fortunately  for  him  his  family  left  the  old 
home  in  Southern  Ireland  and  crossing  the 
Atlantic  made  their  home  in  the  city  of  Xew 
York.  Here  we  find  the  future  scientist  an 
active  wide-awake  boy,  full  of  life  and  with 
a  strong  appetite  for  knowledge.  Some  of 
his  leisure  hours  were  utilized  in  exploring 
the  old  Revolutionary  fortifications  near  the 
city.  And  occasionally  he  spent  a  half  holi- 
day hunting  rabbits  in  the  wilds  of  what  is 
now  Central  Park.  A  few  years  ago.  in 
speaking  of  those  days  of  his  boyhood,  he 
referred  to  his  study  of  algebra  and  then 
said:  •'But  when  I  took  up  geometry  it 
lifted  nip  to  the  clouds.  I  drank  it  in  as 
a  mental  food."  It  seemed  to  be  the  pure, 
beautiful  logic,  the  perfect  chain  of  reason- 
ing, that  appealed  to  his  mind.  " 

At  about  eighteen  years  of  age.  lie  was 
working,  studying,  and  teaching  in  Caniillus. 
Skaneateles.  and  other  places  in  central  Xew 
York,  where  he  finally  cntereil  the  Tlieolog- 
ical  Seminary  at  Auburn  while  teaching  in 
the  evening  school  at  Auburn  State's  Prison. 

But  he  had  heard  of  the  Whitman  Mis- 
sion in  the  Far  West  and  had  made  up  his 
mind  to  go  as  a  home  missionary  to  the  Ore- 
gon country,  and  in  1852.  with  his  young 
bride,  lie  sailed  in  a  clipper  shi]i  around 
Cape  Horn  for  San  Francisco.  After  a  long 
and   eventful   voyage  they   found   themselves 


iu  the  newly  settled  and  une.\plored  Oregon. 
Trappers  had  long  known  it  as  a  land  of 
furs;  miners  had  known  it  as  a  land  of  gold; 
the  early  pioneer  had  found  it  a  country 
with  rich  and  fertile  soil;  but  its  scientific 
lesources  were  still  undiscovered.  The  ques- 
tions that  had  dawned  dimly  upon  his  mind 
as  he  played  by  the  stone  quarry  of  his 
childhood,  the  questions  that  were"  kindleil 
into  life  as  lie  studied  the  fossils  of  central 
Xew  York,  the  questions  of  the  how  and 
wherefore  of  creation  must  have  come  to 
him  with  new  force  as  he  looked  out  upon 
the  fertile  valleys,  grand  mountains,  and 
noble   rivers   of   his   new    home. 

But  the  activity  of  these  first  years  left 
but  little  time  for  scientific  research;  for 
new  homes  must  be  built,  land  cleared,  crops 
planted,  schools  started,  churches  organized, 
and  hostile  Indians  subdued,  and  there  were 
but  few  of  these  labors  of  pioneer  life  iu 
which  he  did  not  take  an  active  part. 

After  ten  years  of  life  in  western  Oregon 
Mr.  Condon,  wishing  for  a  more  needy  field, 
moved  his  family  to  The  Dalles,  then  the 
head  of  navigation  on  the  Columbia,  the 
gateway  through  which  all  the  rough,  reck- 
less mining  population  must  pass  on  their 
way  to  the  newly  discovered  gold  fields  of 
eastern  Oregon.  Here,  too,  was  an  army 
post  from  which  men  and  supplies  were  sent 
to  all  parts  of  the  Xorthwest. 

An  army  officer  returning  from  an  expe- 
dition against  hostile  Indians  brought  Mr. 
Condon  his  first  eastern  Oregon  fossils  from 
the  Crooked  river  country.  These  fossils 
aroused  the  keen  interest  of  the  student  of 
nature  and  in  1863  or  '63  he  obtained  per- 
mission to  accompany  a  part}-  of  cavalry 
carrying  supplies  to  Harney  valley.  They 
returned  by  way  of  old  Camp  Watson,  on 
the  John  Day  river,  and  here  Mr.  Condon 
found  his  first  fossils  in  the  now  famous 
■Tohn  Day  valley. 

These  glimpses  of  this  fossil  field  only 
served  to  make  him  eager  for  more,  and  as 
soon  as  the  Indians  had  been  subdued  and 
it  was  safe  to  venture  among  those  hills  ami 
ravines  without  an  army  escort.  'Mr.  Condon 
spent  his  vacations  exploring  in  the  John 
Day  country.  On  one  of  these  trips  he 
found  and  named  Turtle  Cove,  which  has 
since  jiroved  to  be  one  of  the  richest  fossil 
beds  in  tlie  valley.  He  employed  young  men 
to  spend  their  summers  collecting  tlie  fossils 
exposed  by  the  wear  of  winter  storms.  Ho 
made  friends  with  the  rough  teamsters  who 
drove  the  great  government  freight  wagons 
from  Fort  Dalles  to  the  army  posts  in  the 
wilderness.  As  these  teamsters  returned 
with  empty  wagons  they  often  brought  a 
few  rocks  or  a  line  box  of  fossils  for  their 
new  friend  at  The  Dalles.  In  a  few  years 
Jlr.  Condon  found  in  his  possession  a  large 
ouantity  of  valuable  material  that  must  be 
classified  and  described.  But  he  was  with- 
out scientific  books,  was  thousands  of  miles 
Tiom  the  sreat  libraries  and  museums  of  the 
east,  and  far  from  other  scientists  with  whom 
to  confer. 

Fortunately  at  this  time  the  United  State* 
Government  was  making  its  famous  geolog- 


542 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


iual  survey  of  the  fortieth  parallel,  embrac- 
iug  a  strip  of  laud  oue  huudred  miles  in 
width,  and  connecting  the  geology  of  the 
ureal  plains  east  of  the  Kocky  mountains 
with  that  of  California  and  the  Pacilic  coast. 
(3ne  evening  as  this  great  work  was  nearing 
completion,  JMr.  Condon  was  delighted  to 
learn  that  Clarence  King,  the  leader  of  the 
.•^urvey,  had  reached  The  Dalles,  and  he  lost 
no  time  before  meeting  this  distinguished 
geologist.  Mr.  King  was  deeply  interested 
ill  the  pioneer  discoverer's  account  of  Ore- 
gon geology  and  the  ne.xt  day  found  him  in 
the  Condon  home  studying  the  unique  col- 
lection. 

Not  later  than  the  spring  of  1867  Mr. 
Blake,  an  eastern  geologist,  visited  the  cabi- 
net at  The  Dalles,  and  on  his  return  voyage 
carried  with  him  a  few  specimens  of  fossil 
leaves  originally  from  Bridge  creek  in  the 
•  loliu  Day  valley.  These  were  perhaps  the 
first  Oregon  specimens  to  iind  their  way  to 
the  Atlantic  coast.  They  soon  fell  into  the 
hunds  of  Dr.  Xewberry  of  Columbia  College. 
New  York,  who,  being  a  specialist  in  fossil 
iHitany,  longed  earnestly  for  more.  After 
talking  with  Clarence  King  in  Washington, 
i'ud  learning  from  him  more  of  the  Oregon 
geologist  and  his  country.  Dr.  Newberry 
wrote  ilr.  Condon  in  1869  and  received  in 
response  a  box  of  fossils  of  which  he  writes: 
"1  received  your  two  letters  with  great  pleas- 
ure. Since  then  the  box  has  safely  come  to 
hand  and  that  has  given  me  still  greater  sat- 
isfaction, for  I  found  it  full  of  new  and 
beautiful  things  which  fully  justified  the 
liigh  anticipation  I  had  formed  judging  from 
vour  letters  and  the  specimens  brought  by 
^Ir.  Blake." 

In  the  autumu  of  ISTO  Arnold  Hague,  also 
connected  with  the  geological  survey  of  the 
fortieth  parallel,  spent  a  month  in  Oregon, 
]iart  of  the  time  being  at  The  Dalles  in  dis- 
cussion over  the  geological  problems  of  the 
Columbia  river  region.  That  this  visit  was 
a  source  of  mutual  pleasure  is  shown  by  a 
subsequent  letter  in  which  Mr.  Hague  refers 
to  his  "month  in  Oregon  in  1870  as  one  of 
the  pleasant  memories  of  the  past." 

But  a  new  era  was  dawning  for  "the  Ore- 
gon country."  The  first  transcontinental 
railroad  had  touched  the  Pacific  and  with  it 
came  many  large  parties  of  cultured  tourists 
who.  wishing  to  look  upon  the  grand  scenery 
of  the  Columbia,  found  themselves  obliged  to 
spend  the  night  in  The  Dalles.  Tn  this  way 
it  often  happened  that  late  in  the  afternoon 
a  party  of  fifteen  or  twenty  ladies  and  gen- 
tlemen' would  gather  at  the  home  of  the  Ore- 
gon geologist  and  spend  a  pleasant  hour 
studving  the   life  of  past  ages. 

In"  1870  yir.  Condon  shipped  his  first  boxes 
of  specimens  to  the  Smithsonian  Institute 
at  Washington,  and  from  there  they  were 
sent  to  Dr.  Leidy  of  Philadelphia  Academy 
of  Sciences  for  expert  examination.  The 
National  Museum  was  glad  to  receive  these 
new  fossils  from  the  Pacific  coast  and  ]irom- 
ised  its  official  assistance  in  every  way  pos- 
sible. 

A  few  months  later  of  this  same  year 
Professor  Marsh  of  Yale  College  wrote  from 


San  Francisco  as  follows:  ~I  have  heard 
for  several  years  a  great  deal  of  the  good 
work  you  are  doing  in  geology  and  of  the 
interesting  collection  of  vertebrate  fossiU 
you  have  made,  and  I  intended  during  my 
present  visit  to  the  Pacific  coast  to  come  to 
Oregon  and  make  your  acquaintance  person- 
ally and  examine  your  fossil  treasures  which 
my  friends.  Professor  George  Davidson.  Clar- 
ence King,  Mv.  Raymond,  and  otliers  had 
often  wished  me  to  see."  And  a  little  later 
Professor  Marsh  writes  luging  that  al!  fos- 
sils of  extinct  mammals  be  sent  to  Yale  to 
be  used  by  him  in  a  work  on  paleontology 
gotten  out  by  the  United  States  Government 
iu  connection  with  the  siu-vey  of  the  fortieth 
parallel. 

During  these  years  many  Oregon  fossils 
found  their  way  to  the  educational  centers 
of  the  east.  If  they  were  fossil  leaves  they 
\.ere  sent  to  Dr.  Newberry  of  Columbia  Col- 
lege; if  shells,  to  Dr.  Dall  of  the  American 
Museum  of  Natural  History:  if  fossil  mam- 
mals, to  the  Smithsonian,  or  to  Marsh  of 
Y'ale  or  Cope  of  Philadelphia.  A  few  of 
these  were  sold,  some  of  them  were  sent  in 
exchange  for  eastern  fossils,  but  most  of 
them  were  simply  lent  in  order  that  they 
might  be  classified  and  described  by  scien- 
tific experts. 

In  May,  1871,  Mr.  Condou  published  in  th<' 
Overland  Monthly  his  paper  on  '"The  Rocks 
of  the  .lohn  Day  Valley."  And  in  Novem- 
ber of  that  year  his  article  entitled  "The 
Willamette  Sound"  appeared  in  the  same 
magazine.  The  latter  was  perhaps  his  favor- 
ite of  all  his  geological  writings.  He  felt 
that  "The  Rocks  of  the  John  Day  Valley  " 
might  need  revising  after  a  more  thorough 
exploration  but  that  "The  Willamette 
Sound"  would  endure.  Both  of  these  papers 
are  given  in  "The  Two  Islands."  published 
in   1902. 

Mr.  Diller  of  the  United  States  Geological 
.Survey  has  virtually  accepted  "The  Willam- 
ette Sound"  and  incorporated  its  substance 
in  his  report  of  the  geology  of  northwestern 
Oregon,  his  only  criticism  being  the  sugges- 
tion tliat  the  waters  of  the  sound  were 
jirobably  even  higher  than  noted  in  the  orig- 
inal publication.  These  two  papers  fairly  rep- 
resent Mr.  Condon's  strength  as  a  construc- 
tive geological  worker.  They  indicate  his 
ability  to  begin  at  ocean  level  and  by  means 
of  mountain  upheavals,  marine  and  like  sedi- 
ments, fossil  leaves  and  bones,  and  volcanic 
outflows,  to  reconstruct  and  make  wonder- 
fully vivid  the  geological  part  of  a  new 
country. 

From  this  time  on.  the  sense  of  lonely 
isolation  that  had  so  hampered  him  in  his 
work,  gave  place  to  the  most  cordial  inter- 
course between  the  Oregon  pioneer  and  dis- 
tinguished scientists  of  the  United  States 
and  Canada.  In  1871  Mr.  Condon  had  the 
pleasure  of  showing  Professor  Marsh  and  a 
large  ))arty  from  Yale  College  through  this 
new  fossil  field,  and  a  little  later  Professor 
l.eConte  of  the  University  of  California  was 
introduced  into  the  same  .Tohn  Day  valley. 
The  latest  scientific  publications  began  to 
find  their  way  into  Mr.  Condon's  library  in 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


543 


excliange  for  information  and  material  freely 
given  to  eastern  workers.  The  stimulus  of 
all  this  stiiring  intercourse  by  exchange,  cor- 
respondence, or  personal  conversation  with 
some  of  the  most  learned  men  of  the  age, 
was  a  great  boon.  Life  in  the  strength  of 
his  manhood  was  full  of  buoyancy  and  joy, 
a  grand  opportunity  for  usefulness. 

It  gave  Mr.  Condon  real  pleasure  to  sit 
down  beside  a  rough  block  of  sandstone  with 
only  the  corner  of  one  glistening  tooth  in 
sight,  to  pick  and  chip  and  chisel  until 
another  tooth  and  part  of  the  jaw  were  seen, 
to  continue  with  careful  skill  until  the  beau- 
tiful agatized  molars  were  laid  bare,  to  work 
patiently  on  until  there  stood  before  him, 
lie  longer  the  shapeless  mass  of  stone,  but  a 
fine  fossil  head  to  add  its  testimony  to  the 
record  of  the  past.  But  it  gave  him  greater 
pleasure  still,  to  work  with  rough,  unpolished 
human  character  and  discover  the  glint  of 
gold  hidden  under  the  rough  exterior.  The 
book  of  nature  was  indeed  fascinating  but 
did  not  ajjpeal  to  him  as  did  the  \\ork  with 
men.  He  had  the  artist's  eye  for  seeing  the 
beautiful  in  character  and  the  enthusiasm  of 
a  sculptor  for  shaping  rough,  faulty  human 
nature  until  its  beauty  reflected  the  divine. 
To  many  minds,  these  two  lines  of  in- 
terest, the  development  of  character  and  the 
study  of  nature,  would  seem  incongruous, 
but  "to  him  they  were  both  God's  truth,  the 
one  the  preparation,  the  other  the  culmina- 
tion of  God's  work.  And  yet  strange  and 
unusual  as  is  this  combination  of  geologist 
and  minister,  it  seemed  exactly  what  was 
needed  to  equip  one  for  usefulness  thirty  or 
forty  years  ago.  For  these  were  years  of 
great  stir  in   the  scientific  world. 

The  author  of  "The  Origin  of  Species"  and 
"The  Descent  of  Man"  had  given  his  theory 
of  evolution  to  the  w-orld.  The  grand  truths 
developed  by  that  galaxy  of  brilliant  Eng- 
lish writers.  ,Spencer.  Huxley.  Tyndall.  and 
others,  had  been  seized  by  materialists  who 
were  calling  upon  all  thinkers  to  discard  the 
Bible  as  out  of  date  because  not  in  harmony 
with  scientific  thought.  Cliristian  ministers 
were  not  scientists  and  the  principles  of 
'■Higher  Criticism."  if  thought  of  at  all.  were 
considered  dangerous  heresies  against  which 
tn  warn  their  people.  To  Mr.  Condon  the 
theory  of  evolution  presented  to  the  human 
mind  a  Avider  conception  of  God  than  the 
world  had  ever  known.  It  involved  a  plan 
of  unthinkable  grandeur;  beginning  with  the 
smallest,  simplest  things,  gradually  unfold- 
ing into  more  complex  life,  often  interrupted 
by  some  great  upturning  of  nature,  but  never 
losing  the  continuity  of  purpose,  the  steady 
progress  toward  the  culminating  glory  of  all: 
the   spiritual   life   of   man. 

To  have  all  this  new  wealth  of  spiritual 
vision  appropriated  by  materialists  was  a 
source  of  deepest  sorrow.  The  storm,  start- 
ing on  tlie  intellectual  heights  of  Europe,  was 
slowly  traveling  westward.  A  little  later 
magazines  were  full  of  the  subject  and  ma- 
terialism was  creeping  into  college  life  with 
the  claim  that  evolution  was  antagonistic 
to  religion.  The  young  men  who  studied 
science  found  few  leadens  so  endowed  as  to 


interpret    the    beautiful    adaptation    of    the 
doctrine  of   evolution   to  tlie   spiritual   life. 

Mr.  Condon  saw  that  the  old  ramparts 
erected  by  theologians  were  no  longer  a  safe 
retreat;  that  the  church  must  be  defended 
even  by  science  itself  and  he  longed  to  help 
unfurl  the  Christian  banner  over  this  newly 
discovered  realm  of  truth.  He  felt  his  most 
efl'ective  work  could  be  done  with  his  cabinet 
in  shaping  the  immature  minds  of  Oregon's 
sons  and  daughters.  This,  with  the  grow- 
ing educational  needs  of  his  family,  finally 
led  him  in  1873  to  take  his  place  "with  the 
faculty  of  Pacific  University  at  Forest  Grove 
and  later  in  1876  to  accept  the  chair  of  Ge- 
ology and  Xatural  History  in  the  State 
I'niversity. 

In  1876,  shortly  after  reaching  Eugene, 
Mr.  Condon,  in  company  with  a  son  of  ex- 
Governor  Wliiteaker,  made  a  trip  to  the  Sil- 
Aer  lake  country  in  southeastern  Oregon. 
Here  they  gathered  a  fine  collection '  of 
beautifully  preserved  fossil  bird  bones,  which 
were  sent  east  to  be  described  but  seemed 
too  rare  and  valuable  to  be  returned,  for. 
in  spite  of  many  efforts  to  recover  them 
tliey  were  finally  lost  to  the  rightful  owner. 
Fortunately,  they  had  been  previously  exam- 
ined and  described  by  Dr.  Shufeldt.  an  ex- 
pert in  the  study  of  fossil  birds,  and  to  him 
we  are  indebted  for  much  interesting  knowl- 
edge of  the  ancient  life  of  the  region.  This 
same  locality  has  also  yielded  some  of  the 
finest  specimens  of  fossil  mammals  in  the 
state. 

By  this  time  Oregon  had  passed  out  of 
its  pioneer  stage  and  was  looking  to  a  broad- 
er expansion  of  statehood,  with  all  its  hid- 
den possibilities  of  indu.strial  development. 
!Men  were  asking.  '"Have  we  coal  in  Ore- 
gon?" "How  shall  we  utilize  our  gold-bear- 
ing black  sands?"  "Have  we  the  right  geo- 
logical formation  for  artesian  water?"  "Have 
we  cement  rock,  copper,  or  limestone?"  Let- 
ters on  all  of  tliese  and  many  other  prob- 
lems kept  coming  to  Mr.  Condon  from  near 
and  from  far.  These  questions  a7id  the  in- 
vestigation necessary  for  their  answers  re- 
sulted in  his  acquiring  an  extensive  knowl- 
edge of  the  industrial  problems  of  the  state. 
If  any  one  wished  to  bore  for  artesian  water 
his  advice  was  asked.  The  discoverer  of  a 
tresh  prospect  for  coal,  copper,  asbestos  or 
marble,  nnist  send  him  a  sample  specimen 
and  ask  his  opinion  of  its  value,  and  he  was 
always  ready  with  a  word  of  advice,  a  bit 
of  encouragement  or  a  needed  caution. 

All  these  years  he  had  been  glad  to  share 
his  rapidly  increasing  knowledge  with  the 
jieople  of  the  northwest.  The  old  river 
steamers  and  slow  moving  trains  of  early 
Oregon  often  carried  him  to  fill  lecture  en- 
gagements, and  he  was  usually  cumbered 
uith  many  heavy  packages  of  specimens 
and  clioice  fossils  to  illustrate  his  subject. 
Sometimes  the  lecture  w-ould  be  before  a  cul- 
tured Portland  audience:  sometimes  it  was 
n  course  of  lectures  for  some  growing  young 
college  or  perhaps  a  talk  to  the  farmers  at 
the  State  Fair  upon  the  formation  and  com- 
position of  soil.  But  ns  the  years  passed, 
most   of   his   time   and   strength   were  given 


544 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


to  liis  teachiug  at  the  University,  while  his 
summer  vacations  were  spent  with  his  family 
at  his  Xye  Brook  Cottage  by  the  Sea. 

Here  liis  life  was  almost  unique,  but  it 
again  brought  him  into  the  most  friendly 
relations  with  many  classes  of  people  from 
all  parts  of  the  northwest.  Sometimes  there 
were  formal  lectures  before  a  summer  school, 
but  more  often  there  was  an  informal  an- 
nouncement that  "Professor  Condon  would 
lecture  on  the  beach,"  perhaps  near  Jump- 
clT  Joe.  And  here  his  audience  would  gather 
around  him  in  the  shelter  of  the  bluff  or  head- 
land, some  standing,  some  sitting  on  the 
rocks,  others  perched  upon  the  piles  of  weath- 
er-bleached driftwood,  while  the  children  sat 
"Turk  fashion''  upon  the  drj',  glistening  sand. 
And  he,  with  his  tall  alpine  stalk  in  his  hand, 
his  broad  hat  and  loose  raglan  coat  made  a 
picturesque  figure  standing  in  their  midst. 
Perhaps  he  talked  of  the  three  beaches,  the 
one  upon  which  thej'  stood  and  the  two  old 
geological  beaches  so  plainly  visible  in  the 
ocean  bluff  behind  them.  The  banker,  the 
college  president,  tlie  physician  from  a  dis- 
tant part  of  the  state,  the  young  city  clerk, 
the  carpenter,  the  teacher  of  the  country 
school,  the  farmer  and  his  family  taking  an 
outing  by  the  sea,  even  the  high-school  boy, 
and  the  children,  all  listened  with  interest. 
And  when  the  talk  was  over  and  all  their 
questions  had  been  answered,  the  motley 
gathering  strolled  leisurely  away.  But  the 
rolling  breakers  at  their  feet,  the  hurrying 
scud  and  the  blue  summer  sky,  all  had  a 
new  significance  as  they  pondered  on  the 
mystery  of  creation. 

Or  perhaps  a  geological  picnic  was  planned 
up  the  beach  to  Otter  Rocks.  After  a  brisk 
ride  of  a  few  miles  over  the  hills  and  along 
the  beach.  Mr.  Condon's  carriage  would  stop, 
the  other  vehicles  would  group  themselves 
around  near  by,  and,  standing  in  his  convey- 
ance, he  would  give  a  short  talk  on  the  geo- 
logical formation  of  the  particular  cove  or 
l^eadland  with  its  base  of  old  sandstone  full 
of  fossil  shells.  Then  the  company  would 
move  on.  and  after  a  few  more  miles  of  de- 
lightful beach  ride  upon  the  hard  sand  near 
the  breakers,  they  would  leave  their  carriages, 
gather  their  picks,  hammers,  and  chisels  and 
spend  an  hour  chipping  fossils  from  the  bluff 
or  from  the  large  bowlders  at  its  base.  The 
next  stop  would  be  to  lunch  near  Otter 
Kocks  and  explore  the  unique  Devil's  Cal- 
dron or  Punchbowl  and  the  interesting  beach 
beyond. 

But  the  most  common  picture,  the  one  that 
must  make  the  Condon  Cottage  at  Nye  Beach 
an  almost  sacred  spot  for  some,  was  the 
party  stolling  homeward  from  a  morning  on 
the  beach — especially  at  low  tide.  They  al- 
ways stopped  beside  his  cottage  door  to  show 
their  treasures  to  Jlr.  Condon.  There  were 
baskets,  tin  pails,  and  all  sorts  of  packages 
filled  with  curios  gathered  on  the  morning 
walk:  one  had  a  rare  shell-fish,  another  an 
unusual  fossil,  some  had  sea  moss,  others  only 
.\  group  of  bright  pebbles,  while  a  few  proud- 
ly exhibited  their  water  agates.  All  had  their 
eager  question  and  his  kindlv,  helpful  inter- 
est never   failed;   for  if  some  child  but  left 


his  cottage  door  with  eyes  large  and  shining 
with  a  new  joy  because  it  had  caught  a 
glimpse  of  the  beauty  of  knowledge,  he  was 
content.     And  so  his  summers  passed. 

ileanwhile  he  had  been  carrying  on  his  orig- 
inal research  work  by  taking  trips  to  the 
southwestern  part  of  the  state  and  was 
slowly  filling  out  his  geological  map  of  Ore- 
gon. 

ilr.  Condon's  love  for  knowledge  was  not 
confined  to  natural  science,  for  his  interests 
were  broad  as  the  universe.  To  him,  human 
history  began  with  the  men  of  prcglacial  age. 
and  he  sought  eagerly  for  every  ray  of  light 
that  archaeological  research  could  throw 
upon  the  old  Cave  Dwellers  of  prehistoric 
times.  He  studied  all  primitive  peoples. 
tlieir  religion,  industries,  and  social  develop- 
ment, and  endeavored  to  trace  their  rela- 
tionship to  common  ancestry.  There  were 
but  few  obscure  nations  of  the  world  in  which 
he  was  not  deeply  interested:  he  knew  their 
past  history,  their  present  political  condition 
and  struggles  for  liberty.  He  prized  the  his- 
tory of  our  Aryan  ancestors  and  treasured 
their  old  Vedie  hymns  as  among  the  first 
bright  glimpses  of  the  human  soul  in  reach- 
ing out  for  its  Creator.  The  religion,  art. 
ai:d  literature  of  the  Egyptians.  Arabians 
Persians  and  Greeks  were  to  him  a  source 
of  great  pleasure.  He  followed  the  lives  of 
noted  statesmen  and  was  most  enthusiastic 
in  his  admiration  for  the  world's  true  heroes. 
All  great  religious  movements,  including  the 
higher  criticism  and  the  relation  of  science 
to  religion  were  matters  of  absorbing  inter- 
est. And  yet  there  were  but  few  who  knew 
and  loved  Oregon's  trees,  shrubs,  and  wild 
llowers  so  well  as  he. 

In  1902.  after  passing  his  eightieth  birth- 
day. Mr.  Condon  published  Jiis  "The  Two  Is- 
lands." a  popular  work  on  the  geology  of 
Oregon,  which,  aside  from  its  scientific  value, 
will  be  prized  for  its  clearness  and  simplic- 
ity of  style  and  the  subtile  charm  of  his  own 
personality  as  constantly  revealed  in  its 
pages.  It  was  not  written  for  technical 
scientists  but  for  the  larger  circle  of  readers 
■ivho  love  to  catch  such  glimpses  of  the  prog- 
ress of  creation.  No,  Mr.  Condon  was  not  a 
specialist,  either  by  nature,  inclination  or 
education.  And  it  was  well  for  the  early 
development  of  Oregon  that  he  was  a  true 
pioneer  with  a  large  appetite  for  all  knowl- 
edge, a  keen  pleasure  in  imparting  that 
knowledge  to  others,  and  a  broad,  sympa- 
thetic outlook  into  the  needs  of  the  north- 
west. If  lie  had  been  a  specialist  he  might 
h.ave  received  more  technical  credit  in  the 
scientific  world,  for  he  discovered  many  new 
fossils  and  named  but  few.  But  what  is  the 
naming  of  a  few  fossils  more  or  less,  when 
compared  with  the  grandeur  of  such  a  broad 
sv,-eep  of  knowledge,  permeated  by  such  a 
beautiful  spirit  of  helpfulness? 

The  pioneer  work  in  this  new  and  unex- 
plored state,  so  remote  from  the  great  centers 
of  learning,  required  just  his  type  of  mind: 
just  his  habit  of  first  sketching  in  the  broad 
outlines  and  then  filling  in  the  details  with  all 
their  picturesque  beauty.  For  as  the  artist 
works,  he  worked.    A  colleague  who  wrought 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


545 


by  his  side  lias  said  of  him,  that  instead 
of  beginning  -witli  tlie  minute  details  and 
progressing  toward  tlie  hirge  facts  of  life, 
he  always  began  with  the  broad  outlines,  the 
great  principles  of  any  subject,  and  Avorked 
down  to  its  details. 

After  this  active,  eager  life  had  passed 
and  failing  health  gave  him  ample  time  for 
retrospective  meditation,  he  realized  that  he 
had  lived  through  a  grand  period  of  pioneer 
history  and  remarked,  as  he  looked  forward 
into  the  future  in  store  for  the  rising  gener- 
ation, "I  do  hot  know  that  I  would  ex- 
change the  rich  chapters  of  my  own  life  for 
all  the  future  opportunities  of  these  young 
raen." 

For  he  was  the  pioneer  geologist  who,  by 
his  own  original  research,  caught  the  first 
glimpse  of  Oregon's  oldest  land  as  it  rose 
from  the  ocean  bed;  he  saw  the  seashells 
upon  her  oldest  beaches;  watched  the  devel- 
opment of  her  grand  forests;  saw  her  first 
strange  mammals  feeding  upon  her  old  lake 
shores;  he  listened  in  imagination  to  the 
cannonading  of  her  iirst  volcanoes  and  traced 
the  showers  of  ashes  and  great  floods  of  lava. 
He  followed  the  creation  of  Oregon  step  by 
step  all  through  her  long  geological  history 
and  then  entered  with  enthusiasm  into  the 
industrial  and  educational  development  of 
her  present  life. 

But  above  all.  infinitely  above  all.  he  prized 
and  labored  for  the  noble  character  of  her 
sons  and  daughters.  Is  it  any  wonder  that 
his  heart  was  full  of  gratitude  to  God  for 
having  guided  him  into  such  a  rich  heritage 
of  life? 

JOHN  BROWN,  who  has  but  recently  be- 
come a  resident  of  Gresham.  was  for  twenty- 
one  years  actively  identified  with  the  com- 
mercial interests  of  Rockwood.  Oregon,  and 
was  one  of  the  prominent  factors  in  the  up- 
building and  development  of  that  town.  He 
is  a  native  of  the  province  of  Ontario,  Can- 
ada, his  birth  having  occurred  on  the  19th 
of  May.  1S67.  and  is  a  son  of  George  and 
Mary  (Mitchell)  Brown.  The  father  was  a 
native  of  Scotland  and  the  eldest  of  six  chil- 
dren born  to  his  parents.  In  order  of  birth 
they  are  as  follows:  George,  William.  John. 
Margaret,  Alexander  and  Alison.  The  mother. 
who  was  born  and  reared  in  Canada,  was  of 
Scotch  parentage  and  a  member  of  a  fam- 
ily of  eight  children,  of  whom  George,  who 
has  five  children,  is  now  a  resident  of  Wash- 
ington. Charles,  of  Ontario.  Canada,  is  like- 
wise the  father  of  five  children.  Robert,  also 
of  Ontario,  has  three  children.  .John,  a 
resident  of  Tacoma.  has  also  three  children. 
Mary  and  Annie  are  both  deceased,  ilr.  and 
Mrs.  Brown  were  married  in  Canada  on  the 
1st  of  August,  1866.  and  to  them  were  born 
nine  children,  of  whom  our  subject  is  the 
eldest.  Alison,  who  is  the  eldest  daughter, 
is  the  widow  of  George  Prettyman  of  Port- 
land, by  whom  she  had  four  children.  Mer- 
rill. Bernice.  Bessie  and  Maggie.  .James  A.. 
who  lives  in  Kernville.  Oregon,  has  five  chil- 
dren, ilary.  Lucy.  Garland.  David  and  James. 
David,  who  is  a  resident  of  Heppner.  Oregon, 
has  four  children.    George  H.,  who  is  the  next 


in  order  of  birth  is  unmarried  and  makes  his 
home  in  Portland.  The  father  engaged  in 
agricultural  pursuits  in  Canada  until  1SS6, 
when  together  with  his  wife  and  family  he 
crossed  the  border  into  the  United  States, 
first  locating  in  Walla  Walla,  Washington. 
They  remained  there  but  a  brief  period"  and 
then  went  to  Oregon  and  here  the  father  filed 
on  a  homestead  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  in  the  vicinity  of  Heppner.  He  ener- 
getically applied  himself  to  the  cultivation  of 
his  land  until  his  death  in  1893.  The  mother 
survived  him  for  nearly  two  decades,  her 
death  occurring  on  the  2d  of  September.  1911. 

John  Brown  was  reared  and  educated  in 
his  native  province,  and  at  the  age  of  twelve 
years  he  became  self-supporting.  When  he 
first  began  earning  his  living  he  was  em- 
])loyed  by  the  government  in  the  capacity  of 
mail  carrier,  continuing  to  discharge  the 
duties  of  this  position  for  four  years.  At 
the  expiration  of  that  time  he  returned  to 
the  home  farm,  in  tlie  operation  of  which  he 
assisted  his  father  until  he  was  eighteen. 
In  1886,  he  accompanied  his  people  on  their 
removal  to  the  United  States  and  subse- 
quently purchased  a  portion  of  a  tract  of 
land  in  the  vicinity  of  his  father's  claim  and 
preempted  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres.  Later 
he  disposed  of  this  and  removed  to  Wash- 
ington, locating  near  Walla  Walla,  where  he 
engaged  in  farming.  From  there  he  went 
to  Medical  Lake,  that  state,  and  turned  his 
attention  to  contracting  and  liuilding  for 
about  eighteen  years.  His  next  removal  was 
to  Rockwood,  Oregon,  where  he  engaged  in 
the  insurance  business  and  later  established 
a  general  mercantile  store.  He  met  there 
with  unusual  success  in  the  development  of 
his  various  undertakings.  He  disposed  of 
his  store  at  the  end  of  six  years,  but  con- 
tiiuied  in  the  insurance  business  until  he 
removed  to  Gresham.  Mr.  Brown  was  one  of 
the  very  early  pioneers  of  Rockwood,  where 
he  erected  the  first  residence  in  1893.  During 
the  long  period  of  his  residence  in  this  section 
of  the  state  he  has  acquired  some  valuable 
property  and  is  the  owner  of  one  hundred 
and  thirty-five  acres  of  fine  timber  land.  He 
has  erected  a  sawmill  on  this  land  and  is  en- 
gaged in  clearing  it  and  u[ion  the  comple- 
tion of  this  operation  will  own  one  of  the 
finest  tracts  of  land  in  the  grain  belt.  In 
addition  to  this  he  has  two  valuable  lots 
in  Astoria,  and  has  just  completed  the  most 
expensive  residence  in  Gresham,  which  is 
thoroughly  modern  in  all  its  appointments, 
and  is  located  on  Main  street  near  the  Mount 
Hood  station. 

For  his  wife  Mr.  Brown  chose  Miss  Min- 
nie A.  Smith  and  to  them  have  been  born  five 
children,  as  follows:  Miriam,  who  was  born 
in  189."i.  now  attending  high  school;  J.  Ross, 
whose  birth  occurred  in  1897,  also  going  to 
high  school;  Frank  H.,  Avhose  natal  year  was 
1S98,  attending  grammar  school;  Walter  R., 
who  was  born  in  August.  1900;  and  Charles 
]•;..   whose    birth    occurred    in    March.    1903. 

The  family  manifest  (heir  religious  belief 
through  tlieir  afiiliation  with  tlie  Presby- 
terian church,  and  fraternally  Mr.  Brown 
is   identified  with   the  Independent  Order  of 


;i4(i 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OP  OREGON 


0(1(1  Fellows  and  is  now  district  deputy  of 
this  organization  with  which  he  has  been 
connected  lor  twenty-three  years.  He  is  also 
a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  Amer- 
ica, and  while  living  in  Rockwood  he  or- 
ganized the  first  fraternal  society  established 
there,  which  was  the  JIaccabees.  Mr.  Brown 
is  a  very  progressive  and  enterprising  man 
and  alwaj's  takes  an  active  interest  in  all 
municipal  affairs,  giving  his  support  to  the 
republican  party,  but  has  never  been  an  of- 
fice seeker.  He  has  high  stivndards  of  citi- 
zenship and  the  duties  involved  therewith 
and  always  gives  his  indorsement  and  coopera- 
tion to  every  movement  which  he  deems  at 
all  likely  to  promote  the  general  welfare  of 
the  community. 

WILLIAM  DEWAR  is  the  owner  of  Bone 
island,  comprising  one  hundred  and  fifty- 
seven  acres  about  a  mile  south  of  Gardiner. 
Oregon,  and  thereon  is  engaged  in  raising, 
beside  buying  and  selling  horses  and  cattle 
for  the  market.  He  was  born  in  Middlesex 
county,  Ontario,  October  23,  1846.  a  son  of 
Duncan  and  Ann  (Webb)  Dewar.  The  father 
was  born  in  Scotland,  August  12,  1819,  and 
died  August  3,  1892,  while  the  mother,  a 
native  of  Genesee  valley,  New  York,  was 
born  September  21,  1815,  and  died  January 
3,  1895.  The  father  on  leaving  the  land  of 
hills  and  heather  went  to  Canada  in  com- 
pany with  his  parents,  being  then  about  ten 
years  of  age.  He  became  a  pioneer  settler 
of  Middlesex  county,  as  did  his  wife,  who 
was  four  or  five  j'ears  old  when  her  parents 
removed  from  the  Empire  state  to  Canada. 
Throughout  the  period  of  his  manhood  Dun- 
can Dewar  followed  the  occupation  of  farm- 
ing. In  1S60  he  removed  to  Wisconsin  with 
his  family  of  ten  children,  five  sons  and  five 
daughters. 

In  Wisconsin  William  Dewar.  who  had  be- 
gun his  education  in  the  schools  of  his  na- 
tive county,  continued  his  studies  in  the  pub- 
lie  schools  of  Lawrence.  In  early  manhood 
he  engaged  in  farming  in  Minnesota  and 
in  logging  in  Oregon.  He  removed  from  Wis- 
consin to  the  former  state  in  1868  and  there 
resided  for  about  seven  years.  In  1875  he 
went  to  California  where  he  carried  on  agri- 
cultural pursuits  for  a  year  and  then  removed 
to  Oregon,  settling  on  Scofield  creek  about 
twelve  miles  south  of  Gardiner.  There  he 
purchased  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  from  John  Mclsaae  and  engaged  in 
raising  stock  and  general  farming  for  about 
twenty-two  years,  when  he  disposed  of  the 
property  and  became  the  owner  of  Bone 
island.  He  thus  acquired  one  hundred  and 
fifty-seven  acres  a  mile  south  of  Gardiner. 
Here  he  farms  to  some  extent,  having  about 
one  hundred  acres  which  is  not  only  arable 
but  also  very  fertile.  In  addition  to  cul- 
tivating his  land  he  raises  horses  and 
cattle  and  also  buys  and  sells  live  stock. 
his  interests  along  that  line  proving  profit- 
able. While  often  requested  to  accept  county 
otlices  he  has  always  refused  to  become  a 
candidate,  (ireferring  to  devote  all  of  his  time 
to  his  business  pursuits  which,  carefully  and 


intelligently  directed,  have  won  for  him  a 
jjlace  among  the  substantial  residents  of  his 
county. 

On  the  14th  of  Xovember,  1866,  Mr.  De- 
war was  united  in  marriage  at  Westfield,  Wis- 
consin, to  Miss  Lucyna  S.  Peck,  who  was 
born  September  1,  1849,  on  Howe  island, 
one  of  the  Thousand  islands  of  Canada.  Her 
parents  were  Alexander  H.  and  Laura 
(Cooper)  Peck.  The  Pecks  were  an  old  New- 
England  family,  the  first  ancestors  probably 
coming  to  America  on  the  Mayflower  or 
about  that  time.  Alexander  H.  Peck  was 
born  in  Jefi'erson  county,  New  York,  and 
his  wife  was  a  native  of  Canada,  born  in 
the  vicinity  of  Kingston.  Thej'  were  mar- 
ried July  8,  1847.  and  after  living  for  two 
or  three  years  in  Canada  removed  to  Jeffer- 
son county.  New  York,  where  they  remained 
for  about  two  years,  and  then  took  up  their 
abode  near  Fond  du  Lac,  Wisconsin.  Two 
more  years  passed  and  they  then  removed 
to  Marquette  county,  Wisconsin,  where  the 
mother  died,  November  28,  1862.  The  fol- 
lowing year  the  father  married  Jlelissa 
Brown,  and  there  were  ten  children  born 
by  tliat  marriage.  Four  children  were  born 
of  the  first  marriage  of  whom  Mrs.  Dewar 
was  the  eldest.  The  others  were:  Cecelia 
Loretta.  who  was  born  July  25,  1853,  and 
is  the  wife  of  F.  D.  Joy,  living  near  Los 
Angeles,  California;  William  R.,  born  August 
26,  1855,  who  is  living  in  Elgin,  Oregon;  and 
Wilbert  F..  born  March  8.  1859.  The  last 
named  married  Anna  O'Brien,  and  resides 
on  Smith  river  in  this  state.  To  Mr.  and 
!Mrs.  Dewar  have  been  born  five  children. 
Laura  Ann.  who  was  born  September  28, 
1868.  was  married  October  24,  1887,  to  John 
il.  Dolan.  who  died  January  8,  1908.  leaving 
three  children:  William  Eugene,  born  Sep- 
tember 28.  1888:  Terance  Edwin,  born  April 
23,  1891;  and  Zoe  Ellen.  January  11.  1897. 
ilrs.  Dolan  was  married  in  19119  to  Harmon 
Smithgall.  of  Marshfield.  Oregon.  Jennie  D. 
Dewar,  born  May  3.  1870,  was  married  July 
3.  1889.  to  William  C.  Chamberlain  and  they 
reside  near  Gardiner.  They  have  four  chil- 
dren: Majorie  L.,  born  July  27,  1891;  Algie 
ilerle,  born  September  19,  1893;  Barbara  L., 
April  4.  1895;  and  Laura  Doane,  March  24, 
1896.  Gertrude  A.  Dewar,  born  September 
20,  1872,  is  mentioned  at  greater  length  on 
anotlier  page  of  this  work,  John  Algie 
Dewar.  born  August  3,  1882.  was  married 
September  20,  1903,  to  Bessie  A.  Gentry  and 
they  have  two  children:  John  Stanley,  born. 
Maich  11,  1905;  and  Algie  Elgin,  born  April 
17,  1907.  William  Theodore  Dewar,  born 
July  16,  1887,  was  married  September  7. 
1905,  to  Marie  Cooper,  and  they  have  two 
children:  Lcroy  T.,  born  June  9,  1906;  and 
Dexter   Dale,   born   January   29,    1909. 

William  Dewar  is  a  democrat  and  keeps 
well  informed  on  the  questions  and  issues  of 
the  dav.  His  fraternal  relations  are  with 
Gardiner  Lodge.  No.  132.  L  0.  0.  F.  Both  he 
and  his  Avife  are  members  of  the  Baptist 
church,  in  the  work  of  which  they  are  act- 
ively   and    helpfidly    interested.     Mr.   Dewar 


2 


'TH: 


E"*    FOjNOi.r,, 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


549 


prefers  home  life  to  club  interests  and  is 
devoted  to  the  welfare  of  his  family,  in 
whose  interests  he  is  putting  forth  earnest 
effort  along  business  lines  that  he  may  pro- 
vide them  not  onlj-  with  the  necessities  but 
many   of   the   comforts   of   life. 

CAPTAIN  EDWARD  D.  HAGEN  is  a  native 
uf  New  York  city,  born  March  9,  1845,  the 
only  son  of  .John  and  Louisa  (Lenoir)  Hagen. 
The  parents  moved  to  California  in  1849  by 
way  of  Cape  Horn  and  settled  in  Sonora.  Tuo- 
lumne county.  Edward  Hagen,  at  the  age  of 
fourteen  years,  went  to  the  territory  of 
Nevada.  During  the  Civil  war  he  enlisted 
for  service  in  Company  F,  First  Nevada  Vol- 
unteer Cavalry.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he 
enlisted,  at  Benicia.  California,  in  the  United 
.•states  army  and  was  assigned  to  the  ord- 
nance department,  in  which  he  served  for 
three  years.  .Subsequently  he  reenlisted  and 
served  in  Battery  F,  Second  United  States 
Artillery,  being  discharged  therefrom  at  Ra- 
leigh, North  Carolina.  Returning  to  Cali- 
fornia, he  was  elected  captain  in  the  Na- 
tional Guard  at  Sacramento.  He  was  espe- 
cially adapted  for  the  duties  of  this  position 
on  account  of  his  previous,  varied  military 
experience.  In  1S79  he  came  to  Portland. 
Oregon,  and  for  the  next  twelve  years  was 
an  employe  on  the  railroad  running  between 
Portland  and  Brownsville,  Linn  county.  In 
1894  he  removed  to  .Josephine  county,  where 
he  owned  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
land,  upon  which  he  establi.shed  his  home'  and 
has  since  continued  to  reside.  His  ranch  is 
in  the  mineral  zone  of  this  state  and  he  has 
been  fortunate  enough  to  locate  a  very  prom- 
ising mine  on  his  property.  During  the  years 
of  his  residence  upon  the  ranch  he  has  given 
some  of  his  time  and  attention  to  mining  in- 
terests in  various  part.s  of  the  mineral  belt 
of  Oregon. 

Captain  Hagen  lias  been  twice  married.  His 
first  wife.  Eliza  Stout,  deceased,  was  the 
mother  of  two  children:  Zomi;  and  Tiny,  de- 
ceased. In  1894  he  married  ilrs.  JIalinda 
(•Jones)  Hyzer.  and  they  are  the  parents  of 
two  children.  Esther  and  Ruth,  at  home.  Cap. 
tain  Hagen  is  a  loyal  member  of  the  repub- 
lican party,  following  the  standards  of  that 
great  political  organization  in  all  of  its  na- 
tional and  state  campaigns.  He  is  one  of  the 
well  known  and  highly  respected  citizens  of 
Oregon,  where  for  many  years  he  has  been 
successfully  engaged  in  the  development  of 
his  fine  ranch  property. 

JOHN  FRANKLIN  LOVELACE,  one  of  the 
highly  successful  business  men  of  Estacada, 
where  he  engages  in  the  flour  and  feed  busi- 
ness, was  born  in  Missouri  on  the  12tli  of 
November,  1861.  He  is  a  son  of  Alfred  M. 
and  Elizabeth  M.  (Caton)  Lovelace,  likewise 
natives  of  Missouri,  whence  they  crossed  the 
I'lains  in  1863  to  Idaho.  They  first  located 
in  Idaho  City,  but  in  1864  they  came  to 
Oregon  and  the  following  year  the  father 
filed  on  a  homestead  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  in  the  vicinity  of  Damascus.  This  prop- 
erty has  greatly  increased  in  value  of  re- 
cent vears  and  has  been  divided  into  small 
tracts    and    sold.      The    father    was    one    of 


seven  children  born  to  his  parents,  as  fol- 
lows: James,  David.  Lucy,  Thomas,  Alfred, 
Elizabeth  and  William.  'Mr.  and  Mrs.  Al- 
fred 1\I.  Lovelace  were  nuuried  on  the  old 
Caton  homestead  in  the  vicinity  of  .Sedalia, 
Missouri,  and  they  became  the  parents  of 
ten  children,  of  whom  our  subject  is  the  eld- 
est. Alice  and  Ella,  the  two  oldest  daugh- 
ters, are  both  deceased.  .  Anna  became  the 
wife  of  Edward  Bateman  of  Portland  by 
whom  she  has  had  one  son.  Clarence.  Ada  mar- 
ried William  English,  of  Banks,  Oregon.  Fred 
and  \\'illiam.  the  next  two  in  order  of  birth, 
are  deceased.  Lillian  married  Robert  Board, 
of  Alaska  and  they  have  three  children: 
Argie.  Forest  and  Robert.  Robert,  who  is  a 
resident  of  Damascus,  is  married  and  has  four 
children:  Alton,  Thomas,  Vivian  and  Ada. 
Pearl,  the  youngest  member  of  the  family, 
is  deceased. 

John  Franklin  Lovelace,  who  was  only  a 
child  of  two  years  when  his  parents  crossed 
the  plains  and  three  when  they  removed 
TO  Oregon,  has  practically  always  lived  in  this 
state.  He  was  given  a  limited  education,  ter- 
minating his  student  days  at  the  age  of  four- 
teen, when  he  became  a  wage  earner.  His 
first  position  was  in  a  dairy  where  he  received 
fifteen  dollars  per  month  for  his  services  for 
six  m6nths.  At  the  expiration  of  that  timi; 
he  severed  his  connection  with  the  latter  en- 
terprise and  during  the  succeeding  eight 
years  he  followed  various  occupations.  De- 
siring to  have  a  business  of  his  own  he  ap- 
plied himself  energetically  to  anything  he 
undertook  and  having  accumulated  sufficient 
capital  he  opened  a  general  mercantile  es- 
tablishment in  Damascus  which  he  ojierated 
with  a  fair  degree  of  success  for  two  years. 
Selling  bis  store  at  the  end  of  that 
time  he  went  to  Portland  and  worked 
en  a  salary  for  seven  years.  From 
there  he  went  to  Springwater  and  es- 
tablished a  general  mercantile  store,  but  four 
years  later  he  disposed  of  this  also  and  once 
more  became  a  resident  of  Portland.  He 
remained  there  for  five  years  and  at  the  end 
of  that  period  again  engaged  in  business 
in  Springwater.  Eighteen  months  later  he 
sold  his  establishment  and  in  1905  he  came 
to  Estacada  and  opened  a  general  mercantile 
store  which  he  operated  for  two  years,  selling 
the  first  goods  ever  sold  in  Estacada.  Oregon. 
He  then  sold  out  and  went  into  the  flour 
,nnd  feed  business.  This  has  proven  to  be  a 
very  lucrative  undertaking  and  he  has  built 
up  a  fine  trade,  not  only  in  the  town  but 
among  the  farming  people  in  the  surrounding 
country.  !Mr.  Lovelace  has  invested  and 
traded  in  local  property  and  owns  .some  very 
valuable  business  and  residence  lots  in  the 
town,  the  value  of  which  is  rapidly  increas- 
ing, and  he  is  considered  to  be  one  of  Esta- 
c.ida's  most  wealthy  business  men. 

ilr.  Lovelace  has  been  married  twice.  His 
first  union  was  with  Miss  Effie  DeardorlT.  the 
event  being  celebrated  in  1S86.  She  was  a 
(laughter  of  David  DeardorlT.  of  Damascus,  a 
well  known  pioneer  of  that  section  who  came  to 
Oregon  in  1852.  Two  children  were  born  of 
this  marriage.  Smiley  H..  who  was  born  on 
.January  10.  1888.  in  Portland.  Oregon,  and 
was   given    the   advantages   of   a    high-school 


:>:>[) 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTOEY  OF  OREGON 


t'ducation.  is  now  engaged  in  business  witii 
liis  father.  He  married  Miss  OUie  Jones,  a 
daughter  of  Jerry  Jones,  and  they  have  one 
son,  Leslie  L.,  wliose  birth  occurred  on  Octo- 
ber 29,  1911.  Ava  W.  was  born  September 
5,  1S90,  in  Springwater,  Oregon,  and  received 
ii  college  education.  She  became  the  wife  of 
>"eil  Bronson,  of  Estaeada,  and  they  have  one 
son,  Harold,  born  September  19,  1908,  in 
Portland,  Oregon.  For  his  second  wife  Mr. 
Lovelace  chose  Miss  Mabel  Commons,  who 
was  born  in  Xewton,  Kansas,  on  the  24th 
of  December.  1S77,  and  is  a  daughter  of 
Kathan  and  Emma  Commons.  Nathan  Com- 
mons, who  was  an  old  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic  man,  was  through  all  of  the  Civil 
war,  is  now  deceased.  Mrs.  Lovelace  is  a 
member  of  a  family  of  nine,  four  of  whom 
besides  herself  are  living,  as  follows: 
Kobert.  of  Portland;  Delia,  also  a  resident  of 
Portland;  Daisy,  the  wife  of  Arthur  Walker, 
of  Newton,  Kansas;  and  Bion.  a  resident  of 
Portland,  who  is  married  and  has  a  family. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lovelace  were  married  on 
October  1,  1899,  and  they  have  two  sons: 
Paymond.  born  in  Viola.  Oregon,  October  17, 
1901:  and  Arnold,  born  in  Portland.  Oregon, 
October  11,  1904. 

Mr.  Lovelace  takes  an  active  interest  in  all 
municipal  afl'airs  and  is  independent  in  poli- 
tics. He  is  highly  regarded  in  the  community 
and  his  fellow  townsmen  have  several  times 
called  him  to  public  office.  He  served  as 
alderman  for  four  years,  and  during  that  time 
was  chairman  of  the  finance  committee,  and 
was  then  known  and  popularly  called  the 
V  atch  dog  of  the  treasury.  He  also  served 
on  the  street  and  alley  committee  and  was 
on  the  fire  and  water  board.  In  addition  to 
the  duties  here  involved.  Mr.  Lovelace  was 
the  first  clerk  of  school  district  Xo.  108  in 
Estaeada  and  held  this  office  for  three  years. 
He  is  held  in  high  esteem  and  has  many 
friends  here,  as  in  the  discharge  of  both  his 
public  and  private  duties  he  has  always 
manifested  those  qualities  wliich  command 
respect. 

JOHN  TUNELL.  One  of  the  best  im- 
proved ranches  in  the  vicinity  of  Creswell  is 
that  of  John  Tunell.  who  owns  thirty-two 
acres  located  two  miles  south  of  town  on 
the  Willamette  river.  He  was  born  in  Cook 
county.  Illinois,  on  the  15th  of  October.  1851. 
the  eldest  child  and  only  son  of  John  and 
Mary  (Balkey)  Tunell.  Of  their  two  daugh- 
ters, the  elder.  Minnie,  married  William  Lane, 
a  ranchman  at  Cottage  Grove:  and  Louisa 
became  the  wife  of  George  Gilfry  of  Creswell. 
The  father  was  born  in  the  kingdom  of  Han- 
over, Germany,  on  the  Sth  of  January.  1821, 
and  there  he  was  reared  and  married.  In 
1849  he  emigrated  with  his  wife  to  the  United 
States,  first  locating  in  Cook  county.  Illinois. 
From  there  they  went  to  Bremer  county.  Iowa, 
and  two  years  later  they  became  residents 
of  Freeborn  county.  Minnesota,  where  the 
father  bought  a  quarter  section  of  land,  that 
he  cultivated  for  seventeen  years.  In  1873 
he  came  to  Oregon,  settling  in  Douglas  county 
and  four  years  later  came  to  Lane  county 
and  boTight  five  acres  of  land  in  the  vicinity 
of  Creswell   on   the   Willamette   river,   where 


he  passed  away  on  the  lltli  of  March,  1911. 
Mr.  Tunell  was  one  of  five  brothers  to  come 
to  the  United  States,  of  which  he  became  a 
citizen  in  1S71  in  Freeborn  county,  Minne- 
sota. His  political  support  he  accorded  to  the 
republican  party.  The  mother  was  also  a 
native  of  Hanover,  where  her  birth  occurred 
on  the  17th  of  September,  1S13,  and  she  died 
at  Creswell  on  the  1st  of  August,  1891. 

The  boyhood  and  youth  of  John  Tunell 
were  passed  on  the  home  farm  in  Minnesota, 
where  he  received  his  agricultural  training 
under  the  supervision  of  his  father,  while  pur- 
suing his  studies  in  the  district  schools.  After 
coming  to  Lane  county  he  and  his  father 
erected  a  gristmill  on  their  ranch  on  the 
Willamette  river  which  they  operated  until 
1909.  in  connection  with  the  cultivation  of 
their  land.  They  then  discontinued  the  opera- 
tion of  the  mill  and  converted  the  building 
into  a  power  plant,  which  supplies  the  town 
of  Creswell  with  electric  light.  Mr.  Tunell 
has  extended  the  boundaries  of  his  ranch  by 
the  purchase  of  an  adjoining  tract  of  twen- 
ty-seven acres,  all  of  which  he  has  brought 
under  high  cultivation.  Twenty  acres  he  de- 
votes to  the  raising  of  grain  and  tlie  remaiii- 
der  is  used  for  pasture,  orcliard  and  general 
farming,  in  connection  with  which  he  also 
raises  such  stock  as  he  needs  for  operating 
his  place  and  household  use.  He  is  a  man  of 
practical  ideas,  clear  judgment  and  tireless 
energy  and  is  meeting  with  excellent  success 
in  his  undertakings.  He  values  his  place 
at  twenty-five  thousand  dollars,  as  it  is  well 
improved,  thoroughly  equipped  and  the  land 
is  very  fertile  and  in  excellent  condition.  Be- 
sides its  advantages  agriculturally,  Mr.  Tunell 
has  a  monoply  on  the  water  rights  and  as 
Creswell  is  a  rapidy  growing  and  thriving 
town,  has  every  reason  to  feel  assured  that 
ultimately  this  privilege  will  also  net  him 
a  handsome  revenue. 

Mr.  Tunell  has  never  married,  lives  with 
his  two  nephews,  John  Lindsay  and  James 
Lane.  He  is  a  Lutheran  in  faith  and  frater- 
nally he  is  afliliated  with  the  ilasonic  order, 
as  a  member  of  the  lodge  at  Creswell.  His 
political  allegiance  is  given  to  the  republican 
party.  Mr."  Tunell  has  always  led  a  quiet, 
unobtrusive  life  as  one  of  the  foremost  agri- 
culturists in  his  community,  where  he  is  meet- 
ing with  that  success  which  invariably  crowns 
intelligent  and  capably  directed  efTort. 

Z.  G.  HARRIS  has  leased  and  is  operating 
the  Harvey  ranch  of  thirteen  hundred  acres 
at  the  south  end  of  .Summer  lake.  He  was 
born  in  Iron  county.  Missouri,  November  3. 
1874,  and  about  1884  became  a  resident  of 
the  Goose  Lake  valley  in  Modoc  county,  Cal- 
ifornia, having  journeyed  westward  with  his 
father.  S.  B."  Harris!  His  mother,  Statia 
(De  Guire)  Harris,  died  in  Missouri  when  her 
son  was  but  three  years  of  age,  after  which 
the  father  married  Lizzie  Sutton  and  both 
died  in  Modoc  count}'.  California,  the  latter 
in  the  spring  of  lSS9,"while  Mr.  Harris  passed 
away  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year.  In  the 
family  were  four  children,  Z.  G.  Harris  being 
the  only  one  born  of  the  father's  first  mar- 
riage.     The   others   are:    Lottie,   the   wife   of 


JOHN   ■IIXKIJ. 


F  NEW  YORK 
LIBRARY 


ASTOB,  LINOX  ANB 
TILOEM   F0UN0ATI0N8. 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


oao 


Waymau  Withers,  of  Summer  Lake  valle.v; 
Minnie,  the  wife  of  Cliarles  Hill,  of  Port- 
land; and  Ada,  the  wife  of  Fred  Jacobsen,  of 
Portland. 

Z.  G.  Harris  remained  at  home  until  his 
father's  death  and  then  came  to  Summer 
Lake  valley,  and  resided  with  his  uncle  lor 
about  three  years.  Starting  out  in  life  on 
his  own  account  he  worked  for  wages  for 
about  lour  years,  during  which  period  he 
carefully  saved  his  earnings  until  he  was  able 
to  make  investment  in  three  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  land  at  the  north  end  of  Sum- 
mer lake.  He  operated  that  for  a  time  and 
also  leased  a  place  known  as  the  Lane  ranch 
of  sixteen  hundred  acres  on  Silver  lake. 
There  he  remained  for  three  years,  after 
which  he  returned  to  the  old  home  place  and 
lived  thereon  for  three  years.  On  the  expira- 
tion of  that  period  he  leased  the  Harvey 
ranch  at  the  south  end  of  Summer  lake,  com- 
prising thirteen  hundred  acres  upon  which 
he  now  makes  his  home.  It  is  devoted  to 
the  raising  of  hay,  grain  and  stock,  and  he 
has  one  hundred  acres  planted  to  grain,  while 
each  year  he  puts  up  about  four  hundred 
tons  of  hay.  He  also  keeps  about  four  hun- 
dred head  of  cattle  and  horses,  the  extensive 
ranch  affording  ample  range  for  his  stock. 
His  own  place  is  leased  and  adds  materiallj' 
to  his  income. 

Tn  1893  Mr.  Harris  was  married  to  Miss 
Alice  Sullivan,  who  was  engaged  as  a  school 
teacher  on  Summer  lake  and  was  born  on 
I'avis  creek,  in  the  Goose  Lake  valley.  Modoe 
county.  California.  July  7.  1876.  She  is  a 
daughter  of  Calvin  Luther  and  Elizabeth  (Pe- 
tross)  Sullivan,  the  former  a  native  of  North 
Carolina  and  the  latter  of  Dlinois.  Both 
died  at  Goose  Lake.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harris 
have  four  children,  Beatrice.  Bernice,  Theta 
and  Thelma.  In  politics  Mr.  Harris  is  an 
independent  democrat,  for  while  he  usually 
holds  to  the  principles  of  the  party  he  does 
not  consider  himself  bound  by  party  tics  and 
when  his  judgment  dictates  does  not  hesi- 
tate to  support  candidates  of  other  parties. 
Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  Inde- 
I)endent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  with  the 
Woodmen  of  the  World. 

WILLIAM  D.  ROBINETT  is  the  owner  of 
a  grain  and  fruit  faiin  of  one  hundred  acres 
on  Summer  lake  and  tlie  improvements  upon 
his  place  indicate  liiiu  to  be  one  of  the  pro- 
gressive agriculturists  and  fruit  growers  of 
Lake  county.  Like  many  another  successful 
citizen  of  this  part  of  the  state  he  is  a  na- 
tive son  of  Oregon,  having  been  born  in  Lane 
county,  March  8.  1S79.  his  parents  being 
\Pilli.-vra  M.  and  Isabel  G.  (Bristow)  Robinett. 
who  were  natives  of  Illinois  and  Oregon  re- 
spectively. In  his  cliildhood  days  the  father 
came  to  this  state  with  his  parents.  .Tames 
and  Jemima  (Sliiiddi  Robinett.  the  former 
of  whom  died  in  Lane  county  wliile  tlie  lat- 
ter is  residing  in  Creswell.  The  deatli  of  Wil- 
liam if.  Robinett  occurred  in  189S.  when  he 
was  forty-three  years  of  age.  He  had  fol- 
lowed ranching  and  merchandising  and  was 
lield  in  high  regard  in  the  community  in 
wliich  he  lived.     "Mrs.  Isabel  Robinett   resides 


at  Pleasant  Hill.  Lane  county,  which  is  also 
tiie  home  of  her  daughter,  Irene,  who  is  the 
wife  of  Ed  Higgins.  Her  two  sons,  older 
than  the  daughter,  are  William  D.  and  Tru- 
man D.,  the  latter  a  resident  of  Davenport, 
Washington. 

William  D.  Robinett  spent  his  youthful 
days  Avith  his  parents  and  learned  the  les- 
son that  indiistry  is  the  basis  of  all  honor- 
able success  and  when  supplemented  by 
sound  judgment  always  produces  gratifying 
results.  When  he  left  home  in  1900  he  came 
to  Lake  county  and  for  three  or  four  years 
conducted  a  blacksmith  shop  at  Silver  Lake. 
He  then  purchased  his  present  place,  having 
one  hundred  acres  upon  which  are  found  some 
of  the  best  improvements  to  be  seen  in  the 
Summer  Lake  valley.  His  land  is  devoted  to 
the  cultivation  of  grain  and  fruit  and  large 
crops  are  annually  gatliered.  His  orchards 
yield  an  abundant  harvest.  His  interests 
are  conducted  along  scientific  lines  and  his 
labors  are  meeting  with  their  logical  out- 
come. 

In  1903  ilr.  Robinett  was  married  to  Miss 
Etta  Suit,  who  was  born  in  the  Summer 
Lake  valley  and  is  a  daughter  of  Michael 
Suit,  mentioned  elsewhere  in  this  work.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Robinett  have  three  children,  The- 
resa, Dell  and  Clarice. 

ALFRED  R.  LAND  has  since  1907  been 
local  agent  for  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad 
Company  at  Creswell.  Oregon,  and  previous 
to  settling  there  had  been  employed  by  the 
company  for  a  number  of  years.  He  owns 
a  forty  acre  farm  in  Illinois  and  a  fine  home 
and  other  property  in  Creswell.  Mr.  Land 
was  born  in  \Vliite  county,  Illinois,  July  2, 
1876.  a  son  of  William  and  Margarette  (Mc- 
l^lheren)  Land.  The  father  was  born  in  Illi- 
nois while  the  mother  is  a  native  of  South 
Carolina.  They  were  married  in  the  former 
state  and  made  it  their  home.  Mr.  Land 
died  July  ■!!.  190.5.  but  his  wife  is  still  liv- 
ing on  the  old  homestead.  In  their  family 
were  the  following  children:  John  T>..  of  Illi- 
nois: Richard  K.  and  Edward,  also  residents 
of  that  state;  Anna,  who  married  J.  H.  Prince, 
of  Illinois,  and  who  is  now  deceased;  Clara, 
the  wife  of  William  Russell,  of  Illinois: 
Louisa,  the  deceased  wife  of  Dr.  C.  M. 
(.Hialls.  of  Illinois:  Byrd  A.,  also  residing  in 
that  state:  Fannie,  who  pas.sed  away  at  the 
age  of  three  ye:irs:  .\lfred  R..  of  this  review: 
and  iSTewton  C,  of  Illinois. 

Alfred  R.  Land  received  his  education  in 
the  common  schools  of  Illinois.  rem;iining  at 
liomo  with  his  parents  and  assisting  his 
father  on  the  farm  during  the  periods  of 
vacation,  until  he  attained  the  agi'  of  twen- 
ty-two years,  when  he  was  married  and  began 
:ictive  life  on  his  own  account.  His  first 
work  was  at  farming  but  shortly  afterward 
lie  removed  to  Oregon,  where  he  entered  the 
(iiiploy  of  the  Boofh-Kelly  Lumber  Company 
at  Saginaw,  Oregon.  He  remained  with  that 
concern  for  one  .vear  and  then  was  employed 
by  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  Company 
fit  various  points  as  relief  agent.  He  contin- 
ui'd  in  that  connection  until  August  10.  190.">. 
when    he    was    given    the    position    of    night 


554 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


agent  at  Cottage  Giove,  where  he  remaineil 
lor  six  months.  He  was  then  transferred 
to  Saginaw,  Oregon,  as  agent  of  the  South- 
ern Pacific,  where  he  I'emained  for  two  year.s. 
after  which  lie  was  given  eliarge  of  the  sta- 
tion at  Creswell,  at  which  place  he  has  been 
the  Soutliern  Pacific  agent  and  local  repre- 
sentative since,  ilr.  Land  is  the  pro- 
prietor of  a  forty-acre  farm  in  Illinois, 
owns  liis  own  nicely  appointed  home  in  Cres- 
well and  other  vacant  property  in  that  city. 
His  wife  is  interested  in  the  general  feed 
and  grain  business  in  Creswell. 

-\Ir.  Land  was  married,  March  10,  1S99, 
to  Miss  Addie  Fields,  who  was  born  in  White 
countv.  Illinois.  .lanuarv  IT.  1ST9.  a  daugh- 
ter of  A.  S.  and  Ellen  (Boster)  Fields.  The 
wife's  parents  were  both  natives  of  Illinois, 
where  they  were  married,  and  the  father  is 
still  living  on  his  homestead,  having  always 
been  a  farmer.  The  mother  passed  away  in 
1891.  Mrs.  Land  is  the  eldest  of  five  chil- 
dren born  to  her  parents,  the  others  being: 
Mackie,  who  passed  away  at  the  age  of  seven 
years:  Ella,  the  wife  of  Henry  Crouch,  of 
White  county,  Illinois:  Shannon  S..  living  on 
the  old  homestead  with  his  father;  and  Ver- 
non X.,  a  railroad  operator  of  Cottage  Grove. 
Oregon.  To  !Mr.  and  ;\Irs.  Land  were  born 
five  children  of  whom  three  are  now  liv- 
ing, namely:  Charlie  X..  born  October  19. 
1903:  Lucille,  born  :\rarch  16.  1906:  and  Le- 
ona.  born  December  3.  190S.  Those  deceased 
are:  Russell,  who  died  at  the  age  of  one  and 
a  half  years:  and  one  who  passed  away  in 
infancy. 

^Ir.  Land  is  an  adherent  of  the  principles 
and  policies  advocated  by  the  republican 
party  and  is  a  member  of  the  city  council 
of  Creswell.  He  belongs  to  the  Railroad 
Telegraphers'  Union.  Both  he  and  his  wife 
are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  be- 
ing actively  engaged  in  the  work  of  that  de- 
nomination. Both  have  a  high-school  educa- 
tion and  since  coming  to  Creswell  have  be- 
come popular  in  business,  social  and  church 
circles,  being  greatly  esteemed  in  the  com- 
munity, ilr.  Land  is  a  loyal  employe  of 
his  company  who  at  the  same  time  endeav- 
ors to  the  best  of  his  ability  to  safeguard 
the  interests  of  all  who  have  transactions 
with  the  railroad  by  which  he  is  employed. 
His  business  is  transacted  with  a  high  degree 
of  efficiency  and  his  duties  are  so  well  per- 
formed that  he  is  popular  both  with  the  of- 
ficials of  the  Southern  Pacific  and  the  busi- 
ness men  of  the  city. 

WILLIAM  KERR.  One  of  the  best  culti- 
\ati'd  ami  mn^t  attractive  ranches  located 
on  Pacitlc  highway  is  that  of  William  Kerr. 
\rhich  contains  one  hundred  and  seventy-live 
acres  and  is  located  four  miles  northwest  of 
Kugene.  He  has  resided  there  for  ten  years 
and  during  that  time  has  diligently  and  per- 
severingly  applied  himself  not  only  to  the 
improvement  of  his  own  place  but  to  the  de- 
velopment of  the  entire  country  through  his 
able  assistance  in  promoting  the  various  pub- 
lic utilities. 

He  was  born  in  Scotland  in  1S48  and  is 
a   son   of  Danii  1   and  ilary    (Walker)    Kerr, 


botli  III  Scottish  birth.  The  parents  emi- 
grated to  the  United  States  in  1848  and  lo- 
cated in  Geneva,  Illinois,  whence  they  re- 
moved to  Houston  county,  ilinnesota.  The 
mother  is  now  living  in  Xobles  county,  that 
state,  but  the  father  passed  away  in  1886. 
Ten  children  were  born  to  ilr.  and  Mrs.  Kerr, 
of  whom  our  subject  was  the  second  in  order 
of  birth.  The  others  are  as  follows:  Jessie, 
who  is  deceased;  Bryce.  who  lives  in  Roches- 
ter. Minnesota:  Clarion  and  Mary  Jane,  both 
of  whom  are  deceased:  Doia.  the  wife  of 
Martin  Stephens,  of  Pansford.  Minnesota; 
!Margaret.  the  wife  of  (ieorge  ilitchel.  of 
T'uslunore.  Minnesota:  .lolin.  who  is  deceased; 
Bell,  the  wife  of  Angus  McKinzie.  of  Can- 
ton. Ohio:  and  Daniel,  who  lives  in  Toronto, 
Canada. 

William  Kerr  was  in  his  infancy  when 
his  ])arents  removed  to  the  L'nited  States, 
and  -ixas  in  his  early  childhood  when  they 
located  in  Minnesota.  The  greater  part  of 
his  boyliood  and  youth  were  passed  on  a 
farm,  his  education  being  acquired  in  the  dis- 
trict schools.  He  was  an  ambitious,  enter- 
I'rising  youth  and  made  the  best  of  every 
opportunity  a  Horded  him.  In  common  with 
all  lads  reared  in  the  country,  at  that  period, 
1  e  earh'  began  to  assist  with  the  work  of 
the  fields  and  care  of  the  stock,  laying  the 
foundation  for  an  agricultural  career.  Upon 
attaining  his  majority  he  left  home  and  be- 
i^aii  working  for  liimself.  Having  been  train- 
ed in  habits  of  thrift  and  industry  from 
childhood,  he  applied  himself  diligently  and 
saved  the  greater  portion  of  his  earnings. 
In  early  manhood  Mr.  Kerr  was  imited  in 
marriage  and  soon  thereafter  he  homesteaded 
eighty  acres  of  land  in  Minnesota  and  began 
farming  for  himself.  His  efforts  were  well 
remunerated  and  he  subsequently  increased 
his  holdings  by  the  purchase  of  another  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres.  He  continued  to 
leside  in  ilinnesota  engaging  in  diversified 
farming  and  stock-raising  until  1903.  Sell- 
ing his  farm  and  other  interests,  he  then 
removed  to  Oregon,  locating  at  Eugene,  at 
that  time  a  town  of  about  four  thousand  in- 
habitants. He  immediately  bought  one  hun- 
dred and  seventy-five  acres  of  the  James 
Davis  donation  claim,  thirty  acres  of  this  be- 
ing planted  to  prunes  and  twenty  to  apples. 
Ninety  aires  of  his  ranch,  ilr.  Kerr  devotes 
lo  general  farming  and  he  also  engages  in 
dairying  and  makes  a  specialty  of  the  breed- 
ing and  raising  of  high-grade  cattle  and 
hogs  for  the  market.  He  is  a  man  of  good 
judgment  and  juactical  ideas  and  is  meeting 
with  success  in  his  various  undertakings. 
Progressive  and  enterprising,  he  has  erected 
some  good  buildings  on  his  place,  and  he  was 
the  first  ranchman  on  Pacific  highway  be- 
tween ther"  and  -Tunction  City  to  build  a 
wire  fence  around  his  land.  He  now  owns 
one  of  the  best  improved  and  most  thoroughly 
equipped  ranches  in  that  vicinity  and  is 
numbered  among  the  most  successful  and 
capable  agriculturists. 

In  Minnesota,  in  1872.  Mr.  Kerr  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Margaret  Tliom.  a 
daughter  of  Francis  and  Margaret  (Craigen) 
Tliom.     -Mrs.   Kerr   is   a   native   of   Scotland 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


300 


as  were  likewise  iier  parents  wlio  emigrated 
to  tlie  United  States  in  185C.  They  tirst 
settled  in  Wisconsin  but  two  years  later  tliey 
removed  to  Minnesota,  locating  in  Steele 
county.  There  the  father  passed  away  in 
1883  and  the  mother  in  1892.  Twelve  chil- 
dren were  born  to  Mr.  and  ilrs.  Thorn : 
Hannah  and  William,  who  are  deceased; 
George,  who  is  a  resident  of  Hutchinson,  Min- 
nesota; Elizabeth,  deceased;  .James,  of  Vern- 
dale,  Minnesota;  John,  of  Brownton,  Minne- 
sota; Daniel,  a  missionary  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church,  located  at  JIardin,  Turkey; 
Robert,  of  Owatonna,  Minnesota;  Mrs,  Kerr; 
Francis,  of  Junction  City,  Oregon;  Alexander, 
of  Omaha.  Xebraska:  and  ilary.  the  wife  of 
W.  J.  Case  of  Duluth.  Minnesota,  ilr.  and 
Mrs.  Kerr  are  the  parents  of  eight  children. 
Daniel  was  born  in  1873  and  educated  in 
Worthington,  Minnesota,  He  went  to  the 
front  during  the  Spanish-American  war  as  a 
member  of  the  Thirteenth  Minnesota  Volun- 
teer Infantry  and  is  now  a  locomotive  en- 
gineer in  the  service  of  the  Northern  Pacitic 
Kailroad  Company.  He  is  married  and  has 
three  children:  (ieorge,  Leigh  and  Frederick, 
Kobert  F.  was  born  in  1S74  and  given  the 
advantages  of  a  collegiate  education.  He 
owns  a  farm  in  ^Minnesota  and  engages  in 
agricultural  pursuits.  Helen,  who  was  born 
in  1876,  after  graduating  from  high  school 
engaged  in  teaching  in  Minnesota  and  later  in 
Oregon.  She  married  W.  H,  Maxham  and 
lives  in  Eugene.  .Jessie,  whose  birth  occur- 
red in  1S7S.  also  engaged  in  teaching  in  both 
Minnesota  and  Oregon  until  her  marriage 
to  S.  ,J.  Gray,  by  whom  she  has  had  two  chil- 
dren, Raymond  and  Virginia.  They  are  also 
residents  of  Eugene.  Winifred  was  born  in 
1881  and  is  a  graduate  of  the  University  of 
Oregon.  She  is  now  pursuing  a  course  in 
domestic  science  at  Simmons  College.  Fred- 
erick, a  twin  brother  of  Winifred,  is  a  grad- 
uate of  the  University  of  Oregon  and  also  of 
Yale,  He  is  now  in  the  United  States  for- 
estry service  at  Rosebiu-g.  Oregon.  Raymond, 
whose  birth  occurred  in  1884,  also  gradimted 
from  the  Univeisity  of  Oregon  and  is  now 
in  his  last  year  at  the  Naval  Academy  at 
Annapolis,  Bryce,  the  youngest  member  of 
the  family,  was  born  in  1892  and  since  fin- 
ishing his  high-school  course  has  remained 
at  home,  assisting  his  father  with  the  ojiera- 
tion  of  the  ranch. 

The  family  affiliate  with  the  Jlehodist 
Episcopal  church.  His  political  allegiance 
Mr.  Kerr  gives  to  the  republican  party,  al- 
though his  views  on  the  temperance  ques- 
tion coincide  with  the  prohibitionists.  He  is 
a  public-spirited  man  and  takes  an  active 
and  ludpfnl  interest  in  all  things  ])evtaining 
to  the  coiiiinunity  welfare.  While  living  in 
Minnesota  he  served  for  twelve  years  on  the 
scjiool  board  and  lie  was  also  town  clerk 
at  one  time.  He  is  progressive  and  enter- 
prising in  whatever  he  undertakes  and  in  the 
discharge  of  his  duties  as  a  citizen  or  jiublic 
official  manifests  the  same  qualities  that  char- 
acterize him  in  his  business  transactions. 
When  he  fiist  removed  to  his  ranch  the  roads 
in  that  section  were  in  a  very  bad  condition 
and    he    was   one    of   the   citizens   who    spared 


neither  time  nor  labor  in  assisting  to  bring 
about  an  improvement.  He  has  also  contrib- 
uled  substantially  toward  promoting  the 
development  of  various  other  public  utili- 
ties, and  can  always  be  depended  upon  to 
champion  every  movement  inaugurated  for 
the  betterment  of  local  conditions  or  to  ad- 
vance the  intellectual,  moral,  social  or  finan- 
cial status  of  the  comnnmity,  Mr.  Kerr 
possesses  the  sterling  and  substantial  qual- 
ities that  characterize  the  Scotch  people,  and 
during  the  iieriod  of  his  residence  in  Lane 
county  has  made  many  stanch  friends, 

ELSIE  BOYD,  who  for  the  past  several 
years  has  been  the  (iroprietor  and  manager 
of  a  hotel  in  Creswell.  is  an  elticient  and 
successful  landlord  and  now  has  under  con- 
struction a  three-story  modern,  i-oncrete  hos- 
telry of  about  forty  rooms.  He  was  born 
in  Indiana,  in  1858.  a  son  of  William  K, 
and  Elizabeth  (.■\damson)  Boyd,  being  one  of 
seven  children  in  his  parents'  family,  the 
others  being:  Addison  and  Susan,  both  de- 
ceased: Lincoln,  a  resident  of  Halsey,  Oregon; 
Emma,  the  wife  of  S.  M.  Ray.  of  Dalles.  Polk 
county,  Oregon;  ilathew,  deceased:  and 
Thomas,  residing   in   Oakland.  Oregon. 

Elsie  Boyd  spent  the  period  of  his  boy- 
liood  and  youth  on  the  home  farm  in  Indi- 
ana, I'emaining  with  his  parents  until  he  at- 
tained the  age  of  twenty  years,  when  he 
started  out  in  life  for  himself.  Removing  to 
Kansas,  in  1S77.  lie  remained  there  until 
1385.  employed  at  different  vocations.  He 
then  removed  to  Oregon  where  he  worked 
along  ditlerent  lines  until  1892,  when  he 
left  the  farm  which  he  had  owned  and  em- 
barked in  the  grocery  business  in  ,Tunction 
City.  He  remained  in  that  business  and  in 
that  cit}-  about  one  year  and  then  worked 
af  a  carpenter  for  about  four  years,  after 
Avliich  he  removed  to  Pleasant  Hill  anil  later 
to  Halsey.  In  the  latter  city  he  was  em- 
]>!oyed  by  the  railroad  company,  conducting 
M  railroad  hotel  and  restaurant.  After  two 
years  thus  employed  he  went  to  work  for 
ilie  Soutlicrn  Pacific  Railroad,  remaining 
an  cuqiloye  of  that  company  for  three  years, 
and  then  returned  to  the  hotel  business,  set- 
tling ill  Coburg.  where  he  (i-emained  for 
two  years.  He  tlien  once  more  engaged  in 
the  grocery  business  for  a  time,  afterward 
selling  out  and  removing  to  Creswell.  Here 
he  purchased  a  iiotel  which  he  has  since 
oiierated  in  a  most  satisfactory  manner.  He 
i.-'  now  engaged  in  the  eonstructioii  of  a  new 
concrete  hotel  building  which  will  have  about 
forty  rooms  and  which  is  being  Iniilt  along 
modern  lines  in  every  res])ect.  In  addition 
(o  his  hotel  property  he  owns  two  lots  and 
since  taking  charge  of  his  present  business 
has  improved  it  to  the  extent  of  about  one 
tliousand  dollars.  Mr.  Boyd  is  also  inter- 
ested as  stockholder  in  the  Creswell  t'anniiig 
('oiii|iany. 

Jlr.  Boyd  was  married.  .January  30,  1884, 
to  Jfiss  j^nima  Loretta  'Mulkey.  a  daughter 
of  Willis  J.  and  Mary  E.  (Davis)  Mulkey. 
She  was  the  third  in  order  of  birth  in  a 
family  of  eleven  children,  the  others  being  as 
follows:     I'nslev    and     Dennis,    deceased;     S. 


556 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


Howard,  of  Canada:  :\Iartlia  E.,  the  wife 
of  W.  F.  Reed,  of  Eugene,;  Lucy,  who  mar- 
ried J.  E.  Liles,  of  Pleasant  Hill;  Kate,  the 
wife  of  Amos  Walker,  of  Medford.  Oregon; 
Sadie,  who  wedded  Joseph  Elmherst,  of  Can- 
ada; Allen  and  Babe,  both  of  whom  have 
passed  away;  and  Alta.  residing  with  her 
parents  and  attending  the  Eugene  Business 
College.  Unto  Jlr.  and  ilrs.  Boyd  have  been 
born  four  children,  namely:  William,  an  en- 
gineer, who  was  born  in  December.  1SS4,  and 
died  on  the  22d  of  January,  1006;  Alpheus. 
born  .January  21,  ISSS.  who  is  at  home  vrith 
his  parents  and  attending  college  at  Dallas. 
Oregon;  Leeta.  who  was  born  June  21,  1893. 
and  died  April  28.  1900:  and  Thelma,  born 
August  4.  1904.  who  is  also  attending  school. 
Mr.  Boyd  is  independent  in  his  political 
views,  supporting  such  candidates  as  seem 
best  fitted  for  the  position  to  which  they 
aspire,  irrespective  of  party  afliliation.  Fra- 
ternally he  belongs  to  the  United  Artisans, 
in  which  organization  he  is  active  and  he  is 
a  member  of  the  Creswell  Commercial  Club. 
He  belongs  to  the  Christian  church  and  as- 
sists to  the  extent  of  his  ability  in  making 
that  organization  effective  for  good  in  the 
community.  He  is  well  known  and  popular 
in  business  and  social  circles  and  is  much 
respected  by  his  large  number  of  acquaint- 
ances. In  liis  liotel  business,  which  he  has 
successfully  and  satisfactorily  conducted,  he 
has  been  of  service  to  the  city  of  his  adop- 
tion and  as  a  landlord  he  has  a  long  list  of 
warm  personal  friends.  In  the  building  of 
his  new  hotel  he  exhibits  a  commendable 
amount  of  enterprise  as  well  as  abundant 
faith  in  the  future  of  the  community. 

ROBERT  CHAMBERS,  an  enterprising 
farmer  of  Marion  county,  residing  four  and 
one-half  miles  southwest  of  Salem,  was  born 
in  Ashtabula  county.  Ohio.  April  11.  1848. 
and  is  a  son  of  William  and  Dorcas  (.Jones  i 
Cliambers.  The  great-great-grandfather  was 
a  native  of  Ireland.  The  father.  William 
Cliambers.  was  born  in  Cayuga  county.  Xew 
York  and  moved  to  Ohio  in  1836,  where  he 
resided  until  1890.  when  he  came  to  Oregon 
and  spent  the  remainder  of  his  days  with  his 
son  Ttobert  Chambers,  of  this  review.  He  died 
in  1898  and  was  Imried  in  Salem.  He  was  a 
farmer  by  occupation  and  served  three  years 
in  the  Civil  war  in  the  Twenty-ninth  Ohio 
Volunteer  Infantry.  He  fought  in  nine  bat- 
tles and  several  skirmishes.  His  father,  the 
grandfather  of  Robert  Chambers,  was  in  the 
war  of  1812.  Dorcas  Chambers,  the  mother 
of  our  subject,  who  was  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania, was  married  there  and  died  in  Ohio 
in  1909.  In  their  family  were  six  children: 
John,  who  serveil  in  the  .Sixth  Ohio  Cavalry 
for  one  and  a  half  years  and  died  while  in 
service;  Robert,  of  this  review;  James  and 
.Jcseph,  both  of  whom  are  deceased:  Anna, 
who  is  the  wife  of  .John  F.  Thomas,  the  post- 
master at  Pratt  City.  Alabama:  and  Starr, 
who  is  a  railroad  ensrineer  at  Akron.  Ohio. 

Robert  Chambers  was  educated  in  the  com- 
mon schools  ill  Ohio  and  remained  under  the 
parental  roof  until  1SG4.  when  he  enlisted  in 
the  army,  joining  Company  A.  Forty-first 
Ohio    Infantrv.    and    was    enrolled    for    three 


years  but  was  discharged  in  1865,  in  llur- 
freesboro.  Tennessee.  He  was  with  Sherman 
in  the  famous  march  to  the  sea;  was  in  the 
battle  of  Buzzard's  Roost,  in  Altona  Moun- 
tain and  many  other  engagements.  At  Al- 
tona ilountain  he  received  a  slight  wound 
iu  the  arm.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  re- 
turned to  Ohio  and  remained  there  until 
1884.  when  he  came  to  Oregon,  settling  in 
Marion  county,  where  he  first  rented  land 
and  later  bought  a  farm  five  miles  south  of 
Salem.  After  improving  that  farm  he  sold 
it  and  purchased  his  present  tract  of  land, 
which  is  situated  four  and  one-half  miles 
southwest  of  Salem.  He  has  improved  this 
place  until  it  is  one  of  the  best  in  the  locality, 
having  there  twenty-six  acres  in  a  high  state 
of  cultivation.  Mr.  Chambers  has  never  mar- 
ried and  his  aunt.  Laura  Chambers,  keeps 
house  for  him. 

Mr.  Chambers  gives  his  political  allegiance 
to  the  democratic  party  but  has  never  de- 
sired oflice.  He  is  identified  with  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic,  belonging  to  the  .Sedg- 
wick Post  at  Salem.  All  through  life  he  has 
made  good  use  of  his  time  and  justly  merits 
the  prosperity  which  has  tome  to  him  and 
the  high  regard  in  which  he  is  held  through- 
out  the  community. 

ALBERT  E.  IMBLER.  A  log  cabin  at 
Dufur,  about  fifteen  miles  sotith  of  The 
Dalles,  was  the  birthplace  of  Albert  E. 
Inibler.  and  his  natal  day  was  April  2. 
io6~.  Today  he  is  the  owner  of  a  ranch  of 
two  hundred  and  twenty  acres  pleasantly 
situated  on  Summer  lake  and  there  is  not 
another  tract  of  similar  size  in  the  county 
v.hich  pays  better,  yielding  more  ready  and 
profitable  returns  for  the  care  and  labor  be- 
stowed upon  it.  It  presents  an  attractive 
appearance,  manifesting  the  careful  super- 
vision and  progressive  methods  of  the  owner, 
v.ho  has  been  a  lifelong  resident  of  Oregon 
and  is  a  son  of  .Jesse  and  Esther  (Masikeri 
Inibler.  The  father  was  born  in  Kentucky, 
^lay  22.  1843.  and  the  mother's  birth  occur- 
red in  Illinois  on  land  now  included  within 
the  limits  of  Chicago  but  at  that  time  about 
twenty  miles  from  the  heart  of  that  city. 
Her  natal  day  was  November  2.  18.50.  and 
she  was  about  three  years  of  age  when 
brought  to  Oregon,  while  Jesse  Inibler  ar- 
rived here  when  a  youth  of  eleven.  They 
v.ere  married  at  The  Dalles,  where  they  re- 
mained for  six  of  seven  years,  and  then  re- 
moved to  the  town  of  Imbler.  in  Union 
county,  named  in  their  honor.  The  father 
homesteaded  a  claim  there  upon  which  he 
lesided  for  thirty  years,  when  he  removed 
to  Hood  River  and  later  to  Ashland.  Ore- 
gon, where  he  died.  December  17.  1909.  and 
his  wife  passed  away  on  the  13th  of  .Janu- 
ary. 1912.  As  one  of  the  pioneer  ranchmen 
of  the  state  he  took  an  active  part  in  its  early 
development.  He  journeyed  to  the  north- 
v.est  after  the  primitive  manner  of  the  times, 
driving  ox  teams  across  the  plains,  and  Fort 
I.aramie  and  a  trading  post  of  the  Hudson's 
liay  Company  at  La  Grande  were  the  only 
houses  which  he  saw  between  Omaha  and  the 
Willainettc  vallev.     He  was  one  of  a   famllv 


ROBERT    rllAMKKi; 


I 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


559 


of  three  sons  and  six  daughters,  all  ot  whom 
lived  and  married  in  Oregon.  Thus  the  fam- 
ily took  active  part  in  the  development  and 
upbuilding  of  the  state.  The  only  surviving 
son  is  E.  W.  Imbler.  of  Oregon  City,  while 
the  living  daughters  are :  Jlrs.  Anna  Courtney 
and  ilrs.  Susan  McCauley,  both  of  Dayton, 
Washington:  Mrs.  Fannie  Root,  of  Asotin, 
Washington;  and  Mrs.  Nancy  Hall,  of  Lin- 
ton, Oregon.  The  four  children  in  the  family 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  .Jesse  Imbler  were:  Albert 
E.;  Ellis  A.,  living  in  Paisley,  Oregon;  Lillie. 
the  wife  of  Dr.  E.  H.  Greene,  of  Emmett, 
Idaho;  and  Ray,  of  Hood  River. 

Albert  E.  Imbler  resided  with  his  par- 
ents until  he  attained  majority  and  met  the 
usual  experiences  of  ranch  life  on  the  fron- 
tier. When  twenty-four  years  of  age  he  be- 
gan running  stock  for  himself  in  Wallowa 
county,  where  he  remained  for  five  years, 
when  he  removed  to  Tillamook,  Oregon, 
where  he  engaged  in  merchandising  for  seven 
years.  He  was  afterward  an  orchardist  of 
Rogue  river  for  seven  years  and  in  1909  came 
to  his  present  ranch  of  two  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  which  is  located  on  Summer 
lake.  He  has  irrigated  one  slope  and  always 
raises  a  crop  regardless  of  weather  conditions. 
His  ditches  are  from  four  to  six  feet  in 
width  and  the  water  for  them  is  supplied  by 
an  artesian  well  one  hundred  and  forty-seven 
feet  in  depth.  He  raises  fruit  of  every  va- 
riety adapted  to  climatic  conditions  here  and 
all  kinds  of  grain  and  has  a  well  improved 
farm.  His  fields  produce  several  crops  of 
alfalfa  each  year  and  there  is  no  better  Im- 
proved farm  of  similar  size  in  southern  Ore- 
gon. In  addition  to  his  agricultural  and  horti- 
cultural interests  he  has  mining  investments 
in  Curry  county.  Oregon. 

In  1S90  Mr.  Imbler  was  married  to  Miss 
Mattie  Dishman,  who  was  born  in  ilissouri 
in  1866  but  was  reared  in  Wallowa  county, 
whither  she  went  with  her  parents.  William 
S.  and  Elizabeth  Dishman.  The  father  died 
at  Wliittier.  California,  September  13.  1911. 
and  the  mother  now  makes  her  home  with 
lier  children.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Imbler  have 
two  children:  Elsie,  twenty-one  years  of  age; 
and  Hazel,  aged  sixteen  years.  The  parents 
are  members  of  the  Christian  church  and  al- 
though they  have  resided  in  the  Summer  lake 
valley  for  but  a  comparatively  brief  period 
of  time  they  have  become  well  known  here 
and  have  won  many  friends.  That  ilr.  Im- 
bler's  efforts  are  of  a  practical  as  well  as  of  a 
progressive  character  is  indicated  by  the  ex- 
cellent results  which  have  crowned  his  la- 
bors as  an  agriculturist  and  as  a  horticultur- 
ist. Sound  judgment  enables  him  to  readily 
determine  the  value  of  any  plan  or  method 
which  promotes  improvement  and  his  ranch 
interests  are  conducted  along  scientific  lines. 

JOHN  F.  VAN  LEUVEN  is  one  of  the  en- 
terprising young  farmers  of  Coos  county. 
Here  he  was  born  in  1881,  a  son  of  W.  H. 
and  Rosella  (Flami  Van  Leuven,  the  former 
a  native  of  New  York  and  the  latter  of  Ger- 
many. The  father  died  when  his  son  .John 
was  but  two  years  of  age.  leaving  five  chil- 
dren. He  had  come  to  Oregon  from  Xew 
Vol  it— 23 


York  in  1870.  At  different  times  he  had  lived 
in  various  places  and  had  been  employed  at 
various  occupations.  On  taking  up  his"  abode 
in  Coos  county  he  purchased  a  farm  near  Co- 
quille  but  after  a  brief  period  sold  that  and 
purchased  the  place  upon  which  his  son  John 
now  resides,  comprising  about  sixty  acres  of 
land.  This  he  cleared  and  developed,  being 
engaged  in  the  work  of  further  improvement 
upon  the  place  at  the  time  of  his  death  in 
1SS3.  His  widow  survives,  makes  her  home 
in  Bandon.  and  with  her  son  John  owns  the 
old  homestead.  There  were  three  daughters 
and  two  sons  in  her  family:  Mary  Alice,  the 
wife  of  Arthur  Coats,  of  Bandon ;  Laura,  who 
is  the  wife  of  Bert  McDuffy,  of  Bandon;  Hor- 
ace J.,  of  Bandon;  John  F.;  and  Rosella,  the 
wife  of  Elbert  Clinton,  of  Coquille. 

.John  F.  Van  Leuven  spent  his  boyhood  with 
his  mother  and  with  her,  owns  the  old  home 
place  on  which  he  is  engaging  in  dairying  on 
an  extensive  scale,  keeping  a  large  herd  of 
good  cows  for  that  purpose.  He  also  carries 
on  general  farming  and  the  success  which  is 
coming  to  him  is  the  legitimate  outcome  of 
earnest,  persistent  labor.  His  place  is  pleas- 
antly situated  about  five  and  a  half  miles 
from  Bandon.  on  the  Bear  Creek  road. 

On  the  28th  of  March,  1903,  Mr.  Van  Leu- 
ven was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Elizabeth 
Haga,  a  daughter  of  .Joseph  Floyd  Haga. 
They  have  become  parents  of  two  children: 
Rose  Elizabeth,  born  October  10.  1907:  and 
Willis,  born  May  22.  1910.  Mr.  Van  Leuven 
is  liberal  in  his  political  views  but  his  fel- 
low townsmen,  appreciative  of  his  loyalty  and 
progressiveness  in  community  affairs,  have 
called  him  to  office.  He  has  served  as  road 
supervisor,  has  been  school  director  and  clerk 
for  several  terms.  At  all  times  he  is  a  stal- 
wart champion  of  the  cause  of  education. 
Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  seeing  much 
beauty  in  its  teachings,  which  he  regards  as 
good  standards  to  follow  in  life. 

JUDGE  BERNARD  DALY,  M.  D.  It  is  a 
matter  of  common  opinion  that  the  man  in 
professional  life  is  seldom  a  successful  busi- 
ness man  and  yet  Dr.  Bernard  Daly  has 
given  evidence  of  the  fact  that  his  sagacity, 
sound  judgment  and  enterprise  ean  be  used 
as  effectively  in  promoting  commercial  en- 
terprises as  in  the  practice  of  medicine  or 
of  law.  He  has  proven  his  strength  in  both 
those  departments  of  professional  life  and 
there  stands  to  his  credit  an  excellent  record 
as  county  judge  of  Lake  county  and  as  one 
oT  the  most  capable  practitioners  of  medicine. 
He  was  born  in  Ireland  in  1858  but  in  early 
jouth  was  brought  to  America  and  reared  in 
the  south.  He  supplemented  a  thorough  pre- 
liminary education  by  a  course  in  the  Ohio 
Northern  University,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  in  the  class  of  1886.  He  had  in 
the  meantime  begun  the  study  of  medicine 
and  next  entered  the  medical  department 
of  the  University  of  Louisville  (Ky.),  and 
was  graduated  therefrom  in  1887.  Coming  at 
once  to  Lakeview  he  entered  into  active  prac- 
tice. Before  the  supreme  court  of  Oregon  he 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  his  work  in  the 


560 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


courts  has  won  wide  recognition  and  liigh  com- 
mendation, yet  it  has  been  but  one  feature  of 
an  active  career  that  has  also  established 
him  as  one  of  the  foremost  physicians  of 
southern  Oregon.  He  has  been  a  close  and 
discriminating  student  of  the  science  of  medi- 
cine and  has  enjoyed  an  immense  practice, 
covering  a  radius  of  two  hundred  miles  over 
this  new  but  rapidly  developing  country. 
He  is  now  limiting  his  practice,  however,  re- 
sponding to  no  night  calls  and  engaging 
more  largely  in  consultation  practice.  The 
public's  recognition  of  his  ability  as  a  law- 
yer found  expression  in  1902  in" his  election 
lo  the  office  of  county  judge,  and  he  is  still 
serving  on  the  bench,  having  for  ten  years 
continued  in  this  judicial  position,  his  course 
being  characterized  by  a  masterful  grasp 
of  every  problem  presented  for  solution,  com- 
bined with  intimate  knowledge  of  the  prin- 
ciples of  law  and  correct  application  thereof 
to  the  points  in  litigation.  Other  honors  of 
an  official  character  have  been  conferred  upon 
him  in  recognition  of  his  fitness  for  leader- 
ship in  matters  relative  to  the  welfare  of 
state  and  nation.  In  1S92  he  was  elected 
a  member  of  the  house  of  representatives 
and  in  1S96  was  chosen  a  member  of  the 
state  senate.  In  1900  he  was  democratic 
candidate  for  congress  and  ran  ahead  of  his 
ticket  more  than  sLs  thousand  votes — a  fact 
which  is  plainly  indicative  of  his  popularitv 
and  the  confidence  reposed  in  him  by  hfs 
fellow  townsmen.  That  his  interest  in  edu- 
cation is  of  a  practical  and  beneficial  charac- 
ter is  indicated  in  his  service  as  a  regent 
of  the  Oregon  State  Agricultural  College  and 
as  a  member  of  the  board  of  education  for 
the  public  schools  and  high  school  of  Lake- 
view  through  the  past  twenty-four  years. 

Other  interests,  too,  of  a  strictly  business 
character,  claim  his  attention.  He  assisted 
in  the  organization  of  the  Bank  of  Lakeview 
and  has  continuously  been  its  president.  He 
organized  the  Lake  County  Land  and  Live 
Stock  Company,  of  which  "he  is  also  presi- 
dent, and  which  has  many  thousand  head 
of  cattle  upon  its  extensive  ranch  of  twelve 
thousand  acres.  Still  other  business  activi- 
ties of  a  varied  nature  claim  his  time  and 
energies  and  all  profit  by  his  experience, 
sound  judgment  and  cooperation. 

IVY  MORRIS  is  among  the  well  known, 
respected  and  successful  farmers  and  fish- 
ermen of  Lane  county,  this  state.  He  was 
born  in  the  state  of  Missouri.  .July  19.  1864, 
and  is  a  son  of  William  and  Xancy  (Wood) 
Morris.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Iowa  and 
his  mother  of  Kentucky  and  he  is  one  of 
nine  children  bom  to  his  parents.  A  more 
extended  review  of  the  family  of  William 
and  Xancy  (Wood)  Morris  is  published  far- 
ther on  in  this  work. 

Ivy  Morris  was  reared  at  home  and  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools  of  the  district  in 
which  he  lived.  During  his  early  years  in 
life  he  was  engaged  in  farming  and  re- 
mained with  his  parents  until  he  was  twenty- 
eight  years  of  age.  In  ISSO.  in  company 
with  his  parents,  he  removed  to  this  state 
and  settled  on  the  north  fork  of  the  Siuslaw 


river,  where  he  remained  for  two  years  and 
then  filed  upon  a  homestead  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  located  on  Mercer  lake,  six 
and  one-half  miles  north  of  Florence,  where 
he  continued  to  live  until  the  time  of  his 
marriage,  when  he  removed  to  his  wife's 
home,  where  he  has  since  been  engaged  in 
general  farming  and  fishing. 

Mr.  Morris  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mrs. 
Ellen  Xelson,  the  widow  of  John  Xelson, 
whose  home  was  located  on  the  lower  Siuslaw 
river.  By  her  first  marriage  Mrs.  Morris  was 
the  mother  of  a  son.  now  deceased,  his  death 
having  occurred  by  accidental  drowning  on 
December  26,  1911.  This  sad  event  forms 
one  of  the  deep  shadows  of  sorrow  in  the 
history  of  Mrs.  Morris,  her  greatly  beloved 
son  having  been  removed  from  her  fireside 
by  death  at  a  time  when  he  was  in  the  midst 
of  his  public-school  years,  a  boy  of  rare  prom- 
ise and  excellent  traits  of  character  and 
habits.  Mr.  Xelson.  the  father,  passed  away 
in  1S86.  Mrs.  Morris  is  a  daughter  of  Henry 
and  Xellie  (Baker)  Tronson,  the  former  of 
whom  was  born  in  Missouri  and  the  latter 
in  Umpqua,  Oregon.  In  18S7  the  parents  re- 
moved to  Point  Terrace  on  the  Siuslaw  river 
and  there  they  reared  their  family  of  five 
children,  namely:  Matilda,  the  wife  of  Wil- 
liam Thomas,  of  Portland;  Mrs.  Morris,  the 
wife  of  Ivy  Morris,  of  this  review;  Katherine, 
who  became  the  wife  of  Ralph  Amoth.  of 
Portland,  and  is  now  deceased;  Robert,  who 
resides  on  the  Siletz  reservation  in  Oregon; 
and  James,  of  Portland.  To  ilr.  and  Mrs. 
Morris  four  children  have  been  born:  Matilda 
Lee.  born  May  15,  1SS9,  who  is  the  wife  of 
John  Perry,  of  the  Umpqua  river  district; 
■William  I.  and  Edwin  E..  both  of  whom  re- 
side at  home  with  their  parents;  and  Vera 
M..  who  was  born  April  15,  1903,  and  is  a 
pupil  in  the  public  schools. 

Mr.  Morris  is  affiliated  with  the  republican 
party  and  a  loyal  adherent  of  that  political 
organization.  He  has,  however,  never  been 
a  candidate  for  political  preferment  of  any 
kind.  The  highly  developed  and  beautiful 
farm  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Morris  is  located  at 
Point  Terrace  on  the  Siuslaw  river,  south  of 
Mapleton,  and  contains  a  total  acreage  of 
one  hundred  and  seven  acres.  Mr.  Morris  is 
one  of  the  highly  respected  and  much  es- 
teemed citizens  of  Lane  county,  of  which  he 
has  been  a  resident  since  ISSO.  He  is  re- 
garded by  his  friends  and  associates  as  a 
most  trustworthy  and  reliable  man  and  is  in- 
terested in  any  issue  seeking  the  advance- 
ment and  improvement  of  the  community 
in  which  he  lives. 

MICHAEL  SULT.  Early  in  his  business 
career  Michael  Suit  realized  that  "there  is 
no  royal  road  to  wealth"  but  he  determined 
that  he  would  gain  prosperity  if  it  could  be 
won  by  honest,  persistent  labor.  Through- 
out the  greater  part  of  his  life  he  has  lived  in 
the  Summer  Lake  valley  and  has  proven  an 
active  factor  in  the  development  and  upbuild- 
ing of  this  section,  while  at  the  same  time 
he  has  furthered  his  own  interests  and  has 
become  the  owner  of  a  valuable  and  well  im- 
proved  property.     He   was   born    in   Marion 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


361 


county,  Ohio,  July  1,  1847.  His  parents,  John 
and  Eve  (Jacoby)  Suit,  were  also  natives  of 
that  state  and  were  there  married,  after 
which  they  removed  to  Marshall  county,  In- 
diana, when  their  son  Michael  was  but  six 
weeks  old.  Their  remaining  days  were  there 
passed,  the  father  following  farming.  In 
their  family  were  six  sons  and  four  daugh- 
ters of  whom  only  two  daughters  and  Michael 
Suit,  the  youngest  child,  are  living.  His  sis- 
ters are:  Margaret,  the  widow  of  John  Travis, 
of  Marshall  county,  Indiana;  and  Eliza  Ann, 
the  wife  of  Jacob  Huff,  of  Lincoln.  Nebraska. 
One  brother,  William,  served  for  three  years 
in  an  Indiana  regiment  in  defense  of  the  Un- 
ion during  the  Civil  war,  and  for  seven  years 
he  was  a  successful  school  teacher. 

Michael  Suit  was  reared  in  Indiana,  where 
he  remained  until  he  attained  his  majority. 
He  spent  one  year  in  Iowa  and  Missouri, 
working  as  a  farm  hand,  and  in  1869  he  came 
to  Oregon  with  Lane  county  as  his  destina- 
tion, there  joining  a  sister,  Mrs.  Mary  Cruzan. 
who  had  crossed  the  plains  in  1S52  and  who 
spent  her  last  days  at  Pleasant  Hill,  Lane 
count}-.  After  coming  to  the  northwest  Mr. 
Suit  worked  as  a  farm  hand  in  Lane  county 
until  1872,  when  he  went  to  Lake  county. 
He  had  previously  visited  the  district  in  1871, 
at  which  time  there  was  no  one  in  the  val- 
ley. In  1872  he  located  on  a  claim  and  has 
since  resided  on  Summer  lake,  where  he  ex- 
pects to  remain  until  death  calls  him.  He 
thinks  this  valley  cannot  be  excelled  in  the 
production  of  fruit,  grain  and  alfalfa  in  Ore- 
gon and  he  here  owns  three  hundred  and 
sixty-five  acres  of  rich  land  upon  which  he 
has  made  excellent  improvements.  He  has  a 
good  orchard  of  five  acres,  constituting  an  at- 
tractive feature  of  his  place,  and  containing 
the  finest  varieties  of  fruits.  For  about  thirty 
years  he  ran  cattle  on  his  ranch,  having  from 
five  to  six  hundred  head.  While  on  the  whole 
he  has  been  successful,  his  business  career 
.has  not  been  free  from  reverses,  for  during 
the  severe  winter  of  1889-90  he  lost  four 
hundred  head  of  cattle.  He  now  engages  in 
the  raising  of  grain  and  in  general  farming, 
feeling  that  he  is  too  old  to  ride  after  stock. 
His  brand  for  cattle  is  the  capital  letter  S 
placed  on  the  right  shoulder  at  an  angle  of 
about  forty-five  degrees,  and  he  has  bi-anded 
as  high  as  one  hundred  and  fifty  calves  in  a 
year.  In  1881  Mr.  Suit  was  married  in  Lane 
county.  Oregon,  to  Miss  Laiira  Belle  Conrad, 
who  was  born  in  that  county  October  8.  1861, 
a  daughter  of  David  and  Maria  (Cruzan) 
Conrad,  who  crossed  the  plains  in  1852.  The 
father  was  of  German  birth  and  died  in  Lane 
county,  where  his  widow  still  makes  her 
home.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Suit  have  been  born 
seven  children:  Etta,  the  wife  of  William 
Robinett.  who  is  living  on  a  farm  near  her 
father's  property;  Ivan,  who  died  at  the  age 
of  two  months;  Delia,  a  bookkeeper  of  Los 
Angeles.  California;  Frances,  the  wife  of 
Clyde  Kiger.  of  Silver  Lake  valley.  Lake 
county;  Pearl,  the  wife  of  John  Hanan,  of 
Warmspring.  Oregon;  Michael  C.  a  student 
in  the  State  Agricultural  College  at  Corvallis; 
and  David  Earl,  at  home.  All  of  the  children 
were  born  in  the  Summer  Lake  valley. 


Mr.  Suit  is  independent  in  politics  and  has 
only  held  school  and  road  oflices,  preferring 
not  to  take  an  active  part  in  political  aflfairs 
but  rather  to  give  undivided  attention  to  his 
business  interests,  which  have  brought  to  him 
gratifying  prosperity.  He  has  worked  ear- 
nestly and  persistently  year  by  year,  knowing 
that  close  application  to  duties  is  the  basis 
of  all  honorable  success.  He  deserves  much 
credit  for  what  lie  has  accomplished  and  his 
example  is  one  well  worthy  of  emulation, 
showing  that  in  the  individual  and  not  in  his 
environment  is  found  the  opportunity  for 
advancement. 

DOANE  B.  COLCORD,  M.  D.  The  career  of 
Dr.  Doane  B.  Colcord  has  been  an  unusually 
active  and  useful  one.  He  was  a  Union 
soldier,  then  studied  engineering  and  medi- 
cine and,  entering  upon  the  work  of  his  dual 
profession,  distinguished  himself  by  holding 
many  important  positions.  He  was  born  in 
Bucksport,  Maine,  in  1841,  a  son  of  Rev.  Da- 
vid and  Hannah  (Doane)  Colcord.  The  father, 
who  was  both  a  minister  and  sea  captain,  was 
born  at  Prospect,  Maine,  while  the  mother 
was  born  at  Bucksport,  in  which  city  she  was 
reared  and  educated.  The  father  was  a 
cousin  of  John  N.  Colcord,  the  adventurer,  who 
started  out  when  a  young  man  on  a  voyage 
from  Sanford,  Maine,  and  was  captured  by 
the  British  navy  and  impressed  into  its  serv- 
ice, being  kept  there  until  during  the  War  of 
1812  when  the  ship  on  which  he  was  serving 
was  captured  by  the  Americans,  after  which 
he  served  the  American  cause  until  the  close 
of  the  war.  In  1838,  in  Maine,  Rev.  David 
Colcord  married  Hannah  Doane  and  there 
resided  until  his  death  in  1858.  The  mother 
later  moved  to  West  Liberty,  Iowa,  where 
she  lived  for  a  time,  later  going  to  Chicago, 
Illinois,  and  thence  to  Topeka.  Kansas, 
where  she  passed  away  in  1901,  at  the  age 
of  ninety-live  years.  She  was  well  edu- 
cated and  taught  school  for  some  years  pre- 
vious to  her  marriage.  In  her  family  were 
ten  children,  the  subject  of  this  review  being 
the  only  one  now  living. 

Doane  B.  Colcord  remained  at  home  with 
his  parents  until  he  attained  the  age  of 
twenty  years,  when  he  enlisted  in  Company 
G,  of  the  Eighteenth  Infantry,  for  service  in 
the  Civil  war.  His  regiment  was  later 
changed  to  the  First  Heavy  Artillery  and  Dr. 
Colcord  was  afterward  transferred  to  the 
signal  corps  and  served  as  leader  of  the  post 
band  at  Georgetown,  D.  C.  until  the  close  of 
the  war,  being  discharged  from  the  United 
States  service  in  .June,  1865.  After  he  was 
mustered  out  of  the  ai-my  he  entered  the 
Dartmouth  College  at  Hanover,  New  Hamp- 
shire, from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1867, 
completing  a  four  years'  course  in  two  years. 
He  took  a  course  in  civil  engineering  and  after 
his  graduation  went  to  Burlington.  Iowa,  as 
a  surveyor  for  the  Burlington  Cedar  Rapids 
&  Northern  Railroad,  remaining  with  that 
company  until  1874.  During  his  service  with 
that  company  he  was  given  promotions  from 
time  to  time  until  he  became  chief  engineer 
and  has  a  record  of  surveying  one  thousand 
miles  of  railroad  which  were  afterward  built. 


562 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTOEY  OF  OREGON 


lie  then  went  to  New  York  city  for  the  pur- 
pose of  studying  medicine  in  Bellevue  Hospi- 
tal Medical  College,  from  which  he  was  gradu- 
ated in  1875.  He  entered  upon  the  practice 
of  his  profession  in,  Waymart,  Pennsylvania, 
but  at  the  end  of  a  year  removed  to  Cedar 
Falls,  Iowa,  where  he  practiced  for  three 
years,  and  later  followed  his  profession  for 
two  years  in  Burlington.  He  then  spent  two 
years  engineering  and  later  became  chief  en- 
gineer at  Burlington  for  the  Burlington  & 
Northwestern  Railroad,  which  position  he 
filled  for  one  year.  He  was  then  placed  in 
cliarge  of  branch  line  construction  work  for 
the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quinoy  Railroad 
and  served  in  that  capacity  for  two  years, 
after  which  he  went  to  Missouri  and"  took 
charge  of  a  line  from  Chillicothe  to  Kan- 
sas City  for  the  Chicago.  Burlington  &  Quincy 
Railroad.  After  completing  his  work  for 
this  company  he  returned  to  Cedar  Falls, 
Iowa,  where  lie  practiced  medicine  for  two 
years  and  then  was  appointed  assistant  chief 
engineer  for  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  North- 
ern Railroad  for  one  year.  In  1885  he  took 
charge  of  location  and  construction  work  for 
tlie  Rock  Island  Railroad  in  Kansas,  remain- 
ing in  the  employ  of  that  company  until 
1S92.  He  then  again  returned  to  the  prac- 
tice of  medicine,  settling  in  Topeka,  Kansas, 
where  he  pursued  his  professional  duties  un- 
til 1S99,  when  he  became  surgeon  for  the 
Mount  Carmel  Coal  Company,  a  position 
which  he  filled  for  one  year.  During  the 
time  of  his  residence  in  Tokepa  Dr.  Colcord 
was  elected  professor  of  chemistry  of  the 
Kansas  Medical  College,  a  position  which  he 
held  with  distinction.  In  the  spring  of  1900 
he  was  tendered  the  position  of  consulting 
engineer  of  the  Colorado  Fuel  &  Iron  Com- 
pany at  Pueblo,  Colorado,  and  was  placed  in 
charge  of  the  water  supply.  He  continued 
in  that  position  until  1902,  when  he  became 
chief  engineer  for  the  Colorado  &  Northwest- 
ern Railroad  Company,  but  remained  in  this 
connection  for  only  a  few  months,  when  lio 
became  locating  engineer  for  the  Denver  & 
Northwestern  Railroad  Company,  surveying 
over  two  ranges  of  mountains.  In  February. 
1903,  he  returned  to  Denver,  becoming  office 
assistant  in  the  final  location  of  the  line 
between  Denver  and  .Steamboat  Springs.  Af- 
ter completing  his  duties  in  this  connection 
he  became  a  consulting  engineer  in  hydraulic 
work  and  later  in  the  same  year  removed  to 
Oregon.  On  coming  to  this  state  he  was 
appointed  chief  engineer  of  the  Bonta  Short 
Line,  running  from  Baker  City  to  Prairie 
City,  Oregon.  He  was  then  employed  as  con- 
sulting engineer  of  the  Sumpter  Valley  Rail- 
road Company  and  had  charge  of  locating  and 
constructing  the  line  between  Tipton  and 
Prairie  City,  Oregon,  and  also  of  the  con- 
struction of  the  Mount  Hood  Railroad  Switch 
Back  Line,  between  the  Hood  river  and  Dee. 
Dr.  Colcord's  wife  died  suddenly  in  1003  and 
in  1904  he  removed  to  Portland  and  was 
there  employed  by  the  Oregon  Short  Line 
Railway  Company  in  locating  a  double  track 
between  Green  River  and  Granger  and  in  the 
location  and  construction  of  the  Willow 
Creek   branch   of  the   Oregon   Short  Line  in 


Wyoming.  In  December,  1907,  he  settled  in 
Creswell  and  has  since  been  successfully  en- 
gaged in  the  practice  of  medicine  in"  that 
city. 

In  1872  Dr.  Colcord  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Luella  Spencer  and  to  this 
union  four  children  were  born,  two  of  whom 
are  deceased.  Those  living  are:  Elenora, 
wlio  married  Guy  A.  Armitage  and  resides 
at  Creswell,  Oregon;  and  Doane  L.,  assistant 
engineer  of  the  Portland  Water  Department. 

Dr.  Colcord  gives  his  political  allegiance  to 
the  republican  party,  having  cast  his  first 
vote  for  Abraham  Lincoln.  Fraternally  he 
is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Lodge,  the  An- 
cient Order  of  United  Workmen,  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America,  the  Order  of  the  East- 
ern Star,  the  Royal  Neighbors  and  the  Degree 
of  Honor  of  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Work- 
men. The  long,  honorable,  successful  profes- 
sional career  of  Dr.  Colcord  is  a  most  excep- 
tional one.  In  his  young  manhood  he  gave  sev- 
eral years  of  the  best  part  of  his  life  to  the 
service  of  his  country  and  then  preparing  for 
the  practice  of  medicine  and  civil  engineerino-, 
he  succeeded  in  performing  a  large  amount  of 
work  in  engineering  and  surveying,  much 
larger  in  fact  than  is  usually  accomplished 
in  the  lifetime  of  a  man  giving  his  entire 
time  to  that  work.  As  a  medical  practitioner 
he  has  been  uniformly  successful,  his  educa- 
tion in  that  I'ne  having  been  liberal,  his  ex- 
perience broad  and  his  adaptation  to  the 
profession  most  excellent.  Dr.  Colcord  has 
always  been  a  man  of  decided  temperance 
principles.  He  is  the  author  of  the  Colcord 
Genealogy,  published  in  1908,  and  has  con- 
tributed several  articles  on  medical  and  sci- 
entific subjects  which  have  been  published  In 
the  Annual  of  Universal  Medical  Sciences  and 
in  various  medical  journals.  Dr.  Colcord  is 
one  of  the  most  distinguished  and  valuable 
citizens  of  Creswell,  where  he  is  widely  known 
and  universally  respected. 

FRANK  M.  LANGLOIS  is  living  retired 
m  the  village  of  I^anglois.  named  in  his 
honor,  for  aside  from  handling  a  real-estate 
business  on  a  small  scale  he  has  definitely 
abandoned  business  life.  He  is  a  native  of 
Oregon  and  a  son  of  one  of  the  earliest  pio- 
neers in  the  state  and  his  career  has  been 
identified  with  an  important  period  of  de- 
velopment and  evolution.  He  has  been  active 
in  business  and  agricultural  circles  and  has 
earned  his  retirement  by  diligence  and  in- 
dustry in  the  past.  He  was  born  near  Salem, 
Marion  county,  Oregon.  August  31,  1850.  a 
son  of  William  V.  and  Mary  A.  Langlois.  the 
former  a  native  of  the  isle  of  Guernsey,  Eng- 
land, and  the  latter  of  King  county,  Missouri. 
His  mother  crossed  the  plains  to  Oregon 
about  the  year  1846  and  his  father  came  to 
this  state  about  the  same  time.  Their  mar- 
riage occurred  in  Oregon  and  immediately 
after  William  V.  Langlois  took  up  a  claim 
on  the  site  where  the'city  of  Portland  now 
stands  and  raised  one  crop  of  potatoes  upon 
his  ranch  before  he  abandoned  it  considering 
it  of  no  value.  Leaving  his  family  in  Ore- 
gon he  went  to  California,  joining"  the  gold 
rush  of   1849.     One  year  later,  however,  he 


Fl'vANK    -\l.    LAM;Li>IS    AND    FAMUA" 


THE  N£'A'  YORK 
PUBLIC    LIBRARV 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


565 


returned  and  again  took  \ip  land,  locating 
his  claim  near  Salem,  where  he  engaged  in 
general  farming  for  some  time,  adding  to 
his  activities  the  manufacture  of  shingles. 
The  farm  which  he  developed  he  later  sold 
for  three  thousand  dollars,  taking  payment 
in  greenbacks  which  at  that  time  were 
worth  only  fifty  cents  on  the  dollar.  The 
sale  thus  'netted  him  only  fifteen  hundred 
dollars.  He  came  to  Curry  county,  settling 
at  Port  Orford  and  here  he  conducted  a 
general  store  for  a  short  time,  abandoning 
this  field  of  activity  eventually  and  locat- 
ing one  and  one-half  miles  from  the  site 
where  the  village  of  Langlois  is  now  located. 
Here  he  proved  up  a  donation  and  a  home- 
stead claim  wliich  he  began  to  improve  and 
develop.  He  added  to  his  holdings  from 
time  to  time  seeing  the  opportunities  which 
the  newly  opened  country  ofTered  and  adher- 
ing always  to  a  policy  of  expansion  and  prog- 
ress. At  the  time  of  his  death  lie  owned  a 
thousand  acres  of  land  in  Curry  county,  partly 
improved  and  intelligently  developed  and 
was  one  of  the  extensive  owners  of  farm 
lands  in  the  section.  He  died  when  he  was 
sixty-six  years  of  age,  his  wife  passing  away 
when  she  was  sixty-four.  To  their  union 
were  born  eight  children,  of  whom  seven  are 
living:  William,  who  met  death  by  drown- 
ing; James,  of  Cape  Blanco.  Oregon;  Frank 
M.,  the  subject  of  this  review;  John  N.,  who 
resides  in  Bandon:  Thomas  Orford,  who  was 
the  first  white  child  born  at  Port  Orford. 
and  who  now  resides  in  Bandon:  and  Charles 
E.,  Mrs.  Ella  Xelson  and  ilrs.  Mary  Gallier. 
all   of   whom   reside   in   Bandon. 

All    the   education    Mr.   Langlois   ever   ob- 
tained  consisted    of    eighteen    months   of    in- 
struction   in    the    district    schools    of    Curry 
county.     When    he   was    seventeen   years   of 
age    he    began    earning    his    own    livelihood, 
working   at    various   occupations    for   fifteen 
years.     At  the  end  of  that  time  he  took  up 
several    land    claims    and    also    purchased    a 
number  of  acres  all  of  which  he  later  sold. 
After   the   death    of   his   father   he   formed  a 
partnership    with    his   brother    in   the    opera- 
tion of  a  dairy  upon  the  homestead  which  he 
continued  to  conduct  until  the  property  was 
sold.      Then    Mr.    Langlois    established   him- 
self   in    the    general    merchandize    business, 
locating  his  store  at  Langlois  postoffice,  which 
was  named  in  his  honor  because  he  was  ap- 
pointed  first   postmaster  of   the   village.    He 
conducted   his   mercantile   enterprise   in   com- 
pany with  Mr.  Thrift  and  after  fifteen  years 
of   successful   partnership  he  bought   out   his 
companion's   interests   and  continued   in   the 
store   independently   for  five  years.     At  the 
end  of  that  time  he  disposed  of  his  business 
and    moved    upon   his   ranch   of   eighty   acres 
in   Curry   county  upon   which   he   carried   on 
extensive    sheep-raising,   handling    the    finest 
animals    in    this   section.      He    imported    his 
stock    from    England    and   gained    a   reputa- 
tion   throughout    the    state    as    a    successful 
sheep-breeder.    In  1910  he  retired  from  active 
life   although  he   still   handles   real   estate   in 
Langlois.      He    has    a    comfortable    home    in 
the   village   and    forty   acres   of   platted   land 
within  its  limits. 


In  18S6  Mr.  Langlois  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Georgia  E.  Hormen,  a  native 
of  Missouri,  and  a  daughter  of  Thomas  H. 
and  Sarah  Hormen,  the  former  a  native  ot 
Ireland,  and  the  latter  of  Missouri.  Her 
father  has  passed  away  but  her  mother  is 
still  living  and  makes  her  home  at  Belgrade, 
Montana.  In  their  family  were  five  children, 
two  of  whom  have  passed  away.  Those  liv- 
ing are:  Georgia,  the  wife  of  our  subject; 
James,  who  is  engaged  as  a  teacher  in  Mon- 
tana ;  and  John.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Langlois  have 
one  daughter.  Ivy  N.,  who  was  born  on  the 
2Sth  of  July,  1892.  She  is  a  graduate  of 
the  Curry  liigh  school  and  is  an  accomplished 
musician.  •■:■'.     ■ 

Mr.  Langlois  is  independent  in  his  polit- 
ical views  and  does  not  affiliate  with  any 
party.  He  is  interested  in  tlie  progress  and 
welfare  of  his  section  and  has  served  as 
county  assessor  for  one  term.  He  is  in  his 
sixty-third  year  and  now  enjoys  a  well 
earned  rest  after  useful  labor.  He  has  prac- 
tically seen  all  of  the  development  of  Ore- 
gon and  has  successfully  participated  therein 
as  an  important  factor  in  its  growth,  and 
tlie  upright  methods  and  principles  to  which 
he  has  adhered  have  been  forces  in  raising 
commercial    standards    in    the    state. 

ORRIN  BENNETT.  One  of  the  most  at- 
tractive small  ranches  in  the  vicinity  of  Eu- 
cene  is  that  of  Orrin  Bennett,  who  owns 
twelve  acres  on  Pacific  highway,  two  miles 
northwest  of  the  city.  It  is  highly  improved 
and  well  kept  up  and  the  entire  acreage  is 
devoted  to  fruit-raising.  He  was  born  in 
Indiana  in  1846.  and  is  a  son  of  E.  H.  and 
Frances  (Winchell)  Bennett.  The  father  was 
luirn  in  Massachusetts  and  the  mother  in 
Kentucky,  but  they  passed  the  early  years 
of  their  "domestic  life  in  Indiana.  They  sub- 
sequently crossed  the  prairies  of  Illinois  to 
Iowa,  arid  there  the  father  devoted  his  ener- 
gies to  agricultural  pursuits  during  the  re- 
mainder of  his  active  life.  Our  subject  is 
tlie  youngest  of  the  five  children  born  to  his 
]iarents,  the  others  being  as  follows:  Syl- 
vanus,  who  is  deceasd;  Cordelia,  tlie  widow  of 
It.  K.  Kegley,  of  the  state  of  Washington; 
:\relissa.  who  is  deceased;  and  Caroline,  the 
widow  of  C.  E.  Phipps,  of  Iowa. 

Tlic  boyhood  and  youth  of  Orrin  Bennett 
were  passed  on  his  'father's  farm  in  Io\ya, 
where  he  received  his  early  agricultural  train- 
ing and  accpiired  his  education.  At  the  age 
of'^fifteen  years  he  became  self-supporting  and 
worked  for  his  father  and  other  farmers  in 
tliat  vicinity.  In  common  with  other  youths 
lie  was  strongly  attracted  to  tlie  west  with 
its  "laniour  of  romance  and  adventure,  so 
wlieii  he  was  nineteen  he  left  home  and  went 
to  Colorado.  He  worked  in  the  mines  and  on 
the  railroad  and  followed  various  other  pur- 
suits during  the  succeeding  two  and  a  half 
years  and  before  he  had  attained  his  ma- 
jority had  traveled  quite  extensively  for  (hat 
pcrio'd.  Returning  to  Iowa,  he  resumed  his 
agricultural  pursuits  until  1S74,  when  he 
crossed  the  plains  to  Oregon.  Upon  his  ar- 
rival in  this  stale  he  first  located  in  Linn 
county,  engaging  in  general  farming  and 
stock-raising   for  ten  years,  but  he   did  not 


566 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


invest  in  land  until  he  came  to  Lane  county. 
Here  he  filed  upon  a  homestead  in  1SS8,  lo- 
cated in  the  foothills  west  of  Junction  City, 
continuing  to  live  there  for  nineteen  years. 
He  cultivated  a  portion  of  his  land,  but  his 
energies  were  almost  entirely  devoted  to  the 
raising  of  cattle,  in  which  he  met  with  very 
good  success.  In  1907,  he  left  his  cattle 
ranch  and  coming  to  Eugene  purchased  the 
place  where  he  now  lives.  He  has  planted 
this  entirely  in  orchard  and  has  further  im- 
proved his  property  by  the  erection  of  a 
pleasant  modern  residence  and  good  bams 
and  outbuildings.  Mr.  Bennett  takes  great 
pride  in  his  little  ranch  and  under  his  capa- 
ble and  careful  supervision  it  is  developing 
in  a  most  gratifying  manner  and  is  one  of 
the  verv  attractive  homesteads  in  that  vicin- 
ity. 

Mr.  Bennett  has  been  twice  married.  His 
first  union  was  with  Miss  Margaret  Cadwalla- 
der,  a  daughter  of  .Joseph  and  Jane  (Luers) 
Cadwallader.  They  were  married  in  Iowa 
but  soon  thereafter  came  to  Oregon  and  here 
Mrs.  Bennett  died  in  1874.  One  child  was 
born  to  them,  Charles  C,  in  1872.  He  was 
given  a  common-school  education  and  is  now 
engaged  in  ranching  near  Springfield,  Ore- 
gon. For  his  wife  he  chose  Miss  Jennie  Hull 
of  Iowa  and  they  have  three  children:  Ber- 
nice,  Helen  and  .John.  The  two  first  named 
are  attending  school.  Mr.  Bennett  was  mar- 
ried to  his  present  wife  August  24,  1906. 
Mrs.  Bennett,  who  is  a  native  of  West  Vir- 
ginia, was  the  widow  of  S.  E.  McClure.  She 
had  two  children  by  this  marriage:   Walter 

E.  McClure,  nineteen  years  of  age,  who  will 
graduate  from  the  University  of  Oregon  in 
the  class  of  1913;  and  Xellie  McClure.  sixteen 
years  of  age,  attending  high  school.  The 
maiden  name  of  Mrs.  Bennett  was  Martha 
Eayburn  and  she  is  of  Scotch  and  German 
extraction  and  a  daughter  of  J.  B.  and  Sarah 

F.  (Frazier)  Rayburn.  They  were  natives  of 
West  Virginia  and  came  to  Oregon  in  1888, 
settling  near  Irving,  where  they  remained 
for  about  eight  years,  when  they  removed 
to  Hatton,  Washington.  The  father  was  en- 
gaged along  agricultural  lines  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  1902,  and  the  mother  is 
now  living  on  the  home  ranch  in  Washington. 
Mrs.  Bennett  is  an  educator  of  note  and  for 
twenty-two  years  has  taught  school  and 
teaches  at  present  in  the  Kompp  school  near 
her  home.  She  is  the  second  in  order  of 
birth  in  a  family  of  twelve,  the  others  being 
as  follows:  George,  who  is  a  resident  of  Mis- 
souri; Joseph,  who  is  deceased;  Virginia,  the 
wife  of  B.  F.  Mulkey,  of  Eugene,  Oregon; 
John,  of  Grand  .Junction.  Colorado;  Earl,  of 
Pocatello,  Idaho:  Andrew  Mack,  of  Hatton. 
Washington:  Maggie,  the  wife  of  B.  F. 
Keenev,  of  Soldier.  Idaho:  Charles  C.  of  Puy- 
allup.  "Washington :  Orville  E..  of  Post  Fall's. 
Idaho;  Maude,  the  wife  of  Mr.  Roberston. 
of  Walla  Walla.  Washington:  and  Wilbur  L., 
who  is  living  in  Idaho. 

Mr.  and  ilrs.  Bennett  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church.  He  votes  the 
republican   ticket    and   served   in   either   the 


i.ipacity  of  school  director  or  road  super- 
visor ever  since  he  came  to  Oregon,  until  he 
removed  to  Eugene.  He  has  witnessed  the 
progress  and  development  of  Oregon  for  thir- 
ty-eight years,  seeing  its  forests  and  prairies 
transformed  into  fertile  fields  and  beautiful 
orchards,  while  thriving  commercial  centers 
have  sprung  up,  where  there  was  not  a  sign 
of  habitation  when  he  first  settled  in  the 
northwest.  Mr.  Bennett  is  an  enthusiastic 
admirer  of  the  state  and  never  lets  an  op- 
portunity escape  to  laud  its  resources  and 
wonderful  possibilities. 

C.  C.  HARRIS.  A  beautiful  home  is  that 
of  C.  C.  Harris.  A  residence  containing 
twelve  rooms,  built  in  1911,  overlooks  Sum- 
mer lake,  furnishing  a  view  which  covers  fifty 
miles  on  a  clear  day.  In  the  rear  of  the  build- 
ing tower  lofty  mountains  three  thousand 
feet  higher  than  his  home,  although  the  val- 
ley itself  has  an  altitude  of  forty-four  hun- 
dred feet.  Across  the  front  of  the  house  ex- 
tends a  broad  veranda  and  the  lawn  is  shaded 
by  fine  box  elder,  poplar  and  locust  trees. 
Altogether  it  is  a  beautiful  country  property 
and  he  has  his  own  electric  light  works  and 
water  plant,  pumping  mountain-spring  water 
into  the  house.  This  attractive  home  is  a 
visible  evidence  of  the  well  spent  life  of  C.  C. 
Harris,  whose  success  is  the  merited  reward 
of  earnest  labor  intelligently  directed. 

C.  C.  Harris  is  a  native  of  Iron  county,  Mis- 
souri, born  May  16.  1860.  and  is  a  son  "of  Zed 
G.  and  Malissa  (Pease)  Harris.  The  father 
was  bom  in  Kentucky  in  1825  and  the  mother 
in  Connecticut  in  1S27.  They  were  married 
in  Missouri,  January  6.  1848.  and  Zed  G. 
Harris  died  in  that  state  in  1880.  He  had 
devoted  his  entire  life  to  farming.  The 
mother,  not  long  after  her  husband's  death, 
came  to  Lake  county.  Oregon,  with  her  chil- 
dren and  there  passed  away  in  1900.  Three 
of  the  children  died  in  Missouri  and  one 
remained  in  that  state  at  the  time  when  four 
of  the  sons  and  three  of  the  daughters  ac- 
companied their  mother  to  the  west.  They 
located  first  at  Willowranch  in  the  Goose 
Lake  valley  of  California,  there  remaining 
until  1888,  when  they  came  to  the  Summer 
Lake  valley,  locating  on  the  west  bank  of 
the  lake.  Of  the  children,  the  eldest  is  Mrs. 
Flavia  McDowell,  while  the  others  who 
reached  adult  age  are:  S.  B..  who  died  ia 
Goose  Lake  valley  of  Modoc  county,  Califor- 
nia: Farnum  E..  of  Lakeview,  Ore"}ron:  Mrs. 
Delia  Fisher,  of  Ashland,  Oregon;  Clarence 
C„  living  on  Summer  Lake;  Martin  E.,  of 
Chehalis  county,  Washington;  Frank  M., 
mentioned  elsewhere  in  this  work:  and 
ilrs.  Florence  Wakefield,  of  Elma,  Washing- 
ton. 

In  taking  up  the  personal  history  of  Clar- 
ence C.  Harris  we  present  to  our  readers  the 
record  of  one  who  is  widely  and  favorably 
known  in  Lake  county  and  southern  Ore- 
gon. About  -the  time  when  he  attained 
his  majority  the  family  came  to  the  north- 
west and  since  1888  he  has  resided  con- 
tinuously at  the  place  of  his  present  residence 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


567 


on  Summer  lake.  He  owns  four  hundred 
acres  of  land,  nearly  all  of  which  is  under 
cultivation,  and  is  devoted  to  general  farm- 
ing and  stock  raising.  He  cultivates  hay  as 
well  as  cereals  of  various  kinds,  also  raises  a 
variety  of  fruit  and  has  a  fine  garden  in 
which  is  produced  almost  every  known  vegeta- 
ble. Everything  seems  to  grow  well  here  and 
his  place  is  improved  to  an  exceptional  de- 
gree. He  has  provided  ample  buildings  for 
the  shelter  of  grain  and  stock  and  in  1911 
erected  his  present  fine  residence  already  de- 
scribed. It  is  attractively  located,  command- 
ing a  fine  view  of  the  scenic  features  of  the 
district,  and  that  hospitality  is  one  of  its 
features  is  indicated  by  the  readiness  with 
which  their  many  friends  visit  this  home. 
Mr.  Harris  runs  about  one  hundred  head  of 
horses  and  mules  on  the  range  and  has  about 
fifty  head  of  cattle.  A  circle  enclosing  the 
letter  J  on  the  right  stifle  is  the  brand  used 
by  Mr.  Harris  for  his  cattle.  His  horses  are 
branded  on  the  right  shoulder  with  a  figure 
four  and  a  captial  letter  H.  He  raises  Perch- 
eron  horses  and  Durham  cattle  and  is  doing 
much  to  improve  the  grade  of  stock  common 
in  southern  Oregon'.  In  addition  to  his  agri- 
cultural and  stock-raising  interests  he  is  con- 
nected with  a  drug  store  in  Lakeview  and  is 
also  a  shareholder  in  the  Windy  Hollow  mines 
near  Paisley. 

In  1896  Mr.  Harris  was  married  to  Miss 
Hattie  J.  Colvin,  who  was  born  in  California 
in  1872  and  is  a  daughter  of  S.  T.  Colvin,  de- 
ceased. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harris  have  three  chil- 
dren :  Hildred,  Sidney  and  Reta.  They  have 
many  friends  in  the  county,  enjoy  an  enviable 
social  position,  and  Mr.  Harris  has  a  credita- 
ble reputation  as  a  progressive  business  man 
and   public-spirited  citizen. 

OLIVER  W.  JOHNSON.  Among  the  busi- 
ness men  of  Springfield,  who  have  been  dom- 
inant factors  in  promoting  the  development 
of  the  city's  commercial  interests  must  be 
numbered  Oliver  W.  Johnson,  who  has  been 
successfully  conducting  a  hardware  store  here 
for  the  past  five  years.  He  was  bom  in  Mo- 
nona county.  Iowa,  in  1879,  and  is  a  son  of 
Albert  and  Barbara  T.  (Thompson)  Johnson, 
natives  of  Xorway.  The  parents  are  both 
deceased,  the  father  having  passed  away  in 
South  Dakota,  while  the  mothers  death  oc- 
curred in  Iowa  on  the  10th  of  July.  1901. 
Oliver  W.  .Johnson  is  the  only  child  born  of 
this  union  but  has  one  half-sister  living. 
Aminda,  the  wife  of  Frank  T.  .Jennewein  of 
Iowa. 

The  boyhood  and  youth  of  Oliver  W.  .John- 
son contained  little  of  the  brightness  and 
joy  that  rightfully  belong  to  childhood.  At 
the  age  of  ten  years  he  was  compelled  to 
lay  aside  his  text-books  and  assist  in  the 
support  of  his  mother  and  the  family.  Dur- 
ing the  succeeding  nine  years  he  worked  con- 
tinuously, carrying  many  of  the  responsibili- 
ties and  oftentimes  doing  the  work  of  a  man. 
When  he  was  nineteen,  he  was  able  to  re- 
turn to  school  for  ten  days,  but  this  com- 
pleted his  education.  He  remained  on  the 
farm  with  his  mother  until  1.S9G.  the  year 
prior  to  his  marriage,  when  lie  left  homo 
and  worked  out  for  sixteen  dollars  per  month. 


After  his  marriage  he  rented  two  hundred 
acres  of  land  and  began  his  independent 
career  as  an  agriculturist.  He  continued  to 
engage  in  farming  in  his  native  state  until 
1902,  meeting  with  a  goodly  measure  of  suc- 
cess, as  he  applied  himself  tirelessly  and  in- 
telligently to  the  development  of  his  inter- 
ests. Believing  that  the  west  afforded  bet- 
ter possibilities  and  greater  advantages  he 
disposed  of  his  interests  in  the  Hawkeye 
state  and  in  1903  came  to  Oregon,  locating 
in  Lane  county.  Upon  his  arrival  here  he 
purchased  the  McKinzie  stock  farm,  located 
tliree  miles  east  of  Springfield.  He  operated 
this  for  two  years,  and  then  renting  it  re- 
moved to  Eugene.  Afterward  he  sold  the 
farm  and  took  a  position  with  the  Southern 
I'acific  Railroad  Company.  At  the  end  of  a 
year  he  resigned  and  came  to  Springfield  and 
engaged  in  contracting  and  hauling,  follow- 
ing this  business  for  a  similar  period.  He 
next  bought  a  small  stock  of  hardware  and 
opened  the  first  store  of  this  kind  in  the 
town.  He  began  in  a  very  small  way,  and 
although  he  had  had  no  previous  experience 
in  commercial  activities,  readily  grasped  the 
essential  factors  in  the  successful  develop- 
ment of  an  enterprise  of  this  kind.  In  the 
selection  of  his  stock  he  used  good  judg- 
ment and  made  it  a  point  to  always  carry 
a  brand  of  goods  that  he  could  recommend 
as  to  quality,  while  his  prices  were  reasona- 
ble. From  the  first  he  adopted  a  policy  that 
commended  him  to  the  confidence  of  all  who 
accorded  him  their  patronage,  and  he  was  al- 
ways accommodating,  realizing  that  the  best 
medium  of  advertising  is  well  satisfield  cus- 
tomers. During  the  intervening  years  he 
has  developed  his  business  in  a  most  remark- 
able way  and  his  stock  now  invoices  about 
thirty-seven  thousand  dollars.  He  enjoys  an 
excellent  patronage,  especially  among  the 
country  people,  and  has  every  reason  to  feel 
highly  gratified  with  his  success.  In  addi- 
tion to  his  fine  stock  of  merchandise  he  owns 
the  building  where  he  is  located.  This  is  a 
modern  two-story  building,  twenty-eight  by 
one  hundred  and  twenty  feet,  located  on 
ilain  street.  He  has  also  acquired  quite  ex- 
tensive interests  in  local  residence  property, 
having  five  houses  and  sixteen  lots,  and  he 
is  a  stockholder  in  the  First  Xational  Bank 
of  Springfield. 

^^^liting.  Iowa,  was  the  scene  of  Mr.  .Tohn- 
son's  marriage  on  the  27th  of  September. 
1897,  to  Miss  Lottie  M.  Keller,  a  daughter  of 
Jacob  and  Louisa  M.  Keller.  The  father 
was  born  and  reared  in  Switzerland  to  the 
;ige  of  nineteen  years,  at  which  time  he  emi- 
grated to  the  United  States.  He  subsequently 
located  in  Illinois  and  there  he  met  and  mar- 
ried the  mother,  who  was  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania. The  father  died  in  Eugene,  Novem- 
ber 29,  1909,  and  Mrs.  Keller  is  living  in 
Eugene.  Two  children  have  been  J)orn  to  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  .Johnson,  as  follows:  Lloyd,  who 
v.as  born  on  the  9th  of  July,  1901.  now  at- 
tending school:  and  Walter,  who  died  at  the 
;ige  of  three  years. 

In  political  matters,  Mr.  Johnson  is  a  re- 
p\iblican,  but  while  he  is  not  at  all  remiss 
in  matters  of  citizenship,  he  has  always  de- 
clined to  serve  in  an  official  position.     Since 


568 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


residing  lier  he  has  been  nominated  to  the 
town  council,  but  refused  to  accept  the  office. 
Nevertheless,  he  is  one  of  the  most  public- 
spirited  and  progressive  citizens  of  the  town 
and  can  always  be  depended  upon  to  assist 
in  promoting  any  movement  that  he  feels 
Mill  benefit  the  community.  He  is  one  of 
the  enthusiastic  members  of  the  Springfield 
Commercial  Club  and  champions  its  various 
efforts  to  advance  the  development  of  the 
public  utilities  and  the  different  local  ac- 
tivities, ilr.  Johnson  deserves  high  com- 
mendation for  the  intelligent  manner  in 
which  he  has  adapted  his  inherent  abilities 
to  the  best  utilization  of  his  opportunities. 
He  is  in  every  sense  of  the  word  a  self-made 
man,  his  advancement  in  life  having  been 
achieved  by  following  well  defined  plans  of 
action,  rather  than  through  the  assistance 
of  friends  or  by  favorable  circumstances. 
He  possesses  much  determination  of  purpose 
and  never  yields  a  point  that  can  be  won 
through  honorable,  persistent  effort,  and  as 
a  result  he  is  able  to  dominate  conditions 
and  is  generally  recognized  by  all  who  know 
him  as  an  efficient  and  capable  business  man. 

HON.  BINGER  HERMANN  is  one  of  the 

foremost  men  in  Eoseburg  at  the  present 
time.  He  has  served  his  city,  state  and 
country  in  many  different  capacities.  He  is 
a  brilliant  lawj-er,  a  sound  and  discriminat- 
ing judge,  a  loyal  statesman  and  an  upright 
and  honorable   man. 

He  was  born  in  Maryland,  February  19, 
1843.  His  father.  Dr.  Henry  Hermann)  was 
a  native  of  Germany,  in  which  country  his 
birth  occurred  iJay  "iS,  1812,  and  where  he 
became  professor  in  the  University  of  ilar- 
burg.  He  came  to  America  in  1831  and  en- 
gaged in  the  practice  of  medicine  and  sur- 
gery in  the  city  of  Baltimore,  and  later  in 
western  Maryland,  and  then  removing  to 
the  Pacific  coast,  with  a  colony  of  Mary- 
landers,  he  became  the  founder  "of  the  first 
permanent  settlement  of  the  Coquille  valley. 
He  reached  this  section  of  the  Oregon  Terri- 
tory with  a  number  of  Baltimore  people  in 
October,  1858,  and  like  the  rest  of  his  asso- 
ciates, took  up  a  public  land  claim  under  the 
preemption  law.  He  was  one  of  the  first 
early  pioneer  physicians  along  the  southern 
coast  of  Oregon,  and  his  death  occurred  in 
the  Coquille  river  vallev  on  December  16, 
1869.  His  wife,  Elizabeth  (Hopkins)  Her- 
mann, was  a  native  of  Wales  born  March  1, 
1821.  She  survived  him  many  years  and 
died  April  2,  1900.  Of  the  family,  eight 
children  grew  to  maturity  and  all  but  one 
are   now    residents   of   the   state   of   Oregon. 

Binger  Hermann  received  his  early  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  of  western  Mary- 
land and  supplemented  this  by  an  academ- 
ical course  in  Irving  College,  near  Baltimore 
city.  He  came  to  Oregon  with  his  parents 
in  1859,  just  after  its  admission  as  a  state, 
and  engaged  for  several  years  in  teaching 
school,  having  been  one  of  the  first  two 
teachers  of  a  public  school  in  Coos  county 
and  then  in  Douglas  county.  He  then  deter- 
mined to  make  the  law  his  life  profession 
and  at  Eoseburg  entered  the  office  of  Judge 


Chadwick,  who  afterward  became  governor 
of  Oregon.  He  still  later  continued  his  law 
studies  in  San  prancisco  in  the  office  of  Hon. 
John  B.  Felton,  a  distinguished  member  of 
the  San  .Francisco  bar.  He  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  of  the  supreme  court  of  Oregon  in 
October,  1866,  and  entered  upon  the  active 
practice  of  his  profession  in  Eoseburg,  Ore- 
gon, where  he  continued  except  when  engaged 
in  the  public  service.  Just  prior  to  his  ad- 
mission to  the  bar  and  before  the  close  of 
the  Civil  war,  Mr.  Hermann  assisted  in  re- 
cruiting a  company  of  volunteers  under  the 
last  call  of  President  Abraham  Lincoln  for 
troops.  He  was  to  have  been  commissioned 
as  first  lieutenant.  However,  owing  to  the 
close  of  the  war  in  1865,  and  before  the  full 
company  was  completed,  it  was  consolidated 
with  other  fractional  companies  and  this  am- 
bition was  not  realized. 

Mr.  Hermann,  however,  devoted  himself 
to  his  chosen  profession  and  soon  proved 
himself  to  be  an  active,  able  and  successful 
lawyer.  His  reputation  grew  and  his  at- 
tainments led  him  to  be  recognized  as  a 
valuable  asset  to  the  political  life  of  Ore- 
gon. He  was  elected  to  the  legislature  for 
his  home  county  in  1S66  and  two  years  later 
he  was  made  state  senator  for  the  three 
counties  of  Douglas.  Coos  and  Curry.  He 
also  served  during  this  time  as  deputy  col- 
lector of  internal  revenue  for  the  state  of 
Oregon,  and  later,  under  the  administration 
of  Governor  Z.  F.  Moody,  was  appointed 
judge  advocate  with  the  title  of  colonel  of 
the   Oregon  militia. 

In  188-1  he  was  elected  to  the  United  States 
congress  as  the  single  representative  for  the 
entire  state  of  Oregon,  and  began  a  political 
career  which  in  its  success  and  long  dura- 
tion has  rarely  been  equalled  in  the  history 
of  the  Pacific  Coast  states.  He  served  for 
eight  years  as  representative  from  the  whole 
state  and  upon  its  division  into  two  con- 
gressional districts,  was  continued  as  rep- 
resentative of  the  first  district  for  four  years 
more,  making  a  continuous  service  of  twelve 
years.  He  served  under  the  two  administra- 
tions of  President  Cleveland,  and  continued 
through  that  of  President  Harrison.  One 
of  his  associates  during  this  service  was  Wil- 
liam McKinley  of  Ohio,  who  when  he  be- 
came president,  selected  Mr.  Hermann  as 
commissioner  of  the  general  land  office,  in 
which  he  had  supervision  of  all  the  public 
domain.  He  served  in  this  capacity  for  six 
years  first  under  the  administration  of  Presi- 
dent McKinley,  and  a  portion  of  the  time 
under  that  of  President  Roosevelt.  After 
his  service  in  this  capacity  for  six  years, 
he  resigned  and  three  months  afterward  was 
again  reelected  to  congress  from  Oregon,  as 
representative  of  his  former  congressional 
district.  He  served  one  term  and  was  then 
reelected  to  another,  thus  making  a  record 
of  sixteen  years  as  a  member  of  the  United 
States  congress.  After  the  expiration  of  his 
last  term.  ilr.  Hermann  engaged  in  several 
tours  throughout  Europe  and  the  Oriental 
nations,  and  returning  to  his  old  home  at 
Eoseburg,  he  resumed  the  practice  of  his 
profession,  in  which  he  is  still  engaged.     He 


r.IXCKR  llKlt.MANN 


THE  In 
PUBLIC 


T1L0EW    ^ 


THE  CENTENiNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


571 


has  gained  a  reputation  during  these  years 
of  oliieial  and  professional  service  for  ability 
and  integrity  in  everything  relating  to  his 
public  and  private  life.  During  his  otHcial 
service  as  commissioner  of  the  general  land 
office,  he  became  the  author  of  an  interest- 
ing volume  on  tlie  Louisiana  Purchase,  now 
in  the  Congressional  Library  at  Washing- 
ton. D.  C,  which  showed  a  breadth  of  view 
and  a  detailed  study  of  his  subject  which  led 
to  a  change  in  the  L'nited  States  cession 
maps,  which  no  longer  exhibited  that  pur- 
chase as  extending  to  the  Pacific  ocean  and 
w'aich  excluded  Oregon  from  that  claim.  This 
claim  had  been  made  by  Calhoun  as  sec- 
retary of  state  when  presenting  to  Great 
Britain  our  claims  to  the  Oregon  territory. 
Official  maps  and  school  histories  had  also 
maintained  this   contention   for   many   years. 

Mr.  Hermann  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Flora  A.  Tibbetts.  a  native  of  Indiana 
and  a  daughter  of  Rev.  Jonathan  Tibbetts, 
an  old  pioneer  missionary  and  preacher  in 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  The  four 
surviving  children  of  Mr.  Hermann  and  his 
wife,  are:  Schiller  B.,  a  graduate  of  Wash- 
ington and  Lee  University  of  Lexington,  Vir- 
ginia, who  has  served  for  several  terms  as 
a  member  of  the  Oregon  legislature,  and 
who  now  resides  in  Portland,  Oregon:  Agnes, 
the  wife  of  Dr.  K.  L.  Miller,  a  practicing 
physician  of  Roseburg,  Oregon;  Maybelle,  the 
wife  of  II.  Prescott  Gatley.  a  prominent 
lawyer  of  Washington.  D.  C:  and  Elbert 
B..  a  student  of  the  law  department  of  the 
George  Washington  University  of  that  city, 
and  who  is  now  associated  with  his  father 
in  the  practice  of  law.  He  is  also  the  city 
attorney  of  Roseburg. 

Mr.  Hermann  has  been  an  adherent  of 
the  principles  of  the  republican  party  from 
the  time  of  the  Civil  war.  During  his  pub- 
lic career  he  was  intimately  associated  with 
the  inauguration  by  the  government  of 
numerous  public  enterprises  in  the  state  of 
Oregon.  He  aided  in  the  passage  of  many 
river  and  harbor  appropriations  for  Ore- 
gon and  for  the  establishment  of  lighthouse 
and  life-saving  stations  along  the  coast.  He 
was  the  author  of  the  act  of  congress,  known 
as  the  Indian  Depredation  law,  which  pro- 
vided payment  for  the  damages  committed 
by  hostile  Indians  upon  the  property  of  set- 
tlers  during   the   Indian   wars. 

Fraternally.  Mr.  Hermann  is  a  Knight 
Templar  Mason  and  a  Xoble  of  the  Mystic 
Shrine.  He  is  also  prominent  in  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  belongs 
to  the  Encampment.  He  is  at  present  Ex- 
alted Ruler  of  the  Benevolent  Protective  Or- 
der of   Elks   of   the  Umpqua  valley. 

He  possesses  a  clear  mind,  uniting  as  it 
does  tlie  capacity  for  detail  required  in  his 
legal  practice,  with  the  broad  liberal  states- 
manship which  has  always  marked  his  pub- 
lic career.  He  is  of  the  Western  American 
tradition,  cool  and  resourceful  in  an  emer- 
gency, devoted  to  his  country  and  to  its 
interests  and  welfare,  and  is  mentally  and 
morally  an  example  of  the  shrewd,  indefati- 
gable and  resourceful  American  type,  which 
in  polities  and  in  industry,  in  commerce  and 


finance,  in  the  conquest  of  a  vast  continent 
and  in  the  upbuilding  of  a  rich,  powerful 
and  strenuous  nation,  has  proved  itself  one 
of  the  most  potent  among  the  tribes  of 
men. 

EDWARD  C.  MORTON  is  a  well  known 
landowner  and  a  prominent  citizen  residing 
jtist  outside  the  city  limits  of  Creswell.  He 
was  born  in  Ohio  in  1849,  a  son  of  Samuel 
and  Elizabeth  (Banard)  Morton.  The  fa- 
ther was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  the 
grandfather  was  born  in  Ireland.  In  1855 
the  father  and  mother  removed  to  Zanes- 
ville,  Ohio,  to  Iowa,  where  the  father  became 
a  farmer,  following  that  occupation  until  the 
time  of  his  death.  August  8,  1902.  In  his 
family  were  six  children:  Thomas,  of  Mason 
City,  Iowa;  John  B.,  of  Shelby,  Iowa;  Mary 
A.,  the  wife  of  J.  D.  Caughran,  of  Tacoma, 
Washington;  Willamine,  the  wife  of  Levi 
Diekerson,  of  Altoona,  Iowa;  Charles,  of  Mis- 
souri; and  Edward  C. 

The  subject  of  this  review  began  earning 
his  own  living  when  he  was  twelve  years  of 
age  by  working  for  a  man  who  had  the  beef 
contracts  for  the  army  during  the  Civil  war 
and  for  four  years  was  thus  employed.  He 
then  learned  the  horseshoeing  trade  in  Iowa, 
after  which  he  purchasd  a  livery  barn  and 
conducted  it  in  a  very  successful  manner  for 
sixteen  years.  He  then  removed  to  Nor- 
folk, Nebraska,  and  purchased  a  farm  of  two 
hundred  and  eighty  acres  in  that  vicinity. 
Upon  this  farm  he  lived  and  labored  for  thir- 
teen years,  when,  selling  out  his  holdings  in 
Nebraska,  he  removed  to  Oregon  in  1904, 
locating  near  Creswell,  where  he  purchased 
one  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  land  and 
later  bought  ten  acres  of  timber.  He  still 
owns  one  hundred  and  eighty  acres  and  has 
one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  his  farm 
tinder  a  good  state  of  cultivation,  and  is  en- 
gaged in  growing  wheat,  oats,  potatoes  and 
hay.  He  built  the  second  house  of  any  con- 
seqtience  in  Creswell  when  he  erected  his 
present  large  residence,  which  is  situated  just 
outside  the  city  limits.  He  also  owns  the 
business  property  where  his  harness  shop  is 
located  and  another  five-room  residence  on 
Front  street. 

On  January  11,  1874,  Mr.  Morton  was 
married  to  Miss  Louisa  R.  Smith,  a  daugh- 
ter of  David  and  Elizabeth  (llocker)  Smith, 
both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Pennsylvania. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  were  the  parents  of 
the  following  children:  Agnes,  deccasd;  Fran- 
ces, the  wife  of  John  Hedgcner.  of  Fremont, 
Nebraska,  and  the  mother  of  two  children. 
Mamie  and  Guy;  Louisa  R..  now  Mrs.  Edward 
C.  Morton;  Annie,  the  wife  of  Oscar  McCoI- 
lum,  of  Nebraska;  George,  deceased,  who  was 
married  to  Laura  Wyatt.  by  Avhom  he  had 
two  children,  Laura  and  .Jessie;  Ernest;  Ev- 
erett; Ella,  who  is  the  wife  of  Ed  Fitzger- 
ald, of  Salt  Lake  City.  Utah,  and  the  mother 
of  five  children,  Ed,  Ella.  Geraldine,  Ells- 
worth and  Bertha;  Jessie,  the  wife  of  James 
Melligan,  of  Missouri;  and  Etta,  the  wife 
of  Jolm  Lay,  of  Missouri.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mor- 
ton are  the  parents  of  six  children:  Charles 
W..   of   Norfolk.   Nebraska,    who    is   married 


571' 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


and  has  eight  children,  Hattie,  Edna,  Lee, 
David.  Lenora,  Dallas,  Clarence  and  Grace; 
David  of  Creswell,  who  is  married  and  has 
one  child.  Ear!  E.;  Frank,  who  is  married 
and  resides  in  Goldendale,  Washington; 
Emma,  the  wife  of  William  Holterman,  of 
Creswell  and  the  mother  of  two  children, 
Gladys  and  Henry;  Troy  H.,  who  is  a  harness 
maker  and  resides  at  home;  and  Nellie,  also 
residing   at  home. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Morton  is  inde- 
pendent, preferi'ing  to  cast  his  vote  for  the 
candidate  who  is  best  fitted  for  the  office 
regardless  of  party  affiliation.  He  has  never 
been  an  office  seeker,  having  given  all  his  at- 
tention to  other  matters.  He  is  well  known 
in  Creswell,  where  he  ranks  as  one  of  its 
best  citizens  and  where  he  is  universally 
respected. 

CAPTAIN  ELIPHALET  FOLLETT.  While 
New  Pine  Creek  is  one  of  the  recently  estab- 
lished towns  of  Lake  county  its  citizenship 
includes  Captain  Eliphalet  Follett,  one  of 
the  venerable  residents  of  this  part  of  the 
state.  He  was  born  in  what  was  Lake  county 
but  is  now  Geauga  county.  Ohio.  February 
2,  1828,  a  son  of  Ashley  and  Diantha  (Mont- 
gomery) Follett,  the  former  born  in  Massa- 
chusetts in  1798  and  the  latter  in  New  York 
in  1808.  They  were  pioneer  residents  of 
northeastern  Ohio,  living  in  the  reserve, 
where  they  were  married.  The  father  was 
a  millwright  by  trade  and  followed  his  chosen 
occupation  when  eastern  Ohio  was  almost  an 
unbroken  wilderness.  About  1835  the  fam- 
ily removed  to  southwestern  Michigan,  set- 
tling at  Port  Sheldon,  where  Mr.  Follett  built 
a  mill,  establishing  the  town  not  far  from 
Michigan  City.  He  afterward  removed  to 
Chicago.  Illinois,  and  later  to  Prairie  du 
Chien.  Wisconsin.  He  subsequently  resided 
in  Iowa  and  in  1838  went  to  Chippewa, 
Wisconsin,  then  he  removed  once  more  to 
the  ilenominee  river  and  then  back  to  Clay- 
ton county.  Iowa.  Again,  however,  he  took 
up  his  abode  in  Wisconsin  in  1844,  remain- 
ing for  four  years,  after  which  he  returned 
to  Iowa.  There  he  secured  a  tract  of  wild 
land  and  became  actively  engaged  in  farm- 
ing.    The   mother   became   a   widow   in    1847. 

Captain  Eliphalet  Follett  was  the  second 
of  seven  children  and  as  the  oldest  son  was 
away  from  home,  the  care  of  the  family  de- 
volved upon  him  and  he  continued  to  work 
on  the  old  homestead  until  he  attained  his 
majority,  when  he  married.  He  afterward 
entered  the  field  of  general  merchandising 
at  Elkader,  Clayton  county.  Iowa,  but  even- 
tually removed  to  Elgin,  Fayette  county,  that 
state,  where  he  conducted  a  store  from  1853 
until  1862.  Following  the  outbreak  of  the 
Civil  war  his  patriotic  spirit  was  aroused 
and.  feeling  that  his  first  duty  was  to  his 
country,  he  enlisted  on  the  23d  of  July,  1862, 
as  captain  of  Company  H,  Thirty-eighth 
Iowa  Infantry.  He  served  with  that  com- 
mand until  January  1,  1865,  when  he  was 
honorably  discharged  by  reason  of  the  con- 
solidation of  his  regiment  with  the  Thirty- 
fo\irth  of  Iowa.  He  was  on  duty  with  the 
Thirteenth    Army    Corps    but   was    detached 


and  served  on  the  Mississippi  until  the  sur- 
render of  Vicksburg.  He  was  then  sent  to 
the  convalescent  camp  at  CarroUton,  Louis- 
iana, but  later  participated  in  the  capture 
of  Brownsville,  Texas,  where  the  troops  re- 
mained for  nine  months  as  an  army  of  ob- 
.servation.  At  the  close  of  that  period  they 
returned  to  New  Orleans  and  were  ordered 
to  Mobile  bay,  seventeen  days  being  spent 
in  the  capture  of  Fort  Morgan.  From  that 
point  the  troops  proceeded  to  Jlorganza, 
Louisiana,  and  to  Florida  and  participated 
in  the  battle  of  Fort  Blakely.  They  also 
assisted  in  the  capture  of  the  steamer  Ala- 
bama and  later  went  to  Houston,  Texas. 
The  most  important  battle  of  the  war  in 
which  Captain  Follett  participated  was  that 
at  Vicksburg. 

^^^len  the  war  was  over  he  returned  to 
Iowa,  and  engaged  in  railroading  for  more 
than  two  years,  but  he  also  owned  a  farm 
of  two  hundred  and  seventy  acres  there  and 
gave  some  of  his  time  to  its  supervision.  In 
1876  he  went  to  Yolo  county.  California,  and 
in  1879  removed  to  Willowranch,  Modoc 
county,  that  state,  seven  miles  south  of  New 
Pine  Creek,  Oregon.  In  1881  he  suffered  a 
stroke  of  paralysis  and  since  that  time  has 
engaged  in  merchandising,  being  identified 
with  business  interests  in  New  Pine  Creek 
since  1893.  He  has  a  well  appointed  store 
and  he  remains  a  factor  in  business  circles 
although  many  men  of  his  years  have  long 
since  put  aside  commercial  or  industrial  cares 
to  spend  the  evening  of  life  quietly  and 
without  any  business  activities  to  claim  their 
attention. 

Captain  Follett  has  been  married  twice. 
On  the  7th  of  February.  1847,  in  Iowa,  he 
\^edded  Christenia  Downie.  a  native  of  Can- 
:<da.  who  was  born  June  7.  1833.  and  died 
in  New  Pine  Creek  in  November,  1904.  Their 
children  were  seven  in  number:  John  A.,  liv- 
ing in  Lyon  county.  Iowa;  Blanch,  who  is 
the  widow  of  Columbus  Cannon  and  resides 
in  New  Pine  Creek;  .Josephine,  who  is  the 
widow  of  L.  C.  Button  and  makes  her  home 
in  Sacramento,  California;  A.  E.,  of  New 
Pine  Creek;  Ernest  B.,  of  Benton  county, 
Oregon ;  E.  W.  G.,  of  New  Pine  Creek ;  and 
Sadie  L.,  the  wife  of  .Joseph  L.  Hampton 
of  Paisley,  Oregon.  On  the  17th  of  June, 
1910,  Captain  Follett  was  married  to  Mrs. 
.Jane  L.  (Worthington)  Mulkey,  who  had 
been  a  widow  for  fourteen  years.  She  was 
born  in  Davidson  county.  North  Carolina, 
j^pril  29.  1835.  and  when  five  years  of  age 
came  to  Missouri  with  her  parents.  Brooks 
and  Hannah  (Green^  Worthington,  who  were 
natives  of  North  Carolina  but  died  in  Mis- 
souri, where  her  father  followed  farming. 
Tn  early  womanhood  Jane  Worthington  be- 
came the  wife  of  Johnson  Mulkey  and  they 
removed  to  California,  where  the  latter's 
death  occurred  April  21.  1895.  when  he  had 
reached  the  age  of  sixty-five  years,  two 
months  and  eight  days.  They  were  the  par- 
ents of  four  sons  and  four  daughters,  of 
whom  six  are  living. 

For  many  years  Captain  Follett  has  been 
a  stalwart  republican  but  his  first  vote  was 
east   in   1849   in  support   of  democratic  can- 


; 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY'  OF  OREGON 


rs 


(iidates.  He  voted  In  1856  for  Fremont  and 
for  eacli  presidential  candidate  of  the  re- 
publican party  since  that  time.  He  has 
served  as  justice  of  the  peace  and  in  oth^i- 
local  offices  and  for  seven  years  was  r,Dst- 
raaster  of  New  Pine  Creek.  For  thirty-five 
years  he  has  been  a  Master  Mason  and  since 
1855  has  been  an  Odd  Fellow,  havijg  in  that 
year  joined  the  lodge  at  West  Ui);on,  Fayette 
county,  Iowa.  At  the  time  of  the  Civil"  war 
every  one  of  its  members  enUsted  for  service 
at  the  front,  whereby  the  lodge  was  broken 
up,  and  after  the  war  he  aided  in  organizing 
another  lodge  at  Elgin,  Iowa.  He  was  at 
one  time  commander  of  the  Grand  Army  post 
at  Xew  Pine  Creek  buc  there  is  no  organiza- 
tion here  now.  as  theie  are  not  enough  mem- 
bers to  support  it.  His  religious  faith  is 
that  of  the  Metl,odist  Episcopal  church. 
Captain  Follett  is  .-emarkably  active  for  one 
of  his  years,  for,  although  he  has  passed  the 
eighty-fourth  milestone  on  life's  journey,  he 
is  in  business  a.'id  in  spirit  and  interest  seems 
many  years  lounger.  He  keeps  in  touch 
with  the  progress  of  the  world  and  through- 
out his  life  has  actively  figured  in  projects 
and  movemrnts  which  were  of  value  in  mat- 
ters of  eit'zenship  and  as  factors  in  the  at- 
tainment jf  material  success.  He  has  ever 
been  as  true  and  loyal  to  the  old  flag  as  when 
he  followed  the  stars  and  stripes  upon  south- 
ern batilefields. 

WIL::IAM  morris  is  one  of  the  highly 
respectjd  citizens  of  Florence,  this  state, 
where  he  lives  retired.  He  was  born  in  Indi- 
ana, ."une  27,  1835,  the  son  of  Ivy  and  Abi- 
gail 'Steward)  Morris.  The  father  was  a 
nat:-e  cf  Virginia,  his  birth  having  occurred 
in  t"ie  vicinity  of  Norfolk,  and  the  mother 
was  born  in  Bourbon  county,  Kentucky. 
Th?y  were  united  in  wedlock  in  Kentucky 
anf  in  that  state  continued  to  live  until 
l?f.3,  at  which  time  the}'  removed  to  Switzer- 
lard  county.  Indiana,  where  Mr.  Morris  was 
engaged  in  farming  until  1850.  In  that  year 
h(  removed  with  his  family  to  Lee  county. 
Icwa,  and  later,  in  1857.  he  moved  to  Liv- 
iigston  county,  Missouri,  remaining  there 
Uitil  1876,  when  he  removed  to  California, 
vhere  he  continued  to  live  during  the  re- 
Taming  years  of  his  life.  His  wife,  who  be- 
'ime  the  mother  of  William  Morris,  died  in 
•owa  in  1855.  while  Mr.  Morris'  death  oc- 
urred  in  California  in  1881,  when  he  was 
ighty-one  years  of  age.  They  were  the  par- 
nts  of  nine  children:  Phoebe,  who  resides 
n  southern  Kansas;  Joseph  E.,  of  Florence, 
jregon;  Amy.  who  passed  away  in  Meigs 
county.  Ohio;  William,  of  this  review;  An- 
nias,  a  resident  of  Bandon,  Oregon;  Martha 
A.,  who  makes  her  home  in  the  eastern  part 
of  this  state;  Mary  E..  of  Oakland,  Califor- 
nia; and  .Jacob  and  .Jesse,  both  of  whom  are 
deceased. 

William  Jlorris  was  reared  at  home  and 
received  his  education  in  the  public  schools. 
He  left  the  paternal  roof  at  the  age  of 
twenty  years  and  started  in  life  for  him- 
self. After  leaving  his  father's  home  he 
spent  some  time  in  traveling  through  various 
portions    of   the   eastern    and   middle    states 


aiid  immediately  following  his  marriage, 
which  occurred  in  his  twenty-third  year,  he 
established  himself  as  a  farmer  upon  his 
own  farm  of  eighty  acres,  which  was  located 
in  the  state  of  Missouri.  While  engaged  as 
a  farmer  he  enlisted  in  the  Civil  war  in 
1S64,  joining  Company  G,  Forty-fourth  Mis- 
souri Volunteer  Infantry.  During  the  period 
of  his  enlistment  he  was  engaged  in  two 
pitched  battles  and  had  the  good  fortune  to 
pass  through  the  fire  and  field  of  death  un- 
harmed and  was  mustered  out  of  service  in 
1865.  Immediately  after  the  close  of  the 
war  he  returned  to  his  home  in  Missouri, 
where  he  continued  to  live  until  1866,  at 
which  time  he  disposed  of  his  eighty  acres 
and  purchased  a  farm  of  forty-one  acres 
located  near  Chillicothe,  Missouri,  upon 
v/hich  he  maintained  his  residence  and  con- 
tinued to  be  engaged  in  general  farming  for 
a  period  of  twenty  years.  He  then  sold  his 
place  and  removed  to  Montague  county  in 
northern  Texas,  where  he  purchased  a  fine 
body  of  land  and  was  there  engaged  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits  for  six  years.  On  selling 
liis  real-estate  interests  in  Texas  he  removed 
to  Lane  county,  this  state,  and  was  engaged 
in  farming  for  thirteen  years.  At  the  close 
of  that  period  he  disposed  of  his  farm,  which 
contained  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  and 
also  a  smaller  piece  of  ranch  land  contain- 
ing sixty-four  acres  and  removed  to  Flor- 
ence, where  he  now  lives  a  retired  life  in  the 
comfortable  residence  of  which  he  is  the 
owner. 

In  1857  Mr.  Morris  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Nancy  J.  Wood,  a  native  of 
Shelby  county,  Kentucky,  and  a  daughter  of 
James  Wood,  of  Virginia.  Both  of  her  par- 
ents are  now  deceased,  having  died  many 
years  ago.  In  their  family  were  fourteen 
children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Morris  was  the  only 
one  to  settle  in  this  state.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Morris  nine  children  were  born:  Sarah,  the 
wife  of  M.  E.  Perry,  who  is  engaged  in  farm- 
ing in  Oklahoma;  Mary  W.,  the  wife  of 
William  Carleton,  a  ranchman  of  Jlonroe, 
this  state;  Ivy,  who  is  engaged  in  ranching 
at  Point  Terrace;  Amy.  the  wife  of  Marion 
Morris  of  Florence;  James,  a  blacksmith  of 
Florence;  Joseph  L.,  who  resides  near  El- 
mira;  Dolly,  the  wife  of  Welcome  Warren, 
of  Blaine.  Washington;  Mattie  Lee,  of  Acme, 
Oregon;  and  a  child  who  died  in  infancy. 
The  mother  of  this  family  passed  to  her  re- 
ward beyond  in  1905. 

William  Morris  after  a  long  and  active 
business  life  is  in  the  well  earned  enjoy- 
ment of  a  competency  which  is  sufficient  to 
provide  him  with  comfort  for  the  remain- 
ing years  of  his  earthly  pilgrimage.  He  is 
a  man  highly  respected  and  one  of  the  solid 
and  valued  resident  citizens  of  Lane  county, 
this  state,  in  which  he  has  spent  many 
years  of  his  active  life. 

GEORGE  L.  GILFRY.  Among  tlic  pio- 
neers of  Crcswell  is  George  L.  Gilfry,  the 
first  mayor  of  the  town,  vice  president  and 
a  director  of  the  Fruit  Growers  Bank,  which 
he    helped    to   organize,   a    retired    merchant 


574 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


and  a  capable  public  official.  He  was  born 
in  Illinois,  March  10.  1841.  a  son  of  John  T. 
and  Delila  C.  (Bristow)  Gilfry.  The  father 
was  born  in  Pennsylvania  and  the  mother  in 
Kentucky,  but  the  grandparents  on  both 
sides  were  pioneers  in  Oregon,  their  emigra- 
tion to  that  state  dating  back  to  1848.  To 
John  T.  and  Delila  (Bristow)  Gilfry  six  chil- 
dren were  born:  George  L. :  Henry  H.,  who 
has  filled  the  position  of  chief  clerk  of  the 
United  States  senate  in  Washington,  D.  C, 
for  the  past  thirty  years:  William  R..  a 
larmer  in  Lane  county;  John  E.  and  Susan 
K.,  both  of  wliora  are  deceased;  and  Sarah 
F.,  the  wife  of  Ira  Petty,  a  mine  owner  of 
Seattle,  Washington. 

George  L.  Gilfry  was  given  a  common- 
school  education  in  the  schools  of  Lane 
county,  to  which  place  his  parents  removed 
Mhen  he  was  seven  years  of  age.  When 
twenty  years  of  age  he  started  to  learn  the 
milling  business  in  his  father's  mill  and  later 
bought  an  interest  in  the  same.  He  was 
subsequently  placed  in  charge  of  the  mill, 
which  he  conducted  for  seventeen  years. 
Ihe  father  also  operated  a  store  at  Clover- 
dale,  where  he  was  a  successful  business  man. 
At  the  end  of  seventeen  years  George  L. 
Gilfry  sold  his  interest  in  his  father's  mill 
and  hauled  the  first  lumber  into  Creswell, 
with  which  he  erected  the  first  building  in 
tliat  town.  This  structure  was  for  general 
merchandising  purposes  and  into  it  lie  re- 
moved the  goods  from  his  father's  store  at 
Cloverdale.  Both  the  father  and  son  re- 
moved to  Creswell  and  engaged  in  business 
there  together,  being  the  first  merchants  of 
the  town.  The  store  was  afterward  burned 
and  they  replaced  it  with  a  brick  building 
and  continued  together  in  the  merchandise 
business  for  seventeen  years.  The  father 
was  the  first  postmaster,  the  first  express 
agent  and  the  first  railroad  agent  in  Cres- 
well and,  with  the  exception  of  his  position 
as  postmaster,  he  held  these  offices  for  the 
entire  period  of  seventeen  years  in  which  he 
remained  in  active  life.  At  the  end  of  that 
time  he  sold  out  his  business  interests  and 
retired,  making  his  home  with  his  daughter 
until  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred 
May  25.  1899,  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight 
years,  six  months  and  seven  days.  When 
the  store  in  Creswell  was  sold  George  L. 
Gilfry  removed  to  eastern  Oregon,  where  he 
engaged  in  the  cattle  business.  He  became 
a  prominent  man  in  his  district  and  was 
elected  county  commissioner  and  school  di- 
rector in  Lake  county,  but  after  being  there 
for  a  time  he  decided  to  return  to  Clover- 
dale  and  resigned  his  official  positions.  On 
returning  to  Cloverdale  he  made  his  residence 
in  the  old  home  until  1907.  when  he  came  to 
Creswell,  where  he  lived  retired  in  his  town 
residence.  During  the  early  years  of  his 
mercantile  career,  from  1854  to  1864.  Mr. 
Gilfry  hauled  all  of  his  merchandise  from 
Portland  with  ox  teams  during  the  summer 
seasons,  as  the  roads  were  impassable  in 
winter.  It  was  his  custom  to  make  five  trips 
each  summer,  which  was  sufficient  to  keep 
the  store  stocked  with  merchandise.  Mr. 
Gilfry   helped   to   organize   the   first   bank    in 


Creswell  and  is  now  vice  president  and  a 
director  of  the  same. 

On  March  25,  1862,  Mr.  Gilfry  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Amanda"  Hazleton.  a 
daughter  of  R.  H.  Hazleton.  of  Cottage 
Grove.  Her  parents  were  pioneers  in  Ore- 
gon, ha-ving  emigrated  to  this  state  in  1852. 
In  their  iamily  were  the  following  children: 
Thomas  P.,  Frances  M.  and  Mary  J.,  all  of 
whom  are  deceased;  Amanda,  who  became 
Mrs.  Gilfry;  William  T.,  deceased;  Harrison 
H.,  of  Alturas,  California;  John  W.,  of 
Seattle,  Washingtcn;  and  James  H.  and  L. 
H.,  both  of  Spokane,  Washington.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Gilfry  was  born  a  daughter,  Xellie 
M.,  who  received  a  business  college  education 
and  later  was  a  student  in  the  University 
of  Oregon  at  Eugene.  She  married  A.  W. 
Irvin,  who  is  the  proprietor  of  a  cafe  at 
Salem,  Oregon.  Mrs.  Gilf'-v  passed  awav  on 
the  22d  of  August,  188.3,  t'nd  on  August  24. 
1889,  Mr.  Gilfry  wedded  Mrs.  Louisa  m! 
Cooley,  the  widow  of  William  C'ooley.  and 
a  daughter  of  ,Tohn  and  Mary  iBalkev)  Tun- 
ell.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tunell  had  a  family  of 
five  children:  Mary  and  Henir.  both"  de- 
ceased; John,  of  Creswell;  Minnie,  the  wife 
of  William  Lane,  of  Creswell:  md  Louisa 
JI.,  now  Mrs.  Gilfry. 

Although  democratic  in  his  polit'cal  views 
Mr.  Gilfry  is  popular  with  men  if  every 
political  faith  and  has  always  taken  an  act- 
ive part  in  public  affairs.  Both  he  and  his 
father  were  charter  members  of  the  fiist  Odd 
Fellows  lodge,  which  was  organized  i>i  Cres- 
well, July  1,  190.S,  the  lodge  being  naned  in 
honor  of  the  father.  Mr.  Gilfry  is  active  in 
educational  affairs,  having  been  schojl  di- 
rector and  clerk  in  his  home  distrlr'„  f.oi  a 
number  of  years  and  he  also  helped  tc  or- 
ganize the  first  public  school  in  Cresvell. 
He  has  long  since  been  recognized  as  om  of 
the  leading  citizens  of  Creswell  and  L(ne 
county. 

JACOB  BEUSCH.  For  thirty-one  years 
Jacob  Beuscli  was  a  resident  of  Oregon  aid 
throughout  his  life  he  manifested  many  -)f 
the  sterling  traits  of  the  Swiss  people,  whose 
loyalty,  courage  and  honesty  have  won  for 
them  the  admiration  and  esteem  of  the  world. 
He  was  born  in  Switzerland  in  1822  and  wa^ 
reared  in  the  faith  of  the  Calvin  Baptist 
church,  his  parents  being  very  strict  church 
people.  Wlien  a  young  man  he  left  the  land 
of  the  Alps  and  came  to  the  United  States, 
settling  first  in  Wisconsin.  He  afterward 
brought  his  parents  to  this  country  and  their 
last  days  were  spent  in  Minnesota,  in  which 
state    he   resided    for   some    time. 

Jacob  Beusch  was  married  in  Minnesota, 
in  1S50,  to  Miss  Marie  Catharine  Elizabeth 
Splitter,  who  was  born  in  Mecklenburg- 
Schwerin.  Germany,  July  7,  1831,  and  at  the 
age  of  fifteen  years  came  to  the  new  world, 
joining  her  father  in  Milwaukee.  Wisconsin. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  William  and  Sophia 
Splitter,  who  afterward  removed  with  their 
family  to  Minnesota,  where  their  last  days 
were  passed.  In  the  old  country  her  father 
had  been  a  Lutheran  school  teacher  but 
in  jMinnesota  he  pttrchased  land  and  engaged 


JACOB  BEUSCII 


PI 


TIUBtf- 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


in  farming,  becoming  one  of  the  respected 
and  representative  agriculturists  of  his  dis- 
trict. In  his  family  were  three  children: 
Mrs.  Beuscli;  William,  of  Kansas;  and  Caro- 
line, deceased. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Beiisch  began  their  domestic 
life  in  Minnesota,  where  they  remained  for  . 
fifteen  years  after  their  marriage  and  then 
came  to  Oregon  by  way  of  the  Isthmus  route. 
They  were  shipwrecked  on  the  island  of 
Jamaica  and  sailed  from  Panama  on  the  Am- 
erica, which  was  later  shipwrecked.  They 
were  just  one  ship  ahead  of  the  Juniper, 
which  was  sunk.  They  thus  seemed  to  have 
marvelous  escapes,  for  they  reached  their 
destination  in  safety  and  at  length  settled 
in  Portland.  Mr,  Beusch  afterward  became 
proprietor  of  a  store  at  Columbia  City  and 
later  removed  to  Beaver  valley,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  farming  until  the  time  of  his  death, 
which  occurred  on  the  17th  of  April,  1896. 
His  widow  continued  to  reside  upon  the  farm 
for  two  years  and  then  removed  to  Paisley. 

To  Jlr.  and  Mrs.  Beusch  were  born  six  chil- 
dren: Jacob,  deceased:  William,  residing 
in  Columbia  county,  Oregon;  Wilhelmina. 
who  was  a  twin  of  William  and  died  at  the 
age  of  eleven  years  and  seven  months;  Min- 
nie, the  wife  of  Dr,  A.  A.  Whitham,  of  Cali- 
fornia; Mary,  who  died  at  the  age  of  one 
year;  and  Catharine,  who  died  when  twenty- 
eight  years  of  age.  Mr.s.  Beusch  is  today  the 
oldest  lady  residing  in  Paisley.  For  thirty 
years  she  has  been  a  Spiritualist,  which  was 
also  the  belief  of  her  husband.  They  were  in 
perfect  harmony  in  their  religious  views  as 
well  as  in  other  matters,  and  theirs  was  a, 
congenial  and  happy  marital  relationship. 
Mr.  Beusch  had  reached  the  ago  of  seventy- 
five  years  when  called  to  his  final  rest  and  his 
death  was  deeply  deplored  not  only  by  his 
family  but  also  by  many   friends. 

THOMAS     B.     STEWART,     who     was     a 

farmer  of  broad  experience  later  became  a 
])romincnt  citizen  of  Springfield,  Oregon,  and 
a  wealthy  land  owner,  bearing  a  most  ex- 
cellent reputation  in  the  community.  He 
was  born  in  Vermont,  March  22,  1S51,  a 
son  of  .James  and  Mary  (Rouark)  Stewart. 
The  father  was  a  native  of  Scotland  and  the 
mother  was  born  in  Ireland.  They  were 
married  in  Vermont.  In  their  family  were 
ten  children,  as  follows:  William,  an  attor- 
ney of  Fairfield,  Vermont;  Thomas  B.,  of 
this  review;  .James,  a  farmer  of  Salem,  Ore- 
gon; Frances,  deceased:  Henry,  residing  in 
Kansas  City.  Kansas;  Nicholas,  of  St.  Al- 
bans. Vermont;  .John,  also  of  that  city:  Dora, 
who  passed  away  in  infancy:  another  daugh- 
ter whose  death  also  occurred  in  infancy; 
and  Mary,  the  wife  of  Henry  Stoltz,  of  Min- 
nesota. 

Thomas  B.  Stewart  received  his  education 
in  his  native  state  where  he  remained  until 
he  attained  the  age  of  twenty  years,  when 
he  and  his  brother  .James  removed  to  Wis- 
consin. He  began  to  make  his  own  way  in 
the  world  at  the  age  of  eleven  years  when 
he  left  home  and  began  working  for  various 
farmers  of  the  neiffhborhood.  He  was  in- 
dustrious and  saved  the  money  he  made  so 


that  at  the  age  of  twenty-four,  when  he  was 
married,  he  could  buy  eighty  acres  of  land 
in  Wisconsin,  upon  which  he  lived,  cultivat- 
ing the  soil  and  improving  the  farm,  for  five 
jears.  He  then  sold  that  property  and  re- 
moved to  the  northern  part  of  Minnesota, 
where  he  took  up  a  homestead  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres.  He  later  sold  his 
Minnesota  homestead  and  was  given  charge 
of  a  very  large  railroad  farm  in  another 
part  of  the  same  state,  which  he  managed 
for  five  years.  He  then  followed  teaming  as 
a  business  for  one  year  and  then  selling  his 
teaming  business,  again  purchased  land  in 
southern  Minnesota  and  after  living  on  that 
farm  for  some  time  sold  out  and  removed  to 
Wisconsin,  remaining  there  for  one  year.  He 
then  removed  to  South  Dakota,  where  he  pur- 
chased two  hundred  acres  of  land  upon  which 
he  lived  one  and  a  half  years,  when  he  sold 
cut  and  went  back  to  southern  Minnesota 
and  bought  two  luindred  acres  of  land,  upon 
which  he  lived  for  ten  years.  This  farm  he 
cultivated  in  an  industrious  and  able  man- 
ner, placing  upon  it  needed  improvements 
and  making  of  it  a  fine  agricultural  prop- 
erty. At  the  end  of  ten  years  he  sold  his 
farm  in  southern  Minnesota  and  removed  to 
Oregon  in  October,  1903,  where  he  purchased 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  a  short  distance 
east  of  Springfield.  A  little  later  he  pur- 
chased fifty-eight  acres  adjoining.  This  land 
lie  improved  with  his  usual  enterprise  and 
skill,  bringing  his  place  under  a  good  state 
of  cultivation  and  making  of  it  a  valuable 
property.  The  growth  of  Springfield  a  little 
after  he  purchased  his  land  justified  him  in 
subdividing  sixty  acres  lying  nearest  the 
city  and  a  large  portion  of  that  subdivision 
he  sold  before  his  death.  Since  his  demise 
his  widow  who  still  owns  one  hundred  and  five 
acres  of  the  original  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  purchased  by  her  husband,  has  sold  a 
goodly  portion  of  the  subdivided  land.  The 
land  "which  she  retains  adjoins  the  city  lim- 
its of  Springfield  and  is  worth  about  five 
hundred  dollars  an  acre. 

Mr.  Stewart  was  married,  in  Hudson.  Wis- 
sonsin,  the  7th  of  May,  1874,  to  Miss  Har- 
riet Cooper,  a  native  of  New  York,  but  as 
her  parents,  William  and  Maria  (Chapman) 
Cooper,  removed  to  Wisconsin  soon  after  her 
birth  she  was  reared  and  educated  in  the  lat- 
ter state.  Her  father  was  a  native  of  Can- 
ada while  her  mother  was  born  in  the  Em- 
pire state.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cooper  were 
born  five  children  as  follows:  Mary,  the  wife 
of  Constantino  IVIcLaughlin.  of  California: 
Dora  and  Uicy.  both  deceased:  Mrs.  Stew- 
art: and  I^aura,  who  married  Elias  Taylor, 
of  Wisconsin.  Mr.  and  Jlrs.  Stewart  became 
the  parents  of  the  following  children: 
Oeorge.  a  resident  of  Goshen,  who  was  horn 
in  1875.  is  married  and  has  two  children, 
Harold  and  Lucille:  Robert,  who  was  born 
in  1879,  has  one  son.  Robert,  and  is  employed 
by  the  city  of  Portland.  Oregon:  Tillie.  the 
w'ife  of  Willis  Warner,  of  Springfield,  and  the 
mother  of  three  children,  Sidney,  Madge  and 
Donna:  Alice,  the  wife  of  .John  Seavey.  of 
Springfield,  by  whom  she  has  one  dausrhter. 
Hazel';  Jesbie,  who  married  Fred  Larison.  of 


578 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


Portland,  and  has  two  children,  Harry  and 
Stewart;  Francis,  of  Springfield,  who  is  mar- 
ried and  has  one  son,  Irwin;  Fred,  who  re- 
sides on  the  homestead  with  his  mother  and 
is  a  member  of  the  Second  Company,  Ore- 
gon Coast  Guards;  Irl  and  Allen,  both  at 
home  and  pupils  of  the  high  school. 

Mr.  Stewart  in  his  political  views  was  a 
socialist.  He  was  public-spirited  and  al- 
ways took  an  active  interest  in  the  upbuild- 
ing of  the  communities  and  neighborhoods 
in  which  he  lived  during  his  lifetime.  He 
was  a  man  of  intelligence,  energy  and  abil- 
ity and  was  without  exception  a  leader  in 
the  various  communities  in  which  he  resided. 
He  was  an  active  member  of  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  of  the  Grange, 
and  took  great  interest  in  the  affairs  of  those 
organizations.  By  his  death,  which  occurred 
on  the  18th  of  .June,  1909.  Springfield  lost 
one  of  its  most  valuable,  best  beloved  and 
most  prominent  citizens.  To  the  widow  who 
survives  him  is  left  the  responsibility  of  car- 
ing for  a  large  and  valuable  estate  and  in 
the  management  of  it  she  is  measuring  up 
to    the   demands    placed   upon   her. 

DR.  J.  A.  CHASTAIN  is  living  retired, 
having  reached  the  age  of  seventy-eight 
years.  At  the  present  time  he  has  put  aside 
business  cares  of  every  nature  and  is  enjoy- 
ing a  well  earned  rest.  His  life  has  been 
in  many  respects  a  serviceable  factor  in  the 
world's  work,  for  he  has  ever  ably  per- 
formed the  duties  that  have  devolved  upon 
him.  He  was  born  in  Meigs  county,  Ten- 
nessee, April  3,  1834.  his  parents  being  Wil- 
liam and  Mary  Ann  (Frie)  Chastain.  The 
father's  birth  occurred  in  Simpson  county, 
Kentucky.  February  11.  1809,  and  the 
mother  was  born  in  Blount  county,  Alabama, 
October  16,  1814.  A  portion  of  the  parents' 
youth  was  passed  in  Meigs  county,  Tennes- 
see, where  they  were  married,  and  in  Octo- 
ber, 1839,  they  removed  to  Lawrence  county, 
Missouri,  where  they  reared  their  family. 
At  length  they  sold  their  interests  there  and 
went  to  Howell  county,  Missouri,  where  Mr. 
Chastain  passed  away  .January  24,  1866. 
His  widow  afterward  established  her  home 
in  Baxter  county,  Arkansas,  where  she  died 
at  the  age  of  sixty-seven  years.  The  father 
had  always  followed  farming  and  blacksraith- 
ing  and  "had  thus  provided  for  the  support 
of  his  family,  numbering  six  children,  name- 
ly: J.  A.:  jiartha  J.,  deceased;  .Joseph  J., 
who  is  living  in  Xorfolk,  Arkansas:  Elijah 
L.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  three  years;  ^Mary 
Katharine,  who  has  passed  away;  and  Eliza- 
beth, living  in  Baxter  county.  Arkansas. 

J.  A.  Chastain  resided  with  his  parents 
until  twenty-two  years  of  age.  at  which 
time  he  turned  his  attention  to  merchandis- 
ing with  a  partner  at  the  Grandy  lead  mines 
near  Joplin.  ^Missouri,  where  he  remained  for 
two  years.  There  he  engaged  in  the  drug 
business  and  also  studied  medicine  at  Sher- 
wood, Missouri.  He  afterward  became  post- 
master of  Sherwood,  which  position  he  oc- 
cupied for  three  years.  At  length  his  medi- 
cal studies  prepared  him  for  practice  and  for 
thirty  years  he  was  an  active  representative 


of  the  profession.  At  dLflerent  times,  how- 
ever, other  activities  have  also  claimed  a 
part  of  his  time  and  energies.  He  was  en- 
gaged in  newspaper  publication  as  proprietor 
of  the  Boone  County  (Ark.)  Record  for  about 
six  years  but  at  length  disposed  of  his  prop- 
,  erty  at  Bedford  and  in  1875  made  the  jour- 
ney to  Oregon  with  ox  teams,  using  five  and 
a  half  months  in  crossing  the  plains  and 
mountains  that  lay  between  his  old  home 
in  the  Mississippi  valley  and  his  new  home 
upon  the  Pacific  coast.  At  length  he  located 
in  Jackson  county,  Oregon,  where  he  entered 
upon  the  practice  of  medicine  and  in  1888 
he  established  his  ofiice  in  Bonanza,  where 
he  successfully  followed  his  profession  until 
about  twelve  years  ago,  when  he  retired. 
His  practice  called  him  into  various  sec- 
tions of  Klamath  county  and  his  ability  was 
evidenced  in  the  excellent  results  which  fol- 
lowed his  labors.  He  was  very  careful  in 
the  diagnosis  of  his  cases  and  his  judgment 
concerning  the  outcome  of  disease  was  rarely 
if  ever  at  fault.  He  also  conducted  a  hotel 
and  feed  barn  at  Bonanza  for  a  number  of 
years  and  likewise  had  a  homestead  claim 
but  has  since  disposed  of  all  of  his  invested 
interests   save   his   home. 

On  the  4th  of  March.  1861,  in  Carthage, 
Missouri,  Dr.  Chastain  married  Miss'  Sarah 
T.  Boyd,  who  died  at  Sarcoxie,  Missouri, 
August  30,  1863,  leaving  a  son,  William  S., 
who  is  living  in  Farmington,  Xew  Mexico. 
On  the  1st  of  March,  1866,  Dr.  Chastain  was 
again  married,  his  second  union  being  with 
ilary  J.  King.  Their  children  are  ten  in 
number:  Charles,  who  died  at  the  age  of  two 
years;  George,  of  Klamath  Falls,  Oregon; 
Cora  and  Price,  both  deceased,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  nine  and  sixteen  months  respec- 
tively; Ada,  who  passed  away  at  the  age  of 
eight  years;  Ann.  the  wife  of  Arthur  Lang- 
ell,  of  Bonanza:  Etta  M..  the  widow  of  Roy 
I.  Kilgore,  of  Bonanza;  Claude,  of  Klamath 
Falls,  who  is  assistant  cashier  of  the  Amer- 
ican Bank  &  Trust  Company;  Sarah  J.,  the 
wife  of  Robert  Goss.  of  Bonanza ;  and  John 
K.,  who  resides  at  Bonanza. 

Dr.  Chastain  votes  with  the  democratic 
party  and  has  held  some  local  offices.  He 
served  for  one  term  as  deputy  sheriff  of 
Jasper  county,  Missouri,  was  the  first  city 
recorder  of  Bonanza,  which  position  he  filled 
for  six  years,  and  for  a  number  of  years  was 
justice  of  the  peace,  in  which  connection  he 
discharged  his  duties  in  a  prompt  and  able 
manner,  his  decisions  being  fair  and  impar- 
tial. For  over  a  half  century  he  has  been 
a  member  of  the  Baptist  church  and  his 
earnest,  consistent  Christian  life  has  gained 
for  him  the  high  regard  and  the  veneration 
which  should  ever  be  accorded  one  of  his 
years. 

JOSEPH  W.  STEWART.  One  of  the  most 
prominent  and  influential  business  men  of 
Springfield  was  the  late  .Joseph  W.  Stewart, 
who  for  forty  years  was  identified  with  the 
commercial  interests  of  the  city.  He  was  a 
man  of  nmch  energy  and  determination  of 
purpose  and  achieved  success  in  his  under- 
takings through  following  a  well  defined  line 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


579 


of  action.  As  he  always  conducted  his  busi- 
ness in  accordance  with  a  policy  that  com- 
mended him  to  the  confidence  of  the  people 
he  built  up  a  large  patronage  and  was  one 
cl  the  best  known  pioneer  merchants  of 
Lane  county. 

He  was  born  in  Macoupin  county,  Illinois, 
on  the  13th  of  September,  1835,  and  was 
a  son  of  Elias  and  Elizabeth  (England) 
Stewart,  the  father  of  Scotch-Irish  and  the 
mother  of  English  extraction.  EUas  Stew- 
art was  a  native  of  Virginia,  whence  he  re- 
moved to  Macoupin  county,  Illinois,  where 
he  met  and  married  Miss  England,  who  had 
been  born  and  reared  in  that  county,  and 
there  they  passed  the  early  years  of  their 
domestic  life.  They  subsequently  decided 
upon  removal  to  the  northwest,  being  in- 
fluenced by  the  better  opportunities  it  af- 
forded and,  disposing  of  their  interests  in 
Illinois,  they  joined  together  with  their  six 
children  an  emigrant  train  and  started  to 
Oregon  with  an  ox  team.  The  journey  was 
fraught  with  sadness,  as  the  mother  suc- 
cumbed to  cholera  when  they  were  crossing 
the  plains  and  was  laid  to  rest  on  the  west- 
ern prairies.  Upon  their  arrival  in  this  state 
the  father  filed  on  a  donation  claim  of  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  on  the  Willamette 
river,  located  between  Springfield  and  Eu- 
gene. Later  he  traded  his  holding  to  Char- 
nel  Mulligan  for  a  tract  of  the  same  size, 
upon  a  large  portion  of  which  the  town  of 
Eugene  is  now  located.  The  first  college 
built  in  Lane  county  was  erected  on  this 
ranch,  the  site  subsequently  becoming  known 
as  College  Hill.  It  was  a  denominational 
institution  and  was  under  the  control  of  the 
Presbyterian  church.  There  were  eight  chil- 
dren born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stewart,  our  sub- 
ject being  the  eldest  of  the  family. 

The  early  education  of  Joseph  W.  Stewart 
was  acquired  in  the  common  schools  of  his 
native  state  and  completed  in  the  college 
that  stood  on  his  father's  ranch  at  Eugene. 
He  was  early  trained  to  agricultural  pursuits 
and  remained  on  the  home  place,  assisting 
his  [father  with  its  operation  until  he  was 
twenty-two.  Five  years  later  the  father 
presented  him  and  his  brother  John  with  two 
n.ules  and  they  went  to  Boise,  Idaho,  and 
prospected  in  the  mines  for  a  year.  During 
that  time  Mr.  Stewart  cleared  i:p  about 
eighteen  hundred  dollars,  which  was  the  first 
money  he  had  ever  earned  for  himself.  Upon 
his  return  to  Eugene  he  engaged  as  clerk  in 
the  general  mercantile  store  of  Meyer  Rosen- 
blat,  and  after  a  few  months  together  with 
his  brother  and  Mr.  Rosenblat  engaged  in 
business.  They  came  to  Springfield  and,  on 
the  5th  of  November,  1863,  purchased  the 
mercantile  establishment  belonging  to  the 
late  Frank  B,  Dunn.  They  were  associated 
in  the  conduct  of  this  enterprise  until  1873, 
when  Mr.  Stewart  bought  out  the  interest 
of  his  partners  and  continued  the  business 
alone.  He  w'as  an  alert,  enterprising  man, 
jiossessing  much  foresight  and  sagacity  and 
met  with  success  in  the  development  of  his 
interests.  His  close  application,  earnest  ef- 
fort and  honorable  methods  of  conducting 
his    transactions    brought   him    well   merited 


success,  and  upon  his  retirement  in  1902  he 
controlled  practically  all  of  the  business  of 
this  section  on  the"  east  side  of  the  Wil- 
lamette. He  was  one  of  the  representative 
pioneer  merchants  of  the  county  and  one  of 
the  most  substantial  citizens. 

Mr.  Stewart  was  married  twice.  His  first 
union  was  with  Miss  Julia  Walker,  a  native 
of  Greene  county,  Missouri,  who  came  to 
Oregon  with  her  "parents  in  1S54,  They  lo- 
cated in  Eugene  and  there  Mr,  Stewart"  met 
and  married  the  daughter.  She  passed  away 
on  August  16,  1874,  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
seven  years,  leaving  two  children:  Henry 
W.,  of  Eugene;  and  Hattie,  the  wife  of  6. 
A.  ^Vheeler  of  Portland,  whose  father  form- 
erly owned  and  operated  a  saw  and  grist 
mill  at  Springfield.  On  the  2d  of  December, 
1875,  Mr.  Stewart  was  married  to  Miss  Eliz- 
abeth M.  Evans,  who  was  born  in  Balti- 
more, Maryland,  March  17,  1852,  She  is  a 
daughter  of  Francis  B,  and  Mary  Ann  Evans, 
the  father  a  native  of  Charleston,  South 
Carolina,  and  the  mother  of  Baltimore,  The 
parents  both  passed  the  entire  period  of  their 
domestic  life  in  the  latter  city  and  there 
the  mother  died  in  1858,  and  the  father  in 
1859.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Episcopal 
church  and  a  master  in  the  Masonic  frater- 
nity and  he  also  belonged  to  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  After  the  death  of 
her  parents,  Mrs,  Stewart  came  to  Oregon 
and  lived  with  her  brother,  James  H.  Evans, 
who  was  a  surveyor  in  the  employ  of  the 
government.  At  that  time  he  was  located  in 
the  land  office  at  Eugene  but  was  subse- 
quently transferred  to  Lakeview,  this  state, 
assuming  his  duties  there  in  1878,  He  w'as 
registrar  in  the  office  at  that  point  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  1880,  Mr.  Evans 
was  a  Mason  and  was  the  first  member  of 
the  fraternity  in  Oregon  to  become  a  Knight 
Templar,  having  been  admitted  to  this  branch 
of  the  order  in  Portland,  this  state,  in  1876. 
Five  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Francis  B.  Evans,  of  whom  Mrs,  Stewart  is 
the  only  one  now  living.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Stewart  there  were  born  three  children. 
.Tames  E.,  who  was  born  on  .January  5,  1S77, 
is  an  employe  of  the  Southern  Pacific  Rail- 
road Company  at  Springfield.  He  married 
Miss  Hazel  Walling,  a  native  of  Michigan, 
and  they  have  one  child.  Loiiis.  :Mary  Ethel 
married'  James  L.  Clark,  who  is  engaged  in 
the  real-estate  business  in  Springfield,  and 
they  also  have  one  son,  Joseph  R.  Harry 
M..  the  youngest  member  of  the  family,  is 
engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  in  this 
city.  For  his  wife  he  chose  Miss  Elsie  C. 
Boutin  of  Bayfield,  Wisconsin,  and  they  have 
one   daughter,  Charlotte   Elizabeth, 

Mr.  Stewart  was  not  identified  with  any 
religious  organization,  althoiigh  as  a  'child 
he  attended  the  Methodist  Episcopal  rlnirch 
in  which  his  mother  held  membership.  Polit- 
ically he  was  a  democrat  and  held  varioiis 
loeai  offices.  For  many  years  he  served  as 
a  school  director  and  he  represented  his  dis- 
trict in  the  state  legislature  for  two  terms, 
while  he  had  the  unusual  distinction  of  serv- 
ing as  postmaster  under  both  a  republican 
and    democratic   administration.       His    office 


580 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


was  never  inspected  until  he  resigned,  after 
eight  years  service,  and  his  accounts  were 
then  short  only  two  cents.  The  postoffice 
was  robbed  once  while  he  was  in  charge  and 
his  store  was  robbed  on  seven  different  oc- 
casions. He  was  a  most  estimable  man  and 
was  widely  known  throughout  this  section 
of  the  state,  where  he  had  many  friends  of 
long  years'  standing.  Public-spirited  in  mat- 
ters of  citizenship,  honorable  and  upright  in 
all  business  transactions  and  thoroughly  re- 
liable and  faithful  to  every  trust  impo.sed 
in  him,  he  well  merited  the  respect  and  es- 
teem he  was  generally  accorded  by  all  who 
knew  him.  His  death  was  a  calamity  to 
the  entire  communitj'  as  his  loss  was  deeply 
felt  not  only  in  his  immediate  family  but  in 
the  social  and  business  circles  of   the  town. 

DR.  B.  A.  OWENS- AD  AIR  (Autobiogra- 
phical). I  was  born  February  7,  1840,  in 
Van  Buren  county,  Missouri,  second  daugh- 
ter of  Thomas  and  .Sarah  Damron  Owens. 
My  father  and  mother  crossed  the  plains 
with  the  first  emigrant  wagons  of  1S43,  and 
settled  on  Clatsop  plains,  Clatsop  county. 
Oregon,  near  the  mouth  of  the  great  Colum- 
bia "River  of  the  West,"  within  the  cease- 
less roar  of  the  mighty  Pacific.  I  was  then 
very  small  and  delicate  in  stature  and  of  a 
highly  nervous  sensitive  nature  and  yet  I 
possessed  a  strong  and  vigorous  constitu- 
tion, and  a  most  wonderful  endurance  and 
recuperative  powers.  These  qualities  were 
inherited  not  only  from  my  parents  but  my 
grandparents  as'  well.  My  grandfather 
Owens  was  a  man  of  exceptional  financial 
ability.  He  owned  a  large  plantation  in 
Kentucky  and  had  many  slaves  and  many 
stores  throughout  the  state.  He  was  a 
grandson  of  Sir  Thomas  Owens,  of  Wales, 
of  historic  fame  and  my  grandmother  w-as 
of  German  descent.  Small  in  stature  but 
executive,  she  took  full  charge  of  the  plan- 
tation in  my  grandfather's  absence  which 
was  most  of  "the  time.  She  was  the  head  of 
her  household  as  well.  Everything  came  un- 
der her  capable  control.  She  was  the  mother 
01  twelve  children.  All  grew  to  maturity, 
married  and  went  on  giving  vigorous  sons 
and  daughters  to  the  young  and  growing 
republic. 

My  grandfather  Damron  was  of  equal 
worth.  He  was  a  noted  Indian  fighter.  He 
was  employed  by  the  government  as  a  scout 
and  spy  during  the  wars  with  the  Shawnees 
and  Dclawares.  He  performed  many  deeds 
of  bravery  and  daring.  He  killed  that  noted 
Indian  terror  "Big  Foot."  He  shot  him  in 
'•Cumberland  Pass:"  but  the  most  daring  feat 
of  bravery  was  his  rescue  of  a  mother  and 
her  five  children  from  a  band  of  Shawnees. 
For  this  the  government  presented  him  with 
a  silver  mounted  rifle  valued  at  three  hun- 
dred dollars.  Grandmother  Damron  was  of 
Irish  descent  and  noted  for  her  great  beauty. 

My  father  was  a  tall,  athletic  Kentuckian, 
served  as  sheriff  of  Pike  county  for  many 
years,  was  appointed  as  deputy  at  sixteen. 
It  was  said  of  him,  "Tom  Owens  was  not 
afraid   of   man   or   devil."       Mother   was   of 


slight  build  but  of  perfect  form.  She  weighed 
ninety-six  wlien  married  at  sixteen.  Mother 
inherited  her  father's  courage  and  bravery. 
She  was  the  mother  of  twelve  childi-en  and 
lived  to  have  passed  her  four  score  years 
and  ten  (ninety).  Brother  Flem  was  my 
constant  companion.  He  grew  rapidly  and 
soon  overtook  me  in  size:  but  I  was  tough 
and  active.  Not  until  I  was  twelve  did  he 
ever  succeed  in  throwing  me.  One  day  he 
came  in  with  a  broad  grin  on  his  good-na- 
tured face  and  said.  "  "Pop'  told  me  to  go 
to  the  barn  for  two  bundles  of  oats  for  the 
horses.  Xow  the  first  one  down  will  go  for 
the  oats."  Instantly  the  dish  cloth  was 
dropped  and  we  clinched.  I  had  noticed  for 
some  time  that  he  had  been  gaining  on  me 
but  I  could  not  take  a  "dair"  and  he  had  not 
yet  thrown  me.  Bound  and  round  the  room 
we  went,  bending  and  swaying  like  two 
young  saplings,  till  seeing  his  chance  he  put 
out  his  foot  and  tripped  me.  I  fell  and  my 
mouth  struck  on  the  post  of  a  chair  which 
broke  ofi'  a  piece  of  one  of  my  front  teeth. 
Poor  brother  picked  up  the  fragment  of 
tooth,  burst  out  crying  and  ran  oflT  for  the 
oats.  He  had  just  learned  this  new  accom- 
plishment in  wrestling  which  he  had  kept 
secret  from  me  to  his  life-long  regret,  for 
in  those  times  and  parts  dentistry  was  al- 
most an  unknown  art.  It  was  eighteen 
years  before  I  could  find  a  dentist  who  could 
repair  the  injury.  Dr.  Hatch,  of  Portland, 
did  the  work  for  ten  dollars.  I  was  more 
than  glad  to  have  the  ugly  gap  filled  with 
shining  gold.  It  remained  for  thirty-five 
years  and  was  perfect  when  extracted.  I 
have  saved  it  for  a  souvenir  in  remembrance 
of  that  particular  tussle  with  my  good 
brother,  not  the  last  by  any  means.  We 
were  constant  companions  and  I  was  a  veri- 
table "tom-boy"  and  gloried  in  the  fact. 

It  was  the  regret  of  my  life  up  to  the  age 
of  thirty-five  years  that  I  was  not  born  a 
boy,  for  I  realized  early  in  life  that  a  girl 
was  hampered  and  hemmed  in  on  all  sides, 
simply  by  the  accident  of  sex.  Brother  and 
I  were  always  trying  our  nuiscular  strength, 
and  while  in  my  thirteenth  year  I  bet  him  I 
could  carry  four  sacks  of  flour,  two  hun- 
dred pounds.  We  placed  two  sacks  on  a 
table  and  two  on  a  box  and  I  stood  between. 
Brother  placed  a  sack  on  each  of  my  should- 
ers and  then  I  managed  to  get  the  remain- 
ing sacks,  one  under  each  arm.  Then  while 
I'O  steadied  the  two  on  my  shoulders,  I 
valked  off  triumphantly  with  the  four  sacks. 

In  the  year  184T.  after  the  Whitman  mas- 
sacre, my  father  was  preparing  to  go  with 
the  Clatsop  volunteers  to  fight  the  Indians. 
When  all  was  ready  and  father  stood  in 
the  midst  of  his  weeping  wife  and  children, 
a  Mr.  McDonald,  who  was  working  for 
father,  stepped  forward  and  said,  "Mr. 
Owens.  I  am  a  simple  man!  I  have  no  one 
to  care  for  me  but  I  am  poor.  Give  me 
your  oiitfit  and  money  for  my  expenses  and 
I  will  go  in  your  place."  Yielding  at  last 
to  the  entreaties  of  his  family,  father  finally 
consented  and  Mr.  McDonald  went  in  his 
place,  but  he  never  returned.  He  was  killed. 
We  have  always  remembered  him  gratefully, 


/d'.^.(a^^-^-^'^^ 


G     LIBRARY  , 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OP  OREGON 


583 


believing  lie  might  have  saved  our  father's 
life.    At  least  he  gave  his  own  freely. 

I  was  the  family  nurse  and  it  was  seldom 
I  did  not  have  a  child  in  my  arms  and  more 
clinging  to  me,  when  there  was  a  baby  every 
two  years.  There  was  no  end  to  nursing, 
especially  when  mother's  time  was  occupied 
from  early  dawn  till  late  at  night  with  in- 
side and  outside  work,  she  seldom  had  time 
to  devote  to  baby  except  to  give  it  the 
breast.  When  the  weather  was  fine  we 
)  airly  lived  outdoors,  I  hauling  baby  in  its 
rude  little  sled  or  cart,  which  bumped  along 
and  often  bumped  baby  out  but  which  sel- 
dom seriously  hurt  and  never  killed.  With 
a  two-year-old  on  my  hip  and  a  four-year- 
old  clinging  to  me  to  keep  up  or  more  often 
on  brother  Flem's  back  we  went  play- 
ing here  and  working  there  during  all  the 
pleasant  weatlier.  When  it  rained  we  ran 
to  the  barn  where  we  could  swing,  play  hide- 
and-seek  and  slide  down  the  hay  mow. 
Many  times  I  have  carried  the  children  to 
the  top  and  with  baby  in  my  arms  and  the 
other  two  clinging  to  me  we  would  slide  to 
the  bottom,  to  the  great  delight  of  all. 

I  was  fond  of  hunting  hens'  nests  and 
usually  found  them.  One  afternoon  I  crawled 
under' the  barn.  I  knew  there  were  eggs 
there.  The  ground  was  hard  and  smooth, 
and  near  the  barn  floor,  about  the  center.  I 
found  a  nest  full  of  eggs.  I  squeezed  under 
so  I  could  reach  and  gather  them  in  my 
apron.  I  could  not  turn  around  so  I  began 
to  slide  out  backwards,  when  passing  a 
sleeper  a  knot  caught  between  the  waist- 
band of  my  dress  and  the  first  button.  Try 
as  best  I  might  I  could  not  get  loose. 
Brother  was  waiting  outside  and  when  he 
found  I  could  not  extricate  myself  he  ran 
for  mother.  Father  was  away  from  home 
and  mother  knew  the  only  way  to  release 
me  was  to  break  the  button  hole.  Lying 
there  on  my  face,  wedged  in,  I  could  not 
reach  the  button  or  break  the  button  hole. 
The  big  barn  was  full  of  hay  which  would 
have  taken  several  men  at  least  a  day  or 
more  to  get  down  to  the  middle  of  the  barn 
and  to  have  tunnelled  under  would  have 
taken  as  much  time.  Mother  told  me  to 
push  myself  forwards,  sideways  and  back- 
wards, with  all  my  force.  After  a  long  time 
I  succeeded  in  tearing  out  the  buttonhole. 
As  soon  as  I  got  clear  of  the  sleeper  I 
reached  back  and  unbuttoned  all  my  but- 
tons to  make  sure  I  did  not  get  hung  up 
again.  Now  being  free,  I  soon  backed  out  to 
freedom,  bringing  my  eggs  with  me.  That 
was  not  the  last  time  I  crawled  under  the 
barn  for  eggs;  but,  I  had  learned  a  lesson 
and  I  never  went  into  a  tight  place  like 
that  again  without  preparing  myself  to  leave 
all  my  clothes  behind,  in  case  I  got  hung 
up   on   a  knot  or  peg. 

When  I  was  twelve  years  old.  a  teacher 
came  to  teach  a  three  months  school  for  our 
neighborhood.  His  name  was  Beaufort. 
School-books  were  very  scarce.  Soniotimcs 
whole  familes  were  taught  from  one  book. 
All  children  over  four  attended  school.  Chil- 
dren did  not  remain  babies  long  in  those 
days,  when  other  children  came  so  fast  to 
Vol.  rv— 2  4 


crowd  them  out  of  the  cradle.  Boys  and 
girls  of  fourteen  and  fifteen  were  expected 
to  do  a  full  day's  work  on  the  farm  or  in 
the  house,  and  the  younger  ones  were  taught 
tc  be  helpful  and  to  take  care  of  themselves. 
The  teacher  was  a  fine,  handsome  young 
man.  He  kept  himself  clean  and  neat  and 
trim  and  did  not  seek  the  company  of  the 
young  men  of  his  age.  and  they  naturally 
disliked  hiin.  He  boarded  at  our  house  and 
we  children  walked  two  miles  to  school  with 
him  daily.  He  was  very  kind  to  the  chil- 
dren and  they  were  all  very  fond  of  him. 
He  would  often  take  two  or  three  little  tots 
or  as  many  as  could  hold  on  to  him  and  then 
run  races  with  the  larger  ones,  to  the  great 
delight  of  the  youngsters  who  thought  they 
had  won  the  race.  I  simply  worshiped  my 
handsome  teacher  who  taught  me  so  many 
things.  He  taught  me  to  run,  to  jump,  to 
lasso  and  to  spring  upon  the  horses  backs, 
all  of  which  I  greatly  appreciated. 

One  time  there  was  a  picnic  at  our  house, 
it  being  the  largest  and  best  house  on  Clat- 
sop. The  young  men  began  to  joke  and  guy 
our  teacher  about  his  white  hands.  He  took 
it  good-naturedly,  but  finally  said.  "I  will 
bet  you  two-hundred  in  cash,  my  watch  and 
chain  and  all  I  have  against  one  hundred 
and  whatever  j'ou  can  put  up,  that  I  can 
dig,  measure,  and  stack  more  potatoes  than 
any  man  on  Clatsop.  This  stirred  their 
blood  and  touched  their  pride  and  they  ac- 
cepted his  challenge.  He  was  to  dig,  meas- 
ure and  stack,  sixty  bushels  of  potatoes  in 
three  stacks  in  ten  hours,  he  to  select 
the  ground.  My  father  said  to  Lagrand 
Hill  who  was  then  working  for  him  and 
whom  I  married  two  years  later.  "My  boy, 
take  my  advice  and  don't  fool  your  sum- 
mer's work  away!  I  have  been  watching 
that  young  man  for  three  months.  He  is  as 
strong  as  a.  bear  and  as  active  as  a  cat;" 
but  like  the  others,  he  needed  no  advice. 
He  bet  his  watch  and  two  hundred  sheaves 
of  oats  on  the  issue.  Mr.  Beaufort  selected 
Mr.  Jewett's  potato  patch,  near  the  county 
road.  The  daj'  before  he  staked  off  the 
ground  and  smoothed  off  the  spots  on  which 
to  pile  his  potatoes.  The  day  was  bright  and 
beautiful.  Everybody  was  there,  including 
Indians.  It  was  a  genuine  picnic.  Every- 
body came  provided'  to  stay  all  day  and  see 
the"  fun.  The  hour  being  near  at  hand, 
the  teacher  removed  his  coat,  vest  and  long 
blue  handsome  Spanish  silk  scarf  and  hung 
them  on  the  fence.  Suspenders  were  unknown 
in  those  days.  He  then  loosened  his  leather 
belt  and  taking  off  his  boots  he  encased  his 
feet  in  a  pair  of  handsome  beaded  moccasins, 
then  drawing  on  a  pair  of  soft  buckskin 
gloves  over  his  soft  white  hands,  he  picked 
up  the  new  hoe  from  which  he  had  sawed 
off  about  half  the  handle  and  stepped  to 
the  middle  of  the  plot,  ^^^)en  the  time  keeper 
called  the  hour,  he  took  off  his  hat  and  made 
a  graceful  bow,  and  stepping  across  a  potato 
hill,  with  a  foot  on  each  side  of  it.  with 
two  or  three  strokes  of  the  hoe  he  laid  bare 
the  potatoes  and  with  both  hands  scooped 
them  into  the  half  bushel  measure.  It  did 
not   require  more  than  two  or  three   hills  to 


584 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTOKY  OF  OREGON 


fill  tbe  measure.  Then  with  two  or  three 
elastic  leaps  he  emptied  it  on  one  of  the 
places.  For  two  or  three  hours  he  kept  the 
tellers  busy,  then  he  took  it  easy  and  laughed 
and  joked  as  he  worked,  and  finished  long 
before  night.  That  was  a  red  letter  day  for 
our  handsome  teacher.  He  had  raked  in 
Matches,  rings,  scarf-pins  and  about  all 
the  spare  money  the  young  men  and  some 
of  the  old  ones  had.  After  he  had  finished 
he  turned  several  hand  springs  and  when 
he  reached  the  fence,  he  put  his  hands  on  the 
top  rail  and  sprang  over  and  that  was  a 
revolution  in  potato  digging  on  Clatsop.  All 
the  whites  dug  with  a  long-handled  hoe  and 
the  Indians  used  a  stick  or  their  hands, 
crawling  along  on  their  hands  and  knees. 
That  was  a  good  lesson  to  the  Clatsopites. 
He  left  in  a  few  days  and  we  never  heard 
of  him  again,  but  his  memory  is  always 
fresh  in  my  mind. 

He  was  in  my  young,  crude  and  barren 
life,  a  green,  flower-strewn  oasis,  with  a 
fountain  of  cool  water  in  its  midst.  I  was 
but  twelve  years  old,  small,  perfect  in  form, 
health  and  vigor.  Brother  Flem  towered 
far  above  me  and  sister  Diana,  "The  Clatsop 
beauty,"  was  taller  than  our  mother.  My 
love  of  my  handsome  teacher  knew  no 
bounds.  Sister  Diana  said  I  was  always 
tagging  him  around  and  mother  scolded  me 
saying.  '"You  ought  to  know  that  he  must 
get  tired  of  you  and  the  children  some- 
times." But  I  found  many  opportunities  of 
being  in  his  society  and  I  always  improved 
them,  especially  as  mother  was  so  over- 
worked and  she  was  glad  to  be  relieved  of 
the  care  of  the  baby  and  two  younger  ones. 
Taking  my  brood,  I  would  seek  out  my 
friend  who  invariably  met  us  with  a  wel- 
coming smile  for  he  had  learned  to  love  the 
two  tiny  girls  and  the  big  fat  baby,  who 
returned"  his  affection.  He  would  catch  up 
one  of  the  older  ones,  toss  her  above  his  head 
in  such  a  way  that  she  would  rest  across 
his  shoulders  "with  little  arms  around  his 
head  and  then  he  would  take  baby  and  hug 
her  up.  and  taking  the  other  tot  under  his 
arm  we  would  be  off  for  a  race  and  how  we 
did  enjoy  it.  The  children  would  scream 
with  delight  and  my  own  happiness  was  no 
less  deep.  Often  we  went  to  the  field  where 
father  was  cultivating  or  ploughing,  and 
many  times  did  he  lift  me  lightly  to  the 
back"  of  the  near  horse  and.  handing  me  the 
baby  and  seating  one  of  the  others  behind 
me. With  one  on  this  shoulder  he  would  walk 
beside  with  his  hand  upon  us  to  keep  us  from 
falling.  Father  liked  him  too.  and  was  al- 
ways glad  to  have  him  with  us.  It  was  a 
sad  day  when  he  left  us.  First  he  bade 
father  and  mother  good-bye  and  then  the 
children.  He  snatched  up  the  baby  from  the 
floor,  tossed  her  up  and  kissed  her.  I  was 
trying  to  keep  back  my  tears.  He  smiled 
down  on  me  with  his  handsome  blue  eyes 
and  said  to  mother.  "I  guess  I'll  take  this 
one  with  me!"  Mother  said.  "All  right,  she 
is  such  a  tom-boy.  I  can  never  make  a  girl 
of  her  anyway."  He  took  my  little  hand  in 
his  and  I  went  some  distance  down  the  road 
with   him.     Then   he   said,   "Xow   little   one, 


jou  must  go  back.  You  are  a  nice  little 
girl.  Some  day  you  will  make  a  fine  woman; 
but  you  must  remember  and  study  your 
book  hard  and  when  you  get  to  be  a  woman 
everybody  will  love  you,  and  don't  forget 
;.our  teacher,  will  you?"  He  gathered  me 
up  in  his  arms  smiling  and  kissed  me  and 
then  set  me  down  with  my  face  toward 
home.  I  ran  back  and  seeing  the  children 
on  the  fence  looking,  I  ran  around  back  of 
the  house  in  the  garden  and  hid  and  cried 
a  long  time.  Of  course  they  all  laughed  at 
me  and  oftentimes  when  I  was  rebellious 
and  wayward,  which  was  frequent,  I  would 
be  confronted  with,  "I  wish  the  teacher  had 
taken  you  with  him,"  to  which  I  never  failed 
to  answer  promptly  and  fervently,  "I  wish 
he  had  too." 

About  this  time  a  'Sir.  and  ilrs.  McCrary 
moved  in  on  the  adjoining  farm.  Their  little 
home  w-as  just  beyond  a  pretty  little  grassy 
hill,  not  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  away. 
I  did  not  like  the  man  but  I  fell  in  love  with 
his  tall  splendid  wife.  She  was  older  than 
my  mother  and  very  different  from  her. 
She  was  tall  and  fair  but  not  pretty  in 
form  or  face:  but  she  was  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  and  admirable  characters  I  ever 
met.  To  me  she  was  beautiful,  for  I  loved 
her  always.  Xo  child  could  have  loved  a 
mother  more  than  I  loved  this  pure,  noble 
woman.  It  is  said  that  love  begets  love, 
and  surely  it  did  in  this  case  for  she  re- 
turned my  love  with  a  true  mother  love, 
■^he  was  not  blessed  with  children  of  her  own. 
This  affection  remained  unbroken  through 
her  long,  subsequent  life  of  nearly  fifty  years, 
and  now  looking  back  I  can  realize  that  the 
lovely  example  of  her  beautiful  life  has  had 
nuich  in  molding  my  own  and  I  doubt  not 
that  of  many  of  the  characters  of  those 
around  her.  They  had  but  two  small  rooms, 
scantily  furnished,  but  everything  w-as  im- 
maculate and  she  with  her  hair  combed 
smoothly  back,  her  white  kerchief  pinned 
smoothly  over  her  bosom  and  with  her  kind 
words,  sweet  smiles  and  sweet  and  win- 
ning ways,  was  a  fitting  and  charming  mis- 
tress of  her  spotless,  little  home.  My  mother 
was  a  neat  and  tasteful  woman;  but  she 
said  Mrs.  ilcCrary  always  looked  like  she 
came  out  of  a  bandbox. 

I  always  managed  to  visit  my  friend  once 
a  day  and  often  several  times.  Wliatever 
might  be  my  task,  I  would  finish  it  as  soon 
as  possible  that  I  might  slip  off  and  fly  to 
Mrs.  McCrary's.  It  did  seem  like  flying  for 
my  feet  scarcely  touched  the  ground  as  I 
ran.  I  received  many  scoldings  for  running 
off.  and  was  told  that  grown  up  people  did 
not  want  to  be  bothered  with  children;  but 
unless  I  was  positively  forbidden.  I  went. 
She  always  seemed  so  glad  to  see  me  and 
had  so  many  pretty  and  pleasant  things  to 
say  to  me  that  it  was  no  wonder  I  loved 
her.  She  seldom  visited  and  never  gossiped. 
She  was  a  reader^  but  books  and  papers  were 
scarce  in  those  days.  She  always  treated 
me  as  if  I  was  a  little  lady.  She  would 
say.  "Y'our  \-isits  are  just  like  bright,  spark- 
ling, refreshing  sunbeams  to  me."  If  a  but- 
ton  was   gone   from   my   dress   or   apron,   a 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


oHo 


pin  went  in  and  she  would  say,  "Now  that 
looks  so  much  nicer."  Sometimes  she  would 
say,  "I  am  going  to  comb  out  those  lovely 
braids  of  yours."  She  would  take  down  my 
hair,  which  came  half-way  to  the  floor,  and 
then  the  little  glass  from  the  wall,  holding 
it  that  1  might  see  how  pretty  it  looked, 
waving  over  my  shoulders,  saying,  "We  will 
just  wait  a  while,  it  makes  you  look  so 
like  a  fairy."  Sometimes  she  told  me  fairy 
stories  while  she  taught  me  to  knit,  crochet 
and  sew,  all  this  time  talking  and  drawing 
me  out,  correcting  my  mistakes,  with  such 
delicacy,  that  my  super-sensitive  nature  was 
never  wounded.  She  infused  such  a  charm 
into  everything  she  did  and  said,  that  I  was 
not  only  interested,  but  anxious  to  learn. 
She  impressed  upon  my  mind  in  the  most 
positive  language  just  how  the  things  should 
be  done  and  showing  me  by  example,  and 
having  me  assist  when  possible  and  always 
excusing  my  blunders.  If  she  was  making 
biscuits,  she  would  have  me  stand  by  while 
she  showed  me  every  step.  "Now  you  take 
so  many  cups  of  tiour.  so  many  cups  of 
milk,  so  much  butter,  so  much  salt  and  sugar 
for  so  many  persons  and  when  you  knead 
the  biscuits,  be  sure  and  do  not  get  the  flour 
too  near  the  edge  of  the  board  or  it  will  get 
on  the  floor  and  you  must  stand  a  little 
back,  or  you  will  soil  j-our  apron.  Do  you 
know  I  have  seen  women  who  would  wear 
an  apron  all  the  week  and  then  it  would 
not  be  as  mussed  as  that  of  some  women 
would  be  in  one  day.  Some  women  have  a 
place  for  everything  and  keep  them  in  place 
while  some  women  keep  their  things  hap- 
hazard and  never  know  where  anything  is. 
They  make  themselves  a  great  deal  of  work, 
and  have  a  harder  time.  You  will  never 
be  that  kind  of  a  person,  for  your  mother  is 
a  good  house-keeper."  Was  it  any  wonder 
that  I  loved  that  wise,  good  woman  ?  I  was 
as  wax  in  her  hands.  Could  I  have  been  un- 
der her  influence  till  I  reached  maturity  in- 
stead of  one  year.  I  could  and  would  have 
escaped  manv  hardships  and  sorrows  of  my 
life. 

After  many  j'ears  I  returned  to  Clatsop 
and  heard  that  Mr.  McCrary  was  dead  and 
Mrs.  McCrary  was  spending  the  winter  in 
Astoria.  I  went  at  once  to  see  her.  Oh, 
what  a  joyful  meeting  was  ours  and  with 
what  interest  and  emotion  did  we  recall  and 
rehearse  the  past.  She  was  the  same  grand 
woman.  Hardships  and  griefs  of  which  she 
had  suffered  many,  seemed  to  have  made 
her  more  lovely  and  saintly.  She  said, 
"Well.  I  am  getting  old  and  you  are  young 
and  fresh  with  the  bloom  and  beauty  of 
womanhood  upon  you;  but  I  can  see  much 
to  remind  me  of  "the  little  barefooted  girl 
who  brought  me  so  much  pleasure  the  year 
I  lived  near  your  fathers',"  and  she  laughed 
heartily.  Again  we  parted  and  years  came 
and  went.  I  became  a  physician,  married, 
and  went  to  live  on  my  "Sunnymead"  farm, 
on  Clatsop.  One  dark  night  a  messenger 
came  with  a  lantern  saying.  "Mrs,  Mc- 
Crarv  is  suffering  dreadfully  with  an  abscess. 
Would  I  go?"  "Yes.  by  every  fond  recoUee- 
tion,  bv  everv  tie  of  gratitude  and  affection. 


yes,  I  will  go."  A  walk  of  a  mile  and  a  half 
over  the  rough  roadless  tide  land  brought  us 
to  the  Lewis  and  Clark  river  where  horses 
were  awaiting  us,  then  a  three  mile  ride 
brought  us  to  our  destination,  I  adminis- 
tered an  opiate  and  lanced  the  ulcer,  applied 
a  hot  poultice  and  hot  water  bag  and  she 
was  soon  comfortable.  Then  she  said,  "How 
good  God  is  to  send  you  to  me  In  my  trou- 
bles. I  do  not  regret  my  sull'ering  so  that 
it  brought  you  to  me.  Now  I  want  you  to 
get  right  in  bed  with  me.  I  am  ashamed  to 
be  so  selfish  not  to  let  you  sleep  in  another 
room  after  such  a  hard  trip;  but  if  you  had 
given  me  a  bushel  of  opiates,  I  could  not 
sleep.  I  am  so  hungry  for  a  good  long  talk." 
"Do  not  think  you  are  depriving  me  of  any- 
thing, for  I  am  as  anxious  as  you  for  such 
a  talk,"  and  we  did  talk  from  2  A.  M.  to 
breakfast  time,  living  over  much  of  our 
past  lives  from  my  early  childhood.  A  few 
years  later  she  came  to  Clatsop  to  visit 
friends  who  owned  my  father's  old  donation 
land  claim.  Wliile  there  she  was  attacked 
with  pneumonia  and  for  a  time  I  despaired 
of  her  life.  She  calmly  said.  "I  know  my 
time  has  come!  I  am  ready  and  anxious  to 
go.  I  have  lived  beyond  my  usefulness! 
You  are  doing  all  you  can  and  I  do  not 
blame  you;  but  T  feel  that  I  ought  to  go 
now."  But  her  time  was  not  come.  She  re- 
covered and  went  to  Portland  to  live  with 
her  adopted  son  whom  she  had  raised  from 
infancy.    I   saw   her   there    frequently. 

In  1899,  just  before  moving  to  Yakima, 
Washington.  I  called  to  say  good-bye.  On 
seeing  me  she  arose  to  her  feet  and  met  me 
■\('ith  her  heart  warming  smile.  "I  see  you 
are  reading  the  Oregonian,"  I  said.  "Yes,  I 
spend  much  of  my  time  in  reading.  If  I 
could  only  remember  what  X  read.  My  mem- 
ory is  just  about  half  across  the  floor.  You 
see  that  is  about  the  length  of  it."  "Xever 
mind  your  present  memory,"  I  said,  "your 
past  will  not  desert  you,  and  the  good  you 
have  done  in  this  world  will  linger  long  after 
you  and  I  have  been  laid  to  rest."  The 
pleasant  and  cheerful  way  in  which  she  al- 
luded to  her  loss  of  memory  illustrates  the 
wonderful  charm  and  beauty  in  which  she 
invested  life,  so  that  all  its  rough,  unsightly 
and  annoying  features  were  sure,  under  her 
sunny  way  of  presenting  them,  to  become 
less  disagreeable  and  often  charming.  To 
me  her  examples  have  been  helps  and  bless- 
ings throughout  my  life.  That  was  the  last 
time  I  saw  that  grand,  noble  woman,  one  of 
Cod's  masterpieces.  Her  walk  in  life  was 
lowly;  but  sunshine  and  flowers  folloAved  her 
and  illumined  her  pathway.  No  one  came  in 
contact  with  her  without  being  made  better. 

An  amusing  occurrence  took  place  when  I 
was  about  thirteen.  Father  had  a  little,  ugly 
Welshman  working  for  him.  This  man  had 
been  trying  to  make  love  to  me  for  some 
time  and  notwithstanding  my  scornful  re- 
jection of  his  attention  and  positive  r<ide 
treatment  of  him  he  persisted.  One  morning 
I  was  washing.  In  the  room  under  the  stair- 
way were  several  barrels  half-filled  with 
cranberries.  That  little  imp,  knowing  T  was 
there  and   watching  his   opportunity,  slipped 


586 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


up  behind  me  as  I  was  stirring  down  tlie 
clotlies  witli  a  long  broom  liandlc.  He  tlirew 
his  arms  around  me  and  hugged  me  and 
tried  to  kiss  me,  tlien  jumped  baclc  and  laugli- 
ed  triumpliantly  and  tried  to  escape  by  the 
open  door;  but  like  a  tiger  I  leaped  between 
him  and  the  door  and  gave  him  such  a  whack 
with  the  broom  liandle  that  he  staggered  and 
rushed  under  the  stairs  and  plunged  his  head 
in  the  cranberry  barrel.,  thus  presenting  a  fair 
field  for  the  strokes  which  iu  my  fury  I  laid 
on  thick  and  fast  with  all  the  strength  I  pos- 
sessed. He  screamed  and  mother  hearing 
the  disturbance  ran  down  stairs  and  had  to 
actually  pull  me  off  by  main  strength.  When 
I  got  his  head  out  of  the  barrel  he  sputtered 
and  stammered  and  could  not  utter  a  co- 
herent word.  In  towering  contempt  I  ex- 
claimed, '"You  little  skunk,  if  you  ever  dare 
to  come  near  me  again,  I'll  kill  you." 

About  this  time  another  occurrence  hap- 
pened that  made  a  lasting  impression  on  my 
mind.  One  morning  a  young  farmer  about 
twenty-seven  years  old  came  rushing  ex- 
citedly up  with  his  coat  on  his  arm  to 
mother  who  was  in  the  back  yard,  say- 
ing, "Where  is  Tom  Owens?"  ""Wliat  do 
you  want  of  him  ?  He  is  not  here."  "I  want 
him  and  I  intend  to  whip  him  within  an  inch 
of  his  life."  Mother  said.  '"Xow  Luke,  go 
home  and  get  over  your  mad  tit.  Owens  has 
never  done  you  any  harm  and  I  tell  you 
now,  if  you  do  get  him  roused  he  will  beat 
you  half  to  death,  and  I  don't  want  to  see 
you  hurt;"  but  he  had  no  notion  of  getting 
hurt.  Just  then  we  saw  father  coming  up 
the  road  on  horseback.  Luke  saw  him  and 
started  for  him.  Mother  called  and  begged 
him  to  come  back,  the  children  were  terribly 
frightened  and  began  to  cry.  Mother  said, 
"Stop  your  crying,  your  father  is  not  going 
to  be  hurt."  She  walked  out  with  us  to  where 
we  could  see  and  hear  all.  Father  stopped 
his  horse,  and  Luke,  throwing  down  his  coat, 
began  gesticulating,  swearing  and  daring 
father  to  fight  him;  but  father  sat  calmly 
on  his  horse  and  said,  ''Xow  Luke,  you  are 
only  a  boy.  and  you  don't  know  what  you  are 
doing.  Go  home  and  let  me  alone.  I  don't 
want  to  hurt  you."  At  this  Luke  sprang  at 
him.  calling  him  a  coward  and  attempted  to 
pull  him  off  his  horse;  but  before  he  could 
catch  his  foot,  father  was  off  his  horse  on 
the  opposite  side.  Giving  the  bridle  a  pull 
he  turned  the  horse  away  from  him.  The 
first  thing  he  did  when  Luke  came  lunging 
at  him  was  to  knock  him  down  with  a  single 
blow  and  then  he  held  him  down  and  choked 
him  till  he  cried  enough,  when  father  re- 
leased him  saying,  "Go  to  the  house  and 
wash  and  clean  yourself  up!  My  wife  will 
give  you  water  and  towels."  Luke  lost  no 
time  in  obeying  and  mother  assisted  him. 
She  said.  "I  am  very  sorry  you  did  not  take 
my  advice  for  I  knew  you  would  get  hurt." 
He  was  very  penitent  and  humiliated  and 
when  father  caine  up.  bringing  his  coat  and 
assisted  him  in  putting  it  on.  they  shook 
hands  and  were  friends  ever  after.  It  turn- 
ed out  that  some  of  the  neighbors  knowing 
bim  to  be  a  bragging  bully  and  wanting  to 


see  the  conceit  taken  out  of  him  had  told 
him  that  father  had  accused  him  of  stealing. 

In  1853,  finding  that  his  six  hundred  and 
forty  acres  could  no  longer  supply  food  for 
his  rapidly  increasing  herds,  father  decided 
to  move  to  southern  Oregon.  He  set  about 
building  a  tlat  boat  or  scow  in  which  to  move 
the  family  and  stock  that  he  did  not  wish 
to  sell.  In  the  fall,  after  the  crops  were 
harvested,  and  everything  sold  that  was  not 
desirable  to  move,  the  stock  was  shipped  to 
Rainier  and  then  the  family  and  teams  were 
shipped  to  Portland,  then  a"  small  town.  Af- 
ter disposing  of  the  boat  and  loading  up  the 
two  wagons  we  started  for  the  valley.  It 
had  been  raining  and  wo  had  a  terrible  time 
getting  through  the  timber,  west  and  south 
of  Portland,  father  leading  and  mother  fol- 
lowing with  the  second  team. 

Mr.  .John  Hobson,  my  brother-in-law.  had 
taken  the  cattle  and  horses  through  by  a 
trail  and  leaving  them  in  care  of  the  men 
came  back  and  met  us  in  the  woods  for  which 
we  were  very  thankful.  We  came  up  with 
the  herd  and  bidding  Mr.  Hobson  and  the  men 
good-bye  we  proceeded  on  to  Eoseburg,  with- 
out mishap,  brother  Flem  and  I  wHh  one 
liian,  who  father  said  was  not  worth  half 
as  much  as  either  of  us.  Father  said  we 
were  worth  more  as  drivers  than  any  two 
men  he  could  hire.  The  weather  was  fine 
and  there  was  plenty  of  grass.  That  part 
of  the  journey  was  a  picnic.  Upon  leaving 
home  I  insisted  upon  taking  my  big  cat, 
"Tab,"  against  the  judgment  of  everybody; 
tut  after  a  good  deal  of  argument  and  many 
tears  on  my  part.  I  carried  my  point.  After 
well  on  our  way  I  let  him  out  after  making 
camp,  putting  him  in  the  covered  wagon  and 
fastening  down  the  cover.  When  we  were 
ready  to  start  one  morning  the  horses  had 
strayed  oft'  and  father  sent  me  after  them. 
Wlien  I  returned  with  them  everything  was 
packed  and  was  moving.  I  forgot  Tab.  Af- 
ter going  a  mile  or  more  I  thought  of  him 
and  rushed  back  to  mother's  wagon.  She 
had  not  seen  or  thought  of  him.  Without  a 
word  I  put  whip  to  my  horse  and  galloped 
back  to  camp  and  rode  up  and  down  that 
pretty  little  creek  calling,  "Tabby";  but  saw 
no  signs  of  him.  With  a  sad  heart  I  rode  back 
and  overtook  the  wagons  and  stock.  When 
we  stopped  for  noon  mother  sent  me  to 
the  wagon  for  something  and  when  I 
lifted  the  cover  what  did  I  see  but  my  big, 
beautiful  Tab.  ready  to  meet  me  with  his 
affectionate  meow.  On  reaching  Roseburg 
we  found  our  old  friends,  the  Perrys,  who 
had  a  house  ready  for  us  and  we  moved  in. 
Father  took  up  a  claim  just  across  the 
linpqua  river  from  the  little  town  of  Rose- 
burg. He  bought  lumber  for  a  good  house 
:.nd  began  hauling  it  on  the  building  spot, 
lie  had  a  large  scope  of  range  and  during 
the  winter  he  built  a  ferry  boat  for  his  own 
accommodation  and  the  public. 

During  the  winter  Jlr.  Hill  came  to  visit 
us.  His  family  had  come  to  Oregon  the 
year  before  and  settled  in  Rogue  River  val- 
ley. It  was  arranged  that  we  should  be 
married  in  the  spring  wlien  father's  house 
was  ready  to  move   in.     During  the  winter 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


587 


and  spring  I  put  in  all  my  spare  time  pre- 
paring for  my  marriage.  I  had  four  quilts 
pieced.  Mother  gave  me  lining  for  all  and 
cotton  for  two  and  I  carded  wool  for  two 
and  we  quilted  them  all.  She  gave  me 
muslin  for  two  sets  of  sheets  and  pillow 
cases,  two  table  cloths  and  four  towels.  I 
cut  and  made  two  calico  dresses  for  myself 
and  assisted  her  with  my  wedding  dress  which 
was  of  pretty  sky-blue  lawn.  Mr.  Hill  came 
in  April  and  assisted  us  in  moving  into  our 
new  house.  On  the  4th  of  May,  with  only 
our  old  friends,  the  Perrys,  and  minister  be- 
sides our  family,  we  were  married.  I  was 
still  very  small.  My  husband  was  five  feet 
and  eleven  inches  and  I  could  stand  under 
his  outstretched  arm.  I  grew  slowly  until 
I  was  twenty-five.  Am  now  five  feet  and 
four  inches.  Just  prior  to  our  marriage, 
Mr.  Hill  had  bought  a  farm  of  three  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres,  four  miles  from  fath- 
er's, bought  on  credit  for  six  hundred  dol- 
lars to  be  paid  in  two  years.  The  improve- 
ments consisted  of  a  little  log-cabin,  twelve 
by  fourteen,  without  floor  or  chimney.  The 
roof  was  made  of  boards  tied  on  with  poles. 
One  window  consisted  of  two  panes  of  glass. 
a  section  of  log  sawed  out.  Later  I  chinked 
the  cracks  with  grass  and  mud.  About  ten 
acres  had  been  fenced  and  seeded  to  oats 
and  wheat.  A  rough  open  shed  sufficed  to 
shelter  six  or  eight  cattle.  Our  furniture 
consisted  of  the  pioneer  bedstead,  made  by 
boring  three  holes  in  the  wall  in  one  corner 
and  then  one  leg  was  all  that  was  required. 
The  table  was  a  mere  shelf  fastened  to  the 
wall.  Three  small  shelves  supplied  for  a 
cupboard  and  were  sufficient  for  my  small 
supply  of  dishes,  ily  cooking  utensils  were 
a  pot.  bake-oven.  frying  pan  and  cofi'ee 
pot.  A  washtub  and  Ijoard  and  a  large  pot 
for  washing  and  a  full  supply  of  groceries 
I  got  on  my  father's  accovmt  as  he  told  me 
to  go  to  the  store  and  get  what  I  wanted. 
He  also  gave  me  a  fine  saddle  mare,  Queen, 
a  fresh  cow  and  calf  and  a  heifer  that 
would  be  fresh.  Mother  gave  me  a  feather 
bed  and  pair  of  blankets.  My  husband's 
possessions  consisted  of  a  horse  and  gun  and 
less  than  twenty  dollars  in  money.  The 
Hon.  John  Hobson  had  once  said  to  me, 
'Your  father  could  make  money  faster  than 
any  man  I  ever  knew.  He  came  to  Clatsop 
with  fifty  cents  in  his  pocket  and  I  don't 
think  there  were  one  hundred  in  the  county, 
and  in  ten  years  he  was  worth  twenty 
thousand."  so' I  had  high  hopes  and  great 
expectations.  My  husband  was  strong  and 
healthy.  I  had  been  bred  to  thrift  and  econ- 
omy and  everything  looked  beautiful  and 
bright  to  me.  My  soul  overfiowed  with  love 
and  ioy  and  my  bouyant  and  happy  nature 
enabled  me  to  enjoy  everything,  even  to 
cooking  outdoors  without  a  shelter  over  my 
head. 

Soon  after  our  marriage  father  urged  my 
husband  to  begin  at  once  to  fell  trees  and 
hew  them  so  as  to  put  up  a  good  house  be- 
fore winter:  but  he  was  never  in  a  hurry  to 
get  down  to  work.  He  frittered  away  the 
whole  summer  in  going  to  camp  meetings, 
reading  novels  and  hunting.     In   September 


when  the  mornings  and  evenings  grew  cold 
we  bought  an  old  second-handed"  stove  which 
we  set  up  in  one  corner  of  the  cabin.  This 
was  a  great  comfort  to  me.  Soon  after  this 
we  had  a  heavy  rain.  The  next  morning 
our  house  was  flooded,  and  in  one  corner 
the  water  was  bubbling  up.  That  was  from 
a  gopher  hole.  It  was  late  in  November 
before  the  logs  were  even  ready  to  be  hauled 
for  the  sixteen  by  twenty  house.  Father 
provided  doors,  windows,  shingles,  nails  and 
lumber  for  floors.  He  had  all  on  the  ground 
long  before  the  logs  were  ready.  At  last  all 
■was  ready  and  father  came  with  men  to  help 
raise  the  house  and  mother  came  bringing 
bread,  pies  and  cakes  to  help  me  with  the 
dinner.  The  house  was  soon  up  and  the  open- 
ings for  the  windows  and  door  were  sawed 
out.  Father  said,  "Now  Lagrand,  go  right 
at  it  and  get  the  roof  on,  for  we  can  look 
for  a  big  storm  soon."  Next  morning  I  slip- 
ped out  of  bed  and  milked  the  cow  and  had 
breakfast  almost  ready  when  I  tickled  my 
husband's  feet  to  get  him  in  a  good  humor, 
because  he  was  not  pleased  at  what  father 
had  said.  At  breakfast  I  said,  "Now  we 
have  an  early  start  and  we  will  show  father 
how  soon  we  can  get  the  roof  on  and  the 
floor  down."  I  was  so  excited  over  the  pros- 
pects of  having  a  fine  new  house  with  a  floor 
and  windows.  By  the  time  the  roof  was  on 
Mr.  Hill  was  getting  tired  and  suggested 
a  hunt,  but  I  begged  and  coaxed  for  only 
half  the  floor  so  we  could  move  in,  till  he 
reluctantly  went  ahead.  When  sufficient  floor 
was  down  for  our  one-legged  bedstead  it 
was  moved  in  and  made  up  and  then  one  of 
my  new  braided  rugs  went  down.  No  young 
wife  of  wealth  could  have  looked  with  more 
pride  on  her  velvet  or  Turkish  rugs  than 
I  did  on  mine  that  I  had  made  from  scraps. 
When  half  the  floor  was  down  Mr.  Hill  stop- 
ped to  put  in  the  door  and  mashed  his  finger 
which  meant  a  lay-off  for  a  time.  Novem- 
ber was  nearly  gone.  The  cooking  must  be 
done  in  the  old  hut.  There  was  no  opening 
for  the  pipe  and  not  sufficient  pipe.  I  was 
planning  to  get  the  pipe  with  the  butter 
and  few  eggs  I  could  save  the  next  week. 
Our  groceries  had  all  been  bought  with  the 
butter  except  what  mother  gave  me.  Winter 
was  on  us  and  w-e  were  in  a  dilemma.  I  re- 
alized our  condition.  Though  but  fifteen  1 
knew  that  it  was  due  to  the  want  of  indus- 
try. He  suggested  that  we  go  to  father's 
for  a  visit.  T  did  not  like  that  for  I  real- 
ized that  father  did  not  approve  of  shiftless- 
ness,  but  I  had  to  consent  for  he  had  begun 
to  exhibit  temper  when  I  objected  to  his 
plans.  We  got  up  the  horses,  nailed  up  the 
house  and  taking  our  cnw  and  calf  we  took 
ourselves  to  fathers.  There  we  stayed  for 
two  weeks,  then  father  got  us  a  box  of  groc- 
eries and  stove  pipe  and  he  and  mother  ciime 
over  and  helped  us  get  settled  and  now  with 
two  cows  we  ooiild  get  along. 

;Mr.  Hill  had  been  receiving  letters  from 
his  folks  who  were  doing  well  and  urged  us 
to  sell  out  and  come  out  there  in  the  spring. 
Tn  April  we  were  to  pay  three  hundred  dol- 
lars on  the  farm  and  we  had  not  a  dollar. 
Nothing  had  been  added  to  or  taken  from  the 


588 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


l-'lace  excepting  the  house  and  father  had 
I'uinished  everything  except  the  bare  logs. 
Mr.  Hill  was  handy  with  tools  and  could 
have  had  work  all  tlie  time  at  good  wages. 
The  owner  was  anxious  to  get  the  place 
back  and  offered  sixty  dollars  to  liave  it 
returned,  so  we  decided  to  go  early  in  tlie 
spring.  We  traded  the  younger  calf  and  crop 
lor  another  horse  as  1  would  have  to  ride 
Queen  to  drive  the  cows.  We  remained  sev- 
eral months  with  his  father  and  mother  and 
then  he  decided  to  go  to  Yreka,  California,  so 
he  sold  my  cows  and  now  that  lie  had  money 
he  suggested  that  we  ride  back  and  see  my 
folks  before  we  went  so  far  away.  I  was 
homesick  and  glad  to  go.  Father  did  not  ap- 
prove of  his  having  sold  my  cows.  He  said. 
"Now  take  my  advice  and  settle  down,  and 
remember  it  does  not  take  long  for  a  few 
cows  to  grow  into  money."  Mr.  Hill  had  an 
aunt  in  Yreka.  As  soon  as  she  heard  we 
were  there  she  came  to  see  us.  She  had  part- 
ly raised  him.  She  said.  "Now  Lagrand. 
you  must  get  right  into  work.  There  is 
plenty'  of  it  at  good  wages;  but  you  must 
not  leave  this  little  wife  alone.  There  are 
too  many  rough  men  here.  She  will  be  safe 
with  me  and  I  can  help  you  both  so  you 
pick  up  and  move  right  over  to  my  house."' 
1  was  delighted  and  she  proved  to  be  one 
of  the  best  of  mothers  to  me.  She  was 
an  executive  woman.  She  had  two  cows, 
and  chickens.  She  sold  milk,  eggs  and  made 
cakes  and  pies  for  sale  and  took  in  sewing 
and  so  we  worked  together,  she  giving  me 
all  and  more  than  I  earned.  "Now,  I  am  go- 
ing to  see  that  you  have  plenty  of  nice 
clothes  and  I  shall  see  to  it  that  you  do  not 
give  it  to  Lagrand  to  fool  away."  He  sold 
the  team  and  wagon.  She  would  say,  "Now, 
Lagrand,  I  want  you  to  buy  a  house  and  lot 
while  you  have  the  money."  In  March  there 
was  a  lot  and  a  small  one-roomed  battered 
house  with  a  barn,  too,  for  sale  for  four 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  which  we  bought 
just  across  the  street  from  Aunt  Kelly's, 
which  was  a  bargain.  We  paid  three  hun- 
dred dollars  down,  which  was  all  the  money 
left  from  my  cows,  heifer  and  team.  My 
Queen  was  out  on  pasture  which  was  now  a 
bone  of  contention  as  she  was  only  an  ex- 
pense; but  I  refused  to  have  her  sold  and 
Aunt  Kelly  stood  by  me.  We  moved  in  and 
on  April  17  our  baby  was  born  and  Aunt 
Kelly  begged  me  to  give  him  to  her.  She 
would  say,  "Now,  Bethenia,  you  just  give 
him  to  me  and  I  will  edticate  him  and  make 
him  my  heir.  I  know  Lagrand  will  just 
fool  around  all  his  life  and  never  do  any- 
thing." I  continued  to  work  for  Aunt  Kelly 
who  was  overworked  and  by  this  means  I 
was  able  to  keep  up  the  house. 

Mr.  Hill  did  not  drink  or  use  tobacco  but 
as  his  aunt  said  he  simply  idled  away  his 
time,  doing  a  day's  work  now  and  then, 
spending  more  than  he  made.  Father  had 
lieard  how  things  were  going.  Thus  the  time 
dragged  on  till  September.  IS.'iT,  when  one 
day  father  and  mother  drove  up.  to  our  sur- 
prise. They  came  to  see  the  country  and 
baby.  It  did  not  take  them  long  to  see  that 
we  were  living  from  hand  to  mouth.    "How 


would  you  like  to  go  back  to  RoseburgV  It 
is  a  growing  town.  I  have  several  acres  and 
i  will  give  you  an  acre  and  lumber  for  a  good 
house  which  you  can  build  this  fall."  We  were 
delighted  and  sold  our  house  for  less  than  a 
hundred  dollars  profit  and  were  soon  packed 
and  on  our  migration.  My  only  regret  was 
leaving  dear  Aunt  Kelly  who  had  taught 
me  so  many  useful  things.  With  many  tears 
I  bid  her  goodby.  The  weather  was  fine  and 
we  enjoyed  the  trip  till  we  came  to  a  deep 
gulch  with  a  high,  narrow  bridge.  Mother 
sat  on  the  back  seat  with  my  youngest  sis- 
ter in  her  lap.  I  sat  beside  my  husband. 
Father  was  leading  Queen  behind.  The  mo- 
ment we  were  across  Mr.  Hill  started  up 
the  horses  with  the  whip,  to  which  they 
were  unaccustomed  on  a  hill.  In  springing 
forward  the  wheel  came  up  against  a  rock, 
and  in  the  attempt  to  bring  them  around 
they  began  to  back.  I  saw  the  danger  and 
with  one  bound  I  was  on  the  ground  with 
baby  in  my  arms.  Laying  him  on  the  ground 
I  seized  a  chunk,  and  turning  I  saw  father 
running  and  heard  his  commanding  shout. 
"Whoe!"  The  next  instant  he  had  seized 
the  spokes  of  the  wheel  and  with  one  su- 
preme effort  he  stopped  the  wheel  at  the 
very  edge  of  that  forty-foot  gulch.  Mean- 
time I  had  placed  the  chunk  back  of  the 
front  wheel  and  thus  an  awful  tragedy  was 
averted.  Not  till  the  danger  was  passed  did 
I  realize  that  I  was  hurt.  I  had  suffered  a 
severe  sprain  of  my  right  foot  which  caused 
me  suffering  at  times  for  many  years. 

Upon  reaching  home  father  said,  "Go  over 
and  select  vour  acre  and  vour  building  spot," 
which  I  gladly  did.  Then  he  told  Mr.  Hill  to 
take  the  team  and  he  and  the  boys  could 
haul  the  lumber,  which  they  did:  but  Mr.  Hill 
had  been  talking  to  a  man  about  making 
brick.  The  man  had  the  land  and  the  teams. 
Each  was  to  furnish  a  man  and  I  should  cook 
for  them  for  the  use  of  the  team.  Father 
begged  him  not  to  attempt  it  as  the  ground 
had  not  been  tested  and  it  was  too  late  to 
burn  a  kiln;  but  the  more  he  talked  the  more 
he  was  determined  to  put  all  we  had  in  the 
venture.  So  he  moved  me  down  in  the  low. 
swampy  place  in  a  tent  and  we  began  work. 
But  before  a  hundred  brick  were  moulded  it 
began  to  rain  and  put  a  stop  to  the  work 
and  I  was  stricken  down  with  typhoid  fever. 
Father  and  mother  came  with  the  wagon 
and  took  us  home.  It  was  now  late  in  No- 
vember and  winter  had  set  in.  When  I  be- 
came convalescent,  father  urged  him  to  be- 
gin on  the  house.  He  replied  that  he  wanted 
a  deed  to  the  acre  before  he  began  the  house. 
Father  told  him  that  he  and  mother  had 
talked  it  over  and  had  decided  to  deed 
the  property  to  me  and  the  boy;  that  they 
had  given  us  one  good  start  and  now  after 
three  and  one-half  years  we  had  nothing  left 
but  one  horse.  This  enraged  him  and  he  said 
that  he  would  not  build  on  the  acre  unless 
it  was  deeded  to  him  as  he  was  the  head  of 
the  family.  Father  asked  him  to  think  it  over 
nnd  not  act  rashly.  He  sulked  for  a  time 
then  barsrained  for  a  lot  and  hired  a  team  and 
hauled  the  lumber  off  the  acre  to  the  lot  and 
began  to  build.    All  this  time  we  were  living 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


589 


off  father  and  mother  who  said  nothing  but 
furnished   shingles   and   told   hira   to   get   the 
nails   on   their   account.     In    time    the    house 
was  up  and  the  roof  on  and  lloor  down  and 
kitchen     partly    finished.       It    was    so    open 
that    the    skunks    made    night    hideous    by 
racing  under  and  on  the  lloor  and  even  get- 
ting on  the  table,     ily  health  was  poor  and 
baby  was   fretful  and  ill   most  of   the  time 
and  things  were  going  anything  but  smoothly. 
A   short    time    before    the   climax    came    I 
went  home   and  told  my  parents  that  I   did 
not  think  that  I  could  stand  it  much  longer. 
Mother  was   indignant  and  told  me  to  come 
Iiome,  "that  a   man  who  could  not  :nake  a 
living    with    the    good    start    he    had    never 
would,  and  with  his  temper  he  is  likely  to 
kill    you   or    the   baby."     But    father   broke 
down   and   said,   "Oh,   Bethenia.   there   never 
has  been  a  divorce  in  my  family  and  I  hope 
there  never  will  be.     Go  back  and  do  your 
best  to  get  along,  but   if   you  cannot   possi- 
bly get  along  come  home."     I  went  back  re- 
lieved for  I  knew  I  could  go  home.    Our  trou- 
bles usually  started  over  the  babj'.    He  was 
so  cross  and  had  a  voracious  appetite.    His 
father    thought    he    was    old    enough    to    be 
spanked  which   I   could   not   endure   and  war 
ensued  and  I  received  the  chastisement.    The 
evening  before  the  separation  he  fed  the  child 
six  hard  boiled  eggs  in  spite  of  all  I  could  say 
or  do.   I  did  not  close  my  eyes  that  night  ex- 
pecting the  child  would  go  into  convulsions. 
Early  in  the  morning  early  in  March  after  a 
tempestuous  scene  he  threw  the  baby  on  the 
bed  and  rushed  down  town.     As  soon  as  he 
was  out  of  sight  I  put  on  my  hat  and  shawl 
and  taking  baby  I  flew  over  to  father's.     I 
found  brother  Flem  ferrying  a  man  over  and 
I  Went  back  with  him.    By  that  time  I  was  al- 
most in  a  state  of  collapse.    I  had  run  all  the 
way,  about  three-fourths  of  a  mile.    Brother 
seeing  that  something  was  wrong  and  always 
anxious    to    smooth    out    the    wrinkles,    said 
with  a  smile,  "Give  me  that  little  'piggy-wig.' 
and  shall  I  take  you  under  my  other  arm  ? 
It  seems  to  me  you  are  getting  smaller  every 
year.    Now  hang  on  to  me  and  I  will  get  you 
up    the    hill    all    right.      Mother    will    have 
breakfast  ready  and  I  guess  a  good  square 
meal    is    what    you    need."      The    next    day 
father  saw  Mr.  Hill.     He  found  he  had  been 
trying  to  sell   the  house.     He  told   him  that 
he  would  come  with  me   to  get  my  clothes 
and  a  few  things  and  he  could  have  the  rest. 
As  the  lot  was  not  paid  for  the  house  would 
go  with  it,  and  when  he  sold  it  I  would  sign 
the   deed.      Before   he   found   a   purchaser   he 
repented  and   came   several   times   to  get   me 
to  go  back.     I  said,  "I  have  told  you  many 
times    if   I    ever   left    you   I   would   never   go 
back  and  I  never  will."   And  now  at  eighteen 
1   found  myself  broken   in  health   and   spirit 
again  in  my  father's  home  from  which   four 
years  ago  I  had   gone   so   happy   and    full   of 
hope.     It    seemed    I    should    never    be    happy 
or  strong  again. 

At  this  time  I  could  not  read  or  write 
legibly.  I  realized  my  position  fully  and  de- 
termined to  meet  it  bravely.  Sorrow  ended 
with  cheerfulness  and  affection  and  nourish- 
ing   food.      My    health    soon    returned    and 


with  it  an  increasing  desire  for  education. 
My  little  George  felt  the  benefits  as  much 
as  I.  He  was  such  a  tiny  mite  that  he  was 
only  a  plaything  for  the  whole  family.  I 
said  one  day,  "Mother  do  you  think  I  might 
manage  to  go  to  school?"'  "Why,  yes.  Go 
right  along.  George  is  no  trouble".  The  chil- 
dren will  take  care  of  him."  From  that  day 
I  was  up  early  and  out  to  the  barn,  milking 
and  doing  all  the  work  possible.  Saturdays 
witii  the  help  of  the  children  1  did  the  wash- 
ii'.g  and  ironing  for  the  family.  At  the  end 
of  four  months  I  had  finished  the  third  read- 
er and  had  made  good  progress  with  the 
other  studies.  In  September,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hobson  (sister  Diana),  came  to  visit  us,  and 
she  begged  me  to  go  home  with  them.  With 
a  light  wagon  and  good  horses  we  had  a  de- 
lightful trip  over  the  road  where  I  had  help- 
ed to  drive  the  stock  five  years  before.  Be- 
fore going  fatiier  had  me  apply  for  a  di- 
\-orce,  the  custody  of  my  child  and  to  change 
my  name  to  Owens.  The  next  spring  brother 
Hem  met  us  at  Salem  with  a  light  rig  and 
took  us  home  in  time  for  the  May  term  of 
court.  The  suit  was  strong!}'  contested  on 
account  o*  Mr.  Hill's  widowed  mother,  who 
wanted  the  child,  thinking  that  would  induce 
her  son  to  remain  with  her  on  her  farm  as 
all  her  children  had  homes  of  their  own.  I, 
however,  won  the  suit. 

Now  the  world  began  to  look  brighter  to 
me.  I  was  a  free  woman.  I  sought  work 
in  all  directions,  even  washing,  which  was  the 
most  profitable  in  those  days.  Father  ob- 
jected to  this  and  said,  "Why  can't  you  be 
contented  to  stay  at  home?  I  am  able  to 
support  you  and  your  child."  But  no  ar- 
gument could  shake  my  determination  to 
support  myself  and  child.  So  he  bought  me 
a  sewing  machine,  the  first  one  ever  brought 
to  that  part  of  the  country  and  so  with 
sewing  and  nursing  a  year  passelj  very  profit- 
ably. Now  my  sister,  Mrs.  Hobson,  urged 
me  to  return  to  her  on  the  farm  on  Clat- 
sop. She  greatly  needed  my  help.  In  the 
fall  of  1860  she  and  I  went  to  Oysterville, 
Washington,  to  visit  an  old  friend,  Mrs.  Mjin- 
son.  The  few  days  passed  off  too  quickly  and 
Captain  and  Mrs.  Munson  assured  my  sister 
that  they  woulil  see  that  I  reached  home 
safely  if  I  would  only  stay  till  I  got  my 
\isit  out.  I  told  Mrs.  Munson  of  my  anxiety 
to  go  to  school.  She  said.  "Wliy  not  stay 
with  me?  We  have  a  good  school  here,  and 
I  shall  be  glad  to  have  you,  especially  further 
on,"  I  said  T  would  gladly  accept  if  I  could 
only  find  some  way  of  earning  my  necessary 
expenses.  She  said,  "There  is  my  brother 
and  his  man.  I  can  get  their  washing  which 
will  bring  you  in  from  one  dollar  to  one 
dollar  and  a  half  per  week.  I  gratefully  ac- 
cepted doing  their  washing  evenings.  Work 
to  me  was  mere  play  and  change  of  work 
is  rest  and  I  had  plenty  of  it.  Thus  T 
passed  one  of  the  most  pleasant  and  prof- 
itable winters  of  my  life.  Wlietted  with 
what  it  fed  on.  my  thirst  for  knowledge 
grew  stronger  daily.  My  sister  now  urged 
me  to  go  back  to  her.  which  T  did.  I  said 
to  her,  "J  am  determined  to  get  at  least 
a   common-school   education,     I   know   I  can 


590 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


support  myself  and  child  and  get  an  educa- 
tion, and  I  am  resolved  to  do  it.  And  I  do 
not  intend  to  make  it  over  the  wash  tub, 
either.  Neither  will  I  work  for  my  board  and 
clothes.  You  need  me  and  I  will  stay  with 
you  six  months  if  you  will  send  me  "to  As- 
toria to  school  next  winter."  She  agreed 
to  that.  Later  I  said.  "Diana,  don't  you 
think  I  might  teach  a  little  summer  school? 
I  could  be  up  at  four  to  help  milk  and  have 
the  other  work  done  by  S  A.  il.,  and  I 
can  do  the  churning,  washing  and  ironing 
evenings  and  Saturdays."  She  said,  "You 
might  try  it."  I  asked  Mr.  Hobson  if  he 
would  not  get  me  up  a  little  school.  He 
said,  "Take  the  horse  and  go  around  among 
the  neighbors  and  work  it  up  yourself."  I 
lost  no  time  and  got  the  promise  of  six- 
teen scholars  at  two  dollars  each  for  three 
months.  This  was  my  first  attempt.  I 
taught  my  school  in  the  first  Presbyterian 
church  in  Oregon.  Of  my  sixteen  scholars 
there  were  three  further  advanced  than  my- 
self, but  I  took  their  books  home  and  with 
my  brother-in-law  I  kept  ahead  of  them,  and 
they   never   suspected   my   incompetency. 

Fall  found  me  settled  in  an  old  hotel 
in  Astoria  in  one  small  room.  I  had  to 
take  care  of  my  nephew  and  my  George, 
^nd  now  I  encountered  one  of  the  sharpest 
trials  of  my  life.  On  being  examined  in 
mental  arithmetic  I  was  placed  in  the  pri- 
mary class.  Words  cannot  express  my  hu- 
miliation at  being  required  to  recite  with 
children  eight  and  ten  years  old.  This  was 
of  short  duration,  for  with  the  teacher's  as- 
sistance I  was  soon  advanced  to  the  second 
class  and  then  to  the  third,  the  highest.  At 
the  end  of  the  nine  months  I  had  passed 
into  most  of  the  advanced  classes,  not  be- 
cause of  ability  but  by  determination  and 
hard  work.  At  4  A.  M.  my  light  was 
burning.  I  never  allowed  myself  more  than 
eight  hours  for  sleep.  I  permitted  nothing 
to  come  between  me  and  this,  the  greatest 
opportunity  of  my  life.  Xext  summer  I  was 
on  the  farm,  milking,  butter-making  and 
doing  all  kinds  of  work  on  the  farm.  It  was 
now  1862  and  the  state  called  upon  the  coun- 
ties to  contribute  to  the  "Boys  in  Blue." 
Clatsop,  being  a  dairy  district,  decided  to 
contribute  a  mammoth  cheese.  Mr.  Hobson 
had  a  man  who  made  cheese  so  he  and  I 
volunteered  to  make  the  cheese.  Everybody 
contributed  milk :  the  ends  of  a  hogshead  were 
sawed  off  and  the  middle  was  used  for  a  hoop. 
After  the  cheese  was  made  the  hoops  were 
filed  off.  The  cheese  was  pronounced  a  suc- 
cess, and  was  sold  and  resold  in  Astoria  and 
brought  one  hundred  and  forty-five  dollars. 
I  was  then  sent  with  it  to  the  state 
fair  where  it  was  again  auctioned  otf  many 
times  till  it  brought  between  four  hun- 
dred and  five  hundred  dollars,  and  then 
the  money  and  cheese  were  forwarded  to  the 
Oregon  soldiers.  Whether  they  found  it  pal- 
atable or  digestible  I  never  learned,  as  such 
things  were  not  as  easily  accounted  for  as 
now.  In  the  fall  I  rented  three  rooms  in  As- 
toria and  with  scanty  furniture  which  I  pro- 
cured by  the  proceeds  from  blueberry  picking 
and  other  work,  I  set  up  housekeeping.   I  was 


eager  for  school  but  my  expenses  must  be 
met  and  this  is  how  it  was  done.  I  engaged 
to  do  the  washing  for  two  large  families, 
and  washing  and  ironing  for  one.  .Sunday 
night  found  George  and  I  at  Capt.  C.'s.  At 
4  A.  M.  I  was  in  the  kitchen.  George  went 
to  school  with  the  children  and  at  10  I 
was  there  myself.  Monday  and  Tuesday  this 
■i\-as  repeated.  The  other  was  done  at  my 
rooms.  For  all  this  I  received  five  dollars 
per  week,  including  the  kindest  of  treatment. 
This  was  sufficient  to  provide  for  our  wants, 
especially  as  we  lived  on  the  beach,  which 
enabled  us  to  pick  up  most  of  our  wood. 
And  thus  I  was  happy  in  my  independence. 
At  that  time  there  was  a  kind  and  estima- 
ble man  in  Astoria,  a  Captain  Farnsworth. 
He  was  a  friend  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hobson. 
He  knew  of  my  struggles  for  an  education. 
One  rainy  evening  he  called.  George  had 
been  tucked  in  bed  and  I  was  ironing  at  the 
table  with  my  book  before  me.  Thus  I 
studied  while  I  worked.  My  hands  were 
trained  to  do  their  part  without  calling  upon 
the  brain.  Removing  his  heavy  overcoat  and 
seating  himself  by  the  table  he  said,  "Have 
you  no  time  to  talk?"  "Oh,  ves:  I  can  talk 
and  work,  too."  "Well,"  he"  said.  "I  want 
3'ou  to  put  away  that  work.  I  have  come 
to  talk  to  you  and  I  want  you  to  listen 
M-ell  to  what  I  have  to  say."  I  closed  the 
book,  folded  the  ironing  cloth  and  sat  down, 
not  knowing  what  was  coming,  but  feeling 
very  apprehensive.  He  saw  this  and  smil- 
ing, said.  "Don't  you  ever  get  tired?"  "Oh, 
yes:  but  1  get  rested  easily  and  quickly." 
'How  long  do  you  expect  "to  go  on  this 
way?"  "I  don't  know,"  I  said.  "I  don't 
want  to  see  you  working  in  this  way,  and 
I  have  come  to  see  you  as  a  friend,  and  I 
want  to  be  a  true  friend  to  you.  I  am  alone 
in  the  world.  The  nearest  "friend  I  have  is 
a  nephew.  I  have  more  money  than  I  need 
and  I  think  I  cannot  do  better  than  to  help 
you."  Trembling,  and  with  moist  eves  I 
exclaimed,  "No,  no;  I  cannot  take  money 
from  you!"  "Now,  don't  be  foolish,  but  lis- 
ten to  me.  I  know  you  are  thinking  that 
it  will  compromise  you.  Besides  you  are 
a  great  deal  too  independent  for  your  own 
good.  I  am  a  good  deal  older  than  you  and 
know  vastly  more  of  the  world  than' you  do, 
and  I  want  you  to  understand  that  "if  you 
accept  the  offer  you  are  never  to  feel  under 
any  obligation  to  me.  My  offer  is  this:  You 
are  to  select  any  school  in  the  United  States 
for  as  long  a  time  as  you  choose.  I  will 
furnish  the  money  for  all  the  expenses  for 
yourself  and  boy  and  no  one  shall  ever 
know  from  me  where  the  money  came  from. 
If  you  say  so  I  will  not  even  write  to  you." 
Could  there  ever  have  been  a  more  gener- 
ous or  unselfish  offer?  I  was  now  in  tears, 
but  my  self  will,  independence  and  inexper- 
ience decided  me  to  refuse  it.  I  could  not 
consent  to  such  an  obligation.  The  accept- 
ance of  that  ofi'er  would  doubtless  have 
changed  my  whole  life,  but  who  can  tell 
for  better  or  for  worse.  Captain  Farns- 
worth was  thoroughly  disgusted  at  my  ob- 
stinacy, though  he  was  still  my  friend,  yet 
he   did   not   show   the   same   interest   in   me 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


591 


from  that  time  and  many  times  in  after 
years  during  my  hardsliips  and  struggles  in 
my  supreme  efforts  to  get  ahead,  1  bitterly 
repented  my  hasty  decision,  feeling  that  it 
was  the  mistake  of  my  life. 

Others  beside  my  generous  friend,  the  Cap- 
tain, had  been  watching  my  efforts.  Colonel 
Taylor  and  Mr.  Ingalls  were  the  school  di- 
rectors, and  as  the  wife  of  the  principal  was 
prevented  from  assisting  they  generously 
gave  me  the  position  at  a  salary  of  twenty- 
live  dollars  per  month  for  the  remaining  three 
months.  This  was  a  wave  of  prosperity,  and 
as  one  good  thing  sometimes  follows  another 
i  was  offered  board  and  room  for  myself 
and  Geoi-ge  for  the  care  of  nine  rooms  in 
a  private  boarding  house,  which  I  accepted. 
I  asked  and  received  permission  to  recite 
in  two  advanced  classes.  I  also  joined  a 
reading  and  singing  class  which  met  once  a 
v>-eek.  When  I  was  given  charge  of  the 
primary  department  I  had  among  my  pupils 
a  young  lady  who  was  far  ahead  of  me 
when  I  attended  the  Oysterville  school.  Be- 
fore the  school  closed  I  received  a  call  to 
teach  a  three  months'  school  at  Bruceport, 
Washington,  at  twenty-five  dollars  per  month 
and  board.  Judge  Olney  was  county  school 
superintendent.  With  fear  and  trembling  I 
applied  for  an  examination.  He  said,  "I 
know  you  are  competent  to  teach  that  school. 
[  have  had  my  ej-e  on  you  for  a  year,  and  I 
know  you  will  do  your  duty.  I  will  send 
you  a  certificate,"  and  he  did.  This  was  great 
encouragement  and  made  me  more  determin- 
ed to  do  my  best. 

I  accepted  the  school  and  left  with  my  boy 
as  soon  as  my  school  closed,  and  opened 
the  Bruceport  school  at  once.  After  two 
weeks  a  collection  was  taken  up  among  the 
oyster  men  and  a  few  families  for  a  second 
term,  and  before  the  six  months  closed  I  had 
a  call  to  teach  the  Oysterville  school,  which 
had  the  undesirable  reputation  of  being  un- 
governable. It  was  my  reputation  for  good 
government  that  had  prompted  the  directors 
to  offer  me  the  school.  My  reply  was.  "I  will 
engage  to  teach  your  school  if  the  directors 
v.-ill  pledge  their  support  to  my  govern- 
ment." They  did,  and  I  taught  the  scliool. 
There  were  three  students  that  made  all 
the  trouble — a  girl  and  two  boys.  The 
girl  was  the  ringleader.  About  the  third 
day  one  of  the  boj-s  stuck  a  pin  in  a  girl. 
I  reprimanded  him  and  told  him  to  bring 
his  lunch  the  next  day  and  stay  in  noon- 
time. He  only  groaned.  The  next  day  he 
failed  to  show  up  and  in  the  afternoon  his 
older  brother  came  dragging  him  in.  I  met 
him  at  the  door  and  taking  him  by  the  hand 
attempted  to  lead  him  to  his  seat.  He  had 
on  heavy  shoes  and  kicked  me  vigorously. 
That  was  a  little  more  than  my  temper 
pould  stand.  I  seized  him  by  the  shoulders 
and  fairly  chiirned  the  bench  with  him.  which 
subdued  the  young  gentleman  in  short  order. 
At  the  close  of  the  school  I  gave  him  his 
choice  of  staying  in  during  noon  hour  for 
one  week  or  receiving  five  blows  on  each  hand 
with  the  ferrule.  He  chose  the  latter  and  1 
administered  the  punishment  at  once.  The 
Irish  girl  was  living  with  one  of  the  directors. 


He  told  me  that  she  came  running  home  and 
said,  -It's  no  use  fooling  with  that  teacher; 
she  don't  scarce  worth  a  cent."  She  was 
twelve  and  proved  to  be  one  of  my  best  schol- 
ars both  in  behavior  and  aptitude.  That  was 
the  only  punishment  administered  in  that 
school  by  me.  Before  the  close  of  that  school 
I  received  a  call  for  a  four  months' 
school  on  Clatsop  at  forty  dollars  per  mouth 
and  board  myself.  With  my  boy  I  moved 
into  the  old  parsonage  at  Skipenon  which 
had  been  unoccupied  for  a  long  time.  This 
I  could  have  free,  so  that  with  the  addition  of 
a  few  boards  and  nails  made  two  rooms 
comfortable  for  spring  and  summer,  so  I 
was  happy  as  a  lark.  I  was  an  expert,  as 
experts  went  in  those  days,  with  the  sew- 
ing machine  and  crochet  needle  and  my 
hands  were  never  idle.  I  had  in  this  way,  so 
tar,  saved  all  my  school  money,  and  "with 
this  term  I  would  have  four  hundred  dollars. 
My  ambition  was  to  have  a  home.  I  liad 
bought  a  half  lot  and  engaged  a  carpenter 
to  build  me  a  little  three-room  house  with  a 
pretty  little  porch.  To  this,  my  last  school, 
I  can  look  back  with  pleasure  and  satisfac- 
tion. The  neighbors  and  farmers  were  kind- 
ness itself  to  me.  At  the  end  of  the  term 
I  moved  in  my  little  home.  How  proud  I 
was!  I  could  turn  my  hand  to  most  any- 
thing and  work  came  from  all  directions. 

During  all  these  years  Jlr.  Hill  kept  on 
writing,  urging  me  to  remarry  him.  One 
dark  night  while  my  machine  was  buzzing 
and  I  was  singing  while  I  sewed,  a  knock 
came.  I  opened  the  door  and  there  stood  the 
father  of  my  child.  He  had  come  unan- 
nounced, thinking  his  appearance  might  over- 
come my  opposition.  But.  alas!  He  did 
not  find  the  young  inexperienced  child-mother 
he  had  abused,  but  a  full-grown,  self-reliant 
and  self-supporting  woman  who  could  look 
upon  him  only  with  pity.  He  now  realized 
that  there  was  a  gulf  between  us  which 
he  could  never  hope  to  cross.  He  said, 
"Can  I  come  and  take  my  boy  down  town 
with  me  tomorrow  ?  1  will  not  ask  you  to  wake 
him  up  tonight."  "You  can  if  you  will  promise 
not  to  run  off  with  him  as  you  are  always 
threatening."  "I  will  promise."  Not  daring 
to  trust  him  I  hastened  to  the  sheriff  next 
morning  and  told  him  my  troubles.  He 
smiled  and  said,  "Now  don't  you  worry, 
my  dear  little  woman.  He  will  never  get 
out  of  this  town  with  that  child." 

In  the  fall  I  rented  my  little  home  and 
v.ent  to  Roseburg  to  visit  my  people  at  their 
urgent  request.  Roseburg  was  growing  and 
they  urged  me  to  stay  and  go  into  business, 
so  I  rented  a  house  and  opened  a  millinery 
and  dressmaking  establishment.  For  two 
years  I  applied  myself,  and  saved  my  earn- 
ings and  bought  my  home  and  had  a  good, 
growing  business.  My  boy  was  in  school 
and  work  brings  its  reward  and  pleasure  and 
I  was  happy.  5  A.  M.  never  saw  me  in  bed. 
Yes.  I  had  had  two  years  of  uninterrupted 
success,  but  now  a  new  milliner  made  her  ad- 
vent and  opened  next  door  to  me.  She  came 
right  in  and  looked  me  over,  stock  and  all. 
She  said  she  had  been  a  milliner  for  years, 
had  learned  the  trade  and  understood  it  thor- 


592 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


oughly,  and  liad  come  to  stay.  I  was  soon 
made  to  feel  her  power.  She  laughed  and  rid- 
iculed my  pretentions.  Said  mine  was  only  a 
picked  up  business.  She  knew  how  to  bleach 
and  make  o%'er  all  kinds  of  straw.  She  could 
make  hat  blocks  on  which  she  could  make 
over  hats  and  frames,  all  of  which  was  Greek 
to  me.  She  came  late  in  the  fall  and  her 
husband  went  all  over  the  country  picking 
up  all  the  old  hats  and  advertising  his  wife's 
skill.  This  was  not  only  humiliating  to  me. 
but  also  a  severe  blow  to  my  business.  I 
was  at  my  wit's  end  to  know  what  to  do 
and  how  to  do  it.  One  beautiful  day  I  was 
thinking  the  matter  over  while  eating  my 
dinner  in  front  of  a  window  which  overlooked 
my  neighbor's  kitchen.  I  had  seen  her  hus- 
band unload  several  boxes  of  old  hats  the 
evening  before  and  now  they  were  getting 
j'eady  for  bleaching  and  pressing.  They  sat 
at  a  table  out  in  the  sun  on  which  they 
placed  two  new  plaster  paris  hat  blocks  and 
now  th.e  work  began  not  twenty  feet  from 
me.  My  house  was  above  them  and  I  could 
see  them  and  hear  everything  they  said; 
but  they  could  not  see  me.  For  an  hour 
I  sat  there  and  learned  the  art  of  cleaning, 
stifl'ening,  shaping,  pressing  and  bleaching. 
Oh,  what  a  revolution.  My  heart  was  beat- 
ing fast  and  I  felt  that  I  had  never  learned 
so  much  in  one  hour  in  my  life.  I  saw  how 
easy  it  was  and  how  much  profit  there  was 
in  it.  I  knew  if  I  could  get  the  blocks  I 
could  press  the  hats  so  I  stepped  down  and 
asked  her  what  she  would  charge  for  two 
blocks.  She  said,  "Thirty  dollars."  "I  will 
think  of  it:  I  did  not  expect  them  to  be  so 
high."  "You  do  not  expect  me  to  give  my 
business  away."  Then  with  a  smile  she 
said,  "'Can  you  press  hats?"  I  passed  out 
and  as  the  door  closed  I  heard  them  laugh- 
ing. This  roused  me  and  I  said  to  myself, 
"The  day  will  come  when  I  will  show  you 
that  I  can  press  hats  and  do  several  other 
things  as  well.  First  of  all  I  will  find  out 
how  to  make  hat  blocks.  I  had  a  book  "In- 
quire Within."  From  this  I  learned  how  to 
mix  plaster  of  paris.  My  first  attempt  was 
a  failure,  but  it  proved  I  was  on  the  right 
track.  I  slept  little  that  night,  but  I  had 
thought  it  all  out.  As  soon  as  the  drug  store 
was  opened  I  bought  a  dollar's  worth  of 
plaster  paris  and  in  less  than  one  hour  I 
had  made  my  coveted  block.  Words  could 
not  have  expressed  my  triumph.  In  less 
than  twenty-four  hours  I  had  found  and  held 
the  key  to  that  mysterious  knowledge  that 
bad  charmed  away  my  customers.  I  com- 
menced at  once  to  put  my  acquired  knowl- 
edge into  practice  and  resolved  not  to  allow 
a  soul  to  know  how  I  had  obtained  it.  The 
next  day  a  lady  brought  me  a  fine  old  hat 
tc   be   renewed.     "Oh,   you   haven't  got   any 

of  that  beautiful  lace  frinse.     Mrs.  has 

it!  Would  you  mind  getting  it?"  "Not  at 
all."  Wlien  the  hat  was  ready,  I  wrapped  it 
carefully  and  walked  into  my  rival's  store 
with  the  pride  of  a  full  grown  peacock.  Lay- 
ing it  on  the  counter  and  lifting  a  pressed 
hat  from  the  block  that  she  kept  for  an 
advertisement  on  the  same  style.  I  asked, 
"How  much  of   the  bugle   lace  will   it   take 


for  this  hat?"  "Three-quarters  of  a  yard." 
I  laid  down  seventy-five  cents,  she  measured 
it  off.  "Please  stick  a  pin  in  and  I  will  see 
if  it  is  enough,"  unwrapping  the  hat  and 
measuring  with  the  lace.  As  I  finished  I 
clipped  it  off  with  my  belt  scissors  and  drop- 
ped it  in  my  hat.  "Whose  hat  is  that?" 
"It  is  one  I  have  just  made  over  for  a  custom- 
er." "Who  pressed  it?"  "I  did."  "Who  made  the 
block?"  "I  made  it  myself,"  I  said,  and  I 
walked  out.  I  heard  no  laughing  then.  She 
knew  I  had  her  secret,  but  never  knew  how 
I  obtained  it. 

I  put  my  newly  acquired  knowledge  into 
practice.  All  winter  I  worked.  My  work 
iind  goods  were  equal  to  hers;  still  the  cus- 
tomers passed  me  bj-  and  bought  of  her.  She 
managed  to  checkmate  me.  Thus  the  sum- 
mer wore  away  and  left  me  stranded,  but 
not  conquered.  My  time  had  not  been  lost 
and  I  knew  I  had  gained  much  that  would 
be  of  service  to  me  in  the  future.  I  had 
surmounted  other  difficulties  and  I  would 
;vet  wring  victory  out  of  this  defeat.  I  had 
learned  more  of  human  nature  than  I  had 
ever  known.  I  saw  that  I  must  convince  the 
community  that  I  was  not  a  pretender  but 
was  in  reality  mistress  of  my  business  and 
that  could  not  be  done  by  making  over  old 
hats  and  bonnets. 

In  Xovember.  of  1S69,  I  left  my  boy  with 
a  minister  and  his  wife  who  occupied  my 
house,  borrowed  two  hundred  and  fifty  dol- 
lars and  left  for  San  Francisco,  having  pre- 
viously advertised  in  the  paper  that  I  would 
fpend  the  winter  in  the  best  millinery  es- 
tablishment for  the  purpose  of  perfecting 
myself  in  the  work  and  would  return  in  the 
spring  bringing  the  latest  and  most  attrac- 
tive millinery.  I  carried  that  out  to  the  let- 
ter. I  sent  out  posters.  Had  a  grand  open- 
ing and  swamped  my  rival  and  she  left  in 
disgust.  I  cleared  one  thousand,  five  hun- 
dred dollars  that  year  and  business  contin- 
ued to  increase  as  long  as  I  conducted  it.  In 
1870  I  placed  my  son  in  the  University  of 
California.  I  had  a  love  for  nursing.  Mother 
said  I  was  born  a  doctor,  was  always  feed- 
ing the  rag  dolls  with  a  spoon.  Now  my 
time  was  beginning  to  be  encroached  upon 
by  calls  from  friends  and  doctors.  One  even- 
ing I  was  called  by  a  friend.  The  old 
doctor  came  and  was  trying  to  catheterize 
her  poor,  suffering  little  girl  by  his  bungling 
attempt.  He  had  lacerated  her  tender  flesh. 
.\t  last  he  laid  down  the  instrument  to  wipe 
his  glasses.  I  picked  it  up  and  said,  "Let  me 
try,  doctor."  and  passed  it  instantly  with  per- 
fect ease,  bringing  instant  relief.  Her  mother, 
who  was  in  agony  at  the  sight  of  her  child's 
agony,  threw  her  arms  around  my  neck  and 
sobbed  out  her  thanks.  Not  so,  the  doctor. 
He  was  displeased  and  showed  his  displeas- 
ure most  emphatically.  A  few  days  later  I 
called  on  my  friend.  Dr.  Hamilton,  confided  to 
liim  my  ambitions  and  asked  for  the  loan 
of  medical  books.  As  I  came  out  of  his  pri- 
vate office  in  his  drug  store.  I  saw  Hon.  S.  F. 
Chadwick.  who  had  heard  the  conversation. 
He  came  up,  shook  7ne  warmly  by  the  hand, 
saying,  "Go  ahead.  It  is  in  you.  Let  it 
come  out.     You  will  win."     The  Hon.  Jesse 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


593 


Applegate,  my  dear  father's  friend,  who 
fondled  me  as  a  baby,  was  the  only  other 
one  who  ever  gave  me  one  word  of  encourage- 
laent.  Realizing  the  opposition,  especially 
from  my  own  family,  I  decided  not  to  men- 
tion my  plans.  I  began  at  once  to  arrange 
my  business  affairs  so  that  1  could  leave  in 
eighteen  months.  I  worked  and  studied  as 
best  I  could.  In  due  time  I  announced  my 
decision.  I  had  expected  opposition,  but  I 
was  not  prepared  for  the  storm  of  opposition. 
My  family  felt  that  they  were  disgraced  and 
even  ray  own  child  was  made  to  think  that  I 
was  doing  him  an  irreparable  injury.  Most 
of  my  friends  seemed  to  think  it  was  their 
Christian  duty  to  try  to  prevent  me  from 
taking  the  fatal  step.  That  crucial  fortnight 
was  a  period  in  my  life  never  to  be  forgot- 
ten. I  was  literally  kept  on  the  rack.  I  had 
provided  a  home  for  my  now  seventeen  year 
old  boy  in  Portland. 

My  business,  all  in  good  shape,  was  en- 
trusted to  a  sister  who  had  been  with  me  for 
a  year.  The  day  I  left  two  friends  came 
to  say  goodby.  One  said,  "Well,  this  beats 
all!  I  always  did  think  you  were  a  smart 
woman,  but  you  must  have  gone  stark  crazy 
to  leave  such  a  business  and  run  off  on  a 
wild  goose  chase."  I  smiled.  "You  may 
change  3'our  mind  when  I  come  back  a  phy- 
sician and  charge  you  more  than  I  have 
for  hats  and  bonnets."  "Not  much.  You 
are  a  good  milliner;  but  I'll  never  have  a 
woman  doctor  about  me."  Choking  back 
the  tears,  I  replied,  "Well,  time  will  tell." 
As  a  fact  both  of  those  ladies  receive  my 
professional  services,  and  we  laugh  together 
over  that  goodby  conversation.  11  P.  M. 
came  at  last  and  found  me  seated  in  the  Cali- 
fornia Overland  stage  beginning  my  long 
journey  across  the  continent.  It  was  a  dark 
and  stormj'  night  and  I  was  the  only  inside 
passenger.  I  was  alone  with  my  thoughts. 
I  realized  that  I  was  starting  out  into  an 
untried  world  alone  with  onl.y  my  unaided 
resources  to  carry  me  through.  All  rose  up 
before  and  all  that  I  had  left  behind  tugged 
at  my  heart  strings.  My  crushed  and  over- 
wrought soul  cried  out  for  sympathy  and 
forced  mc  to  give  vent  to  my  pent  up  feel- 
ings in  a  flood  of  tears,  while  the  stage 
floundered  on  through  a  flood  of  mud  and 
slush  and  the  rain  came  down  in  torrents 
as  if  sympathizing  nature  were  weeping  a 
fitting  accompaniment  to  my  lonely,  sorrow- 
ful mood.  I  had  time  to  reflect.  I  remem- 
bered that  every  sorrow  of  my  life  had  prov- 
ed a  blessing  in  disguise  and  had  brought 
me  renewed  strength  and  courage.  I  had 
taken  the  step  and  I  would  never  turn  back. 
Those  cheering  words  from  my  faithful  at- 
torney came  to  me  then  as  a  sweet  solace  to 
my  wounded  spirit.  "Go  ahead.  It  is  in  you. 
Let  it  come  out.  You  will  win." .  How  many 
times  have  those  inspiring  words  cheered 
me  on  through  the  dark  hours  of  my  life.  I 
resolved  that  if  there  was  anything  in  me 
it  should  come  out  and  come  what  might 
T  would  succeed.  That  decision  comforted 
me. 

Upon  reaching  Philadelphia  T  matriculated 
in  the  Eclectic  Medical  School  and  employed 


a  private  tutor.  I  also  attended  the  lectures 
and  clinics  in  the  great  Blockly  Hospital. 
In  due  time  I  received  my  degree  and  re- 
turned to  Roseburg.  A  few  days  later  an 
old  man  without  funds  .died  and  the  five 
doctors  decided  to  hold  an  autopsy.  When 
they  met.  Dr.  Palmer,  who  remembered  my 
impudence  in  using  his  catheter,  made  a  mo- 
tion to  invite  the  new  Philadelphia  doctor. 
This  was  carried,  and  a  messenger  was  sent 
for  me  with  a  written  invitation.  I  knew 
this  meant  no  honor  for  me,  but  said,  "Give 
my  compliments  to  the  doctors  and  say  I 
will  be  up  soon."  The  messenger  left  and 
I  followed  close  behind  and  waited  outside 
till  he  went  in  and  closed  the  door.  He 
said,  "She  said  to  give  you  her  compliments 
and  she  will  be  up  in  a  minute."  Then  came 
a  roar  of  laughter.  I  opened  the  door  and 
walked  in,  went  forward  and  shook  hands 
with  Dr.  Hoover  who  advanced  to  meet  me 
and  said,  "The  operation  is  to  be  on  the  geni- 
tal organs."  I  answered,  "One  part  of  the 
human  body  should  be  as  sacred  to  a  phy- 
sician as  another."  Dr.  Palmer  stepped  back 
and  said,  "I  object  to  a  woman  being  present 
at  a  male  autopsy.  If  she  is  allowed  to 
remain  I  will  retire."  "I  came  by  written 
invitation  and  I  will  leave  it  to  a  vote 
whether  I  go  or  stay;  but  first  I  will  ask 
Dr.  Palmer  the  difference  between  a  woman 
attending  a  male  autopsy  and  a  man  at- 
tending a  female  autopsj'?"  Dr.  Hoover  said, 
"I  voted  for  you  to  come  and  I'll  stick  to 
it."  No.  3,  "I  voted  yes  and  I'll  not  go  back 
on  it,"  and  "So  did  I."  Dr.  Hamilton  said, 
"I  did  not  vote,  but  I  have  no  objections." 
Dr.  P.,  "Then  PU  retire,"  which  he  did,  amid 
the  cheers  of  forty  or  fifty  men  and  boys. 
Inside  of  the  old  shed  the  corpse  lay  on  a 
board,  resting  on  two  old  saw  bucks,  wrap- 
ped in  his  old  gray  blankets.  One  of  the 
doctors  came  forward  and  offered  me  an  old 
dissecting  case.  "You  do  not  want  me  to  do 
the  work,  do  you?"  "Oh.  yes;  go  ahead." 
I  took  the  case  and  corai)lied.  The  news  of 
what  was  being  done  had  spread  to  every 
house  in  town.  The  excitement  was  at  fever 
heat.  Wlien  I  had  finished,  the  crowd,  not  the 
doctors,  gave  me  three  cheers.  When  I  passed 
out  and  down  to  my  home  the  street  was  lined 
with  men.  women  and  children,  anxious  to 
get  a  look  at  the  terrible  creature.  The 
women  were  shocked  and  scandalized,  and  the 
men  were  disgusted  and  some  amused  at  the 
good  joke  on  the  doctors.  Now  that  I  look 
back  i  believe  that  all  that  saved  me  from 
a  coat  of  tar  and  feathers  was  my  brothers, 
Flem  and  .Josiah.  They  did  not  approve  of 
my  actions  any  more  than  others:  but  they 
would  have  died  in  their  tracks  before  allow- 
iiig  me  to  suffer  such  indignities,  which  that 
community  well  knew.  T  did  not  at  the 
time  stop  to  consider  the  consequences.  I 
was  prompted  by  my  natural  disposition  to 
resent  an  insult,  which  I  knew  was  intended. 
I  closed  up  my  busines  as  soon  as  possible 
and  taking  my  sister  moved  to  Portland  and 
opened  my  office.  I  frankly  admit  that  I 
breathed  more  freely  after  t  had  bid  adieu 
to  mv  family  and  few  remaining  friends,  and 
was  aboard  the  train,  for  it  did  seem  that  I 


594 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


was  only  a  thorn  in  their  flesh;  but  I  will 
taj  right  here  that  that  affair  was  the  means 
of  bringing  me  many  patients,  especially 
from  that  locality,  in  after  years,  which 
added  much  to  niy.  purse  and  reputation. 

For  four  years  I  practiced  and  got  ahead 
far  better  than  I  had  expected.    I  had  given 
my  sister  a   course  in  Mills   Seminary:    my 
son  a  medical  education  and  set  him  up  in 
business.     I  had  eight  thousand  dollars  at  in- 
terest.    I  was  thirsting  for  more  knowledge. 
The    old    school    would    not    recognize    the 
Eclectic   School,   which   was   a   thorn   in   my 
flesh.     I  said.  "I  will  treat  myself  to  a  full 
course   in   Allopathy  and  a   trip   to   Europe. 
Again  my  family  and  friends  objected;   say- 
ing, "You  will  soon  be  rich.     What   do  you 
want  to  spend  all  you  hare  got  for?"     But 
T   was   deaf   to   all   entreaties.     I   must   and 
would    drink    at    the    fountain    head.      This 
time  I  armed  myself  with  letters  from  gov- 
ernors, senators  and  professors,  and  on  Sep- 
tember  1,   1878,  I  sailed  for  San  Francisco. 
In  due  time  I  matriculated  in  the  University 
of    Michigan.      After    arriving    there    I    was 
in  my  seat  the  next  day  but  one.     During 
the  next  nine  months  1  spent  sixteen  hours 
H   day  excepting  Sundays,  in  attending   lec- 
tures, clinics,  quizzes,  and  hard  study.     Dur- 
ing vacation  I  spent  ten  hours  a  day  in  hard 
study.     Most  of  the  time  was  given  to  Pro- 
fessor   Ford's    question    book    on    Anatomy, 
which  was  a  "bugbear"  for  medical  students. 
This  book  contained  only  questions  and  cov- 
ered Gray's  Anatomy  from  beginning  to  end. 
I  completed  it  except  a   few  answers  which 
I   could  not   find.     When  the   term  began   I 
took  it  to   Prof.   Ford   to  get   the   answers. 
He  took  the  book  and  examined  it  carefully. 
"And  you  have  done  this?     You  have  done 
what    no    other    student    of    this    university 
has  done  and  I  never  expected  them  to  do, 
and  you  have  done  it  while  they  have  been 
enjoying  a  vacation,  and  I  shall  not  forget 
it.     It  will  be  of  great  value  to  you  in  the 
saving  of  time  and  fixing  the  facts  in  vour 
mind." 

It  was  my  custom  to  rise  at  4.  take 
a  cold  bath,  then  exercise,  then  study  till 
breakfast,  at  seven.  I  allowed  myself  one- 
half  hour  for  each  meal  between  lectures, 
clinics,  quizzes,  and  laboratory  work,  two 
good  sermons  on  Sunday,  now  and  then  a 
church  social,  the  time  was  fully  and  pleas- 
antly occupied.  The  constant  change  brought 
rest  and  acted  as  a  safety  valve  to  my 
overheated  brain.  At  the  end  of  two  years 
I  received  my  degree  and  sent  lor  my  son, 
and  with  him  and  two  lady  physicians  sailed 
for  Europe.  My  letters  with  state  seals 
always  secured  us  open  doors  as  travel  was 
not  then  as  it  is  now.  We  were  there  for 
study  and  we  received  the  benefits  by  visit- 
ing the  great  hospitals  and  medical  schools 
of  the  countries  through  which  we  traveled 
and  attended  their  clinics.  \Vhile  in  Munich 
■we  were  being  shown  the  masterpieces  in 
castings.  The  guide  opened  the  door  and 
ushered  us  into  a  large  circular  room  known 
as  the  American  Department.  The  central 
fgure  was  a  heroic  statue  of  Washington 
on  his  great  white  charter,  carrving  the  flag 


01   his   country.     Around  him  were  grouped 
the   signers   of   the   Declaration   of  Indepen- 
dence, and  there  was  our  martvred  Lincoln 
striking    the    fetters    from    the    black    man. 
ihat  sight,  so  beautiful,  so  real,  so  moving 
■Has  enough  to  stir  the  blood  of  the  coldest 
American.     For  months  I  had  not  seen  "Old 
Glory,"    and    her    bursting    upon    our    view 
floating  over  all,  the  images  of  aU  we  held 
nearest     and     dearest     on     earth     was     too 
much  for  my  impulsive  nature.     Forgetting 
time  and  place  and  oblivious   to  all  around 
me  I  rushed  forward  and  fell  upon  mv  knees 
at  the  foot  of  the  "Father  of  His  Country  " 
and   gave   vent   to   my   pent   up   feelings   of 
joy  in  exclamations  of  "Oh.  Mv  Countrv  My 
Country.  My  Flag."    I  was  brousrht  sud'denly 
to  my  senses  by   the   warning  voice  of  Dr 
Hill.     "Mother:   Mother!     These  people  can- 
not understand  one  word  of  English  and  no 
telling   what   kind   of   trouble   tou   will   get 
us  into."     I  sprang  to  m;?  feet  looking  be- 
hind me  expecting  to  see  the  gendarmes  "com- 
ing to  take  charge  of  me.     Instead  I  saw  a 
picture  I  shall  never  forget.     The  door  was 
tilled  with  great,  broad,  smiling  faces,  show- 
ing more  plainly  than  words  that  thev  thor- 
oughly understood  the  situation  and  heartily 
sjTnpathized  with   the   loval   American.     As 
we    passed    out    they    further    showed    their 
appreciation  and  approval  by  bows  and  smiles. 
Dr.  Hill  said,  after  passing  out.  "Well  I  never 
did  see  anything  like  it.     Mother  is  always 
getting  into  scrapes  but  somehow  she  alwavs 
comes  out  on  top." 

Dr.  Hill  became  homesick  before  the  trip 
was  nearly  ended,  declaring  he  would  rather 
go  home  to  his  sweetheart  than  to  see  all  the 
countries  in  the  world.     I  gave  him  five  hun- 
dred  dollars    and   his   return   ticket   and   he 
lost  no  time  in  getting  back  to  Goldendale 
and  getting  married.     Upon  reaching  London 
I    found    many    letters,    one    from"  a    dear 
friend,  begging  me  to  come  to  her.     I  like 
Dr.  Hill  was  homesick.     Three  vears  was  a 
long  time.    When  I  landed  in  Xew  York  the 
custom  collector  demanded  seventy-five  dol- 
lars on  my  surgical  instruments  which  I  pur- 
chased in  Paris.  I  said.  '1  am  a  physician  and 
these  are  for  my  own  use.     Here  "are  letters 
from  United  States  senators,  governors,  doc- 
tors, and  the  president  of  the  University  of 
Michigan.     If    you    take    my    instruments    I 
will   employ   a    la-n-yer."     He   said.   'YTou   sit 
right  here.    You  will  have  to  pav  that  dutv." 
He    was    gone    two   hours.    He"  said,    "Take 
your  things  and  go  on!"    I  speedily  obeyed, 
glad  to  get   out  of  his  clutches.     In  a  "few 
hours   I  was  on  my  way  to  San  Francisco. 
On    reaching    Portland,    I    found    a    carriage 
waiting    to    take    me    to    the    bedside    of  "a 
patient,  as  all  passengers  names  were  tele- 
graphed ahead.     That  was  surely  an  auspi- 
cious beginning.     I  was  delighted  to  get  home 
and    to    get    to    work.     My    purse    was    de- 
pleted.    I  had  but  two  hundred  dollars  left. 
Within  twenty-four  hours  I  had  secured  nice 
rooms   over  my  old   friend's.  Dr.   Plummer's 
drug  store.     A  few  days  later  a  doctor  whom 
1  had  known  and  greatly  admired  called  upon 
me.    His   home  was   in  Roseburg.    He   said. 
"I  cannot  succeed   in   Portland.  I   am   .going 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


595 


to  sell  at  auction.  I  have  many  things  you 
will  need.  Come  to  the  sale?"  "Why  doctor, 
1  have  just  come  home.  I  have  no  money." 
'•No  matter,  you  can  have  everything  I  have 
without  a  dollar.  You  will  soon  earn 
enough."  "But  I  do  not  know  that."  "I 
do!  1  only  wish  I  was  sure  I  could  make  half 
as  much.  In  less  than  six  months  you  will 
be  making  six  hundred  a  month."  I  was  as- 
tonished for  I  knew  he  was  in  earnest  and 
yet  his  prophesy  came  true.  I  had  for  so 
many  j'ears  been  struggling,  clinging  to  the 
slippery  ladder  and  fighting  for  an  existence 
making  headway  surely  but  so  slowly  that 
I  could  not  realize  that  there  was  so  much 
within  my  reach. 

Hundreds  of  incidents  might  be  record<>d 
to  prove  my  success  during  the  next  few- 
years  and  words  could  never  express  the 
satisfaction  and  happiness  it  brought  me. 
One  morning  a  woman  pale  and  trembling 
came  into  my  office  and  said,  "I  have  been 
sick  for  many  years  and  the  doctors  say  I 
cannot  be  cured.  I  have  heard  so  much 
about  you  that  I  have  come  to  see  if  you 
could  give  me  any  relief.  We  have  paid  out 
nearly  all  we  have  to  doctors  and  I  know 
if  you  cannot  help  me  you  will  say  so." 
Whom  should  this  invalid  be  but  my  old 
Eoseburg  rival.  I  gave  her  a  warm  and  cor- 
dial reception  saying,  "I  earnestly  hope  I 
may  be  able  to  help  you."  I  found  her  case 
ulceration  of  the  bladder.  I  said.  "I  can 
help  you.  I  will  treat  }"ou  for  two  or  three 
weeks  and  then  teach  you  to  treat  yourself 
and  if  yovi  will  follow  my  directions.  I  have 
faith  that  yoxir  health  will  be  restored."  With 
tears  of  hope  and  gratitude  she  said,  '^o 
one  can  or  will  be  more  faithful  or  obedient 
than  I  will  be.  \Vlien  shall  I  come  again?" 
"You  are  not  able  to  come  to  my  office." 
"But  it  is  so  far  out  to  my  son's  and  we  are 
so  poor."  "That  makes  no  difference.  I  am 
going  to  take  you  in  my  carriage  and  will 
go  to  your  son's  everyday  and  treat  you  till 
you  are  ready  to  go  home  and  don't  you 
worry  about  my  bill,  either."  She  broke  down 
and  said.  "Oh.  you  are  heaping  coals  of  fire 
on  my  head;  but  I  do  want  to  tell  you  that 
I  always  had  the  greatest  respect  for  you." 
"Now  I  do  not  look  at  it  in  that  way.  If 
you  had  not  gone  out  to  Roseburg  and 
goaded  me  on  by  showing  me  how  little  I 
knew  about  millinery  I  might  have  been  out 
there  making  poor  hats  and  bonnets  yet. 
A  friend  once  said.  'If  I  wished  you  to  be 
two  and  one-half  inches  taller  I  would  at- 
tempt to  press  you  down  and  you  would 
grow  out  of  sheer  resentment.'  So  now  you 
see  my  dear  friend,  you  have  been  all  along 
my  good  angel  in  disguise.  I  owe  you  a 
great  debt  of  gratitude  and  I  intend  to  re- 
pay it  witli  interest."  and  I  did.  Her  health 
was  restored  and  from  that  hour  arose  a 
friendship  between  us  that  lasted  till  her 
death  only  a  few  years  ago.  We  exchanged 
photographs. 

When  asked,  as  I  often  was,  why  I  did  not 
marry.  I  always  replied,  "I  am  married  to 
my  profession."  and  I  was  honest  for  I  was 
in  love  with  it;  but  the  time  came  which 
is  said  comes  to  all  that  I  was  ready  to  add 


to  my  name  that  of  another.  Col.  Adair  and 
1  were  married  July  24,  1884  in  the  First 
Congregational  church  of  Portland.  The 
church  was  filled  with  invited  guests,  many 
coming  from  Eoseburg,  two  hundred  miles 
distant.  When  we  left  the  church  the  street 
was  filled  with  friends  and  uninvited  people 
and  as  the  carriage  rolled  by  many  called, 
'Good-bye  doctor!  Good-bye!"  After  a  month 
in  San  Francisco  and  California  we  returned 
and  I  took  up  my  work  where  I  left  oil. 
At  the  time  of  my  marriage  my  yearly  in- 
come was  at  least  seven  thousand  dollars. 
My  husband  was  of  a  bright  and  happy  dis- 
position and  optimistic,  always  among  the 
clouds  and  rarelj'  got  down  to  terra  lirma. 
There  were  no  shadows  in  his  picture  and 
niy  love  of  him  knew  no  bounds.  At  the  age 
of  forty-seven  I  gave  birth  to  a  little  girl 
baby.  Now  my  happiness  knew  no  bounds. 
A  son  I  had.  and  a  daughter  was  my  great 
desire.  For  her  ray  plans  were  all  made. 
With  her  nurse  I  would  take  her  on  all 
my  rounds.  She  should  imbibe  the  love  of 
the  profession  not  only  from  her  mother's 
milk  but  by  constant  association  as  well. 
She  should  have  all  that  I  possessed  and  all 
that  could  be  added;  but  ah,  how  little  w-e 
mortals  know  what  is  in  store  for  us  and 
well  we  do  not. 

"There  is  no  flock  how  ever  watched  and 

tended 
But  one  dead  lamb  is  there. 
There  is  no  fireside  how  so  e'er  defended 
But  has  one  vacant  chair." 

In  1898  being  mentally  and  physically  sick 
my  husband  urged  me  to  go  to  North 
Yakima,  Washington  for  the  holidays  with 
my  son  and  his  family.  I  went  and  the  high 
altitude  and  change  worked  like  magic.  I 
confided  my  troubles  to  my  son  and  he 
urged  me  to  leave  the  farm  and  come  up 
there  saying,  "I  know  you  can  make  one 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars  a  month  and  that 
is  better  than  going  behind  that  much."  I 
said,  "I  will  come."  He  smiled  because  he 
knew  what  that  meant.  When  I  reached 
home  I  said.  "I  have  decided  to  go  to  Yaki- 
ma. We  will  sell  off  all  the  stock,  pay  on 
the  debts  as  much  as  we  can  and  rent  the 
farm."  He  looked  at  me  in  amazement  say- 
ing, "My  dear,  consider  well  before  giving 
up  our  home  at  our  ages."  "I  do  not  con- 
sider that  we  will  long  have  anything  with 
a  twenty-four  thousand  dollar  mortgage  at 
eight  and  ten  per  cent." 

On  April  Gth  we  landed  in  North  Yakima. 
In  one  week  we  were  settled  in  four  rooms 
and  three  days  later  I  performed  a  one  hun- 
dred dollar  operation  and  so  business  came 
as  of  former  years,  and  in  six  and  one-half 
years  I  realized  twenty-five  thousand  dollars 
from   my   profession   alone. 

In  October.  190.').  I  retired  from  practice. 
T  closed  up  my  business,  ordered  my  good 
horse,  "Pride."  hitched  to  my  buggy  and 
drove  seventy-five  miles  to  The  Dalles  over 
the  mountain.  My  friends  tried  to  dissuade 
me.  Said  it  was  too  late  and  dangerous.  T 
was  not  afraid  and   made  the   trip  without 


596 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


a  misbap  and  stayed  two  nights  -with  friends. 
My  wliole  trip  laome  was  a  real  pleasure 
trip,  besides  1  made  tliirty-five  dollars  more 
than  expenses.  I  retired  "from  practice  for 
several  reasons:  first,  that  I  might  com- 
plete a  book,  "Dr.  Owens-Adair — some  of  her 
life  experiences:"  second,  that  I  might  take 
up  a  work  that  had  been  near  my  heart, 
"The  Purification  of  the  Human  Race 
Through  Propagation  by  Preventing  the 
Birth  of  Defectives  through  Sterilization." 
For  many  years  I  held  the  oflice  of  hered- 
ity and  hygiene  in  the  state  Woman's  Chris- 
tian Temperance  Union  and  for  over  thirty 
jears  I  have  been  working  along  those  lines 
and  now  tliat  there  were  thousands  of  medi- 
cal women  in  the  field  I  felt  that  I  might  step 
out  without  being  missed  and  I  could  be  free 
to  devote  my  time  to  the  work  that  few 
women  would  care  to  take  up.  In  Xovem- 
ber.  I  sailed  for  San  Diego.  California  that 
I  might  be  free  from  care  and  devote  my- 
."^olf  to  completing  my  book.  December  5th 
1  arrived,  found  my  dear  friend  of  forty 
years  on  the  dock  awaiting  me.  We  were 
soon  in  her  cozy  little  wren's  nest.  I  began 
my  work  at  once,  she  doing  all  the  type- 
writing and  assisting  me  in  many  ways. 
When  the  book  was  all  in  manuscript  I  said, 
"Xow  we  will  take  a  few  days  for  sight- 
seeing." I  took  a  buggy  and  drove  to  Mex- 
ico and  then  to  several  beach  resorts  about 
San  Diego,  and  gathered  shells  on  California's 
lovely  sea-shores.  We  saw  the  old  adobe 
liouse  where  Romania,  the  heroine  of  that 
beautiful  story  was  born,  and  many  beau- 
tiful things  in  that  lovely  climate.  "Then  I 
started  for  San  Francisco,  had  a  few  hours 
%^-ith  dear  Mr.  and  Mrs.  R.  R.  Monroe.  Xever 
(lid  San  Francisco  look  more  beautiful.  Next 
month,  April,  she  was  being  consumed  by 
quakes  and  fires.  I  was  soon  at  my  Sunny- 
mead  farm  amidst  chaotic  confusion,  neglec- 
tion  and  destruction  everywhere.  The  bam 
was  unsafe  and  the  house  unfit  for  occupa- 
tion. The  rats  made  night  hideous.  My  fine 
young  orchard  had  not  felt  the  primer's 
knife  for  seven  years.  The  big  woodshed 
where  so  many  cords  of  wood  used  to  be 
stored  was  gone.  The  last  board  had  been 
used  for  fuel.  ily  beautiful  lawn  and 
flower  beds  were  overrun  with  briers  and 
bramblers.     The  sight  was  sickening. 

Had  I  not  been  inured  to  hardships  and 
struggles  all  my  life  I  shoiild  have  suc- 
cumbed, but  "can't"  has  ever  been  unknown 
to  me.  There  was  but  one  thing  to  be  done, 
to  put  my  shoulder  to  the  wheel  and  say  "I 
v/ill,"  as  I  had  so  often  done.  More  than 
twenty-eight  years  have  passed  since  1 
plighted  my  marriage  vows.  Many  sorrows 
have  been  interspersed  with  the  pleasures  of 
my  married  life  and  during  all  these  years 
I  have  been  as  active  and  determined  as  in 
my  former  life.  I  have  never  flinched  from 
any  undertaking  and  I  hope  I  never  shall,  to 
the  day  of  my  death.  But  often  during  these 
later  years  I  have  looked  back  over  my  past 
life,  not  with  a  shudder  but  to  gain  strength 
and  courage  to  meet  the  financial  difficulties 
that  had  accumulated  and  threatened  to  en- 
gulf me.     But   let  me   draw   the  curtain   and 


shut  out  all  of  the  terrible  ordeals  through 
which  I  have  passed  during  the  last  six 
years.  Suflice  it  to  say  that  I  have  lived 
through  it  all  and  still  have  my  health,  and 
my  mind  is  unencumbered. 

I  have  saved  sufficient  from  the  fortune 
that  I  had  made  to  make  me  comfortable, 
with  care,  the  remainder  of  my  life.  I  have 
three  lovely  farms  side  by "  side.  "Grand 
View."  "Sunnymead"  and  "Park."  The 
buildings  are  all  within  calling  distance.  I 
have  reserved  ten  acres  of  my  Grand  View 
farm  which  contains  a  fine  old  orchard.  Na- 
ture has  made  this  one  of  her  beauty  spots 
for  an  ideal  country  home.  I  can  sit"  on  my 
porches  or  look  from  my  windows  and  see 
all  that  is  going  on  over  my  farms.  The 
county  road  runs  six  hundred  feet  in  front 
of  my  doors,  where  everything  goes  on  a 
beautiful  macadam  road.  The  lordly  Colum- 
bia a  mile  away  in  front,  on  which  the  traffic 
of  all  nations  comes  and  goes.  I  can  see 
every  craft  from  a  fishing  boat  to  a  war 
ship  as  it  comes  and  goes  to  the  great  Pacific. 
At  my  right,  five  miles  away  is  Astoria,  the 
oldest  town  in  Oregon.  At  my  left,  one  and 
a  half  miles  is  Warrenton.  Flavel  three  miles, 
Hammond  four  miles  and  Fort  Stevens  five 
miles.  Across  on  the  Washington  side  is 
Fort  Columbia.  Fort  Canby  and  Cape  Dis- 
appointment. Oh,  what  a  grand  panoramic 
picture!  And  this  is  my  home  where  I  expect 
to  spend  my  days.  And  I  shall  try  to  enjoy 
everything  as  it  comes  and  goes.  '  I  love  to 
see  the  horses  and  cows  as  they  come  and  go 
to  and  from  their  barns,  the  colts  and  calves 
as  they  play  and  feed  on  the  green  mea- 
dows. Just  now  I  see  fifteen  pretty  young 
pigs  racing  around  in  their  lot  near' Park 
barn.  There  is  a  pretty  stream  full  of  fish 
■winding  along  among  my  farms  with  the 
grass  growing  to  its  water's  edge.  There  the 
ducks  and  geese  love  to  swim,  making  love 
and  raising  their  young.  My  home  is  .sur- 
rounded with  flowers  and  shrubs.  Behind 
the  house  is  a  long  wide  bed.  bordering  the 
vegetable  garden,  filled  with  beautiful  old- 
fashioned  flowers,  reminding  me  of  my  girl- 
hood days  and  "mother's  garden."  Among 
these  loves  I  hope  to  receive  my  friends.  I 
am  strong  and  vigorous.  I  can  mount  my 
horse  from  the  ground  and  ride  as  of  old. 
I  drive  one  or  two  horses.  My  dear  old 
Pride  now  past  twenty,  is  sometimes  as  gay 
as  a  colt.  He  and  pretty  Lady  are  ray 
drivers.  They  know  when  I  take  the  reins 
and  they  obey  my  voice.  I  do  so  love  them! 
Can  I  ever  give  them  up  for  a  mobile!  Cer- 
tainly not.  for  some  time  to  come.  And  here 
in  my  home,  surrounded  with  nature's  own 
beauty  and  home  comforts.  I  am  prepared 
to  vigorously  prosecute  my  special  work, 
now  so  well  known  as.  "Dr.  Owens-Adair 
TTuman   Sterilization   Bill  of  Oregon.' " 

JAMES  PELTON,  widely  known  because 
of  his  extensive  ranching  and  stock-raising 
interests  in  Klamath  county,  makes  his  home 
at  Fort  Klamath.  He  was  born  about  twelve 
miles  northeast  of  !Modford.  at  Bybee  Bridge, 
Jackson  county.  June  0.  1S60.  and  is  a  son 
of  Enoch  C.  and  ilary  Stuart   (Rowe)  Pelton. 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


597 


The  father's  birth  occurred  near  Little  Rock, 
Arkansas,  in  1830,  and  the  mother  was  born 
in  Missouri,  in  1837.  About  1849  he  crossed 
the  plains  to  the  mines  of  California  and  the 
mother  ivitli  her  parents  went  to  Oregon 
by  way  of  The  Dalles  and  over  the  old  emi- 
grant road,  rafting  their  goods  down  the 
Columbia  river.  This  was  in  1853.  and  in 
1857  in  the  Willamette  valley  she  became  the 
wife  of  Enoch  C.  Pelton.  They  settled  on 
the  Rogue  river,  where  Jlr.  Pelton  died  of 
smallpox  in  18G5.  In  their  family  were  three 
children:  Horace,  who  is  living  on  the  old 
home  place,  seventeen  miles  north  of  Med- 
ford;  James,  of  this  review;  and  .John,  a 
resident  of  Roseburg.  Some  time  after  being 
left  a  widow  Mrs.  Pelton  became  the  wife  of 
her  first  husband's  partner.  John  iSisemore, 
and  there  were  three  children  by  that  union. 
The  mother  died  at  Portland  about   1900. 

James  Pelton  resided  at  the  place  of  his 
birth  until  the  memorable  flood  of  1861, 
when  all  the  buildings  upon  the  place  were 
washed  away.  The  following  year  the  fam- 
ilv  settled  in  Sams  valley  on  the  old  home- 
stead that  is  now  owned  by  .James  and 
Horace  Pelton.  The  brothers  had  been  part- 
ners throughout  their  entire  business  career. 
They  own  an  interest  in  ranch  lands  in  Jack- 
son "  county,  about  four  hundred  acres  in 
Sams  valley  and  eighteen  hundred  acres  in 
Klamath  county,  a  half-brother,  Linsy  C. 
Sisemore.  being  also  interested  in  the  last 
mentioned  property.  They  also  have  about 
a  thousand  acres  on  Summer  lake  in  Lake 
county,  each  owning  a  third  of  this.  They 
are  also  equal  partners  in  extensive  livestock 
interests  in  Klamath  county  and  they  conduct 
business  under  the  name  of  the  Pelton-Sise- 
more  Company.  The  company  altogether 
owns  twenty-eight  hundred  acres  in  Klamath 
and  Lake  counties  and  are  running  about 
eight  hundred  head  of  cattle  at  the  present 
time.  They  have  had  as  high  as  three  thou- 
sand head  at  one  time  but  as  they  are  con- 
tinually buying  and  selling,  their  herds  vary 
in  numbers.  They  also  handle  about  fifty 
head  of  horses,  including  thoroughbred  sires 
and  Percherons.  The  Pelton  brothers.  Horace 
and  James,  are  also  identified  with  the  Gold 
Hill  Bank  and  the  Medford  National  Bank, 
while  James  Pelton  is  a  director  in  the  Home 
Building  &  Realty  Company  of  Klamath  Falls 
and  is  president  of  the  Wood  River  Valley 
Cream  and  Butter  Association,  which  was 
organized  in  the  spring  of  1912.  He  resides 
on  a  ranch  of  eighteen  hundred  acres  of  the 
Pelton-Sisemore  Company's  interests,  and 
has  personal  management  of  this.  It  is  sit- 
uated a  mile  and  a  half  northwest  of  Fort 
Klamath,  is  supplied  with  artesian  water 
and  is  equipped  with  one  of  the  best  and 
cheapest  irrigation  systems  to  be  found  in 
the  entire  valley,  furnishing  an  ample  supply 
of  water  from  Anna  Creek,  leading  from  Cra- 
ter lake. 

.James  Pelton  resided  in  .Jackson  county 
until  1884.  when  he  went  to  Crook  county, 
where  his  mother  and  stepfather  were  then 
living,  but  the  family  returned  to  .Jackson 
county  and  James  Pelton  and  his  half-brother. 
I>.    C.    Sisemore.    remained    in    Crook    county. 


James  Pelton  had  a  homestead  in  Crook 
county  on  the  Des  Chutes  river,  proved  up 
his  claim  and  at  length  sold  it.  In  1901  he 
came  to  Klamath  county  and  in  1903  he  dis- 
posed of  all  of  his  interests  in  Crook  county, 
having  in  the  meantime  purchased  his  prop- 
erty in  Klamath  coiuity  in  connection  with 
his  brothers. 

On  the  30th  of  ilay.  1908,  Mr.  Pelton  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Josephine  Orth, 
a  sister  of  the  wife  of  his  half-brother.  L. 
C.  Sisemore.  She  was  born  in  Jacksonville, 
Oregon,  in  1869  and  is  a  daughter  of  John 
Orth.  In  politics  Mr.  Pelton  is  a  democrat 
but  has  never  been  an  office  seeker.  For 
many  years  he  has  been  an  exemplary  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  belonging  to 
the  blue  lodge  in  .Jacksonville,  also  the  chap- 
ter in  Jacksonville  and  to  the  consistory  and 
the  Mystic  Shrine  in  Portland.  He  likewise 
holds  "membership  with  the  Elks  lodge  at 
Klamath  Falls  and  he  is  president  of  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce  at  Fort  Klamath.  He 
is  interested  in  everything  relating  to  the 
welfare  of  the  community  to  the  extent  of 
giving  active  aid  and  cooperation  to  many 
movements  for  the  general  good.  His  life  is 
indicative  of  the  possibilities  open  to  the 
ambitious  man  in  the  northwest,  for  it  has 
been  through  the  wise  use  of  advantages  that 
any  might  secure  that  he  has  reached  his  pres- 
ent enviable  place  as  one  of  the  substantial 
ranchmen  and  stockmen  of  his  part  of  the 
state. 

SILAS  M.  YORAN.  Among  the  prominent 
citizens  of  Eugene  is  Silas  M.  Yoran.  who  has 
lived  in  the  city  of  his  adoption  since  Jan- 
uary 22.  1883,  "when  he  arrived  here  from 
.Jones  county.  Iowa.  He  was  born  in  Herki- 
mer county,'  New  York,  January  26,  1835,  a 
son  of  Jacob  and  Mary  (Timmerman)  Yoran. 
The  lineage  of  the  Yoran  family  has  been 
traced  by  an  uncle  of  our  subject  back  to  the 
old  Knickerbocker  settlement  of  New  York 
city.  The  grandfather  was  Jacob  Yoran,  a 
miller  of  Ilermiker  county,  where  he  lived 
all  of  his  life.  His  marriage  was  with  a 
Miss  Snell.  whose  five  brothers  as  well  as 
five  members  of  the  Yoran  family  were  sol- 
diers in  the  Revolutionary  war.  four  of  the 
Snells  being  killed  at  the  "battle  of  Oriskany. 
On  the  death  of  the  grandfather  his  son. 
.Jacob  Yoran.  succeeded  to  the  ownership  of 
the  mills  and  farm  on  East  creek,  the  latter 
remaining  on  the  homestead  in  Herkimer 
county  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
1876  when  he  was  seventy-five  years  of  age. 
He  had  taken  an  active  part  in  the  duties  of 
life  and  for  years  had  been  supervisor  of  his 
township.  In  early  life  he  had  married  Miss 
Mary  Timmerman.  a  daughter  of  John  and 
Margaret  (Timmerman)  Timmerman,  and  in 
their  family  were  nine  children. 

Silas  M.  Yoran,  who  was  the  fifth  in  order 
of  birth,  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  near 
Herkimer,  New  York.  His  educational  ad- 
vantages were  very  limited  and  when  he 
attained  the  age  of  twenty  years  he  removed, 
in  1855,  to  Iowa,  where  for  two  years  he 
acted    as    an    agent    for    prospective    eastern 


598 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


settlers,  locating  lands  for  them  in  the  Sioux 
City  and  Deeorah  districts.  He  was  also  for 
a  time  in  the  mercantile  business  at  Sand 
Spring,  Delaware  county,  and  in  1864  bought 
a  farm  in  Monticello.  Jones  county,  that 
state,  going  in  debt  for  it  and  paying  for 
it  out  of  the  proceeds  of  the  farm.  That 
remained  his  home  until  1883,  when  he  dis- 
posed of  his  interests  in  that  state  and  set- 
tled in  Eugene,  Oregon.  During  his  residence 
in  Iowa  lie  served  five  years  as  county  com- 
missioner of  .Jones  county  and  two  terms  in 
the  legislature  of  that  state  in  the  seven- 
teenth and  eighteenth  sessions  in  1878  and 
1880.  In  1884,  in  partnership  with  J.  M. 
Hodgson,  he  launched  the  Eugene  Register. 
This  partnership  was  continued  until  1888, 
when  he  bought  his  partner's  interest  and  in 
1S90  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  William  C, 
who  had  already  acquired  an  interest  in  the 
business.  After  withdrawing  from  the  news- 
paper business  ilr.  Yoran  became  actively 
engaged  in  the  organization  of  the  Bank  of 
Oregon,  what  is  now  the  Eugene  Loan  & 
.Savings  Bank,  of  which  he  was  vice  president. 
In  1893  he  with  his  son  Darwin  E.,  embarked 
in  the  retail  shoe  business  which  proved  to 
be  a  very  successful  enterprise,  and  his  time 
was  thus  occupied  until  .January  1,  1904, 
when  he  withdrew  from  the  shoe  business 
and  retired,  being  succeeded  by  his  son,  Dar- 
win E. 

Mr.  Yoran  was  married  to  Miss  Maria  L.. 
a  daughter  of  John  and  Irene  (Clark)  Mar- 
kell,  of  Herkimer  county,  Xew  York,  who 
traces  her  ancestry  on  the  maternal  side  back 
to  the  third  officer  on  the  Mayflower.  Unto 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Yoran  were  born  five  children, 
Elizabeth,  George  0.,  William  C.  Darwin  E. 
and  Louise  C.  In  his  fraternal  relations  Mr. 
Yoran  is  a  Mason,  his  membership  being  in 
Lodge  No.  11.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Eugene;  of 
which  he  is  past  master.  He  also  is  serving 
as  past  high  priest  of  Eugene  Chapter,  No. 
10.  R.  A.  M. ;  past  thrice  illustrious  master 
of  Hiram  Council.  No.  7,  R.  &  S.  M.;  and 
past  commander  of  Ivanhoe  Commandery.  No. 
2,  K.  T.  He  has  also  been  grand  master  of 
the  Grand  Lodge  of  Oregon,  in  1903  and  1904 
and  Past  Grand  Commander  of  the  Grand 
Commandery  of  Oregon,  and  has  also 
attained  the  thirty-second  degree  in  the  Scot- 
tish Rite,  belonging  to  Portland  Consistory, 
S.  P.  R.  S.  He  and  his  family  are  regular 
attendants  at  the  Congregational  church  ser- 
vices in  Eugene,  and  they  are  valuable  as- 
sistants in  m.aking  the  interests  of  that  or- 
ganization eflfective  for  good  in  this  city. 
In  1896  he  was  elected  presidential  elector 
and  had  the  pleasure  of  casting  the  vote  for 
McKinley  and  Hobart  for  president  and  vice 
president.  He  made  an  extensive  canvass 
of  the  state  that  year  speaking  acceptably 
upon  forty-six  occasions  during  the  campaign. 
The  long  business  career  of  Mr.  Yoran  in 
Evigene  has  served  not  only  to  yield  him  an 
adequate  competence  but  has  made  for  him 
a  very  large  number  of  friends,  many  of 
wliom  are  pleased  to  share  the  hospitality 
which  he  extends  from  his  well  appointed 
home  at  646  Olive  street.  He  is  now  leaving 
affairs   of   business   in   the   hands   of   others 


though  he  is  still  taking  a  lively  interest  in 
the  constantly  increasing  prosperity  of  Eu- 
gene, the  city  in  which  the  most  effective 
part  of  his  business  career  was  enacted. 

CAPTAIN  JUDAH  PARKER  was  born  in 
Essex  count}-.  New  Jersey.  July  17,  1829,  and 
there  resided  until  his  fifteenth  year.  His 
parents  then  removed  to  New  York  locating 
in  Seneca  county,  where  our  subject  assisted 
his  father,  (the  latter  being  a  contractor  and 
builder)  for  a  period  of  six  years.  On  reach- 
ing his  majority  Mr.  Parker  concluded  to  see 
some  of  the  world  and  consequently  shipped 
on  board  a  whaling  vessel  bound  for  the 
Arctic  Ocean.  After  a  cruise  of  eighteen 
months  they  arrived  at  the  Sandwich  Islands 
where  our  subject  shipped  on  board  the  bark 
Bayard  and  returned  to  America  following 
coasting  until  the  fall  of  1853  when  he  shipped 
on  board  the  ship  Parthenon  and  came  around 
Cape  Horn  arriving  in  San  Francisco  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1854.  Not  unlike  the  early  Califor- 
nians  he  immediately  proceeded  to  the  gold 
fields  and  for  four  years  prosecuted  his  search 
for  the  precious  metal  in  Nevada  county, 
where  he  was  moderately  successful.  We  next 
find  Mr.  Parker  in  the  employ  of  The  Pacific 
Steamship  Company  in  the  capacity  of  ship's 
carpenter  and  he  remained  in  their  service 
plying  between  San  Francisco  and  other 
po'ints  until  1862.  In  the  fall  of  that  year 
Mr.  Parker  with  the  assistance  of  Mr.  Wil- 
liam Ireland  concluded  to  try  to  recover  the 
immense  treasure  of  the  lost  ■Golden  Gate 
which  foundered  off  the  coast  of  Mexico.  Ac- 
cordingly they  fitted  out  the  schooner  William 
Ireland,  and  sixty  days  later  found  them  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  lost  vessel,  it  being  the  fifth  ex- 
pedition that  undertook  to  secure  the  golden 
treasure.  Through  admirable  management 
and  use  of  hydraulic  pressure,  a  method  dis- 
covered by  Captain  Parker,  they  were  en- 
abled to  secure  six  hundred  and  forty  thou- 
sand dollars  of  the  two  millions  dollars  lost, 
and  returned  to  S  .n  Francisco.  On  two 
subsequent  occasions  Captain  Parker  went  in 
pursuit  of  the  treasure,  the  second  time, 
in  the  winter  of  1863-4,  on  which  occasion 
he  succeeded  in  raising  some  sixty  thousand 
dollars.  The  third  attempt  was  made  in 
1870  when  he  found  the  wreck  buried  in 
twenty  feet  of  sand.  He  then  returned  to 
San  Francisco  and  fitted  out  the  steamer 
Mary  Taylor  and  again  started  in  pursuit  of 
lost  treasure,  this  time  to  South  America 
with  the  intention  of  raising  an  immense 
amoiint  of  money  that  had  gone  down  with 
the  wrecked  Leo.  Cadio.  a  vessel  that  had 
foundered  in  the  year  1802.  In  connection 
with  this  undertaking  we  may  also  mention 
Mr.  G.  W.  Cooley  who  had  the  misfortune  of 
losing  the  sight  of  one  of  his  eyes  while  per- 
forming the  services  of  diver.  Captain  Parker 
secured  about  five  thousand  Spanish  dollars. 
but  on  account  of  the  long  time  they  had 
lain  in  salt  water  they  were  partly  worth- 
less. He  then  returned  to  Calao  with  the 
intention  of  selling  his  vessel  but  failing  in 
this  he  came  to  San  Francisco  and  in  1875 
came  to  Coos  county,  first  locating  at  East 
port  and  about  one  year  later  moved  to  the 


Tfifc  Ni 
PUBLIC 


V^   YORK 
LIBRARY 


CAPTATX  .7UPAH    FAKKKK 


jii;s.  .iroAii   rARKFK 


okk 


,vTlOH8. 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


603 


present  site  of  Paikersburg,  and  began  the 
erection  of  a  sawmill  which  he  successfully 
conducted  until  his  death  which  occurred  at 
his  home   in  Parkersburg,  May  20,   1899. 

Captain  Parker  was  united  in  marriage  in 
San  Francisco,  April  6,  1863,  to  Mrs.  Otilie 
Frederick  who  was  born  in  Germany,  March 
1,  1S37,  and  who  passed  away  in  Sau  Fran- 
cisco, February  o,  1900.  Four  cliildren  were 
born  into  this  union,  namely:  Otilie  K.,  the 
wife  of  J.  L.  Kronenberg.  of  Bandon:  Geor- 
gianna,  the  wife  of  W.  M.  Poley.  of  Ashland, 
Oregon;  Warren,  of  Prosper.  Oregon;  and 
Allan  P.,  who  is  deceased.  Captain  Parker 
was  a  republican  in  politics  but  never  sought 
political  preferment. 

ELMER  J.  WAINSCOTT,  M.  D.,  is  one  of 

the  well  known  and  successful  phj'sicians 
of  Oakland,  Douglas  county,  in  which  city 
he  has  been  engaged  in  the  practice  of .  his 
profession  since  1908.  He  was  born  in  Long 
Creek,  Grant  county,  Oregon,  February  7, 
1883,  and  is  a  son  of  Nathaniel  C.  and  Rachel 
(Carpenter)  Wainseott,  the  former  a  native 
of  Missouri  and  the  latter  of  Indiana.  The 
parents  were  married  in  Lyndon,  Kansas, 
where  they  continued  to  reside  until  1877. 
In  that  year  they  removed  to  Oregon  and 
located  in  Grant  county  where  the  father  for 
thirty  years  was  successfully  identified  with 
the  cattle  business.  In  190s"  he  retired  from 
active  life  and  removed  to  southern  Oregon. 
He  spent  two  years  in  Salem,  where  his  son 
Clyde  was  a  student  at  college,  and  at  the 
end  of  that  time  he  went  to  Douglas  county 
and  has  since  made  his  home  in  either  Drain 
or  Oakland,  at  the  present  time  maintaining 
his  residence  in  the  latter  town. 

Dr.  Elmer  J.  Wainseott  was  reared  in  his 
fatlier's  home  and  received  his  early  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools.  He  later  pursued 
a  three  years'  scientific  course  at  the  Wil- 
lamette "University  and  then  took  up  the 
st\uly  of  medicine  in  the  medical  dejiartment 
of  that  university,  from  which  he  was  gradu- 
ated with  the  degree  of  M.  D.  in  the  class  of 
1907.  Following  his  graduation  he  located 
first  in  Richland,  Baker,  county,  Oregon,  and 
was  there  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession for  one  year.  In  1908  he  came  to 
Oakland,  where  he  opened  offices  and  has 
since  practiced  as  physician  and  surgeon, 
meeting  with  gratifying  success. 

Dr.  Wainseott  was  united  in  marriage  Octo- 
ber 25.  1906.  to  Miss  May  E.  Lee.  of  Long 
Creek.  Grant  county.  She  is  a  daughter  of 
Charles  E.  Lee.  who  is  one  of  the  pioneer 
settlers  of  Grant  county  and  who  crossed  the 
jilains  to  California  during  the  gold  excite- 
ment. He  later  removed  to  Oregon.  He  is 
a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war,  having  served 
through  the  entire  trouble  in  the  Confederate 
army,  and  is  a  cousin  of  General  Robert  E. 
I.ee.  who  was  commander-in-chief  of  the 
Confederate  forces.  To  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Wain- 
seott two  children  have  been  born,  one  of 
whom.  Harold  C.  is  living.  Dr.  Wainseott 
is  affiliated  with  the  republican  party  and 
has  fraternal  relations  with  Oakland  Lodge. 
Xo.  16,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  which  lodge  he  is 
secretarv.  He  is  a  member  of  Umpqua 
Vol.  IV— 25 


Lodge,  No.  37,  I.  ().  ().  F.,  the  Woodmen  of 
the  World  and  the  United  Artisans.  He  and 
his  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church.  Dr.  Wainseott  belongs  to  the 
Southern  Oregon  Medical  Association  and  the 
Oregon  State  Medical  Association  and  is  one 
of  the  leading  physicians  in  Douglas  county. 

WILLIAM  E.  HOMME  has  been  a  resident 
of  Oregon  since  1904  and  since  that  time  has 
been  actively  associated  with  some  of  the 
leading  business  interests  of  Coos  county. 
He  is  practically  the  father  and  founder  of 
Cooston,  where  he  has  established  himself 
in  business  and  has  met  with  no  small  suc- 
cess in  the  building  up  of  that  town,  in  which 
he  takes  a  pardonable  pride.  .  He  was  born 
in  Winnebago  county,  near  Oshkosh.  Wis- 
consin, in  1871  and  i.s  a  son  of  the  late  Rev. 
E.  J.  and  Mrs.  Homme.  The  father  was  the 
founder  of  the  village  of  Wittenberg,  Wis- 
consin, and  an  extended  review  of  his  life  is 
here  published  in  his  honor  and  also  as  a 
further  introduction  to  his  son,  William  E. 
Homme. 

"The  village  of  Wittenbei-g.  in  the  state  of 
Wisconsin,  was  founded  on  the  13th  day  of 
February,  1880,  by  Rev.  E.  .7.  Homme."  It 
happened  in  the  following  way.  The  Nor- 
wegian Synod,  to  which  Rev.  Homme  be- 
longed at  that  time,  had  for  several  years 
discussed  the  great  need  of  a  liome  for  orphan 
children  and  homeless  old  people,  as  no  such 
institution  existed  at  that  time  among  the 
Norwegian  Lutlierans  in  America.  Rev. 
Homme  declared  his  willingness  to  take  the 
lead  in  this  move  toward  the  establisliment 
of  such  a  home,  on  the  condition  that  he  be 
at  liberty  to  select  the  place  for  it.  To  this 
the  synod  agreed,  but  declared  that  he  should 
consider  tliis  as  a  private  enterpri.se.  and  not 
undertake  the  erection  of  buildings  with  the 
iilea  that  the  synod  should  be  obliged  to  pay 
for  them.  On  the  other  hand,  the  synod 
]iromised  to  lend  its  support  to  every  honest 
means  that  he  miglit  make  use  of  in  further- 
ing tlie  cause.  On  the  27th  of  .January  a 
number  of  German  Lutheran  clergymen  re- 
solved to  form  an  association  for  the  pur- 
pose of  establishing  a  high  school  (an  acad- 
emy or  progymnasium)  for  the  congregations 
in  this  section  of  the  state.  Rev.  Homme 
was  a  member  of  this  association.  The  Ger- 
man brethren  resolved  to  locate  their  high 
scliool  in  the  same  place  where  Rev.  Homme 
tliought  of  building  his  or|)hans'  home.  At 
tile  same  meeting  it  was  decided  to  select  a 
location  between  Clintonville  and  Wausau, 
on  tlie  Milwaukee.  Lake  Shore  &  Western 
Railway,  now-  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern 
Railroad,  wliich  was  then  being  built  through 
the  western  portion  of  Shawano  county. 
I'pon  the  selection  of  a  place  a  request  should 
be  made  to  the  railroad  company  to  have  the 
nearest  station  called  Wittenberg.  A  com- 
mittee was  elected  to  insjicct  and  choose  a 
site,  said  committee  consisting  of  .Jonas  Swen- 
holt.  of  Scandinavia,  Wisconsin.  .John  LTvaas, 
of  Winchester.  Wisconsin,  August  Kraenke, 
of  Keedfield.  Wisconsin,  and  Rev.  E.  ,J. 
Homme,  who  was  at  that  tinn>  stationed  at 
Winchester,  that   stale.     The  committee  ac- 


604 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


eomplished  its  mission  tlie  9tli  and  lOtli  of 
February  of  the  same  year,  and  eliose  this 
region  for  the  founding  of  Wittenberg.  Rev. 
Ilomme  immediately  wrote  a  petition  to  the 
railroad  company-,  that  the  station  which  was 
then  in  contemplation  of  establishment  miglit 
be  named  Wittenberg,  to  which  the  railroad 
company  responded  favorably.  The  railroad 
had  at  that  time  not  reached  this  far  and 
this  whole  region  was  a  dark  and  lonely 
wilderness,  devoid  of  the  habitation  of  man. 
The  first  sign  of  civilization  in  this  burg  was 
a  log  cabin  made  by  the  railroad  comjjany 
for  some  of  its  laborers.  The  first  frame 
building  in  the  town  was  a  store,  built  in 
the  spring  of  1880  by  Jonas  Swenholt.  of 
Scandinavia,  this  state.  The  following  year 
Eev.  Homme  built  his  residence  here  and 
moved  hither  with  his  family,  November  4, 
1881.  Throughout  the  winter  and  succeed- 
ing spring  work  was  pursued  upon  the  foun- 
dation and  building  of  the  Orphans'  Home. 
On  the  26th  of  August,  1882,  the  Orphans' 
Home  was  opened  with  an  enrollment  of  four 
children  and  one  aged  man.  Mrs.  Ingeborg 
Johnson  and  her  eldest  daughter  Mathilde, 
now  ilrs.  Rev.  L.  il.  Biorn,  of  Spring  Prairie, 
Wisconsin,  stood  in  a  motherly  relation  to 
the  children.  Jacob  Lunde,  a  graduate  from 
the  Seminary  of  Stordoen.  Norway,  having 
lately  arrived  from  New  York,  was  engaged 
as  instructor  in  religion  and  other  branches 
of  study.  During  the  same  fall  the  German 
Lutherans  also  commenced  with  their  high- 
school  classes  in  Homme's  Orphans'  Home.  A 
'■candidate,"  Feuchter  by  name,  became  in- 
structor in  Latin;  Rev.  Purzner  taught  Ger- 
man and  religion,  and  Jacob  Lunde  was  in- 
structor in  English.  During  the  next  sum- 
mer, 1883,  Rev.  Homme  built  a  second  build- 
ing, a  schoolhouse  for  the  use  of  the  orphans, 
and  on  the  31st  of  October  the  whole  institu- 
tion was  solemnly  dedicated,  Rev.  A.  Mikkel- 
son,  of  Chicago,  officiating.  This  institution 
was  located  in  the  southern  part  of  the  vil- 
lage, on  blocks  30  and  31.  The  same  fall 
of  1883  the  German  Lutheran  clergymen  had 
their  high-school  building  completed  and 
school  began  on  the  1st  of  September.  After 
a  course  of  six  months,  however,  the  build- 
ing was  utterly  consumed  by  fire  and  the 
instruction  w-as  again  given  at  Rev.  Homme's 
Orphans'  Home.  In  the  summer  of  1S84  the 
building  was  rebuilt  by  Rev.  Homme  but 
the  school,  was  not  continued  any  longer. 
The  next  year  the  school  was  converted  into 
an  orphans'  home,  the  Martin  Luther  Or- 
phans' Home,  and  continued  as  such  until 
1898,  when  it  was  discontinued.  In  the  fall 
of  1901  it  became  tlie  Wittenberg  Academy 
under  the  principalship  of  Professor  E.  J. 
Onstad.  In  1882,  on  motion  of  Rev.  Homme, 
a  committee  was  appointed  by  the  Nor- 
wegian Synod  to  investigate  as  to  the  ad- 
visability of  founding  an  Indian  mission  in 
this  vicinity.  This  committee  consisted  of 
Revs.  I.  M.'Dahl,  T.  Larson.  M.  P.  Ruh  and 
E.  J.  Homme.  As  the  synod  did  not  take 
any  steps  to  realize  the  Indian  mission,  this 
committee  went  to  work  independently  to 
establish  such  an  institution.  It  selected  a 
place   three  and   one-half  miles   west  of  the 


village  of  ANittenberg,  where  in  the  fall  of 
1884  a  small  school  was  established,  and 
engaged  a  teacher  for  some  Indian  children. 
In  1885  the  committee  resolved  to  move  the 
Indian  Mission  School  nearer  to  the  village. 
A  large  building,  the  erection  of  whicli  was 
superintended  by  Rev.  Homme,  was  com- 
pleted, and  dedicated  by  Rev.  N.  J.  Ellestad 
in  the  summer  of  1886.  Rev.  T.  Larson,  of 
Harmony,  Minnesota,  was  chosen  by  the  com- 
mittee as  principal  of  the  Indian  mission. 
Rev.  Homme  made  an  application  to  the 
national  government  for  financial  assistance 
lor  the  Indian  Mission  School,  which  was 
complied  with.  In  1887  the  Norwegian  Sj'uod 
obtained  full  possession  of  the  institution 
and  continued  it  for  several  years,  when  it 
was  leased  to  the  government  and  became 
an  Indian  government  school,  and  later  pur- 
chased by  the  government.  Through  the 
exertions  of  Rev.  Ellestad  and  Rev.  Homme 
a  Normal  School  was  established  here  in 
1887  in  connection  with  the  Orphans'  Home. 
Tliis  school  was  continued  for  three  years 
till  the  establishment  of  the  United  church, 
in  1890.  In  1885  Rev.  Homme  built  and 
eipiipped  a  printing  office  in  connection  with 
tlie  Orphans'  Home.  From  this  institution 
■For  Gammel  og  Ung'  has  been  issued  every 
week  and  has  reached  at  the  present  writing 
— 1902 — its  twenty-second  volume.  Out  of 
this  institution  were  also  sent  forth  for  many 
years  two  weekly  Sunday  school  papers — 
Sondagsskole  Bladet  and  Sundaj-  School 
Helper — the  first  Norwegian  and  English 
weekly  Sunday  school  papers  issued  among 
the  Norwegians  in  America.  Sondagsskole 
Bladet  is  still  issued  at  the  Orphans'  Home, 
but  the  Sunday  School  Helper  was  in  1900 
sold  to  the  United  church  and  the  name 
cluinged  to  'The  Children's  Companion.'  In 
1901  the  Christian  Youth  was  purchased  by 
Rev.  Homme  and  son  William  and  is  also 
published  from  the  Orphans'  Home  Printing 
office.  In  the  course  of  years  it  was  deemed 
advisable  to  separate  the  orphaned  children 
from  the  aged  people  by  erecting  another 
building  to  be  occupied  by  the  orphans  ex- 
clusively. This  new"  building,  a  large  im- 
posing structure,  is  located  one  and  one- 
lialf  miles  from  the  old  home,  a  short  dis- 
tance from  the  Embarras  river.  The  cor- 
nerstone of  this  new  home  was  laid  the  23d 
of  September,  1894,  by  Rev.  G.  Hyme,  the 
late  president  of  the  United  Norwegian  Lu- 
theran church,  and  the  building  solemnly 
dedicated  August  27,  1899.  The  Orphans' 
Home  has  been  in  existence  for  twenty  years 
and  during  this  time  hundreds  of  children 
and  aged  persons  have  at  diff"erent  times  had 
tlieir  lionie  here."  Rev.  E.  J.  Homme's  long 
years  of  active  service  as  a  clergyman  of 
the  Lutheran  church  in  Wisconsin  resulted 
in  leaving  a  monument  to  his  memory  of 
which  his  smviving  family  have  every  reason 
to  be  proud,  and  the  state  of  Wisconsin  will 
cherish  and  honor  his  name  long  after  his 
immediate  relatives  have  passed  to  their 
reward. 

William  E.  Homme  at  the  age  of  nine 
years  removed  with  his  father's  family  to 
Sliawano  county  and  received  his  early  edu- 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


t)0:i 


cation  in  the  institutions  of  learning  founded 
by  his  father  at  Wittenberg.  He  later  be- 
came a  student  at  St.  Olaf's  College,  Xortli- 
field,  Minnesota,  and  was  graduated  from 
that  institution  in  the  class  of  1894  with  the 
degree  of  B.  A.  Immediately  following  his 
graduation  he  returned  to  his  home  at  Wit- 
tenberg, where  he  soon  afterward  received  the 
appointment  of  postmaster  for  that  place 
and  continued  for  several  years  to  till  that 
office  of  public  trust.  His  last  appointment 
as  postmaster  of  Wittenberg  he  received  from 
President  ilcKinley  but  having  tired  of  the 
close  confinement,  he  tendered  his  resigna- 
tion and  made  an  extended  tour  of  the 
w  orld.  He  sailed  from  San  Francisco  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1903.  and  on  his  journey  visited  the 
Hawaiian  Islands,  New  Zealand,  Australia. 
Tasmania,  South  Africa,  England,  Norway 
and  all  of  the  principal  countries  of  Europe. 
He  finally  reached  New  York  safely  and 
thence  went  direct  to  his  home  at  Wit- 
tenberg, having  completed  the  entire  circuit 
of  the  globe  and  traveled  a  distance  of 
thirty-five  thousand  miles.  In  .September, 
1904."  he  with  several  of  his  relatives  settled 
at  Glendale,  Coos  county,  Oregon,  where  for 
some  time  he  was  engaged  as  publisher  of 
the  Glendale  News.  In  March,  1907,  he  re- 
moved to  Marslifield,  Oregon,  and  shortly 
after  settled  down  on  the  east  side  of  Coos 
bay.  naming  the  place  Cooston  and  has  ever 
since  worked  for  the  upbuilding  of  that  com- 
munity. Shortly  after  his  arrival  at  Cooston 
he  built  a  commodious  merchandising  store, 
in  which  has  since  been  located  the  govern- 
ment postoftice  and  he  also  built  other  struc- 
tures for  business  and  residence  purposes. 
On  May  13,  1908,  he  received  the  appoint- 
ment of  postmaster  for  Cooston  and  in  that 
office  he  is  now  serving  the  government  in 
the  interests  of  the  people  of  that  com- 
munity. 

On  October  15,  1903,  Mr.  Homme  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Laura  Nass,  who 
was  a  native  of  Wisconsin  at  the  time  of  her 
marriage  and  a  trained  nurse  by  profession. 
Mr.  and  ilrs.  Homme  are  the  parents  of  three 
children:  Frances  Rosalind,  who  was  born 
July  2,  190.5;  Franklin  Fernando,  born  De- 
cember 2.  1906;  and  Chester  Cooston.  born 
May  20,  1908.  William  E.  Homme  although 
comparatively  young  in  his  citizenship  in 
Oregon  has  "established  his  reputation  as  a 
trustworthy  and  eminently  successful  busi- 
ness man. "  Like  father  like  son  is  an  old 
adage  that  in  many  respects  has  found  its 
fulfillment  in  the  "life  of  this  young  and 
enthusiastic  citizen  wlio  is  devoting  liis  at- 
tention to  the  development  and  improvement 
of  that  portion  of  his  adopted  state  in  which 
he  lives. 

ENOCH  W.  CONYERS  was  closely  asso- 
ciated with  many  of  the  events  which  figured 
on' the  pages  of  the  early  hi.story  of  Oregon 
and  the  nortliwest.  Jloreover.  he  is  cn-- 
titled  to  representation  in  tliis  volume  as  one 
of  the  few  surviving  heroes  of  tlie  Mexican 
war.  He  has  passed  the  eighty-second  mile- 
stone on  life's  journey,  his  birth  hav- 
ing occurred  at  Carlisle.  Nichols  county.  Ken- 


tucky, December  2.  1S39.  His  parents  were 
Enocli  and  Mary  (Williams)  Conyers,  who 
were  also  natives  of  Kentuckj',  living  there 
in  pioneer  times.  The  father  engaged  in 
farming  in  the  Blue  Grass  state.  Later  he 
removed  to  Adams  county,  Illinois,  in  com- 
pany with  Abraham  Lincoln  in  1830.  At 
tliat  time  Enoch  W.  Conyers  was  but  a  diild 
and  ilr.  Lincoln,  being  a  bosom  friend  of  his 
father's,  often  lield  the  lad  upon  his  knees. 
In  Adams  county.  Illinois,  Enoch  Conyers 
carried  on  farming  until  1835,  when  he  be- 
came a  resident  of  Quincy  and,  prominent  in 
the  early  history  of  that  state,  was  elected 
mayor  in  1837,  filling  the  position  for  three 
terms.  During  his  last  term  the  cholera 
epidemic  occurred  and  after  furnishing  aid 
and  funds  to  scores  of  liis  stricken  townsmen, 
he  himself  fell  victim  to  the  dread  disease. 
He  also  owned  two  brick  yards  there  and 
likewise  became  proprietor  of  a  sawmill  wliich 
he  operated  to  tlie  time  of  his  death.  He  was 
filling  the  office  of  mayor  when  called  to  his 
final  rest  and  in  his  demise  the  city  lost 
one  of  its  representative  and  honored  men 
whose  worth  was  widely  acknowledged  by 
liis  fellow  townsmen.  He  was  married  three 
times  and  became  the  father  of  fourteen 
children.  His  first  wife  was  Mary  Williams 
West.  She  became  the  mother  of  eight  cliil- 
dren,  of  whom  the  subject  of  tliis  record  and 
Mrs.  Millicent  A.  P.  Burns,  the  widow  of 
William  P.  Burns,  of  Portland,  are  the  only 
survivors.  Mary  W.  AVest  was  a  direct  de- 
.scendant  of  Lord  De  Lewore  West  and  Mr. 
Conyers  has  in  his  possession  an  ivory  and 
silver-mounted  walking  stick  bronglit  to 
America  by  him  in  1618.  The  mother  of  our 
subject  died  in  1S33.  Having  lost  his  first 
wife,  the  father  married  Katherine  Parsons. 
a  native  of  New  Hampshire,  and  they  had 
two  sons  and  two  daughters,  of  wliom  Wil- 
liam Henry  Conyers,  an  attorney  of  Clats- 
kanie,  is  the  only  one  now  living.  For  his 
third  wife  the  father  chose  Elizabeth  Archer, 
a  native  of  Kentucky,  wlio  died  in  lIlinoiK, 
and  the  two  cliildren  of  that  marriage  have 
also   passed   away. 

Enoch  W.  Conyers  attended  school  until 
about  sixteen  years  of  age  and  then  started 
(mt  in  life  for  liimself.  He  became  deputy- 
postmaster,  which  position  he  filled  for  a 
year,  and  then  resigned  in  order  to  enter 
the  service  of  his  country  as  a  soldier  of  the 
^texican  war.  lie  enlisted  in  Company  A  of 
tlie  First  Pegiment  of  Illinois  Volunteers,  his 
captain  being  .lames  D.  Morgan,  while  John 
,7.  Hardin  coninianded  the  regiment  as  colonel 
under  Brigadier  General  Shields.  Mr.  Con- 
yers serveil  for  one  year  and  was  honorably 
discliarged  at  Comargo,  Mexico,  on  the  17th 
of  June,   1847. 

Wlien  the  country  no  longer  needed  his 
military  aid  Enoch  W.  Conyers  returned  to 
Quincy]  Illinois,  where  he  attended  school 
for  six  months  and  also  assisted  as  teacher 
in  class  work.  In  the  meantime  he  began  the 
stud V  of  medicine,  which  he  cont  inued  for  some 
time.  After  coming  to  Oregon  this  knowledge 
was  n  great  boon  to  the  pioneers  as  he  was  for 
vears  the  only  man  with  any  medical  knowl- 
edge between   Astoria   and   Portland   and   at- 


606 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


tended  hundreds  of  the  settlers  of  the  early 
days  without  charge.  In  1S48  he  opened  the 
lirst  telegraph  office  in  Iowa,  at  Burlinuton. 
and  remained  as  operator  there  until  .Ivine. 
1849.  He  then  returned  to  Quincy  to  assist  his 
father  in  operating  the  mill  and  carrying  on 
other  business  interests,  being  thus  engaged 
until  his  father's  death.  He  learned  the 
brick-layer's  trade  which  he  followed  until 
1852,  when  he  crossed  the  plains  with  ox 
teams.  California  was  his  original  destina- 
tion but  on  account  of  trouble  occasioned  by 
the  ilormons  he  changed  his  course,  taking 
the  Oregon  trail  and  eventually  reached  Ore- 
gon City.  Later  he  made  his  way  to  Port- 
land, Avhere  he  remained  for  a  short  time, 
and  then  proceeded  to  Hillsboro,  where  he 
engaged  in  brick-laying  for  one  winter.  He 
next  went  to  Oak  Point,  on  the  Columbia 
river,  and  in  the  fall  of  that  year  was  mar- 
ried. He  resided  tliere  for  two  years  and 
then  came  to  Clatskanie.  where  he  acquired 
a  donation  claim  of  three  hundred  and  twen- 
ty acres  which  now  constitutes  a  part  of 
the  town  site.  Here  he  has  resided  contin- 
uously since  with  the  exception  of  a  jjcriod 
of  six  years  spent  in  Yamhill.  Jlost  of  the 
time  he  has  been  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits  but  in  1907  he  retired.  His  has 
been  a  busy,  useful  and  active  life  and  success 
has  rewarded  his  labors.  He  still  owns  a 
business  block  in  the  central  part  of  the 
town  but  has  divided  mucli  of  his  property 
among  his  children.  When  he  came  to  this 
section  of  the  state  it  was  a  wild  and  uncul- 
tivated district,  the  work  of  progress  having 
been  scarcely  begun.  With  the  early  devel- 
opment and  upbuilding  he  has  been  closely 
associated  and  his  name  is  connected  with 
many  of  the  "first  events."  He  owned  and 
operated  the  first  steamboat  running  from 
Clatskanie  to  the  Columbia  river  and  con- 
necting with  the  steamers  on  the  larger 
stream.  He  was  also  the  originator  and  pro- 
prietor of  the  first  postoffice  route  to  Clat- 
skanie and  by  presidential  appointment 
served  as  postmaster  here  for  many  years. 
5Ir.  Conyers  was  married  in  Clatskanie, 
in  October."  1853,  to  Miss  Hannah  C.  Bryant, 
who  was  born  in  Montgomery  county,  Indi- 
ana, a  daughter  of  Elihu  G.  and  Xancy  Bry- 
ant, both  of  whom  died  in  Clatskanie.  In 
their  family  were  nine  children  but  only  two 
are  now  living:  Mrs.  Mary  C.  Lockwood.  the 
widow  of  R.  L.  Lockwood;  and  Elihu  S. 
Bryant,  who  is  living  retired  at  Clatskanie. 
Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Conyers  have  been  born 
nine  children:  Mary  Ellen,  who  passed  away; 
William  Elihu,  of  Clatskanie;  Enoch  George, 
wiio  died  at  the  age  of  four  years;  Nancy 
.Ann.  the  wife  of  W.  K.  Tichnor.  of  Clat- 
skanie; Charles  Lincoln;  Millicent  Sarah,  at 
home;  Hannah  Edna,  who  is  living  with  her 
brother  in  Clatskanie:  :Margaret  Azelie.  of 
Clatskanie:  and  iirs  Lillian  Albertha  John, 
the  widow  of  Wallace  A.  John,  now  residing 
in  Clatskanie.  She  has  three  children.  Wal- 
lace, Olive  and  Maxine.  The  wife  and  mother 
passed  away  on  the  14th  of  .Tune.  1909.  For 
over  a  half  century  Mr.  and  ilrs.  Conyers 
had  traveled  life's  journey  together  and  the 


loss  or  his  wife  was  an  irreparable  blow  to 
liim. 

Ill  his  political  views  Mr.  Conyei-s  is  now 
a  republican  but  was  formerly'  a  Douglas 
democrat.  He  was  the  first  in' the  town  to 
act  as  justice  of  the  jjeace  and  filled  the 
position  for  four  years.  He  was  elected  to 
the  legislature  in  the  first  and  second  regu- 
lar sessions  of  the  state  of  Oregon,  serving 
from  1860  until  1864,  and  again  this  honor 
came  to  him  in  his  later  years,  making  him 
a  member  of  the  general  assembly  from 
19IIS  until  1910.  He  has  always  been  most 
etiicient  and  faithful  in  the  discharge  of  his 
duties  of  citizenship  and  his  record  has  been 
characterized  by  devotion  to  the  general  good 
that  none  has  questioned.  Long  connected 
with  the  Masonic  fraternity,  he  was  a  charter 
member  of  Tualitin  Lodge,  Xo.  6,  and  also 
of  Rainier  Lodge,  Xo.  24,  and  he  now  be- 
longs to  Clatskanie  Lodge,  X'o.  133,  A.  F.  & 
A.  M.  The  respect  and  veneration  which  is 
usually  accorded  honorable  old  age  is  frcely 
given  him.  for  all  recognize  that  the  prin- 
ciples which  have  governed  his  manhood  have 
had  tlieir  root  in  noble  purpose  and  that 
liis  life  work  in  many  of  its  phases  has 
been  of  intense  value  to  the  comnninity  in 
which  he  has  resided. 

EDMOND  0.  LAMB  is  one  of  the  well 
known  slieep  raisers  of  Paisley,  carrying  on 
an  extensive  business  and  owning  valuable 
ranch  property  in  Lake  county.  He  was  born 
in  Cadiz.  Henry  county.  Indiana,  May  6, 
1S60.  and  is  a  son  of  Thomas  E.  and  Helen 
il.  (Blair)  Lamb.  The  father  was  born  in 
Henry  county,  February  22,  1834,  and  the 
mother  was  born  in  Deersville,  Ohio.  The 
death  of  the  latter  occurred  in  Pittsburg. 
Kansas,  in  1876.  The  parents  were  married 
in  Henry  county,  Indiana,  whither  Helen 
Blair  went  with  her  parents  when  about 
twelve  years  of  age.  The  father  first  went 
to  Kansas  to  investigate  the  possibilities  of 
establishing  a  home  there  and  a  year  later 
was  joined  by  his  family.  His  son  Edmond 
came  to  Oregon  in  1S87  and  six  years  ago  was 
joined  by  his  father,  who  removed  from  Kan- 
sas to  this  state  and  has  since  made  his  home 
with  his  son.  For  thirty-five  years  the  father 
followed  the  carpenters  trade,  but  after- 
ward he  engaged  in  farming.  In  his  family 
were  eight  children,  five  of  whom  are  living: 
Edmond  O. :  Mabel,  the  wife  of  .Joseph  Daugh- 
terty.  of  Henry  county.  Indiana:  Elmer  B., 
a  farmer  of  Sears.  California;  Mrs.  Rose 
Scott,  of  Boise.  Idaho;  and  Lorenzo  D.,  a 
coal  miner  of  Pittsburg,  Kansas. 

Edmond  0.  Lamb  resided  at  home  until 
twenty  years  of  age  and  afterward  worked 
in  a  zinc  smelter  at  Pittsburg,  Kansas,  for 
several  years.  He  then  engaged  in  farminfj 
in  that  state  for  two  years,  subsequent  to 
which  time  he  came  to  Oregon.  Here  he  was 
connected  with  the  sheep-raising  industry  in 
the  employ  of  others  and  finally  began  run- 
ning sheep  on  his  own  account.  He  has  about 
forty-five  hundred  sheep  leased  out  and  is 
a  well  known  representative  of  that  industry, 
thorouslily  informed  concerning  the  best 
methods   of   breeding   and   caring   for   sheep. 


KI)M(IM)  ().   LAMB 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


600 


He  is  the  owner  of  one  hnndred  and  sixty 
acres  in  Cliewaucan  valley  where  he  now 
resides  and  he  also  owns  monntain  land  and 
a  ranch  a  mile  east  of  Paisley  Avhicli  he  de- 
votes to  the  raising  of  hay  and  which  is 
headquarters  for  his  stock.  His  ranch  is  all 
under  ditch  and  produces  about  two  hundred 
tons  of  wild  hay  annually.  He  has  free 
water  from  the  Chewaucan  river  and  his 
property  ranks  with  the  leading  sheep-rais- 
ing ranches  of  this  district.  He  and  his 
father  reside  alone  and  the  former  has  passed 
the  seventy-eighth  milestone  on  life's  jour- 
ney. The"  son  is  active  and  energetic  in 
promoting  his  business  interests,  has  studied 
sheep-raising  in  the  northwest  from  every 
possible  standpoint  and  is  meeting  with  suc- 
cess in  his  iindertaking. 

In  politics  ilr.  Lamb  is  an  earnest  repub- 
lican and  while  he  does  not  seek  nor  care  for 
public  office  he  keeps  well  informed  concern- 
ing the  salient  questions  of  the  day.  He  is 
identified  with  the  various  departments  of 
Odd  Fellowship,  including  the  lodge,  camp 
and  order  of  Rebekah,  and  he  is  also  a 
Master  ilason  and  a  member  of  the  Eastern 
8tar. 

LINSY  C.  SISEMORE  is  extensively  and 
successfully  engaged  in  the  live-stock  busi- 
ness as  a  partner  in  the  Pelton-Sisemore 
Company.  owning  twenty-eight  hundred 
acres  of  land  in  Klamath  and  Lake  counties. 
in  addition  to  which  ilr.  Sisemore  has  other 
property.  He  was  born  in  .Jackson  county, 
Oregon.'  July  12.  1869.  and  is  a  son  of  John 
and"  "Marv  '  I  Rowe )  Sisemore.  The  father 
was  born  in  Kentucky.  December  14.  18.35, 
and  in  1853  became  a  resident  of  California. 
There  he  engaged  in  mining  and  in  the  live- 
stock business  until  he  removed  to  .Tackson 
county.  In  1881  he  purchased  a  ranch  on 
the  present  site  of  Bend.  Oregon,  on  the  Des 
Chutes  river,  the  place  being  known  as  Fare- 
well Bend.  He  made  his  purchase  from  -John 
Y.  Todd,  one  of  the  old-time  pioneers.  Prine- 
ville.  thirty-iive  miles  away,  was  their  post- 
office  and  the  nearest  railroad  station  was  at 
The  Dalles,  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  dis- 
tant. The  family  spent  the  summer  of  1881 
in  Wood  River  valley,  when  there  were  only 
two  homes  in  the  entire  valley.  From  1883 
until  his  death  .John  Sisemore  resided  con- 
tinuously in  Crook  comity.  Oregon,  and  al- 
ways carried  on  general  farming  and  stock- 
raising  until  the  last  few  years  of  his  life. 
when  he  lived  retired.  He  died  in  a  hospital 
at  (irants  Pass.  Oregon.  December  lO.  1910. 
He  married  :Mrs,  Mary  (Rowe)  Pelton.  the 
widow  of  j:noch  C.  Pelton  and  a  daughter  of 
Josepli  Rowe.  She  had  three  children  by  her 
first  marriage:  Horace,  now  living  in  .lack- 
son  county:  -fanies.  of  Fort  Klaiiiatli:  and 
.John,    whose   home    is   in    Douglas   county. 

Liiisv  ('.  Sisemore  resided  at  the  ]ilace  of 
his  birth  until  1882,  when  he  accompanied 
his  parents  on  their  removal  to  Crook  county. 
Oregon.  He  worked  as  a  day  laborer  for 
seven  or  eight  years  ami  was  afterward  em- 
ployed in  varicnis  places  and  in  variotis  ways. 
He"  was  married  at  Jacksonville.  Oregon,  in 
ISnn.   to    Mi^s    Anna    Oith.   wh(is4'   biilli    thi-re 


occurred  in  1874,  her  parents  being  ilr.  and 
ilrs.  .John  Ortli.  The  young  couple  began 
their  domestic  life  in  Jackson  county,  where 
they  remained  until  1900,  Mr.  Sisemore  de- 
voting the  greater  part  of  his  time  to  the 
ranch.  lie  then  removed  to  Fort  Klamath 
and  has  since  engaged  in  the  live-stock  busi- 
ness ill  connection  with  his  half-brotlier. 
James  Pelton,  under  the  lirm  style  of  the 
Pelton-Sisemore  Companj*.  Tliey  are  en- 
gaged in  ranching  and  stock-raising  and  own 
eighteen  lutndred  acres  of  land  in  Klamath 
county  and  one  thousand  acres  in  Lake  coun- 
ty. In  addition  to  the  twenty-eight  hnndred 
acres  which  are  in  possession  of  the  com- 
pany ilr.  Sisemore  owns  individual!}-  a  ranch 
of  one  hundred  acres,  eight  miles  southeast 
of  Klamath  Falls,  and  city  property  in  Bend. 
Oregon.  He  was  engaged  in  general  merchan- 
dising at  Fort  Klamath  for  some  time  but 
sold  his  store  in  December,  1909.  and  is  now 
concentrating  his  energies  upon  his  live-stock 
interests,  which  are  of  growing  importance, 
bringing  him  a  substantial  financial  return. 
Unto  ilr.  and  ilrs.  Sisemore  have  been 
born  three  children,  Emmett.  Roland  and 
Orth.  The  family  are  well  known  and  enjoy 
the  friendship  of  many  with  whom  they  have 
come  in  contact,  ilr.  Sisemore  has  been  a 
life  long  democrat  and  is  interested  in  all 
that  pertains  to  the  welfare  of  the  commu- 
nity at  large  whether  accomplished  through 
]ioIitical  lines  or  otherwise.  Fraternally  he 
is  connected  with  the  ilasonie  and  Elks 
lodges  at  Klamath  Falls  and  is  loyal  to  their 
teachings    and    purposes. 

EDGAR  BOSSEN.  Progressive  agricul- 
tural interests  in  Curry  county  find  a  worthy 
representative  in  Edgar  Bossen.  who  since 
1876  has  been  carrying  on  general  farming, 
stock-raising  and  dairying  in  this  section. 
From  a  tract  of  wild  timber  land  lie  has 
evolved  an  excellent  farm,  well  equipped  and 
well  managed  and  his  attainments  along  this 
line  have  added  something  year  by  .vear  to 
the  development  and  improvement  of  agri- 
cultural methods  in  Oregon.  He  has  four 
liundnMl  acies  of  productive  land,  one  hun- 
dred of  which  arc  under  cultivation.  Upon 
a  jiortion  of  this  property  he  operates  a 
in-ick  yard  and  his  able  management  of  this 
( iiter]irise  indicates  that  his  business  ability 
Kpials  his  agricultural  knowledge,  ilr.  Bos- 
sen was  liorii  ill  (lerniaiiy  in  18.jl,  a  .son  of 
I'dgar  and  Mary  (Benniiig)  Bossen,  natives 
of"tliat  country.  He  received  his  education 
ill  thi'  public  schools  of  the  fatherland  anil 
was  eighteen  years  of  age  when  he  crossed 
the  .\tlantic.  Coming  to  America  he  settled 
in  Chicago  where  he  finished  the  study  of 
the  lirick-laying  and  plastering  trades,  which 
lie  had  begun  in  Germany.  He  followed 
these  oicupations  for  seven  years  throngli- 
oiit  the  middle  states  and  then  came  to 
Oregon,  settling  in  Curry  county  where  he 
took  up  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land 
to  which  he  has  added  until  his  farm  com- 
prises  four  hundred  acres.  The  homestead 
was  a  wilderness,  covered  with  a  heavy 
growth  of  timber  and  the  trees  had  to  be 
felled    before   the   work   of   cultivation    could 


610 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


be  begun.  Acre  by  acre  the  farm  was  cleared 
and  brought  under  the  plow,  fields  were 
planted  and  a  beginning  was  made  in  the 
operation  of  what  is  now  one  of  the  finest 
farming  properties  in  Curry  county.  Gradu- 
ally more  land  was  tilled  and  Mr.  Bossen 
extended  his  activities  to  include  sheep-rais- 
ing, in  which  pursuit  he  has  become  success- 
ful and  prominent  in  the  course  of  years.  He 
next  started  a  dairy  and  finally  tui'ned  his 
attention  to  the  development  of  a  rich 
deposit  of  fine  clay  which  covers  his  land. 
Quick  to  recognize  an  unusual  opportunity, 
he  established  a  brickyard,  the  first  enter- 
prise of  its  kind  in  this  section  of  the  state 
and  it  has  grown  and  expanded  under  his 
able  management  into  a  prosperous  insti- 
tution. His  apple  orchard  represents  an- 
other successful  venture  and  yields  abundant 
crops  every  year.  Being  a  tiiie  business 
man  Mr.  Bossen  operates  his  farm  as  a  bus- 
iness enterprise  and  his  systematic  and 
progressive  methods  have  had  their  natural 
result. 

In  1872  Mr.  Bossen  married  in  Chicago. 
Miss  Mary  Bruhn.  a  native  of  Germany,  and 
,T  daughter  of  BoU  Bruhn.  also  a  native  of 
the  fatherland.  ^Irs.  Bossen  is  one  of  a  fam- 
ily of  four  children.  The  others  are:  Xels. 
who  is  farming  in  Iowa:  Ankie.  the  wife  of 
Carl  Xelson.  of  Bandon:  and  Botella.  who 
married  Lutier  Lutzen.  of  Germany.  Mr.  and 
!Mrs.  Bossen  have  nine  children:  Edward  and 
"William,  both  deceased:  Alice,  the  wife  of 
V\'illiam  Button,  of  Bandon,  by  whom  she  has 
one  daughter.  Alice:  Mary,  who  married 
Claud  O.  Banning,  of  Argentina.  South  Amer- 
ica, who  owns  a  trading  post  in  the  Andes 
Mountains,  and  is  the  father  of  one  daugh- 
ter, ilary:  Elena,  the  wife  of  Walter  Ro- 
delle.  who  is  engaged  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness in  Elkton:  Andrew,  who  is  engaged  in 
farming  in  Elkton;  .lennie.  who  is  a  gradu- 
ate of  the  State  Agricultural  College  at 
Corvallis,  and  who  is  teaching  school:  Grace, 
a  music  teacher;  and  Henry,  who  is  asso- 
ciated with  his  father  in  the  conduct  of  the 
home  farm. 

ilr.  Bossen  is  a  charter  member  of  the 
Woodmen  of  the  World  camp  at  Langlois. 
He  gives  his  allegiance  to  the  republican 
liarty  and  for  many  years  was  road  super- 
visor and  school  director.  These  offices  came 
to  him  entirely  unsolicited,  since  Mr.  Bossen 
never  seeks  political  preferment,  although  he 
is  one  of  the  most  effectively  public-spirited 
iHcn   of   his   section. 

W.  P.  WHITNEY  president  of  the  firm 
of  Thomas  c&  Henley,  general  merchants  of 
Merrill,  where  he  has  carried  on  business 
under  the  present  relations  since  the  1st  of 
March.  1012.  This  is  not  the  first  time,  how- 
ever, that  he  has  been  associated  with  com- 
mercial interests  and  at  different  times  he 
has  successfully  carried  on  agricultural  pur- 
suits. He  was  born  in  Cottage  Grove.  Ore- 
gon, January  18.  18G5.  and  is  a  son  of  El- 
kanah  and  Maiy  Ann  (\\niite)  Whitney,  who 
were  natives  of  Xew  York  and  of  Indiana, 
respectively.  At  an  early  day  they  came 
with  their  parents  to  Oregon,  settling  in 
I.inn  countv.  near  Cottage  Grove,  where  thev 


were  married.  They  resided  at  Klamath 
Falls  until  1873  and  then  removed  to  Merrill. 
^.  here  their  last  days  were  spent,  both  pass- 
ing away  here.  Tliey  had  been  residents  of 
Klamath  county  since  1870.  The  father  was 
a  farmer  and  stock-raiser  throughout  his  en- 
tire life.  In  their  family  were  eight  chil- 
dren, seven  of  whom  are  yet  living. 

W.  I*.  Whitney,  the  second  in  order  of 
birth,  remained  with  his  parents  until  thej' 
were  called  to  their  final  rest,  the  mother 
passing  away  in  1896  and  the  father  in  1900. 
ile  followed  farming  and  stock-raising  until 
a  few  years  ago.  when  he  began  merchan- 
dising in  Merrill  in  connection  with  partners 
under  the  firm  style  of  the  Whitney  Mer- 
cantile Company.  He  continued  in  that  busi- 
ness for  eight  years  and  was  afterward  alone 
in  business  for  three  years.  He  then  sold 
his  store  in  March,  1910.  and  returned  to 
Cottage  Grove,  where  he  engaged  in  ranching 
until  the  1st  of  March.  1912,  when  he  again 
tame  to  Merrill  and  joined  ilr.  Thomas  in 
their  present  relation  as  proprietors  of  a 
general  store  conducted  under  the  firm  style 
of  Thomas  &  Henley.  He  owns  the  building 
in  which  they  are  located — a  two-story  frame 
structure,  thirty  by  eighty  feet — together 
with  a  wareroom  twenty  by  eighty  feet  and 
an  implement  Avarehouse  thirty-five  by  fifty 
feet.  Mr.  Whitney  built  the  implement 
building  and  has  owned  the  entire  store  build- 
ing individually  for  the  past  five  years.  He 
:s  also  the  owner  of  two  houses  and  lots  in 
Albany,  a  good  residence  in  Merrill  and  five 
acres    of    land   in   Jefferson,   Oregon. 

On  the  6th  of  .lune.  1901.  Mr.  Whitney 
was  married  to  Miss  Augusta  Kattenhorn. 
a  native  of  Xevada.  and  a  daughter  of  Albert 
Kattenhorn.  They  have  four  children:  ilyra. 
who  died  at  the  age  of  four  months;  Perry 
Mortin.  six  years  of  age;  Inez,  four  years 
old:  and  Calvin,  in  his  second  year.  Mr. 
Whitney  has  been  a  lifelong  resident  of  this 
district,  having  for  forty-seven  years  been 
a  witness  of  its  growth  and  development, 
while  in  works  of  public  progress  he  has 
cooperated  in   large  measure. 

COLONEL  CHARLES  T.  BLUMENRO- 
THER.  AUliough  Colonel  Charles  T.  Blu- 
menrother  holds  his  title  in  the  Oregon  Na- 
tional Guards  his  military  activities  were 
not  by  any  means  confined  to  state  service  in 
times  of  peace.  His  army  record  is  unique  in 
that  it  began  when  he  was  a  mere  boy  and 
"it  is  honorable  and  worthy  by  reason  of  the 
usefulness  of  his  services  in  many  of  the 
important  engagements  of  the  Civil  war. 
lie  has.  however,  other  claims  to  a  place  in 
this  work.  For  over  twenty  years  he  has 
been  prominent  in  business  and  agricultural 
circles  of  Curry  county  and  has  been  an  im- 
liortant  factor  in  both  lines.  He  was  born  in 
Xew  York  city.  -lune  18.  1846.  a  son  of 
Thomas  .1.  G.  "and  Pauline  R.  W.  (Menda) 
I;lumenrother.  natives  of  Germany.  In  their 
family  were  twelve  children,  only  two  of 
whom  are  living,  namely:  Charlotte,  who 
married  Alvin  Wertzman.  of  Staten  Island. 
Xew  York,  by  Avhom  she  has  one  son.  Frank; 
and  Charles  T..  of  this  review. 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


611 


Colonel  Blunn-iirotliors  father  died  in  Cen- 
tral America,  where  he  was  working  as  a 
member  of  the  Walker  expedition.  The  sub- 
ject of  this  review  was  only  nine  years  of 
age  at  that  time  and  he  remained  in  New 
York  city  until  he  enlisted  in  the  United 
States  Army  as  a  member  of  Company  A. 
I''ourtli  United  States  Infantry,  and  served 
a?  a  drunmier  boy  at  Fort  Brown,  Texas, 
where  he  was  captured  and  later  discharged. 
After  being  exchanged,  he  was  mustered  out 
and  two  days  afterward  reenlisted  in  Com- 
pany H,  Sixth  New  York  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, and  served  until  July  26,  1861,  when 
he  was  discharged.  Immediately  afterward 
he  again  enlisted  in  the  same  company  and 
did  active  work  until  December  31.  1863. 
On  January  31st  of  the  following  year  he 
reenlisted  as  a  veteran  and  was  honorably 
discharged  December  24.  186j.  After  the 
war  he  learned  the  lithographing  trade  and 
followed  this  occupation  until  18TT,  when  he 
went  to  Colorado  and  there  engaged  prin- 
cipally in  prospecting  and  mining  until  1881. 
In  that  year  he  went  to  Nebraska  and  took 
up  a  soldier's  homestead  claim,  which  he 
operated  and  developed  for  three  years,  go- 
ing west  to  Cheyenne  in  1884.  He  remained 
in  that  city  only  a  short  time,  coming  almost 
directly  to  Oregon,  where  he  took  up  a  pre- 
emption claim  on  the  edge  of  Ciirry  county 
and  upon  it  established  his  home.  The  land 
was  uncultivated  and  covered  with  timber 
and  Colonel  Blumenrother  was  obliged  to 
clear  the  trees  before  beginning  the  work  of 
cultivation.  Out  of  the  timber  felled  he 
built  a  log  cabin,  in  which  he  lived  for  a 
number  of  years,  engaging  in  general  farm- 
ing during  the  time.  He  carried  on  his  agri- 
cultural pursuits  until  November  26.  1887. 
ivhen  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Company 
K.  Second  Regiment  Oregon  National  Guard, 
and  obtained  rapid  advancement,  serving  in 
all  ranks  up  to  and  including  that  of  lieu- 
tenant colonel.  He  was  disoliarged  as  lieu- 
tenant colonel  .January  .■).  1895.  and  on  July 
26th  of  the  same  year  was  appointi'd  major 
in  a  separate  battalion,  receiving  his  dis- 
charge on  November  13th  of  the  following 
year.  He  afterward  settled  in  Bandon.  where 
he  has  been  engaged  in  the  real-estate  and 
loan  business,  giving  most  of  his  attention 
to  buying  and  .selling  mortgages  and  bonds. 
He  owns  his  ranch  in  Curry  county  but  his 
son  manages  the   jilace. 

In  1870  Colonel  Blumenrother  was  united 
in  marriage  to  !Miss  Amelia  L.  If.  !Meier.  a 
daughter  of  Charles  and  ilary  (Bertzi  Jleier. 
natives  of  Germany.  Mrs.  Blumenrother  is 
one  of  a  family  of  nine  children,  only  four 
of  whom  are  living,  namely:  Elizabeth  I^.. 
the  w-ife  of  Charles  T.  Feiger,  of  Bandon : 
Anna  K.,  who  married  August  IMiller,  of 
Baker  City:  Charles  F.  W..  of  .lelTerson:  and 
Amelia  L.  'SL  Colonel  and  ^frs.  Bhimen- 
rother  have  four  children.  Thomas  .T.  G. 
lives  in  San  Francisco.  Charles  F.  W.  re- 
sides at  home  and  is  operating  his  father's 
ranch.  Pauline  R.  W.  is  the  wife  of  Robert 
P.  Hunt,  of  Bandon.  Coos  coiuity.  Frank 
H..  the  youngest  member  of  the  family,  is 
deceased. 


Colonel  Blumenrother  is  identified  with  the 
Masonic  order  and  with  the  order  of  Owls. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  Bandon  Post.  G.  A. 
R.,  and  is  pensioned  on  account  of  wounds 
received  at  the  battle  of  Chancellorsville, 
Virginia,  Jlay  2,  1863.  He  is  a  stanch  re- 
publican, being  a  firm  believer  in  the  prin- 
ciples for  which  that  party  stands  and  has 
done  able  work  in  its  interests.  While  a  res- 
ident of  St.  Louis  he  was  deputy  United 
States  marshal  and  since  coming  to  Oregon 
has  been  chairman  of  tlic  district  school 
board  for  twenty-five  years  and  notary  pub- 
lic for  twenty-six,  his  long  periods  of  service 
{•roving  his  unusual  ability  and  fitness. 

CLIFFORD  STUART  BENSON.  Clifiord 
Stuart  Benson  is  the  owner  of  ranch  inter- 
ests in  Douglas  county  but  was  born  at 
Roseburg.  Oregon.  .June  2.  1885.  a  son  of 
Frank  William.son  and  Harriett  (Ruth)  Bon- 
son.  He  was  a  pupil  in  the  [niblic  schools 
of  his  native  town  and  also  attended  the 
Oregon  Agricultural  College,  but  did  not 
complete  the  full  course  there.  Early  in  life 
he  engaged  in  bookkeejiing  but  is  now  giving 
liis  attention  to  ranching  which  he  finds 
jirofitable.  deriving  a  good  income  therefrom. 

On  the  5th  of  September.  1908.  at  Salem, 
Oregon,  Mr.  Benson  was  married  to  Miss 
Bertha  Louise  Allen,  a  daughter  of  R.  D. 
Allen,  and  they  now  have  one  son.  Stiiart 
Frank.  Fraternally  Jlr.  Benson  is  connected 
\'.itli  the  Indepeiulent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows 
and  he  is  typically  western  in  spirit,  in- 
terests and  activities,  displaying  the  enter- 
jirise  which  has  been  the  dominant  factor 
ill  the  upbuilding  and  development  of  this 
section   of   the   country. 

CLARENCE  J.  EDWARDS,  manager  of  the 
Yamhill  Electric  Company  and  also  promi- 
nently connected  with  the  Newberg  Telephone 
Company  at  Newberg.  Oregon,  was  born  in 
Mooresville.  Indiana,  February  17.  1871,  his 
[larents  being  .Jesse  and  ilary  E.  K.  Edwards, 
who  were  early  settlers  of  this  state  and 
among  the  founders  of  Newberg.  Thej'  were 
active  in  the  early  work  of  the  Quaker  church 
in  Oregon  and  In  the  establishment  of  Pacific 
College,  and  in  many  other  ways  left  their 
impii'ss  for  good  ujion  the  development  of 
the  northwest. 

Clarence  J.  Edwards,  becoming  a  student 
in  the  Pacific  College,  was  graduated  there- 
from with  its  first  class  in  1893.  lie  has  since 
figured  actively  and  prominently  in  business 
circles,  spending  nine  years  as  manager  of 
the  Xewberg  Pressed  Brick  &  Terra  Cotta 
Company,  wliich  afterward  became  the  Pacific 
Face  Brick  Company.  Ho  organized  and  for 
the  past  eleven  years  has  been  nuinager 
of  the  Yamhill  Electric  Company,  of  which 
he  is  the  principal  stockholder,  and  he  is  one 
of  the  leading  directors  of  the  Newberg  Tele- 
phono  Company.  A  recital  of  those  connec- 
tions is  sufficient  to  indicate  how  prominent 
;i  place  he  has  occupied  in  connection  with 
the  business  dovelopnu'nt  of  his  town.  He  ia 
a  man  of  determined  purpose,  carrying  for- 
ward to  successful  completion  whatever  he 
undertakes,    for    Jie    knows    that    when    one 


612 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


avenue  of  opportunity  seems  closed  there  can 
be  found  other  paths  leading  to  the  desired 
goal.  Aside  from  his  business  associations 
Mr.  Edwards  has  occupied  a  central  ])lace 
in  public  activity  here.  He  is  one  of  the 
prominent  representatives  of  the  republican 
party  and  has  filled  the  office  of  mayor  of 
Kewberg.  while  several  times  he  has  served 
as  school  director.  He  has  likewise  been  a 
member  of  the  board  of  management  of  Pa- 
cific College  and  his  influence  is  always  given 
on  the  side  of  advancement,  progress  and  re- 
form. 

In  1893  occurred  the  marriage  of  Jlr.  Ed- 
wards and  Jliss  Abbie  L.  Miles,  a  daughter 
of  I.  N.  Miles,  a  leading  horticulturist  and 
stock  farmer  of  ilarion  county.  Oregon.  There 
are  two  children  of  this  marriage,  Lloyd  W. 
and  M.  Lowell.  The  family  attend  the 
Friends  church,  in  the  faith  of  which  ilr.  Ed- 
wards was  reared  and  to  which  he  has  always 
adhered.  Practically  his  entire  life  has  been 
spent  in  the  northwest  and  at  all  times  he 
has  been  closely  allied  with  the  progressive 
movement  which  is  leading  to  the  rapid 
development  of  this  section  of  the  coiintry 
and  placing  it  upon  a  par  with  the  older  and 
more  thickly  settled  east.  He  knows  that 
there  is  much  to  be  done  and  he  bears  his  part 
in  the  work,  never  faltering  where  the  l)est 
interests  of  the  coinniunity  are  to  be  served. 

JOHN  PATTERSON  MESSER  is  living  re- 
tired ill  Cociuillc.  will. re  lir  is  spending  his 
leisure  in  looking  after  the  business  and 
residence  inoperty  in  whicli  he  has  invested 
extensively.  For  forty-two  years  he  has  lived 
in  Coos  county,  being  numbered  among  the 
pioneers  in  Oregon,  and  during  that  time 
has  been  engaged  in  important  and  repre- 
sentative enterprises,  most  of  his  time,  how- 
ever, having  been  given  to  general  farming. 
He  well  deserves  the  rest  he  is  enjoying,  for 
it  has  been  earned  by  industry  and  perse- 
vering diligence.  He  was  born  in  Hawkins 
county.  Tennessee,  in  1837  and  is  a  son  of 
Isaac  and  Margaret  (Patterson)  Messer.  na- 
tives of  that  state.  Tlie  parents  moved  to 
Missouri  when  he  was  still  a  child  and  in  that 
state  the  father  followed  general  farming  for 
a  number  of  years.  In  their  family  were  ten 
children:  Eliza.  Nancy.  Mary.  Adelaide  and 
Amanda,  all  of  whom  are  deceased;  Martha, 
the  widow  of  .John  Haynes.  of  Washington; 
James,  deceased:  .John  Patterson,  of  this 
review:  Louis,  deceased:  and  George,  who 
died  in  infancy. 

John  P.  Messer  was  educated  in  tlie  public 
schools  of  Missouri  and  grew  up  upon  his 
father's  farm,  upon  which  he  remained  until 
three  years  after  his  marriage.  In  1864  he 
and  his  wife  crossed  the  plains  with  ox  teams 
and  settled  in  Union  county,  whence  after 
a  short  time  they  moved  to  the  Willamette 
valley.  In  ISTO  they  canu'  from  that  section 
to  Coos  county  and  lived  u))on  rented  farms 
for  several  years.  Eventually,  however.  Mr. 
Messer  took  up  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
on  Cunningham  creek,  going  to  that  section 
by  pack  train  from  Camas  valley.  Upon  this 
property  he  lived  for  some  time,  removing 
from    it    in    order    to    give    his    children    the 


scliool  advantages  to  lie  found  in  (iiniiille. 
lie  disposed  of  his  property  in  I'JUs  and 
nincc  that  time  has  definitely  abandoned 
fanning.  When  he  first  took  up  his  residence 
in  the  city  he  conducted  a  livery  business 
and  continued  in  this  line  of  activity  for 
fifteen  years.  It  was  in  1900  that  he  sold 
his  livery  and  retired  from  business  life. 
He  noAv  gives  his  attention  to  the  manage- 
ment of  his  property  and  to  the  afl'airs 
of  the  local  business  concerns  in  which  he 
liolds  stock.  He  owns  a  beautiful  home  in 
Coquille  and  residence  and  business  property 
in  this  city.  He  is  a  stockholder  in  a  cream- 
ery company  and  has  a  forty-one  acre  ranch 
in  Califoiiiia. 

On  September  2.  1800,  Mr.  ilesser  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Xancy  J.  Hatcher, 
a  native  of  Missouri  and  a  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam and  Mahala  (Morris)  Hatcher.  Mrs. 
ilesser  is  one  of  a  family  of  ten  children:  John 
and  James,  both  of  whom  are  deceased;  Xancy 
J.,  the  wife  of  our  subject;  William,  tie- 
ceased;  Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  Herbert  (iibbs, 
of  Josephine  county.  Oregon;  Martha,  de- 
ceased: Hiram,  of  Bridge,  Oregon:  Annie, 
the  wife  of  A,  L,  Xosler.  of  Bridge:  and 
Mary  and  Joseph,  both  of  whom  are  de- 
ceased. To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  ^lesser  eight  chil- 
dren were  born  of  whom  Louannie.  John, 
ilaraie,  George,  Ray,  Wilder  and  l!ose.  are 
deceased.  Zettie  is  the  wife  of  Marvin  Haw- 
kins, deputy  assessor,  who  formerly  held  the 
position  of  principal  of  schools  in  Coquille. 
They  have  two  children.  ^laniie  and  ILarvin, 
ageil  rcs])ectively  ten  and  two  years. 

ilr.  Messer  gives  his  allegiance  to  the  demo- 
cratic iiarty  but  never  seeks  jiublic  oflice. 
His  wife  belongs  to  the  Methodist. Episcopal 
church.  In  both  his  agricultural  and  his 
business  activities  he  has  been  a  distinct 
influence  in  the  progress  of  this  section.  He 
liel|ie(l  build  the  roads  through  Coos  county 
in  tlie  early  days  of  its  settlement  and  aided 
in  the  uplniilding  of  the  section.  He  was 
interested  in  building  the  schools  and  for  a 
long  time  was  a  director  of  the  board  of 
education.  He  helped  organize  the  first  cream- 
ery eom])any  and  the  first  city  water  com- 
pan.y  and  has  watched  the  develo]nnent  and 
growth  of  Coos  county  and  has  to  a  large 
extent  been  identified  with  it.  He  is  num- 
bered among  the  enterprising  and  valued 
citizens  of  the  section  to  which  he  came  as 
a   )uoiiiM'r. 

FRANK  T.  McMULLEN  is  operating  a  four 
hundred  and  eighty  acre  farm  near  Langlois 
and  has  other  important  ]n'operty  interests  in 
this  section  of  Oregon,  tie  was  born  in  Put- 
nam. Connectictit.  .\pril  27.  1871,  a  son  of 
Frank  and  Catherine  iCairol)  Mcirullen.  na- 
tives of  Trcland.  who  I'ame  to  America  in 
early  life.  The  father  came  to  Oregon  in  1878 
and  settled  in  Hoseburg.  where  he  lived  for 
eight  years,  linally  buying  land  in  the  vicin- 
ity and  operating  this  in  connection  with 
propert.v  which  he  rented  until  1885.  when  he 
came  to  Curry  county  and  purchased  one  hun- 
ilred  and  sixty  acres,  upon  which  he  carried 
on  an  extensive  and  profitable  dairy  business 
until  his  retirement  in  1900.     He  died  in  190.5 


Ml!.   AXI)    MRS.  .TOILV    P.    \l  KSM!!;.    I).\l  "i;l  IIKI;   .\\l)  I  ;i;.\\I)(ll|I.l)i;K.Y 


^^t^';  ^'^- 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OKEGOX 


(■)1 .1 


and  his  wifp  makes  her  home  with  tlie  subject 
of  tliis  review.  In  their  family  were  five 
children:  Frank  1..  deceased;  Jane,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  fourteen  years;  Anna,  who 
passed  away  when  she  was  twelve  years  old; 
Laura,  the  wife  of  J.  S.  Hughes,  of  Port  Or- 
ford,  by  whom  she  has  two  children,  Agnes 
and  Anna;  ami  Frank  T..  the  subject  of  this 
sketch. 

Frank  T.  ^IcMnllen  was  only  seven  years 
of  age  when  he  came  with  his  parents  to  Ore- 
gon and  consequently,  his  education  was  re- 
ceived in  the  public  schools  of  this  state.  He 
grew  up  upon  his  father's  farm.  He  is  a  self- 
made  man  in  the  sense  that  he  accomplished 
a  distinct  prosperity  by  his  own  efforts,  ris- 
ing from  povert.v  to  a  position  of  wealth  and 
importance.  When  he  began  his  active  life 
at  twent.v-one  he  had  no  money  and  the 
prosperity  which  he  now  enjoys  represents 
many  years  of  hard  and  well  directed  work. 
When  liis  father  retired  he  took  charge  of  the 
farm  which  he  now  owns  and  has  added  to 
it  until  it  comprises  four  hundred  and  eighty 
acres  well  improved  and  in  excellent  condition. 
Mr.  Mc^Iullen  also  owns  business  property  in 
Langlois  and  eight  blocks  of  residence  prop- 
ert}'  at  Port  Orford,  besides  valuable  land  on 
Coos  bay  and  his  judicious  investments  have 
made  him  one  of  the  wealth}-  and  prominent 
men  of  the  section. 

Mr.  McMullcn  married  in  1898.  :\Iiss  Mary 
Hughes,  of  Port  Orford.  a  native  of  Oregon, 
and  a  daughter  of  Patrick  Hughes.  She  is  one 
of  a  family  of  eight  children  born  to  her  par- 
ents, as  follows:  .Joseph,  who  is  deceased; 
Edward  and  James,  both  of  whom  resiile  in 
Port  (Irford:  John  C.  a  clergj-man.  of  Port- 
land; .^lice.  the  widow  of  J.  P.  JIasterson,  of 
Port  Orford;  ^Nlary.  the  wife  of  our  subject; 
and  Thonuis  and  Francis,  also  residents  of 
Port  Orford.  ilr.  and  Mrs.  ilcilullen  have 
six  children:  Margerite,  who  was  born  in 
1899,  and  is  attending  school;  May,  whose 
birth  occurred  in  1901,  and  is  attending 
school;  Teresa,  born  in  1902,  who  is  a  pupil 
in  the  public  schools;  John,  born  in  1905, 
and  is  attending  school;  Rosalie,  who  was 
born  in  1906,  and  is  also  a  pupil  in  the  pub- 
lic schools;  and  Edith,  whose  birth  occurred 
in  190S.  The  family  are  members  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  church. 

Mr.  McMullen  is  a  republican  and  takes  an 
interest  in  the  afVairs  of  his  commtuiity.  He 
belongs  to  the  Knights  of  Columbus  and  the 
Fraternal  Order  of  Eagles  and  is  well  known 
in  both  organizations.  Besides  being  an  able 
farmer  he  is  a  modern  man  of  affairs  with 
broad  interests  which  he  has  the  ))Ower  and 
ability  to  make  effective  and  a  knowledge 
and  comprehension  of  local  conditions  which 
make  his  investments  benefit  himself  while 
promoting  growth  and   development. 

STEPHEN   AND   EDMUND   M.  GALLIER 

are  numbered  among  the  best  known  and 
iiHist  enterprising  business  men  of  liandon, 
interested  extensively  in  local  concerns  and 
to  a  high  degree  influencing  commercial  de- 
velopment. They  own  and  operate  the  Oal- 
lier  Hotel,  the  largest  of  its  kind  in  Coos 
county   and   by   able    management   ami   busi- 


ness methods  of  the  most  progressive  kind 
are  making  it  one  of  tlie  important  hostelries 
in  Oregon.  They  have  been  engaged  in  the 
hotel  business  in  partnership  for  sixteen 
years  and  thus  add  to  their  other  qualilica- 
tions  the  advantage  of  long  experience.  They 
have  been  residents  of  Oregon  since  1871  but 
both  were  born  in  Kendall  county,  Illinois, 
Stephen  on  the  4th  of  September."  1857.  and 
E.  M.  on  October  5.  ISOl.  Their  parents 
were  William  and  Matilda  (Heustisi  (Jallier, 
the  latter  a  native  of  New  York  and  the 
former  of  England.  The  father  left  his 
native  country  when  he  was  a  young 
man  and  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  America 
settling  first  in  Philadelphia,  where  he 
worked  in  the  Roland  Spade  &  Shovel  fac- 
tory for  a  short  time.  He  later  moved 
to  Yorkville.  Illinois,  and  established  a  blai-k- 
smith  shop  there  which  he  operated  tiutil 
1862.  moving  in  that  year  to  Grundy  county, 
where  he  purchased  a  farm  and  engaged  in 
general  agricultural  pin-suits  for  a  short 
time.  When  he  sold  his  property  he  went 
to  Morris.  Illinois,  where  for  eighteen  months 
he  operated  a  hotel.  His  building  was  en- 
tirely destroyed  by  fire  at  the  end  of  that 
time  and  William  (iallicr  moved  to  Marion 
county  where  he  farmed  for  three  years. 
He  was  obliged  to  go  to  Santa  Cruz,  Califor- 
nia, on  account  of  failing  health.  He  ar- 
rived in  that  city  in  January.  1871.  and  six 
months  later,  having  entirel.v  recovered  he 
moved  to  I-.ldorado  count.v.  California,  where 
he  again  engaged  as  a  blacksmith,  locating 
liis  shop  on  a  toll  wagon  road  which  he 
leased  and  operated  for  a  short  time.  In 
tlie  same  year  he  came  w'ith  his  family  to 
Jackson  coimty.  Oregon,  where  he  followed 
his  trade  for  two  years  finally  purcliasing 
fort.v  acres  of  railroad  land  upon  which  he 
carried  on  general  farming  until  1873.  He 
came  to  Coos  county  in  September  of  that 
year  and  settled  on  the  Coquille  river.  In 
1875  he  moved  to  Curry  county.  j>roved  up 
a  homestead  claim  and  lived  upon  his  hold- 
ings for  several  years,  farming  and  operat- 
ing a  blacksmith  sho]).  In  1SS2  he  pur- 
chased a  home  in  the  citv  of  Cocpiille  and 
also  bought  a  small  shop  which  he  conducted 
until  1893  when  he  moved  to  liandon  and 
entered  into  jiartncrship  with  his  son  E.  M. 
Gallier.  in  the  same  line  of  activit.v.  .\fter 
four  years  the  father  .sold  out  his  interest 
and  established  himself  in  the  lianlware  busi- 
ness at  (Vxplille.  After  four  years  lie  moved 
his  store  to  Bandon  and  was  well  known  and 
liromiiunt  in  mercantile  cindes  of  that  city 
imtil  1906.  when  he  retired.  His  wife  ])assed 
away  in  January.  1907,  when  she  was  seven- 
t.y-six  years  of  age.  Her  husband  survived 
l.er  until  February.  1911.  dying  at  the  age 
of  eighty-four.  To  them  were  born  three 
children:  Stejjhen:  Mary,  who  passed  away 
at  the  age  of  ei.^hteen  months;  and  Ed- 
mund y\. 

Sfephen  (iallii'r.  the  elder  partner  in  the 
hotel  enterprise,  received  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  Coos  countv  and  started 
life  for  himself  when  he  was  seventeen  years 
of  age.  o|>erating  a  pack  train  to  the  river 
mining  camp  on  the  south   fork  of  the  Sixes 


61 1) 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTOKY  OF  OREGON 


river.  For  tliiee  years  lio  followed  this  occupa- 
tion and  then  took  up  a  preemption  and  a 
homestead  claim  upon  which  he  conducted  a 
large  sheep  ranch  until  1S9G.  In  June  of  that 
year  he  came  to  Bandon  and  formed  a  part- 
liership  with  his  brother  Edmund  in  the 
operation  of  the  Tupper  Hotel,  which  they 
leased  for  four  years.  They  met  with  grati- 
fying success  in  the  conduct  of  this  enter- 
prise and  at  the  expiration  of  their  lease 
purchased  the  hotel  and  have  managed  it 
since  that  time  under  the  name  of  the  Gal- 
lier  Hotel.  The  brothers  have  recently  built 
an  addition  to  the  original  building  and 
made  extensive  improvements,  steadily  ad- 
hering to  their  original  policy  of  progress 
and  expansion.  Tlie  hotel  contains  one  hun- 
dred and  six  rooms  equipped  with  all  modern 
comforts  and  conveniences  and  its  operation 
is  smoothly  and  systematically  carried  on. 
They  have  given  most  of  their  time  and  at- 
tention for  the  past  sixteen  years  to  further 
their  enterprise  and  the  excellent  patronage  the 
hotel  enjoys  attests  their  success.  Both 
brothers  are  actively  and  intelligently  in- 
terested in  the  progress  and  growth  of  the 
section  in  which  they  reside  and  have  in- 
vested heavily  in  local  land.  They  own 
more  than  one  luindred  lots  in  the  business 
and  residence  sections  of  Bandon  and  also 
eighty  acres,  three  miles  from  the  town, 
which  the}'  have  improved  and  developed. 
They  have  an  interest  in  a  four  hundred 
and  eighty  acre  ranch  adjoining  the  city 
limits  and  have  otlier  important  holdings  in 
the    county. 

Edmund  'SI.  Gallier  has  been  in  partner- 
ship with  his  brother  for  sixteen  years  and 
their  harmonious  relations  during  tliat  time 
have  been  an  important  factor  in  their  suc- 
,  eess.  The  younger  brother  was  also  born 
in  Kendall  county.  Illinois,  his  natal  day 
being  October  5.  1S61.  He  came  to  Oregon 
with  his  parents  in  pioneer  times  and  has 
been  a  resident  of  the  state  since  18T3.  He 
received  his  education  in  the  public  schools 
and  began  active  life  when  he  was  sixteen 
years  of  age.  operating  a  sheep  I'anch  in  Coos 
county  in  partnership  with  his  brother.  He 
later  worked  at  various  occupations  for  sev- 
eral years  and  in  1.S8.")  went  to  Coquille 
where  he  learned  the  blacksmith's  trade  and 
conducted  a  shop  in  association  with  his 
father  for  five  years.  He  then  became  iden- 
tified with  the  management  of  the  Robinson 
Hotel  but  aftiM-  one  year  moved  to  l?andon 
where  he  opened  the  first  blacksmitli  shop 
in  the  city.  In  1906  he  entered  into  partner- 
ship with  his  brother  Stephen  in  the  conduct 
of  the  Tupper  Hotel  which  was  renamed  the 
Gallier  Hotel  and  has  been  successful  and 
])ros|)eroTiB. 

Both  of  the  Gallier  brothers  arc  married. 
On  .January  12.  1SS7.  Stephen  wedded  Miss 
JIary  A.  Langlois.  a  native  of  Curry  county 
and  a  daughter  of  William  and  Mary  A. 
Langlois.  the  former  a  native  of  the  Isle  of 
Guernsey.  England,  and  the  latter  of  Vir- 
ginia, and  both  early  settlers  in  Oregon. 
Her  father  sailed  the  sea  in  his  younger 
years  but  later  settled  on  a  ranch  in  Curry 
count  v    where    he     died     in     l.S.'Sn.     His    wife 


made  her  home  with  Stephen  Gallier  until 
her  death  which  occurred  in  1898.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  William  Langlois  had  eight  children, 
seven  of  whom  are  living:  .James,  who  re- 
sides in  Cape  Blanco,  Oregon;  Frank,  of 
Langlois;  John,  Thomas  O.,  Mrs.  Ella  Nel- 
son, and  Charles  E..  all  of  Bandon;  and 
ilary  A.,  the  wife  of  our  subject.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Stephen  Gallier  have  been  born  six 
children:  W.  ^V..  who  has  passed  away:  one 
child  who  died  in  infancy;  Lentner  Ervin. 
V.  ho  was  born  December  23.  1892,  and  edu- 
cated in  the  Bandon  high  school;  Edna,  who 
was  born  in  ilarch,  1896.  and  is  pursuing 
her  studies  in  high  school:  Ellen,  who  has 
]jassed  away;  and  Gladys,  who  was  born  in 
1899,  and  is  a  student  in  the  Bandon  high 
school. 

Edmund  M.  Gallier  has  been  twice  mar- 
ried. On  December  29,  1885,  he  wedded  Miss 
Emma  L.  Clemens,  a  native  of  San  Francisco, 
who  died  in  Oregon,  in  August,  1888.  In 
April.  1891.  Edmund  Gallier  was  wedded  to 
Miss  Alice  C.  Tuttle,  who  was  born  in  Pow- 
nal.  Maine,  and  who  is  a  daughter  of  S.  J. 
pnd  Amanda  Tuttle  of  that  state.  They 
came  to  California  at  an  early  date  and 
settled  in  San  Francisco  county,  where  the 
father  operated  a  dray  line  for  some  time. 
They  resided  in  various  sections  of  the  state 
until  1S8S  when  they  moved  to  Oregon  set- 
tling in  Coquille  where  the  fatlier  conducted  a 
hotel  until  iiis  death  wliich  occurred  in  1904. 
his  wife's  death  having  long  preceded  his.  To 
ilr.  and  Mrs.  Tuttle  were  born  four  chil- 
dren: Herbert  M.,  who  resides  in  California: 
Ernest,  who  is  living  in  North  Yarmouth. 
Tilaine:  Ervin.  who  was  a  twin  to  Ernest. 
and  who  has  passed  away;  and  Alice  C. 
the  wife  of  our  subject,  ilr.  and  ilrs.  Ed- 
mund Gallier  became  the  parents  of  four 
children:  Edmund  W..  who  was  born  in  1893. 
and  who  is  a  student  in  the  Bandon  high 
>cliool:  oiu>  child  who  died  in  infancy;  Reed 
.\..  who  was  born  in  1896  and  is  a  student 
in  high  school;  and  Alice  K..  whose  birth  oc- 
curred in  1898.  and  who  is  also  pursuing 
her  studies  in  the  Bandon  high  school. 

Both  Gallier  brothers  give  allegiance  to 
the  republican  party  and  each  has  served 
in  various  important  official  capacities.  Ste- 
jihen  was  sheriff  of  Coos  county  for  three 
(erms  from  1900  to  1906.  was  mayor  of  Ban- 
don for  two  years  and  a  membei'  of  the  town 
council  for  tliree.  He  brought  to  his  public 
duties  the  same  ability  and  power  of  ad- 
ministration which  have  made  him  success- 
ful in  the  conduct  of  his  business  aflfairs. 
Edmund  served  as  town  marshal  for  six 
}cars  and  for  eight  years  was  deputy  sheriff 
under  Harlocker  and  also  under  his  brother 
.Stephen.  He  was  a  member  of  the  town 
council  for  a  number  of  years  and  always 
fulfilled  his  duties  in  an  irre]U'oachable  man- 
ner. Stejiht-n  (lallier  is  a  membei"  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  and  both  brothers  af- 
filiate with  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order 
of  Elks.  Edmund  is  well  known  in  the  af- 
fairs of  the  Woodmen  of  the  World.  The 
Gallier  brothers  are  thorough  business  men 
working  toaether  in  the  most  harmonious 
ri'lations.     Their  affairs   are  carried  on   care- 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


1)17 


lully  and  iilon^  inugressive  lines.  They  arc 
capable  and  alert  and  have  built  up  a  dis- 
tinct ajid  substantial  success  upon  long  ex- 
jerience  and  efficient  uianageuient.  lu  all 
phases  of  their  business  lite  they  have  shown 
a  comprehensive  knowledge  and  a  power  of 
making  their  energies  eflFective  and  have  met 
with  the  measure  of  success  which  always 
rewards  earnest,  persistent  and  well  directed 
labor. 

PETER  M.  ABBEY,  one  of  the  well  known 
hotel  men  of  Oregon,  who  has  been  actively 
connected  with  the  business  in  Newport  for 
forty  years,  is  a  native  of  Watertown,  Ohio. 
He  was  born  August  19,  1837,  a  son  of  Seth 
Abbey,  who  was  for  many  years  a  judge  on 
the  bench  at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  subse- 
quently filled  the  office  of  sheriff  of  Cuyahoga 
county.  He  served  as  an  officer  in  the  Union 
ai'iny  dining  the  entire  period  of  the  great 
rebellion  and  rode  the  same  horse  home  at  the 
close  of  the  war  that  he  chose  at  the  begin- 
ning. He  was  very  prominent  for  a  number 
of  years  in  northern  Ohio,  being  a  man  of 
good  education,  sound  judgment  and,  as  was 
demonstrated  by  his  life,  a  true  lover  of  his 
cduntry. 

I'eter  'SI.  Abbey  received  his  education  in 
the  iniblie  schools  and  spent  his  boyhood  and 
youth  under  conditions  that  were  favorable 
for  an  active  and  useful  career.  His  first  em- 
jiloyment  was  as  clerk  in  a  mercantile  estab- 
lishment and  he  continued  there  until  1862. 
He  then  went  to  Port  Bnrwell.  Canada,  and 
engaged  in  buying  and  shipping  cattle  to 
Ohio.  He  was  married  in  Canada  and  in  1S66 
came  with  his  wife  to  Corvallis.  Oregon,  and 
remained  at  that  place  from  September.  1866, 
to  May  of  the  following  v'ear.  Having  heard 
favorable  reports  concerning  Newport,  he  and 
his  wife  traveled  bj-  wagon  from  Corvallis  to 
Pioneer  and  then  took  passage  aboard  the  old 
steamer  Pioneer  for  Newport.  There  were 
few  people  in  Newport  at  that  time  and  it 
required  a  lively  imagination  to  conceive  the 
small  settlement  expanding  into  a  thriving 
conimunity.  ^Ir.  Abbey,  however,  had  faith 
in  the  locality,  whicli  for  forty-four  years  has 
been  his  liome,  and  his  early  favorable  im- 
|)ressions  were  verified.  He  entered  the  mer- 
cantile business,  his  customers  for  several 
years  being  princi))ally  Indians  and  fishermen. 
In  ISTl  he  built  the  old  Abbey  Hotel  in  New- 
port and  he  has  ever  since  been  identified  with 
the  hotel  business.  In  1911  the  new  Abbey 
Hotel  was  completed.  Tt  contains  fifty-one 
rooms  and.  as  it  is  entirely  modern  and  is 
conducted  in  such  a  way  as  to  give  satisfac- 
tion to  patrons,  the  reputation  of  the  Abbej's 
as  hotel-keepers  is  being  well  sustained. 

In  1S63  Jlr.  Abbey  was  married  to  Jliss 
Cerena  Reynolds,  who  was  born  at  Vienna, 
Canada.  July  G.  1S48,  and  received  a  good  edu- 
cation in  the  common  and  high  schools  of  her 
native  town.  Her  father  was  a  farmer  and 
was  of  Scotch  descent,  while  her  mother  was 
of  Irish  descent.  Mr.  and  Jlrs.  Abbey  are  the 
parents  of  four  children,  one  of  whom  died 
in  infancy.  The  others  are:  Edwin  .lames, 
who  was  born  November  29.  1865.  and  is  con- 
nected with  his  father  and  brother  in  the  hotel 


business;  Jlortoii  Hassard,  born  April  11. 
1869,  who  is  now  manager  of  the  Abbey  Ho- 
tel; and  Irene  Ellen,  who  dieil  .June  6,  1873, 
at  the  age  of  two  years. 

Mr.  Abbey  is  an  adherent  of  the  republi- 
can party  but  has  never  sought  political 
honors,  lie  and  his  estimable  wife  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Presbyterian  church.  During  the 
many  years  of  his  residence  in  Newport  he 
has  made  a  host  of  friends,  who  perceive  in 
him  those  qualities  that  conunand  confidence 
and  respect.  Capable  and  conscientious  in 
the  discharge  of  evcrj-  trust,  he  has  assisted 
materially  in  the  upbuilding  of  Newport  and 
by  his  kindl.y  and  generous  disposition  has 
added  to  the  comfort  and  happiness  of  all 
with  whom  he  has  associated. 

JOHN  W.  COX  is  the  owner  of  one  of  the 
tine  ranches  in  the  beautiful  AVood  liiver 
valley.  His  landed  possessions  are  extensive, 
comprising  fourteen  hundred  and  eighty 
acres,  two  and  one-half  miles  west  of  Fort 
Klamath.  He  was  born  in  Roane  county, 
Tennessee.  November  27.  1861,  his  par- 
ents being  Rufus  and  Malinda  Catharine 
(Wilson)  Cox,  who  were  also  natives  of  the 
same  county.  On  leaving  that  state  in  1881 
tlie.v  made  their  wa.v  to  the  Rogue  River 
valie,y  of  Oregon,  where  their  last  da,vs  were 
spent,  the  mother  d,ying  in  1883,  at  the  age 
of  forty-eight  years,  while  the  father  sur- 
vived until  1908,  passing  away  at  the  age  of 
seventv-five.  He  was  interested  in  ranching 
and  in  connection  with  his  son  .Tohn 
owned  one  thousand  acres  of  land  near  Med- 
ford   devoted    to   farming   and   stock-raising. 

.Tohn  W.  Cox  was  the  eldest  in  a  family  of 
four  sons  and  four  daughters.  He  was  a 
young  man  of  twenty  years  at  the  time  of 
removal  of  the  family  to  the  northwest  and 
he  resided  with  his  parents  until  Decem- 
ber. 1892,  when  he  married  Elinira  May 
Crain.  a  native  of  .Jackson  county.  Oregon, 
to  which  place  her  father  had  removed  from 
Ohio  in  1851.  Her  father  became  a  promi- 
nent and  influential  resident  there  and  served 
in  the  state  legislature.  His  wife,  a  native 
of  New  .Jersey,  arrived  in  Oregon  in  1852  in 
company  with  her  parents.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Crain  remained  residents  of  .Jackson  count.v 
until  called  to  their  final  rest. 

Following  his  marriage  .John  W.  Cox  be- 
gan ranching  independently,  and  with  his 
wife  owned  about  three  thousand  acres  of 
land.  Fourteen  years  ago  he  purchased  his 
present  ranch  of  fourteen  hundred  and  cight.v 
acres  in  the  Wood  River  valley,  about  two 
and  a  half  miles  west  of  Fort  Klamath. 
This  ranch  he  operated  for  three  years  and 
then  leased  it  out  for  ten  years,  but  in  the 
spring  of  1912  he  returned  to  the  property 
and  is  again  activel.v  engaged  in  its  man- 
agement. After  leasing  the  ranch  he  went 
to  Medford.  where  he  engaged  as  a  farmer 
and  stockman  for  eight  years.  He  next  went 
to  Oakland  and  San  .Jose,  California,  looking 
after  his  interests  in  that  state.  He  is  the 
owner  of  two  ranches  in  the  Sacramento  val- 
ley, one  of  two  hundred  and  four  acres  and 
the  other  of  one  hundred  and  sixtv  acres.  On 
his   home   place   he   has   thre<'   hundred   acres 


618 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


in  timothy  and  runs  some  stock.  For  three 
Tears  he  ivas  identified  with  the  First  Na- 
tional Bank  of  Medford  but  he  lias  sold 
his  interest  in  that  institution.  His  ideas 
and  methods  are  practical  and  are  produc- 
tive of  good  results.  His  property  is  becom- 
ing very  valuable.  It  is  attractively  situ- 
ated in  one  of  the  most  beautiful  valleys  in 
the  world,  adjoining  the  Crater  Lake  Xational 
Park. 

John  W.  Cox  holds  membership  with  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  both 
he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Pres- 
byterian church,  to  the  teachings  of  which 
they  are  loyal.  They  are  interested  in  every- 
thing pertaining  to  the  moral  progress  of  the 
community  and  as  a  citizen  ilr.  Cox  takes 
deep  interest  in  the  welfare  and  upbuilding 
of  the  district  in  whicli  lie  lives. 

ELMER  E.  MORRISON,  who  is  conducting 
a  highly  lucrative  hardware  and  farming  im- 
plement store  in  Springfield,  has  been  suc- 
cessfully identified  with  the  local  commercial 
fraternity  for  two  and  a  half  years.  He  was 
born  in  Polk  county,  Oregon,  on  the  9th  of 
April.  1870,  and  is  a  son  of  Thomas  ,J.  and 
Elizabeth  (Galloway)  Morrison.  The  father 
is  a  native  of  Iowa  and  the  mother  of  Ore- 
gon. The  maternal  grandparents  were  among 
the  early  pioneers  of  this  state,  making  the 
trip  overland  from  Illinois  in  1854.  Our 
subject  is  the  eldest  of  the  five  children  born 
to  his  parents,  the  others  being  as  follows: 
Xellie.  the  wife  of  "W.  0.  Hill  of  Heppner.  this 
state,  and  the  mother  of  one  son.  Herman : 
Etta,  who  married  .Jack  Littell  of  Springfield. 
Oregon:  Eva.  the  wife  of  Elza  Sutton  of 
Heppner.  by  whom  she  has  had  one  child. 
Darold:  and  Carol,  who  is  living  in  Port- 
land. 

In  common  with  his  brothers  and  sisters. 
Elmer  E.  Jlorrison  was  given  the  advantages 
of  a  common-school  education.  At  the  age  of 
fourteen  years  he  laid  aside  his  text-books 
and  began  preparations  for  a  business  career, 
as  an  ein])loyc  of  .Tohn  Belt,  a  druggist.  He 
continued  in  Ills  service  for  two  and  a  half 
years,  following  which  he  went  to  eastern 
Oregon,  locating  at  Elgin.  There  he  worked 
in  a  warehouse  for  a  year  and  then  engaged 
in  the  teaming  business  for  a  similar  period. 
He  subsequently  went  to  Sumpter.  Oregon, 
and  worked  in  the  gold  mines  for  two  and  a 
half  years.  His  next  removal  was  to  Hej)])- 
ner.  where  he  engaged  in  the  dray  business 
for  two  years.  Imt  was  washed  out  at  the 
time  of  the  Heppner  flood  and  lost  eight 
horses  and  wagons,  his  house  and  all  his  other 
possessions.  From  IIeii|iner  he  removed  to 
Walterville.  I'jion  his  return  to  Lane  county 
he  turned  his  attention  to  agricultural  pur- 
suits and  rented  one  hundred  and  seventy 
acres  of  land  which  he  devoted  to  hop  culture. 
Ho  withdrew  from  this  occupation  at  the 
e\|iiration  of  three  years,  went  to  Eugene 
and  took  a  position  in  a  hardware  store.  He 
soon  gave  this  up.  however,  and  came  to 
Springfield  and  ojiened  a  small  second-hand 
store.  When  lie  llrst  engaged  in  this  business 
he  had  a  stock  invoicing  about  three  hundred 
dollars,  but   during  tlie  intervening  period  of 


two  and  a  half  years  he  has  increased  his 
stock  and  enlarged  his  enterprise,  giving  up 
the  second-hand  business  and  now  has  one  of 
the  largest  hardware  and  implement  stores  in 
Springfield  which  is  one  of  the  thriving  and 
highly  lucrative  enterprises  of  the  town. 

For  his  wife  and  helpmate.  Mr.  Morrison 
chose  iliss  Vernie  Clingan,  the  eldest  child 
and  only  daughter  of  Pierce  and  Mary  (Har- 
ris) Clingan.  Mrs.  Morrison  has  one  brother, 
Fred  A.,  who  is  a  contractor  and  builder  at 
Burns.  Oregon.  He  is  married  and  has  one 
son,  Hale.  One  daughter.  Vernita,  born  on 
the  21st  of  April.  190.5.  and  one  son,  Ken- 
neth, who  died  at  the  age  of  thirteen  months, 
have  been  born  to  3Ir.  and  ilrs.  ilorrison. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Morrison  are  members  of  the 
Christian  church  in  the  work  of  which  they 
take  an  active  interest.  He  holds  the  office  of 
deacon  in  this  organization  and  is  leader 
of  the  choir,  while  at  one  time  he  was  super- 
intendent of  the  Sunday  school.  In  politics 
Mr.  ilorrison  is  a  republican  and  he  takes  a 
helpful  interest  in  all  municipal  afl'airs.  He 
is  now  serving  his  second  term  as  city  treas- 
urer and  he  has  refused  the  office  of  mayor 
on  two  different  occasions.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  the  school  board.  Although  he  has 
not  long  been  a  resident  of  the  town.  Mr.  ilor- 
rison  is  held  in  favorable  regard  by  all  who 
know  him  in  either  a  business  or  social  way. 
He  is  prospering  in  his  undertakings  and  in 
addition  to  his  hardware  and  implement  .store 
lie  holds  stock  in  the  Commercial  State  Bank 
and  is  the  owner  of  a  very  pleasant  home, 
the  hospitality  of  which  is  extended  to  the 
many  friends  of  him  and  his  wife. 

GEORGE  E.  BEERS.  Residing  in  Wood- 
ville.  .Jackson  county,  where  he  was  born. 
George  E.  Beers  is  operating  a  well  improved 
farm  of  twenty  acres  which  under  his  good 
management  yields  copious  harvests.  He 
was  born  in  this  county  February  26.  1874, 
a  son  of  Stephen  H.  and  Elizabeth  (Evans) 
Beers,  the  father  a  native  of  Xew  York  and 
the  mother,  of  England.  The  parents  mi- 
grated to  .Tackson  county.  Oregon,  in  1871 
and  settled  on  a  farm  in  the  Evans  valley, 
where  the  mother  passed  away  in  1890.  The 
father  is  still  living  on  the  old  home  place, 
having  attained  the  age  of  sixty-eight  years. 
In  his  family  wore  six  cliildreii  only  two  of 
wliom   survive. 

George  E.  Beers  remained  at  home  until  he 
was  of  age  and  attended  the  common  schools 
of  the  community,  meanwhile  assisting  his 
father  in  the  work  of  the  farm.  After  at- 
taining majority  he  was  employed  by  neigh- 
boring farmers  for  a  time  but  as  he  was 
careful  to  save  his  earnings  he  was  soon  able 
to  buy  twenty  acres  of  land.  Upon  that 
farm  he  has  jdaced  valuable  improvements. 
Tie  has  brought  the  fields  to  a  high  state  of 
cultivation. 

Mr.  Beers  was  married  in  1900  to  Miss 
Ida  ifagerle.  a  native  of  Jackson  county, 
and  to  their  union  one  son.  Lloyd  S.,  was 
liorn.  .Tune  27.  1906.  Mr.  Beers  supports  the 
republican  party  and  as  he  has  taken  a  great 
deal  of  interest  in  educational  affairs  he  has 
for  some   lime  been  a   member  of  the  school 


E.   E.  Ml  11! i; I. SON 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


Gl'1 


board.  He  has  long  been  regarded  as  one  of 
tlie  best  citizens  of  the  community,  being 
greatly  respected  by  a  large  number  of  busi- 
ness and  personal  friends  with  whom  he  as- 
sociates. He  takes  an  active  interest  in  the 
upbuilding  of  the  coniniunity  along  all  lines 
and  has  great  faitli  in  the  state  of  his  na- 
tivity. 

WILLIAM  V.  COPE,  who  died  in  Coquille, 
.Manli  22.  I'.io;).  had  been  for  twenty-one 
years  a  resident  of  Curry  county,  prominently 
identified  with  business  and  agricultural  in- 
terests. He  was  known  as  one  of  the  most 
able,  progressive  and  public-spirited  men  of 
his  section  and  his  death  was  regretted  by  a 
large  circle  of  friends  who  honored  and  es- 
teemed him  for  the  upright  and  honorable 
qualities  in  his  character.  He  was  born  in 
Canada,  in  March,  1846,  a  son  of  Benjamin 
and  Nancy  (Vermilyea)  Cope,  the  former  a 
native  of  New  York  and  the  latter  of  Can- 
ada. In  their  family  were  seven  children: 
Alexis  L.,  of  Canada;  Elmira,  who  resides  in 
California;  Helen  'SI:,  the  wife  of  Michael 
Reiser,  of  Sparks.  Nebraska;  William  V.,  of 
this  review;  Peter  P.,  who  has  passed  away; 
Benjamin  E..  a  resident  of  Canada;  and 
.Tames  A.,  who  lives  in  Bandon. 

William  V.  Cope  lived  with  his  parents 
until  he  was  six  years  of  age  and  then  made 
his  home  with  a  cousin  until  he  had  reached 
his  eleventh  year.  At  tliat  early  age  and 
until  he  was  nineteen  lie  worked  on  a  farm. 
Afterward  he  went  to  Wisconsin  and  engaged 
in  gcnoial  faiming  in  various  sections  of 
tliat  state  for  five  years,  going  to  Minnesota  . 
at  the  en<l  of  that  time  in  order  to  take  a 
])osition  as  foreman  on  a  large  ranch.  After 
two  years  he  rented  a  farm  which  he  de- 
veloped and  improved  until  he  went  to  Cali- 
fornia settling  in  Humboldt  county.  In  that 
section  he  purcliased  land  which,  however, 
he  soon  sold  and  then  operated  a  rented  farm 
until  he  came  to  Oregon.  He  settled  in  Curry 
county  in  1S8S  and  bought  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  land  and  engaged  in  dairying 
and  teaming  and  was  also  identified  with  the 
cooperage  business,  on  a  small  scale.  He 
brought  the  first  thresher  to  this  county.  In 
mnfi  he  moved  to  Coquille  and  established 
himself  in  the  butcher  business,  in  which  he 
renuained  until  just  prior  to  his  death,  which 
occurred  March  22.  190!).  His  widow  now 
owns  the  home  in  Coquille  and  a  fine  dairy 
ranch  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  two 
miles  from  Langlois,  on  which  she  makes  her 
home. 

On  January  26,  1808,  Mr.  Cope  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Sarah  M.  Emerson,  who 
was  liorn  in  New  York,  a  daughter  of  B.  N. 
and  Haniuali  (Pope)  Emerson.  Mrs.  Cope  is 
one  of  two  children.  Her  brother.  Richard 
1!..  lives  in  Eureka.  California.  ^Ir.  and  Mrs. 
<  ojie  became  the  parents  of  eiglit  cliildren: 
IJalph  K..  a  rancher  of  Langlois.  wlm  is  mar- 
ried and  has  four  children;  Leora  E..  the 
wife  of  W.  ]'.  Beckett,  of  Ilwaco,  Washing- 
ton, by  whom  slie  has  four  children;  Delle 
■  M.,  who  married  Fred  Belloni,  of  Coquille; 
Helen  ^1..  the  wife  of  J.  M.  Nye,  also  of  Co- 
<|uilie.  by  wluini  she  has  one  <-liild:   Benjamin 


E..  who  lived  in  Langlois,  and  died,  leaving 
a  wife  and  one  cliild;  Alexis  W.,  of  Lang- 
lois, who  is  associated  witli  his  mother  in  the 
operation  of  the  home  farm;  William  E..  who 
is  also  a  partner  with  his  mother  and  brotlier 
in  the  conduct  of  the  home  ranch;  and  Mary 
v.,  who  passed  away  at  the  age  of  twelve 
years. 

Mr.  Cope  was  identified  with  the  American 
Protective  Association  and  also  behmgcd  to 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He 
gave  his  allegiance  to  the  rejjublican  party 
and  served  as  county  commissioner  for  two 
terms  and  also  did  able  work  as  road  super- 
intendent. During  the  twenty-one  years  of 
his  residence  in  Curry  county  he  took  an 
active  and  helpful  part  in  the  work  of  im- 
provement and  progress,  which  has  been  car- 
ried forward  along  various  lines.  Possessed 
of  determination,  energy,  and  unflagging  in- 
dustry, he  worked  his  way  upward  through 
hardships  and  obstacles  until  he  gained  a 
prominent  place  among  the  representative 
citizens  of  the  section.  His  qualities  of  mind 
and  heart  were  evidenced  by  the  sincere  and 
widespread  regret  wihch  attended  his  death. 

JOHN  R.  SELLERS  is  most  successfully 
engaged  in  general  ranching  and  stock-rais- 
ing five  miles  east  of  Creswell,  where  he  owns 
eight  hundred  and  six  acres  of  land,  which 
has  been  in  the  possession  of  his  family  for 
over  forty  years.  His  birth  occurred  in  Story 
county.  Iowa,  on  May  15,  1854,  his  parents 
being  , lames  R.  and  Mary  Ann  (JlcCartney) 
•Sellers.  The  father's  natal  day  was  the  1st  of 
September.  1827,  and  he  was  tlie  second  soti 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  .lames  Rodman  Sellers  who 
had  the  following  children:  .John,  who  lives 
in  Mi.ssouri;  James  R..  the  father  of  our  sub- 
ject; William,  who  is  living  in  Story  county. 
Iowa;  and  Robert,  Moses,  Sarah,  .Julia.  Maria 
and  Thomas.  James  R.  Sellers  was  reared 
to  manhood  in  Illinois  and  tliere  he  was  also 
educated  and  on  the  Tth  of  .lanuarv.  1849. 
married  iliss  Mary  Ann  McCartne,v.  He  sub- 
sequcntl.v  located  in  Storv  county.  Iowa, 
whence  he  crossed  the  jjlains  in  ISO:!  to  Cali- 
fornia. There  he  bought  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  land  which  he  cultivated  for 
eight  years,  at  the  expiration  of  which  time 
he  continued  his  journey  westward,  locating 
in  Oregon  in  tlie  fall  of  1871.  The  following 
'spring  he  bouglit  f(nir  hundred  and  (ift.v  acres 
of  land  about  five  miles  cast  of  Creswell. 
which  formed  the  nucleus  of  his  large  ranch. 
Three  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  this  was 
already  cleared  and  under  cultivation  and. 
as  he  was  able,  he  extended  his  holdings  un- 
til his  home  ranch  embraced  eight  hundred 
and  six  acres.  He  subsequently  purchased 
one  hundred  and  six  acres  located  in  the  same 
vicinit.y  and  seven  hundred  acres  about  four 
miles  west  of  Creswell.  making  his  Iioldings 
in  Lane  county  aggregate  sixteen  hundreil 
acres,  ten  hundred  and  fift.v  of  which  is  till- 
able. Jfr.  Sellers  resided  on  his  ranch  until 
1S97.  when  he  withdrew  from  active  work 
and  removed  to  Eugene,  living  retired  until 
his  death  on  Fcbruarv  ."i.  1911.  at  the  vener- 
able age  of  eighty-three  years.  The  mother 
of  our  subject  was  lioni  in  the  state  of  ilich- 


62 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


i<;au  oil  the  2.')th  of  April.  1829,  and  was  a 
(laughter  of  Mary  A.  and  Robert  JleCartney. 
Her  parents  were  natives  of  the  Empire  state, 
whence  they  removed  first  to  Illinois  and  later 
to  Hichigan  and  Iowa.  The  family  of  Mr.  and 
Jlrs.  JleCartney  numbered  five.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Sellers  were  born  si.K  children,  our  sub- 
ject being  the  eldest  son.  In  order  of  birth 
the  others  are  as  follows:  Mary,  the  wife  of 
J.  L.  Hunter,  a  carpenter  of  Eugene;  James 
D.,  who  is  deceased;  Martha  Ann.  the  widow 
of  A.  G.  Matthews,  of  Eugene;  William  T., 
a  ranchman  in  Umatilla  county;  and  Charles 
H.,  who  is  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  in 
Creswell.  The  mother  passed  away  at  the 
age  of  fifty-nine  years. 

John  R.  Sellers  was  a  child  of  nine  years 
when  his  parents  removed  to  California  and 
a  youth  of  seventeen  when  the  family  lo- 
cated in  Lane  county.  He  began  his  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  state 
and  completed  it  in  Oregon,  remaining  at 
home  until  he  was  twenty-one.  After  at- 
taining his  majority  he  started  out  to  make 
his  own  way  in  the  world,  going  to  eastern 
Oregon  where  he  worked  on  a  stock  ranch 
at  intervals  for  twenty  years.  During  that 
time  he  gradually  accumulated  a  herd  of 
his  own  and  for  about  ten  years  was  en- 
gaged in  stock-raising,  meeting  with  very 
good  success.  He  acquired  two  hundred  and 
fourteen  acres  of  land  in  that  time  which  he 
has  in  hay  that  he  uses  in  feeding  his  herds. 
In  the  spring  of  1909.  he  disposed  of  his 
interests  there  and  returning  to  Lane  county 
bought  the  old  home  ranch  from  his  fa- 
ther, and  here  in  connection  with  the  cul- 
tivation of  his  fields  he  continues  to  en- 
gage in  stock-raising. 

On  the  23d  of  October,  1878,  John  R. 
Sellers  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Eliza  Martin  of  Creswell,  and  to  them 
have  been  born  four  children:  Nora  D., 
the  wife  of  L.  M.  Streeter.  of  Port  Klamath, 
this  state;  William  Frank,  who  is  engaged 
in  mining  in  Nevada;  Ethel  M.,  who  died  in 
girlhood;  and  Tressa  A.,  who  is  attending 
school  at  Enterprise,  this  state.  Mrs.  Sellers 
is  a  daughter  of  Ivan  and  Mary  Ann  (Tur- 
pin)  Martin,  whose  family  numbered  five 
daughters  and  one  son.  as  follows:  Margaret 
A.,  the  wife  of  Henry  Rinehart,  of  Walla 
Walla,  Washington;  Elizabeth  .J.,  the  wife  of 
W.  E.  Rinehart.  of  Cottage  Grove;  William' 
Frank  Martin,  who  is  ranching  at  Keiiewick, 
Washington:  Matilda,  who  died  in  childhood: 
j\lrs.  Eliza  Sellers;  and  Dora,  the  widow  ot 
James  Helms,  of  Talent,  Oregon.  The  par- 
ents of  Ivan  Martin  were  Joseph  and  Jane 
Martin,  and  to  them  were  born,  beside  the 
father  of  the  wife  of  our  subject,  the  fol- 
lowing children:  Isaac.  .Jonathan.  Margaret, 
Urias,  Francis,  Ellen,  Asinthia,  Julian,  Louis 
and  Ephraim.  The  parents  of  Mary  Ann 
(Turpin)  Martin  were  John  J.  and  Elizabeth 
Turpin,  who  were  married  at  Bowling  Green. 
Pike  county,  Missouri.  Unto  them  was  born 
beside  JIary  Ann  Turpin  one  sister,  Mar- 
garet, who  became  the  wife  of  Ed  ?iIu!hol- 
land.  and  they  are  living  in  La  Grande.  L^nion 
countv.  Oregon. 


In  his  political  views  Mr.  Sellers  is  a  demo, 
i-rat  and  has  served  as  road  supervisor  for 
four  years  and  as  school  trustee  for  one.  He 
is  one  of  the  enterprising  and  progressive 
men  of  his  community  and  takes  an  earnest 
interest  in  everything  pertaining  to  the  pub- 
lic welfare.  Both  he  and  Mrs.  Sellers  are 
members  of  the  Christian  church  and  gener- 
ously contribute  of  both  their  means  and 
time  in  furthering  its  work.  He  is  a 
worthy  representative  of  a  highly  esteemed 
pioneer  family  and  has  many  friends  in  the 
county,  whose  regard  he  has  won  through 
Iiis  personal  worth. 

HENRY   E.   BURMESTER,   JR.,  M.   D.,   is 

one  of  tlie  prominent  and  successful  dentists 
of  Xortli  Bend,  Coos  county,  where  he  is  en- 
gaged in  the  practice  of  his  profession.  He 
was  born  in  Prineville.  Oregon,  March  l:j. 
1883,  and  is  a  son  of  II.  E.  and  Mary  (Craft  1 
Burmester,  the  former  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania and  the  latter  of  Iowa.  The  father 
came  to  Oregon  in  1S54  by  way  of  the  isth- 
mus and  the  mother  emigrated  to  this  state 
when  a  child,  with  her  parents,  who  crossed 
the  plains  with  ox  teams.  They  were  mar- 
ried in  Linn  county,  Oregon,  where  they  have 
since  continued  to  reside.  At  the  present 
time  they  are  living  on  a  farm  near  Scio. 
Linn  county.  Their  residence  is  located  on 
three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  which 
was  the  original  donation  claim  taken  by  the 
paternal  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this 
review.  To  Jlr.  and  Mrs.  H.  E.  Burmester, 
Sr..  eight  children  were  born:  Mrs.  Leone 
■  Wain,  of  Linn  county,  Oregon;  Agnes,  the 
wife  of  Mr.  Cramer,  a  resident  of  ^Mar- 
ion  county,  Oregon;  Christopher  C,  who 
resides  on  a  part  of  the  old  homestead 
in  Scio,  Linn  county.  Oregon;  Harry,  de 
ceased;  H.  E.,  Jr.",  the  subject  of  this 
sketch;  Eliza,  who  is  deceased;  Mrs.  Earl 
Calavan.  who  resides  in  Lyons,  Linn  county, 
this  state:  and  Charley,  who  resides  at  home. 
H.  E.  Burmester.  .Jr..  was  reared  in  his 
parents'  home  and  received  his  early  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  of  Linn  county-.  He 
later  was  graduated  from  the  North  Pacific 
Dental  College  at  Portland,  Oregon.  Imme- 
diately after  his  graduation,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-two  years  he  opened  dental  offices 
at  North  Bend  where  he  has  since  continued 
successfully  in  the  practice  of  his  profession. 
He  is  the  owner  of  a  fine  residence  at  North 
Bend  in  which  he  resides  and  owns  property 
in  the  town  and  at  Ten  Mile  Lake. 

Dr.  Burmester  was  united  in  marriage  July 
12,  1905,  just  after  his  graduation  from  col- 
lege to  Miss  Maud  E.  Shelton.  who  was  born 
in  Linn  county.  Oregon.  April  15,  1SS3,  and 
Avho  is  a  daugliter  of  Alfred  5L  and  Jennie 
(Turner)  Shelton.  Her  parents  came  from 
Missouri  to  Oregon,  crossing  the  great  plains 
and  settled  in  Linn  county  where  the  father 
took  up  a  donation  claim  on  which  he  estab- 
lished his  home  and  continued  to  live  until 
the  time  of  his  retirement  from  active  life 
in  1910.  He  was  one  of  the  early  pioneers 
of  Linn  county  and  now  maintains  his  resi- 
dence at  Lyons.  To  INIr.  and  Mrs.  Alfred 
Shelton    thirteen    children   were   born,   six   of 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OP  OREGON 


(523 


whom  aio  living:  Jlrs.  Stacy  Andrews,  who 
resides  in  Albany.  Linn  county,  Oregon;  Har- 
vey, a  resident  of  Linn  county;  Joseph,  who 
resides  in  Linn  county;  Emma,  the  wife  of 
J.  N.  Blyiew,  of  Crabtree,  Linn  county;  Ida, 
who  married  K.  Worthington,  of  Oswego, 
Clackamas  county,  Oregon;  and  Mrs.  Bur- 
mester.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Burmester  are  the 
parents  of  one  child.  Kathalinc  J.,  born  Xo- 
vember  26,  1909.  They  arc  members  of  the 
Episcopal  church  of  North  Bend. 

Dr.  PL  E.  Burmester  is  one  of  the  well 
known  and  successful  dentists  of  North  Bend 
and  is  interested  in  every  movement  intended 
to  improve  the  condition  of  the  people  in 
his  county  and  state. 

GEORGE  W.  LOOSLEY.  Various  business 
interests  and  activities  have  claimed  the  at- 
tention of  George  W.  Loosley,  whose  efforts 
have  not  only  been  a  source  of  individual 
protit  but  also  an  element  in  public  progress 
and  prosperity.  He  now  makes  his  home  on 
a  ranch  on  the  west  bank  of  Wood  river,  three 
miles  south  of  Fort  Klamath,  and  has  con- 
verted the  place  from  a  tract  of  wild  land 
into  a  well  developed  farm.  He  was  born 
at  Chanipoeg,  Clackamas  county.  Oregon, 
.A.ugust  16,  1856,  a  son  of  John  and  Lucy 
(Walling)  Loo.sely.  The  father  was  born 
in  Oxford,  England,  February  8,  1824,  and 
the  mother  in  Muscatine,  Iowa,  January 
22,  1834.  The  father  served  an  appren- 
ticeship at  the  miller's  trade  and  when 
twenty-one  years  of  age  crossed  the  At- 
lantic to  New  York,  whence  he  made  his 
way  to  Chicago.  There  he  operated  a  mill 
for  a  year  and  in  1852  made  his  way  to  the 
gold  mines  of  California.  He  followed  min- 
ing near  Yreka  and  also  in  .Tacksou  county. 
Oregon,  and  he  operated  the  first  gristmill  at 
Albany.  Oregon.  He  was  married  there  and 
later  went  to  Champoeg,  where  he  conducted 
a  gristmill  for  Major  McLaughlin.  Subse- 
quently he  removed  to  the  Grande  Ronde  In- 
dian reservation  in  Yamhill  county,  where  he 
was  in  the  employ  of  the  government  under 
General  .John  F.  !Miller  for  about  three  years. 
He  next  wont  to  ilcJIinnville,  where  he  op- 
erated a  gristmill  for  several  years,  but  he 
lost  all  fiiat  he  had  in  the  milling  business 
about  1870.  He  was  also  in  ill  health  and  he 
had  a  family  of  seven  children  to  support. 
Conditions  looked  very  dark  and  discouraging 
but  in  1871  he  made  his  way  to  Klamath 
Agency,  secured  a  tract  of  government  land 
and  filed  on  his  homestead,  settling  in  the 
Wood  Biver  valley  before  the  .survey  was 
made.  Tlie  remainder  of  his  life  was  here 
passed,  his  death  occurring  November  8, 1900. 
He  engaged  in  the  cattle  I)usiness  here,  start- 
ing with  sixty  head,  and  he  was  the  first  to 
demonstrate  the  fact  that  cattle  could  re- 
main in  the  valley  through  the  winter,  the 
other  settlers  telling  him  that  there  was  too 
much  snow.  Mr.  Loosley,  however,  cut  hay 
and  fed  his  stock  and  his  care  of  them  en- 
abled them  to  withstand  the  hard  winter.  He 
owned  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of 
land  and  had  from  three  hundred  to  four 
hundred  head  of  cattle  on  the  range,  for  the 
whole  country   was  open   then.     During  the 


first  two  years  of  his  residence  in  this  part 
of  the  state  he  was  employed  at  the  Indian 
agency,  at  which  time  his  nearest  neiglibors 
were  at  Klamath  Falls,  forty  miles  away, 
with  some  sohliers  at  the  fort.  He  was  largely 
instrumental  in  having  this  valley  settled  by 
liomeseekers  and  he  contributed  in  large 
measure  to  the  early  improvement  and  prog- 
ress in  this  part  of  the  state.  His  wife  sur- 
vived him  and  passed  away  in  the  Wood  River 
valley  May  28.  1912.  She  was  a  daughter  of 
Jerome  B.  and  Sarah  Walling,  natives  of  the 
middle  west,  who  in  1847  crossed  the  plains 
to  the  Willamette  valley  and  settled  on  the 
present  site  of  Araitj",  in  Yamhill  county, 
where  they  secured  a  donation  claim.  In 
1864  Mr.  Walling  removed  to  Boise,  Idaho, 
where  he  secvired  land  and  put  in  the  first  ir- 
rigation system  and  aI.so  planted  the  first 
orchard  of  that  district.  He  prospered  in 
his  undertakings  and  had  a  goodly  compe- 
tency to  leave  to  his  large  family  at  his 
death. 

George  W.  Loosley  was  the  second  in  order 
of  birth  in  a  family  of  eleven  children,  the 
other  being:  Nancy,  the  deceased  wife  of 
Jacob  Moyer;  Mary,  the  wife  of  John  H. 
Smart,  of  Wood  River  valley;  J.  F.,  also  liv- 
ing in  this  valley;  Rosa,  the  wife  of  (Jeorge 
L.  Nutley,  of  Tacoma.  Washington;  Bird,  of 
Klamath  Falls;  Philip  Sheridan,  living  at 
Tolo.  Oregon;  Jlarion,  of  Wood  River  valley; 
Fannie,  the  wife  of  Oscar  Bunch,  of  Fort  Kla- 
math; Milan  A.,  of  the  Philippine  Islands,  in 
the  signal  service  department  of  the  govern- 
ment; and  Benjamin,  who  is  postmaster  of 
Fort  Klamath. 

George  W.  Loosley  remained  at  home  with 
his  parents  until  twenty-four  years  of  age. 
He  was  married  May  2,  1880,  to  Emma  An- 
derson, who  was  born  at  Brownsville,  Oregon, 
December  8.  1858,  a  daughter  of  the  Rev. 
:\Iarion  and  Malissa  (Arnold)  Anderson,  who 
were  born,  reared  and  married  in  the  middle 
west,  and  in  1851  settled  in  the  Rogue  River 
valley  of  Oregon,  whence  they  later  removed 
to  tlie  Willamette  valley.  The  father  was  a 
lifelong  clergyman  of  tlie  Metliodist  K|)iscopal 
clnireh.  His'wife  died  in  January,  and  he  in 
April  of  1861,  when  they  were  residing  near 
Ashland,  Oregon. 

In  1882  Mr.  Ixiosley  built  and  operated  the 
first  steamboat  on  the  Upper  Klamatii  lake. 
It  was  a  screw-propeller,  called  the  General 
Howard.  He  afterward  built  the  City  Kla- 
math, a  stern  wheel  boat  but  in  1887  he  dis- 
posed of  his  steamboat  interests  and  has  since 
concentrated  his  energies  upon  ranching.  He 
owns  thirteen  hundred  acres  in  Wood  River 
valley  in  three  ranches.  His  own  home  is 
pleasantly  situated  three  miles  .south  of  Fort 
Klamath.'  on  the  west  bank  of  Wood  river, 
and  through  his  cfl'orts  the  place  has  been 
transformed  from  a  tract  of  wild  land  into  a 
highly  improved  property.  He  has  every 
acre  under  ditch  and  owns  the  water  supply. 
The  fencing,  ditching  and  irrigating  have  all 
been  done  by  him  and  he  also  erected  good 
buildings  upon  his  place,  which  is  devoted  to 
the  raising  of  cattle.  In  1895  he  assisted  in 
establishing  the  first  creamery  in  Wood  River 
vallev  at  Fort  Klamath  and  for  a  year  after 


624 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


acted  as  manager,  after  wliicli  the  business 
was  sold  to  his  brother  John  F.  Loosley,  who 
still  conducts  it.  George  W.  Loosley  also' 
spent  two  year-s  in  the  butchering  business  at 
Ashland,  from  190S  until  1910,  as  a  member 
of  the  Xeil-Loosley  Company.  They  owned 
three  markets,  bought  and  sold  cattle  and 
carried  on  an  extensive  business,  their  sales 
in  the  retail  department  amounting  to  sixty 
thousand  dollars  annually. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Loosley  have  been  born 
four  children.  Earl  was  born  June  2S.  1881, 
and  died  January  3,  1882.  Edward  K.,  who 
was  born  March  4,  1883,  is  the  owner  of  a 
fruit  ranch  at  Beswick.  California.  He  mar- 
ried Bessie  Butler  and  has  one  child,  George. 
Carey  V.,  born  June  13,  1885,  is  at  home. 
Clara  M.  is  tlie  wife  of  Fred  R.  Neil,  a  stock- 
man of  the  Wood  River  valley,  and  they  have 
two  children:  Joe.  born  March  11.  1907;  and 
Frederick,  born  May  13.  1910.  Edward  Loos- 
ley spent  one  year  in  the  State  University  and 
is  a  graduate  of  the  Armstrong  Business  Col- 
lege. Carey  spent  three  and  a  half  years 
at  the  State  University  and  is  now  superin- 
tendent of  the  Abner  Weed  ranch  of  twenty- 
two  thousand  acres  in  Wood  River  valley. 
Clara  pursued  a  normal  course  at  Ashland. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Loosley  is  a  re- 
publican, having  always  supported  the  party, 
as  did  his  father  before  him.  His  father 
voted  twice  to  make  Oregon  a  free  state  when 
the  question  of  slavery  was  before  the  people. 
Fraternally  Mr.  Loosley  is  connected  with 
Ashland  Lodge.  No.  112'  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  his 
wife  is  a  member  of  the  Eastern  Star.  They 
also  hold  membership  in  the  Episcopal  church 
and  are  interested  in  all  that  pertains  to  the 
material,  intellectual,  political  and  moral  ad- 
vancement of  the  district. 

STEWART  BATES  EAKIN,  who  passed 
away  on  the  14th  day  of  February.  1912, 
was  for  many  years  one  of  the  most  influen- 
tial factors  in  local  business  and  financial  cir- 
cles, and  contributed  largely  toward  pro- 
moting the  general  development  of  Eugene. 
As  one  of  the  founders  and  organizers  of 
the  First  Xational  Bank,  of  which  he  was 
vice  president  for  man}-  years,  he  was  a  dis- 
tinctive figure  in  the  business  life  of  the 
community,  and  he  was  also  prominently 
identified  with  political  affairs,  and  not  only 
filled  some  of  the  leading  county  and  city 
offices  but  represented  his  district  in  the 
state  senate  and  legislature. 

He  was  born  in  Rutland.  Kane  county.  Illi- 
nois, six  miles  from  Elgin,  on  the  2Sth  of 
August,  1846.  and  was  a  son  of  Stewart 
Bates  and  ilary  (McEldowney)  Eakin. 
The  father  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  of  Scotch- 
Irish  parentage,  and  the  mother  was  bom 
in  the  United  States.  The  father  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1840  and  was  married  June 
12.  1844.  The  family  home  was  for  many 
years  located  in  the  state  of  Illinois.  In 
1866,  the  father,  mother  and  other  members 
of  the  family  started  across  the  plains  from 
Bloom,  now  Chicago  Heights.  Illinois,  for 
Oregon.  They  were  four  months  making  the 
journey  across  the  prairies  with  a  mule  team, 
meeting   with   the   usual   experiences  encoun- 


tered by  all  who  came  to  the  northwest  at 
that  period  in  an  emigrant  train.  Upon 
their  anival  in  Lane  county  they  located 
three  miles  northwest  of  Eugene,  enduring 
the  hardships  and  privations  incident  to 
pioneering  the  world  over.  The  father  con- 
tinued to  reside  there  until  his  death  which 
occurred  March  12,  1892.  at  the  age  of  sev- 
enty-six years.  Mrs.  ilary  Eakin  died  No- 
vember 5,  1866.  Of  seven  children  born  to 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eakin  our  subject  died  recent- 
ly and  six  are  still  living.  In  order  of  birth 
these  seven  are:  Stewart  Bates  Eakin,  de- 
ceased; Judge  Robert  Eakin  of  Salem,  tliis 
state;  Jane  Paul,  the  wife  of  Calvin  Han- 
nah, of  Eugene;  Herbert,  who  lives  in  Cot- 
tage Grove;  Mary  C.,  who  married  John  Mc- 
Queen, of  Portland;  Judge  James  A.,  of  As- 
toria; and  Walter,  who  is  engaged  in  the 
abstract  business  in  Astoria.  Stewart  Bates 
Eakin.  Sr..  was  twice  married,  his  second 
wife  being  Mrs.  Xancy  (Bates)  Leslie  who 
died  November  29,  1S96. 

The  first  twenty  years  in  the  life  of  Stew- 
art B.  Eakin  were  passed  in  his  native  state. 
He  received  his  education  in  Bloom,  Illinois. 
\Alien  he  was  twelve  j'ears  of  age  he  worked 
in  his  father's  store  before  and  after  school 
hours  and  his  bed  was  in  the  store  build- 
ing, up  to  the  time  of  their  departure  for 
Oregon  in  1866.  He  drove  a  team  across  the 
plains  and  passed  one  winter  with  his  parents 
in  Oregon,  but  began  clerking  in  the  store 
of  Peters  &  Parsons  in  April  1867,  and  con- 
tinued with  this  firm  until  1870.  when  he 
engaged  in  the  sheep  business.  Xot  having 
the  necessary  experience  in  this  line,  his  ef- 
forts were  not  successful  and  he  sold  out 
at  the  end  of  the  year.  He  then  secured  a 
clerkship  with  F.  B.  Dunn,  remaining  with 
that  liou.se  imtil  the  spring  of  1874,  when 
unsolicited  he  was  nominated  on  the  repub- 
lican ticket  for  sheriff  of  Lane  county,  and 
was  elected  by  a  majority  of  one  vote,  the 
county  being  strongly  democratic.  His  ten- 
ure of  office  was  for  two  years  and  he  served 
with  so  much  satisfaction  that  in  1876  he 
was  renominated  and  elected  by  a  three  hun- 
dred and  thirty  majority  and  was  again  re- 
nominated and  elected  in  1878,  continuing 
in  the  office  until  1880,  when  he  began  clerk- 
ing for  T.  G.  Hendricks,  remaining  one  year. 
In  1881  he  made  his  first  eastern  trip  and 
passed  six  months  amid  old  and  new  scenes. 
Returning  to  Eugene  in  the  spring  of  1882 
he  was  elected  to  the  state  legislature,  being 
the  only  republican  elected  from  Lane  coun- 
ty. In  1888  he  was  elected  to  the  state  sen- 
ate from  Lane  county,  being  the  first  re- 
publican senator  from  this  county  in  eighteen 
years.  During  his  political  career  Mr.  Eakin 
was  never  defeated. 

He  first  became  identified  with  local  busi- 
ness and  financial  affairs  in  1883,  when  to- 
gether with  T.  (i.  Hendricks  he  organized  a 
private  banking  house,  known  as  the  Hen- 
dricks &  Eakin  Bank.  This  was  conducted 
as  a  private  institution  with  Mr.  Hendricks 
as  president  and  Mr.  Eakin.  as  cashier,  until 
February  27,  1886.  when  they  secured  a  char- 
ter for  a  national  bank  and  thus  established 
the  First  Xational  Bank  of  Eugene,  which  be- 


STEWART    P..    KAKIX 


LtNOX 


,1  FO'- 


)N0» 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  ORE(iON 


(i: 


•ran  business  Maicli  fl,  1880.  witli  a  paid-up 
capital  ot  tifty  tliousaiid  dollars,  Jlr.  Eakui 
becoming  casliier,  which  ollice  he  held  for 
several  years  when  in  April.  1899,  he  was 
elected  vice  jnesident  and  continued  in  this 
office  until  his  death.  He  was  also  one  of 
the  organizers  and  a  heavy  stockholder  of 
the  Eugene  Water  Works  t'ompany.  He 
possessed  unusual  business  sagacity  and  met 
with  excellent  success  in  his  undertakings 
and  not  only  was  one  of  the  largest  stock- 
holders in  this  bank,  but  he  also  had  exten- 
sive property   interests   in   the  state. 

On  September  27.  1S71,  Mr.  Eakin  Avas 
united  in  nuirriage  to  Miss  Eliza  J.  Had- 
ley,  who  was  born  in  Lane  county  on  the 
12th  of  September,  1S52,  and  is  a  daughter 
of  Henry  D.  and  Loretta  (Cox)  Iladley.  The 
father  was  a  native  of  Portland.  !Maine,  and 
the  mother  of  Sandusky,  Ohio,  and  they  were 
married  in  Illinois.  They  crossed  the  plains 
to  Oregon  in  1851, '  settling  ten  miles  south- 
west of  Eugene,  where  the  father  acquired 
two  thousand  acres  of  land  and  engaged  in 
stock-raising.  He  became  one  of  the  largest 
sheep-raisers  in  this  section  and  extended 
the  boundaries  of  his  ranch  until  it  com- 
prised four  thousand  acres  of  land,  while 
iiis  herds  contained  as  high  as  seven  thou- 
sand head  of  sheep.  He  met  with  most  grati- 
fying prosperity  and  the  latter  years  of  his 
life  were  passed  in  retirement  in  the  city  of 
Eugene,  where  he  passed  away  April  2, 
l'.)06.  at  the  venerable  age  of  ninety-one 
years.  The  mother  was  eighty-two  at  the 
time  of  her  death,  which  occurred  on  the 
1 2th  of  July.  1904.  Mr.  Hadley  figured  prom- 
inentlj'  in  the  early  political  life  of  Lane 
county,  and  was  one  of  the  first  members 
of  the  Oregon  legislature,  while  he  served 
for  some  years  as  justice  of  the  peace  and 
in  lieu  of  a  better  place,  oftentimes  held  his 
court  under  the  shade  of  an  old  oak  tree  near 
the  center  of  the  city  of  Eugene,  the  tree 
having  stood  there  until  about  a  year  ago 
when  it  was  cut  down,  ilore  extended  men- 
tion of  the  Hadley  family  is  made  in  an- 
other part  of  this  work.  Mr.s.  Eakin  is 
the  eldest  of  the  foiu'  children  born  to  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Hadley,  the  other  members  of  the 
family  being:  Charles  and  Frank,  who  are 
residents  of  ]-]ugene:  and  George,  who  is  liv- 
ing on  a  part  of  the  old  home  ranch.  To  Mr. 
and  ^Irs.  Eakin  was  born  one  daughter. 
Georgie  Myrtle,  who  died  at  the  age  of  seven 
months. 

In  matters  of  religious  faith  Mr.  Eakin 
was  a  Presbyterian,  as  is  also  Mrs.  Eakin. 
anil  ill  politics  he  was  a  republican.  He  was 
a  man  well  adapted  to  pioneering  as  he  Avas 
resoun-efnl  and  fearless,  and  possessed  the 
determination  of  purpose  that  enabled  him 
to  reach  his  objective  point,  whatever  it 
might  be.  He  was  deeply  interested  in  the 
improvement  of  educational  institutions  and 
for  several  years  he  handled  the  funds  of 
the  University  of  Oregon,  greatly  to  the 
benefit  of  that  school.  He  was  also  regent  of 
the  Normal  School  at  Monmouth  until  it 
was  closed  by  an  act  of  a  state  law.  He 
gave  Lane  county  and  the  city  of  Eugene 
notable  service  both  as  a  private  citizen  and 
Vol.  IV— 2(5 


a  public  official,  and  was  loved  and  esteemed 
throughout  the  community,  where  he  had 
hosts  of  friends  wlio  paid  him  that  tribute 
of  absolute  loyalty  wliit-h  his  splendid  char- 
acter so  well  nicritcii. 

IRA  B.  BARTLE,  M.  D.,  i=  one  of  the  well 
known  and  respected  citizens  of  Xorth  ISend, 
Coos  county,  where  he  is  successfully  engaged 
in  the  general  practice  of  medicine.  He  was 
liorn  in  Woodliull,  Xew  York,  September  10. 
1871,  and  is  a  .ion  of  William  and  Hannah 
(Baxter)  Bartle,  both  of  whom  are  natives  of 
Xew  York.  They  celebrated  their  marriage 
in  that  state  and  there  continued  to  live  un- 
til 1885  at  which  time  they  settled  at  Lamed. 
Kansas.  In  1904  they  removed  to  Oregon  and 
established  their  home  at  Eugene  where  they 
are  still  living.  They  are  the  parents  of 
tliree  cliildren:  Ella,  the  deceased  wife  of  V. 
Xeal  of  Tillamook,  Oregon;  Ira  R..  the  sub- 
ject of  this  review;  and  Philliii.  who  is  en- 
gaged in  the  general  practice  of  medicine  at 
Eugene.  Oregon. 

Ira  B.  Bartle  was  reared  in  his  parents' 
home  and  received  his  elementary  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  Xew  York.  In  1885 
he  removed  with  his  parents  to  Kansas  where 
he  continued  his  studies  and  was  graduated 
from  the  high  school  in  Larned,  Kansas,  in 
1S91.  He  then  took  up  the  study  of  medicine 
in  a  college  at  Keokuk.  Iowa,  and  was  gradu- 
ated therefrom  witli  the  degree  of  il.  D.  in 
the  class  of  1894.  after  which  he  engaged  in 
the  practice  of  Iiis  profession  lor  some  time 
in  Kansas  and  later  settled  at  Caimen.  Ok- 
lahoma. Some  time  later  he  went  to  Louisi- 
ana where  he  ])ursued  a  course  of  study  in 
the  Tulane  University  for  four  years  and 
then  returned  to  Carmen.  Oklahoma,  where  he 
again  opened  offices  and  was  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  his  profession  until  1904.  In  tliat 
year  he  removed  to  Oregon,  locating  first  at 
Eugene  where  he  practiced  medicine  for  three 
years,  after  which  he  settled  in  Xorth  Bend 
and  has  since  successfully  followed  his  pro- 
fession at  that  place.  He  is  one  of  three  phy- 
sicians of  Xorth  Bend  who  are  engaged  in  tlie 
general  practice  of  medicine.  Dr.  Bartle  is 
physician  for  the  Simpson  Lumber  Company 
and  has  been  United  States  quarantine  othcer 
of  this  port  for  three  years.  Wliih'  in  Okla- 
homa he  was  one  of  the  executive  board  of 
doctors  of  tliat  state.  He  is  the  owner  of  a 
fine  home  and  otlier  propert.y  in  North  Bend 
and  has  a  summer  home  up  the  river.  He  also 
owns  a  cranberry  ranch  in  North  Inlet,  Coos 
county. 

Dr.  Bartle  was  twice  married.  His  second 
union  was  Avith  Jliss  Maud  K.  Coke,  a  native 
of  Coos  county  and  a  daughter  of  R.  J.  and 
Barbara  Coke,  of  North  Bend,  Oregon.  The 
father  was  a  native  of  Tennessee  and  the 
mother  of  Kansas.  Mrs.  Bartle  came  with  her 
parents,  who  were  among  the  early  settlers 
of  this  part  of  the  state,  to  Oregon.  Iler  fa- 
ther owns  and  operates  the  Coos  Bay  Grocery 
of  North  Bend.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Coke  two 
children  were  born:  Ralph,  a  resident  of  Los 
Angeles,  California;  and  Maud  R.,  the  wife  of 
the  subject  of  this  review. 


628 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


Ur.  Baitle  was  by  his  first  wife  the  lather 
of  three  children:  Helen,  who  was  born  in 
189S;  Sanford,  bom  in  1902:  and  Dorothy, 
whose  birth  occurred  in  1906.  Dr.  Bartle's 
second  wife  received  her  education  in  Coos 
countj-  and  after  passing  througli  the  lower 
grades  was  graduated  from  the' high  school. 
Subsequently  she  engaged  in  teaching  school 
until  the  time  of  her  marriage.  She  is  a  grad- 
uate of  the  State  Xormal  school. 

Dr.  Ira  B.  Bartle  belongs  to  the  republican 
party  and  has  beeu  a  member  of  the  city 
council  of  Xorth  Bend  for  two  years.  He  has 
fraternal  relations  with  the  Masonic  lodge 
and  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows and  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pyth- 
ias, having  passed  through  all  the  chairs  of 
this  lodge.  He  is  one  of  the  successful  physi- 
cians of  Coos  county  and  is  a  man  whose  aid 
is  always  to  be  relied  upon  to  advance  any 
public  measure  calculated  to  improve  con- 
ditions for  the  people  in  his  county  and  state. 

ANDREW  JACKSON  HAMLIN  is  living 
upon  two  hundrcil  and  fifty-seven  acres  of 
land  in  Curry  county,  near  Langlois.  and  is 
well  known  in  agricultural  circles  of  this 
section.  He  is  a  native  of  Oregon,  born  in 
Jackson  county,  in  1867.  a  son  of  James 
Hamlin,  a  native  of  Maine,  and  a  pioneer  of 
Jackson  county.  Andrew  J.  Hamlin  is  the 
youngest  of  seven  children,  six  of  whom  are 
living,  the  others  being:  Rose,  who  is  the 
wife  of  Jesse  Wilson,  of  iledford:  -Julia,  the 
wife  of  Thomas  Myers,  of  Medford:  and 
William.  George,  and  Jeft'erson.  all  of  whom 
reside  in  Medford. 

Andrew  .1,  Hamlin  grew  up  upon  the  home 
farm  in  Jackson  county  and  received  his 
education  in  the  district  schools.  After  his 
father  died  he  assumed  the  management  of 
tlie  homestead  and  operated  and  develo]ied 
this  property  luitil  after  the  death  of  his 
mother.  In  liKtl  he  sold  the  farm  and  came 
to  Curry  county,  settling  near  Langlois, 
where  he  bought  two  hundred  and  fifty-seven 
acres  of  unimproved  land  which,  with  the 
aid  of  his  two  sons,  lie  cleared  and  developed, 
building  barns,  granaries,  and  other  build- 
ings necessary  for  the  complete  equipment 
of  a  modern  farm,  and  he  occupies  a  pleas- 
ant home  whicli  he  also  erected. 

In  1888  Mr.  Hamlin  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Alva  Fitzwater.  a  native  of 
California,  and  a  member  of  one  of  the 
pioneer  families  in  that  state.  She  is 
one  of  two  children,  the  other  having  died 
in  infancy.  Mr.  and  ilrs.  Hamlin  have  three 
sons.  .James  Edward,  who  was  born  Feb- 
ruary 5.  1889.  married  Miss  Mabel  (iertrude 
Foster.  December  24.  1911.  She  is  a  native 
of  Washington  and  a  daughter  of  J.  L.  and 
Sadie  (Churchill)  Foster,  both  of  Illinois. 
Delbert  was  born  :Marcli  28.  1891.  Erwin 
v..  the  youngest  member  of  the  family,  was 
born  .July   26.   1893.  and   is   attending  scho(d. 

Mr.  Hamlin  gives  his  allegiance  to  the  re- 
7)ublican  party  and  is  identified  with  the 
improved  Order  of  Red  Men.  For  over  a 
quarter  of  a  century  he  has  farmed  in  Ore- 
gon and  eleven  years  of  this  time  have  been 
spoilt   ill  riiny  county,  wlicre  his  labors  have 


resulted  in  developing  an  uncultivated  tract 
into  a  model  farm.  Thus  he  has  added  not. 
only  to  his  own  prosperity  but  indirectly  to 
general  advancement  and  growth. 

EDMONSON  M.  LEEVER.  The  life  rec- 
ord of  Kdmonson  M.  Lcever  indicates  what 
may  be  accomplished  when  industry  is  a 
dominant  element  in  one's  nature.  It  has 
been  that  quality  which  has  gained  for  him 
a  substantial  measure  of  success  and  he  is 
now  the  owner  of  a  good  farm  on  Anna 
creek,  two  miles  north  of  Fort  Klamath.  He 
was  born  at  Central  Point.  Jackson  county, 
(Jrcgon.  October  2.  1867,  and  is  a  son  ot 
William  and  Elizabeth  M.  (Constant)  Lee- 
ver.  The  father's  birth  occurred  in  .Spring- 
field, Ohio,  February  27.  1829,  and  the  mother, 
a  native  of  Illinois,  was  born  January  2, 
1839.  William  Leever  crossed  the  plains  in 
1849  to  the  Willamette  valley,  making  the 
journey  with  ox  teams  from  his  native  state. 
After  teaching  school  for  two  years  he  went 
to  Portland,  visiting  the  site  of  that  city 
when  there  was  only  one  cabin  within  its 
present  corporation  limits.  Removing  to 
Jackson  county,  he  taught  school  at  Cen- 
tral Point  and  spent  the  remainder  of  his 
life  in  that  district,  devoting  the  greater 
part  of  his  time  and  attention  to  farming. 
He  was  injured  in  an  accident  which  in- 
capacitated him  for  business  for  five  or  six 
years  liefore  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
190.').  His  wife  died  July  19.  1900.  In  their 
family  were  ten  children:  W.  C.  who  makes 
his  home  at  Central  Point.  Oregon:  Levina. 
the  wife  of  Frank  Hathaway,  al.so  of  Central 
Point;  Ida.  the  wife  of  John  Bollinger,  of 
Modesta,  California;  Edmonson  M.;  J.  C, 
living  at  Visalia.  California;  T.  S.,  of  the 
same  state:  Ada.  the  wife  of  Walter  Damon, 
of  the  .John  Day  county  of  Oregon:  Lucinda. 
the  wife  of  W."  J.  Guy.  of  Portland:  Xellie. 
the  wife  of  Frank  .Jeffries,  of  California: 
and  Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  Eli  Mayer,  of 
Exeter,  California. 

E.  51.  Leever,  whose  name  introduces  this 
record,  was  a  resident  of  Jackson  county  un- 
til he  settled  in  the  Wood  River  valle.v.  in 
Klamath  county,  October  15,  1S98.  "  He 
worked  for  wages  for  a  number  of  years  in 
early  maniiood,  spending  two  years  in  Port- 
land but  most  of  his  life  upon  a  ranch.  He 
has  here  a  tract  of  land  of  one  hundred  and 
sixt.v  acres,  having  homesteaded  eighty-two 
and  a  half  acres  and  purchased  the  remainder. 
His  place  is  pleasantly  and  convenientl.v  lo- 
cated on  Anna  creek,  two  miles  north  of 
Fort  Klamath,  and  has  been  greatly  de- 
veloped and  improved  by  him.  maii.v  modern 
equipments  and  accessories  bein.ff  added.  In 
addition  to  his  farming  interests  Mr.  Leever 
is  a  stockliolder  in  the  Home  Building  & 
Realty  ( <>m])any.  of  Klamath  Falls,  and  a 
stockholder  in  the  Wood  River  Cream  and 
Butter  Association,  He  has  a  stock  and  dairy 
ranch,  milking  twelve  cows,  and  he  is  closely 
associated  with  dairy  interests  in  this  part 
of  the  state.  He  does  his  banking  in  the 
First  National  Bank  of  Medford,  making 
trips  over  the  mountains  ninety-three  miles 
with   teams.     In   the   earlv   davs   of  his  resi- 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


629 


dence  here  iledford  was  liis  trading  point. 
He  is  likewise  a  stockholder  in  the  Aransas 
Pass  Deep  Water  Harbor  of  Texas. 

In  1S94  occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Lee- 
ver  and  Miss  Lizzie  .J.  Nicholson,  who  was 
born  in  .Jasper  county.  Iowa,  April  20.  1S6S. 
and  in  tlie  fall  of  1S91  came  to  Oregon.  She 
is  a  daughter  of  C.  T.  and  JIary  (Norton) 
Nicholson,  who  were  natives  of  Indiana.  The 
father  still  resides  at  iledford  but  the  mother 
passed  away  there  in  March,  1909.  In  tlie 
family  of  ilr.  and  Jlrs.  Leever  are  three 
children.  Fern.  Mamie  and  Russell.  Mr.  Lee- 
ver is  a  republican  in  his  political  views  and 
somewhat  prominent  in  the  local  ranks  of 
tlie  party,  having  for  the  past  four  years 
.sei-ved  as  a  central  committeeman.  The  cause 
of  education  finds  in  liim  a  warm  friend,  as 
is  indicated  in  his  service  as  school  director 
for  a  number  of  years.  Fraternally  he  is 
connected  with  Medford  Lodge,  No.  83,  I.  0. 
O.  F.  He  has  many  friends  in  that  part  of 
the  state  as  well  as  in  the  'Wood  River  val- 
ley, where  he  is  most  widely  and  favorably 
known. 

CHARLES  APPLEGATE,  a  prominent  rep- 
resentative of  a  family  whose  history  is 
closely  interwoven  with  that  of  Douglas 
county  and  the  state  of  Oregon,  took  up  a 
donation  claim  of  six  hundred  and  forty  acres 
adjoining  the  present  site  of  the  town  of 
Yoncalla.  in  the  spring  of  1850.  There  he 
continued  to  reside  until  called  to  his  final 
rest  in  1879.  when  in  tlie  seventy-fourtli  year 
of  his  age.  lie  was  a  Kentnckian  by  birth, 
while  his  wife.  Jlelinda  ( Miller i  Applegatc, 
was  a  native  of  Tennessee.  All  of  their  fif- 
teen children  grew  to  manhood  and  woman- 
hood. In  1843.  in  association  with  his  broth- 
ers, .lesse  and  Lindsay.  Charles  Applegate 
formed  the  Apiilegate  Company  and  with 
about  eight  hundred  people  crossed  the  plains 
to  the  .Sunset  state.  -Jesse  Applegate.  one 
of  the  most  dominant  characters  in  the  pio- 
neer settlement  of  western  Oregon,  was  cap- 
tain of  the  company.  Our  subject  had  two 
wagons,  each  drawn  by  foiir  oxen,  and  brought 
with  him  ten  cows  and  one  horse.  Leaving 
his  cattle  at  Walla  Walla.  Washington,  lie 
built  a  boat  and  made  the  journey  by  water 
to  Oregon  City,  later  going  to  Marion  county. 
The  following  winter  he  worked  for  a  ilr. 
Bun',  "the  mission  blacksmitJi."  whose  shop 
was  situated  about  fourteen  miles  from  Sa- 
lem. In  1844  he  went  to  Polk  county  and 
settled  on  a  donation  claim  of  six  hundred 
and  forty  acres  about  four  miles  north  of 
Dallas,  continuing  to  reside  thereon  until  he 
disposed  of  the  property  in  the  spring  of 
1850.  At  that  time  lie  brought  his  family 
south' to  Douglas  county,  taking  up  a  dona- 
tion claim  of  six  liuudred  and  forty  acres 
adjoining  the  present  site  of  the  town  of 
Yoncalla.  His  luothers  had  already  settled 
in  the  Yoncalla  valley. 

It  was  in  1851  that  Charles  Applegate  and 
his  brothers  built  tlie  first  schoolhouse  in 
Douglas  county,  installing  .James  .Apple- 
gate  as  teacher  and  conducting  the  in- 
stitution independent  of  outside  aid.  At 
the    cost    of    one    thousand    dollars    they    pur- 


cliased  from  Harper's  Publishing  Company, 
of  New  Y'ork  city,  a  library  which  was 
shipped  by  water  around  Cape  Horn.  .Tames 
Applegate,  the  first  teacher  of  Douglas  county 
and  the  son  of  Charles,  was  later  chosen 
county  judge  and  subsequently  served  as 
county  commissioner,  while  for  several  years 
he  was  a  member  of  the  stale  legislature. 
In  1864  he  enlisted  for  service  in  the  Civil 
war  and  was  made  sergeant  major  of  his 
regiment,  acting  in  that  capacity  for  one 
year  or  until  the  close  of  hostilities.  Charles 
Applegate.  who  passed  away  in  1879,  was 
survived  by  his  wife  until  1888.  the  latter 
reaching  the  age  of  seventy-six  years.  Thus 
the  community  lost  two  of  its  "most  highly 
respected  and  valued  pioneer  settlers. 

ALBERT  EUGENE  ELDER,  secretary  of 
the  Klamath  \\'ater  Lsers  Association  and 
also  identified  with  agricultural  interests  in 
Klamath  county,  was  born  in  Lewisburg, 
Wayne  county,  Iowa.  March  29,  1875,  his 
parents  being  .John  .J.  and  Martha  Agnes 
(Kerr)  Elder.  His  father  was  born  in  Cos- 
liocton  county.  Ohio,  in  1S47  and  when  but 
three  years  of  age  was  taken  by  his  parents 
to  Monroe  county.  Iowa,  where  the  family 
home  was  established  in  1850.  There  he 
was  reared  to  manhood  amid  pioneer  scenes 
and  surroundings  and  in  1873  he  wedded 
Martlia  A.  Kerr,  who  was  born  in  Dubuque 
county.  Iowa,  in  1851.  He  has  since  resided 
in  tlie  Hawkeye  state  and  for  many  years 
followed  farming  and  merchandising  but  is 
now  living  retired.  To  him  were  born  three 
sons  and  a  daughter  who  reached  adult  age: 
Albert  E.:  Claude  H.,  who  was  born  in  1877 
and  was  killed  by  a  boiler  explosion  in  1900; 
.\lina  Jeanetta.  the  wife  of  Hallie  Duncan, 
of  Allterton.  Iowa ;  and  T.  Harley.  of  Tor- 
rington.  Wyoming. 

.\lbert  E.  Elder  was  reared  at  the  place 
of  bis  birtli.  reniaiiiiiig  on  the  home  farm 
until  sixteen  years  of  age.  during  which 
period  he  attended  tlie  public  schools  and  then 
entered  the  liigh  scliooi.  from  which  lie  was 
graduated  with  the  class  of  1894.  For  one 
year  he  engaged  in  teaching  and  then  ma- 
triculated in  the  Iowa  State  .\gricultural 
College,  in  which  he  had  pur.sueil  his  studies 
for  a  year  and  a  half  when  the  Spanish- 
.\mericau  war  broke  out.  Enlisting  in  Com- 
jiany  A.  Fifty-first  Iowa  A'olunteer  Infantry 
at  Des  Moines,  he  went  to  tlic  Philippines 
and  was  on  active  duty  until  honorably  dis- 
diarged  at  .San  Francisco  in  November.  1899. 
lie  then  returned  to  the  State  Agricultural 
('■illege  at  Ames.  Iowa,  and  was  graduated 
with  the  class  of  1903.  During  the  summer 
months  he  was  employed  in  a  law  office  at 
Des  Moines  and  in  lanuary.  1903.  entered 
the  Iowa  College  of  Law.  from  which  he  was 
giaduateil  in  1904.  He  afti'rwaid  engaged 
in  teaching  for  one  term  in  .South  Dakota 
and  then  opened  a  law  ollice  at  Allison,  15uf- 
Icr  county.  Iowa,  where  he  continued  in 
practice  until  1907.  In  that  year  he  camo 
to  Oregon  and  spent  about  n  year  in  look- 
ing over  the  state  in  search  of  a  favorable 
location.  He  decided  upon  Klamath  Falls 
and    has    made    his    home    here    since    March. 


()oU 


THE  CENTE.NMAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


190S.  He  ^vas  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Oregon 
but  has  not  engaged  in  active  practice,  de- 
voting the  greater  part  of  his  time  during 
the  past  three  years  to  his  duties  as  secre- 
tary of  the  Klamath  Water  Users'  Associa- 
tion, having  closely  studied  irrigation.  He 
owns  a  tract  of  land  eight  miles  southeast 
of  Klamath  Falls,  which  is  under  the  United 
States   ditch. 

Albert  Eugene  Elder  has  won  a  wide  ac- 
quaintance and  gained  the  warm  friendship 
of  many  during  the  period  of  his  residence 
in  tlie  northwest.  While  residing  in  Iowa 
he  held  a  major's  commission  and  he  has 
taught  military  tactics  to  school  children 
since  coming  to  .southern  Oregon.  His  politi- 
cal allegiance  is  given  to  the  republican  party 
and  he  is  an  exemplary  representative  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity,  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Shakespearian 
Club  and  broad  reading  has  kept  him  in  touch 
with  a  wide  variety  of  literary  subjects  and 
with  topics  of  general  interest.  His  military 
service,  his  business  affairs,  his  literary  and 
social  activities  all  bespeak  him  an  enter- 
prising, progressive  man.  popular  with  the 
citizens  among  whom  he  makes  his  home. 

EDWIN  BAKER  is  the  owner  of  a  valuable 
farm  located  on  the  south  fork  of  the  Coquille 
river  and  is  bringing  it,  by  scientific  and 
progressive  methods  of  agriculture  into  a 
flourishing  and  highly  productive  condition. 
He  was  born  in  Iowa  on  the  21st  of  Febru- 
ary. 1866.  and  is  a  son  of  A.  J.  and  Joanna 
Baker,  the  fatlier  a  native  of  Indiana  and 
the  mother  of  Missouri.  The  parents  were 
married  in  Iowa  and  spent  several  years  in 
that  state.  The  mother  died  in  1873  and  tlie 
father  removed  to  Kansas,  sixteen  years  later. 
He  took  up  a  homestead  near  Xorton  where 
he  was  prosperous  and  successful  as  a  farmer 
until  1907  when  he  removed  to  Seattle.  Wash- 
ington, and  there  he  is  now  living  retired.  To 
him  were  born  seven  children:  H.  M..  Annie 
and  Clotilda,  all  of  whom  are  deceased:  G. 
A.,  wlio  maintains  his  residence  in  California; 
Edwin,  tlie  subject  of  this  review;  and  .Tames 
r>.  and  William,  both  of  whom  are  deceased. 

Edwin  Baker  received  his  education  in 
the  public  schools  and  laid  aside  his  books 
at  the  age  of  fifteen  in  order  to  earn  his  own 
livelihood.  He  learned  the  trade  of  black- 
smithing  and  followed  that  occupation 
with  success  for  two  years.  He  later  be- 
came a  fireman  on  the  Burlington  &  Missouri 
River  railway.  He  gave  u]i  that  work  in 
1SS9.  in  which  year  he  established  liis  resi- 
dence in  Oregon.  He  settled  first  in  Port- 
land where  he  was  employed  by  the  Wolff 
and  Swigger  Machine  Company  for  six 
months.  He  resigned  that  position  eventually 
and  spent  two  years  engaged  in  various  lines 
"f  activity.  He  operated  a  steamboat  on 
Coos  bay  for  three  years  and  later  worked 
in  the  ship  yards  of  Xorth  Bend.  Finally  he 
determined  to  devote  his  attention  to  asri- 
eulture  and  bousrht  one  hundred  and  fifty 
acres  of  land,  four  miles  south  of  ilyrtle 
Point,  in  the  vallev  of  the  south   fork  of  the 


Coquille  river,  and  there  he  is  conducting  an 
extensive  agricultural  enterprise,  operated 
along  modern  and  scientific  lines. 

In  1895  Mr.  Baker  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Charlotte  C.  Eckhoff,  a  native  -jf 
Coos  county  and  a  daughter  of  Charles  and 
Charlotte  Eckhoff.  Mrs.  Baker"s  father  died 
Jlay  10,  1911,  and  her  mother  is  still  living 
at  Xorth  Bend,  Oregon,  in  the  sixty-ninth 
year  of  her  age.  The  wife  of  our  subject  is 
one  of  eleven  children  born  to  her  parents, 
ten  of  whom  are  living.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Baker  has  been  born  one  daughter.  Charlotte 
C,  whose  birth  occurred  on  October  8,  1896, 
and  who  is  attending  school. 

Edwin  Baker  is  a  republican  and  has  never 
sought  public  office.  He  is  one  of  the  repre- 
sentative and  successful  men  of  Coos  county 
and  has  borne  his  part  in  the  development 
of   his   section   by  unremitting   industry. 

REUBEN  W.  ENSIGN.  Although  Reuben 
W.  Ensign  has  lived  only  seven  years  in  Ore- 
gon, he  has  gained  a  distinct  place  in  agri- 
cultural circles  of  Coos  county  by  his  able 
management  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres 
of  land  in  that  section.  He  was  born  in  New 
York  state  in  1846.  a  son  of  Richard  and 
Sabra  (Bush)  Ensign,  natives  of  New  York. 
In  their  family  were  four  children:  Otis. 
Bertha  and  Martha,  all  of  whom  have  jiassed 
away;    and   Reuben,  of   this   review. 

Reuben  W.  Ensign  received  his  education 
in  the  New  York  public  schools  and  when  he 
was  eighteen  years  of  age  began  his  active 
life,  working  at  various  occupations  until 
he  was  twenty-eight,  when  he  went  to  Penn- 
sylvania and  began  working  in  the  oil  fields. 
He  was  successful  and  became  the  owner  of 
valuable  wells  in  that  state.  Eventually, 
however,  he  disposed  of  his  holdings  and  re- 
turned to  New  York,  where  he  farmed  for 
fourteen  years,  abandoning  this  occupation 
in  order  to  go  to  Ohio,  where  for  ten  years 
he  was  identified  with  the  Standard  Oil  Com- 
pany. In  1905  he  came  to  Oregon  and  bought 
two  lunidred  and  forty  acres  of  land  in  Coos 
county.  The  land  is  in  two  tracts,  one  of 
forty  acres  and  the  other  of  two  hundred  and 
tipon  the  smaller  of  these  Mr.  Ensign  has 
erected  a  modern  home,  in  which  he  resides. 
The  two  liundred  acre  tract  fronts  the  Pacific 
ocean  and  is  almost  entirely  timber  land. 

Mr.  Ensign  married,  in  1867.  Miss  Susan 
0.  Miller,  a  native  of  New  York,  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  -Tohn  and  Philena  (Baldwin)  Miller, 
who  were  the  parents  of  eight  children:  Wil- 
liam. Adelbert,  and  Clarence,  all  of  whom  re- 
side in  New  York;  Alice,  the  wife  of  Winfield 
.'-'Cott.  of  Findlay.  Ohio;  Eunice.  !M;iry.  and 
Florence,  all  of  whom  have  passed  away: 
and  Susan  0..  the  wife  of  our  subject.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Ensign  have  three  children:  Her- 
bert, a  resident  of  Findlay.  Ohio,  who  is  mar- 
ried and  has  six  children.  .Sidney,  l.eon.  Les- 
ter. Francis,  ilarion.  and  Bernice;  Crace.  who 
resides  with  her  parents:  and  Fay  JI.,  a 
resident  of  Findlay.  Ohio,  who  is  married  and 
has  two  children.  Florence  I,,  and  Kenneth. 
The  family  belong  to  tlie  Presbyterian  church. 
Mr.  Ensign  is  a  prominent  member  of  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.     He  is  a 


K 


K 


K 


.Tie 


\ 


TIIK  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


63J! 


staiK'li  (Iciuocriit  and  altlioiigh  ho  never  seeks 
public  office  is  yet  interested  in  tlie  progress 
of  his  section  and  always  willing  to  aid  in 
promoting  it. 

AUGUSTUS  H.  SCHROEDER  is  a  man 
who.  in  a  quiet  and  unassuming  way,  is 
contributing  much  to  Coos  connty's  agricul- 
tural prosperity.  He  is  cultivating  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  three  miles 
below  Myrtle  Point,  on  the  Coquille  river, 
and  has  gained  success.  He  was  born  in  Bal- 
timore, Maryland,  March  8,  1843,  and  is  a 
son  of  Henry  and  Dorothy  (Dietz)  Scliroe- 
der,  both  natives  of  Germany.  His  father 
came  to  America  wlien  he  was  seventeen 
jears  of  age  and  his  mother  was  fifteen 
years  old  when  she  crossed  the  Atlantic. 
Botli  settled  in  Baltimore  and  in  that  city 
their  marriage  occurred.  They  lived  in 
Maryland  until  April,  1859,  in  which  year 
they  came  west  by  way  of  the  Isthmus  of 
Panama  as  members  of  a  colony  organized 
by  Dr.  Henry  Herman.  They  settled  in  Coos 
county,  Oregon,  where  the  father  took  up  a 
jireemption  claim,  which  he  brought  to  a 
high  state  of  development.  He  later  added 
to  his  holdings  by  the  purchase  of  adjoining 
acres  and  was  a  large  landowner  at  the  time 
of  his  retirement.  The  last  years  of  his  life 
were  spent  with  his  son,  Augustus,  with 
v.-hom  he  resided  until  his  death  in  1895. 
His  wife  survived  him  for  three  years,  dy- 
ing in  1S98.  They  were  the  parents  of  six 
cliildren:  Judge  J.  Henry,  who  is  now  de- 
ceased; Augustus  H.,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch;  John  F.,  who  resides  in  Coquille, 
Oregon;  Louisa,  the  wife  of  Orvil  Dodge; 
William,  who  was  accidentally  drowned  when 
ten  years  of  age;  and  Charles  Edward,  of 
Brighton,  Washington. 

.Augustus  H.  Schroeder  received  his  early 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  Baltimore 
and  supplemented  this  by  a  short  period  in 
the  high  school  of  that  city.  He  remained  at 
home  until  1863  at  which  time  he  formed  a 
partnership  with  Vale  M.  Perry  in  a  large 
idacer  mining  enterprise  which  they  operated 
ir:  the  mountains  near  .Tohnson  creek  in  Coos 
county,  whither  Augustus  Schroeder  had 
come  with  his  parents  in  1859.  He  continued 
with  this  gold  mining  enterprise  only  a  few 
months,  and  later  worked  at  various  occu- 
jiations  until  1864,  when  he  purchased  a 
tract  of  land  near  Bandon.  Oregon,  and 
did  placer  mining  on  this  property  for 
four  years.  He  then  returned  to  the 
Coquille  river,  bought  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  comparatively  unimproved 
land  and  began  its  development.  He  has 
resided  upon  this  tract  since  that  time, 
has  made  extensive  improvements  in  his 
barns  and  outbuildings  and  lias  made  his 
acres  productive  to  the  fullest  extent.  He 
is  now  one  of  the  representative  agricultur- 
ists in  Coos  county  and  is  numbered  among 
ihe  enterprising  citizens  of  that  section. 

In  October,  1868,  Mr.  Schroeder  was  united 
ill  marriage  to  Miss  Dora  C.  Perry,  who  was 
born  on  Clatsop  Plains,  near  the  mouth  of  the 
(  olumbia    river.   August    15,   1850.     She   is   a 


daughter  of  William  and  Ann  (Able)  Perry, 
the  former  a  native  of  Connecticut,  and  the 
latter  of  South  Bend,  Indiana.  After  their 
marriage  ilrs.  Scliroeder's  parents  removed 
to  Michigan,  where  they ,  lived  until  1840, 
going  at  that  time  to  Muscatine,  Iowa,  where 
the  father  followed  carpentering  and  con- 
tracting for  two  years.  He  was  among  the 
earliest  Oregon  pioneers  and  was  a  force  in 
the  development  of  the  state.  His  residence 
in  Oregon  dates  from  1842,  in  which  year  he 
settled  in  Oregon  City,  witli  a  casli  "capital 
amounting  to  fifty  cents  and  no  otiier  as- 
set except  a  team  of  horses  and  three  pack 
mules.  He  met  with  success  and  in  184:i 
he  erected  the  first  gristmill  built  in  Ore- 
gon City  and  operated  this  with  gratifying 
success  for  a  number  of  years,  lie  later 
removed  to  Clatsop  plains,  where  lie  lived 
iintil  1851,  and  during  this  time  built  the 
first  schooner  sailing  vessel,  named  the  Pio- 
neer, oi)erated  between  the  mouth  of  the 
Columbia  river  and  San  Francisco.  In  1851 
he  transferred  his  residence  to  Roseburg, 
Oregon.  He  built  the  first  mill  in  tlie  city 
which  was  also  the  second  in  the  county. 
He  took  up  a  donation  claim  near  Roseburg 
comprising  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  and 
was  personally  identified  witli  its  develop- 
ment until  1859.  In  that  year  he  came  to 
Coos  county  and  purchased  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  land  near  Norway,  Oregon, 
and  here  he  died  in  1881  after  a  long  and 
useful  life  spent  in  activities  which  always 
had  for  their  object  the  welfare  of  his 
adopted  state.  He  had  long  survived  his 
wife  who  passed  away  in  18T6.  To  their 
union  were  born  six  children:  Vale  M.,  of 
Kalama  bay,  Washington;  Mary,  the  de- 
ceased wife  of  J.  F.  Schroeder,  of  Co- 
quille; Emily,  who  is  now  Jlrs.  Henry 
Schroeder  of  Arago,  Oregon;  Dora  C,  the 
wife  of  our  subject:  Kate  L..  who  married 
n.  Hobsoii  of  JIarshfield,  Oregon ;  and  one 
child  who  died  in  infancy.  Mrs.  Schroeder 
received  her  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  Douglas  county,  Oregon,  and  remained 
at  home  until  her  marriage.  She  and  her 
husband  have  become  the  parents  of  twelve 
children:  Edwin  F.,  born  August  '.i,  186'J, 
who  now  resides  on  the  soutli  fork  of  the 
Coquille  river;  Thomas  A.,  whose  birth  oc- 
curred in  March,  1871.  and  who  is  a  resident 
of  Marsliliehl,  Oregon;  Eugene  A.,  born  Au- 
gust 26,  1872,  an<l  who  died  November  26. 
1889;  Charles  E..  born  November  12,  187:5. 
who  now  lives  near  Bandon,  Oregon;  Jo- 
hanna L.,  born  .Tanuary  3.  1875.  who  is  now 
the  wife  of  Frederick  Linegar.  of  Coquille: 
Fred  W..  who  died  August  3,  1898.  when  he 
was  twenty-two  years  of  age:  Arthur  B.. 
\yho  died  February  11.  1881;  Ada  E.,  born 
March  5.  1880,  who  is  now  the  wife  of  A. 
IT.  Bender,  of  Myrtle  Point;  Percy  O.,  born 
August  21.  1881.  who  is  living  at  home: 
Henry  A.,  whose  birth  occurred  on  the  12tli 
of  February.  1884.  and  who  is  now  living 
in  Myrtle  Point:  Edna  May.  born  'Slny  15, 
1885,  who  married  John  B.  Carl,  and  re- 
sides near  Norway.  Oregon;  and  Chester  W., 
lorn  October  28.  1890.  who  is  now  living 
al    home.     .Ml   the   children   received   a   good 


034 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


iihic-atioh    ill    tlu'    public    seliools    of    Coos 
(.ounty. 

Jlr.  Scliroeder  is  a  democrat  in  his  poli- 
tical views  but  is  extremely  liberal  in  his 
interpretation  of  the  party  doctrines.  He  has 
>erved  for  ten  years  as  justice  of  the  peace 
ill  Coos  county  and  is  known  as  an  upright 
and  conscientious  public  official.  He  seeks 
no  success  beyond  attainment  in  a  purely 
agricultural  walk  of  life  and  has  made  his 
farming  career  honorable  and  upright,  and 
in    doing    this    has    achieved    prosperity. 

ALBERT    L.    PERKINS    is    a    native    son 
of    Oregon.     His    boyhood    was    spent    in    its 
outdoor  pleasures,  his  youth  was  spent  in  its 
logging   camps    and    he    is   now.   as   manager 
of  the   Umpqua    Co-operative   Packing   Com- 
pany, prominent  in  one  of  its  representative 
industries.     He    was   born    in    Douglas    coun- 
ty,   December    24.    1869.    and    is    a    son    of 
Solomon  and  Catherine   (Elliott)   Perkins,  of 
whom    more    extended    mention    is    made    on 
another    page    in    this    work.     Mr.    Perkins 
vas  reared  at  home  and  acquired  a  primitive 
and    inadequate    education    in    the    common 
schools   of   his   native    district.    He   pursued 
his   studies    for   three    months    in   each   year, 
spending   the   winters    from   the   time   of   his 
early   boyhood   in   the    logging   camps   in   the 
northern    part    of    the    state.     He    was    iden- 
tified   with     this    line    of    occupation    until 
1000.   gaining    during   the    period    knowledge 
of  the  "business.     His  industry  did  not  allow 
him    to    be    idle    even    during    the    summer 
months    when    the    logging    occupation    was 
not  open  to  him.  during  the  five  years  of  his 
identitieation   with   this   line   of   activity,   for 
he   worked  constantly   through  his  vacations 
in  the  fishing  industry.     In  1900  he  engaged 
in   buying  and   selling  cattle   throughout   the 
state '  of    Oregon,    making    his    headquarters 
in  Gardiner.     He  continued  for  five  years  as 
a    successful    cattle    dealer   before   he    moved 
to  Portland  where  he  dealt  in  real-estate  for 
two   years.     When  he   returned   to   Gardiner 
he  became  identified  with  his  brother  in  the 
hotel  business   having   purchased  an   interest 
in   the  Old  Gardiner  Hotel,  in   1S96.     He  re- 
tained liis  holdings  up  to  the  time  the  build- 
ing  was    burned    in   .January,    1911.     For    a 
sliort   time   after   his   return   from   Portland 
Mr.  Perkins  engaged  in  the  saloon  business  in 
connection  with  the  conduct  of  his  hotel,  but 
he  later  abandoned  this  and  has  never  since 
returned  to  it.     In  1910  'Mr.  Perkins  was  one 
of   the   organizers   of   the   Umpqua   Co-opera- 
tive   Packing    Company    and    is    one    of    its 
chief  stockholders  and  a  director.     In  JIarch, 
1912,   he   was   made   manager   of   the   plant, 
and    his    industry    and    good    business    sense 
have  been  factors  in  bringing  the  enterprise 
to    its    present    flourishing    and    prosperous 
condition. 

In  February.  1911,  Mr.  Perkins  was  united 
in  marriage  "  to  'Miss  Anna  Varrelmann.  a 
daughter  of  Frank  Varrelmann.  a  prominent 
and  substantial  citizen  of  Gardiner.  Oregon. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Perkins  have  one  child.  Oliver 
Raymond,  ilrs.  Perkins  is  a  devout  mem- 
ber of  the  Episcopal  church.  In  his  political 
views  Mr.  Perkins  is  a  republican  but  takes 


very  little  part  in  local  all'airs  and  has  never 
sought  office.  He  is  one  of  the  representa- 
tive business  men  in  Gardiner.  He  is  en- 
dowed with  a  natural  industry  and  business 
judgment  of  a  high  order  which  qualities 
have  bought   him  success. 

J.  A.  BOWMAN  is  a  member  of  the  firm 
of  Cheever  &  Bowman,  of  Langlois.  conduct- 
ing the  only  general  hardware  and  imple- 
ment store  in  Curry  county,  and  is  num- 
bered among  the  representative  business 
men  of  this  section.  He  is  a  son  of  a  pio- 
neer in  Oregon,  and  is  a  native  of  the  state, 
born  in  JIarion  county,  October.  4,  1864.  His 
parents  were  P.  H.  and  America  (AUpliin) 
I'.owman.  the  former  born  in  Lafayette  coun- 
fy.  Jlissouri.  in  182S.  and  the  latter  in  Ohio, 
in  ls;j0.  Both  crossed  the  plains  with  ox 
teams  in  1847  and  settled  in  Linn  county 
vhere  they  were  married  the  following  year. 
In  1849  the  father  went  to  California,  at- 
tracted by  rumors  of  easy  wealth  to  be 
found  in  the  gold  mines  of  that  state.  After 
one  season  he  returned  to  Oregon  and  took 
up  a  donation  claim  of  six  hundred  and 
forty  acres,  five  miles  northeast  of  Albany, 
upon  which  he  lived  for  some  years,  remov- 
ing at  the  end  of  that  time  to  Marion  coun- 
ty, and  later  to  Springhill.  Benton  county. 
There  he  purchased  the  AUphin  donation 
claim  upon  which  he  resided  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  when  he  was  fifty-two  years 
of  age.  His  wife  is  still  living  on  the  old 
homestead  at  Springhill  and  is  eighty-two 
years  old.  In  their  family  were  seven  chil- 
dren, six  of  whom  are  still  living.  Mrs.  Eliza- 
beth Reese,  whose  birth  occurred  in  1851. 
and  who  resides  in  Benton  county.  X.  A.. 
who  was  born  in  1852,  and  who  is  a  resident 
of  Alaska :  Mrs.  Xancy  E.  Miller,  who  was 
born  in  1854.  and  is  residing  at  Miller  Sta- 
tion. Linn  county:  W.  H..  whose  birth  oc- 
curred in  1858.  and  who  makes  his  home  in 
Albany:  ilrs.  ilaria  L.  .Jones,  who  was  born 
in  ISGO.  and  who  resides  in  Marion  county: 
.J.  A.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  and  Mary, 
who  has  passed  away. 

J.  A.  Bowman  received  his  education  in 
Benton  county  and  remained  at  home  until 
be  was  eighteen  years  of  age.  He  learned 
the  blacksmith's  trade  and  followed  that  oc- 
cupation from  the  time  he  was  eighteen  until 
he  was  forty-six.  spending  three  years  in 
Civil  Bend.  Douglas  county,  and  a  similar 
])eriod  in  Independence.  Polk  county.  For 
three  years  he  worked  in  Albany.  Linn  coun- 
ty, and  then  went  to  Bandon.  where  he  work- 
ed for  wages  for  four  years.  At  the  end 
of  that  time  he  came  to  Langlois  and  started 
.1  blacksmith  shop,  which  he  operated  in- 
dependently for  nine  years.  'Wlien  he  aban- 
doned his  trade  lie  established  himself  in 
the  hardware  and  farm  implement  business 
in  association  with  E.  H.  Cheever  and  is 
still  active  in  the  conduct  of  this  enterprise. 
The  concern  has  grown  to  a  gratifying  ex- 
tent since  its  establishment.  Mr.  Bowman's 
industry  and  ability  having  brought  him  an 
excellent  business.  He  has  invested  judi- 
ciously in  local  enterprises,  being  a  stock- 
holder  in   the  Lanslois  Hotel  and  a   member 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


635 


ul'  the  City  Water  Works  L'oiiipiiny.  He 
mvns  a  comfortable  home  in  the  city  and 
iiiucli  vahiable  business  property  and  has 
also  an  interest  in  the  old  homestead  of  one 
hundred  and   ten   acres. 

In  1887  Mr.  Bowman  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Anna  Jordan,  of  English  par- 
entage, who  was  born  in  August.  1867. 
They  became  the  parents  of  three  children: 
Mrs.  Laura  M.  Smith,  whose  birth  occurred 
in  1888,  and  who  makes  her  home  in  Curry 
county;  David  E.,  w'ho  was  born  in  1890,  and 
who  resides  in  Marshfield;  and  ICancy  E., 
who  was  born  in  1891,  and  who  became  the 
wife  of  Herbert  Looney.  of  ilarion  county. 
Mr.  Bowman's  first  wife  died  in  1892  and 
in  1894  he  was  again  married.  His  second 
union  was  with  Jliss  Eleanor  E.  Anderson, 
who  was  born  in  Andersonville.  California. 
February  8,  1874,  a  daughter  of  Ira  D.  and 
Nancy  Sarah  Anderson,  the  former  of  Fort 
jMadison,  Ohio,  and  the  latter  of  Illinois. 
The}'  came  west  and  settled  at  Anderson- 
ville. California,  later  coming  to  Linn  coun- 
ty. Oregon,  where  both  passed  away,  the 
mother  in  1911,  and  the  father  many  years 
previously.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bowman  have  five 
children:  Ivan  M.,  who  was  born  .lanuary 
29.  1900;  Preston  D.,  whose  birth  occurred 
June  23,  1905:  Corinne  A.,  whose  natal  day 
was  January  21,  1908,  and  who  passed  away 
on  the  28th  of  the  same  month;  Helen  R,, 
who  was  born  in  December.  1908;  and  Xolan 
S.,  whose  birth  occurred  February  IS,  1911. 

Mr.  Bowman  gives  his  political  allegiance 
to  the  democratic  party  but  never  seeks 
public  office,  although  he  is  now  serving  as 
deputy  sherift'  of  the  north  end  of  Curry 
county.  He  was  postmaster  of  Brockway, 
Douglas  county,  for  some  time  and  did  able 
and  conscientious  work  in  this  capacity.  He 
belongs  to  the  Presbyterian  church  and  is 
a  member  of  the  Woodmen  of  the  World  and 
the  Independent  Order  of  Red  Men.  He  has 
made  many  friends  in  Oregon,  all  of  whom 
respect  him  as  a  man  of  fine  business  ability 
and  honorable  standards,  and  his  record  is 
a  credit  to  his   community. 

K.  V.  KRUSE  is  the  senior  partner  of  the 
Kruse  and  Banks  Shipbuilding  Company,  ex- 
tensive shipbuilders  of  Xorth  Bend.  Coos 
county.  Oregon,  ilr.  Kruse  was  born  in  Den- 
mark in  July,  1S53.  He  received  his  early 
education  in  his  native  country  and  emi- 
grated to  America,  in  1874.  In  eai"ly  life  he 
was  a  sailor  and  after  reaching  the  new 
world  continued  in  that  vocation  for  eight 
years,  making  San  Francisco  his  headquar- 
ters. In  1900  he  came  to  Coos  bay  and  at 
Xorth  Bend  entering  into  partnership  with 
Robert  Banks  started  a  ship  yard.  The  part- 
ners have  since  continued  in  the  shipbuild- 
ing business.  They  are  the  builders  of  large 
ocean  going  vessels  and  all  other  kinds  of 
water  craft  used  on  both  inland  waters  and 
on  the  high  seas.  They  have  at  the  present 
time  in  their  yards  two  vessels  under  con- 
struction, one  two  hundred  and  five  feet  and 
the  other  two  hundred  feet  in  length,  both 
of  which  are  wooden. 


-Mr.  Kruse  was  united  in  marriage  in  1881, 
to  Miss  Mary  Rasmussen,  a  native  of  Den- 
mark, from  which  country  she  emigrated 
to  America  in  1874.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kruse 
seven  children  have  been  born:  Lena,  who 
was  born  in  1883  and  resides  at  home;  Thea, 
horn  in  1886,  who  is  at  home;  Bertha,  who 
was  born  in  1888  and  is  the  wife  of  Dr.  Ca- 
they,  a  resident  of  Portland,  Oregon;  Laura, 
who  was  born  in  1892  and  resides  at  home; 
Fred,  born  in  1894,  at  home;  and  Henry 
anil  Peter,  deceased.  Mr.  Kruse  belongs  to 
the  republican  party  and  has  fraternal  re- 
lations with  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen  and  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows.  He  and  his  famih'  are  members  of 
the  Lutheran  church  of  Xorth  Bend.  Kruse 
and  Banks  are  among  the  largest  shipbuild- 
ers of  the  Pacific  coast  and  they  have  gained 
a  good  reputation  in  the  business  world  by 
virtue  of  the  excellency  of  the  workmanship 
as  well  as  the  material  u.sed  in  the  construc- 
tion of  their  boats, 

JASON  MACHADO,  who  has  recently  re- 
tired from  mercliandising  but  still  retains 
important  real-estate  interests  in  Myrtle 
Point  and  elsewhere  in  the  county,  was  born 
at  .St.  ilichaels.  Portugal,  in  1846,  his  par- 
ents being  Frank  and  Helena  (Dias)  Mach- 
ado,  the  former  a  native  of  Brazil  and  the 
latter  of  Portugal.  The  maternal  grand- 
father was  a  distinguished  lawyer  and  a  rec- 
ognized   leader    among    men. 

.Jason  !Machado  is  one  of  a  family  of  twen- 
ty-one children  who  were  born  to  his  par- 
ents but  all  are  now  deceased  with  the  ex- 
ception of  two,  bis  brother  being  Alfred,  a 
farmer,  sailor  and  fisherman  who  was  also 
a  sea  captain  and  is  living  near  Prosper, 
Oregon. 

•Tason  Machado  started  out  to  earn  his 
own  living  in  1861.  when  fourteen  years  of 
age.  His  father  was  a  merchant  and  prom- 
inent in  the  community  in  which  he  lived. 
The  son  had  opportunity  for  attending  school 
for  only  five  months.  He  left  home  to  avoid 
enforced  military  service  and,  shipping  on 
an  American  vessel,  arrived  in  Boston,  Mas- 
sachusetts, in  1861.  He  worked  in  a  res- 
taurant there  for  six  months  for  a  dollar 
per  week  and  boar<l  and  on  the  expiration 
of  that  period  went  to  Portland.  Maine, 
\<  here  his  brother  lived.  He  afterward  fol- 
lowed the  soa  for  five  years,  serving  as  cook 
on  a  ship,  and  also  as  steward  on  sailing 
vessels.  He  likewise  engaged  in  mackerel 
fishing  off  Cape  Breton  for  one  season  and 
In  1866  took  passage  on  the  Concordia  for 
New  Orleans.  His  first  position  there  was 
driving  a  delivery  wagon  but  in  1867  he 
was  stricken  witii  yellow  fever  and  when 
he  had  recovered  he  became  a  butcher  and 
engaged  in  business  with  his  brother  Wil- 
liam. Later  he  was  alone  in  business  and 
added  to  the  scope  of  his  activities  by  put- 
ting in  a  line  of  groceries.  He  continued 
in  merchandising  there  for  a  number  of 
years  until  187S.  when  he  left  the  Crescent 
City  for  San  Francisco.  After  remaining 
there  for  a  brief  period,  he  made  his  way 
northward    to    Oregon,    aettling    in    Prosper. 


630 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


wIrti-  111'  L-oiiducted  a  meat  market  and 
gi-oceiy  store.  A  little  later  he  removed 
to  Coquille  and  opened  a  hotel,  which  he 
conducted  for  a  year.  He  then  came  to 
Jlyrtle  Point  -where  he  opened  a  butcher 
shop  and  later  added  a  stock  of  groceries. 
As  his  trade  grew  in  that  connection  he  dis- 
continued the  meat  market  and  afterward 
opened  a  general  mercantile  store  which  he 
has  since  conducted,  meeting  with  success. 
He  came  to  the  west  practically  empty- 
handed  and  industry  and  enterprise  have 
been  the  features  which  made  for  his  pros- 
perity. In  May,  1912,  he  sold  his  stock  of 
merchandise  but  he  retains  his  real-estate 
holdings,  consisting  of  one  hundred  feet 
1  rentage  on  a  business  street,  also  farm  prop- 
erty on  the  river,  timber  land  and  town 
property.  He  has  made  extensive  invest- 
ments in  real  estate  in  California,  and  all 
his  property  interests  represent  the  fit  utili- 
zation of  time,  talents  and  opportunities. 

Jason  JIachado  has  been  married  twice. 
He  first  wedded  iliss  Bessie  Deary,  a  na- 
tive of  New  Orleans,  as  were  her  parents, 
who  were  of  Scotch  and  Pennsylvania  Dutch 
descent.  The  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Machado  was  celebrated  in  New  Orleans  in 
1877  and  to  them  were  born  four  children: 
Glenn,  who  was  educated  in  St.  Mary's  Col- 
lege in  Portland,  and  is  now  a  resident  of 
San  Francisco;  Bessie,  of  Myrtle  Point;  and 
Jason  W.  and  Lawrence,  both  in  school.  The 
wife  and  mother  died  May  12,  1906.  More 
than  four  years  later  in  San  Francisco  on 
the  1st  of  October,  1910,  Mr.  Machado  was 
married  to  Mrs.  Mary  Morris,  the  widow 
of  George  Morris,  of  ilarshfield,  Oregon. 

In  his  religious  faith  Mr.  Machado  is  a 
Catholic.  He  gives  his  political  allegiance  to 
the  democratic  party  but  has  had  neither 
time  nor  inclination  for  office,  preferring  to 
give  his  undivided  attention  to  business,  and 
Ids  activities  and  enterprise  as  a  merchant 
and  his  wise  investments  in  real  estate  have 
placed  him  among  the  substantial  residents 
of  Coos  county. 

SHADRACH  HUDSON.  The  pioneers  in 
the  settlement  of  the  state  of  Oregon  were 
sturdy,  upright  and  industrious  men.  who 
gave  their  energies  and  abilities  to  the  forma- 
tion of  a  new  country  out  of  undeveloped 
wilderness.  Their  virtues  and  characteris- 
tics find  a  worthy  representative  in  ,Shad- 
rach  Hudson,  who  crossed  the  plains  with 
ox  teams  in  1847  and  who  since  that  time 
has  been  identified  with  the  evolution  and 
progress  of  the  American  northwest.  He  en- 
countered hardships  and  perils,  has  farmed 
and  raised  stock,  and  has  finally  retired  after 
an  eventful  and  successful  career,  which  has 
influenced  and  hastened  tlie  growth  and  civi- 
lization of  this  section.  He  is  living  in  the 
Soldiers'  Home  at  Roseburg  as  an  honored 
veteran  of  the  Rogue  River  Indian  war. 

Shadrach  Hudson  was  born  in  Cass  county, 
Michigan,  on  November  10.  1830,  and  is  a 
son  of  .John  and  Rhodia  (Denman)  Hudson, 
natives  of  New  Jersey.  Representatives  of 
the  family  on  both  sides  have  been  in  Amer- 
ica  since  pre-Revolutionary  times.     The  pa- 


ternal grandfather  of  our  subject  was  a  native 
of  New  Jersey  and  the  ancestors  in  the  ma- 
ternal line  also  came  from  that  section  of 
America.  The  familj'  was  founded  in  Ohio 
by  the  great-grandfather  and  grandfather  of 
our  subject  on  the  maternal  side,  who  came 
to  that  state  in  the  early  period  of  its  set- 
tlement. Mr.  Hudson's  parents  were  mar- 
ried in  that  state  in  1820  and  later  removed 
to  Michigan,  returning  to  Ohio  in  1834.  They 
were  the  parents  of  five  children,  of  whom- 
Shadrach,  the  eldest  son,  is  the  subject  of 
this  review.  Another,  Clark,  who  has  passed 
away,  was  married  and  had  three  children, 
of  whom  one  is  surviving.  The  youngest 
son  Joseph,  is  also  deceased,  and  his  widow 
resides  in  Coquille  city,  Coos  county.  They 
had  seven  children,  Mamie,  Josephine,  Eliza- 
beth, Maude,  John,  Joseph  and  Daniel, 

Shadrach  Hudson  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Ohio  and  in  1847  when  he  was 
seventeen  years  of  age  started  with  his  par- 
ents and  five  brothers  across  the  plains  with 
ox  teams.  The  long  trip  was  made  under  the 
most  primitive  conditions  and  the  party  en- 
countered many  hardships  and  periLs^  the 
two  youngest  brothers  and  the  mother  dying 
upon  the  journey.  The  remainder  of  "the 
family  arrived  in  Oregon  the  last  of  October 
1847,  and  settled  in  the  Willamette  valley, 
near  what  is  now  Eugene,  Thej'  had  en- 
countered disease  and  contagion  upon  their 
journey  but  had  escaped  trouble  with  the 
Indians,  They  were  members  of  the  second 
train  to  reach  Oregon  via  Shasta,  Butte  and 
the  Rogue  river.  When  they  started  from 
Independence  a  Mr.  McGoon  was  made  cap- 
tain of  the  caravan  which  consisted  of  one 
hundred  wagons  and  many  cattle  and  horses. 
After  leaving  Fort  Hall  the  train  was  divided 
into  two  companies,  one  taking  the  northern 
route  via  the  Columbia  river.  This  portion 
of  the  caravan  which  included  the  Hudsons 
wintered  in  the  Willamette  valley  and  then 
went  to  California  in  1849,  at  the  time  of 
the  gold  discoveries  in  that  state,  reaching 
San  Francisco  and  journeying  from  that  city 
to  the  mines  on  the  American  river.  The 
father  of  our  subject  and  his  three  sons  re- 
mained in  that  section  until  April,  1850, 
when  they  traveled  by  vessel  up  to  the  Co- 
lumbia river  to  the  Clatsop  plains  where 
they  were  among  the  few  white  settlers  at 
tliat  lime.  Here  .John  Hudson  took  up  a 
donation  claim  of  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  and  operated  and  improved  it  as  well 
as  he  could  under  the  primitive  conditions 
for  one  year.  In  October,  1850,  Shadrach 
Hudson  and  one  of  his  brothers  drove  their 
cattle  to  the  Umpqua  valley  where  they 
were  later  joined  by  their  father  in  the 
operation  of  a  donation  claim  of  three  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres.  Later  Shadracli 
Hudson  took  up  another  claim  of  similar  size 
and  upon  the  combined  holdings  the  family- 
carried  on  stock-raising,  selling  their  cattle 
at  excellent  prices  for  beef  in  the  gold  fields. 
The  father  remained  upon  this  property  until 
his  death  which  occurred  in  1872  after  which 
the  claims  wei'e  sold  and  the  three  brothers 
located  near  Wilber  where  they  carried  on  an 
extensive    sheep-raising    enterprise    for    fivp 


SJIAUKAell    IllDSUN 


<<.ir\ 


^\ 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


039 


years,  disposing  of  their  liolilings  ;it  the  enJ 
of  that  time  ami  going  to  Coos  county.  In 
18T7  Shadraeh  liiidson  went  into  tlie  mining 
district  of  Curry  count}-  and  followed  min- 
ing in  that  section  until  ho  had  the  misfor- 
tune to  lose  his  arm,  as  a  result  of  tuber- 
culosis of  the  bone.  He  then  retired  from 
active  work  and  gave  his  mining  interests 
to  his  niece. 

He  lias  been  identified  with  mtich  of  the 
upbuilding  and  development  of  tlie  section 
in  which  he  resides  and  lias  borne  his  part 
in  the  Indian  wars.  He  enlisted  as  a  pri- 
vate in  1855.  in  Company  I,  Second  Kegiment 
Oregon  Jlounted  Volunteers  under  the  com- 
mand of  Captain  W.  W.  Chapman,  ancl  served 
during  the  entire  period  of  the  Rogue  River 
Indian  war  from  1855  to  1856.  He  is  now 
ill  the  eighty-second  year  of  his  age  and  is 
living  retired  in  the  Soldiers"  Home  at  Rose- 
burg.  He  can  look  back  upon  a  long  and 
constructively  active  life  spent  in  a  newly 
opened  country  and  identified  with  an  im- 
portant period  of  its  development.  He  has 
proven  himself  worthy  of  a  high  place  among 
the  band  of  pioneers  who  as  by  magic  wand 
transformed  wild  and  primitive  conditions 
into  civilization  and  a  great  and  prosperous 
commonwealth. 

E.  H.  CHEEVER  is  a  member  of  the  firm 
of  Cheever  &  Bowman,  general  hardware 
merchants,  of  Langlois,  and  has  built  up  an 
excellent  patronage  along  this  line  by  stead- 
ily adliering  to  upright  business  methods 
and  honorable  standards  of  activity.  He  was 
born  in  Vernon.  Oneida  county.  Xew  York, 
in  1858.  a  son  of  S.  W.  and  Caroline  E. 
Clieever.  likewise  natives  of  the  Empire 
state.  His  mother  died  in  that  state  and 
ir  1872  his  father  moved  to  Iowa,  settling 
in  Butler  county.  There  be  purchased  land 
and  cultivated  and  developed  his  farm  until 
his  death,  which  occurred  in  the  si.xty- 
seventb  year  of  his  age.  He  was  twice  mar- 
ried. By  his  first  union  he  had  three  chil- 
dren :  Frank  !M..  of  Iowa ;  George  H.  of 
Waterloo,  Iowa :  and  the  subject  of  this  re- 
view. He  and  his  second  wife  were  the  par- 
ents of  live  sons,  all  of  whom  are  still  liv- 
ing. 

E.  H.  Cheever  received  his  education  in 
tile  public  schools  of  Iowa  and  remained  at 
home  tintil  he  was  twenty-two  years  of  age. 
He  then  went  to  Charles  City.  Iowa,  and 
worked  for  two  years  upon  a  farm  befori' 
moving  to  .Minnesota,  where  he  worked  at 
carpentering  for  a  year  and  a  half.  At  the 
end  of  that  time  he  returned  to  Iowa  and 
spent  one  year  before  coming  to  Oregon. 
For  two  year.s  lie  worked  at  hl.s  trade  in 
Portland  and  then  came  to  Curry  county, 
where  he  engaged  in  carpentering  and  build- 
ing, following  both  lines  of  occupation  for 
some  time:  In  the  meanwhile,  however,  he 
had  proved  up  a  title  to  a  ranch  foiu'  miles 
from  Langlois  and  eventually  moved  upon 
liis  property,  which  lie  developed  and  iin- 
jiroved  for  seven  years.  He  still  owns  his 
farm  of  two  hundred  and  sixty-two  acres 
but  leaves  the  active  work  of  the  lields  to 
others.     When    he    abandoned    agriculture    he 


moved  into  the  village,  where  lie  established 
himself  in  the  general  merchandise  business 
and  after  a  sliort  time  sold  his  interests 
and  became  associated  with  J.  A.  Bowiiiaii 
in  the  conduct  of  a  hardware  and  implement 
store,  with  whicli  lie  has  been  connected 
since  that  time.  He  has  made  a  comfortable 
fortune  which  he  lias  invested  judiciously  in 
local  enterprises,  owning  a  line  home  set  in 
the  midst  of  two  acres  of  land  in  Langlois, 
and  also  a  tract  of  twenty-two  acres  adjoin- 
ing  the  town  site. 

On  April  1st,  1889,  Mr.  Cheever  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Russell,  a 
native  of  Shelbyville.  Tennessee,  and  a 
daughter  of  .lames  P.  Russell,  an  early  set- 
tler of  Oregon.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clieever 
has  been  born  one  daughter,  Ethel,  whose 
birth  occurred  March  29,  1891,  and  wlio  is 
now  the  wife  of  Clyde  Corrick,  connected 
with  the  city  railroad  in  Portland.  Mrs. 
Corrick  is  a  graduate  of  the  Albany  Con- 
servatory of  Music  and  is  an  excellent  musi- 
cian. 

Jlr.  Cheever  gives  his  allegiance  to  the 
republican  party  but  never  seeks  public  of- 
fice. He  is  a  member  of  the  Woodmen  of 
the  World  and  belongs  to  the  Presbj'terian 
church.  He  is  actively  and  intelligently  in- 
terested in  the  welfare  of  the  section  which 
has  been  his  home  for  many  years.  He  is 
regarded  as  one  of  the  most  representative 
citizens  of  Langlois  and  his  industry,  in- 
telligent activity  and  high  personal  stand- 
ards have  brought  him  prosperity  in  Imsi- 
ness  and  won  many  friends. 

JOHN  R.  MILLER  is  conducting  the  larg- 
est general  merchandise  store  in  Port  Or- 
ford  and  has  been  the  proprietor  of  this  es- 
tablishment since  1902.  He  has  gained  jiros- 
perity  in  a  short  time  by  hard  work  and 
jjersistent  attentioil  to  business  and  is  num- 
bered among  the  valued  and  representative 
business  men  of  his  section.  A  native  son 
of  Oregon,  Mr.  MiUer  was  born  nt  Waldo 
Hills.  Marion  countv.  April  30,  1804.  a  son 
of  W.  C.  and  Perme'lia  A.  Miller.  His  father 
was  born  in  Ohio  and  crossed  the  ]ilains  with 
o.x  teams  to  Oregon  in  1847,  among  the  early 
settlers  in  the  state.  The  motlier  was  a 
native  of  Missouri  and  also  came  overland 
with  ox  teams  in  1850.  She  began  the  jour- 
ney in  coiujiany  with  her  parents  but  her 
father  and  two  sisters  died  upon  the  way. 
The  parents  of  our  subject  were  married  in 
Marion  county  and  there  the  father  took  up 
a  donation  claim,  njion  which  he  lived  until 
1809.  when  he  moved  to  Curry  county  and 
settled  on  the  Rogue  river,  where  fiold 
Beach  now  stands.  Here  he  also  took  up 
land  and  carried  on  extensive  stock-raising, 
breeding  high-grade  sheep  and  cattle  and 
owning  at  one  time  three  thousand  head  of 
stock.  He  lived  upon  this  property  until 
his  death,  which  occurred  on  .A.pril  8,  1892. 
His  wife  survived  him  until  1897.  In  their 
laniily  were  six  children,  four  of  whom  are 
living:  .Vlfred.  who  is  operating  his  father's 
homestead  on  the  Rogue  river;  .lohn  R..  of 
this  review;  Eva  M..  of  Roseburg:  and  ICIva 
A.,  the  wife  of  R.  H.  C.  Wood,  of  Roseburg. 


640 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


John  R.  Jliller  received  his  early  ciUKatioii 
ill  the  public  schools  of  Curry  county  and 
supplemented  this  by  a  course  in  a  business 
college  in  Benton  county.  Wlien  he  was 
nineteen  years  of  age  he  began  to  earn  his 
own  livelihood,  working  upon  the  neighbor- 
ing farms  until  1892,  when  he  took  charge 
of  his  father's  ranch  and  continued  to  man- 
age it  for  five  years.  At  the  end  of  that 
time  he  bought  a  stock  of  general  merchan- 
dise and  went  into  business  at  Port  Orford, 
locating  in  this  city  in  1898.  Two  years 
later  he  disposed  of  his  business  and  ^^"ent 
to  Dawson.  Alaska,  where  he  furnished  sup- 
plies to  the  miners.  In  1904  he  returned  to 
Port  Orford  and  bought  a  fine  store  which 
he  stocked  with  complete  and  up-to-date 
lines  of  goods  and  he  now  operates  one  of  the 
largest  general  merchandise  establishments 
in  the  city.  His  stock  is  neatly  and  taste- 
fully arranged  and  a  constantly  increasing 
patronage  is  evidence  of  his  success  and  is 
the  result  of  his  long  experience  and  his 
business  ability.  He  has  built  up  in  Port 
Orford  a  modern,  growing  and  intelligently 
operated  enterprise  anil  has  achieved  his  pros- 
perity by  hard  work  and  straightforward 
metliods. 

John  E.  ililler  has  been  twice  married. 
In  1893  he  wedded  Jliss  Addie  L.  Burrow,  a 
native  of  Tennessee,  and  they  had  one  daugh- 
ter, Anita,  who  died  when  she  was  three 
years  of  age.  5Ir.  Miller's  first  wife  passed 
away  in  1898  and  in  1902  he  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Belle  I.  Xordberg.  a  na- 
tive of  Port  Orford  and  a  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam and  TiUcinda  !Nor<lberg.  The  father 
came  to  Oregon  in  the  early  '50s  and  the 
mother  was  a  native  of  this  state.  In  their 
family  were  three  children:  Franz  and  Mrs. 
Wright,  both  of  whom  reside  in  Port  Or- 
ford;   and   Belle   I.,  the   wife   of   our   subject. 

Jlr.  Miller  gives  his  allegiance  to  the  re- 
jiublican  part.y  but  has  never  sought  public 
office.  He  is  well  known  in  the  affairs  of 
the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  holding  mem- 
bership in  the  camp  at  Port  Orford.  He  is 
one  of  the  leading  business  men  of  the  city, 
active  in  promoting  his  own  and  general 
prosperity  and  at  the  same  time  mindful  of 
his  obligations  as  a  citizen.  The  enterprise 
which  he  established  he  has  made  successful 
by  seizing  any  opportunity  for  advancement 
and  by  adhering  faithfully  to  high  standards 
of   commercial   honor. 

ALFRED  OLSON  is  living  retired  in  Port 
Orford  and  resting  after  a  useful  and  event- 
ful life  spent  in  different  occupations  and 
in  various  countries.  His  residence  in  Curry 
county  dates  from  1877  and  for  eight  years 
he  was  active  in  the  operation  of  a  fine 
ranch  of  two  hundred  and  thirty  acres  in  this 
section.  He  has  however,  definitely  aban- 
doned agricultural  pursuits  and  is  enjoying 
the  rest  which  he  earned  by  diligence  and  in- 
dustry. He  was  born  in  Norway,  in  1833. 
ai:d  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
that  country.  In  18.5G  he  came  to  America 
and  settled  first  in  New  York  where  he  lived 
for  a  short  time.  He  was  a  sailor  and  had 
followed  the  seas  for  two  years  while  a   res- 


ident of  Norway  and  after  he  came  to  Amer- 
ica sailed  out  of  New  York  to  various  Euro- 
pean ports  for  some  time.  He  later  went  to 
London  and  after  a  short  period  of  residence 
in  that  city  pushed  on  to  New  Zealand  where 
he  mined  for  gold  for  three  years.  He  next 
journeyed  to  Chile,  South  America,  with  the 
intention  of  working  in  the  gold  mines  of 
that  country  but  was  prevented  by  Indian 
interference  and  he  returned  to  America,  set- 
tling in  San  Francisco  where  for  some  time 
he  worked  in  a  lumberyard.  He  was  en- 
gaged in  lumbering  in  the  Redwood  sec- 
tion of  ^lendocino  county,  California,  for 
.■-several  years  and  then  came  to  Port  Orford 
in  187?.  Here  he  continued  in  the  lumber 
business  working  as  foreman  in  a  logging 
camp  until  1900,  when  he  purchased  a  ranch 
of  two  hundred  and  thirty  acres  which  he 
operated  and  developed  until  1908  when  he 
moved  to  Port  Orford  and  retired.  He  has 
since  sold  his  ranch  and  has  invested  ex- 
tensively in  property  in  Port  Orford  where 
he  owns  a  beautiful  and  comfortable  home. 
Mr.  Olson  gives  his  allegiance  to  the  re- 
juiblican  ])arty  but  is  not  an  office  seeker. 
An  eventful  life  has  broadened  his  outlook 
and  increased  his  interests  without  detract- 
ing in  any  way  from  his  loyalty  to  his 
adopted  country.  He  is  giving  his  entire 
time  to  the  supervision  and  management  of 
his  property  in  Port  Orford  and  has  many 
friends    in   this   section. 

ERIK  ARNESON  is  cultivating  one  hun- 
dred and  forty-two  acres  comprising  one  of 
the  most  highly  developed  and  improved 
ranches  in  Coos  county.  He  is  a  native  of 
Norway,  in  which  country  his  parents  Arne 
and  Ingburg  (Erickson)  Arneson  were  also 
born,  his  natal  day  being  August  15.  1851. 
He  is  the  eldest  of  nine  children  born  to  his 
parents.  The  others  are:  Annie,  who  passed 
away  leaving  one  son;  Carrie,  the  wife  of 
Park  Adams  of  Vancouver,  AVashington: 
Andrew,  also  deceased;  Lena,  the  widow  of 
Captain  Antone  Nelson  of  Seattle.  Washing- 
ton, by  whom  she  has  two  childen:  Elisa, 
v>lio  has  passed  away;  .Julia,  the  widow  of 
Thomas  Clark  of  Sacramento.  California,  and 
tile  mother  of  two  children;  Ida.  who  has 
been  stenographer  for  vSenator  Bourn  of 
I'ortland.  Oregon,  for  twenty  years;  and 
Louis,  who  is  receiver  for  the  t'nited  States 
Land  Office  of  The  Dalles.  Oregon,  and  the 
father  of   two  children. 

Mr.  Arneson  was  reared  on  the  homestead 
farm  and  received  his  education  in  the  pub- 
lic scliools.  He  came  to  America  in  ISfiO 
with  his  parents,  and  lived  at  home  until 
he  was  twenty-seven.  He  was  then  mar- 
ried and  took  up  a  homestead  claim  of  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  Nebra.ska.  which 
he  began  to  improve  and  cultivate.  In 
1882  he  removed  to  Colorado  Springs,  where 
for  five  months  he  engaged  in  teaming,  haul- 
ing railroad  ties  from  one  settlement  to 
another,  and  in  August  of  that  year  con- 
tinued his  iourney  to  San  Francisco  by  rail, 
thence  to  Portland  by  boat,  arriving  in  the 
latter  city.  Seiitember  2.  1883.  For  a  short 
time    he    worked    in    a    blacksmith    shop    and 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OKEUON 


(341 


latiT  was  engaged  in  eonstruetion  work  on 
the  Soutliern  I'acilie  railway,  but  alter  live 
montlis  removed  to  Fairview  and  opened  a 
blacksmith  shop,  building  up  a  prosperous 
business.  He  also  owned  his  own  home 
which  was  one  of  the  commodious  and  com- 
fortable buildings  in  Fairview.  After  eight 
years  he  sold  his  shop  and  rented  a  ranch, 
where  he  carried  on  general  farming,  spe- 
cializing in  <iKiry  work.  He  milked  one  hun- 
dred and  lifty  cows  and  had  one  of  the  most 
nourishing  and  prosperous  enterprises  of  its 
kind  in  the  vicinity  of  Fairview.  Mr.  Arne- 
son  operateil  his  dairy  in  conjunction  with 
his  ranch  for  three  and  one  half  years  and 
at  the  end  of  that  time  moved  to  Clark 
county.  Washington,  where  he  purchased 
land  and  engaged  in  general  agriculture  and 
dairying  for  two  years.  When  he  returned 
to  Fairview  he  bought  his  brother's  land  and 
directed  his  energies  to  looking  after  the 
comfort  of  his  mother  and  father  who  had 
then  reached  an  advanced  age.  After  one 
year  he  purchased  the  farm  near  Myrtle 
I'oint.  where  he  now  lives.  Mr.  Arneson 
lived  continuously  for  eighteen  years  in  Coos 
county,  with  the  e-xception  of  fovu'  years 
which  he  spent  in  blacksmithing  and  gold 
mining  in  Kepublic.  Washington.  His  fam- 
ily, however,  remained  ujion  the  Oregon  ranch 
during  this  period.  He  has  cleared  and  im- 
j.roved  his  acres  and  his  is  now  one  of  the 
model  farms  near  Myrtle  Point.  He  has  al- 
\\ays  been  progressive  and  broad  minded. 
He  bought  the  first  traction  engine  ever 
ojierated  in  Coos  county  and  all  his  activ- 
ities are  carried  on  along  modcrnly  scientilic 
principles.  He  is  engaged  in  general  farm- 
ing and  also  operated  for  some  years  a  saw- 
mill upon  his  holdings.  The  lumber  which 
he  cut  he  sold  in  the  markets  of  the  state 
and  the  income  thus  derived  was  a,  valuable 
addition  to  his  resources.  He  has.  however, 
disposed  of  his  mill  and  now  devotes  his 
time  to  general  agriculture.  He  has  sold 
parts  of  his  rancli  at  dill'erent  times  and  his 
present  holdings  comprise  one  hundred  and 
twenty  three  acres  of  the  finest  land  in  Coos 
county  and  ninteen  acres  of  river  bottom 
land  which  he  has  also  improved  and  de- 
veloped. 

On  March  24.  1878,  in  Webster  county. 
Xebraska,  Mr.  Arneson  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  ilary  Alice  Brockman.  a  na- 
tive of  Iowa.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Chesley 
and  Rizpali  (Lucorel  Brockman.  the  former 
born  in  Indiana,  and  the  later  in  Iowa. 
^Ir.  and  ills.  Brockman  were  early  settlers 
in  the  latter  state  and  were  prominently  con- 
nected with  its  development.  They'  were 
the  parents  of  eleven  children:  Rufvis,  who 
[lassed  away,  leaving  two  children:  Chesley 
X..  of  Reed  Island.  British  Columbia,  who 
i.-  married  and  has  f(nir  children:  ifary 
.\lice,  the  wife  of  our  subj<>ct:  Charles  F,.. 
deceased:  Jfahala.  who  married  Xoali  White 
of  Colorado,  by  whom  she  has  ten  children: 
■William  S..  who  lives  with  his  wife  and  three 
children  in  Reed  Island,  British  Columbia ; 
•Tames  A.,  who  is  a  resident  of  Coquille. 
Oregon,  and  the  father  of  one  child;  and 
I'lauile.  Isadore.  Sarah   A.,  and  Carrie  A.,  all 


c,i  whom  have  passed  away.  Cnto  .Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Arneson  have  been  born  live  children: 
Etta  May.  who  died  in  infancy;  Ira  Em- 
manuel, born  .lune  :>:i.  1S81,  who  is  now  in 
partnersiiip  with  his  father  in  the  conduct 
of  the  home  farm:  .\rtlmr  .Marble,  born 
February  10,  1881.  who  attended  the  agri- 
cultural college  at  Corvallis.  Oregon,  and  is 
now  assisting  with  the  work  of  the  home  ■ 
farm  and  also  active  as  a  steam  engineer; 
William  Cecil,  born  December  I'J,  1887.  who 
follows  the  timber  business  in  British  Colum- 
bia: and  Ella  May,  born  .lanuary  31,  1894. 
whose  death  occurred  when  she  was  fifteen 
\ears  of  age. 

In  his  political  alliliations  Mr.  .\rneson  is 
a  republican  and  takes  an  interest  in  public 
atfairs.  He  does  not  seek  office,  however, 
and  has  never  held  any  public  position  since 
he  took  ui>  his  residence  in  Oregon,  but  while 
living  in  Xebraska  he  served  as  postmaster 
of  his  city.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Grang- 
ers and  prominent  in  the  Masonic  Order, 
and  is  also  alliliated  with  the  Farmers'  Union, 
ri-ogressive  ideas  and  an  open  and  liberal 
mind,  combined  with  personal  experience  in 
agricultural  details  are  the  basis  of  his  suc- 
cess, and  he  is  a  valuable  addition  to  this 
community. 

WILLIAM  BYRON  BARNES,  living  in 
Klamatli  Falls,  has  been  active  in  political 
and  fraternal  circles  as  well  as  in  business 
aflFairs.  .At  one  time  he  was  quite  extensively 
engaged  in  stock-raising  and  is  still  the 
owner  of  valuable  timlier  claims  in  the  state. 
At  the  present  writing  he  is  serving  for 
the  second  term  as  sheriff  of  the  county,  his 
reelection  being  proof  of  the  confidence  re- 
posed in  him  and  of  the  excellent  record  which 
he  made  as  an  official  during  his  first  term. 
He  was  born  in  Bridgeport.  Mono  county, 
California,  May  14.  1865.  his  parents  being 
.Tames  .\.  and  Mary  .J.  (Patterson)  Barnes, 
both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Ohio.  They 
were  reared  and  married  in  Birmingham, 
Iowa,  and  in  18ii2  came  to  California,  cross- 
ing the  plains  with  horse  teams.  The  father 
died  in  Modoc  county.  California,  in  1898. 
when  about  fifty-six  years  of  age.  his  birth 
having  occurred  in  1842.  The  mother  resides 
with  her  son  Hiram  at  Kclscyville.  I.ake 
county.  California.  The  father  had  fann- 
ing interests  in  Jlodbc  county  at  the  time  of 
his  death.  In  early  days  he  was  a  freighter 
and  engaged  in  teaming  for  many  years.  In 
his  family  were  five  children:  Hiram,  of  Kel- 
seyville;  Frank,  of  Summer  Lake.  Oregon; 
William  Byron;  Marion,  living  in  Lakevicw, 
Oregon:   and   Emma,  who  died  in  May.   1891. 

William  B.  Barnes  was  reared  in  Bridgeport 
to  the  age  of  nineteen  years,  when  the  family 
removed  to  Modoc  county.  Later  he  went  to 
Summer  Lake  and  there  engaged  in  the  stock- 
raising  business  until  he  came  to  Klamath 
Falls  in  1904.  Here  he  conilucted  the  -Vmeri- 
can  Hotel  until  about  1908.  when  he  was 
elected  sheriff  of  the  county,  in  which  )>osi- 
tion  he  is  now  serving  for  the  second  term. 
He  has  always  voted  with  the  re))iiblican 
party  and  has  filled  a  number  of  local  otiices. 
also  taking  an  active  ])art   in   the  orgnniza- 


642 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


tion  wcirk  of  tlie  party.  For  two  years  he 
served  as  assessor  of  Lake  county,  Oregon, 
and  lor  two  years  was  deputy  slieritV  oi 
Modou  county,  California.  He  has  frequently 
been  a  delegate  to  party  conventions  and 
lias  served  repeatedly  on  election  boards. 
While  he  has  disposed  of  his  large  ranch  in 
Lake  county  he  still  owns  timber  claims 
but  devotes  the  greater  part  of  his  time  and 
attention   to   his   official   duties. 

In  ISSS  ilr.  Barnes  was  married  to  Miss 
Tilly  McDowell,  a  native  of  Missouri,  who 
was  reared  in  Oregon  and  California  and  is 
a  daughter  of  Mrs.  Flavia  McDowell,  who  has 
been  postmistress  at  Summer  Lake  for  many 
years.  The  four  children  of  this  marriage 
are:  Jlariou.  who  is  acting  as  deputy  sher- 
iff; Golda,  the  wife  of  Vernon  Houston,  of 
Klamath  Falls;  Hazel,  who  is  in  the  sherifi"s 
office;   and  Zeddie. 

Mr.  Barnes  is  a  self-made  man.  He  had 
little  opportunitj-  for  acquiring  an  education 
and  whatever  he  has  won  or  enjoyed  in  life 
has  been  the  result  of  his  own  efforts.  In 
the  early  days  he  engaged  in  teaming  from 
Lakeview,  Oregon,  to  Redding,  California, 
for  four  or  five  years  and  also  in  logging  in 
Shasta  county,  California,  with  a  twelve 
horse  team  for  one  season  before  he  went 
into  the  cattle  business.  The  necessity  of 
providing  for  his  own  support  and  earning 
his  living  wherever  he  could  lind  the  oppor- 
tunity prevented  him  from  having  a  home 
until  after  his  marriage.  This  brought  him 
into  contact  with  many  rough  characters  and 
the  knowledge  which  he  gained  in  that  class 
of  service  proved  valuable  to  him  in  the  dis- 
charge of  his  duties  as  sheriff.  He  has  made 
an  excellent  record  in  office  especially  in  the 
capture  of  cattle  and  horse  thieves  whom 
lie  has  followed  as  far  east  as  the  Missouri 
river,  bringing  to  punishment  various  men 
of  this  class  who  had  been  stealing  in  the 
northwest  for  twenty  years.  His  work  in 
this  connection  has  been  valuable  to  the 
community  and  his  record  as  sheriff  is  one 
well  worthy  of  praise. 

COLONEL  RALPH  H.  ROSA.  No  history 
of  Coos  count}'  would  be  complete  without 
a  mention  of  Colonel  Ralph  H.  Rosa,  who  is 
not  only  the  oldest  living  settler  in  Bandon, 
but  also  one  of  the  foremost  figures  in  the 
industrial  and  business  life  of  the  city  and 
in  republican  politics  of  the  county  and 
state.  For  over  forty  years  he  has  been  one 
of  the  greatest  individual  forces  in  the  up- 
building and  progress  of  Coos  county  and 
his  energies  have  been  directed  along  pro- 
gressive lines  of  expansion  and  organization. 
Although  he  is  living  retired  he  retains  his 
business  interests  and  is  a  factor  in  direct- 
ing the  management  and  controlling  the  pol- 
icy of  most  of  the  important  interests  of 
Bandon,  while  his  extensive  lioldings  in  farm 
lands  make  him  well  known  and  prominent 
in  agricultural  circles.  He  was  born  in 
Cayuga  county.  New  York,  and  is  a  son  of 
George  W.  and  Lydia  (Hanette)  Rosa,  the 
former  a  native  of  New  York  and  the  latter 
of  England.  Colonel  Rosa  is  one  of  a  family 
of   six    children,    three   of   whom    are   living: 


Kate,  who  married  J.  S.  Long,  of  Los  An- 
geles. California;  Frank  G.,  of  Loa  Angeles; 
and  Ralph  H.  Rosa. 

Colonel  Rosa  remained  in  New  York  until 
after  the  death  of  his  father  in  1853  in 
which  year  the  family  moved  to  Michigan. 
Here  he  remained  with  his  mother  for  ten 
years  and  in  ISGo  offered  his  services  to  the 
L'nited  States  government  in  defense  of  the 
Union.  He  saw  one  j'ear  of  active  service 
and  was  honorably  discharged  in  1S64.  He 
thus  acquired  a  taste  for  military  life  and 
after  he  came  to  Oregon  enlisted  in  the 
National  Guard,  serving  as  lieutenant  colonel 
of  the  third  regiment.  He  has  resigned  the 
position  but  still  retains  his  title  bj'  which 
he   is  familiarly  known  to  his  many  friends. 

After  he  was  mustered  out  of  the  Federal 
army  Colonel  Rosa  \\ent  to  Nebraska  where 
for  two  years  he  was  engaged  in  building 
telegraph  lines.  In  1867  he  came  west  to 
California  and  followed  the  same  line  ot 
occupation  in  that  state  until  1870  in  whicli 
year  he  came  to  Oregon.  He  settled  imme- 
diately in  Marshlield,  Coos  coiuity,  and  took 
up  a  preemption  claim  near  that  city  whicli 
he  improved  and  cultivated  for  four  years, 
removing  to  the  Coquille  river  in  187-i  and 
settling  at  Randolph  where  for  nine  years 
he  was  emploj'ed  in  a  prosperous  general 
mercliandise  store.  Wlien  he  left  this  estab- 
lishment he  came  to  Bandon  and  erected  a 
sawmill  two  miles  south  of  the  city  and 
bouglit  timber  land  from  which  he  supplied 
his  mill,  operating  it  until  1911  when  he 
retired.  During  the  course  of  his  active  life 
he  has  invested  extensively  in  Oregon  land 
and  now  owns  upward  of  two  thousand  acres, 
on  three  hundred  of  which  the  timber  re- 
mains. He  is  also  interested  in  a  large 
mercantile  enterprise  in  Bandon,  is  a  stock- 
holder in  the  First  National  Bank  of  that 
city,  and  a  director  in  the  Bank  of  Bandon. 
He  owns  the  centra!  warehouse  and  is  inter- 
ested in  the  Bandon  woolen  mills  and  the 
local  electric  light  plant,  besides  a  large  and 
modernly  equipped  creamery.  His  home  is 
one  of  the  pleasant  residences  in  Coos  coun- 
ty and  Colonel  Rosa  makes  it  a  hospitable 
meeting  place  for  his  many  friends.  He 
owns  much  residence  propertj^  in  Bandon  and 
invests  in  local  enterprises,  having  firm  faith 
in  the  ascendant  prosperity  of  Oregon. 

Colonel  Rosa  married  Miss  lola  Lowe,  who 
was  born  in  Coos  county,  a  daughter  of  Y'. 
M.  and  Mary  (Slayback)  Lowe,  early  settlers 
of  this  section  of  the  state.  Colonel  and 
Mrs.  Rosa  have  four  children:  Florence  A., 
the  wife  of  A.  G.  Thrift,  of  Bandon,  by  whom 
she  has  two  children;  Lloyd  L.,  who  is  en- 
gaged in  the  lumber  business  and  who  owns 
an  interest  in  the  Crain  Timber  Company, 
of  Coos  county;  L.  Kate,  who  is  a  graduate 
of  Albany  College,  and  is  engaged  in  school 
teaching;  and  Archie  H„  who  is  a  pupil  in 
the  high   school. 

In  fraternal  circles  Colonel  Rosa  is  active 
and  widely  known.  He  belongs  to  the  Order 
of  Elks  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  is 
one  of  the  most  prominent  Masons  in  Coos 
county.  By  virtue  of  his  service  in  the  Fed- 
eral army  he  holds  membership  in  the  Graml 


COLONEL  R^VLPH  H.  ROSA 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTOKY  OF  OREGON 


645 


Army  ot  the  Keimblie  and  his  interest  in 
the  affairs  ot  this  organization  has  never 
lessened  iu  the  course  of  years.  He  gives 
his  allegiance  to  the  republican  party,  his 
interest  in  education  leading  him  to  pay 
special  attention  to  the  cause  of  school  ex- 
pansion along  progressive  lines.  In  1876 
he  was  chosen  by  his  fellow  citizens  to  repre- 
.sent  them  in  the  Oregon  legislature  and  his 
work  in  that  otHce  fully  justified  their  choice. 
He  showed  himself  a  true  public  servant, 
forceful,  shrewd,  and  able,  with  a  discrim- 
inating judgment  and  unselfish  consid- 
eration for  the  wishes  of  his  constituents. 
In  this  relation  as  in  all  others  he  proved 
capable  of  maiuiging  and  directing  important 
afl'airs.  His  life  has  been  valuable  and 
worthy  as  lie  has  constantly  been  identified 
with  lasting  and  useful  work. 

FRED  ASSENHEIMER  has  at  various 
times  been  |)ioniinently  identified  with  some 
of  the  representative  enterprises  of  Gardi- 
ner, Oregon,  and  is  at  present  a  foremost 
figure  in  the  affairs  of  the  large  business  cor- 
porations of  the  city.  He  is  a  native  of 
Germany,  born  in  Wurtemberg,  November 
26,  1870.  He  is  a  son  of  Christian  and  Caro- 
line (Carle i  Assenheinier.  who  were  reared 
and  married  in  the  fatherland.  Christian 
Assenlieimer  was  a  successful  wine-maker 
and  operated  one  of  the  largest  vineyards 
in  his  native  section.  In  connection  with 
his  grape  culture  he  owned  a  wagon-mak- 
ing shop,  which  was  a  profitable  source  of  in- 
come until  his  death  in  1908.  His  wife  is 
still   living  and  resides   in  Wurtemberg. 

Fred  Assenlieimer  pursued  his  studies  in 
the  public  schools  of  Germany  until  he  was 
seventeen  years  of  age.  In  1889  he  sailed 
for  America,  landing  in  New  York  city  on 
the  17th  of  Marcli.  of  that  year.  After 
spending  two  weeks  in  that  city  and  one 
week  in  Buffalo  he  continued  his  journey 
westward,  locating  in  Milwaukee.  Wisconsin, 
\(hich  was  his  diosen  destination  when  ho 
left  Germany.  He  had  learned  the  carriage 
and  wagon-making  trade  under  his  father's 
supervision  in  his  native  country  and  fol- 
lowed this  liiii'  of  occupation  upon  his  ar- 
rival in  Milwaukee.  He  worked  in  the  shop 
maintained  by  tlie  Milwaukee  Fire  Depart- 
ment- for  one  year,  at  the  end  of  which 
time  he  accepted  a  position  in  a  wholesale 
li<luor  house,  where  he  spent  ten  years.  He 
A>as  hanijiered  in  the  first  years  of  his  res- 
idence in  America  by  his  lack  of  knowledge 
of  the  Knglish  language  and  in  order  to  over- 
come this  dilliculty  attended  the  night  school, 
conducted  in  connection  with  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association,  until  he  be- 
came thoroughly  conversant  with  the  cus- 
toms and  language  of  America.  In  1000  he 
accepted  employment  as  eheeker  in  the  freight 
office  of  the  Chicago  and  Xorthwestern  Rail- 
road, where  lie  remained  for  four  years.  In 
1904  he  lanie  fo  the  northwest  locating  in 
Koseburg.  Oregon,  where  he  remained  for  a 
short  time.  While  there  he  made  judicious 
investments  in  timber  lands  on  the  Coquille 
river  and  also  b(niL'ht  extensive  tracts  on 
tlie  banks  of   the  XTnipqua  and  Smith   rivers. 


In  the  same  year  lie  took  up  a  homestead 
claim  ten  miles  up  the  Smith  river  from 
Gardinet  and  maintained  his  residence  there- 
on  until   he  had  jiroved  upon   the   land. 

In  1909  he  removed  to  Gardiner  and  has 
since  been  an  influential  factor  in  the  busi- 
ness life  of  the  town.  Soon  after  he  located 
in  this  city  he  bought  a  confectionery  busi- 
ness which  he  conducted  with  .success  for  a 
year  and  a  half.  At  the  end  of  that  time 
be  disposed  of  his  enterprise  and  [lurchased 
the  Gardiner  Hotel,  which  he  conducted  for 
one-  year  and  then  sold.  He  repurchased 
liis  confectionery  business,  which  he  is  con- 
ducting in  the  building  which  he  purchased 
upon  coming  to  Gardiner.  This  is  only  one 
of  the  many  enterprises  with  which  Mr.  As- 
senlieimer is  identified.  He  has  been  a  prom- 
inent figure  in  the  business  life  of  Gardiner 
since  he  took  up  his  residence  here  and  his 
work  has  been  carried  on  along  progressive 
lines  of  commercial  development.  He  is  one 
of  the  stockholders  in  the  Xew  Gardiner 
Hotel  and  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 
Umpqua  Co-operative  Packing  Company,  of 
Aihich  he  is  treasurer.  He  is  also  a  director 
of  the  company  which  built  the  Gardiner 
Hotel.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the 
White  City  Camp,  Woodmen  of  the  World. 
Judged  by  the  standards  of  his  time  Mr. 
Assenlieimer  is  a  prosperous  man  and  may 
be  ranked  as  a  man  of  sound  mind,  kindly 
heart  and   Iiroad   intelligence. 

WILLIS  T.  WHITE  is  living  in  Port  Or- 
ford  wliere  he  is  active  and  prominent  in 
different  circles.  During  the  thirty-six  years 
of  his  residence  his  attention  has  been  given 
principally  to  agricultural  pursuits  and  he 
has  at  different  times  owned  and  operated 
some  of  the  most  valuable  ranches  in  the 
state.  He  has  made  many  removals  each  of 
which  has  advanced  his  interests  materially 
and  he  is  todaj'  one  of  the  prosperous  and 
deservedly  successful  citizens  of  Curry  coun- 
ty. He  was  born  in  Belfast,  Maine,  in  1847, 
a  son  of  James  and  Lydia  S.  White,  the 
former  a  native  of  New  Hampshire  and  the 
latter  of  Maine.  In  this  state  their  marriage 
occurred  and  they  lived  in  Belfast  for  forty 
years,  the  father  practicing  law  and  also 
engaging  in  the  real-estate  business.  Both 
died  in  that  city,  the  mother  in  1853  and 
the  father  on  December  25,  1870. 

Willis  T.  White  received  his  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  his  native  section  and 
laid  aside  his  books  when  he  was  eighteen 
rears  of  age  in  order  to  learn  the  tanner's 
trade  which  he  fidlowed  until  he  was  twenty- 
four.  In  1871  he  came  to  California  and  later 
to  Oregon,  settling  in  Curry  county  in  the 
same  year.  However,  he  spent  all  the  Avin- 
ters  between  1S71  and  1876  in  California, 
definitely  locating  in  Curry  county  in  the 
latter  year.  Here  he  worked  at  lumbering 
and  atvarious  other  occupations  until  1883 
when  he  took  up  a  preemption  claim  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  on  the  Rogue  river 
which  he  improved  and  operated  for  ten 
months  and  when  he  had  eoinpleted  his  pay- 
ments took  ii|>  a  homestead,  adjoining,  of  one 


646 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


liuiulix'il  and  sixty  acres.  After  resiiling 
upon  this  i)roperty  for  eigliteen  montlis  he 
commuted  it  and  purchased  three  hundred 
adjoining  acres.  his  combined  lioldings 
amounting  at  this  time  to  six  hundred  and 
twenty  acres.  To  this  he  gradually  added, 
buying  first  three  hundred  aiul  twenty  acres 
and  tlien  forty,  and  owning  altogether  nine 
hundred  and  forty  acres  in  one  tract.  Tliree 
years  later  he  sold  all  of  this  property 
and  bought  a  ranch  at  tlie  head  of  the  I'istol 
river,  four  miles  from  any  neighbors  and 
upon  this  he  lived  for  three  years,  imiirov- 
ing  and  cultivating  it  along  the  most  modem 
and  progressive  lines.  Eventually,  however, 
he  sold  this  ranch  and  moved  to  the  coast 
where  he  lived  two  years,  finally  returning 
and  buying  a  farm  of  seven  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  on  the  Clietco  river  upon  wliich  he 
resided  for  four  years,  \\lien  he  sold  this 
property  lie  came  to  the  Rogue  river  where 
he  leased  a  large  ranch  ancl  for  two  years 
engaged  in  the  breeding  and  raising  of  high- 
grade  stock.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he 
leased  land  on  the  Carey  range  a  portion  of 
which  he  afterward  bought  and  u])on  which 
for  nine  years  he  handled  thoroughljred 
cattle  and  horses.  He  still  owns  this  prop- 
erty comprising  five  hundred  acres  of  valu- 
able land.  In  1912  he  left  his  farm  and 
came  to  Port  Orford  where  he  bought  a  com- 
fortable home  in  which  he  resides.  He  is 
active  and  prominent  in  local  affairs  and 
financially  interested  in  many  important 
])rojects.  holding  a  one-third  interest  in  the 
town  site  of  Port  Orford. 

In  18S2  Mr.  White  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  ilargaret  Curry,  who  was 
born  at  Marietta.  Ohio,  a  daughter  of  -James 
and  Frances  Curry,  natives  of  that  state, 
who  came  to  Oregon  in  ISTo  and  settled  in 
Curry  county  wliere  they  resided  for  the 
remainder  of  their  lives.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
White  were  born  six  children:  Eugene.  l)orn 
in  188.'!.  who  is  engaged  in  the  conduct  of 
his  father's  ranch,  and  who  married  Miss 
Ihirst.  by  whom  he  has  one  son.  .Tames  Carl: 
Willis,  born  in  1885.  who  is  a  stock  dealer, 
and  who  resides  at  home:  Violet,  who  was 
born  in  October,  18813.  and  became  the  wife 
of  .John  Fronim  of  Brusch  Creek.  Curry  comi- 
ty, by  whom  she  has  two  children.  Lex  and 
Clinton;  .Tames  Carl,  whose  birth  occurred  in 
1889,  and  who  lives  at  home:  Leland  L..  born 
in  1891.  who  resides  at  home;  and  Magnolia, 
born  in  1893.  who  also  resides  at  home.  All 
of  the  children  have  a  good  common-school 
education  and  ^Magnolia  has  a  business-college 
education. 

Jlr.  White  gives  his  allegiance  to  the  re- 
publican party  and  is  one  of  the  foremost 
figures  in  local  |)olitics.  He  served  for  two 
terms  as  assessor  of  Curry  county,  holding 
this  office  in  the  early  '80s.  For  twelve  years 
he  was  deputy  sheritT  and  enumerator  for  the 
lower  district  and  is  at  •  the  present  time 
president  of  the  commission  of  Port  Or- 
ford. He  holds  membership  in  the  Masonic 
order,  belonging  to  the  lodge  at  Lewys  Is- 
land. Princeton,  ilaine.  In  all  the  various 
relations  of  his  life  he  has  constantly  evi- 
denced  a   shrew<l  business  ability  which  con- 


tndled  and  directed  his  agricultural  labors 
and  by  constantly  adhering  to  a  progressive 
])olicy  he  has  become  one  of  the  wealthy  and 
prominent  men  of  Curry  comity. 

WILBERT    F.    PECK    has    the    distinction 

not  only  of  having  made  the  first  permanent 
:-ettlement  on  the  Smith  river  in  Douglas 
county,  but  also  of  having  maintained  a  con- 
tinuous residence  in  this  section  for  thirty- 
three  years.  His  home  is  live  or  six  miles 
uji  the  river  from  Gardiner,  where  he  is  cul- 
tivating and  developing  five  hundred  acres  of 
fertile  and  productive  land.  He  was  born  in 
Westfield,  ilarquette  county.  Wisconsin. 
March  8.  18.59.  and  is  a  son  of  Alexander  and 
Latn-a  (Cooper)  Peck,  the  former  a  native  of 
Xew  York  state  and  the  latter  of  Canada. 
The  father  as  a  yotnig  man  worked  in  the 
shipyards  at  the  Thousand  Islands  and  it  was 
while  thus  employed  that  he  met  and  mar- 
ried his  wife.  He  lived  in  Canada  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  removing  thence  to  Manjuette 
county.  Wisconsin,  where  he  bought  a  farm 
and  followed  agricultiu-e  and  carpentering  for 
a  number  of  years.  His  first  wife  died  when 
her  son.  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  still  in 
his  infancy  and  the  father  later  married  ^liss 
ilelissa   Brown. 

AVilbert  F.  Peck  was  reared  at  home  and 
acquired  a  limited  education  in  the  common 
schools  of  ilarquette  county.  As  early  as 
his  fourteenth  year  he  road  a  pony  mail  route. 
The  country  was  then  a  frontier  settlement 
and  the  population  was  largely  made  up  of 
Inilians.  His  work  was  attended  by  dangers 
and  hardships  incident  to  pioneer  conditions. 
From  his  fifteenth  year  he  worked  at  many 
ditt'erent  occupations,  varying  from  employ- 
ment in  the  lumber  woods  to  labor  in  the  har- 
vest fields.  He  was  endowed  with  a  capac- 
ity for  jiersevering  industry  and  a  power 
for  hard  work  which  are  the  qualities  upon 
which  he  has  founded  his  present  success. 

In  April  1S79.  when  he  was  twenty  years 
of  age.  ilr.  Peck  left  Wisconsin  and  went  to 
Oregon.  Arriving  in  Portland. 'he  remained 
there  only  a  few  days  and  then  came  to 
Douglas  county,  his  being  the  first  permanent 
settlement  on  the  Smith  river.  He  has  main- 
tained his  residence  in  this  district  and  has 
been  active  in  the  cultivation  and  develop- 
ment of  the  soil  for  thirty-three  consecutive 
years.  He  operates  almost  five  hundred  acres 
of  the  most  fertile  and  productive  land  in 
Douglas  county  and  carries  on  his  farming 
along  the  most  modern  and  scientific  prin- 
ciples. 

In  August.  1881.  Mr.  Peck  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Jliss  Anna  O'Brien,  a  native  of 
Canada,  and  a  daughter  of  Hugh  O'Brien. 
who  located  on  the  Smith  river  in  1880. 
and  [lassed  the  remaining  years  of  his  life 
in  that  vicinity.  To  Mr.  and  Jlr.s.  Peck  have 
been  born  five  children,  foiu'  of  whom  are 
still  living:  Laura,  the  wife  of  William  R. 
Dailey.  who  is  a  successful  farmer  on  the 
Smith  river:  Duane.  a  ranchman  with  prop- 
erty on  the  Smith  river:  and  Alpheus  and 
Roy  -T..  both  of  whom  are  still  at  home. 

In  his  political  affiliations  ilr.  Peck  is  inde- 
pendent.     He    is    a    member    of    the    Ancient 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


t)47 


Order  of  United  Workmen.  He  is  one  of  the 
progres!?ive  and  popular  men  ot  Douglas 
county  and  his  career  has  been  a  force  in 
its  upbuilding.  In  all  the  relations  of  his 
life  Mr.  Peck  shows  a  modern  spirit  and  a 
l)olicy  of  gradual  expansion  which  (jualities 
directed  toward  agriculture  have  made  him 
thriving  and  prosperous  as  a  western  rancher 
and  a  dominating  influence  in  the  develop- 
ment of  the  section  where  he  has  so  long 
resided. 

WILLIAM  N.  SAVAGE.  Among  the  men 
who  are  living  in  Salem,  JIarion  county,  who 
have  been  numbered  among  the  substantial 
farmers  and  representative  citizens  and  who 
have  achieved  success  and  surrounded  them- 
selves with  prosperity  by  their  own  exertions 
and  persevering  efforts  is  William  X.  Savage, 
whose  birth  occurred  in  .Jackson  county.  Mis- 
souri, on  the  16th  of  August,  1847.  JHis  in- 
dustry and  enterprise,  together  with  good 
management,  have  been  the  means  of  enabling 
liim  to  accpiire  considerable  acreage  of  good 
land,  which  lie  cultivated  for  many  years  be- 
fore he  entered  upon  the  dairy  business  and 
which  he  ke])t  under  such  a  state  of  fertility 
tliat  he  derived  bountiful  harvests.  His  par- 
ents were  Dr.  .John  JI.  and  .Jane  (Wait)  Sav- 
age, both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Kentucky, 
and  W'ho  resided  there  until  after  their  mar- 
riage, when  they  removed  to  Missouri.  In 
18.i0  they  left  'that  state  and  crossed  the 
I)lains,  coming  direct  to  Oregon  with  ox  teams. 
They  arrived  at  The  Dalles  on  the  10th  of 
October  and  from  that  town  came  down  the 
Columbia  river  on  a  raft  and  landed  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Sandy  river.  At  that  jilace 
they  camped  until  they  took  up  a  donation 
land  claim  of  six  hundred  and  forty  acres 
in  Marion  county.  After  receiving  this  claim 
Dr.  Savage  immediatel.v  began  clearing  the 
property  and  built  a  log  cabin,  which  he  cov- 
ered with  a  clapboard  roof  and  which  was 
their  home  for  several  j'cars.  His  death  oc- 
curred on  the  29th  of  .June.  18S8,  the  mother 
having  passed  away  in  1S75,  Dr.  Savage  was 
twice  married.  To  his  first  union  live  children 
were  born,  three  of  whom  survive.  To  tlie  sec- 
ond union  ten  children  were  born:  .lohn  and 
Cynthia  J.,  both  deceased;  William  N.,  who 
is  the  snbjei-t  of  this  review;  Frank;  Ben. 
who  is  a  physician  practicing  in  Kansas; 
Sarah,  who  is  living  in  California;  .Mary  .J., 
the  wife  of  Dr.  Charles  Bebee.  of  California; 
Albert,  who  is  residing  in  JIarion  county; 
Alice,  who  is  married  to  Dr.  E.  L.  Ketchum. 
a  resident  of  this  state,  and  Hiram,  deceased. 

After  completing  bis  studies  William  N. 
Savage  engaged  in  dail.v  farm  work,  assisting 
his  father  until  he  was  twenty-one  years  of 
age.  at  which  time  the  desire  to  earn  his 
own  livelihood  started  him  upon  an  inde- 
])endent  career.  For  the  two  following  years 
lie  was  employed  as  a  farm  hand  Init  at  (he 
end  of  that  time  he  rented  a  farm  for  two 
years  before  purchasing  one  hundred  and  six- 
ty acres  in  JIarion  county,  which  was  his 
home  for  fifteen  years.  Ho  added  every  im- 
provement which  might  contribute  to  the 
neatness  and  I'ertility  of  his  farm  and  made 
Muli   a   study  of  the  soil  as  to  I'liable  him  so 


to  adapt  his  croiis  as  to  reap  the  maximum 
yield  per  acre.  After  having  farmed  for 
fifteen  ,years  he  removed  to  Salem  and  en- 
gaged in  the  dairy  business,  which  he  con- 
ducted for  fifteen  years.  In  this  as  in  his 
agricultural  pursuits,  be  met  with  success, 
because  of  his  strict  attention  to  the  details 
of  his  business,  and  his  untiring  energy  and 
indefatigable  labor.  The  returns  from  this 
enter])rise  were  higlily  gratifying  and  en- 
abled liim  to  give  u|)  business  life  and  live 
retired.  He  has  built  a  verv  fine  and  com- 
modious residence  at  No.  lli:^:!  State  street, 
where  he  is  now  living.  He  still  owns  eighty 
acres  of  the  old  homestead  to  wliicb  lie  gives 
occasional    supervision. 

Jlr.  Savage  has  been  twice  married.  His 
first  union  oeurred  in  1872,  when  he  married 
Miss  Susan  E.  Kav,  whose  birth  occurred  in 
Linn  county,  on  the  6th  of  Jsovember.  18,"):!, 
her  parents  being  Louis  and  Jlary  llay, 
natives  of  Tennessee  who  came  to  Oregon  in 
185o.  To  Mr.  and  Jlrs.  Savage  twelve  chil- 
dren were  born:  Charles;  W.  W..  who  is  a 
resident  of  Portland;  Oliver  F..  who  is  liv- 
ing in  Oregon;  Louis  A.:  Bertha  E.;  Eva  .T.. 
who  is  teaching  school  and  residing  at  home; 
Edna,  who  is  the  wife  of  M.  Harding;  Roy 
JL,  who  is  living  at  home;  and  four  deceased, 
Mrs.  Savage's  death  occurred  on  the  11th  of 
December,  1892.  On  the  27th  of  October, 
1897,  'Sir.  Savage  was  again  married,  his 
second  union  being  with  Miss  Etta  Kelly,  a 
native  of  Jlinnesota.  In  agricultural  and 
business  |pursuits  Mr.  Savage  was  progressive, 
.vet  methodical,  and  was  ever  read.y  to  incor- 
porate in  his  undertakings  modern  ways  and 
means.  His  industrv  and  enterprise  have  not 
only  enabled  him  to  attain  prosperity  but 
have  won  him  a  high  place  in  the  res]iect 
and   regard   of  his  neighbors. 

AMAZIAH  A.  JAMIESON  has  been  a  resi- 
dent '<i  (Iregun  since  1SS7  and  his  activities 
in  this  state  have  liccn  varied  and  important. 
He  has  made  natural  business  ability  elVee- 
tive  in  the  conduct  of  many  representative 
enterjirises  and  has  not  only  achieved  indi- 
vidual success  but  has  develojied  and  Jiro- 
moted  some  of  the  ]n-incipal  indnstries  of  the 
state.  He  is  one  of  the  leading  men  of  Curry 
county,  an  extensive  owner  of  farming  and 
milling  ]iio|ierty  and  an  important  liguri'  in 
business  circles  of  his  section.  He  was  biun 
at  Canterbury  Station.  New  Brunswick,  .Ian- 
uary  6,  1S,">8,  a  son  of  Hugh  and  -Inlia  .Jamie- 
son]  the  former  of  Scotch  parentage  and  the 
latter  of  English  descent.  They  removed 
later  to  JIaine.  in  which  state  the  father 
ojicrated  and  improved  two  large  larms  and 
also  engaged  in  freighting  for  two  years. 
At  the  time  of  bis  death  he  owned  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  of  land,  highly  improved 
and  developed  and  one  of  the  valuable  prop- 
<>rtics  of  his  district.  His  wife  has  also 
passed  away.  They  were  the  parents  of 
eleven  children:  Amiiziali  A.,  of  this  review; 
(  harles.  a  resident  of  Banilon;  .Julius  and 
.Inlia.  twins,  the  former  of  whom  is  manag- 
ing a  hotel  in  Minnesota,  while  the  latter 
is  deceased,  her  death  occurring  when  she 
was  sixteen  years  of  age;  Lydia.  who  passed 


Giti 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OEEGON 


away  at  the  age  of  three ;  Hugh  and  llary. 
twius,  both  of  whom  reside  in  Maine;  Fred, 
who  is  the  owner  of  a  ranch  in  Maine;  Amelia 
and  Caroline,  both  of  whom  reside  in  Maine; 
and  Margaret,   of   Boston. 

Amaziah  Jamieson  received  his  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  Maine  and  remained 
at  home  until  he  was  twenty-two  years  of 
age.  He  then  went  to  Minnesota,  where  for 
five  years  he  worked  in  the  lumber  woods, 
logging  during  the  winter  and  driving  logs 
on  the  river  during  the  summer  months.  He 
has  a  record  of  never  having  lost  a  day's  work 
during  this  time.  His  activities  along  this 
line  gradually  expanded  and  he  was  even- 
tually given  charge  of  the  lumber  business 
operated  by  Curtis  &  Lawrence  at  Motley, 
Minnesota,  and  remained  in  this  capacity  for 
two  years,  guiding  his  special  knowledge  and 
long  experience  by  practical  business  ability. 
It  was  in  1SS7  that  he  first  came  to  Oregon, 
settling  in  Myrtle  Point,  where  he  bought 
land  and  erected  a  fine  house  which  some  time 
later  he  traded  for  a  lanch  upon  which  he 
lived  and  which  he  improved  and  operated  for 
one  year.  This  property  he  disposed  of  and 
established  himself  in  the  livery  business  in 
Myrtle  Point,  conducting  this  enterprise  for 
three  years  and  meeting  with  gratifying  pros- 
perity. When  he  sold  his  interests  he  moved 
to  Curry  county  and  took  up  mineral  land 
on  the  Sixes  river,  later  adding  to  his  hold- 
ings by  proving  up  on  a  homestead  claim, 
upon  which  he  lived  until  July,  1912.  when 
he  sold  the  ranch  for  five  thousand,  three 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars  and  moved  to  Port 
Orford.  where  he  now  resides.  During  the 
period  of  his  residence  upon  his  property  in 
Curry  county  he  organized  the  Big  Jewel  ilin- 
jng  Company,  composed  principally  of  Minne- 
apolis men.  which  owns  one  hundred  and  ten 
acres  of  valuable  mineral  lands  in  this  dis- 
trict. They  have  spent  over  forty  thousand 
dollars  in  improvements  during  the  past 
few  years  and  now  have  control  of  some  of 
the  most  valuable  mineral  property  in  this 
part  of  Oregon.  For  some  time  Mr.  .Jamie- 
son  was  interested  in  the  operation  of  a  saw- 
mill on  the  Sixes  river,  which  he  recently 
sold  for  forty-five  hundred  dollars.  He  owns 
ten  acres  of  farming  land  in  this  section  and 
town  property  in  Port  Orford  and  has  other 
important  interests  of  this  kind.  It  is  his 
intention  to  handle  stock  on  the  government 
reserve  in  Curry  county  and  his  success  in  the 
past  is  a  favorable  prophecy  of  his  future 
prosperity. 

In  1SS7  Mr.  -Jamieson  was  imited  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Eunice  Corbin.  Tvho  was  bom 
in  Missouri  and  came  to  Oregon  with  her 
parents  in  1ST6.  Her  mother  died  in  this 
state  in  1900  and  the  father  is  residing  in 
Curry  county.  In  their  family  were  two 
children:  Eunice,  the  wife  of  our  subject; 
and  W.  H..  of  Jlyrtle  Point.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Jamieson  are  the  parents  of  four  children: 
Fred,  who  was  born  in  ISSO  and  who  is  living 
at  home;  Ethel,  who  was  born  in  1S91  and 
who  is  the  wife  of  O.  .T.  Mather,  of  Curry 
county:  Warren,  who  was  born  in  1896  and 
who  is  attending  school:  and  Eunice,  who  was 
born  in  isns  and  who  is  also  attending  school. 


Mr.  Jamieson  gives  his  allegiance  to  the 
republican  party  and  did  able  and  conscien- 
tious work  for  some  years  as  a  member  of 
ihe  board  of  education.  He  is  well  known 
in  the  Masonic  order,  holding  membership  in 
the  lodge  at  Langlois.  He  has  achieved  suc- 
cess as  a  promoter  and  organizer  by  reason 
of  his  ability  to  recognize  true  opportunity 
and  by  his  constructive  activities  along  ex'- 
panding  lines,  guided  and  directed  by  unusual 
business  ability,  the  foundation  of'  which  is 
simple  honesty  and  iiard  work. 

PATRICK  HUGHES,  well  known  in  Curry 
county  as  a  successful  ranchman,  dairyman 
and  stock-raiser,  died  upon  his  farm  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Sixes  river,  June  2S.  1901.  Agri- 
cultural interests  in  this  section  lost  by  his 
death,  an  important  exponent  of  progressive 
ideas  and  a  man  who  for  thirty-five  years 
had  been  identified  with  modern  farming  in 
this  part  of  the  state.  He  was  born  in  Ire- 
land in  1S30  and  his  parents  passed  away  in 
that  country.  He  was  twenty-five  years  of 
age  when  he  came  to  America,  settling  in 
Boston,  Massachusetts,  in  1855.  In  that  city 
he  spent  three  years  and  then  crossed  the 
plains  to  Oregon  with  ox  teams  locating  in 
Curry  county  in  the  early  days  of  its  set- 
tlement. Here  he  mined  for  gold  for  nine 
years  and  then  took  up  land  upon  which  he 
resided  until  the  time  of  his  death.  He  con- 
stantly pursued  a  policy  of  expansion,  im- 
provement and  development  and  when  he  died 
owned  over  one  thousand  acres  of  the 
finest  land  in  this  section.  The  ranch  is 
located  at  the  mouth  of  the  Sixes  river,  front- 
ing the  ocean,  and  is  a  beautiful  and  intel- 
ligently improved  property.  It  is  operated 
by  the  wife  of  the  subject  of  this  review  and 
three  of  her  sons,  who  are  following  the 
methods  and  standards  inaugurated  by  Pat- 
rick Hughes.  They  have  one  of  the  finest 
equipped  dairies  in  Cun-y  county  and  milk 
one  hundred  cows,  manufacturing  a  high 
grade  of  butter  which  they  sell  readily  in 
the  local  markets. 

In  Boston.  Massachusetts,  Mr.  Hughes  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  .Jane  O'Xeil.  who 
was  born  in  Ireland  and  who  came  to  Amer- 
ica when  she  was  still  a  girl.  Mr.  and  Mrs 
Hughes  became  the  parents  of  seven  chil- 
dren: Edward,  who  in  company  with  his 
mother  and  his  two  brothers  is  operating  the 
homestead  and  who  is  also  the  owner  of  a 
five  hundred  acre  ranch;  Thomas,  who  is  as- 
sociated with  his  brothers  in  the  operation 
of  the  home  farm;  Francis,  who  is  married 
and  resides  on  the  home  farm,  which  he  as- 
sists in  operating;  .James,  who  resides  on  a 
ranch  on  the  Sixes  river:  Rca-.  John  C.  pastor 
of  St.  Lawrence's  church  at  Portland:  Mrs. 
Alice  Masterson,  of  Port  Orford:  and  Mrs, 
Mary  McMullin,  of  Denmark,  Curry  county. 
The  family  are  members' of  the  Roman  Catho- 
lic church,  to  which  religion  Mr.  Hughes  gave 
his  allegiance. 

Patrick  Hughes  was  a  consistent  republican 
and  did  aide  work  as  county  commissioner 
for  several  terms,  although  he  never  sought 
political  oflice.  preferring  to  devote  his  entire 
time  to  till'  management  of  his' farm.     At  the 


THE  NEW  Y 


-ut. 


I'ATKU'K    lircllKS 


ilRS.  PATRICK  IIUCIIKS 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


653 


time  of  his  (ieatli  his  land  was  in  excellent 
condition,  well  improved  and  developed,  show- 
ing the  results  of  the  owner's  care  and  labor. 
Mr.  Hughes'  influence  was  important  in  the 
agricultural  community  in  which  he  resided, 
for  his  methods  were  always  progressive  and 
systematic,  his  standards  high  and  he  was 
ever  intelligently  interested  in  the  progress 
and  advancement  of  the  section  which  owes 
so   much   to   his   useful   activities. 

FRANCIS  J.  FAHY,  a  leading  figure  in  the 
organization  of  the  Bank  of  Bandon  in  1904, 
has  held  the  ofiiee  of  cashier  since  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  enterprise.  He  has  managed 
the  affairs  under  his  charge  competently  and 
with  shrewd  discrimination,  making  the  busi- 
ness grow  and  expand  along  modern  and  pro- 
gressive lines.  He  is  a  native  of  Bandon. 
born  March  11,  1S73,  and  is  a  son  of  Edward 
and  Sarah  (Spoonheimer)  Fahy,  the  former 
a  native  of  Ireland,  and  the  latter  of  Ger- 
many. His  parents  came  to  Port  Orford.  Ore- 
gon, in  the  spring  of  1854,  where  the  father 
followed  milling,  working  in  a  sawmill  in 
association  with  Captain  Tichenor.  He  aided 
in  the  erection  of  the  mill  and  assisted  in  its 
operation  for  several  years,  but  later  engaged 
in  the  lumber  business.  After  some  time  he 
came  to  Bandon  and  operated  the  ferry  at 
this  point  for  two  years,  finally  returning 
to  the  old  home  near  Randolph.  He  built 
a  sawmill  upon  his  property  and  operated  it 
by  natural  water  power.  He  conducted  this 
enterprise  successfully  in  connection  with  his 
general  farming  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred October  31,  1907.  His  wife  is  still 
residing  upon  the  home  farm.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Edward  Fahy  had  nine  children.  Edward  W. 
is  engaged  in  ranching  and  also  operates  the 
mill  near  the  home  place.  Florinda  is  in 
business  in  Portland,  Oregon.  Henrietta  ia 
the  deceased  wife  of  0.  L.  Gruggel,  of  San 
Francisco,  California.  Isadore  P.  is  employed 
by  the  government  in  the  lighthouse  on  the 
Umpqua  river.  Silas  W.  is  engaged  in  milling 
at  Prosper,  Oregon.  Mary  E.  makes  her  home 
with  her  mother.  Francis  J.,  the  subject  of 
this  review,  is  the  next  in  order  of  birth. 
Charles  G.  is  engaged  in  the  operation  of  the 
farm  and  mill  in  connection  with  his  brother 
Edward  W.  Sadie  became  the  wife  of  Alfred 
H.  Brown,  a  druggist  of  Portland. 

Francis  .J.  Fahy  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  district  and  completed 
his  studies  in  the  Bandon  high  school.  He 
later  attended  a  business  college  in  San  Fran- 
cisco but  in  the  meantime  had  worked  for 
several  years  in  the  sawmills  of  Coos  county 
and  engaged  in  various  other  enterprises, 
acquiring  in  this  way  the  money  to  pay  fot 
his  tuition.  He  was  graduated  from  the 
Healds  Business  College  in  San  Francisco  and 
immediately  afterward  returned  to  Oregon, 
where  for  a  short  time  he  worked  in  a  saw- 
mill. He  then  became  manager  of  a  store 
in  Parkersburg,  and  held  the  position  of 
bookkeeper  for" the  Coquille  Mill  &  Tug  Com- 
pany for  eight  years.  .\t  the  end  of  that 
time  he  established  his  residence  in  Bandon 
and  in  partnership  with  several  others  or- 
ganized the  Bank  of  Bandon,  in  1904,  with  a 

Vol.  IT— 27 


capital  stock  of  twenty-tive  thousand  dol- 
lars and  from  its  organization  to  the  present 
ilr.  Fahy  has  acted  as  easliier.  The  stock 
was  increased  in  1910  to  fifty  thousand  dol- 
lars. Three  years  after  the  establishment  of 
the  bank  the  stock  was  all  paid  up,  dividends 
having  been  declared  from  the  first  year  and 
it  has  grown  until  it  is  now  one  of  the 
largest  financial  institutions  in  the  county. 
Its  officers  and  directors  are  as  follows;  J.  L. 
Kronenberg,  president;  T.  P.  Hanly,  vice 
president;  F.  J.  Faliy,  cashier;  W.  J.  Sweet,  as- 
sistant cashier.  These  officers  with  R.  II.  Rosa 
and  C.  Y.  Lowe  are  directors.  The  bank  build- 
ing is  a  large,  two-story  structure,  shaped 
like  a  flatiron  and  built  of  concrete  and  is  one 
of  the  finest  business  buildings  in  the  village. 
During  the  course  of  his  eight  years'  residence 
in  Bandon  Mr.  Fahy  has  accumulated  a  com- 
fortable fortune,  which  he  has  invested  judi- 
ciously in  local  enterjirises.  He  is  a  stock- 
holder in  the  Bandon  Heights  Land  Company 
addition  and  is  interested  in  the  Coquille  Tow 
Boat  Company.  He  owns  with  a  partner  a 
business  block  in  Bandon  and  is  interested  in 
the  commercial  growth  and  upbuilding  of  the 
village  in  which  he  resides.  He  is  a  real 
student  of  banking  conditions,  an  able  finan- 
cier, a  shrewd  manager  and  a  reliable  and 
trustworthy  man.  He  is  entitled  to  be  num- 
bered among  the  representative  men  of  Ban- 
don since  he  has  been  instrumental  in  estab- 
lishing within  the  village  a  growing,  pros- 
perous and  intelligently  managed  enterprise 
and  since  he  has  added  to  the  standards  of 
citizenship  by  reason  of  a  life  which  has  been 
consistently   upright,  useful  and   valuable. 

ASMUS  ADOLPHSEN  is  living  upon  his 
original  homestead  claim  in  Curry  county 
which  he  acquired  in  1886  when  he  settled  in 
Oregon.  He  does  little  farming  but  has 
charge  of  a  sawmill  owned  by  an  operating 
company  and  is  doing  able  work  in  this  line 
although  he  is  living  practically  retired.  He  • 
was  born  in  Denmark,  in  April,  1S54,  a  son 
of  Henry  and  Katrina  Adolphsen,  natives  of 
that  coiuitry.  He  received  a  limited  educa- 
tion in  the  public  scliools  of  Denmark  and  in 
1873  came  to  America,  settling  in  the  eastern 
states  where  he  spent  six  years.  At  the  end 
of  that  time  he  returned  to  his  native  country 
and  there  remained  until  1S86  when  he  again 
crossed  the  Atlantic,  settling  in  Curry  county, 
at  Denmark,  where  he  proved  up  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  land  on  which  he  resided 
for  five  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  ha 
moved  to  Dairyville,  where  he  operated  a 
sawmill  for  nine  years,  building  up  during 
that  time  a  modern  and  prosperous  enter- 
prise. His  mill  here  had  a  capacity  of  eight 
Ihousand  feet  of  lumber  per  day  and  gave 
employment  to  an  average  of  five  men.  Dur- 
ing this  time  Mr.  Adolphsen  cut  the  timber 
on  several  large  tracts  of  land.  Eventually 
however,  he  moved  his  mill  to  Elk  river  and 
there  operated  it  for  ten  years,  holding  the 
position  as  manager  during  the  latter  period 
of  this  time  in  the  employ  of  an  operating 
company  which  had  purchased  it  from  him. 
This  mill  had  a  capacity  of  twenty-five  thou- 
sand feet  per  day  and  employed  on  an  average 


654 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


of  thirty-five  men.  He  is  still  in  charge,  but 
now  lives  upon  his  homestead  near  Denmark, 
called  the  Wood  Lily  Dairy  Farm.  He  gives 
general  supervision  to  his  agricultural  inter- 
ests but  does  not  do  any  active  work. 

In  ISSl  Mr.  Adolphsen  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Anna  Festersen,  a  native  of 
Denmark.  In  that  country  their  marriage 
occurred  and  Mrs.  Adolphsen  accompanied  her 
husband  on  his  second  journey  to  America. 
They  became  the  parents  of  seven  children: 
Hans  H.,  of  Bandon;  Henry,  who  is  a  forest 
ranger,  and  resides  on  Elk  river;  Christian 
and  Anna,  both  of  whom  have  passed  away; 
Katie,  who  lives  at  home;  Ralph,  deceased; 
and  Fred,  who  is  attending  school.  The  two 
eldest  children  were  born  in  Denmark. 

Mr.  Adolphsen  is  a  democrat  and  served 
for  two  terms  as  county  commissioner.  He 
is  well  known  in  Port  Orford  and  takes  an 
active  and  intelligent  interest  in  promoting 
the  progress  and  development  of  this  town, 
doing  effective  work  in  this  way  as  a  member 
of  the  committee  of  Port  Orford  port  com- 
missioners. He  belongs  to  the  Woodmen  of 
tlie  World  but  is  not  otherwise  connected  with 
fraternal  organizations.  The  rest  which  he 
is  enjoying  is  well  deserved  for  it  has  come 
after  a  successful  career  which  had  for  its 
foundation  ability,  made  practically  effective 
by  hard  work.  He  is  one  of  the  sterling 
citizens  of  Curry  county  and  his  life  in  this 
section  has  been  useful  and  valuable  as  a 
factor  in  progress. 

FRED  WRIGHT.  Among  those  who  by 
reason  of  their  well  directed  labor  and  un- 
ceasing diligence  have  contributed  largely 
toward  the  agricultural  development  of  Lane 
county  must  be  numbered  Fred  Wright,  who 
owns  an  excellent  ranch  of  seven  hundred  and 
fifty-eight  acres  in  the  vicinity  of  Walker, 
on  "the  Cottage  Grove  road.  Here  for  twenty- 
two  years  he  has  been  engaged  in  general 
'  farming  and  stock-raising,  meeting  with  lu- 
crative returns  from  both  and  is  now  num- 
bered among  the  prosperous  ranchmen  of  the 
county.  He  was  born  at  Coventry,  Orleans 
county,  Vermont,  on  the  21st  of  July,  1851, 
and  is  a  son  of  Erastus  and  Mary  Ann  (Fair- 
brother)  Wright.  The  paternal  grandparents 
were  Solomon  and  Euth  Wright  and  to  them 
were  born  seven  children,  including  Joel, 
Azariah,  Mary,  Erastus,  the  father  of  our 
subject,  and  Louise.  Erastus  Wright,  who 
was  the  youngest  son.  was  born  at  West- 
minster. Vermont,  on  the  4th  of  January, 
1815.  There  he  was  reared  to  manhood  and 
subsequently  engaged  in  farming,  following 
that  occupation  during  the  remainder  of  his 
active  life.  His  death  occurred  on  the  5th 
of  February,  1907.  At  the  age  of  about  twen- 
ty-two years  be  married  Miss  Fairbrother, 
who  was  likewise  a  native  of  Vermont,  and 
the  only  daughter  and  third  in  order  of  birth 
in  a  family  of  five.  The  others  are  as  fol- 
lows: Willard.  Calvin.  Luther  and  Mark.  _  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wright  there  were  born  eight 
children:  Riley  E..  who  served  as  captain 
of  Company  H"  Fifteenth  Vermont  Volunteers 
during  theCivil  war.  and  who  is  an  attorney 
and   ex-judge  of  Baltimore,  Maryland:   Ade- 


laide, the  widow  of  Joseph  Worthy,  a  farmer 
in  the  vicinity  of  Bethel,  ilaine;  Solomon  A., 
deceased,  a  former  resident  of  Barton,  Ver- 
mont, and  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war:  .Joel 
F.,  a  physician  of  Orleans  county,  Vermont; 
Mary  A.,  of  Barton,  Vermont,  who  has  been 
an  invalid  since  girlhood;  Fred,  our  sub- 
ject; Mark  Willis,  a  practicing  attorney 
(if  Baltimore,  Maryland;  and  Homer,  a  farm- 
er, living  on  the  old  homestead  at  Coventry, 
\'crmont. 

Reared  on  a  New  England  farm,  Fred 
Wright  received  his  education  in  the  common 
schools  of  his  native  state  and  early  began 
to  assist  with  the  work  of  the  homestead, 
thus  laying  the  foundation  for  the  vocation 
that  he  has  ever  since  followed  with  such 
excellent  success.  At  the  age  of  twenty-two 
years  he  left  the  scenes  of  his  boyhood'  and 
went  to  Colorado,  where  for  six  years  he 
engaged  in  sheep-raising,  ranging  his  herds 
on  public  lands,  on  which  he  had  purchased 
the  water  right.  He  subsequently  withdrew 
from  this  and  bought  an  interest  in  a  stone 
quarry  at  Manitou,  that  state,  from  which 
he  furnished  the  stone  for  many  of  the  large 
buildings  of  both  Denver  and  Colorado 
Springs.  This  enterprise  engaged  his  energies 
for  about  five  years,  and  in  May.  1886,  he 
moved  to  Douglas  county,  Oregon.  There 
for  three  years  he  worked  on  a  dairy  ranch, 
but  owing  to  the  condition  of  his  health  at 
the  expiration  of  that  period  he  was  com- 
pelled to  return  to  the  east.  A  year  later 
he  returned  to  Oregon  and  bought  ninety- 
two  acres  of  land  in  the  vicinity  of  Walker, 
Lane  county,  that  formed  the  nucleus  of  his 
present  ranch.  Thirty-five  acres  of  this  was 
cleared  and  under  cultivation  and  the  re- 
mainder was  in  brush.  In  the  fall  of  1905, 
Mr.  Wright  and  his  son,  Clyde  E.,  together 
purchased  three  hundred  and  nine  acres  of 
land,  located  three-quarters  of  a  mile  north- 
west of  his  first  farm.  There  was  only  sev- 
enty-five acres  of  this  tract  under  cultivation 
at  that  time,  the  remainder  being  in  pasture 
and  timber,  but  it  was  all  excellent  land.  In 
May,  1908,  Mr.  Wright  again  extended  the 
boundaries  of  his  ranch  by  the  purchase  of 
three  hundred  and  fifty-seven  acres  that  con- 
nected his  former  tracts,  making  his  holdings 
aggregate  seven  hundred  and  fifty-eight  acres. 
During  the  period  of  his  owner.ship  he  has 
cleared  one  hundred  and  thirty  acres  of  his 
land,  eighty  of  which  has  been  brought  to  a 
high  state  of  productivity,  while  the  other 
fifty  is  in  pasture.  He  now  has  five  hundred 
acres  under  cultivation,  the  most  of  it  located 
in  the  river  bottom,  and  his  fields  annually 
net  him  a  handsome  dividend.  He  has  an 
orchard  of  about  twelve  acres,  nine  of  this 
being  planted  to  prunes  which  in  the  year 
1911  netted  him  two  hundred  dollars  per 
acre.  Twenty  years  ago  he  began  raising 
corn  and  now  he  annually  plants  about 
twenty-five  acres  to  this  grain,  his  yield 
averaging  sixty  bushels  to  the  acre.  He  also 
devotes  a  large  portion  of  his  acreage  to  oats, 
his  average  yield  being  fifty  bushels  per  acre, 
while  his  wheat  approximates  thirty-two 
bushels  to  the  acre.  Mr.  Wright  has  been 
especially  successful  in  raising  potatoes  and 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


655 


has  harvested  as  many  as  five  hundred  bushel 
to  tlie  acre  but  he  averages  about  three  hun- 
dred. His  early  crop  is  usually  planted  in 
March  and  marketed  in  June.  His  liay  con- 
sists of  vetch  and  oat,  some  of  which  yields 
as  high  as  five  tons  to  the  acre  and  is  used 
by  ilr.  Wright  for  feed,  for  in  connection  with 
his  diversified  farming  he  raises  a  high  grade 
of  hogs,  sheep,  cattle  and  horses.  He  takes 
great  pride  in  his  ranch,  and  well  he  may  as 
it  is  one  of  the  best  cultivated  and  most  high- 
ly improved  places  in  the  county.  His  land  is 
all  fenced  and  is  provided  with  ample  barns 
and  sheds  for  the  protection  of  his  stock  and 
grain,  and  he  has  also  erected  a  comfortable 
residence.  He  is  a  man  of  progressive  and 
enterprising  methods,  is  practical  in  his  ideas 
and  at  various  times  he  has  installed  on  his 
ranch  such  modern  conveniences  and  appli- 
ances as  would  lessen  the  labor  and  expense 
of  its  operation  and  he  now  has  a  most  ex- 
cellent equipment. 

On  the  8th  of  February,  1881.  at  Manitou, 
Colorado,  Mr.  Wright  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Annie  ,J.  Blackwell,  who  was  born 
in  Illinois  on  the  27th  of  January,  1860,  and 
is  a  daughter  of  Ellis  and  Maria  E.  (Gibbs) 
Blackwell.  The  family  is  of  Scotch  descent 
in  the  paternal  line  but  the  father  was  a 
native  of  Maine  and  the  mother  of  the  state 
of  New  York.  They  were  married  in  Hlinois, 
however,  and  there  passed  the  early  years  of 
their  domestic  life,  removing  to  Colorado  in 
1879.  The  father,  who  has  always  engaged 
in  farming,  continued  his  agricultural  pur- 
suits in  the  latter  state  until  his  death,  April 
28,  1902.  The  mother  is  still  living  and  now 
resides  at  Gardiner,  Oregon.  Mrs.  Wright 
is  the  eldest  of  the  eight  cliildren  born  to 
her  parents,  the  others  being  as  follows:  Ada 
M.,  who  died  in  infancy;  Grace  E.,  who  lives 
in  Gardiner;  Louisa  M.,  the  widow  of  I.  L. 
Harding,  of  Walker;  Lincoln  A,,  a  farmer  of 
Gardiner;  Ellis  W.  and  Fred,  both  of  whom 
are  deceased;  and  one  daughter,  who  died 
in  infancy.  The  maternal  grandmother  prior 
to  her  marriage  was  a  Miss  Burbee,  of  Ver- 
mont, while  the  grandmother  on  the  paternal 
side  was  Miss  Jedidah  Sturdivant  of  Lewis- 
ton,  Maine.  The  family  in  both  lines  is  de- 
scended from  old  Xew  England  colonial  stock. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wright  are  the  parents  of  four 
children:  Nora  A.,  who  was  born  November 
21,  1881,  the  wife  of  Oscar  .Jackson,  a  farmer 
of  Walker,  Oregon;  Clyde  E.,  a  farmer,  born 
on  the  18th  of  December.  1883,  now  married 
and  living  at  Walker:  Ralph  E.,  whose  natal 
day  was  the  .5th  of  February.  1893,  and  who 
is  assisting  his  father  with  the  operation  of 
the  home  ranch;  and  Ruth  A.,  his  twin  sister 
who  died  three  days  after  birth.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Wright  gave  their  children  the  advan- 
tages of  a  good  common-school  education. 

The  family  attended  the  Presbyterian 
church,  in  which  the  parents  hold  membership, 
and  in  politics  Mr.  Wright  is  a  republican. 
He  is  held  in  high  regard  in  his  community 
and  on  several  occasions  he  has  declined  the 
candidacy  for  various  county  offices.  How- 
ever, he  "has  served  for  twelve  years  as  road 
supervisor  in  his  district  and  for  about  fif- 
teen years  he  was  clerk  of  the  school  board. 


He  has  met  with  gratifying  prosperity  in  his 
piu-suits,  as  he  has  applied  himself  consist- 
ently and  intelligently  to  the  achievement  of 
his  purpose. 

ALFRED  J.  MARSH.  One  of  the  most  promi- 
nent, successful  and  progressive  farmers  of 
Curry  county  is  Alfred  J.  Marsh,  who  is  oper- 
ating an  excellent  tract  of  four  hundred  and 
eighty  acres  near  Port  Orford,  upon  which  he 
carries  on  general  farming,  stock-raising  and 
dairying,  gaining  conspicuous  success  in  all  of 
these  lines  by  reason  of  his  efficiency  and  in- 
dustry. He  has  been  a  resident  of  Curry  coun- 
ty since  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age  and 
with  the  exception  of  one  year  has  given  his 
entire  attention  to  modern  farming.  He  was 
born  in  Brooklyn,  New  York,  August  19,  1861, 
a  son  of  Robert  and  Mary  (Crawford)  Marsh, 
the  former  a  native  of  England,  and  the  lat- 
ter of  Scotland.  Their  marriage  occurred  in 
the  former  country  and  they  came  to  America 
in  the  early  '50s,  settling  in  New  York  city, 
where  the  father  was  a  ship  broker  and  im- 
porter, continuing  in  this  occupation  for  a 
number  of  years.  He  spent  three  years  in  the 
South  Sea  islands  in  charge  of  the  ships  and 
stores  belonging  to  Andrew  Crawford  and 
upon  his  return  to  America  in  1903  he  retired 
from  active  life  and  spent  the  remainder  of 
his  days  with  the  subject  of  this  review  in 
Curry  county,  where  he  died  in  1904,  His 
wife  survived  him  until  1911.  They  had  three 
children:  Alfred  J.,  of  this  review;  Mrs.  Mary 
Waters,  of  New  York  city;  and  Edmond.  who 
passed  away  in  Douglas  county  in  1905. 

Alfred  J.  Marsh  received  his  early  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  New  York  and  com- 
pleted it  by  a  two  years'  course  in  Edinburgh 
Academy  in  Scotland.  He  came  west  when 
he  was  sixteen  years  of  age,  journeying  to 
California  with  his  uncle  and  remaining  in 
that  state  until  he  had  attained  his  majority. 
He  then  came  to  Curry  county,  where  he 
spent  one  year  as  bookkeeper  in  his  uncle's 
store  at  Port  Orford,  purchasing  at  the  end 
of  that  time  a  quarter  section  of  land  on 
Elk  river,  which  he  has  since  operated  and 
improved.  He  has  added  to  his  lioldings  from 
time  to  time  and  now  owns  four  hundred  and 
eighty  acres,  three  hundred  of  which  are 
tillable.  This  property  he  has  improved  and 
developed  along  the  most  practical  and  scien- 
tific lines  and  upon  it  carries  on  general  farm- 
ing, specializing  in  dairying  and  stock-breed- 
ing. His  dairy  is  one  of  the  most  sanitary 
and  modern  enterprises  of  its  kind  in  the 
section,  equipped  with  all  the  latest  con- 
veniences and  accessories.  Mr.  Marsh  keeps 
fifty  head  of  high-grade  Jersey  cows  for  this 
purpose  and  manufactures  a  fine  brand  of 
butter,  which  he  ships  to  the  Portland  mar- 
ket, where  it  has  a  ready  sale.  He  handles 
horses,  hogs  and  sheep,  all  of  a  high  grade, 
for  breeding  purposes,  and  his  work  along 
this  line  is  steadily  increasing  in  importance. 
Everv  year  Mr.  Marsh  cuts  about  one  hundred 
tons  of  hay.  He  is  one  of  the  sterling  and 
substantial"  citizens  of  Curry  county,  seeking 
his  success  in  a  field  of  labor  with  which  he 
has  been  familiar  for  many  years  and  which 
has  repaid  his  practical  and  well  directed  in- 


656 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


dustry  by  constantly  growing  prosperity. 
His  farm  "is  a  credit  to  his  progressive  meth- 
ods and  to  his  business  judgment,  and  is  a 
valuable  addition  to  the  resources  of  this 
section. 

In  1885  Jlr.  Marsh  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Rachel  Kronenburg,  who  was  born  in 
Coos  county,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Kate 
Kronenburg,  of  Coquille.  The  father  died  in 
1910  and  the  mother  is  residing  in  the  family 
home  in  Coquille.  They  were  the  parents 
of  five  children:  John,  of  Bandon;  Emma, 
the  wife  of  James  Blakely,  of  California; 
Fred,  of  Denver,  Colorado;  Rachel,  the  wife 
of  our  subject;  and  Ida,  who  married  Dr. 
Owens,  of  St.  Louis,  Missouri.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Marsh  are  the  parents  of  nine  children:  Mary, 
the  wife  of  Ray  Keefer,  who  has  a  large 
sheep  ranch  in  Idaho;  John  and  Louis,  who 
are  at  home;  Donald  and  Dorothy,  twins; 
Fred;  Nicholas;  Beatrice;  and  Kate.  The 
family  belong  to  the  Episcopal  church. 

Mr.  Marsh  is  a  repuljlican  and  has  served 
his  fellow  citizens  in  numerous  important 
capacities,  including  those  of  eoimty  assessor 
and  road  supervisor.  He  held  the  former 
ofiice  for  twelve  years  and  did  able  and  ef- 
fective work.  He  has  been  in  the  latter 
position  for  three  years  and  is  still  serving. 
He  belongs  to  the  Woodmen  of  the  World 
and  is  prominent  also  in  the  Improved  Order 
of  Red  Men.  The  principal  activities  of  his 
life,  however,  are  directed  toward  agriculture. 
He  is  a  farmer  of  the  modern  kind,  intelligent, 
trained  by  experience,  active,  progressive  and 
a  student  of  economics  as  applied  to  planting 
and  harvesting,  and  in  his  possession  of  these 
qualities  is  an  exemplification  of  a  type  which 
is  raising  agriculture  to  a  systematic  science. 

JOHN  D.  GRAHAM.  A  farm  of  eighty- 
five  acres,  all  bottom  land,  situated  a  mile 
and  a  half  above  Coquille  on  the  Coquille 
river,  is  the  property  of  John  D.  Graham, 
who  in  connection  with  his  two  sons  is  mak- 
ing a  specialty  of  dairying  and  was  instru- 
mental in  the  building  of  one  of  the  finest 
creameries  in  the  state.  He  is  president  of 
the  company  which  operates  the  latter  enter- 
prise and  in  its  successful  control  gives  evi- 
dence of  his  business  and  executive  ability. 
He  was  born  in  Clay  county,  Missouri,  ]March 
37,  1855,  a  son  of'  William  T.  and  Lapina 
Graham,  natives  of  Kentucky  and  Virginia 
respectively.  In  childhood  they  accom- 
panied their  parents  to  Missouri,  where 
they  were  married  and  spent  their  remain- 
ing' days.  The  father  followed  farming 
throughout  his  entire  life  and  held  many 
county  offices,  taking  active  part  in  the  pub- 
lie  affairs  of  the  community.  He  was  a  rep- 
resentative of  a  family  whose  members  were 
among  the  earliest  settlers  of  Missouri  and  he 
lived  to  see  a  marked  transformation  in  that 
part  of  the  state  in  which  he  lived  as  frontier 
conditions  gave  way  before  an  advancing  civi- 
lization. To  him  and  his  wife  were  born  five 
children:  John  D.:  Mrs.  Rose  Swan,  living  in 
Missouri;  James  who  is  a  resident  of  Leaven- 
worth, Kansas;  Mrs.  Laura  Swan,  who  makes 
her  home  in  Missouri ;  and  Thomas  S.,  also  a 
resident  of  that   state. 


The  youthful  days  of  John  D.  Graham  were 
spent  upon  his  father's  farm  in  Clay  county 
and  he  remained  under  the  parental  roof  to 
the  time  of  his  marriage,  which  was  cele- 
brated on  the  loth  of  January,  1875,  Miss 
Elizabeth  Atteberry,  becoming  his  wife.  She 
was  born  in  Missouri,  a  daughter  of  the  Rev. 
S.  Atteberry,  who  resided  in  Missouri  until 
1875  and  then  removed  to  Kansas.  Four 
years  later  he  returned  to  Missouri,  where 
he  died  in  1890,  while  his  widow  is  still 
living  in  that  state.  In  their  family  were 
twelve  children,  eight  of  whom  are  "living: 
Abner  A.,  who  is  a  resident  of  Oklahoma; 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Graham;  Sigel,  who  is  at 
home;  Burl,  also  living  in  Missouri;  John, 
of  Oklahoma;  Mrs.  Jane  Whitchurch,  who 
makes  her  home  in  Oklahoma;  William,  who 
is  at  home;  and  Thomas,  also  still  under  the 
parental  roof. 

In  early  manhood  John  D.  Graham  gave 
his  attention  to  architectural  and  mechanical 
pursuits,  being  thus  engaged  until  he  came 
to  Oregon  in  1890.  He  first  settled  near 
Hillsboro  on  a  ranch  which  he  purchased  and 
cultivated  for  two  years.  He  then  sold  that 
property  and  made  his  home  at  Riddles.  Ore- 
gon, where  he  was  engaged  in  mining  gold  for 
two  years.  In  1894  he  took  up  his  abode  in 
Jackson  county,  where  he  again  followed  gold 
mining  for  eight  years.  He  afterward  devoted 
two  years  to  raising  wheat  in  that  county 
and  subsequently  purchased  land  on  Williams 
creek,  where  he  built  a  large  creamery  and 
also  conducted  a  dairy  ranch  for  two  years. 
On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  sold  out 
and  removed  to  the  vicinity  of  Coquille. 
purchasing  eighty-five  acres  of  bottom  land 
a  mile  and  a  half  above  the  town  on  the 
Coquille  river.  He  still  owns  a  small  tract 
of  land  in  Josephine  county  but  is  concen- 
trating his  energies  upon  the  development  of 
his  home  property  and  the  conduct  of  a 
dairy  business,  in  which  his  two  sons  are 
associated  with  him.  His  son  William  is  a 
scientific  butter  maker  and  he  and  his- father 
were  instrumental  in  building  one  of  the 
finest  creameries  of  the  state,  conducted  un- 
der the  name  of  the  Graham  Company,  of 
which  John  D.  Graham  is  president,  while 
William  Graham  has  active  charge  of  the 
butter  making.  The  excellence  of  their  prod- 
uct insures  a  ready  sale  on  the  market  and 
their  success  is  gratifying. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Graham  are  the  parents  of 
six  children.  William  S.,  who  as  previously 
stated,  is  associated  with  his  father  in  busi- 
ness, was  born  May  1,  1880.  He  married  Miss 
Olive  Dimgey,  a  native  of  Texas  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  I'homas  Dungey.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
William  Graham  has  been  born  a  daughter, 
Rena  M.  The  next  of  our  subject's  family, 
Artie  Vi'.,  born  in  1S83,  is  in  partner.ship  with 
his  father  and  brother,  William.  Earl  D.. 
born  in  1895,  is  at  home.  Pearl  died  at  the 
age  of  eleven  years.  Two  other  children,  the 
eldest  of  the  family,  died  in  infancy.  The 
family  are  of  the  United  Brethren  faith,  hold- 
ing membership  in  the  church  of  that  denomi- 
nation at  Coquille.  John  D.  Graham  votes 
with  the  democratic  party  and  his  fraternal 
relations  are  with  the  Masons,  who  find  in 


5i 

c 


1  rui''- 


WTO",  LINOX   »N» 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


659 


him  an  exemplary  representative  of  the  craft, 
loyal  to  its  teachings  concerning  mutual  help- 
fulness and  brotherly  kindness.  He  has  never 
had  occasion  to  regret  his  determination  to 
come  to  the  northwest,  for  here  he  has  found 
good  business  opportunities  and  has  achieved 
a  creditable  measure  of  success. 

CHARLES  FORTY  is  a  native  of  England, 
who  has  been  in  Oregon  since  he  was  ten 
years  of  age.  From  the  time  he  was  fifteen 
he  has  been  dependent  upon  his  own  re- 
sources and  the  training  in  independence  thus 
acquired  has  been  an  important  factor  in 
his  success.  He  owns  and  operates  a  fine 
tract  of  land  in  Curry  county  upon  which 
he  carries  on  general  farming,  stock-raising 
and  dairying,  founding  a  substantial  success 
upon  experience  and  systematic  industry.  He 
was  born  in  England,  September  1,  1866, 
a  son  of  George  and  Caroline  Forty,  natives 
of  that  country,  who  came  to  America  in 
1S78,  settling  immediateh'  in  Curry  county, 
where  the  father  took  up  a  homestead  claim 
on  the  Elk  river  which  he  operated  and  im- 
proved until  his  death  in  1897.  His  wife 
makes  her  home  in  Coos  county.  They  were 
the  parents  of  seven  children,  of  whom  the 
following  are  living:  Elizabeth,  who  is  the 
widow  of  John  Bentz,  of  Coos  county;  George, 
of  Port  Orford;  Anna,  the  wife  of  Frank 
Lang,  of  California;  and  Charles,  the  subject 
of  this  review. 

Charles  Forty  received  a  primary  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  Oregon  and  remained 
with  his  parents  until  he  was  fifteen  years  of 
age.  At  that  time  he  began  to  earn  his  own 
livelihood,  working  at  various  occupations 
until  his  marriage,  after  which  he  proved 
up  a  fine  farm  in  Curry  county  and  began 
general  farming.  Upon  this  property  he  has 
since  lived,  specializing  in  the  raising  of  high- 
grade  stock  and  in  dairying,  obtaining  a  grati- 
fying degree  of  success  by  practical  and  pro- 
gressive methods.  He  has  invested  exten- 
sively in  town  property  in  Port  Orford  and 
gives  a  great  deal  of  time  and  attention  to 
its  management. 

In  1898  llr.  Forty  married  Miss  Olive 
Freund.  who  was  born  in  San  Francisco.  Cali- 
fornia, August  2.  1879.  a  daugliter  of  Fredrick 
and  Anna  (Downs)  Freund.  the  former  a  na- 
tive of  Pennsylvania  and  the  latter  of.  New 
York.  They  moved  to  California  in  the  early 
years  and  there  married.  In  San  Francisco 
the  father  followed  the  trade  of  painting  and 
decorating  and  was  successful  in  this  line 
of  occupation.  Coming  to  Oregon  in  1893 
they  settled  in  Curry  county  and  later  moved 
to  Coos  county  where  the  father  died  in  1903. 
His  wife  makes  her  home  in  California.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Freund  became  the  parents  of  eight 
children:  William,  deceased:  Elizabeth,  tlie 
wife  of  George  Bethel  of  Coos  county;  Olive, 
the  wife  of  our  subiect:  Grace,  who  married 
Frank  Pomroy,  of  Bandon;  .Joseph,  who  re- 
sides in  California:  Anna,  who  became  the 
wife  of  Daniel  Emmett.  also  of  California : 
Vincent,  of  Coos  county;  and  Fredrick,  who 
has  passed  away.  To  ilr.  and  ^Irs.  Forty 
have  been  born  three  children:  Fredrick,  who 


was  born  in  1899;  Anna,  born  in  1903;  and 
Cecilia,  whose  birth  occurred  in  1905.  The 
family  are  members  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
church. 

ilr.  Forty  gives  his  allegiance  to  the  repub- 
lican party  but  has  never  been  an  office 
seeker.  He  belongs  to  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World,  but  is  not  otherwise  active  in  fra- 
ternal circles,  preferring  to  devote  his  time 
to  his  own  interests.  The  attractive  and 
modern  condition  of  his  farm  is  evidence  of 
the  care  and  laljor  which  he  bestows  upon  the 
place,  and  his  practical  metliods  and  pro- 
gressive ideas  entitle  him  to  rank  among  the 
representative  citizens  of  this  section. 

WILLIAM  M.  HEDRICK,  proprietor  of  a 
farm  of  one  hundred  and  eiglity-eight  acres 
in  Douglas  count}'  has  become,  through  his 
practical  and  efficient  methods  one  of  the 
leading  agriculturists  in  his  section  of  the 
state.  He  was  born  near  Drain,  Oregon,  on 
May  3,  1863,  and  is  a  son  of  .John  and 
Louisa  .J.  (Jackson)  Hedrick.  of  whom  more 
extended  mention  is  made  on  another  page 
of  this  work.  He  was  reared  at  home  and 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Drain.  He 
made  wise  use  of  every  opportunity  which 
he  had  along  this  line  and  added  to  his 
knowledge  by  extended,  broad  and  intelli- 
gent reading.  WTien  he  laid  aside  his  books 
he  taught  school  for  one  year  and  was  suc- 
cessful in  this  occupation.  He  remained  at 
home  until  his  marriage  in  1886  and  im- 
mediately afterward  removed  to  Ashland, 
Oregon,  where  for  one  year  he  worked  upon 
a  fruit  farm.  At  the  expiration  of  that 
time  he  removed  to  Grants  Pass  and  worked 
in  the  employ  of  the  Booth,  Kelly  Lumber 
Company.  He  gave  upthis  position  in  order 
to  take  up  again  his  old  occupation  of  teach- 
ing, and  three  of  the  six  years  during  which 
he  resided  in  Grants  Pass  were  spent  in  this 
line  of  work.  He  returned  to  Douglas  co\in- 
ty  eventually  and  went  into  partnership  with 
three  of  his  brothers,  buying  two  hundred 
and  ninety  acres  of  their  father's  farm  in 
Hard  Scrabble  which  thev  operated  jointly 
and  with  much  success  for  some  time.  Sub- 
sequently however,  they  divided  their  prop- 
erty and  William  ^I.  Hedrick  received  as 
hissliare  seventy-six  acres  which  the  efforts 
of  the  three  brothers  and  himself  had 
brought  to  a  high  state  of  development.  He 
has  added  to  his  holdings  and  at  one  time 
purchased  one  hundred  and  twelve  acres 
which  was  formerlv  the  property  of  his 
brother  Henry.  His  present  farm  comprises 
one  hundred  and  eighty-eight  acres  of  land, 
nearly  all  of  which  is  under  cultivation.  It 
is  Yielding  harvests  which  increase  In  abvin- 
dance  and  qiiality  evcr.v  year  and  is  one  of 
the  model  and  attractive  properties  in  Doug- 
las   county. 

On  December  1,  ISSfi.  'Mr.  Hedrick  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Jfiss  Ltiretta  Boots, 
a  native  of  Towa  and  a  daiighter  of  Wil- 
liam N.  Boots,  who  came  to  Oregon  in  1S75 
and  located  at  Elkfon.  Her  father  suhse- 
nuentl.v  removed  to  Drain  and  later  to  Mon- 
mouth.   Polk    county,    where    his    death    oe- 


660 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


curred  in  1910.  To  ilr.  and  Mrs.  Hedrick 
have  been  born  five  children,  four  of  whom 
are  living:  Ercell  H.,  who  is  attending  the 
Oregon  State  University  at  Eugene;  and 
Ray  N.,  Opal  L.,  and  Ella  May,  all  of 
whom  are  living  at  home.  Mr.  Hedrick  is 
a  republican  and  has  served  as  deputy  as- 
sessor 01  his  district  for  the  past  ten  years. 
His  wife  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  church. 
He  is  well  known  in  Douglas  county  where 
be  has  spent  most  of  his  days  and  where 
his  friends  respect  and  esteem  him  for  a 
life  which  in  all  its  activities  has  been  suc- 
cessful and  upright  and  in  all  its  phases 
straightforward   and  honorable. 

CYRUS  MADDEN  owns  the  Blanco  & 
Blacksand  mine  in  Curry  county,  which  he 
discovered  in  ISTl  and  which  he  has  man- 
aged and  operated  since  that  time.  He  is 
one  of  the  pioneer  miners  in  this  section 
of  the  state  and  for  fifty  years  has  followed 
this  occupation  in  various  parts  of  the  west, 
acquiring  valuable  and  extensive  properties, 
principally  in  Oregon.  His  long  experience 
in  the  various  details  of  his  occupation,  his 
energy,  discriminating  judgment  and  knowl- 
edge have  all  been  factors  in  a  success  which 
places  him  in  the  front  ranks  of  progressive 
and  successful  miners.  He  was  born  in  Fair- 
field county.  Ohio,  May  6,  1832,  and  both 
of  his  parents  died  in  that  state,  whither 
the  father  had  come  in  1818  from  his  native 
state  of  Virginia. 

Cyrus  Madden  received  his  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  Fairfield  county  and 
completed  it  at  Denison  University  in  Gran- 
yille,  Ohio.  He  remained  at  home  until  1858, 
when  he  went  upon  a  business  trip  to  Kan- 
sas and  from  there  to  Missouri,  where  he 
took  up  land.  He  found  his  property,  how- 
ever, barren  and  unproductive  and  eventually 
abandoned  it,  going  to  Kentucky,  where  he 
taught  school  for  a  number  of  years,  during 
which  time  he  also  studied  law.  He  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  1S60  and  located  for 
practice  in  Bellefonte.  but  after  a  short 
time  returned  to  ^Missouri  and  resumed 
school  teaching.  On  May  2,  1861.  he  crossed 
the  plains  to  California,  driving  a  mule 
team,  and  reached  San  Francisco  in  Sep- 
tember of  the  same  year.  Here  he  taught 
in  the  public  schools  and  later  went  to  the 
Salmon  River  mines,  in  which  he  worked 
for  three  and  one-half  years,  going  to  Oregon 
at  the  end  of  that  time  and  spending  his 
first  winter  prospecting.  He  has  followed 
mining  in  Curry  county  since  that  time  and 
is  today  one  of  the  leading  men  in  this  line 
of  occupation  in  the  section.  He  is  operat- 
ing the  Blanco  &  Blacksand  mine,  which  he 
discovered  forty-one  years  ago  and  which 
by  practical  and  progressive  labor  he  has 
made  hicrativo  and  valuable.  It  is  highly 
improved  and  efficiently  equipped  and  sup- 
plied with  wafer  by  a  four  mile  ditch  and 
flume.  It  is  one  of  the  most  valuable  mines 
in  Curry  county,  having  extensive  deposits 
of  gold,  silver  and  platinum,  '^Ir.  ifadden 
has  invested  judiciously  as  opportunity  arose 
and  owns  three  hundred  acres  of  mining 
land  and   eighty  acres  of  agriciiltural  prop- 


erty in  Curry  county.  He  is  one  of  the 
prominent  and  leading  men  of  his  section  and 
Mas  active  in  forming  the  company  which 
operated  the  large  Lane  mine,  which  even- 
tually proved  to  be  one  of  the  richest  ore 
veins  in  Oregon. 

On  October  27,  1872,  Mr.  Madden  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Lucretia  V.  Kent, 
who  was  born  in  Iowa  and  who  died  March 
36,  1893.  Mr.  Madden  gives  his  allegiance 
to  the  republican  party  but  has  never  been 
an  office  seeker.  He  is  well  known  in  the 
Masonic  order  and  active  in  the  affairs  of 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  His 
religious  belief  is  that  of  the  Eighth  Day 
Adventists.  He  is  a  shrewd  and  practical 
man  whose  ability  along  business  lines  has 
made  his  ventures  successful  by  virtue  of 
his  knowledge  and  practical  experience.  He 
knows  '"pay  dirt"  when  he  sees  it  and  is 
alive  to  the  value  of  modern  methods  in 
getting  his  ore  out  of  the  ground.  He  is 
resourceful,  able  and  intelligently  active  and 
quick  to  make  use  of  opportunities  as  they 
present   themselves. 

C.  HENKLE,  who  for  sixteen  years  has 
been  proprietor  of  a  saloon  at  Lakeview, 
was  born  in  Lee  county,  Iowa,  June  4.  1847. 
His  parents  were  Miles  and  Fannie  Henkle. 
The  father  died  when  the  subject  of  this 
review  was  but  three  years  of  age  and  he 
was  twenty-three  at  the  time  of  his  mother's 
demise.  He  was  the  second  of  three  chil- 
dren and  was  but  six  years  of  age  when,  in 
1853.  his  grandfather,  C.  P.  Blair,  crossed 
the  plains,  traveling  by  ox  team  to  the  Wil- 
lamette valley.  At  length  they  arrived  in 
Corvallis  and  C.  Henkle  was  a  resident  of 
Benton  county  until  1872.  when  he  came 
to  Lake  county,  the  population  of  which  con- 
sisted mostly  of  ranchmen  engaged  in  rais- 
ing stock.  Mr.  Henkle  was  reared  by  his 
grandfather.  Mr.  Blair,  who  followed  farm- 
ing in  Benton  county  and  was  assisted  by  his 
grandson  to  the  extent  of  his  ability  as  de- 
termined by  age  and  strength.  He  was  yet 
but  a  boy  in  years  when,  on  the  3d  of  I3e- 
cember,  1864,  he  enlisted  as  a  member  of 
Company  A,  First  Oregon  Infantry,  with 
which  he  served  for  eighteen  months.  He 
was  stationed  most  of  the  time  at  Fort 
\  ancouver.  Washington.  After  being  mus- 
tered out  he  again  engaged  in  farming  but 
later  conducted  a  livery  stable  and  worked 
at  various  occupations.  During  the  past 
sixteen  years  he  has  conducted  a  saloon  at 
Lakeview. 

C.  Henkle  is  a  stanch  republican  and  for 
two  years  filled  the  office  of  deputy  sheriff 
but  does  not  seek  political  preferment  as  a 
reward  for  party  fealty.  He  holds  mem- 
bership with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows.  As  one  of  the  pioneers  of  south- 
eastern Oregon  he  is  well  known,  having  for 
nuich  more  than  a  half  century  lived  in  this 
section  of  the  state,  so  that  he  has  been  a 
witness  of  practically  its  entire  development 
and  growth.  He  came  to  Oregon  when  the 
Indians  outnumbered  the  white  population, 
when  there  were  no  railroads  and  when  the 
most   farsighted  could  not  have  dreamed  of 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


661 


tlie  great  cliangea  which  were  soon  to  occui' 
and  place  the  state  within  a  comparatively 
brief  time  on  a  par  with  the  older  states 
of  the  east. 

CHARLES     W.     ZUMWALT     owns     eight 
hundred  and  eight}-  acres   of  laud  in  Curry 
county    and    valuable   property   in   Port   Or- 
ford   and   is   regarded   as   one   of   the  prom- 
inent   and    important    men    of    this    section. 
He  has  been  in  Oregon  since   1850  and  is  a 
son   of   one   of   the    early    settlers   in   Curry 
county,  where  practically  his  entire  life  has 
been   spent.     He   was   born  in   Polk   county, 
Missouri,  in  February,  1847,  a  son  of  Henry 
J.  and  Elizabeth  C.  Zumwalt,  the  former  of 
whom  was  born  in  St.  Charles  county,  Mis- 
souri, in  1819  and  the  latter  in  Tennessee  in 
1834.     Their  marriage  occurred  in  Missouri, 
whither  the  mother  of  our  subject  had  come 
when  she  was  a  child,  and  they  remained  in 
that   state   until    ISoO,    when    they   came   to 
Oregon  and  settled  in  Marion  county,  four- 
teen miles  east  of  Salem.     Here  the   father 
took  up  a  donation  claim  of  six  hundred  and 
forty  acres  on   the  Santiam  river   which  he 
operated  as  a   stock  farm  until   1869,  when 
he   moved   to  Curry  county   and   took  up   a 
homestead   claim   of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  on  the   Sixes  river,  upon   which   prop- 
erty  he    resided   until    his    death,    February 
24,  1901.     He  had  added  to  his  holdings  from 
time   to    time    and   owned   six   hundred   and 
forty   acres,   principally  bottom   land,  which 
he  operated  along  the  most  modern,  progress- 
ive  and   systematic   lines.      His   wife    is   re- 
siding  upon   the    homestead,    in   the    eighty- 
eighth   year   of   her   age.     To   ilr.   and   Mrs. 
Henry    J.    Zumwalt    were    born    three    chil- 
dren:   Charles   W.,   of   this   review;    Frances 
J'^lla,  who  became  the  wife  of  George  W.  Jun- 
kin,  of  eastern  Oregon,  and  is  now  deceased; 
and  Mrs.  Mary  A.  Blackerby,  also  deceased. 
Charles  W.  Zumwalt  received  his  education 
in   the  public  schools  of  Marion  county  and 
vrhen  not  engaged  with  his  books  aided  his 
father  in  the  work  of  the  farm,  gaining  thus 
at  an  early  date  experience  which  was  valu- 
able to  him   in  his   independent  agricultural 
career.     He  remained  in  association  with  his 
father    in    the    operation    of    the    homestead 
until  he  was  forty  years  of  age  but,  in  1875, 
proved  up  a  claim  which  he  now  owns.     He 
also  operates   the  home  i)roperty,  which   he 
inherited  at  the  death  of  his  father,  and  his 
entire  holdings   comprise  eight  hundred  and 
eighty    aci'es,    three    hundred    of    which    are 
improved    and   under   cultivation.     The   land 
is   in   excellent  condition  and  shows  the  re- 
sults of  the  owner's  care  and  labor  in  stead- 
ily increasing  productiveness.     It  is  equipped 
with  the  necessary  buildings  and  fenced  into 
convenient  fields  and  is  one  of  the  finest  and 
most    intelligently    developed    farms    in    the 
Eection.     !Mr.    Zumwalt    owns    besides    some 
fine   residence   property   in   Port   Orford  and 
is    actively    interested    in    the    progress    and 
advancement   of   the  section   which   owes   so 
much  to  his  useful  activities. 

Mr.  Zumwalt  has  been  twice  married.  In 
186S  he  wedded  Miss  Sarah  E.  Clymcr,  who 
was  born  in  Linn  county.     Her  mother  came 


to  Oregon  in  1848  and  here  married 
Henry  \  .  Clymer,  who  some  time  afterward 
was  drowned  in  Columbia  county.  The 
mother  then  moved  to  Marion  county  and 
passed  away  in  1912.  In  1SS7  Mr.  Zum- 
walt was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Agnes 
Kleanore  Blacklock,  who  was  born,  reared 
and  educated  in  New  Zealand.  She  came  to 
America  with  her  parents  iu  1872  and  set- 
tied  with  them  in  Roseburg,  Oregon,  where 
they  lived  for  one  year,  coming  at  the  end 
of  that  time  to  Curry  county,  where  tliey 
purchased  land  at  Blacklock  Point.  They 
moved  to  San  Francisco  in  1879  but  returned 
to  Oregon  in  the  late  '90s  and  settled  in 
Bandon.  where  the  father  passed  away  in 
1905,  the  mother's  death  having  occurred 
in  1888.  They  were  the  parents  of  four 
children:  William,  a  resident  of  Sydney, 
Australia;  Agnes  E.,  the  wife  of  our  sub- 
ject; Mrs.  Annie  Jane  Hawkins,  of  Lang- 
lois,  Oregon;  and  Mrs.  Evelj'n  Richards,  of 
Port  Orford.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Zumwalt  have 
six  sons :  John  Henry,  born  in  1888,  who  re- 
ceived a  high  school  and  business  college 
education  and  who  is  residing  at  home; 
Marion  R.,  who  was  born  March  11,  1890, 
and  who  received  a  public-school  education; 
Clarence  William,  who  was  born  September 
1,  1892,  and  who  also  received  his  education 
in  the  public  schools;  Charles  P.,  born  June 
28,  1894;  Raymond  B.,  born  in  1895;  and 
Harold  Weston,  whose  birth  occurred  in 
1S99. 

Mr.  Zumwalt  gives  his  allegiance  to  the 
democratic  party,  and  has  held  various  im- 
portant local  offices,  including  those  of  county 
commissioner,  county  assessor  and  justice 
of  the  peace,  serving  in  the  latter  capacity 
for  fourteen  years.  He  also  served  as  deputy 
collector  of  customs  at  Port  Orford,  from 
1,884  to  1887.  He  is  a  member  of  North 
Bend  Lodge,  Xo.  28,  I.  0.  0.  F.,  but  is  not 
otherwise  active  in  fraternal  circles.  He 
gives  most  of  his  time  and  attention  to  the 
management  of  his  farm  and  residence  prop- 
erty and  is  numbered  among  the  enterprising 
and  representative  men  of  Curry  county, 
interested  in  agriculture  as  an  occupation 
along  scientific  lines  and  successful  in  it  as 
a   man   of  practical  experience. 

WILLIAM  W.  TUCKER  is  one  of  the  pio- 
neers of  OrcL'on  and  is  engaged  in  farming 
on  a  beautiful  ranch  comprising  one  hun- 
dred acres  located  at  Grants  Pass,  in  Jo- 
sephine county.  He  was  born  May  14, 
1846,  and  is  a  son  of  William  and  Nancy 
(Dailcy)  Tucker.  William  Tucker,  the  father 
of  our  subject,  was  born  and  reared  in  Surry 
county.  North  Carolina,  and  as  a  young  man 
removed  from  there  to  Missouri,  where  he 
met  his  future  wife,  Nancy  (Dailey)  Tucker. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  David  Dailey,  who  was 
among  the  well  known  and  enterprising  men 
of  .Jackson  county,  Missouri.  After  remain- 
ing a  number  of  years  in  that  state  the 
father  and  mother  of  our  subiect  with  their 
family  started  in  1852  from  .Tackson  county 
for  Oregon,  in  a  train  of  which  the  father's 
team  was  a  part  of  forty  wagons,  the  en- 
tire company  consisting  of  one  hundred  men. 


662 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OEEGON 


The  captain  of  the  caravan  was  Job  Powell. 
Their  route  led  them  by  way  of  Fort  Car- 
ney, Fort  Laramie,  Fort  Hall  and  Fort  Boise. 
They  tlien  proceeded  by  way  of  the  Grande 
Eonde,  Tygh  valley  and  the  Barlow  Gates, 
crossing  the  Cascade  mountains  by  the  Bar- 
low road.  In  crossing  the  mountains  they 
experienced  severe  hardships  and  their  teams 
became  so  exhausted  that  they  had  to  be 
left.  Abandoning  wagon  and  oxen,  they 
crossed  the  mountains  on  foot,  carrying  of 
their  supplies  as  much  as  could  be  packed  on 
one  or  two  old  oxen.  It  being  late  in  the 
season,  they  underwent  severe  trials  on  ac- 
count of  the  stormy  weather  which  they  en- 
dured most  of  the  way.  They  were  com- 
pelled to  camp  at  the  mountain  house  at 
Fort  Foster,  which  they  reached  on  the  5th 
of  November,  on  which  date  they  had  been 
en  the  journey  exactly  six  months  since 
starting  from  Missouri.  The  family  subse- 
nuently  settled  in  Spring  Water,  Clackamas 
county,  where  the  father  filed  upon  a  dona- 
tion claim  of  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres. 

Willi.am  AV.  Tucker  was  reared  at  home 
and  received  his  early  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  the  district  in  which  he  lived. 
He  remained  under  the  parental  roof  until 
he  had  attained  his  majority  and  at  the  age 
of  twenty-one  years  was  employed  for  one 
year  in  the  lumber  district  after  which  he 
crossed  on  the  John  Day  river  to  the  east 
side  of  the  mountains  and  spent  one  year 
riding  the  range  as  a  cowboy.  He  later  took 
up  a  homestead  in  Lane  county  upon  which 
he  resided  for  twenty-five  years  after  which 
he  disposed  of  that  property  and  settled  in 
Josephine  county  where  he  purchased  one 
hundred  acres  of  land  upon  which  he  now 
resides  and  is  engaged  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits. 

Mr.  Tucker  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Ellen  Bailey,  who  is  a  native  of  Canada. 
She  emigrated  with  her  parents  to  Oregon 
at  a  very  early  date.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
William  W.  Tucker  nine  children  have  been 
born:  John  R.:  Nancy  J.;  Eva  R..  who  died 
in  1908;  Sara  F.,  who  died  in  1906:  William 
M..  who  met  death  by  accidental  drowning 
in  1903:  Martha  E.:  Myrtle  A.-,  James  E.: 
and  Charles  A. 

Mr.  Tucker  is  an  adherent  of  the  demo- 
cratic party  but  has  never  sought  political 
preferment  of  any  kind.  He  is  one  of  the 
enterprising  and  highly  esteemed  citizens 
of  Josephine  county  and  is  a  man  always 
ready  to  lend  his  assistance  in  the  advance- 
ment of  public  measures  which  seek  the 
improvement  of  the  community  in  which  he 
lives. 

JONAS  H.  UPTON.  Since  1S63  Jonas  H. 
Upton  has  been  n  resident  of  Oregon  and  is 
now  living  retired  in  Langlois.  He  has  been 
identified  with  important  occupations  dur- 
ing the  forty-nine  years,  eneaging  principally 
in  iournalism  and  general  farming  and  after 
gainin£r  prosperity  in  both  fields  is  enioying 
a  well  earned  rest,  giving  his  attention  to 
the  management  of  his  property.  He  was 
born  in  Miami  county,  Ohio.  March  18,  1832, 


and  moved  to  Indiana  with  his  parents  when 
he  was  still  a  child. 

In  the  Hoosier  state  Jonas  H.  Upton  re- 
ceived his  education  and  there  resided  for 
eighteen  years,  finally  going  to  Iowa  in  1853. 
In  that  state  he  conducted  a  furniture  busi- 
ness for  some  time  and  later  studied  law. 
Eventually,  however,  he  engaged  in  journal- 
ism and  followed  that  line  of  occupation 
until  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war,  when 
he  volunteered  and  entered  the  service  with 
the  Tenth  Iowa  Regiment  in  August,  1861. 
AATiile  the  regiment  was  stationed  in  south- 
east Missouri  he  was  prostrated  with  serious 
illness  and  was  finally  discharged  on  account 
of  disability,  in  1862,  the  surgeon's  certificate 
stating,  "chronic  disentery  and  ulcerations 
of  the  bowels  with  spinal  difficulties."  The 
latter  trouble  he  has  never  been  able  quite  to 
overcome. 

His  residence  in  Oregon  dates  from  1863, 
when  he  arrived  in  Salem  and  worked  for  a 
time  in  Mr.  Barker's  cabinet  shop  on  Com- 
mercial street,  the  Chemeketa  Hotel  finally 
occupying  the  site,  where  Barker's  furniture 
store  once  stood.  In  1864  he  moved  to  Al- 
ban_v.  in  Linn  county,  and  again  established 
himself  in  the  furniture  business  and  in 
connection  with  this  followed  his  trade  of 
cabinet-maker.  From  Albany  he  moved  to 
La  Fayette,  where  he  opened  the  office  of 
the  La  Fayette  Courier,  which  newspaper 
he  published  for  two  years.  Moving  to 
Salem,  he  established  the  Capital  Clironicle, 
which  later  became  merged  with  the  Salem 
Mercury  and  was  conducted  under  that  name 
for  several  years.  Mr.  Upton's  first  purchase 
of  land  was  made  in  Yamhill  county,  where 
he  operated  a  farm  for  some  time  and  only 
abandoned  it  in  1874  in  order  to  accompany 
his  wife  to  southern  California,  where  she 
went  for  recuperation.  Here  he  lived  for 
five  years,  returning  to  Oregon  at  the  end 
of  that  time  and  settling  in  Coos  Bay,  whence 
he  came  to  Port  Orford  after  a  short  time 
and  established  the  Port  Orford  Post  which 
he  conducted  for  two  years.  He  then  proved 
lip  on  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land 
in  northern  Curry  county  and  purchased  forty 
adjoining  acres  and  definitely  established 
himself  as  a  general  farmer.  LTpon  this  land 
he  lived  for  twenty-nine  years  and  brought 
the  property  to  a  highly  improved  and  de- 
veloped state.  Eventually,  however,  he  was 
obliged  to  retire  on  account  of  ill  health  .and 
has  been  a  resident  of  Langlois  since  that 
time.  He  is  erecting  a  pleasant  modern  home 
in  the  city  and  owns  other  property  in  Lang- 
lois, besides  one  hundred  acres  of  land  in 
the  vicinity. 

In  1856  Mr.  LTpton  was  imited  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Cloey  Mitchell,  a  native  of  Indiana, 
and  they  became  the  parents  of  two  children: 
.Tames  51..  who  is  practicing;  law  in  Marsh- 
field;  and  Arthur  W.,  who  died  in  China. 
Mr.  and  !Mrs.  Upton  have  also  adopted  two 
orphan  children — a  son,  who  is  now  twenty- 
five  years  of  age,  and  a  daughter,  the  wife 
of  -Tames  W.  LTpton.  of  Norfolk.  Nebraska. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Upton  is  an 
ardent  socialist  and  is  intelligently  and 
actively  interested  in  local  public  aff'airs.    He 


JONAS   II.   I'l'TOX 


-IC      LI: 


■'JNDAT;&N», 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


665 


served  his  fellow  citizens  as  a  member  of 
the  state  legishituie  for  one  term  in  1893. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order  and 
has  been  a  delegate  to  the  grand  lodge.  For 
almost  half  a  century  his  individual  activ- 
ities have  been  a  factor  in  the  development 
of  various  parts  of  Oregon  and  as  a  man  of 
progressive  tendencies  and  straightforward 
methods  his  labors  have  been  eil'ective  for 
good,  while  his  personal  characteristics  of 
kindness  and  good-will  have  endeared  him 
to  his  many  friends. 

E.  P.  ANDERSON  is  one  of  the  well  known 
and  respected  citizens  of  Nortli  Bend  where 
he  has  for  some  time  filled  the  office  of  chief 
of  police.  He  was  born  in  Roseburg,  Doug- 
las county,  March  24,  1859,  and  is  a  son 
of  Daniel  and  Marie  (Fitzhugh)  Anderson. 
His  parents  crossed  the  plains  to  Oregon 
with  ox  teams  in  1852  and  located  in  Doug- 
las county  wliere  the  father  took  up  a  pre- 
emption claim  and  also  a  homestead.  He 
established  his  liome  upon  that  property 
and  there  continued  to  live  for  many  years. 
The  mother  died  in  1891.  The  father  now 
lives  in  the  Soldiers'  Home  at  Roseburg. 
He  is  a  veteran  of  the  Rogue  River,  Indian 
wars  of  1855-6  and  is  eighty-two  years  of 
age.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Daniel  Anderson  ten 
children  were  born,  six  of  whom  are  living: 
George  A.,  who  resides  in  Chignik,  Alaska; 
10.  P.,  the  subject  of  this  review;  .John  L., 
a  resident  of  Denmark,  Oregon;  Phoebe  L., 
the  wife  of  J.  D.  Wilson,  a  resident  of  Co- 
quille,  Coos  county.  Oregon:  Eva  L.,  the  wife 
of  Mr.  Cox  of  Curry  county,  Oregon;  and 
Nancy  J.,  the  wife  of  James  Stinson,  of 
Myrtle   Point,   Oregon. 

E.  P.  Anderson  was  reared  in  his  parents' 
liome  and  received  his  earlj'  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  Douglas  county.  At  the 
age  of  sixteen  years  he  started  in  life  in- 
dependently as  a  laborer  and  continued  in 
that  occupation  for  four  years.  He  then 
went  to  Bridgeville.  California,  and  while 
there  served  as  constable  and  later  as  dep- 
uty sheriff  of  Humboldt  county  for  six 
years.  During  that  time  he  celebrated  his 
wedding  and  immediately  thereafter  engaged 
in  farming  in  which  occupation  he  continued 
for  three  years.  In  1890  he  came  to  Ore- 
gon and  was  engaged  in  the  cattle-raising 
business  in  Curry  county  for  eight  years. 
He  then  went  to  Alaska  with  a  schooner 
and  there  spent  two  years.  In  1902  he  re- 
moved to  Coquille.  Oregon,  and  was  engaged 
in  a  sawmill  for  one  year  after  which  he  fol- 
lowed the  carpenter's  trade  until  1910.  That 
year  he  was  appointed  to  the  office  of  chief 
of  police  of  North  Bend.  Oregon,  and  lias 
since  continued  in  that  position.  He  is  the 
owner  of  fine  residence  property  in  North 
Bend  where  he   resides. 

Mr.  Anderson  was  united  in  marriage  in 
1884,  to  Miss  Maggie  B.  Martin  of  Hum- 
boldt countv.  California,  who  was  a  da\igh- 
ter  of  Augustus  and  Mary  (Frank)  "Martin. 
Her  father  was  a  native  of  New  York  and 
her  mother  of  Ohio,  and  both  died  many 
years  ago  in  California.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Anderson     two     children     have     been     born. 


Henry  L.,  who  was  born  in  Rohnerville, 
Humboldt  county,  California,  in  1886,  mar- 
ried Miss  Lena  McAdams  of  Coquille,  Ore- 
gon. He  received  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  Curry  county  and  in  the  academy 
at  Coquille,  Coos  county.  William  P.,  the 
youngest  of  the  family,  who  was  born  in 
Bridgeville,  California,  in  1888,  resides  in 
North  Bend  and  received  his  education  in 
the  same  institutions  as  his  brother  Henry. 
The  mother  of  this  family  died  November  15, 
1897. 

E.  P.  Anderson  is  independent  in  the  ex- 
ercise of  his  suffrage  and  has  held  several 
minor  offices  in  various  places  where  he 
Las  lived.  He  is  one  of  the  reliable  and 
highly  respected  men  of  his  county  and  is 
numbered  among  the  enterprising  and  useful 
citizens  of  his  part  of  the  state. 

JAMES  SYLVESTER  CAPPS,  postmaster 
of  Denmark  since  1896,  well  known  in  Curry 
county  as  a  capable  school  teacher,  and 
prominently  identified  with  farming  and  busi- 
ness interests  in  this  section,  was  born  in 
Tennessee,  in  1864,  a  son  of  William  and 
Susan  (Dunning)  Capps.  His  father  went 
to  Tennessee  in  his  early  years  and  there 
became  an  extensive  planter.  His  death  oc- 
curred in  1873.  He  and  his  wife  had  six 
cl'.ildren,  all  of  whom  have  passed  away, 
with  the  exception  of  the  subject  of  this 
review,  and  William,  who  lives  in  Tennessee. 
.Tames  S.  Capps  was  nine  years  of  age 
v.-hen  his  father  died.  He  afterward  made 
his  home  with  an  uncle  in  Tennessee  until 
he  was  in  his  sixteenth  year,  then  resided 
with  his  sister  until  he  was  twenty-one. 
In  the  meantime  he  attended  school  and  en- 
gaged in  teaching  in  Tennessee  for  three 
years.  He  was  then  married  and  after  one 
year  he  came  to  Curry  county  with  his  wife, 
settling  in  this  district  in  1888.  In  the  fol- 
lowing year.  1889,  he  homesteaded  a  place 
in  Ciu-ry  county.  After  proving  uj)  on  this 
he  traded  the  pVojierty  for  his  jiresent  place, 
comprising  four  hundred  and  eighty-four 
acres.  Here  he  operates  a  dairy.  In  the 
meantime  he  resumed  teaching  in  this  coun- 
ty, following  the  profession  until  1904.  In 
December,  1910.  he  built  a  store  on  his  farm, 
in  which  he  placed  a  stock  of  merchandise. 
In  1S96  he  was  appointed  postmaster  of 
Denmark  and  has  filled  the  position  to  the 
jiresent  time,  the  postoffice  being  located 
in   his   store  building. 

In  1887  Mr.  Capps  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Mary  0.  Porterficld.  a  native  of 
Carroll  countv.  Tennessee,  and  a  daughter  of 
.James  and  Nancy  (Roland)  Porterficld.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Capps  became  the  parents  of  six 
cliildrcn:  Floyd,  who  died  at  the  age  of  two 
vears:  Raymond,  who,  after  graduating  from 
"the  high  school,  attended  the  State  Agri- 
ciiltural  College,  and  who  is  associated  with 
his  father  in  the  conduct  of  the  home  ranch; 
Edna,  who  also  after  graduating  from  the 
high  school  attended  the  State  Agricultural 
College,  and  lives  with  her  parents;  Edgar, 
who  is  a  pupil  in  the  high  school:  and  .lohn 
and  Eva,  both  of  whom  are  attending  school. 


666 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTOEY  OF  OREGON 


Mr.  Capps  is  a  member  of  the  Woodmen 
cf  the  World  and  active  in  local  republican 
politics.  He  is  a  man  of  varied  interests, 
all  of  which  are  representative  and  useful 
and  he  has  done  efJ'ective  work  along  many 
lines,  his  industry  and  forceful  determination 
being  factors  in  his  prosperity. 

ROBERT  BANKS  is  one  of  the  well  known 
business  men  of  North  Bend,  where  he  is  en- 
gaged in  shipbuilding  in  company  with  K. 
V.  Kruse  under  the  firm  name  of  the  Kruse 
&,  Banks  Shipbuilding  Company.  He  was 
born  on  Prince  Edward  Island,  Canada,  on 
January  14,  1871,  and  is  a  son  of  Peter  and 
Jilary  (Morrison)  Banks,  both  of  whom  were 
of  Scotch  and  English  descent.  They  re- 
moved from  their  native  country  and  settled 
in  Massachusetts  in  1892,  where  the  father 
was  engaged  in  business  as  a  teamster  and 
was  also  a  professional  horse  trainer.  The 
m.other  died  in  Massachusetts  in  1903.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Peter  Banks  six  children  were 
born,  as  follows:  John,  who  is  deceased; 
Angus,  who  is  a  resident  of  Medfield,  Massa- 
chusetts; Margaret,  who  is  the  wife  of  John 
Whitty  and  i-esides  on  Prince  Edward  Is- 
land; Xeal.  who  has  charge  of  the  cabinet- 
finishing  department  of  the  shipbuilding 
plant  of  our  subject  and  is  living  in  North 
Bend.  Oregon;  Cecelia,  tlie  wife  of  J.  A.  Mc- 
Donald, of  Roxbury,  Massachusetts;  and 
Robert,  of  this  review. 

Robert  Banks  was  reared  in  his  parents' 
home  and  received  his  early  education  in 
Canada  and  in  the  United  States.  At  the 
age  of  seventeen  he  came  to  this  country 
and  spent  his  first  year  in  the  state  of 
Maine,  after  which  he  removed  to  Connecti- 
cut, where  he  worked  at  shipbuilding  for  a 
period  of  five  years  and  later  was  engaged 
in  that  class  of  work  in  Rhode  Island  and 
Massachusetts  until  1897.  In  that  year  he 
removed  to  Seattle,  Washington,  and  one  year 
later  settled  at  San  Francisco.  From  1900 
until  1904  he  was  at  Eureka,  California. 
Ill  1905  he  came  to  Coos  county,  Oregon, 
purchased  an  interest  in  a  shipyard  with 
K.  V.  Kruse  at  North  Bend  and  has  since 
continued  in  the  shipbuilding  business  as 
senior  member  of  the  firm  of  Kruse  &  Banks. 
The  firm  is  the  largest  of  its  kind  in  the 
county,  and  builds  both  small  and  large 
ocean-going  vessels  of  all  kinds.  In  addi- 
tion to  his  property  holdings  in  Oregon  Mr. 
Kanks  owns  a  residence  at  Eureka,  Califor- 
nia. 

Robert  Banks  belongs  to  the  republican 
party  and  is  a  member  of  the  Roman  Cath- 
olic church  of  North  Bend.  He  is  one  of  the 
enterprising  and  successful  men  of  the  Coos 
Bay  country  and  a  man  highly  esteemed 
for  his  integrity  and  uprightness  of  char- 
acter. 

DONALD  FUREY,  a  well  known  property 
owner  and  business  man  of  Multnomah 
county,  Oregon,  was  born  in  this  county  on 
February  12.  1868,  his  parents  being  Hugh 
and  Kate  (McVicker)  Furey,  both  natives 
of  Ireland.  Thev  came  to  America  in  early 
life.     The    father    first    .settled    in    Philadel- 


phia, Pennsylvania,  later  removed  to  Ohio 
and  still  later  to  Illinois.  During  his  early 
business  career  he  sold  merchandise  in  the 
eastern  states.  In  1855,  however,  he  decided 
10  try  his  fortune  on  the  Pacific  coast  and, 
crossing  the  plains,  settled  at  old  Hangtown, 
California,  where  he  was  engaged  in  mining 
for  several  years.  In  1866  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Kate  McVicker,  of  San  Francisco, 
and  in  February,  1867,  removed  to  the  vici- 
nity of  Portland,  where  he  rented  a  farm 
in  Multnomah  county  for  one  year.  He 
then  bought  twenty  acres  of  land  and  also 
took  up  a  government  claim  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty  acres,  seven  miles  east  of  Portland, 
which  at  the  present  time  is  within  a  short 
distance  of  the  east  boundary  of  the  city. 
This  farm  Mr.  Furey  occupied  and  cultivated 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  May  24, 
1S86.  His  widow  was  called  to  her  final  rest 
on  the  23d  of  March,  1890.  At  the  time 
of  Mr.  Furey's  death  he  owned  one  hun- 
dred and  forty  acres,  part  of  which  was  in 
a  high  state  of  cultivation.  To  ilr.  and 
ilrs.  Hugh  Furey  were  born  two  children: 
Donald,  of  this  review;  and  Mrs.  Mary  Gil- 
bert, who  lives  on  a  part  of  the  old  family 
bomestead. 

The  youth  of  Donald  Furey  was  spent 
in  Multnomah  county,  where  he  received  a 
common-school  education.  At  an  early  age. 
owing  to  his  father's  ill  health,  he  took 
charge  of  tlie  farm,  which  he  cultivated  until 
his  father's  death,  when  he  took  his  place 
as  the  head  of  the  family  and  continued  in 
the  cultivation  of  the  farm  until  his 
mother's  death,  when  the  property  was  di- 
vided between  the  two  heirs.  Mr.  Furey 
has  since  continued  to  operate  his  share  of 
the  old  homestead  and  at  the  present  time 
owns  thirty-five  acres  of  improved  land,  with 
twenty-seven  acres  in  a  highly  productive 
state  within  a  short  distance  of  the  city 
limits  of  Portland,  the  present  valuation  of 
which  is  about  seven  hundred  dollars  per 
acre. 

On  the  30th  of  October.  1902.  Mr.  Furey 
was  married  to  Miss  Grace  E.  Clark,  whose 
birth  occurred  in  Idaho  in  1873,  her  parents 
being  Isaac  and  Emma  (Sanders)  Clark,  the 
former  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  tlie 
latter  of  England.  They  were  married  in 
Rochester.  Minnesota,  on  Febi-uary  24,  1869. 
and  after  living  there  for  several  years  re- 
moved to  Idaho,  where  ilr.  Clark  was  ap- 
pointed by  President  Grant  as  garden  and 
farm  instructor  of  the  Indians  on  the  Nez 
Perce  Indian  reservation  at  Lapwai.  Idaho. 
In  1874  he  moved  to  Centerville.  Washing- 
ton, where  he  took  up  a  government  quarter 
section  of  prairie  land.  This  land  he  occu- 
pied until  1884.  when  he  moved  to  the  east- 
ern part  of  Klickitat  county.  Washington, 
where  he  acquired  large  property  interests 
which  he  held  until  his  death  on  .January 
?0.  1910.  His  wife  passed  away  on  the  27th 
of  August.  1903.  Their  children  were  seven 
in  number,  namely:  A.  F,..  who  is  a  resident 
of  Portland.  Oregon:  Grace  E..  of  Lents. 
Oregon,  the  wife  of  our  subject;  M.  -J.  and 
.Tune,  both  of  whom  are  deceased:  and 
Francis  H.,  James  I.  and  George  W..  al!  of 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


667 


whom  reside  in  Roosevelt,  Washington.  Jlrs. 
Grace  E.  Furey  is  a  well  educated  woman 
and  taught  school  for  thirteen  years  prior 
to  her  marriage.  She  is  the  mother  of  two 
children:  Xorman  A.,  who  was  born  March 
27,  1906;  and  Lucile  K.,  whose  birth  oc- 
curred on  the  17th  of  July,  1911. 

Politically  Mr.  Furey  is  a  republican  but 
often  reserves  independence  of  judgment  in 
regard  to  public  issues.  He  belongs  to  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the 
Rebekahs  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  Grange 
at  Lents.  He  is  among  the  many  stable 
business  men  who  have  by  their  efl'orts  made 
Portland  and  vicinity  what  it  is.  He  is 
well  known  and  respected  by  a  large  circle 
of  friends  and  is  highly  esteemed  in  frater- 
nal  circles. 

JACOB  0.  STEMMLER,  practicing  law  at 
Myrtle  Point  and  well  known  as  a  represen- 
tative citizen  of  Coos  county,  was  born  in 
Sebastian  county,  Arkansas,  March  28,  1874, 
a  son  of  J.  P.  and  Sarah  E.  (Howethi 
Stemmler.  The  paternal  grandmother  of 
Jacob  0.  Stemmler  was  one  of  the  oldest 
settlers  at  Fort  Smith,  Arkansas,  and  the 
old  home  of  the  family  is  still  standing  there. 
In  1853  J.  P.  Stemmler  first  made  his  way 
to  the  coast,  going  to  California,  where  he 
lived  for  fifteen  years.  He  had  married  and 
his  first  two  children  were  born  there.  In 
1867  the  family  went  to  Arkansas  by  way  of 
the  Isthmus  of  Panama  and  New  York  city. 
When  they  were  on  shipboard  the  two  chil- 
dren contracted  measles  and  died  in  the 
eastern  metropolis  but  the  family  continued 
their  journey  to  Arkansas  and  the  children 
were  laid  to  rest  in  a  cemetery  at  Little 
Rock.  J.  P.  Stemmler  purchased  land  in 
that  state  and  remained  there  for  about 
fifteen  years.  He  was  born  on  the  river 
Rhine,  Germany,  March  15,  1834,  and  his 
wife's  birth  occurred  in  southern  Texas. 
August  28,  1846.  In  Kovcmber.  1881,  J.  P. 
Stemmler  left  Arkansas  and  with  his  fam- 
ily went  to  Vancouver,  Washington,  where 
he  lived  until  the  following  spring.  He  then 
removed  to  a  farm  which  he  purchased  near 
Dallas,  Polk  county,  Oregon,  but  after  a 
year  sold  that  property  and  came  to  Coos 
county.  Subsequently  he  purchased  a  ranch 
known  as  the  John  Shook  ranch,  near  Dora, 
on  the  east  fork  of  the  Coquille  river,  about 
fifteen  miles  from  Myrtle  Point.  For  eight 
years  he  engaged  in  carrying  mail  over  the 
only  route  then  leading  into  Coos  county, 
this  being  known  as  the  old  Coos  Bay  wagon 
road.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  began  to 
cultivate  his  land,  for  his  sons,  who  had 
previously  operated  the  land,  began  to  leave 
him  in  order  to  make  homes  of  their  own. 
The  original  homestead  in  Coos  county  still 
belongs  to  the  family  and  manifests  by  its 
condition  the  hard  labors,  the  sacrifices  and 
the  efforts  of  the  father,  who  continued 
actively  in  farming  unfil  1908.  when  he  re- 
tired. His  wife  had  passed  away  May  22, 
1907.  Since  that  time  he  has  lived  in  Port- 
land and  in  Coos  county.  In  his  family 
were  nine  children:  Xelson.  deceased;  Anna, 
deceased;    Herbert,   who    is    with    the    I..   C. 


Smith  Typewriter  Company  at  Portland, 
Oregon;  Milton  0.,  a  practicing  physician  at 
Myrtle  Point;  Mary  Alice,  the  wife  of  John 
B,  Luttrell,  of  Myrtle  Point,  by  whom  she 
has  three  children;  Jacob  0.;"  Garland  E. 
and  Laurel  A.,  both  deceased;  and  Susie  I., 
the  wife  of  Benjamin  C.  Knight,  of  Arago, 
Oregon. 

When  very  young  Jacob  0,  Stemmler  took 
charge  of  the  home  farm.  He  acquired  his 
early  education  in  the  district  schools  of 
Coos  county  but  the  necessity  of  carrying 
on  the  farm  work  made  it  impossible"  for 
him  to  spend  much  time  in  the  schoolroom. 
In  1893  he  went  to  California,  where  he  took 
up  the  study  of  law  under  Judge  C.  H. 
ilarks  in  the  San  Joaquin  valley,  there 
reading  for  about  three  years.  He  after- 
ward returned  to  the  farm,  which  he  oper- 
ated until  1907,  when  he  went  to  .Myrtle 
Point  and  opened  a  real-estate  and  insur- 
ance office.  Here  he  resumed  law  reading 
and  in  1910  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  the 
state,  while  on  the  22d  of  May,  1911.  he  was 
admitted  to  practice  in  the  United  States 
courts.  He  is  devoting  his  attention  to  the 
work  of  the  profession  and  to  his  real-estate 
interests  and  has  become  the  owner  of  sev- 
eral pieces  of  good  property  in  addition  to 
his  share  in  a  large  farm. 

Mr.  Stemmler  was  united  in  marriage  to 
^liss  Katherine  Argo.  a  native  of  Illinois 
and  a  daiighter  of  E.  G.  and  Sarah  (Parker) 
Argo,  whose  family  numbered  seven  chil- 
dren: Florence,  who  is  the  wife  of  Perry 
Hughes,  living  retired  in  Clinton,  Illinois, 
and  is  the  mother  of  one  child;  George,  a 
hanker  of  Clinton,  Illinois;  Charles,  also  of 
Clinton,  who  is  married  and  has  three  chil- 
dren; .John,  living  in  Clinton;  Eliza,  the 
wife  of  .John  Graham,  of  Lexington,  Okla- 
homa, by  whom  she  has  three  children; 
Mrs.  Stemmler;  and  Minnie,  the  wife  of 
Horace  Flack,  of  Chicago. 

Jacob  0,  Stemmler  votes  with  the  demo- 
cratic party.  He  belongs  to  various  fra- 
ternal organizations,  including  the  Benevo- 
lent Protective  Order  of  Elks,  the  Woodmen 
of  the  World  and  the  Masonic  lodge.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  lodge, 
has  passed  through  all  the  chairs  in  the  local 
organization  and  was  its  deputy  grand  chan- 
cellor for  two  years.  He  enjoys  the  high 
regard  of  his  brethren  of  these  fraternities 
because  of  his  loyalty  to  their  principles, 
iind  in  the  co\inty  where  he  makes  his  home 
he  has  a  wide  and  favorable  acquaintance 
by  reason  of  his  lifelong  residence  in  this 
part  of  the  state  and  the  fact  that  his  life 
has   been   well  spent. 

WILLIAM  HILLIS  SHORT.  The  beaut  i- 
tul  summer  climate  brings  many  tourists 
to  this  state  durin?  the  season  and  the  busi- 
ness of  providincr  for  their  needs  and  com- 
forts is  becominir  more  important  each  year. 
William  Hillis  Short,  the  proprietor  of  the 
Lake  Side  Summer  Resort  Hotel  located  on 
Ten  IMile  lake,  Coos  county.  Oregon,  has  re- 
duced this  business  to  a  svstem.  He  owns 
■Tnd  successfully  conducts  his  larsre  hotel  and 
(he  boathouse  in  connection  with  it  and  his 


668 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


progressive  ideas  of  wliat  constitutes  modern 
inn  keeping  in  its  many  aspects  and  liis 
modern  and  improved  metliods  are  rapidly 
jiutting  the  institution  witli  whicli  lie  is 
connected  in  a  prosperous  and  flourishing 
condition, 

William  Hillis  Short  was  born  in  Jackson- 
ville, Jackson  county,  Oregon,  December  14, 
1S69,  and  is  a  son  of  Draper  and  Annie 
E.  (Owen)  Short.  His  parents  were  both 
natives  of  Missouri  where  they  married  and 
resided  until  1S67.  In  that  year  they  crossed 
the  plains  to  Oregon  with  horses  and  mule 
I  earns.  They  settled  first  in  .Jacksonville, 
Jackson  county,  where  the  father  operated 
gold  mines  for  some  time.  He  also  estab- 
lished the  first  paper  in  that  city  which  is 
still  in  existence  under  the  name  of  the 
Jacksonville  Times.  He  has  spent  some 
years  traveling  in  the  west,  principally  in 
California,  in  search  of  health  and  died  in 
Jacksonville  in  1874.  His  family  remained 
in  that  city  until  1879  when  they  removed 
to  Coos  county,  Oregon,  where  his  widow- 
lives  with  her  children  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
six  years,  llr.  and  ilrs.  Draper  Short  were 
the  parents  of  seven  children,  four  of  whom 
are  living:  E.  H..  a  resident  of  Coos  county; 
Jlrs.  E.  G.  Flanagan  of  ilarshfield.  Oregon; 
William  Hillis,  the  subject  of  this  review; 
Draper  W.,  .Jr.,  also  a  resident  of  Marsh- 
field;  -T.  0.,  deceased,  who  made  his  home  in 
Marshfield;  Grundy  M..  who  died  at  Myrtle 
Point,  Oregon,  leaving  a  wife  and  daugh- 
ter: and  Blanch  E..  who  has  also  passed 
away  and  is   buried  in  Marshfield. 

William  Hillis  Short  received  his  early 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  .Jackson- 
ville and  at  the  age  of  thirteen  entered  the 
employ  of  the  Southern  Oregon  Company  at 
Empire  city  as  a  clerk  and  bookkeeper.  He 
remained  in  this  connection  until  he  went 
to  California.  In  San  Francisco  he  entered 
the  business  college  and  was  graduated  in 
1891.  He  then  returned  to  Coos  Bay  and 
became  bookkeeper  for  E.  G.  Flanagan  in 
whose  employ  he  remained  for  some  time. 
Sir.  Short  followed  the  occupation  of  book- 
keeping until  1909  when  he  removed  to  Ten 
Mile  lake,  bought  a  piece  of  property  in 
that  district  and  erected  a  summer  hotel, 
known  as  the  Lake  Side  Summer  Resort 
Hotel.  He  lias  been  active  in  the  operation 
of  this  enterprise  and  a  dominating  factor 
in  its  policy  since  that  time  and  has  met 
with  a  gratifying  degree  of  success.  He  is 
a  firm  believer  in  the  future  of  Oregon  and 
never  loses  an  opportunity  to  invest  in  real 
estate.  He  owns  an  interest  in  the  Alder 
Park  addition  to  Marshfield  and  expects  to 
realize    a    large    profit    from    his    holdings. 

In  June,  1903,  Mr.  Short  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Clara  M.  DeXeven.  who 
was  born  in  1882.  in  Madison.  Wisconsin. 
She  is  a  daughter  of  F.  J.  and  Grace  (Kingi 
DeNeven.  the  former  a  native  of  Wisconsin 
and  the  latter  of  Chicago.  Illinois,  ilrs. 
Short's  parents  were  married  in  the  latter 
state  and  moved  to  Oregon  where  he  became 
a  cashier  in  a  bank  and  was  later  auditor 
for  the  Coos  Bay  &  Eoseburg  Railroad.  In 
1902    he    returned    to    Chicago    where    he    is 


now  auditor  for  the  Chicago  branch  of  the 
n.  J.  Heinz  Company  of  Pittsburg.  Penn- 
sylvania. He  is  the  father  of  four  children: 
Clara  M.,  the  wife  of  our  subject;  Virginia, 
who  married  Dr.  William  K.  Leake,  a  prac- 
ticing physician  of  New  Orleans,  Louisiana; 
Elmer,  who  resides  in  Chicago;  and  Harriett, 
the  wife  of  George  Debold  of  Chicago,  Illi- 
nois. Mr.  and  ilrs.  William  H.  Short  are 
the  parents  of  two  children:  Blanch  Grace, 
who  was  born  in  1904;  and  William  Hillis, 
Jr.,  whose  birth  occurred  in  1907.  Mr. 
Short  and  his  family  are  devout  members  of 
the  Episcopal  church  and  are  regular  at- 
tendants. 

Politically  Mr.  Short  is  not  affiliated  with 
any  party,  preferring  to  follow  his  judgment 
independently  and  keep  his  opinions  un- 
biased. He  takes  an  intelligent  interest  in 
public  affairs  but  has  never  been  an  office 
seeker.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Myrtle  Lodge, 
No.  3,  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  he  has  filled 
several  of  the  chairs  in  that  organization. 
He  also  holds  membership  in  Marshfield 
Lodge,  No.  528,  F.  0.  E.,  and  is  prominent 
in  the  affairs  of  that  organization.  His 
time  is  principally  devoted  to  the  manage- 
ment and  direction  of  his  summer  hotel.  He  is 
doing  much  for  his  native  state  by  bringing 
within  its  borders  hundreds  of  tourists  every 
summer  and  by  providing  for  their  needs 
and  comforts  in  so  intelligent  a  way  that 
they  anticipate  their  return  with  delight. 

LOUIS  KNAPP  is  one  of  the  important 
and  well  known  business  men  of  Curry  county 
where  during  the  course  of  more  than  half 
a  century's  residence  he  has  become  identified 
with  important  and  representative  enter- 
prises. He  is  conducting  a  fine  hotel  in  Port 
Orford  which  he  erected  in  1887  and  is  the 
owner  of  two  thousand  acres  of  land  divided 
into  two  ranches  and  well  stocked  with  high- 
grade  cattle  and  sheep.  This  property  he 
is  bringing  to  an  excellent  state  of  develop- 
ment and  is  establishing  his  large  modern 
dairy  upon  it.  He  is  well  known  in  Imsiuess 
and  agricultural  circles  of  his  section  and 
is  one  of  the  foremost  citizens  of  Curry 
county.  He  was  born  in  Baltimore.  Mary- 
land. July  4.  1843,  a  son  of  John  and  Rachel 
Knapp.  natives  of  Germany,  who  came  to 
America  at  different  times.  They  married  in 
Baltimore  and  in  that  city  the  father  oper- 
ated a  meat-packing  plant  until  1856  when 
he  sold  out  his  interests  and  went  to  Califor- 
nia, establishing  himself  in  the  butcher  busi- 
ness in  San  Francisco.  In  this  line  of  occu- 
pation he  was  active  and  successful  until 
1858  when  he  moved  to  Texas  and  after  a 
short  residence  in  that  state  returned  to 
Maryland  from  which  state  he  enlisted  in 
the  Confederate  array  in  1861.  He  served 
only  a  short  time  when  he  was  seized  with 
illness  and  died.  In  the  meantime  the  mother 
of  our  subject  had  come  to  Oregon  via  the 
Isthmus  of  Panama  and  settled  in  1S59  on 
the  Coquille  river  near  Myrtle  Point  where 
she  and  her  son  proved  up  a  claim  upon 
which  they  lived  for  a  short  time.  They  later 
came  to  Port  Orford  and  took  up  land  and 
here   the   mother   died   ;Mav   13,   1888.     Pre- 


RACHEL  KXAPr 


:W  YORK 
LIBRARY 


■JNDATIONi. 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


671 


vious  to  her  union  with  the  father  of  our 
subject  she  had  married  Mr.  Bleeckler.  and 
by  him  had  one  daughter,  Mrs.  Catherine 
Kronenberg,  of  Coquille. 

Louis  Knapp  was  si.xteen  years  of  age  when 
he  came  to  Oregon  with  his  mother.  He 
aided  in  the  operation  of  the  farm  near 
Myrtle  Point  and  worked  at  various  occupa- 
tions after  they  removed  to  Port  Orford. 
He  eventually  took  up  land  near  this  city 
and  engaged  in  stock-raising  until  18S7  when 
he  built  a  hotel  which  he  has  conducted  since 
that  time.  He  divides  his  attention  between 
the  conduct  of  this  enterprise  and  the  man- 
agement of  his  two  thousand  acres  of  land 
which  forms  one  of  the  most  important  agri- 
cultural properties  in  the  county.  It  is 
divided  into  two  ranches,  both  of  which  are 
well  stocked  with  cattle  and  sheep,  to  the 
breeding  and  raising  of  which  Mr.  Knapp 
pays  special  attention.  He  is  now  establish- 
ing a  model  dairy  upon  one  of  his  farms 
and  keeps  a  herd  of  high-grade  cows  for  this 
purpose.  It  is  modern  and  sanitary  in  every 
respect  and  forms  a  valuable  addition  to  his 
income.  Besides  his  hotel  and  ranch,  Mr. 
Knapp  also  owns  eighty  acres  of  fine  cedar 
timber  on  the  Sixes  river  and  a  number  of 
town  lots  in  Port  Orford. 

On  October  IS,  1893,  Mr.  Knapp  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Ella  Stagg,  a  native  of 
Oregon,  and  a  daughter  of  Nicholas  and 
Adaline  (Chaffee)  Stagg,  both  of  whom  were 
born  in  Illinois.  They  crossed  the  plains 
with  ox  teams  in  1849  and  settled  in  Port- 
land where  they  remained  for  a  number  of 
years.  The  father  died  in  eastern  Oregon 
but  the  mother  is  still  living  and  has  reached 
the  age  of  seventy.  She  makes  her  home 
near  Peshastin,  Washington.  There  were 
seven  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stagg: 
Sylvester;  Sterling;  Simeon;  Wallace;  Ella, 
the  wife  of  our  subject;  Ida,  the  wife  of  J. 
J.  Lund,  of  San  Diego,  California;  and  Nich- 
olas, of  Montana.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Knapp  be- 
came the  parents  of  four  children:  Louis, 
who  was  born  February  13,  1895,  and  who 
is  attending  the  Columbia  University,  from 
which  institution  he  will  graduate  in  1913; 
Orris,  whose  birth  occurred  September  8, 
1896,  who  is  also  attending  the  university; 
Lloyd,  who  was  born  July  23,  1899,  and  who 
is  a  pupil  in  the  public  schools;  and  Marion, 
whose  birth  occurred  January  7,  1905,  and 
who  passed  away  March  2,  of  the  same  year. 

Mr.  Knapp  gives  his  allegiance  to  the  re- 
publican party  but  has  never  been  active 
as  an  office  seeker.  For  fifty-three  years  he 
has  been  a  resident  of  Oregon  and  is  num- 
bered among  the  early  settlers  in  the  state. 
His  activities  have  been  constantly  construc- 
tive and  have  resulted  not  only  in  making 
him  prominent  but  have  influenced  the  growth 
and  development  of  this  section. 

FRANK  BOWRON  is  the  owner  of  the 
Lake  Side  Inn  on  Ten  Jlile  lake  and  is  con- 
tributing his  share  to  the  promotion  of  the 
rapidly  developing  business  of  taking  care 
of  the  tourist  population  of  Oregon  during 
the  summer  season  in  an  intelligent  and 
progressive  way.    He  is  also  identified  with 


the  agricultural  prosperity  of  Coos  county 
where  he  owns  a  one  hundred  and  sixty  acre 
ranch  and  he  is  active  in  the  management 
of  his  wife's  business  property  in  the  city 
of   Marshfield. 

Mr.  Bowron  was  born  in  Ohio  on  Septem- 
ber 27,  1863,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and 
Jlary  (Forsythe)  Bowron.  Mr.  Bowron's 
parents  were  born  in  Newcastle  upon  Tyne 
and  married  in  that  place  where  the  lather 
toUowed  coal  mining  until  he  came  to  Amer- 
ica in  1843.  He  settled  first  in  Maryland  and 
followed  his  former  occupation  in  that  state 
until  he  came  to  Ohio  in  the  spring  of  1S63. 
Sliortly  afterward  he  moved  to  California, 
making  the  journey  by  the  Isthmus  of  Pan- 
ama and  settled  in  Calaveras  county  where 
he  mined  for  gold  for  several  years.  Even- 
tually his  health  failed  and  he  was  obliged 
to  travel  extensively  for  ten  years.  At  the 
end  of  that  period  he  came  to  Coos  Bay, 
Coos  county,  Oregon,  and  retired  from  active 
business  life.  He  took  up  his  residence  in 
Marshfield  where  he  remained  until  his  death 
in  1890.  His  wife's  death  had  preceded  his 
by  nine  years  and  occurred  in  1882.  Both 
are  buried  in  the  Marshfield  cemetery.  Ten 
children  were  born  to  this  union,  of  whom 
si.x  are  living:  Mrs.  Annie  Shaw  of  Oak- 
land, California ;  Mrs.  Hannah  Berry  of  Ab- 
erdeen, Washington;  Mathew,  who  resides 
in  Marshfield,  Oregon;  William,  who  makes 
his  home  on  Benson  creek,  Coos  county; 
Robert  of  Aberdeen,  Washington;  Frank,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch;  Margaret,  who  passed 
away  at  the  age  of  three  years;  Margaret, 
who  died  in  the  fifty-sixth  year  of  her  age; 
William,  who  died  in  infancy;  and  John, 
who  passed  away  at  the  age  of  thirty-seven 
years. 

Frank  Bowron  received  his  early  education 
in  Indiana  but  laid  aside  his  books  when  he 
was  eighteen  years  of  age.  After  his 
mother's  death  he  worked  in  the  coal  mines 
of  Coos  county  for  six  years  and  then  in 
association  with  his  father  operated  a  log- 
ging camp  for  twelve  years.  At  the  end  of 
that  time  he  removed  to  Marshfield  and  en- 
gaged in  the  saloon  business  for  some  time. 
Subsequently  he  bought  a  ranch  on  Ten 
Mile  lake  and  was  active  in  its  operation  and 
very  successful  during  the  eight  years  of  his 
occupancy.  He  later  retired  from  his  ranch 
and  lived  in  Marshfield.  Oregon,  until  1912 
when  he  bought  the  Lake  Side  Inn  on  Ten 
l\rile  lake,  which  he  is  at  present  conducting 
with  much  success.  His  property  is  one  of 
the  largest  summer  hotels  in  Coos  county 
and  its  patronage  is  rapidly  increasing  each 
year.  It  is  run  along  modern  and  progres- 
sive lines  of  scientific  hotel  keeping  and  its 
appointments  and  furnishings  are  noted  for 
their  comfort  and  convenience.  Besides  bis 
activities  in  this  line  Mr.  Bowron  is  also 
the  owner  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  ranch  land  in  Coos  county  and  in  asso- 
ciation with  his  wife  owns  a  large  amount 
of  property  in  Bandon.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bow- 
ron also  own  a  one-seventh  interest  in  an 
ei^lit  hundred  acre  estate  and  a  large  amount 
of"  stock  in  the  Chandler  Hotel  of  Marsh- 
(ielil.     They  are  also  part  owners  of  a  mod- 


672 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


ern  business  block  in  tlie  same  city  and  are 
prominently  connected  with  its  commercial 
development. 

In  1S88  Mr.  Bowron  was  united  in  mar- 
riage in  Coos  county,  to  iliss  Xellie  E.  Noble, 
a  native  of  that  district.  She  is  a  daughter 
of  W.  H.  and  Mary  E.  (Rhodes)  Noble,  of 
whom  more  extended  mention  is  made  on 
another  page  of  this  work.  Mrs.  Bowron 
received  her  early  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  Coos  county  and  has  always  been 
a  resident  of  this  district.  She  and  her 
husband  became  the  parents  of  six  children: 
Arthur,  who  died  when  he  was  one  year  old; 
Cora,  born  in  1890,  who  was  educated  in 
Marshfield  and  is  the  wife  of  James  Cowen 
of  this  place;  Maud,  born  in  1894,  who  is 
attending  the  Marshfield  public  schools; 
Jack,  whose  birth  occurred  in  1896  and  who 
is  attending  school;  Mary,  who  passed  away 
at  the  age  of  one  year;  and  Ruth,  whose 
birth  occurred  November  29,  1903. 

Mr.  Bowron  belongs  to  the  Episcopal 
church  and  his  family  are  all  devoted  mem- 
bers of  that  organization.  Politically  he  is 
a  stanch  republican  and  intelligently  inter- 
I  ested  in  public  affairs.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Independent  Order  of  Foresters  and  is 
active  in  the  affairs  of  the  Improved  Red 
Men.  He  also  holds  membership  in  the  Fra- 
ternal Order  of  Eagles.  He  is  an  intelligent, 
shrewd  and  discriminating  business  man. 
thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  details  of 
inn  keeping  and  he  is  conducting  his  sum- 
mer hotel  along  progressive  and  modern  lines 
which  have  as  their  chief  end  the  comfort 
and  happiness  of  the  guests  of  the  house. 

JAMES  WESLEY  RIGGS.  The  record  of 
Marshfield's  leading  business  enterprises 
would  be  incomplete  were  there  failure  to 
make  reference  to  the  photographic  studio 
of  James  Wesley  Riggs,  who  for  twenty- 
three  years  has  been  a  representative  of  the 
art  in  this  city,  remaining  at  his  present 
location  for  two  decades.  The  spirit  of  ad- 
vancement has  actuated  him  in  all  that  he 
does,  keeping  him  in  touch  with  the  most 
progressive  and  modern  methods  developed 
through  experimentation,  experience  and 
science.  He  was  bom  in  Wheeling.  West 
■\irginia.  September  5.  1842,  a  son  of  Wil- 
liam and  Lydia  Riggs.  who  were  natives  of 
Pennsylvania  and  of  Ohio  respectively.  The 
father  came  across  the  plains  in  1852,  the 
year  memorable  as  the  one  which  brought 
ti.e  greatest  number  of  settlers  to  the  Pacific 
coast  and  the  year  in  which  their  hardships 
and  trials  were  greatest.  Mr.  Riggs.  how- 
ever, reached  his  destination  in  safety  and 
for  seven  years  was  a  resident  of  Douglas 
county,  after  which  he  returned  to  Ohio  and 
brought  his  family  to  Oregon  by  way  of  the 
Isthmus  of  Panama.  He  then  took  up  an 
old  donation  claim  in  Douglas  county  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  and  made  his  home 
in  southeastern  Oregon  to  the  time  of  his 
death  in  1900.  His  wife  still  survives  at 
the  age  of  eighty-five  years  and  is  a  res- 
ident of  Coqnille.  Coos  county. 

James  W.  Riggs  was  educated  in  Ohio  and 
Douglas   county.   Oregon,   having   come  with 


Lis  parents  to  this  state  in  his  boyhood 
days.  He  assisted  his  father  in  the  arduous 
task  of  developing  a  new  farm,  remaining 
at  home  until  a  short  time  after  his  mar- 
riage. He  wedded  Miss  Josie  Margaret 
Bonebrake,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Levinia 
Bonebrake.  ilrs.  Riggs  was  born  in  Iowa 
and  in  1862  crossed  the  plains  with  her  par- 
ents, who  settled  in  Jackson  county  but 
afterward  removed  to  Douglas  county  and 
eventually  became  residents  of  Coos  county, 
\>here  both  passed  away.  Mr.  and  ilrs. 
Riggs  have  become  the  parents  of  four  chil- 
dren but  their  first  born,  Armede,  died  in 
infancy.  The  others  are:  filfie  Elmer,  a 
resident  of  North  Bend,  Oregon;  H.  B.,  a 
practicing  dentist  of  Grangeville,  Idaho;  and 
Pearl  Bonta,  who  is  at  home  with  her  par- 
ents. Mr.  Riggs  took  up  the  study  of  pho- 
tography about  forty  years  ago  and  first  en- 
gaged in  business  on  his  own  account  at 
Oakland.  Douglas  county.  At  various  periods 
he  has  been  located  in  Jackson  county,  Ore- 
gon, in  Walla  Walla,  Washington.  Dayton, 
Washington,  and  Lewiston.  Idaho,  and  in 
1889  he  came  to  Coos  county,  opening  a 
studio  in  Marshfield,  where  he  has  since  been 
located.  He  has  a  well  appointed  establish- 
ment which  he  has  occupied  for  twenty 
years,  and  the  walls  are  adorned  with  many 
fine  specimens  of  the  art  which  are  his  handi- 
work. He  has  made  a  close  study  of  the  ef- 
fect of  light  and  shade,  ever  endeavors  to 
secure  a  natural  pose  and  lifelike  character- 
istics, and  his  work  expresses  the  latest 
improvements   in   photographic   processes. 

Mr.  Riggs'  political  allegiance  is  given  to 
the  republican  party  but  he  has  never  been 
.".n  office  seeker,  supporting,  however,  meas- 
ures and  movements  which  he  deems  essen- 
tial in  good  government  or  which  will  serve 
as  factors  in  promoting  public  progress  and 
improvement.  For  thirty  years  he  has  been 
a  valued  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
fraternity  and  enjoys  the  high  regard  of  his 
brethren  and  of  the  entire  community  be- 
cause of  a  well  spent  life. 

RUFUS  S.  MOORE,  retired  lumberman, 
active  in  political  circles  and  prominent  by 
reason  of  the  extent  and  importance  of  his 
real-estate  holdings  and  business  affairs  is 
numbered  among  the  valued  residents  of 
Klamath  Falls  and  southern  Oregon.  He  is 
one  of  the  native  sons  of  the  state,  his  birth 
having  occurred  near  Mount  Angel  in  ilarion 
county,  March  7.  1855.  his  parents  being 
William  S.  and  Margaret  Octavia  (Meldrura) 
Moore,  natives  of  Hlinois.  in  whose  family 
were  seven  children,  of  whom  six  are  living. 
Rufus  S.  Jloore.  the  eldest,  was  but  seven 
years  of  age  when  in  1862  the  family  be- 
came residents  of  Oregon  City  and  in'  1864 
(hey  went  to  Salem,  there  remaining  iintil 
their  removal  to  Klamath  county  in  1874. 
He  supplemented  his  public-school  education 
by  study  in  Willamette  University,  and 
came  to  Linkville.  now  Klamath  Falls,  in 
December.  1877.  His  father  and  brother 
Charles  built  a  sawmill  up  the  river  in  1878 
and  in  1887  Rufus  S.  Moore  purchased  his 
father's  interest.     For  a  long  period  he  was 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


673 


closely  identified  with  lumber  and  milling 
interests  and  in  1906  he  and  his  brother 
Charles  erected  a  mill  at  Klamath  Falls, 
which  they  owned  and  operated  until  1910, 
when  they  sold  that  property.  While  en- 
gaged in  the  milling  business,  from  1SS7  un- 
til 1910,  the  Moore  brothers  supplied  the 
whole  country  over  a  radius  of  fifty  miles 
with  lumber,  this  being  the  only  mill  of  the 
locality  for  a  number  of  years.  They  had 
over  half  a  township  of  timber  land  but 
eventually  sold  most  of  the  land  to  the 
Weyerhaeuser  Land  &  Timber  Company.  He 
was  also  interested  in  a  light  and  power 
company,  with  his  brother  as  partner,  which 
on  the  1st  of  June,  1910,  took  over  the  prop- 
erty and  business  of  the  Klamath  Falls 
Light  &  ^^'ater  Company  and  the  Klamath 
River  Power  Company  but  in  1911  sold  out 
to  the  California  &  Oregon  Light  and  Power 
Company.  Mr.  Moore  still  has  large  prop- 
erty holdings  and  other  investments  which 
rank  him  among  the  capitalists  of  southern 
Oregon. 

In  1900  occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr. 
Moore  and  Miss  Clara  A.  Shaw,  a  resident  of 
Portland  and  a  native  of  England.  His 
lodge  relations  are  with  the  Elks  and  the 
Workmen  and  his  political  allegiance  has  al- 
ways been  given  to  the  republican  party 
since  age  conferred  upon  him  the  right  of 
franchise.  He  was  chairman  of  the  county 
central  committee  and  a  member  of  the  state 
central  committee  for  several  years  and  was 
a  delegate  to  the  republican  national  conven- 
tion which  met  in  Philadelphia  in  1900. 
About  the  only  political  office  that  Mr. 
Moore  has  ever  held  was  that  of  county  sur- 
veyor. He  followed  surveying  for  a  number 
of  years  under  the  contract  system  and  was 
United  States  deputy  surveyor,  in  which  con- 
nection his  duties  have  taken  him  to  all 
parts  of  Oregon.  He  learned  surveying  as  a 
boy  under  an  uncle  and  the  skill  then  ac- 
quired proved  of  value  to  him  in  his  later 
years.  As  he  has  traveled  abroad  over  the 
state  and  seen  opportunity  for  the  purchase 
of  property  at  a  low  figure  he  has  made  ex- 
tensive investments,  and  the  rise  in  real- 
estate  values  has  made  him  one  of  the  sub- 
stantial  residents   of   southern   Oregon. 

CAPTAIN  HENRY  WADE.  The  Umpqua 
and  Coquille  rivers  around  Gardiner,  Oregon, 
and  for  many  miles  in  its  vicinity  are  as 
open  books  to  Captain  Henry  Wade,  who  has 
been  familiar  with  these  streams  in  their 
various  aspects  for  many  years,  as  commander 
of  different  steamboats  plying  upon  tbom. 
His  career  has  been  identified  with  inland 
navigation  during  the  most  of  his  active  life 
and  he  has  gained  prominence  and  success 
in  tliis  line  of  activity.  He  has  now  retired 
from  river  traffic  and  is  giving  his  time  to 
the  management  of  the  comfortable  fortune 
which  he  acquired  through  judicious  invest- 
ments during  his  active  work. 

Captain  Wade  was  born  in  Lexington,  Indi- 
ana, May  6,  1843.  and  is  a  son  of  John  and 
Mary  (Rtears)  Wade,  both  natives  of  Hull. 
England.  They  came  to  the  United  States 
at   an    early   date   and   in   this   country   the 


father  followed  the  sea  for  many  years.  He 
subsequently  located  in  Indiana'  settling  liis 
family  on  a  farm  adjoining  the  city  of  Lex- 
ington and  was  successful  and  prosperous  as 
an  agriculturist  for  many  years.  He  joined 
the  famous  band  of  the  Forty-Niners  to  the 
California  gold  fields  and  prospected  in  that 
state  for  several  years.  His  life  was  eventful 
and  varied  in  its  aspects.  His  career  included 
a  period  of  residence  in  Australia  where  he 
mined  with  indifi'erent  success.  Upon  his 
return  to  this  country  he  brought  his  family 
by  way  of  the  Isthmus  of  Panama  to  Oregon, 
locating  in  1855  in  Scottsburg.  He  remained 
in  this  city  for  three  years  but  in  1S5S  took 
up  a  homestead  claim  on  the  Smith  river 
twenty  miles  above  his  original  place  of  resi- 
dence and  upon  this  farm  he  settled  his 
family  and  resided  until  1869.  In  that  year 
he  removed  to  the  mouth  of  the  Smith  river 
where  he  farmed  successfully  until  his  death 
in  1871  at  the  age  of  sixty-six  years.  He 
passed  away  at  the  home  of  his  daughter, 
Mrs.  J.  H.  Butler,  of  Gardiner,  Oregon,  and 
thus  closed  a  career  which  had  been  varied 
and  eventful  in  different  parts  of  the  world. 
Captain  Wade  was  reared  at  home  and  ac- 
quired his  education  in  the  common  schools 
of  Indiana  and  Oregon.  In  the  spring  of 
1863  when  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age  he 
ran  away  from  home  and  went  to  the  Salmon 
river  mining  district  where  he  spent  one 
summer  working  in  the  mines.  He  subse- 
quently journeyed  to  the  Columbia  river  and 
worked  in  a  sawmill  for  the  Oregon  Steam 
&  Navigation  Company.  He  met  with  an 
unfortunate  accident  while  employed  in  this 
capacity,  losing  the  first  finger  of  his  right 
hand.  Wliile  he  was  recovering  from  his  in- 
juries he  went  to  Salem  and  enrolled  as  a 
student  in  the  Willamette  Institute,  feeling 
the  lack  of  a  thorough  education.  He  pursued 
his  studies  for  six  months  and  then  returned 
to  Gardiner  where  he  worked  for  a  time  on 
the  river,  thus  becoming  first  identified  with 
inland  navigation.  He  abandoned  this  field 
of  activity  in  order  to  spend  three  years  at 
ranching  and  he  subsequently  resumed  it  as 
a  sailor  aboard  the  river  boat.  The  Enterprise. 
This  vessel  was  a  product  of  the  local  boat 
yard  at  Gardiner  and  some  years  later  while 
crossing  the  Umpqua  bar  b\irst  her  steanipipes 
and  was  completely  disabled.  In  the  stock 
company  which  was  at  once  formed  to  rebuild 
the  boat  Captain  Wade  was  an  influential 
and  prominent  factor.  His  knowledge  of 
navigation  had  increased  by  this  time  to  an 
expert  science  and  it  was  rewarded  by  the 
captaincy  of  the  new  vessel  which  was  also 
named  The  Enterprise.  He  commanded  the 
boat  for  a  few  months  but  later  resigned  his 
position  and  purchased  the  small  steamer 
Argo  which  he  operated  on  the  Umpqua  and 
Smith  rivers  for  four  years.  He  interrupted 
his  career  in  navigation  when  he  sold  his  boat 
and  for  ten  years  occupied  himself  on  land. 
In  1886  he  returned  to  the  river  trafiic  as 
master  of  The  Restless,  which  vessel  he  com- 
manded with  much  success  for  some  time. 
He  subsequently  was  captain  of  the  Despatch 
on  the  Coquille  river  and  later  of  the  Juno 
plying  on  the  t^mpqua  which  latter  vessel  he 


674 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


commanded  continuously  for  eleven  years.  He 
has  now  definitely  retired  from  active  life 
and  is  living  in  Gardiner.  In  managing  his 
shipping  interests  he  was  always  guided  by  a 
progressive  policy  and  discriminating  busi- 
ness ability.  He  won  success  by  hard  labor 
and  thorough  efficiency  and  attained  a  fore- 
most place  among  his  fellow  citizens.  Cap- 
tain Wade  is  now  giving  his  entire  atten- 
tion to  the  management  of  the  estate  left 
by  his  brother  Robert  and  to  the  adminis- 
tration of  his  own  affairs. 

In  1870  Captain  Wade  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Lizzie  Burehard  of  Long  Prairie. 
Douglas  county,  a  daughter  of  Ejjhraim  and 
Mary  J.  (Sawyers)  Burehard.  one  of  the 
pioneers  in  the  early  settlement  of  Oregon, 
who  crossed  the  plains  with  ox  teams  from 
Steubenville.  Ohio,  to  this  state  in  1853.  To 
Captain  and  Mrs.  Wade  have  been  born  four 
children,  three  of  whom  are  living:  Mary 
Belle,  who  resides  at  home;  Myrtle,  the  wife 
of  A.  F.  Smith  of  Gardiner,  Oregon;  and 
Marjorie.  now  Mrs.  W.  P.  Eeed  of  Gardiner. 
Oregon. 

In  his  political  views  Captain  Wade  is  a 
stanch  republican  and  served  as  justice  of  the 
peace  and  notary  public  for  many  years.  He 
did  constructively  successful  work  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  school  board  and  to  his  activities 
as  road  supervisor  Douglas  county  owes  many 
of  its  most  efficient  public  highways.  He  is 
a  member  of  Aurora  Lodge.  No.  59.  F.  &  A. 
M..  and  with  his  wife  and  daughter  Mary 
Belle,  belongs  to  Martha  Chapter,  No.  48, 
Order  of  the  Eastern  Star.  In  this  organiza- 
tion Mrs.  Wade  has  served  as  worthy  matron 
and  her  daughter  as  secretary  of  the  chapter. 
Captain  Wade  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  while  his  wife  affiliates  with 
the  Episcopalian  religion.  He  is  one  of  the 
foremost  men  in  Gardiner  today,  actively  and 
substantially  interested  in  movements  look- 
ing to  the  municipal  progress,  a  loyal  citizen 
of  Oregon  and  a  firm  believer  in  the  future 
of  that  state.  With  him  retirement  has  not 
meant  quiescence  but  merely  a  little  slack- 
ening of  a  true  labor,  a  rest  which  was  earned 
sincerely  and  well,  a  leisure  to  devote  to  the 
interests  of  his  many  friends. 

JOHN  F.  MUNFORD  has  been  for  many 
years  one  of  the  most  prominent  and  enter- 
prising agriculturists  of  Coos  county.  He 
has  lived  in  this  section  for  over  forty  years 
and  his  record  in  business  and  personal  rela- 
tions has  reflected  honor  and  credit  on  the 
county  where  he  has  so  ably  assisted  in  the 
^^■ork  of  development.  He  was  born  in  Ken- 
tucky October  13.  1844.  and  is  a  son  of  Rob- 
ert and  Sarah  (Martin)  Munford.  the  former 
a  native  of  Kentucky  and  the  latter  of  Ten- 
nessee. The  parents  were  married  in  Ken- 
tucky and  removed  some  time  later  to  Mis- 
souri where  the  father  followed  farming  until 
his  death.  They  were  the  parents  of  eleven 
children,  seven  of  whom  are  still  living, 
Richard.  Roland.  Joseph,  Caleb,  John  F.,  Mrs. 
Robert  Seal  and  Jlrs.  Louis  Brandenberg. 

John  F.  ilunford  received  his  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  Missouri  and  California. 
He   remained   at   home  until    1864   when   he 


enlisted  for  service  in  the  Civil  war  and  re- 
mained in  the  army  for  nine  months.  In 
1865.  after  he  was  mustered  out,  he  returned 
to  Missouri  and  remained  until  1867  when  he 
crossed  the  plains  to  California  where  he 
engaged  in  farming  for  four  years.  He  met 
with  success  in  that  state  and  continued  his 
residence  there  until  1871  when  he  came 
north  to  Oregon,  settling  on  the  north  fork 
of  the  Coquille  river  in  Coos  county.  He 
later  took  up  a  homestead  claim  on  Hall 
creek  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  and 
began  its  cultivation.  On  this  farm  he  now 
lives.  He  is  counted  among  the  prosperous 
citizens  of  the  section.  He  has  one  of  the 
model  properties  on  the  Coquille  river  and 
his  work  is  of  the  practical  and  systematic 
kind  which  always  results  in  success.  His 
farm  comprises  two  hundred  acres,  some  of 
which  is  highly  improved  and  developed.  He 
has  twenty  acres  planted  in  grain  and  one 
hundred  acres  in  fine  grass  and  pasture.  He 
has  made  extensive  improvements  on  the 
outbuildings,  has  fenced  and  tiled  his  land 
and  installed  efficient  machinery.  In  his  work 
of  development  he  has  always  been  actuated 
not  only  by  regard  for  his  personal  prosper- 
ity but  also  by  consideration  of  the  growth 
and  welfare  of  the  section  in  which  he  resides, 
and  he  has  gained  his  reward  in  the  re- 
spect and  esteem  accorded  him  by  his  fellow 
citizens.  He  has  a  fine  residence  on  one  of  the 
most  valuable  properties  in  Myrtle  Point 
and  he  owns  eleven  lots  in  Bandon,  Oregon. 

In  1S78  Jlr.  Munford  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Juliet  Benham,  a  native  of 
ilissouri,  and  a  daughter  of  Peter  Benham 
who  came  to  Coos  county  in  1875  and  re- 
sided in  this  section  until  his  death.  Mrs. 
ilunford's  mother  passed  away  in  1907.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Benham  were  the  parents  of  eight 
children:  Juliet;  William;  Jefferson;  Ste- 
phen; Eliza  J.;  Ellen;  Elizabeth;  and  Frances, 
who  passed  away  at  the  age  of  two  years. 
Mrs.  Munford  received  her  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  California  and  remained  at 
home  until  her  marriage.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
JIunford  are  the  parents  of  four  children, 
three  of  whom  died  in  infancy.  Their  son 
Robert,  who  is  at  home  was  born  in  1886  and 
received   an   efficient  business  education. 

John  F.  JMiinford  is  democratic  and  keeps 
well  informed  on  current  questions  and  is- 
.sues,  although  he  never  seeks  public  office. 
He  and  his  wife  affiliate  with  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren.  Mr.  Munford  is  regarded  in 
Coos  county  as  one  of  its  most  representa- 
tive citizens.  By  hard  work,  honesty  and 
business  ability  he  has  made  his  land  pro- 
ductive to  the  highest  extent.  His  earnest 
and  indefatigable  labor  has  been  guided  al- 
ways by  sound  business  judgment  and  sup- 
plemented by  keen  sagacity  and  he  is  num- 
bered among  the  substantial  agriculturists 
of  his  community. 

ROBERT  JOHNSTON  is  living  on  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  of  land  on  the  east  arm 
of  Ten  Mile  lake,  four  and  one  half  miles 
from  Lake  Side.  He  was  born  in  Sheffield, 
England,  September  IS,  1844.  and  is  a  son 
of  Robert  and  Mary  E.    (Roland)   Johnston. 


J.  F.  MINFOKI)  AM)   I    \.MII.V 


Trt 
FUBLIL 


A.* 

Til 


.,..,RY 


THE  CENTExXNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


677 


The  father  was  born  in  the  north  of  Ireland 
and  the  mother  in  England.  They  were  mar- 
ried in  the  latter  country  and  came  to  Amer- 
ica in  the  '40s,  settling  in  New  York  city, 
where  the  father  worked  as  merchant  tailor. 
Robert  .Johnston's  parents  died  in  New  York 
city.  Eleven  children  were  born  to  them, 
of  whom  three  are  living:  Thomas  R.,  a 
resident  of  New  York;  Mary  E.,  who  makes 
her  home  in  the  same  state;  and  Robert,  the 
subject  of  this  review.  Of  the  other  children 
in  the  family,  one  died  in  England  and  the 
remainder  passed  away  and  are  buried  in 
New  Y'ork  city. 

Robert  .Johnston   received  his  education   in 
the  common  school  of  New  York  and  learned 
the    trade   of   painting   and   graining   in    his 
youth.    He  followed  this  occupation  for  some 
time    but    in    1S62    enlisted    in    Company    C, 
I  me  Hundred  Fifty-fifth  New  Y'ork  Volunteer 
Infantry,  which  was  known  as  Michael  Coch- 
ran's Irish   Brigade.     He  was  eigliteen   years 
of   age   when   he   entered   the   army   and   he 
served   for   three   years.     He   was   promoted 
sergeant   April   1.   1865,   and   participated   in 
the'' battles    of    Suffolk,    Virginia;    Spottsyl- 
vania;     North    Anna;     Strawberry     Plams; 
Petersburg;    Deep    Bottom;    Ream    Station; 
Boyden    Plank    Road,    and    Tolopolamy.     He 
was  also  present  at  Appomattox  Court  House 
when  Lee  surrendered.     He  was  wounded  in 
an  engagement  and  now  draws  a  pension.    His 
father  and  an  elder  brother  were  also  in  the 
Federal  armv  and  both  served  for  three  years 
during  the  war.    When  Mr.  .Johnston  was  dis- 
charged   he    returned    immediately    to    New 
Y'ork  city  where  he  followed  the  occupation 
of   painting  imtil   he   met   with   an   accident 
which    prevented    him    from    engaging    any 
longer  in  this  line.    He  then  studied  to  become 
an  optician  and  he  followed  this  line  of  activ- 
ity for  seven  years  in  New  .Jersey  and  Penn- 
sylvania.    In   1875  he  came  west  and  settled 
in  North  Dakota  where  he  remained  for  twen- 
ty-one   years.      During   this   period   he    was 
identified   with   the   drug  business   for   some 
time    and    later    follow'ed    his    old    trade    of 
painter  and  grainer.     He  came  to  Oregon  in 
1896  working  at  his  trade  in  that  state  until 
1911   when   he   proved   up   one   hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  land  on  Ten  Mile  lake,  four  and 
one  "half  miles  from  Lakeside  and  upon   tins 
he   is  now  living  with  his   family. 

In  1896  Mr.  Johnston  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Emma  Bockhorn,  a  daughter  of 
Abraham  and  Annie  M.  Bockhorn.  :Mrs.  .John- 
ston was  born  in  Finland  and  came  to  America 
in  1892.  She  was  one  of  fourteen  children. 
only  three  of  whom  are  still  living:  Gustava, 
the  wife  of  -John  Quist,  of  Massachusetts; 
Anna  L.,  the  wife  of  A.  Anderson  of  Finland; 
and  Emma,  the  wife  of  the  subject  of  tins 
sketch.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Johnston  are  the  par- 
ents of  one  son,  Theodore  A.,  who  was  born 
at  Grants  Pass,  Oregon,  in  1902,  and  is  now 
attending    school    in    Coos    county. 

In  his  political  alTiliations  Mr.  Johnston  is 
a  firm  republican  and  believes  in  the  principles 
and  policies  for  which  that  party  stands  He 
does  not  take  an  active  part  in  public  affairs 
and  has  never  sought  ofiice  for  himself.  He 
still  follows  his   occupation  of  painting  and 

Vol.  IV— 28 


cultivation  and  improves  his  land.  He  has 
many  friends  throughout  this  district  who 
hold  him  in  high  esteem  as  a  progressive  and 
enterprising  man. 

EDGAR  C.  RAYMOND  was  prominently 
identilied  with  railroading  in  Coos  county  for 
many  years  and  has  the  distinction  of  having 
been  the  first  conductor  on  the  first  incorpo- 
rated railroad  in  the  district.  He  is  now  the 
owner  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  fine 
farm  land  and  makes  a  specialty  of  dairying 
and  stock-raising.  He  was  born  in  East  Fal- 
mouth, Massachusetts,  October  13,  1857,  and 
is  a  son  of  Newell  and  Celia  (Bradford)  Ray- 
mond, both  natives  of  Plymouth,  Massachu- 
setts. Mrs.  Newell  Raymond  was  a  descend- 
ant of  Governor  Bradford,  who  was  the  first 
executive  of  Massachusetts  in  colonial  times 
and  her  family  have  always  been  residents  of 
that  state.  Mr.  Raymond's  mother  died  when 
lie  was  a  child  and  his  father  passed  away  in 
Massachusetts  in  1881.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Newell 
Raymond  were  the  parents  of  six  children: 
Mrs.  Leander  Baker  of  Massachusetts;  two 
sons  who  died  in  infancy  of  typhoid  fever; 
Mary,  who  passed  away  at  the  age  of  twenty 
years ;  Joseph,  who  died  when  he  was  eighteen 
years  old;  and  Edgar  C,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch. 

Edgar  C.  Raymond  received  his  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  Massachusetts.  He  laid 
aside  his  books  at  an  early  age  and  worked 
at  various  occupations  until  he  started  as  a 
blacksmith  apprentice  in  New  Bradford,  Mas- 
sachusetts, when  he  was  seventeen  years  old. 
He  remained  in  this  line  of  activity  until 
he  was  twenty  when  he  enlisted  in  the  United 
States  army  "and  served  for  five  years.  He 
received  hii  discharge  at  the  Vancouver  bar- 
racks at  Washington  and  went  immediately 
to  British  Columbia  where  he  prospected  for 
coal  for  some  years.  He  then  worked  upon 
the  construction  of  a  telegraph  line  in  Canada 
and  was  active  in  this  connection  for  a  short 
time.  He  moved  to  Arizona  but  came  almost 
iniiuediately  afterward  to  Coos  county,  Ore- 
croii.  locating  in  this  district  in  1S90.  He  im- 
mediately became  identified  with  railroad 
work,  fir'st  as  member  of  a  construction  gang 
and  hater  as  conductor  on  the  Coos  Bay,  Rose- 
burir  &  Eastern  line.  This  was  the  first  in- 
corporated railroad  in  Coos  county  and  Mr. 
Raymond  was  its  first  conductor.  He  retired 
from  railroading  in  1901  and  worked  at  lum- 
bering until  1905  when  he  bought  the  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acre  farm  which  he  now 
owns.  He  later  took  up  a  homestead  claim 
of  eighty  acres  and  added  this  land  to  his 
holdings.  He  is  now  engaged  in  the  operation 
of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  and  makes  a 
specialty  of  dairying  and  stock  farming.  He 
«ives  hi.s  personal"  supervision  to  these  branches 
of  activity  and  carries  them  on  along  most 
modern  and  scientific  lines.  The  products  of 
his  dairy  are  noted  for  their  cleanliness,  pur- 
ity and  the  sanitary  conditions  under  which 
tlicy  are  made,  andthey  obtain  a  ready  sale 
on  "the  market.  He  is  the  owner  of  a  fine 
herd  of  graded  cattle  and  has  a  number  of 
thoroughbred  horses. 


678 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


In  1895  ilr.  Raymond  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Lillie  Dunham.  Slie  was  born  in 
Marshtield,  Oregon,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Far- 
rel  and  Margaret  Dunham,  the  iormer  a  na- 
tive of  Penusylvania  and  the  latter  of  Ireland. 
JXis.  Raymond's  parents  came  to  Oregon  from 
Iowa  m  1S72  and  settled  at  North  Bend  where 
her  father  placed  the  first  machinery  in  the 
first  sawmill  of  the  district.  He  followed 
loggmg  at  Coaledo  for  twenty  years  and  was 
active  in  this  capacity  at  the  time  of  his 
death  m  1893.  His  wife's  death  had  preceded 
his  and  occurred  in  1S91.  Mrs.  Raymond  is 
one  01  seven  children:  Mrs.  Joseph  Fox  of 
Bandon,  Oregon;  Robert,  who  died  in  1911 
at  the  age  of  lifty-one  years;  Mrs.  Lockwood 
of  banta  Rosa,  California;  ilrs.  Beusch  of 
bantiago,  California;  Mrs.  Mills,  who  makes 
her  home  m  Sumner,  Oregon;  Azariah,  who  is 
in  business  in  Bandon,  Oregon;  and  Lillie,  the 
wire  of  our  subject.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Raymond 
are  the  parents  of  two  children:  Blanch  I 
born  January  16,  1S96,  who  is  attending 
school;  and  Jack  L.  N.,  whose  birth  occurred 
March  9  1897,  and  who  is  a  student  in  the 
public  schools  of  Coos  county.  Mrs.  Raymond 
was  the  only  one  of  her  family  who  was 
born  in  Oregon,  yhe  received  her  early  edu- 
cation m  the  public  schools  of  California  and 
toos  county  and  has  ahvavs  been  a  loval  citi- 
zen of  her  native  state. 

In  his  political  affiliations  Mr.  Raymond  is 
a  consistent  democrat  but  takes  little  active 
part  m  public  affairs  and  has  never  been  au 
oihce  seeker.  His  only  fraternal  relation  is 
with  the  Order  of  Red  Jlen.  He  gives  most 
of  his  time  and  attention  to  his  large  dairy 
and  his  growing  stock  business  and  is  one  of 
the  enterprising  and  prosperous  farmers  of 
the  district.  He  is  improving  his  land  in  an 
intelligent  way  along  lines  which  are  scien- 
tific and  progressive. 

CAPTAIN  PETER  E.  OLSEN.  of  Empire. 
Coos  county,  is  sole  owner  of  the  schooner 
Rustler,  used  in  Pacific  coast  trade.  He  was 
born  in  Korway.  Mav  12,  1879.  a  son  of  In- 
gebrigt  and  Helena  Olsen,  in  whose  family 
were  four  children:  Wilhelmina,  the  wife 
01  John  Peterson,  of  Empire,  and  the  mother 
of  five  children;  ilary  and  Annie,  who  live 
with  their  mother  in  Empire;   and  Peter  E. 

The^  father  died  in  Norway  in  1898  and 
Captain  Olsen  afterward  came  to  America 
alone,  settling  at  Empire,  where  he  engaged 
in  shipbuilding,  having  previouslv  learned  the 
sliip  carpenter's  trade  at  North  Bend,  Oregon. 
He  followed  that  business  for  five  years,  at 
the  end  of  which  time  he  built  a'gasoline 
launch  which  he  named  the  Elmore,  and 
operated  on  Coos  bay  in  the  passenger  serv- 
ice for  four  years.  He  then  sold  his  boat 
to  the  Umpqua  Packing  Companv  after  which 
he  built  a  larger  launch  and  engaged  in  deep 
f.wi  fishing  and  in  selling  the  products  of  his 
efi^orts  between  Coos  bav  and  Rogue  river. 
He  continued  in  that  work  for  three  years 
and  is  still  the  owner  of  the  boat  although 
:t  IS  not  now  in  service.  He  afterward  hid 
a  still  larger  boat  which  he  built  and  named 
the  Coaster,  but  eventually  he  gave  up  fish- 
ing and  engaged  in  coast  "trade  successfully. 


He  operated  that  boat  for  a  year  and  a  half, 
when  he  sold  out  to  the  Klamath  River  Can 
Company  and  became  the  owner  of  a  large 
gasoline  schooner  of  thirty-nine  gross  tons, 
which  he  put  in  service  January  IS,  1913,  in 
the  Pacific  coast  trade.  This  boat  is  equipped 
with  the  latest  improved  machinerv  and 
uses  two  fifty  horse  power  engines  of  "recent 
design.  It  is  also  equipped  with  sails.  This 
schooner,  called  the  Rustler,  is  winning  for 
Captain  Olsen  a  liberal  share  of  the  public 
patronage  in  the  shipping  interests  of  the 
district. 

Captain  Olsen  is  liberal  in  liis  political 
views,  not  holding  strictly  to  the  principles 
of  any  party  but  voting  as  his  judgment  dic- 
tates. His  religious  faith  is  that  of  the 
Lutheran  church  and  he  is  well  known  in 
Empire,  where  he  has  made  many  friends. 

JAMES  WILLIAM  JUDD  is  a  native  son  of 
Oregon  and  has  always  been  interested  in  its 
commercial  and  agricultural  development.  He 
is  the  owner  of  a  teaming  business  in  Lake- 
side. He  was  born  in  Coos  county.  Oregon. 
November  7.  1878,  and  is  a  son  of  J.  W.  and 
Sarah  (Dobkins)  Judd,  the  former  a  native 
of  Boston,  Massachusetts,  and  the  latter  of 
]ovva.  In  their  family  were  six  children:  Johii 
W.,  who  is  operating  a  farm  in  the  state  of 
Washington;  Rena,  the  wife  of  Edgar  Travis, 
of  San  Francisco,  California:  .James  William;' 
Eva.  the  wife  of  Harry  Scott,  of  Seattle. 
Washington;  Alice,  who  married  Edward 
-■Vrcher,  of  Portland,  Oregon:  and  Mvrtle.  now 
Mrs.  Ned  Galloway,  of  North  Inlet,  Oregon. 

James  W.  Judd  received  his  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  his  native  state  and  was 
reared  at  home  until  he  was  fourteen  vears 
of  age.  His  father  was  in  the  timber  business 
in  Coos  county  since  he  came  to  Oregon  at  the 
age  of  thirty-three  and  his  son  followed  the 
same  line  of  activity  for  seventeen  years.  He 
then  came  to  Lakeside,  where  he  entered  the 
teaming  and  freight  business,  operating  be- 
tween North  Slough  and  Lakeside,  ilr.  Judd 
built  the  residence  in  which  he  resides  at  the 
time  wiien  he  moved  from  Marshfield  to 
Lakeside  and  it  is  a  most  pleasant  and  hos- 
pitable home.  He  has  built  up  by  strict  in- 
tegrity and  activity  along  business  lines  an 
enterprise  which  is  doing  much  to  promote 
the  commercial  prosperity  of  Lakeside. 

In  1904,  Mr.  Judd  was  united  in  marriage 
in  Douglas  county  to  Miss  Edith  Noel,  a 
native  of  Oregon  and  a  daughter  of  .John  and 
Emma  (ilorehead)  Noel,  in  whose  family 
were  ten  children  namely:  Glen,  of  Gardiner. 
Oregon:  Ray.  of  Marshfi'eld:  Ralph,  of  Gardi- 
ner; Edith,  the  wife  of  our  subject:  Eugenia, 
who  is  a  resident  of  Marshfield:  Margie,  who 
married  Harry  Graham,  of  Gardiner:  Lloyd. 
who  makes  his  home  with  his  parents  in 
Coquille:  Ethel  and  James,  deceased;  and 
Leigh,  who  is  manager  of  the  Elmira  Lumber 
Company,  of  Elmira.  Oregon.  Mrs.  Judd  re- 
ceived her  education  in  the  Oregon  public 
schools  and  remained  at  home  until  the  time 
of  her  marriage.  She  and  her  husband  became 
the  parents  of  three  children:  Owen,  who  was 
born  January  25.  1905,  and  who  is  attending 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


679 


school;  Everett,  born  June  22,  1906;  and  Eu- 
gene, whose  birtli  occurred  on  March  7,  1908, 
Politically  Mr.  Judd  is  a  firm  republican 
and  always  votes  the  party  ticket.  He  is 
intelligently  interested  in  public  affairs  and 
eager  to  promote  the  welfare  of  his  native 
section  but  he  has  never  sought  office  for 
himself.  He  is  known  in  Lakeside  as  one  of 
its  most  enterprising  and  representative  citi- 
zens. He  is  at  the  head  of  a  rapidly  growing 
and  developing  business  founded  upon  his 
qualities  of  strict  honesty  and  well  tested 
integrity.  The  progress  of  any  section  of  the 
country"  depends  upon  the  individual  success 
of  its  citizens,  Mr,  Judd  realizes  this  fact 
and  welcomes  his  personal  prosperity  as  an 
addition  to  the  development  and  upbuilding 
of  his  native  state. 

HON.  ROBERT  A,  EMMITT,  As  road  su- 
pervisor of  Klamath  county  the  Hon,  Robert 
A.  Emmitt  is  giving  the  major  portion  of  his 
time  to  the  establishment  of  good  roads  and 
the  improvement  of  the  already  established 
highways  of  this  section  of  the  state.  He 
has  filled  a  number  of  other  public  offices  and 
as  a  legislator  has  aided  in  forming  the  laws 
of  Oregon.  He  has  also  figured  prominently 
in  agricultural  circles  as  one  of  the  extensive 
land  owners  of  this  part  of  the  state  and  the 
course  which  he  has  pursued  in  every  relation 
of  life  is  one  which  commends  him  to  the 
confidence  and  high  regard  of  his  fellow 
townsmen. 

Mr.  Emmitt  was  born  in  Logan  county,  Hli- 
nois,  May  29,  1S50,  and  from  the  age  of  two 
years  has  resided  continuously  in  Oregon.  He 
humorously  puts  it  that  he  brought  his  par- 
ents with  "him  at  that  time  to  this  state.  He 
is  descended  from  Irish  ancestry  and  is  a  son 
of  John  and  Caroline  (Thompson)  Emmitt. 
His  grandfather,  Samuel  Emmitt,  died  in 
Pulaski,  niinois,  in  1869.  The  father,  John 
Emmitt,  was  born  on  the  Susquehanna  river, 
in  Northumberland  county,  Pennsylvania.  Oc- 
tober 20,  1825,  and  when  fourteen  years  of  ag€ 
accompanied  his  parents  on  their  removal  to 
Illinois,  the  family  home  being  established 
in  Logan  county,  where  John  Emmitt  at- 
tended the  district  schools.  He  continued  to 
live  in  that  state  until  the  spring  of  1852, 
when  he  started  with  his  family  for  the  far 
west,  his  equipment  for  the  six  months' 
journey  consisting  of  a  wagon,  five  yoke  of 
oxen,  two  cows  and  a  horse.  He  arrived  in 
Coles  valley,  Douglas  county,  where  lie  secured 
a  donation  claim  of  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  on  which  he  built  a  one-room  log  cabin 
fourteen  by  sixteen  feet.  In  that  dwelling 
on  a  bank"  of  the  Umpqua  river  the  family 
resided  for  fourteen  years  and  in  1866  Mr. 
Emmitt  built  a  more  modern  residence.  He 
continued  to  cultivate  the  old  home  farm 
until  his  death,  December  16,  1901.  The  place 
is  situated  five  miles  northwest  of  Roseburg, 
in  Coles  valley,  and  has  since  been  occupied 
by  his  widow 'and  the  other  members  of  the 
family.  Prominent  in  politics.  John  Emmitt 
served  as  a  member  of  the  state  legislature 
from  1884  to  ISSS.  being  an  advocate  of  the 
republican  party's  principles  from  the  time  of 
the   Civil   war."    In   Illinois,   on   the   17th   of 


September,  1847,  he  wedded  Caroline  Thomp- 
son, who  was  born  in  Tennessee,  April  29, 
1827,  She  went  to  Illinois  witli  her  parents 
in  1831,  settling  in  Logan  county,  where  she 
remained  until  she  accompanied  "her  husband 
to  the  west.  From  time  to  time  Mr.  Emmitt 
added  to  his  original  holdings  until  he  was  the 
owner  of  eight  hundred  and  sixty  acres  at 
the  time  of  his  demise  and  in  addition  to 
general  farming  he  carried  on  stock-raising, 
meeting  with  gratifying  success. 

The  earliest  recollections  of  the  Hon.  Rob- 
ert A.  Emmitt  have  to  do  with  the  old  dona- 
tion claim  in  Douglas  county.  He  was  eleven 
years  of  age  when  he  first  saw  a  clock,  his 
lather  returning  home  from  the  city  with  the 
timepiece.  When  it  struck  the  hour  at  night 
Mr.  Emmitt  got  up  to  see  what  the  trouble 
was.  His  parents  resided  in  Oregon  for  two 
years  before  they  liad  a  cook  stove  in  their 
house,  as  it  was  necessaiy  to  ship  all  freight 
around  Cape  Horn.  They  were  here  twenty- 
five  years  before  the  father  owned  a  spring 
wagon  and  there  was  no  farming  machinery 
during  the  early  period  of  their  residence  in 
this  state.  The  pioneer  must  depend  largely 
upon  his  own  labor  for  everything  and  for 
one  winter  the  Emmitt  family  had  only  such 
flour  as  was  ground  in  a  coffee  mill. 

As  a  boy  Robert  A.  Emmitt  attended  the 
country  school  in  Coles  valley,  displaying  such 
aptitude  that  he  was  soon  able  to  teach 
school.  He  also  learned  and  followed  the 
carpenter's  trade.  On  coming  to  Klamath 
county  on  June  4.  1875,  he  settled  ten  miles 
southwest  of  Klamath  Falls,  where  he  pre- 
empted one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land, 
cultivating  that  tract  until  1880,  when  he 
sold  it  and  bought  other  property.  To  this 
he  added  as  his  financial  resources  increased 
and  soon  was  the  owner  of  eleven  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  in  three  different  tracts.  All 
of  the  irnprovements  upon  the  land  were  made 
under  his  personal  direction  and  he  placed 
more  than  five  hundred  acres  under  cultiva- 
tion while  the  remainder  was  utilized  as  a 
range  for  his  cattle.  He  continued  to  culti- 
vate and  improve  this  land  until  September, 
1907,  when  he  leased  his  holdings  near  Keno 
to  renters  and  came  to  Klamath  Falls.  He 
had  surveying  contracts  with  the  United  States 
government  and  spent  about  four  months 
in  that  work.  In  1906  he  was  defeated  for 
the  office  of  county  judge  on  the  republican 
ticket.  In  February,  1908,  he  was  appointed 
postmaster  of  Klamath  Falls  and  took  charge 
of  the  office  on  the  9th  of  Jfarch,  resigning 
after  three  years  and  seven  months'  service. 
Since  Januiiry,  1912,  he  has  filled  the  office 
of  road  supervisor  of  Klamath  county  by 
appointment  of  the  county  court  and  now 
gives  the  greater  part  of  his  time  to  the 
supervision  of  the  roads,  although  he  still 
has  ranching  interests  which  he  supervises 
to  some  extent,  Wliile  he  was  postmaster  he 
was  ordered  to  Washington.  D.  C.  to  take 
an  examination  preparatory  to  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  first  postal  savings  bank  in 
Oregon.  Klamath  Falls  was  designated  as 
the  location  for  the  first  postal  bank  and  Jlr. 
Emmitt  became  the  first  postal  banker  in 
the  state.     His  trip  to  Washington  was  the 


680 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


only  time  that  he  returned  to  the  east  since 
<'oming  to  this  section  when  two  years  of  age. 

On  the  6th  of  May,  1S75,  Mr.  Emmitt  mar- 
ried Flora  Leslie,  who  was  born  in  Fountain 
county,  Indiana,  October  37,  1858,  a  daughter 
of  Josiah  and  Mary  (Lebo)  Leslie,  natives 
of  Ohio  and  Pennsylvania  respectively,  the 
former  of  Scotch-Dutch  and  the  latter  of 
Pennsylvania  Dutch  lineage.  The  father  died 
in  Indiana  in  1S66  and  four  years  later  the 
mother,  accompanied  by  her  two  children, 
came  to  Oregon,  settling  near  Eoseburg.  Five 
children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Emmitt:  Kitty  Jane,  deceased;  Georgia,  the 
wife  of  Henry  Gedding,  of  Siskiyou  county, 
California;  Cora  Mabel,  deceased;  Ivy,  the 
wife  of  K.  D.  North,  of  Klamath  Falls;  and 
Charmion,  the  wife  of  W.  P.  -lohnson,  also 
of  Klamath  Falls.  There  are  five  grandchil- 
dren, Mrs.  Gedding  having  two  sons  and  a 
daughter  and  Mrs.  North  and  Mrs.  .Johnson 
each  having  a  son. 

Mr.  Emmitt  is  a  consistent  republican  and 
for  more  than  two  decades  held  the  office  of 
justice  of  the  peace  in  the  Plevna  precinct 
of  Klamath  county.  From  1886  until  1888 
he  was  county  commissioner  and  in  1898 
he  was  made  a  member  of  the  state  board  of 
equalization  from  the  first  judicial  district. 
Further  honor  came  to  him  through  his  party 
when  in  1900  he  was  elected  to  the  state 
legislature  from  the  district  comprising  Kla- 
math, Lake.  Crook,  and  Wasco  counties.  On 
the  expiration  of  his  term  he  was  reelected 
and  during  his  service  in  the  legislature 
stanchly  supported  various  measures  and 
movements  which  he  deemed  beneficial  to  the 
community  at  large.  Fraternally  he  is  con- 
nected with  Linkville  Lodge,  No.  110,  A.  0. 
U.  W.  His  interest  centers  in  this  district 
and  he  is  an  enthusiastic  champion  of  Oregon, 
of  which  he  has  practically  been  a  lifelong 
resident.  That  state  has  given  him  good  op- 
portunities but  in  return  he  has  given  it 
loyalty  and  devotion  manifest  in  practical 
efforts  for  the  upbuilding  of  the  district  in 
which  he  lives. 

P.  J.  LINDBERG  is  prominent  and  well 
known  in  the  general  contracting  business  in 
Port  Orford  and  is  also  an  active  factor  in 
various  other  important  enterprises.  He  has 
built  during  the  thirty  years  of  his  residence 
in  Oregon,  almost  all  of  the  business  and 
residence  structures  in  Port  Orford.  as  well 
as  many  farm  buildings  in  this  and  various 
other  parts  of  Curry  county.  He  was  born 
in  Sweden,  September  25,  1851,  a  son  of  Eric 
Adolph  and  Johanna  Lindberg,  both  of  whom 
died  in  their  native  country.  He  is  practi- 
cally self-educated,  having  received  very  lim- 
ited school  advantages  in  Sweden.  When  he 
was  fourteen  years  of  age  he  began  to  earn 
his  own  living,  following  the  sea  as  a  sailor 
for  a  number  of  years  and  visiting  over  half 
the  countries  of  the  world.  He  spent  three 
years  in  Cliile,  South  America,  and  long 
periods  at  various  ports,  finally  landing  in 
San  Francisco.  California.  For  one  year  he 
sailed  out  of  this  port  and  then  learned  the 
carpentering,  bridge-building  and  plumbing 
trades,  which  he  followed  in  California  for  a 


number  of  years.  In  1S82  he  came  to  Port 
Orford  where  he  has  since  followed  the  con- 
tracting and  building  business,  founding  a 
distinct  and  well  deserved  success  upon  effi- 
ciency, industry,  and  well  directed  labor.  He 
is  the  only  contractor  in  the  village  and 
erected  most  of  the  principal  buildings.  He 
has  also  been  active  in  the  construction  of 
barns,  and  other  farm  buildings  and  has  ex- 
tended his  field  of  labor  throughout  all  of 
(Amy  county.  He  is  also  engaged  in  the 
undertaking  business  in  Port  Orford.  His 
home  is  a  fine  modern  residence  equipped  with 
all  conveniences  and  of  pleasing  design. 

In  August,  1881,  Mr.  Lindberg  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Mrs.  Frances  Lane,  the  widow 
of  William  B.  Lane,  and  a  daughter  of  Sam- 
uel Barrett.  She  w-as  born  in  Kentucky  and 
her  parents  died  in  that  state  when  she  was 
still  a  child.  Mrs.  Lindberg  then  went  to 
Jlissouri  with  an  uncle  and  in  that  state 
her  first  marriage  occurred.  She  and  her 
husband  moved  to  Kansas  where  they  lived 
for  eight  years,  going  to  California  in  1877, 
where  Mr.  Lane  died.  Mrs.  Lindberg  had 
six  children  by  her  first  union:  James  T., 
of  Port  Orford;  Thomas  B.,  who  resides  in 
Coquille;  Anna,  deceased;  Ruth,  who  died  in 
infancy;  and  Bertlia  and  Grace,  who  have 
also  passed  away.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lindberg 
are  the  parents  of  two  children:  Edward  A., 
born  in  1885,  who  resides  in  Marshfield;  and 
John  Harvey,  who  has  passed  away.  The 
family  belong  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church. 

Mr.  Lindberg  gives  his  allegiance  to  the 
republican  party  and  is  intelligently  active 
in  public  affairs.  He  has  served  as  county 
commissioner,  road  supervisor,  and  was  also 
for  some  time  constable  of  Port  Orford.  He 
is  interested  in  education  and  was  a  member 
of  the  local  board  of  education.  He  manifests 
his  progressive  tendencies  in  the  affairs  of 
the  Commercial  Club  of  Port  Orford.  of  which 
he  is  a  member.  However,  he  gives  most  of 
hit,  time  and  attention  to  the  conduct  of  his 
large  contracting  business  and  has  founded 
a  well  d-seived  success  upon  long  experience, 
ciricitney  aiid  conservative  standards.  His 
methods  are  modern  and  progressive,  and  his 
business  has  expanded  rapidly,  making  him 
one  of  the  successful  men  of  the  town. 

CHARLES  P.  COLEMAN  is  a  firm  be- 
liever in  the  cultivation  of  the  soil  by  a 
scientific  system  and  is  bringing  to  the  oper- 
ation of  his  fine  farm  and  dairy  in  Coos 
county  the  most  modern  and  progressive 
agricultural  ideas.  He  was  born  in  Mills 
county,  Iowa,  in  July.  1876,  and  is  a  son  of 
William  -J.  and  Mary  Elizabeth  (Meadows) 
Coleman.  His  father  was  born  in  Ohio  and 
the  mother  in  Iowa.  They  were  married 
in  the  latter  state,  where  the  mother  died 
when  her  son  was  three  years  of  age.  A 
few  years  later  the  father  went  to  Colorado. 
V  here  he  prospected  for  gold  for  six  years. 
At  the  end  of  that  period  he  went  to  New 
^Mexico  and  engaged  in  the  same  line  of  oc- 
cupation in  that  state  and  in  Mexico.  He 
linally  settled  on  a  stock  ranch  on  the  Rio 
Grande    river    and    carried    on    an    extensive 


r.  .1.  i.ixniiKKii 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


683 


business  in  tlie  buying  and  selling  of  horses 
and  cattle  until  the  big  drought.  He  then 
n.oved  to  Indian  Territory  where  he  leased 
land  from  the  Indians  which  he  cultivated 
in  cotton  and  grain  for  two  years.  In  1S96 
he  settled  in  Monmouth,  Oregon,  later  re- 
moving to  British  Columbia.  Here  he  re- 
mained only  one  year,  when  he  came  to 
Coos  county  and  bought  land  near  Ten 
Mile  lake,  where  he  lived  until  1906.  In 
that  year  he  removed  to  Reno,  Nevada,  where 
he  died  in  1907.  He  and  his  wife  were  the 
parents  of  three  children:  Elizabeth,  the  wife 
of  D.  H.  Halloek,  owner  of  a  twenty-thou- 
sand acre  ranch  in  Oklahoma;  Lucy  A.,  now 
Sirs.  J.  S.  Roberts,  who  lives  near  her  father's 
home  in  Coos  county;  and  Charles  P.,  of  this 
review. 

Charles  P.  Coleman  after  completing  his 
preliminary  education  entered  Tabor  Col- 
lege, at  Tabor,  Iowa,  and  after  spending 
some  time  in  that  institution  attended  the 
Iowa  State  Agricultural  College  at  Ames, 
where  he  spent  two  years  gaining  a  scientific 
and  accurate  knowledge  of  professional 
farming.  After  finishing  his  education  he 
joined  his  father  in  business  and  remained 
associated  with  him  until  1907.  In  that 
year  William  Coleman  died  and  his  son  took 
charge  of  the  homestead  in  Coos  county,  in 
which  he  had  previously  owned  a  half  inter- 
est. Recently  he  retired  from  active  life, 
although  he  still  lives  on  his  farm.  He 
gave  special  attention  to  the  operation  of 
his  dairy  and  was  a  professional  cheese  and 
butter  maker.  He  still  takes  an  interest  in 
this  branch  of  agriculture  and  owns  six  hun- 
dred acres  of  land  recognized  throughout  the 
county  as  the  best  individual  dairy  ranch 
in  the  district.  He  is  also  extensively  inter- 
ested in  other  properties  in  Coos  county  and 
is  a  firm  believer  in  the  future  agricultural 
development  of  the  state  of  Oregon.  In 
1908  he  leased  most  of  his  land  with  the 
exception  of  his  dairy  farm  and  is  now  liv- 
ing retired.  He  spent  three  years  in  Wyom- 
ing but  returned  to  Coos  county,  where  he 
resides  five  miles  south  of  Lakeside,  on  Ten 
Mile  lake. 

In  1905  Mr.  Coleman  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Mabel  Morgan,  a  native  of 
Kansas,  who  came  to  Oregon  in  her  child- 
hood with  her  parents,  who  are  still  living 
on  Coos  river  in  Coos  county.  They  are  the 
parents  of  seven  children:  Mrs.  McGee,  of 
Lakeside;  Arthur,  who  resides  in  Seattle, 
Washington;  Norris.  who  is  married  and 
lives  in  Coos  county;  Agnes,  of  Lane  county; 
Lucy,  of  Benton  county,  Oregon;  and  Ger- 
trude and  Willie,  both  of  whom  are  living 
at  home.  Mrs.  Coleman  received  her  edu- 
cation in  Coos  county  ami  after  its  comple- 
tion she  taught  school  in  that  district  for 
two  years.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Coleman  are  the 
parents  of   one   son.  William  Norris. 

Mr.  Coleman  gives  his  allegiance  generally 
to  the  republican  party,  but  reserves  the 
right  to  vote  for  the  men  whom  he  con- 
siders best  fitted  for  the  position.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  in  Sheridan.  Wyoming,  but  beyond 
this    has    no    fraternal    affiliation.    He    is    a 


member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
to  which  faith  his  wile  and  family  also  give 
allegiance.  He  has  been  largely  successful  in 
the  conduct  of  his  farm  and  his  model  dairy 
and  his  prosperity  is  based  upon  his  thor- 
ough efficiency,  his  industry  and  ability  along 
agricultural  lines.  His  success  has  demon- 
strated the  fact  that  in  the  cultivation  of 
the  soil,  as  in  other  business  or  professional 
lines,  efficiency  and  system  are  sure  roads  to 
prosperity. 

ALEXANDER  CARLSON  is  one  of  the  sub- 
stantial and  ent('r])rising  farmers  who  are 
doing  much  to  promote  the  development  of 
t:oos  county  and  the  state  of  Oregon.  He 
owns  one  of  t!ie  most  productive  farms  on 
North  lake,  five  miles  above  Lakeside.  Here 
he  carries  on  general  farming,  operates  a 
dairy  and  does  an  extensive  business  in  live 
stock.  He  was  born  in  Finland,  on  .January 
1,  1S63,  and  is  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Annie  Carl- 
son. His  parents  came  to  America  in  1872 
and  settled  first  in  Michigan,  where  they  re- 
mained for  ten  years.  At  the  end  of  that 
time  they  moved  to  Colorado  and  one  year 
later,  .lanuary  9,  1SS3,  they  came  to  Oregon 
and  settled  in  Marshfield,  Coos  county.  They 
subsequently  moved  to  Ten  Jlile  lake,  where 
the  father  took  up  a  homestead  claim  and 
improved  and  operated  it  until  his  death,  in 
1905.  His  wife's  death  preceded  his  by  some 
years.  They  were  the  parents  of  four  chil- 
dren, all  of  whom  are  now  deceased  with  the 
exception  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
Charles  and  Mary,  the  latter  the  deceased 
wife  of  Andrew  Kino,  both  died  at  Marsh- 
field,  while  one  child  died  in  infancy  in  Fin- 
land. 

Alexander  Carlson  received  his  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  country 
and  came  to  America  on  June  12,  ISSO.  He 
settled  first  in  Weber  county.  Michigan, 
where  he  worked  in  the  woods  for  two  years, 
at  the  end  of  which  time  he  went  with  his 
parents  to  Colorado,  where  he  worked  upon 
a  railroad  for  one  year.  In  1884  he  came  to 
Coos  Bay.  Oregon,  and  settled  in  Marshfield, 
where  he  lived  until  1886.  In  that  year  he 
located  at  Ten  Mile  lake  and  lived  in  that 
section  with  his  parents  until  1905,  when  his 
father  died.  He  then  inherited  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  land  which  his  father 
had  taken  up  as  a  homestead  claim.  He 
added  to  this  by  purchase  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  adjoining  and  he  now  operates 
one  of  the  finest  farms  on  the  lake.  He 
specializes  in  dairying  and  stock-raising  and 
does  an  extensive  business  in  these  two  di- 
rections. He  also  owns  a  tract  of  land  on 
ITaynes  inlet. 

In  1902  Alexander  Carlson  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Belle  Krick.  She  was  born 
in  Oregon  and  is  a  daughter  of  Fred  and 
Hilary  Krick,  the  former  a  native  of  Ger- 
many and  the  latter  of  Missouri.  The  father 
of  Mrs.  Carlson  came  to  Oregon  some  time 
before  his  marriage  and  was  among  the 
early  pioneers  of  this  state.  The  mother 
crossed  the  plains  with  ox  teams  when  she 
was  a  child  of  only  three  years,  and  married 
Fred    Krick    in    eastern    Oregon,    where    Mr. 


684 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTOKY  OF  OREGON 


ICiiek  proved  up  a  homestead  claim  upon 
which  they  Uved  for  six  years.  At  the  eud 
ot  that  time  they  moved  to  California  where 
tliey  remained  for  thirteen  years,  coming  to 
Coos  county  ia  1901.  They  settled  first  at 
Empire  city  but  later  bought  land  on  Ten 
Mile  lake  where  they  are  still  living  and  ac- 
tively operating  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acres.  They  became  the  parents  of  nine  chil- 
dren, William,  Belle,  John,  Charles,  Flora, 
Thadeus,  Maud,  Ella  and  Gertrude.  Mrs. 
Carlson  received  her  early  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  California  and  came  to 
Oregon  some  j'ears  ago.  She  and  her  hus- 
band are  the  parents  of  five  children:  Mabel, 
whose  birth  occurred  on  March  5,  1904;  Ger- 
trude, who  was  born  on  the  23d  of  June, 
1906;  Mary,  born  April  12,  1908;  Fred,  born 
January  3,  1910;  and  Norman,  whose  birth 
occurred  on  tlie  26th  of  September,  1911. 
Mr.  Carlson  gives  his  political  allegiance 
to  the  republican  party  but  has  never  sought 
public  oftice  although  he  takes  an  intelligent 
interest  in  local  aflairs.  He  and  his  family 
are  affiliated  with  the  Lutheran  church  and 
are  active  in  religious  circles.  Mr.  Carlson 
gives  his  entire  time  and  atention  to  farm- 
ing, dairying  and  stock-raising  and  has  been 
successful  in  these  lines.  Agriculture  is  the 
principal  industry  of  Coos  county  and  men 
like  Mr.  Carlson  who  carry  it  on  intelligently 
and  scientifically  are  contributing  their  full 
share  to  the  development  and  growth  of  this 
section. 

JONATHAN  PAUL  DUCKWORTH,  for 
twentv-seven  years  a  resident  of  Lake  county, 
Oregon,  has  for  the  past  twelve  years  been 
engaged  in  the  livery  and  transfer  busi- 
ness in  Lakeview  conducting  the  Lakeview 
Transfer  Company.  He  was  born  an  Benton- 
ville,  Benton  county,  Arkansas,  .July  27.  1S62, 
and  is  a  son  of  Jonathan  Paul  and  Ivancy 
(Alexander)  Duckworth,  the  former  a  na- 
liv  of  Missouri  and  the  latter  of  Kentucky. 
The  parents  were  married  in  Arkansas  and 
settled  on  a  farm,  where  they  reared  their 
family,  residing  on  one  place  for  more  than 
forty"  years.  Both  died  in  the  town  of  Rog- 
ers. Arkansas,  not  far  from  Benton^-ille,  the 
mother  in  1906,  in  her  seventy-seventh  year, 
and  the  father  in  190S.  in  his  eighty-seventh 
year.  Thov  had  seven  sons  and  two  daugh- 
ters: Pulaski  Alexander  and  ^Marten,  both 
deceased:  Joseph  W.,  of  San  Antonio.  Texas: 
Mary  Frances,  the  wife  of  T.  B.  Vernon,  of 
Lake  county;  G.  A.,  of  Washington:  G.  W. 
■who  is  in  business  with  his  brother:  Jona- 
than P.:  A.  J.,  who  died  leaving  a  widow; 
and  Nancy  Sarah  Dorcas,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  twenty  years. 

.Jonathan  Paul  Duckworth  spent  his  youth- 
ful davs  in  his  native  state  and  had  the  usual 
exporienoes  of  farm  life.  On  leaving  home, 
when  twenty-three  years  of  age  he  came  to 
Oregon,  making  Lake  county  his  destination. 
Since  that  time  he  has  resided  in  or  near 
Lakeview.  working  as  a  farm  laborer  for 
several  years,  althougli  for  the  past  twelve 
years  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  livery  and 
transfer  business  in  connection  with  two 
partners  under  the  firm  style  of  the  Lake- 


view  Transfer  Company.  They  have  a  liberal 
patronage  and  are  well  prepared  to  take 
care  of  a  large  amount  of  business. 

Mr.  Duckworth  was  married,  in  1903,  to 
Jtiss  Mabel  Young,  a  native  of  San  Francisco, 
who  died  June  S,  1905,  leaving  a  daughter, 
Mabel  Olive,  who  was  but  twelve  days  old 
at  the  time  of  the  mother's  death.  Mr. 
Duckworth  was  for  many  years  a  democrat 
but  since  McKinley  was  presidential  candi- 
date has  supported  the  republican  party.  He 
holds  membership  in  the  Baptist  church  and 
belongs  to  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows,  the  Woodmen  of  the  World  and  the 
Foresters.  He  displays  many  sterling  traits 
of  character,  and  is  widely  and  favorably 
known  throughout  the  county  where  he  has 
so  long  made  his  home. 

C.  E.  A.  SIESTREEN.  The  life  of  C.  E.  A. 
Siestreen  has  been  an  eventful  one.  He  has 
traveled  extensively  in  South  America  and 
in  the  United  States.  He  has  mined  and 
prospected  in  all  the  principal  gold  districts 
of  western  North  America  and  is  now  engaged 
in  the  operation  of  one  of  the  most  modernly 
equipped  dairy  farms  in  Oregon.  He  is  a 
native  of  Sweden,  having  been  born  in  Stock- 
holm, in  1S41.  He  is  a  son  of  Peter  and 
Matilda  Siestreen,  both  of  whom  lived  and 
died  in  their  native  country.  His  father  fol- 
lowed the  sea  as  captain  during  the  greater 
jiart  of  his  life  and  had  been  practically  on 
all  the  waters  of  the  world.  He  and  his  wife 
were  the  parents  of  six  children,  all  of  whom 
are  living  in  Sweden  with  the  exception  of 
our  subject.  They  are  Edwin  G.,  Awina, 
Laonilda,  Laonaid,  Charles  of  this  review, 
and  Almgard. 

Charles  E.  A.  Siestreen  received  his  early 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
country.  He  left  Sweden  in  1S59  and  went 
to  South  America  where  he  remained  for 
two  years.  In  1861  he  came  to  the  United 
States  and  settled  in  California  where  he 
stayed  only  one  year.  At  the  end  of  that 
time  he  went  to  Nevada  and  mined  in  the 
geld  field?  of  that  state  for  two  years.  He 
then  went  to  Boise  City,  Idaho,  where  he  re- 
mained for  one  summer,  prospecting  for  gold 
and  then  came  to  Umatilla  Landing.  Baker 
City,  and  operated  a  freight  wagon  between 
that  point  and  Boise  City.  In  1S65  he  came 
to  Ogden,  Oregon,  where  he  again  mined  for 
gold  a  short  time.  He  later  located  at  White 
Pine,  Nevada,  and  went  from  there  to  Ari- 
zona, prospecting  for  gold.  From  Arizona 
he  went  to  California  and  then  to  Jack- 
son county,  Oregon,  where  he  spent  one  win- 
ter in  the  mines  of  that  section.  In  1873 
he  came  to  Coos  county  and  settled  in  !Marsh- 
field.  He  remained  in  that  city  only  a  short 
time  and  in  the  same  year  came  to  Ten  Mile 
lake  where  he  engaged  in  farming  for  seven 
years.  At  the  end  of  that  period  he  proved 
up  a  preemption  claim  on  Big  creek  near 
North  lake,  which  he  improved  and  operated 
for  some  time.  He  later  added  a  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acre  homestead  to  his  hold- 
ings and  at  the  present  time  is  the  owner 
of  two  hundred  and  eighty-eight  acres  in 
Coos  coiintv.  He  is  engaged  in  general  farm- 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


685 


ing  and  makes  a  specialty  of  daii-ying,  liis 
products  being  noted  tliroughout  the  county 
lor  their  cleanliness  and  for  the  wholesome 
and  sanitary  conditions  under  which  they 
are  made. 

In  1879,  Jlr.  Siestreen  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Jane  E.  Jordan,  a  daughter 
of  James  and  Jane  (Stevens)  Jordan,  the 
former  a  native  of  Kentucky  and  the  latter 
of  Coos  county,  Oregon.  Her  father  came 
to  Oregon  in  1853  and  settled  at  Applegate 
where  he  lived  for  several  years,  following 
the  occupation  of  mining.  When  he  came  to 
Coos  county  he  settled  in  Jordan's  Cover,  to 
which  place  he  gave  his  name.  He  took  up 
a  one  hundred  and  sixty  acre  homestead  claim 
on  the  north  side  of  North  Inlet  and  here  he 
lived  for  many  years,  engaging  in  farming, 
trapping  and  hunting.  He  sold  his  holdings 
eventually  and  moved  to  Empire,  Oregon,  and 
was  one  "of  the  founders  and  organizers  of 
that  city.  He  continued  in  business  for  some 
years  but  subsequently  moved  to  Ten  Mile 
lake  and  made  his  hoine  with  his  son-in-law, 
Jir.  Siestreen,  until  his  death  in  December, 
1902.  His  wife  had  died  twelve  years  prior 
in  1890.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jordan  were  the  par- 
ents of  the  following  children:  Mrs.  Susie 
Waters,  who  is  living  in  North  Inlet;  Mrs. 
Annie  Sprague,  deceased,  who  lived  in  Haines 
Inlet;  George,  who  has  also  passed  away; 
Mrs.  Jane  Siestreen  of  Big  Creek.  Coos  county, 
Oregon;  and  .James  and  Mrs.  Minerva  Doug- 
las, both  of  whom  are  deceased.  Mrs.  Charles 
E.  A.  Siestreen  is  a  native  of  Oregon  and 
received  her  education  in  that  state.  She 
and  her  husband  have  become  the  parents 
of  eight  children,  four  of  whom  are  deceased: 
Kdwin.  who  -was  born  in  1884,  and  who  re- 
sides in  Seattle.  Washington;  Jane,  living  at 
home;  James,  born  in  1891,  also  at  home; 
Eugene,  born  in  1893,  who  occupies  the  posi- 
tion of  government  timekeeper,  in  Siuslaw, 
Oregon;  and  Edwina,  Mary,  Ida  and  Leon- 
elde.  all  of  whom  are  deceased. 

Mr.  Siestreen  professes  the  Lutheran  faith 
and  his  family  are  all  members  of  the  same 
cimrch.  He  is  a  democrat  and  has  served 
for  many  years  as  member  of  the  school 
board.  His"  history  is  intimately  connected 
with  the  developrnent  of  Coos  county  and 
his  family  were  the  first  white  people  to 
settle  on  "Ten  Mile  lake.  Mr.  Siestreen  is 
a  valuable  asset  to  the  future  of  the_  great 
at^ricultural  region  with  which  he  is  identi- 
fied and  he  has  influenced  the  development 
ot  Coos  county  by  promoting  his  individual 
success. 

WILLIAM  HENRY  NOBLE  who  died  in 
Coos  county  in  1910.  was  a  native  son  of 
Oregon,  having  served  his  state  during  the 
Indian  wars  and  devoted  his  life  to  found- 
ing its  agricultural  greatness.  His  father 
was  a  native  of  Missouri  who,  in  1844,  came 
to  Oregon  in  the  days  of  its  pioneer  settle- 
ment and  the  mother  came  to  Coos  county 
with  her  people  when  she  was  a  ehild.  She 
was  the  first  white  woman  to  come  to  Coos 
bav.  and  her  daughter.  Emma,  our  subject's 
sister,  was  the  first  white  child  born  in  that 
place.  Mr.  Noble  was  a  resident  of  Oregon  all 


his  life.  He  received  his  early  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  that  state  and  when  he 
had  grown  to  manhood  bought  a  large  tract 
of  land  near  Marshfield  and  Empire.  He  later 
sold  this  property  with  the  exception  of  a 
private  residence  in  the  town  of  ilarshfield 
which  is  still  owned  by  his  family.  At  a  later 
period  in  his  life  he  purchased  a  farm  seven 
miles  from  Lakeside  on  Hopkins  creek  and 
improved  and  developed  this  land  until  his 
death.  He  was  constantly  adding  to  his 
holdings  and  gradually  accumulated  six 
hundred  and  forty  acres  of  the  finest  farm 
land  in  the  district  where  he  carried  on  gen- 
eral farming.  In  his  younger  days  he  was 
extensively  engaged  in  the  occu])ation  of 
logging  but  abandoned  this  line  of  activity 
to   make   a   specialty  of  his   dairy   farm. 

Mr.  Noble  was  united  in  marriage  at 
Jacksonville,  Oregon,  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Rhodes, 
whose  parents  both  died  in  the  eastern 
states  of  America.  Mr.  Noble  and  his 
wife  w-ere  the  parents  of  seven  children: 
H.  C.  and  Richard,  both  of  whom  reside  in 
Marshfield,  Oregon;  Mrs.  Bowron,  who  makes 
her  home  in  Lakeside,  Oregon;  C.  A.,  of 
Jlarshfield:  W.  F.  of  Portland;  C.  C,  who 
is  now  operating  his  father's  homestead 
claim;  and  J.  G..  who  lives  at  home.  Mr. 
Noble  was  a  stanch  democrat  and  a  firm 
believer  in  the  principles  and  policies  of  that 
party.  He  served  as  sheriff  of  Coos  county 
for  several  terms  and  was  constable  for  many 
years.  He  was  active  in  the  Indian  wars 
and  received  a  pension  for  his  services  in 
this  respect.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he 
was  one  of  the  most  prosperous  and  pro- 
gressive farmers  of  his  district.  His  career 
is  a  fair  example  of  the  value  of  individual 
success  in  the  development  of  any  section  and 
Coos  county  is  many  times  the  richer  by 
his  life  and  many  times  the  poorer  by  his 
death. 

JONAS  A.  KING  is  one  of  the  proprietors 
cf  the  Kentucky  Saloon  at  the  corner  of 
Water  and  BuUard  streets  in  Lakeview.  He 
was  born  in  Elk  county,  Pennsylvania.  .Tune 
4.  186,').  and  is  a  son  of  Daniel  and  Elwinia 
(Humm)  King,  who  were  also  natives  of  the 
Keystone  state.  Removing  westward  to 
Shelby  county,  Illinois,  when  their  son  .lonas 
was  but  a  year  and  a  half  old  tbey  took 
up  their  permanent  abode  there.  The  father 
was  both  a  carpenter  and  farmer.  In  his 
family  were  nine  children  and  with  the  ex- 
ceptio"n  of  a  sister  who  died  three  years  ago 
all  are  yet  living. 

.Tonas  ".\.  King,  who  was  the  sixth  in  order 
of  birth,  remained  with  his  parents  until 
1886.  Having  then  attained  majority,  he 
went  to  Kansas,  where  he  worked  as  a  farm 
hand,  but  the  same  year  he  returned  to  Illi- 
nois. In  February.  1888.  he  arrived  in  Ore- 
<'on  and  has  since  made  his  home  at  Lake- 
view.  He  was  a  stage  driver  here  for  eight 
years,  making  trips  from  Lakeview  to  sur- 
rounding points,  and  in  lS9fi,  he  entered  the 
saloon  business  in  partnership  with  Peter 
Post,  with  whom  he  has  since  been  connected. 
They  own  and  conduct  the  Kentucky  Saloon 


686 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


at  the  corner  of  Water  and  Bullard  streets. 
They  erected  a  two-story  brick  building 
there  after  the  fire  of  May  22,  1900.  and  have 
since  occupied  it.  In  addition  to  this  prop- 
erty Mr.  King  owns  six  orchard  tracts  in 
Modoc  county,  California,  and  has  three  tim- 
ber claims,  while  with  Mr.  Post  he  owns 
some  town  lots. 

On  the  16th  of  May,  190S,  Mr.  King  was 
married  to  Mrs.  Emma  Reading.  He  has  a 
wide  acquaintance  in  the  town  where  he  has 
now  resided  for  almost  a  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury. The  local  organization  of  the  Fra- 
ternal Order  of  Eagles  claims  him  as  a  val- 
ued member  and  the  democratic  party  re- 
ceives his  political  support.  The  only  public 
office  that  he  has  ever  held  was  that  of  con- 
stable in  1S96,  for  otherwise  he  has  preferred 
to  concentrate  his  attention  upon  his  busi- 
ness affairs. 

CAPTAIN  ROYAL  A.  BENSELL,  ex-mayor 
of  Xewport  and  twice  elected  member  of  the 
state  legislature  of  Oregon,  is  one  of  the  most 
prominent  men  in  Lincoln  county  and  has  for 
many  years  taken  an  active  and  helpful  part 
in  promoting  the  general  welfare  of  this  re- 
gion. He  was  born  at  Cassville.  Wisconsin, 
June  4,  183S,  a  son  of  Dr.  Charles  Edward  and 
Juliet  (Cottle)  Bensell.  The  grandfather  of 
our  subject  on  the  paternal  side  w-as  also 
Cliarles  Edward  Bensell.  He  was  born  in 
England  and  was  educated  as  a  physician 
and  surgeon.  In  early  manhood  he  came  to 
America  and  located  at  Philadelphia.  He  was 
a  surgeon  in  the  Revolutionary  war  and  the 
services  which  he  rendered  the  wounded  after 
the  battle  of  Germantown  were  especially  ap- 
preciated by  the  friends  of  the  patriot  cause. 
He  died  in  Germantown  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
eight  years.  The  father  of  our  subject  was 
born  in  Germantown,  July  4,  1800,  and  re- 
ceived his  preliminary  education  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  that  place.  At  the  age  of  six- 
teen he  made  a  trip  to  the  Pacific  coast  on 
a  whaling  vessel  but  returned  to  his  native 
state  and  entered  the  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania, from  which  he  was  graduated,  after 
pursuing  a  course  of  three  years,  with  the 
degree  of  M.  D.  He  began  practice  in  New 
Jersey  but  soon  afterward  went  to  St.  Louis, 
Missouri.  In  1821  he  went  up  the  Missouri 
river  with  Captain  Ashley's  second  expedi- 
tion into  the  Rocky  Mountains.  The  latter 
was  a  noted  leader  among  the  fur  traders, 
and  Dr.  Bensell  had  charge  of  a  wounded 
man  who  was  left  at  the  trading  post  at 
Council  Bluffs,  He  continued  his  journey  to 
Fort  Laramie  in  the  Rocky  mountains,  a 
distance  of  several  hundred  miles,  and  re- 
turned to  St.  Louis  in  the  fall  of  the  same 
year.  Subsequently  he  became  connected 
with  lead  mining  at  Galena,  Illinois,  and  for 
ten  years  was  interested  in  mining  in  Illi- 
nois and  Iowa.  He  served  his  country  in  the 
Black  Hawk  war  and  received  as  remunera- 
tion a  hundred  and  sixty  acre  land  warrant. 
In  this  campaign  he  was  quartermaster  ser- 
geant and  for  a  time  had  charge  of  supplies 
at  old  Fort  Dearborn  and  this  was  the 
only  time  that  he  was  in  Chicago,  Illinois. 
He  was  married  to  Juliet  Cottle  in  Cassville, 


Wisconsin,  and  afterward  took  up  a  gov- 
ernment land  claim  in  Clayton  county,  Iowa, 
where  he  engaged  in  farming  and  also  prac- 
ticed medicine.  In  1851  he  crossed  the  plains 
lo  California  with  his  family  and  spent  seven 
years  as  a  miner  in  Amador  count}'.  He  came 
to  Benton  county,  Oregon,  in  1867  ajid  finally 
settled  in  Lincoln  county,  where  he  served 
for  four  years  as  government  physician  on 
the  Siletz  Indian  reservation  under  Ben 
Simpson,  agent  for  the  United  States  govern- 
ment. Dr.  Bensell  was  reared  in  the  belief 
of  the  Society  of  Friends  and  his  early  train- 
ing had  a  marked  eft'ect  in  shaping  his  char- 
acter. He  died  at  Summit,  Oregon,  in  1879. 
The  mother  of  our  subject  was  born  in  Con- 
necticut and  removed  with  her  parents  to 
St.  Charles,  Missouri,  when  she  was  a  child. 
She  died  at  Clayton,  Iowa,  in  1849,  leaving 
three  children:  Royal  A.,  of  this  review, 
Marguerite,  who  is  the  wife  of  W.  H.  H. 
Rich,  of  Toledo,  Oregon;  and  Mary,  who  mar- 
ried Joseph  Skaggs,  a  farmer  of  Summit,  Ore- 
gon. 

Captain  Bensell  possessed  very  limited 
advantages  of  school  training,  his  total  at- 
tendance including  only  six  months  at  a  log 
schoolhouse.  His  education  has,  therefore 
been  gained  mainly  by  contact  with  the  world. 
He  lost  his  mother  at  the  age  of  eleven  years 
and  two  years  later  entered  tlie  office  of  the 
Clayton  County  (Iowa)  Herald  as  printer's 
devil.  This  position  he  held  for  three  years. 
In  1854  he  came  west  with  his  father  and 
engaged  in  placer  mining  in  Amador  county. 
California.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war 
he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Company  D,  Fourth 
United  States  Cavalry,  and  served  for  thirty- 
seven  months.  The  company  was  placed  on 
duty  in  Oregon  at  Fort  Yamhill,  Fort  Hos- 
kins  and  also  at  the  Siletz  blockhouse  but 
saw  no  real  fighting.  In  1865,  after  having 
received  his  honorable  discharge,  Mr.  Ben- 
sell was  appointed  farmer  on  the  Siletz  In- 
dian reservation  and  discharged  the  duties 
of  this  ofiiee  for  three  years.  He  associated 
with  two  others  in  building  a  sawmill  at 
Millville,  Oregon,  in  1866  and  shipped  lumber 
to  San  Francisco.  He  began  building  a 
schooner  on  Yaquina  bay  in  1870,  w'hich  he 
finished  in  1873,  and  followed  ship  eai-penter- 
ing  until  1875.  He  was  then  appointed  in- 
spector of  customs  at  Yaquina  Port,  the  re- 
sponsibilities of  which  office  he  discharged 
to  the  satisfaction  of  the  officials  at  Wash- 
ington for  four  years,  and  in  1884  was  ap- 
pointed collector  of  customs  at  Yaquina,  and 
served  four  years.  In  1880  he  became  iden- 
tified with  the  Oregon  Pacific  Railroad  Com- 
pany and  for  twelve  years  had  charge  of  the 
right-of-way  and  other  interests  of  that  com- 
pany in  this  section.  He  was  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  owner  of  a  steamboat  which 
plied  between  Newport  and  Elk  City  and 
for  seventeen  years  past  he  has  held  a  cap- 
tain's commission. 

In  1868  Captain  Bensell  was  married 
at  Millville  to  ]\Irs.  Mary  Sturdevant,  who 
was  born  in  Illinois.  She  is  a  daughter  of 
Hiram  H,  Hall,  a  native  of  Connecticut,  The 
father  came  to  Oregon  in  1877  and  took  up 
his  home  with  Captain  and  Mrs.  Bensell.    He 


R.  A.  liEXSEU. 


rf^ 


■J  lA 


K 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


689 


died  at  the  advaiicud  age  of  ninety-one  years 
and  six  months.  Captain  Bensell  is  an  active 
member  of  the  Episcopal  church  and  is  great- 
ly interested  in  Sunday-school  ■work,  being 
at  the  present  time  superintendent  of  the 
Sunday  school.  He  is  deeply  interested  in 
education  and  has  most  efficiently  filled  the 
office  of  school  director.  Politically  he  affil- 
iates with  the  republican  party.  He  has 
served  as  member  of  both  county  and  state 
central  committees  and  has  been  very  promi- 
nent in  promoting  the  interests  of  his  party. 
He  was  elected  to  the  state  legislature  from 
Benton  county  in  1S6S  and  1ST6.  In  1S82 
he  was  a  candidate  for  the  state  senate  from 
Benton  and  Polk  counties  but  was  defeated 
by  the  narrow  margin  of  twenty-three  votes. 
He  has  at  various  times  occupied  a  chair  in 
the  town  council  and  was  for  three  years 
mayor  of  Newport.  Under  his  administra- 
tion the  electric  light  and  city  water  plants 
were  installed  and  movements  were  started 
which  have  assisted  materially  in  the  develop- 
ment of  the  town.  He  has  now  arrived  at 
the  age  of  seventj'-four  and  for  nearly  fifty 
years  he  has  been  identified  with  the  growth 
of  Oregon.  He  is  still  in  possession  of  a 
gratifying  measure  of  health  and  strength 
and  it  is  the  earnest  wish  of  a  large  circle 
of  associates  and  friends  that  he  may  for 
many  years  be  spared  to  enjoy  the  fruits  of 
his  wisely  directed  labors. 

DAVID  BOWMAN  is  a  native  of  Oregon 
and  since  he  was  fifteen  years  of  age  has 
been  engaged  in  various  representative  in- 
dustries in  different  parts  of  the  state.  After 
roany  years  spent  in  farming,  blaeksmithing 
and  carpentering,  and  in  many  other  occupa- 
tions, he  came  in  1910  to  Curry  county, 
where  he  opened  the  first  cheese  factory  in 
tlie  section  and  is  now  operating  it  success- 
fully, having  built  up  in  two  years  a  modern 
business  of  considerable  importance.  He  was 
born  in  Polk  count}',  in  1870,  a  son  of  Wil- 
liam and  Mary  J.  (Ball)  Bowman,  natives  of 
Missouri  and  pioneer  settlers  in  Oregon.  His 
father  crossed  the  plains  when  he  was  eleven 
years  of  age  and  being  an  orphan,  made  his 
home  with  a  ilr.  O'Neal  until  his  marriage. 
The  motlier  of  our  subject  came  to  Oregon 
when  she  was  but  three  years  old  and  set- 
tled with  her  parents  on  a  donation  land 
claim  m  Polk  county  in  Ballston,  a  town 
named  after  her  father.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bow- 
man were  married  in  Polk  county  and  lived 
in  that  section  until  she  died.  In  their 
family  were  eight  children:  William  B.,  of 
Polk  county;  Abbie.  the  wife  of  Glen-Zum- 
walt.  of  Polk  county;  Babe,  who  died  in  in- 
fancy; David,  of  this  review;  Drusilla,  who 
married  T.  S.  Coffee,  of  Dallas;  Bernice, 
the  widow  of  Bert  Brooks,  of  Dallas,  who  re- 
sides with  her  mother;  Rodney,  of  Ballston; 
and  Thomas,  who  resides  with  his  mother 
in   Dallas, 

David  Bowman  attended  the  district  schools 
of  Polk  county  until  he  was  fifteen  years 
of  age  and  since  that  time  has  been  earn- 
ing his  own  livelihood,  working  at  various 
occupations.  Until  he  was  thirty  he  followed 
the    blaeksmithing    and    carpentering    trades 


in  easterji  Oregon  and  then  purchased  four 
hundred  acres  of  land  in  the  same  section 
which  he  improved  and  operated  until  1910 
and  which  he  still  owns.  In  the  latter  year 
he  returned  to  Polk  county  and  after  a  short 
stay  came  to  Curry  county  where  he  built 
the  first  cheese  factory  in  tliis  section  of  the 
state.  In  partnership  with  his  brother-in- 
law,  Henry  Miller,  he  operates  this  enterprise 
and  also  a  similar  one  at  Parkersburg,  and 
is  known  as  one  of  the  progressive  and  en- 
terprising business   men  of   the   county. 

In  1903  Mr,  Bowman  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Lillian  Berry,  a  native  of  Polk 
county,  and  a  daughter  of  George  and  JIary 
(Huffman)  Berry,  In  their  family  were  eight 
children:  William,  a  resident  of  Florence;' 
Nannie,  the  wife  of  Elias  Connor,  of  Port- 
land; Ettie,  deceased;  Frank,  of  Sheridan; 
George,  who  resides  in  Portland;  Lillian,  the 
wife  of  our  subject;  Clara,  who  married  Wil- 
lard  Sloan,  of  Dallas;  and  Ethel,  the  wife 
of  Henry  Miller,  of  Parkersburg,  Mr,  and 
Mrs,  Bowman  have  one  daughter.  La  Verne, 
who   was   born    October   28,    1908, 

Mr.  Bowman  gives  his  allegiance  to  the  so- 
cialist party  and  for  three  years  was  post- 
master of  Clem.  He  is  well  known  in  the 
affairs  of  the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  but 
his  principal  interest  outside  of  his  business 
affairs  is  given  to  school  work.  He  believes 
that  children  should  be  properly  and  prac- 
tically trained  and  given  tlie  advantage  of 
scientific  equipment.  As  school  director  and 
school  clerk  he  has  applied  a  knowledge 
gained  by  study  and  thought  and  has  in- 
liuenced  in  no  slight  way  local  conditions 
and  systems.  His  activities  are  all  of  the 
same  broadly  useful  kind  and  make  him 
one  of  the  most  worthy  native  sons  of  Ore- 
gon, 

W,  R.  BEATTIE  is  the  owner  of  one  of 
the  finest  ranches  in  Coos  county  where  he 
carries  on  general  farming  and  specializes 
in  dairying  and  stock-raising.  He  was  born 
in  Pennsylvania  on  the  lOth  of  March,  1868, 
and  is  a  son  of  William  nnd  Margaret 
(Crawford)  Beattie,  the  former  a  native  of 
England  and  the  latter  of  Scotland,  Tlie 
father  came  to  America  in  IS.'Jfi  and  a  few 
years  later  returned  to  his  native  country. 
In  Scotland  he  married  and  returned  with 
his  wife  to  America.  They  settled  in  Penn- 
sylvania where  William  Beattie  worked  in 
tile  coal  mines  for  several  years.  In  1870 
they  removed  to  California  and  a  few  years 
later  came  to  Oregon,  settling  on  the  Coos 
river  in  Coos  county.  Here  ^Ir.  Beattie 
boua-lit  land  and  operated  a  farm  and  dairy 
until  his  death,  in  1903,  His  wife  is  still 
living  on  the  homestead  nt  the  age  of  sev- 
enty-two years.  They  were  the  parents 
of  eight  children :  Mrs,  Church,  who  resides 
on  the  north  inlet;  W,  R„  of  this  review; 
.T,  C„  who  makes  his  home  on  the  Coos 
river;  Mrs.  Daniel  Quinn,  of  Seattle,  Wash- 
ington; 'Mrs.  .T,  W,  Ross,  of  San  Francisco, 
California;  Annie,  who  is  deceased;  and  two 
children  who  died  in  infancy, 

W,  R,  Beattie  received  his  education  in 
Cooa    county    and    completed   it   at    the   age 


690 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


of  fifteen  years.  He  worked  as  a  farm  la- 
borer for  a  number  of  years  and  by  much 
saving  and  strict  economy  was  enabled  to 
purchase  eighty  acres  of  land  on  the  Coos 
river.  Later  he  took  up  a  homestead  claim 
on  Ten  Mile  lake  and  operated  these  one. 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  for  a  number  of 
years.  He  has  continuously  added  to  his 
original  purchase  until  now  he  has  under 
cultivation  six  hundred  acres  of  the  finest 
farm  land  in  the  district.  He  makes  a  spe- 
cialtj'  of  dairying  and  stock-raising  and  man- 
ages his  enterprise  in  a  progressive  and 
scientific  way.  The  products  of  his  dairy 
are  noted  for  their  cleanliness  and  purity 
and  for  the  sanitary  conditions  under  which 
they  are  manufactured.  He  owns  a  fine 
herd  of  graded  cattle  and  does  an  extensive 
business  along  this   line. 

j\Ir.  Beattie  gives  his  political  allegiance 
to  the  republican  party  and  takes  an  in- 
telligent interest  in  public  affairs  although 
he  has  never  sought  office.  He  gives  his 
entire  time  and  attention  to  the  management 
and  direction  of  his  dairy  and  stock  farm.  He 
began  in  a  humble  way  and  has  built  up 
from  a  small  beginning  one  of  the  finest 
ranches  in  Coos  county,  and  is  recognized 
in  the  district  as  one  of  its  leading  and  most 
prosperous   citizens. 

SAMUEL  ANDERSON  PATTISON,  whose 
activities  in  the  real-estate  field  are  factors 
in  individual  success  and  public  progress 
at  Central  Point  and  in  other  sections  of 
-lackson  and  ilarion  counties  has  been  a 
resident  of  Oregon  since  1S98.  He  is  widely 
known  in  journalistic  and  real-estate  circles. 
He  was  born  November  17.  1S60.  in  Ohio 
county,  Virginia.  His  father,  Thomas  Pat- 
tison.  a  native  of  the  same  county,  was 
bnrn  in  1802,  and  was  a  son  of  John  Pattison, 
who  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  the  Old 
Dominion.  The  latter  was  a  minister  of  the 
Dissenter  church  and  also  engaged  in  teach- 
ing. Thomas  Pattison  wedded  .Jane  Hum- 
p:irey.  whose  birth  occurred  in  Ohio  county. 
Virginia,  in  1S24.  .She  was  a  daughter  of 
Dobert  Humphrey  and  a  granddaughter  of 
.John  Humphrey  who  was  the  first  actual  set- 
tler of  that  part  of  the  state. 

Samuel  Anderson  Pattison  is  indebted  to 
the  common-school  system  of  his  native 
county  and  also  of  Washington  county.  Penn- 
sylvania, for  the  early  educational  privileges 
which  he  enjoyed.  The  necessity  of  aiding 
in  the  work  of  the  home  farm  forced  him  to 
put  aside  his  toxt-books  when  he  was  six- 
teen years  of  age  and  to  agricultural  pur- 
suits he  devoted  his  attention  until  1,S85. 
In  that  year  he  removed  westward  and  in 
1889  spent  his  time  in  Nebraska.  Kansas, 
and  Indian  Territory.  Through  the  two 
succeeding  years  he  was  a  resident  of  Wy- 
oming and  in  1891  he  went  to  Idaho  where 
he  remained  for  about  seven  years.  During 
that  period  he  engaged  in  newspaper  pub- 
lication at  Emmett.  Idaho.  In  1898  he  re- 
moved to  Condon,  Oregon,  where  he  published 
the  Condon  Globe  until  1906.  In  that  year 
he  -wont  to  Central  Point  and  there  estab- 
lished  the   Herald.     In    addition    to   looking 


after  this  publication  he  engaged  in  town 
site  and  town  addition  work.  He  owns  real 
estate  at  Central  Point,  Condon  and  in  Ma- 
rion  county,   Oregon. 

On  the  7th  of  February,  1894,  at  Boise, 
Idaho,  ilr.  Pattison  was  married  to  Miss 
Hattie  B.  Stone,  a  daughter  of  George  F. 
and  Mary  C.  (Owen)  Stone,  the  former  a 
native  of  Vermont  and  the  latter  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. Both  crossed  the  plains  in  1861 
and  Mr.  Stone  was  one  of  the  first  party 
of  miners  in  the  Boise  basin  after  the  dis- 
covery of  gold  there.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Patti- 
son have  three  children,  .S.  Everett,  Cathe- 
rine and  Dorothy. 

In  politics  Mr.  Pattison  is  independent, 
voting  as  his  judgment  dictates  and  support- 
ing those  candidates  whom  he  deems  best 
qualified  for  the  office  to  which  they  aspire. 
1"he  only  public  position  he  ever  held  was 
deputj'  sheriff  of  Canyon  county,  Idaho,  from 
1894  until  1897.  He  is  a  noble  grand  of  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  w'hich 
office  he  filled  for  a  number  of  terms  at  Con- 
don as  well  as  at  Central  Point.  In  1903, 
1903.  1907  and  1908  he  was  a  delegate  to 
the  Grand  Lodge.  He  was  consul  commander 
of  the  Woodmen  of  the  World  and  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Medford  Lodge,  Ko.  116S,  B.  P.  0.  E. 
He  has  firm  faith  in  the  nortliwest  and  its 
future,  recognizing  the  fact  that  the  tide 
of  emigration  is  steadily  flowing  westward 
and  this,  combined  witb  its  rich  resources, 
must  eventually  become  a  well  settled  and 
well  developed  country.  He  is  doing  his  full 
share  in  promoting  its  progress  and  his  po- 
sition upon  any  vital  question  is  never  an 
equivocal  one. 

PAUL  RAUBACK  was  born  in  Germany 
and  after  attaining  his  majority  traveled 
around  the  world,  becoming  acquainted  with 
the  opportunities  and  advantages  of  other 
countries.  He  then  came  to  America  and 
traveled  extensively  through  its  western 
states  and  is  now  settled  down  to  the  quiet 
life  of  a  prosperous  farmer  in  Coos  county. 
He  was  born  on  !May  27,  1870.  and  is  a  son 
of  Herman  and  Charlotte  (Bockelman)  Rau- 
back,  botli  natives  of  Germany,  where  the 
father  died  in  1902.  His  mother  is  still  liv- 
ing in  her  native  country  at  the  age  of 
eighty-five  years.  Herman  Rauback  was  a 
wagon  manufacturer  and  followed  this  line 
of  occupation  until  his  death.  He  and  his 
wife  were  the  parents  of  eleven  children, 
five  of  whom  are  still  living:  Paul,  of  this 
review;  Herman  and  Otto,  now  residents  of 
New  York;  and  Johanna  and  Anna,  who  are 
residents  of  Germany. 

Paul  Rauback  received  his  early  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  country. 
He  left  Germany  in  1897  and  traveled  around 
the  world.  He  stopped  in  London  for  a  short 
time  and  then  came  to  Canada.  He  arrived 
in  the  United  States  a  short  time  after- 
ward, traveling  through  New  York,  and  vis- 
ited nearly  all  of  the  states  in  the  Union, 
settling  in  San  Francisco  in  1900.  He  spent 
many  years  in  his  travels  and  gained  a 
broad-minded  and  liberal  outlook  upon  life. 
He  took  an  intelligent  interest  in  the  condi- 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


691 


tions  which  surrounded  him  iu  tlie  ditl'ereut 
countries  and  especially  in  those  pertaining 
to  agricultural  development.  He  lived  in  San 
Fransico  tor  ten  years  and  was  interested  in 
the  Comstock  gold  mines  which  he  operated 
until  he  came  to  Oregon  and  in  which  he 
still  has  large  holdings.  In  1910  he  left  Cali- 
fornia and  came  to  Oregon,  where  he  settled 
on  Ten  Mile  lake,  Coos  county.  He  pur- 
chased two  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  land 
a  mile  and  a  quarter  from  Lakeside  and  this 
he  is  improving  and  operating  at  the  present 
time.  He  has  a  firm  faith  in  the  future  of 
the  state  of  Oregon  and  is  keenly  interested 
in  its  rising  land  values.  He  also  owns  prop- 
erty in  San  Francisco  and  Nevada  and  has 
extensive  holdings  in  Alameda,  California.  He 
is  one  of  the  prosperous  men  in  Coos  county 
where  his  broad  intelligence  and  high  ability 
have  gained  him  many  friends. 

In  1909  Mr.  Rauback  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Gertrude  Ewald.  She  was  born 
in  Berlin,  Germany,  and  came  to  America 
with  her  parents  when  she  was  a  child.  She 
lived  in  California  until  her  marriage  and 
came  with  her  husband  to  Coos  county  in 
1910.  She  is  one  of  four  daughters  born  to 
her  parents,  who,  with  the  exception  of 
Mrs.  Rauback,  are  residents  of  California. 
Mr.  Rauback  gives  general  allegiance  to  the 
republican  party  and  votes  that  ticket  on 
national  issues  but  prefers  to  follow  his  judg- 
ment independently  in  local  affairs.  He 
takes  an  intelligent  interest  in  politics  but 
has  never  sought  public  office.  He  gives  his 
attention  entirely  to  the  cultivation  of  his 
land  in  Coos  county  and  to  the  management 
of  his  property  in  other  western  states. 
He  brings  to  his  occupation  a  broad  knowl- 
edge of  soil  cultivation,  and  a  liberal  mind 
and  a  power  of  concentrating  industry  which 
are  assets  as  valuable  in  farming  as  in  busi- 
ness or  the  professions. 

THOMAS  MARTIN  is  a  pioneer  miller  of 
Klamath  county,  where  he  located  in  1S84, 
building  the  first  gristmill  within  the  bor- 
ders of  the  county.  He  now  makes  his  home 
m  Klamath  Falls  and  is  still  engaged  in  the 
milling  business,  having  one  of  the  most 
thoroughly  equipped  plants  of  its  kind  in 
southern  Oregon.  He  was  born  in  Dorset- 
shire, England,  September  19.  1845.  and  is 
the  son  of  Edward  and  Mary  (Crocker)  Mar- 
tin, who  spent  their  entire  lives  in  England, 
the  father   following  the  butcher's  trade. 

In  their  family  were  ten  children,  of  whom 
'i'homas  Martin  was  ninth  in  order  of  birth 
and  the  only  one  who  came  to  the  United 
States.  When  thirteen  years  of  age  he  was 
apprenticed  to  the  millers'  trade  and  was  ac- 
tively connected  with  that  business  until  seven 
years  ago.  when  he  retired.  He  is  still,  how- 
ever, the  owner  of  the  milling  property.  ^  It 
was  in  1S73  that  he  crossed  the  Atlantic 
to  the  new  world  and  became  a  resident  of 
Illinois.  Five  years  later  he  resumed  his 
westward  journey  and  came  to  the  Rogue 
river  valley  in  Oresron.  Up  to  this  time  he 
had  always  boon  in  the  employ  of  others 
but  here  he  rented  a  mill  and  began  business 
on   his    own    account.     In    1884   he   came   to 


Klamath  county  and  built  the  first  grist- 
mill within  its  borders.  This  was  an  old 
burr  mill  with  a  capacity  of  twenty-five  bar- 
rels in  twenty-four  liours.  He  enlarged  the 
property,  adding  many  modern  improvements, 
and  five  years  ago  built  tlie  present  mill 
at  Klamath  Falls,  which  is  now  operated 
by  his  sons,  Mr.  Martin  remaining,  however, 
financially  interested  in  the  enterprise.  It 
is  a  modern  roller  process  mill  with  a  ca- 
pacity of  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  bar- 
rels. He  and  his  sons  also  have  a  mill  at 
Merrill,  which  he  erected  in  1894,  and  which 
has  a  capacity  of  seventy-five  barrels.  He 
also  owns  a  ranch  of  nine  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  in  the  Spring  Lake  country. 

On  July  23,  1873.  Mr.  Martin  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Thirza  Puttemon,  who 
was  born  in  Somersetshire,  England,  in  1848. 
Eight  months  after  their  marriage  they  sailed 
for  the  United  States  and  in  this  country 
all  their  children  were  born,  namely:  Mary 
Ann,  who  died  in  1S90.  at  the  age  of  six- 
teen 3'ears;  Samuel  Edward,  who  operates 
the  mill  and  store  at  Merrill;  Charles  J., 
who  conducts  the  mill  at  Klamath  Falls; 
Sarah  Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  Carey  Rumsley, 
of  Klamath  Falls;  John  Henry,  who  is  asso- 
ciated with  his  brother  Edward  in  milling 
and  mercantile  interests  at  Merrill;  Nellie, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  one  year;  and  Maude, 
the  wife  of  E.  L.  Hosley,  of  Merrill. 

In  politics  Mr.  Martin  has  ever  been  a 
stalwart  republican  since  becoming  a  natu- 
ralized citizen  of  the  United  States.  He  has 
never  sought  nor  desired  office,  preferring  to 
concentrate  his  energies  upon  his  individual 
interests.  He  belongs  to  the  Ancient  Order 
of  United  Workmen  and  has  the  high  es- 
teem of  his  brethren  of  that  organization. 
When  he  came  to  Klamath  county  he  was  in 
limited  financial  circumstances  and  he  did 
practically  two  men's  work  in  order  to  gain 
a  start.  No  grain  was  grown  here  when  he 
built  his  mill  and  only  a  few  hundred  bush- 
els the  first  year,  but  this  fast  became  a 
great  grain  producing  center  and  milling 
operations  have  long  been  successfully  con- 
ducted in  this  district. 

CHARLES  C.  LOW,  for  some  years  a  mem- 
ber of  the  police  force  of  Klamath  Falls, 
was  born  in  Dcs  IMoines,  Iowa.  May  19.  1S54, 
his  parents  being  Levi  B.  and  Jane  (Cleve- 
land) Low,  who  were  natives  of  Indiana, 
born,  reared  and  married  in  the  vicinity  of 
Elkhart.  They  removed  to  Iowa  about  1850 
and  in  1804  they  crossed  the  plains  to  Ore- 
gon, residing  in  the  Willamette  valley  until 
1S70.  The  mother  of  Charles  C.  Low  had 
died  in  Iowa  when  her  son  was  but  three 
years  of  age.  after  which  the  father  married 
again.  In  1870  he  took  up  his  abode  in 
.Tackson  county,  Oregon,  where  he  died  in 
1881  at  the  ace  of  fifty-nine  years.  He  had 
been  a  life  long  farmer.  There  were  two 
children  born  of  the  father's  first  marriage, 
of  whom  Charles  C.  is  the  elder,  and  there 
were  six  children  by  the  second   marriage. 

Cliarles  C.  Low  spent  his  youthful  days 
tmder  the  parental  roof  until  he  reached  the 
age  of  sixteen,  when  he  started  out  to  make 


692 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


his  own  way  in  the  world,  securing  employ- 
ment in  Jackson  county.  In  1886  he  came  to 
Klamath  Falls  and  has  since  made  his  home 
in  this  district.  He  followed  farming  and 
stock-raising  until  1906,  when  he  took  up 
his  abode  in  Klamath  Falls  in  order  to  pro- 
vide his  children  with  the  excellent  educa- 
tional privileges  offered  by  the  public  schools 
.  here.  For  two  years  he  conducted  a  livery 
stable  and  feed  barn  and  has  since  been  a 
member  of  the  police  force.  At  the  present 
writing  he  has  the  nomination  for  sheriff 
of  Klamath  county  on  the  republican  ticket, 
which  is  equivalent  to  an  election.  At  one 
time  he  owned  three  ranches  but  disposed 
of  this  land  and  now  owns  only  his  home, 
which  is  a  new  residence  at  Ko.  431  Oak 
street. 

On  the  1st  of  January.  1SS3,  Mr.  Low  was 
united  in  marriage  to  iliss  Lena  Lavenberg, 
who  was  born  in  Phoenix,  Jackson  county, 
Oregon,  l^'ovember  19.  1863.  and  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  Daniel  and  Elizabeth  Lavenberg.  The 
father  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  of 
German  descent.  The  mother  was  born  in 
Germany.  At  an  early  day  they  crossed  the 
plains. 

^Ir.  and  Mrs.  Low  became  parents  of  four 
children.  Royal  J.,  Lloyd  L..  Elsie  E.  and 
Josie  il.  Mr.  Low  belongs  to  the  Knights 
of  Pythias  fraternity  and  in  politics  has 
been  a  lifelong  republican,  giving  earnest 
support  to  the  party  because  of  his  firm  be- 
lief in  its  principles.  He  is  a  self-made  man 
who  from  the  age  of  sixteen  has  depended 
entirely  upon  his  own  resources  and  has 
gradually  worked  his  way  upward.  He  now 
occupies  a  creditable  position  as  one  of  the 
representative  citizens  of  Klamath  Falls. 

GEORGE  RITER  is  one  of  the  well  known 
business  men  of  Roseburg,  where  he  is  en- 
gaged in  the  real-estate  and  insurance  busi- 
ness, representing  The  West  Coast  Life  In- 
surance Company  of  San  Francisco,  of  which 
he  is  district  manager. 

He  was  bom  in  Pike  county,  Hlinois,  March 
31,  1856.  and  is  a  son  of  Casper  and  Christine 
(Shearl  Riter,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of 
Ohio.  They  celebrated  their  marriage  in  Illi- 
nois, to  which  state  they  had  moved  with 
their  parents  when  they  were  children.  The 
father  was  by  occupation  a  farmer  and,  after 
his  wedding,  first  located  in  Pike  county.  Illi- 
nois, and  in  1871.  removed  to  Kansas,  from 
which  state  he.  some  time  later,  went  to  Utah. 
and  from  there  to  Denver.  Colorado,  where 
he  continued  to  live  until  the  time  of  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  1907,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-nine  years. 

George  Riter  was  reared  in  his  parents' 
home,  and  received  his  elementary  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  Illinois  and  Kansas. 
At  the  age  of  twenty  years,  he  went  to  the 
San  Juan  country.  Colorado.  After  a  time, 
he  went  north  where  he  engaged  in  mining 
at  Black  Hawk,  and  Central  City,  Colorado, 
where  he  took  up  the  work  of  amalgamation 
and  milling,  at  the  old  Winnebago  mine,  under 
Professor  John  Terry.  After  completing  the 
required  course,  he  was  graduated  as  amal- 
gamater  of  gold  ores.    Immediately  after  his 


graduation,  he  went  to  Silver  Cliff,  where 
horn  silver  had  just  been  found.  After  re- 
maining at  Silver  Cliff  one  winter,  he  went 
to  the  scene  of  the  LeadviUe  excitement,  re- 
maining there  a  year.  Here  he  engaged  in 
mining  on  Friar  hill  and  then  returned  to  the 
San  Juan  country,  where  he  engaged  in  min- 
ing in  the  vicinity  of  Silverton.  He  then  went 
to  New  Mexico  and  Arizona,  and  then  returned 
to  Colorado. 

During  all  the  time  spent  in  his  travels 
as  above  cited,  he  was  engaged  in  the  min- 
ing business.  He  crossed  Arizona  on  a  mule, 
with  pack  animals,  twice  before  there  was 
a  railroad  across  the  territory.  From  Colo- 
rado he  went  to  the  Wood  river  country  in 
Idaho,  and  was  there  engaged  in  mining 
nearly  three  years,  after  which  he  went  to 
the  Okanagon  district  in  Okanagon  county, 
Washington,  and  later  to  British  Columbia, 
where  he  was  identified  with  the  mining  in- 
dustry for  ten  years.  He  then  went  to  the 
Thunder  Mountain  district  in  Idaho,  during 
the  gold  excitement  at  that  place,  being 
among  the  first  to  go  over  the  Dixie  trail,  and 
making  a  second  trip  over  the  Warren  trail, 
after  which  he  went  into  the  Bitter  Root 
mountains,  in  what  was  known  in  early  days 
as  the  Moose  City  district.  He  then  went 
to  Grants  Pass,  for  a  few  weeks,  and  from 
there  to  Goldfield,  Nevada,  where  he  remained 
for  some  time  in  the  mining  districts  of  that 
state. 

After  leaving  Nevada  he  went  to  California, 
and  was  identified  in  mining  in  Enyo  and 
Mono  counties  and  still  has  an  interest  in 
the  Blind  Spring  Hill  Company,  which  is  the 
owner  of  the  oldest  mining  property  in 
California.  He  is  also  the  owner  of  mining 
interests  in  British  Columbia  and  Idaho,  and  is 
a  stockholder  in  the  Oregon  &  Washington 
Underwriters,  an  incorporated  insurance 
agency  of  Portland,  Oregon.  On  leaving  Enyo 
county,  California,  he  purchased  a  team  and 
started  overland  for  Roseburg,  Oregon,  trav- 
eling along  the  Owens  river  for  a  short  dis- 
tance, and  crossing  the  desert  and  Pummice 
plains,  to  Mono  lake,  at  the  foot  of  the  Sierra 
Nevada  mountains.  Thence  he  proceeded  to 
Bridgeport  and  after  a  few  days'  travel 
crossed  over  into  Nevada  by  way  of  Garden 
City.  Carson  City.  Steamboat  Springs,  Reno, 
Lovelocks,  and  old  Winnemuckka,  Willow 
Point,  Quinn  River  bridge,  and  crossed  the 
Nevada-Oregon  boundary  line  at  Denio. 

ilany  times  on  the  trip,  he  was  obliged  to 
load  the  wagon  with  water  and  feed  for  his 
horses  for  a  two-day  trip  through  the  hot 
sands  and  Alkali  flats  which  lie  between  the 
watering  places.  From  Denio.  Oregon,  he 
continued  to  Andrews.  West  Fall.  Malheur, 
and  Baker  City,  Oregon,  where  he  rested  his 
team  for  a  few  days  and  again  started  out 
for  Roseburg.  by  way  of  Sumpter.  Austin. 
Prairie  City,  and  down  the  John  Day  river, 
traveling  the  old  military  road  to  Mitchell, 
and  across  the  Blue  mountains,  and  down 
Mill  creek  to  Prineville.  in  Crook  county, 
where  he  again  rested  his  faithful  team  for 
two  days. 

After  leaving  Prineville,  he  continued  his 
journey  by  way  of  the  Chutes  river,  and  the 


GEORGE  KITER 


THE  NEW  ^ 
PUBLIC     LIB.. 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


695 


town  of  the  Sisters,  and  crossed  the  lava- 
capped  range  of  the  Cascades,  near  the  snow- 
capped mountain  of  the  Three  Sisters,  in  a 
blinding  snow  storm.  Then  he  descended  the 
lava-covered  west  slope  to  Lost  creek,  and 
then  to  the  beautiful  McKenzic,  and  on  down 
the  river  to  Eugene  and  turned  toward  Kose- 
burg,  by  way  of  Cottage  Grove,  London 
Springs,  and  the  Shoestring  route  to  Oak- 
land, and  on  to  beautiful  Roscburg.  In  the 
month  of  October.  1908,  having  traveled  over 
two  thousand  miles  by  team,  he  arrived  in 
that  city. 

Mr.  Riter  was  united  in  marriage.  August 
22,  1909,  to  Jlrs.  Marie  Seldon  Flint.  Mr. 
Riter  gives  his  political  allegiance  to  the  re- 
publican party,  and  is  just  the  same  age  as 
that  great  organization.  He  has  never  been 
at  any  time  an  office  seeker.  He  was  made 
a  Mason  at  Silverton,  Colorado,  in  1883,  in 
San  .Juan  Lodge,  No.  33.  Afterward  he  affil- 
iated with  Laurel  Lodge,  No.  13,  of  Lewis- 
ton,  Idaho,  and  he  and  his  wife  are  members 
of  the  Roseburg  Chapter,  No.  S,  of  the  Order 
of  Eastern  Star.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Riter  are 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 

LOUIS  STONE  is  one  of  the  well  known 
and  successful  farmers  of  Coos  county,  oper- 
ating a  highly  improved  ranch  which  he 
owns,  located  off  Catching  inlet  where  he  is 
eng.iged  in  dairy  farming.  He  was  born  in 
Finland,  March"  30,  1858,  and  is  a  son  of 
Ludveg  H.  and  Anna  Magdelina  (Kivinemi) 
Stone.  They  were  the  parents  of  six  chil- 
dren, namely:  Louis,  the  subject  of  this  re- 
view; Emil.  who  is  a  resident  of  Coos  county, 
Oregon;  Hilma,  deceased;  Segfred.  a  resi- 
dent of  Coos  county.  Oregon;  Edward,  of 
San  Francisco,  California:  and  Adelia,  of 
Finland. 

Louis  Stone  was  reared  at  home  and  re- 
ceived his  education  in  bis  native  country. 
At  the  age  of  twenty  years  be  emigrated  to 
America,  settling  first  in  Michigan  where  he 
■n-as  engaged  in  logging  for  two  years  and 
then  removed  to  Coos  bay  and  settled  in 
Marshfield.  being  employed  for  about  thirteen 
years  in  logging  in  Coos  county.  He  later  en- 
gaged in  the  livery  business  in  Marshfield  and 
in  that  business  continued  for  a  period  of 
about  six  years.  In  1896  he  purchased  one 
hundred  and  thirty-three  acres  of  iniprovi-d 
land  and  upon  that  property  he  subsequently 
established  his  home.  He  has  since  beefi  en- 
gaged in  the  development  and  cultivation  of 
his  ranch  wliich  is  one  of  the  most  valuable 
properties  of  its  kind  in  this  part  of  the 
state. 

Mr.  Stone  was  united  in  marriage.  Decem- 
ber 29.  1S7S.  to  'Miss  .Tohannah  Holm,  a 
daughter  of  Henry  Plakalax  and  Marie  J. 
(.Abrahams)  Holm.'  Tliey  became  the  parents 
of  eleven  children,  five  of  whom  are  living, 
namely:  Fred,  who  is  a  resident  of  Marsh- 
field, Oregon,  and  the  father  of  five  chil- 
dren: Sophia,  a  resident  of  Finland;  .Tohan- 
nah. the  wife  of  the  subject  of  this  review: 
Sanfred.  who  is  a  resident  of  California  and 
the  father  of  two  children;  and  Selma.  who 
resides  in  Finland.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stone  are 
the  parents  of  four  children:  Tnga.  born 
August   24,    1889.    who    became    the    wife    of 


Andrew  Lowland,  a  native  of  Finland;  Linda, 
born  September  20,  1891,  residing  at  home; 
Sere,  whose  birth  occurred  May  G,  1893,  also 
at  home;  and  Ludveg,  who  was  born  Janu- 
ary 12,  1899,  and  is  attending  school. 

Mr.  Stone  is  afliliated  with  the  republican 
party,  but  has  never  sought  political  prefer- 
ment. He  is  a  member  of  Suomi  Lodge, 
No.  1,  and  also  of  the  Grange.  He  is  one  of 
the  thrifty  and  successful  farnu'rs  in  this 
part  of  the  state,  and  a  man  who  is  at  all 
times  interested  in  the  welfare  of  the  com- 
munity  in  which  he   lives. 

OSCAR  L.  CARTER,  who  since  1906  has 
been  a  resident  of  Klamath  Falls  and  is  now 
manager  of  the  Klamath  Valley  Warehouse 
&  Forwarding  Company,  was  born  in  Clay 
county,  Missouri,  August  2"),  ISfiO.  The 
same  year  his  parents,  E.  J.  and  Isabelle 
(Baxter)  Carter,  crossed  the  plains  to  Day- 
ton, Oregon.  The  father  was  a  native  of 
Texas  and  the  mother  of  Ohio  and  they 
were  married  in  Missouri.  From  18G3  the 
remainder  of  their  lives  was  passed  in  Day- 
ton, Oregon.  Mr.  Carter  always  following 
farming.  His  death  occurred  when  he  was 
fifty-six  years  of  age  but  his  wife  is  still 
a  resident  of  Dayton.  In  politics  he  was  a 
stanch  republican,  joining  the  party  on  its 
organization.  He  was  a  stanch  advocate 
of  the  Union  cause  during  the  Civil  war 
and  he  had  two  brothers  wlio  were  soldiers 
in  the  Confederate  army.  In  the  family  were 
seven  sons  and  a  daughter,  all  of  whom  are 
vet  living  with  the  exception  of  two. 

Oscar  L.  Carter,  the  eldest  of  the  family, 
resided  in  Dayton,  Oregon,  until  seventeen 
years  of  age,  when  in  1877  he  went  to  east- 
ern Oregon,  where  he  spent  five  or  six  years 
as  a  cowbov.  He  was  for  fifteen  years  a 
resident  of  Lassen  county,  California,  where 
he  worked  as  a  laborer  part  of  the  time  and 
also  served  as  under  sherilf  of  the  county 
for  four  years.  He  spent  five  years  on  a 
stock  rancli  in  Nevada,  this  being  a  large 
ranch  which  he  conducted  for  another  party. 
In  the  Willamette  valley  he  also  engaged  in 
farming  until  he  came  to  Klamath  Falls 
in  1906.  He  served  for  two  years  here  as 
cliief  of  police  and  since  then  has  been  mana- 
ger of  the  Klamath  Valley  Warehouse  & 
Forwarding  Company,  under  which  name  he  is 
conducting  a  growing  and  profitable  enter- 
prise. He  is  also  the  owner  of  one  hundred 
and  seventv-five  acres  constituting  a  timber 
claim  in  Klamath  county  and  he  likewise 
owns  a  good  home  at  Fourth  and  Washington 
streets. 

In  1887  Mr.  Carter  was  united  in  marriage 
to  ■Vriss  Rosa  V.  Haley,  a  native  of  Lassen 
county.  California,  anil  a  daughter  of  Nel- 
son lialey.  The  three  children  of  this  mar- 
riage are"  Ralph  L.:  Myrtle,  who  is  the  wife 
of  Arthur  Livermore.  of  Klamath  Falls:  and 
.James  Hardin.  ;Mr.  Carter  belongs  to  the 
Masonic  fraternity,  having  taken  the  de- 
grees of  the  lodge,  chapter  and  Eastern  Star. 
He  is  also  connected  with  the  Benevolent  Pro- 
tective Order  of  Elks,  while  his  political  faith 
is  that  of  the  republican  party.  He  is  num- 
bered among  the  energetic,  enterprising  men 


696 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


wlio  are  making  history  in  the  west  and 
wliose  labors  are  no  less  a  source  of  public 
progress  and  prosperitr  than  of  individual 
success. 

WILLIAM  WILSHIRE  BRISTOW  was 
born  in  Kentuckr,  Julv  IS.  1*26,  but  when 
quite  young  accompanied  his  parents  to  Illi- 
nois, whence  he  came  across  the  plains  to 
Oregon,  in  1S4S,  settling  at  Pleasant  Hill. 
Lane  countj-.  Like  all  other  young  men  in 
Oregon,  at  that  time,  he  went  with  the"  rush 
to  the  CaUfornia  gold  mines  in  the  spring  of 
1S49,  but  returning  from  there  In  the  same 
fall  he  commenced  the  improvement  of  a 
land  claim.  In  the  spring  of  1850  or  1851 
he  taught  the  first  school  at  Pleasant  Hill, 
and  in  fact  the  first  school  in  the  county. 
In  1852-3  he  was  the  justice  of  the  peace 
for  the  precinct,  and  for  a  number  of  years 
was  postmaster  at  Pleasant  Hill.  In  1857 
he  was  elected  a  delegate  to  the  constitutional 
convention  which  met  at  Salem.  August  3, 
1S57,  for  the  purpose  of  framing  a  state 
constitution,  and  participated  in  the  delibera- 
tions of  that  body  until  its  close.  In  June. 
1.S5S.  he  was  elected  one  of  the  first  state 
senators  from  Lane  county,  and  was  a  promi- 
nent factor  in  all  the  scenes  incident  to  set- 
ting in  motion  the  machinery  of  the  new 
state  government.  In  1ST2  he  was  reelected 
to  the .  same  position,  serving  with  credit 
to  himself  and  constituency  tlirough  the  two 
sessions  of  1872  and  1S74.  In  1863  he  sold 
his  farm  at  Pleasant  Hill,  and  going  to  Eu- 
gene City,  bought  a  one-third  interest  in  the 
mercantile  business  of  Bristow  &  Company, 
in  which  he  continued  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  at  his  home  in  that  town,  Decem- 
ber 8,  1874. 

In  early  life  Hr.  Bristow  married  Miss 
Elizabeth  Coffey,  who  with  hef  parents 
crossed  the  great  .American  plains  from  Ken- 
tucky in  1846,  the  family  home  being  estab- 
lished at  Aumsville.  Marion  county.  Oregon. 
Here  ^ir.  and  Mrs.  Bristow  were  married  and 
unto  them  were  born  four  children  of  whom 
only  one,  Darwin  Bristow,  survives.  For  his 
second  wife  William  Bristow  married  Miss 
Martha  McCall.  whose  home  was  near  Pleas- 
ant Hill,  and  unto  them  was  born  one  daugh- 
ter, Lizzie,  who  is  now  the  wife  of  John  H. 
Stevens,  congressman  at  Washington,  D.  C, 
from  Texas. 

Mr.  Bristow  was  a  charter  member  and  past 
master  of  Eugene  Lodge.  No.  11,  F.  &  A.  M. 
An  important  event  in  his  life  work  was  the 
part  which  he  took  as  a  leading  factor  in  the 
establishment  of  the  L'niversity  of  Oregon, 
at  Eugene.  Both  he  and  his  wife  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Christian  church,  the  first  organi- 
zation of  that  denomination  having  been 
founded  by  Elijah  Bristow  at  Pleasant  Hill, 
Oregon. 

CHARLES  F.  STONE,  whose  position  as 
a  leading  lawyer  of  southern  Oregon  is  estab- 
lished by  his  large  law  practice  at  Kla- 
math Falls,  represents  the  Southern  Pacific 
Railroad  Company  as  local  attorney  and  is 
also  legal  adviser  for  various  other  well 
known   corporations.    He   was  born   in   Cov- 


ington, Virginia,  November  3,  1S65,  and  is 
a  son  of  J.  P.  and  Lucinda  (Sizer)  Stone. 
His  parents  were  born  and  reared  in  Al- 
leghany county,  Virginia,  and  always  re- 
mained residents  of  that  locality,  where  the 
father  followed  the  blacksmith's  trade  and 
thereby  provided  for  the  support  of  his  fam- 
ily of  three  children,  namely:  Charles  F.: 
•Joseph  J.,  who  is  a  musician  and  resides  in 
Alleghany  county,  ^'irginia;  and  Ellen,  who 
has  passed  away. 

Charles  F.  Stone  pursued  his  early  educa- 
tion in  the  public  and  high  schools  of  Coving- 
ton, Virginia,  remaining  at  the  place  of  his 
birth  until  sixteen  years  of  age.  He  en- 
tered the  L'niversity  of  Minnesota  in  1886 
and  in  due  time  was  graduated  therefrom, 
winning  the  degrees  of  Bachelor  of  Art  and 
Bachelor  of  Law  in  1S90.  He  was  then  ad- 
mitted to  practice  upon  examination  before 
the  supreme  court  in  Minnesota  on  the  6th 
of  June  of  that  year;  was  admitted  to  prac- 
tice by  the  supreme  court  of  Idaho,  Xovem- 
ber  19,  1891 ;  by  the  supreme  court  of  Wash- 
ijigton  in  October,  1896;  the  supreme  court 
of  California,  January  22.  1906;  and  the  su- 
preme court  of  Oregon,  May  29,  1906,  after 
having  come  to  this  state"  on  the  26th  of 
January  preceding.  All  through  the  years 
be  has  engaged  largely  in  practice,  follow- 
ing the  profession  in  MuUan.  Idaho,  from 
the  5th  of  April,  1891.  until  the  6th  of  .June, 
1S96:  at  Olympia,  Washington,  from  Octo- 
ber. 1896,  until  February,  1897;  at  Eureka, 
California,  from  .July.  1905.  until  January, 
1906;  ami  at  Klamath  Falls,  Oregon,  since 
the  last  .Tientioned  date.  He  was  associated 
here  with  H.  L.  Benson  under  the  firm  style 
of  Benson  &  Stone  until  .January  1,  1911, 
since  which  time  he  has  been  in  partnership 
with  J.  .1.  Barrett  under  the  firm  style  of 
Stone  &  Barrett.  He  ranks  today  with  the 
foremost  lawyers  of  southern  Oregon,  enjoy- 
ing an  extensive  law  practice  which  incluaes 
a  large  amount  of  corporation  work.  In  ad- 
dition he  is  one  of  the  directors  of  the  Home 
Building  &  Loan  Association  of  Klamath 
Falls  and  he  has  proven  his  belief  in  the  dis- 
trict and  its  future  by  making  large  invest- 
ments in  property  here. 

Mr.  Stone  has  traveled  very  extensively. 
He  spent  three  years  beyond  the  Arctic  circle 
after  being  admitted  to  the  bar.  remaining 
there  froin  1896  to  1899,  with  the  exception 
of  a  visit  to  Oregon  in  1898.  when  he  was 
married.  He  was  engaged  in  hunting  big 
game,  hoping  that  the  outdoor  life  and  its 
experiences  would  enable  him  to  overcome 
a  certain  nervous  condition'.  He  also  spent 
five  years  in  China.  Japan  and  the  Philip- 
pines with  General  Funston  as  a  war  corre- 
spondent, being  there  at  the  time  when  Gen- 
eral Aguinaldo  was  captured  on  the  Isle  of 
Luzon.  Later  he  was  with  the  .Japanese 
in  Manchuria  from  November.  1904.  until 
March.  1905.  as  war  correspondent  for  the 
Associated  Press  and  was  writer  for  vari- 
ous papers  and  periodicals.  He  has  re- 
sided at  different  times  in  Shanghai  and  in 
Hong  Kong  and  is  one  of  the  comparatively 
few  travelers  who  have  visited  the  island  of 
Formosa.  Broad,  varied  and  interesting  have 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


697 


been  his  experiences,  bringing  to  liim  that 
Knowledge  and  culture  which  only  travel 
all'ords. 

On  the  22d  of  November,  1898,  Mr.  Stone 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Ida  Skelton, 
who  is  a  graduate  of  the  medical  college  of 
Portland  of  the  class  of  1S96,  subsequent 
to  which  time  she  practiced  in  Pendleton, 
Oregon,  Walla  Walla,  Washington,  and  Kla- 
math Falls  but  retired  from  active  connec- 
tion with  the  profession  about  three  years 
ago.  Mr.  Stone  votes  with  the  democratic 
party  and  has  served  as  a  member  of  the 
state  fish  and  game  commission,  having  been 
appointed  by  Governor  West,  May  5,  1911. 
He  is  not  a  political  leader,  however,  in  the 
sense  of  office  seeking,  preferring  to  con- 
centrate his  time  and  energies  upon  his  pro- 
fessional duties  and  other  interests  rather 
than  seek  in  the  whirl  of  office  the  rewards 
of  party  fealty.  His  life  history,  if  written 
in  detail,  would  rival  many  a  tale  of  fiction. 
Tramping  over  the  mountains  and  through 
the  valleys  of  the  far  nortli,  studying  with 
interest  the  yellow  and  brown  races  of  the 
far  east,  coming  in  contact  with  the  life 
of  the  Oriental  as  few  people  do,  Mr.  Stone 
has  a  mind  richly  stored  with  interesting 
reminiscences  of  his  sojourns  in  foreign  lands, 
of  the  habits,  customs  and  manners  of  the 
people  among  whom  he  has  lived.  From  this 
store  he  can  call  at  will  for  an  illustration 
or  an  anecdote  to  enforce  a  point  or  illus- 
trate a  principle,  and  association  with  him 
has  come  to  mean  expansion  and  elevation. 

HENRY  SENGSTACKEN  is  one  of  the 
largest  landed  proprietors  of  Coos  county.  He 
was  born  in  Hanover,  Germany,  JunelS,  1851, 
and  is  a  son  of  Henry  and  Mary  Seng- 
btacken.  His  parents  were  natives  of  Ger- 
many who  were  united  in  marriage  in  the 
hind  of  their  birth,  where  they  continued  to 
reside  until  the  time  of  their  death.  They 
followed  farming  as  an  occupation  during 
their  entire  lives.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Seng- 
stacken  nine  children  were  born.  Five  of 
them  emigrated  to  the  United  States,  of 
whom  one  has  since  died  in  this  country. 
The  remaining  four  are  still  living  in  Ger- 
many. 

Henry  Sengstacken  was  reared  at  home 
and  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Ger- 
many. At  the  age  of  fifteen  he  emigrated 
to  tiie  United  States  and  upon  reaching  this 
country  established  his  first  residence  in  the 
city  of  San  Francisco,  where  he  pursued  a 
course  of  studies  in  Hoald's  Business  College 
and  from  that  institution  was  graduated. 
He  continued  to  live  in  tlie  city  of  the  Golden 
Gate  until  1874.  He  then  removed  to  Coos 
county.  Oregon,  and  established  himself  in 
the  general  merchandising  business  at  Um- 
pire city  and  Mar.sl}field.  To  the  develop- 
ment and  care  of  this  establishment  he  gave 
his  constant  attention  for  a  period  of  thirtj' 
years.  In  addition  to  his  general  merchan- 
dising business  he  was  also  the  agent  of  the 
Wells  Fargo  Express  Company  at  Marsh- 
field  for  twenty-five  years,  during  which  time 
he  bad  the  agency  of  various  lines  of  ocean 
steamship  companies.  In  1905  Mr.  Seng- 
stacken disposed  of  his  business  and  engaged 


in  the  abstract,  insurance  and  real-estate 
business,  maintaining  his  principal  office  at 
Marshfield,  this  state.  He  is  one  of  the  larg- 
est Individual  liolders  of  real  estate  in  Coos 
county,  his  total  holdings  aggregating  more 
than  six  thousand  acres,  nearly  all  of  which 
is  located  in  Coos  county.  In  addition  to 
these  holdings  he  also  owns  valualjle  citv 
property  in  Marshfield,  North  Bend  and  Kni- 
pire,  as  well  as  Coquille  and  Bandon.  He 
maintains  a  branch  office  of  his  abstract 
business   at   Coquille. 

Mr.  Sengstacken  has  been  twice  married, 
his  first  wife  being  Miss  Lillie  Lockhart,  to 
whom  he  was  united  in  wedlock  in  1SS4. 
She  was  a  native  of  this  state,  and  to  this 
marriage  two  children  were  born:  Henry 
Alton,  now  of  Marshfield;  and  Mabel  Gen- 
evieve, at  home.  The  mother  of  these  chil-' 
dren  died  in  1892  and  in  1894  Mr.  Seng- 
stacken chose  as  his  second  partner  in  life 
Miss  Agnes  Lockhart,  a  sister  of  his  former 
wife.  To  this  union  one  daughter  has  been 
born,  Doris  L.,  her  birth  having  occurred  in 
October,  1900.  She  is  at  home  with  her 
parents  and  in  attendance  at  the  public 
school. 

Mr.  Sengstacken  is  affiliated  with  the  re- 
publican party  and  has  served  as  mayor  of 
the  city  of  Marshfield.  He  is  also  an  active 
member  of  the  port  commission  of  Coos 
Bay)  having  served  as  secretary  for  the  last 
three  years.  Fraternally  he  is  identified  with 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  hav- 
ing filled  all  the  chairs  in  both  lodge  and 
encampment,  and  with  the  Ancient  Order  of 
Ignited  Workmen.  He  and  his  family  are 
members  of  the  Episcopal  church  of  Marsh- 
field. Henry  Sengstacken  is  one  of  the  most 
W'idely  known  men  in  Coos  county.  His  long 
years  of  business  life  as  one  of  the  leading 
merchants  of  that  county  served  to  bring 
him  in  contact  with  the  representative  men 
of  this  part  of  the  state  of  Oregon  and 
since  his  retirement  from  the  merchandising 
business  his  investments  and  abstract  and 
real-estate  interests  bave  brought  him  in 
contact  with  the  large  corporations  and 
business  institutions  dealing  more  especially 
in  agricultural  and  timber  lands.  In  all  his 
business  transactions  he  is  known  among 
his  associates  as  a  man  of  absolute  integrity 
in  business  matters  and  is  regarded  as  being 
one  of  the  safest  and  most  successful  among 
the  more  prominent  owners  and  large  oper- 
ators in  real-estate  and  lumber  interests. 
He  is  to  be  counted  among  the  representa- 
tive men  as  one  always  ready  to  give  liis  in- 
fluence and  means  to  the  support  and  ad- 
vancement of  every  interest  of  a  public  na- 
ture having  for  its  object  the  welfare  of 
the  people  throughout  his  state  and  county. 

WILLIAM  FRANCIS  BOWRON  and  bis 
brother  came  in  1S7T  from  California  by  way 
of  Coos  bay  to  Ten  Mile  lake.  Oregon.  The 
journey  was  fraught  with  hardships  and 
dangers  of  pioneer  travel.  He  and  his 
brother  took  up  a  homestead  claim  on  un- 
surveyed  land  near  Ten  Mile  lake,  cleared 
the  timber,  built  roads  through  the  sur- 
rounding  districts,   organized   and   developed 


698 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


the  country  aud  cultivated  the  soil.  ilr. 
Bowron  is  now  the  owner  of  eight  hundred 
acres  of  highly  improved  farm  land  and  has 
a  model  dairy  of  fifty  cows.  His  success 
has  developed  with  the  progress  of  Coos 
county  and  has  at  all  times  been  intimately 
connected  with  it.  He  was  born  in  Lawrence 
county,  Uhio,  December  23,  1855.  His  par- 
ents were  John  and  Mary  (Forsythe)  Bow- 
ron,  natives  of  England,  who  came  to  Amer- 
ica in  1840  and  settled  in  Maryland.  They 
removed  to  Ohio  in  1854  and  remained  in 
that  state  until  1861,  when  they  took  up 
their  residence  in  California.  In  1867  they 
went  to  Kentucky  and  after  a  short  period 
in  that  state  removed  to  Indiana.  The  father 
was  a  coal  miner  in  Ohio  and  worked  in  the 
gold  fields  in  California.  He  accumulated 
a  comfortable  fortune  from  his  mining  en- 
terprises and  in  1874  came  to  Coos  bay, 
Oregon,  from  Indiana.  He  settled  at  East- 
port  and  in  1877  took  up  a  homestead  claim 
on  Ten  Jlile  lake.  In  his  family  were  ten 
children:  Annie,  the  wife  of  Mattliew  Shaw, 
of  California;  Hannah,  the  widow  of  Richard 
Berry,  of  Washington;  Mattliew  .J.,  whose 
home  is  in  Henry ville,  Oregon;  William  and 
Maggie,  both  of  whom  are  deceased;  Maggie, 
deceased,  who  became  the  wife  of  H.  C. 
Brainard,  of  Coos  Bay;  William  Francis; 
Robert,  residing  in  the  state  of  Washington; 
.John,  deceased;  and  Frank,  who  is  engaged 
in  the  hotel  business  at  Lakeside,  Oregon. 

William  F.  Bowron  was  reared  at  home  and 
remained  with  his  parents  until  he  was  eight- 
een years  of  age.  At  that  time  he  left  home 
with  his  brother,  M.  J.  Bowron,  and  went  to 
California,  where  he  worked  upon  a  farm  for 
one  year.  He  then  journeyed  to  Coos  bay 
and  settled  in  Marshfield,  where  he  worked 
along  mercantile  lines  and  was  engaged  in 
mining  until  1877.  when  he  came  to  Ten  Mile 
lake  and  in  association  with  Jiis  brother 
took  up  a  homestead  on  unsurveyed  land  in 
that  section.  He  was  accompanied  on  his 
journey  from  California  to  Ten  Jlile  lake 
by  his  brother  who  had  been  associated  with 
him  from  the  beginning  of  his  active  career. 
They  made  the  journey  over  elk  trails 
tiirough  the  wildest  sections  of  the  west. 
In  order  to  get  the  survey  of  their  land  the 
brothers  were  obliged  to  deposit  money  in 
token  of  good  faith.  When  they  had  proved 
up  their  homestead  claim  they  cleared  the 
land,  grubbed  up  the  stumps  and  gradually 
brought  their  holdings  under  cultivation. 
They  built  their  own  homes  upon  their  farms 
and  constructed  roads  through  the  outlying 
districts.  The}-  were  true  upbullders  and 
organizers.  an.Kious  for  the  development  of 
a  new  country  and  eager  to  promote  its 
progress.  All  the  roads  around  Ten  Mile 
lake  were  the  result  of  their  skill  and  energy. 
Mr.  Bowron  built  his  residence  with  his  own 
hands  and  had  little  or  no  outside  help  in 
its  construction.  \Vlien  he  first  arrived  at 
Ten  !Mile  lake  there  was  not  a  house  nor  a 
road  within  many  miles  of  his  homestead 
and  there  was  scarcely  a  foot  of  land  which 
could  be  traveled  over  without  cutting  down 
the  timber  with  axes.  It  was  a  year  and  a 
half    before    a    horse    and    wagon    could    be 


gotten  upon  Mr.  Bowron's  holdings  and  all 
the  conditions  of  life  were  primitive  in  the 
extreme.  He  still  lives  on  his  original  home- 
stead and  has  constantly  added  to  his  hold- 
ings by  purchase  until  he  is  now  the  owner 
of  eight  hundred  acres  of  arable  land,  nearly 
all  of  which  is  used  as  pasture.  Nothing  is 
raised  upon  his  acres  except  the  vegetables 
needed  for  his  own  use.  He  does  a  large 
di'.iry  business  and  keeps  fifty  head  of  Hol- 
stein  and  Jersey  cows.  He  is  a  progressive 
and  scientific  man  always  interested  in  new 
improvements  in  farm  machinery  and  takes 
an  active  part  in  promoting  agriculture  along 
modern  lines.  His  dairy  is  noted  for  its 
cleanliness  and  its  sanitary  equipment  and 
its  products  find  a  ready  sale  upon  the 
market. 

In  1880  Mr.  Bowron  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Xancy  R.  SlcCulloch,  a  native 
of  Oregon  and  a  daughter  of  A.  D.  and 
Eudora  (Jones)  McCuUoeh.  both  of  whom 
were  born  in  Scotland.  Jlrs.  Bowron  is  one 
of  eleven  children  born  to  her  parents:  Wil- 
liam, who  resides  in  Templeton.  Oregon; 
Xancy,  the  wife  of  our  subject;  Mollie,  de- 
ceased; Carl  and  Alfred -X.,  both  of  whom 
reside  in  Coos  Bay;  Frank,  who  makes  his 
home  in  the  state  of  Washington;  Charles, 
residing  in  Coos  Bay,  Oregon;  Xelson,  whose 
home  is  in  Douglas  county  of  the  same  state; 
Rose,  the  wife  of  Robert  P.  Walker,  of  San 
Francisco,  California;  Eva,  who  married 
Hugh  Pangborn,  of  Los  Angeles,  California; 
and  Daphne,  who  also  resides  in  Los  Angeles. 
Mr.  and  Jlrs.  Bowron  are  the  parents  of 
two  children:  William  F.,  born  in  1881,  who 
studied  pharmacy  in  Coos  county,  Oregon, 
and  is  now^  in  business  in  Arizona;  and  Al- 
fred Roy,  born  in  1885,  who  married  Miss 
!Margaret  E.  Sanford,  a  daughter  of  Captain 
Sanford,  of  Coos  county.  In  his  family  were 
the  following  children:  Ernest,  who  resides 
in  California;  Ida,  the  wife  of  Claud  Knalner, 
of  X'orth  Bend,  Oregon:  Herman,  who  re- 
sides in  Sumner,  in  the  same  state;  Cora, 
the  wife  of  Richard  Sanford.  of  Alsee,  Ore- 
gon; William  V.,  of  Lee,  Oregon;  Margaret 
E.,  the  wife  of  Alfred  R.  Bowron;  Grace, 
who  makes  her  home  in  Alsee,  Oregon;  and 
;Minnie,  the  wife  of  W.  G.  Simpson,  of  Coos 
county. 

Mr.  Bowron  is  a  republican  and  interested 
in  politics.  He  served  as  councilman  in 
]\Iarslifield,  where  he  did  able  work  for  three 
vears.  He  is  now  road  supervisor  of  Coos 
county  and  is  making  a  record  for  intelligence 
and  efficiency  in  this  office.  He  belongs  to 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and 
is  active  in  the  aflfairs  of  that  organization. 
He  is  one  of  the  sturdy  Oregon  pioneers 
who  defied  natural  forces,  endured  hard- 
ships, privations  and  defeat  and  evolved  out 
of  an  uncultivated  wilderness  and  vast  tim- 
ber forests  the  fertile  land,  the  magnificent 
farms  and  the  abundant  harvests  of  the 
great   American   northwest. 

ELI  PATTERSON  MAST,  who  by  his  many 
friends  is  known  as  "Lark"  Mast,  has  a  well 
developed  farm  property,  the  excellent  ap- 
pearance of  wliich  is  largely  due  to  his  labors 
and  energv.     The  land  is  in  Coos  county  and 


MR.  AND  MRS.  E.  P.  MAST 


THE  CEiNTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


701 


there  he  is  carrying  on  general  farming  and 
stock-raising.  He  was  born  in  North  Caro- 
lina, in  1848,  and  is  a  son  of  Leason  and 
Sarah  (Duger)  Mast.  The  father  died  in 
1884.  In  the  family  were  three  children: 
Charlotte,  who  is  the  widow  of  William  P. 
Mast,  of  Lee,  Oregon;  Eli  P.,  of  this  review; 
and  Hester,  who  is  the  wudow  of  L.  L.  Har- 
mon, also  of  Lee. 

Eli  P.  Mast  spent  his  youthful  days  in 
his  parents'  home  and  started  out  to  earn  his 
own  living  when  a  young  man  of  twenty-one 
years.  He  was  brought  up  on  a  farm  in  North 
Carolina,  his  father  being  a  large  land  owner 
there,  and  Eli  P.  Mast  became  familiar  with 
the  best  methods  of  tilling  the  soil  and  car- 
ing for  the  crops.  After  his  marriage  he  took 
charge  of  the  liome  place,  which  he  operated 
until  after  the  birth  of  two  of  his  children, 
when,  with  his  family  and  his  parents,  he 
came  to  Oregon,  previously  disposing  of  his 
business  interests  in  North  Carolina.  He 
settled  first  at  Koseburg  and  there  lived  for 
two  years.  In  1872,  how'ever,  he  had  pur- 
chased one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of 
land  and  later  the  family  removed  to  that 
farm  from  Eosdburg.  The  tract  was  wild 
and  unimproved  when  it  came  into  his  pos- 
session and  there  were  no  wagon  roads  in 
the  district.  Provisions  had  to  be  packed  on 
one  of  the  horses  and  not  an  acre  had  been 
cleared  nor  was  any  brush  cut.  Mr.  Mast  at 
once  began  the  arduous  task  of  clearing  the 
land,  on  which  he  built  his  home.  He  went 
into  the  logging  camps  where  he  worked  a 
part  of  each  year  and  tlirough  other  (lortions 
of  the  year  continued  the  task  of  developing 
his  farm.  It  was  by  his  employment  with 
otliers  that  he  was  able  to  earn  money  with 
which  to  carry  on  the  work  of  improvement 
on  his  own  place.  He  still  owns  the  original 
tract  and  all  of  the  land  is  under  cultiva- 
tion save  twenty  acres.  His  fields  are  rich 
and  productive,  his  methods  of  farming  are 
practical  and  the  results  are  gratifying.  He 
raises  hay,  wheat,  oats  and  barley,  and  in 
addition  is  engaged  in  stock-raising,  handling 
cattle,  horses  and  Chester  White  hogs  for  the 
market. 

In  isefi  Mr.  Mast  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Emeline  Woodring,  a  native  of  North 
Carolina  and  a  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Caro- 
line (Rector)  Woodring,  in  whose  family  were 
nine  children,  of  whom  four  are  living:  ,Tacob, 
a  resident  of  Washington;  Mrs.  Mast:  Mary, 
the  wife  of  .lohn  Walker,  of  Virginia:  and 
Daniel,  of  North  Carolina.  Two  brothers  of 
Mrs.  Mast.  .John  and  William,  reached  years 
of  maturity  but  are  deceased.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Mast  have  been  born  six  children,  two 
of  whom  are  deceased.  Those  living  are: 
William  Lee,  a  farmer  residing  at  McKinley. 
Oregon,  who  has  four  children,  Mildred.  Mil- 
ford.  Roy  and  Aldon;  Sarah  Caroline,  who  is 
the  wife"  of  J.  R.  Benham,  of  Sitkum,  Ore- 
gon, and  has  three  children,  Zilphie,  I.ennie 
and  Julius;  Fred,  of  Lee,  Oregon,  who  has 
two  children,  Harry  and  Alice;  and  Jack,  who 
is  married  and  lives  at  home  witli  his  par- 
ents. 

Eli   Patterson   Mast   votes   with   the   demo- 
cratic party  and  keeps  w'ell  informed  on  the 
Vol.  iv— 29 


questions  and  issues  of  the  day  but  has 
never  sought  nor  desired  public  oflice.  He 
has  served  as  school  director  and  the  cause 
of  education  has  always  found  in  him  a  warm 
friend.  He  has  worked  earnestly  and  per- 
sistently since  coming  to  the  west,  has  made 
each  year  bring  him  nearer  to  the  goal  of 
his  ambition  and  has  thus  advanced  to  a 
creditable  position  among  the  substantial  resi- 
dents of  Coos  county. 

JOSEPH  DAVIS  MAGEE.  The  life  of 
Joseph  David  Magee  has  been  the  varied  and 
eventful  career  of  an  active  and  energetic 
man.  He  served  in  the  United  States  navy 
for  fourteen  years,  in  various  capacities, 
from  landsman  to  captain's  clerk.  He  has 
been  an  actor  and  has  toured  the  country 
in  the  dramatic  companies  of  Julia  Marlowe 
and  Madame  Modjeska.  He  tried  his  hand 
at  farming  in  Coos  county  and  built  the  first 
hotel  in  Lakeside.  He  is  now  extensively 
engaged  in  the  wood  ousiness  in  the  latter 
city  and  with  the  exception  of  a  few  months 
has  been  its  postmaster  during  the  entire 
period  of  his  residence.  He  was  born  in  Har- 
risburg,  Pennsylvania.  July  14,  1863,  a  son 
of  .Joseph  and  Elizabetli  (Davis)  Magee.  both 
natives  of  the  Keystone  state.  The  father 
was  a  practicing  physician  in  Chester,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  served  on  the  staff  of  General 
Meade  as  army  surgeon  during  the  Civil  war 
and  was  killed  in  the  battle  of  Gettys- 
burg. Mr.  and  Jlrs.  Joseph  Magee  were  mar- 
ried at  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war  and 
their  son,  the  subject  of  this  review,  was 
the   only  child  born  of  tlieir  tinion. 

Joseph  D.  Magee  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Chester  and  remained  with  his 
mother  until  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age. 
At  that  time  lie  enlisted  in  the  United  States 
navy  and  served  for  three  years  and  seven 
months.  He  acted  as  schoolmaster  on  board 
his  ship  and  served  in  this  capacity  during 
the  entire  period  of  his  first  enlistment.  Dur- 
ing the  course  of  his  naval  service  he  visited 
nearly  all  the  ports  of  the  world  and  his 
active  and  energetic  mind  reaped  the  advan- 
tages of  this  cosmopolitan  life.  When  he 
finished  his  first  three  years'  service  he  re- 
turned to  Pennsylvania  aiui  attended  normal 
school  in  that  state  until  his  graduation  in 
1886.  He  immediately  returned  to  the 
navj'  and  resumcil  his  position  as  schoolmas- 
ter, serving  in  tliis  lino  of  activity  until,  in 
1893  he  received  his  honorable  discharge  in 
New  York  and  after  three  months'  leave 
cf  ab.sence  returned  to  his  vessel  and  again 
set  out  upon  his  travels.  In  all  he  served 
his  country  as  a  sailor  for  fourteen  years 
and  seven  months,  acting  in  various  capaci- 
ties ranging  from  the  position  of  landsman  to 
that  of  captain's  clerk.  His  principal  duties, 
however,  were  those  of  schoolmaster  and  he 
did  efficient  and  capable  work  in  this  line. 
During  his  period  of  service  he  had  studied 
dramatic  art  and  when  he  finally  terminated 
his  connection  with  the  t'nited  States  navy 
he  toured  the  country  in  the  company  of 
Margaret  Mather,  who  became  famous  for 
her  acting  in  Romeo  and  .Juliet.  Mr.  Ma- 
gee  was   also    identified   with    the    dramatic 


702 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


companies  in  which  Julia  Marlowe  and  Ma- 
dame Modjeska  played  and  his  stage  career 
lasted  for  two  years.  Mr.  Magee  always  acted 
juvenile  roles  and  his  work  along  this  line 
is   still  remembered. 

For  a  time  Mr.  Magee  was  instructor  in 
militarj-  tactics  and  gymnastics  in  Lincoln, 
Illinois,  but  abandoned  this  field  to  come  to 
eastein  Oregon.  Here  he  spent  one  year 
working  as  a  cowboy  on  the  plains  and  at  the 
expiration  of  that  time  went  into  the  Cas- 
cade mountains.  He  then  came  to  Coos  bay 
with  the  intention  of  taking  up  a  homestead 
claim.  He  located  his  laud  on  Ten  Mile 
lake  and  in  June,  1897,  became  the  owner  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  three  miles 
from  the  Lakeside  postoffiee.  His  land  faced 
Xorth  lake  and  was  located  on  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  sites  in  this  section  of  the 
county.  Mr.  Magee  cleared  his  land  and  put 
about  eight  acres  under  cultivation.  He  en- 
gaged in  the  poultry  business  for  some  time, 
but  the  difficulty  in  procuring  grain  and 
other  incidental  disadvantages  hampered  his 
success.  When  he  started  in  farming  and  the 
[joultrV  business  here  the  countr}'  was  in  an 
undeveloped  state  and  any  time  he  chose 
he  could  go  to  his  door  and  kill  deer  and 
bear  and  his  life  in  this  section  was  lived 
under  primitive  and  pioneer  conditions.  He 
remained  upon  his  homestead  claim  for  about 
ten  years,  at  the  end  of  which  period  he 
abandoned  the  poultry  business  and  removed 
to  w-hat  is  now  Lakeside.  Here  he  conducted 
a  hotel,  which  was  the  first  enterpi'ise  of 
this  kind  opened  on  Ten  Mile  lake.  When 
tlie  post  office  was  established  Mr.  Magee 
was  appointed  postmaster  and  has  served 
in  this  capacity  practically  ever  since.  He 
is  now  engaged  in  the  wood  business  and  sup- 
plies the  city  of  Lakeside  and  the  outlying 
districts.  He  has  made  a  success  of  this 
enterprise  and  his  prosperity  is  founded  upon 
his  discriminating  business  ability  and  his 
shrewd  common  sense. 

On  May  5,  1897,  Mr.  Magee  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Ida  V.  Morgan,  a  direct 
descendant  of  the  famous  leader  of  "Mor- 
gan's Raid."  Mrs.  Magee  is  a  native  of 
low-a  and  the  eldest  of  nine  children  born  to 
her  parents,  the  other  members  of  the  family 
being:  Arthur,  a  teacher  in  the  Lincoln  high 
school  at  Seattle.  Washington:  Mabel,  de- 
ceased; Agnes,  who  married  Ray  Fenton 
Congdon,  of  Blackly,  Oregon;  Norris.  who 
is  married  and  is  engaged  in  farming  on  Coos 
river;  Lucia  D..  who  is  attending  college  at 
Plymouth,  Oregon;  Gertrude,  at  home;  Wil- 
liam, also  a  college  student  at  Plymouth, 
Oregon;  and  Ira,  who  died  in  infancy.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Magee  six  children  have  been 
born.  Leon,  born  .lanuary  28.  1898.  who  is 
studying  mechanics:  Euell.  born  November 
2,'5.  1899.  who  is  attending  school;  Mabel, 
born  .July  27.  1901,  and  Elsie,  born  May  4. 
1904.  both  of  AVhom  are  attending  school: 
TTelen.  whose  birth  occurred  on  .June  2.S.  1908; 
and  Florence,  born  May  26.  1911. 

In  political  issues  jlr.  !Magee  follows  his 
own  judgment  independently.  He  has  never 
been  an  office  seeker  although  he  is  inter- 
ested   in    movements,  to    promote    the    devel- 


opment of  his  section  of  the  country.  He 
was  raised  a  Quaker,  to  which  faith  his 
parents  gave  their  allegiance,  but  he  is  not 
now  a-  member  of  the  brotherhood.  He  is 
broad  and  fair-minded  in  his  religious  views, 
believing  in  every  man's  right  to  think  for 
himself.  He  is  one  of  the  representative 
business  men  of  Lakeside.  His  active,  varied 
and  cosmopolitan  life  has  given  him  a  broad 
and  intelligent  outlook  upon  the  world,  and 
his  energies  and  activities  are  directed  to- 
ward the  improvement  and  development  of 
Coos  county. 

LUDWIG  BIEHN.  Thirty-eight  years  ago 
Ludwig  Biehn  came  to  Oregon  and  perma- 
nently took  up  his  abode  in  this  state  in 
1884.  Since  that  time  he  has  continuously 
made  his  home  in  Klamath  Falls  and  at 
present  he  is  living  retired,  deriving  a  sub- 
stantial income  from  his  property  holdings. 
He  was  born  in  Rhine,  Bavaria.  Germany, 
May  29,  1841,  a  son  of  Michael  and  Louise 
Biehn.  The  father  spent  five  years  in  Penn- 
sylvania prior  to  the  Civil  war  but  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life  was  passed  in  his  na- 
tive land  where  through  much  of  his  life 
he  was  a  customhouse"  officer.  The  family 
numbered  eleven  children,  of  whom  five 
reached  adult  age. 

Ludwig  Biehn  was  reared  and  educated 
in  Germany  and  was  about  twenty-eight 
years  of  age  when  he  crossed  the  Atlantic 
to  Boston.  Mas.sachusetts.  joining  a  sister 
who  is  still  living  in  that  city.  He  was  mar- 
ried there  the  same  year  to  Miss  Elizabeth 
Wagoner,  who  was  a  native  of  Bavaria, 
Cermany.  and  had  come  to  the  United  States 
on  the  same  vessel  on  which  Ludwig  Biehn 
\ias  a  passenger.  Her  father  had  been  a 
civil  officer  in  that  country. 

For  six  months  Ludwig  Biehn  remained 
a  resident  of  Boston  and  w-orked  in  a  sugar 
refinery.  He  then  went  to  Rock  City,  Illi- 
nois, and  was  engaged  in  farming  in  that 
locality  for  about  three  years.  There  he 
thoroughly  acquainted  himself  with  the  busi- 
ness of  raising  hogs  while  working  with  a 
brother  and  later  he  removed  westward  and 
secured  a  homestead  claim  in  Nebraska. 
There  he  improved  his  property  but  the 
grasshoppers  destroyed  his  crops  and  after 
some  time  he  sold  out.  In  1874  he  made  his 
way  westward  to  Clackamas  county.  Ore- 
gon, and  purchased  eiglity  acres  of  railroad 
land  but  after  living  upon  that  place  for 
two  years  he  returned  to  Nebraska,  where 
he  remained  through  the  succeeding  six  years. 
Again  insects — chinch  bugs — destroyed  his 
crops  and  he  removed  to  Kansas,  where  he 
secured  an  interest  in  coal  mines  which  he 
operated  for  one  winter.  Later  he  spent 
two  years  in  .Arkansas,  working  in  a  plan- 
ing mill  and  running  an  engine.  At  length 
lie  traded  forty  acres  of  his  home  place  for 
a  yoke  of  oxen  and  twenty-five  dollars  and 
thus  he  started  for  Oregon  in  1884.  He 
was  eight  months  and  six  days  on  the  way, 
accompanied  by  his  wife,  three  sons  and  a 
daughter.  The  youngest  son  was  taken  ill 
at  Klamath  Falls  and  thus,  the  family  being 
unable    to    continue    their    journey    farther. 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


703 


sfttlement  was  made  here.  Ludwig  Biehn 
lias  continued  to  reside  in  this  place,  estab- 
lishing his  home  on  what  is  now  Main  street. 
He  bought  two  lots  lor  which  he  paid  one 
hundred  and  seventy-five  dollars  which  are 
now  worth  about  five  hundred  dollars  a 
front  foot.  He  sold  oil'  a  portion  of  the 
property  but  still  has  one  hundred  and  five 
feet  frontage  on  JXain  street  and  three  lots 
adjoining  on  Klamath  avenue.  After  locat- 
ing here  he  worked  at  the  mason's  trade, 
being  employed  in  that  capacity  on  the 
county  jail  and  the  courthouse,  in  fact  he 
did  most  of  the  mason  work  here  at  an  early 
day  for  he  was  an  excellent  workman,  hav- 
i>ig  learned  tlie  trade  in  Germany.  He  thus 
became  closely  associated  with  the  actual  up- 
building of  the  tow^n  and  followed  the  trade 
for  a  number  of  years  but  is  now  living 
retired  save  for  the  supervision  which  he 
gives  to  his  property  interests.  He  owns 
two  lots  in  an  addition  laid  out  by  his  son 
and  also  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  the 
Swan  Lake  district.  The  appreciation  of 
property  values  here  lias  brought  him  sub- 
stantial returns  and  indicates  the  wisdom 
of  his.  investments. 

In  1911  Mr.  Biehn  was  called  upon  to 
mourn  the  loss  of  his  wife,  who  passed  away 
on  the  2d  of  November  of  that  year,  at  the 
age  of  sixtv-nine,  her  birth  having  occurred 
in  February,  1842.  To  Jlr.  and  Mrs.  Biehn 
four  children  were  born:  William,  who  died 
(ictober  17,  1890,  in  his  twenty-second  year; 
George,  who  is  living  in  Klamath  Falls; 
1  ouise,  who  is  the  wife  of  George  Humphrey, 
of  Klamath  Falls;  and  Fred,  who  was  born 
.lune  23.  1S80.  and  died,  leaving  a  widow 
and  one  son.  Fred. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Biehn  has  long 
been  an  earnest  republican,  believing  firmly 
in  the  principles  of  the  party  as  factors  in 
good  government.  He  holds  membership  in 
the  Pioneers  Association  and  is  well  known 
in  this  part  of  the  state,  where  for  twenty- 
eight  years  he  has  made  his  home.  He  has 
seen  the  growth  of  Klamath  Falls  from  a 
small  town  to  an  enterprising  and  progres- 
sive city  and  has  borne  his  part  in  the  work 
of  general  improvement  and  progress  as  the 
years  have  passed.  He  has  ever  been  found 
reliable  and  straightforward  in  his  business 
d'^alings.  worthy  of  the  confidence  that  is 
uniformly   accorded   him. 

AUGUST  LAKSONEN.  The  opportunity 
and  ent('r|nise  wiiich  enabled  August  Lak- 
siinen  to  claim  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
(>f  heavily  timbered  land,  burn  the  stumps 
and  cultivate  the  soil  and  to  evolve  from  a 
wild  and  unimjiroved  tract  one  of  the  most 
liroductive  and  prosperous  farms  on  Ten  Mile 
lake,  is  a  valuable  asset  in  our  national  life. 
;Mr.  Laksonen  is  a  true  farmer  and  his  an- 
cestors cultivated  the  soil  for  many  genera- 
tions. He  was  born  in  Finland  in  1.S70.  and 
i.=  a  son  of  .Jacob  and  Susan  Laksonen.  both 
natives  of  that  country.  .Tacob  Laksonen 
and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  six  chil- 
dren: Herman  and  Michael,  both  residents 
of  Finland:  .John.  .lacnb.  and  .^usan.  all  of 
whom  are  deceased:  and  .Xugust.  the  subject 


of  this  sketch.  Jlr.  Laksonen  was  reared 
at  home  and  was  brought  up  on  his  father's 
larm.  He  received  his  early  education  in 
tlie  public  sciiools  of  Finland  and  pursued 
his  studies  until  he  was  fourteen  years  of 
age.  He  worked  in  the  employ  of  his  father, 
gaining  personal  experience  in  the  details 
of  agriculture  until  he  was  seventeen  years 
of  age.  In  ISST  he  came  to  America  and 
settled  in  Red  Canyon,  Wyoming,  where  he 
worked  in  the  coal  mines  for  one  year.  In 
1S88  he  removed  to  California  and  engaged 
in  the  timber  business  until  1889  when  he 
came  to  Coos  ba}-,  Oregon,  and  settled  in 
Jlarshfield.  He  worked  at  various  occupa- 
tions in  that  city  until  1891  when  he  took 
u])  a  homestead  claim  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  on  Ten  Mile  lake.  When  Mr. 
Laksonen  came  into  possession  it  was  mere 
forest  land.  With  indefatigable  energy  he 
cleared  the  propert}-,  burnt  the  stumps  and 
made  of  his  land  a  well  improved  and 
modernly  equipped  farm.  He  now  has  twen- 
ty acres  under  cultivation  and  operates  a 
small  sawmill  on  his  property.  He  saws 
lumber  to  order  and  this  branch  of  his  ac- 
tivities is  growing  to  be  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant features  of  his  occupation.  He 
makes  a  specialty  of  his  dairy  and  keeps 
a  large  herd  of  cows  for  milking  purposes. 
He  is  keenlj'  interested  in  modern  dairy 
o(|uipment  and  in  progressive  methods  of 
sanitation  and  his  milk  and  butter  and  other 
jiroducts  find  a  ready  sale  in  the  markets 
of    Coos    county. 

In  December,  1900,  Mr.  Laksonen  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Alice  Robertson, 
a  native  of  Oregon.  Mrs.  Laksonen  is  of 
Scotch  descent  and  her  father  is  now  living 
in  ^Millington,  Oregon.  To  our  subject  and 
liis  wife  five  children  have  been  born:  Ed- 
ward A.,  whose  birth  occurred  on  September 
].5.  1901.  and  who  is  attending  school  in 
Coos  county;  Trinette,  born  September  6, 
1903,  who  is  also  pursuing  her  studies; 
Florence,  who  was  born  on  the  Sth  of  Octo- 
ber. 1904.  and  who  is  still  in  school:  Edna, 
born  'May  2').  1906.  who  is  a  student  in  the 
Coos  county  jiublic  schools;  and  Margaret, 
v-liosc   birtli   occurred  .January   3,   1908. 

Politically  ilr.  Laksonen  is  a  republican 
and  takes  an  intelligent  interest  in  the  af- 
fairs of  the  local  party  organization.  He 
has  never  been  an  office  seeker  but  is  in- 
tensely interested  in  education  and  has  served 
as  a  director  of  the  school  board.  He  holds 
membership  in  the  Jjutheran  church  in  which 
faith  he  was  reared  and  in  which  he  is  bring- 
ing up  his  children.  He  is  prominent  in 
the  ad'airs  of  the  Woodmen  of  the  World. 
but  beyond  this  connection  has  no  fraternal 
alliliations.  He  is  one  of  the  fanners  who 
are  the  strength  and  hope  of  the  state  of 
Oregon,  a  man  who  brings  to  the  cultivation 
of  the  soil  an  intelligence  and  efficiency 
which  are  the  basis  of  sure  success. 

J.  C.  AINSWORTH,  of  Portland,  financier 
and  business  man.  who  is  identified  with 
many  corporate  interests,  has  contributed 
materially  to  the  development  and  upbuild- 
ing of  the  Pacific  country.     Portland  is  proud 


704 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


to  number  him  among  her  native  sons.  He 
was  born  in  that  city,  January  4,  1870,  of 
the  marriage  of  Captain  J.  C.  and  Fannie 
(Babbitt)  Ainsworth,  and  completed  his  edu- 
cation in  tlie  University  of  Cahfornia,  from 
which  institution  he  was  graduated  witli 
the  degree  of  Baclielor  of  Science  in  1H91. 
lie  afterward  pursued  a  special  course  in 
electrical  engineering  in  the  same  institu- 
tion. His  early  business  training  was  re- 
ceived in  the  Central  Bank  of  Oakland,  Cali- 
fornia, which  his  father  had  previouslj'  es- 
tablished, and  in  1894  he  entered  banking 
circles  in  Portland,  Oregon,  becoming  iden- 
tified with  the  Ainsworth  National  Bank, 
of  which  he  was  chosen  president.  The  bank 
was  capitalized  for  one  hundred  thousand 
dollars  and  as  his  chief  directing  force  he 
maintained  a  safe  conservative  policy  that 
made  it  one  of  the  strongest  moneyed  con- 
cerns on  the  coast.  In  1902  he  merged  the 
Ainswortli  National  Bank  with  the  United 
States  National  Bank  under  the  name  of  the 
latter,  which  was  then  capitalized  for  two 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars,  while 
later  the  capital  stock  was  increased  to  three 
hundred  thousand  dollars.  He  remains  presi- 
dent of  fliis  bank,  which  now  has  a  capital 
and  surplus  of  over  two  million,  one  hundred 
thousand  dollars  and  deposits  amounting  to 
about  eleven  millions  and  which  has  always 
been  kept  abreast  with  the  most  modern 
and  progressive  financial  policy  commensur- 
ate with  the  best  interests  of  the  institu- 
tion. 

A  man  of  resourceful  business  ability,  Jlr. 
Ainsworth  has  improved  his  opportunity  for 
judicious  investment  in  many  other  impor- 
tant business  enterprises  and  his  efforts  have 
constituted  a  valuable  element  in  the  suc- 
cessful control  of  various  corporations  of  the 
west.  He  was  instrumental  in  organizing 
the  Fidelity  Trust  Company  Bank  of  Ta- 
coma  with  "capital  and  surplus  of  one  mil- 
lion dollars,  and  in  1903  he  succeeded  Colonel 
C.  W.  (iriggs  as  president  of  the  company. 
He  is  also  the  president  of  the  Oregon  Tele- 
phone &  Telegraph  Company  with  a  capital 
stock  of  five  "hundred  thousand  dollars  and 
is  assistant  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the 
Pacific  States  Telephone  &  Telegraph  Com- 
pany which  has  a  capital  of  fifteen  million 
dollars,  while  its  lines  extend  from  Mexico 
to  Alaska.  His  keen  business  discernment 
has  led  to  his  cooperation  being  sought  in 
the  upbuilding  of  many  of  the  important 
business  projects  of  the  coast.  He  is  treas- 
urer of  the  "Portland  Railway  Company  and 
his  name  is  on  the  directorate  of  the  Port- 
land Hotel  Company,  and  Portland  General 
P.lectric  Company,  the  Portland  Street  Rail- 
way Company,  the  Pacific  States  Telephone 
<i  Telegraph  Company,  the  Los  Angeles  & 
Redondo  Railway  Conipany,  the  Oregon  Rail- 
road &  Navigation  Company  and  many 
others. 

On  tlie  26th  of  June,  1001.  in  Portland. 
Mr.  Ainsworth  was  married  to  Miss  Alice 
Heitshu,  who  is  a  native  of  California,  and. 
moving  in  the  highest  social  circles,  their 
home  is  the  scene  of  many  delightful  social 
functions.  Mr.  Ainsworth  holds  membership 
in  the  Presbyterian  church   and  the   Arling- 


ton Club,  of  which  he  was  formerly  pres- 
ident, and  his  political  allegiance  is  given  to 
the  republican  party.  He  is  also  a  thirty- 
second  degree  Mason.  While  he  is  numbered 
among  the  most  successful  men  of  the  north- 
west, he  has  never  regarded  the  pursuit  of 
wealth  as  the  sole  end  and  aim  of  life  but 
has  found  time  and  opportunity  for  activity 
in  otlier  lines  which  touch  the  general  in- 
terests of  society,  cooperating  in  many  move- 
ments for  the  public  good  and  upholding 
at  all  times  those  interests  which  are  a 
matter  of  civic   virtue  and  civic  pride. 

M.  B.  GIBSON  has  been  a  resident  of  Ore- 
gon since  1860  and  has  for  many  years  been 
identified  with  some  of  the  representative 
occupations  of  the  state.  He  has  reached 
the  age  of  seventy-seven,  and  is  living  retired 
in  Langlois  where  his  many  friends  honor 
him  as  an  early  settler  in  this  part  of  Curry 
county  and  as  a  business  man  of  undoubted 
ability  whose  individual  activities  have  been 
factors  in  the  general  growth.  He  was  born 
in  Hart  county,  Kentucky,  in  1S35,  a  son 
of  Harland  and  Mary  (Turner)  Gibson,  na- 
tives of  that  state.  His  father  was  of  Irish 
parentage,  but  was  born  in  Kentucky  and 
spent  his  entire  life  there.  He  followed" farm- 
ing and  was  successful  in  this  line  ot  occu- 
pation until  his  death  which  occurred  in  the 
early  '60s.  He  had  long  survived  his  wife 
who  passed  away  in  1835. 

M.  B.  Gibson  is  one  of  a  family  of  five 
children.  He  received  his  education  in  his 
native  state  and  remained  at  home  until  he 
was  twenty-two  years  of  age.  At  that  time 
he  went  to  Kansas  and  remained  in  that  state 
until  1860  when  he  came  to  Oregon  and  set- 
tled in  Curry  county  at  what  is  now  known 
as  Gold  Beach.  Here  he  worked  at  the  shoe- 
making  trade  which  he  had  learned  in  his 
youth  and  for  twenty  years  followed  this 
line  of  occupation.  For  sixteen  years  he 
also  served  as  county  treasurer  and  gained  a 
reputation  for  honesty  and  conscientiousness 
in  the  discharge  of  his  duties.  Eventually, 
however,  he  purchased  two  hundred  acres  of 
land  in  that  section  and  upon  this  he  lived 
for  a  number  of  years.  When  he  sold  his 
property  he  moved  to  Gold  Beach  where  he 
lived  until  1901  and  then  moved  to  Langlois 
where  he  is  now  living  retired.  He  owns 
some  fine  residence  property  and  is  actively 
interested  in  the  growth  of  the  village. 

In  1873  Mr.  Gibson  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Johanna  Bailey,  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
.vania,  who  came  with  her  parents  to  Ore- 
gon in  1857.  The  family  settled  in  Curry 
county  where  the  father  "died  in  1899.  The 
mother  is  surviving  in  the  eighty-third  year 
of  her  age.  They  had  seven  children,  four 
of  whom  are  still  living.  Jlr.  and  Mrs.  Gib- 
son became  the  parents  of  four  children: 
Mary,  the  wife  of  E.  B.  Thrift  of  Langlois, 
who  is  engaged  in  the  merchandise  business; 
Anna  G.,  who  is  a  sister  in  the  convent  at 
Mount  Angel;  Jeanette,  who  resides  at  home; 
and  Grace,  who  passed  away  when  she  was 
one  year  old.  Mrs.  Gibson  died  June  14, 
1885. 

M.  B.  Gibson  is  a  republican  in  his  political 
beliefs  but  independent  in  his  views,  voting 


M.    li.   clIiSON 


THE  .,, 
PUBLIC 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OP  OREGON 


707 


for  the  man  whom  he  considers  best  fitted 
for  tile  position.  lie  and  his  family  belong 
to  the  Roman  Catholic  church  and  arc  active, 
religious  workers.  Over  half  a  century  ago 
Mr.  Gibson  came  to  Oregon  and  since  that 
time  he  has  witnessed  much  of  the  growth 
and  development  of  tlie  state,  his  own  activi- 
ties identifying  him  with  it  to  a  large  extent. 
He  well  deserves  the  retirement  he  is  enjoy- 
ing for  he  earned  it  by  liard  work  in  the 
past. 

J.  FRANK  ADAMS  is  owner  of  the  Poplar 
farm,  situated  near  Merrill  in  Klamath  coun- 
ty. Xo  resident  in  all  this  district  has  taken 
a  more  active  or  helpful  part  in  promoting 
its  progress  and  upbuilding.  He  was  one  of 
the  pioneer  ranchmen  here,  is  well  known 
for  his  ability  in  breaking  wild  horses,  has 
been  engaged  in  banking  and  irrigation  proj- 
f.ets  and  withal  is  a  courteous,  genial  gen- 
tleman. He  at  all  times  commands  the  re- 
spect and  good-will  of  those  who  know  him. 
He  was  born  in  Eldorado  county,  Califor- 
nia, March  3,  1855,  and  is  a  son  of  George 
and  Sarah  Ellen  (Hogue)  Adams,  both  of 
whom  were,  born  and  reared  in  Peoria,  Illi- 
nois. Following  their  marriage  in  that  city 
they  crossed  the  plains  to  Eldorado  county, 
California,  in  1852  and  afterward  removed  to 
San  Francisco.  Mr.  xVdams  went  to  the  scene 
of  the  Frascr  excitement  and  traveled  all 
through  soutliern  California,  rambled  around 
much  in  that  state  and  linally  took  up  his 
abode  in  Sacramento  in  1868.  There  he  died 
about  forty  years  ago  and  his  wife  later 
passed  away  in  the  same  city.  He  engaged 
in  farming,  teaming  and  general  trading  and 
was  well  known  among  early  settlers  of  that 
state.  After  losing  her  first  husband  ilrs. 
Adams  became  the  wife  of  L.  R.  Harris, 
who  now  makes  his  home  with  his  stepson, 
J.  Frank  Adams,  at  the  age  of  eighty-three 
years.  His  wife,  the  mother  of  our  sub- 
ject, passed  aw'ay  about  thirteen  years  ago. 
By  her  first  marriage  she  had  three  sons, 
of  whom  the  subject  of  this  review  is  the 
eldest.  The  second  son.  Joseph  Henry,  died 
in  Chico,  California,  and  William  Walter 
Sherman  is  now  postmaster  and  a  mer- 
chant   at    Malin,    Klamath    county. 

J.  Frank  Adams  resided  witli  his  parents 
in  California  until  1872.  He  spent  most 
of  his  time  as  a  cowboy.  In  that  year  he 
left  with  stock  to  go  into  the  mountains, 
tied  by  permanent  residents,  making  it  im- 
as  Sacramento  valley  was  fast  becoming  set- 
possible  to  find  grazing  land  there.  He  made 
his  way  to  southern  Oregon  and  rode  after 
stock  in  Si.skiyou  county.  California,  and 
Klamath  county,  Oregon,  until  1S7U.  He 
then  took  up  his  abode  in  Klamath  valley, 
where  he  engaged  in  handling  .stock  on 
shares,  running  stfick  in  that  way  iintil 
tAventy  years  ago.  since  wliicli  time  he  has 
carried  on  business  independently.  The  rais- 
ing and  care  of  stock  has  practically  been 
bis  life  work.  About  ISSl  lie  began  secur- 
ing government  land,  taking  up  every  kind 
of  claim  possible,  including  preemption,  home- 
stead and  timber.     He  secvired  desert  claims. 


school  lands  and  state  lands  and  added  to 
his  possessions  until  he  had  twenty-si.\  hun- 
dred and  nineteen  acres  when  he  entered 
into  an  irrigation  project  under  the  name 
of  the  Little  Klamath  Ditch  Company.  This 
he  incorporated  in  1885.  His  jilan "  was  to 
include  all  farmers  and  each  acre  was  to 
represent  a  share  in  the  company,  which  was 
originally  incorporated  for  live  thousand 
acres  and  five  thousand  shares  at  two  dol- 
lars per  share.  Farmers  of  the  community 
joined  Mr.  Adams  in  this  project,  which  he 
later  extended  in  its  scope,  reclaiming  ^ten 
thousand  acres.  He  became  president  and 
nninager  of  the  Little  Klamath  Ditch  Com- 
pany and,  as  time  went  on,  he  bought  in 
other  lands  and  had  extensive  interests  iu 
the  company  but  sold  out  to  the  United  States 
government  in  1907.  when  they  instituted 
their  five  million  dollar  project  for  the  rec- 
lamation of  arid  lands  in  tliis  district.  He 
met  with  difficulties  leading  to  reverses  in 
his  irrigation  projects,  yet  the  work  which 
he  accom])lished  is  of  inestimable  value  to 
the  district.  His  financial  backers  in  the 
stock  business  withdrew  their  support  when 
he  turned  his  attention  to  irrigation,  which 
they  regarded  as  unpractical,  but  with  re- 
markable foresight  he  realized  the  value  of 
such  an  undertaking  and  time  has  jiroven 
his  wisdom.  In  the  cut  through  from  White 
lake  to  Little  Klamath  lake,  for  two  and 
three  quarters  miles  the  ditch  being  twenty- 
two  feet  wide  and  twenty  inches  deep,  it 
was  necessary  to  cut  through  the  marsh 
with  a  hay  knife.  Jlr.  Adams  laid  off  the 
right-of-way  and  made  the  two  outside  cuts 
on  the  eleven  feet.  With  his  own  hands 
he  did  the  work  on  the  outside  cuts,  total- 
ing eleven  miles,  and  he  employed  from  ten 
to  twen-.v-two  lueu  in  cutting  the  center  and 
throwing  out  the  dirt.  Tliis  was  the  mo.st 
strenuous  jiart  of  his  irrigation  project  and 
led  to  his  securing  a  dredge.  For  the  past 
seven  or  eight  years  he  has  operated  the 
-Marion  Steam  .Shovel  Dredge,  the  first  work 
■w  ith  which  was  done  in  building  the  canal 
for  the  Little  Klamath  Ditch  Company.  He 
made  several  of  the  first  landings  for  steam- 
boats and  he  began  building  tlie  first  mile 
and  a  cuiartcr  of  the  railroad  out  of  Klamath 
Falls,  throwing  up  the  grade  for  the  com- 
pany. This  was  his  first  dredge  work.  He 
then  moved  the  dredge  to  tapper  Klamath  lake 
and  made  a  ditch  of  seventeen  miles  for 
Abner  Weed,  tlie  average  depth  being  four 
and  a  half  feet  and  the  width  thirty-live 
feet.  This  work  required  about  three  years. 
On  the  28th  of  .Vpril.  1012.  his  dredging 
machine  was  destroyed  by  firi>  but  he  is  now 
rebuilding  an  outfit  worth  about  fifteen  thou- 
sand dollars.  There  are  twenty-two  thou- 
sand acres  in  the  Abner  Weed  tract  and 
the  work  to  the  present  time  has  been 
more  than  half  completed.  Mr.  .\dams  has 
been  the  most  active  factor  in  the  develop- 
ment of  Klamath  county,  especially  in  the 
Tiili'  Lake  district. 

Thirty-three  years  ago  he  began  the  de- 
velopment of  his  ranch  at  Adams  Point,  two 
miles  east   of  liis   present   location   on   Tule 


708 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


h'.ke.  \\  hull  lie  took  up  his  abode  on  his 
presunt  place,  twenty-foui'  years  ago,  it  was 
a  desert  claim,  covered  with  sage  brush,  which 
he  grubbed  up  through  his  own  labor.  He 
has  erected  thereon  a  beautiful  modern  resi- 
dence about  two  and  three-fourths  miles  east 
of  Merrill  and  has  set  out  a  grove  of  English 
poplars.  Til  is  land  is  now  all  under  ditch 
and  constitutes  one  of  the  valuable  ranch 
properties  of  the  district.  There  are  good 
improvements  upon  his  place.  He  makes  a 
specialty  of  handling  horses  and  cattle,  hav- 
ing, from  four  to  five  hundred  head  of 
liorses  and  about  the  same  number  of  cattle. 
Few  men  know  how  to  handle  as  well  as  he 
does  wild  horses  and  break  them  in  for  farm 
work  or  driving.  He  was  actively  interested 
in  the  tirst  annual  Rodeo  held  at  Klamath 
Falls  on  the  31st  of  May  and  the  1st  and  2d 
of  June.  1912,  for  which  purpose  he  fur- 
nished fifty  of  the  eight}'  head  of  horses 
used.  He  attended  to  the  corralling  and 
catching  of  the  horses  for  the  riders  and  he 
today  catches  and  breaks  a  wild  horse  with 
the  same  ease  which  he  did  in  earlier  man- 
hood. He  started  out  in  life  as  a  cowboy, 
empty-handed,  and  he  is  today  one  of  the 
prosjierous  residents  of  southern  Oregon,  yet 
at  all  times  has  been  liberal  with  his  means. 
His  beautiful  home  is  the  abode  of  a  warm- 
hearted hospitality  and  its  doors  are  ever 
open  for  the  reception  of  friend  or  stranger 
alike.  He  kept  open  house  for  many  j'ears 
when  there  was  no  hotel  in  this  district  and 
any  guest  at  his  home  at  the  present  time 
is  most  heartily  received  and  royally  en- 
tertained. In  addition  to  all  of  his  other 
business  projects  Mr.  Adams  assisted  in 
organizing  the  First  National  Bank  of  Mer- 
rill and  acted  as  its  president  for  six  months 
but  he  did  not  desire  to  continue  in  the 
office  and  at  the  present  time  is  serving  as 
a   director. 

Mr.  Adams  has  been  married  twice.  On 
the  3d  of  May,  188S,  he  wedded  Miss  Fannie 
£!  Steele,  who  was  born  in  Nevada,  in  1865. 
and  was  reared  in  Reno,  a  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam Steele,  who  was  one  of  the  pioneers 
in  the  reclamation  of  this  country  tlirough 
irrigation.  It  was  through  his  work  in  that 
connection  that  Mr.  Adams  met  him  and  iil- 
timately  became  a  member  of  his  family 
through  his  marriage  to  his  daughter.  In 
IflOO  ^Fr.  Adams  was  called  upon  to  mourn 
the  loss  of  his  wife,  who  died  on  the  Sth  of 
May  of  that  year,  leaving  three  sons:  Wil- 
liam AValter,  who  is  married  and  resides  on 
his  father's  timber  culture  claim  near  Mer- 
rill; and  .J.  Frank  and  Robert  Steele,  both 
at  home.  On  the  llth  of  August.  1902.  Mr. 
Adams  Avedded  Miss  Martha  Cardwell.  who 
was  born  in  Jackson  county.  Oregon,  March 
7.  18G6.  She  had  formerly  been  a  school 
teacher  and  was  a  friend  of  the  first  Mrs. 
Adams,  making  her  home  with  them  for 
some  time.  There  is  one  child  of  this  mar- 
riage. John   Martin. 

Mr.  Adams  was  reared  a  democrat  but 
takes  only  a  citizen's  interest  in  politics. 
He  holds  membership  with  various  fraternal 
organizations,  including  the  Odd  Fellows,  the 
Elks,  the   Workmen   and  the   Hoo  Hoos.     He 


lias  a  wide  acquaintance  with  men  of  state 
and  national  reputation,  has  led  an  ex- 
emplary life,  is  a  gentleman  in  every  respect 
and  commands  the  highest  regard  and  con- 
fidence of  all  who  know  him.  He  never 
uses  liquor  or  tobacco  and  has  ever  en- 
deavored to  follow  the  golden  rule,  doing 
unto  others  as  he  would  have  them  do  unto 
liim.  All  acknowledge  his  worth  as  a  man 
and  citizen.  What  he  has  done  for  his  sec- 
tion of  the  state  cannot  be  overestimated. 
He  was  instrumental  in  bringing  a  Bohemian 
colony  of  about  eiglity  families  to  this  dis- 
trict and  located  for  them  a  town  site,  called 
Malin,  giving  the  land  for  that  purpose.  He 
iias  disposed  of  about  three  sections  of  land 
to  these  settlers,  requiring  a  small  payment 
down  and  allowing  them  long  time  to  make 
their  payments.  He  shows  that  lie  has  con- 
fidence in  their  integrity  and  willingness  to 
meet  their  indebtedness  and  his  confidence 
in  few  cases  has  been  betrayed.  As  the  years 
j;0  on  the  worth  of  his  work  will  be  more 
and  more  highly  appreciated.  He  certainly 
deserves  all  the  success  that  has  been  his 
and  the  honor  and  regard  which  are  freely 
accorded  him. 

EDWIN    EPHRAIM    STRAW,    M.    D.     In 

every  town  and  city  there  are  men  who  by 
the  consensus  of  public  opinion  are  placed 
in  the  rank  of  the  most  enterprising  and 
useful  citizens.  To  this  distinction  Dr. 
Straw  is  justly  entitled  among  the  citizens 
of  Marshfield,  this  state.  He  was  born  Feb- 
ruary 28,  1877.  in  Wythe  county,  Virginia, 
v.m\  is  a  son  of  Dr.  .John  B.  and  Nancy  Mar- 
garet (Ward)  Straw.  His  paternal  grand- 
father was  of  German  extraction  and  a  na- 
tive of  Pennsylvania  and  the  grandfather  on 
the  maternal  side  was  of  Scotch-Irish  de- 
scent. The  family  of  his  mother  were  Vir- 
ginians, whose  ancestors  for  many  genera- 
tions had  juaintained  their  home  and  family 
name  among  the  very  earliest  of  the  settlers 
ot  the  Old  Dominion,  dating  far  back  to  the 
first  of  the  English  settlements.  To  the  par- 
ents of  Dr.  Straw  twelve  children  were  born: 
Mary  Virginia,  deceased;  Nancy  Margaret, 
also  deceased:  Dr.  .1.  Robert,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  forty-three  years;  Isaac  .J.,  who  is 
engaged  in  ranching  at  Klamath  Falls,  this 
state:  Ella,  the  wife  of  William  Roneberg, 
of  San  Francisco,  California,  and  the  mother 
of  four  children.  Bessie.  Clarence  C.  Charle- 
ton  S.  and  Robert  H. ;  James  W..  who  is  en- 
gaged in  dairying  at  Klamath  Falls.  Ore- 
gon: Henry  W..  of  Klamath  Falls,  who  is 
engaged  in  the  timber  business:  Dr.  William 
R..  who  has  passed  away;  Charles  F.,  of 
Oklahoma,  who  is  married  and  has  five  chil- 
dren; Lula.  deceased;  Edwin  Ephraim,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch;  and  Walter  W.,  de- 
ceased. 

Dr.  Straw  was  reared  at  home  and  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools,  and  after  having 
passed  through  all  of  the  grades  he  became 
for  two  years  a  student  at  the  Virginia 
Affricultural  and  M^eehanica!  College,  after 
which  he  took  up  the  study  of  medicine  and 
became  a  pupil  of  the  Vanderbilt  University 
nt  Nashville.  Tennessee,  from  which  he  was 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


709 


graduated  on  March  2S,  with  the  degree  of 
il.  D..  in  tlie  class  of  ISUS.  Immediately 
following  his  graduation  he  established  him- 
self in  the  general  practice  of  medicine  at 
Ashland,  Wisconsin,  where  he  remained  for 
one  year,  after  which  he  removed  to  Klamath 
Falls,  this  state,  and  at  that  place  was  oc- 
cupied in  the  jjursuit  of  his  profession  for 
two  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  re- 
moved to  Marshfield.  In  December,  1901, 
he  opened  his  office  and  has  since  been  giv- 
ing his  entire  attention  to  the  general  prac- 
tice of  medicine,  in  which  he  has  attained 
an  enviable  degree  of  success.  His  financial 
rating  is  very  high  and  his  holdings  in  real 
estate  and  other  property  are  extensive  in 
Marshfield  and  various  other  parts  of  Coos 
county. 

Dr.  Straw  was  united  in  marriage  on  the 
Itith  of  April,  1907,  to  Miss  Sara  Lakeman, 
ii  daughter  of  William  and  Annie  (Barrie) 
Lakeman.  who  were  natives  of  California. 
Dr.  Straw  is  affiliated  with  the  democratic 
party  and  is  now  serving  his  fourth  term 
as  mayor  of  ilarshfield.  He  was  first  elected 
to  that  office  in  1905,  since  which  election 
he  has  been  returned  for  three  consecutive 
terms.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  state 
board  of  health  and  was  the  marine  hospital 
surgeon  for  two  years  and  at  present  is  a 
member  of  the  state  naval  board.  Dr.  Straw 
lias  made  a  record  for  personal  success  and 
useful  citizenship  in  Marshfield,  such  as  to 
]ilace  him  among  the  influential  and  highly 
respected  professional  and  business  men  of 
this  portion  of  the  state  of  Oregon.  His 
natural  and  acquired  abilities  have  been  de- 
voted to  the  welfare  of  the  people  and  the 
general  uplift  and  improvement  of  society. 
He  is  a  man  whose  influence  is  readily  ob- 
tained whenever  a  measure  of  public  inter- 
est presents  itself  which  seeks  the  further 
advancement  of  the  interests  of  the  people. 

JTJLIUS  LINCOLN  POOLE,  wlio  is  a  native 
son  of  Oregon  and  a  western  man  by  birth, 
training  and  preference,  is  conducting  the 
?Iidland  Hotel  in  the  town  of  Midland  in  a 
manner  that  has  made  the  hostelry  well 
patronized  and  popular.  His  birth  occurred  at 
Canyonville.  Douglas  county,  on  the  8th  of 
April.  lSfi2.  his  parents  being  Napoleon  Bona- 
parte and  Sarah  (Cord well)  Poole,  the  former 
a  native  of  Kansas  and  the  latter  of  Nashville, 
Tennessee.  They  were  married  in  the  state 
of  Tennessee  and  in  1849  crossed  the  plains 
with  ox  teams  to  Oregon  City.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Poole  each  took  up  a  donation  claim  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  the  South  Ump- 
qua  valley,  where  they  have  continued  to 
reside  to  the  present  time.  The  former  has 
devoted  his  attention  to  the  pursuits  of 
farming  and  stock-raising  throughout  his 
entire  business  career.  Our  subject  is  one 
of  a  family  of  nine  children,  the  others  be- 
ing as  follows;  W.  P..  who  is  known  as  the 
wealthiest  gold  miner  in  British  Columbia: 
James  Washington,  who  is  a  resident  of 
Adel.  Lake  county.  Oregon:  Albert  J.,  who 
makes  his  home  in  Idaho:  .Tohn  W..  of  Salem, 
Oregon,  who  is  a  section  boss  manager  in 
the"^  service    of    the    Southern    Pacific    Rail- 


road; Desty,  who  is  the  wife  of  John  Scott 
nnd  lives  in  California;  Andrew,  a  forest 
ranger  of  Douglas  county;  Vermin,  who 
lives  at  home  with  his  parents  in  the  Ump- 
qua  valley,  in  Douglas  county;  and  Uma- 
tilla, the  wife  of  Fred  Bomanbrake,  who  fol- 
lows the  profession  of  teaching  in  Douglas 
county. 

Filled  with  the  spirit  of  adventure,  Julius 
Lincoln  Poole  ran  away  from  home  when 
a  youth  of  eleven  years.  lie  can\e  to  the 
Klamath  country  and  on  to  Fort  Harney, 
w  l;ere  he  worked  for  wages  during  a  period 
of  two  years.  In  188 1  and  1882  he  drove 
a  stage  from  Crow  Hollow  to  lleppner,  a  dis- 
l:ince  of  one  hundred  miles.  Subsaquently 
he  went  to  Corvallis  and  then  returned  home. 
Later  he  made  his  way  to  the  Harney  valley 
and  was  eni|iloyed  as  cook  for  the  buccaro 
crew  of  Henrj-  Levens,  the  present  sheriff 
of  Harney  county.  Going  to  Washington, 
ne  was  there  married,  in  1891,  to  iliss  .\nna 
Sampson,  who  was  born  in  California,  in 
1878.  and  is  a  daughter  of  .Joseph  Sampson, 
living  in  the  Sacramento  valley  of  Califor- 
nia. Following  his  marriage  Mr.  Poole  was 
employed  as  a  cook  by  L.  W.  Myers  in  the 
mines  of  Wasliington  during  the  greater  part 
of  a  period  of  nine  years.  Making  his  way 
tu  Douglas  county,  he  operated  a  rented 
ranch  for  two  years  and  then  removed  to 
^IcCloud.  California,  where  he  was  employed 
by  Jlrs.  P.  Hearst  to  haul  rock  for  a  sum- 
mer resort  on  the  McCloud  river.  Subse- 
quently he  again,  returned  to  his  father's 
home  and  engaged  in  ranching.  He  next 
came  to  Fort  Klamath,  Klamath  county,  and 
purchased  a  ranch  of  J.  Wheeler  but  even- 
tually sold  out.  For  a  few  months  he  then 
conducted  a  saloon  at  Klamath  Falls.  In 
November,  1911,  he  came  to  Midland  and 
rented  the  hotel  which  he  is  now  conducting. 
Perhaps  no  one  business  enterprise  or  in- 
dustry indicates  more  clearly  the  commer- 
cial and  social  status  of  a  town  than  its 
hotels.  The  wide-awake,  enterprising  vil- 
lages and  cities  must-  have  pleasant  accom- 
modations for  visitors  and  traveling  men  and 
the  foreign  public  judge  of  a  community 
by  the  entertainment  afforded  to  the  stran- 
gers. In  this  regard  the  Midland  Hotel,  of 
v.hich  Mr.  Poole  is  proprietor,  is  an  index 
of  the  character  and  advantages  of  Midland, 
ior  the  hostelry  will  rank  favorably  with 
(hose  of  many  a  larger  place,  and  its  genial 
proprietor  neglects  nothing  that  can  add  to 
the  comfort  of  his  guests. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Poole  are  the  parents  of 
three  children,  as  follows:  Bessie,  who  is 
the  wife  of  Winter  Kniffht.  of  Douglas  coun- 
ty: Albert  Vernon,  still  at  home;  and  Alice. 

CHARLES  F.  McKNIGHT  is  a  resident  of 
Marshfield.  this  state,  where  he  is  engacred  in 
the  general  practice  of  law.  He  was  born  in 
Afarshfield.  Coos  county,  on  the  23d  of  Feh- 
niary.  lS7fi.  and  is  a  son  of  William  and 
Mary  (Wriirhtl  MeKnight.  His  father  was 
born  near  Richmond.  Virginia,  and  emigrated 
to  California  in  lRt9.  After  spending  two 
years  in  the  Oolden  State  he  removed  to 
Oregon  in   18.51  and  located  near  Salem  and 


710 


THE  CENTExXNIAL  HISTORY  OP  OREGON 


later  he  removed  to  Douglas  county  and  in 
1865  he  settled  on  this  south  fork  of  Coos 
liver,  where  he  purchased  the  right  to  the 
De  Cues  donation  claim,  a  body  ol  laud 
consisting  of  three  hundred  and  forty-six 
acres.  William  McKnight  followed  farming 
during  all  his  life  and  during  the  years  in- 
tervening between  1865  and  1898  was  en- 
gaged in  that  occupation  in  the  development 
and  operation  of  the  farm  which  he  pur- 
chased on  the  Coos  river.  He  died  on  Sep- 
tember 8,  1898.  His  widow  is  at  present  the 
owner  of  that  beautiful  farm  and  is  now 
living,  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight,  at  Marsh- 
iield,  this  state.  She  was  a  daugliter  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jesse  and  Margaret  (Hare) 
\\'right  and  with  her  parents  emigrated  to 
Oregon  in  the  year  1847.  Jesse  Wright,  the 
fatlier  of  Mrs.  William  McKnight,  passed 
away  on  the  plains  on  the  way  here,  in 
1847,  and  the  mother  and  children  located 
their  home  near  the  present  site  of  Eugene 
in  Lane  county,  wliere  they  continued  to 
live  for  about  two  years.  Mrs.  Wright  was 
again  married  to  Jolin  Loose  and  they  later 
moved  to  Benton  county  and  took  up  six 
hundred  and  forty  acres  of  government  land 
between  them,  where  they  continued  to  re- 
side until  about  1858,  when  they  removed  to 
Douglas  county  and  remained  there  until 
the  early  '60s  when  they  came  to  Coos  coun- 
ty and  continued  to  live  here  until  they 
passed  away.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  Mc- 
Knight were  united  in  marriage  in  Douglas 
county.  May  1,  1859,  and  to  them  were  born 
five  children,  as  follows:  Mrs.  Fannie  Haz- 
ard, the  widow  of  S.  H.  Hazard;  Mrs.  George 
W.  Loggie,  who  is  a  resident  of  Bellingham, 
Washington,  where  her  husband  operates  one 
of  the  largest  lumber  and  milling  plants  of 
that  section;  Mrs.  C.  A.  Metlin,  of  Marsh- 
field,  engaged  in  the  hotel  business  in  that 
city;  Mrs.  E.  W.  Dean,  who  is  deceased,  as 
is  also  her  husband;  and  Charles  F.,  of  this 
review. 

The  last  named  was  reared  at  home  and 
received  his  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  this  state  and  after  graduating  from  the 
high  school  of  Marshfield  became  a  student 
of  the  State  Agricultural  College,  from  which 
institution  he  was  graduated  in  the  class 
of  1898.  after  which  he  became  a  student 
of  law  in  the  office  of  S.  H.  Hazard  of  Mar.sh- 
field  and  in  the  month  of  October,  1900.  was 
admitted  to  the  bar.  Immediately  follow- 
ing his  admission  to  tlie  bar  he  formed  a 
partnership  with  S.  H.  Hazard  and  continued 
to  be  associated  with  him  in  the  general 
practice  of  law  until  the  time  of  Mr.  Haz- 
ard's death,  which  occurred  in  1901.  Since 
that  time  ^Mr.  ilcKnight  has  continued  alone 
in  the  practice  of  liis  profession.  His  duties  in 
the  general  course  of  practice  have  been 
in  the  different  courts  of  Oregon  and  the 
United  States  court  at  ilarshfield,  Mr.  Mc- 
Knight is  the  owner  of  his  beautiful  residence 
property  in  Marslifield  and  also  of  otlier  valu- 
able business  and  residence  properties  in 
that  city  and  is  extensively  interested  in 
farm  lands  in  other  portions  of  Coos  county. 

On  the  4th  of  October,  1911,  Mt.  :McK  night 
was   united    in    marriage   to   Miss   Lulu    .\nn 


Spangler,  who  was  born  at  Independence, 
Oregon.  The  early  years  of  her  life  were 
spent  at  Corvallis,  where  she  resided  until 
the  time  of  her  marriage.  She  is  a  daughter 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  H.  Spangler,  who  were 
among  the  earl}-  pioneers  of  this  state  and 
are  now  deceased,  lier  father's  death  having 
occurred  January  22,  1912,  and  that  of  her 
mother  in  May,  1908,  at  Corvallis.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Spangler  were  born  three  children: 
Mrs.  L.  L.  Porter,  of  Oregon  City;  Martin 
L,,  of  Oakland,  California;  and  Mrs.  Lulu 
Ann  McKnight.  The  last  named  has  the 
distinction  of  being  a  regular  graduate  of 
the  State  Agricultural  College.  She  is  a 
member  of   the   Presbyterian   church. 

Cliarles  F.  McKnight  is  affiliated  with  the 
democratic  party.  He  does  not  seek  political 
preferment  of  any  kind  but  devotes  his  en- 
tire attention  to  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion. He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  lodge 
of  Marshfield  and  has  filled  all  the  chairs 
therein.  He  belongs  to  the  Ancient  Order 
ot  United  Workmen  and  has  filled  all  the 
chairs  in  the  local  lodge  of  the  Benevolent 
Protective  Order  of  Elks.  Mr.  McKnight  is 
one  of  the  trusted  and  competent  attorneys 
of  Marshlield,  devoting  his  entire  attention 
to  the  interests  of  his  profession.  He  is  a 
man  of  public  spirit,  interested  in  the  wel- 
fare and  advancement  of  the  community  in 
which  he  lives.  His  large  and  increasing 
practice  has  in  no  sense  disassociated  him 
from  the  social  life  of  his  city,  and  his  in- 
Huence  and  help  are  always  forthcoming  in 
the  promotion  of  any  public  measure  in- 
tended for  the  betterment  of  his  state  and 
county. 

SIVERT  E,  AASEN,  recognized  as  an  ex- 
pert agriculturist  of  Coos  county  and  as  a 
man  whose  wise  management  of  his  farm  has 
contributed  to  the  expansion  of  the  dis- 
trict, was  born  in  Norway,  May  15,  1846.  His 
parents  lived  and  died  in  their  native  coun- 
try and  had  ten  children,  all  of  whom  re- 
mained at  home  with  the  exception  of  our 
subject.  Sivert  Aasen  crossed  the  Atlantic 
to  America  in  1871.  settled  in  San  Francisco 
and  for  one  year  followed  the  sea,  making 
that  city  his  headquarters.  He  had  been  a 
sailor  for  about  fifteen  years  in  his  native 
country  and  was  familiar  with  the  details 
of  navigation.  His  residence  in  Coos  county 
dates  from  1872  in  which  year  he  came  north 
to  Oregon  and  bought  land  on  Hall  creek, 
six  miles  below  Myrtle  Point.  His  original 
purchase  comprised  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  and  upon  this  property  he  has  since 
resided.  He  began  its  cultivation  immediately 
and  has  at  the  present  time  one  of  the  highly 
improved  and  cultivated  tracts  of  land  in 
the  district.  At  one  time  he  purchased  forty 
acres  which  he  added  to  his  homestead,  but 
he  sold  eighty  acres  to  his  son  and  now  has 
a  well  improved  and  prosperous  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty  acres,  all  of  which  is 
under  cultivation,  Mr.  Aasen  follows  general 
farming  and  his  j-ears  of  experience  have  won 
him  success. 

In  1873  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Marie   L.    Bagge,    who   was  born    in    Norway 


S.  E.  .\ASi:X  AM)  lAMII.V 


THE  NEV. 
PUBLIC     L 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


ns 


December  28,  1843,  and  came  to  America 
with  her  brother  in  1873.  She  married  our 
subject  in  San  Francisco.  California,  and  with 
him  came  to  Coos  county.  Mrs.  Aasen's  par- 
ents both  died  in  Norway  and  her  brother 
and  two  sisters  are  living  in  that  country. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Aasen  have  seven  children: 
Mary  Magdaline.  born  in  1874,  who  is  the 
wife  of  Henry  K.  Fredenberg.  of  Hall  creek, 
Oregon,  by  whom  she  has  five  children,  Rosa 
A.,  Henry  L..  Gussie  M.,  Edward  and  Hilda. 
Edwin,  born  in  187S,  who  is  foreman  of  a  log- 
ging camp;  Lewis,  bom  Jlarch  11,  ISSO,  who 
married  Miss  Alice  Everden,  of  Rock  Creek. 
Oregon,  and  who  is  farming  on  a  part  of  his 
father's  farm;  John  L..  whose  birth  occurred 
on  the  29th  of  November.  18S1.  who  married 
Miss  Amy  Kelly,  of  Coquille,  Oregon  and  is 
in  partnership  with  his  brother  Edwin  in 
the  lumber  business;  Sigwell  A.  and  Magnor 
T.,  twins,  the  former  a  resident  of  California 
and  the  latter  of  Coos  county,  j>here  he  is 
living  on  the  homestead  claim  with  his  wife 
who  was  in  her  maidenhood  Miss  Charlotte 
Hill,  and  his  two  children,  Elda  M.  and  Alton; 
and  Olaf  H.,  born  October  6.  1884,  who  is  aid- 
ing his  father  in  the  operation  of  the  home 
farm.  All  the  children  born  to  Mr.  and 
-Mrs.  Aasen  received  their  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  Coos  county  and  with  their 
]iaronts  tlipy  attend  the  United  Brethren 
church. 

.'divert  E.  Aasen  is  an  enterprising  and  in- 
telligent agriculturist.  The  success  which  he 
enjoys  is  the  natural  result  of  well  directed 
labor  along  progressive  lines,  aided  by  per- 
sonal experience  in  the  details  of  his  occu- 
pation and  supplemented  by  a  business  sagac- 
ity and  integrity  of  a  high  order. 

ALEXANDER  JOHNSON  enjoys  the  dis- 
tinction of  having  originated  and  organized 
the  Finnish  Grocery  Company,  of  which  he 
is  president  and  general  manager.  This  new 
business  venture  is  established  in  Marshfield 
and  since  its  organization  has  been  a  grati- 
fying success.  Ho  was  born  September  5. 
1S77,  in  Finland  and  settled  in  Marshfield 
on  .Tune  24.  1895,  going  direct  to  that  place 
from  his  native  country.  In  his  parents' 
family  were  twelve  children,  only  four  of 
wliom  are  living,  name)}':  William  and  Ru- 
dolph, both  of  whom  reside  in  Finland; 
Hannah,  who  is  the  wife  of  William  Strang, 
of  North  Bend.  Oregon,  and  the  mother  of 
one  child.  Electa:  and  Alexander,  of  this 
review. 

Alexander  Johnson  started  in  life  for  him- 
self at  the  age  of  fourteen  years,  his  first 
occupation  being  that  of  farm  laborer,  and 
in  that  employment  he  continued  for  a 
period  of  three  years,  after  which  he  came 
to  Marshfield,  his  brother  having  preceded 
him  to  that  place  about  three  years  previ- 
ously. On  reaching  Oregon  he  found  em- 
)iloyment  in  the  logging  camps  in  that  por- 
tion of  the  state  and  continued  in  that  oc- 
cupation for  three  years.  He  later  was  en- 
gaged in  various  positions  for  nine  years,  at 
the  end  of  which  time  he  engaged  in  the 
cafe  business  to  which  he  devoted  his  at- 
tention   for    four    years.     He    then    sold    out 


and  entered  the  life  insurance  business  as 
agent  for  the  Pacific  Mutual  Life  Insurance 
Company.  Mr.  Johnson's  residence  is  at  No. 
.'>67  North  Second  street,  Jlarshtield. 

In  1904  Mr.  Johnson  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Alma  Carlson,  a  daughter  of 
Victor  and  Sophia  (Ledsley)  Carlson,  both 
natives  of  Finland,  Mrs.  Johnson's  birth, 
liowever,  having  occurred  in  Oregon.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Johnson  are  the  parents  of  a  son.  Mel- 
vin,  who  was  born  in  1906.  'Sir.  Johnson  is 
not  aflfiliated  with  any  political  party,  pre- 
ferring to  give  his  support  to  the  candi- 
date who  in  his  judgment  represents  the  best 
interests  of  the  people.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Lutheran  church,  and  belongs  to  the 
Suami  Lodge,  a  Finnish  organization,  and 
is  also  a  member  of  the  Foresters  of  Amer- 
ica. He  is  one  of  the  successful  and  en- 
terprising business  men  of  Marshfield  and 
is  a  man  whose  integrity  in  Imsiness  affairs 
:s  always  to  be  relied  upon. 

WILLIAM  W.  HOLLAND  is  one  of  the 
most  respected  citizens  of  Marshfield.  in  Coos 
county.  He  is  a  native  of  Oregon,  his  birth 
having  occurred  in  this  county  January  19, 
1865.  He  is  a  son  of  David  and  Sarah  Hol- 
land, natives  of  Scotland  and  England  re- 
spectively. David  Holland  emigrated  to 
Nova  Scotia  in  the  year  1830  and  from  that 
country  removed  to  JIaryland  in  1850.  where 
he  continued  to  reside  until  1859.  He  then 
removed  to  Oregon,  making  the  journey  by 
way  of  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  and  on 
reaching  this  state  he  purchased  a  ranch 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  located  near 
Myrtle  Point.  Upon  that  proiierty  lie  es- 
tablished his  home  and  in  the  following 
spring  suffered  the  misfortune  of  having  his 
entire  improvements,  together  with  all  of 
his  personal  property,  destroyed  by  the 
floods  which  covered  a  large  section  of  the 
territory  in  which  he  had  located.  Imme- 
diately after  this  disaster  he  went  to  the 
East  Port  coal  mines  near  Marshfield  and 
worked  in  them  as  superintendent  for  a 
period  of  ten  years.  He  purchased  one  hun- 
dred ami  sixty  acres  of  land  across  tlie  bay 
from  ^rarsliticdd  in  1872  and  two  years  later 
disposed  of  that  property  and  established 
himself  as  a  butcher  in  >iarshfield.  In  that 
business  he  continued  for  two  years,  during 
which  time  his  wife  purchased  an  interest 
in  the  Blanco  Hotel  at  Marshfield.  In  1880 
he  also  became  interested  in  that  hostelry. 
He  and  his  wife  were  associated  in  conduct- 
ing that  property  from  1880  until  1896  when 
they  retired  from  active  business  and  main- 
tained their  residence  in  Marshfield  until 
the  time  of  their  deaths,  his  demise  occur- 
ring in  1908  and  that  of  his  wife  on  the  25th 
of  "^March,  1902.  In  their  family  were  five 
diildren:  Mrs.  Simpson,  of  North  Rend,  Ore- 
gon: Mrs.  Ross,  of  Marshfield:  Thomas  D., 
of  Seattle;  William  W.,  of  this  review;  and 
Parker  B..  of  Marshfield.  who  is  engaged  in 
operating  a  ranch  ot  four  hundred  and  thirty- 
seven  acres  located  near  Bandon,  of  which 
he  and  his  brother  William  W.  are  joint 
owners. 


714 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


William  W.  Holland  was  reared  in  his 
father's  home  and  received  his  early  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools,  while  later  he 
completed  a  course  in  the  Rhode  Island  Busi- 
ness College  and  was  honorably  graduated 
trom  tliat  institution.  He  remained  at  home 
during  the  life  of  his  parents  and  at  the  age 
o:'  twenty-two  years  became  an  apprenticed 
shipbuilder  in  JIarshfield.  continuing  until 
he  had  mastered  the  trade.  In  1S90  he  es- 
tablished himself  in  the  boat-building  busi- 
ness at  ilarshfield  and  has  so  been  engaged 
for  the  past  twenty-two  years,  during  which 
time  he  has  confined  his  operations  largely  to 
the  building  of  boats  of  various  tonnages  and 
capacities  for  use  on  the  bay  and  the  rivers 
of  this  state.  To  Mr.  Holland  belongs  the 
distinction  of  having  constructed  the  first 
gasoline  launch  ever  built  in  ilarshfield.  As 
a  builder  of  boats  he  enjoys  a  reputation 
second  to  none  in  his  state  and  his  establish- 
ment is  one  of  the  largest  of  its  kind  in 
Coos  county.  He  is  the  owner  of  a  half  in- 
terest in  four  hundred  and  thirty-seven  acres 
of  ranch  land  near  Bandon,  has  large  inter- 
ests in  various  business  enterprises  m  ilarsh- 
lield  and  in  the  surrounding  country  and  is 
the  owner  of  his  beautiful  residence  located 
on  one  of  the  desirable  residence  streets  of 
that  city. 

Mr.  Holland  is  a  member  of  Blanco  Lodge. 
No.  48.  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  at  Marshfield.  the 
Fraternal  Union  and  the  Fraternal  Order  of 
ICagles  at  ?.[arshfleld.  He  is  unmarried  and 
by  his  associates  and  friends,  who  are  widely 
distributed  throughout  Coos  county,  he  is 
highly  esteemed  for  his  integrity  and  for 
his  upright  and  consistent  life. 

ANDREW  ANDERSON  is  the  owner  of  a 
valuable  farm  three  and  one  half  miles  up 
the  Coquille  river  from  Coquille.  Oregon,  and 
is  bringing  to  its  cultivation  a  well  seasoned 
knowledge  of  agriculture  the  acquirement  of 
which  had  its  beginning  when  he  labored  as 
a  boy  upon  his  father's  farm.  He  was  born 
in  .lames  county.  Iowa,  September  6,  1866, 
and  is  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Eliza  (Bar- 
nard) Anderson,  the  former  a  native  of  Scot- 
land and  the  latter  of  England.  The  par- 
ents were  married  in  Canada  and  lived  in 
that  country  for  a  number  of  years  before 
they  removed  to  Iowa.  In  that  state  the 
father  bought  land  and  carried  on  an  agri- 
e\iltural  enterpri.se  until  1873  when  he  re- 
moved to  Arkansas  and  followed  farming 
for  seven  years.  In  ISSCI  he  moved  to  Kan- 
sas and  six  years  later  to  Oregon  where  he 
bought  land  on  the  Coquille  river  and  was 
active  in  its  development  and  operation  un- 
til his  death.  March  14.  1908.  He  had  sur- 
vived his  wife  for  seventeen  years,  her  death 
occurring  in  1891.  They  were  the  parents 
of  a  number  of  children,  four  of  whom  are 
still  living:  Annie,  the  wife  of  Mr.  Gambol,  of 
Canada:  William,  of  Coos  county:  Thomas, 
who  resides  in  Bandon.  Oregon:  and  Andrew, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Andrew  Anderson  received  his  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  Kansas  and  Coos  coun- 
ty. Oregon.  He  lived  with  his  parents  until 
after  his   father's   death   and   was   identified 


with  agricultural  pursuits  from  early  boy- 
hood. When  he  grew  to  maturity  he  entered 
into  partnership  with  his  father  in  the  oper- 
ation of  the  liome  farm  and  came  into  sole 
ownership  of  the  homestead  when  his  father 
died.  The  farm  comprised  at  that  time  one 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  and  to  its  im- 
provement and  development  Mr.  Anderson 
gave  his  entire  time  and  attention.  He  has 
since  added  eighty  adjoining  acres  and  is 
thus  the  proprietor  of  two  hundred  acres 
of  the  most  fertile  and  productive  land  in 
(  regon.  His  holdings  are  located  three  and 
one  half  miles  above  Coquille  on  the  Coquille 
river. 

Andrew  Anderson  is  a  democrat,  giving  a 
general  allegiance  to  the  party,  but  he  re- 
s"rves  the  right  of  following  his  individual 
judgment  in  all  political  issues.  He  is  a 
member  of  Coquille  Lodge.  No.  53.  I.  0.  0.  F. 
His  record  in  agriculture  is  commendable. 
He  has  shown  himself  thoroughly  conversant 
with  the  derails  of  general  farming,  and  his 
life  has  been  honorable  and  happy  because 
it   has  been  useful  and  upright. 

DAVID  C.  KINDRED.  David  C.  Kindred, 
living  at  Hammond,  has  for  the  past  three 
A  ears  been  in  the  service  of  the  govern- 
ment. His  birth  occurred  in  Clatsop  county, 
Oregon,  on  the  15th  of  .\ugust,  1862.  his  par- 
ents being  B.  C.  and  Rachel  (Miller)  Kin- 
dred, natives  of  Indiana  and  Kentucky  re- 
S|>ectively.  The  father  was  born  in  1818, 
■>\hile  the  mother's  natal  year  was  1821. 
They  celebrated  their  marriage  in  Missouri 
and  left  that  state  in  1843,  settling  near 
i'ortland.  Oregon,  where  Mr.  Kindred  car- 
ried on  general  agricultural  pursuits  for  two 
years.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period 
lie  came  to  Clatsop  county,  taking  up  a  do- 
nation claim  comprising  a  section  of  land 
which  is  now  the  site  of  the  town  of  Ham- 
mond. He  remained  on  the  property  until 
called  to  his  final  rest  in  1904.  In  1903  his 
farm  was  laid  out  in  town  lots  and  all  except 
sixty-six  were  sold,  these  being  still  owned 
by  members  of  the  Kindred  family.  Our 
subject  owns  the  improvements  on  the  old 
liomestead  property.  His  mother  passed  away 
in  1898.  She  had  twelve  children,  as  follows: 
Henry,  who  is  a  resident  of  Seaside,  Ore- 
gon; Nancy,  the  wife  of  H.  F.  Fisher,  of 
Hammond.  Oregon:  .lames,  living  in  Warren- 
ton.  Oregon:  .Tulia.  the  wife  of  Captain  L  W. 
Dabbasre.  of  Astoria.  Oregon:  Amelia,  the 
wife  of  C.  W.  Holt,  of  Portland.  Oregon: 
.\manda.  the  wife  of  William  Madison,  of 
Portland.  Oregon:  Rosetta.  the  wife  of  Frank 
Cunningham,  of  Hammond.  Oregon:  Sarah, 
the  wife  of  Willis  :Mudd.  of  Hammond.  Ore- 
gon: William,  who  makes  his  home  at  Toke- 
hnd.  AVashington:  ilary.  who  is  the  wife  of 
Frank  Mudd  and  resides  in  the  Lewis  and 
Clarke  river  territory;  David  C,  of  this  re- 
view :  and  .Joel,  who  was  accidentally  shot 
when  a  youth  of  nineteen. 

David  C.  Kindred  began  earning  his  own 
livelihood  at  the  age  of  nineteen  and  for  a 
period  of  eighteen  years  followed  steamboat- 
ing  on  the  Columbia  river.  In  1908  he  en- 
tered the  government  service  and  since  that 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


715 


time  has  been  connected  with  the  engineer- 
ing department  in  the  improvement  of  the 
Columbia  river,  lie  owns  a  liandsorae  resi- 
dence and  other  property  in  Hammond  and 
also  has  property  in  Portland. 

In  JSeplember,  lS9t).  Mr.  Kindred  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Xellie  Foster,  wlio  was 
born  in  iliehigan  on  the  13th  of  October, 
1859,  her  parents  being  James  and  Mary 
Annis  (Snyder)  Foster,  natives  of  New 
York.  Both  passed  away  in  Michigan,  the 
di'mise  of  the  father  occurring  ten  years 
prior  to  that  of  the  mother.  They  had  nine 
children,  namely:  A.  M.,  the  wife  of  B.  F. 
Casey,  of  ^[ichigan;  Jane,  the  wife  of  C.  A. 
Wilson,  of  Hammond,  Oregon;  Mrs.  Kindred; 
Mrs.  Minnie  Marsh,  who  resides  in  Marshall, 
Michigan;  Poll}',  Clara,  Georgia  and  Jesse, 
all  of  whom  are  decased;  and  one  who  died 
in    infancy. 

Both  Jlr.  and  Mrs.  Kindred  are  devoted 
anil  faithful  members  of  the  Episcopal 
church.  The  former  has  always  resided 
within  the  borders  of  Clatsop  county  and  en- 
joys an  enviable  reputation  as  one  of  its 
prosperous  and   esteemed  citizens. 

GEORGE  WRIGHT  WARREN,  one  of  tlie 
most  prominent  and  prosperous  citizens  of 
\\'arrenton  and  Clatsop  county,  is  identified 
with  financial  interests  as  the  vice  president 
of  the  Astoria  National  Bank  and  is  the 
chief  executive  officer  of  the  mercantile 
concern  conducting  business  under  the  name 
of  Ross.  Higgins  &  Company  at  Astoria. 
He  is  also  well  known  as  a  stockman  of 
Warrcnton  and  has  extensive  landed  inter- 
ests. His  birth  occurred  at  Astoria,  Ore- 
gon, on  the  11th  of  October,  1880,  his  par- 
ents being  Daniel  K.  and  Sarah  (Eaton) 
Warren,  the  former  a  native  of  Bath, 
New  York,  and  the  latter  of  New  Hampshire. 
Their  marriage  was  celebrated  at  Prince- 
ton. Illinois.  In  18-18  Daniel  K.  Warren 
came  west  with  his  brother,  his  parents  hav- 
ing died  in  the  east.  He  crosed  the  plains 
in  18.53.  was  married  on  his  return  to  Illi- 
nois and  once  more  came  to  Oregon,  set- 
tling at  Knappa.  where  he  made  his  home 
for  ten  years.  On  the  expiration  of  that 
jieriod  he  took  up  his  abode  in  Astoria  and 
embarked  in  the  mercantile  business,  conduct- 
ing an  establishment  of  that  character  for 
four  years.  Subser|uently  he  removed  to 
Warrcnton.  wliere  he  purchased  a  large  tract 
of  tide  land  and  reclaimed  it  by  a  series  of 
dikes,  making  it  very  valuable.  He  was  like- 
wise interested  in  several  steamboats  and 
served  as  the  president  of  the  Astoria  Nation- 
al Bank,  the  president  of  the  Astoria  Sav- 
ings Bank  and  the  jiresident  of  the  Astoria  & 
South  Coast  Railroad.  His  demise  occurred 
on  the  3d  of  September.  190:!.  and  thus  the 
community  lost  one  of  its  leading  and  most 
highly  respected  citizens.  He  was  one  of 
four  sons,  his  brothers  being  as  follows: 
Phineas  C.  a  sketch  of  whom  appear.s  on 
another  page  of  this  work:  John  F..  who 
was  extensively  engaged  in  the  lumber  busi- 
ness and  who  died  at  Knappa.  Oregon;  and 
Oeorge  W.,  who  was  accidentally  killed  at 
his  logging  camp  in  the  '70s.     The  mother  of 


our  subject  lias  attained  the  age  of  seventy 
years  and  nuikes  her  home  at  Warrcnton. 
She  has  four  children,  as  follows:  Lulu,  the 
wife  of  H.  C.  Thompson,  who  is  engaged  in 
the  real-estate  and  insurance  business  at 
Portland;  Maud  W.,  the  wife  of  C.  R.  Hig- 
gins, who  is  the  assistant  cashier  of  the 
Astoria  National  Bank;  George  Wright,  of 
this  review;  and  Frederick  L.,  who  is  en- 
gaged in  the  insurance  and  real-estate  busi- 
ness at  Astoria  and  is  also  a  director  of  the 
Astoria  National  liank. 

After  leaving  higli  school  George  W.  War- 
ren attended  the  Portland  Academy  for  three 
years.  Subsequentlj'  he  began  business  as 
a  raiser  and  shipper  of  stock  at  Warrcnton, 
Oregon,  and  has  been  identified  with  tliat 
line  of  activity  to  the  present  time.  He 
is  also  connected  with  mercantile  interests 
as  the  president  of  the  firm  doing  business 
under  the  name  of  Ross,  Higgins  &  Company 
at  Astoria.  He  is  likewise  the  vice  president 
of  the  Astoria  National  Bank.  His  property 
lioldings  are  extensive  and  valuable.  He 
owns  twelve  hundred  acres  of  tide  land  at 
Willapa  Harbor.  Washington,-  has  several 
tiacts  in  Oregon  and  owns  the  town  site  of 
Warrcnton  in  connection  with  the  family  es- 
tate. Mr.  Warren  is  widely  recognized  as 
one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  his  native 
county  and  has  earned  for  himself  an  envia- 
ble reputation  as  a  careful  man  of  business, 
his  prompt  and  honorable  methods  having 
won  him  the  deserved  and  unboinided  con- 
fidence of  his   fellowmen. 

On  the  1st  of  JIarch,  100(>.  :\lr.  Warren 
«as  united  in  marriage  to  iliss  Florence  1''. 
B;iker.  a  native  of  Nebraska  and  a  daughter 
of  Charles  G.  A.  and  Ruth  Baker,  who  were 
born  in  New  York  and  Nebraska  respectively. 
When  their  daughter  Florence  was  still  but 
a  child  they  removed  to  Sacramento.  Cali- 
fornia, where  Mrs.  Baker  passed  away  in 
.January.  190,3.  Mr.  Baker  then  went  to 
Seattle.  Washington,  where  for  a  short  time 
he  acted  as  manager  of  a  hardware  com- 
pany. Subscfiucntiy  he  took  up  his  abode 
in  San  Francisco.  California,  where  he  is  now 
tiic  manager  of  the  commission  firm  of  Jlay- 
dwell  &  Company,  dealers  in  iron.  He  has 
attained  the  age  of  forty-seven  years.  Mrs. 
^Varren.  a  graduate  of  the  Annie  Wright 
Semin;iry  of  Tacoma,  Washington,  is  the 
ohler  of"  the  two  children,  her  brother  being 
Russell    M.,   of   Seattle,   Washington, 

Mr.  Warren  is  a  republican  in  politics  but 
does  not  desire  office  as  a  reward  for  his 
party  fealty.  His  religious  faith  is  that  of 
tlie  Presbyterian  church.  A  young  man  of 
imfailing  courtesv  and  unfeigned  cordiality, 
he  has  won  the  friendship  and  esteem  of  all 
with   whom   he  has  come  in  contact. 

ROBERT  ALEXANDER  HUME,  one  of  the 
iiicist  c-xti-nsivi-  dealers  in  building  materials 
ill  till-  northwest  and  largely  interested  also 
in  their  manufacture,  was  born  in  Plaeervillc, 
Eldorado  county.  California.  September  16, 
1SG3.  a  son  of  John  and  Martha  (Hixon) 
Hume,  the  former  a  lawyer  by  profession. 
Robert  .'\Iexander  Hume  completed  his  edu- 
cation   in    St,    .\ugustine   College   at    Benecia, 


716 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


California,  and  afterward  t)ceanu'  junior 
oierk  in  a  law  publishing  house.  Since  May, 
1SS3,  he  ha.s  been  a  resident  of  Portland,  ar- 
riving in  this  city  in  the  year  in  which  he 
attained  his  majority.  Since  that  time  close 
application  to  business,  determined  purpose 
and  progressive  methods  have  promoted  his 
advancement  until  he  is  today  one  of  the 
largest  dealers  in  building  materials  in  the 
northwest.  He  has  been  engaged  in  this  busi- 
ness for  several  years,  during  which  period 
he  has  continuously  e.xtended  his  trade  re- 
lations and  as  a  manufacturer  of  building 
materials  he  is  also  widely  known. 

Mr.  Hume  has  attained"  high  rank  in  Ma- 
sonry, belonging  to  Portland  Lodge,  No.  55, 
A.  F.  &  A.  M..  while  in  Oriental  Consistorv, 
No.  2,  S.  P.  R.  S.,  he  attained  the  thirty- 
second  degree  of  the  Scottish  Rite.  He 
likewise  belongs  to  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World  and  to  the  Royal  Arcanum  and  also 
Imlds  membership  in  the  Commercial  and 
Apollo  Clubs.  His  religious  faith  is  that  of 
the  Episcopal  church.  While  a  republican  in 
politics  he  does  not  hold  to  what  have  be- 
come known  as  the  Rooseveltian  principles. 
He  is  preeminently  a  business  man.  alert  and 
enterprising,  bending  his  efforts  to  the  de- 
velopment of  the  business,  which,  in  its  ex- 
tensive propositions,  stands  as  a  monument 
to  his  ability  and  perseverance. 

WILLIAM  CONSTANT  LEEVER.  Com- 
mercial, agricultural  and  mining  interests 
claim  the  attention  and  demand  the  energies 
of  William  Constant  Leever,  who  has  grad- 
ually worked  his  way  upw-ard  toward  suc- 
cess, employing  modern  and  progressive  busi- 
ness methods  which  have  commended  him  to 
the  confidence  and  patronage  of  the  general 
public.  He  is  closely  associated  with  com- 
mercial and  financial  circles  in  Jackson  coun- 
ty and  at  the  same  time  is  one  of  the  politi- 
cal leaders  of  Central  Point,  where  in  office 
he  has  made  a  most  creditable  record,  ever 
placing  patriotism  before  partisanship  and 
the  v^'elfare  of  the  community  before  per- 
sonal aggrandizement.  He  is  proprietor  of 
a  hardware  store  at  Central  Point  and  is 
also  president  of  the  Pearl  Mining  Company. 
His  birth  occurred  upon  his  father's  claim 
two  miles  west  of  Central  Point,  April  4. 
1858,  his  parents  being  William  T.  and  Eliz- 
abeth M.  (Constant)  Leever,  the  former 
born  in  Ohio,  February  27,  1829,  and  the  lat- 
ter near  Springfield,  Illinois. 

William  T.  Leever,  the  father,  was  edu- 
■  cated  in  the  schools  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and 
afterward  engaged  in  teaching  in  that  state. 
In  1853  he  made  the  loug  journey  across  the 
plains  to  Oregon  but  was  not  so  long  a  period 
upon  the  way  as  many  travelers  as  he  drove 
horses  and  was  thus  able  to  cover  the  dis- 
tance in  three  months.  He  first  took  up  his 
abode  on  a  farm  near  Scio,  in  Linn  county, 
and  engaged  in  teaching  in  one  of  the  little 
old-time  log  schoolhouses.  In  1854  he  re- 
moved to  Roseburg.  where  he  followed  teach- 
ing for  a  year,  and  in  1855  he  arrived  in 
.Jackson  county,  becoming  identified  with  the 
educational    interests    of    this    district.      At 


length,  however,  he  concentrated  his  ener- 
gies upon  agricultural  ])ursuits,  purchasing, 
in  1856,  a  ranch  of  three  hundred  and  twen- 
ty acres  near  Central  Point.  With  char- 
acteristic energy  he  began  the  development 
of  that  property  which  he  brought  under  a 
high  state  of  cultivation  and  on  which  he 
continued  to  make  his  home  to  the  time  of 
his  death,  on  the  2d  of  March,  1903.  He 
was  ever  a  loyal  and  progressive  citizen  and 
at  the  time  of  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war 
enlisted  for  service  as  a  member  of  Company 
A,  First  Oregon  Volunteer  Infantry.  He  was 
made  first  sergeant  and  did  duty  under  Cap- 
tain William  V.  Rinehart  until  honorably 
discharged,  on  the  23d  of  November,  1864. 
He  was  principally  engaged  in  frontier  ser- 
vice, fighting  the  Indians  and  conducting  emi- 
grants to  points  of  safety  upon  their  ar- 
rival from  the  east.  He  was  stationed  at 
different  times  at  Fort  Boise,  Fort  Harney, 
Vancouver  and  at  other  places  in  Oregon, 
Washington  and  Idaho,,  remaining  through- 
out his  life  a  patriot  in  his  devotion  to  the 
country  and  her  welfare.  His  political  alle- 
giance was  always  given  to  the  republican 
party  and  his  religious  faith  was  evidenced 
by  his  membership  in  the  Baptist  church, 
in  which  iie  served  as  a  deacon.  He  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  M.  Constant,  a  daughter  of 
Isaac  Constant,  who  was  born  in  Virginia 
and  in  his  early  boyhood  days  went  with  his 
parents  to  Kentucky.  Subsequently  he  be- 
came a  resident  of  Sangamon  county.  Illinois, 
and  there  enlisted  for  service  in  the  Black 
Hawk  war  in  1832.  In  1849  he  made  the  trip 
across  the  plains  to  the  northwest  and  helped 
to  cut  the  timber  for  the  first  gristmill  in 
Oregon  City.  In  1850  he  returned  to  Illinois 
for  his  family  and  in  1852  once  more  came  to 
the  Pacific  coast  country,  securing  a  claim 
one-half  mile  east  of  Central  Point.  Adding 
to  this  property  from  time  to  time  he  even- 
tually became  the  owner  of  eight  hundred 
acres  of  land  which  he  devoted  to  general 
farming  and  stock-raising.  When  in  Illinois 
he  had  become  a  personal  friend  of  Abraham 
Lincoln  and  during  the  Civil  war  he  stanchly 
advocated  the  LTnion  cause.  He  did  not  be- 
lieve in  oppression  of  or  injustice  to  the  In- 
dians any  more  than  he  did  to  the  negroes  of 
the  south  and.  about  1884.  when  he  came  to 
know  Major  Lipton.  of  Indian  war  fame,  he 
refused  to  help  him  in  fighting  peaceful  In- 
dians. In  fact,  he  always  was  a  friend  of 
the  red  men  and  was  successful  in  his  deal- 
ings with  them.  That  thfy  had  perfect  con- 
fidence in  him  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  at 
the  outbreak  of  tlie  Rogue  river  war  Chief 
Sam  dispatched  a  special  messenger — his  fa- 
vorite daughter  JIary — to  Mr.  Constant,  as- 
.suring  him  of  the  .safety  of  himself  and 
family,  should  they  desire  to  continue  on  the 
home  farm.  Mr.  Constant  was  a  mountaineer 
and  scout,  and  took  the  first  white  party  to 
Crater  Lake,  in  Klamath  county,  now  a  na- 
tional park.  He  died  in  .January.  1890.  and 
thus  passed  away  one  of  the  picturesque 
figures  in  the  history  of  Oregon.  As  stated, 
his  daughter  Elizabeth  became  the  wife  of 
William   T.   Leever  and   to   them   were  born 


W.  C.  LEEVER 


Tri.,  .^EWYORK 
PUBLIC     LIBRARY 


■''DATIOpd. 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


(19 


ten   children.     The    mother   passed   away   at 
Central  Point  in  1901. 

^\'illiam  Constant  Leever  was  reared  upon 
the  ranch,  remaining  with  his  parents  until 
he  had  attained  his  majority.  He  then  went 
to  western  Washington  and  was  engaged  in 
the  drug  business  in  that  district  for  some 
time,  being  associated  with  a  physician  at 
Renton,  Washington.  He  afterward  made  his 
way  to  Port  Blakelcy,  where  he  worked  in  the 
lumber  mills  for  a  few  months.  In  1883,  how- 
ever, he  returned  to  southern  Oregon  and  was 
employed  on  the  construction  of  the  Oregon 
&  Cal'ifornia  Railroad  until  May,  1884.  In 
that  year  he  returned  to  Central  Point,  where 
he  has  since  lived.  He  has  taken  an  active 
interest  in  the  upbuilding  of  the  town  and 
has  greatly  promoted  its  welfare  and  pi'og-  • 
ress  through  his  individual  business  inter- 
ests. He  was  engaged  in  the  grain  and  lum- 
ber trade  for  four  or  five  years  and  he  also 
clerked  in  the  hardware  store  of  J.  C.  Sheridan 
for  three  years.  On  the  expiration  of  that 
period  he  bought  out  his  employer  and  has 
conducted  the  hardware  business  on  his  own 
account  since  May  1,  1893,  or  for  nineteen 
years,  having  a  well  appointed  establishment, 
filled  with  a  large  and  well  selected  line  of 
shelf  and  heavy  hardware.  He  owns  the 
business  block,  in  which  he  carries  on  his 
hardware  store  and  which  is  located  on  Pine 
street.  He  was  also  an  orchardist  of  this 
part  of  the  state  for  a  number  of  years  and 
he  is  now  well  known  as  a  dealer  in  cement. 
Moreover,  he  is  actively  associated  with  fi- 
nancial interests,  being  a  director  of  the  Cen- 
tral Point  State  Bank  and  its  vice  president. 
He  is  also  president  of  the  Pearl  Mining  Com- 
pany. His  insight  is  keen,  his  discrimination 
sound  and  his  energy  has  brought  him  prom- 
inently to  the  front  in  business  connections. 
Mr.'  Leever  is  also  a  recognized  leader  in 
political  cii'cles.  The  republican  party  finds 
him  a  stanch  advocate  and  he  has  been  a 
member  of  the  city  council  more  than  half  of 
the  time  since  the  incorporation  of  Central 
Point.  He  was  also  president  of  the  council, 
was  elected  the  second  mayor  of  the  town 
and  remained  in  that  office  for  three  years. 
In  that  connection  he  exercised  his  official 
prerogatives  in  support  of  many  progressive 
public  movements.  During  his  administration 
a  first-class  municipal  water  system  was  in- 
stalled, covering  about  eight  miles.  A  sewer 
system  was  also  inaugurated,  which  in  its 
ramifying  lines  covers  ten  miles.  This  is 
known  as  the  storm  and  sanitary  sewer  sj's- 
tem  and  covers  the  entire  corporation  limits. 
Eleven  blocks  were  also  paved  during  liis  ad- 
ministration, which  continued  until  the  1st 
of  April,  1912.  when  his  third  year  in  oflice 
expired.  He  is  at  this  time  a  candidate  for 
county  commissioner.  His  official  connection 
with  Central  Point  has  been  of  the  utmost 
value  to  the  city  and  even  those  opposed  to 
him  in  his  political  views  have  naught  but 
words  of  praise  to  speak  of  his  administra- 
tion. 

On  the  13th  of  July,  1887,  Mr.  Leever  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Isabelle  Arm- 
strong, a  native  of  Jackson  county  and  a 
daughter    of    Reuben    Armstrong,    living    in 


Susanville,  Oregon.  To  Jlr.  and  Jlrs.  Lfever 
have  been  born  four  children,  but  Ward  and 
Amy,  the  second  and  third  of  the  family, 
have  passed  away,  the  former  at  the  age  of 
seventeen  years,  and  tlie  latter  at  the  age  of 
eight.  The  surviving  children  are  Wavii^and 
Earl  Constant.  Mr.  Leever  holds  membership 
in  the  Christian  Science  churcli,  and  has  at- 
tained iiigh  rank  in  Masonry,  belonging  to 
Central  Point  Lodge,  No.  135,  A.  F.  &  A.  M., 
also  to  the  Knight  Templar  Commamlery  and 
to  the  Mystic  Shrine.  He  is  ever  loyal  to 
the  teachings  of  the  craft  and  exemplifies  in 
his  life  its  beneficent  purpose.  Over  the  rec- 
ord of  his  oflicial  career  there  falls  no  .shadow 
of  \yrong  or  suspicion  of  evil  and  at  all  times 
he  is  actuated  by  a  spirit  of  progressiveness 
that  never  entrenches  on  the  rights  or  privi- 
leges of  others  but  seeks  the  good  of  the  ma- 
jority. 

EARL  C.  WILSON,  the  superintendent  of 
tb.e  Home  Telephone  Company  at  McMinn- 
ville,  has  been  identified  witii  telegraph  and 
telephone  interests  throughout  his  entire 
business  career.  His  birth  occurred  in  Great 
Bend,  Kansas,  on  the  22d  of  October,  1880, 
his  parents  being  Frank  D.  and  Nellie 
(Fausel)  Wilson,  the  former  a  native  of  Al- 
liance, Ohio,  and  the  latter  of  Quincy,  Illi- 
nois. In  1876  Frank  D.  Wilson  removed 
from  the  Buckeye  state  to  Kansas,  locating 
at  Great  Bend,  where  he  has  resided  contin- 
uously since.  He  dealt  in  cattle  throughout 
his  active  business  career  and  is  still  the 
owner  of  six  luindred  and  forty  acres  of  wheat 
land.  Though  now  living  retired,  his  invest- 
ments are  extensive.  He  held  the  office  of 
sheriff  for  four  years  and  acted  in  the  ca- 
pacity of  chief  of  police  for  eight  years. 
The  great-great-grandmother  of  our  subject 
was  still  alive  w-hen  the  latter  was  five 
years  of  age.  so  that  five  generations  of  the 
family  were  living  at  that  time.  The  demise 
of  Mrs.  Nellie  Wilson  occuiTed  in  1901  and 
her  remains  were  interred  at  Great  Bend, 
Kansas.  She  was  the  mother  of  two  chil- 
dren: Earl  C.  of  this  review;  and  Dillon, 
who  acts  as  wire  chief  of  the  Bell  Telephone 
Company   at    Wieliita.   Kansas. 

Earl  C.  Wilson  was  graduated  from  the 
high  school  at  Groat  Bend  when  a  youth  of 
seventeen  and  subsequently  spent  one  year 
in  a  business  college  at  Wichita.  Kansas. 
Since  putting  aside  his  text-books  he  has 
been  connected  with  telegraph  and  telephone 
interests,  first  spending  two  years  at  Great 
Bend.  Subsequently  he  entered  the  service 
of  the  Western  T'nion  Telegraph  Company, 
representing  that  corporation  as  assistant 
foreman  from  Topcka.  Kansas,  to  La  Junta. 
Colorado.  Returning  to  Great  Bend.  Kansas, 
he  was  connected  with  the  Postal  Telegraph- 
Cable  Comjjany  for  one  year.  Again  becom- 
ing connected  with  the  Western  Union  Tele- 
graph Company,  he  represented  them  at  En- 
terprise. Kansas,  for  six  months  and  later 
spent  a  year  in  their  service  at  Rapid  City. 
South  Dakota,  while  for  a  similar  period 
he  remained  at  Wichita.  Kansas.  Subse- 
quently he  was  sent  to  the  city  of  Oklahoma 
to  do  construction  work  and  afterward  spent 


720 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


six  moiitlis  in  Iowa,  then  going  to  Kansas 
City,  Missouri.  He  was  in  tlie  service  of 
tlie  Bell  Telephone  Company  in  Missouri 
and  Kansas  until  1907  and  then  came  to 
I'ortland  in  the  interests  of  the  Home  Tele- 
phone Company,  remaining  in  that  city  for 
one  year.  He  then  spent  six  months  at  In- 
dependence. Oregon,  and  for  a  similar  period 
;i_Uiun  worked  at  Portland.  At  the  end  of 
that  time  he  came  to  McMinnville  to  take 
charge  of  the  plant  of  the  Home  Telephone 
Company  and  has  acted  in  the  capacity  of 
superintendent  continuously  since.  Mr.  Wil- 
son owns  stock  in  the  concern,  which  is  now 
erecting  a  new  plant.  He  also  owns  two  resi- 
dence properties  in  Portland  and  is  widely 
recognized  as  a  prosperous  and  enterprising 
young  citizen. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-fire  years  Mr.  Wil- 
son was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Frances 
Hereford,  a  native  of  Clinton,  Missouri,  by 
whom  he  has  a  son.  Carter  E.,  a  lad  of 
five.  In  politics  he  is  independent,  support- 
ing men  and  measures  rather  than  party.  He 
attends  and  supports  the  Congregational 
church,  while  his  wife  is  a  member  of  the 
Christian  church.  Fraternally  he  is  identi- 
fied with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  at  McMinn- 
ville and  he  likewise  belongs  to  the  Triple 
Tie  at  Fort  Scott.  Kansas.  All  through  hia 
life  he  has  been  actuated  by  a  spirit  of  prog- 
ress, regarding  no  position  as  final  but  rather 
as  a  point  from  which  he  can  work  up  to 
higher  things. 

RANSOM  DAYTON  WILLIAMS,  one  of  the 
representative  agriculturists  and  substantial 
citizens  of  Scotts  valley,  owns  a  ranch  of 
one  hundred  and  twenty-one  acres  which 
he  leases  and  devotes  his  attention  to  the 
operation  of  a  farm  of  three  hundred  acres 
as  a  renter.  He  was  born  in  Douglas  county, 
fills  state,  on  the  14th  of  April  1865,  the 
day  Abraham  Lincoln  was  assassinated.  His 
jiarents  were  George  L.  and  Mary  (Harris) 
Williams,  the  former  a  native  of  Pittsburg. 
Pennsylvania,  and  the  latter  of  Howard 
county.  ]\[issouri.  In  1854.  when  but  sixteen 
years  of  age.  George  L.  Williams  came  to 
Oregon  on  a  vessel  which  rounded  Cape  Horn. 
The  mother  of  our  subject  crossed  the  plains 
in  company  with  her  mother  in  1852.  her 
father  who  had  planned  the  trip  to  Oregon, 
having  passed  away  and  having  been  buried 
the  day  before  they  began  their  journey. 
George  L.  Williams,  who  came  direct  to  Doug- 
Ins  county,  was  fairly  well  educated  for  a 
youth  of  his  years  and  after  continuing  his 
studies  here  for  one  or  two  terms  he  began 
teaching,  following  that  profession  for  several 
years  in  the  Yoncalla  valley  and  becoming 
one  of  the  well  known  instructors  of  that 
period.  Subsequently  he  took  up  a  home- 
stead just  east  of  Yoncalla  and  continued  to 
reside  thereon  until  his  demise  in  .July.  1S71. 
passing  awav  as  the  result  of  scnrlet  fever 
at  the  comparatively  early  age  of  thirty-three 
years.  The  maternal  grandmother  of  R.  D. 
■^^'illiams  also  located  in  Douglas  county  on 
co7nin?  to  Oregon  and  soon  thereafter  wed- 
ded Thomas  Pollock,  who  erected  the  first 
gristmill  in  that  countr. 


K.  D.  Williams,  who  lost  his  father  when 
still  but  a  child,  has  depended  entirely  upon 
his  own  rescources  since  the  early  age  of  ten. 
He  was  practically  reared  by  the  Applegate 
family,  finding  employment  with  its  mem- 
bers for  several  years.  It  was  in  1884  that 
\\'illiam  Schroeder,  a  prominent  stockman, 
took  him  into  eastern  Oregon  and  there  em- 
ployed him  for  one  year.  During  the  follow- 
ing 3'ear  Mr.  Williams  worked  for  Devine  & 
Todhunter,  stockmen  of  eastern  Oregon.  In 
the  fall  of  1886,  in  the  interests  of  his  em- 
ployers, he  went  east  with  a  trainload  of 
cattle  shipped  to  the  Chicago  market.  Re- 
turning to  the  west,  he  stopped  at  Shoshone, 
Idaho,  and  there  entered  the  service  of  the 
I'nion  Pacific  Railroad  Company,  following 
railroading  for  four  years.  In  1891  he  re- 
turned to  Douglas  county,  where  he  has  since 
devoted  his  attention  to  general  agricultural 
pursuits  and  where  he  owns  a  farm  of  one 
iiundred  and  twenty-one  acres  in  Scotts  val- 
ley. He  leases  this  property,  however,  and 
cultivates  a  rented  tract  of  three  hundred 
acres  in  the  vicinity.  As  an  agriculturist  he 
has  won  a  gratifying  measure  of  prosperity 
and  he  has  long  been  numbered  among  the 
successful  and  influential  citizens  of  his 
community. 

In  1892  Mr.  Williams  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Nellie  Wilson,  of  Tehama 
county,  California,  by  whom  he  has  four 
children,  namely:  Ruth,  Roy.  Rachel  and  Ran- 
som. All  are  still  at  home.  Mr.  Williams 
gives  his  political  allegiance  to  the  repHbli- 
can  party  and  belongs  to  the  following  fra- 
ternal organizations:  Alpha  Lodge.  No.  170, 
1.  0.  0.  F.:  Umpijua  Camp,  No,  77,  A.  O.  U. 
W.:  and  Yoncalla  Tent.  Xo.  63.  K.  O.  T.  M. 
As  a  native  son  of  Oregon  and  a  representa- 
tive citizen  of  Douglas  county  he  well  de- 
serves mention  in  this  volume. 

WALTER   L.   TOOZE,   JR.,   is   one   of   the 

successful  members  of  the  legal  profession 
in  Dallas,  where  since  1908  he  has  held  the 
office  of  city  attorney,  wiiile  for  two  years  of 
this  time,  he  also  discharged  the  duties  of 
the  same  ofllce  in  Falls  City.  He  is  a  native 
stm.  his  birth  having  occurred  in  Butteville, 
JIarion  county,  on  February  24.  1887,  and  his 
p-u-ents  are  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Walter  L.  Tooze, 
of  Salem.  Marion  county,  Oregon. 

When  he  w-as  an  infant  of  eight  months 
his  parents  removed  to  Woodburn.  !\Larion 
county,  this  state,  in  the  public  schools  of 
which  place  he  obtained  his  early  education. 
He  subsequently  spent  one  year  in  !Mount 
Angel  College  and  three  years  in  a  military 
school  at  Portland,  being  graduated  from  the 
latter  institution  in  1904.  Having  decided  to 
become  an  attorney,  he  then  matriculated  in 
the  law  department  of  the  University  of 
itichisan.  at  Ann  Arbor,  that  state,  being 
awarded  his  degree  with  the  class  of  1908. 
Immediately  following  his  admission  to  the 
bar  of  Oregon  he  opened  an  office  in  the  Wil- 
son building  in  Dallas,  but  he  is  now  located 
in  suite  8  and  9  of  the  new  First  National 
Pank  building.  He  has  very  attractive  and 
.■ippropriately  furnished  offices  here  and  is 
building  up  a   most   excellent  practice.     His 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


721 


preparation  has  been  very  tliorougli,  in  addi- 
tion to  wliich  he  has  a  pleasing  address,  dis- 
cernment and  quick  reasoning  powers,  so 
essential  in  this  of  all  professions.  He  gives 
very  careful  attention  to  the  preparation  of 
his  cases,  and  takes  infinite  pains  to  arrange 
!iif  arguments  in  logical  sequence,  his  deduc- 
tions invariablj-  being  true  and  tirmly  es- 
tablished. 

In  190S,  at  Somerset,  Hillsdale  county, 
Jlichigan.  ilr.  Tooze  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Ruth  Belden  Smith,  who  was  born 
in  Eaton  Rapids.  Michigan,  on  the  1st  day 
of  July,  1S»7.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Uelos 
and  Harriet  (Belden)  Smith,  both  natives 
of  Somerset  township.  Hillsdale  county, 
JUchigan.  The  father  was  born  on  the  10th 
of  September.  1849,  and  was  a  well-to-do 
and  prosperous  farmer,  and  for  fourteen 
}  ears  was  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits 
ii<  Eaton  county,  ilichigan,  but  later  removed 
to  the  old  Belden  homestead,  where  his  wife 
had  been  born  and  reared.  He  passed  away 
in  Somerset,  November  3,  1908,  and  was 
deeply  mourned  throughout  the  community, 
where  he  had  spent  the  greater  part  of  his 
lite.  Public  afl'airs  always  engaged  much  of 
Mr.  Smith's  attention,  and  he  took  a  deep 
interest  in  local  politics.  During  his  earl}' 
manhood  he  was  a  stanch  republican,  but  dur- 
ing his  latter  years  he  indorsed  Bryan's 
principles,  believing  that  their  adoption 
Mould  solve  many  of  the  great  problems  be- 
fore the  American  people  at  the  present  time. 
During  his  life  time,  he  held  various  offices 
of  trust  in  his  township.  Fraternally  he 
was  an  Odd  Fellow,  being  past  grand  of  that 
order,  and  also  a  member  of  the  Maccabees. 
He  was  a  man  of  high  ideals  and  exalted 
stand^irds  of  citizenship,  whose  irreproachable 
character  and  incorruptible  integrity  fully 
entitled  him  to  the  esteem  he  was  accorded 
by  all  who  knew  him.  His  parents  were 
.lospph  P.  and  Martha  (Grinnell)  Smith,  the 
father  a  native  of  Webster.  New  York, 
whence  he  removed  in  his  early  manhood 
to  Hillsdale  county,  Michigan.  He  was  mar- 
ried at  Adrian  and  subsequently  located 
on  a  farm  in  Eaton  county,  that  state.  Seven 
children  were  born  'of  the  marriage  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  .Joseph  P.  Smith:  IMontraville, 
Washington.  Marshall.  Delos.  Carlos.  Eugene 
and  Rosette.  Mrs.  Harriet  (Belden)  Smith, 
the  mother  of  ^frs.  Tooze,  was  born  in  Hills- 
dale county,  ^richigan,  on  August  10.  1857. 
and  is  a  daugliter  of  Levi  and  Abigail 
r Walsh)  Belden.  Levi  Belden  was  born  in 
Whaley  township,  !^^assachusetts.  on  the 
16th  of  February,  1S23.  whence  he  removed 
as  a  lad  of  twelve  years  with  his  parents  to 
Hillsdale  county.  Jlichigan.  where  they  ap- 
qiiired  some  government  land,  which  was  held 
in  the  family  until  after  the  death  of  Dolos 
Smith.  Levi  Belden  was  a  son  of  .Jeremiah 
and  Anna  Belden.  while  his  paternal  grand- 
f'lt'er  was  .Joseph  Belden.  .\bigai!  (Walsh) 
Belden.  the  wife  of  T^evi  Belden.  was  also  a 
native  of  Massachusetts,  her  birth  occurring 
f^n  November  23.  1S35.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Delos  Smith  were  born  two  children:  Floyd 
i'lmer.  whose  birth  occurred  on  the  Cth 
of  November.   1880;   and  Sfrs.   Tooze. 


Mr.  Tooze's  fraternal  connections  are  con- 
fined to  his  membership  in  Friendship  Lodge, 
No.  108,  I.  0.  0.  F..  and  Marmiom  Lodge,  No. 
6,  Knights  of  Pythias.  He  is  a  captain  of 
infantry  in  the  Oregon  National  Guard,  com- 
manding Company  G,  Third  Infantry,  and 
is  secretary  of  the  Dallas  Commercial  Club, 
which  position  he  has  filled  for  two  years. 
He  is  also  attorney  for  the  state  land  board 
for  Polk  county.  His  attention  is  almost 
entirely  devoted  to  his  practice,  in  which  he 
is  meeting  with  such  excellent  success.  How- 
ever, he  is  an  ardent  republican  and  finds 
time  occasionally  to  devote  to  politics,  and 
is  now  tlie  republican  nominee  for  the  office 
of  joint  representative  in  the  state  legisla- 
ture for  tlie  counties  of  Lincoln  and  Polk. 
As  a  public  speaker  of  some  merit,  he  is 
called  upon  very  often  to  deliver  speeches, 
and  has  already  acquired  a  reputation  as  a 
forceful  public  speaker  and  campaigner.  Mr. 
Tooze's  future  in  both  his  profession  and 
]iublic  life  gives  every  assurance  of  being 
most  promising,  as  he  possesses  those  pow- 
ers that  invariably  pave  the  way  to  a  suc- 
cessful career  in  any  vocation. 

JAMES  PALMER,  yard  superintendent  for 
til','  Westport  lAlmber  Company  and  one  of 
the  stockholders  in  this  business,  has  re- 
sided at  Westport  since  1902.  iluch  of  his 
life  has  been  spent  upon  the  Pacific  coast 
and  he  is  a  self-made  man  who  at  the  age 
of  twelve  years  started  out  in  the  business 
world  for  himself.  His  record  is  another 
proof  of  the  fact  that  it  is  under  the  pres- 
sure of  adversity  and  the  stimulus  of  op- 
position that  the  best  and  strongest  in  men 
are    brought    out    and    developed. 

Mr.  Palmer  was  born  in  North  Carolina, 
•January  13.  1856.  his  parents  being  .Tames 
and  Amelia  (Shavis)  Palmer,  the  former 
a  native  of  North  Carolina  and  the  latter 
of  Oregon.  They  were  married  in  the  fath- 
er's native  state  and  there  resided  through- 
out their  remaining  days.  Dr.  Palmel'  pass- 
ing away  on  the  4th  of  September.  1858. 
while  his  wife  survived  until  1881.  He  had 
devoted  his  entire  life  to  the  pratice  of  Biedi- 
cine  and  was  recognized  as  a  oapable  phy- 
sician in  the  community  in  which  he  lived, 
'i'he  family  numbered  but  two  sons  and  the 
■  Ider.  I'reston.  died  in  1886. 

James  Palmer  of  this  review  was  only 
two  years  old  at  the  time  of  his  father's 
death  and  when  hut  twelve  years  of  age 
was  thrown  upon  his  own  resources,  so  that 
whatever  .success  be  had  achieved  in  life  is 
attributable  entirely  to  his  labors  and  deter- 
mination. For  five  years  he  was  employed 
as  a  farm  hand. in  his  native  state  and  then 
went  to  Massachusetts,  where  he  worked 
for  his  board  and  the  privilege  of  attend- 
ing school  for  four  years.  He  realized  the 
inadequacy  of  liis  education  and  wished  to 
better  oualify  for  business  life  by  promot- 
ing his  knowledcre.  He  thus  availed  himself 
of  the  opportunity  of  attending  school  and 
when  four  years  had  thus  passed  he  took 
charge  of  a  coal  and  wood  yard  in  JTassa- 
chusetts.  of  which  he  remained  the  manager 
for  ten  j'ears.     He  displayed  business  ability 


722 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


of  unmistakable  worth  but  thinking  that 
he  would  have  better  opportunities  on  tlie 
Pacific  coast,  he  came  to  the  west,  settling 
lirst  in  British  Columbia,  where  he  remained 
for  five  years.  He  then  went  to  Washing- 
ton, where  he  lived  for  eight  years,  working 
in  a  sawmill  there.  He  afterward  spent 
Ihree  years  in  a  sawmill  in  California  and  be- 
came thoroughly  familiar  with  the  business 
in  its  different  branches.  In  1903  he  arrived 
in  Westport,  Oregon,  where  he  has  been 
yard  superintendent  of  the  Westport  Lum- 
ber Company  and  also  of  the  sawmill.  He 
is  a  stockholder  in  the  business  and  is  giv- 
ing undivided  attention  to  its  development, 
his  labors  being  a  valuable  element  in  the 
expansion  of  the  trade. 

On  the  7th  of  July,  1904,  Mr.  Palmer  was 
married  to  ilrs.  L.  Baldwin,  a  widow,  who 
bore  the  maiden  name  of  Rose  iXorton.  She 
was  born  in  Wisconsin  and  was  a  daughter 
of  John  and  Sarah  ilorton.  both  now  de- 
ceased. In  the  Morton  family  were  four 
children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Palmer  is  the  only 
one  now  living.  By  her  first  marriage  she 
had  two  children:  Elizabeth,  twenty-two 
years  of  age,  now  at  home;  and  Clayton, 
who  is  seventeen  years  of  age  and  is  attend- 
ing   college. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Palmer  are  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  faith  and  he  is  a  republican  in  his 
political  views.  He  certainly  deserves  much 
credit  for  the  success  he  has  achieved.  His 
laudable  ambition  was  manifest  in  his  effort 
to  secure  an  education  and  throughout  his 
entire  life  he  has  been  an  attentive  observer 
of  men  and  events  and  in  the  school  of  ex- 
perience has  learned  many  valuable  lessons. 
His  worth  as  a  business  man  and  citizen  is 
widely  acknowledged  and  he  also  has  pleas- 
ing personal  characteristics  which  win  him 
warm  regard. 

ROBERT  U.  HOWARD,  whose  many  ster- 
ling traits  of  character  made  him  a  respected, 
worthy  and  valued  citizen  of  Westport,  was 
born  at  Crab  Orchard,  Nebraska.  March  36, 
1870,  a  son  of  J.  M.  and  Sarah  E.  (Bisby) 
Howard,  the  former  a  native  of  Polo,  Illi- 
nois, and  the  latter  of  the  state  of  New- 
York.  They  were  married  in  Abingdon,  Iowa, 
July  4,  1865.  and  there  resided  for  a  short 
time  prior  to  their  removal  to  Nebraska, 
where  J.  M.  Howard  carried  on  general  farm- 
ing for  a  quarter  of  a  century.  In  1SS8  he 
went  with  his  family  to  Oregon,  where  they 
lived  for  twenty-one  years,  and  in  1910  re- 
moved to  Alberta,  Canada,  settling  near  Pit- 
cox,  where  he  and  his  wife  are  now  resid- 
ing. Of  their  family  of  seven  children  only 
two  are  noAv  living:  Mary,  Jhe  wife  of  F.  R. 
Jones,  of  Crab  Orchard.  Nebraska:  and  D. 
E,.  who  is  living  in  Calgary.  Alberta.  Can- 
ada. Those  who  have  passed  away  are: 
Robert  I'.;  Jennie,  who  died  in  1S9S.  at  the 
age  of  twenty  years;  Zilla,  when  thirty-one 
years  of  acre;  Guy,  at  the  age  of  twenty-two; 
and  Mellie,  when  about  twenfy-five  years 
of  age. 

Robert  U.  Howard  spent  his  boyhood  days 
under  the  parental  roof  and  was  a  young 
man   of   eighteen   when,   in   November,   18S8. 


lie  came  with  his  parents  to  Oregon,  settling 
in  Washington  county.  Eleven  years  later 
he  removed  to  Westport,  wliere  he  has  since 
made  his  home.  In  March,  1911,  he  married 
Mrs.  Margaret  West,  the  widow  of  Robert 
West,  of  whom  mention  is  made  elsewhere 
in  this  work.  By  her  former  marriage 
she  had  a  son  and  two  daughters,  Ralph, 
Maud  and  Margaret,  who  reside  with  Mrs, 
Howard, 

The  family  attend  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church,  of  which  Mr,  Howard  was  a 
devoted  member.  He  joined  the  thurch  at 
the  age  of  thirteen  years  and  his  religious 
belief  became  the  guiding  spirit  in  his  life. 
It  was  practiced  in  all  his  relations  and  in 
none  more  so  than  in  the  home  circle.  He 
became  a  father  to  the  West  children  and 
was  a  devoted  husband  and  loyal  friend. 
As  a  citizen,  business  man  and  neighbor  he 
was  honored  and  respected  by  all  who  knew 
him.  He  was  ever  upright  and  his  was  a 
genial,  social  nature  that  shed  around  him 
much  of  the  sunshine  of  life.  He  gave  gen- 
erous aid  to  every  worthy  cause  and  he  was 
ever  loyal  to  a  principle  which  he  espoused. 
He  held  membership  with  the  local  tent  of 
the  Maccabees  and  his  brethren  of  that  or- 
der condiicted  the  funeral  services  when  he 
was  laid  to  rest  after  passing  away  on  the 
Ist  of  August,  1912.  Only  words  of  praise 
and  admiration  were  spoken  of  him,  because 
his  life  was  ever  honorable  and  upright. 

HENRY  ALBERS.  Along  the  line  of  con- 
structive effort  Henry  Albers  has  directed 
his  labors  and  through  the  development  of 
one  of  the  important  productive  industries 
of  Portland  has  come  to  be  recognized  as  a 
leading  business  man  of  the  city,  being  now 
president  of  the  Albers  Brothers  Milling 
Company.  He  was  born  at  Lingen,  in  the 
p;ovince  of  Hanover,  Germany,  April  13, 
1S66.  His  father.  Hermann  Albers  was  a 
grain  merchant  at  that  place  and  in  1895 
came  to  America,  settling  at  Portland.  He 
was  taken  ill  while  en  route  so  that  he  did 
not  engage  in  business  here,  and  his  death 
occurred  in  this  city  in  1896.  He  was  ac- 
companied by  his  family  of  five  sons  and  one 
daughter:  Bernard,  who  for  a  short  time  en- 
gaged in  the  grocery  business  and  then  es- 
tablished th.e  Albers  Brothers  Milling  Com- 
pany, of  which  he  was  president  until  his 
death  in  1908;  Henry  and  William,  both  of 
Portland;  George,  of  Seattle;  Frank,  of  San 
Francisco;  and  Mrs.  Frank  Terheyden,  of 
this  city.  The  mother,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Theresa  Voss,  had  died  in  Lingen  about 
1878. 

Henry  Albers  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  city  to  the  age  of  fif- 
teen years,  when  he  began  learning  the  flour 
milling  business,  in  which  he  has  since  been 
engaged.  Coming  to  America  in  1S91,  he 
was  associated  with  his  brother  Bi'rnard  and 
with  Thomas  Schneider  in  establishing  in 
May  1R95.  a  cereal  mill  across  the  street 
from  their  present  location.  The  busiiiess 
was  organized  as  the  Albers-Schneider  Mill- 
ing Company.  After  three  years  they  re- 
moved to  their  present  site  and  a  short  time 


i;(ii;i:i;  I    i  .  m  'W  ai;I) 


T: 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


r25 


subsequent  the  Albers  brothers  purchased 
the  interest  of  Mr.  Schneider.  In  1901 
George,  frank  and  William  Albers,  ■n-ho  had 
been  in  the  employ  of  the  company  since  its 
inception,  became  members  of  the  firm  which 
was  then  reorganized  under  the  name  of  the 
Albers  Brothers  Milling  Company.  Bernard  Al- 
bers died  in  190S,  at  which  time  Henrj' 
Albers  became  president.  The  other  officers 
are  William  Albers.  vice  president;  George 
Albers,  secretary';  Frank  Albers,  treasurer; 
and  Joseph  Demming,  together  with  the 
other  ollicers,  a  director.  They  began  the 
enterprise  on  a  small  scale,  having  a  little 
mill  that  Henry  Albers  operated  alone,  Ber- 
nard Albers  attending  to  the  office  and  the 
business.  Three  years  later  they  purchased 
a  new  mill,  which  they  installed  with  modern 
machinery  in  order  to  meet  the  increase  in 
business.  In  1902  their  plant  was  destroyed 
by  fire  and  their  present  building  was 
erected  for  them.  In  1900  they  leased  a  mill 
in  Seattle,  of  which  George  Albers  has 
charge,  thus  extending  the  scope  of  their 
activities.  In  1902  they  purchased  the  mill 
at  Seattle  and  also  one  in  Tacoma,  of  which 
Irank  Albers  had  charge  until  1909  and 
which  they  are  still  operating.  In  .January, 
1909.  they  purchased  a  mill  in  San  Francisco, 
which  is  operated  under  the  name  of  the 
Del  Slonta  ^Milling  Company,  now  the  Albers 
Brothers  Milling  Company,  and  Frank  Al- 
bers went  to  that  city  to  assume  the  man- 
agement there.  They  likewise  have  a  branch 
store  in  Oakland  and  they  own  a  dock  in 
Portland  known  as  the  Albers  Docks  Nos. 
1,  2  and  3,  covering  six  hundred  feet.  Since 
1902  they  have  given  their  attention  prin- 
cipally to  the  manufacture  of  cereals,  their 
principal  brands  being  Violet  Oats.  Pearls  of 
\Vheat.  Columbia  Oats,  Columbia  Wheat,  Vio- 
let Wheat  and  many  other  package  cereals, 
as  well  as  all  kinds  of  grain  products.  Their 
Peacock  buckwheat  flour  is  one  of  the  most 
successful.  They  are  now  erecting  a  new 
plant  at  Front  and  Lovejoy  streets,  which 
will  have  one  thousand  feet  of  water  front 
and  the  building  will  be  six  stories  in  height. 
This  will  be  the  largest  enterprise  of  the 
kind  on  the  Pacific  coast,  two  hundred  and 
fifty  workmen  are  employed  and  the  business 
Is  continually  growing  along  healthful,  sub- 
stantial  lines. 

Mr.  Albers  Is  a  member  of  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce  and  the  Commercial  Club  and  is 
interested  In  all  projects  and  plans  of  those 
organizations  for  the  development  and  im- 
provement of  Portland  and  for  the  exploita- 
tion of  its  resources.  He  also  holds  member- 
ship in  the  Rotary  Club.  In  the  Klks  lodge 
and  with  the  Knights  of  Columbus  and  is  a 
member  of  the  Roman  Catholic  church.  He 
gives  his  political  support  to  the  republican 
narty  but  has  never  been  an  office  seeker. 
In  1901  he  paid  a  visit  to  his  birthplace  and 
made  a  trip  throughout  Europe  and  he  plans 
to  spend  more  time  In  travel.  Of  plain,  un- 
assuming manner,  pleasant  and  courteous,  his 
social  qualities  and  genuine  work  are  widely 
recognized  and  have  made  lilm  popular  with 
a  large  circle  of  friends.  His  business  ability 
has  placed  him  at  the  head  of  the  most  prom- 
Vol.  IV— .-i  0 


Inent  milling  company  of  the  northwest,  the 
success  of  which  Is  attributable  in  no  small 
degree  to  his  ell'orts,  lor  he  has  been  con- 
nected therewith  since  the  inception  of  the 
business. 

SEVERIN  ROGSTAD  is  the  well  known 
and  popular  owner  of  one  of  the  best  ho- 
tels In  North  Bend,  Oregon.  He  was  born 
in  Korway,  In  1866,  and  Is  a  son  of  Jens 
Olsen  and  Gurine  (Arnesdater)  Rogstad,  both 
of  whom  are  natives  of  Norway.  To  them 
seven  children  have  been  born."  as  follows: 
Christian,  who  makes  his  home  In  Norway; 
Gunder,  living  in  Goldfield,  Nevada;  Martha, 
who  is  a  resident  of  Norway;  .Severin,  of 
this  review;  Olena,  who  Is  "deceased;  and 
Julius    and    Richard,   both    of    Norway. 

Severin  Rogstad  was  reared  at  home  and 
received  his  early  education  in  his  native 
land.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  emigrated 
to  America  and  settled  first  in  North  Da- 
kota, where  he  stayed  for  a  short  time  and 
then  removed  to  Minnesota  in  1S,S6,  where  he 
vas  engaged  for  three  years  in  the  lumber 
and  timber  business.  He  subsequently  went 
into  the  hardware  business,  in  which  lie  con- 
tinued for  two  years  and  then  took  up  work 
for  the  Marshall  Wells  Hardware  Company 
of  Duhith.  ^Minnesota,  and  in  that  employ- 
ment he  continued  for  ten  years.  He  then 
went  to  Portland  and  was  there  employed  by 
the  Honneyman  Hardware  Company  until 
1906.  During  the  years  of  his  employment  for 
the  above  named  hardware  companies  he  also 
owned  a  stationery  and  confectionery  busi- 
ness and  his  wife  looked  after  the  manage- 
ment of  their  store.  He  later  sold  out  and 
moved  to  North  Bend,  where  he  engaged  in 
the  hotel  business  and  built  the  Hot(d  Ore- 
gon, which  Is  the  only  hotel  of  Its  kind  at 
North  Bend.  He  has  built  up  a  very  profita- 
ble hotel  business  and  has  an  extended  ac- 
quaintance aTnong  the  traveling  public.  The 
hotel  building  Is  three  stories  high  and  mod- 
ern in  its  construction  .and  when  built  it  was 
considered  to  be  the  finest  hotel  property 
in  Coos  county. 

Mr.  Rogstad  was  united  In  marriage,  in 
1901,  to  Miss  Bessie  .Johnson,  a  daughter  of 
John  and  Burgett  (Hegland)  .Johnson,  both 
of  whom  were  natives  of  Norway.  Mr.  Rog- 
stad Is  afiiliated  with  the  republican  party 
and  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen 
of  America  and  he  arid  his  wife  are  members 
of  the  Lutheran  clnirch.  ^fr.  Rogstad  is 
well  adapted  by  temperament  and  social  oual- 
ities  for  the  hotel  business.  His  years  of  as- 
sociation with  the  biisiness  world  In  various 
parts  of  the  country  have  enabled  him  to  es- 
tablish a  very  extended  acquaintance,  es- 
pecially among  the  traveling  men  through- 
out the  northw-est.  and  his  hotel,  being  mod- 
ern in  nil  Its  appointments  and  the  only  one 
of  its  kinil  at  North  Bend,  has  long  since 
been  known  as  the  meeca  of  the  traveling 
public,  and  its  popular  landlord  and  owner 
never  fails  to  make  his  guests  at  home  within 
his  well  known  hostelry.  Mr.  Rogstad  has 
by  bis  ever-present  enterprise,  his  Indefati- 
gable energy  and  his  progressive  spirit  in  eon- 
ducting   a    hotel,   worthy   of   its   name,   con- 


726 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


siderably  conti-ibuted  toward  the  up-building 
ol  his  community  and  entertains  the  opti- 
mistic views  of  a  true  and  sincere  booster 
in  regard  to  the  future  development  and 
prosperity  of  Coos  count}'  and  in  particular 
of  North  Bend. 

ARCHIBALD  McGILL,  a  prominent  and 
prosperous  citizen  of  Oregon,  is  a  partner  of 
M.  McDonald  in  the  conduct  of  the  Oregon 
Nursery  Company,  one  of  the  largest  and 
most  complete  nurseries  in  the  United  States, 
extending  over  eleven  hundred  acres.  This 
concern  also  owns  the  town  site  of  Orenco, 
which  was  laid  out  by  our  subject  and  his 
associate  in  business.  Jlr.  McGill  was  born 
in  Loudon,  Ontario,  on  the  17th  of  January, 
1865.  his  parents  being  Peter  and  Isabelle 
McGill,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Scot- 
land. They  were  married  in  Canada  and  there 
spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Peter 
McGill  passing  away  when  seventy-two  years 
of  age.  His  wife,  who  survived  him  for 
nine  years  was  seventy-one  years  old  when 
called  to  ]ier  final  rest.  LTnto  them  were 
born  ten  children,  seven  of  whom  are  yet 
living. 

Archibald  McGill  obtained  his  education  in 
in  the  schools  of  his  native  land  and  when  a 
youth  of  fifteen  began  earning  his  own  liveli- 
hood, being  employed  in  the  nursery  of  E.  C. 
Pearson  at  Waterloo,  New  York,  for  four 
years.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he 
embarked  in  the  nursery  business  on  his  own 
account,  conducting  an  enterprise  of  that 
character  at  London,  Ontario,  in  association 
with  his  brother  for  four  years.  At  the  end 
of  that  time  he  sold  his  interest  to  his  brother 
and  went  to  the  state  of  Washington,  where 
he  again  embarked  upon  an  independent  busi- 
ness career  as  a  nurseryman.  One  year  later 
he  admitted  to  partnership  M.  McDonald, 
who  has  remained  his  associate  contin\iously 
since.  After  two  years  tliey  came  to  Salem, 
Oregon,  in  August,  1892,  and  purchased  what 
is  known  as  the  Oregon  Nursery,  conducting 
the  same  until  1909.  In  that  year  thej'  bought 
the  present  site  of  Orenco.  Oregon,  laying  out 
and  naming  the  town.  Here  they  established 
a  nursery  covering  eleven  hundred  acres  and 
have  since  developed  and  improved  the  same 
until  it  is  now  one  of  the  largest  and  most 
complete  in  the  United  States.  The  business 
is  conducted  under  the  name  of  the  Oregon 
Nursery  Company,  which  owns  the  town  site 
of  Orenco.  This  little  town  lies  within 
twelve  miles  of  Portland  and  now  has  a 
population  of  one  thousand. 

On  the  22d  of  JIarch.  1893.  Mr.  McGill  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Jliss  Blanch  Irish,  a 
native  of  Dresden.  Ontario,  and  a  daughter 
of  Egbert  and  Charity  Irish,  who  were  like- 
wise born  in  Ontario.  The  father  has  passed 
away  but  the  mother  is  still  living.  They 
had  five  children,  four  of  whom  yet  survive. 
Unto  our  subject  and  his  wife  has  been  born 
one  son,  Wayne  E..  whose  natal  day  was 
March   20.   1900. 

In  politics  Mr.  McGill  is  a  stanch  republi- 
can but  his  aspirations  have  not  been  in  the 
line  of  oflfice  holding.  Fraternally  he  is 
identified    with    the    Independent    Order    of 


Foresters,  while  his  religious  faith  is  that  of 
the  Presbyterian  church,  to  which  his  wife 
also  belongs.  His  life  has  been  one  of  dili- 
gence and  activity,  and  throughout  his  entire 
career  he  has  possessed  that  determination 
of  character  which  has  enabled  him  to  over- 
come all  obstacles  and  difficulties  and  work 
Ills  way  steadily  upward.  He  has  never 
made  a  false  or  mistaken  move  in  business 
and  his  career  illustrates  the  idea  of  learning 
one  business  and  following  it  to  the  exclusion 
of  all  others.  His  salient  characteristics  are 
those  which  in  every  land  and  clime  awaken 
confidence  and  good  will,  and  today  the  circle 
of  his  friends  is  only  limited  by  the  circle  of 
his  acquaintances. 

LUCIE  N  B.  APPLEGATE  is  the  owner  of 
the  I'.roiikside  Ranch,  which  lies  in  the  vicinity 
of  Klamath  Falls.  His  extensive  holdings 
are  the  visible  proof  of  a  life  of  well  directed 
thrift  and  energy  and  also  of  keen  discern- 
ment and  sagacity  for  his  was  one  of  the  first 
ranches  taken  up  in  southeastern  Oregon. 
He  was  born  in  l^t.  Clair  count  v.  Missouri, 
April  24.  1842,  the  fifth  son  of  Lindsay  and 
Elizabeth  (Miller)  Applegate.  who  crossed  the 
plains  to  Oregon  in  1843.  joining  the  first 
regular  emigrant  train  that  came  to  the 
Pacific  coast.  They  made  the  journey  with 
their  infant  son  and  at  length  took  up  their 
abode  in  the  Willamette  valley  near  the  pres- 
ent site  of  Dallas  in  Polk  county.  At  one 
time  the  father  owned  a  toll  i-oad  across 
the  movnitains  from  California  to  Oregon, 
and  was  also  a  large  owner  of  laud  upon 
which  Ashland  now  stands. 

Lucien  Applegate  removed  to  the  Umpqua 
valley  in  1852  and  to  the  Rogue  river  in  1860. 
During  the  Civil  war  he  was  commissioned 
a  major  in  the  Enrolled  and  Volunteer  Mili- 
tia of  Oregon  and  in  1866  he  went  with  his 
father  to  establish  the  Klamath  agency.  Sub- 
sequently he  was  superintendent  of  farming 
interests  there  and  in  1869  took  up  land  in 
Swan  Lake  valley.  This  was  one  of  the  first 
ranches   taken   up   in   southeastern   Oregon. 

Three  years  before  Lucien  B.  Applegate  had 
married  Jliss  Margaret  Ellen  Grubb.  a  native 
of  Iowa,  who  came  to  Oregon  in  1852  with 
her  parents.  Samuel  and  Elizabeth  Grubb. 
With  his  wife  and  two  children  Mr.  Apple- 
gate  removed  to  his  ranch  in  the  Swan  Lake 
valley  in  1870  and  has  since  greatly  increased 
his  holdings  until  they  now  aggregate  five 
thousand  acres.  He  calls  his  place  the  Brook- 
side  Ranch,  and  it  has  been  his  home  for 
forty-two  years,  although  he  has  spent  many 
winters  in  southern  California  and  in  San 
Jose,  California,  in  order  to  give  his  children 
the  advantages  of  high-school  and  university 
educations  and  musical  training  as  well.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Applegate  became  the  parents  of 
six  children:  Elmer  I.,  w-ho  married  Miss 
Esther  Ogden:  Minnie  A.,  the  wife  of  Charles 
C.  Chitwood;  Fred  L..  who  married  Miss  Myra 
Van  Brimmer;  and  Evelyn  R.,  Bessie  E.  and 
Elsie  T..  yet  at  home. 

Lucien  B.  Applegate  holds  membership  in 
the  JIasonic  fraternity  and  also  with  the 
Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen.  His  long 
residence    in   southeastern   Oregon   has   made 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  Oi^'  OKEGON 


727 


him  an  authority  on  matters  reUrting  to  its 
history  and  tlirough  the  conduct  of  bis  busi- 
ness affairs  lie  lias  contributed  in  large 
measure  to  the  work  of  general  progress  and 
improvement,  demonstrating  what  may  be 
accoLiplished  in  this  district. 

ALVA  H.  AVERILL,  president  and  treas- 
urer of  tlie  A.  Ji.  Averill  Machinery  Com- 
pan\',  has  remained  its  chief  executive  since 
the  incorporation  of  the  business  in  1902, 
and,  bending  his  energies  to  administrative 
direction  and  executive  control,  has  succeeded 
in  building  up  one  of  the  most  extensive  en- 
terprises of  this  character  in  the  northwest. 
Previous  to  the  time  of  the  incorporation  of 
the  A.  H.  Averill  Machinery  Company  he 
had  been  connected  with  Russell  &  Company 
in  the  same  line  of  business,  dating  from  his 
arrival  in  Portland  in  June,  1SS9,  acting  as 
its  bookkeeper  and  cashier,  while  later  he 
became  manager.  The  enterprise  is  today 
largely  a  monument  to  his  business  ability, 
his  keen  foresight  and  unfaltering  determina- 
tion. 

A  native  of  Michigan,  Mr.  Averill  was  born 
at  Mendon.  St.  Joseph  county,  June  8,  1867, 
his  parents  being  Henry  fS.  and  Martha 
(Hart)  Averill.  He  was  a  young  lad  when 
his  father,  who  was  a  carpenter  and  con- 
tractor, removed  to  Angola,  Steuben  county, 
Indiana,  and  in  that  town  the  boyhood  days 
of  Alva  H.  Averill  were  passed.  He  at- 
tended the  local  schools  and  the  Tri-State 
t'ollege,  at  Angola.  Indiana,  from  which  he 
was  graduated.  Turning  his  attention  to 
the  profession  of  school-teaching,  he  was 
for  two  years  connected  with  the  country 
schools  of  northeastern  Indiana  and  for  three 
years  was  a  teacher  in  the  Tri-State  Col- 
lege of  Angola,  on  the  expiration  of  which 
period  he  determined  to  make  his  home  in 
the  northwest.  Accordingh'  he  came  to  Port- 
land, Oregon,  and  has  since  been  identified 
with   the   interests   of   this   city. 

Mr.  Averill  was  married  in  1S91  to  !Miss 
iVlla  A.  Light,  of  Angola,  Indiana,  and  they 
have  one  child,  Harold  L.  A  few  years  fol- 
lowing tlie  arrival  of  Alva  H.  Averill  in  Port- 
land his  parents  decided  to  join  him  in  the 
Fvose  City  and  make  it  their  future  home. 
But  shortly  after  reaching  here  the  father 
was  killed  in  a  street  car  accident,  meeting 
deatli  in  19n).  His  widow,  however,  still 
survives   and   resides    in    Portland. 

On  coming  to  the  northwest  A.  H.  Averill 
entered  into  active  connection  with  the  busi- 
ness of  which  he  is  now  the  executive  head. 
He  ser%'ed  for  some  time  as  bookkeeper,  then 
as  cashier  and  later  was  promoted  to  the 
position  of  manager.  The  business  was  es- 
tablished on  a  small  scale  in  1884  under  the 
firm  style  of  Russell  &  Company.  They  be- 
gan dealing  in  farm  implements  and  heavy 
machinery  near  the  corner  of  Front  and  Mor- 
rison streets,  occupying  a  small  frame  build- 
ing that  formerly  stood  back  of  the  Es- 
mond Hotel.  Later  they  occupied  the  four 
story  brick  building  on  Front  and  Morrison 
and  now  occupied  by  The  Fisher-Thorston 
Company.  It  was  erected  for  the  use  of 
Kussell    &    Company    and    the   business   was 


there  maintained  until  removed  to  its  pres- 
ent location.  This  occurred  in  1897.  Tliey 
now  have  a  well  equipped  plant  extending 
from  320  to  338  Belmont  street.  They  were 
one  of  the  first  to  build  in  that  section  of 
the  city.  In  fact,  tlie  Studcbaker  Brothers 
were  the  onl}'  firm  occupying  a  building  in 
that  vieinty  at  the  time  tlie  Russell  Com- 
pany erected  their  plant.  In  1902  the  busi- 
ness was  reorganized  under  its  present  cor- 
porate title  with  A.  H.  Averill  as  presi- 
dent and  treasurer;  E.  C.  Merwin,  vice 
president;  and  B.  F.  Ellis,  secretary;  with 
Mr.  Averill  and  Mr.  Ellis  managing  the 
business.  They  own  their  large  warehouse, 
offices  and  machine  shop  and  have  about 
fifty  employes.  They  are  the  Pacific  coast 
agents  for  the  Russell  thresher,  engines 
and  sawmills.  The  Russell  machinery  is  all 
manufactured  at  Massillon,  Ohio,  where  is 
maintained  one  of  the  largest  machinery 
houses  in  that  state.  The  Portland  company 
has  branch  houses  in  Spokane,  Washington, 
Great  Falls,  Montana  and  in  San  Jose,  Cali- 
fornia, the  business  at  each  point,  however, 
being  supervised  by  the  Portland  ofiice. 

Aside  from  his  executive  interest  in  this 
connection  Mr.  Averill  is  the  vice  president 
and  one  of  the  directors  of  the  J.  J.  Ross 
Mill  Furnishing  Company,  doing  business 
at  No.  6."i  Front  street,  and  is  the  vice  pres- 
ident and  one  of  the  executive  board  of  the 
Pacific  States  Fire  Insurance  Company. 
The  Averill  Company  is  one  of  the  largest 
machinery  houses  in  the  west  selling  thresh- 
ers, engines,  etc.,  and  maintains  a  well  equip- 
ped machine  shop  for  repair  work. 

In  his  fraternal  relations  Jlr.  Averill  is  a 
higli  ^lason  and  a  Woodman  of  the  World. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Commercial  Club 
and  of  the  Oregon  Automobile  Club.  Ap- 
preciative of  the  social  amenities  of  life, 
lie  enjoys  the  comradeship  of  those  organi- 
zations and  his  strongly  marked  character- 
istics have  gained  for  him  the  friendship  of 
many  of  his  associates.  His  life  history  is 
written  in  the  terms  of  success,  for  diligence 
and  determination  have  done  for  him  what 
inheritance  has  at  times  failed  to  accom- 
plish  for  others. 

EUGENE  L.  HOPKINS,  a  well  known  and 
successful  fanner  and  stockman  of  Klamath 
county,  is  the  owner  of  Lakeside  Ranch,  com- 
jirising  six  hiindreii  and  thirty-three  acres  of 
land  on  the  north  side  of  Little  Klamath 
lake.  His  birth  occurred  in  Warren  county, 
Ohio,  on  the  12th  of  August.  1863.  his  par- 
ents being  .Tessc  Richard  and  Anna  Elizabeth 
Hopkins,  the  former  a  native  of  Pennsylvania 
and  the  latter  of  Germany.  Jesse  R.  Hopkins 
«as  reared  and  married  in  Ohio  and  contin- 
ued to  reside  in  that  state  until  forty-five 
years  of  age.  At  that  time  he  established 
'lis  home  in  Daviess  county.  Missouri,  where 
his  demise  occurred  in  1881.  when  he  had 
attained  the  age  of  sixty-three  years.  By 
trade  he  was  a  blacksmith.  His  widow  now 
resides  at  Hynes.  California.  Air.  Hopkins 
was  the  father  of  the  following  children,  the 
first  named  having  been  born  by  a  former 
marriage:     Allen  P..  an  undertaker  of  Fresno, 


•28 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


California;  Thomas  \V.,  who  is  a  hardware 
merchant  of  Berkelej',  Cahlornia;  Lottie,  the 
wife  of  Allen  Kelsey,  of  Hynes,  California; 
Eugene  L.,  of  this  review;  and  Edna,  the 
wife  of  William  Hayden,  of  Hynes,  Cali- 
fornia. 

Eugene  L.  Hopkins  remained  under  the 
parental  roof  until  twenty  years  of  age.  In 
18S2,  soon  after  his  father's  demise,  he  jour- 
neyed to  California  with  his  widowed  mother 
and  his  youngest  sister,  locating  at  iXarys- 
Tille,  that  state.  For  a  period  covering  nearly 
four  years  he  was  employed  in  the  Buckeye 
Flour  Mills.  In  1887  he  came  to  Klamath 
county,  Oregon,  and  during  the  first  four 
years  of  his  residence  here  was  engaged  in 
teaming  in  connection  with  ranching  but  has 
since  devoted  his  attention  exclusively  to  the 
latter  line  of  work.  He  owned  and  operated 
a  rancli  of  ?ix  hundred  and  thirty-seven  acres 
north  of  Midland,  his  homestead  tract  com- 
prising one  hundred  and  thirty-three  acres 
and  being  known  as  South  Midland.  This  he 
sold  for  a  town  site.  His  present  home 
place,  known  as  the  Lakeside  Ranch,  em- 
braces six  hundred  and  thirty-three  acres 
of  land  and  covers  four  miles  of  lake  front. 
On  the  property  there  is  a  hot  sulphur  spring 
wbicli  is  almos-t  at  the  boiling  point.  In  Mr. 
Hopkins'  dooryard  there  is  an  immense  rock 
which  was  evidently  used  by  the  Indians  for 
grinding  purposes,  for  it  has  been  worn 
away  in  many  places  by  mortars.  There 
are  numerous  other  evidences  of  Indian  oc- 
cupancy on  the  place.  Over  two  sacks  of 
beads  and  other  relics  have  been  discovered 
on  the  mountainside  and  more  than  a  dozen 
skeletons  have  been  dug  up  in  our  subject's 
dooryard.  This  is  a  good  trapping  country. 
There  were  many  otter  in  the  early  days  and 
mink,  coon,  etc..  still  abound.  Mr.  Hopkins 
has  about  one  hundred  head  each  of  cattle 
and  horses  and  in  both  his  farming  and  live 
stock  interests  has  won  success. 

In  March,  1906.  Mr.  Hopkins  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Margaret  Dewar,  who 
passed  away  on  the  16th  of  August.  1911. 
The  period  of  his  residence  in  Klamath 
county  and  Oregon  covers  a  quarter  of  a 
century  and  during  that  time  Mr.  Hopkins 
has  won  a  place  among  the  re])resentative 
citizens  and  leading  ranchmen  of  the  com- 
munity. 

CHARLES  WALKER  YOUNG.  One  of  the 
most  widely  known  and  highly  successful 
agriculturists  of  Lane  county  is  Charles 
Walker  Young,  who  for  sixty  years  has 
been  engaged  in  the  operation  of  his  ranch, 
located  two  miles  northeast  of  Eugene.  He 
was  born  in  Lafayette  eoimty.  Missouri,  on 
May  12.  1830,  and  is  a  son  of  James  and 
Sarah  (Wade)  Young.  The  grandparents  in 
both  lines  were  natives  of  Tennessee,  of  Irish 
extraction.  James  Young  removed  to  Mis- 
souri with  his  family  in  1S18.  and  there  he 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  during  the 
remainder  of  his  life.  St.  Louis  was  their 
nearest  trading  post  and  they  were  compelled 
to  haul  all  of  their  goods  to  a  settlement  on 
the  present  site  of  Kansas  City.  Their  family 
numbered  eight,  three  of  whom  are  still  liv- 
ing as  follows:      Elizabeth,  the  widow  of  a 


Mr.  Rose,  who  lives  at  ^Miitewood.  South 
Dakota,  and  enjoys  the  best  of  health  at 
the  age  of  ninety  years;  Robert,  a  resident 
of  Holt  county,  Missouri,  who  has  attained 
the  age  of  eighty-six  years  and  is  living  re- 
tired, making  his  home  with  his  children; 
and   Charles   Walker,   our   subject. 

At  the  age  of  fifteen  years,  Charles  Walker 
Young  began  earning  his  own  living.  He  had 
been  reared  in  the  country,  and  while  pur- 
suing his  education  in  the  district  schools 
assisted  with  the  work  of  the  fields  and  care 
of  the  stock.  Xot  having  been  trained  for 
any  other  line  of  employment  on  starting 
out  to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world  he 
worked  as  a  farm  hand.  He  received  his 
board  and  twenty-five  cents  per  day  for  his 
labor,  continuing  to  work  for  that  wage  dur- 
ing the  succeeding  seven  years  with  the  ex- 
ception of  eight  months.  Just  after  the  close 
of  the  Mexican  war,  he  was  engaged  to  drive 
a  team  to  Mexico  for  the  government,  the 
journey  there  and  back  occupying  five  months. 
When  he  was  twenty-two  he  was  married, 
and  two  months  thereafter  he  and  his  bride 
started  across  the  plains  with  an  ox  team  for 
Oregon.  Four  months  later,  on  the  7th  of 
September,  1S52,  they  reached  Oregon  City. 
They  subsequently  resumed  their  journey  to 
Lane  county,  locating  on  a  donation  claim  of 
three  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  two  miles 
northeast  of  Eugene,  between  the  forks  of 
the  Willamette  river.  It  was  all  prairie  land 
and  was  most  admirably  adapted  to  grain 
farming.  He  immediately  set  about  prepar- 
ing the  soil  for  planting,  and  in  October,  1852 
sowed  his  first  crop  of  wheat.  This  was 
raised  from  two  and  a  half  bushels  of  Hud- 
son Bay  wheat  which  he  had  purchased  for 
seed  from  Mr.  Ballinger  on  the  Santiam  river. 
The  yield  was  abundant  and  of  an  excel- 
lent quality,  and  he  has  never  changed  the 
seed,  but  has  used  the  wheat  of  one  harvest 
for  the  sowing  of  the  next  crop  during  the 
intervening  sixty  years.  After  placing  his 
land  under  cultivation,  Mr.  Young  erected 
such  buildings  as  were  necessary  for  the  com- 
fort of  himself  and  wife  and  the  protection 
of  their  stock,  and  on  the  2d  of  February, 
1853,  they  moved  into  their  first  log  house. 
Young  and  hopeful,  the  hardships  and  priva- 
tions incident  to  pioneering  had  no  terrors 
for  them  and  they  bravely  struggled  against 
the  obstacles  and  difiiculties  which  confronted 
them,  having  implicit  confidence  in  ultimate 
victory.  Success  came  as  the  result  of  years 
of  self-denial  and  unceasing  labor  and  twen- 
ty-two years  later  they  erected  the  comfort- 
able two-story  frame  residence  still  occupied 
by  Mr.  Young.  The  shingles  used  on  the  roof 
of  this  dwelling  were  made  by  hand,  and  al- 
though thirty-eight  years  have  elapsed  since 
they  were  put  on.  it  has  never  been  necessary 
to  repair  them.  Mr.  Young  has  added  two 
acres  to  his  original  tract,  this  having  been 
necessary  in  order  to  get  a  private  road,  and 
he  has  other  holdings  in  the  county,  his  lands 
aggregating  seven  hundred  acres,  while  he 
has  several  fine  pieces  of  business  and  resi- 
dence property  in  Eugene.  His  achievements 
have  not  been  easily  attained,  but  are  the  re- 
sult of  many  years  of  close  application  andun- 


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T  YORK 

PUbi  ,..     LIBRARY 


U. 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


r:n 


remitting  diligence,  as  well  as  intelligent  and 
capable  management,  foresight  and  sagacity. 

Mr.  Yonng  was  married  in  Missouri,  in  1852, 
to  Miss  Mary  Gillespie,  a  daughter  of  the  Rev. 
Jacob  and  Mrs.  Elmira  (Manner)  Gillespie, 
both  pioneers  of  Missouri.  Mrs.  Young,  who 
passed  away  on  the  7th  of  June,  1909,  was 
one  of  seven  children  born  to  her  parents,  of 
whom  two  are  now  living,  as  follows:  Mai- 
ankin,  residing  in  Lane  county  in  the  vicinity 
of  Eugene,  who  has  five  children;  and  Pamelia. 
the  widow  of  Thomas  Bratton  of  Lake  county. 
Oregon,  who  has  four  children  living,  with 
whom  she  makes  her  home.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Young  were  born  eleven  children:  Alcester,  the 
wife  of  Thomas  Van  Dyne,  of  Coburg,  Ore- 
gon, who  has  one  daughter,  Kate;  Amelia,  de- 
ceased; Baxter,  who  lives  at  Fall  Creek,  Ore- 
gon; Benson,  deceased;  Xellie,  the  wife  of 
James  Shields,  of  Bellinghara,  Washington, 
who  has  two  children,  Nellie  and  Charles: 
Mary,  who  married  Bird  Rose  of  Harrisburg, 
Oregon,  by  whom  she  has  had  two  daugh- 
ters, Mf>ry  and  Ruth;  Eftie,  the  deceased  wife 
of  Thomas  Corfield,  and  the  mother  of  one 
son.  Earl;  Marcellus,  a  widower  with  one 
child,  Lavelle,  who  is  living  in  Portland,  Ore- 
gon; Fannie,  the  wife  of  Frank  Mc.\lister,  of 
Eugene,  and  the  mother  of  one  child,  Mil- 
dred; Julia,  who  married  Charles  Hays  of 
Oregon;  and  Flora,  who  is  the  wife  of  Claud 
Copple,  of  Hood  River,  Oregon,  and  the 
mother  of  one  child,  Helen  Young.  The  fam- 
ily were  given  the  advantage  of  a  district- 
school  education,  wliich  was  the  best  afforded 
In  this  vicinity  at  that  period.  Eflic  and 
Marcellus  also  went  to  college,  and  for  two 
years  the  latter  taught  in  Bishop  Scott  Acad- 
emy at  Portland, 

The  political  support  of  Mr.  Young  has 
always  been  accorded  the  democratic  party, 
but  he  has  never  sought  public  honors  nor 
would  he  accept  any  official  position  save  that 
of  school  director.  He  has  never  been  remiss 
in  the  duties  of  citizenship,  however,  but 
has  at  all  times  contributed  his  quota  toward 
the  development  and  improvement  of  the 
community.  He  began  his  life  in  the  west 
with  practically  no  capital  save  an  inex- 
haustible supply  of  energy  and  the  deter- 
mination of  purpose  that  never  recognizes 
defeat,  and  is  today  numbered  among  the 
most  substantial  and  prosperous  citizens  of 
the  county.  His  residence  here  covers  the 
great  formative  period  in  the  state's  develop- 
ment, its  progress  having  far  exceeded  his 
greatest  expectations.  He  has  seen  Eugene 
grow  from  a  mere  hamlet,  having  witnessed 
the  erection  of  its  first  store  building,  to  one 
of  the  thriving  and  enterprising  cities  of  the 
northwest,  while  the  prairies  that  stretched 
in  miles  on  every  side  of  his  ranch  during 
those  early  years,  have  been  transformed 
into  beautiful  fields  of  grain  and  orchards 
that  are  second  to  none  in  the  world. 

A.  R.  DIXON,  tlic  proprietor  of  a  well 
equipped  garage  at  jVniity,  is  likewise  the 
president  of  the  Electrical  Light  &  Power 
Company  of  that  town.  His  birth  occurred 
in  Lima.  Ohio,  on  the  2.5th  of  December, 
1887,  his   parents   being  Alva  H.  and   Mary 


Jane  (Groel  Dixon.  The  paternal  grand- 
father, Joseph  i:)ixon,  is  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania and  still  survives,  making  his  home 
at  Lima,  Ohio.  He  jiarticipated  in  the  Civil 
war  as  a  member  of  the  Union  army,  as  did 
also  Augiistus  Ciroe.  the  niatern:U  grand- 
father of  our  subject.  Alva  H.  Dixon,  the 
lather  of  A.  R.  Dixon,  was  likewise  born 
in  Lima.  Ohio.  In  1890  he  removed  to  east- 
ern Colorado  and  after  two  years  took  up 
liis  abode  in  Denver,  where  he  continued  to 
reside  until  1903.  Subsequently  he  made 
Ms  home  at  Monta villa,  Oregon, 'and  at  Cor- 
nelius, this  state,  and  is  now  living  at  For- 
est Grove.  Prior  to  his  removal  to  Denver 
he  was  engaged  in  general  ;igrieultural  pur- 
suits but  in  that  city  became  a  team  con- 
tractor. Subsequently,  however,  he  again 
turned  his  attention  to  tlie  work  of  the  fields. 
I'nto  him  and  liis  wife  have  been  born  five 
children,  as  follows:  A.  R.,  of  this  review; 
Kennard,  who  is  a  resident  of  Forest  Grove, 
Oregon;  Vivian,  Norma  L.  and  Melvin  0.,  all 
nt  home. 

A.  R.  Dixon  acquired  his  education  in  the 
Boulevard  school  of  Denver  and  remained 
under  the  parental  roof  until  190:i,  He  spent 
a  year  and  a  half  in  Washington  and  after- 
ward took  up  electrical  work  in  Portland, 
being  employed  in  that  field  and  also  at 
macliine  work  in  various  states.  In  1909 
he  came  to  Amity  and  opened  a  macliine 
shop  of  his  own  and  also  built  a  hand- 
some garage,  which  he  has  conducted  con- 
tinuously since  with  excellent  success.  He 
has  likewice  done  electrical  contracting.  He 
installed  the  system  and  is  the  president  of 
the  Electrical  Light  &  Power  Company  of 
Amity.  Though  but  a  young  man  of  twen- 
ty-four years,  his  interests  are  already  of 
iin  extensive  and  important  character  and 
his  business  career  promises  to  be  one  of 
continued  success.  In  politics  he  is  indepen- 
dent, supporting  men  and  im-asures  rather 
than  party.  His  fraternal  relations  are  with 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  at 
Forest  Grove. 

JEROME  SMITH,  a  native  son  of  Oregon, 
is  one  of  the  substantial  and  leading  agricul- 
turists of  the  Yonealla  valley,  where  he  owns 
seven  hundred  and  fifteen  acres  of  valuable 
land.  His  birth  occurred  in  the  Yonealla 
valley,  in  Douglas  county,  on  the  24th  of 
August,  1859,  his  parents  being  Robert  and 
Susan  (Applegate)  Smith,  the  former  a 
native  of  Alleghany  county,  Virginia,  and  the 
l:itter  of  Missouri.  Their  marriage  was 
celebrated  in  Douglas  county,  this  state. 
The  mother  was  a  daughter  of  Charles  Apple- 
gate,  who  came  to  Oregon  with  the  .Apple- 
gate  Company  in  1843,  Robert  Smith  also 
being  a  member  of  that  party.  They  spent 
four  years  in  Polk  county  and  in  1847  came 
to  Douglas  county,  .\fter  his  marriage  Mr. 
Smith  took  up  a  donation  claim  of  six  hun- 
dred and  forty  acres  four  miles  south  of 
Yonealla.  in  the  Yonealla  valley.  He  went 
to  California  during  the  gold  excitement  of 
1849  but  returned  to  this  state  within  two 
years  and  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life 
on    his    donation    claim.    With    the    passing 


TB2 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


years  he  entered  and  also  purchased  other 
lands  until  at  one  time  he  owned  about 
eleven  hundred  acres.  He  was  identified  with 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  for 
many  years  and  enjoyed  an  enviable  reputa- 
tion as  one  of  the  influential  and  esteemed 
citizens  of  Douglas  county.  In  politics  he 
was  a  stanch  republican  but  did  not  care 
for  the  honors  and  emoluments  of  otlice. 

Jerome  Smith  was  reared  at  home  and  ob- 
tained his  education  in  the  public  schools. 
When  twenty-one  years  of  age  he  went  to 
eastern  Oregon  and  in  the  summer  of  1881 
drove  a  herd  of  cattle  across  the  plains  to 
Nebraska,  spending  the  following  winter, 
spring  and  summer  in  that  state.  In  the  fall 
of  18S2  he  returned  to  Oregon  ,ind  farmed 
his  father's  place  for  two  years.  On  the 
expiration  of  that  period  he  removed  to 
Oakland,  where  he  resided  for  about  eight 
years,  being  employed  a  part  of  the  time  by 
stockmen  and  a  part  of  the  time  at  rail- 
roading. Subsequently  he  cultivated  land 
in  Coles  Valley  for  a  time.  In  1894  he  re- 
turned to  the  Yoncalla  valley  and  purchased 
seven  hundred  and  fifteen  acres  of  the  home 
farm  from  the  heirs  of  his  father's  estate. 
On  this  place  he  has  resided  continuously 
since,  carrying  on  his  agricultural  interests 
in  a  manner  that  has  insured  him  a  grati- 
fying annual  income. 

In  1883  Mr.  Smith  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Almira  Gofi'.  of  Douglas  county,  her 
father  being  .Johnson  B.  GofF,  one  of  the 
pioneers  of  that  county.  The  two  children 
of  this  marriage  are  as  follows:  Gertrude, 
the  wife  of  G.  F.  Jones,  of  Hood  River,  Ore- 
gon; and  Clarence,  who  assists  nis  father 
in  the  operation  of  the  home  farm.  The  son 
is  a  member  of  the  local  lodge  of  the  Wood- 
men of  the  World,  ilr.  Smith  is  a  republi- 
can in  politics  but  has  never  sought  nor  de- 
sired office  as  a  reward  for  his  party  fealty. 
During  the  past  half  century  he  has  seen  the 
work  of  progress  and  development  carried 
steadily  forward  in  Oregon  and  has  not  only 
rejoiced  in  the  splendid  results  which  have 
been  attained  but  has  also  done  his  own 
share   in   promoting   its   upbuilding. 

LOUIS  WILCOX,  who  follows  the  pursuits 
ot  farming  and  dairying  near  Gaston,  is 
v,idely  recognized  as  one  of  the  substantial 
agriculturists  of  Washington  county.  His 
birth  occurred  in  that  county  on  the  22d 
of  May.  1859.  his  parents  being"  Sanford  Elias 
and  Mary  Ann  (Butts)  Wilcox,  who  were 
natives  of  Kew  York  and  Iowa  respectively. 
The  father  came  from  Iowa  to  Oregon  by  ox 
leam  in  1S45  and  took  up  a  donation  claim 
-\vhich  is  now  occupied  by  our  subject,  who 
owns  one  hundred  acres  thereof.  His  demise 
occurred  about  1885,  while  his  wife  passed 
r.way  in  this  state  in  1899.  Their  children 
were  six  in  number,  namely:  John  F.,  who 
died  leaving  a  wife  and  five  children;  Olive 
Annette,  the  wife  of  Rodell  Matteson,  of 
AVashington  county;  Louis,  of  this  review; 
TNIelva  Angeline.  the  widow  of  James  Page, 
of  Yamhill  county;  Mary  Belle,  who  is  de- 
ceased; and  Sanford  Dudley,  who  resides 
with  our  subject. 


Louis  Wilcox  obtained  his  education  in  the 
common  schools  of  his  native  county  and  was 
reared  on  the  home  farm,  thus  early  becom- 
mg  familiar  with  the  duties  and  labors  that 
fall  to  the  lot  of  the  agriculturist.  The 
pursuits  of  farming  and  dairying  have 
claimed  his  attention  throughout  his  entire 
business  career  and  have  brought  him  a 
gratifying  measure  of  prosperity.  He  now 
owns  twentj'-three  head  of  dairy  cows  and 
his  well  tilled  fields  annually  yield  golden 
harvests  as  a  reward  for  the  care  and  labor 
v>'hich  he  bestows  upon  them. 

Mr.  Wilcox  has  been  married  twice.  In 
1S9T  he  wedded  Miss  Josephine  Davis,  who 
passed  away  leaving  one  son,  Sanford.  In 
February,  1904,  he  was  again  married,  his 
second  union  being  with  Alice  Porter,  a 
daughter  of  Ambrose  and  Mary  Porter.  The 
father  is  now  living  retired  at  Forest  Grove, 
Oregon.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wilcox  have  lost  a 
baby.  For  a  number  of  years  prior  to  her 
marriage  Jlrs.  Wilcox  followed  the  profes- 
sion of  teaching  in  Washington  county  and 
eastern  Oregon. 

Since  ago  conferred  upon  him  the  right 
of  franchise  Mr.  Wilcox  has  supported  the 
men  and  measures  of  the  republican  party, 
believing  that  its  principles  are  most  con- 
ductive to  good  government.  He  has  acted 
as  road  supervisor  and  has  three  times  been 
elected  school  director,  while  at  the  present 
time  he  is  serving  his  fifth  consecutive  term 
as  school  clerk.  His  religious  faith  is  in- 
dicated by  his  membership  in  the  Presby- 
terian church,  while  fraternally  he  is  iden- 
tified with  the  Woodmen  of  the  World.  In 
the  community  where  his  entire  life  has  been 
spent  he  is  well  known  and  highly  esteemed 
as  an  enterprising  agriculturist  and  pub- 
lic-spirited  citizen. 

JAMES    A.    ALLEN   has    for   many   years 

past  been  identified  with  many  of  the  lead- 
ing business  enterprises  of  North  Bend  and 
is  at  present  proprietor  of  the  North  Bend 
News  Company,  carrying  in  his  store  a  full 
line  of  confectionery,  stationery,  cigars,  to- 
bacco, papers,  periodicals,  jewelry  and  no- 
tions of  all  descriptions.  He  also  owns  and 
operates  a  shingle  mill,  which  makes  a  spe- 
cialty of  red  cedar  shingles  and  has  a 
capacity  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
per  day.  He  was  born  in  Lewis  county.  New 
York.  June  20.  1866.  and  is  the  son  of  Wil- 
liam H.  and  Cornelia  (Anthony)  Allen,  both 
of  whom  were  natives  of  New  York.  The 
father  was  for  many  years  engaged  in  the 
lumber  business  and  also  owned  a  farm  in 
New  York  state.  He  died  in  1888.  He  and 
his  wife  were  the  parents  of  one  child,  the 
subject  of  this  review. 

James  A.  Allen  was  reared  at  home  and 
received  his  early  education  in  the  district 
schools  in  New  York.  He  remained  under 
the  parental  roof  until  he  was  fifteen  years 
of  age  and  at  that  time  took  up  the  work  of 
a  millwright  and  continued  in  that  pursuit 
for  over  two  decades,  during  which  time  he 
traveled  extensively  throughout  the  United 
States.  In  1902  he  engaged  in  building  large 
buildings  for  manufacturing  purposes  and  in 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


733 


1903,  came  to  Coos  Bay,  where  he  was  en- 
gaged by  the  Simpson  Lumber  Company  as 
master  mechanic,  in  which  position  he  re- 
mained for  one  year,  remodeling,  during  that 
time,  the  Simpson  Lumber  Company's  mill 
at  Coos  Bay.  He  there  built  for  his  own  use 
the  shingle  mill  which  he  has  since  success- 
fully operated.  He  makes  a  specialty  of  red 
cedar  shingles  and  his  mill  has  a  capacity 
of  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  per  day. 
He  also  built  the  North  Bend  Lumber  Com- 
pany's mill,  in  which  he  was  financially  in- 
terested until  1909,  when  he  sold  out  and  im- 
mediately afterward  engaged  in  the  mer- 
cantile business,  which  he  has  since  con- 
ducted under  the  name  of  the  North  Bend 
News  Company.  He  is  the  owner  of  valuable 
business  lots  in  North  Bend  and  also  owns 
a  number  of  residence  lots  in  addition  to  his 
home,  which  is  located  on  one  of  the  princi- 
pal residence  streets  of  that  city. 

Mr.  Allen  was  united  in  marriage  Jan- 
uary 27.  1907,  to  Miss  Jennie  Bear,  a  native 
of  Coos  county  and  a  daughter  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Peter  Bear,  who  were  the  parents  of 
eight  children,  of  whom  three  are  deceased. 
The  living  children  are:  Charles,  who  resides 
in  Astoria ;  Henrietta,  who  is  engaged  in  busi- 
ness in  Centralia,  Washington;  Ida  and 
Cynthia,  twins,  who  are  engaged  as  govern- 
esses in  Portland;  and  Jennie,  now  Mrs. 
Allen. 

Mr.  Allen  is  affiliated  with  the  republican 
party  and  has  served  as  a  member  of  the 
council  of  North  Bend.  His  fraternal  rela- 
tions are  with  the  Masonic  order,  of  which 
he  has  been  a  member  for  many  years.  He 
is  also  a  member  of  the  Hoo  Hoos.  He  is 
one  of  the  substantial  business  men  of  Coos 
county  and  is  numbered  among  the  most 
enterprising  and  desirable  citizens  of  this 
part  of  the   state. 

ANDREW  FUHRER,  whose  demise  oc- 
curred on  the  1st  of  January,  1908.  was 
successfully  identified  with  agricultural  pur- 
suits in  Oregon  for  a  number  of  years  and 
at  the  time  of  his  death  lived  on  a  farm 
of  seventeen  acres  two  and  a  half  miles 
southeast  of  Beaverton.  His  birth  occurred 
in  Switzerland  and  in  that  country  his  par- 
ents passed  away.  He  \vas  one  of  a  family 
of  five  children,  all  of  whom  are  deceased 
with  the  exception  of  Henry,  who  makes 
his   home   in   Hillsdale.   Oregon. 

Andrew  F'lhror  obtained  his  education  in 
the  schools  of  liis  native  land  and  crossed  the 
Atlantic  to  the  United  States  in  18.85,  settling 
first  in  Pennsylvania.  A  short  time  after- 
ward he  came  to  Oregon  and  throughout  the 
remainder  of  his  life  was  a  resident  of  Port- 
land and  vicinity.  He  devoted  his  atten- 
tion to  general  agricultural  pursuits  through- 
out his  active  business  career  and  at  the 
time  of  his  demise  owned  and  resided  upon 
a  well  improved  farm  of  seventeen  acres, 
ten  acres  thereof  being  under  a  high  state 
of  cultivation.  He  likewise  owned  a  half 
interest  in  a  tract  of  eighty  acres  of  un- 
improved land  in  Clackamas  county  and  had 
a    lot    in    Portland. 


On  the  12th  of  October,  1S95,  Mr.  Fuhrer 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Dora  Way- 
man,  who  was  born  in  Ohio  on  the  30th  of 
April,  1878,  her  parents  being  John  and 
Anna  (Mitchart)  Way  man,  natives  of  Switz- 
erland. Emigrating  to  America,  they  made 
their  home  in  Oliio  until  1891  and  then 
came  to  Multnomah  county,  Oregon,  where 
they  continued  to  reside  throughout  the  re- 
mainder of  their  lives.  .John  Wayman  passed 
away  on  the  10th  of  December,  1910,  while 
his  wife  was  called  to  her  final  rest  on  the 
28th  of  September  of  the  same  year.  Their 
children  were  three  in  number,  namely:  Mrs. 
C.  >J.  Ferris,  who  is  a  resident  of  Hastings, 
Jlichigan;  John,  living  in  Portland,  Ore- 
gon; and  Mrs.  Fuhrer.  The  last  named  is 
the  mother  of  nine  children,  as  follows:  An- 
drew A.,  born  in  July,  1896,  who  has  com- 
pleted his  education  and  is  now  learning  the 
machinist's  trade  as  an  apprentice;  John 
H.,  whose  birth  occurred  in  August,  1897; 
JJarguerite  G.,  who  was  born  in  April,  1899; 
Clara  M.,  whose  natal  year  was  1900;  Dor- 
othy L.,  whose  birth  occurred  in  1901;  Lena 
F.,  Ruth  A.,  Cecelia  E.  and  Viola  E.,  who 
were  born  in  the  years  1903,  1905,  1906  and 
1907,   respectively. 

Mr.  Fuhrer  gave  his  political  allegiance  to 
the  men  and  measures  of  the  republican 
party  but  neither  sought  nor  desired  office. 
His  religious  faith  was  that  of  the  Reformed 
church,  to  which  his  widow  and  children  also 
belong.  His  demise  was  the  occasion  of  deep 
and  widespread  regret,  for  he  had  won  an 
extensive  circle  of  friends  during  the  period 
of  his  residence  in  this  state. 

ALFRED  C.  MULLOY  is  the  owner  of  a 
farm  of  forty  acres  pleasantly  and  conven- 
iently located  not  far  from  Hillsboro,  and 
in  addition  to  its  cultivation  for  the  purpose 
of  raising  various  cereals  he  is  also  making 
a  specialty  of  raising  hops  and  of  dairying. 
He  is  a  young  man  of  but  twenty-two  years 
but  has  achieved  success  which  many  an  older 
agriculturist  might  well  envy.  Hia  birth  oc- 
curred in  Washington  county,  Oreffon.  Feb- 
ruary 19,  1889.  his  parents  being  K.  C.  and 
Linda"  (OrndufT)  JIulloy,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  Iowa.  The  father  came  to  Oregon 
in  1872  in  company  with  his  parents,  who 
settled  upon  a  farm  in  this  part  of  the  state. 
Linda  OrndufT  arrived  in  Oregon  in  1884  and 
two  years  later  gave  her  hand  in  marriage 
to  E.  0.  Mulloy.  The  foUowinsr  children 
were  born  unto  them:  Mary  J.,  the  wife  of 
William  Hathorn,  of  Washington  county; 
Alfred  C;  and  John  W.,  who  is  living  at 
home. 

The  educational  opportunities  of  the  pub- 
lie  schools  enabled  Alfred  C.  Jlulloy  to  gain 
a  knowledge  of  the  common  branches  of 
learning  and  to  the  acquirement  of  an  educa- 
tion he  devoted  his  boyhood  and  youth.  Dur- 
ing vacation  periods  he  assisted  his  father 
in  the  work  of  the  home  farm  and  thus 
gained  the  practical  experience  which  h,TS  en- 
abled him  to  successfully  carry  on  firming 
on  his  '  own  account.  On  attainin?  his 
majority  he  purchased  forty  acres  upon  which 
he  now  resides.     It  is  a  well  improved  tract 


734 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


of  land,  divided  into  fields  of  convenient  size 
by  well  kept  fences,  and  in  addition  to  rais- 
ing the  crops  best  adapted  to  climatic  con- 
ditions here,  he  also  makes  a  specialty  of 
hop  raising  and  conducts  a  dairy  business. 
Earnest  and  indefatigable  in  all  of  his  work, 
he  is  meeting  with  well  merited  success. 

On  the  ISth  of  January,  1911,  Mr.  Mulloy 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Lydia  Hei- 
neck,  who  was  born  in  Washington  county 
December  5,  1893,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Eli 
and  Matilda  E.  (Suckan)  Heineck.  both  of 
whom  «ere  natives  of  Wisconsin.  The  year 
1876  witnessed  their  arrival  in  Oregon,  at 
which  time  they  settled  upon  a  farm  in 
Washington  county,  to  the  cultivation  and 
improvement  of  which  the  father  devoted 
his  energies  untiringly  to  the  time  of  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  October,  1908.  The 
mother  is  still  living  on  the  old  homestead. 
She  has  had  a  family  of  eight  children,  of 
whom  three  are  now  deceased,  while  those 
still  living  are:  Sarah,  the  wife  of  Julius 
Christianson,  of  W^ashington  county;  Irvin; 
Roy;  Lottie,  the  wife  of  Arthur  Hill;  and 
Lydia,  the  wife  of  Mr.  Mulloy. 

The  young  couple  have  started  out  in  life 
under  auspicious  circumstances.  They  are 
pleasantly  situated  on  a  good  farm  and  the 
energy  and  business  ability  of  Mr.  Mulloy 
promise  well  for  a  successful  future.  In 
matters  of  citizenship  he  holds  to  the  attitude 
and  the  principles  of  the  democratic  party 
but  feels  that  he  has  little  time  for  active 
participation  in  political  affairs,  preferring 
to  give  his  undivided  attention  to  his  farm 
ing   and   dairying   interests. 

DELLROY  BARKER  has  been  earning  his 
livelihood  since  lie  was  fourteen  years  of  age 
and  the  search  for  fortune  has  brought  him 
along  devious  and  unusual  paths.  He  has 
penetrated  the  Arctic  regions  as  an  explorer 
and  has'  lived  the  stirring  life  of  a  soldier. 
His  activities  have  finally  brought  him  to  Coos 
county  where  he  is  dairy-farming  on  two  hun- 
dred acres  of  land  on  the  middle  fork  of  the 
Coquille  river  and  is  meeting  with  the  suc- 
cess which  rewards  enterprise  and  progress 
along  the  right  line.  He  is  a  native  of  New 
York  state,  having  been  born  in  Watertown. 
Jefferson  county,  on  January  31.  1847.  He 
is  a  son  of  Jolin  X.  and  Mary  A.  (Powers) 
Barker,  the  former  a  native  of  England  and 
the  latter  of  Ireland.  The  mother  of  our  sub- 
ject was  brought  from  her  native  country  to 
America  when  she  was  but  two  years  of  age. 
.John  K.  Barker  came  to  the  United  States 
when  he  was  twenty-one  and  their  marriage 
occurred  in  New  York  state.  The  father  was 
a  captain  of  a  lumber  schooner,  plying  on 
Lake  Huron  and  met  his  death  in  the  wreck 
of  his  ship,  in  which  all  hands  were  lost.  He 
passed  away  in  December.  1848,  and  the 
widow  then  removed  to  Michigan  ind  later 
to  Ohio,  settling  subsequently  in  Wisconsin 
and  finally  in  Iowa,  where  she  remained  until 
her  death  in  1876.  She  had  been  twice  mar- 
ried By  her  first  husband  she  had  'five  chil- 
dren: Dellroy.  the  .subject  of  this  sketch;  Hat- 
tie,  the  wife  of  Lee  Tyler  of  Bandon.  Ore- 
gon ;  and  three  other  children,  deceased.   The 


eldest  passed  away  in  Massachusetts,  one 
brother  died  in  Ohio,  and  a  sister  in  Min- 
neapolis. 

Dellroy  Barker  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  various  states  and  was  obliged  to 
start  active  life  for  himself  at  the  early  age 
of  fourteen.  He  left  Iowa  at  that  time  and 
went  to  the  Dakotas,  where  he  worked  at 
different  occupations  for  some  time.  He  was 
a  government  scout  for  two  years  and  traveled 
over  nearly  all  the  northwestern  states  and 
thence  he  enlisted  in  the  Twentieth  United 
States  Infantry  and,  after  serving  for  three 
years,  became  a  member  of  the  Seventh  United 
States  Cavalry.  His  term  extended  over  five 
years  and  was  filled  with  thrilling  incidents 
of  warfare.  He  was  a  member  of  every  ex- 
pedition which  set  out  during  his  period  of 
service  and  was  the  one  man  of  his  com- 
pany, which  was  left  behind  to  take  care  of 
the  company  property,  when  the  entire  bal- 
ance with  General  Custer  were  killed  by  the 
Indians.  In  1873  he  had  three  horses  shot 
from  under  him  and  was  wounded  in  both 
legs.  His  military  service  was  distinguished 
by  fearlessness  and  courage  of  a  high  order. 

When  he  was  thirty-two  years  of  age  Mr. 
Barker  started  in  railway  contracting  work 
in  the  employ  of  the  Canadian  Pacific  Rail- 
road and  its  various  branches  for  four  years. 
At  the  end  of  that  time  he  married  and 
bought  land  in  Edmenton.  Canada,  where  he 
operated  an  extensive  ranch  for  four  years. 
He  went  to  the  Arctic  regions  in  the  famous 
expedition  led  by  Oglesby  and  Green,  explor- 
ers :n  the  employ  of  the  Canadian  govern- 
ment and  did  efficient  and  courageous  work 
in  a  difficult  position  for  four  years.  He 
came  to  Oregon  from  Canada  by  team,  land- 
ing in  Coos  county  in  1895.  He  settled  on  the 
south  fork  of  the  Coquille  river  where  he 
took  up  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land 
and  began  its  cultivation.  He  was  success- 
ful as  an  agriculturist,  carrying  on  his  ac- 
tivities along  modern  and  progressive  lines 
.nnd  during  the  sixteen  years,  in  which  he 
w-as  a  resident  upon  his  original  tract  brought 
his  property  to  a  highly  developed  state  and 
made  it  valuable  as  an  addition  to  the  re- 
sources of  his  section.  He  finally  abandoned 
agriculture  and  engaged  in  the  "operation  of 
a  pack  train.  He  followed  this  line  of  activi- 
ty until  1911,  when  he  again  engaged  in  agri- 
culture, dairy-farming  on  two  hundred  acres 
of  land  on  the  middle  fork  of  the  Coquille 
river.  To  this  property  he  gives  his  supervi- 
sion and  attention,  retaining  at  the  same 
time  the  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  which 
form  his  original  purchase.  He  is  one  of  the 
representative  and  prosperous  farmers  of  the 
section  and  has  made  his  influence  felt  in  the 
development  and  upbuilding  of  the  farming 
interests  of  the  state. 

Mr.  Barker  has  been  twice  married.  His 
first  union  occurred  in  1875,  when  he  married 
Miss  Christina  Myers,  a  native  of  Canada. 
To  this  union  were  born  two  children:  John 
H.  and  Marj'  E..  both  of  whom  are  living  in 
Canada.  Mr.  Barker's  first  wife  died  in  1883 
and  some  time  later  he  was  again  married,  his 
second  union  being  with  Mrs.  Louisa  Hillis, 
a  daughter  of  Thomas  Orrison,  and  the  widow 


])Ki.Li:(iv  r..M!Ki:i! 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


of  John  Hillis.  She  had  nine  children  by  her 
lirst  marriage:  William,  who  resides  in  Cali- 
fornia; Edward,  who  lives  in  the  southern 
part  of  the  same  state;  Robert,  a  resident  of 
Bandon,  Oregon;  Harry,  who  makes  his  home 
in  Coos  county;  Roy,  of  Coos  county,  Ore- 
gon; Glen,  who  is  living  at  home;  and.Thomas, 
Samuel  and  Alice,  all  of  whom  are  deceased. 
Mrs.  Barker  came  to  Oregon  with  her  first 
husband  in  1886  and  has  spent  her  life  since 
that  time  in  this  state.  She  is  a  charming 
and  hospitable  woman  and  has  many  friends 
in  Coos  county.  Politically  Mr.  Barker  is  a 
democrat  but  reserves  freedom  of  judgment 
on  national  and  local  issues.  In  all  the  vari- 
ous activities  of  his  eventful  life  he  has  been 
distinguished  by  a  high  courage  and  a  native 
sense  of  honor. 

ISAAC  TAYLOR  WEEKLY.  An  excellent 
farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  situated 
three  and  a  half  miles  from  Gravel  Ford, 
has  been  brought  to  its  present  state  of  im- 
provement through  the  energy  and  efforts 
of  Isaac  Taylor  Weekly,  who  acquired  the 
same  about  four  decades  ago  when  it  was 
but  a  wild  tract  of  timber  land.  His  birth 
occurred  in  Benton  county,  Missouri,  in  the 
year  1850.  his  parents  being  William  E.  and 
Irene  (Skaggs)  Weekly,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  Kentucky.  In  1852  they  crossed 
the  plains  to  Oregon  with  ox  teams,  reach- 
ing this  state  after  a  journey  consuming  six 
months.  Settling  at  Ten  Mile,  Douglas  coun- 
ty, William  E.  Weekly  took  up  a  donation 
land  claim  and  continued  to  reside  thereon 
until  obliged  to  abandon  the  place  because 
of  the  hostility  of  the  Indians.  Returning 
later,  he  there  operated  a  sawmill  until  1878. 
In  that  year  he  came  to  Coos  county  and  took 
up  his  abode  on  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  on  the  east  fork  of  the  Coquille 
river,  making  his  home  thereon  until  he 
passed  away  in  1888.  Unto  him  and  his 
wife  were  born  seven  children,  as  follows: 
John  S.,  who  resides  in  eastern  Oregon,  is 
married  and  has  one  child;  Isaac  Taylor,  of 
this  review;  Edward,  a  ranchman  of  Coos 
county,  who  is  married  and  has  six  children; 
Lee,  acting  as  road  supervisor,  who  resides 
at  Myi-tle  Point  with  his  wife  and  eight  chil- 
dren: William,  of  Myrtle  Point.  Oregon,  who 
is  married  and  has  four  children;  Shuley,  the 
mother  of  six  children  and  the  wife  of  J. 
E.  Rose,  of  Mvrtle  Point,  who  is  a  nephew 
of  Aaron  Rose,  the  founder  of  Roseburg. 
Oregon;  and  Jlary,  the  wife  of  William  Tur- 
ner, of  Portland,"  Oregon,  by  whom  she  has 
four  children. 

Isaac  Taylor  W>ckly  remained  under  the 
parental  roof  until  t\venty-three  years  of 
age  and  then  took  up  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  wild  land  near  his  father's  farm. 
There  were  some  elk  trails  but  no  roads, 
and  the  task  which  confronted  him  in  clear- 
ing the  property  was  a  dilTicult  one.  After 
a  number  of  years  of  hard  and  \inremitting 
toil  he  had  cleared  the  place  of  trees  and  had 
dug  out  the  stumps.  He  also  helped  build 
the  first  wagon  road  to  Marslilield  and  Rose- 
burg.   He  experienced  many  of  the  hardships 

and   privations   of   life   in   a   pioneer   district. 


having  no  neighbors  and  receiving  mail  but 
once  in  three  montlis,  for  the  only  postollices 
were  at  Marslilield  and  Roseburg.  With  the 
passing  years,  however,  he  has  witnessed  a 
wonderful  transformation  as  the  work  of 
progress  and  improvement  has  been  carried 
steadily  forward  and  pioneer  conditions  have 
been  replaced  by  all  the  evidences  of  modern 
civilization.  His  farm  is  now  well  improved 
in  every  particular  and  brings  to  him  a 
gratifying   annual    income. 

On  the  1st  of  July,  1874,  Mr.  Weekly  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Queen  Victoria 
Krantz,  a  native  of  Missouri  and  a  daughter 
of  M.  J.  and  Lucinda  (Garrett)  Krantz. 
Their  children  are  five  in  number,  namely: 
Mattie,  a  resident  of  Gravel  Ford,  who  is 
married  and  has  two  children,  Oliver  and 
Sis;-  Onie,  who  is  the  wife  of  J.  L.  Crosby 
of  Gravel  Ford,  Oregon,  and  the  mother  of 
four  children — Arthur,  CliU'ord,  Myrtle  and 
Zelma;  Vance,  who  is  at  home  and  has  charge 
ol  his  fatlier's  farm;  Josie,  who  is  also  un- 
der the  parental  roof;  and  Maud,  the  wife  of 
J.  A.  Brockman,  of   Coquille,  Oregon. 

Mr.  Weekly  gives  his  political  allegiance 
to  the  democracy  and  for  one  term  has 
served  as  county  commissioner,  for  which 
office  he  is  again  a  candidate.  He  was  one 
of  the  commissioners  at  the  time  that  the 
courthouse  was  moved  from  Empire  to  Co- 
quille. He  is  a  member  of  the  Grange  and 
a  worthy  exemplar  of  the  Masonic  frater- 
nity, which  he  joined  a  quarter  of  a  century 
ago.  Isaac  Taylor  Weekly  enjoys  the  re- 
spect of  the  entire  community  and  no  man 
more  fully  merits  the  esteem  in  which  he  is 
uniformly    helii. 

RICHARD  ULRICI,  who  devotes  his  at- 
tention to  geiienil  agricultural  pursuits  with 
excellent  results,  is  the  owner  of  a  tract  of 
forty  acres  situated  eight  miles  north  of 
Banks.  His  birth  occurred  in  Germany  on 
the  3()th  of  September,  1846,  his  parents 
being  John  and  Katrina  Ulrici,  who  spent 
their  entire  lives  in  that  country.  Unto  them 
were  born  fourteen  children,  ten  of  whom  still 
reside  in  the  fatherland.  Tliose  who  came 
to  America  are  as  follows:  ■  Henry,  who 
makes  his  home  in  Rockford,  Illinois:  John, 
living  at  Nokomis,  Illinois;  Albert,  who  emi- 
grated to  the  United  States  but  subsequently 
returneil  to  Germany  and  there  passed  away; 
and  Richard,  of  this  review. 

The  last-named  spent  the  first  twenty-three 
years  of  his  life  in  his  native  land  and  then 
crossed  the  Atlantic  to  the  United  States, 
settling  in  New  York  City,  where  he  re- 
mained for  seven  years.  On  the  expiration 
of  that  period  he  "returned  to  Germany  but 
at  the  end  of  three  years  again  set  sail  for 
American  shores,  landing  in  New  York.  Four 
months  later  he  went  to  Tyrone,  Pennsyl- 
vania, there  continuing  to  reside  for  a  year 
and  a  half.  He  next  removed  to  Nokomis, 
Illinois,  where  for  a  similar  period  he  was 
identified  with  the  butchering  business.  Sub- 
sequently he  spent  four  years  in  Rockford, 
Illinios.  being  there  employed  by  his  brother, 
who  was  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
pasteboard  bo.xes.    Leaving  the  Prairie  state. 


738 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


he  made  his  way  to  Los  Angeles,  Califor- 
nia, in  search  of  employment  but  was  un- 
successful, working  for  only  a  few  weeks 
during  a  quest  of  several  months.  Going 
to  Mount  Eden,  he  obtained  employment  in 
the  salt  marsh  and  there  remained  for  a 
j'ear  and  a  half.  In  1S90  he  went  to  Port- 
land, Oregon,  by  way  of  San  Francisco  and 
in  the  Rose  city  was  engaged  in  building 
wooden  sidewalks  for  a  period  of  five  years. 
In  1895  he  took  up  construction  work  on 
the  Astoria  &  Columbia  River  Railroad,  be- 
ing thus  engaged  until  1904,  when  he  came 
to  Washington  county  and  entered  a  home- 
stead claim  of  forty  acres.  Tlie  develop- 
ment of  tliat  property  has  claimed  his  at- 
tention continuously  since  and  the  many 
substantial  improvements  thereon  stand  as 
monuments  to  his  enterprise  and  industry. 
In  the  work  of  the  fields  lie  is  meeting  with  a 
gratifying  measure  of  prosperity,  annually 
gathering  rich  crops  which  find  a  ready  sale 
on   the   market. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Ulrici  is  liberal, 
supporting  the  men  and  measures  that  he 
believes  will  best  conserve  the  general  wel- 
fare regardless  of  party  affiliation.  His  re- 
ligious faith  is  indicated  by  his  membership 
in  the  German  Lutheran  church.  Coming  to 
the  United  States  in  early  manhood,  he 
wisely  utilized  the  opportunities  afforded  in 
a  land  unhampered  by  caste  or  class  and  has 
steadily  worked  his  way  upward  to  a  posi- 
tion among  the  respected  and  substantial 
citizens  of  his  community. 

PETER  POST,  engaged  in  retailing  liquors 
in  Lakeview.  where  he  is  conducting  busi- 
ness as  a  partner  of  .Jonas  Kin^.  was  born 
in  Grafton  county,  Xew  Hampshire.  August 
6,  1S54,  his  parents  being  John  and  Ruth 
(Sloan)  Post.  The  parents  were  natives  of 
Kew  Hampshire  and  died  during  the  in- 
fancy of  their  son  Peter,  who  was  an  only 
child  and  knows  but  little  of  his  people  be- 
cause of  the  fact  that  he  was  thus  early 
orphaned.  He  resided  with  his  grandmother 
until  six  or  eight  years  of  age.  His  parents 
were  in  limited  financial  circumstances  but 
his  grandfather.  Peter  Post,  was  a  wealthy 
man  of  Grafton  county.  When  a  lad  of 
eight  years  the  subject  of  this  review  began 
esirning  his  own  livelihood,  working  at  any 
employment  that  would  enable  him  to  pro- 
vide for  his  own  support.  In  1S7.5  he  went 
with  E.  F.  Cheeney  to  Santa  Rosa.  Califor- 
nia, and  for  a  short  time  was  employed  in 
lumber  mills  and  at  other  occupations  there. 
He  then  came  to  Lake  county.  Oregon,  set- 
tlinsr  in  Lakeview.  where  for  two  years  he 
worked  in  Snelling's  sawmill.  Durinfr  the 
past  thirty-one  years  he  has  eneaged  in  the 
liquor  business,  conducting  saloons  for  others 
for  some  time  and  later  embarkinsr  in  busi- 
ness on  his  own  account  in  connection  with 
J.  A.  King  under  the  firm  style  of  Post  & 
King.  Thev  had  verv  little  capital  when 
they  started  out  and  somethincr  of  their 
success  is  indicnted  in  the  fact  thnt  they  now 
occupy  a  brick  buildins  which  f'pv  erected 
at  a  cost  of  fourteen  thousand  dollars.  They 
lost   nearly   everything   in   the   fire  of   1900, 


but  with  characteristic  energy  set  to  work 
to  retrieve  their  lost  possessions  and  pros- 
perity has  come  to  them.  Mr.  Post  is  also 
uiterested  in  orchard  lands  and  in  town 
property. 

In  1901  Mr.  Post  was  married  to  Mrs. 
^lary  Brown,  a  widow,  with  one  daughter, 
Elsie.  Four  children  have  been  born  by  her 
second  marriage,  Ross,  Roland,  Millie  and 
Margaret,  the  first  two  being  twins.  Mr. 
Post  is  a  democrat  and,  while  not  a  politician 
in  the  usually  accepted  sense  of  the  term, 
lie  has  served  on  the  town  council.  He  be- 
longs to  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows and  is  a  man  of  benevolent  spirit,  who 
gives  generously  where  aid  is  needed. 

JOSEPH  P.  BISHOP,  who  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  the  Sunset  state  for  almost  a  third 
of  a  century,  has  long  been  numbered  among 
the  leading  citizens  of  the  Yoncalla  valley, 
owning  a  ranch  of  three  hundred  acres  six 
miles  east  of  Yoncalla.  For  the  past  fifteen 
years,  however,  he  has  resided  upon  a  tract  of 
"thirty-six  acres  adjoining  that  town.  His 
birth  occurred  in  Clay  county,  Illinois,  on  the 
9th  of  October,  1857,  his  parents  being  Pres- 
ley and  .Julia  (Lowery)  Bishop,  who  were 
natives  of  Tennessee  and  Virginia  respect- 
ively. They  were  married  in  Illinois,  to 
which  state*  they  had  previously  removed, 
and  began  their  domestic  life  in  Clay  county. 
In  1859  they  removed  to  Effingham  county, 
where  the  mother  passed  away  in  1863  or 
1864.  Though  a  son  of  the  Southland.  Pres- 
ley Bishop  was  radically  opposed  to  the  in- 
stitution of  slavery  and  for  many  years 
would  not  support  the  democratic  ticket 
even  on  minor  issues.  He  defended  the 
L'nion  as  a  soldier  on  the  field  of  battle  dur- 
ing the  entire  period  of  hostilities  between 
the  north  and  the  south,  serving  as  lieuten- 
ant of  his  company.  After  the  close  of  the 
war.  having  lost  his  wife,  he  removed  to 
eastern  Nebraska  and  there  took  up  the 
homestead  on  which  he  has  since  continued 
to  reside. 

Joseph  P.  Bishop  attended  the  public 
pcliools  in  the  acnuirement  of  an  education, 
thus  equipping  himself  mentally  for  the  du- 
ties and  responsibilities  of  later  life.  His 
mother  died  when  he  was  but  little  more 
than  six  years  of  age  and  he  was  reared  to 
manhood  in  the  household  of  Mr.  Bogges,  a 
neighbor.  When  twenty  years  of  age  he  left 
his  foster  parents  and  joined  his  father  in 
nstern  Xebraska,  there  remainincr  until 
May,  18S0.  At  that  time  he  made  his  way 
west  to  Oresron  and  spent  the  following  sum- 
mer and  fall  in  the  construction  of  the  rail- 
road of  the  Orcffon  Railway  &  Navisation 
Company  through  eastern  Oregon.  In  De- 
cember, 1880.  he  came  to  western  Oregon, 
arrivin?  in  Yoncalla.  Douglas  county,  on 
Christmas  day  of  that  year.  In  Vay.  1881. 
yir.  Bishop  homesteaded  one  hundred  and 
sixtv  acres  of  land  six  miles  east  nf  Yoncalla 
and  lived  thereon  during  the  following  six- 
teen vears.  extending  the  boundaries  of  his 
farm "  in  the  meantime  until  it  comprised 
three  hundred  acres.  Though  this  ranch  is 
still  in  his  possession,  he  has  since  1897  re- 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


739 


sided  on  a  small  tract  of  thirty-six  acres 
adjoining  Yoncalla.  His  farming  interests 
liave  ever  been  carefully  and  systematically 
conducted  and  the  success  which  has  crowned 
his  cH'orts  is  but  the  merited  reward  of  in- 
dustry and  perseverance. 

In  1881  Mr.  Bishop  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Zadie  Richardson,  of  eastern  Ne- 
braska, by  whom  he  had  six  children,  five 
of  whom  still  survive,  as  follows:  Frank  L., 
who  is  a  resident  of  Astoria,  Oregon; 
Julia  R.,  a  trained  nurse  of  South  Bend, 
Washington;  May,  the  wife  of  Luther 
Daugherty,  of  Yoncalla,  Oregon;  Grace,  a 
high  school  student ;  and  Jasper,  who  is 
attending   school    and    is    also   still    at   home. 

In  pontics  Mr.  Bishop  is  a  prohibitionist, 
being  firmly  convinced  that  the  liquor  traffic 
should  be  suppressed  as  one  of  the  worst 
evils  which  menace  the  country  today.  He 
is  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  Meth'  dist  Epis- 
copal church,  to  which  his  wife  and  children 
also  belong.  His  influence  has  always  been 
found  on  the  side  of  material,  intellectual 
and  moral  development  and  his  work  has 
been  an  element  in  the  advancement  of  his 
community. 

E.  M.  NEWMAN.  There  is  no  doubt  as 
to  the  courage  and  good  business  sense  of 
thousands  of  natives  of  Sweden  who  have 
come  to  America  and  in  a  strange  country 
have  won  honorable  positions  and  also 
gained  financial  independence.  In  this  class 
belongs  E.  M.  Newman,  who  began  near  the 
bottom  of  the  financial  ladder  after  reach- 
ing the  new  world  and  in  the  short  period 
of  eight  years  has  become  the  owner  of  a 
valualale  farm  which  is  yielding  a  handsome 
annual  revenue.  He  was  born  in  Sweden 
January  35,  1870,  and  in  his  boyhood  pos- 
ses.sed  advantages  of  education  of  which  he 
made  wise  use.  At  the  age  of  thirty-three 
years  he  left  the  old  country  and  with  his 
family  crossed  the  ocean  continuing  his 
journey  westward  until  he  arrived  at  Port- 
land. Oregon.  He  made  his  home  in  that 
city  for  a  year  and  a  half  and  then,  believing 
that  the  region  of  Warren  held  out  large 
possibilities  for  a  man  with  little  capital,  he 
purchased  twenty-five  acres  of  land  a  mile 
south  of  town  upon  which  he  established  his 
home.  He  applied  himself  industriously  to 
the  improvement  of  the  place  and  it  is  now 
nearly  all  under  cultivation  and  yields  hand- 
some returns  for  the  labor  expended.  He 
paid  thirty  dollars  per  acre  for  the  land  and 
it  is  now"  worth  about  two  hundred  dollars 
per  acre.  Jlr.  Newman  had  only  one  hun- 
dred dollars  in  his  possession  when  he  landed 
at  Portland.  He  belongs  to  that  class  of 
people  known  as  self-made  men — a  class  of 
•whom  there  are  unfortunately  too  few  in 
the  world  and  who  are  honored  and  re- 
spected in  every  civilized  country  on  the 
globe. 

Mr.  Newman  married  Miss  Matilda  Pear- 
son and  they  have  two  children:  Freda,  who 
is  at  home;  and  Signe,  who  has  passed  the 
eighth  grade  in  the  public  schools.  After 
becoming  a  naturalized  /Xmorican  citizen  Mr. 
Newman   accepted   t!ie   principles   of   the   re- 


publican party  as  his  guide  in  politics  and 
he  has  seen  no  reason  to  change  to  any  other 
political  organization.  As  a  public-spirited 
man  he  does  not  shrink  from  responsibility 
and  he  is  serving  as  road  superintendent 
and  discharges  tlie  duties  of  that  position 
in  a  way  that  meets  with  the  hearty 
indorsement  of  the  people,  lie  is  a  man  of 
decision  of  character — one  who  commands 
respect  because  he  deserves  it — and  the  prog- 
ress he  has  made  refiects  the  highest  credit 
upon  himself  and  his  chosen  state  and  nation. 

ALVA  LEE.  Three  hundred  and  ninety- 
six  acres  of  fertile  land  in  Coos  county,  well 
drained  and  scientifically  cultivated,  are  the 
result  of  the  agricultural  activities  of  Alva 
Lee  in  Coos  county.  He  is  a  native  son  of 
Oregon,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  Douglas 
county,  January  19,  1859.  His  parents  were 
J.  D.  B.  and  Marilla  (Huntley)  Lee,  the  for- 
mer a  native  of  Ohio  and  the  latter  of 
Missouri.  Both  came  to  California.  The 
mother  crossed  the  plains  to  California  in 
the  late  '40s  when  she  was  only  five  years 
of  age  and  grew  up  in  that  section  of  the 
country.  J.  D.  B.  Lee  also  left  his  native 
state  at  an  early  date  and  settled  on  the 
Pacific  coast.  He  came  to  Oregon  before 
1860  and  farmed  in  Douglas  county  until 
his  death  on  Decemlier  24,  1903.  He  was 
the  father  of  four  children:  one,  who  died 
in  infancy;  Sylvia  C,  who  passed  away  at 
the  age  of  twenty;  Milton  R.,  who  resides 
with  his  wife  and  seven  children  at  ilyrtle 
Point,  Oregon;  and  Alva,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch. 

Alva  Lee  remained  with  his  parents  until 
he  was  nineteen  years  of  age.  He  spent  his 
early  boyhood  working  upon  his  father's 
farm  and  gained  a  detailed  knowledge  of 
modern  agricultural  methods.  He  became 
thoroughly  acipiaintcd  with  soil  and  crop 
conditions"  and  with  the  various  duties  inci- 
dent to  the  cultivation  of  a  farm.  When 
he  was  nineteen  years  of  age  he  went  into 
the  logging  camps  of  northern  Oregon  and 
worked  in  the  timber  lands  in  the  employ  of 
others  for  six  years.  He  spent  seven  years 
in  ranching  and  later  took  up  steamboat 
freighting  on  the  Coquille  river.  He  fol- 
lowed this  line  of  occupation  for  a  number  of 
years  and  gained  a  gratifying  degree  of  sue- 
.cess.  When  his  father  died  Mr.  Lee  returned 
to  the  old  homestead  and  took  active  charge 
of  the  management  and  cultivation  of  the 
three  hundred  and  ninety-six  acres.  He  does 
yiiural  farming  and  his  early  experience  is  a 
valuable  asset  to  him.  He  specializes  in 
dairying  and  keeps  twenty-five  cows  of  the 
highest  grade  for  this  purpose.  He  has  one 
huiulred  and  forty  acres  of  his  land  under 
cultivation  and  is  constantly  extending  the 
field  of  his  activities.  His  farm  is  situated 
two  and  one  half  miles  up  the  south  side  of 
the  North  fork  and  is  one  of  the  model  prop- 
erties   of    Coos    county. 

On  April  15,  1896,  Mr.  Lee  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Lillie  May  Hoytc,  a 
daughter  of  W.  L.  Hoyte.  Mrs.  Lee  is  one  of 
fifteen  children  as  follows:  Thcodosia  E., 
who  resides  in  California;   Richard,  who  is  a 


740 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


resident  of  the  same  state;  Melvin,  who 
maintains  his  home  in  Preston,  Oregon; 
James,  of  San  Diego,  California;  William, 
who  is  in  business  in  Alaska;  Annie,  who 
married  R.  S.  Knowlton  of  Coquille,  Oregon; 
Cora,  the  wife  of  John  Lindebeek  of  Califor- 
nia; Ellen,  the  widow  of  John  Long  of  Bay 
City,  Oregon;  Edith,  who  married  D.  B. 
Beal,  a  resident  of  California;  Robert,  who 
resides  on  the  Coos  river;  Lillie  May,  the 
wife  of  our  subject;  Wilber,  w'ho  resides  in 
California;  Charles,  deceased;  0.  J.,  a  resi- 
dent of  Brewster  \'alley,  Oregon;  and  Sarah, 
who  is  deceased.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lee  have 
been  born  five  children:  Harold,  who  is 
deceased;  Clarice  May,  born  June  28,  1901, 
who  is  a  student  in  the  Coos  county  public 
schools;  Richard  T.,  born  April  18,  1903, 
who  is  also  pursuing  his  studies;  Verna  A., 
whose  birth  occurred  .■^eptember  10,  1906; 
and  Joseph  M.,  born  Xovember  28,  1907. 

Politically  Mr.  Lee  votes  the  republican 
ticket,  believing  in  the  progressive  policy  of 
that  party.  He  keeps  himself  well  informed 
upon  public  affairs  but  has  never  sought 
office.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of 
Pythias,  his  only  fraternal  affiliation.  Agri- 
culture is  one  of  the  most  honorable  occupa- 
tions open  to  men;  it  is  the  base  of  not  only 
the  wealth  of  Coos  county  but  in  a  great 
degree  of  national  prosperity.  Jlr.  Lee  has 
contributed  his  share  to  the  resources  of  his 
district  by  making  the  farm  which  he  is 
developing  and  operating  a  modern  and  pro- 
gressive enterprise. 

BENTON  MIRES  is  a  true  son  of  the  open 
west.  His  birth  occurred  in  that  section  and 
his  childhood  was  spent  in  its  great  outdoors. 
He  was  at  home  in  the  saddle  from  the  time 
when  he  was  seven  years  of  age  and  he 
ranged  over  the  Oregon  prairies  and  timber 
lands  long  before  there  was  a  fence  in  the 
state.  He  was  born  in  Milwaukie,  Clacka- 
mas county,  Oregon,  September  26.  1853.  and 
is  a  son  of  John  H.  and  Anna  (Deardorff) 
Mires,  both  natives  of  Ohio.  His  mother 
was  born  in  that  state,  September  18,  1817, 
and  moved  to  Indiana  with  her  parents  when 
she  was  very  young.  She  was  married  in 
that  state  t"o  Fleming  Byers  and  removed 
with  him  to  Burlington,  Iowa,  where  her 
husband  died  in  1848.  In  1851  she  was 
again  married,  her  second  husband  being 
John  H.  Mires,  the  father  of  our  subject. 
Two  years  later  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mires  began 
their  "journey  across  the  plains.  They  jour- 
neyed with  ox  teams  and  arrived  in  Mil- 
waukie, Oregon,  after  several  months'  con- 
tinuous travel.  They  spent  one  winter  in 
that  city  and  in  the"  following  spring  came 
to  Douglas  county,  where  the  father  bought 
Robert  Steward's  interest  in  a  donation 
claim.  After  the  father  proved  up  his  title 
he  established  his  family  upon  his  holding 
and  remained  in  this  section  and  was  active 
in  the  cultivation  of  the  soil  until  his  death 
in  1888.  In  his  early  manhood  John  Mires 
had  been  engaged  in  "the  river  traffic,  plying 
on  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  with  his  vessel. 
In  his  Oregon  life  he  was  successful  as  a 
farmer  and  stock-raiser  and  acquired  almost 


one  thousand  acres  of  the  most  fertile  land 
in  Douglas  county.  He  was  a  stanch  repub- 
lican in  politics  but  never  aspired  to  public 
office.  His  wife  was  a  consistent  member 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  sur- 
vived her  husband  until   1893. 

Benton  Jlires  was  reared  at  home  upon  his 
father's  farm  and  acquired  his  education  in 
the  common  schools  of  Douglas  county.  He 
was  a  broad  and  intelligent  reader  and  in 
this  way  acquired  a  practical  and  thoroughly 
efficient  education.  When  he  was  nineteen 
years  of  age  he  began  teaching  in  the  Doug- 
las county  schools  and  followed  that  profes- 
sion in  eastern  Oregon  for  several  years, 
teaching  during  the  winter  months  and  work- 
ing upon  the  neighboring  stock  ranches  dur- 
ing the  summer.  His  early  manhood  was 
spent  practically  in  the  saddle  and  he  re- 
sided in  difi'erent  parts  of  the  state  of  Ore- 
gon, where  his  duty  as  a  stock  rancher 
called  him.  He  became  familiar  with  every 
inch  of  ground  in  the  state  of  Oregon  and 
became  an  expert  in  forestry.  Beginning  in 
1890  he  served  for  three  years  as  a  member 
of  the  Xational  Guards  of  this  state,  in  1890 
he  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  with 
the  firm  of  Hoover,  Watson  &  Company.  He 
remained  in  Fossil  and  was  active  in  this 
connection  for  three  years.  In  1895  he  came 
to  Drain  from  Fossil  in  order  to  give  his 
children  the  benefit  of  a  course  m  the  Central 
Oregon  Normal  School  located  in  that  city. 
For  three  years  after  his  removal  to  Drain 
Mr.  Mires  was  engaged  in  the  buying  and 
selling  of  stock.  On  June  10,  1898,  he  was 
appointed  assistant  forest  agent  with  head- 
quarters in  Idaho.  He  removed  to  that  state 
and  followed  the  duties  of  his  oflice  until 
he  was  promoted  to  the  position  of  forest 
supervisor  of  the  Bitter  Root  forest  reserves 
in  Idaho.  He  did  efficient  and  intelligent 
work  in  this  line  and  his  authority  was  un- 
questioned in  everything  that  pertained  to 
the  trees  and  forest  reserves  of  the  west.  In 
1904  he  established  himself  in  the  mercantile 
business  and  in  the  intervening  eight  years 
has  built  up  an  extensive  and  rapidly  devel- 
oping business  along  this  line.  He  is  one  of 
the  foremost  business  men  in  Drain  and  his 
activities  always  have  for  their  object  the 
welfare  and  progress  of  his  native  state. 
He  looks  beyond  his  individual  success  into 
the  future  of  Douglas  county  and  the  state 
of  Oregon  and  his  undoubted  influence  is 
always  given  to  constructive  and  progressive 
ideas. 

Mr.  Mires  was  twice  married.  On  April 
16.  1876,  he  wedded  Miss  Ada  Putnam,  a 
daughter  of  Charles  F.  and  Roselle  (Apple- 
gate)  Putnam.  Mrs.  Mires'  mother  was  a 
member  of  the  prominent  Applegate  family 
and  was  a  daughter  of  Jesse  Applegate,  one 
of  the  leading  citizens  of  Douglas  county. 
Mr.  Mires  and  his  first  wife  became  the 
parents  of  five  children,  four  of  whom  are 
still  living:  Harris  Frederick,  a  graduate  of 
the  Central  Oregon  State  Xormal  School,  who 
was  appointed  by  President  Roosevelt  as 
supervisor  of  education  in  the  Philippines 
and  is  now  serving  as  government  auditor 
of   accounts;    Anna   Roselle,  the   wife   of   D. 


I'.KXTdX   MIP.KS 


^  T- 


,^.\RY 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


Tin 


V.  Kuykendall,  the  prosecuting  attornej'  for 
Lake  and  Klamath  counties,  with  residence 
in  KUimath  Falls;  Mary  Vivian,  who  married 
John  M.  Cool,  cashier  of  the  Drain  State 
Bank;  and  Velma,  who  clerks  in  her  father's 
store.  Mr.  Mires'  first  wife  died  on  the  22d 
of  July,  1904.  In  Xovember,  1910,  Mr.  Mires 
was  again  united  in  marriage.  His  second 
union  was  with  Mrs.  Sherwood  Burr,  formerly 
Miss  Laura  J.  Warner.  Mrs.  Mires  is  promi- 
nent in  the  affairs  of  the  Maccabees  and  is 
actively  interested  in  this  organization.  In 
his  political  views  Mr.  Mires  is  a  firm  repub- 
lican and  is  always  actively  interested  in  tlie 
policies  aiul  principles  of  that  party.  On  the 
1-lth  of  September.  1904,  he  was  appointed 
by  Governor  Chamberlain  as  delegate  to  the 
third  annual  convention  of  the  Oregon  Irri- 
gation Association  but  could  not  accept  on 
account  of  the  pressure  of  business  duties. 
He  likewise  declined  the  proffered  appoint- 
ment of  regent  of  the  State  Normal  School. 
Fraternally  he  is  master  of  Sunset  Lodge, 
No.  144.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  also  holds  member- 
ship in  Drain  Camp,  No.  359,  W.  O.  W.  He 
is  one  of  the  foremost  men  in  the  city  of 
Drain  and  his  prominence  extends  throughout 
Douglas  county.  His  boyhood  and  early 
youth  were  spent  out  of  doors  and  his  rugged 
and  hardy  living  has  influenced  his  character 
with  all  the  strength  and  firmness  of  an 
open  life.  He  is  a  true  westerner.  His 
business  relations  are  irreproachable  and  his 
honor  and  integrity  unquestioned.  His  hos- 
pitality is  warm  and  spontaneous  and  his 
life  worthy,  honorable  and  free  from  preju- 
dice. 

J.  H.  CARNAHAN,  since  the  6th  of  June, 
1911.  has  practiced  law  in  Klamath  Falls. 
He  was  born  in  Detroit.  Michigan.  December 
18,  1880,  and  the  following  year  his  parents 
removed  to  Little  Rock.  Arkansas,  with  their 
family.  The  father  was  a  native  of  Ireland 
and  the  mother  of  Canada.  She  died  in 
Arkansas  in  1887,  but  Mr.  Carnahan  still 
makes  his  home  near  Little  Rock,  where 
he  has  always  followed  the  occupation  of 
farming. 

J.  IT.  Carnahan  remained  at  homo  with  his 
father  until  he  was  eighteen  and  one-half 
years  old.  when,  on  the  22d  of  July.  1899,  he 
enlisted  in  the  regular  army  as  a  member  of 
Company  L,  Second  Infantry,  with  which  he 
served  for  three  years,  having  arrived  at 
Manila.  September  35,  1899,  and  being  hon- 
orably discharged  July  3.  1902.  at  the  Cuar- 
tel  de  Espafia.  Manila.  Philippine  Island.s. 
For  one  year  he  was  connected  with  the 
customs  service  in  the  Philippines  and  for 
three  and  one-half  years  with  the  t'nited 
States  naval  service  at  the  navy  yard  at 
Cavite,  Philippine  Islands.  In  1907  he  went 
to  Washington,  D.  C,  by  way  of  Suez  and 
New  York,  having  practically  made  the  trip 
around  the  world  since  sailing  for  the  Orient. 
He  was  employed  in  the  office  of  the  secre- 
tary of  the  navy,  at  Washington.  D.  C.  from 
1907  to  1909,  and  during  the  time  he  was  so 
employed,  he  graduated  from  the  National 
University  in  1908  and  from  Oeorgetown 
University  in  1909,  receiving  his  Bachelor  of 


Laws  degree  from  both  schools.  He  after- 
ward spent  two  years  as  special  agent  in  the 
United  States  general  land  ollice  in  Arizona, 
Oregon,  Washington  and  Alaska,  and  on  the 
6th  of  June,  1911,  opened  an  oflfice  in  Klam- 
ath Falls,  where  he  has  since  engaged  in 
practice. 

His  political  allegiance  is  given  to  the 
democratic  party,  and  fraternally  he  is  con- 
nected with  the  Masons.  He  also  became  a 
member  of  Henry  W.  Lawton  Post,  No.  1, 
V.  A.  P.,  at  Manila,  Philippine  Islands.  He 
is  in  thorough  sympathy  with  Oregon  and 
the  interests  of  the  northwest  and  is  making 
steady  progress  along  professional  lines, 
while  at  the  same  time  he  is  proving  his 
worth  in  matters  of  citizenship. 

HARDY  HOLMAN.  The  residence  of 
Hardy  Holman  in  Oregon  covers  more  than 
sixty-four  years,  during  fifty  of  which  he 
has  been  identified  with  various  enterprises 
in  Polk  county.  During  the  long  period  of 
his  activity  he  has  manifested  rare  business 
sagacity  in  the  direction  of  his  affairs,  while 
as  a  public  official  he  has  given  nu)st  ef- 
ficient service.  The  Holman  family  has  been 
represented  in  Oregon  for  sixty-seven  years, 
the  first  member  having  located  here  in  1844. 
This  was  John  Holman,  great-uncle  of  our 
subject,  who  joined  a  party  coming  from 
Jlissouri  to  Oregon  across  the  plains,  six 
months  being  spent  on  the  journey.  He  lo- 
cated at  Jlcjfinnville,  Yamliill  county,  where 
he  acquired  six  hundred  and  forty  acres  of 
land,  which  he  cultivated  until  his  death. 
He  was  joined,  in  1845,  by  his  wife  and  fam- 
ily, consisting  of  the  following  members: 
Daniel;  Woodford;  F.  Dillard;  F.  Warren,  a 
practicing  physician;  M.  P.  Deady,  the  first 
United  States  judge  at  Portland;  and  J. 
D.,  whose  son  Fred  V.,  is  a  well  known  at- 
torney of   Portland. 

Hardy  Holman  was  born  in  Missouri  and 
is  a  son  of  James  S.  and  Mary  (Bowman) 
Holman.  The  father  was  a  son  of  Isaac 
Holman,  a  native  of  Tennessee,  who  in  his 
early  manhood  emigrated  to  Missouri,  where 
he  spent  his  later  days.  Tiie  nuiternal 
grandparents  w-ere  .John  and  Klizabeth  Bow- 
man, who  witli  four  of  tlicir  cliildron  crossed 
the  plains  to  Oregon  from  Missouri  in  1847, 
locating  on  a  ranch,  on  a  portion  of  which 
the  town  of  Dallas  now  stands,  and  there 
they  passed  away  at  a  ripe  old  age.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  James  S.  Holman  began  their  do- 
mestic life  on  a  farm  in  Lafayette  county. 
Missouri,  whence  they  subsequently  reimived 
to  tlie  Platte  purchase,  Platte  county,  .Mis- 
souri. There  they  resided  Jintil  1847  when 
they  decided  to  come  to  the  northwest  and 
establish  a  home.  They  made  the  trip  in  a 
wagon,  with  an  ox  team,  joining  a  party 
composed  of  a  train  of  fifty  wagons  of  which 
Nathaniel  Bownuui.  who  had  crossed  the 
plains  in  1844  and  1845.  was  captain.  He 
held  this  position  until  they  reached  Ash 
Hollow,  when  owing  to  the  size  of  the  party 
another  captain  was  app()inte<l  and  the  train 
was  divided.  They  spent  six  months  en 
route  and  upon  their  arrival  Mr.  Holnuin  lo- 
cated   on    a    donation    claim    of    six    hundred 


744 


THE  CEiNTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


and  lorty  acres  on  the  Luckiamnte  river.  At 
tliat  time  tlie  family  ol  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Holman 
numbered  live,  as  follows:  Xancy;  Hardy, 
our  subject;  Jolm;  Preston;  and  Kathaniel. 
The  two  3'oungest  children,  Amos  H.  and 
Mary  Huldali,  were  born  in  Oregon.  Suc- 
cess attended  the  efiorts  of  ilr.  Holman, 
\\ho  became  one  of  the  prominent  cattle 
men  of  the  state.  He  was  a  very  capable 
business  man,  possessed  of  much  foresight 
and  sagacity,  and  during  the  mining  days 
made  a  trip  to  California  with  a  wagon  load 
of  supplies  which  he  sold  to  the  miners  at  a 
handsome  profit.  He  was  always  distiu- 
guislied  by  unusual  powers  of  organization 
and  executive  ability  and  early  became  rec- 
ognized as  a  leader  in  his  community,  taking 
a  prominent  part  in  public  life.  As  a  mem- 
ber of  the  state  legislature  he  most  capably 
represented  the  interests  of  Polk  county  for 
three  terms,  his  service  being  marked  by  a 
singleness  of  purpose  that  characterized  his 
official  life  at  all  times.  He  was  sherilf  of 
the  county  for  seven  years  and  filled  many 
minor  positions,  in  each  and  all  of  which  he 
fulfilled  his  duties  with  a  rare  sense  of  con- 
scientious obligation  to  the  public.  In  mat- 
ters of  faith  lie  was  a  Baptist  and  helped 
to  build  the  church  at  Dallas,  while  he  was 
for  many  years  a  trustee  of  the  Baptist  Col- 
lege at  McMinnville.  He  had  pronounced 
views  on  the  liquor  question,  and  was  bit- 
terly opposed  to  the  traffic  in  intoxicants. 
In  his  political  views  he  was  a  democrat  and 
gave  his  support  to  the  men  and  measures 
of  that  party  until  the  Civil  war,  when  he 
gave  up  his  political  allegiance,  being  op- 
posed to  the  extension  of  slavery.  He  was 
the  type  of  m.nn  that  makes  a  most  desirable 
pioneer  settler,  his  high  principles,  pronounc- 
ed views  on  all  questions  pertaining  to  the 
public  welfare,  particularly  of  a  moral  na- 
ture, and  his  strength  of  character,  making 
him  a  strong  force  in  the  establishment  of  a 
community  based  upon  the  highest  standards 
of  citizenship.  During  his  long  period  of 
residence  in  Polk  county  he  was  always  a 
strong  factor  in  promoting  the  advance  of 
a  newer  civilization  in  the  development  of 
public  interests.  His  death  was  deeply 
lamented  not  only  in  his  immediate  circle 
but  in  the  county  at  large,  for  the  interests 
of  which  he  had  worked  tirelessly  for  many 
years,  having  the  most  implicit  confidence  in 
its  future.  Of  his  immediate  family  there 
are  now  left  but  his  two  sons,  our  subject, 
and   Amos  H..   the   youngest. 

As  he  was  only  a  young  lad  when  his 
people  brought  him  to  Oregon.  Hardy  Hol- 
:nan's  youthful  recollections  are  largely  cen- 
tered about  the  scenes  familiar  to  his  man- 
hood. When  old  enough  to  begin  for  him- 
self he  settled  on  a  hundred  and  sixt,v  acres 
of  land  on  the  Lnckiamute  river,  but  he 
later  disposed  of  this  and  turned  his  atten- 
tion to  commercial  pursuits.  He  established 
a  general  mercantile  store  at  Buena  Vista, 
on  the  Polk  county  line,  which  he  success- 
fully conducted  for  several  years.  Next,  he 
engaged  in  the  stock  business  in  eastern  Ore- 
gon, following  which  he  purchased  another 
ranch   on   the   Luckiamute  river,  while  later 


iie  engaged  in  slieep-raising.  A  capable  busi- 
ness man,  he  has  never  hesitated  to  with- 
draw from  an  enterprise,  when  he  saw  an 
opportunity  of  doing  better  in  something 
else,  even  when  the  undertaking  seemed  some- 
what hazardous.  The  salient  features  of  his 
success  are  enterprise  and  perseverance,  and 
a  determination  of  purpose  that  invariably 
enabled  him  to  attain  the  thing  to  which  he 
aspired.  The  capabilities  that  stamped  him 
as  a  business  man,  marked  him  as  one  well 
able  to  lead,  so  he  has  oftentimes  been 
called  to  public  office  and  for  the  last  four- 
teen years  has  been  justice  of  the  peace. 
The  decisions  rendered  by  him  during  the 
period  of  his  service  have  been  marked  by 
a  rare  sense  of  judgment  and  a  breadth  of 
view  that  well  qualify  him  for  the  duties  of 
the   office. 

Mr.  Holman  was  married  in  1861  to  Miss 
Margaret  E.  Allen,  who  was  born  in  this 
state  on  the  10th  of  December,  1845,  being 
now  the  oldest  native-born  lady  in  Polk 
county.  She  is  a  daughter  of  .James  M. 
Allen,  who  located  in  Polk  county  in  1845 
on  Salt  creek.  Later  he  removed  to  the 
\icinity  of  Salem  and  there  he  passed  away 
at  the  age  of  sixty-five  years.  Of  his  mar- 
riage there  were  born  seven  children,  three 
of  whom  died  in  infancy.  Unto  Jlr.  and 
ilrs.  Holman  there  were  also  born  seven  chil- 
dren, as  follows:  James  Milton,  wlio  is  In- 
dian government  agent  at  Yainax,  Klamath 
county;  Mary  E.,  the  wife  of  F.  E.  Meyers, 
who  is  a  farmer;  Eva,  now  Mrs.  Woods,  the 
wife  of  the  station  agent  at  Dallas;  Addie, 
who  married  A.  M.  Dalrymple.  of  Salem,  Ore- 
gon ;  Andrew,  who  is  a  resident  of  Port- 
land; Alice,  the  deceased  wife  of  A.  S. 
Lewis:  and  Meda.  the  wife  of  E.  Jacobson, 
of  Dallas. 

The  political  views  of  Mr.  Holman  coin- 
cide with  the  principles  of  the  republican 
party,  on  whose  ticket  he  was  elected  sherifT 
of  Polk  county  in  1882,  serving  for  two 
years.  He  takes  a  very  rigid  stand  on  the 
liquor  question,  and  is  a  strong  advocate  of 
temperance.  He  is  one  of  the  strong  person- 
alities of  the  county,  whose  public  career  has 
always  been  marked  by  the  sound  principles 
and  high  ideals  that  have  actuated  him  in 
all  his  relations  of  life. 

CHARLES    J.    VAN    ZILE    is    one    of   the 

highly  respected  men  of  North  Bend,  where 
he  is  identified  with  many  of  the  leading  busi- 
ness enterprises  of  that  city.  He  was  born 
in  New  York,  July  20.  1857,  and  is  a  son 
of  Abraham  and  Harriett  (Armour)  Van 
Zile.  the  latter  a  sister  of  the  late  well  known 
Philip  D.  Armour,  who  was  one  of  the  lead- 
ing packers  of  Chicago.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Abraham  Van  Zile  six  children  were  born, 
as  follows:  Samuel,  who  is  a  resident  of 
North  Bond,  Oregon;  Abraham,  Jr..  a  sketch 
of  whom  appears  on  another  page  of  this 
work;  Charles  J.,  of  this  review:  William, 
postmaster  at  Crandon,  Wisconsin:  Nelson, 
a  resident  of  the  state  of  Washington;  and 
Harriett,  who  is  the  wife  of  N.  J.  Cousins, 
of  North  Bend,  this  state. 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OP  OREGON 


74b 


Charles  J.  Van  Zile  was  reared  at  horae 
and  received  his  early  education  in  the  pub- 
lic schools.  At  the  age  of  twelve  years  he 
started  in  lite  for  himself  at  farm  work. 
He  later  went  with  his  parents  to  Wisconsin, 
v.'here  he  remained  for  some  time  and  then 
took  up  work  on  a  stock  ranch  in  the  west, 
where  he  remained  for  seven  years,  after 
which  he  returned  to  his  father's  home  in 
Wisconsin.  The  father  died  in  1872  and 
shortly  afterward  Charles  J.  Van  Zile  drove 
a  team  from  Wisconsin  to  Missouri,  where 
hi  was  engaged  in  work  on  a  stock  ranch  for 
some  time  and  later  established  an  Indian 
trading  post,  to  which  he  gave  his  atten- 
tion for  twelve  years.  In  1892  he  removed 
to  Oregon,  settling  first  at  Roscburg,  where 
he  found  emplo^'ment  with  the  government 
as!  forest  ranger  for  four  years.  He  then 
engaged  in  timber  cruising  and  has  the 
credit  of  having  located  for  settlers  many 
homesteads  and  timber  claims  in  Oregon. 
Ill  1905  he  took  up  his  abode  at  North  Bend, 
where  he  has  since  continued  to  reside.  He 
was  one  of  the  cliarter  members  of  the  First 
National  Bank  at  the  time  of  its  organiza- 
tion, of  which  his  brother  Abraham  is  now 
the  president,  and  he  also  was  identified  with 
the  organization  of  the  Oregon  Trust  Com- 
pany, of  which  he  is  a  director.  He  is  the 
owner  of  thi-ee  liundred  and  eighty  acres 
of  timber  land  and  also  owns  six  business 
lots  and   many   fine  residence  lots. 

Mr.  Van  Zile  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Minnie  La  Salle,  a  native  of  Wisconsin 
and  a  daughter  of  Charles  La  Salle,  who 
was  a  resident  of  Florence',  Wisconsin.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Van  Zile  nine  children  have 
been  born,  as  follows:  Edith  Mabel,  the  wife 
of  George  M.  Sells  of  North  Bend.  Oregon; 
Mary  Josephine,  the  wife  of  Earle  E.  Schrim- 
ser  of  St.  Johns,  Oregon;  Harriett  W..  who 
is  the  wife  of  Andrew  Holt  of  North  Bend; 
Charles  J.,  who  is  a  high-school  graduate 
and  still  resides  under  the  parental  roof; 
Jenette,  who  is  also  at  home;  and  Ruth, 
Forrest.  Hazel  and  Dorothy,  all  of  whom  are 
attending  school. 

Charles  .1.  Van  Zile  is  affiliated  with  the 
republican  party  and  has  been  deputy  county 
assessor  in  North  Bend  for  three  years.  He 
w.as  also  a  county  officer  during  his  residence 
ill  Wisconsin.  His  fraternal  relations  are 
with  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Maccabees 
and  the  Foresters  of  America.  Mrs.  Van 
Zile  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church. 

Charles  J.  Van  Zile,  since  taking  up  his 
residence  at  North  Bend,  has  been  identified 
with  many  of  the  leading  business  enter- 
prises of  his  adopted  city  and  is  a  man 
whose  well  known  reputation  for  integrity 
and  uprightness  of  character  entitles  him  to 
be  numbered  among  the  most  desirable  citi- 
zens of  this   part  of  the  state. 

ALONZO  W.  LAMB  has  been  a  resident  of 
Douglas  county  since  1893  and  is  a  man 
well  and  favorably  known  as  an  extensive 
and  successful  operator  in  farm  and  ranch 
lands  in  this  part  of  the  state.  He  is  at 
present    serving    in    the    office   of   mayor   of 


!l  oncalla  with  great  acceptability  to  his  con- 
stituents. He  was  born  in  Upton,  Massa- 
chusetts, SejitiMnber  Iti,  1S4C,  and  is  a  son 
cf  Emery  and  I'hoebc  A.  (Richmond)  Lamb, 
the  former  a  native  of  Massachusetts  and  the 
latter  of  Rhode  Island.  The  father,  imme- 
diately after  his  marriage,  settled  in  Up- 
ton, Worcester  county,  Massachusetts,  and 
engaged  in  farming.  He  later  removed  to 
Charlton,  in  the  same  county,  and  there 
bought  a  farm  which  was  formerly  owned 
by  Dr.  Morton,  who  discovered  the  anaesthe- 
tic properties  of  ether.  On  that  land  he 
lived  until  the  time  of  his  death. 

Alonzo  W.  Lamb  was  reared  at  home  and 
received  his  early  education  in  the  public 
schools  and  was  later  a  student  in  the 
Cliarlton  high  school.  On  the  20th  of  Au- 
gust, 1802,  when  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age, 
he  enlisted  in  Company  H,  Fifty-first  Reg- 
iment of  Massachusetts  Volunteer  Infantry, 
and  served  for  one  year.  At  the  expiration 
of  that  time,  on  account  of  his  extreme 
youth,  liis  parents  refused  to  give  their  con- 
cent for  further  service  in  tlie  army  and  he 
was  accordingly  discharged,  July  27,  1863. 
He  returned  to  his  home  and  for  two  terms 
attended  the  high  school,  after  which  he 
■iias  engaged  in  work  on  his  father's  farm 
until  just  before  his  twenty-first  birthday. 
Shortly  before  reaching  his  majority  his 
father  gave  him  his  time  and  he  at  once 
ajiprenticed  himself  as  a  machinist  at  Whit- 
insville.  Massachusetts,  and  continued  in  that 
work  until  he  had  completed  his  knowledge 
of  the  trade.  He  then,  as  a  journeyman 
m.achinist,  took  up  work  at  Holyoke  and  for 
several  years  worked  there  and  at  Spring- 
field, Massachusetts.  On  account  of  failing 
health  he  later  purchased  a  farm  in  Wor- 
cester county,  near  Brookfield,  and  engaged 
in  general  farming.  He  later  purcliased 
another  farm,  and  while  successfully  operat- 
ing his  two  farms  he  also  worked  in  machine 
shops  at  various  times  for  about  twenty 
years.  In  1888  he  decided  to  dispose  of  his 
])roperty  in  Massachusetts  and  remove  to 
tlie  western  coast.  For  a  time  he  was  en- 
gaged in  selling  his  real-estate  holdings  and, 
in  the  spring  of  1888,  he  made  an  inspec- 
tion trip  to  Oregon  and  while  there  pur- 
chased three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of 
hind  in  Columbia  county,  thirty  miles  from 
Portland.  He  then  returned  to  Massachu- 
setts in  the  summer  of  that  year  and  the 
following  year  brought  his  family  and  seven 
other  people  with  him  to  Oregon.  The  busi- 
ness conditions  at  that  time  in  this  state 
proved  unfavorable  and  5fr.  Lamb,  with  his 
family  and  the  entire  party,  who  had  come 
to  Oregon,  returned  to  Massachusetts,  where 
he  continued  to  live  for  four  years  during 
vliieh  time  he  occupied  himself  in  the  pur- 
suit of  his  trade  in  machine  shops.  In  1893, 
he  again  came  to  Oregon  and  this  time  made 
a  permanent  settlement  in  Yoncalln.  at  which 
place  lie  built  the  residence  in  which  he  now 
lives.  Since  establishing  his  home  in  Von- 
calla  he  has  been  engaged  in  buying  and 
selling  farm  and  ranch  lands  in  this  part 
of  Oregon.  He.  at  one  time,  owned  two  hun- 
dred and  forty  acres  in  the  vicinity  of  Yon- 


746 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


calla,  all  of  which  he  has  disposed  of,  at  a 
very  advanced  price,  selling  a  large  part  of 
his  land  near  Yoncalla  for  four  hundred 
dollars   per  acre. 

Mr.  Lamb  was  united  in  marriage  June 
20.  1S69,  to  Miss  Mary  Prest,  of  Whitins- 
ville,  JIassachusetts,  and  they  are  the  par- 
ents of  three  children,  one  of  whom  survives, 
Gertrude  H.,  the  wife  of  C.  H.  Daugherty, 
an  extensive  prune  grower  of  Yoncalla.  Mr. 
Jyamb  is  affiliated  with  the  republican  party 
and  has  served  twelve  years  as  a  member  of 
the  school  board.  He  was  elected  clerk  of 
the  board  at  the  time  the  new  schoolhouse 
•nas  erected  and  was  one  of  the  dominant 
factors  in  securing  the  building,  which  was 
eventually  completed  after  a  severe  and  pro- 
longed contest.  He  has  served  repeatedly 
as  a  member  of  the  town  council  and  as 
town  recorder  and  town  clerk  and  is  the 
present  incumbent  in  the  office  of  mayor 
of  Yoncalla. 

Alonzo  \\'.  Lamb,  since  taking  up  his  res- 
idence in  Oregon,  has  been  identified  with 
the  development  of  the  agricultural  and 
business  interests  of  the  section  in  which  he 
lives  and  is  a  man  who  is  held  in  high  es- 
teem by  all  who  know  him. 

RICHARD  LYSTER.  Six  hundred  acres  of 
land  fifteen  miles  up  the  Smith  river  from 
Gardiner,  Oregon,  intelligently  developed  along 
modern  lines,  an  extensive  stock-raising  en- 
terprise directed  with  conspicuous  ability, 
and  a  dairy  business  of  rapidly  expanding 
proportions  are  the  contributions  which  Rich- 
ard Lyster  has  made  to  the  progress  of 
Douglas  county  and  have  been  the  means  of 
placing  him  among  the  foremost  citizens  of 
that  section.  He  was  born  on  the  Smith 
river,  near  Gardiner,  Oregon,  and  is  thus  num- 
bered among  the  native  sons  of  this  state. 
His  natal  day  was  June  29,  186S,  and  hia 
parents  were  .John  and  Elizabeth  (Elliott) 
Lyster.  the  former  a  native  of  Canada  and 
the  latter  of  New  York  state.  John  Lyster 
earae  to  California  from  Canada  when  he  was 
a  young  man  and  for  several  years  was  en- 
gaged in  the  logging  business  in  that  state  in 
partnership  with  Solomon  Perkins.  In  1865 
they  came  to  Oregon,  arriving  in  Gardiner 
on  May  1,  of  the  same  year,  and  continued 
their  partnership  in  the  lumber  business  for 
twenty  years.  John  Lyster  subsequently 
bought  a  ranch  five  miles  up  the  Smith  river 
from  Gardiner  tut  retained  this  property, 
only  a  short  time.  He  disposed  of  his  hold- 
ings in  order  to  purchase  a  ranch  lyins  across 
the  river  from  his  son's  present  property, 
fifteen  miles  up  the  river  from  Gardiner.  He 
later  bought  three  other  ranches  on  the  north 
fork  and  owned  and  operated  these  with  re- 
markable success  until  his  death,  in  1894, 
when  he  was  fifty-seven  years  of  age.  His 
wife  is  still  living  and  resides  in  Corvallis, 
Oregon,  where  she  is  well  known  and  popu- 
lar. 

Eichard  Lyster  remained  at  home  during 
his  childhood  and  acquired  his  education  in 
the  common  schools  of  Douglas  county.  He 
had  but  limited  opportunities  in  this  line  and 
was   able   to   pursue   his   studies   only  three 


months  in  each  winter.  At  the  early  age  of 
sixteen  he  began  life  for  himself,  working 
in  the  lumber  woods  and  for  many  years 
was  identified  with  the  logging  industry  when 
he  was  not  needed  in  the  operation  of  the 
home  ranch.  L'pon  his  marriage,  in  May,  1891, 
he  rented  a  ranch  on  the  north  fork  of  the 
Smith  river,  which  he  operated  with  much  suc- 
cess for  a  few  years  and  in  1900  was  able 
to  purchase  the  old  home  farm  from  his 
mother,  on  which  he  resided  for  seven  years. 
He  gained  in  this  time  a  practical  knowledge 
of  modern  and  progressive  agriculture  in  the 
aspects  which  it  assumes  In  the  American 
northwest  and  was  prosperous  and  success- 
ful as  a  farmer.  He  sold  the  homestead 
eventually  and  purchased  a  portion  of  his 
present  ranch.  His  original  holdings  com- 
prise one  hundred  and  seventy-two  acres  lying 
just  across  the  river  from  his  father's  home- 
stead. He  has  made  extensive  improvements 
upon  his  property  and  has  added  to  his  hold- 
ings at  different  times.  He  now  operates  live 
or  six  hundred  acres  of  the  most  fertile  and 
productive  land  in  Douglas  county  and  rents 
adjoining  tracts.  He  is  engaged  in  stock- 
raising  on  a  large  scale  and  this  branch  of 
his  activities  forms  a  valuable  source  of  in- 
come to  him.  He  also  specializes  in  dairy- 
ing and  has  built  up  a  flourishing  and  rapidly 
expanding  business  in  this  line.  He  bases 
his  success  on  progressive  and  sanitary  meth- 
ods, efficient  modern  equipment  and  intelli- 
gent and  persevering  labor. 

On  May  18,  1891,  Mr.  Lyster  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Gertrude  Dewar.  a  native 
of  ^Minnesota  and  a  daughter  of  William 
Dewar.  who  came  to  Oregon  and  located  on 
Schofield  creek.  Douglas  county,  in  1875.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Lyster  have  six  children:  Sher- 
man; Hazel,  the  wife  of  Xelson  McCullough. 
of  Marshfield,  Oregon;  Virginia;  Geneva; 
Lyle:  and  Harry.  All  of  the  children  are 
living  at  home  with  their  parents  except  the 
eldest  daughter.  Hazel. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Lyster  gives  his 
allegiance  to  the  socialist  party,  being  a 
firm  believer  in  the  principles  which  he  ad- 
vocates. He  has  served  as  road  supervisor 
of  his  district  with  much  success  and  his 
political  life  has  always  been  distinguished 
by  strict  integrity  and  intelligent  activity. 
Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  Sunset  Lodge, 
No.  109.  A.  0.  U.  W..  and  of  Gardiner  Lodge. 
Xo.  132,  I.  0.  0.  F..  in  which  organization  he 
is  connected  with  Encampment.  Xo.  69.  !Mrs. 
Lyster  is  a  member  of  the  Riverside  Lodge 
of  Rebekahs.  Xo.  100.  ;Mr.  Lyster  is  one  of 
the  substantial  and  well  known  men  who 
own  productive  ranches  on  the  Smith  river. 
Intelligent  activity  always  results  in  success 
and  when  it  is  combined,  as  in  the  case  of 
Mr.  Lyster.  with  industry  and  concentrated 
purpose  it  inevitably  results  in  general  ex- 
pansion  and  development. 

REV.  THOMAS  A.  YOST  is  a  regularly 
ordained  and  qualified  ehler  of  the  United 
Evangelical  church,  to  which  organization  he 
has  given  many  years  of  successful,  minis- 
terial labor.  He  was  born  in  Armstrong, 
Pennsylvania,  April  7,   1847,  a   son  of  Reu- 


o 

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^^THE  NEW  YORK  ' 
■""'^     LIBRARY 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OP  OREGON 


lid 


ben   and    Sarah    Yost.    His   paternal   grand- 
parents  were   natives    of    Germany   and   liis 
maternal  grandparent  was  of  Scotch  descent. 
The   father,   Reuben   Yost,  was   a  native   of 
Pennsylvania  and  in  early   life  became  pro- 
ficient as  a  blacksmith  and  carpenter.     JJur- 
ing   his   early   years  he  was  alternately  en- 
gaged   in    the    pursuit   of   the   crafts   of   his 
trades  and  in  later  years  became  a  partner  in 
a  merchandising  business  in  his  native  state. 
In   his   family   were  nine   children:    Susanna 
and  Mary,  both  deceased,  the  former  having 
passed  away  in  infancy;  Thomas  A.,  of  this 
review;  Francis  M.,  who  is  engaged  in  farm- 
ing  in   Reno   county,    Kansas,   and   is   mar- 
ried and  has  six  children;  Rebecca  and  Emma, 
both  deceased;  Aaron,  who  is  a  sawmill  oper- 
ator of  Black  Rock,  Oregon,  and  is  married 
and  has  live  children;  Maggie,  deceased;  and 
William,  a  mill  man  of  Polk  county,  Oregon. 
Thomas  A.  Yost  was  reared  at  home  and 
educated   in  the  public  schools.     During  the 
early  years  of  his  life,  after  completing  his 
studies,    he    became    an    apprenticed    wheel- 
wright  and   blacksmith   under   the   direction 
of  his  father  and  continued  to  be  so  engaged 
until  he  had  fully  mastered  each  of  the  above 
named  crafts.     He  remained  under  the  par- 
ental  roof   until   he   was    twenty-one    years 
of  age,  at  which  time  he  engaged  independ- 
ently  in   the   blacksmith  business,   to   which 
he  continued  to  give  his  entire  attention  for 
a  period   of   fourteen   years,  after  which  he 
removed  to  the  west  and  settled  near  Lewis- 
ville,  in  Polk  county,  Oregon,  where  be  pur- 
chased one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land 
and  was  there  engaged  in  farming  for  three 
years.     During  the  time  he  was  engaged  in 
agricultural   pursuits   he  became   a  qualified 
and   licensed   preacher  of  the   United   Evan- 
gelical church  and  to  the  work  of  the  min- 
istry  he   consecrated  his   entire   time   for   a 
period  of  sixteen  years.     During  all  of  that 
time  without   interruption  he   served  in  the 
regular    appointments    of    his    church,   being 
engaged  as  pastor  on  four  separate  fields  of 
labor.     Since  his  retirement  from  the  active 
ministry  he  has  been  engaged  in  varied  busi- 
ness  interests   and   is   now   devoting  his  at- 
tention principally  to  the  occupation  of  nur- 
seryman.   He.    however,    often    supplies    the 
pulpits    in    and    about    the    neighborhood   of 
his    home.     At    the   time   he   established   his 
home    in    Oregon    he    preempted    a   claim   of 
one  hundred  and  fifty-one  acres,  located  on 
the  Siuslaw  river,  and  afterwards  purchased 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  which  he  later 
sold  to  the  Siuslaw  Boom  Company.     Imme- 
diately  thereafter,   he   invested   in    one   hun- 
dred and  forty-three  acres  of  excellent  agri- 
cultural  land,   which   he   is   now   engaged   in 
developing  into  a   model   nursery,  which   in- 
cludes all  of  the  varieties  of  apples  and  small 
fruits  suitable  for  culture  in  the  interraoun- 
tain   district  of  the  Pacific  coast. 

On  May  6,  1868.  Rev.  Yost  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Eliza  A.  Shick.  a  daugh- 
ter of  Mr.  and  Jlrs.  Valentine  Shick.  both  of 
whom  were  natives  of  Pennsylvania.  To  Rev. 
and  Mrs.  Y'ost  nine  children  have  been  born. 
Jesse  W.  is  a  dairyman  of  Polk  county, 
and  holds  the  record  of  having  the  largest 
Vol  IT— 3 1 


output  of  cream  in  his  community.  He  is 
married  and  has  three  children,  George,  Hazel 
and  Mabel.  Clara  passed  away  at  the  age 
of  twelve.  Ida  died  at  the  age  of  three  and 
Reuben  at  seventeen.  Mattie  is  the  wife 
of  Richard  Hensley,  a  dairyman,  and  they 
reside  on  the  north  fork  of  the  Siuslaw 
river;  By  her  marriage  she  has  become  the 
mother  of  four  children.  Sadie  married 
William  Jeffcoth,  a  dairyman  of  Stayton, 
Oregon.  William  A.  is  a  teacher  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Glenada  and  is  also  engaged 
in  the  building  of  boats.  He  is  married  and 
has  two  children.  Wilkie  C.  and  Francis  M. 
reside  at  home  with  their  parents. 

Rev.  Thomas  A.  Yost  was  for  many  years 
a  consistent  and  loyal  adherent  of  the  re- 
publican party.  Later  in  fife,  however,  he 
has  divided  his  support  between  that  great 
political  organization  and  the  prohibition 
party.  Fraternally  he  is  associated  with 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  of 
which  benevolent  association  he  has  been  a 
member  since  twenty-one  years  of  age,  and 
he  also  belongs  to  the  Masonic  order.  He 
is  a  regularly  licensed  and  ordained  elder  of 
the  United  Evangelical  church  and  has  in- 
deed accomplished  much  during  his  lifetime 
for  the  improvement  and  uplift  of  mankind. 
Sixteen  of  the  strongest  years  of  his  man- 
hood were  devoted  to  work  of  the  gospel. 
Failing  health  necessitated  a  change  of  voca- 
tion, however,  and  since  that  time  he  has 
been  a  successful  agriculturist  of  Point  Ter- 
race in  Lane  county,  this  state.  He  is  a 
highly  respected  man  and  is  now  engaged 
in  laying  the  foundations  for  a  first-class 
nursery,  which  bids  fair  to  give  a  strong 
impetus   to  fruit  culture  in  this  state. 

J.  W.  LINDSAY  is  now  living  retired  in 
Klamath  Falls  but  is  still  the  owner  of  good 
ranch  property  in  southern  Oregon.  He  was 
born  in  Saline  county.  Missouri,  June  29, 
1849,  a  son  of  David  and  .Julia  -\nn  (Mul- 
lens) Lindsay.  James  W.  Lindsay  is  under- 
stood to  be  a  scion  of  the  old  Lindsay  fam- 
ily of  Maryland  and  Kentucky  and  hence 
descended  from  the  powerful  Lindsay  clan 
of  Scotland,  which  was  more  powerful  in 
some  periods  of  Scottish  history  than  even 
the  royal  family,  to  which  it  was  closely  re- 
lated. Its  Viking  blood,  coming  down  the  cen- 
turies from  Nlord.  king  of  Sweden,  gave  vir- 
ility to  many  old  Scottish  clansmen  and  to 
many  of  their  descendants  in  America,  among 
whom  may  be  mentioned  General  and  Gov- 
ernor Spottswood  of  pre-Revolutionary  times; 
and  the  Lees,  Tuckers,  Moorcs,  Dandridges, 
Randalls  and  other  leading  families  of  Vir- 
ginia. General  Robert  E.  Lee,  son  of  "Light 
Horse  Harry"  of  the  Revolution,  was  a  lineal 
descendant  of  Rachel,  daughter  of  Sir  David 
Lindsay,  lion  king  at  arms  of  Scotland,  chief 
of  the  knights.  The  three  Applegate  broth- 
ers, Charles,  .lease  and  Lindsay,  who  were 
leading  men  in  the  great  emigration  from 
■Missouri  to  Oregon  in  1843,  were  sons  of 
Rachel  Lindsay  of  Kentucky  and  cousins  to 
General  .Tesse  Lindsay  of  the  War  of  1812. 
.1.  W.  Lindsay  is  also  distantly  related  to 
the  Applegate  family,  one  of  the  oldest  and 


750 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTOKY  OF  OREGON 


most  numerous  families  in  soutliern  Oregon. 
His  father.  David  Lindsay,  was  born  in  Uear- 
born  county,  Indiana,  and  in  Saline  county, 
Missouri,  wedded  Julia  Ann  Mullens,  a  na- 
tive of  Cooper  county,  Missouri.  In  1849 
Ue  crossed  the  plains  to  California,  going 
first  to  Hangtown,  now  Placerville,  where 
he  engaged  in  mining  for  about  a  year  and 
a  half.  He  then  returned  to  Missouri  by 
boat  and  sutlered  shipwreck  off  tlie  coast 
of  Acapulco.  At  length,  however,  he  reached 
home  in  safety  and  remained  a  resident  of 
Missouri  until  1864.  when  he  crossed  the 
plains  to  the  Grande  Eonde  valley  of  Oregon. 
In  1865  he  removed  to  Lane  county  and  in 
1868  became  a  resident  of  .Josephine  county. 
He  died  at  Grants  Pass.  December  3,  1907, 
when  in  the  eighty-sixth  year  of  his  age, 
his  birth  having  occurred  on  the  1st  of  May, 
1822.  Most  of  his  life  had  been  devoted  to 
farming  and  stock-raising.  He  served  as  a 
soldier  in  the  ilexican  war  and  also  under 
General  Price  in  the  Civil  war  and  thus  ren- 
dered valuable  aid  to  his  country  in  two  of 
lier  most  important  military  contests.  He 
lield  membership  with  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows  and  also  in  the  Methodist 
cliurch.  South.  His  widow,  who  was  born 
.January  1.  1832.  still  survives  him  and  is 
living  at  Grants  Pass,  Oregon.  In  their  fam- 
ily were  nine  children:  J.  W.,  who  was  born 
while  his  father  was  in  California  in  1849; 
JIartha,  who  is  the  widow  of  Si  Messenger, 
of  Grants  Pass;  Mrs.  Emma  Twiggar.  of 
Portland.  Oregon;  Luella.  the  wife  of  T.  Y. 
Dean,  of  Grants  Pass;  Jlrs.  Belle  Herbie,  of 
Grants  Pass;  JIis.  Bessie  Carr,  of  Portland; 
David  La  Grande,  of  Grants  Pass;  Richard; 
and  Jefferson. 

J.  W.  Lindsay  resided  with  his  parents  until 
twenty-four  years  of  age.  He  accompanied 
tlie  family  on  their  westward  removal  and 
in  1873  became  a  resident  of  Klamath  county, 
where  he  has  since  made  his  home.  Here 
he  was  engaged  in  the  stock  business  until 
May  26.  1911.  when  he  retired  to  Klamath 
Falls.  Year  after  year  his  live-stock  inter- 
ests were  carefully  conducted  and  brought  to 
liim  substantia!  financial  returns.  He  now  owns 
a  ranch  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
forty  miles  east  of  Klamath  Falls  and  in 
addition  has  some  city  property.  He  was  in 
the  employ  of  the  United  States  government 
here  during  the  Modoc  Indian  war  of  1873. 
although  not  regularly  enlisted  for  the  serv- 
ice. He  has  been  a  witness  of  all  the  various 
changes  which  have  transformed  Klamath 
county  from  a  pioneer  district  into  a  thickly 
populated  and  prosperous  section-  of  the 
state.  As  a  stock-raiser  he  showed  sound 
judgment,  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  best 
grades  of  stock  and  put  forth  earnest  effort 
to  improve  on  the  kind  of  stock  raised  in 
this  part  of  the  state. 

In  1873  Mr.  Lindsay  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Jliss  Mollie  Witt,  a  native  of  Ore- 
gon. They  have  two  children:  Dora,  the 
wife  of  .Joseph  Lane,  of  Lakeview;  and  Ad- 
die,  the  wife  of  .John  H.  Zwald.  of  Oakland. 
California.  On  the  19th  of  February.  1900. 
Mr.  Lindsay  married  Mrs.  Alice  Campbell, 
widow  of  .loseph  Campbell  and  a  daughter  of 


Hartlett  Oberchain,  who  was  a  native  of 
\  irginia  and  in  18G1  came  to  the  Rogue 
river  country  of  Oregon,  where  he  died  four 
years  ago.  He  had  twelve  cliildren,  eight 
of  whom  are  now  living,  and  Mrs.  Lindsay 
had  six  children  by  her  first  marriage.  She 
was  one  of  the  first  students  in  the  first 
academy  in  the  Rogue  river  valley,  located 
at  Ashland. 

Mr.  Lindsay  has  led  an  active  life,  so  that 
his  present  rest  from  labor  is  well  deserved. 
He  has  seen  great  changes  since  coming 
to  the  coast,  having  lived  here  for  forty-eight 
years.  Realizing  the  trend  of  events  along 
the  line  of  progress,  he  has  cooperated  in 
the  work  of  general  improvement  and  is 
justly  accounted  one  of  the  representative 
and  valued  citizens  of  Klamath  county. 

GEORGE  W.  VOGEL.  Through  indefatiga- 
ble effort  and  judicious  investment  George 
W.  ^'ogel  has  won  the  right  to  be  classed 
with  the  representative  citizens  and  men  of 
affluence  in  Rainier,  where  he  is  now  en- 
gaged extensively  and  successfully  in  the  real- 
estate,  loan  and  insurance  business,  handling 
both  city  and  country  property  on  his  own 
behalf  and  for  others.  With  keen  insight 
he  recognizes  the  possibilities  of  a  situation 
and  so  places  his  investments  that  good  re- 
turns are  achieved. 

Mr.  Vogel  was  born  in  Hollidaysburg,  Blair 
county,  Pennsylvania.  April  13.  1860.  His 
father,  Frederick  Vogel,  was  born  in  Alsace, 
(Tcrmany.  April  12,  1828.  and  in  the  year 
1S46  crossed  the  Atlantic,  establishing  his 
home  in  Pennsylvania.  He  was  there  re- 
siding at  the  time  of  the  outbreak  of  the 
Civil  war  and  in  1864  he  espoused  the  cause 
of  his  adopted  country,  enlisting  with  a  regi- 
ment of  Pennsylvania  volunteers.  He  par- 
ticipated in  several  engagements  and  was 
with  Grant  in  front  of  Richmond  when 
Stonewall  .Jackson  surrendered.  He  never 
made  his  way  farther  west  than  Minnesota, 
where  he  took  up  his  abode  in  1878,  there 
giving  his  attention  to  general  agricultural 
pursuits  imtil  his  death  in  1901.  He  wedded 
Mary  Schmidt,  who  was  born  in  Germany  in 
1S40  and  was  brought  to  the  United  States 
when  only  a  year  old.  In  their  family  were 
twelve  children,  nine  sons  and  three  daugh- 
ters. 

George  W.  Vogel  pursued  his  education  in 
the  common  schools  of  Pennsylvania  and  in 
the  normal  school  of  St.  Cloud,  Minnesota, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  with  the  class 
of  1888.  Previous  to  that  time,  however, 
he  had  engaged  in  teaching  school  and  thus 
provided  the  funds  necessary  to  enable  him 
to  continue  his  own  course.  Following  his 
graduation  he  turned  his  attention  to  the 
real-estate  business  in  St.  Cloud  in  com- 
pany with  Captain  West.  There  he  remained 
until  1893.  when  he  came  to  the  Pacific 
coast  country,  making  his  way  to  Wash- 
ington, where  he  engaged  in  teaching  school 
and  music  for  several  years  after  devoting 
one  year  to  mining  in  that  state.  In  1896 
he  went  to  Circle  City.  Alaska,  and  en- 
gaged in  the  packing  business,  making  trips 
to   the   mines   from    Circle   Citv.   which   was 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


al 


then  a  very  extensive  tuwn  euuiiiciseil  en- 
tirely of  log  cabins.  Mr.  N'of^el  remained 
111  Alaska  tor  seven  years,  opened  up  the 
tirst  big  tent  restaurant  in  Dawson  and 
also  introduced  the  first  moving  picture  show 
there.  After  his  experience  in  that  north- 
ern country  he  returned  soutliward  and  in 
iy02  located  in  Seattle,  where  he  was  en- 
gaged in  the  real-estate  business  tor  about 
five  jears  or  until  1907,  when  he  came  to 
Kainier.  Here  he  opened  a  real-estate,  loan 
and  insurance  otlice  and  has  since  been  ac- 
corded a  large  clientele,  conducting  an  exten- 
sive business  in  all  branches.  He  handles 
his  own  property  as  well  as  real  estate  be- 
longing to  others  and  his  wise  investment  has 
brought  him  a  substantial  return.  He  has 
firm  faith  in  the  future  of  Rainier,  which  is 
growing  steadily  in  population,  a  number  of 
manufacturing  interests  being  here  estab- 
lished at  a  recent  date,  which  has  brought 
a  considerable  number  of  peo]de  to  the  town 
and  promises  well  for  its  future  prosperity. 
On  the  7th  of  June.  lyOil.  Mr.  Vogel  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Exel  LeDuc.  who 
was  born  in  L'Anse,  Michigan,  a  daughter 
of  .Joseph  LeDuc.  a  timberman  of  that  dis- 
trict. Both  ilr.  and  Mrs.  Vogel  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Catholic  church.  His  political 
allegiance  is  given  to  the  republican  party 
and  he  has  served  as  president  of  the  water 
board  but  is  not  an  active  ])olitician  in  the 
sense  of  office  seeking,  preferring  to  concen- 
trate his  time  and  energies  upon  his  busi- 
ness  affairs,   which,   carefully   managed,   are 


CHARLES  E.  FLATMAN  has  for  the  past 
twenty-two  years  been  emjiloyed  by  the  gov- 
ernment as  a  carpenter  at  Fort  Stevens. 
His  birth  occurred  in  Suffolk.  England,  on 
the  3d  of  April,  1838.  his  parents  being  East- 
gate  and  Harriet  Flatman  who  spent  their 
entire  lives  in  that  country,  the  father  pass- 
ing away  in  1869  and  the  mother  in  1848. 
Kastgate  Flatman  followed  carpentering  and 
contracting  throughout  his  entire  business 
career.  He  was  the  father  of  nine  children, 
of  whom  Charles  is  the  only  survivor  and 
the   only   one  who  came   to   America. 

Charles  E.  Flatman  spent  the  first  thirty- 
one  years  of  his  life  in  the  land  of  his  nativ- 
ity and  in  1869  emigrated  to  North  America, 
settling  first  in  Belleville,  Canada,  where  he 
worked  at  the  carpenter's  trade  for  one  year. 
He  next  spent  six  months  in  Brantford.  Can- 
ada, and  then  crossed  the  border  into  the 
T'nited  States,  locating  at  Fort  Gratiot.  Mich- 
igan, where  he  remained  for  a  similar  period. 
Subsequently  he  removed  to  Detroit.  Michi- 
gan, and  there  was  employed  in  the  car  shops 
of  the  Michigan  Central  Railroad  as  a  builder 
of  passenger  cars  for  a  period  of  fifteen  years. 
In  1889  he  came  to  Clatsop  county.  Oregon, 
and  has  since  remained  in  the  government 
service  as  a  carpenter  at  Fort  Stevens.  He 
has  maintained  his  residence  at  Hammond 
for  the  past  eleven  years,  but  prior  to  1900 
his  family  lived  at  .Jordan.  I>inn  county. 
Oregon.  In  addition  to  his  home  he  also 
owns  some   property  at  Portland. 


In  lh()ll,  in  l.onduii.  England,  Mr.  Flatman 
uedded  .Mi.ss  ,\laiy  A.  T.  Thompson,  who  was 
liiere  born  on  the  24th  of  December,  1843. 
Her  parents,  Ceorge  and  Mary  Thompson, 
were  likewise  natives  of  England  and  cele-  ' 
brated  their  marriage  in  that  country.  Mrs. 
Thompson  jiassed  away  when  her  daugliter 
Mary  was  but  four  years  of  age,  leaving  a 
family  of  three  children,  as  follows:  George, 
whose  demise  occurred  in  the  Bermudas, 
\\est  Indies:  Mrs.  Flatman:  and  Robert,  who 
is  also  deceased.  Unto  our  sul)ject  and  his 
wife  were  born  six  children,  namely:  (ieorgo, 
a  native  of  London,  England,  who  now  re- 
sides at  Hammond,  Oregon;  Charles  W'..  wdio 
«-as  likewise  born  in  England  an<l  now  makes 
his  home  at  (irand  Rapids,  Michigan:  .Vrtliur, 
a  native  of  London,  England,  who  now  re- 
sides at  Mill  City,  Marion  county,  Oregon; 
Frank,  who  was  born  in  ilichigan  and  now 
lives  at  Hammond,  Oregon;  Robert,  who  is 
deceased;  and  one  who  died  in  infancy. 

Mr.  Flatman  gives  his  political  allegiance 
to  the  republican  party  but  has  never  sought 
office  as  a  reward  for  his  party  fealty.  He 
is  an  Episcopalian  in  religious  faith  and 
fraternally  is  identified  with  the  Red  Men  at 
Hammond.  In  the  community  where  they  re- 
side both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Flatman  are  well 
known  and  higlily  esteemed  as  people  of  gen- 
uine jjcrsonal  worth. 

JOHN  B.  COFFEY,  occupying  a  position 
of  leadership  in  the  ranks  of  the  republican 
party  in  Oregon  and  known  in  business  cir- 
cles of  Portland  as  an  enterprising  and  suc- 
cessful merchant  tailor,  has  throughout  his 
entire  life  been  identified  with  the  interests 
of  the  state.  He  was  born  in  Salem  on  tlie 
13th  of  September,  1867.  His  father,  James 
Coff'ey,  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  became 
a  member  of  the  United  States  army  and 
came  to  Oregon  with  Captain  Augur,  after- 
ward brigadier  general,  about  18:")2.  He  re- 
mained for  some  time  at  Fort  Iloskins,  but 
.subsequently  went  to  Corvallis  and  after- 
waril  to  Salem,  where  he  spent  his  remain- 
ing days  engaged  in  the  furniture  business. 
He  was  jjolice  judge  and  justice  of  the  peace 
for  about  fourteen  years  in  that  city,  wdiich 
service  won  him  the  title  of  Squire  Coffey. 
His  decisions  were  strictly  fair  and  impar- 
tial and  that  his  incumbency  in  office  was 
satisfactory  to  his  fellow  townsmen  is  indi- 
cated bv  his  long  retention  in  the  position. 
He  died  December  3K  1888.  at  the  age  of 
fifty-two  years.  His  wife,  who  bore  the 
maiden  name  of  Hannah  Ilarrigan.  removed 
from  Massachusetts  to  California.  Like  her 
husband,  she  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  both 
having  come  to  the  new  world  in  early  child- 
hood days.  Their  marriage  was  celebrated 
at  San  Francisco  and  Mrs.  ColTey  is  still  liv- 
ing in  Portland  at  the  age  of  seventy-three 
years.  For  a  considerable  period  and  at  the 
time  of  his  death  ho  was  a  member  of  tlic 
Pioneer  Society. 

.John  B.  CofTey  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Salem  and  in  Willamette  Uni- 
versity and  entering  business  life  occupied 
the  position  of  telegraph  operator  at  Salem 
until  the   14th  of  September,  1886,  when  he 


r52 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


was  transferred  to  Portland.  Here  he  con- 
tinued in  a  similar  position  until  1S87,  when, 
feeling  that  the  opportunity  for  advancement 
in  that  direction  was  limited,  he  turned  his 
attention  to  the  clothing  business,  in  which 
ho  was  associated  with  A.  B.  Crosman  until 
.1899.  In  that  year  he  opened  his  present 
merchant  tailoring  establishment,  to  whicli 
he  has  given  the  greater  part  of  his  attention 
since.  He  continues  one  of  the  leading  mer- 
chants of  this  character  in  Portland  and 
draws  his  patronage  from  among  the  best 
residents  of   the  city. 

In  other  fields  Jlr.  Coffey  has  become  widely 
known.  He  is  a  leading  member  of  the 
Portland  Lodge  of  Elks,  of  which  he  is  a  past 
exalted  ruler,  while  at  the  present  writing 
he  is  filling  the  office  of  treasurer.  He  has 
remained  in  office  continuously  for  nine  years. 
He  also  belongs  to  the  Royal  Arcanum,  the 
Tribe  of  Ben  Hur,  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
and  the  Knights  and  Ladies  of  Security.  He, 
moreover,  cooperates  in  the  movements  in- 
stituted by  the  Commercial  Club  for  the  de- 
velopment of  Portland's  interests  and  the 
promotion  of  her  growth. 

In  political  connections  Mr.  Coffey  is  per- 
haps even  more  widely  known.  He  is  rec- 
ognized as  one  of  the  efficient  workers  in  the 
ranks  of  the  republican  party  and  in  1906 
was  elected  to  represent  his  district  in 
the  state  legislature.  The  following  year 
he  was  a  candidate  for  mayor  and  ran  sec- 
ond among  four  contestants.  Still  higher 
honors  awaited  him,  however,  for  in  190S 
he  was  elected  to  the  state  senate  for  a  term 
of  four  years.  He  gives  to  each  question 
which  comes  up  for  settlement  his  earnest 
consideration  and  bis  indorsment  of  any 
measure  is  an  indication  of  his  honest  belief 
in  its  efficacy  as  a  feature  of  good  govern- 
ment or  as  an  element  in  the  promotion  of 
the  best  interests  of  the  commonwealth. 

Mr.  Coffey  was  married  in  Portland.  No- 
vember 8,  1893,  to  Miss  Marie  Boire.  a  daugh- 
ter of  Ludger  Boire,  of  this  city.  They  have 
four  children:  Genevieve,  fifteen  years  of 
age;  Marian,  aged  fourteen  years;  Valiere, 
nine  years;  and  James,  seven.  The  family 
residence  is  at  No.  449  Benton  street.  The 
advancement  of  Mr.  Coffey  either  in  business 
or  political  circles  is  not  due  to  any  fortu- 
nate combination  of  circumstances  but  is  the 
direct  and  legitimate  result  of  his  own  ef- 
forts and  ability  whereby  he  has  come  to  be 
known  as  one  of  the  foremost  residents  of 
Portland. 

HON.  BENJAMIN  HUNTINGTON,  Jr.,  is 
one  of  the  foremost  business  men  of  Drain 
and  is  also  active  in  the  educational  and 
political  life  of  Douglas  county.  He  is  a 
native  son  of  Oregon,  having  been  born  in 
Scotts  Valley,  Douglas  county,  on  September 
22,  1881.  His  parents  were  Benjamin  and 
Mary  (Miller)  Huntington,  of  whom  more 
extended  mention  is  made  on  another  page 
in  this  work. 

Benjamin  Huntington  .Jr.,  spent  his  early 
life  at  home  and  acquired  his  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  his  native  state.  Tie 
later  attended  the  Central  Oregon  State  Nor- 


al  School  at  Drain  and  was  graduated  from 
this  institution  with  the  class  of  1901.  He 
immediately  took  up  the  study  of  pharmacy, 
entering  the  drug  store  of  Joseph  Lyons.  He 
spent  two  years  acquiring  the  details  of  this 
science  and  during  the  same  period  acted 
as  assistant  postmaster  of  the  city  and  was 
prominently  identified  with  one  of  its  bank- 
ing institutions.  In  the  fall  of  1903  ha 
entered  the  State  University  of  Oregon,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  with  the  degree  of 
B.  A.  in  1908.  Mr.  Huntington  has  always 
been  an  earnest  student,  a  lover  of  good 
books  and  a  deep  reader.  The  efficient  educa. 
tion  which  he  has  obtained  was  entirely  the 
result  of  his  efforts.  Although  he  had  the 
privilege  of  drawing  upon  his  father  for 
funds  in  order  to  pursue  his  studies,  he  never 
made  use  of  this  advantage,  preferring  to 
make  his  way  independently.  He  worked  his 
own  way  through  college  and  made  such  a 
brilliant  record  in  his  work  that  upon  his 
graduation  he  was  offered  the  chair  of  United 
States  history  and  civics  in  the  Eugene  high 
school,  Eugene,  Oregon.  When  he  accepted 
the  position  he  was  put  in  charge  of  classes 
in  his  two  special  subjects  and  was  also  ap- 
pointed coach  of  the  debating  team.  He  did 
such  successful  work  as  a  teacher  that  in  the 
second  year  of  his  connection  with  the  school 
he  was  appointed  assistant  principal,  still 
retaining,  however,  his  position  as  instructor 
in  debating.  He  severed  his  connection  with 
the  Eugene  high  school  in  1910  and  came 
to  Drain  in  June,  of  that  year.  In  the  May 
previous  to  this,  he  with  his  brother,  C.  P. 
Huntington,  and  his  father  had  purchased 
the  drug  business  of  E.  R.  Applegate  and 
upon  Benjamin  Huntington's  arrival  in  Drain 
he  took  in  charge  the  entire  direction  of  a 
most  flourishing  enterprise.  He  has  since 
retained  the  active  management  of  the  busi- 
ness and  under  his  control  and  policy  it  has 
developed  and  grown  into  one  of  the  largest 
pharmacies  in  Douglas  county.  The  interests 
in  the  business  which  his  father  and  brother 
hold  are  purely  financial  and  the  entire  charge 
of  the  enterprise  rests  with  Benjamin  Hunt- 
ington. He  carries  on  his  business  along 
progressive  and  scientific  lines.  He  is  an 
expert  pharmacist  and  well  acquainted  with 
the  chemical  combinations  of  drugs.  His 
knowledge  is  accurate  and  he  is  rapidly  ob- 
taining a  reputation  throughout  the  city  of 
Drain  as  a  careful  and  conscientious  worker 
in  his  chosen  field.  He  has,  however,  never 
slackened  in  his  interest  in  education  and  has 
done  remarkable  work  in  this  line.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  county  educational  board  and 
in  connection  with  his  duties  in  this  respect 
is  the  author  of  the  supervisory  law  which 
provides  for  deputy  superintendents  of  schools 
in  counties  having  more  than  fifty  districts. 
This  law  has  done  more  good  in  Douglas 
county  than  any  other  one  enactment  passed 
in  the  last  five  years  and  has  been  a  domi- 
nating influence  in  the  promotion  of  general 
education  throughout  the  state. 

Politically  Mr.  Huntington  gives  his  alle- 
giance to  the  republican  party.  He  is  a 
stanch  supporter  of  the  local  organization 
and  has  been  prominent  in  public  affairs  of 


BKN.JA^IIX    III  NTINCTDX.  .Jl!. 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


(■JO 


his  county  and  state  for  several  years.  In 
November,  1910,  he  was  one  of  six  candi- 
dates for  the  nomination  for  state  repre- 
sentative on  the  republican  ticket.  He  was 
elected  by  a  large  majority  over  his  nearest 
competitor.  His  public  life  was  distinguished 
by  marked  ability  and  a  political  sense  which 
is  rare  and  which  always  makes  for  its 
possessor  a  brilliant  public  reputation.  His 
influence  was  always  given  to  the  cause  which 
he  believed  to  be  just  and  in  all  his  political 
career  his  actions  were  inliuenced  by  a  careful 
regard  for  the  wislies  of  the  people  he  served. 
Fraternally  Mr.  Huntington  holds  member- 
ship in  Drain  Camp,  Xo.  259,  W.  0.  W.,  but 
beyond  this  has  no  connections  of  this  kind. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  church  of 
Drain  and  is  a  well  known  figure  in  its  af- 
fairs. As  a  politician  and  as  an  educator  he 
does  the  real  and  active  work  of  his  life. 
Intelligent  ability  and  a  broad  tolerance  mark 
his  public  service.  His  work  on  the  educa- 
tional board  has  been  distinguished  and  emi- 
nent and  he  may  be  ranked  among  the  men 
whose  careers  have  been  conspicuously  useful 
in  raising  their  fellow  citizens  to  a  broader 
and  more  liberal  educational  life. 

ABRAHAM  VAN  ZILE  is  among  the 
widely  known  and  highly  respected  citizens 
of  Korth  Bend,  Coos  county,  where  he  is 
successfully  engaged  in  tlie'  banking  busi- 
ness, being  at  the  present  time  tlie  pres- 
ident of  the  First  National  Bank  of  North 
Bend.  Pie  was  born  in  1854.  in  New  York 
city,  and  is  a  son  of  Abraham  and  Harriett 
(Armour)  Van  Zile.  The  father's  people 
were  of  Holland  origin  and  the  founder  of 
the  family  settled  in  America  in  1630. 
Abraham  Van  Zile,  St.,  was  an  expert  ship 
carpenter  and  at  one  time  was  in  the  employ 
of  Commodore  Vandorbilt.  His  wife  was  a 
sister  of  tlie  late  Philip  D.  Armour  of  Chi- 
cago. To  them  were  born  six  children,  as 
follows:  Samuel,  a  furniture  dealer  of  North 
Bend;  Abraham,  of  this  review;  Charles,  en- 
gaged in  the  timber  business  at  North  Bend; 
William,  postmaster  at  Crandon.  Wisconsin; 
Nelson,  residing  in  Ancordis,  Washington; 
and  Harriett,  the  wife  of  N.  .J.  Cousins,  of 
Korth  Bend.  Both  the  father  and  mother 
ot  this  family  died  many  years  ago. 

Abraham  Van  Zile  was"  reared  at  home 
and  received  his  early  education  in  tlie  pub- 
lic schools.  He  remained  under  the  parental 
rcof  until  nineteen  years  of  age  and  tlien 
engaged  in  logging  in  Wisconsin,  in  com- 
pany with  a  partner,  and  continued  in  that 
business  for  ten  years.  He  next  opened 
a  merchandising  business  in  Crandon,  Wis- 
consin, having  some  time  previously  received 
the  appointment  of  postmaster.  On  April  6, 
1903.  he  removed  to  Oregon  and  settled  in 
Roseburg.  where  he  remained  for  a  short 
time  and  then  came  to  Coos  bay,  where  he 
later  purchased  property  at  North  Bend.  Tic 
was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  First  Na- 
tional Bank  of  North  Bend  and  is  the  holder 
of  the  first  stock  cprtillcafe  issued  by  that 
corporation.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the 
board  of  directors  since  the  bank  was  es- 
tablished and  in  1910  was  elected  president. 


On  settling  in  North  Bend  lie  engaged  in  the 
real-estate  and  insurance  business  and  pur- 
chased twelve  tliousand  dollars  worth  of  land 
as  an  initial  investment  and  lias  since  con- 
tinued to  operate  in  property  in  that  city 
and  in  Coos  county.  He  organized  the  Coos 
Bay  Tide  Land  Company,  of  which  he  is 
president,  and  also  organized  the  Oregon 
Trust  Company,  of  which  corporation  lie  is 
also  the  president,  lie  is  tlie  owner  of  many 
valuable  business  properties  and  uses  all  his 
private  funds  for  investment  purposes  at 
North  Bend. 

Mr.  Van  Zile  was  first  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Arika  Parsons,  a  native  of  New 
York,  who  removed  with  her  parents  to  Wis- 
consin at  an  early  day,  where  slie  celebrated 
her  marriage  and  died  in  1S90.  She  was 
the  mother  Of  oiie  child,  Harriett,  who  is  the 
widow  of  the  late  E.  Le  Roe  of  Seattle, 
Washington.  Mr.  Van  Zile  was  later  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Caroline  Parsons,  who 
is  a  cousin  of  the  first'  Mrs.  Van  Zile.  She 
is  a  native  of  New  York  and  tliey  are  tlie 
parents  of  two  children.  Ethel,  who  is  em- 
ployed by  her  father,  has  an  excellent  busi- 
ness education,  and  graduated  from  tlie 
commercial  course  at  Mount  Angel  Academy 
of  this  state.  Eva  Van  Zile  is  attending 
school. 

Mr.  Van  Zile  is  affiliated  with  the  repub- 
lican party  and  held  the  offices  of  constable, 
county  supervisor,  county  treasurer,  assessor 
and  county  commissioner  and  served  on  the 
seliool  board  for  fifteen  years  in  Wisconsin. 
During  his  residence  at  North  Bend  he  lias 
been  a  member  of  the  school  board  for  tliree 
years  and  councilman  for  two  years  and  for 
business  reasons  refused  to  run  for  the  of- 
fice of  mayor.  He  was  formerly  identified 
with  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Independ- 
ent Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  .\merica.  His  religious  sym- 
pathies are  with  the  Presbyterians  and 
Lutherans.  Abraham  Van  Zile  is  a  man  of 
unquestioned  integrity  and  one  of  the  most 
enterprising  citizens  of  this  portion  of  the 
state. 

HORACE  M.  MANNING  is  engaged  in  the 
general  practice  of  law  in  Klamath  Falls. 
He  was  born  in  .Tacksonville,  Oregon.  Sep- 
tember 20,  1879.  and  is  a  son  of  J.  W.  and 
Belle  (Galloway)  Manning,  the  former  a  na- 
tive of  Ohio  and  the  latter  of  Mississippi, 
both  of  whom  crossed  the  plains  at  an  early 
day  with  their  parents  and  later  were  mar- 
ried at  .Tacksonville.  In  1883  they  came  to 
Klamath  county,  where  they  now  reside. 
They  are  the  parents  of  eight  children,  six 
of  whom  are  living. 

Horace  M.  Manning  was  reared  in  his  par- 
ents' home  and  received  his  early  education 
in  the  public  schools.  In  1897  he  was  grad- 
uated from  the  high  school  at  Klamath  Falls 
and  from  1897  to  1S98  he  was  a  student  in 
the  State  Normal  School  at  Ashland.  In 
^farch.  1898,  he  went  to  Chicago,  where  he 
remained  until  1899.  He  then  entered  the 
iaw  department  of  the  Northwestern  Univer- 
sity at  Evanston.  from  which  institution  he 
was  graduated   with   the  class   of   1908  and 


756 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


later  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Illinois.  In 
Alarcli,  1909,  he  returned  to  Oregon  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  this  state  and  has 
since  continued  to  be  actively  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  law  at  Klamath  Falls.  He  and 
.John  Irwin  have  their  law  otfices  in  common 
but  their  interests  in  the  practice  of  law 
are    entirely    separate. 

Jlr.  JIanning  was  united  in  marriage  in 
1903  to  Miss  Emily  Louise  Pooley,  a  native 
of  Columbus,  Ohio.  She  is  a  daughter  of 
Dr.  Pooley.  who  was  the  founder  of  the 
Toledo  Medical  Institute.  Mrs.  Manning 
was  a  graduate  of  Bucknell  University  of 
Pennsylvania.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Manning  two 
children  have  been  born:  Elizabeth,  who  is 
eight  years  of  age;  and  .James  Wesley,  seven 
years  of  age.  The  mother  of  this  family 
died  May  1.  1910.  Mr.  ilanning  is  affiliated 
with  the  republican  party  and  served  in 
1911  and  during  a  part  of  1912  as  city  at- 
torney of  Klamath  Falls.  He  has  also  served 
as  assistant  district  attorney  and  is  still 
acting  as  one  of  the  attornej's  of  Klamath 
county.  He  has  already  acquired  that  de- 
gree of  success  in  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion which  places  him  among  the  represen- 
tative members  of  the  bar  in  his  portion  of 
the  state.  He  is  known  to  be  a  man  to 
v.'hose  care  the  interests  of  his  clients  may 
be   safely   entrusted. 

CHARLES  S.  WINSOR  lias  for  many  years 
been  amonj;  the  most  active  and  successful 
men  of  Xortli  Bend,  in  wliich  city  he  re- 
sides and  is  engaged  in  the  banking  busi- 
ness, being  at  present  the  president  of  the 
Bank  of  Oregon.  He  was  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania. July  15.  1865.  and  is  a  son  of  Wil- 
liam and  T.  C.  (Whyte)  Winsor.  the  former 
a  native  of  New  York  and  the  latter  of  Eng- 
land. The  father  emigrated  to  Oregon  with 
his  family  in  1871.  making  the  journey  by 
way  of  the  Isthmus  of  Panama.  During  his 
early  life  in  Oregon  he  did  volunteer  service 
in  the  Indian  wars.  He  had  a  family  of 
four  children :  Anna,  the  wife  of  William 
Gauntlett  of  Seattle,  Washington:  ilary, 
v.lio  married  A,  H.  Gauntlett.  of  Gold  Beach, 
Oregon;  Charles  S.,  the  subject  of  this  re- 
view :   and  Harvey,  deceased. 

Charles  S.  Winsor.  with  his  parents,  emi- 
grated to  Oregon  when  he  was  a  child  of  six 
years.  He  was  reared  at  home  and  received 
his  elementary  education  in  the  public 
schools.  He  remained  under  the  parental 
roof  until  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age.  at 
■which  time  he  engaged  in  work  for  R.  D. 
Hume,  who  was  the  owner  of  an  extensive 
salmon-canning  business.  Mr.  Winsor  con- 
tinued in  the  employ  of  Mr.  Hume  for  a 
period  of  twenty-three  years,  during  which 
time  his  first  work  was  that  of  putting  fish 
into  cans  and  later  he  was  promoted  to  the 
position  of  manager  of  the  entire  business. 
At  the  time  of  this  promotion  he  was  only 
eighteen  years  of  age.  In  that  position  he 
continued  to  serve  for  a  period  of  twenty- 
one  years,  during  which  time  he  lived  at 
Gold  Beach  and  also  at  San  Francisco  and 
bad  charge  of  three  canneries,  one  in  Alaska, 
one    on    Rosrue    river    and    one    on    Klamath 


river.  Each  establishment  had  connected 
with  it  a  general  store  and  Mr.  Winsor  had 
entire  charge  of  all  the  business  connected 
with  both  the  canning  and  mercantile  inter- 
ests of  Mr.  Hume.  Upon  the  organization 
of  the  Bank  of  Oregon  he  accepted  the  posi- 
tion as  cashier  and  later  was  elected  to  the 
presidency,  in  which  position  he  has  served 
for  the  past  eighteen  months.  The  Bank  of 
Oregon  was  organized  with  a  capital  stock 
of  fifty  thousand  dollars  and  has  since  done 
a  growing  business.  The  present  officers  and 
directors  of  the  bank,  all  of  whom  are  stock- 
I'olders.  are  as  follows:  C.  8.  Winsor.  pres- 
ident; L.  J.  Simpson,  vice  president;  Henry 
Hewitt,  Jr..  and  Seymour  H.  Bell,  vice  pres- 
iilents.  residing  in  Tacoma.  Washington:  and 
E.  H.  Jones,  cashier.  In  addition  to  the 
above  C.  R.  Smith  and  Captain  A.  M.  Simp- 
son are  stockholders   in   the   bank. 

Mr.  Winsor  was  united  in  marriage,  in 
1893,  to  Miss  Kate  Anthony,  a  native  of  Cali- 
fornia. They  are  the  parents  of  two  chil- 
dren: C.  Joseph,  who  is  attending  school  in 
North  Bend;  and  Helen  Charlotte.  Mr.  Win- 
sor is  affiliated  with  the  republican  party 
and  has  been  city  treasurer  of  Xorth  Bend 
for  the  past  four  years.  He  is  now  in  the 
midst  of  his  second  term.  He  was  also 
port  commissioner  for  one  term.  His  fra- 
ternal relations  are  with  the  Masonic  order, 
in  which  he  is  a  thirty-second  degree  Mason 
and  also  a  Knights  Templar  of  JIarshfield. 
Oregon.  He  is  among  the  well  known,  in- 
fluential men  of  Coos  county  and  is  in  every 
way  entitled  to  be  numbered  among  the 
enterprising  and  desirable  citizens  of  this 
part  of  the  state, 

H.  A.  CLODFELTER,  commercial  traveler 
for  the  Mitchell,  Lewis  &  Stover  Company, 
of  Portland,  Oregon,  is  a  native  of  Iowa, 
and  a  son  of  a  pioneer  of  that  state.  He 
was  born  in  Albia,  February  19.  1873.  his 
parents  being  N.  0.  and  Clara  E.  (Scott) 
Clodfelter.  On  both  sides  the  family  is  of 
German  extraction  and  his  father  was  for 
some  time  a  surveyor  in  his  native  country. 
The  father  came  as  a  pioneer  to  Iowa  when 
the  entire  state  was  prairie  land  and  most 
of  the  inhabitants  were  Indians.  The  sec- 
tion in  which  he  settled  was  infested  with 
rattlesnakes  which,  however,  formed  only 
one  of  the  many  dangers  of  those  early 
limes.  With  the  sturdy  determination  which 
distinguislied  the  first  settlers  in  the  state, 
N.  O.  Clodfelter  developed  his  land  and 
gradually  became  successful  as  a  general 
farmer.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war  he 
offered  his  services  to  the  Federal  govern- 
ment as  a  member  of  the  Seventeenth  Iowa 
Volunteer  Infantry  and  remained  in  that 
regiment  until  honorably  discharged.  He 
came  to  Oregon  October  2,  1885.  and  the 
latter  years  of  his  life  were  spent  in  Port- 
land, Oregon.  He  was  an  employe  of  the 
postal  departiuent  of  the  United  States  un- 
der the  civil  service  act.  He  died  .July  21, 
1908.  His  wife  is  still  living  and  her 
father  D.  H.  Scott,  is  also  a  veteran  of  the 
Civil  war,  having  served  as  lieutenant  of 
the  Fortv-third  Indiana  Volunteers. 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


i.u 


After  completing  the  collegiate  course  at 
!Monmoutli,  Oregon,  H.  A.  Clodfelter  began 
his  business  life  as  an  employe  of  Kleniscu 
&  Clodfelter  Brothers  at  Talmage.  Oregon 
in  the  Hour  milling  business.  Soon  after- 
ward he  became  connecteii  with  the  Mitchell. 
Lewis  &  Stover  Company,  of  Portland  and 
lias  acted  in  their  interest  in  various  capaci- 
ties for  many  years.  Through  successive 
stages  he  worked  his  way  upward  becoming 
first  superintendent  and  finally  commercial 
traveler  in  which  capacity  he  acts  at  the 
present  time.  His  position  is  one  of  respon- 
sibility and  trust  and  he  has  proven  himself 
fully  able  to  meet  its  demands.  His  in- 
tegrity, enterprise,  and  progressive  spirit 
have  been  well  tested  and  they  have  brought 
him  the  conlideiice  and  esteem  of  his  em])loy- 
ers  and   the   respect  of   his  many   friends. 

At  Independence.  Oregon.  .January  4.  1893. 
Mr.  Clodfelter  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Jliss  Minnie  0.  .John.son.  a  daughter  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Orlando  .Johnson,  of  Wauconda. 
Illinois.  Mrs.  Clodfelter's  father  died  when 
she  was  very  young  and  her  mother  after- 
ward married  Mr.  S.  O.  Darrell.  of  Wau- 
conda, who  was  a  volunteer  in  the  Civil  war, 
serving  during  the  entire  period  of  hostil- 
ities. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clodfelter  have  two 
children,  V.  Lucille  and  Nolan  A.  ilr.  Clod- 
felter has  been  a  member  of  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows  since  1903.  His 
grandfather  was  a  whig  for  many  years  and 
joined  the  republican  party  upon  its  organi- 
zation. Loyalty  to  its  principles  has  be- 
come a  tradition  in  the  family  through  the 
generations  and  Jlr.  Clodfelter  is  an  earnest 
upholder  of  republican  doctrines  altliough 
never   active   as    an    ofiiee    seeker. 

ANDREW  ANDERSON  has  been  identi- 
fied witli  agriciiltiinil  interests  on  North 
hike  since  he  took  u]>  a  homestead  claim 
in  that  section  in  190.").  He  learned  the  de- 
tails of  his  occupation  in  his  native  country 
of  Finland  where  his  father  was  engaged  in 
agricultural  pursuits.  He  was  born  in  1866. 
His  parents  were  natives  of  Finland  and  had 
twelve  children,  si.\-  of  whom  are  living: 
Jack,  who  resides  in  Finland;  Alex,  a  resi- 
dent of  Michigan;  August,  w'ho  make.s  his 
home  in  his  native  country  of  Finland; 
Mary,  of  ilichigan;  .Vnnie,  who  also  resides 
in  Michigan;  and  Andrew,  the  subject  of  this 
review. 

Andrew  Anderson  received  his  early  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  of  Finland  and  left 
his  native  country  in  1SS7.  When  he  was 
twenty-one  years  old.  he  came  to  .-Vnu'rica  and 
settled  in  Michigan  where  he  worki'd  in  the 
copper  mines  for  one  year  and  a  half.  .At 
the  end  of  that  [leriod  lie  removed  to  .Astoria. 
Oreson.  where  he  followed  the  occupation  of 
fishTng  for  about  two  years.  He  then  came 
to  Coos  bav  and  worked  in  tlie  coal  mines  and 
in  the  timber  woods  for  iibout  fifteen  yeais. 
In  190.')  he  took  up  a  homestead  claim  on 
North  lake  near  Lakeside  and  is  still  en- 
gaged in  active  operation  of  one  hundred  and 
eight  acres  of  hind  in  that  section.  He  uses 
scientific  and  intelligent  methods  in  farming 
and  his   dairy,  to  which   he  gives  special   at- 


tention, is  conducted  along  modern  and  sani- 
t;iry  lines.  He  makes  system  and  sanitation 
his  princijial  considerations  and  is  very  suc- 
cessful. 

In  1904  Jlr.  .\nderson  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Mrs.  Hannah  Stonelake,  a  native  of 
Finland.  She  was  tlie  widow  of  .Matt  Stone- 
lake  and  had  five  children  by  lier  first  mar- 
riage: Stanford,  who  is  attending  school  and 
living  at  home;  and  \'ictor.  JOmma.  Mathew 
and  Esther,  wlio  are  living  on  the  home  farm. 
To  Jlr.  and  Mrs.  Andrew  Anderson  have  been 
born  five  children:  Edna,  whose  birth  occurred 
in  1906;  William,  Arthur  and  Ernest,  who  are 
living  w^ith  their  parents;  and  Andrew,  who 
has  passed  away. 

.Anilrew  Anderson  gives  his  allegiance  to  the 
republican  party.  He  has  never  souglit  public 
office,  preferring  to  give  his  entire  attention  to 
dairying  and  farming. 

GEORGE  M.  JONES.  All  lioiior  is  due  to 
the  pioneer  settlers  who  braved  the  Iwinlsliips, 
trials  and  dangers  of  frontier  life  and  phinted 
the  seeds  of  civilization  in  hitherto  undevel- 
oped and  nnim])roved  regions.  To  this  class 
belongs  George  M.  .Tones,  "a  big-hearted. pio- 
neer stockman."  who  stands  high  in  the  re- 
gard of  his  fellow  citizens.  He  is  the  owner 
of  about  forty-three  hundred  acres  of  land 
and  his  success  has  been  honorably  won 
through  his  own  labors.  He  was  born  .Inly 
3.  1838.  in  Cooper  county,  .Missouri,  a  son  of 
Abraham  and  Matilda  (Criiml  .Fones.  who 
were  natives  of  Kentucky  and  \"irginia  re- 
spectively. They  went  to  Missouri  in  child- 
hood with  their  parents,  were  married  there 
and  both  died  in  that  state,  the  mother  pass- 
ing away  when  her  son  (Jeorg(\  was  iibout 
eighteen  ye^irs  of  age,  while  the  father  died 
at  the  age  of  eighty-four.  He  had  married 
again  and  there  were  two  children  by  the 
second  marriage,  while  four  sons  and  one 
daughter  were  born  of  the  lii-st  marriage. 

Ccorge  M.  .lones  continued  a  resident  of 
Missouri  until  1859,  when  at  the  age  of 
twenty-one  years  he  crossed  the  plains  to 
California  with  o.\  teams.  He  first  worked 
for  wages  on  a  farm  and  later  l)egan  the 
cultivation  of  rented  land.  In  the  spring  of 
ISlil  he  went  to  Idaho  with  his  uncle,  driv- 
ing a  band  of  sheep,  and  in  tliat  state  he 
worUcil  in  the  mines  until  the  fall  of  1865, 
when  he  came  to  Oregon,  settling  in  the  Wil- 
lamette valley,  twelve  miles  below  Salem. 
I'or  a  year  he  was  employed  on  a  ranch  and 
then  spent  a  year  in  Cottage  Crove.  making 
rails  and  working  in  a  sawmill.  In  the 
spring  of  1867  he  went  to  Idaho  with  sheep 
in  company  with  .1.  H.  McCarty.  with  whom 
he  continued  to  be  associated  for  several 
years,  and  in  partnership  with  whom  after 
three  years  he  purchased  a  Ininch  of  cattle. 
They  traveled  back  and  forth  between  Idaho 
:ind'  Nevada  with  cattle  for  a  number  of 
years  and  in  the  spring  of  ISTfi  Mr.  .Tones 
camo  to  the  Chewancan  valley.  In  1884  he 
settled  on  a  homestead  on  the  river  and  is 
still  the  owner  of  that  property.  In  the 
f;ill  of  1805  he  bought  a  ranch  of  seven 
hnnilred  and  eighty-seven  acres,  three  miles 
south    of    Paislcv.      He    lias    eight    hundred 


758 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OP  OREGON 


acres  in  the  ranch  where  he  homesteaded. 
He  also  owns  a  tract  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  adjoining  the  home  place  and  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  two  miles  south  of 
his  homestead,  together  with  two  tracts  in  the 
mountains  comprising  eighteen  hundred  and 
fifteen  acres,  and  a  ranch  of  four  hundred  and 
eighty  acres.  Thus,  in  all  he  has  about 
forty-three  hundred  acres  of  land  in  Lake 
county.  He  ran  cattle  until  1911,  when  he 
sold  eighteen  hundred  head  and  retired  from 
that  business.  He  is  one  of  the  best  known 
stockmen  and  ranchers  of  southern  Oregon 
and  his  business  ability  is  evidenced  in  the 
success  which  has  come  to  him  as  the  years 
have  gone  by.  He  has  worked  earnestly  and 
diligently,  has  displayed  keen  sagacity  in 
controlling  his  interests  and  is  now  com- 
fortably situated  in  life  as  the  result  of  his 
energy  and  perseverance.  He  stands  high 
in  the  regard  of  his  fellow  townsmen  and 
merits  the  confidence  accorded  him. 

On  July  9,  1878,  Mr.  Jones  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Mrs.  Florence  (Avery) 
Johnson,  who  was  born  in  Illinois,  March  5, 
1845,  and  crossed  the  plains  with  her  par- 
ents. Joseph  and  ;Martha  Avery.  There  are 
two  children  of  this  marriage:  Frances  -J., 
who  is  the  wife  of  W.  B.  Snyder,  of  Lake- 
view,  sheriff  of  Lake  county;  and  Anna  F., 
at  home.  George  M.  Jones  is  a  ilaster  Ma- 
son and  has  always  been  loyal  to  the  teach- 
ings of  the  craft. '  He  is  a  large,  fine  looking 
man  who  bears  his  seventy-four  years 
lightly.  For  more  than  a  half  century  he 
has  remained  upon  the  Pacific  coast  and  in 
the  difl'erent  localities- in  which  he  has  lived 
has  borne  his  part  in  the  work  of  public 
progress,  while  at  the  same  time  he  has  con- 
trolled his  business  afi'airs  in  a  manner  that 
has  gained  for  him  a  place  among  the  pros- 
perous  residents   of  southern   Oregon. 

MAJOR  MORTON  TOWER  is  one  of  the 
distinguished  and  respected  citizens  of  Em- 
pire and  is  at  present  filling  the  office  of 
collector  of  customs.  He  was  born  in  Massa- 
shusetts.  Februarv  23.  1S40.  and  is  a  son  of 
Isaac  and  Minora  A.  (Brackett)  Tower,  the 
former  a  native  of  Massachusetts  and  the 
latter  of  Vermont.  In  their  family  ^ere 
seven  children  of  whom  four  are  living. 
Adelia  is  the  widow  of  Seth  Mann  of  Free- 
port,  niinois.  and  has  one  child.  Ida.  Ella, 
the  widow  of  Stillman  S.  Mann,  of  San  Fran. 
Cisco.  California,  has  two  children.  Charles  S. 
and  Fred  A.  Charles  W..  who  is  engaged  in 
the  practice  of  medicine  at  Marshfield,  Ore- 
gon, is  married  and  has  three  children:  Jay 
B.,  Isaac  R.  and  Xellie  B.  Morton,  who  com- 
pletes the  family,  is  the  subject  of  this  re- 
view. 

Morton  Tower  was  reared  at  home  and  re- 
ceived his  early  education  in  the  public 
schools.  After  passing  through  the  lower 
grades  he  was  graduated  from  the  high  school 
at  Randolph,  Massachusetts.  At  the  age  of 
twenty  he  engaged  in  the  jewelry  business 
at  Boston  and  was  thus  occupied  for  one 
year.  On  the  17th  of  April.  1861.  he  en- 
listed in  the  L'nion  army  and  was  mustered 


into  service  in  the  Fourth  Battalion  of  Rifles, 
Massachusetts  Militia,  in  which  he  served 
for  three  months.  On  July  16,  1861,  he  re- 
enlisted  in  the  army  and  as  sergeant  of  his 
company  was  mustered  into  service  in  the 
Thirteenth  Massachusetts  Volunteer  Infantry 
and  remained  in  active  duty  until  September 
30,  1864,  at  which  time  he  received  his  hon- 
orable discharge.  During  his  time  of  service 
he  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  second  lieu- 
tenant, then  first  lieutenant  and  later  to  that 
of  captain  of  his  company,  after  which  he 
was  brevetted  major,  holding  that  rank  at 
the  time  when  he  was  honorably  mustered 
out  of  the  army.  He  was  wounded  at  the 
battle  of  Bull  Run  and  also  at  the  battle 
of  Fredericksburg,  and  was  taken  prisoner 
at  Gettysburg,  July  1,  1863,  and  was  confined 
in  Libby  Prison.  He  has  the  distinction  of 
having  been  one  of  the  one  hundred  and  nine 
men  who  tunneled  their  way  from  the  cellar 
of  the  old  prison  underground  for  some  dis- 
tance, reaching  the  surface  at  a  point  suffi- 
ciently far  from  the  prison  to  give  them  a 
chance  for  liberty.  Of  the  one  hundred  and 
nine  officers  who  made  their  escape  he  was 
one  of  the  fifty-three  who  succeeded  in  reach- 
ing the  Union  line.  At  the  close  of  the  war, 
being  in  a  disabled  condition  physically,  he 
devoted  much  of  his  time  to  travel  in  various 
parts  of  the  country.  In  1874  he  settled  at 
Empire,  where  he  has  since  continued  to  re- 
side. For  six  years  after  establishing  his 
home  in  Oregon  he  was  employed  in  the 
United  States  engineering  corps  and  was 
later  appointed  deputy  collector  of  customs 
and  continued  as  such  until  1902,  when  he 
was  appointed  collector  of  customs  and  has 
since  held  that  position,  devoting  his  entire 
time  to  the  duties  of  his  office.  He  is  one 
of  the  real-estate  owners  of  Coos  county 
and  is  the  owner  of  the  very  fine  residence, 
in  which  he  lives,  at  Empire. 

On  February  23,  186p,  Major  Tower  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Anna  M.  Loudon, 
a  native  of  England  and  a  daughter  of 
Thomas  and  Margaret  (Lawson)  Loudon, 
both  of  whom  were  born  in  Scotland.  Mrs. 
Tower  emigrated  with  her  parents  to  Amer- 
ica and  with  them  settled  in  Boston  in  1850. 
Major  and  Mrs.  Tower  are  the  parents  of  a 
son,  Morton  L.,  who  was  born  in  Boston.  Jan- 
uary 5.  1870.  and  who  married  Cornelia  Smith, 
a  native  of  Xew  York,  but  whose  parents  are 
now  residents  of  San  Francisco.  California. 
To  Jlr.  and  Jlrs.  Morton  L.  Tower  have  been 
born  three  children:  Gladys,  born  at  Coos 
Bay,  November  5,  1896,  who  is  a  student  in 
the  high  school  at  San  Francisco;  Ella 
Gwynedde,  bom  October  20,  1897.  who  is  at- 
tending school  at  Eureka,  California;  and 
Cornelia  M.,  bom  October  27,  1908.  The  fa- 
ther of  these  children  received  his  elementary 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  Coos  Bay, 
Oregon.  He  later  pursued  a  scientific  course 
in  engineering  in  a  San  Francisco  college,  from 
which  he  was  later  graduated.  At  the  age 
of  eighteen  he  entered  the  services  of  the 
United  States  government  and  is  at  present 
a  member  of  the  engineering  corps  and  as- 
sistant engineer  in  the  United  States  army, 
department    of    engineers. 


.MDKTUN     lOWEi; 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


761 


Major  Tower  is  a  loyal  member  of  the  re- 
publican party.  He  is  one  of  the  honored 
veterans  of  the  Civil  war  and  a  man  who  as 
an  officer  for  many  years  in  the  United 
states  service  has  earned  the  respect  of  his 
fellow  oificers  and  comrades  in  the  field.  He 
now  holds  one  of  the  most  responsible  posi- 
tions in  the  gift  of  the  government  as  col- 
lector of  customs  and  is  a  man  identified  with 
every  public  measure  intended  to  improve 
the  conditions  of  the  people  in  his  county 
and  state. 

GEORGE  A.  WOLF,  who  since  January, 
1911,  has  Mwncd  and  conducted  a  hotel  at 
Sandy,  Clackamas  county,  was  born  in  Penn- 
sylvania, August  4,  185S.  His  parents  were 
Michael  and  Susan  (Solada)  Wolf,  both  of 
whom  were  born  in  Pennsylvania,  of  Ger- 
man ancestry.  They  always  made  their 
home  in  their  native  state,  where  the  lather 
passed  away,  June  7,  1892,  and  the  mother, 
November  17,  of  that  year.  The  father  was 
a  butcher  and  an  extensive  stock  dealer.  In 
their  family  were  eight  children:  Mary,  who 
is  the  wife  of  James  Solada,  of  Gratz, 
Pennsylvania:  Elizabeth,  w-ho  is  the  wife  of 
Charles  Keener,  of  Denver,  Colorado;  Susan, 
who  married  Frank  Ritzman,  of  Pennsylva- 
nia; George  A.,  of  this  review;  Louisa,  who 
is  Mrs.  Edward  Wolfgang,  of  Pitman.  Penn- 
sylvania; Kate,  who  is  Mrs.  Harvey  Fideler, 
of  the  same  state;  Alice,  wlio  is  the  wife  of 
Newton  Schminky,  of  Sandy,  Oregon;  and 
Amanda,  who  died  at  the  age  of  six  months. 

George  A.  Wolf  grew  to  manhood  in  his 
native  state,  receiving  a  common-school  edu- 
cation, and  later  took  a  business  college 
course.  When  twenty-two  years  of  age  he 
took  up  coal  mining  in  his  native  state  and 
spent  seven  years  in  that  work  at  Turner 
and  Williarastown.  He  then  followed  vari- 
ous occupations  for  two  years,  after  which 
he  engaged  in  the  produce  business  at  Gratz 
and  in  that  vicinity  for  seven  years.  Subse- 
quently he  learned  the  mason's  trade  and 
stone-cutting,  at  which  ho  worked  until 
1900.  when  he  removed  to  the  state  of  Wash- 
ington settling  at  Stella,  where  he  was  em- 
ployed in  the  lumber  woods  for  one  and 
one-half  years.  Afterwards  he  came  to  Ore- 
gon and  purchased  near  Dover  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  land,  on  which  he  re- 
sided until  .Tanuary.  1911.  He  improved  his 
farm  and  now  has  sixty  acres  under  a  high 
state  of  cultivation.  At  the  present  time 
he  owns  and  conrl\icts  a  hotel  in  Sandy, 
meeting  with  excellent  success.  Also  he 
owns  other  business  property  here,  has  some 
factorv  lots  and  is  a  stockholder  in  the 
Clackamas  County  Bank.  He  is  interested 
in  horses  and  owns  a  share  in  a  thorough- 
bred stallion. 

On  December  27.  1879.  Mr.  Wolf  wedded 
Miss  Ellen  Cerby.  who  was  born  in  Penn- 
sylvania, a  daughter  of  Henry  and  Sarah 
Cierby.  Both  parents  were  natives  of  Penn- 
sylvania and  have  always  made  that  state 
their  home.  The  mother  is  still  living  there 
but  the  father  passed  away  in  1878.  In 
their  familv  were  ten  children:  Frank,  of 
Punburv.  Pennsylvania:   Ellen,  deceased,  who 


was  Mrs.  George  A.  Wolf;  Savilla,  w^ho  be- 
came the  wife  of  Newton  Baughman  and 
passed  away  in  1886;  Elizabeth,  who  mar- 
ried George  Foust  and  both  are  now  de- 
ceased; John,  of  Shamokin,  Pennsylvania; 
Edward,  of  Center  county,  Pennsylvania; 
Polly,  the  wife  of  Canara  Artz,  of  Kansas; 
Charley,  of  Herndon,  Pennsylvania;  Malinda, 
the  wife  of  George  Wolf;  and  Cora,  wlio  is 
the  wife  of  Israel  Byerly.  Mrs.  Wolf  passed 
away  April  5,  1892,  leaving  five  chiklren: 
Esther,  who  is  Mrs.  Irwin  Brown,  of  Barton, 
Oregon;  James,  of  Dover,  Oregon,  who  oper- 
ates his  father's  farm;  Edward,  at  home; 
Sallie,  the  wife  of  Elmer  Umholtz,  of  Penn- 
sylvania; and  Grace,  who  lives  in  Portland. 
On  the  23d  of  December,  1893,  Mr.  Wolf 
again  married,  his  second  union  being  with 
Mary  Wedle,  who  was  born  in  Perry  county, 
Pennsylvania,  in  which  state  her  parents  still 
reside.  She  is  the  second  in  order  of  birth 
in  a  family  of  eight  children.  The  others 
are:  Kate,  who  is  the  wife  of  Thomas  Green, 
of  Perrj',  Pennsylvania;  Augusta,  who  is  the 
wife  of  Felix  Lesher,  of  Perry;  George,  of 
Pitman,  Pennsylvania;  Thomas,  of  Allen- 
town.  Pennsylvania ;  Annie,  the  wife  of 
Donald  Herb,  of  Pennsylvania;  and  Harry 
and  Enis,  both  of  whom  reside  with  their 
parents. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Wolf  is  a  re- 
publican and  he  lias  always  taken  an  active 
interest  in  local  party  issues.  He  has  been 
a  member  of  the  city  council  of  Sandy  ever 
since  this  town  was  incorporated  and  has 
given  much  attention  to  the  interests  of  edu- 
cation and  served  on  the  school  board  for 
several  years.  In  his  business  affairs  "Mr. 
Wolf  is  recognized  as  a  man  of  high  ability, 
executive  force  and  keen  discernment,  who 
has  carefully  placed  his  investments  and  is 
capably  managing  them.  He  is  meeting  with 
much  success  in  the  hotel  biisiness  by  reason 
of  his  honorable  methods  and  his  earnest 
desire  to  please  his  patrons. 

ADOLPH  LINDROS  is  numbered  amonp 
the  intelligent  and  active  farmers  who  are 
so  largely  responsible  for  the  development 
and  progress  of  Coos  county.  He  was  born 
in  Kinlanil  in  1876,  and  is  a  son  of  K.  A.  and 
Hannah  Lindros.  His  parents  were  natives 
of  Finland  and  to  them  six  children  were 
born:  Kusta  B.,  who  married  in  her  native 
country  and  is  still  residing  there;  Carl  F., 
a  resident  of  Finland;  Adolph,  the  subject  pf 
this  review:  Edward  V.,  who  lives  with  his 
family  in  Corvallis,  Oregon;  and  Hannah 
and  Sana,  both  deceased. 

Adolph  Lindros  was  educated  in  his  native 
country  and  remained  at  home  until  he  was 
fourteen  years  of  age.  He  was  born  upon  his 
father's  farm  and  worked  in  a  general  mer- 
chandise store  for  fotir  and  one-half  years 
before  he  came  to  America.  He  settled  in 
Michigan  and  was  active  in  various  occupa- 
tions for  a  year  and  a  half.  In  1897  he 
came  to  Oregon  and  settled  in  Marshfield 
where  he  worked  in  the  government  employ, 
helping  in  the  constniction  of  the  jetty  at 
the  mouth  of  Coos  bay.  After  six  months 
he  hired  out  as  a  farm  laborer  on  Ten  Alile 


762 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


lake  and  worked  iu  tlie  employ  of  others  for 
one  year.  He  afterward  spent  three  years 
in  the  timber  business  and  then  took  up  a 
homestead  claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  near  Lakeside.  He  proved  up  his  right 
to  the  land  and  engaged  in  farming,  at  the 
same  time  being  active  in  timber  cruising. 
He  now  devotes  his  entire  time  to  general 
farming  and  dairying.  He  gives  special  at- 
tention to  the  care  of  his  cows  and  keeps  a 
large  herd  for  milking.  He  has  made  all 
necessary  improvements  on  his  land,  has 
cleared  fifteen  acres  and  has  installed  mod- 
ern farm  machinery.  His  land  is  three  miles 
from  Lakeside  on  Xorth  lake  and  is  known 
as  one  of  the  best  improved  properties  in 
that  district. 

ilr.  Lindros  was  united  in  marriage  on 
March  11,  1905,  in  Coos  county,  to  Miss 
Annie  Xieminen,  a  daughter  of  John  Xiem- 
inen.  a  native  of  Finland,  who  now  resides 
in  California.  Mrs.  Lindros  is  one  of  two 
children  bom  to  her  parents,  the  other  being 
Oscar,  who  resides  in  Coos  county,  Oregon. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lindros  have  been  born 
six  children:  Sima  W.,  born  December  14. 
190.5.  who  is  attending  school  in  Coos 
county;  .John  E.,  born  December  24,  1906. 
who  is  also  attending  school;  Lizzie  iL.  born 
in  1908;  Carl  William,  bom  in  1909;  Leo 
whose  birth  occurred  in  1910;  and  .Jennie, 
who  was   born  in   1911. 

Adolph  Lindros  gives  his  allegiance  to  the 
republican  party  and  is  a  firm  believer  in 
the  principle-s  of  that  organization.  He  has 
never  sought  political  office,  preferring  to 
give  his  entire  time  and  attention  to  the 
work  of  his  dairy.  He  is  a  devout  member 
of  the  Lutheran  "church.  In  developing  into 
a  beautiful  and  highly  cultivated  farm  a 
tract  of  wild  brush  country  land  Mr.  Lindros 
has  shown  a  steadfastness  and  a  dominating 
ambition  which  are  characteristic  of  the 
Finnish  nation  and  which  have  been  leading 
influences  in  the  development  and  progress 
of   Coos  county. 

E.  B.  RAMSBY,  of  Klamath  Falls,  was 
born  in  Lagrange  county.  Indiana,  near  Li- 
gonier,  June  11,  184S,  his  parents  being  R. 
C.  and  ilary  (Reynoldsl  Ramsby,  who  were 
natives  of  Ohio  aiid  were  married  there,  after 
which  they  removed  to  Indiana.  In  1S6S 
thev-  came  to  Oregon  by  way  of  Xew  York 
and  the  isthmus  route"  and  settled  on  the 
Molalla  prairie  near  Oregon  City,  where  they 
made  their  home  until  1873.  At  that  time 
they  removed  to  Silverton,  Oregon,  and  in 
1896  went  to  Portland,  where  the  father 
passed  away  in  April.  1909.  at  the  age  of 
seventy-six  years.  The  mother  still  resides 
in  Portland  at  the  very  advanced  age  of 
eightv-four  vears.  :Mr.  Ramsby  was  sheriff 
of"  Xoble  county.-  Indiana,  for  eight  years, 
filling  that  position  during  the  Civil  war. 
He  was  engaged  in  the  stage  business  while 
in  Silverton,  running  a  stage  line  from 
that  place  to  Portland  by  way  of  Damascus. 
In  1880  he  was  elected  sheriff  of  :Marion 
county  for  a  term  of  two  years  and  while 
residing  in  Silverton  was  also  elected  to  the 
state    legislature,    in    which    he    served    for 


one  term.  Politically  he  was  a  republican, 
stanch  in  his  advocacy  of  the  party  principles 
but  never  countenancing  underhand  methods 
in  the  attainment  of  success. 

E.  B.  Ramsby  is  the  eldest  in  a  family  of 
four  sons  and  three  daughters,  all  of  whom 
are  yet  living.  He  made  his  home  with  his 
parents  until  1870  but  when  only  fourteen 
years  of  age  enlisted  for  service  in  the  Civil 
war.  becoming  a  member  of  Company  B. 
Twelfth  Indiana  Infantry,  which  was  attached 
to  the  Fovirth  Brigade,  Fourth  Division  of 
the  Fifteenth  Army  Corps.  He  served  for 
two  years  and  eleven  months  or  until  the 
close  of  the  war  and  took  part  in  all  the  en- 
gagements with  his  company.  He  claims  to 
be  the  youngest  Civil  war  veteran  that  car- 
ried a  gun  and  he  was  not  only  the  youngest 
but  the  smallest  member  of  his  company. 
He  enlisted  as  a  musician  but  was  mustered 
in  as  a  regular  and  his  comrades  of  the  regi- 
ment nicknamed  him  Babe.  He  was  indeed 
tlie  babe  and  pet  of  the  company  and  was 
allowed  many  privileges  not  accorded  to 
others.  He  also  did  his  full  share  of  the 
fighting,  his  bravery  and  loyalty  being  equal 
to  that  of  many  a  soldier  of  twice  his  years. 

WTien  the  war  was  over  Mr.  Ramsby  re- 
turned to  his  parents  on  the  25th  of  July, 
1S65.  and  came  with  them  to  Oregon.  In 
1S70  he  married  Sophia  Woodcock,  who  was 
born  August  6.  1852,  and  is  a  native  of  this 
state,  her  parents  being  W.  D.  and  Alice  Anna 
Woodcock,  ilr.  Ramsby  started  out  in  the 
business  world  with  his  father  and  for  sev- 
eral years  they  conducted  a  stage  line.  In 
1876  "he  left  Silverton  and  went  to  The 
Dalles  and  in  1883  he  removed  to  Grant 
county,  Oregon.  He  was  then  engaged  in 
the  live-stock  business  until  1887.  when  he 
went  to  John  Day  and  was  engaged  in  break- 
ing horses  until  1890.  He  then  returned  to 
Portland  and  for  two  years  was  foreman 
of  the  city  stables.  He  next  purchased  a 
livery  stable  in  Barlow.  Oregon,  but  sold  out 
in  1896  and  came  to  Klamath  Falls.  For  a 
number  of  years  lie  was  engineer  at  the 
flouring  mills  at  Merrill  and  for  three  years 
he  was  on  the  police  force  at  Klamath  Falls. 
For  the  past  four  years  he  has  been  engaged 
in  the  express  business  here  and  thus  a  life 
of  activity  and  usefulness  continues,  in 
which  he  has  accomplished  much  that  he  has 
undertaken.  He  is  the  owner  of  a  fine  home 
in  the  Hot  Springs  addition  and  is  accounted 
one  of  the  representative  residents  of  this 
part  of  the  state.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ramsby  be- 
came parents  of  a  son  and  daughter:  Carey 
M..  of  Klamath  Falls:  and  INlyrtle.  who  is 
the  wife  of  S.  E.  Martin,  of  Merrill.  Ore- 
gon. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ramsby  hold  membership 
in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  are 
earnest,  consistent.  Christian  people  whose 
well  spent  lives  have  gained  them  high  re- 
gard. He  is  a  lifelong  republican  and  fra- 
ternally is  connected  with  the  Grand  Array 
of  the  Republic,  thus  keepins  in  close  touch 
with  his  comrades  of  the  Civil  war.  There 
are  indeed  few  men  of  his  years  who  can 
claim  to  have  been  actively  connected  with 
the    long,    sanguinary    conflict    which    estab- 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


763 


lished  the  Union  on  a  firmer  basis  than  ever 
before.  The  same  spirit  of  loj'alty  has  been 
manifest  tliroughout  liis  entire  life  in  all  of 
his    relations   to   the   oommunity. 

CAREY  M.  RAMSBY,  game  warden  of 
the  sixth  district  of  Oregon  and  a  resi- 
dent of  Klamath  Falls,  was  born  in  Clack- 
amas county,  in  the  Willamette  valley, 
April  3,  1874,  and  is  a  son  of  E.  B.  Ramsby, 
wiiose  sketch  precedes  this.  He  acquired  a 
common-schoo!  education  and  in  early  life 
worked  at  various  occupations.  He  was  en- 
gaged in  the  hop  business  for  a  time  and  in 
1897  he  came  to  Klamath  Falls,  Oregon, 
where  he  conducted  a  blacksmith  shop  for 
four  yeare.  He  then  woi-ked  as  a  miller  in 
the  employ  of  ilartin  Brothers  until  May 
1,  1912,  when  he  was  appointed  game  war- 
den for  the  si.xth  Oregon  district  and  now 
devotes  his  entire  time  and  attention  to  the 
duties  of  the  olfice.  He  has  real-estate  in- 
terests in  Klamath  Falls  and  is  well  known 
in  various  public  connections.  His  political 
allegiance  is  always  given  to  the  republican 
party  and  his  fraternal  relations  are  with 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and 
with  tlie  Elks  lodge,  of  which  he  is  a  char- 
ter member.  He  was  also  connected  with  the 
Klamath  Falls  ililitary  Band  for  about  ten 
vears. 

On  the  30th  of  May,  1901.  Mr.  Ramsby 
was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Martin,  a 
daughter  of  Thomas  ilartin.  and  their  two 
children  are  Martin  Ephraim  and  Myrtle 
Elizabeth.  Both  E.  B.  and  Carey  Ramsby 
are  well  known  in  southern  Oregon  and 
liave  gained  many  warm  friends  in  this 
part  of  the  state. 

FRANK  K.  HUBBARD,  who  resides  on  his 
twenty-seven  acre  fruit  farm  on  the  hill 
overlooking  Falls  City,  Oregon,  was  born  in 
Pleasant  Hill.  Pike  county,  Illinois,  .July  C, 
1844.  He  is  the  son  of  the  Rev.  David  and 
Mary  L.  (Thurman)  Hubbard,  the  former  a 
Baptist  minister,  who  died  in  186S.  David 
Hubbard  was  twice  married.  He  first  mar- 
ried Hanah  Morru,  and  to  them  ten  children 
were  born,  only  one  of  whom.  Mrs.  Jane 
Venable,  of  Wasco.  Oregon,  survives.  His 
second  marriage  was  to  Mary  L.  Thurman. 
and  to  them  the  following  sons  were  born: 
I.  W.,  deceased;  0.  W.:  Frank  K.:  E.  B.; 
D.  P.;  .1.  C:  and  .Tames  R.  The  daughters 
were.  L.  R.:  I.  E.:  and  Mary,  deceased. 
Rev.  H\ibbard  left  his  home  and  charge  at 
Pleasant  Hill,  Illinois,  for  the  west,  April 
18,  1853,  with  a  family  of  si.K  children.  As 
there  were  abovit  thirty  wagons  in  the  train, 
the  jo\irney  across  the  plains  was  particu- 
larly free  from  Indian  attacks,  the  only 
trouble  being  the  occasional  ellorts  of  ma- 
rauders to  steal  the  stock  of  the  travelers. 
The  following  Xovcmber  the  party  arrived 
in  Oregon  City  and  David  Hubbard  immedi- 
ately took  up  a  claim,  where  Clackamas  Sta- 
tion now  stands.  After  remaining  there  for 
two  years  he  came  to  Polk  county  and  lo- 
cated on  a  donation  claim  of  three  hundred 
and  twenty  acres,  one  mile  southeast  of 
where    Falls    Citv    is    now    situated.      At    all 


times  he  was  much  interested  in  schools  and 
devoted  much  time  to  their  welfare  in  addi- 
tion to  his  regular  duties  as  a  minister.  He 
acted  as  minister  to  the  people  throughout 
this  section  and  for  a  time  had  a  charge  at 
Dallas. 

Frank  K.  Hubbard  received  his  education 
in  the  pioneer  schools  of  Oregon,  spelling, 
arithmetic  and  the  third  reader  comprising 
the  curriculum.  In  those  early  days  there 
were  few  opportiniities  for  an  advanced  edu- 
cation. He  remained  at  home  until  he  was 
twenty-three  years  of  age,  when  he  began 
farming  on  his  own  account  on  the  Luckia- 
nuite  river,  eight  miles  cast  of  Falls  City. 
After  living  there  for  about  two  years  he 
returned  to  the  homestead  and  remained  with 
his  mother  for  about  a  vear  and  a  half. 

On  the  10th  of  October,  1869.  Mr.  Hub- 
bard was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  ilina 
C.  Alderman,  who  was  born  in  Dayton.  Yam- 
hill county,  April  5,  1851,  a  daughter  of  A. 
L.  and  Mary  Alderman.  Mr.  Alderman 
crossed  the  plains  in  early  manhood  and  his 
wife  came  west  in  the  early  '40s.  After 
their  marriage  they  made  their  home  in 
Yamhill  county  during  the  remainder  of 
their   lives. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Hubbard  moved 
to  Yamhill  county  in  1870  and  engaged  in 
agricultural  pursuits  for  eight  years,  remov- 
ing at  the  end  of  this  time  to  Falls  City, 
where  he  purchased  one  hundred  and  eighty- 
two  acres  of  raw  land,  one  and  one-half 
miles  northeast  of  the  town.  He  cleared  and 
improved  this  land  until  it  is  now  one  of 
the  finest  ranches  around  Falls  City,  a  task 
which  called  for  determination  and  indefati- 
gable labor.  He  made  this  place  his  home 
until  he  retired  from  agricultural  imrsuits 
on  an  extensive  scale  and  purchased  the 
twenty-seven  acres,  upon  which  he  now  re- 
sides and  which  is  looked  upon  as  the  most 
attractive  fruit  farm  and  residence  in  Polk 
county.  As  a  reward  for  the  hard  labor  he 
has  persistently  carried  on.  he  has  this  home, 
a  place  where  comfort  and  pleasing  sur- 
roundings  are  the  first  consideration. 

In  politics  Mr.  Hubbard  is  a  republican. 
He  has  twice  been  elected  mayor  of  Falls 
City  and  has  served  as  a  justice  of  the  peace. 
Since  1S69  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  both 
he  and  Jlrs.  Hiibbard  are  members  of  the 
Evangelical  church.  Mr.  Hubbard's  life  rec- 
ord shows  how  much  may  be  accomplished, 
when  effort  and  courage  are  directed  along 
progressive  and  practical  lines,  even  though 
the^obstacles  to  be  overcome  are  very  great. 

WILLIAM  F.  WALKER,  who  owns  and 
conducts  the  only  undertaking  parlors  in 
Sprimrfield.  was  born  at  Pleasant  Mill,  I.ane 
county,  in  May,  1879,  and  is  a  son  of  .\lbort 
Shields  and  Sarah  (Higgins)  Walker,  the 
father  a  native  of  Missouri  and  the  mother 
of  Massachusetts.  The  parents  are  both 
mentioned  at  greater  lengtli  elsewhere  in 
this  work. 

Reared  at  home,  the  preliminary  educa- 
tion of  William  F.  Walker  was  received  in 
the  public  schools  of  this  city.     After  laying 


764 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


aside  his  text-books,  he  worked  at  various 
occupations,  before  establishing  himself  in 
tile  undertaking  business.  He  is  a  graduate 
mortician,  having  pursued  his  course  in  the 
establishment  of  J.  P.  Finley  &  Son  at  Port- 
land, and  he  also  took  a  course  of  lectures 
under  Professor  W.  P.  Hohenschuh,  of  Iowa 
City,  Iowa,  and  is  in  everj'  way  qualified 
tor  the  duties  of  his  profession.  In  1907,  Mr. 
Walker  opened  his  present  place  of  business, 
which  is  the  only  establishment  of  the  kind 
not  only  in  Springfield  but  in  this  immediate 
vicinity.  He  carries  a  complete  line  of  caskets, 
and  his  hearses  are  appropriately  fitted  up. 
Mr.  Walker  is  in  every  way  qualified  for  the 
duties  of  his  vocation"  and  is  highly  thought 
of  in  his  community.  He  owns  a  very  pleas- 
ant residence  in  the  city  and  a  timber  claim 
of  one  hundred  and  s'ixty  acres  in  Grant 
county,  this  state,  which  "is  covered  with  a 
good  growth   of   commercial  timber. 

On  the  10th  of  August.  1909,  Mr.  Walker 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Alberta  A. 
Kester,  who  was  born  in  Canada,  on  the 
13th  of  April,  1SS3.  She  is  a  daughter  of 
Nelson  and  Sarah  Kester,  likewise  natives  of 
Canada,  whence  they  came  to  Oregon  in 
1902  and  have  ever  since  made  their  home  in 
Springfield,  where  the  father  is  living  re- 
tired. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kester  are  the  parents 
of  eight  children,  Mrs.  Walker  being  the 
seventh  in  order  of  birth.  She  was  educated 
in  a  college  in  Canada  and  for  several  years 
prior  to  her  marriage  engaged  in  teaching. 

Mr.  Walker  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  and  fraternally  he  is  afl51i- 
ated  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows, and  the  encampment,  in  which  he  has 
held  all  of  the  chairs.  He  is  likewise  a 
member  of  the  Woodmen  of  the  World, 
United  Artisans  and  Knights  and  Ladies  of 
Security,  and  has  passed  through  all  of  the 
chairs  of  the  two  former  orders.  For  pro- 
fessional reasons  he  holds  membership  in 
the  Oregon  State  Funeral  Directors'  Associ- 
ation, of  which  organization  he  was  elected 
vice  president  in  August,  1911,  and  is  in  line 
for  election  to  the  presidency  in  1914.  Mr. 
Walker  gives  his  political  support  to  the 
republican  party  and  accords  his  indorse- 
ment and  enthusiastic  support  to  every 
movement  that  will  tend  to  promote  the 
development  of  public  utilities.  He  is  one 
of  the  popular  and  highly  regarded  young 
business  men  of  Springfield  and  a  most 
worthy  representative  of  one  of  the  estima- 
ble pioneer  families. 

HON.  JOHN  SHERMAN  GRAY  is  num- 
bered among  the  men  of  central  Oregon  who 
have  left  their  impress  upon  the  history  of 
the  state  in  its  legislative  enactments  as  well 
as  upon  its  business  interests.  He  has  re- 
sided in  Gardiner  continuously  since  1S87 
and  is  identified  with  the  lumber  interests  of 
this  section  as  superintendent  of  the  plan- 
ing department  of  the  Gardiner  Mill  Com- 
pany and  also  of  the  retail  trade  of  the  mills. 
He  was  born  in  the  town  of  Embden,  Somer- 
set county,  Maine,  on  the  same  place  where 
his  greatgrandfather  settled  in  the  eight- 
eenth century.     His  natal  day  was  Septem- 


ber 15,  1849.  He  is  a  son  of  John  Gray, 
which  name  was  also  borne  by  his  grand- 
father and  his  great-grandfather,  the  latter 
a  brother  of  Captain  Robert  Gray,  who  sailed 
the  good  ship  Columbia  across  "the  bar  and 
discovered  the  Columbia  river,  which  was 
named  for  the  ship.  Both  the  father  and 
grandfather  were  tillers  of  the  soil  but  the 
old  original  homestead  passed  out  of 
possession  of  the  family  some  forty  years 
ago.  John  Gray,  the  father,  was  one  o"f  the 
influential  men  of  his  town  and  for  several 
years  served  as  postmaster  and  as  one  of 
the  selectmen  of  the  town,  a  position  simi- 
lar to  that  of  county  commissioner  and  county 
Judge  in  the  west.  He  and  his  wife  died  at 
the  old  home  in  New  England,  the  former 
at  the  age  of  sixty-six  years  and  the  latter  at 
the  age  of  eighty-four  years. 

John  Sherman  Gray  acquired  his  education 
in  the  town  schools  and  at  North  Anson 
Academy.  On  reaching  manhood  he  engaged 
in  farming  in  Somerset  county.  Maine,  and 
was  there  identified  with  agricultural  inter- 
ests until  the  fall  of  1SS3,  when  he  came  west 
to  Oregon,  spending  the  following  year  in 
Gardiner.  In  the  fall  of  18S4.  however,  he 
returned  to  the  Pine  Tree  state,  where  he 
remained  through  the  three  succeeding  years, 
coming  in  1S87  with  his  family  to  the  north- 
west. Again  he  located  in  Gardiner,  where 
he  has  remained  to  the  present  time.  Soon 
after  his  arrival  he  was  placed  in  charge  of 
the  planing  department  of  the  Gardiner  Mill 
Company  and  has  since  occupied  that  posi- 
tion, also  having  charge  of  the  retail  trade 
of  the  mills.  His  long  retention  in  this  con- 
nection proves  conclusively  his  capability  and 
his  fidelity  and  he  is  justly  classed  with  the 
representative  business  men  of  the  community 
whose  worth  and  enterprise  are  regarded  as 
valuable  assets  in  the  business  circles  of 
Douglas  county. 

Mr.  Gray  was  married  on  the  12th  of  Jan- 
uary, 1S76  to  Miss  Clara  A.  Jewett.  a  daugh- 
ter of  Walter  G.  and  Flavilla  (Wilson)  Jewett. 
Both  parents  were  natives  of  Maine,  their 
ancestors  being  New  England  pioneers  of 
colonial  days.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gray,  was 
born  a  son.  Walter  Sherman  Gray,  who  died 
January  T,  1908.  aged  twenty-one  years.  Mr. 
Gray  is  a  valued  member  of  various  fraternal 
organizations.  He  belongs  to  Aurora  Lodge. 
No.  59.  F.  &  A.  M..  and  that  he  is  one  of  its 
most  prominent  and  exemplary  representa- 
tives is  indicated  by  the  fact  that  he  has  been 
its  master  for  the  past  six  years.  He  was 
made  a  Mason  in  May,  1883.  and  is  now  a 
member  of  Arago  Cha"pter.  No.  22,  R.  A.  M., 
and  both  he  and  Mrs.  Gray  belong  to  Martha 
Chapter.  0.  E.  S.,  of  which  he  isworthy  pa- 
tron. He  is  also  a  charter  member  of  Gar- 
diner Lodge,  No.  132,  I.  0.  0.  F..  and  both 
are  charter  members  of  Riverside  Lodge.  No. 
100.  of  the  Daughters  of  Rebekah. 

Mr.  Gray  is  deeply  interested  in  all  mat- 
ters relative  to  the  welfare,  progress  and  up- 
building of  his  district.  For  twenty  years 
he  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  Gardiner 
school  board  and  the  cause  of  education  finds 
in    him    indeed   a    stanch    champion.      While 


J.    S.    GRAY 


■HLOt- 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


767 


living  at  Bingham,  Maine,  he  was  for  two 
terms  chairman  of  the  board  of  selectmen,  re. 
signing  that  position  upon  his  removal  west- 
ward to  Oregon.  He  has  always  voted  with 
the  republican  party  and  has  been  prominent 
in  its  councils  since  coming  to  the  northwest. 
He  has  twice  represented  his  district  in  the 
state  legislature  of  Oregon,  having  been  first 
elected  in  1904,  while  in  1906  a  reelection 
gave  indication  of  public  commendation  of 
his  first  term's  service.  His  nomination  was 
without  solicitation  on  his  part  and  in  fact 
he  was  not  at  the  convention  at  the  time. 
His  constituents  insisted  on  his  allowing  his 
name  to  be  used  for  a  second  term,  and  while 
he  has  never  been  an  office  seeker  he  does 
not  believe  any  individual  has  a  right  to 
shirk  public  duty,  and  accordingly  he  obeyed 
the  will  of  the  people  and  gave  to  the  state 
efficient  service  in  office,  seeking  ever  the 
welfare  of  the  commonwealth  and  the  prog- 
ress of  the  state  along  lines  of  practical  bene- 
fit and  improvement. 

AMOS  HARING,  deceased,  was  for  many 
years  one  of  the  most  successful  farmers  in 
Lane  county,  this  state.  His  highly  devel- 
oped property,  consisting  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  upon  which  he  established  his 
home,  is  located  eight  miles  northeast  of 
Florence,  up  the  north  fork  of  the  Siuslaw 
river,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the  success- 
ful conduct  of  a  modern  dairy  farm  at  the 
time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  February 
25,  1909.  He  was  a  native  of  New  Jersey, 
having  been  born  in  that  state,  April  2, 
1846,  and  was  a  son  of  David  and  Rachel 
(Eozeth)  Haring,  in  whose  family  were  ten 
children:  Tillie,  deceased;  Eliza  P.,  of  Cam- 
bridge, Maryland;  Benjamin,  deceased; 
Annie,  the  wife  of  John  .Johnson,  of  Seaside, 
New  Jersey;  Ella,  deceased;  George,  a  resi- 
dent of  Seaside,  New  Jersey;  Julia,  who  is 
the  widow  of  .Joseph  Reed  and  also  resides  in 
Seaside,  New  Jersey;  Amanda,  deceased; 
Tyler,  who  became  a  volunteer  soldier  in  the 
Civil  war  and  who  in  the  midst  of  his  duties 
met  his  death  in  one  of  the  battles  of  that 
struggle,  in  1864;  and  Amos,  of  this  review, 
who  died  at  his  beautiful  home  on  the  Sius- 
law  river,   February   25,   1909. 

Mr.  Haring  started  in  life  for  himself  at 
the  early  age  of  nine  years.  His  father 
was  by  trade  and  occupation  a  carpenter 
and  was  employed  as  a  ship  carpenter  on  a 
merchantman  plying  between  the  West  In- 
dies, America  and  European  seaports.  The 
birth  of  Mr.  Haring  occurred  on  board  the 
ship  on  which  his  father  was  employed  dur- 
ing one  of  its  trips  from  the  West  Indies  to 
the  states.  At  the  age  of  nine  years  he 
went  to  sea  as  a  sailor  boy  with  his  uncle, 
with  whom  he  continued  until  he  was  nine- 
teen years  of  age.  At  that  time  he  made 
the  passage  around  Cape  Horn  and  the  ship 
upon  which  he  sailed  docked  at  San  Fran- 
cisco. On  reaching  that  city  he  decided  to 
discontinue  seafaring  life  and  spent  his  first 
year  on  the  Pacific  coast  in  and  about  the 
vicinity  of  San  Francisco  and  then  removed 
to  Coos  bay,  where  he  continued  to  reside 
for    five    years    following,    after    which    he 


changed  his  residence  to  the  north  fork  of 
the  Siuslaw  river,  where  he  filed  upon  a 
homestead  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres, 
upon  which  he  established  his  home  and  en- 
gaged in  farming,  making  a  specialty  of 
high-grade  dairy  products.  In  addition  to 
farming  and  dairying  he  successfully  en- 
gaged in  fishing  and  while  thus  occupied  with 
these  diversified  interests,  in  the  very  midst 
of  a  promising  and  successful  career  he 
passed  away  on  February  25,  1909,  leaving 
to  mourn  his  loss  a  widow  and  eight  chil- 
dren. 

At  Coos  bay,  this  state,  in  1874,  Mr.  Har- 
ing was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Clara 
Gamble,  a  daughter  of  William  and  Emma 
(Hanman)  Gamble,  both  of  whom  were  na- 
tives of  England.  The  parents  emigrated  to 
America  when  their  daughter  Clara  was  a 
child  of  eight  years.  On  reaching  the  new 
world  they  made  their  first  location  in  the 
state  of  Iowa,  where  they  continued  to  live 
for  four  years,  during  which  time  the  father 
was  engaged  in  general  farming.  He  after- 
wards removed  with  his  family  to  Missouri 
and  in  that  state  was  engaged  in  farming 
for  a  period  of  seven  years,  settling  in  Coos 
bay  in  1873.  In  the  year  1893  he  removed 
to  the  north  fork  of  the  Siuslaw  river  and 
there  resided  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
in  1896.  Mrs.  Haring  has  the  distinction  of 
being  the  first  white  woman  to  have  lived  on 
the  north  fork  of  the  Siuslaw  river  and  her 
daughter  was  the  first  white  child  born  in 
that  locality.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gamble  were 
born  eight  children:  Clara,  who  married 
Amos  Haring,  of  this  review;  Katie  and 
Annie,  both  deceased;  Francis  Joseph,  of  As- 
toria, Oregon,  who  is  married  and  has  two 
children,  George  and  Ella;  William,  who 
married  and  died  leaving  a  family  of  three 
children,  Sherman,  Frank  and  Emma,  all  of 
San  Francisco;  and  Sherman,  Charlotte  and 
George,  all  of  whom  are  deceased.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Haring  became  the  parents  of  the  fol- 
lowing children:  Walter,  of  Aetoria.  who  is 
married  and  has  five  children,  Nora,  Alice, 
Evelyn,  Diehless  and  Walter  L. ;  Clara,  who 
is  the  wife  of  Elmer  .Tohnson.  of  Idaho,  and 
the  mother  of  one  child,  Ralph;  Emma,  who 
married  Charles  Russell,  of  Portland,  Ore- 
gon, and  died,  leaving  one  child.  Alberta; 
lona  and  Bennie,  both  deceased;  Albert,  who 
resides  with  his  mother  and  is  engaged  in 
operating  the  home  farm;  .Josephine,  who  5s 
the  wife  of  Eugene  McCornick.  of  Florence, 
and  the  mother  of  two  children,  Edna  and 
Emily;  and  Loretta  and  Agnes,  both  at 
home. 

Mr.  Haring  was  a  loyal  and  devoted  mem- 
ber of  the  republican  party.  He  was  a  man 
universally  esteemed  for  his  integrity  in  all 
business  transactions  with  the  people  among 
whom  he  associated  and  was  characterized 
for  his  devotion  to  the  interests  of  his  home 
and  family.  His  beautiful  estate  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres,  located  eight  miles 
from  Florence  up  the  north  fork  of  the  Sius- 
law river,  is  a  monument  to  his  industry 
and  economy.  He  left  for  the  support  and 
protection  of  his  family  a  highly  developed 
farm    upon   which    his    widow    resides.     The 


res 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTOKY  OF  OREGON 


farm  is  now  cared  for  and  operated  by  Al- 
bert, lier  youngest  son,  whose  training  un- 
der his  father's  supervision  has  equipped  him 
for  the  responsibilities  and  successful  con- 
duct of  the  beautiful  property,  to  whose  de- 
velopment he  had  given  many  years  of  de- 
voted service,  so  that  his  family  might  have 
a  comfortable  home  and  a  competence. 

JAMES  W.  HIGGINS.  The  name  of  no 
single  individual  is  perliaps  more  closely  as- 
sociated with  the  development,  upbuilding 
and  improvement  of  Montavilla  than  that 
oi  James  W.  Higgins,  for  lie  located  here 
when  the  town  contained  only  one  hundred 
and  fifty  inhabitants.  He  has  lived  to  wit- 
ness the  growth  of  its  population  to  eight 
thousand  and  in  all  the  material  improve- 
ment of  the  city  he  has  taken  active  part. 
He  was  born  in  Brunswick,  Missouri.  Xo- 
\ember  20,  1857,  and  is  a  son  of  Robert  H. 
and  Rebecca  A.  (Henderson!  Higgins,  in 
whose  family  were  six  children.  Fannie, 
the  eldest,  is  the  wife  of  George  Brannon. 
of  St.  Louis,  Jlissouri.  the  oldest  engineer  on 
the  Missouri  river,  having  entered  the  steam- 
boat service  a  long  time  prior  to  the  Civil 
war.  He  was  engineer  on  the  first  boat  that 
Went  up  to  Fort  Benton  and  he  has  a  very 
wide  acquaintance  along  the  Mississippi  and 
the  ports  to  which  his  work  has  taken  him. 
Unto  him  and  his  wife  have  been  born  four 
children,  Cora,  Lee.  Joe  and  Edna.  Arbelia 
Higgins.  the  second  of  the  family,  became 
the  wife  of  Jlajor  J.  H.  Townson.  of  Galla- 
tin. Missouri,  and  they  have  three  children, 
Walter,  Robert  and  Bessie.  John,  the  next 
of  the  family,  is  living  in  Arleta.  Oregon, 
and  has  one  child.  Mabel.  Charles  G.  is  a 
resident  of  Guthrie.  Oklahoma.  .James  W. 
is  the  next  of  the  family.  Minnie  is  the 
wife  of  W.  E.  Osborn.  of  Gallatin.  Missouri, 
and  they  have  three  children,  Robert.  Mar- 
garet and  Edwin. 

The  youthful  days  of  .James  W.  Higgins 
were  passed  in  the  manner  of  most  boys 
of  his  locality  and  period  and  when  sixteen 
years  of  age  he  began  learning  the  carpen- 
ter's trade  in  Missouri,  in  which  state  he 
resided  until  the  spring  of  1879.  At  that 
date  he  went  to  Leadville.  Colorado,  where 
he  worked  for  a  short  time,  receiving  fifteen 
dollars  per  day  as  his  wage  for  carpentering. 
He  next  proceeded  to  Canon  City.  Colorado, 
where  he  also  spent  but  a  brief  period,  and 
later  was  located  for  a  time  in  Colorado 
Springs  and  afterward  in  Kansas.  From  the 
latter  point  he  returned  home,  continuing  in 
ilissouri  xintil  the  spring  of  1880.  when  he 
went  to  Fort  Leavenworth.  Kansas,  where 
he  worked  for  the  government  for  four 
years.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he 
removed  to  Harrisonville.  Missouri,  and  while 
living   there    was    married. 

He  wedded  ^Miss  Emma  Abbott,  a  daughter 
of  Silas  and  Mary  J.  (Webbl  Abbott.  Mrs. 
Higgins  is  a  native  of  Illinois,  but  the  fam- 
ily had  removed  to  Harrisonville.  Missouri, 
ere  her  marriage.  Three  children  have 
been  born  to  them :  Blanche,  who  is  engaged 
in  dressmaking  and  makes  her  home  with 
her  parents;   Lee  R.   S.,  who   is  engaged   in 


tlie  plumbing  business  in  Montavilla  and  is 
married  and  has  two  children.  Elnery  and 
Dorothy;    and  Roy,   who   is   at   home. 

Following  his  marriage  Mr.  Higgins  con- 
tinued to  reside  in  Harrisonville  for  a  year, 
after  which  he  located  in  Oberlin.  Kansas, 
where  he  lived  for  two  years.  He  tlien  re- 
turned to  Colorado  Springs,  where  the  suc- 
ceeding four  years  were  passed,  after  which 
he  came  to  Oregon,  making  his  way  at  once 
to  Portland.  He  chose  Montavilla  as  the 
place  of  his  residence,  arriving  here  in  1891. 
He  found  a  small  town  of  about  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  inhabitants.  There  was  a 
little  grocery  store  owned  by  a  Mr.  .John- 
son, now  deceased,  a  small  meat  market 
owned  by  Murray  &  Sloan  and  a  little  water 
plant,  whicli  was  the  property  of  Warren 
Burrden.  School  was  held  in  a"  hall  and  the 
only  car  service  was  a  motor  car  running 
to  Mount  Tabor  every  thirty  minutes.  A 
year  later  a  car  line  was  built  out  Glison 
street  to  Eighty-fourth.  The  town  has  en- 
joyed substantial  and  rapid  growth,  hav- 
ing now  a  population  of  eight  thousand. 
There  are  six  handsome  churches,  a  fine 
school,  built  in  an  attractive  style  of  archi- 
tecture, and  the  improvements  of  the  town 
include  electric  lights,  cement  sidewalks, 
water  works  and  a  thirty-minute  car  serv- 
ice to  Mount  Hood  and  seven-minute  service 
to  Portland.  After  living  in  Montavilla  for 
a  few  months  Mr.  Higgins  purchased  prop- 
erty and  built  a  home,  erecting  the  first 
house  on  Eightieth  street.  He  has  continu- 
ously engaged  in  contracting  and  buildings 
erecting  the  first  house  in  Hawthorne's  first 
addition  and  carrying  on  his  building  opera- 
tions throughout  the  town.  He  has  been  an 
active  participant  in  the  growth  and  prog- 
ress of  the  city  and  he  owns  business  as  well 
as  residence  property  in  Montavilla.  which 
has  increased  largely  in  value  since  he  made 
his  first   investment. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Higgins  has  al- 
ways been  a  stalwart  democrat  and  has 
taken  an  active  interest  in  politics  but  not 
as  an  office  seeker.  He  has  been  offered 
political  positions  in  the  city  of  Portland 
but  would  not  accept,  preferring  to  concen- 
trate his  energies  upon  his  business  affairs. 
He  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  ileth- 
odist  Episcopal  church  and  fraternally  he  is 
connected  with  the  Woodmen  of  the  World 
and  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 
In  the  latter  organization  he  has  filled  all  of 
the  cliairs  in  the  subordinate  lodge  and  he 
is  ever  loyal  to  the  teachings  of  the  order 
and  faithful  to  the  high  principles  for  which 
it  stands.  His  upright  and  honorable  life 
has  gained  for  him  the  high  respect  and 
good-will  of  those  with  whom  he  has  come  in 
contact  during  the  twenty  years  of  his  res- 
idence  in   Montavilla. 

WILLIAM  Vf.  WILSON.  In  his  active, 
useful  and  upright  life  as  one  of  the  leading 
agriculturists  of  the  Yonealla  valley  Wil- 
liam W.  Wilson  is  carrying  on  the  honorable 
traditions  of  his  father  who  founded  the 
family  in  Oregon  in  the  early  days  of  pio- 
neer settlement.     He  is  engaged  in  the  oper- 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


769 


ation  of  one  hundred  and  one  acres  of  land, 
which  was  a  part  of  his  father's  lioldings, 
and  he  is  devoting  his  entire  attention  to 
agricultural  pursuits.  William  \V.  Wilson 
is  a  native  of  Oregon  and  w-as  born  July  5, 
1869,  on  the  farm  on  which  his  brother,  John 
D.    Wilson,   now   resides. 

William  W.  Wilson  was  reared  upon  his 
fathers  farm  and  received  liis  education  in 
the  common  schools  of  Douglas  county.  His 
advantages  in  this  respect  were  limited  as 
the  school  term  at  that  time  lasted  only 
three  months  of  the  year.  On  attaining 
majority  he  began  farming  for  himself  and 
followed  this  occupation  until  1900,  when  he 
entered  the  employ  of  the  Southern  Pacific 
Railroad.  He  worked  for  that  company  for 
twelve  years.  He  made  a  success  of  railroad 
work  and  gained  a  local  reputation  for  care- 
fulness and  accuracy.  On  September  30, 
1912,  he  retired  permanently  from  railroad 
affairs  and  located  on  his  present  home  farm 
two  miles  south  of  Yoncalla,  where  he  is 
giving  his  entire  attention  to  agriculture. 
His  holdings  comprise  one  hundred  and  one 
acres  and  are  a  part  of  the  original  Wilson 
donation  claim.  Mr.  Wilson  is  a  progressive 
farmer  and  has  improved  and  developed  his 
land  to  a  great  extent  during  the  short  pe- 
riod of  his  occupancy.  He  is  intelligently  in- 
terested in  scientific  farming.  His  farm 
equipment  is  modern  in  every  respect  as  he 
uses  the  latest  labor-saving  devices  and 
farm    machinery. 

On  January"  26,  1896,  Mr.  Wilson  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Bernice  McDole, 
of  Cottage  Grove,  Oregon,  a  daugliter  of  J. 
M.  ilcDole,  one  of  the  prominent  farmers  of 
Lane  county.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wilson  have 
been  born  "si.x  children,  Wanda  Verle.  Ada 
May,  Leota,  Velma,  Alberta  and  Joseph  D.. 
all  of  whom  are  living  with  their  parents  on 
the   home   farm. 

Politically  William  W.  Wilson  is  independ- 
ent, preferring  to  keep  his  opinions  and 
judgment  unbiased  by  party  ties.  In  1898 
he  was  a  candidate  on  the  people's  party 
ticket  for  the  office  of  state  representative 
and  was  elected  by  a  large  majority.  He 
served  in  the  eighteenth  general  assembly  of 
the  state  of  Oregon  with  honor  and  credit  and 
made  a  record  for  broad-minded  and  intelli- 
gent service.  Fraternally  he  holds  member- 
ship in  Elkton  Lodge,  No.  68,  F.  &  A.  JI., 
and  in  Yoncalla  Camp,  No.  284.  W.  0.  W. 
He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Chris- 
tian church  and  are  active  workers  in  re- 
ligious circles.  Agriculture  is  one  of  the 
flourishing  industries  of  Douglas  county  and 
as  a  successful  farmer  Mr.  Wilson  is  a  rep- 
resentative and  useful  citizen.  His  father 
was  a  pioneer  and  frontiersman  and  bis  son 
in  the  next  generation  is  making  the  land, 
which  he  cleared  and  wrested  from  the 
wilderness,   fertile  and  productive. 

ERICK  ERICKSON.  At  the  age  of  nine 
years  a  little  Finnish  boy.  just  beyond  baby- 
hood, was  left  entirely  alone  in  the  world  by 
the  death  of  his  parents.  Since  that  time 
Erick  Erickson  has  pursued  his  career  with 
an   unfaltering    trust   and   a    firm    determina- 


tion and  has  attained  in  the  sixtieth  year 
of  his  age  a  prominent  and  enviable  place 
among  his  fellow  countrymen  in  Coos  county. 
He  is  the  owner  of  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  of  improved  land  and  is  numbered 
among  the  substantial  and  enterprising 
citizens  of  his  district.  Krick  Erickson 
was  born  in  Finland  in  1842  and  is  a  son  of 
Erick  and  Narki  Erickson,  He  is  one  of 
four  children  born  to  his  parents,  the  others 
being  Henry,  Jeremiah  and  Gustus,  all  of 
whom   are   living   in   Finland. 

Erick  Erickson  was  obliged  to  earn  his 
own  livelihood  when  only  nine  years  of  age. 
He  worked  in  the  employ  of  others  in  his 
native  country  until  he  was  twenty-eight 
years  of  age,  and  then  sailed  as  ordinary 
seaman.  He  later  became  able  seaman  and 
followed  the  sea  on  practically  all  the  waters 
of  the  world  for  a  number  of  years.  He 
finally  landed  at  San  Francisco,  California, 
and  worked  on  a  coast  schooner  for  two 
years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  came  to 
North  Bend,  Oregon,  and  worked  in  the 
woods.  He  hrter  took  up  a  homestead  claim 
of  one  hundred  and  si.\.ty  acres  and  in  1882 
proved  up  another  homestead  claim  on 
North  lake  which  he  has  been  operating  since 
that  time.  He  has  added  to  his  holdings  and 
is  now  the  owner  of  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  Coos  county  land.  He  has 
made  all  necessary  improvements  upon  his 
farm,  has  built  barns  and  outbuildings, 
cleared  the  portions  of  land  which  were 
covered  with  timber  and  has  made  of  his 
property    a    model    Oregon    ranch. 

In  1ST8  Mr.  Erickson  was  married  in  Fin- 
land to  Miss  Annie  Tapio,  who  is  a  native 
of  that  country,  and  to  their  union  five 
children  were  born:  Martin,  deceased;  Simon, 
who  is  engaged  in  farming  in  Coos  county; 
August,  who  is  active  in  the  operation  of  his 
father's  property  in  Coos  county;  Emil,  who 
lives  with  his  parents;  and  Oscar,  who  also 
resides  at  home.  Politically  Mr.  Erickson 
is  a  stanch  republican  and  he  has  served  as 
school  director  for  two  years.  That,  how- 
ever, was  his  only  public  office  as  he  prefers 
to  give  his  attention  to  the  affairs  of  his 
farm.  He  attends  the  Lutheran  church  and 
to  that  faith  his  family  also  adhere.  Mr. 
Erickson  has  truly  been  the  architect  of  his 
own  fortunes  and  the  same  unfaltering  trust 
in  himself  which  distinguished  him  at  the 
age  of  nine,  makis  him  successful  and  worthy 
now  and  greatly  endears  him  to  his  many 
friends. 

MATT  HERMAN  REIHER  is  one  of  the 
successful  larnurs  of  Coos  bay,  located  on 
Haynes  inlet,  ten  miles  from  Marshfield. 
where  he  is  owner  of  a  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  ninety-five  acres,  to  the  cultivation  of 
which  he  gives  his  entire  attention.  He  was 
born  in  Finland,  in  1867,  and  is  a  son  of 
Matt  Haiha  and  Sophia  (Sund)  Reiher,  in 
whose  family  were  eight  children:  Matt  Her- 
man, of  this  review;  Victor,  who  is  a  tele- 
graph operator  in  Finland;  Julius,  Alexan- 
der and  Otto,  deceased;  Selma  Sophia,  of 
Finland;  Oscar  A.,  deceased;  and  Ililma 
Marie,  a  telegraph  operator.     The   father  of 


770 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


this  family  was  a  government  pilot.  He 
passed  away  many  years  ago,  at  the  age 
of  seventy-tliree,  but  the  mother  is  still 
living  in  her  native  land. 

Matt  H.  Reiher  was  reared  at  home  and 
received  his  early  education  in  the  schools  of 
Finland.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  emi- 
grated to  the  United  States  and  settled  in 
California,  where  he  was  engaged  as  em- 
ploye in  lumber  mills  for  some  time.  He 
then  removed  to  Coos  bay,  where  he  invested 
in  the  rafting  business,  to  which  he  gave  his 
attention  for  a  short  period  and  was  then 
employed  in  a  shipyard  for  some  time,  after 
which  he  purchased  a  piece  of  land  in  Jlarsh- 
field,  for.  which  he  paid  one  thousand  dollars 
and  sold  the  same  afterward  for  seven  thou- 
sand dollars.  He  then  bought  a  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  ninety-five  acres  located  on 
Haynes  inlet,  where  he  established  his  home 
and  has  since  continued  to  devote  his  at- 
tention to  the  development  of  that  property. 
He  is  very  successful  in  his  agricultural  op- 
erations and  is  at  present  making  a  spe- 
cialty of  dairy  farming. 

Mr.  Reiher  was  united  in  marriage  on  De- 
cember 28,  189G,  to  Miss  Ida  Kotka,  a  native 
of  Finland  and  a  daughter  of  Jlr.  and  Mrs. 
John  Kotka,  who  were  the  parents  of  a 
large  family,  seven  of  whom  survive:  Her- 
man, of  Marshfield;  Ida,  now  Mrs.  Matt  H. 
Reiher;  Ina,  the  wife  of  Matt  Johnson,  of 
Finland;  Hannah,  who  is  the  wife  of  Alfred 
Lundstrom,  of  Coos  county,  and  the  mother 
of  one  child;  Hugo,  of  Marshfield;  and  Mary 
and  Victor,  both  of  whom  reside  in  Fin- 
land. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Reiher  are  the  parents 
of  nine  children,  Ida,  Hugo,  Esther.  Rudolph, 
Albert  and  Ina,  all  attending  public  school; 
and  Gunard,  Ellen  and  Leonard. 

Mr.  Reiher  is  affiliated  with  the  republi- 
can party  and  for  the  past  six  years  has 
served  as  one  of  the  directors  of  the  school 
board  of  his  district.  He  is  also  one  of  the 
charter  members  of  Soumi  lodge  and  was 
for  some  time  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Or- 
der of  United  Workmen.  He  and  his  wife  are 
members  of  the  Lutheran  church  of  Marsh- 
field. Mr.  Reiher  is  one  of  the  well  known 
and  successful  farmers  of  Coos  county  and 
is  a  man  to  be  relied  upon  to  give  his  assist- 
ance to  the  advancement  of  any  public  meas- 
ure, seeking  the  improvement  of  the  people 
of  his  county  and  state. 

LIEUTENANT   WILLIAM   PENN  MAST, 

who  passed  away  December  10.  1SS9.  was  for 
a  number  of  years  actively  and  successfully 
identified  with  general  agricultural  pursuits 
in  Coos  county.  His  birth  occurred  in  Xorth 
Carolina,  on  the  6th  of  June,  1834,  his  par- 
ents being  Reuben  and  Nancy  (Webb)  Mast, 
both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Watauga  coun- 
ty, that  state.  Their  children  were  seven  in 
number,  namely:  Wyley,  .Jennie.  James. 
Caroline,  Eliza,"  Elandor  and  William  Penn. 
All  have  passed  away. 

William  Penn  Mast  remained  on  the  home 
plantation  until  a  year  after  his  marriage 
and  then  made  his  way  to  Texas,  there  cul- 
tivating rented  land  for  a  period  of  three 
years.     On  the  expiration  of  that  period  ho 


returned  to  North  Carolina  and  enlisted  for 
service  in  the  Confederate  artny  under  Gen- 
eral Bragg,  holding  the  rank  of  first  lieuten- 
ant. He  was  captured  and  taken  to  Camp 
Chase.  After  the  cessation  of  hostilities  be- 
tween the  north  and  the  south  he  purchased 
a  farm  and  continued  its  operation  until 
1872,  when  he  came  to  Douglas  county,  Ore- 
gon. There  he  operated  a  rented  farm  for 
one  year  and  then  came  to  Coos  county,  set- 
tling on  a  tract  of  one  hundred  and  eighty- 
two  acres  for  which  he  traded  a  wagon.  Only 
a  quarter  of  an  acre  of  the  land  had  been 
cleared  and  the  only  building  thereon  was 
a  board  shanty.  One  hundred  and  forty 
acres  thereof  are  now  cleared,  and  the  prop- 
erty is  one  of  the  beautiful  show  places  in 
Coos  county.  Mr.  Mast  and  his  wife  did 
most  of  the  work  incident  to  the  clearing 
and  improvement  of  the  farm  and  were  later 
assisted  by  their  sons.  The  sons  have  ex- 
tended the  boundaries  of  the  place  until  it 
now  embraces  about  four  hundred  acres.  They 
have  been  engaged  in  the  logging  business 
for  the  Johnston  Lumber  Company  and  have 
also  cleared  their  own  land.  They  raise 
wheat,  oats  and  barley  and  have  recently 
embarked  in  the  dairy  business  on  an  ex- 
tensive scale.  William  P.  Mast  was  long  num- 
bered among  the  enterprising  and  prosperous 
agriculturists  of  Coos  county,  and  in  his 
passing  the  community  lost  one  of  its  rep- 
resentative and  esteemed  citizens. 

On  the  5th  of  March,  1857.  Mr.  Mast  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Charlotte  Helen 
Mast,  a  native  of  North  Carolina  and  a  daugh. 
ter  of  Leason  and  Sarah  (Duger)  Mast,  the 
father  a  native  of  North  Carolina  and  the 
mother  of  Tennessee.  Mrs.  William  Penn 
Mast  has  one  brother  and  one  sister:  Eli  who 
is  an  agriculturist  residing  in  McKinley,  Ore- 
gon; and  Hester,  who  is  the  widow  of  Leason 
L.  Harmon.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  P. 
Mast  were  born  five  children.  Reuben  H.. 
whose  natal  year  was  1859,  is  cashier  of 
the  Farmers  &  Merchants  Bank  of  Coquille, 
Oregon.  He  is  married  and  has  three  chil- 
dren, Leta,  Reuben  and  James.  William  L. 
born  December  21,  1864.  is  a  diver  in  the 
employ  of  the  government  dredge  department. 
James  W.,  whose  birth  occurred  on  the  10th 
of  October,  1866,  is  engaged  in  merchandis- 
ing at  Bandon,  Oregon,  and  also  acts  as 
mayor  of  that  town.  Webb,  who  was  born 
February  11,  1868.  operates  the  home  place 
in  association  with  his  brother  Hardy.  On 
the  14th  of  June.  1908,  he  wedded  Miss  Bessie 
Demberger,  a  native  of  West  Virginia  and  a 
daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Martha  (Boso) 
Dernberger.  Mrs.  Bessie  Mast  is  one  of  five 
children,  the  others  being  as  follows:  Orra. 
who  is  the  wife  of  M.  R.  Buffington.  of  West 
Virginia;  and  Conway,  Gladys  and  Gordon, 
all  of  whom  are  residents  of  West  Virginia. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Webb  Mast  have  one  daughter, 
Helen  Webb,  born  January  15,  1912.  Hardy 
W.  Mast,  who  was  born  on  the  26th  of  Jan- 
uary, 1873,  resides  on  the  old  homestead  and 
operates  the  same  in  association  with  his 
brother  Webb.  He  is  married  and  has  three 
children.  William  W.,  Lloyd  C.  and  Myrtle  H. 


> 
z 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


773 


William  P.  Mast  gave  his  political  alle- 
giance to  the  democratic  party  which  organi- 
zation the  family  has  ever  supported.  For  one 
term  he  served  as  commissioner  of  Coos  coun- 
ty. He  also  established  the  postoiBee  at  Lee 
and  his  widow  is  still  in  charge  thereof.  JIi-s. 
Mast  has  now  resided  in  Coos  county  for 
about  four  decades  and  is  well  known  and 
highly  esteemed  throughout  the  community. 

ALBERT  C.  HILL,  who  is  living  retired 
in  Dallas,  was  for  many  years  successfully 
engaged  in  hop  growing  in  Polk  county.  He 
is  a  native  of  Tennessee,  having  been  born 
in  Claiborne  county  in  May,  1833,  and  is  a 
son  of  John  and  Polly  (Merrill)  Hill,  na- 
tives of  the  same  county,  where  they  spent 
their  entire  lives.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hill  were 
the  parents  of  twelve  children,  six  sons  and 
six  daughters,  all  of  whom  are  deceased  with 
the  exception  of  two  sons  and  one  daughter. 

In  the  period  of  Albert  C.  Hill's  boyhood 
the  common  schools  of  his  native  state  of- 
fered only  a  limited  education  which  consti- 
tuted all  the  advantages  in  that  line  his 
parents  could  give  him.  Reared  in  the  coun- 
try he  was  early  trained  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits and  after  laying  aside  his  text-books 
engaged  in  farming  until  the  breaking  out  of 
the  Civil  war,  when  he  enlisted  in  the  Con- 
federate service  with  the  Tenth  Missouri 
Cavalry.  When  peace  was  restored  he  re- 
turned to  his  native  state,  where  soon  there- 
after he  was  married.  Subsequent  to  this 
event,  he  and  his  wife  located  on  a  farm 
in  the  vicinity  of  Knoxville,  Tennessee,  in 
the  cultivation  of  which  he  engaged  for 
nearly  twenty  years.  In  the  '80s  Albert  C. 
Hill  and  his  family  removed  to  Oregon,  lo- 
cating six  miles  south  of  Dallas,  where  he 
purchased  sixty-eight  acres  of  land.  The 
greater  part  of  this  tract  he  devoted  to  hop 
culture,  in  which  he  was  very  successful,  his 
enterprise  netting  him  gratifying  financial 
returns.  He  still  owns  this  ranch  but  has 
for  several  years  been  living  retired  in  Dal- 
las, in  the  enjoyment  of  an  income,  sufficient 
to  supply  all  of  his  needs. 

For  his  wife  Mr.  Hill  chose  Miss  Becky 
Haines,  and  they  became  the  parents  of  three 
children:  Mabel;  Maggie;  and  John,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  five  years.  Mrs.  Hill  is 
also  deceased,  her  death  having  occurred  soon 
after  she  passed  the  sixtieth  anniversary  of 
her  birth. 

His  political  support  Mr.  Hill  has  always 
given  to  the  men  and  measures  of  the  demo- 
cratic party,  but  he  has  never  actively  par- 
ticipated in  public  affairs,  preferring  to  give 
his  entire  attention  to  his  private  affairs. 

DICK  J.  WILCOX  is  assistant  cashier  and 
one  of  the  directors  of  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Lakcview  and  in  addition  to  the 
creditable  position  which  he  occupies  in 
financial  circles  he  is  well  known  as  an  exten- 
sive land  owner,  his  holdings  embracing  two 
thousand  acres.  He  was  born  in  Nevada 
county.  Califoniia,  April  16.  1869.  and  is  a  son 
of  N.  and  Mary  (Talent)  Wilcox,  who  were 
natives  of  England  and  were  married  in  San 
Francisco  in  1849.  The  father,  eighty-five 
Vol.  IV— :i2 


years  of  age,  resides  in  Lakeview,  where 
the  mother  passed  away  in  1889.  They 
came  to  the  United  States  a  short  time  prior 
to  their  marriage,  the  father  being  one  of  the 
early  gold  seekers  of  the  Pacihc  coast,  in 
which  connection  he  both  made  and  lost  for- 
tunes. In  1878  he  became  a  resident  of 
Lakeview,  Oregon,  where  he  became  owner 
of  a  ranch  which  he  capably  managed  up  to 
the  time  of  his  retirement,  twenty  years  ago. 

Dick  J.  Wilcox  was  tne  fifth  in  the  order 
of  birth  in  a  family  of  seven  children,  four 
sons  and  three  daughters,  of  whom  all  are 
yet  living  with  the  exception  of  one  daugh- 
ter. He  came  to  Oregon  with  his  parents 
from  California  in  1878,  when  a  lad  of  nine 
years,  and  has  since  resided  in  Lakeview. 
He  was  employed  as  clerk  in  a  store  for  a 
number  of  years  after  starting  out  in  the 
business  world,  and  for  eight  years  filled 
the  position  of  postmaster  during  the  admin- 
istrations of  Presidents  McKinley  and  Roose- 
velt. Since  his  retirement  from  that  office 
he  has  been  connected  with  the  First 
National  Bank,  serving  as  assistant  cashier 
for  six  years,  and  eventually  becoming  one 
of  its  directors.  He  has  thoroughly  ac- 
quainted himself  with  the  banking  business 
in  principle  and  detail  and  is  proving  a 
capable  representative  of  this  institution 
while  at  the  same  time  he  wisely  controls  his 
landed  interests,  comprising  two  thousand 
acres,  six  miles  from  Lakeview.  Upon  his 
place  he  has  a  shearing  corral  where  shear- 
ing is  done  for  the  public.  He  is  also  the 
owner  of  four  dwellings  in  Lakeview  which 
he  rents,  his  property  interests  bringing  to 
him  a  gratifying  income. 

In  1899  Mr.  Wilcox  was  married  to  Miss 
Amelia  Schlagel,  a  native  of  Yreka,  Califor- 
nia, and  a  daughter  of  M.  Schlagel,  deceased. 
The  Wilcox  home  is  a  hospitable  one,  prov- 
ing a  center  of  social  interest  in  the  town. 
In  politics  Mr.  Wilcox  is  a  republican,  hav- 
ing for  three  years  served  as  a  member  of  the 
town  council.  He  is  always  interested  in 
everything  pertaining  to  the  welfare  and 
progress  of  his  community  and  his  coopera- 
tion and  aid  are  freely  and  generously 
given  where  he  believes  the  best  interests  of 
his  city  may  be  served. 

MRS.  CARRIE  B.  BURNS,  who  is  the 
wife  of  Charles  F.  Burns,  of  North  Bend, 
is  one  of  the  well  known  and  highly  respect- 
ed women  of  the  city,  in  which  she  re- 
sides. She  was  born  in  Missouri,  September 
5.  1867,  and  is  a  daughter  of  J.  W.  and 
Evelyn  (Hunter)  Morrow,  both  of  whom 
were  natives  of  Missouri  and  of  Scotch- 
Irish  ancestry.  The  grandparents  of  Mrs. 
I'urns  were  among  the  early  settlers  on  tlie 
Atlantic  seaboard  and  her  great-grand- 
fathers were  veterans  of  the  Revolutionary 
war,  one  great-grandfather  Rock,  serving  on 
the  staff  of  General  Washington.  The 
father  died  in  Missouri  in  1903  and  the 
mother  is  still  living  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
six  years.  They  were  the  parents  of  six 
children,  all  of  whom  are  living:  Mrs.  Car- 
rip  B.  Burns,  the  subject  of  this  review;  Mrs. 
Lulu  Duffy,  of  Waverly,  Missouri;  Dora,  the 


774 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


widow  of  ililtou  Hager,  of  Chicago,  Illinois; 
Mis.  Ella  Baer,  who  is  engaged  iu  the  mil- 
linery business  iu  Kansas  City,  Missouri; 
John  R.,  a  resident  of  Denver,  Colorado; 
and  May,  the  wife  of  James  Harris,  of  Cin- 
cinnati,  Ohio. 

Mrs.  Burns  was  reared  at  liome  and  re- 
ceived her  early  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  Missouri.  She  remained  under  the 
jjarental  roof  until  the  time  of  her  first 
wedding,  w-hich  occurred  November  25,  1881, 
when  she  married  W.  J.  Ellis  of  Montgom- 
ery City,  Missouri,  and  to  that  union  three 
children  were  born:  W.  H.  Ellis,  who  is  in 
the  employ  of  the  United  States  navy ;  Myr- 
tle I.,  who  is  the  wife  of  E.  A.  Taj'lor  of 
North  Bend.  Oregon;  and  HalUe  M.,  still 
under  the  parental  roof.  All  of  the  cliil- 
dren  have  a  good  business  education.  Mrs. 
Burns  was  united  in  marriage,  in  1904,  to 
Charles  E.  Burns,  who  is  a  native  of  ilich- 
igan  and  a  son  of  Milton  and  Charlotte 
Burns,   both   of   whom   are   deceased. 

Charles  E.  Burns  was  reared  at  home  and 
received  his  early  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  Michigan  after  which  he  attended 
Michigan  Agricultural  College,  at  Lansing 
for  one  year.  He  was  married  on  July  30, 
1890,  to  'Allie  B.  Gray,  of  Tecumseh,  Mich- 
igan. By  this  union  two  children  were  born: 
Elon  L.  and  Helen  Dean.  A  separation  in 
1895  led  to  a  divorce  in  1900.  For  about 
ten  years  Mr.  Burns  lived  in  Detroit.  Mich- 
igan, wliere  he  was  employed  by  the  United 
States  and  American  Express  companies  and 
later  by  the  Michigan  Central  Railway.  He 
removed  to  Oregon  in  1907  and  has  since 
been  engaged  in  a  box  factory  at  North 
Bend,  in  which  place  Mrs.  Burns  for  some 
time  successfully  conducted  a  barber  shop. 
Mrs.  Burns  in  joint  partnership  with  her 
husband  owns  a  number  of  valuable  prop- 
erties at  North  Bend  and  they  are  also  the 
owners  of  property  at  Point  Richmond.  Cali- 
fornia. She  and  her  husband  are  affiliated 
w  ith  the  democratic  party  but  never  seek 
political  preferment,  jlrs.  Burns  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Eastern  Star.  Coos  Chapter,  No. 
99,  and  Mr.  Burns  has  his  fraternal  rela- 
tions w-ith  the  Masonic  Lodge  of  Ypsilanti. 
Michigan. 

ADAM  J.  HARTMAN.  A  man  who  has 
achieved  an  lionorablc  destiny  by  courageous 
battling  against  adverse  conditions,  who  has 
risen  unaided  through  difficulties,  first,  to  a 
respectable  place  in  the  world  and.  finally, 
to  one  of  prominence  and  distinction,  is 
Adam  J.  Hartman,  whose  careful  manage- 
ment of  the  Orpheum  Theater  in  Bandon. 
Oregon,  forms  only  one  of  his  varied  and 
representative  interests  in  that  city.  He  is 
prominently  connected  with  almost  every 
legitimate  line  of  activity  and  is  numbered 
among  the  forces  in  the  country's  advance- 
ment, ilr.  Hartman  was  born  in  Germany. 
September  29,  1S56,  and  is  a  son  of  John 
and  Isabella  (Rodriguez)  Hartman.  His 
father  was  born  in  Germany  and  his  mother 
in  Si)ain.  She  was  a  daughter  of  the  sec- 
retary of  the  Spanish  legation  in  Germany. 
To    their    union    were    born    three    children: 


Adam  J.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch ;  Wil- 
liam, of  Philadelphia,  Pennsj-lvania;  and 
Erank,  also  a  resident  of  Philadelphia. 

When  Adam  Hartman  was  twelve  years 
of  age  his  father  died  and  our  subject  left 
his  native  country  alone  to  come  to  America. 
He  remained  in  New  York  until  his  money 
was  gone  with  the  exception  of  eight  cents 
but  he  was  ambitious  and  energetic,  and  his 
strong  will  was  unconquered  even  by  these 
desperate  straits.  He  set  out  to  seek  his 
fortune,  tramping  to  Philadelphia  where, 
after  a  hard  and  long  journey  lie  arrived 
with  no  assets  bej'ond  his  characteristics  of 
hope  and  industry.  He  received  employment 
in  a  confectionery  shop  and  w'orked  for  a 
dollar  and  a  half  a  week  and  his  board.  He 
subsequently  went  to  San  Francisco,  Cali- 
fornia, where  he  worked  at  anything  he 
could  find  to  do  for  a  year  and  a  half.  He 
then  obtained  a  position  in  the  employ  of 
the  government  and  during  the  next  twenty 
jears  traveled  at  various  times  in  its  inter- 
ests over  almost  all  the  countries  of  the 
Avorld.  During  this  time  he  was  placed  in 
charge  of  the  government  lighthouse  at  Fort 
Canby,  Washington,  where  he  remained  for 
four  years  and  a  half,  and  then  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  Umpqua  River  territory  and 
after  one  year  was  put  in  charge  of  the 
lightliouse  on  the  CoquiUe  river.  Here  he 
remained  for  seven  years  and  a  half  and 
was  considered  among  the  most  valuable 
and  useful  of  the  government  employes  in 
this  section.  At  the  end  of  twenty  years' 
faithful  service  he  left  the  employ  of  the 
government  and  engaged  in  the  general  mer- 
cliandise  business  in  Bandon.  Oregon.  He 
\,as  successful  and  had  soon  acquired  a  com- 
fortable fortune,  which  he  invested  judi- 
ciously. He  erected  the  first  concrete  build- 
ing in  Bandon,  and  this  was  for  a  long  time 
the  only  substantial  structure  in  the  city. 
By  careful  business  management  and  by  con- 
servative buying  and  selling  Mr,  Hartman 
soon  owned  one  of  the  prosperous  mercantile 
enterprises  in  Coos  county.  He  disposed  of 
his  establishment  in  1909  and  built  an  at- 
tractive residence  in  the  city,  with  the  in- 
tention of  retiring.  At  this  time  he  took 
a  long  trip  to  various  parts  of  the  world, 
renew'ing  acquaintances  with  foreign  condi- 
tions. Upon  his  return  to  Bandon  his  en- 
ergy and  activity  would  not  permit  his  re- 
tirement from  all  identification  with  business 
life  and  he  built  a  large  box  factory,  which 
he  operated  with  much  success.  Eventually, 
liowever.  he  leased  the  building  and  built 
the  Orpheum  Theater,  and  after  a  short 
])eriod  took  charge  of  the  enterprise  him- 
self. He  is  now  sole  owner  and  manager 
and  has  built  up  a  creditable  and  prosper- 
ous establishment,  Mr.  Hartman  is  one  of 
the  worthy  and  prominent  citizens  of  Ban- 
don, Oregon,  and  is  a  man  who  is  interested 
in  many  different  lines  of  activity.  He 
owns  the  hospital  building  and  has  invested 
largely  in  residence  and  business  property. 
His  constructive  intelligence  and  the  care- 
ful administration  of  his  investments  have  in- 
creased his  prosperity  every  year.  Besides 
his  property  in  Oregon  he  owns  large  inter- 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OP  OREGON 


csts  of  various  kinds  in  Pliiladflphia,  and 
these  form  an  important  part  of  his  income. 

In  ISST  Mr.  Hartman  was  united  in  mar- 
riage iu  Now  York  city,  to  iliss  Elizabetli 
M.  Wilkinson,  a  native  of  Manchester.  Eng- 
land. iShe  is  one  of  four  children  born  to 
her  parents,  of  whom  Ada  is  a  principal  in 
a  public  school  in  Bath,  England,  and  two 
others  also  reside  in  that  country.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Hartman  have  been  born  two  chil- 
dren :  Florence,  whose  birth  occurred  in  Port- 
land. Oregon,  and  who  is  the  wife  of  Edward 
Nieman.  of  San  Francisco,  by  whom  she 
-has  one  child,  Bub;  ami  Walter,  whose  birth 
occurred  in  Fort  Canby,  \A'ashington.  and 
who  is  associated  with  his  father  in  business 
in  Bandon,  Oregon. 

Politically  Mr.  Hartman  is  a  consistent 
republican  but  has  never  sought  public  of- 
fice. He  is  prominent  in  fraternal  circles 
and  holds  membership  in  the  Masons,  of 
which  organization  he  was  senior  dean  for 
eight  j'ears:  in  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows;  the  Improved  Order  of  Red- 
men  :  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America ; 
and  the  Owls.  He  is  a  man  of  metropolitan 
experience.  His  judgment  has  been  broad- 
ened and  deepened  by  contact  with  various 
sorts  and  conditions  of  men,  and  developed 
along  diversified  lines  without  impairing  his 
force  of  personality  or  the  power  of  his  en- 
ergy, which  are  the  essential  qualities  of  his 
public    spirit. 

JOSEPH  ALBERT  JANELLE,  one  of  the 
progressive  business  men  of  Douglas  county 
and  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Reed.  Janelle 
&  Company,  general  merchants  at  Gardi- 
ner. Oregon,  was  born  in  the  province  of 
Quebec,  Canada,  April  9,  1S77,  and  is  a  son 
of  Thomas  and  Atliela  (Bourgoisi  Janelle. 
the  former  a  native  of  Quebec  and  the  latter 
of  Xew  Orleans,  Mrs,  .Tanelle  was  left  an 
orphan  at  an  early  age  and  came  to  Canada 
to  make  her  home  with  relatives  in  that 
country.  She  was  later  married  to  Mr.  Ja- 
nelle and  her  death  occurred  in  Quebec  in  Oc- 
tober, 1910,  Her  husband  is  still  living  and 
resides  on  the  farm  which  has  been  his  home 
for  over  forty  years. 

.loseph  A.  .Tanelle  was  reared  at  home. 
;icc|uiring  his  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  Canada  and  receiving  a  thorough  course 
in  practical  farming  at  an  agricultural  col- 
lege. He  has  been  entirely  dependent  upon 
his  own  resources  from  an  early  date  and  is 
es.sentially  a  self-made  man.  His  residence 
in  Gardiner  dates  from  1S9S.  in  which  year 
he  came  to  this  city  in  order  to  take  ehai^ge 
of  the  creamery  business  conducted  by  A. 
W.  Reed.  One  year  later  the  death  of  A.  W. 
Reed  brought  into  the  firm  his  nephew, 
W.  P.  Reed,  and  Mr,  .Janelle  was  retained  as 
manager.  His  success  in  this  line  of  busi- 
ness was  the  direct  result  of  intelligent  act- 
ivity and  scientific  methods.  Under  his  able 
management  the  business  of  the  concern  ex- 
panded from  year  to  year  and  it  is  now  one 
(if  the  most  important  enterprises  of  its  kind 
in  Douglas  county,  ^tr.  .Tanelle  interrupted 
his  connection  with  the  creamery  business 
in   order  to  enter  the  general  mercantile  es- 


tablishment of  iMr.  Keed.  and  in  A])ril.  1911, 
had  achieved  such  conspicuous  success  in 
this  line,  that  he  was  oll'ered  a  partnership 
and  the  firm  was  incorporated  under  the 
name  of  Reed,  .lanelle  &  Company,  under 
which   title   it   still   operates. 

On  October  20,  1904,  ilr.  Janelle  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary  R,  Reed, 
a  daughter  of  J,  W,  Reed,  of  Gardiner,  Ore- 
gon, and  to  this  union  has  been  born  a 
daughter,  Florette,  In  his  |)olitical  views 
Mr.  Janelle  is  a  consistent  republican  and 
votes  the  party  ticket  on  national  and  local 
issues.  He  is  a  member  of  Mar^hiic•ld  Lodge. 
No.  llfiO.  B.  P.  O,  E„  and  of  Uardiner  Lodged 
K  0.  T.  M.  He  is  affiliated  with  the  Roman 
Catholic  church,  while  his  wife  gives  her 
allegiance  to  the  Episcopal  church.  Hr. 
Janelle  is  typically  a  self-made  num.  the 
builder  of  his  own  fortune  and  tlie  mohler 
of  his  own  destiny. 

GUS  CARLSON  is  one  of  the  many  na- 
tives of  Finland  who  left  that  country  to 
seek  their  fortunes  in  America  and  are  now 
[irominent  in  the  agricultural  dcveloitment  of 
Coos  county  and  the  surrounding  districts. 
Mr.  Carlson  lives  on  the  boundary  line  be- 
tween Douglas  and  Coos  county,  his  house 
being  in  the  former  section  and  his  farm 
in  the  latter.  He  was  born  in  Finland  in 
1842  and  is  a  son  of  Charles  and  Annie  Carl- 
son, who  were  also  natives  of  that  country. 
His  father  followed  the  occupation  of  farm- 
ing for  many  years  and  he  and  his  wife 
were  the  parents  of  twelve  cliildren,  all  of 
whom  are  deceased  with  the  exception  of 
our  subject  and  one  brother,  who  resides  in 
Finland, 

Gus  Carlson  received  his  early  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  Finland  and  at  the 
age  of  eighteen,  ship])ed  as  a  deck  hand. 
He  sailed  on  various  vessels,  putting  <mt 
from  Finland,  for  eighteen  years,  visiting 
many  of  the  important  ports  of  the  world. 
He  made  a  journey  from  Glasgow  to  New 
Orleans  and  was  there  paid  off.  He  then 
immediately  shipped  on  another  vessel  bound 
for  Cape  Horn  and  sailed  up  the  Pacific  coast 
to  San  Francisco.  He  later  came  to  Coos 
bay  and  worked  in  a  sawmill  there  for  three 
years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  moved  to 
Ten  .Mile  lake  and  settled  on  the  north 
shore,  taking  up  a  homestead  claim  on  the 
boundary  line  between  Douglas  and  Coos 
counties.  He  now  owns  four  hundred  acres 
of  land  in  this  district  and  does  a  large 
dairy  business  to  which  he  gives  his  per- 
sonal :ittention  and  ahnost  his  entire  tinu\ 
He  has  ei|nipped  his  dairy  with  modern  and 
sanitary  machinery  and  owns  and  milks  a 
herd  of  forty  fine  cows.  The  output  of  his 
dairy  is  increasing  yearly  and  its  products 
sell  readily.  Mr.  Carlson's  house  is  in  Doug- 
las county,  five  miles  from  Lakeside  on 
North  lake,  but  most  of  his  land  is  in  Coos 
county. 

In  188.5  Mr.  Carlson  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Ada  Jliller.  a  native  of  Coos 
county,  born  in  1870.  and  to  them  seven 
children  have  been  born:  Henry,  fieorge,  Her- 
man   and    Gus,   all   of   Coos   eountv;    Lizzie, 


776 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


who  is  living  in  North  Bend;  Minnie,  who 
i-fsides  with  her  parents  and  is  attending 
school;  and  Jennie,  who  is  also  pursuing  her 
studies  and  living  at  home.  Gus  Carlson 
gives  his  allegiance  to  the  republican  party 
and  served  as  school  director  for  two  years. 
He  is  intelligently  interested  in  local  affairs 
hut  never  seeks  public  office.  He  belongs  to 
the  Lutheran  church  and  in  this  faith  he 
has  reared  his  children.  He  is  an  active 
and  intelligent  farmer  and  because  of  his 
thorough  and  effective  methods  is  known 
throughout  the  countryside.  His  well  cul- 
tivated land  gives  evidence  of  his  ability  as 
a  farmer  and  his  many  friends  are  always 
ready  to  attest  his  qualities  of  citizenship. 

JOHN  RICKARD.  There  has  occurred  lit- 
tle of  real  importance  to  Oregon  during  the 
last  six  decades  with  which  John  Riekard 
is  not  familiar,  for  throughout  this  entire 
period  he  has  been  a  resident  of  the  state 
and  has  therefore  been  a  witness  of  its 
changes,  its  progress  and  its  upbuilding.  He 
now  makes  his  home  in  Corvallis  and  is  one 
of  the  most  substantial  citizens  of  this  part 
of  tlie  state.  He  was  born  in  Herefordshire, 
England,  December  31,  1830,  his  parents  be- 
ing Richard  and  Rachael  Riekard.  The  father 
passed  away  in  England  and  in  1840  the  fam- 
ily arrived  in  Brown  county,  Illinois  where 
the  mother  also  died.  In  their  family  were 
two  sons  and  five  daughters,  of  whom  John, 
the  eldest,  and  Mrs.  Rose  Nichols,  of  Eugene, 
Oregon,  who  is  the  youngest,  are  now  liv- 
ing. 

In  1853  John  Riekard  came  to  Oregon  from 
Illinois  in  company  with  two  neighbor  boys, 
John  McDonald  and  Charles  Estis.  The 
former  was  drowned  in  the  Snake  river  while 
en  route  and  the  latter  afterward  went  to 
California. 

John  Riekard  made  the  trip  across  the 
plains  with  ox  teams,  he  and  his  two  com- 
panions each  having  a  yoke  of  oxen  and 
owning  a  wagon  in  partnership.  He  bought 
land  four  miles  south  of  Corvallis  and  since 
the  fall  of  1852  has  resided  in  this  county. 
Here  he  followed  farming  and  stock-raising 
for  many  years  but  at  length  determined  to 
retire,  at  which  time  he  gave  his  wife  and 
each  of  his  sons  a  ranch,  dividing  more  than 
three  thousand  acres  among  them.  To  his 
son  Roy  he  gave  one  thousand  acres  four 
miles  south  of  Corvallis  and  to  his  son  Bay- 
ard two  thousand  acres  near  Paloma.  The 
property  owned  by  the  family  is  considered 
one  of  the  best  farms  in  all  Benton  county. 
Mr.  Riekard  was  the  second  largest  property 
owner  in  the  county,  at  one  time  having 
thirtv-two  hundred  a'cres.  He  made  farming 
and  stock-raising  his  life  work  and  met  pros, 
perity  as  the  years  went  by.  When  he  re- 
tired" to  Corvallis  he  built  his  present  home 
at  No.  704  South  Third  street.  He  began 
farming  in  a  small  way  and  during  the  first 
winter 'spent  in  this  state  worked  with  a  sur- 
veying party.  In  the  summer  of  1853  he 
and  Joseph  Lyford  made  brick  at  Corvallis. 
which  was  the"  first  and  only  brick  made  here. 
He  also  took  contracts  for  making  rails  and 
he  freighted  with  ox  teams  to  The  Dalles,  to 


Portland,  to  eastern  Oregon  and  to  Wash- 
ington. He  worked  for  a  number  of  years  at 
contract  work  along  different  lines  and  about 
ISCl  or  1862  he  purchased  his  ranch,  after 
which  he  followed  farming  until  his  retire- 
ment in  1903.  His  agricultural  interests 
were  most  carefully  conducted  and  brought 
to  him  gratifying  returns,  so  that  he  is  now 
one  of  the  substantial  citizens  of  the  county. 

Mr.  Riekard  was  married  to  Jlrs.  Ella  (Dorr) 
Ranney,  a  native  of  Springfield,  Illinois,  who 
came  with  her  parents  to  Benton  county, 
Oregon,  in  1852.  .She  is  a  daughter  of  Dud- 
ley and  Eliza  Dorr,  who  settled  about  eight  • 
miles  south  of  Corvallis.  The  father  died  in 
Walla  Walla,  Washington,  and  the  mother 
in  San  Francisco.  By  a  former  marriage  Mr. 
Riekard  had  three  children:  Bayard,  of  Cor- 
vallis; Roy,  living  on  the  old  home  farm; 
and  Annie,  who  died  at  the  age  of  sixteen 
months.  By  her  first  marriage  Mrs.  Riekard 
had  six  children:  George  Ranney,  of  Lake 
county,  Oregon;  Walter,  deceased;  Maude, 
the  wife  of  Sherman  Wade,  of  Gilliam  county, 
Oregon;  Edwin,  who  has  passed  away;  Dell, 
of  Corvallis;  and  Lillian,  at  home. 

Sir.  Riekard  now  has  his  second  sight  and 
reads  without  glasses.  He  is  a  well  pre- 
served man  for  one  of  his  years,  having  nearly 
passed  the  eighty-second  milestone  on  life's 
journey.  He  has  always  been  active  and  his 
useful  and  well  spent  life  has  brought  him 
the  merited  reward  of  labor,  so  that  in  the 
evening  of  his  days  he  can  rest  in  the  enjoy- 
ment of  the  fruits  of  his  former  toil,  his 
possessions  being  sufficient  to  supply  him  and 
his  wife  with  all  the  necessities  and  many  of 
the  luxuries  of  life  for  years  to  come. 

JONAS  E.  NORIN.  The  home  of  Jonas 
E.  Xorin  is  a  beautiful  bungalow,  the  first 
residence  of  that  style  of  architecture  to  be 
erected  in  Lakeview.  A  mile  and  a  half 
distant  is  his  ranch  of  five  hundred  and  fif- 
teen acres,  which  he  purchased  in  1909  and 
which  is  known  as  the  Eagle  Point  ranch. 
He  has  other  business  interests  also,  inas- 
much as  he  is  the  vice  president  of  the  Lake- 
view  Wool  Storage  &  Warehouse  Company, 
but  his  attention  is  chiefly  directed  to  the 
production  of  hay  and  the  raising  of  stock. 
He  was  born  in  Sweden,  July  30,  1867,  and 
is  a  son  of  Erick  and  Martha  (Modig) 
Norin,  who  spent  their  entire  lives  as  farming 
people  of  Sweden  save  that  the  father  served 
for  about  twenty-five  years  in  the  army, 
becoming  an  officer.  They  had  nine  children, 
one  of  whom  died  in  childhood.  Two  sons 
passed  away  after  reaching  maturity,  while 
six  are  now  living.  Jonas  E.  and  his  brother 
Andrew  were  the  only  members  of  the  family 
who  came  to  America.  Andrew  later  re- 
turned to  Sweden  and  there  passed  away. 

Jonas  E.  Norin  pursued  his  education  in 
the  schools  of  his  native  country  and  re- 
mained a  resident  there  until  in  his  twenty- 
fifth  j'ear,  when,  in  1893,  he  came  to  Amer- 
ica, reaching  Iowa  on  the  3d  of  March.  He 
worked  as  a  farm  hand  until  January,  1896, 
when  he  came  to  the  northwest  and  has  since 
been  a  resident  of  Lakeview.  Oregon.  He 
was   employed  as  a   sheep   herder   and   farm 


.mux    KK  KAKH 


"  TViv  MFW 


TILDEM  FC 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


79 


hand  for  about  three  years  but,  carefully 
saving  his  earnings,  he  was  at  length  able  to 
purchase  sheep,  which  he  began  running  over 
the  range.  Later  he  leased  his  sheep,  and 
removed  to  the  town,  where  he  purchased  an 
interest  in  a  planing  mill.  After  three  years 
he  sold  out  and  began  building  bungalows 
for  speculative  purposes.  He  was  the  first 
to  erect  a  bungalow  in  Lakevievv,  building  a 
house  of  that  character  after  traveling  quite 
extensively  over  California  to  get  ideas  con- 
cerning bungalow  arcliitecture.  In  1909  he 
purchased  his  present  ranch,  comprising  five 
hundred  and  fifteen  acres,  pleasantly  and 
conveniently  situated  about  a  mile  and  a  half 
south  of  Lakeview.  At  that  time  the  Eagle 
Point  ranch  was  meadow  land,  but  with 
characteristic  energy  he  began  the  develop- 
ment and  improvement  of  the  place,  where 
lie  is  now  engaged  in  raising  hay  extensively 
and  also  in  raising  stock.  He  puts  up  about 
four  hundred  tons  of  hay  annually.  He  has 
about  thirty-five  hundred  head  of  sheep  and 
keeps  his  sheep  on  the  desert  and  the  lambs 
on  the  ranch.  His  farm  home  is  a  fine  bung- 
alow and  upon  this  place  there  are  splendid 
outbuildings,  all  especially  adapted  for  the 
purposes  for  which  they  are  used  and  built 
with  regard  to  comfort  and  convenience.  His 
interest  in  sheep-raising  led  to  his  becoming 
identified  with  tlie  Lakeview  Wool  Storage  & 
Warehouse  Company,  of  which  he  is  the  vice 
president. 

In  1903,  in  Los  Angeles,  California,  Mr. 
Norin  was  married  to  Miss  Fannie  Pamell 
Carr,  who  was  born  in  Kansas  in  1880,  and 
when  four  years  of  age  was  taken  to  Los 
Angeles  by  her  parents,  Martin  and  Anna 
Carr.  The  mother  is  now  deceased  and  the 
father  resides  with  his  daughter.  Mr.  Norin 
is  a  republican  and  stanchly  advocates  pro- 
gressive citizenship.  A  spirit  of  progress  has 
actuated  him  throughout  his  entire  life  and 
has  been  manifest  in  his  business  career  and 
also  in  his  connection  with  community  af- 
fairs, his  labors  proving  an  element  in  general 
development   and   improvement. 

ROBERT  E.  LEE  BEDILLION.  The  city 
of  Bandon,  Oregon,  owes  much  to  the  con- 
structive talents  and  organizing  power  of 
Robert  E.  Lee  Bedillion,  who,  as  organizer 
and  directing  manager  of  the  only  woolen 
mill  in  the  city,  is  one  of  the  greatest  indi- 
vidual forces  in  the  industrial  expansion  of 
his  section  of  Oregon.  He  is  a  man  of  ready 
adaptability,  intelligent  public  spirit  and  a 
comprehens'ive  grasp  of  present-day  needs  in 
business  and  political  life,  and  his  activity 
along  various  constructive  lines,  centralized 
by  business  intelligence,  is  a  controlling  fac- 
tor in  the  growth  of  the  state.  He  was  born 
in  Olympia,  Washington,  October  5,  1864, 
and  is  a  son  of  William  and  Jeanette  (Be- 
dillion) Bedillion,  whose  parents  were  among 
the  earliest  settlers  in  the  state  of  Wash- 
ington. The  paternal  grandfather  of  our 
subiect  was  selected  to  keep  peace  with  the 
Indians  on  account  of  his  remarkable  suc- 
cess in  dealing  with  the  tribes.  The  mater- 
nal grandparents  were  natives  of  Kentucky 
and  came  to  Washington   in  the  early  '40s. 


William  Bedillion,  the  father,  was  born  in 
Virginia  and  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  tliat  state.  He  was  a  graduate  of 
a  military  school  in  his  native  state  and  was 
an  ardent  southerner.  During  the  war  of 
the  rebellion  he  was  honored  by  a  commis- 
sion in  the  Confederate  army  given  him  per- 
sonally by  General  Robert  E.  Lee,  and  he 
named  his  son,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
after  this  famous  general.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
William  Bedillion  were  born  two  children : 
Ida,  who  passed  away  in  her  girlhood;  and 
Robert  E.  Lee,  our  subject. 

When  Robert  Bedillion  was  three  years  of 
age  his  father  died.  He  remained  at  home 
until  lie  was  twelve  years  old  and  attended 
school.  He  then  laid  aside  his  books  and  ob- 
tained employment  on  a  ranch  in  California. 
Here  he  remained  until  18S2,  in  which  year 
he  again  entered  the  public  schools  of  Cali- 
fornia, and  although  he  was  then  eighteen 
years  of  age,  spent  three  years  complement- 
ing his  early  education.  He  took  a  commer- 
cial course  in  the  Tyrrell's  high  school  and 
immediately  afterward  went  into  the  but- 
cher business,  which  he  followed  for  a  num- 
ber of  years.  He  was  later  active  in  cattle 
raising  and  dairying,  and  obtained  a  grati- 
fying measure  of  success  in  this  line  of  work. 
In  1888  he  enlisted  in  the  United  States 
army  in  the  First  United  States  Infantry 
under  the  command  of  General  W.  R.  Shaf- 
ter,  and  served  for  two  years.  At  the  end  of 
that  time  he  came  to  Bandon,  Oregon,  locat- 
ing in  that  city  in  1890.  In  the  following 
year  the  municipality  was  incorporated  and 
Mr.  Bedillion  was  elected  as  its  first  marshal. 
He  held  that  office  and  did  his  duty  ably  and 
well  until  October  14,  1891.  At  that  time 
he  was  arrested  for  desertion  from  the 
United  States  army,  was  court  martialed 
and  sentenced  to  one  year  at  hard  labor. 
After  three  months  he  was  pardoned  through 
the  influence  of  friends  in  Washington,  and 
received  the  most  honorable  of  any  dis- 
charge ever  granted  a  prisoner  in  the  insti- 
tution where  he  was  confined.  Petition  for 
his  pardon  was  carried  over  the  head  of  the 
secretary  of  war  and  received  the  signature 
of  President  Harrison  and  J.  G.  Blaine.  Im- 
mediately following  this  event  Mr.  Bedillion 
returned  to  Bandon  where  he  followed  sal- 
mon fishing  foj-  a  number  of  years.  He  was 
later  identified  with  jetty  construction  work 
and  subsec|uentlv  took  charge  of  the  man- 
agement of  the  "Hotel  Gallier,  of  which  he 
ivas  the  proprietor  for  six  years.  During 
the  time  he  operated  the  hotel  he  organized 
a  stock  company  among  the  leading  business 
men  of  Bandon,  and  built  a  large  woolen 
mill  within  the  town  limits.  This  is  the  only 
enterprise  of  its  kind  in  Bandon  and  the 
only  one  south  of  Salem  and  north  of  the 
California  line.  This  factory  Mr.  Bedillion 
has  operated  with  rapidly  increa.sing  success 
since  that  time.  He  owns  fifty-five  per  cent 
of  the  stock,  and  has  always  been  a  forceful 
influence  in  directing  its  policies.  His  suc- 
cess is  the  more  remarkable  because  he  had 
not  even  seen  a  woolen  mill  before  he  took 
charge   of   his   present   enterprise.     His    fac- 


780 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


tory  is  iion-  working  night  and  day  and  is 
expanding  along  the  most  modern  and  i)ro- 
gressive  business  lines.  It  is  a  three-set  mill 
and  has  been  in  operation  for  seven  years, 
its  special  product  being  all-wool  head  lin- 
ing. Mr.  Bedillion  is  also  interested  in  busi- 
ness property  in  Bandon  and  has  many  town 
lots.  He  is  the  proprietor  also  of  the  city 
graveyai'd. 

In  1897  Mr.  Bedillion  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Caroline  E.  Feiger,  a  native  of 
Arizona,  of  German  parentage.  Her  father 
was  a  veteran  of  the  Franco-Prussian  war 
and  was  treasurer  of  the  city  of  Osberg,  Ger- 
many. He  came  to  the  western  part  of  the 
United  States  about  1870  and  located  in 
Oregon  in  1892.  He  and  his  wife  were  the 
parents  of  four  children:  Minnie,  who  is  the 
wife  of  William  Tinbrook,  of  Bandon.  and 
the  mother  of  two  children;  Fred,  a  resident 
of  the  same  city;  Thomas,  also  of  Bandon; 
and  Caroline  E.,  the  wife  of  our  subject.  To 
Mr.  and  ilrs.  Bedillion  has  been  born  one 
child,  Ida,  who  passed  away  when  she  was 
five  years  of  age. 

Mr.  Bedillion,  prosperous  and  successful  in 
business  life,  has  also  won  prominence  in  po- 
litical circles.  He  was  nominated  and 
elected  to  the  state  legislature  in  1909  and 
served  with  ability  and  distinction  for  one 
terra.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  refused  to 
sign  the  rcnomination  ticket  and  later  de- 
clined the  nomination  as  congressman  from 
his  district.  He  is  not  an  office  seeker  but 
has  an  active  and  energetic  public  spirit 
-H-hich  impels  him  always  to  do  his  duty  in 
a  jiolitieal  way.  He  holds  the  record  of 
having  introduced  more  bills  than  any  new 
member  in  the  session  of  legislature  in 
v\hich  he  served,  and  a  large  percentage  of 
the  legislation  which  he  favored  was  passed 
by  gratifying  majorities.  His  politics  are 
democratic,  and  beside  holding  state  offices 
he  has  served  for  many  terms  in  the  city 
council. '  He  is  an  ardent  lover  of  base  ball 
and  organized  and  managed  one  of  the  most 
successful  teams,  which  ever  played  in  the 
county.  This  organization  gained  a  local 
reputation  which  soon  extended  beyond  the 
limits  of  the  state.  The  business  men  of 
the  city  of  Eureka,  California,  paid  the  ex- 
penses '  of  the  team  to  that  city  in  order 
that  they  might  compete  with  a  selected 
team  from  Humboldt  county.  Mr.  Bedil- 
lion's  men  met  and  defeated  the  professional 
players   from  California. 

Mr.  Bedillion  is  one  of  the  most  progress- 
ive and  enterprising  citizens  of  the  city  in 
which  he  lives  and  is  keenly  interested  in 
its  growth  and  expansion,  and  willing  to 
take  a  share  in  promoting  progress.  He 
has  given  large  tracts  of  business  property 
to  new  plants  and  factories  in  order  to  in- 
duce them  to  locate  in  Bandon.  and  has  been 
instrumental,  in  a  conspicuous  way.  in  the 
upbuilding  of  the  city.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Knights  of  Pythiiis  and  one  of  the  old- 
est members  of  this  organization  in  the  city 
in  which  he  lives.  He  has  Tilled  all  the  chairs 
and  has  actively  influenced  the  policy  of  the 
body.  ITe  possesses  the  unusual  power  of 
scattering    his    energies    without    destroying 


their  force.  He  is  an  earnest  and  progress- 
ive citizen  of  Bandon,  and  the  best  and 
most  forceful  years  of  his  life  are  given  to 
its  upbuilding. 

SWANIE  PETERSON  is  successfully  en- 
gaged in  the  cultivation  of  a  highly  devel- 
oped ranch  located  on  Haines  slough,  ten 
miles  north  of  Marshfield,  in  Coos  county. 
He  was  born  in  Sweden,  February  26,  1864. 
His  parents  were  both  natives  of  that  coun- 
try, where  they  died  many  years  ago.  In 
their  family  were  two  sons:  .John,  who  was 
captain  of  a  ship,  which  was  lost  at  sea  in 
1900;    and   Swanie,   of   this  review. 

Swanie  Peterson  emigrated  to  America  in 
the  early  '80s  and  settled  in  Illinois.  He 
later  removed  to  Oregon,  stopping  first  at 
Portland,  where  he  remained  for  a  short 
time,  and  came  to  Marshfield  in  April,  1882. 
After  reaching  that  place  he  purchased  a 
boat  and  necessary  equipment  and  engaged 
in  fishing.  Some  time  later  he  became  in- 
terested in  a  lathmill  at  Porter.  Oregon, 
and  devoted  his  attention  to  that  property 
for  a  period  of  three  years.  He  then  went 
to  Astoria  and  for  a  number  of  years  was 
engaged  in  fishing  on  Coos  bay  during  the 
spring  season.  In  1909  he  retired  perma- 
nently from  the  life  of  fishermaTi.  His  ex- 
perience during  that  period  of  his  life 
abounds  in  many  dramatic  events.  Among 
others  he  saved  from  drowning  the  lives  of 
Mabel  Weybright,  two  children  and  three 
men,  one  of  whom  was  Geo.  Mackentosh.  In 
1907  he  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty- 
six  acres  of  land  located  ten  miles  from 
Marshfield,  on  what  is  known  as  Haines 
slough.  There  he  established  his  home  and 
has  since  continued  to  devote  himself  to  the 
cultivation  and  improvement  of  that  prop- 
erty, specializing  in  dairy  farming.  He  is 
also  the  owner  of  three  valmible  lots  at 
North  Bend. 

On  .January  25,  1896,  Mr.  Peterson  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Annie  Olson,  a 
native  of  Xorth  Bend  and  a  daughter  of 
Andrew  and  Deborah  Olson,  the  former  of 
whom  was  born  in  Sweden  and  the  latter  in 
Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania.  Mrs.  Andrew 
Olson  was  before  her  marriage  Deborah 
Steen  and  a  niece  of  the  late  J.  H.  Jones, 
mayor  of  Camden,  New  .Jersey.  The  par- 
ents emigrated  to  Oregon  at  an  early  date 
in  their  history  and  celebrated  their  mar- 
riage later  at  Empire,  where  they  lived  for 
two  years  and  then  removed  to  North  Bend. 
The  father  was  engaged  in  farming  and  was 
also  head  sawyer  in  one  of  the  sawmills  of 
the  Simpson  laimber  Company.  The  mother 
died  in  1891  but  the  father  is  still  living 
and  resides  at  Lakeside.  Coos  county.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Peterson  are  the  parents  of  three 
children:  Shirley  A.,  born  March  16.  1897, 
who  is  :>  t;ilented  musician  and  artist;  Rus- 
sell A.,  born  April  12,  1900.  attending  school: 
and  Irvin  L.,  who  was  born  in  Sejitember, 
1909. 

ilr.  Peterson  is  a  loyal  adherent  of  the 
republican  party,  and  belongs  to  the  Knights 
of  Pythias  lodge  at  North  Bend.  He  and 
his     wife    are     members     of     the    Lutheran 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


781 


church.  He  is  one  of  the  successful  agri- 
culturists of  Coos  county  and  a  man  re- 
spected by  his  friends  and  acquaintances 
for  his  integrity  of  character  and  the  zeal 
and  enterprise  which  he  manifests  in  bring- 
ing about  improvements  in  the  community, 
in  which  he  resides. 

JAMES  MERRITT  McDOLE  is  justly 
numbered  among  the  highly  enterprising 
and  successful  ranchmen  of  Lane  county, 
where  he  has  acquired  five  hundred  and 
fourteen  .acres  of  fertile  land,  four  and  a 
half  miles  south  of  Cottage  Grove,  on  Pass 
Creek  load,  where  he  is  engaged  in  stock- 
raising.  He  is  the  younger  of  the  two 
sons  born  of  the  marriage  of  Samuel  and 
Mary  (Cripps)  JIcDole,  his  birth  having  oc- 
curred in  Dane  county,  Wisconsin,  on  the  • 
4th  of  [September,  1S49.  The  other  son, 
Milton  J.,  was  born  at  the  same  place  in 
August,  1S4T,  and  is  now  residing  in  Colo- 
rado City,  Colorado.  The  father  passed 
away  during  the  infancy  of  our  subject  and 
the  mother  subsequently  married  George 
Van  Gasbeek.  and  to  them  were  born  three 
children:  Malissa.  the  wife  of  George  Me- 
Norton,  of  Jefferson,  Kansas;  Dora,  a 
widow,  who  resides  at  Sci-anton,  New  York; 
and  Otto,  a  resident  of  Texas,  also  de- 
ceased, who  married  Sheby  Brunce  and  be- 
came the  father  of  fourteen  children.  The 
mother  of  our  subject  was  the  second  in 
order  of  birth  in  a  family,  of  whom  the 
others  were  as  follows:  Mrs.  Adelaide 
Sparks,  of  Wisconsin;  Maria,  the  wife  of 
Daniel  Rials,  of  York  Center,  Wisconsin: 
Samuel,  who  was  a  resident  of  Kansas  but 
is  now-  deceased;  and  Dave,  Henry,  Charles 
and  Thomas,  all  living  in  Wisconsin;  Ben- 
jamin, who  is  deceased;  and  Eland,  also  liv- 
ing in  Wisconsin. 

James  Merritt  McDole  received  a  common- 
school  education  and  was  early  trained  to 
the  duties  of  an  agriculturist.  At  the  age 
of  fourteen  he  left  the  home  of  his  mother 
and  step-father  and  started  out  to  make 
his  own  way  in  the  world.  During  the  suc- 
ceeding four  years  he  worked  out  as  a 
farm  hand,  and  during  that  period  managed 
to  save  from  his  small  wages  enough  money 
to  enable  him  to  purchase  eighty  acres  of 
land  near  Holton.  .Jackson  county,  Kansas. 
After  cultivating  this  for  three  years  he 
sold  it  and  bought  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  southeast  of  his  former  location. 
There  he  continued  his  agricultural  pursuits 
for  five  or  six  years  and  then  sold  and 
rented  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land 
four  miles  west  of  his  former  location. 
After  farming  this  tract  for  two  years  he 
bought  forty  acres  in  the  same  locality, 
situated  ten  miles  west  of  Valley  Falls.  Kan- 
sas. He  resided  on  this  place  for  four  years, 
but  during  that  time  his  health  began  to 
fail  and  in  18S1  he  came  to  Oregon.  Upon 
his  arrival  in  this  state  he  first  purchased 
fifty-one  acres  of  land  that  formed  the 
nucleus  of  his  present  ranch.  At  the  same 
time  he  filed  on  one  hundred  and  forty-nine 
acres  of  timber  land  adjoining,  from  which 
he   cut   twentv-five    hundred    cords    of   wood. 


which  he  sold  to  the  Southern  Pacific  Rail- 
road Company.  He  subsequently  cleared 
this  land  and  used  it  for  grazing"  purposes, 
having  always  made  a  specialtv  of  stock- 
raising.  About  1S97,  he  again  extended  the 
boundaries  of  his  farm  by  the  purchase  of 
another  quarter  section  of  "timber  land,  sixty 
acres  of  which  has  been  cleared  and  con- 
verted into  pasture.  He  bought  another 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  1904,  which 
was  also  in  timber  and  he  has  cleared  twenty 
acres  of  it  for  pasture,  his  holdings  aggre- 
gating five  hundred  aiul  twenty  acres.  From 
this  he  has  sold  six  acres,  his  ranch  now  em- 
bracing five  hundred  and  fourteen  acres. 
There  is  still  some  good  timber  on  his  tract, 
but  much  of  it  has  been  turned  into  pastur- 
age and  eighty  acres  are  under  high  cul- 
tivation, two  of  this  being  in  orchard  which 
is  bearing.  Mr.  McDole  makes  a  s])ecialty 
of  breeding  and  raising  thoroughbred  sheep, 
and  is  the  owner  of  five  full  blooded  ani- 
mals from  which  his  herd  was  started.  He 
also  raises  cattle  and  hogs  and  receives  gra- 
tifying financial  returns  from  these  sources. 
His  ranch  is  well  equipped  and  improved, 
having  been  provided  with  everything  es- 
sential to  its  successful  operation  during  the 
period  of  his  ownership,  including  the  erec- 
tion of  five  fine  barns,  two  granari&s,  a 
fruit  cellar  and  various  sheds  and  outbuild- 
ings. He  has  also  built  a  comfortable  resi- 
dence and  has  installed  many  modern  con- 
veniences on  his  place  to  lessen  the  labor 
and  expedite  the  work. 

On  the  4th  of  December,  l.SeS.  Mr.  JIc- 
Dole w-as  united  in  marriage  to  iliss  Luvenia 
Gordon,  who  was  one  of  eight  children.  The 
others  are  as  follows:  Frank,  .James  and 
John,  all  of  whom  are  residents  of  Kansas; 
Ance.  who  lives  in  Valley  Falls,  Kansas: 
Hampton;  Louisa,  who  is  deceased;  and 
Sally  Ann,  the  wife  of  William  (Jriffith.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  McDole  have  been  born  six 
children,  as  follows:  Bertram,  whose  birth 
occurred  on  the  9th  of  March.  1870,  living 
at  Cottage  firove:  Bernice,  who  was  born 
on  March  18,  1873,  the  wife  of  W.  W.  Wil- 
son, a  farmer  of  this  state;  Addie,  born  on 
December  29,  1875,  the  wife  of  .T.  W.  Veatch, 
a  dealer  in  live  stock  at  Cottage  Grove; 
Oscar,  whose  natal  day  was  April  13,  1878, 
a  rancher  in  the  vicinity  of  Cottage  Grove; 
Harry,  who  was  born  on  the  11th  of  April, 
1880,  farming  at  Marias,  Jlontana;  and  Jes- 
sie, who   is   attending  high  school. 

The  f;imily  attend  the  services  of  the 
Christian  church,  in  which  the  parents  hold 
membership,  while  Mr.  McDole  accords  his 
political  support  to  the  republican  party. 
Although  ho  has  never  held  any  public  of- 
fice save  that  of  school  director  for  two 
terms,  he  is  not  remiss  in  inattei-s  of  citi- 
zenship but  always  cooperates  in  every  pro- 
gressive movement,  and  is  one  of  the  highly 
estimable  men  of  his  community. 

WILLIAM  FRANKLIN  RAY  is  one  of  the 
respi'cted  and  well  known  men  of  Coos 
county,  living  upon  his  well  developed  ranch 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  located  three 
miles   from   Cooston   up  Willanche   inlet.     He 


782 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


was  born  in  Mercer  county,  Missouri,  in 
1854,  and  is  a  son  of  Wade  Hampton  and 
Mary  E.  (Clenkenbeard)  Ray,  the  former  a 
native  of  Tennessee  and  the  latter  of  Ken- 
tucky. The  parents  of  the  father  and  also 
of  the  mother  removed  at  a  very  early 
day  and  settled  in  soiithwestern  Missouri, 
where  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wade  Hampton  Ray 
celebrated  their  wedding,  after  ■which  they 
removed  to  northeastern  Missouri,  at  which 
place  occurred  the  birth  of  the  subject  of 
this  review.  They  became  the  parents  of 
twelve  children,  four  of  whom  died  in  in- 
fancy. The  eldest  of  those  living  is  James 
S'.,  a  resident  of  New  Windsor,  Colorado, 
who  is  engaged  in  farming,  is  married  and 
has  nine  children.  John  M..  a  resident  of 
Leon,  Kansas,  is  a  blacksmith  by  trade,  and 
has  one  son.  Mary  E.,  the  widow  of  .James 
H.  Hurst,  of  Almena,  Kansas,  is  the  mother 
of  six  children.  William  F.  is  the  subject  of 
this  review.  Richard  B.,  a  resident  of  Nor- 
ton, Kansas,  is  married  and  has  five  chil- 
dren. Calvin  J.,  a  resident  of  Norway,  Ore- 
gon, who  is  engaged  in  farming,  is  married 
and  has  eight  children.  Sarah  E.,  the  widow 
of  Ede  F.  Milton,  is  engaged  in  farming  in 
Weiser,  Idaho,  and  has  eight  children.  Wade 
L.,  the  youngest  member  of  the  family,  who 
is  engaged  in  farming  at  Myrtle  Point,  Ore- 
gon, is  married  and  has  six  children. 

William  Franklin  Ray  was  reared  at  home 
and  received  his  early  education  in  the  pub- 
lic schools.  At  the  age  of  thirteen  years 
he  started  in  life  for  himself  obtaining  as 
his  first  employment,  a  position  as  cattle 
herder,  for  which  he  received  a  compensation 
of  eight  dollars  per  month.  He  continued 
in  that  employment  for  two  years  and  then 
was  engaged  as  laborer  on  a  farm  for  a 
number  of  years.  In  1876  he  rented  eighty 
acres  of  land  for  one  year  and  engaged  in 
farming.  The  following  year  he  rented  forty 
acres,  to  the  cultivation  of  which  he  gave 
his  attention  for  one  year  and  in  1878  he 
took  up  a  timber  claim  in  Kansas,  which  he 
kept  for  sometime  and  later  filed  upon  a 
preemption  claim  and  also  a  homestead.  In 
1887  he  disposed  of  his  real-estate  holdings 
in  Kansas  and  removed  to  Garfield  county, 
Washington,  and  was  there  employed  for  one 
year  in  a  sawmill.  The  next  year  he  was  en- 
gaged in  the  butcher  business,  and  later  he 
and  his  wife  successfully  conducted  a  board- 
ing house  in  Spokane,  Washington,  imme- 
diately after  the  destruction  of  that  city. 
In  1890  he  removed  to  Coos  bay  and  settled 
in  Marshfield,  where  he  worked  for  E.  A. 
Anderson  in  the  livery  business  for  four 
years.  He  then  rented  a  ranch  located  on 
Isthmus  inlet  and  was  engaged  in  general 
farming  for  one  year.  In  1895  he  rented  the 
ranch  belonging  to  Judge  Watson,  of  Coos 
City,  for  whom  he  established  a  well 
equipped  dairy.  In  1896  he  purchased  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  choice  agricul- 
tural land  located  on  Willanche  inlet  and 
there  established  his  home  and  has  since  con- 
tinued to  reside.  He  niake,s  a  specialty  in 
the  raising  and  marketing  of  poultry  and  is 
also  heavily  interested  in  the  raising  of  pure 
bred  angora  goats  and  beef  cattle. 


In  1SS4  Mr.  Ray  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Laura  H.  Rouse,  a  native  of  Iowa  and  a 
daughter  of  John  and  Hannah  (Straight) 
Rouse,  the  former  a  native  of  Ohio  and  the 
latter  of  New  York.  They  became  the  par- 
ents of  ten  children:  Joanna,  deceased;  J. 
Smith,  named  in  honor  of  Captain  John 
Smith,  who  came  over  in  the  Mayflower  and 
was  the  captain  of  the  Plymouth  Colony 
settlement  made  in  Plymouth,  Massa- 
chusetts in  1620;  0.  T.,  of  Spokane,  Wash- 
ington; Mary,  who  married  George  Finley, 
of  Finley,  Washington,  and  by  him  has  one 
child;  Andrew  M.,  deceased;  James  P.,  a 
resident  of  Jennings,  Kansas,  who  is  mar- 
ried and  has  five  children;  William  M.,  who 
resides  in  Nebraska;  Laura  H.,  who  is  the 
wife  of  the  subject  of  this  review;  Frank, 
who  resides  in  Greenwood,  Nebraska,  and 
has  five  children;  and  Ella,  who  married 
Mr.  Sims,  of  AVashington,  and  by  him  has 
four  children.  Mrs.  Ray  has  the  distinction 
of  being  a  direct  descendant  of  Captain  .John 
Smith  of  Mayflower  fame.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
William  Franklin  Ray  have  a  son,  Austin 
A.  Ray,  who  was  born  in  1885. 

Mr.  Ray  gives  his  political  allegiance  to 
the  socialist  party  and  served  for  three 
years  as  road  supervisor  of  his  district  and 
has  also  been  one  of  the  directors  of  the 
school  board  for  a  number  of  years.  He  is 
also  a  member  of  the  Grange.  Mr.  Ray  is 
one  of  the  enterprising  and  valued  citizens 
of  the  community  in  which  he  lives.  He  is 
a  man  of  strict  integrity  in  all  business 
transactions  and  highly  respected  by  his 
friends  and  associates. 

HENRY  B.  STEWARD,  the  efficient  and 
popular  postmaster  of  Myrtle  Point,  Coos 
county,  not  only  became  a  well  known  fig- 
ure in  industrial  circles  of  this  section  but 
is  also  prominent  in  polities  and  well  known 
in  fraternal  circles  of  the  community  in 
which  he  makes  his  home.  The  width  of  the 
continent  divides  him  from  the  place  of  his 
nativity,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  the 
state  of  Maine,  on  the  21st  of  January, 
1859.  His  parents,  Joseph  and  Sarah 
Steward,  were  also  natives  of  the  Pine  Tree 
state  but  in  1876  sought  the  opportunities 
of  the  far  west,  making  their  way  to  Cali- 
fornia. LTpon  arriving  in  that  state  they 
took  up  their  abode  in  Inyo  county,  which 
remained  the  place  of  their  residence 
throughout  their  remaining  days. 

Henry  B.  Steward,  who  was  the  only  child 
born  unto  his  parents,  received  a  good  public 
school  education  and  remained  at  home  until 
twenty-one  year  of  age,  when,  determining 
to  seek  his  own  way  in  the  world,  he  left 
the  parental  roof  and  went  to  southern 
California.  There  he  became  identified  with 
mining  and  farming  operations  and  was 
variously  engaged  in  that  section  of  the 
country  for  a  period  of  fourteen  years.  On 
the  expiration  of  that  time  he  disposed  of 
his  interests  in  California  and  came  north 
to  Oregon,  locating  in  Coos  county,  and  here 
took  up  the  occupation  of  a  contractor  and 
carpenter,  in  which  line  of  activity  he  met 
with  most  gratifying  success.     He  was  thus 


k; 


1  THF  NEW  YCT^K  j 
iBRARY  ' 


LEHOX   AND 

1ATI0NE. 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OP  OREGON 


785 


actively  connected  with  the  material  develop- 
ment and  growth  of  the  county  <intil  1907, 
when  he  withdrew  from  industrial  circles  to 
take  upon  himself  the  duties  of  •public 
oflfice. 

Early  in  life  Mr.  Steward  became  inter- 
ested in  the  politics  of  the  country  and, 
forming  his  own  opinions  and  rules  of  con- 
duct, has  given  support  to  the  republican 
party  since  age  conferred  upon  him  the  right 
of  franchise.  For  seven  years  he  served  as 
constable  and  has  occupied  the  position  of 
postmaster  for  five  years,  his  reappointment 
to  that  office  in  1911  indicating  his  pop- 
ularity among  his  fellow  citizens  and  the 
capable  and  efficient  manner  in  which  he 
performed  the  duties  that  devolved  upon  him 
in   this  connection. 

It  was  in  the  year  1898  that  Mr.  Steward 
established  a  home  of  his  own  by  his  mai^ 
riage,  on  the  14th  of  December,  to  Miss 
Estella  Volkmar,  who  was  born  in  Coos 
county  on  the  2d  of  September,  1870,  a 
daughter  of  William  and  Wilhelmina 
(Defenbaugh)  Volkmar.  Her  parents  were 
both  natives  of  Germany,  the  father's  birth 
occurring  on  the  19th  of  April,  1816  and  the 
mother's  on  June  22,  1S30.  They  crossed 
the  Atlantic  in  early  life,  Mr.  Volkmar 
coming  to  this  country  when  nineteen  years 
of  age,  arriving  in  Baltimore  in  1834.  'There 
he  worked  for  some  time  at  the  tinners' 
trade  and  later,  in  connection  with  his 
brothers,  took  large  contracts  for  the  cover- 
ing of  stations  and  bridges  belonging  to  the 
Baltimore  &  Ohio  Railroad  Company.  He 
was  also  employed  by  Samuel  Morse,  the  in- 
ventor, in  installing  the  first  telegraph  line 
ever  constructed  between  Baltimore  and 
Washington,  D.  C,  and  was  present  when  the 
first  message  was  sent  over  the  line:  He 
was  married  in  Baltimore  and  in  1859  sailed 
for  California,  via  the  isthmus  of  Panama, 
with  San  Francisco  as  his  destination.  He 
did  not  long  remain  in  that  city,  however, 
but  in  1860  came  north  to  Oregon,  being  a 
member  of  the  first  colony  to  settle  along 
the  Coquille  river  in  Coos  county.  The 
party  came  by  boat  as  far  as  Port  Orford, 
where  they  landed,  and  from  which  place 
they  made  their  way  up  the  beach  with 
ox  teams,  continuing  their  journey  until 
they  reached  the  Coquille  valley.  There  they 
procured  scows  upon  which  they  loaded 
their  efl'ects,  and  thus  they  came  up  the 
river  to  their  future  homes.  The  journey 
was  not  without  its  perils  for  on  one  occa- 
sion a  member  of  the  party  was  drowned 
and  on  another  one  of  the  scows  sank, 
causing  a  great  loss  of  property.  Finally, 
however,  they  reached  their  destination  and 
Mr.  Volkmar  established  his  home  on  the 
south  fork  of  the  Coquille  river.  He  had 
brought  with  him  a  millstone  and  a  small 
engine,  and  later  he  purchased  a  fifty-two 
inch  saw.  He  erected  a  sawmill  and  also  a 
grist  mill,  which  was  operated  successfully 
for  some  time,  and  in  addition  to  the  lumber 
which  he  manufactured  for  his  own  use  and 
that  of  the  colony  he  shipped  considerable 
white  cedar  lumber  to  San  Francisco,  where 
it  sold  for  twenty-two  dollars  and  iifty  cents 


per  thousand,  lie  continued  to  reside  in 
that  section  of  tlie  county  until  1884,  when 
he  came  to  Myrtle  Point  and  here  became 
identified  with  tlie  tinning  business,  while 
later  he  added  a  liardware  department.  He 
thus  continued  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred in  January,  1909,  having  survived  his 
wife  for  seven  years,  her  death  occurring  in 
1902,  when  she  was  seventy-one  years  of 
age.  In  their  family  were  eight  children, 
of  whom  three  are  deceased.  Those  living 
are:  J.  M.,  of  Oregon  City;  William  F.,  a 
resident  of  North  Yakima,  Washington; 
Albert  L.,  a  hardware  dealer  of  Myrtle 
Point;  Mrs.  Steward;  and  Henry  G.,  also 
engaged  in  the  hardware  business  in  Myrtle 
Point.  Those  deceased  are  Carl  H.,  and 
Tillie  V.  Greene,  and  one  who  passed  away 
in  infancy.  Mrs.  Steward  received  her  edu- 
cation in  Myrtle  Point  and  previous  to  her 
marriage  was  successfully  engaged  in  teach- 
ing scliool  for  a  short  time.  She  and  her 
husband  have  become  the  parents  of  three 
children,  namely:  Harry  B.,  who  was  born 
on  November  IS,  1899;  Melba  H.,  born 
January  13,  1902;  and  Darrell  C,  whose 
birth  occurred  on  January  16,  1905. 

Mr.  Steward  is  a  prominent  and  popular 
figure  in  fraternal  circles  of  Coos  county, 
holding  membership  in  the  Masonic  order 
and  the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  in  both  of 
which  bodies  he  has  filled  all  of  the  chairs. 
He  has  also  served  as  delegate  to  the  grand 
lodge  of  Masons  and  belongs  to  the  Eastern 
Star,  while  he  is  also  identified  with  the  local 
Grange.  He  and  his  family  live  in  a  fine 
home  situated  on  six  acres  of  land  located 
partly  within  the  city  limits  of  Myrtle 
Point.  Aside  from  his  home  place  he  also 
owns  one  hundred  and  si.xty  acres  of  timber 
land  on  Catching  creek  and  valuable  prop- 
erty in  the  town  of  Bandon,  while  his  wife 
is  the  owner  of  thirty-five  acres  of  land  on 
the  south  fork  of  the  Coquille  river.  The 
family  is  one  of  the  well  known  and  prom- 
inent families  of  Myrtle  Point,  popular  in 
the  social  circles  in  which  they  move,  and  few 
citizens  are  held  in  higher  esteem  than  is 
Mr.  Steward.  He  has  done  much  in  the  past 
toward  the  material  development  of  the 
community  and  his  record  in  public  office 
has  ever  been  of  the  highest  order,  winning 
for  him  the  confidence  and  good-will  of 
all  concerned. 

EMERY  ALLEN  was  for  almost  four  dec- 
ades identified  with  the  drug  trade  in  Cor- 
vallis,  and  tlie  years  that  covered  his  active 
business  career  chronicled  his  success  as  the 
result  of  determined  and  persistent  pur- 
pose and  close  application,  so  that  he  is  now 
able  to  live  retired,  enjoying  in  well  earned 
rest  the  fruits  of  his  former  toil.  The  width 
of  the  continent  separates  him  from  the 
place  of  his  nativity,  for  he  was  born  in 
Ontario,  Wayne  county.  New  York,  on  the 
30th  of  December,  1832.  He  first  opened  his 
eyes  to  the  liglit  of  day  in  a  log  cabin, 
which  was  then  the  abode  of  his  parents-, 
Henry  S.  and  Annie  (Hill)  Allen,  both  na- 
tives of  the  Empire  state,  the  former  born 
in  Washington  countv,  in  1803,  and  the  lat- 


786 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OP  OREGON 


ter  in  Wayne  county,  in  1805.  Tliey  were 
married  in  the  latter  county  and  there 
reared  their  family  and  spent  the  remainder 
of  their  lives.  Early  in  the  life  of  Emery 
Allen  the  family  went  from  Ontario,  a  small 
town  near  Rochester,  New  York,  'to  a  small 
tract  of  land  which  the  father  had  pur- 
chased in  Wayne  county,  containing  a  log 
-  cabin,  surrounded  by  a  few  acres.  The  re- 
moval was  made  in  the  winter  and  the  first 
recollections  of  the  little  son  were  the  hard- 
ships and  difficulties  encountered  during  that 
season,  which  was  an  extremely  severe  one. 
During  the  journey,  which  was  made  in  a 
wagon,  the  father  lay  on  a  bed,  for  he  had 
sufi'ered  the  loss  of  one  leg,  a  tree  having 
fallen  upon  it,  necessitating  its  amputation. 
Thus  the  brant  of  the  labor  rested  upon 
the  mother  and  her  little  family,  who,  how- 
ever, bore  their  part  nobly.  On  reaching 
their  new  home  the  family's  possessions 
consisted  of  a  cow,  a  pig,  a  little  corn  and 
a  few  potatoes.  Some  of  the  corn  was  fed 
to  the  pig  until  it  was  fat  enough  to  butcher, 
and  that  furnished  the  meat  for  the  fam- 
ily during  the  winter.  The  rest  of  the  corn 
was  sent  to  the  mill,  a  bushel  at  a  time  on 
a  horse,  but  whether  the  proverbial  stone 
was  placed  in  the  sack  or  not  Mr.  Allen  does 
not  remember — he  was  certain,  however, 
that  there  was  no  lack  of  stones  upon  the 
little  farm.  The  snowfall  was  unusually 
heavy  that  winter,  the  snow  often  drifting 
into  "the  cabin  through  the  top  of  the  win- 
dows and  the  doors,  and  neighbors  dug  a 
passage  from  the  house  to  the  shed  in  or- 
der that  the  mother  might  go  to  milk  and 
feed  the  cow.  ^^■hen  the  father  had  suf- 
ficiently recovered  from  his  accident  he  made 
himself  a  wooden  leg  and  was  thus  able  soon 
to  cut  firewood,  which  grew  thick  all  around 
the  cabin.  Thus  the  parents  and  their  five 
little  children  passed  through  that  terrible 
winter,  but  in  the  spring  conditions  became 
much  better.  The  father  cleared  his  little 
tract  aiul  among  the  stumps  planted  an  or- 
chard which  within  a  few  years  was  bear- 
ing apples  as  good,  Mr.  Allen  claims,  as 
any  he  has  ever  seen  in  Oregon,  As  he 
prospered  he  bought  more  pigs  and  cows  and 
also  secured  some  chickens.  The  family 
made  their  own  maple  sugar  and  exchanged 
butter  and  eggs  in  payment  for  groceries. 
Thus  the  parents  reared  their  family,  which 
ultimately  numbered  eight  children,  of 
whom,  however,  only  three  now  survive, 
namely:  Alonzo.  a  resident  of  Charlotte. 
Michigan;  Mrs,  Emma  Holtara,  of  Ontario, 
Xew  York;  and  Emery,  of  this  review.  The 
father  passed  away  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
eight  years,  while  the  mother  lived  to  the 
ripe  old  age  of  eighty-six  years.  They  were 
earnest,  hard-working  people,  and  in  spite 
of  hardships  and  difficulties  gave  their  chil- 
dren as  good  opportunities  as  could  be  ob- 
tained. 

For  three  months  during  the  -winter  sea- 
sons Emery  Allen  attended  the  district 
schools  in  order  to  gain  an  education,  and 
during  the  summer  he  assisted  his  father 
in  the  operation  of  the  home  farm.  By 
constant  studv  at  home  he  was  enabled,  at 


twenty  years  of  age,  to  take  up  the  pro- 
fession of  teaching,  which  he  followed  for 
two  j'ears  in  his  home  locality.  During  the 
vacation  periods  he  worked  as  a  farm  la- 
borer, earning  fifteen  and  sixteen  dollars  per 
month,  while  his  salary  as  a  teacher  was 
from  eighteen  to  thirty-two  dollars  per 
month.  Thinking  to  find  better  opportuni- 
ties west,  he  went  to  Michigan  in  1855,  and, 
locating  in  Eaton  county,  continued  teach- 
ing school  until  the  spring  of  1859,  In  the 
meantime  he  had  heard  the  call  of  the  far 
west,  which  proved  irresistible,  and,  return- 
ing to  Xew  Y'ork,  he  bade  adieu  to  friends 
and  family  and  embarked  on  the  steamer 
Xorthern  Light,  bound  for  San  Francisco, 
California.  The  voyage  was  made  ^ia  the 
Panama  route,  and  upon  arriving  in  the 
Golden  state  Mr.  Allen  found  employment 
on  a  ranch  in  the  San  .Jose  valley,  where  he 
worked  until  the  following  spring,  during 
which  time  he  had  been  able  to  save  three 
hundred  dollars.  Again  he  set  sail,  his  des- 
tination this  time  being  "God's  country," 
to  use  his  own  terms,  and  in  March.  1860, 
he  arrived  in  Portland.  On  the  following 
day  he  made  his  way  by  boat  up  the  Wil- 
lamette river  to  Corvallis.  reaching  the  lat- 
ter city  on  the  same  day  on  which  a  murder 
occurred.  The  murderer  was  convicted  and 
hung  in  .June,  1860,  on  the  flat  river  bot- 
tom land  in  front  of  Mr,  Allen's  present 
residence.  He  was  the  only  man  ever  hung 
in  Benton  county,  ilr.  Allen  at  first  rented 
a  farm  and  later  became  the  owner  of  four 
hundred  and  ninety  acres,  which  he  culti- 
vated and  developed,  while  during  the  win- 
ter months  he  followed  his  old  profession  of 
teaching  school.  Thus  his  time  was  fully  oc- 
cupied until  in  February,  1866,  when,  on 
account  of  failing  health,  he  sold  his  farm 
and  removed  to  Corvallis,  where  he  pur- 
chased a  half  interest  in  the  drug  store 
owned  by  John  W,  Souther.  Their  original 
location  was  on  the  present  site  of  the  Oc- 
cidental Hotel,  but  after  two  years  they  re- 
moved to  Fisher's  block  and  E,  Woodward 
purchased  the  interest  of  ilr.  Souther.  The 
relationship  between  5Ir.  Allen  and  Mr. 
Woodward  continued  for  thirty  years,  and 
then,  when  the  business  was  moved  to  the 
Kline  building  in  1899,  Mr.  Allen  bought  out 
his  partner  and  continued  alone  in  business 
Tintil  succeeded  by  his  son  .John,  about  1906. 
For  thirty-nine  years  he  was  identified  •with 
the  drug  trade  and  in  that  period  success  in 
large  measure  came  to  him,  enabling  him 
now  to  live  in  retirement,  enjoying  all  of  the 
comforts  and  many  of  the  luxuries  of  life. 
He  is  the  owner  of  a  fine  farm  located  near 
Philomath,  Oregon,  consisting  of  two  hun- 
dred acres  valued  at  twenty  thousand  dol- 
lars, and  a  brick  building  at  the  corner  of 
Second  and  Adams  streets,  both  of  which 
are  a  source  of  a  gratifying  annual  income, 
while  he  is  also  the  owner  of  the  fine  resi- 
dence at  738  Third  street  in  which  he  now 
makes  his  home  and  which  he  erected  in 
1882.  All  of  these  are  but  the  visible  evi- 
dence of  a  life  of  indefatigable  industry  and 
earnest  endeavor,  crowned  by  success  in  a 
substantial  measure. 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


787 


It  was  on  the  14th  of  December,  1862, 
that  Mr.  Allen  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Marj-  Ellen  Barker,  who  was  born  in 
Lee  county,  Iowa,  on  the  24th  of  January, 
1S46.  Her  parents,  Clement  and  Christina 
(Henkle)  Barker,  were  pioneers  of  Iowa 
and  in  1853  crossed  the  plains  to  Oregon  as 
a  part  of  the  Henkle  train.  Mrs.  Barker  was 
a  daughter  of  Jacob  Henkle,  who  brought  all 
of  his  children  to  this  state,  and  the  repre- 
sentatives of  the  name  are  numerous  and 
prominent  in  the  Willamette  valley.  For 
many  years  they  have  held  a  family  reunion 
on  the  1st  of  October  of  each  year.  Mrs. 
Allen's  parents  are  now  deceased,  the  father 
passing  away  in  Washington  and  the  mother 
at  the  home  of  our  subject.  Jlr.  and  Mrs. 
Allen  have  become  the  parents  of  six  chil- 
dren as  follows:  Alonzo  W.,  a  druggist  of 
Portland;  Ira  E.,  who  is  employed  in  the  ca- 
pacity of  bookkeeper  in  Portland;  Henrj-  C. 
a  resident  of  Portland,  who  has  been  in  the 
government  employ  for  the  last  ten  years; 
Anna,  who  married  Eldred  Kuizenga  of 
Bakersfield,  California;  .John  F.,  residing  in 
C'orvallis,  who  is  the  president  of  the  Com- 
mercial Club  of  this  city,  and  his  father's 
successor  in  the  drug  business;  and  Edna, 
the  wife  of  Charles  Shenefield,  of  Portland. 
On  the  14th  of  December,  1912,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Allen  will  celebrate  their  golden  anniver- 
sary, having  traveled  life's  journey  happily 
together   for  a   half  century. 

Since  age  conferred  upon  him  the  right  of 
franchise  Mr.  Allen  has  stanchly  supported 
the  republican  party,  having  voted  for  Fre- 
mont and  all  party  candidates  since  that 
time,  while  at  present  he  is  serving  as  pres- 
ident of  the  Taft  Club  of  Corvallis.  He 
served  as  a  member  of  the  city  council  for 
a  few  years,  but  otherwise  has  held  no  pub- 
lic office.  He  was  elected  county  surveyor 
but  did  not  qualify  and  has  been  offered  the 
nomination  for  state  senator  but  has  always 
declined,  preferring  to  render  his  service  in 
a  private  capacity,  although  deeply  inter- 
ested in  the  welfare  of  the  party  and  do- 
ing everything  in  his  power  to  further  its 
influence.  Fraternally  he  is  identified  with 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  be- 
longing to  all  of  its  various  branches.  He 
has  watched  the  growth  of  Corvallis  from 
an  early  day,  witnessing  the  organization  of 
many  of  its  important  institutions,  and  has 
ever  felt  great  interest  and  pride  in  the 
work  of  development  and  improvement,  do- 
ing all  in  his  power  as  a  business  man  or 
private  citizen  to  further  the  general  uj)- 
building.  He  has  been  a  subscriber  for  the 
Oregonian  for  fifty-one  years,  of  w-hich  fact 
mention  was  made  in  that  paper  in  its 
fiftieth  anniversary  publication.  Oregon 
numbers  him  among  its  representative  and 
valued  adopted  sons,  and  he  has  the  esteem 
and  respect  of  all  who  know  him. 

THOMAS  L.  DXJGGER  is  well  known  in 
business,  fraternal  ami  agricultural  circles 
of  Linn  county  and  has  won  this  promi- 
nence by  active,  able  and  useful  work  along 
these  lines  during  his  forty-one  years'  resi- 
dence  in  the  section.     He   has  been   one   of 


those  who  have  developed  Oregon's  journal- 
ism and  has  devoted  much  of  his  time  to 
newspaper  work  throughout  the  state,  being 
at  the  present  time  the  proprietor  and  pub- 
lisher of  the  Lebanon  Tribune.  His  activi- 
ties have  also  included  work  as  a  school- 
teacher and  as  a  general  farmer  and  his  ca- 
reer has  been  useful  and  valuable  as  well 
as  upright  and  worthy.  He  was  born  in 
ilacoupin  county,  Illinois,  December  17,  1846, 
a  son  of  Leonard  W.  and  .'^arah  Dugger,  the 
former  a  native  of  Illinois  and  the  latter 
cf  Tennessee.  Mr.  Dugger  comes  of  old 
Kevolutionary  stock,  his  great-great-grand- 
father having  come  to  tlie  United  States 
from  France  with  General  Lafayette  and 
served  as  a  soldier  in  the  Kevoliition,  while 
his  great-grandfather  served  with  (ieneral 
Jackson  at  Xew  Orleans.  His  grandfather 
was  one  of  Illinois'  earliest  pioneers,  hav- 
ing come  to  that  territory  about  1800,  set- 
tling in  Madison  county,  near  the  present  city 
of  Highland,  Illinois,  and  each  generation  has 
furnished  a  large  quota  of  soldiers  to  the 
country's  various  wars.  The  father  fol- 
lowed farming  in  Illinois,  where  he  owned 
two  hundi'ed  and  forty  acres  of  land.  He 
died  upon  his  homestead  and  the  i)roperty  is 
still  in  possession  of  the  family.  Mr.  and 
-Mrs.  Dugger  had  ten  cliihlren,  four  of  whom 
are  still  living:  George  W.,  a  resident  of  Los 
Angeles,  California;  Thomas  L..  of  this  re- 
view; Jlrs.  Mary  Hulme,  whose  home  is  in 
southern  California;  and  Sauiuel  B.,  who  re- 
sides on  the  old  homestead   in  Illinois. 

In  the  acquirement  of  an  education  Mr, 
Dugger  attended  the  public  schools  of  Jla- 
coupin  county  and  later  attended  Blackburn 
University  at  Carlinville.  Illinois.  At  the 
age  of  seventeen  he  enlisted  in  Coini)any  M, 
Eleventh  Missouri  Cavalry,  in  Sc])tember, 
1862,  for  a  term  of  three  years.  He  served, 
however,  only  two  years  and  ten  months, 
being  discharged  with  honor  at  the  close  of 
the  war.  After  he  was  mustered  out  he  re- 
turned home  and  supplemented  his  early 
.'iudies  by  a  college  course,  after  which  he 
taught  school  for  two  years  in  Illinois.  In 
1870  he  came  west  and  settled  in  Portland. 
Oregon,  where  for  one  year  he  taught  in  the 
public  schools,  coming  to  Lebanon.  Linn 
county,  at  the  end  of  that  time.  Here  he 
took  charge  of  the  Santiam  Academy  and 
after  one  year  added  to  his  activities  by  the 
operation  of  a  tract  of  land  which  he  has  de- 
veloped and  improved  at  intervals  since  that 
time.  He,  however,  kept  up  his  teaching  and 
for  four  years  worked  in  the  public  schools 
of  Linn  county  and  also  taught  vocal  music 
privately.  Eventually,  he  became  identified 
v.ith  the  .\lbany  Herald,  which  was  estab- 
lished by  Messrs.  Pottinger,  Barnes  &  .''teele, 
and  was  employed  in  its  editorial  depart- 
ment for  several  months.  Some  time  after- 
ward he  and  0.  T.  Porter  established  the 
Albany  Bulletin,  in  which  Mr.  Dugger  was 
interested  for  one  year.  In  1890  he  pur- 
chased the  Scio  Press,  in  Linn  county,  and 
this  paper  he  published  with  much  success 
for  seven  years,  selling  out  his  interests  in 
order  to  establish  the  People's  Press  of  .\1- 
banv.     Six  months  later  he  sold  this  paper 


788 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


and  spent  six  years  upon  his  farm.  In  iy04 
he  returned  to  Scio  and  purchased  the  San- 
tiani  News,  which  he  operated  for  seven 
years,  selling  it  in  1911.  He  came  to  Leb- 
anon in  January  of  the  following  year  and 
here  established  the  Lebanon  Tribune,  which 
he  is  still  publishing,  doing  also  job  print- 
ing. During  the  course  of  his  many 
years'  connection  with  local  journalism  he 
has  had  a  distinct  influence  upon  public 
thought  and  action  and  since  he  advocated 
always  the  highest  and  soundest  doctrines, 
this  influence  has  tended  toward  growth  and 
advancement.  The  Lebanon  Tribune  is  in 
a  flourishing  condition  both  from  an  edito- 
rial and  business  point  of  view  and  its  large 
circulation  is  a  tribute  to  Jlr.  Dugger's  abil- 
ity and  energy.  He  and  his  wife  own  a 
farm  of  three  hundred  and  ten  acres  located 
five  miles  from  Lebanon  and  he  is  the  sole 
proprietor  of  his  large  and  modern  printing 
plant. 

In  1S73  Mr.  Dugger  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Mrs.  Georgia  A.  Henderson,  the  widow 
of  Philip  P.  Henderson,  by  whom  she  had 
two  children:  William  J.,  of  Oakland,  Cali- 
fornia ;  and  George  C,  whose  death  occurred 
in  Albany.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dugger  became  the 
parents  of  two  children :  Samuel  W.,  who 
was  born  in  August.  1874,  and  who  is  now 
a  member  of  the  Naval  .Station  training 
band  at  Goat  Island,  California;  and  Ella, 
who  died  at  Scio  when  she  was  fifteen  years 
of  age.  Mrs.  Dugger  is  a  native  of  Illinois 
and  a  daughter  of  Dr.  G.  F.  Crawford,  who 
came  to  Oregon  in  1852,  in  pioneer  times, 
and  took  up  a  donation  claim  five  miles  west 
of  Lebanon,  which  is  still  owned  by  members 
of  the  family.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Crawford  passed 
away  in  Benton  county.  In  their  family 
were  five  children:  Georgia,  the  wife  of  our 
subject;  J.  G.,  who  is  engaged  in  the  pho- 
tographer's business  in  Albany:  W.  W.  and 
0.  A.,  both  of  whom  reside  on  the  old  home- 
stead; and  Helen  V..  who  resides  in  Leb- 
anon, and  who  is  the  owner  of  fine  English 
walnut  and  peach  orchards.  Mr.  Dugger  was 
reared  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  faith  but 
he  and  his  family  are  now  devout  adher- 
ents of  the  Spiritualist  religion. 

Mr.  Dugger  gives  his  allegiance  to  the 
democratic  party  but  has  never  been  active 
politically  in  the  sense  of  oiEce  seeking.  He 
is  a  charter  member  of  Leonidas  Lodge.  Xo. 
36.  K.  P.  of  Scio.  and  a  charter  member  of 
McPherson  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Albany.  Dur- 
ing his  forty-two  years'  residence  in  Ore- 
gon he  has  won  a  high  place  in  the  respect 
and  esteem  of  those  who  are  associated  with 
him.  His  work  along  many  difi'erent  lines 
lias  been  progressive  and  useful  and  his  in- 
fluence one  of  the  important  factors  in  lo- 
cal  development. 

JOHN  WEST  is  engaged  in  general  mer- 
chandising at  Westport.  Oregon  numbers 
him  among  her  native  sons,  his  birfh  having 
occurred  in  Clatsop  county.  August  13.  1S72. 
His  parents  were  David  and  Viola  (Howe) 
West.  His  father  and  grandfather  were 
among  the  pioneers  of  this  state,  coming  to 
Oregon  more  than  fiftv-seven  years  ago.   The 


father  was  born  near  Quebec,  Canada,  in 
1841,  but  was  married  in  Westport.  Oregon, 
where  he  resided  until  called  to  his  final 
rest  on  the  27th  of  April,  1909.  In  the  early 
period  of  his  residence  here  he  was  owner  of 
a  sawmill  and  logging  camp  but  later  turned 
his  attention  to  mercantile  pursuits,  con- 
ducting a  general  store  until  his  demise.  Since 
his  death  Mrs.  West  has  removed  to  Haley. 
Idaho,  where  she  is  living  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
six  years,  her  birth  having  occurred  in  1855. 
In  their  family  were  four  sons  and  three 
daughters:  Mrs.  Eva  A.  Smith,  a  widow  liv- 
ing at  Westport  and  the  mother  of  three 
children,  May,  Mabel  and  Merle;  Mrs.  Ellen 
M.  Johnson,  of  Astoria,  Oregon;  John,  of  this 
review;  Alonzo  D.,  who  is  living  in  Garibaldi, 
Oregon;  and  Eoy  L.,  Agnes,  and  Clyde  W., 
all  of  whom  are  deceased. 

John  West  started  in  the  business  world 
on  his  own  account  when  twenty-six  years 
of  age.  He  began  dealing  in  liquor  and  con- 
tinued in  that  line  for  six  years,  when  he 
sold  out  and  took  up  general  merchandis- 
ing in  Westport.  He  has  since  conducted  one 
of  the  two  largest  stores  of  the  town  and 
has  built  up  a  good  business,  being  accorded 
a  liberal  patronage  because  he  carries  a  well 
selected  line  of  goods  and  meets  the  demands 
of  his  patrons.  He  owns  the  store  building 
and  also  a  residence  here. 

Politically  a  republican,  Mr.  West  has 
never  sought  public  office  yet  he  has  served 
for  some  years  as  postmaster  of  the  town 
and  is  still  filling  the  position.  His  grand- 
father was  the  first  postmaster  of  Westport 
and  was  succeeded  by  his  father,  David  West, 
who  for  many  years  served  in  that  capacity. 
John  West  holds  membership  with  the  For- 
esters of  America,  Camp  Xo.  8.  of  Astoria, 
and  he  is  also  identified  with  Clatskanie 
Aerie,  Xo.  1795,  Fraternal  Order  of  Eagles. 
From  an  early  period  in  the  history  of  this 
state  the  family  has  been  identified  with  its 
material  progress  and  upbuilding,  and  the 
work  which  was  begun  by  his  grandfather 
and  continued  by  his  father  is  now  being  car- 
ried on  by  John  West,  who  is  loyal  to  the 
best  interests  of  the  community. " 

XAVIER  ARZNER,  of  Lakeview,  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  of  Arzner  Brothers,  black- 
smiths and  wagon  makers.  He  was  born  in 
Baden,  Germany,  near  the  Black  Forest, 
March  13,  1865,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and 
Christiana  (Wasmer)  Arzner.  The  mother 
liied  in  Germany  in  1S84  and  in  1887  the 
father  came  to  Oregon,  his  last  days  being 
spent  in  Lakeview.  where  he  passed  away  in 
August,  1895.  He  was  a  blacksmith  by 
trade  in  Germany  but  after  coming  to  the 
United  States  lived  retired,  making  his  home 
with  his  son.  whose  name  introduces  this 
review.  In  the  family  were  four  sons:  Ga- 
briel: Xavier:  Joseph;  and  John,  who  is  a 
carpenter.     All  are  residents  of  Lakeview. 

Xavier  Arzner  was  the  first  to  come  to  the 
United  States,  arriving  in  1886,  and  the 
other  sons  came  with  their  father  in  the 
spring  of  1887.  Tlie  three  eldest  learned 
blacksmithing  in  the  old  country  with  their 
father.     Gabriel  has  retired  from  that  busi- 


JOHN   WEST 


^AR^I 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OliEGON 


rui 


ness  and  is  eondueting  a  rancli,  while  Xavior 
and  his  brother  Joseph  still  continue  to  follow 
blacksiuithing.  Xavier  Arzuer  started  his 
present  shop  immediately  after  his  arrival 
in  partnership  with  James  Gibbs,  the  busi- 
ness being  conducted  under  the  firm  style 
of  Arzner  &  Gibbs,  for  one  year.  Follow- 
ing the  arrival  of  his  brother  the  firm  of 
Arzner  Brothers  was  formed  in  1887  and  has 
maintained  a  continuous  existence  to  the 
present  time.  They  own  a  shop  on  Main 
street,  opposite  the  courthouse,  and  are  do- 
ing general  blacksmithing  and  wagon  making 
and  all  kinds  of  general  repair  work  in  that 
line.  During  the  past  three  years  they  have 
been  dealers  in  blacksmiths'  supplies  and 
their  business  has  reached  large  proportions. 
They  own  a  tract  of  seven  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land  in  Goose  valley,  about  twelve 
miles  northwest  of  Lakeview.  All  of  the  Arz- 
ner brothers  are  republicans  and  Xavier  has 
served  as  a  member  of  the  city  council  for 
four  years,  giving  active  aid  to  many  pro- 
gressive movements  which  he  deemed  bene- 
ficial in  municipal  affairs.  Fraternally  he 
is  a  Mason,  a  United  Workman  and  a  For- 
ester and  is  also  connected  with  the  Eastern 
Star  and  the  Degree  of  Honor. 

In  1896  Mr.  Arzner  was  married  to  Miss 
Belle  Pratt,  who  was  born  in  Santa  Cruz, 
California,  April  5,  1870,  but  was  reared 
in  Lake  county,  Oregon.  She  is  a  daughter 
of  C.  C.  Pratt,  who  was  killed  in  an  automo- 
bile accident  in  1911.  The  children  of  Mr. 
a,nd  Mrs.  Arzner  are  five  in  number:  Lena 
May;  Ivan  and  Evan,  twins;  Cecil;  and 
Robert  Lee.  For  more  than  a  quarter  of  a 
century  Xavier  Arzner  has  resided  in  Lake- 
view,  taking  a  helpful  interest  in  everything 
pertaining  to  the  upbuilding  of  the  town  and 
to  its  business  advancement.  The  record 
which  lie  has  made  for  diligence  and  relia- 
bility has  brought  him  high  regard  and  he 
is  justly  accounted  one  of  the  representa- 
tive citizens  of  Lake  county. 

JOHN  G.  REED.  No  history  of  the  settle- 
ment and  development  of  Linn  county  would 
be  complete  without  the  record  of  the  life 
of  John  G.  Reed,  who  as  a  boy  of  fourteen, 
crossed  the  plains  with  ox  teams  and  set- 
tled in  this  section  in  pioneer  times.  His 
mature  life  has  been  closely  identified  with 
agricultural  interests  and  today  he  is  one 
of  the  most  extensive  land  owners  in  the 
county  and  active  in  the  management  of 
his  property,  although  he  is  past  the  age 
when  most  men  retire.  He  was  born  in 
Des  Moines  county.  Iowa,  August  31,  1838, 
a  son  of  James  X.  and  Hester  (Morgan) 
Reed,  the  former  a  native  of  Kentucky  and 
the  latter  of  Illinois.  After  their  marriage 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  .1.  X.  Reed  moved  to  Iowa  and 
were  among  the  early  settlers  in  that  state. 
Tlie  grandfather  of  our  subject  followed  the 
contracting  and  building  business  and  erected 
for  .lonathan  Morgan  one  of  the  first  houses 
in  Burlington.  Three  generations  of  the 
Reed  family  were  represented  in  the  emi- 
grant train  which  in  18.52  crossed  the  plains 
from  Iowa  to  Oregon  and  the  uncle  of  our 
subject  was  the  first  man  to  succumb  to  the 


plague  of  cholera  wliieh  raged  upon  the  trails. 
Arriving  in  Linn  county  Mr.  Keed's  parents 
and  grandparents  took  up  donation  claims 
and  the  elder  people  died  upon  their  prop- 
erty some  years  later.  The  father  of  our 
subject,  however,  operated  and  developed  his 
land  until  1857  and  then  sold  it  and  moved 
to  eastern  Oregon  and  finally  to  Washing- 
ton, where  he  took  up  a  large  tract  upon 
which  he  resided  until  his  death  when  be 
was  eighty  years  of  age.  His  wife  survived 
liim  for  three  years.  In  their  family  were 
eight  children,  five  of  whom  are  still  living. 

John  G.  Reed  was  fourteen  years  of  age 
when  he  came  with  his  parents  to  Linn 
county.  After  one  year's  schooling  he  be- 
gan active  life  for  himself,  obtaining  a  posi- 
tion as  a  driver  of  an  o.x  team  between  Ore- 
gon and  California.  He  made  several  trips 
in  this  capacity,  bringing  each  time  quan- 
tities of  fruit  into  California,  where  he  ob- 
tained twentj"-five  dollars  a  bushel  for  ap- 
ples. For  some  years  after  this  he  engaged 
in  mining  and  finally  in  1860  began  his 
agricultural  career,  buying  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  land  near  Albany  which  he 
developed  and  improved  for  twenty  years. 
At  the  end  of  that  time  he  disposed  of  his 
lioldings  and  purchased  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  on  the  Santiam  river,  four 
miles  above  Lebanon,  which  he  has  operated 
since  that  time. 

Under  his  management  it  has  become  one 
of  tlie  finest  farms  in  the  district  and  is  a 
model  in  every  particular  for  other  agricul- 
tural enterprises,  being  equipped  with  fine 
barns  and  outbuildings  and  every  variety 
of  farm  machinery.  This  property,  however, 
forms  only  a  small  portion  of  Mr.  Reed's 
extensive  holdings.  He  owns  besides  one 
luindred  and  fifty  acres  near  Maxwell,  large 
tracts  in  Olympia.  Washington,  and  fine  resi- 
dence property  in  Lelmnon. 

In  1S59  ilr.  Reed  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Anna  Bond,  a  native  of  Illinois  and 
a  daughter  of  Nathan  and  Elizabeth  (Tray- 
lor)  Bond.  Mrs.  Reed's  father  went  to  Cali- 
fornia alone  in  1850  and  three  years  later 
returned  to  Illinois  and  brought  his  entire 
family  to  Oregon.  After  spending  one  winter 
in  Alarion  county  they  removed  to  Linn 
county,  where  the  father  bouglit  land  seven 
and  one-half  miles  cast  of  Albany.  This 
property  he  developed  and  improved  for  a 
number  of  years  along  systematic  and  scien- 
tific lines,  constantly  adding  to  his  holdings 
until  he  possessed  seven  hundred  and  forty 
acres  of  the  finest  and  most  productive  land 
in  Oregon.  He  died  upon  this  farm  in  1890 
at  the  age  of  seventy-two  and  his  wife  sur- 
vived him  until  189G.  Both  are  of  fine  old 
southern  stock,  the  father  a  native  of  Ten- 
nessee and  the  motlier  of  Kentucky,  and 
they  can  trace  their  descent  in  a  direct  line 
to  Revolutionary  times.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Nathan  Bond  became  the  parents  of  five 
children,  two  of  whom  are  still  living, 
namely:  Mrs.  Reed  and  Albert  Bond,  a 
farmer  of  Linn  county.  Dr.  B.  F.  Bond  died 
in   Dallas.  Texas. 

Mrs.  Reed  is  a  fine  example  of  the  best 
type    of    pioneer    woman.      For    forty   years 


792 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


she  practic-^d  medicine  and  did  work  of  in- 
estimable value  in  relieving  the  hard  condi- 
tions of  that  early  time.  The  scope  and 
extent  of  her  interests  and  activities  may 
be  judged  from  the  fact  that  in  1880  she 
served  as  census  enumerator  and  takes  an 
active  interest  in  the  various  charitable 
movements   of   the  community. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Reed  became  the  parents  of 
four  children:  Austin  N..  who  is  operating 
the  donation  claim  in  Linn  county  taken  up 
by  Nathan  Bond  in  pioneer  times;  Efiie.  now 
Mrs.  E.  M.  Bodwell.  of  Lebanon:  Elizabeth 
Reed,  now  Mrs.  Dr.  M.  J.  Denny,  who  pre- 
vious to  her  marriage  taught  school  and  is 
a  graduate  physician:  and  Clifton  N..  the 
youngest  son.  who  met  an  accidental  death 
when  fourteen  years  of  age. 

Mr.  Reed  is  a  member  of  Spring  Bank 
Orange.  Xo.  409.  Patrons  of  Husbandry,  and 
Mrs.  Reed  is  a  Daughter  of  the  American 
Revolution,  the  Maccabees  and  the  Women's 
Relief  Corps.  He  spends  most  of  his  time 
in  his  comfortable  home  in  Lebanon  but  is 
active  in  the  supervision  of  his  extensive 
farm  lands.  A  long  and  useful  career  as  a 
farmer  in  a  country  to  which  he  came  as 
a  pioneer  has  brought  him  into  important 
relations  with  agricultural  interests  and  his 
activities  have  been  powerful  forces  in  pro- 
moting development  and  progress.  Although 
seventy-four  years  of  age  he  seems  yet  in 
his  prime  in  spirit  and  interests,  for  his  in- 
tegrity, force  of  character  and  business  abil- 
ity are  still  as  powerful  as  they  were  in  the 
beginning  of  his  career  and  they  have  made 
his  name  honored  and  esteemed  wherever 
it  is  known. 

EDGAR  BAKER  BARRON  is  one  of  the 
well  known  stock  men  of  -Jackson  county, 
being  the  owner  of  sixteen  hundred  acres  of 
ranch  and  argicultural  land  located  near  Ash- 
land where  he  is  successfully  engaged  in 
sheep-raising.  He  was  born  on  his  father's 
home  ranch  in  .Jackson  county.  Oregon.  Jan- 
uary 25.  1859.  and  is  a  son  of  Hugh  Frank- 
lin Barron,  ilore  extended  mention  of  the 
parents  is  made  in  another  part  of  this  work 
in  connection  with  the  review  of  ilajor  Hugh 
F.  Barron. 

Edgar  Baker  Barron  was  reared  in  his 
parents'  home  and  received  his  early  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  and  also  at  the 
Ashland  Academy.  From  the  early  years 
of  his  manhood  he  was  associated  with  his 
father  in  the  cattle-raising  business  but 
for  the  past  four  years  he  has  been  interested 
in  the  sheep  industry.  He  is  the  owner  of 
sixteen  hundred  acres  of  good  land,  located 
near  A.shland  in  .Jackson  county. 

'Mr.  Barron  was  united  in  marriage  in  Xo- 
vember.  1886.  to  iliss  Stacey  Payne,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  T.  Payne,  who  are 
residents  of  Ashland.  To  ;\ir.  and  Mrs. 
Barron  one  child  has  been  born.  Austie 
Alice,  who  is  the  wife  of  A.  R.  Brown,  who 
is  engaged  in  the  butcher  business  in  Ash- 
land. 

Edgar  Baker  Barron  belongs  to  the  republi- 
can party  but  has  never  sought  political 
preferment.      He    is    a    member    of    Ashland 


Lodge,  Xo.  944.  Benevoleut  Protective  Order 
of  -Elks  and  is  one  of  the  successful  and 
highly  esteemed  citizens  of  his  section  of 
the  state. 

EVERETT  BLANCHARD  CURTIS  is  ex- 
tensively engaged  in  fruit  cultivation  on 
forty-seven  acres  of  land  in  Coos  county  and 
is  also  successful  in  the  opeiation  of  a  mod- 
ern and  sanitary  dairy.  He  was  born  in 
Searsport,  Maine,  in  1855,  and  is  a  son  of 
.Samuel  and  Eliza  (Griffin)  Curtis,  both  na- 
tives of  the  same  state.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sam- 
uel Curtis  were  well  known  in  religious 
circles  of  their  native  city  and  gave  their 
allegiance  to  the  Methodist  church.  They 
were  the  pai'ents  of  nine  children:  Emma  A., 
the  widow  of  E.  D.  Xickels  of  Maine:  Ben- 
jamin F.,  Samuel  and  Elizabeth,  all  of  whom 
are  deceased:  Henry  G.,  who  maintains  his 
residence  in  .Searsport,  Maine:  William  B., 
who  is  postmaster  of  Marshtield.  Oregon,  and 
of  whom  more  extended  mention  is  made 
elsewhere  in  this  work;  Everett  Blanchard, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Clifton,  a  captain 
of  a  sea  vessel  sailing  from  San  Francisco; 
and  Samuel,  the  second  of  the  name,  who  is 
now  deceased. 

Everett  Blanchard  Curtis  was  educated  in 
the  district  schools  of  Searsport.  and  re- 
mained with  the  parents  until  he  was  twenty- 
tive  years  of  age.  When  his  father  died  he 
took  entire  charge  of  the  management  and 
direction  of  the  home  farm  and  operated 
it  in  the  interests  of  his  mother  for  some 
years.  In  1880  he  left  Maine  and  came  to 
Leadville.  Colorado,  where  he  followed  min- 
ing in  that  city  and  its  vicinity  for  three 
years.  He  later  removed  to  Idaho,  where  he 
took  up  a  homestead  claim  in  Custer  cotuity, 
cleared  and  developed  the  land  and  brought 
it  to  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  He  was 
extensively  engaged  at  this  period  of  his  life 
in  breeding,  feeding  and  selling  live  stock  of 
all  kinds.  He  became  an  expert  judge  of 
values  in  this  direction  and  owned  some  of 
the  finest  cattle  in  the  state.  For  twenty- 
three  years  he  resided  in  Idaho  upon  his 
original  claim  and  his  agricultural  operations 
were  rewarded  by  prosperity  and  success 
in  all  lines.  He  made  extensive  improvements 
upon  the  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
which  he  owned  in  Idaho  and  was  responsi- 
ble for  the  irrigation  of  his  entire  tract.  He 
sold  out  at  a  good  price  and  removed  to 
Coos  county,  where  he  located  on  Larson's 
inlet.  He  purchased  one  hundred  and  seven- 
ty acres  of  unimproved  land  and  began  its 
cultivation.  He  developed  and  expanded  his 
holdings  along  modern  lines,  built  model 
barns  and  outbuildings,  diked  in  his  property 
from  the  rising  tides  and  made  the  land 
fertile  and  productive.  At  the  end  of  three 
years  he  disposed  of  his  holdings  and  came 
to  Myrtle  Point,  where  he  botight  forty- 
seven  acres  of  stump  land.  He  cleared  his 
property  and  gave  his  entire  time  and  per- 
sonal supervision  to  its  cultivation  and  im- 
provement. He  now  has  one  of  the  finest 
farms  in  this  section  of  the  country  and  does 
sanitary  dairying  on  a  large  scale.  He  has 
most   of  his   land   under   cultivation   in   fruit 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTOEY  OF  OREGON 


r93 


trees  of  all  sorts,  suitable  to  the  soil  and 
climate.  He  now  has  four  hundred  trees 
planted  upon  his  holdings  and  every  year 
extends  his  activities  along  this  line,  ixe  is 
interested  in  local  real  estate  and  his  judi- 
cious investments  in  JIarshtield  town  lots 
have    added    considerably    to    his    income. 

On  January  22.  1910,  Mr.  Curtis  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Laura  Rich  Curtis,  his 
cousin,  and  a  daughter  of  Libeans  and  -Jane 
(Porter)  Curtis.  Mrs.  Curti-s'  parents  were 
natives  of  Maine  and  reared  a  large  family 
of  children,  only  three  of  whom  are  living: 
Eben,  a  seal  captain,  with  headquarters  at 
Alameda.  California;  .Joseph  P..  a  resident 
of  Everett,  Massachusetts;  and  Laura,  the 
wife  of  our  subject. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Curtis  is  a  con- 
sistent republican  of  the  progressive  wing 
and  always  votes  the  party  ticket,  believing 
its  policies  and  principles  most  conducive  to 
public  welfare.  He  never  seeks  public  office 
and  his  one  term  as  county  commissioner  in 
Idaho  was  served  under  protest.  He  is  af- 
filiated with  the  Grangers  but  beyond  this 
has  no  fraternal  connections.  His  farm  is 
situated  one  and  one-half  miles  from  Mj-rtle 
Point,  Oregon,  on  the  road  leading  to  the  old 
Lee  ranch  and  is  recognized  throughout  Coos 
county  as  a  model  agricultural  property. 
Mr.  Curtis  is  one  of  the  many  farmers  near 
Myrtle  Point,  whose  individual  activities, 
directed  along  modern  lines  of  development 
and  expansion,  are  vital  forces  in  making 
agriculture  a  progressive  science. 

JOEL  VAIL.  When  -Joel  Vail  died  upon 
his  farm  in  1907,  Oregon  lost  a  sturdy  pio- 
neer in  its  settlement,  and  agricultural 
interests  of  Linn  county  were  deprived  of  an 
eminentl}'  successful  representative.  For  al- 
most fiftj'  years  he  had  been  identified  with 
farming  in  this  section  and  was  probably 
one  of  the  most  important  forces  in  the  de- 
velopment of  the  industry.  He  was  born  in 
Ohio  in  1828.  one  of  a  family  of  five  children, 
all  of  whom  have  passed  away. 

•Toel  Vail  received  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  his  native  state  and  was 
twenty-four  years  of  age  when  he  came  to 
Oregon.  He  settled  near  Hillsboro  in  1852 
and  a  short  time  afterward  came  to  Linn 
county,  where  he  took  up  a  donation  claim 
of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  near 
Sodaville.  whereon  he  resided  for  five  years. 
At  the  end  of  that  time  he  moved  to  Lane 
county  and  taught  school  in  that  section  for 
some  time,  returning  in  1866  to  Linn  county, 
where  he  took  up  a  homestead  claim  a  few 
miles  northeast  of  Sodaville  and  developed 
and  improved  it  until  his  death  in  1907.  He 
cultivated  this  property  along  systematic 
and  practical  lines,  built  barns  and  other 
necessary  structures  and  made  general  im- 
provements, keeping  always  in  touch  with 
modern  advancement.  lie  owned  at  the  time 
of  his  death  two  hundred  acres  of  fine  land 
and  was  numbered  among  the  substantinl 
and  deservedly  jirosperous  farmers  of  the 
district. 

In  1857  Mr.  Vail  married  Miss  Mary  K. 
Lee.  who  was  born  in  Iowa  in  1839,  a  daugh- 


ter of  Philester  and  Eliza  A.  (Hurge)  Lee, 
natives  of  Xew  York  state.  Their  marriage 
occurred  there  and  they  later  went  to  Ohio 
and  from  there  proceeded  to  Illinois,  whence 
they  removed  to  Iowa,  where  they  lived 
until  1847.  In  that  year  they  crossed  the 
plains  to  Oregon  with  ox  teams  and  from 
The  Dalles  took  boat  to  Portland,  where  they 
spent  the  winter.  In  the  following  spring 
they  located  on  a  farm  east  of  the  city  and 
there  remained  until  1848,  when  they  moved 
to  Tualitin  plains.  A  short  time  afterward 
Philester  Lee  went  to  the  gold  fields  of  Cali- 
fornia and  spent  one  year  in  mining,  but  re- 
turned at  the  end  of  that  time  to  his  farm 
near  Salem.  Afterward  he  moved  into  the 
city  and  opened  a  dry-goods  store,  which  he 
operated  until  1852,  when  he  sold  out  his 
interests  and  moved  to  Linn  county.  Here 
he  proved  up  a  donation  claim  upon  the  place 
where  the  village  of  Sodaville  now  stands 
and  developed  his  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  for  a  number  of  years.  Disposing  of 
his  holdings  in  the  latter  part  of  the  ■70s. 
he  retired  from  active  life  and  made  his  home 
with  his  daughter  Jlrs.  Vail  until  his  death, 
in  1892.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lee  were  born 
eleven  children,  four  of  whom  are  still  liv- 
ing, namely:  Mary  E.,  the  wife  of  our  sub- 
ject; Mrs.  Lucinda  Matthews,  of  Sweet 
Home.  Oregon:  Xorman.  a  resident  of  .Innc- 
tion  City;  and  Mrs.  Sarah  Hoge.  ol  Grants 
Pass.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Vail  became  the  parents 
of  eight  children,  five  of  whom  are  deceased. 
Those  who  survive  are  F.  N..  Mrs.  Kate 
Stevens  and  Fred  L.  Mrs.  Vail  is  residing 
upon  the  homestead.  She  is  a  member  of 
the  Christian  Adventist  church,  of  which  re- 
ligion her  husband  was  a  devout  adherent. 
Mr.  Vail  gave  his  allegiance  to  the  repub- 
lican party  and  while  never  active  as  an 
oflice  seeker  was  yet  intelligently  interested 
in  the  growth  and  advancement  of  the  sec- 
tion to  Avhich  he  came  as  a  [jioneer.  He  was 
seventy-nine  years  of  age  when  he  died. 
His  earlier  career  was  active,  useful  and 
valuable,  his  old  age  was  a  benediction  to 
all  who  came  in  contact  with  him.  and  his 
entire  life  was  an  encouragement  to  his  as- 
sociates and  an  example  well  worthy  of 
emulation    by    the    young. 

HENRY  A.  CANFIELD,  JR.,  M.  D.,  is  one 
of  the  most  progressive  physicians  in  Drain, 
Oresjon.  and  brings  to  the  practice  of  his 
profession  youthful  energy,  a  comprehensive 
scientific  education  and  all  the  most  modern 
ideas  along  medical  and  surgical  lines.  He 
was  born  in  Watkins  Glen,  N'ew  York,  .\pril 
6.  1887.  and  is  a  son  of  Henry  A.  and  Mary 
E.  (Murphy)  Canfield.  both  natives  of  New 
Y'ork  state.  His  father's  birth  occurred  in 
Bath  and  the  mother's  in  AA'atkins  Glen. 
They  were  married  in  the  latter  city  and 
lived  there  until  1892  when  they  removed 
to  Los  Angeles.  California,  where  they  re- 
mained until  the  fall  of  that  year.  They 
spent  the  years  from  189:i  to  1896  as  resi- 
dents of  Florida  and  subsequently  removed 
to  Phoebus,  Virginia,  where  they  resided 
until  1898.  In  that  year  they  went  to 
Seattle.   Washington,   where   they   have   since 


794 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


made  their  home.  Henry  Canfield,  Sr.,  is  a 
lire  inspector  for  tlie  Lumbermen's  Indemnity 
Exchange  of  Seattle  and  is  one  of  the  promi- 
nent business  men  of  that  city. 

Dr.  Caniield  received  his  early  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  California  and  Florida. 
He  is  a  graduate  of  the  Seattle  high  school 
which  institution  he  left  with  the  class  of 
1907.  He  early  determined  to  make  the 
practice  of  medicine  his  life  work  and  in 
pursuance  of  this  ambition  entered  the  office 
of  Dr.  M.  E.  A.  McKechnie  in  Seattle  and 
studied  under  that  able  tutor  until  the  fall 
of  1907  when  he  entered  the  medical  depart- 
ment of  the  University  of  Oregon,  at  Port- 
land. He  was  graduated  with  the  degree  of 
M.  D.  in  1911.  Previous  to  this  time  he  had 
served  for  five  months  as  interne  in  the 
Fannie  Paddock  hospital  at  Tacoma,  Wash- 
ington, and  following  his  graduation  held  a 
similar  office  in  the  Good  Samaritan  hospital 
at  Portland.  The  practical  experience  which 
he  gained  in  these  institutions  is  of  great 
value  to  him  in  his  present  practice.  Dr. 
Canfield  opened  an  office  in  Drain,  Oregon, 
and  started  upon  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion. During  the  short  time  in  which  he  has 
been  active  in  this  line  he  has  demonstrated 
his  ability  as  a  practitioner  and  has  built  up 
a  lucrative  practice.  He  is  recognized  as 
one  of  the  most  promising  of  the  younger 
physicians  in  Drain  and  his  success  is  the 
inevitable  result  of  his  expert  knowledge  and 
his  conscientious  w'ork. 

Dr.  Henry  A.  Canfield  is  a  republican  but 
has  never  sought  public  office,  preferring  to 
give  his  entire  attention  to  the  work  incident 
to  the  building  up  of  a  large  professional 
practice.  He  is  identified  with  Drain  Camp, 
No.  259,  Woodmen  of  the  World  and  holds 
membership  in  Pacific  Circle,  Xo.  20,  Women 
of  Woodcraft.  He  is  a  devout  Episcopalian 
and  a  regular  attendant  at  church.  In  the 
medical  profession  he  has  already  attained  a 
degree  of  success  for  which  he  might  well 
be  envied  by  an  older  man.  Thorough  effi- 
ciency in  the  groundwork  of  attainment  in 
medicine  and  is  the  underlying  secret  of  Dr. 
Canfield's  success. 

MRS.  DORA  MAY  SALTMARSH  is  the 
widow  of  Arthur  B.  Saltmarsh,  who  died 
October  21,  1911.  Mrs.  Saltmarsh  was  born 
in  Ohio  on  the  21st  of  November,  1864.  She 
is  a  daughter  of  Arthur  Poole,  who  emi- 
grated at  a  very  early  date  to  California, 
making  the  journey  in  company  with  a  train 
consisting  of  fifteen  wagons.  After  spend- 
ing one  year  in  California  he  removed  to 
Ashland,  Oregon.  Mrs.  Saltmarsh  was  reared 
in  her  father's  home  and  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  the  district  in  which  her 
parents  lived.  She  was  married  at  Jackson- 
ville, Oregon,  April  10,  1886.  to  Arthur  B. 
Saltmarsh,  whose  birth  occurred  at  Sterling, 
Oregon,  on  the  23th  of  February,  1S61.  He 
was  an  active  and  successful  farmer  and  in 
addition  to  his  agricultural  interests  he  was 
also  engaged  in  packing  supplies  throughout 
the  settlement  adjacent  to  his  home.  Unto 
him    and   his   wife   were   bom   five   children. 


namely:  Osie;  Lee;  Dean;  Glenn;  and  Ottie, 
who  died  in  infancy. 

Mrs.  Saltmarsh  makes  her  home  on  one 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  excellent  ranch 
land,  having  personal  charge  of  all  of  the 
development  work  and  business  interests  con- 
nected with  this  property.  Since  the  death 
of  her  husband  she  has  bravely  shouldered 
the  additional  burdens  that  have  fallen  to 
her  lot  and  in  the  conduct  of  her  affairs  has 
proven  herself  to  be  a  competent  and  suc- 
cessful business  woman.  She  is  held  in  high 
esteem  throughout  the  community  in  which 
she  resides  and  is  closely  identified  with  the 
social  betterment  of  the  people. 

THOMAS    J.    COYLE    is    the    son    of    an 

Oregon  pioneer  and  has  been  in  the  state 
since  he  was  two  years  of  age.  His  entire 
active  life  has  been  devoted  to  agricultural 
pursuits  in  Linn  county  and  his  success  in 
farming  has  been  closely  connected  with  the 
development  of  the  section.  He  was  'born 
at  Peoria,  Illinois,  in  1845,  a  son  of  Reuben 
S.  and  Hannah  (Carroll)  Coyle,  the  former  a 
native  of  Kentucky  and  the  latter  of  Illinois. 
Their  marriage  occurred  in  the  latter  state 
and  they  lived  upon  a  farm  there  until  1847, 
when  they  came  west  to  Oregon,  settling 
four  miles  south  of  Lebanon,  in  Linn  county. 
Here  the  father  took  up  a  donation  claim  of 
six  hundred  and  forty  acres  and  developed 
and  improved  it  until  the  death  of  his  wife 
in  March,  1870.  At  that  time  he  moved  to 
California,  where  he  died  in  -January,  1888. 
In  their  family  were  nine  children,  three  of 
whom  are  still  living,  namely:  T.  J.,  of  this 
review;  John  H.,  a  resident  of  Lebanon;  and 
Mrs.  Emmeline  Klum,  of  Portland. 

Mr.  Coyle  was  only  two  years  of  age  when 
he  came  with  his  parents  to  Linn  county  and 
consequently  his  education  was  received  in 
the  public  schools  of  the  district.  After  he 
was  eighteen  years  old  he  spent  two  and  one- 
half  years  in  California  and  then  returned 
to  Linn  county,  to  assume  charge  of  the 
operation  of  the  homestead,  upon  which  he 
has  lived  continuously  since  that  time,  with 
the  exception  of  three  years  spent  in  rais- 
ing stock,  east  of  the  Cascade  mountains. 
His  farm  comprises  one  hundred  and  ninety 
acres  of  the  family  homestead  and  three 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  which  he  has  added 
to  it.  Of  this  property  two  hundred  acres 
are  tillable  and  under  cultivation  and  the 
entire  tract  is  improved  and  in  excellent 
condition.  Mr.  Coyle  does  general  farming 
but  specializes  in  raising  stock,  having  ob- 
tained some  local  prominence  as  a  successful 
breeder. 

Mr.  Coyle  has  been  twice  married.  His 
first  union  occurred  in  January,  1868,  when 
he  wedded  Miss  Ann  E.  Kirkendall,  who  was 
born  in  Missouri.  She  died  twenty-seven 
years  later  and  in  1897  Mr.  Coyle  was  united 
in  marriage  to  ilrs.  Annie  Merriam,  a  native 
of  Iowa  and  a  daughter  of  Philander  and 
.Jane  Hazen.  who  were  both  born  in  the 
eastern  part  of  the  United  States.  In  their 
family  were  five  children:  Harry,  deceased; 
Mrs.  Coyle;  James,  of  Iowa;  Amelia,  the 
wife   of   Thomas   Chesshir,   of  Linn   county; 


.Ml;.  AM)   Mi;>.  A.   i;.  >-\i.i  \iAi;-ii 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


r97 


and  Mrs.  JIary  Wilson,  of  Crook  county. 
Mrs.  Coyle  has  two  sons:  Wilber  Merriam, 
born  in  June  18S8,  who  is  residing  in  Linn 
county;  and  Jerry  Jefferson  Coyle,  born 
February  23,  1S9S,  who  is  attending  school. 
Mrs.  Coyle  is  a  member  of  the  Evangelical 
church. 

Mr.  Coyle  is  independent  in  his  political 
views  and  votes  for  the  man  whom  he  con- 
siders best  fitted  for  the  office  without  re- 
gard to  party  affiliations.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Grange.  Although  he  has  never  been 
active  politically  in  the  sense  of  olfice  seek- 
ing, probably  no  man  has  done  more  in  his 
private  capacity  to  promote  growth  and  ad- 
vancement. The  nature  of  the  activities  to 
which  he  has  devoted  his  life  has  made  him 
an  important  factor  in  development,  and  his 
progressive  agricultural  methods  and  straight- 
forward standards  have  made  this  influence 
useful  and  beneficial. 

HENRY  C.  McTIMMONDS,  early  settler  in 
Polk  county,  honored  veteran  of  the  Civil 
war,  and  for  over  forty  years  a  force  in  the 
agricultural  development  of  this  part  of 
Oregon,  was  born  in  Jlissouri,  October  26, 
1842.  He  is  a  son  of  Lambert  and  Ann 
(Burns)  McTimmonds,  the  former  a  native 
of  Ohio  and  the  latter  of  Ireland.  Their 
marriage  occurred  in  Pennsylvania  and  they 
later  moved  to  Illinois  and  then  to  Missouri, 
where  they  remained  until  1845.  In  that 
year  they  crossed  the  plains  with  ox  teams 
and  settled  in  Polk  county,  Oregon,  in  the 
spring  of  1846,  among  the  very  earliest  Ore- 
gon pioneers.  The  father  took  up  a  donation 
claim  of  six  hundred  and  forty  acres,  which 
he  developed  and  improved  until  his  death 
when  he  was  eighty-one  years  of  age.  In 
their  family  were  ten  children,  the  two  eldest 
of  whom,  twins,  died  in  infancy.  The  others 
are:  James,  who  has  passed  away;  H.  C,  of 
this  review;  Thomas  B.,  Francis  M.  and 
Alexander  R.,  who  have  also  passed  away; 
Erastus,  of  Polk  county;  Joseph  L.,  deceased; 
and  Charles,  who  makes  hia  home  in  southern 
Oregon. 

Henry  C.  McTimmonds  was  only  three 
years  of  age  when  he  came  with  his  parents 
to  Polk  county.  His  education,  therefore,  was 
received  in  the  public  schools  of  that  section 
and  when  he  laid  aside  his  books  he  aided  his 
father  in  the  work  of  the  farm.  In  1864 
he  enlisted  in  the  First  Oregon  Volunteer 
Infantry  and  served  until  the  end  of  the 
war,  obtaining  his  discharge  June  30,  1866. 
After  he  was  mustered  out  he  returned  to 
Oregon  and  began  his  agricultural  career. 
For  over  forty-five  years  he  has  been  active 
and  prominent  as  a  general  farmer  and  his 
work  has  had  its  influence  upon  methods  and 
standards.  At  the  present  time  he  owns 
twenty  acres  of  land  four  miles  from  Lebanon, 
a  farm  which  is  valued  at  three  hundred 
dollars  per  acre  and  has  a  half  interest  in  a, 
quarter  section  in  Lincoln  county.  He  re- 
sides upon  his  first  farm,  specializing  in 
raising  fruits  and  vegetables.  The  labor 
which  he  bestows  upon  the  place  has  made  it 
a  well  improved  and  valuable  property  which 

Vol.  IV— 33 


in  its  attractive  appearance  indicates  hia 
careful  supervision. 

In  1866  Mr.  McTimmonds  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Louisa  E.  Smith,  who  was 

.°J,°  ^°"*^  county,  a  daughter  of  James 
and  Elizabeth  .Smith.  Her  parents  came  to 
Oregon  in  1846  and  settled  in  Polk  county, 
where  they  proved  up  a  donation  claim  of 
six  hundred  and  forty  acres  upon  which  they 
resided  until  their  deaths.  They  had  a  large 
family  of  children,  six  of  whom  are  still  liv- 
ing: J.  D.,  of  Dallas;  B.  F.,  who  resides  in 
Polk  county;  George  W,,  a  resident  of  Marion 
county;  F.  M.,  who  makes  his  home  in 
Dallas;  Rachel  H.,  also  of  Polk  county;  and 
Louisa,  the  wife  of  our  subject.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  McTimmonds  have  five  children: 
Francis  T.,  who  is  married  and  resides  near 
his  father's  farm;  James  T.,  of  Springfield, 
Lane  county;  Etliol.  tlie  wife  of  F.  W.  Kau' 
of  Polk  county;  Ralph,  who  is  married  and 
resides  at  home;    and  Homer,  also  at  home. 

Mr.  McTimmonds  gives  his  allegiance  to 
the  republican  party  and  has  served  ably 
and  efliciently  as  assessor  of  Polk  county. 
He  has  held  membership  in  the  Grange  for 
many  vears.  He  is  well  known  in  this  sec- 
tion of  Oregon,  having  been  a  resident  here 
for  a  number  of  years  during  which  time  his 
genuine  worth,  his  active  life  and  his  high 
principles  have  commended  him  to  the  good- 
will, trust  and  respect  of  all  with  whom  he 
associates. 

GEORGE  W.  WOOLLEY.  One  of  the  larg- 
est and  up-to-date  grocery  stores  in  Drain, 
Oregon,  is  owned  by  George  W.  Woolley,  a 
representative  business  man  of  that  city.  His 
enterprise  is  conducted  along  modern  and  pro- 
gressive lines  and  the  effect  of  the  cleanli- 
ness and  arrangement  of  his  stock  is  felt  in 
the  amount  of  business  handled.  Mr.  Wool- 
ley  has  been  identified  with  this  activity  in 
Drain  since  1908  and  during  the  past  four 
years  has  built  up  a  flourishing  and  lucra- 
tive business.  He  was  born  in  Los  Angeles 
county,  California,  October  16,  1876,  and  is 
a  son  of  George  C.  and  Nancy  (Barer) 
Woolley,  the  former  a  native  of  Missouri  and 
the  latter  of  Arkansas.  Our  subject's  par- 
ents were  married  in  California,  to  which 
state  they  had  removed  with  their  parents  in 
the  early  days  of  the  California  gold  excite- 
ment. They  remained  residents  of  the 
Golden  state  until  1884,  when  they  came  north 
to  Oregon  and  after  a  short  period  of  resi- 
dence in  Oakland  they  came  to  Drain,  where 
tliey   have   since   resided. 

George  W.  Woolley  received  his  early  edu- 
cation in  the  common  schools  of  California 
and  Oregon  and  remained  at  home  until  he 
was  twenty  years  of  age.  He  began  his 
active  business  career  as  a  stock-raiser.  He 
bought  a  ranch  on  the  Smith  river  in  Doug- 
las county  and  operated  this  until  1908. 
During  this  period  he  engaged  extensively  in 
the  breeding  of  high-grade  cattle  and  was 
line  of  the  prominent  stock-raisers  of  the 
district.  In  190S  he  came  to  Drain  and  es- 
tablished himself  in  his  present  grocery  busi- 
ness. He  is  one  of  the  progressive  young 
business  men  of  this  city.     His  stock  is  kept 


798 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


up  to  the  highest  standard  of  cleanliness  and 
purity  and  his  store  is  attractive  in  every 
way.  It  is  well  ai'ranged  and  has  the  aspect 
of  a  metropolitan  enterprise. 

In  1904  ilr.  Woolley  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Dolly  Haney,  a  daughter  of 
Ross  Haney,  a  prominent  ranchman  on  the 
Smith  river,  and  to  their  union  has  been 
born  one  child,  Vera  Viola.  George  VV. 
Woolley  is  a  republican,  active  in  the  local 
party  organization.  He  is  candidate  for 
sheriff  on  the  prohibition  ticket  and  has 
many  loyal  supporters  in  Drain.  He  is  a 
member  of  Drain  Lodge,  No.  770,  M.  B.  A. 
He  and  his  wife  are  members  and  regular 
attendants  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
Mr.  Woolley  is  among  the  most  estimable 
and  promising  of  the  younger  generation  of 
business  men  in  Drain.  He  is  interested  in 
the  grow'th  of  his  enterprise  and  active  in 
promoting  commercial  progress  in  his  city. 
His  energy,  ambition  and  clean  business 
methods  cause  him  to  be  regarded  as  one  of 
the  representative  and  enterprising  citizens 
of  Douglas  county. 

PETER  N.  REBERG  is  one  of  the  well 
known  business  men  of  North  Bend,  at  which 
place  he  organized  the  North  Bend  Hardware 
Company,  a  corporation  of  which  he  is  sec- 
retary. He  was  born  in  Minnesota  in  1869, 
and  is  a  son  of  Nels  and  Kren  (.Johnson)  Re- 
berg,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Nor- 
way, who  emigrated  to  America  in  1867. 
Tliey  settled  in  Minnesota,  where  the  father 
has  since  been  engaged  in  farming.  The 
mother  died  in  1910.  They  were  the  parents 
of  ten  children,  seven  of  whom  are  living: 
Cristine,  who  is  the  widow  of  Halvor  Oleson, 
of  Minnesota;  Ingebright,  who  is  a  resident 
of  Minnesota;  John,  of  Memphis,  Tennessee; 
Nora,  who  is  the  wife  of  James  Brink  of  Min- 
nesota; Augusta,  of  California;  Helen,  who 
resides  with  her  parents  in  Minnesota,  where 
she  is  engaged  in  the  general  mercliandising 
business;   and   Peter  N.,  of  this  review. 

Peter  N.  Reberg  was  reared  in  his  parents' 
home  and  received  his  early  education  in 
the  public  schools.  He  remained  under  the 
parental  roof  and  was  engaged  at  work  with 
his  father  on  the  latter's  farm  until  he  was 
twenty-two  years  of  age.  at  which  time  lie 
started  in  life  for  liimself,  following  various 
occupations  in  Minnesota  for  a  period  of  two 
years.  He  then  found  employment  with  the 
Street  Railway  Company  of  Duluth,  Min- 
nesota, and  continued  in  the  employ  of 
that  corporation  for  six  and  one-half 
years.  he  next  became  an  employe  of 
the  Marshall-Wells  Hardware  Company  in 
Duluth  for  four  years  and  was  with  the 
firm  in  an  executive  capacity  for  one  year. 
He  engaged  in  the  hardware  business  in 
North  Dakota  in  1903,  after  which  time  he 
sold  out  and  returned  to  Minnesota  and  again 
entered  the  employ  of  the  Mar.shall- Wells 
Hardware  Company  with  whom  he  continued 
for  one  and  one-half  years.  In  July,  1905, 
in  the  interest  of  that  company,  he  came 
to  Oregon  and  continued  in  their  employ- 
ment until  March  of  that  year.  He  then 
settled  at  North   Bend,  where   he  organized 


the  North  Bend  Hardware  Company,  of 
which  he  is  the  secretary  and  to  the  inter- 
ests of  that  corporation  lie  has  since  contin- 
ued to  give  his  attention. 

3Ir.  Reberg  was  united  in  marriage  July 
11,  1895,  to  Miss  Catlierine  McCallum,  a 
native  of  Canada.  Her  parents  were  natives 
of  Scotland.  Mr.  Reberg  is  independent  in 
liis  political  view's  and  is  in  no  sense  an 
office  seeker.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Ma- 
sonic order  and  of  the  Benevolent  Protective 
Order  of  EUcs,  and  he  and  his  wife  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Protestant  cliurch  of  North  Bend. 
Peter  N.  Reberg  is  one  of  the  enterprising 
and  successful  men  of  his  adopted  city  and 
is  always  to  be  relied  upon  to  give  his 
aid  and  inlluence  to  the  advancement  of 
every  worthy  cause  intended  to  improve  the 
condition  of  the  people. 

HARVEY  C.  ROSE.  For  over  a  quarter 
of  a  century  Harvey  C.  Rose  has  been  iden- 
tified with  agricultural  interests  of  Linn 
county  where  lie  owns  tliree  hundred  and 
thirty  acres  of  improved  land.  His  farm 
is  one  of  the  finest  in  the  section  and  he 
has  demonstrated  his  ability  as  an  agri- 
culturist and  business  man  in  his  able  con- 
duct of  the  enterprise.  He  was  born  in  Mis- 
souri, September  34,  1854,  and  is  a  son  of 
Andrew  J.  and  Eima  (Rubel)  Rose,  the  former 
a  native  of  Kentucky  and  the  latter  of  Vir- 
ginia. Tlie  parents  of  our  subject  came  to 
Oregon  in  1856  and  spent  two  years  in  Polk 
county  before  they  came  to  Linn  county 
where  the  father  purchased  three  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  of  land  four  miles  above 
Lebanon  which  he  developed  and  improved 
until  tlie  time  of  his  death  which  occurred  in 
1893  when  he  was  seventy-three  years  of 
age.  His  widow  resides  at  Newberg,  and  is 
eighty-six  years  of  age. 

Harvey  C.  Rose  was  only  two  years  of  age 
when  with  his  parents  he  crossed  the  plains 
with  ox  teams  to  Oregon  by  way  of  Cali- 
fornia. He  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Linn  county  and  remained  at  home 
until  he  was  twenty-four  years  old,  work- 
ing for  a  part  of  tlie  time  as  a  farm  laborer. 
When  he  was  twenty-five  he  made  his  first 
purchase  of  land,  buying  a  valuable  property 
which  he  later  sold  in  order  to  gain  posses- 
sion of  the  three  hundred  and  thirty  acres 
whieli  he  now-  owns  and  operates.  This  en- 
tire tract  is  improved  and  developed  and  sev- 
enty acres  are  under  cultivation.  Substan- 
tial improvements  have  been  made  upon  this 
land,  necessary  buildings  have  been  erected 
and  labor  saving  machinery  installed  so  that 
Mr.  Rose's  farm  is  in  all  its  aspects  a  valua- 
ble   and    modern    agricultural    enterprise. 

In  1SS4  'Mt.  Rose  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Jennie  K.  Gibson,  of  Butler  county, 
Pennsylvania,  in  which  section  her  parents 
passed  away.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rose  have  be- 
come the  parents  of  five  children:  Elma,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  ten  years;  Linn  W.,  who 
was  born  in  1889,  and  who  is  living  at  home; 
Lnella.  who  was  born  in  1891,  and  is  also 
with  her  parents;  Clarence,  who  was  born 
in  1S')4:  and  Velnia.  born  in  1897.  All  re- 
ceived    an     excellent     education      in     Linn 


THE  CENTENiNIAL  HISTORY  OP  OREGON 


ryg 


county.      The    I'aniily    are    members    of    tlie 
Presbyterian  church. 

Harvey  C.  Rose  is  a  democrat  and  is  in- 
terested in  movements  which  tend  to  pro- 
mote general  welfare  and  advancement,  al- 
thougli  his  public  spirit  never  takes  the 
form  of  ollice  seeking.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Spring  Bank  Grange,  No.  409,  Patrons 
of  Husbandry.  During  the  entire  period  of 
his  active  life  he  has  been  engaged  in  gen- 
eral farming  and  has  become  through  his 
long  experience  and  his  knowledge  of  local 
conditions,  one  of  the  most  successful  and 
prosperous  agriculturists  of  the  section  and 
one  of  the  most  potent  forces  in  its  de- 
velopment. 

GEORGE  D.  MANDIGO  is  numbered  among 
the  entei  prising  and  successful  business  men 
of  North  Bend,  where  he  is  engaged  in  the 
grocery  business  as  one  of  tlie  stockholders 
in  the  Coos  Bay  Grocery  Company,  of  which 
corporation  he  is  secretary.  He  was  born  in 
Florence,  Michigan,  and  is  the  son  of  David 
and  Margaret  (Cole)  Mandigo,  both  of  whom 
are  natives  of  Michigan.  The  father  in  early 
life  was  engaged  in  the  drug  business  and 
after  leaving  Florence,  Michigan,  he  moved 
to  New  Mexico,  where  he  was  engaged  in 
general  merchandising  for  two  years  and 
then  moved  to  Park  Rapids,  Minnesota, 
where  he  established  himself  in  the  general 
merchandising  business,  in  which  he  con- 
tinued for  ten  years,  and  in  1S93  he  sold 
out.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  David  Mandigo  were  the 
parents  of  two  children:  George  D.,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  review;  and  Eva,  who  died  at 
the   age   of  six   years. 

George  D.  Mandigo  was  reared  at  home  and 
received  his  early  education  in  the  public 
schools.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  years  he 
started  in  business  for  himself,  in  company 
with  his  father,  with  whom  he  continued  un- 
til 1893,  at  which  time  they  disposed  of 
their  merchandising  business  in  Minnesota. 
Immediately  thereafter  George  D.  Mandigo 
biiilt  the  city  electric  plant  in  Park  Rapids, 
Michigan,  which  he  operated  for  a  period  of 
six  years.  He  then  sold  out  and  came  to 
Oregon,  settling  first  on  Coos  bay.  He  was 
engaged  in  mining  on  the  Sixes  river  for 
one  year  and  then  effected  his  permanent 
settlement  at  North  Bend,  in  1906.  where 
he  purchased  a  grocery  business,  whicli  he 
operated  for  two  years  and  then  sold  out. 
The  two  following  years  he  spent  in  invest- 
ing in  timber  land  and  real  estate  and  in 
April,  1911,  he  purchased  an  interest  in 
the  Coos  Bay  Grocery  Company,  of  whicli 
he  was  elected  secretary,  and  to  the  inter- 
ests of  that  business  he  has  since  continued 
to  give  his  attention.  The  Coos  Bay  Grocery 
Company  was  incorporated  in  1906  with  a 
capital  stock  of  ten  thousand  dollars  and. 
since  it  opened  its  doors  for  business,  the 
company  has  enjoyed  a  very  gratifying 
trade  and  is  one  of  the  well  known  and  sub- 
stantial  business   houses   of   North   Bend. 

Mr.  Mandigo  was  united  in  marriage  Feb- 
ruary 16,  18S2,  to  Miss  Mary  Heisel.  a  native 
of  Michigan.  Her  parents  were  natives  of 
Germany  and  to  them  six  children  were  born : 


Mary,  the  wife  of  the  subject  of  this  review; 
Agnes,  who  is  the  wile  of  Charles  Harvey 
of  Oklahoma  City,  Oklahoma;  Kate,  the 
widow  of  C.  11.  Chapman  of  Denver,  Colo- 
rado; Wilhelmina,  the  deceased  wife  of  Fred 
A.  Kribs  of  Portland,  Oregon;  Frank,  of 
Minnesota;  and  Dora,  the  wife  of  Harrj'  Ar- 
nold. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mandigo  two  children 
have  been  born.  Eva  A.  is  the  wife  of  A.  B. 
Dutch,  a  dentist  of  Constantine,  Michigan, 
and  tlie}'  are  the  parents  of  three  children. 
Dorothy,  Mary  and  George.  Gertrude  A.  re- 
sides with  her  parents  at  North  Bend,  Ore- 
gon. Both  daughters  were  educated  in  mu- 
sic while  residing  in  Minnesota. 

ilr.  ilandigo  gives  his  political  allegiance 
to  the  democratic  party  and  was  mayor  of 
Park  Rapids,  Minnesota,  for  two  terms  and 
has  been  a  member  of  the  city  council  of 
North  Bend  for  two  terms.  He  also  filled  the 
unexpired  terra  of  Mayor  L.  J.  Simpson  in 
1909,  at  which  time  Mr.  Mandigo  was  presi- 
dent of  the  council.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  order  and  is  a  thirty-second  degree 
Mason,  a  Shriner  and  a  member  of  the  East- 
ern Star.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  .Mod- 
ern Woodmen  of  America.  Both  he  and  his 
wife  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 
George  D.  Mandigo  is  one  of  the  well  known 
business  men  of  Coos  county  and  is  num- 
bered among  its  most  reliable,  successful 
and  desirable  citizens. 

LOUIS  EDWARD  WARNER  began  his  ac- 
tive career  at  the  age  of  only  fifteen  years 
when  he  heard  the  insistent  call  of  the 
spirit  of  adventure  and  left  home  to  seek 
his  fortune.  He  is  one  of  the  prosperous 
and  substantial  farmers  of  the  Yoncalla 
valley  and  one  of  the  enterprising  and  rep- 
resentative men  of  this  district.  He  was  born 
in  Syracuse,  New  York,  August  11,  1S.')8, 
and  is  a  son  of  John  H.  and  Catherine 
(Rusher)  Warner,  the  former  a  native  of 
(Jerman.v  and  the  latter  of  Alsace,  France. 
.John  H.  Warner  came  to  the  United  States 
when  he  was  twenty-two  years  of  age  and 
was  a  prominent  railroad  man  on  the  New 
York  Central  line  for  fifty-one  j'cars.  His 
wife  made  the  journey  to  America  with 
her  parents  when  she  was  still  a  child  and 
their  marriage  occurred  in  Onondaga  county, 
New  York,  where  they  lived  and  died. 

Wlien  only  fifteen  years  of  age  Louis 
Warner  left  home  and  went  westward  to 
Michigan.  From  Michigan  he  removed  to 
Illinois  and  in  the  fall  of  1S7G  went  to  Cali- 
fornia remaining  in  the  San  .lose  region  until 
ISSl.  During  the  period  of  his  residence  in 
California  Mr.  Warner  followed  the  railroad 
business  and  was  thus  active  for  si.x  years. 
He  took  up  the  same  work  when  he  came 
to  Oregon  in  the  fall  of  1S81.  He  made  his 
lieadquarters  in  Goshen  and  Albany  and  re- 
mained at  railroading  until  1888.  In  the 
fall  of  that  year  he  removed  to  a  farm  in 
file  Yoncalla  valley.  Douglas  county.  Oregon, 
where  he  has  since  been  engaged  in  the  cul- 
tivation of  the  soil.  His  farm  comprises 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  and  is  bottom 
land.    It  lies  three  and  one-half  miles  south- 


800 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


east  of  Yoncalla  and  is  one  of  the  most  valu- 
able and  fertile  farms  in  the  valley.  Mr. 
Warner  is  also  the  proprietor  of  one  hundred 
and  thirty  acres  of  farm  land  two  miles 
south  of  his  home  farm  and  is  activelv  en- 
gaged in  the  cultivation  of  both  properties. 
He  is  one  of  the  many  intelligent  and  broad- 
minded  men  who  are  doing  so  much  to  raise 
the  standard  of  scientific  agriculture  in  the 
state  of  Oregon. 

In  1883.  Mr.  Warner  was  united  in  mar- 
riage, in  Yoncalla,  Oregon,  to  Miss  L.  Ellen 
Smith,  a  daughter  of  Robert  Smith,  one  of 
the  pioneers  of  1843,  who  came  across  the 
plains  with  the  famous  Applegate  Company. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Warner  have  been  born 
four  children,  two  of  whom  are  living.:  Hugh 
Edward,  who  lives  with  his  parents  on  the 
home  farm;   and  Louis  Ernest,  at  home. 

Louis  Edward  Warner  is  a  consistent  re- 
publican but  has  never  been  an  otBce  seeker. 
Fraternally  he  holds  membership  in  Alpha 
Lodge,  No.  170,  I.  0.  0.  F.,  and  in  Yoncalla 
Camp,  Ko.  284,  W.  0.  W.  He  is  one  of  the 
foremost  men  in  his  section  of  the  county 
and  his  prosperity  is  the  result  of  his  own 
efforts.  The  boy  who  forty  years  ago  went 
out  into  the  world  to  gain  his  fortune,  has 
found  what  he  went  to  seek.  His  path  did 
not  lead  along  a  royal  road  and  his  success 
is  the  outcome  of  indefatigable  industry 
and  of  conscientious  living. 

HENRY  W.  WILKINS.  Farming  and 
dairy  interests,  in  Coos  county,  are  well  rep- 
resented by  Henry  W.  Wilkins,  who  is  the 
proprietor  of  seven  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  of  land  in  that  district,  and  is  operat- 
ing his  property  along  intelligent  and  pro- 
gressive lines.  He  was  born  in  Hanover, 
Germany,  in  1865,  and  is  a  son  of  William 
and  Maggie  (Dode)  Wilkins,  both  of  whom 
are  natives  of  the  province  of  Hanover.  Mr. 
Wilkins,  of  this  review,  is  one  of  five  chil- 
dren born  to  his  parents,  the  others  being: 
Henry,  who  has  five  children,  and  resides  in 
Germany;  Helena,  who  is  living  in  Hanover; 
and  Theodore  and  John,  both  of  whom  are 
deceased. 

Henry  W.  Wilkins  received  his  early  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
country,  but  laid  aside  his  text-books  at 
the  age  of  eleven  years.  His  father  had  been 
a  shipbuilder  in  Hanover  and  upon  his  death, 
in  1869,  his  son  was  left  alone.  Our  subject 
attended  school  until  he  was  eleven  years 
old  and  then  went  to  work  upon  his  uncle's 
farm  where  he  remained  for  three  years.  He 
followed  the  sea  from  1S79  to  1S90.  He  first 
shipped  as  a  cabin  boy,  in  which  capacity  he 
served  for  one  year  before  he  was  made  or- 
dinary seaman.  He  gained  his  second  ad- 
vancement at  the  age  of  seventeen,  when  he 
sailed  as  able  seaman  from  Boston  and  re- 
mained in  that  capacity  for  some  time.  He 
then  enlisted  in  the  German  navy  and  served 
for  three  years.  At  the  expiration  of  that 
period  he  came  to  America  and  settled  in 
Philadelphia,  sailing  from  that  city  to  Cuba 
and  Pensacola,  Florida,  on  the  ship  which 
brought  the  first  load  of  molasses  from  Cuba 
to  Philadelphia.     He  sailed  the  Great  Lakes 


for  about  five  years  and  in  1890  came  to 
Coos  bay  and  was  active  in  the  life-savin<> 
station  for  a  year  and  a  half  before  he 
bought  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
fine  timber  land,  to  which  he  soon  added 
another  tract  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres. 
He  took  up  a  homestead  claim  of  a  similar 
size  and  later  bought  eighty  acres  of  timber 
land  which  he  added  to  his  holdings.  He 
still  has  this  land  and  is  also  the  proprietor 
of  a  large  timber  tract  adjoining  it,  owning 
in  all  seven  hundred  and  twenty  acres.  He 
has  a  small  portion  of  his  land  under  culti- 
vation in  potatoes  and  other  garden  truck 
and  makes  a  specialty  of  the  raising  of  a 
fine  grade  of  hay.  His  farm  is  one  of  the 
most  extensive  in  Coos  county  and  owes 
its  development  entirely  to  the  efforts  of 
Henry  Wilkins.  It  was  a  wilderness  when 
he  purchased  it,  and  he  has  made  all  the 
necessary  improvements  and  has  erected 
many  buildings.  His  methods  are  scientific 
and  intelligent  and  have  resulted  in  making 
his  farm  one  of  the  model  properties  of  the 
district.  He  has  a  large  dairy  and  gives 
personal  attention  to  this  branch  of  his 
business.  He  milks  fifty  cows  and  spends 
much  time  in  taking  care  of  his  stock  in  an 
intelligent  and  efficient  way.  He  is  the  most 
successful  dairyman  on  Ten  Mile  lake  and 
is  known  throughout  the  county  as  a  man 
who  has  done  a  great  deal  for  "the  agricul- 
tural interests  of  his  district. 

Henry  W.  Wilkins  is  a  stanch  republican 
and  although  greatly  interested  in  local  af- 
fairs takes  very  little  active  part  in  politics 
and  has  never  sought  public  office.  He  has, 
however,  been  actively  interested  in  educa- 
tion and  has  served  as  director  of  the  school 
tioard  for  twelve  years.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Fraternal  Order  of  Eagles  and  active 
in  the  affairs  of  the  Red  Men.  His  early  life 
upon  the  sea  gave  him  energy,  industry  and 
integrity,  and  these  qualities  have  been  val- 
uable assets  to  him  in  his  agricultural  career. 
He  has  been  a  dominating  influence  in  the 
development  of  Coos  county  for  many  years, 
and  through  the  medium  "of  his  fine  farm, 
cultivated  along  scientific  lines,  has  done 
much  to  raise  the  standard  of  agriculture 
in  his  district. 

ERNEST  J.  WITTICK,  deceased,  will  be 
remembered  as  one  of  the  valued  and  highly 
esteemed  citizens  of  North  Bend,  where  for 
many  years  he  was  successfully  engaged  in 
business.  He  was  born  in  Finland  and  was 
one  of  six  children  born  to  his  parents:  Otto, 
Harriman,  Amiel,  Selma  and  Manda,  all  of 
whom  reside  in  Finland;  and  Ernest  J.,  of 
this  review. 

Ernest  J.  Wittick  was  reared  at  home 
and  received  his  early  education  in  the  ex- 
cellent public  schools  of  his  native  land.  At 
the  age  of  nineteen  years  he  emigrated  to 
America  and  settled  at  once  at  Coos  bay, 
where  he  engaged  in  logging  for  some  time 
and  later  attended  school  in  Marshfield  for 
one  year.  He  then  established  himself  in 
business  at  North  Bend,  in  which  he  con- 
tinued until  the  time  of  his  death  which  oc- 
curred August  22,  1908.     He  was  the  owner 


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loRARY 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


803 


of  fine  business  property  at  North  Bend  and 
also  his  home  in  that  city  and  two  valuable 
vacant  properties  and  also  owned  lots  in 
Bangor,  Oregon. 

Mr.  Wittick  was  united  in  marriage  in 
May,  1895,  to  Miss  Bertha  Findstrom,  a 
native  of  Finland,  who  emigrated  alone  to 
America  in  her  young  womanhood.  Her 
parents  were  natives  of  Finland  and  in  that 
country  died  many  years  ago.  Their  family 
consisted  of  five  children:  Matthew,  John, 
Annalisc,  and  Sophia,  all  of  whom  reside  in 
Finland;  and  Bertha,  the  widow  of  the  sub- 
ject of  this  review.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wittick 
three  cliildren  were  born:  Ernest  Rudolph, 
born  May  15,  1896,  who  is  attending  high 
school  at  North  Bend,  Oregon;  John  Andrew 
E.,  who  was  born  .July  6,  1902,  and  is  a  pupil 
in  the  public  schools;  and  Mabel,  whose  birth 
occurred  February  8,  1906. 

Mr.  Wittick  was  affiliated  with  the  re- 
publican party  but  was  never  an  office  seeker. 
He  was  a  member  of  Suomi  Lodge  and  his 
religious  faith  was  shown  in  his  member- 
ship in  the  Lutheran  church,  of  which  his 
widow  and  children  are  members.  Mrs. 
Wittick  resides  in  her  home,  which  is  located 
on  McPherson  street,  near  Park  avenue  at 
old  North  Bend. 

Ernest  J.  Wittick  was  a  man  who  had  many 
friends  among  all  classes  of  people  and  was 
distinguished  for  his  charitable  deeds  and 
consistent  life,  and  his  death  removed  from 
North  Bend  one  of  its  most  esteemed  and 
useful  citizens. 

WILLIAM  L.  BRISTOW  is  successfully  en- 
gaged    in    stock-raising    two    miles    east    of 
Pleasant    Hill,   where    he    owns   a    fine   ranch 
of  two  hundred  acres.    He  was  born  in  Lane 
countv.  on  January   10,   1859.  and  is  a   son 
of  Abel  K.  and  Almira  K.   (Gooch)    Bristow. 
The   paternal   grandparents   were   Elijah   and 
Susanna    (Gabbert)    Bristow,   to   whom   were 
born  eleven  children:  John  K..  who  was  born 
on  the  26th  of  March.  1814,  later  a  resident 
of   Eugene.   Oregon:    Betsy,   born    October   9, 
1815.  the  wife  of  James  M.  Hendricks,  also 
of  Eugene;  Sarah,  whose  natal  day  was  the 
11th   of   May.   1817;    Abel   K.,  the'father   of 
our    subject'   whose    birth    occurred    on    the 
6th    of   .Tanuary,    1819;    Mary,   born    October 
28,    1820,    the '  wife    of    Robert    Callison    of 
Pleasant  Hill.  Oregon:   Delila,  born  January 
26,    1822,    the    wife    of    John    T.    Gilfroy,    of 
Creswell,  Oregon;  Henry  G.,  whose  birth  oc- 
curred  on   the  21st   of   August,   1824,  a  resi- 
dent  of   Macomb,  Illinois;    William   W.,   who 
was  born  on  the  ISth  of  July,  1826,  of  Eu- 
gene;   Katherine,  who   was   born    September 
21,  1828,  the  wife  of  .Jonathan  Baskette,  of 
feickreall,  this  state;  Elija  L.,  who  was  born 
January  2,   18,S3,  a  resident  of  Salem;   and 
Zilphia,  born  on  the  9th  of  September,  1834, 
the  wife  of  Steven  Rigdon.  of  Pleasant  Hill. 
Oregon.     Elijah   Bristow   the   grandfather   of 
our  subject  was  born  in  Taswell  county,  Vir- 
ginia,  on    the   2Sth    of   April.    17S8,  and    was 
the    eldest    of    four    children   bom    to    James 
and    Delilah    (Elkins)    Bristow.      The    others 
are    as    follows;    Sally,    the   wife    of    a    Mr. 
Miller;    Betsy,    who    became    Mrs.    Massey; 


and  Abel.    The  mother  of  these  children  died 
and  James  Bristow  took  for  his  second  wife 
Miss   Betsy  Clevenger  and  they  became  the 
parents  of  a  large  family,  some  of  the  chil- 
dren   of    their    son    Wesley    having    become 
residents    of    Oregon.      Elijah    Bristow    was 
reared  in  the  state  of  his  birth  but  in   his 
early  manhood  he  went  to  Kentucky,  going 
from   there   to  Illinois.     In   1845  he  crossed 
the   plains   to   California   and   the   next   year 
he  became  a  resident  of  Oregon.     He  erected 
the  first  house  built  in  Lane  county,  which 
was  located  in  the  vicinity  of  Pleasant  Hill, 
where  the  chimney  still  stands.     He  had  the 
added    distinction    of    being    the    first    post- 
master of  the  first  postoffice  in  Lane  county 
and    he    also    organized    the    first    Christian 
church   in   the   northwest,  and  donated   land 
for  the  first  district  school  in  the  county  in 
district  No.  1.   He  was  early  recognized  as  a 
leader    of    men    and   was    intensely    patriotic 
and  apparently  absolutely  fearless,  and  was 
known   far  and   wide  because  of  his  bravery 
as  well  as  his  wonderful  marksmanship.     He 
went   to   the   front  during   the   War  of   1812 
and  also  during  the  Black  Hawk  Indian  war, 
and   was   asked   to   take    the   command    of   a 
regiment  during  the  latter  conflict,  but  pre- 
ferred to  go  as  a  private.  His  death  occurred 
on    the     19th    of    September.    1872.    at    the 
venerable  age  of  eighty-four,  his  natal  day 
being    the    2Sth    of    April,    1788.      Mr.    and 
l\Irs.  Abel  K.   Bristow  had  seven  children  as 
follows:  Samuel  E.;  Mary  Jane,  who  died  in 
infancv;    John    H.;    Alice    H.,    the    wife    of 
L.  J.  Cornelius,  a  farmer  of   Pleasant  Hill; 
Isabel  G.,  the   widow   of   William   Robinett, 
of    Creswell;    William    L.,   our    subject;    and 
Delilah    A.,    the    wife    of    Aurelius    Todd,    of 
Mexico.     Jlrs.   Almira    Bristow,   the   mother 
of  our  subject,  was  born  on  the  30th  of  May, 
1826,    the  '  elder    of    two    daughters    born    to 
Samuel  and  Ruth    (Powers)    Gooch,  her  sis- 
ter's name  being  Malvina.    Mrs.  Almira  Bris- 
tow was  born  in  Illinois  where  in  after  years 
Beardstown  was  founded.     She  was  the  sec- 
ond  white    child   born   in   those   parts.     Her 
paternal  grandparents   were  of   English   and 
Irish   birth   respectively,   and    in    1801    came 
from  England  to  .\merica.     Her  father.  Sam- 
uel Gooch,  was  born   on  the  very  day  they 
landed   on   American   soil.     He  passed  away 
after    a    lingering   illness    on   June    19.    1838, 
nnd  her  mother  died  November  9.  1859.    Mrs. 
Mmira    Bristow   with    her   husband   removed 
to  Oregon   in    1848,  making  the   trip  by  or 
team.     They  took  up  a  donation  land  claim 
on    Pleasant   Hill    the    following   year.     Abel 
K.    Bristow    died    May    31.    1881.    but    the 
mother  still  lives  and  makes  her  home  with 
lier  daughter,  Jfrs.  William  Robinett.  of  Cres- 
well.  on   a  part  of   the  old  homestead,  and 
in  the  same  house  in  which  she  has  raised 
her   familv.  She   is  eighty-six  years  of  age. 
vet  is  well  and  active  and  her  hearing  and 
eyesight    are    excellent    for    one    of    her    age. 
She  leads  a  Christian  life  in  the  best  implied 
sense    of    the    word    and    seeks    inspiration 
from    her    Bible,    which    she    reads    through 
once  every  year  and  has  done  so  for  years 
past. 


804 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


The  boyhood  and  youth  of  William  L.  Bris- 
tow  were  passed  in  very  much  the  same 
manner  as  those  of  other  lads  who  were 
reared  in  Oregon  during  the  pioneer  period. 
He  remained  at  home  assisting  with  the  cul- 
tivation of  the  ranch  until  he  was  twenty- 
one  and  then  joined  a  party  of  United  States 
surveyors  in  the  capacity  of  chain  man.  He 
followed  this  occupation  for  two  years  dur- 
ing the  spring  season,  while  in  the  winter 
he  attended  the  normal  school  at  Monmouth. 
In  18S3,  he  began  teaching  vocal  music  and 
at  the  same  time  he  was  employed  on  a 
farm.  In  the  spring  of  1884,  he  "began  his 
commercial  career  as  a  clerk  for  Dr.  Scar- 
brough,  but  he  withdrew  at  the  end  of  a 
year,  in  order  to  assume  management  of  his 
mother's  farm.  He  operated  this  for  four 
years  and  in  the  spring  of  1SS9  became  clerk 
in  a  general  mercantile  store.  The  next 
year  he  was  married  and  about  the  same 
time  he  took  a  position  with  J.  D.  Matlock, 
who  was  also  engaged  in  the  general  mer- 
cantile business.  In  August,  1891,  he  re- 
turned to  Pleasant  Hill  and  opened  a  store, 
which  he  conducted  with  very  good  success 
for  seven  years,  and  during"  that  time  he 
also  served  as  postmaster.  Believing  that 
Creswell  was  a  better  location,  he,  in  1898, 
removed  there  and  continued  his  mercantile 
pursuits.  The  next  year  he  disposed  of  his 
store  and  went  to  Polk  county,  where  he  was 
engaged  in  business  for  seven  years.  In 
1906,  he  returned  to  Lane  county  and  turned 
his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits.  He 
still  owned  his  portion  of  the  old  homestead, 
consisting  of  one  hundred  acres,  and  to  this 
he  added  another  hundred  by  purchase.  Sixty 
acres  of  the  latter  was  cleared  and  under 
cultivation  and  he  now  devotes  eighty  of 
his  two  hundred  acres  to  the  raising  of  grain. 
Mr.  Bristow  takes  great  pleasure  in  the 
quiet  farm  life,  and  enjoys  the  privilege 
of  living  in  the  country,  after  serving  the 
public  for  many  years  and  meeting  many 
people  in  commercial  life. 

On  the  23d  of  .July.  1890,  Mr.  Bristow  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Luella  Handsaker. 
a  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Sarah  (Cannon) 
Handsaker.  The  father  was  born  in  Hatten. 
Kngland.  Xovember  19.  1831,  and  was  one  of 
ten  children  born  to  his  parents.  The  pa- 
ternal grandfather  died  from  a  dog  bite, 
when  his  son  Samuel  was  a  child  of  only 
three  years,  and  the  mother,  who  was  left 
in  impecunious  circumstances,  met  with  much 
difficulty  in  rearing  and  educating  her  large 
family.  In  his  early  manhood  Mr.  Hand- 
saker emigrated  to  the  United  States  and 
in  1853  he  crossed  the  plains  from  Edwards- 
ville.  Illinois,  to  the  northwest.  The  fol- 
lowing spring  he  located  in  the  Xapqua  val- 
ley in  the  vicinity  of  Oakland,  where  he  re- 
sided for  seventeen  years.  At  the  expira- 
tion of  that  time  be  came  to  Lane  county 
and  bought  a  ranch  near  Dexter  and  later 
he  also  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business 
operating  both  his  ranch  and  store  until 
1887.  He  next  removed  to  Yaquina  and 
opened  a  store,  but  the  next  year  he  dis- 
posed of  this  and  came  to  Pleasant  Hill  and 
purchased  his   son's  mercantile  business.    In 


1891,  he  withdrew  from  active  commercial 
pursuits  and  went  to  Eugene,  where  he  hved 
retired  until  his  death  on  the  4th  of  Octo- 
ber, 1909.-  Mr.  Handsaker  was  one  of  the 
widely  known  and  highly  esteemed  pioneers 
in  this  section  of  the  state.  He  was  a  well 
read  and  widely  informed  man  and  earh- 
recognized  the  wonderful  development  tha't 
must  ultimately  take  place  in  the  northwest. 
During  his  latter  years  he  wrote  a  most  en- 
tertaining and  valuable  account  of  pioneer 
conditions,  which  was  pubUshed  under  the 
title  "The  Pioneer  Life."  It  was  really  a 
narrative  of  his  early  e.xperiences  and  those 
of  his  associates  and  because  of  its  intimate, 
personal  nature  and  simple  style  had  an  ex- 
tensive circulation  throughout"  the  state.  He 
is  survived  by  the  mother,  who  crossed  the 
plains  from  Iowa  in  1834  and  was  married 
to  Mr.  Handsaker  on  the  27th  of  Xovember, 
1856.  Kight  children  were  born  to  them: 
George  W..  whose  birth  occurred  October  10. 
1859;  JIary  S.,  who  was  born  on  the  30th  of 
October.  1861;  Edward  B.,  born  December  13, 
1863;  Martha  E.,  whose  natal  day  was  the 
20th  of  August,  1866;  Mrs.  Bristow.  who  was 
born  February  5,  1868;  Henrietta,  born  Jan- 
uary 17,  1871;  Thomas  S..  born  on  the  31st 
of  May,  1873;  and  .John  J.,  whose  birth  oc- 
curred on  the  29th  of  December.  1875.  The 
mother  is  now  residing  in  Eiigene.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Bristow  had  four  children.  Arlo  B., 
who  was  born  August  31.  1893,  and  is  going 
to  enter  the  ministry,  will  continue  his  edu- 
cation in  the  Oregon  Agricultural  College, 
taking  his  theological  course  in  the  Bible 
College  at  Eugene.  Elda  G..  who  was  born 
June  24.  1897,  and  Morton  L..  whose  natal 
day  was  March  21,  1899.  are  both  attend- 
ing the  public  school.  Dwight  L.  was  born 
February  12.  1909,  and  died  on  the  16th  of 
March,   1910. 

The  family  are  active  workers  in  the 
Christian  church.  Fraternally  Mr.  Bristow 
belongs  to  Pleasant  Hill  Camp.  No.  271. 
W.  0.  ^^ ..  and  also  carries  a  policy  in  the 
Bankers  Life  Company.  In  politics"  he  is  a 
republican.  Both  he  iind  his  wife  are  held 
in  high  esteem  in  Pleasant  Hill,  where  they 
have  been  known  from  childhood  and  have 
many   close    friends. 

HON.  W.  LAIR  THOMPSON,  whose  posi- 
tion as  a  distinguished  attorney  is  indicated 
by  the  fact  that  he  has  the  largest  law 
practice  in  southern  Oregon,  is  perhaps 
equally  well  known  as  a  leader  in  politics  and 
as  one  who  has  marked  influence  in  promot- 
insr  lesislation  of  value  to  the  entire  common- 
wealth. Close  and  discriminating  study  of  the 
issues  of  the  day  has  led  to  his  indorsement 
of  various  important  measures  looking  to  the 
development  of  the  state  and  the  utilization 
of  its  natural  resources.  He  is  a  native 
of  Oregon  and  is  yet  a  youns  man  for  his 
hirth  occurred  on  the  1st  of  .January,  1880, 
on  a  farm  in  Linn  county.  His  parents, 
Rufus  and  Adaline  (Hilll  Thompson,  were 
i>i fives  of  Tennessee  and  Kentucky  resnec- 
tively,  the  latter  coming  to  Oregon,  in  1852, 
nith  her  parents.  Dr.  and  IMrs.  E.  C.  Hill. 
Tlufus  Thompson  arrived  in  1854  and  in  Linn 
county    was    married.      The   parents    live    in 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


805 


Albaii}'.  the  father  having  retired  from  the 
ranch,  to  whicli  lie  devoted  his  energies  for 
a  long  period.  In  his  family  were  three 
sons  and  three  daughters:  Reuben  C,  a 
teacher  in  the  University  tff  Nevada;  Fred 
H.,  a  practicing  physician  of  Salem,  Ore- 
gon; W.  Lair;  Mary,  the  wife  of  F.  N.  Par- 
ent, of  Portland;  and  Cassie  and  Ruth,  both 
at  home. 

During  the  period  spent  under  the  pa- 
rental roof,  W.  Lair  Thompson  attended 
the  public  schools  and  later  began  learning 
the  printer's  trade  in  the  oflice  of  the  Al- 
bany Herald,  where  he  remained  for  three 
years.  Recognizing  the  value  of  education 
as  a  factor  in  success  he  availed  himself 
of  the  opportunity  to  continue  his  studies, 
entering  JIcMinnville  College  in  1897.  There 
he  completed  a  classical  course  by  gradua- 
tion in  June.  1902,  when  the  Bachelor  of 
Arts  degree  was  conferred  upon  him.  Dur- 
ing Iiis  college  days  he  won  first  place  in  the 
state  oratorical  contest  in  1900.  Following 
his  graduation  he  returned  to  the  Albany 
Herald  which  he  managed  for  a  short  time, 
its  editor  having  been  made  state  printer. 
It  was  ilr.  Thompson's  desire,  however,  to 
enter  upon  the  practice  of  law  and  with  this 
end  in  view  he  began  reading,  being  admit- 
ted to  the  bar  in  1904.  The  following  year 
he  was  made  chief  clerk  in  the  house  of  rep- 
resentatives and  again  served  in  1907.  This 
brought  him  intimate  knowledge  of  the  work 
that  was  being  done  in  the  legislature  and 
proved  of  much  value  to  him  when  he  was 
subsequently  called  to  represent  his  district. 
In  December.  190").  he  was  elected  city  re- 
corder and  police  judge  of  Albany  and  thus 
served  until  May  1,  1907.  when  he  came  to 
Lakeview.  The  same  year  he  was  chosen  city 
attorney  and  capably  filled  that  position  until 
Blay,  1912.  when  he  resigned.  He  has  a  very 
extensive  private  practice,  his  success  being 
based  upon  his  comprehensive  knowledge  of 
law  and  accurate  application  of  its  princi- 
ples. He  is  thorough  and  painstaking  in  the 
preparation  of  his  cases  and  his  arguments 
show   convincing   logic  and   strong  reasoning. 

.\ll  throuah  the  years  Jfr.  Thompson  has 
continued  a  factor  in  political  circles  and  in 
1910  was  elected  to  represent  his  district  in 
the  state  legislature,  taking  his  seat  in  the 
session  of  1911.  At  the  present  writing  he 
is  the  republican  nominee  for  the  state  senate 
from  the  seventeenth  senatorial  district,  and 
there  is  practically  no  doubt  of  his  being 
elected.  He  was  the  leader  of  the  republican 
forces  on  the  floor  of  the  house  in  1911  and 
was  an  influencing  factor  in  legislative  mat- 
ters. Tlirough  his  efforts  the  bill  (later 
vetoed  by  the  governorl  was  passed  to  re- 
claim the  beds  of  the  lakes  of  the  state  of 
Oregon,  where  practical,  use  the  water  for 
irrigation  and  the  lake  beds  for  agricultural 
purposes.  He  is  a  close  student  not  only 
of  politics  as  relating  to  the  science  of  gov- 
ernment, but  also  of  all  questions  which  have 
to  do  with  the  material  welfare  and  progress 
of  the  people  at  larse.  He  worked  for  four 
years  in  securing  the  vote  of  the  people  to 
support    the    question    of    bondinu'    the    town 


in  wliicli  lie  lives  in  order  to  build  a  sewer 
system.  It  is  well  known  that  he  ever 
stands  for  progressive  movements  and  meas- 
ures and  his  elforts  are  productive  of  sub- 
stantial results. 

On  the  19th  of  September,  1906,  at  Eu- 
gene. Mr.  Thompson  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Elsie  Hobbs,  a  native  of  Indiana  and 
a  daughter  of  Hon.  .J.  W.  Hobhs,  of  Eugene. 
They  became  parents  of  two  children,  Har- 
old Douglas  and  Alice  Lair,  but  tlie  former 
died  in  infancy.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thompson 
make    their    home    in    Lakeview. 

^Ir.  Thompson  owns  some  ranching  pr^iji- 
erty  in  this  part  of  the  state.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Slasonic  lodge  at  Lakeview,  of  tlie 
Elks  lodge  at  Klamath  Falls,  and  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  lodge  at  Albany.  .\t- 
tractive  social  qualities  render  him  popular 
and  he  has  an  extensive  circle  of  warm 
friends  not  only  in  southern  Oregon  but 
throughout  the  state,  wherever  he  is  known. 
He  is  a  self-educated  and  self-made  man  in 
the  highest  and  best  sense  of  the  terms. 
Recognizing  the  value  of  education  he  made 
possible  his  own  college  course  and  he  has 
ever  followed  in  the  path  where  laudable 
ambition  has  led  the  way.  bringing  him 
into  professional  and  political  prominence. 

WILLIAM  JAMES  is  one  of  the  prosper- 
ous business  men  of  North  Bend.  Coos  coun- 
ty, Oregon,  where  he  is  successfully  engaged 
in  the  contracting  and  building  business. 
He  was  born  in  Quaker  Hill,  Canada,  and 
is  a  .son  of  John  and  Rachel  (Widdefield) 
James,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Cana- 
da. The  paternal  grandfather,  Ezekiel  .Lames, 
was  a  native  of  Bucks  county,  Pennsylvania, 
and  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Quaker 
Hill.  He  was  careful  and  well  versed  in 
business  affairs  and  upright  and  just  in  all 
his  dealings  with  his  fellow  citizens,  and 
was  looked  upon  as  a  leader  among  his 
Quaker  friends  and  neighbors.  At  the  time 
of  his  settlement  at  Quaker  Hill  he  brought 
v.'ith  him  a  number  of  Quaker  families,  who 
also  established  their  homes  at  that  place. 
After  a  long  life  of  usefulness  Ezekiel  James 
passed  away  at  the  home  of  his  son  John, 
at  Quaker  Hill,  in  1S72.  .Tohn  James  pur- 
chased a  farm  at  Quaker  Hill  near  the  farm 
owned  by  his  father  and  there  established 
his  home.  His  brother.  Isaac  James,  was 
killed  near  Quaker  Hill  by  a  man  who  worked 
for  his  father.  The  motive  for  this  deed 
was  the  hope  of  escaping  with  a  fine  team 
— the  envy  of  all  who  saw  it — which  he  had 
stolen  from  Isaac.  The  thief  and  murderer 
was  eatight  and  he  was  the  first  man  hung 
in  the  city  of  Toronto.  To  .John  James  and 
his  wife  ten  children  were  born.  Henry. 
deceased,  was  engaged  in  missionary  work 
at  Vancouver.  British  Columbia,  and  in  the 
interest  of  that  cause  expended  over  ten 
thousand  dollars.  He  was  a  man  of  noble 
character  and  was  an  eflectivc  force  for 
good  in  that  community.  He  established 
homes  for  the  imfortunate  and  his  work  is 
now  carried  on  by  his  wife,  who  survives 
him.  .Monzo  is  married  and  also  resides  in 
r.ritish   Columbia,   and   he   and   his  wife   are 


806 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


interested  in  missionary  work  and  are  able 
assistants  of  Mrs.  Henry  James  in  that  field 
of  labor.  Rachel  is  the  widow  of  Chauncey 
Connor,  of  Vancouver.  William  is  the  sub- 
ject of  this  review.  The  other  members  of 
the  family  are  all  deceased. 

William  James  was  reared  at  home  and 
received  his  early  education  in  the  public 
schools.  He  remained  under  the  parental 
roof  until  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age. 
As  a  young  man  he  learned  the  blacksmith's 
trade  and  starting  in  life  for  himself  he  en- 
gaged in  the  blacksmithing  and  manufactur- 
ing business.  He  later  moved  to  Toronto, 
Canada,  where  he  engaged  in  the  real-estate 
business  and  is  there  known  as  the  "Father 
of  Toronto  Junction."  He  lived  at  that 
place  for  nine  years,  after  which  he  moved 
to  Montreal,  where  he  lived  for  five  years 
during  which  time  he  built  up  Montreal  Junc- 
tion. Finally  he  sold  all  of  his  interests  in 
Montreal  and  moved  to  British  Columbia, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  mining  for  a  year. 
He  then  went  to  Honolulu,  Hawaii,  where 
he  remained  for  six  months,  after  which  he 
came  to  San  Francisco,  California,  and  there 
continued  to  live  for  three  years.  He  later 
moved  to  Oakland  and  purchased  a  machine 
shop  in  that  city  and  continued  to  give  his 
attention  to  that  business  for  three  years. 
In  1899  he  settled  at  Myrtle  Point,  Coos 
county,  and  purchased  a  farm  on  which  he 
lived  for  two  years  and  then  took  up  con- 
tract work  with  the  L.  J.  Simpson  Lumber 
Company.  He  later  established  himself  in 
the  contracting  and  building  business  at 
North  Bend,  and  has  since  continued  in  that 
business,  having  met  with  gratifying  success. 

On  .June  21,  1872,  Sir.  James  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Euphemia  Johnston,  a 
daughter  of  Jabez  and  Hannah  (Liindy) 
Johnston.  The  parents  were  Quakers  and 
residents  of  Pine  Orchard,  Ontario,  Canada. 
The  father  was  one  of  the  leading  and  in- 
fluential men  of  his  community  and  his 
family  numbered  five  children:  Euphemia, 
who  became  Mrs.  William  James;  Harriet, 
deceased;  Mary  Ann,  the  wife  of  Duncan 
McFarland,  of  Manitoba,  Canada;  Priscilla, 
who  is  the  widow  of  Chauncey  Connor,  Jr., 
and  resides  at  Newmarket,  Canada;  and 
Washington,  deceased.  Mrs,  James  died  May 
10,  1909.  She  was  the  mother  of  six  children: 
Mary  Ann.  who  became  the  wife  of  William 
Wilson,  of  Toronto,  Canada,  and  is  now  de- 
ceased; Hannah  Rachel,  the  wife  of  C.  B. 
Blair,  of  North  Bend;  Eli  Wilton,  of  Myrtle 
Point;  George  Washington,  of  Santa  Rosa, 
California;  Edwin  Arthur  in  the  employ  of 
the  street  railway  company  at  San  Francisco, 
California;  and  Sarah  Ella,  who  is  the  wife 
of  John  Orr,  of  Metrolus,  Oregon.  The  chil- 
dren of  this  family  all  received  the  benefit 
of  a  high-school  and  business-college  educa- 
tion and  Hannah  graduated  with  highest 
honors. 

William  James  is  affiliated  with  the  re- 
publican party  but  is  not  an  office  seeker. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Quaker  church  and 
maintains  his  residence  on  Mead  street,  be- 
tween Washington  and  Virginia  streets,  at 
North  Bend.  He  is  one  of  the  substantial, 
enterprising   citizens   of   North   Bend   and   is 


a  man  highly  esteemed  for  his  consistent 
life  and  unquestioned  integrity  in  all  matters 
of  business. 

JEFFERSON  DAVIS  BENHAM.  The  state 
of  Oregon  is  among  the  foremost  fruit-pro- 
ducing sections  of  the  country  and  Coos 
county  is  one  of  its  important  orchard  dis- 
tricts. It  has  attained  this  distinction 
through  the  individual  efforts  of  many  men. 
prominent  among  whom  is  Jefferson  Davis 
Benham,  who  has  ten  acres  of  fertile  land 
planted  to  fruit  trees  and  is  accounted  one 
of  the  most  successful  orchardists  in  his  dis- 
trict. Mr.  Benham  was  born  in  Missouri 
March  18,  1864,  and  is  a  son  of  Peter  and 
Nancy  J.  (Casteel)  Benham.  The  father  was 
born  in  Tennessee  and  the  mother  in  In- 
diana. They  were  the  parents  of  eight  chil- 
dren: Francis  A.,  deceased;  Malinda,  who 
married  B.  B.  Teaters,  of  Fairview,  Oregon; 
Eliza  J.,  the  widow  of  J.  M.  Reid,  of  Lake 
county;  Juliette,  who  married  John  F.  Mun- 
ford,  of  Arago,  Oregon;  William  E.,  of  Lake 
county;  Jefferson,  the  subject  of  this  sketch; 
Nancy  E.,  who  married  Howard  Collver,  of 
Coquille;  and  Peter  S.,  a  resident  of  Lake 
county. 

Jefferson  Davis  Benham  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools  of  Oregon,  his  parents 
having  settled  in  the  Willamette  valley  in 
1864.  His  father  purchased  a  small  farm 
after  arriving  in  the  northwest  and  fol- 
lowed agriculture  in  the  Willamette  val- 
ley for  five  years.  He  later  sold  out 
and  moved  to  California,  where  he  lived 
for  seven  years,  following  farming.  He 
eventually  returned  to  Oregon,  settling  in 
Coos  county,  where  he  purchased  a  home- 
steader's rights  and  farmed  until  the  time 
of  his  death.  This  occurred  shortly  after  his 
purchase  and  his  wife  was  obliged  to  prove 
up  his  claim.  The  elder  Mr.  Benham  died  on 
July  22,  1883.  His  son  our  subject,  was  at 
that  time  only  eighteen  years  of  age  but  the 
entire  responsibility  for  "the  development  and 
improvement  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  land  which  comprised  the  homestead  rested 
upon  his  shoulders.  He  later  purchased  the 
place  from  his  mother  and  made  it  his  home 
for  a  number  of  years.  He  spent  five  years 
in  sheep  and  stock-raising  in  Lake  county 
and  returned  to  his  father's  homestead,  two 
and  a  half  miles  from  Fairview,  Oregon,  in 
1902.  Here  he  is  carrying  on  scientific  or- 
chard farming  and  gardening.  He  has  ten 
acres  planted  to  fruit  trees  and  is  success- 
ful in  tiieir  cultivation. 

On  October  31,  1888,  Mr.  Benham  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Carrie  Edda 
Brownson,  a  native  of  Iowa  and  a  daughter 
of  H.  H.  and  Melissa  L.  (Woodruff)  Brown- 
son,  the  father  a  native  of  Ohio  and  the 
mother  of  Illinois.  To  her  parents  were  born 
ten  children:  Carrie  E..  the  wife  of  our  sub- 
ject: Harriette  D..  the  wife  of  Hiram  Hatcher 
of  Bridge.  Oregon;  Kittie  L..  who  married 
P.  S.  Benham.,  a  brother  of  our  subject  and 
a  resident  of  Lake  county;  George  and  Solo- 
mon, both  living  at  Bridge:  Amelia,  the  wife 
of  Charles  Hill,  of  Coquille:  Henry,  of 
Bridge;    Eugene,    deceased;    and    Elmer   and 


TTTTTl 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OP  OREGON 


809 


Harry,  whose  homes  are  in  Bridge,  Oregon. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bcnham  have  been  born 
six  children:  Nancy  L.,  whose  birth  occnrred 
on  August  14,  1889,  who  was  educated  in  the 
district  schools  of  Coos  county,  and  is  living 
at  home;  Myrtle  Irene,  born  May  24,  1891. 
who  is  the  wife  of  Charles  Holverstott,  of 
Fairview,  by  whom  she  has  one  child,  Curtis. 
H.;  Thomas  Henry,  born  January  25,  1893 
who  is  at  home;  Raymond  David,  whose 
birth  occurred  on  February  19,  1895;  Edda 
Amanda,  born  February  15,  1S97,  who  is  at- 
tending school  and  living  with  her  parents; 
and  Elmer  Ernest,  born  on  the  14th  of  Sep- 
tember,   1904.    attending   school. 

Jefl'erson  Davis  Benham  is  a  consistent 
democrat  and  is  interested  in  educational 
affairs.  He  has  held  several  school  offices 
and  is  now  clerk  of  his  school  district.  He 
belongs  to  the  Christian  church,  in  which  his 
wife  also  holds  membership.  His  career  is 
representative  of  one  of  the  principal  indus- 
tries in  the  state  of  Oregon  and  has  been 
distinguished  by  an  intelligent  grasp  of  local 
conditions  and  by  a  business  discrimination 
of  a  high  order  which  have  resulted  in  his 
owning  the  finest  orchard  in  Coos  county  and 
have  made  his  private  property  a  public  re- 
source. 

H.  A.  COX  is  living  retired  in  Langlois 
after  an  active  and  useful  life  spent  in  worthy 
enterprise.  He  is  a  veteran  of  the  Civil 
■war,  having  served  throughout  the  entire 
period  of  hostilities  and  has  spent  most  of 
his  time  since  his  discharge  from  the  army 
in  Oregon.  He  is  well  known  in  business 
circles  in  Curry  county.  He  was  born  near 
Hennepin,  Hlinois,  September  23,  1840,  a  son 
of  William  and  Michel  (Wilson)  Cox,  the 
former  of  Scotch  ancestry  and  the  latter  of 
Welsh  descent.  The  parents  were  married  in 
Ohio  and  later  moved  to  Illinois  whence  after 
a  few  years  they  returned  to  Ohio  where  the 
mother  of  our  subject  passed  away.  The 
father  later  farmed  in  Illinois  and  died  upon 
his  holdings  in  that  state. 

H.  A.  Cox  is  the  only  living  member  of  a 
family  of  four  children.  He  received  his 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  Hlinois 
and  when  he  was  nineteen  years  of  age 
started  to  earn  his  own  livelihood.  He 
worked  upon  neighboring  farms  by  the 
month  until  ISfil.  when  he  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany F,  Fourth  Illinois  Volunteer  Cavalry 
and  served  until  the  end  of  the  war.  He 
acted  as  non-commissioned  otHcer  on  several 
occasions  and  did  a  great  deal  of  scout  work. 
He  was  present  at  many  of  the  important  en- 
gagements of  the  war,  seeing  the  battles  of 
Fort  Henry.  Fort  Donelson,  Shiloh,  and  the 
siege  of  Vicksburg.  He  was  honorably  dis- 
charged at  the  close  of  hostilities  and 
returned  immediately  to  Hennepin  whore  he 
farmed  for  four  years,  moving  at  the  end  of 
that  time  to  Missouri.  After  a  year  and  a 
half  spent  in  that  state  he  returned  to  Illi- 
nois and  purchased  a  small  farm  which  he 
improved  and  developed  for  a  number  of 
years.  Afterward  he  went  to  Nebraska  where 
he  took  up  a  homestead  claim  and  for  ten 
years    carried    on    general    agricultural    pur- 


suits. In  1891  he  sold  his  property  and  came 
to  Douglas  county  where  he  farmed  and 
ranched  for  six  years  before  he  went  to 
Coos  county.  There  he  conducted  a  dairy 
and  raised  high-grade  stock  for  the  market 
until  1900  when  he  moved  to  Idaho  where 
he  spent  two  years.  Returning  to  Coos 
county  he  opened  a  grocery  store  in  Bandon 
and  was  successful  in  its  conduct  for  a  num- 
ber of  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  hia 
wife's  health  failed  and  he  was  obliged  to  go 
to  southern  California  where  he  spent  two 
years.  Upon  his  return  to  Oregon  he  set- 
tled in  Curry  county  and  here  he  again 
established  himself  in  the  grocery  business, 
operating  his  store  for  two  years,  at  the 
end  of  which  time  he  retired  and  made  his 
home  with  his  son  at  Langlois,  where  he 
now  resides.  He  is  interested  financially 
in  the  Langlois  Hotel  and  is  well  known  in 
the  city. 

In  March,  1861,  Mr.  Cox  was  married  in 
Illinois,  to  Miss  Mary  ,J.  Cramer,  a  native 
of  Pennsylvania,  and  to  this  union  were 
born  four  children.  George,  the  eldest  son, 
owns  a  sawmill  in  Bandon.  Frank  is  asso- 
ciated with  his  father  in  the  conduct  of  the 
Langlois  Hotel.  He  married  Mrs.  Neil,  a 
native  of  Oregon,  and  the  widow  of  Top 
Neil,  by  whom  she  had  four  children:  Ina; 
Una,  the  wife  of  Douglas  Cook,  of  Langlois; 
and  Thomas  and  Edward,  who  live  at  home. 
Frank  Cox  and  his  wife  have  two  children: 
Frank  H.,  who  was  born  September  12,  1903; 
and  LaVerne,  whose  birth  occurred  on  the 
21st  of  April,  1911.  The  two  youngest  chil- 
dren born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cox  were  Klizabeth 
and  Bertha,  both  of  whom  have  passed  away. 

H.  A.  Cox  gives  his  allegiance  to  the  re- 
publican party  but  is  not  an  office  seeker. 
He  and  his  family  are  adherents  of  the 
Quaker  religion  and  he  is  a  member  of  the 
rJrand  Army  post  of  Bandon.  He  has  many 
friends  in  this  section,  who  respect  him  for 
the  qualities  of  inilustry  and  discrimination 
which  have  marked  his  business  career  and 
for  his  personal  characteristics  which  gain 
him  the  esteem  of  all  with  whom  he  comes 
in  contact. 

JOHN  M.  COOL.  Northwestern  America 
is  a  land  of  opportunity  and  its  present  and 
future  are,  to  a  large  extent,  in  the  hands 
of  its  young  men.  An  example  of  what  true 
western  energy  can  aceomplLsh  is  found  in 
the  career  of  .John  M.  Cool,  cashier  of  the 
Drain  State  Bank.  He  was  born  in  Roulette, 
Pennsylvania,  June  7,  1888,  and  is  a  son  of 
Norman  D.  and  Jane  (Morgan)  Cool.  His 
father  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  was 
a  successful  carpenter  and  builder  until  1890, 
when  he  entered  the  hardware  business  in 
Costello.  Pennsylvania.  He  was  identified 
with  that  line  for  seven  years  and  at  the 
end  of  that  time  removed  to  Galeton,  Penn- 
sylvania, where  he  conducted  a  store  until 
1906.  In  that  year  he  came  to  Drain.  Ore- 
gon, and  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 
Elk  Creek  Lumber  Company,  with  which 
enterprise  he  was  identilied  for  about  a 
year.  He  subsequently  sold  his  interest  in 
it  and  purchased  the  mercantile  business  of 


810 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


T.  E.  Bledsoe,  which  he  has  since  conducted. 
His  wife  is  a  native  of  New  York  state  and 
was  married  in  Pennsylvania.  She  is  a  de- 
vout member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  with  which  institution  her  husband  is 
also  identified.  Xorman  D.  Cool  is  superin- 
tendent of  the  Sunday  school  afliliated  with 
tliat  church  and  has  done  eificient  work  in 
this  line.  He  is  one  of  the  prominent  busi- 
ness men  in  Drain  and  was  active  in  the 
founding  and  organization  of  the  Drain 
State  Bank,  with  which  his  son  is  now  iden- 
tified. He  has  never  given  up  his  connec- 
tion with  that  institution  and  is  its  vice 
president. 

•John  M.  Cool  was  reared  at  home.  He  re- 
ceived his  early  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  Galeton.  Pennsylvania,  and  is  a 
graduate  of  the  high  school  of  that  city. 
He  came  to  Oregon  with  his  parents  and 
entered  the  Central  Oregon  State  Normal 
School  at  Drain.  When  he  completed  his 
studies  at  that  institution  he  was  appointed 
assistant  postmaster  of  Drain  and  he  served 
in  that  capacity  for  four  years.  His  bank- 
ing career  began  in  January,  1910,  when  he 
was  appointed  cashier  of  the  Drain  State 
Bank.  He  is,  at  the  present  time,  doing 
accurate,  systematic  and  intelligent  work  in 
this  position,  and  his  well  known  trustworth- 
iness is  his  most  valuable  asset.  A  banking 
institution  is  almost  entirely  dependent  upon 
the  integrity  of  its  employes  and  officials 
and  Mr.  Cool  has  never  misused  the  confi- 
dence reposed  in  him. 

In  November.  1910,  lir.  Cool  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Mary  Mires,  of  Drain,  a 
daughter  of  Benton  Mires,  a  leading  mer- 
chant in  that  city,  of  whom  more  extended 
mention  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  work. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cool  has  been  born  one 
child,  Norman  M.  John  M.  Cool  is  a  stanch 
republican  and  is  intelligently  interested  in 
political  affairs  although  he  has  never  been 
a  candidate  for  public  office.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Dram  Camp.  No.  259,  W.  0.  W.,  and 
is  active  in  the  affairs  of  that  organization. 
Mr.  Cool  has  used  his  opportunities  worthily 
and  well  and  although  yet  a  young  man, 
has  attained  a  gratifying  degree  of  success. 

J.  FRANK  STANDISH  is  one  of  the  well 
known,  enterprising  citizens  of  North  Bend, 
where  he  is  engaged  in  the  lumber  business, 
being  the  owner  of  a  one-fourth  interest  in 
the  North  Bend  Lumber  Company,  of  which 
he  is  the  superintendent.  He  has  the  dis- 
tinction of  being  a  direct  descendant  of  Miles 
Standish.  the  famous  captain  of  the  Ply- 
mouth colonv.  His  birth  occurred  at  Glens 
Falls,  New  York,  November  22,  1863,  and 
he  is  the  son  of  John  H.  and  Emeline  (Day) 
Standish,  the  former  a  native  of  Vermont 
and  the  latter  of  New  Hampshire.  They 
were  the  parents  of  three  children.  Miles, 
who  is  married  and  has  one  child.  Allan, 
resides  in  California.  J.  Frank  is  the  subject 
of  this  review.  Mattie  A.,  the  youngest 
of  the  family,  who  was  educated  in  Grand 
Rapids,  Michigan,  is  now  engaged  in  kinder- 
garten   work    in    ilunich.    Germanv. 


J.  Frank  Standish  was  reared  at  home 
and  received  his  early  education  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Michigan.  He  started  in  life 
for  himself  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years,  at 
which  time  he  took  up  work  with  a"  railroad 
company  in  Muskegon.  Michigan,  and  con- 
tinued in  that  occupation  for  a  period  of 
three  years.  He  then  accepted  a  position 
as  bookkeeper  for  a  lumber  company  and  in 
that  work  he  continued  to  be  engaged  for 
three  years,  after  which  he  established  him- 
self in  the  abstract  business,  with  which  he 
was  coimeeted  for  one  year  after  which 
time  he  sold  his  interests  in  the  business. 
He  was  then  employed  as  traveling  salesman 
for  a  large  flour  mill  for  one  year  and  then 
moved  to  Wisconsin,  where  he  found  employ- 
ment as  a  superintendent  in  one  of  the  large 
lumber  companies  of  that  state  and  continued 
lor  one  year  to  give  his  attention  to  that 
business.  He  then  moved  to  Seattle,  Wash- 
ington, and  engaged  in  the  lumber  business 
there  for  a  short  time,  after  which  he  took 
up  his  abode  in  California  and  was  there 
employed  by  a  large  lumber  concern  with 
whom  he  remained  for  a  brief  period  and 
for  the  twenty  years  following  was  employed 
by  various  lumber  concerns  throughout  the 
Pacific  coast  states,  during  which  time  he 
built  a  number  of  sawmills.  In  September, 
1009,  he  settled  in  Coos  Bay  and  there  pur- 
chased a  one-fourth  interest  in  the  North 
Bend  Lumber  Company  and  has  since  given 
his  entire  attention,  as  superintendent  of 
the  company,  to  the  interests  of  the  busi- 
ness. 

Mr.  .Standish  was  united  in  marriage  in 
January,  1885,  to  Miss  Evalyn  C.  Mason,  a 
native  of  Indiana,  as  were  also  her  parents, 
to  whom  four  children  were  born:  Truman, 
a  resident  of  Indiana ;  Tillie,  the  wife  of  a 
Mr.  Sagert.  of  Indiana;  Flo,  the  wife  of 
■Judd  Frazee,  a  resident  of  Indiana ;  and 
Evalyn,  the  wife  of  the  subject  of  this  re- 
view. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Standish  three  children 
have  been  born:  Helen  M.,  born  .July  1887, 
who  is  a  graduate  of  the  Portland  high 
school  and  has  a  business  education;  James 
H.,  who  is  in  the  employ  of  the  government 
in  the  Philippine  Islands;  and  Margaret, 
who  is  attending  school  in  Portland,  Oregon. 
Mr.  Standish  is  affiliated  with  the  democratic 
party  but  has  never  sought  political  prefer- 
ment. His  wife  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist 
church  and  Mr.  Standish  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  order.  J.  Frank  Standish  is  one  of 
the  successful  business  men  of  North  Bend, 
where  he  is  highly  esteemed  for  his  enter- 
prising and  public-spirited  activities  in  all 
measures  intended  to  improve  the  business, 
educational  and  religious  conditions  of  the 
people  of  the  city  in  which  he  resides. 

THAD  S.  STIFF,  who  lives  on  the  Molalla 
road,  three  miles  west  of  Molalla,  is  the 
owner  of  one  of  the  best  improved  ranches 
in  Clackamas  county,  where  he  successfully 
engages  in  general  farming  and  stock-rais- 
ing. A  native  of  Oregon,  his  birth  occurred 
at  South  .Salem,  on  the  2d  of  .June,  1S66. 
his  father  being  Hezekiah  Stipp.     The  father 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


811 


was  born  on  Christmas  day,  1821.  In  1855 
he  came  overland  to  Oregon,  filing  on  a 
donation  claim  upon  which  he  settled.  He 
resided  here  for  a  number  of  years,  engaged 
in  agricultural  pursuits  but  later  in  life  re- 
tired from  active  work  and  made  his  home 
for  a  time  with  his  children.  He  was  liv- 
ing in  Oregon  City  at  the  time  of  his  death, 
which  occurred  at  the  venerable  age  of  eighty- 
four  years.  The  mother,  a  Miss  Goldsmith, 
who  was  a  member  of  a  familj-  of  four- 
teen children,  crossed  the  plains  from  Illinois, 
her  native  state,  to  Polk  county,  Oregon, 
with  her  parents,  the  father  dying  en  route. 
Here  she  met  and  subsequently  married  Mr. 
Stipp  and  they  became  the  parents  of  the 
following  children:  John,  wlio  died  at  the  age 
of  nineteen  years:  .James;  Thad,  our  subject; 
Lina;  Clifl'ord;  May;  and  Ada,  who  is  de- 
ceased.    The  mother  passed  away  in   1877. 

The  first  four  years  in  the  life  of  Thad  S. 
Stipp  were  passed  at  South  Salem.  The  fam- 
ily then  removed  to  Lane  county,  where  they 
resided  for  a  year,  after  which  they  became 
residents  of  Waldo.  At  the  end  of  a  year 
they  left  the  latter  place  and  returned  to 
Lane  county  and  there  the  mother  passed 
away,  when  our  subject  was  eleven  years 
of  age..  Thad  Stipp  remained  at  home  for 
about  a  year  thereafter,  when  he  went  to 
live  with  Sam  Howard.  He  remained  a 
member  of  that  household  for  a  year,  after 
which  he  went  to  work  for  ranchers  in  vari- 
ous parts  of  the  county,  following  this 
occupation  until  he  was  in  a  financial  posi- 
tion to  buy  a  place  for  himself.  As  he  be- 
came self-supporting  when  he  was  a  lad  of 
thirteen  years.  Mr.  Stipp  is  entitled  to  much 
credit  for  what  he  has  achieved,  his  success 
being  entirely  attributable  to  his  own  ef- 
forts. He  began  in  a  small  way,  first  buying 
five  acres  of  timber  land  which  he  grubbed 
and  prepared  for  cultivation  by  hard  and  con- 
sistent labor.  Later  he  added  to  his  tract 
another  two  acres,  the  purchase  price  of 
which  he  earned  by  grubbing.  He  applied 
himself  closely  to  his  undertaking,  using 
intelligence  and  good  judgment  in  the  direc- 
tion of  his  endeavors,  and  soon  extended 
the  boundaries  of  his  farm  by  the  addition  of 
forty  acres  and  later  of  three  and  a  half, 
while  his  last  purchase  was  a  five-acre  tract, 
which  he  grubbed  from  raw  timber  land.  His 
land  is  under  high  cultivation  and  Mr.  Stipp 
specializes  in  raising  high-grade  stock,  mak- 
ing a  specialty  of  Jersey  cattle,  meeting  from 
this  source  with  gratifying  financial  returns. 
During  the  period  of  his  ownership  he  has 
judiciously  expended  a  portion  of  his  funds 
in  improvements  and  is  now  the  owner  of 
a  well  equipped  and  highly  improved  farm- 
ing property.  Three  years  ago  he  erected  a 
fine  barn  forty  by  seventy-six  feet,  fitted  with 
twenty-six  boxing  and  patent  stanchions,  at 
a  cost  of  twelve  hundred  dollars.  He  has 
also  recently  finished  an  eleven-room  modern 
residence,  piped  for  running  water  and  equip- 
ped with  an  acetylene  lighting  system,  as 
well  as  all  other  conveniences  and  comforts 
deemed  essential  in  the  homes  of  the  present 
day.  It  is  one  of  the  finest  farm  houses  in 
the  community  and  the  second  in  the  countv 


to  be  provided  with  an  acetylene  lighting 
system,  its  erection  necessitating  an  outlay 
of  thirty-tivi'  liundre<l  dollars.  Mr.  Stipp 
takes  a  great  deal  of  pride  in  his  ranch  and 
has  provided  ample  barns  and  outbuildings 
for  the  protection  of  his  stock,  vehicles  and 
machinery  and  also  grain.  He  is  a  man  of 
progressive  ideas  and  his  place  is  fully  sup- 
plied with  all  implements  and  modern  ap- 
pliances that  will  save  labor  or  expedite  the 
work. 

In  1898,  Mr.  Stipp  married  Miss  Helen 
Case,  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  a  daughter  of 
Morton  and  Emily  Case  who  reside  a  half 
mile  from  the  home  of  their  daughter.  The 
family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stipp  numbers  four, 
as   follows:    Gladys,   Inez,  Homer  and   Vesta. 

The  family  affiliate  with  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church.  Fraternally  Mr.  Stipp  is 
an  Odd  Fellow,  belonging  to  "Molalla  Lodge, 
No.  184,  while  his  political  support  is  given 
to  the  republican  party.  Mr.  Stipp  is  highly 
regarded  in  the  community  where  he  resides, 
his  enterprise  and  energy  not  less  than  his 
fine  principles  and  upright  conduct  winning 
him  the  respect  of  all  who  make  his  ac- 
quaintance. Self-reliant  and  clticicnt,  his 
success  is  recognized  by  all  who  know  him 
as  the  well  merited  and  highly  deserved 
reward  of  tireless  energy  and  determination 
of  purpose. 

GEORGE  T.  SEARS  is  numbered  among 
those  who  have  passed  over  the  Great  Di- 
vide, but  whose  memory  lingers  and  will 
continue  to  abide  with  their  loved  ones  on 
earth,  like  a  halo  of  blessing  and  encourage- 
ment. His  widow,  Mrs.  S.  Ann  Scans,  is 
widely  known  in  Lane  county  and  resides  in 
the  beautiful  family  residence  in  Creswell, 
where  her  husband  died,  and  the  fourteen 
hundred  acre  farm  near  that  place,  which 
he  left  and  which  the  widow  owns  is  now 
operated  by  the  son,  George  Ralph  Sears. 

George  T.  Sears  was  born  September  10, 
1844,  in  Arkansas,  a  son  of  Carroll  Jackson 
and  Jane  (Carter)  Sears.  The  parents  were 
both  natives  of  Tennessee  but  removed  from 
that  state  to  Arkansas  in  early  life,  con- 
tinuing to  make  their  home  there  until  in 
1852,  when  they  removed  to  Oregon  and 
took  up  a  donation  claim  of  three  hundred 
and  twenty  acres,  two  and  a  half  miles 
northeast  of  Cottage  Grove.  The  father  fol- 
lowed farming  and  stock-raising  and,  be- 
ing a  man  of  ability  and  thrift,  was  success- 
ful in  his  business  and  enjoyed  an  excellent 
reputation.  lie  lived  on  the  Oregon  claim 
until  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred 
in  .lanuary,  1901.  the  mother  having  passed 
away  in  1890.  To  the  parents  six  sons  and 
three  daughters  were  born,  namely:  .Tames, 
of  Cottage  Grove:  George  T..  of  this  rc- 
vievr;  Sarah,  who  died  in  infancy;  Sarah 
.■\nn,  the  wife  of  lames  Jones,  of  IVndleton, 
Oregon;  David  W.,  of  Woodburn,  Oregon; 
.Tolin  II..  on  the  old  homestead  at  Cottage 
Grove:  Lewis,  residing  at  The  Dalles,  Ore- 
gon: Charles  W.,  also  on  the  old  homestead; 
and  Amanda  J.,  who  first  married  .lohn 
.'Southwell,  by  whom  she  had  five  girls  and 
two    boys,    and    after    his    death,    which    oc- 


81: 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


curred  February  18,  1904,  wedded,  in  1910, 
George  Ganger,  of  Pendleton. 

Mr.  Sears  remained  with  his  parents  on 
the  home  place  until  he  attained  the  age 
of  twenty-six  years.  He  was  then  married 
and  took  up  farming  on  his  own  account.  Pos- 
sessing energy  and  business  ability,  by  wise 
management  he  increased  his  holdings  from 
time  to  time  and  improved  his  farm  until 
■  it  became  one  of  the  finest  properties  in 
Lane  county.  He  paid  special  attention  to 
stock-raising  and  was  successful  in  that  line 
of  endeavor.  He  continued  improving  the 
farm  from  year  to  year,  getting  it  contin- 
ually into  a  better  state  of  cultivation  and 
adding  to  his  holdings  until  at  the  time  of 
his  death  the  fourteen  hundred  acre  farm, 
on  which  he  passed  away,  was  splendidly  de- 
veloped and  improved. 

ilr.  Lears  was  married  September  IS,  1870, 
to  Miss  S.  Ann  Wallace,  who  was  born  in 
Platte  county,  Missouri,  April  15,  1844,  a 
daughter  of  John  N.  and  Sarah  E.  (Hamil- 
ton) Wallace.  Her  parents  were  both  na- 
tives of  the  south,  the  father  being  born 
in  North  Carolina  in  1809  and  the  mother 
in  Tennessee  in  1S08.  Their  wedding  was 
celebrated  in  the  latter  state,  January  6, 
1829,  and  after  living  there  for  two  years 
they  removed  to  Randolph  county,  Missouri, 
and  later  to  Platte  county,  that  state,  where 
they  remained  until  1850,  when  they  settled 
in  Davis  county,  Iowa.  They  remained  in 
the  latter  state  until  1864  and  then  mi- 
grated to  California  and  after  residing  there 
for  three  years  came  to  Lane  county,  Ore- 
gon, in  1868.  settling  near  Cottage  Grove. 
The  father  lived  there  for  six  years  and 
then  returned  to  California,  where  death 
overtook  him.  June  7,  1SS2.  His  wife  only 
survived  until  the  17th  of  August,  following. 
The  father  was  an  agriculturist,  although  by 
trade  a  brick  mason,  and  spent  considerable 
of  his  time  at  his  trade.  To  them  eleven 
children  were  born,  namely:  Mary  F.,  the 
wife  of  John  Bunch,  of  Stockton,  California; 
Charles  H.,  of  Cottage  Grove;  William  M., 
deceased,  of  Centerville,  Iowa;  John  C.  and 
.Joseph  B.,  who  passed  away  in  Cottage 
Grove;  Francis  F.,  who  died  in  infancy;  M. 
T.,  living  in  Deuba,  California;  Sarah  A., 
who  became  the  wife  of  Mr.  Sears;  Nancy 
M..  who  married  Joseph  Osborne,  of  Stock- 
ton, California ;  Benjamin  C,  of  Cottage 
Grove,  who  is  deceased;  and  Lucy  C,  who 
died  at  that  city  when  nineteen  years  of 
age. 

George  T.  Sears,  who  since  his  eighth  year 
was  a  resident  of  Lane  county,  residing  all 
that  time  on  his  farm  near  Creswell,  was 
one  of  the  most  valued,  respected  and  be- 
loved Qitizens  of  the  community.  Although 
his  extensive  business  interests  monopolized 
his  time  to  a  great  degree  he  gave  consider- 
able attention  to  civic,  political  and  social 
matters,  so  that  he  not  only  was  a  very  suc- 
cessfi:!  business  man  who  by  his  own  en- 
deavors built  up  a  fortune,  but  he  was  also 
identified  with  those  interests  which  make 
for  the  highest  class  of  citizenship.  Through- 
out his  business  career  he  pursued  a  policy 
of   strictest   integrity  and  his   word   was   at 


all  times  considered  as  good  as  his  bond.  He- 
made  and  kept  many  friends  who  deeply 
felt  the  loss  caused  by  his  death,  and  who 
will  continue  to  cherish  his  memory  and 
count  themselves  as  fortunate  for  having 
been  known  as  his  friends.  In  his  political 
views  J[r.  Sears  was  a  democrat  and  took 
great  interest  in  politics  although  he  was 
never  an  office  seeker.  He  greatly  believed 
in  the  good  work  of  churches  and  assisted 
them  in  many  ways  although  he  was  never 
connected   with   any   religious   organization. 

PUNDERSON  AVERY.  No  citizen  of  Cor- 
vallis  has  so  long  resided  here  or  is  better 
acquainted  with  its  history  than  Punderson 
Avery.  His  business  interests  have  been  of 
a  character  that  have  largely  contributed 
to  its  prosperity  and  advancement,  and  his 
record  has  at  all  times  been  such  as  has  won 
for  him  the  good-will  and  confidence  of  those 
with  whom  he  has  come  into  contact.  Suc- 
cess has  crowned  his  intelligently  directed 
efforts  and  at  one  time  he  was  actively  and 
extensi\''ely  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
flour  but  is  now  giving  his  attention  merely 
to  the  supervision  of  his  investments.  He 
was  born  in  Stark  county.  Illinois,  in  1843, 
a  son  of  J.  C.  Avery,  who  was  the  founder 
of  Corvallis  and  is  mentioned  elsewhere  in 
this  work.  He  was  four  years  of  age  when 
the  mother  brought  her  three  children  to  the 
northwest,  the  father  having  preceded  them 
and  prepared  a  home  for  them  in  Benton 
county.  He  had  secured  a  donation  claim 
of  six  hundred  and  forty  acres  and  it  was 
upon  this  land  that  the  city  of  Corvallis 
was  laid  out. 

On  the  old  homestead  there,  Punderson 
Avery  was  reared  and  as  his  father  was  the 
first  merchant  of  the  town  he,  too,  early 
became  connected  with  merchandising.  In 
the  meantime  he  had  pursued  his  early  edu- 
cation in  the  district  schools  and  he  after- 
ward became  a  student  in  the  Baptist  Col- 
lege at  Mc^Minnville.  He  afterward  spent 
eight  years  in  his  father's  store  but  in  1872 
removed  to  Lake  county,  where  he  engaged 
in  the  cattle  business,  having  a  large  ranch 
on  which  he  herded  his  cattle.  He  also 
put  up  hay  and  feed  for  the  market.  He 
spent  fifteen  years  in  the  Chewauean  valley 
of  Lake  county  in  the  cattle  business,  be- 
ginning with  a  small  bunch  of  cattle — not 
more  than  one  hundred  head — but  when  he 
retired  from  the  business  he  was  the  owner  of 
fifteen  hundred  head  of  cattle  and  fifteen 
hundred  acres  of  land.  His  father  had  been 
made  one  of  the  commission  of  three,  to 
select  a  site  for  the  state  agricultural  college 
and  they  had  made  choice  of  the  meadow 
land  in  Lake  county.  While  looking  over 
the  state  they  gained  considerable  knowledge 
concerning  favorable  locations  and  the  reports 
which  Punderson  Avery  heard  concerning 
Lake  county,  its  rich  fields  and  its  promising 
future,  decided  him  to  remove  to  that  dis- 
trict. He  bought  one  thousand  acres  of 
the  college  land  which  he  fenced  and  im- 
proved. He  was  living  there  at  the  time  of 
the  Modoc  war  and  he  and  other  settlers  of 
that   locality    built    Fort    Chewauean,    which 


PUXDERsox  a\i:kv 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


815 


they  occupied  for  four  months  or  until  the 
trouble  with  the  Indians  had  subsided. 

In  1887  Punderson  Avery  disposed  of  his 
business  interests  in  Lake  county  and  re- 
turned to  Corvallis,  where  in  18S9  he  estab- 
lished a  mill,  forming  a  partnership  with  Mr. 
Smith  and  Mr.  Rickard.  They  built  the 
Benton. County  Mills  and  five  years  later  the 
business  was  incorporated  under  the  name 
of  the  Benton  County  Flouring  Mills  Com- 
pany, of  which  Mr.  ATery  became  president. 
The  mill  was  erected  in  1889  and  has  since 
been  operated  by  steam  power,  the  plant 
having  a  capacity  of  two  hundred  and  twenty 
barrels  per  day.  From  the  standpoint  of 
excellence  their  output  was  unequalled  in 
the  state  and  they  received  the  highest  award 
at  the  Oregon  state  fair  in  1902  and  again, 
in  1903,  on  the  Benton  and  Snow  Fall 
brands.  They  also  won  other  prizes  at  dif- 
ferent times  and  their  manufactured  product 
included  not  only  wheat  but  also  graham 
flour  and  cereals.  The  capacity  at  the  outset 
was  one  hundred  barrels  but  this  was  in- 
creased with  the  growth  of  their  trade  and, 
improving  their  property,  they  became  owners 
of  one  of  the  largest  and  best  mills  in  the 
northwest,  thoroughly  equipped  with  modern 
jiachinery  and  operated  according  to  most 
modern  methods.  In  1906,  however,  Mr. 
Avery  sold  his  flour  mill  here  and  lives  now 
as  a  retired  capitalist.  In  addition  to  his 
milling  business  he  has  been  the  owner  of 
two  fine  farm  properties  in  Benton  county 
devoted  to  the  raising  of  grain  and  stock, 
one  comprising  four  hundred  acres  a  mile 
and  a  half  south  of  Corvallis,  while  the  other 
of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  is  about 
twelve  miles  south  of  the  city.  Mr.  Avery 
and  his  brother  have  also  laid  out  two  addi- 
tions to  Corvallis  which  are  now  attractive 
districts  of  the  city. 

It  was  here  in  December,  1864,  that  Mr. 
Avery  was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Mobley, 
a  native  of  Missouri,  who  accompanied  her 
parents  to  California  in  early  life,  and  in 
1860  came  with  them  to  Benton  county, 
Oregon.  Her  father,  William  Mobley,  was 
a  farmer.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Avery  have  become 
the  parents  of  five  children:  Chester,  engaged 
in  the  cattle  business  in  Klamath  county; 
Clarence  W.,  who  is  a  graduate  of  the  Ore- 
gon Agricultural  College  and  is  now  manager 
of  the  sawmill  near  Weston,  Oregon;  Mat- 
tie,  the  wife  of  Professor  Fulton,  of  Cor- 
vallis; and  Grover  and  Virgil,  both  residing 
on  their  father's  farm  near  Corvallis. 

Mr.  Avery  has  not  only  figured  promi- 
nently in  business  circles  but  has  also  been 
a  political  leader  of  his  community.  In  1870 
he  was  elected  treasurer  of  Benton  county 
and  served  for  one  term.  He  was  long  a 
member  of  the  city  council  and  for  a  number 
of  years  was  its  president.  He  has  always 
been  a  democrat  and  for  many  years  acted 
as  chairman  of  the  county  central  com- 
mittee and  has  served  on  the  state  com- 
mittee. He  also  was  a  member  of  the 
upper  house  of  the  Oregon  legislature.  He 
belongs  to  the  Oregon  Pioneer  Association 
and  to  the  Corvallis  Business  Men's  League. 
His   wife  is  a   member  of  the  Presbyterian 


church.  One  of  his  public  acts  worthy  of 
mention  is  that  he  succeeded  in  getting 
mountain  water  for  Corvallis  while  a  mem- 
ber of  the  state  senate.  Previous  to  that 
time  the  town  was  supplied  with  river  water 
but  now  an  excellent  system  brings  pure 
mountain  water  into  the  city,  lie  remem- 
bers the  first  federal  court  held  in  Benton 
county,  as  it  was  held  in  his  father's  home 
by  Judge  C.  C.  Pratt,  and  the  only  ones 
present  were  his  mother  and  her  children, 
the  judge  and  .Jo  Meek,  United  States  mar- 
shal. The  business  transacted  was  the  sale 
of  an  old  boat  on  the  river  near  Oregon 
City.  Not  only  by  reason  of  his  long  resi- 
dence but  also  of  the  value  of  his  public 
services  and  his  creditable  business  record, 
Mr.  Avery  is  accounted  one  of  the  foremost 
residents  of  Benton  county,  honored  and 
esteemed  alike  by  all  who  know  him. 

HENRY  S.  POPPELBAUM  learned  the 
banking  business  thoroughly  in  his  native 
country  of  Germany  and  has  spent  most  of 
the  eight  years  of  his  residence  in  America, 
engaged  in  that  line  of  work.  He  was  born 
in  1877  and  is  a  son  of  William  Henry  and 
Caroline  (Hesse)  Poppelbaum,  both  natives 
of  Germany.  The  father  came  to  America 
some  time  ago  and  was  active  here  as  a  sea 
captain  for  many  years.  Both  of  our  sub- 
ject's parents  are  deceased.  In  their  fam- 
ily were  si.^  children,  namely:  William  and 
Hans,  residents  of  New  York;  Thomas,  who 
has  been  in  business  in  Oklahoma  for  twenty 
years;  Henry,  the  subject  of  this  sketch; 
Adelle,  who  resides  in  New  York  city;  and 
Marie,  deceased.  All  were  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  Germany,  and  finished  the 
high-school  course  in  that  country.  They 
could  read  and  write  English  before  they 
came  to  America. 

Henry  S.  Poppelbaum  left  his  native  coun- 
try in  1904.  He  had  learned  the  banking  busi- 
ness in  Germany  and  followed  it  in  that 
country  for  some  time.  WTien  he  arrived  in 
America  he  settled  first  in  New  Y'ork  city, 
where  he  entered  the  employ  of  a  German 
importer,  with  whom  he  remained  for  a 
short  time.  He  spent  the  next  two  years 
in  the  grocery  business  and  then  took  up 
banking.  In  the  course  of  about  three  years, 
he  was  identified  with  three  different  finan- 
cial institutions  in  New  York;  the  National 
City  Bank;  the  Phoenix  National  Bank; 
and  Hollgartner  &  Company,  bankers.  WTien 
he  came  west  he  settled  in  Portland,  Ore- 
gon, and  his  first  employment  in  that  city 
was  with  the  Portland  Trust  Company.  He 
remained  in  thi.s  connection  for  a  short  time 
and  then  removed  to  Hood  River,  Oregon. 
Here  he  spent  a  short  period  and  then  re- 
turned to  Portland  to  take  a  position  in  the 
United  States  National  Bank  of  that  city. 
He  resigned  that,  to  go  to  Medford.  where 
he  remained  for  about  one  year,  before  re- 
moving to  Oklahoma,  where  he  was  employed 
in  the  First  National  Bank  of  Watinga.  He 
remained  in  that  connection  for  about  on* 
year  and  then  came  to  Lakeside,  Oregon, 
where  he  settled  on  a  rented  farm  of  two 
hundred  and  eighty  acres  and  where  he  now 


816 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTOKY  OF  OREGON 


lives.  His  home  is  located  on  an  arm  of  Ten 
Mile  lake,  and  he  has  practically  retired 
from  active  business  life.  He  gives  his 
allegiance  to  the  republican  party  but  has 
never  sought  public  office.  He  belongs  to 
the  Lutheran  church  and  is  active  in  the  af- 
fairs of  that  organization.  During  the  time 
of  his  residence  in  New  York,  Mr.  Poppel- 
baum  acquired  much  valuable  property  on 
Long  Island  but  is  selling  his  holdings  in  the 
east  to  invest  in  Oregon  land,  believing  that 
property  in  a  new  and  rapidly  developing 
country  offers  the  best  investment  oppor- 
tunities. He  is  actuated  in  his  operations 
by  a  desire  for  the  welfare  of  his  adopted 
section  and  by  a  loyal  belief  in  the  future 
of  Coos  county. 

J.  QUINCY  WILLITS.  Throughout  the 
greater  part  of  his  life  Professor  J.  Quincy 
Willits  has  engaged  in  teaching  music  and 
yet  has  always  figured  prominently  along 
other  educational  lines,  being  the  present 
superintendent  of  schools  of  Lake  county. 
Ability  to  impart  clearly  and  readily  to 
others  the  knowledge  that  he  has  acquired 
has  been  one  of  the  potent  elements  in  his 
success.  At  all  times  he  has  held  to  high 
standards,  progress  being  his  watchword.  He 
makes  his  home  in  Lakeview.  hundreds  of 
miles  separating  him  from  his  birthplace, 
for  he  was  born  in  Center  township.  Cedar 
county,  Iowa,  about  three  and  a  half  miles 
southwest  of  Tipton,  on  the  26th  of  May. 
1852.  He  is  a  son  of  Amos  and  Sarah  Ann 
(Thornton)  Willits,  both  of  whom  were  na- 
tives of  Indiana.  Left  an  orphan,  at  an  early 
age.  his  father  went  to  Iowa  in  his  boyhood 
and  there  met  Sarah  A.  Thornton,  who 
was  taken  to  that  state  by  her  parents  in 
1836.  Both  grew  to  maturity  in  Iowa,  were 
there  married  and  resided  in  that  state  until 
1875,  when  they  came  to  Oregon,  settling  in 
.Tackson  county.  The  mother  died  in  Ashland 
in  1898,  the  father  survi^-ing  iintil  1899.  The 
latter  followed  farming  in  Iowa  but  after 
coming  to  the  northwest  operated  a  sawmill 
and  carried  on  a  lumber  business  in  Ashland. 

J.  Quincy  Willits.  the  fifth  in  the  fam- 
ily of  five"  sons  and  three  daughters,  came 
to  Oregon  in  1875,  when  a  young  man  of 
twenty-three  years,  taking  up  his  abode  in 
Ashland.  Nine  years  later  he  came  to  Lake- 
view.  In  the  acquirement  of  his  education 
he  attended  Cornell  College,  at  Mount  Ver- 
non. Iowa,  and  in  the  spring  of  1875  he  was 
a  student  in  the  Cliicago  Musical  College.  He 
began  teaching  school  when  eighteen  years 
of  age  and  has  since  been  identified  with 
educational  interests,  both  as  a  teacher  and 
as  superintendent.  For  four  years  he  fol- 
lowed the  profession  in  Cedar,  Tama  and 
iluscatine  counties  of  Iowa,  and  for  nine 
years  he  taught  in  Jackson  county,  Ore- 
gon. For  six  years  he  was  teacher  in  the 
schools  of  Lakeview  and  he  also  taught  in 
other  parts  of  Lake  county.  He  is  now 
county  superintendent  of  schools,  to  which 
position  he  was  first  elected  in  1898.  He 
has  altogether  served  for  more  than  ten 
years,  having  been  elected  for  a  term  of  two 
years,  and  then  for  two  terms  of  four  years 


each,  while  in  October,  1911,  he  was  ap- 
pointed to  fill  a  vacancy.  He  has  taught  all 
of  the  time  when  not  acting  as  superintend- 
ent and  part  of  the  time  while  the  incum- 
bent in  that  position.  At  this  writing  he  is 
the  republican  nominee  for  the  same  office 
and  the  record  he  has  already  made  would 
indicate  that  no  more  capable  official  could 
be  chosen.  He  believes  that  the  work  of 
the  teacher  should  be  characterized  by  prog- 
ress, so  that  the  pupil  may  be  better  fit- 
ted for  the  responsibilities  and  duties  of 
later  life,  and  that  each  year  may  bring 
him  a  clearer  understanding  of  what  life 
means;  that  the  individual  should  recognize, 
that  he  is  a  factor  in  society  to  which  he 
has  obligations,  and  that  he  has  opportunity 
for  use  of  individual  effort  which,  intelli- 
gently directed,  should  bring  success.  Pro- 
fessor Willits  has  always  been  deeply  in- 
terested in  music  and  has  cultivated  his  tal- 
ents in  that  direction.  Moreover,  he  has  been 
a  teacher  of  both  vocal  and  instrumental 
music,  during  the  greater  part  of  his  life, 
and  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  has 
played  with  the  band  at  Lakeview  to  a 
greater  or  less  extent.  He  is  today  the 
veteran  teacher  of  Lake  county,  no  other 
member  of  the  profession  having  been  so 
long  actively  engaged  in  that  profession  as 
he  has. 

Professor  Willits  has  been  married  twice. 
In  1877  he  wedded  Amy  L.  Dunn,  a  native 
of  Jackson  county,  Oregon,  who  died  in  1883. 
In  1887  he  married  Minnie  L.  Whorton,  a 
native  of  Lane  county.  Oregon,  and  they 
have  three  children:  Docia  L..  who  was 
graduated  from  the  state  normal  school  with 
the  class  of  1908,  and  has  been  a  teacher 
for  part  of  two  years;  Leland,  at  home;  and 
Hallie  May,  seven  years  of  age. 

Professor  Willits  votes  with  the  republican 
party  and  is  a  firm  believer  in  its  principles. 
He  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  for  one 
term.  He  belongs  to  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows,  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen  and  the  Woodmen  of  the  World, 
and  is  appreciative  of  the  social  amenities 
of  life,  enjoying  the  companionship  of  peo- 
ple of  kindred"  tastes  and  interests.  His 
home  is  the  center  of  a  cultured  society  cir- 
cle and  becaiise  of  his  broad  reading  and 
study,  and  his  high  ideals,  association  with 
him  means   elevation. 

JOSEPH  B.  WILSON.  The  name  of  Wil- 
son has  stood  in  Douglas  county,  since  early 
pioneer  times,  for  honor  in  business  and 
for  fairness  and  integrity.  The  career  of 
Joseph  B.  Wilson  has  not  detracted  in  any 
way  from  the  luster  of  a  worthy  and  hon- 
or.able  name.  He  is  one  of  the  most  ex- 
tensive owners  of  ranch  land  in  Douglas 
county  and  is  applying  modern  and  scien- 
tific methods  in  the  cultivation  of  the  soil. 
He  was  bom  on  the  old  Wilson  donation 
claim  in  the  Yoncalla  valley,  Douglas  county, 
Oregon,  August  6,  1871.  He  is  a  son  of  Wil- 
liam H.  Wilson,  one  of  the  most  prominent 
pioneers  of  Oregon  and  a  dominating  element 
in  the  upbuilding  of  the  state.     A  more  ex- 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


blT 


tended  review  of  the  life  of  William  Wil- 
son appears  elsewhere  in  this  work. 

Joseph  B.  Wilson  was  reared  to  sturdy, 
rugged  and  honorable  principles.  He  was 
educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Douglas 
county  and  from  the  time  he  reached  major- 
ity was  employed  by  others  in  various  occu- 
pations in  that  district.  In  1897  he  went 
to  Astoria,  Oregon,  and  served  as  engineer 
in  the  employ  of  the  war  department  for 
seven  years.  He  was  subsequently  asso- 
ciated with  the  police  department  of  As- 
toria, for  live  years.  At  the  end  of  that 
period  he  again  took  up  engineering  and 
worked  in  tlie  employ  of  others  until  Feb- 
ruary, 1911,  when  he  returned  to  the  Yon- 
ealla  valley  and  located  on  his  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  thirteen  acres.  Eighty  acres 
of  Mr.  Wilson's  present  holdings  are  a  part 
of  his  father's  original  donation  claim  and 
thirty-three  acres  formerly  belonged  to  the 
Robert  Cowans  tract.  Mr.  Wilson  acquired 
his  land  in  1900  and  it  is  now  one  of  the 
most  valuable  farms  in  the  Yoncalla  val- 
ley. He  brings  to  the  cultivation  of  the 
soil  a  thorough  and  scientific  knowledge  and 
a  keen  love  for  farm  life.  His  land  is  op- 
erated along  progressive  lines  and  his  suc- 
cess is  the  result  of  his  efficiency. 

In  1901  Mr.  Wilson  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Fannie  F.  Wagner,  of  Drain, 
Oregon,  a  daughter  of  John  Wagner,  who 
came  to  this  state  from  Iowa  at  an  early 
date. 

Joseph  B.  Wilson  is  independent  and  un- 
prejudiced in  politics  and  always  votes  for 
the  best  man  regardless  of  party  affiliations. 
He  is  a  member  of  Beaver  Lodge,  No.  33,  I. 
0.  O.  F.  of  Astoria  and  is  active  in  the  af- 
fairs of  that  organization.  He  is  one  of  the 
substantial  and  influential  men  of  the  Yon- 
calla valley  and  his  career  is  infiuencing  its 
development.  The  work  which  his  father 
began  by  conspicuous  pioneer  work,  he  is 
carrying  on.  in  a  quiet  and  unassuming  but 
none  the  less  useful  way. 

FRED  MOSER  is  a  native  of  Switzerland 
and  entered  the  creamery  business,  in  which 
he  is  at  present  engaged  in  Coos  county,  as 
a  natural  step  following  his  activities  in 
connection  with  his  father's  dairy  in  his 
native  countrj'.  He  owns  and  operates  forty 
acres  of  rich  land  and  in  connection  with 
this  line  of  occupation  is  successful  as  pro- 
prietor of  a  general  store  and  as  postmaster 
of  the  village  of  Gravel  Ford.  ilr.  Moser 
is  a  son  of  Christian  and  Elizabeth  (Jloserl 
Moser,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of 
Switzerland.  He  is  one  of  ten  children  born 
to  his  parents,  eight  of  whom  are  still  liv- 
ing. The  surviving  members  of  the  family 
are  Annie,  Fred,  Lena,  .John,  Frank,  Herman, 
Ernest  and  Elizabeth,  all  of  whom  were  born 
and  reared  in  Switzerland.  The  father  died 
in  his  native  country  in   1808. 

Fred  Moser  was  reared  upon  his  father's 
farm  and  received  his  education  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  his  native  country.  He  early 
acqiiired  familiarity  with  the  details  inci- 
dent to  the  operation  of  a  modern  and  sani- 
tary   dairy    by    assisting    his    father    in    his 


leisure  hours.  He  served  an  apprenticeship 
in  the  creamery  husiness  in  Switzerland  and 
attended  an  agricultural  college  in  that 
country,  which  he  attended  two  years.  When 
he  laid  aside  his  books  he  established  an  in- 
dependent creamery,  which  he  operated  suc- 
cessfully for  one  year  before  he  journeyed 
to  Italy,  in  orikM-  to  take  charge  of  a  cream- 
ery in  that  country.  His  knowledge  gained 
by  personal  e.vperience  and  by  study  along 
technical  lines  was  an  invaluable  asset  to 
him  in  his  early  career  as  it  aided  and  pro- 
moted his  progress.  When  he  returned  to 
Switzerland  he  was  not  satisfied  with  his 
already  splendid  attainments  in  agricultural 
details  and  took  a  special  course  of  study 
in  the  dairy  business  for  one  year  and  a 
half.  In  1893  he  came  to  America  and  set- 
tled first  in  Idaho,  where  he  remained  only 
a  few  months.  He  went  to  California  where 
he  worked  at  different  occupations,  spend- 
ing most  of  his  time,  however,  in  the  dairy 
business  until  1894,  in  which  year  he  came 
to  Oregon  and  Washington.  "After  a  few 
months'  residence  divided  between  those  two 
states  he  again  returned  to  California.  In 
1S95  he  made  his  second  journey  to  Oregon 
and  established  a  creamery  near  Myrtle 
Point.  He  rented  a  farm  in  this  vicinity  and 
was  successful  in  general  agriculture  in  con- 
nection with  butter  and  cheese  making.  In 
the  spring  of  1896  Mr.  Moser  came  to  Gravel 
Ford,  where  he  bought  his  present  cream- 
ery and  forty  acres  of  land  which  he  im- 
proved and  cultivated.  In  1900  he  added  to 
his  activities  by  opening  a  general  merchan- 
dise store  and  in  1907  was  appointed  post- 
master of  the  village.  Mr.  Moser's  creamery 
has  grown  and  expanded  along  scientific  and 
progressive  lines.  Founded  as  it  is  upon  ex- 
pert knowledge  and  efficient  and  sanitary 
methods,  its  development  has  been  a  mere 
matter  of  time.  It  owes  its  growth  entirely 
to  the  energy,  activity  and  straightforward 
policy  of  Mr.  Moser.  He  makes  a  specialty 
of  fine  grade  cheese  and  sells  his  product  in 
Portland  and  San  Francisco.  In  the  opera- 
tion of  his  enterprise  his  wife  assists  him 
and  her  able  efforts  have  added  greatly  to 
its  success. 

In  1895  Jlr.  Moser  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Ida  Segessenman,  a  native  of 
Switzerland  and  a  daughter  of  Jacob  and 
Catherine  (Luthy)  Segessenman.  who  were 
also  natives  of  that  country.  Mrs  Moser 
is  one  of  seven  children,  namely:  Lena  and 
Feronia,  both  residing  in  Switzerland;  Jacob, 
who  lives  in  Chicago;  Elizabeth,  who  has 
passed  away;  Emma,  a  resident  of  Cali- 
fornia; Christ,  also  deceased;  and  Ida,  the 
wife  of  our  subject.  Jfr.  and  >fis.  Moser's 
marriage  occurred  In  Oakland,  California,  and 
to  their  union  have  been  born  four  chil- 
dren: Clara,  born  in  1896,  who  is  attend- 
ing the  Gravel  Ford  Academy  and  preparing 
herself  for  a  commercial  career;  Frank,  horn 
In  1898,  who  is  attending  school;  and  Annie 
and  Ernest,  whose  births  occurred  in  1901 
and  1904,  respectively,  and  who  are  in 
school. 

Politically  Mr.  Moser  is  a  republican,  be- 
iiiu^   firmly  convinced  of  the  honorable  prin- 


818 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


ciples  of  that  party.  His  religious  affilia- 
tions are  with  the  United  Brethren  church, 
of  which  he  is  a  member.  In  this  organiza- 
tion he  also  serves  as  superintendent  of  the 
Sunday  school.  He  holds  membership  in  the 
Grange  and  that  constitutes  his  only  fra- 
ternal affiliation.  He  is  widely  known 
throughout  Coos  county  as  a  man  of  exem- 
plary character,  and  as  a  man  of  wide  ex- 
perience and  special  knowledge  he  has  at- 
tained rapid  and  well  deserved  success.  The 
honorable  business  principles  upon  which  he 
has  founded  his  enterprises  have  distin- 
guished his  policy  from  the  beginning  and 
have  made  his  activities  in  the  commercial 
world  and  his  life  as  a  private  citizen  a 
credit  and  honor  to  his  community. 

EMERY  S.  BARZEE  is  a  son  of  one  of  the 
pioneer  settlers  of  the  American  northwest 
and  is  a  true  westerner.  He  was  born  in  a 
tent  in  Utah  and  spent  his  early  boyhood  amid 
the  primitive  scenes  common  during  the  set- 
tlement of  Oregon.  He  was  for  many  years 
prominent  in  agricultural  circles  of  Marion 
county  and  is  now  living  in  a  beautiful  home 
in  North  Bend,  where  he  is  well  known  and 
is  popular  with  his  many  friends.  He  was 
born  a  half  mile  from  Sulphur  Springs,  Utah, 
on  August  18,  1861,  and  is  a  son  of  Clark  B. 
and  Mary  Ann  (Stewart)  Barzee,  the  former 
a  native  of  Canada  and  the  latter  of  Phil- 
adelphia. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clark  Barzee  were 
married  in  Iowa,  where  they  resided  for  a 
short  time  before  they  removed  to  Kansas. 
They  subsequently  returned  to  low-a  and 
spent  some  years  in  that  state.  In  1861 
they  crossed  the  plains  to  Oregon,  making 
the"  journey  with  ox  teams  in  Buchanan's 
train.  They  located  in  Jefferson  City  and 
in  1867,  the  father  purchased  one  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  of  land  eight  miles  south 
of  Salem,  on  the  state  road,  and  cultivated 
his  holdings  until  1900,  when  he  retired  and 
moved  with  his  wife  and  family  to  Turner. 
Here  the  mother  died  on  December  28,  1906, 
and  was  survived  by  her  husband  until  Feb- 
ruary 27,  1910.  They  were  the  parents  of 
twelve  children:  Francis  S.  and  William, 
both  of  whom  are  living  in  Portland,  Ore- 
gon; Emily,  who  died  in  infancy;  Amanda 
S.,  the  deceased  wife  of  .Joseph  T.  Robert- 
son, of  Salem.  Oregon;  Charles,  who  makes 
his 'home  in  Portland;  Emery,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch;  Emerson,  the  latter's  twin 
brother  who  lives  in  Corvallis;  Louis  and 
Lucy,  twins,  the  former  a  resident  of  Mon- 
tana and  the  latter  the  wife  of  William  Seig- 
mond,  of  Salem;  Ellis,  who  married  Harry 
Arnold,  of  Spokane,  Washington;  Elmer,  a 
resident  of  Moro,  Sherman  county;  and  Ada, 
who  married  B.  B.  Hcrriek,  who  was  coiinty 
surveyor  for  Marion  county  for  seventeen 
years. 

Emery  S.  Barzee  received  his  education  in 
the  district  schools  of  Marion  county.  Ore- 
gon, and  remained  at  home  until  his  mar- 
riage, in  1881.  In  that  year  he  engaged  in 
farming  upon  his  father's  holdings  and  re- 
mained there  for  two  years.  At  the  end  of 
that  time  he  took  up  "a  homestead  claim  of 
one  hundred  and  fifty-five  acres  in  Linn 
county,  Oregon,  which  he  improved  and  oper- 


ated for  about  seventeen  years.  He  special- 
ized in  stock-raising  and  had  a  fine  herd 
of  graded  cattle.  He  carried  on  agriculture 
along  scientific  and  modern  lines  and  made 
his  farm  one  of  the  model  properties  of  the 
district.  He  sold  his  land  in  1899  and  spent 
two  years  traveling  with  his  wife.  In  1901 
he  settled  in  Coos  county  upon  the  site  where 
the  town  of  North  Bend  now  stands.  Here 
he  worked  as  a  carpenter  and  in  various 
other  capacities  for  two  years  and  then  pur- 
chased four  town  lots  upon  which  he  built 
the  beautiful  home  in  which  he  is  residing. 

On  October  9,  1881,  Mr.  Barzee  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Jennie  Caywood,  a  na- 
tive of  Knox  county,  Indiana,  born  Noi- 
vember  23,  1861.  Her  parents  were  Moses 
E.  and  Martha  A.  (Crooks)  Caywood,  the 
former  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  the 
latter  of  Indiana.  They  were  married  in 
Vincennes,  Indiana,  where  the  father  died 
on  January  2,  1863.  The  family  continued 
to  reside  in  that  city  until  1876,  when  Mrs. 
Caywood  and  her  daughter,  the  wife  of  our 
subject,  came  to  Oregon,  in  which  state  the 
mother  died  on  January  24,  1910.  She  had 
two  children:  Mrs.  Jennie  Barzee;  and  a 
daughter  who  died  in  infancy.  Mrs.  Barzee  is 
the  mother  of  one  daughter,  Lela  May,  born 
October  7,  1885.  Lela  May  Barzee  received 
her  early  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
Coos  county  and  supplemented  that,  by  a 
course  in  a  normal  school.  She  later  became 
the  wife  of  Max  Timmerman,  a  launch  builder 
of  Marshfield,  Oregon.  Emery  S.  Barzee  is 
a  republican  but  reserves  his  right  to  vote 
for  the  men  whom  he  considers  best  fitted 
for  the  offices  to  which  they  aspire.  He  takes 
no  very  active  part  in  political  affairs  and 
has  never  sought  public  office.  Mr.  Barzee 
is  one  of  the  substantial  and  progressive  citi- 
zens of  North  Bend,  interested  in  its  progress 
and  eager  for  its  development,  and  always 
ready  to  give  what  aid  he  can  to  promote  its 
municipal  growth. 

EDWARD  H.  LENOX  is  a  native  of  Ore- 
gon and  a  grandson  of  one  of  the  very 
earliest  pioneers  in  the  state.  He  has  en- 
gaged in  farming  in  Douglas  county  and 
has  also  been  bookkeeper  in  a  business  house 
in  Roseburg.  He  has  now  abandoned  both 
occupations  and  is  serving  his  second  term 
as  county  clerk,  gaining  the  respect  and  es- 
teem of  his  constituents  and  fellow  citi- 
zens by  reason  of  the  able  and  effective  way 
in  which  he  discharges  the  duties  of  his  of- 
fice. He  was  born  on  the  15th  of  August, 
1866.  fifteen  miles  west  of  Portland  on  the 
old  Lenox  homestead,  and  is  a  son  of  David 
and  Sarah  I.  (Campbell)  Lenox.  The  family 
was  founded  in  Oregon  by  the  grandfather 
of  our  subject,  who  crossed  the  plains  with 
ox  teams  in  1843  and  settled  first  near  Hills- 
boro.  where  he  purchased  the  claim,  which  is 
now  known  as  the  Joe  Mecke  farm,  upon 
which  he  lived  for  a  short  time.  He  later 
took  up  a  donation  claim  of  three  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  and  carried  on  general 
agricultural  pursuits  upon  this  property  un- 
til a  short  time  before  his  death.  He  passed 
away  in  eastern  Oregon  at  an  advanced  age. 


b 

to 

IS 


isi 

H 

ts 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


821 


He  was  among  the  early  settlers  in  this 
state,  coming  here  from  Missouri.  He  was 
a  native  of  New  York  and  spent  some  time 
in  that  state,  in  Hlinois,  and  in  Missouri,  be- 
fore finally  settling  in  Oregon.  The  father 
of  our  subject  was  eight  years  of  age  when 
he  crossed  the  plains  with  his  parents.  He 
grew  up  on  the  homestead  and  cultivated 
the  soil  until  1878,  when  he  removed  with 
his  family  to  Douglas  county,  Oregon,  resid- 
ing there  until  his  death  which  occurred  on 
the  9th  of  June,  1897.  He  was  a  native  of 
niinois,  having  been  born  in  that  state, 
March  24,  1835.  His  wife  also  came  from 
Illinois  and  her  parents  lived  in  that  state 
in  early  pioneer  times.  She  came  to  Ore- 
gon with  the  family  of  James  Smith,  mak- 
ing the  journey  by  way  of  the  Isthmus  of 
Panama.  Upon  their  arrival  James  Smith 
purchased  a  large  portion  of  the  David  Lenox 
donation  claim  and  farmed  upon  this  prop- 
erty for  a  number  of  years.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  David  Lenox  were  born  five  children: 
Edward  H.,  of  this  review;  David  H.,  who 
is  well  known  in  business  circles  of  Rose- 
burg;  George  F.,  of  San  Francisco;  Charlotte 
I.,  who  married  Oscar  Agee  of  Meadows, 
Idaho;  and  Clara  Edith,  the  wife  of  P.  C. 
Ream,  who  is  in  business  in  Ontario,  Ore- 
gon. The  mother  of  our  subject  passed 
away  in  January,  1879,  at  Looking  Glass, 
Oregon,  and  some  time  afterward  David 
Lenox  was  again  married.  His  second  wife 
was  Jlrs.  Margaret  A.  Bolsinger  of  Looking 
Glass.  Oregon,  and  to  this  union  was  born 
one  daughter,  Leona  C,  who  married  J.  J. 
McDonald  of  Marshfield.  Mr.  Lenox's  sec- 
ond wife  died  in  May,  1890,  at  Roseburg, 
Oregon. 

Edward  H.  Lenox  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  Washington  and  Douglas 
counties  and  graduated  from  the  Portland 
Business  College  in  1885.  He  worked  upon 
his  father's  farm  until  about  1891  when  he 
went  to  Portland  in  order  to  accept  a  posi- 
tion as  bookkeeper  in  a  mercantile  establish- 
ment of  that  city.  After  a  short  time  he 
resumed  farming  upon  a  tract  of  land  nine 
miles  south  of  Roseburg  and  was  successful 
as  a  general  agriculturist  until  the  fall  of 
1900  when  he  moved  into  the  city  and  be- 
came a  bookkeeper  for  the  Roseburg  Lum- 
ber Company,  following  this  line  of  occupa- 
tion until  July,  1904.  when  he  was  appointed 
deputy  county  clerk  and  served  two  terms 
with  "ability  and  efficiency.  In  .Tuly.  1908, 
he  was  elected  county  clerk  and  was  re- 
elected in  1910  and  is  now  discharging  the 
duties  of  his  office  in  an  able  and  straight- 
forward  and   systematic  way. 

On  July  2,  1891,  Mr.  Lenox  was  united  in 
marriage"  in  Roseburg  to  Miss  Emma  J. 
Benedick,  a  daughter  of  Philip  and  Elizabeth 
(Buchanan)  Benedick,  natives  of  Ohio,  who 
came  to  Oregon  about  the  year  1877.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lenox  have  been  born  five 
children:  Eva  Mav,  whose  birth  occurred  in 
Portland,  in  September.  1892;  Elbert  L., 
born  in  Brockway.  in  .Tuly,  1895:  Osmond, 
born  in  Brockwaj'",  in  .July.  1898;  Ray,  whose 
birth  occurred  in  the  same  city,  in  Septem- 
ber, 1901;  and  Lucilo  M.,  who  was  born  in 
Vol.  IV— 34 


Roseburg  on  the  6th  of  August,  1905.  Mrs. 
Lenox  gives  her  allegiance  to  the  Presby- 
terian church  and  is  well  known  in  religious 
circles  of  this  city. 

In  politics  the  subject  of  this  review  is  a 
consistent  democrat  and  is  actively  and  in- 
telligently interested  in  the  progress  and 
welfare  of  the  state,  where  he  was  born  and 
reared,  discharging  the  duties  of  the  office 
which  he  holds,  in  a  manner  which  reflects 
credit  upon  his  ability,  efficiency  and  public 
spirit. 

ALBERT  SHIELDS  WALKER,  who  is  suc- 
cessfully engaged  in  the  real-estate  and  in- 
surance business  in  Springlield,  is  one  of  the 
well  known  pioneer  residents  of  Lane  county, 
where  his  family  has  resided  for  iifty-nine 
years.  He  was  born  in  soutliwestcrn  Mis- 
souri, on  the  1st  of  January,  1S4G,  and  is 
a  son  of  William  and  Mary  (Shields)  Walker, 
who  were  born,  reared  and  married  in 
Georgia,  where  they  passed  the  first  fifteen 
years  of  their  domestic  life.  At  the  end  of 
that  time  they  went  to  eastern  Tennessee, 
subseijucntly  locating  in  southwestern  Mis- 
souri. They  resided  in  the  latter  state  for 
seven  years,  and  at  the  expiration  of  that 
period,  in  1852,  started  across  the  plains  to 
Oregon.  When  they  reached  the  Kaw  river 
in  Kansas  they  met  some  returning  emi- 
grants from  Oregon  and  California,  who  re- 
ported that  they  had  experienced  much  dif- 
ficulty in  crossing  the  plains,  owing  to  the 
prevalence  of  cholera  and  other  contagious 
diseases.  In  consequence  thereof  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Walker  decided  to  abandon  their  journey 
for  that  year  and  returned  to  Missouri  for 
the  winter.  The  next  April,  however,  they 
again  started  westward,  making  the  jour- 
ney without  experiencing  any  particular  dif- 
ficulties, other  than  those  encountered  by 
the  majority  of  the  travelers  who  took  the 
overland  trail,  but  they  had  the  misfortune 
to  lose  the  greater  part  of  their  stock. 
They  never  saw  a  house  from  the  time  they 
crossed  the  Missouri  river  until  they  reached 
Lane  county,  where  tlu'V  arrived  in  the 
month  of  October,  185.S.  The  father  imme- 
diately filed  on  a  donation  claim  of  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  eight  miles  south 
of  the  present  site"  of  Springfield,  which  he 
cultivated  for  four  years.  He  left  tliis 
claim  in  1857  and  went  to  Eugene  where  he 
opened  a  drug  store.  Three  years  later  he 
disposed  of  his  store  and  invested  the  pro- 
ceeds in  a  fiirin.  and  he  also  sold  part  of  the 
lot  where  the  First  National  Bank  now 
stands  and  bought  sixty  acres  of  land  in  the 
river  bottom  adjoining  town.  He  rct:iined 
this  latter  property  for  twelve  years,  when 
he  sold  it  and  bought  two  hundred  acres 
at  Pleasant  Hill,  this  state.  Ho  located  upon 
this  place  in  1871  and  remained  there  for 
ten  years  removing  to  Springfield  in  1881. 
He  died  the  same  year  and  was  survived  by 
the  mother  who  passed  away  in  April.  1S82. 
Of  their  children  three  are  now  living:  Eliza 
A.  the  wife  of  Robert  Robe,  of  Brownsville, 
Oregon:  Tryplienia  L.,  who  married  William 
Tiffany,  of  Eugene,  and  Albert  Shields,  our 
subject.    Those  deceased  are:  Hugh  M..  Mat- 


822 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OR^EGON 


thew  E.,  Mary  J.,  Margaret,  Amelia,  Martha 
and  one  who  died  in  infancy. 

Albert  Shields  Walker  was  only  a  child  of 
six  years  when  he  accompanied  his  parents 
to  Oregon,  receiving  his  education  in  the 
common  schools  of  this  state.  After  leaving 
school  he  learned  the  blacksmith's  trade,  and 
he  was  also  trained  in  farm  work,  having  as- 
sisted on  his  father's  ranch  during  his  boy- 
hood. He  left  home  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
two,  at  which  time  lie  was  married,  and  be- 
gan his  independent  career  as  an  agricultur- 
ist. His  parents  lived  with  him  during  the 
latter  years  of  their  lives.  For  ten  years  he 
operated  a  ranch  at  Pleasant  Hill,  this  countvi 
but  later  located  in  Springfield,  where  he 
opened  a  blacksmith  and  carriage  shop,  which 
he  conducted  for  twenty  years,  but  at  the 
end  of  that  time  he  disposed  of  his  business 
and  established  a  real-estate  and  insurance 
office  here.  He  has  ever  since  continued  in 
this  business  and  has  met  with  very  good  suc- 
cess, having  handled  nearly  every  piece  of 
property  in  the  town.  He  has  acquired  ex- 
tensive realty  interests  in  both  the  residence 
and  business  portions  of  the  town,  and  also 
owns  the  place  where  he  lives,  one  of  the 
attractive  properties  of  the  community.  Mr. 
Walker  has  been  associated  in  business  with 
his  son,  Herbert  E.,  until  quite  recently,  but 
is    now   alone. 

On  the  ISth  of  June,  1868.  Mr.  Walker 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Sarah  L. 
Higgins,  who  was  born  in  Massachusetts,  a 
daughter  of  Selden  and  Susan  (McClench) 
Higgins.  natives  of  Maine.  She  emigrated 
to  Oregon  as  a  child  in  1851  with  her  par- 
ents, who  located  in  the  vicinity  of  Sa- 
lem, on  a  donation  claim  of  three  hundred 
and  twenty  acres.  They  continued  to  re- 
side there  until  their  deaths,  the  father  pass- 
ing away  in  1883,  and  the  mother  in  1887. 
Mrs.  Walker  is  the  eldest  of  six  children 
all  of  whom  are  living.  Mrs.  Walker  is  also 
a  niece  of  Samuel  R.  Thurston,  who  was  the 
first  United  States  senator  from  Oregon  after 
the  state  had  been  admitted  to  the  Union. 
The  other  members  of  the  family  are  as 
follows:  Susan,  the  wife  of  J.  H.  Smith  of 
Salem:  .John,  who  is  living  in  Union  county. 
Cranston,  who  is  residing  on  the  old  home- 
stead near  Salem;  Ella,  the  widow  of  W.  H. 
Anderson,  now  living  in  Spokane.  Washing- 
ton; and  Mrs.  Ida  Porter,  who  lives  in  Cali- 
fornia. Nine  children  have  been  born  to  Mr, 
and  Mrs,  Walker:  Alva  .J„  who  died  in  in- 
fancy; Herbert  E..  who  is  married  and  oper- 
ates a  planing  mill  in  Springfield:  Fred,  who 
is  also  married  and  engaged  in  the  undertak- 
ing business  in  this  citv;  Bertha,  the  wife 
of  0,  C.  Wolfe,  of  Albany:  Ralph  and  .Jes- 
sie, who  are  at  home;  Grace  and  Ida.  who 
are  teaching;  and  .Toy.  who  is  attending 
school.  They  have  all  been  given  the  advan- 
tages of  good,  practical  educations. 

The  family  affiliate  with  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  in  which  the  parents  hold 
membership.  !Mr.  Walker  belongs  to  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  in  which 
organization  he  has  held  all  of  the  chairs, 
and  the  Woodmen  of  the  World.  His  politi- 
cal   support    he    accords    to    the    republican 


party  and  during  the  period  of  his  residence 
here  has  held  all  of  the  city  offices  and  has 
had  the  added  distinction  of  having  been  the 
first  mayor  of  the  town,  in  which  capacity 
he  served  for  two  terms.  Mr.  Walker  has 
always  been  one  of  the  foremost  citizens  of 
the  town,  and  enthusiastically  cooperates  in 
promoting  every  progressive  movement,  tak- 
ing an  active  and  helpful  interest  in  the  wel- 
fare of  the  communitj-.  He  enjoys  the  confi- 
dence and  esteem  of  his  fellow  citizens  by 
reason  of  his  straightfor%vard  manner  and 
the  efficiency  and  capability  he  has  mani- 
fested in  the  discharge  of  liis  public  duties. 

S.  F.  AHLSTROM.  In  an  attractive  home, 
surrounded  by  beautiful  grounds,  in  Lake- 
view,  S.  F.  Ahlstrom  has  resided  for  twenty- 
six  years.  He  early  established  himself  in 
business  here,  and  the  extent  and  impor- 
tance of  his  commercial  and  industrial  ac- 
tivities have  made  him  one  of  the  leading 
citizens.  Moreover,  he  has  figured  promi- 
nently in  fraternal  circles,  nor  is  he  un- 
known as  a  local  political  leader.  He  was 
born  in  Christianstad.  Sweden.  May  12,  1850, 
a  son  of  J.  F.  and  .Johanna  (Warling)  Ahls- 
trom. who  spent  their  entire  lives  in  Sweden, 
the  father  always  following  the  cooper's 
trade,  which  he  learned  in  youth.  In  the 
family  were  nine  children,  of  whom  two 
died  in  early  life,  while  seven  reached  years 
of  maturity.  Four  of  the  number  came  to 
the  United  States;  S.  F, ;  John  F.,  a  resident 
of  Los  Angeles,  California;  Mrs.  Augusta 
Nelson,  of  Marysville,  California;  and  Frank, 
a  lumberman   of   Truckee,  Nevada. 

S.  F.  Ahlstrom  was  the  first  of  the  fam- 
ily to  cross  the  Atlantic  to  America,  arriv- 
ing in  1869  and  making  the  trip  to  the 
Pacific  coast  on  the  first  regular  train  to 
cross  the  mountains  over  the  Union  Pacific 
Railroad.  He  had  spent  much  of  the  sum- 
mer, before  sailing  for  the  new  world,  in 
traveling  in  Europe  and  considerable  time 
was  also  spent  on  the  way  to  the  west.  Mr. 
.\hlstrom  accompanied  his  uncle.  0.  Warling, 
on  his  second  trip  to  America,  The  latter 
had  previously  been  in  this  country,  and  had 
returned  to  Sweden.  Our  subject  settled  first 
in  San  Jose,  California,  and  worked  for  his 
uncle  in  the  saddlery  business  learning  the 
trade.  In  the  spring  of  1873  he  removed  to 
Marysville.  California,  where  he  followed  his 
trade  for  nearly  thirteen  years,  and  in  1886 
he  came  to  Lakeview.  where  he  has  resided 
continuously  since.  In  Marysville  he  worked 
for  H,  M.  Harris,  with  whom  he  entered 
into  partnership  on  his  removal  to  Lakeview, 
this  relation  being  maintained  for  three 
years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  Mr.  Ahl- 
strom purchased  his  partner's  interest  in  the 
business  which  they  conducted.  Subse- 
quently he  bought  a  harness  shop  from  C.  C. 
Maltby,  and  has  since  engaged  extensively 
in  the  manufacture  of  harness  and  saddlery. 
His  output  includes  a  saddle  that  bears  his 
name  and  has  become  famous  in  this  and 
other  countries.  In  1909  Mr.  Ahlstrom  ad- 
mitted his  brother-in-law,  William  Gunther, 
to  a  partnership  in  the  business  which  was 
afterward    conducted    under    the    firm    style 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


823 


of  Ahlstrom  &  Gunther.  He  bought  the 
brick  building  at  the  corner  of  Main  and 
Bear  streets,  but  on  the  22d  of  May,  1900, 
lost  the  same  and  its  contents  by  lire".  With 
characteristic  energy,  however,  he  cleared 
away  the  ruins  and  that  summer  erected 
another  building.  His  trade  has  steadily 
increased  and  his  is  one  of  the  important 
productive  enterprises  of  southern  Oregon. 
In  addition  to  having  other  interests  Mr. 
Ahlstrom  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Northern 
Telephone  Company,  in  a  flourmill  and  in 
the  Sunshine,  a  high-grade  gold  mine.  He 
is  recognized  as  a  man  of  sound  business 
judgment  and  keen  insight  and  the  years 
have  brought  him  the  success  which  usually 
follows  persistent,  honorable  labor. 

S.  F.  Ahlstrom  was  married  in  1876  to 
Miss  Mary  Ountlier.  who  was  born  in  San 
Francisco,  California,  July  27,  1857,  a 
daughter  of  J.  J.  Gunther.  who  was  a  na- 
tive of  Germany  and  died  at  Marysville, 
California.  Two  sons  and  a  daughter  were 
born  to  Mr.  and  ilrs.  Ahlstrom:  E.  C,  who 
is  postmaster  of  Lakeview;  F.  0.,  who  is 
treasurer  of  Lake  county  and  Lottie 
Augusta,  who  became  the  wife  of  J.  D.  Ven- 
ator, an  attorney  of  Lakeview  and  died,  leav- 
ing a  son,  Harold,  who  lives  with  his  mater- 
nal grandparents. 

S.  F.  Ahlstrom  is  a  republican  and  has 
served  one  term  as  treasurer  of  Lake  county. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  city  council  for 
about  ten  years  and  for  one  term  was  mayor 
of  the  city.  He  labored  fearlessly  to  promote 
municipal  interests  and  for  twenty  years  he 
has  proven  himself  a  champion  of  education 
by  eiTective  work  as  school  director.  On 
attaining  majority  Mr.  Ahlstrom  became 
a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  and  he  is  prominent  in  that  organ- 
ization, being  a  past  grand  of  the  loca;l  lodge, 
which  he  represented  in  the  grand  lodge  a 
number  of  times.  He  is  also  district  deputy 
for  the  encampment.  He  belongs  to  the 
Foresters  and  was  the  first  presiding  officer 
of  that  organization  at  Lakeview,  serving  for 
two  years.  Mr.  Ahlstrom  has  been  an  inter- 
ested witness  of  the  events  which  have  shaped 
the  history  of  Lakeview  and  this  part  of  the 
state.  In  the  early  days  he  did  considerable 
hunting,  five  of  his  guns  having  been  de- 
stroyed when  his  store  was  burned.  He  has 
lived  to  see  the  conditions  which  made  hunt- 
ing possible  here  give  way  before  an  advanc- 
ing civilization,  when  commercial  and  indus- 
trial activity  take  the  place  of  pioneer  life. 
Coming  to  the  new  world  as  a  young  man 
he  saw  his  opportunities  and  has  gradually 
worked  upward,  advancing  along  those  lines 
which  make  for  well  rounded  character,  for 
business  has  never  excluded  those  activities 
which  have  to  do  with  man's  obligations  to 
society  and  government. 

DWIGHT  REED  has  been  prominently 
identified  with  commercial  activities  in 
Drain,  Oregon,  in  various  capacities  since 
1907.  He  has  been  one  of  the  leadin<r  bank- 
ers of  this  city  and  is  now  successfully  car- 
rying on  a  large  hay-shipping  enterprise  in 
Douglas  coiinty.     He  is  a  native  son  of  Ore- 


gon, having  been  born  on  the  Ump^ua  river, 
May  14,  1852.  His  parents  were  Dr.  Calvin 
C.  and  Elvira  A.  (Brown)  Reed,  both  natives 
ot  Iowa,  in  which  state  they  were  reared  and 
married.  As  a  young  man  the  father  of  our 
subject  took  up  the  study  of  medicine  and 
received  his  degree  of  M.  D.  in  1850.  He 
crossed  the  plains  in  that  year  with  o.\ 
teams  and  arrived  in  Oregon  in  the  late  fall. 
He  located  his  first  claim  of  six  hundred  and 
forty  acres  in  Douglas  county.  His  land  lay 
on  both  sides  of  the  Umpqua  river  just  eas"t 
of  Winchester  and  a  portion  of  his  claim  was 
located  where  that  city  now  stands.  He 
built  the  first  grist  and  sawmill  ever  erected 
in  Douglas  county  and  also  operated  a  ferry 
for  some  time.  His  activities  in  this  regard 
were  the  cause  of  his  death.  His  violent 
exertions  in  making  a  crossing  with  his  boat 
caused  an  overstrain  from  which  he  never 
recovered.  He  was  one  of  the  most  promi- 
nent professional  men  in  Douglas  county  and 
was  the  first  practicing  physician  in  that 
region.  He  was  widely  known  and  deeply 
respected  and  the  field  of  his  activities  ex- 
tended over  a  wide  range  of  country.  He 
died  in  1S56  and  was  survived  by  his  wife 
until  1861  in  which  year  her  deatii  occurred. 
Dwight  Reed  was  reared  at  home  and 
educated  in  the  district  schools  of  Douglas 
county.  As  early  as  his  fifteenth  year  he 
began  to  earn  his  own  livelihood  and  from 
that  period  made  his  own  way  in  the  world. 
At  the  age  of  twenty-three  years  he  began 
farming  for  himself  as  a  renter  in  Garden 
Valley,  Douglas  county,  and  continued  to  be 
occupied  in  agriculture  and  stock-raising 
until  1900.  In  tliat  year  he  bought  his  first 
tract  of  land  purchasing  eight  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  in  the  Rice  Hill  district.  He 
improved  and  cultivated  this  land  with  grati- 
fying success.  He  became  exceedingly  pros- 
perous and  his  harvests  became  more  abun- 
dant each  year.  In  1901  he  added  to  his 
holdings  the  adjoining  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres.  The  following  year,  in  1902, 
he  bought  four  hundred  and  eighty  acres 
more  and  was  for  a  long  time  active  in  the 
operation  of  sixteen  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  the  finest  farm  land  in  Douglas 
county.  He  developed  his  large  holdings 
along  progressive  and  efficient  lines.  He 
thoroughly  understands  the  details  of  agri- 
culture and  carries  it  on  as  a  modern  science. 
He  greatly  extended  his  cattle  operations 
and  was  conducting  an  increasingly  success- 
ful business  in  this  line  when  he  sold  his 
holdings  in  1907.  In  that  year  he  moved  to 
Drain,  where  he  bought  a  large  interest  in 
the  local  bank  and  was  made  president  of 
that  institution.  In  1909  the  bank  was  re- 
organized as  the  State  Bank  of  Drain  and 
Mr.  Reed  continued  as  president  of  the  new 
institution  until  .Taniuiry  1,  1912,  when  he 
resigned  and  M.  R.  Ryan  was  chosen  to  fill 
his  office.  During  the  last  few  years  of  his 
residence  in  Drain  Mr.  Reed  has  been  exten- 
sively engaged  in  the  luiying  and  shipping  of 
hay.  He  supplies  this  pro<luct  for  prac- 
tically all  the  markets  of  Douglas  county 
and  his  shrewd  business  sense  is  rapidly 
making  him  prosperous. 


824 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


In  1873  Mr.  Reed  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Alice  L.  lies,  a  daughter  of  Hender- 
son lies,  who  came  to  Douglas  county  from 
Missouri  in  1852.  He  crossed  the  plains 
with  ox  teams  and  took  up  a  donation  claim 
at  Fair  Oaks,  sLx  miles  from  Oakland.  He 
was  prominent  in  local  politics  and  his  elec- 
tion to  the  office  of  county  clerk  made  him 
one  of  the  first  officials  of  Douglas  county. 

Mr.  Reed  is  a  republican  and  always  votes 
his  party  ticket.  He  is  actively  interested 
in  public  affairs  and  has  served  with  much 
ability  and  efficiency  as  mayor  of  Drain. 
He  holds  membership  in  Drain  Camp,  No. 
259,  W.  0.  W.,  this  connection  representing 
his  only  fraternal  affiliation.  He  is  a  devout 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church 
and  is  active  on  the  board  of  trustees  of 
that  institution.  Mrs.  Reed  holds  member- 
ship in  the  Baptist  church  of  Drain.  Mr. 
Reed  is  one  of  the  practical  and  intelligent 
business  men  who  are  the  bulwark  of  our 
national  life.  His  qualities  as  a  leader  and 
his  power  of  organization  directed  into  busi- 
ness channels  have  made  him  a  dominant  and 
powerful   figure   in   commercial   development. 

SOLOMON  S.  JENNINGS  is  one  of  the 
well  known  merchants  of  North  Bend,  Coos 
county,  Oregon,  where  he  successfully  con- 
ducts a  large  dry-goods  establishment.  He 
was  born  in  Illinois  in  1871,  and  is  a  son 
of  J.  S.  and  Harriet  E.  (Skates)  Jennings, 
the  former  a  native  of  Germany  and  the 
latter  of  England.  Both  emigrated  during 
their  youth  to  America  and  later  celebrated 
their  wedding  in  Illinois,  in  which  state  they 
continued  to  live  until  they  removed  to 
Arkansas.  Later  the  father  with  his  fam- 
ily settled  in  Portland,  Oregon,  and  in  1902, 
established  his  home  at  Roseburg,  where  he 
lives  retired.  During  his  active  life  John  S. 
Jennings  followed  farming  for  a  living.  He 
has  a  family  of  four  children:  Charles  Wil- 
liam, who  is  in  the  employ  of  the  Southern 
Pacific  P^ailroad  Company  as  train  inspector; 
Minnie,  the  wife  of  William  Campbell,  who  is 
engaged  in  farming  in  Clackamas  county, 
Oregon;  Belle,  who  is  the  wife  of  Orval  Jones 
of  Roseburg.  this  state;  and  Solomon  S..  the 
subject  of  this  review.  The  mother  of  this 
family  is  seventy-six  years  of  age  and  the 
father  is  seventy-nine. 

Solomon  S.  Jennings  was  reared  at  home 
and  received  his  early  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  Illinois  and  Arkansas.  He  re- 
mained under  the  parental  roof  until  he  was 
nineteen  years  of  age  and  in  1886  came  to 
Portland,  where  he  took  up  work  as  a  clerk 
in  the  dry-goods  house  of  W.  B.  Shively  and 
in  that  employment  he  continued  for  nine 
years.  The  stpre  in  which  he  was  employed 
was  located  on  Third  street  between  Mor- 
rison and  Yamhill.  In  1895  he  was  en- 
gaged as  a  clerk  by  H.  L.  Shiller  for  two 
years  at  Oregon  City.  He.  in  1897,  returned 
to  Portland  where  he  secured  a  clerkship 
with  the  Robert  Brothers  and  in  their  employ 
continued  for  a  period  of  ten  years.  In  1908 
he  came  to  North  Bend,  Coos  county,  where 
he    established    a   dry-goods    store   to    which 


business  he  has  since  given  his  entire  atten- 
tion. He  started  the  business  with  a  capital 
of  seven  hundred  dollars  and  now  carries  a 
well  selected  dry-goods  stock  of  thirteen 
thousand  dollars,  his  store  being  the  largest 
of  its  kind  in  North  Bend  and  the  business 
is  conducted  under  the  firm  name  of  S.  S. 
Jennings. 

Jlr.   Jennings   was   united   in   marriage   at 
Oregon  City,  in  1S95,  to  Miss  Flora  Richards, 
a    daughter   of   N.   W.    Richards,   of   Oregon 
City.     She  was  reared  in  her  parents'  home 
in  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  where  she  remained 
until  eighteen  years  of  age  and  then  removed 
to  Oregon,  settling  in  Oregon  City,  at  which 
place  she  continued  to  reside  until  the  time 
of    her   marriage.      After   receiving   her   ele- 
mentary  education   she   graduated   from   the 
high    school   and   later  pursued   a   course   of 
studies  in  a  Pacific  coast  college.    After  com- 
pleting   her    education    she    was    engaged    in 
school    teaching    and   for   two    years    was    a 
music  teacher.    Mr.  and  Mrs.  .Jennings  became 
the  parents  of  three  children:  Elizabeth  Pearl, 
who  has  completed  a  common-school  educa- 
tion  and    is   now    engaged    in   the   study   of 
music;  Herald  S.,  who  is  fifteen  years  of  age 
and  is  a  pupil  in  the  high  school;  and  Mabel, 
aged    nine    years,    who    is    attending    public 
school.      The    mother    of    this    family    died 
November    21,    1909.      On   January    1,    1912, 
Mr.    .Jennings    was    married    to    Miss    lone 
Hutchins,    of    Newberg,    Oregon.      She    is    a 
daughter  of  I.  H.  and   Caroline    (Brutscher) 
Hutchins.     The  father  came  to  Oregon  when 
a  young  man  sixteen  years  of  age  with  his 
parents   in   1870,  who  settled   on  a  farm  at 
Newberg   where   he   celebrated  his   marriage. 
He  later  purchased  a  farm  located  near  New- 
berg. on  which  he  established  his  home  and 
continued    to    live   until    1899.      He   then   re- 
turned  to   Newberg   and   there   purchased   a 
home  where  he  has  since  continued  to  reside. 
Mr.   and   Mrs.   Hutchins   are   the   parents   of 
five   children:    Mrs.  A.   L.   Gubser,   of  North 
Bend,  Oregon;   lone,  the  wife  of  the  subject 
of  this  review;   T.  A.,  who  is  in  the  employ 
of  the  government  at  Portland,  Oregon;   G. 
Fred,  who  resides  with  his  parents;  and  Earl, 
of   North   Bend.      Mr.   Jennings    is   affiliated 
with  the  republican  party  and  is  a  member 
of  the  school  board  of  North  Bend.    His  fra- 
ternal   relations   are   with   the   Woodmen   of 
the  World  and  he  is  a  member  of  the  Inde- 
pendent  Order  of  Odd   Fellows,   and   he  and 
his    family    are    members    of   the    Methodist 
Episcopal  church. 

Solomon  S.  Jennings  is  accounted  by  pub- 
lic opinion  one  of  the  enterprising  and  suc- 
cessful men  of  Coos  county  and  is  one  of 
the  most  infliiential  and  desirable  citizens 
of  this  part  of  the  state. 

OSCAR  RAIAMAKI  has  been  in  Coos 
county  for  over  twenty-three  years  and  has 
been  identified  witli  various  activities  in 
tliis  district  during  that  time.  He  is  the 
owner  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
of  land  and  is  carrying  on  its  cultivation  in 
an  intelligent  and  scientific  way.  He  was 
born   in   Finland   in   1861   and   is  one   of  four 


S.    S.    JKNMNliS 


(BRARY 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OP  OREGON 


827 


children  born  to  his  parents,  the  others  be- 
ing: Henry,  who  is  married  and  lives  with 
his  family  in  Finland;  Andrew,  who  is  also 
married  and  lives  in  Minnesota;  and  Gustus, 
who  resides  with  his  wife  and  family  in  the 
same  state. 

Oscar  Raiamaki  received  his  early  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  of  Finland  and  pur- 
sued his  studies  until  he  was  thirteen  years 
of  age,  when  he  left  home  and  started  to 
earn  a  livelihood  for  himself.  He  worked 
at  farming,  in  the  employ  of  others,  until 
18S6,  when  he  crossed  the  Atlantic  and  set- 
tled in  Jlichigan,  where  he  worked  in  the 
timber  business  for  two  years.  At  the  end 
of  that  time  he  came  to  Coos  bay  and  worked 
in  the  coal  mines  of  Libby  for  five  years, 
or  from  188S  to  1893.  In  the  latter  year 
he  took  up  a  homestead  claim  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  on  North  lake,  cleared 
some  of  the  land  of  its  timber  and  built  his 
home  in  which  he  is  now  residing.  He  is 
engaged  in  general  farming  but  makes  a 
specialty  of  dairying  and  through  the  clean- 
liness and  modern  equipment  which  he  main- 
tains is  well  known  throughout  Coos  county. 

On  March  12,  1888,  in  Coos  county,  Mr. 
Raiamaki  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Hilda  Ruakay,  a  native  of  Finland,  who  made 
the  journey  to  America  alone.  She  was  one 
of  two  cluldren.  Her  brother,  Frank,  is 
living  with  his  family  in  Finland.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Raiamaki  were  born  four  children : 
Emiel,  whose  birth  occurred  October  1,  1900, 
and  who  is  attending  school  in  Coos  Bay,  fit- 
ting himself  for  mechanical  activities;  Fred, 
born  September  16,  1908;  Ida,  whose  birth 
occurred  on  the  7th  of  February,  1899,  and 
who  is  attending  school  in  Coos  county;  and 
Olga,  born  July  20,  1902,  who  is  pursuing  her 
education.  Oscar  Raiamaki  gives  his  alle- 
giance to  the  republican  party  and  takes  an 
active  interest  in  educational  affairs.  He  has 
served  as  director  of  school  district  No.  2 
for  fourteen  years  and  has  done  capable 
and  efficient  work  along  that  line.  The  old 
country  of  Finland  has  given  to  the  new 
world  many  upright  and  honorable  men  like 
Mr.  Raiamaki  who  have  brought  with  them 
to  the  state  of  Oregon,  a  steady  determina- 
tion and  an  energetic  ambition  which  are 
bases  of  excellent  citizenship. 

FRANK  B.  DUNN  is  the  senior  partner 
of  the  firm  of  Dunn  &  Price,  the  oldest 
bakery  establishment  in  Eugene.  His  birth 
occurred  in  Galena.  Jo  Daviess  county,  Illi- 
nois, on  the  22d  of  .June.  1857.  his  parents 
being  Barzilla  Clark  and  Elizabeth  (Gill) 
Dunn.  He  is  descended  from  one  of  the  old- 
est Revolutionary  families  and  is  of  Scotch- 
Irish  descent,  there  is  a  family  tradition 
that  four  brothers  by  the  name  of  Dunn 
emigrated  from  County  Donegal  during  the 
days  when  the  pretender.  Bonnie  Prince 
Charlie,  was  making  his  futile  effort  to  ob- 
tain the  throne  of  England  and  that  the 
Dunn  familv,  being  adherents  of  his  cause, 
were  compelled  to  flee  from  the  British  Isles 
to  avoid  Fenian  persecution.  It  is  said  that 
they  arrived  in  Nova  Scotia  in  the  year 
1735.        The    names    of    only    three    of    the 


brothers  have  been  preserved  to  the  family 
history— Benjamin,  .Jeremy  and  Jonathan. 
The  last  named  is  tlie  ancestor  of  the  Dunns 
in  Eugene.  Uis  wife's  Christian  name  was 
Mary  but  her  maiden  name  has  long  since 
been  lost  to  liistory.  There  is,  however,  a 
legend  in  t)ie  family  which  says  that  she 
was  in  some  way  connected  by  blood  rela- 
tionship to  llie  famous  Ethan  Allen,  the  con- 
queror of  Ticonderoga.  In  1776,  at  the  time 
of  the  American  Revolution,  the  family 
moved  from  Nova  Scotia  to  New  Jersey. 
Jonathan  Dunn  became  an  adherent  of  the 
Colonial  cause  and  enlisted  as  a  volunteer 
in  Jacob  Ten  Eycke's  company,  in  Colonel 
Frelinghuysen's  battery  of  the  New  Jersey 
militia.  This  regiment  was  commanded  by 
Lieutenant  Colonel  Derick  Meddagh.  Jona- 
than Dunn's  name  is  found  on  the  muster 
roll  of  the  company,  which  says  they  (the 
company)  marched  from  home,  November  11, 
1777.  tlis  service  is  a  matter  of  record  and 
may  be  found  in  William  S.  Stryker's  war 
history  entitled  "Officers  and  Men  of  New 
Jersey  in  the  Revolutionary  War."  In  1793 
he  lost  his  life  while  crossing  the  Mohawk 
river  with  a  band  of  cattle.  Next  in  line  of 
descent  is  his  son.  Beracha,  who  was  born 
in  Nova  Scotia,  May  27,  1775,  and  at  the 
age  of  sixteen  left  the  parental  roof  to 
make  hia  own  way  in  the  world.  He  was 
by  trade  a  shoemaker,  which  occupation  in 
those  early  days  found  abundant  employ- 
ment in  every  community  along  the  Atlantic 
seaboard.  In  1798  he  removed  to  Ohio,  to 
which  state  his  sisters  had  preceded  him 
some  time  before.  Here  he  purchased  ten 
acres  of  land  at  Fort  Washington.  This 
site  on  the  Ohio  river  has  long  since  be- 
come a  part  of  the  flourishing  manufactur- 
ing city  of  Cincinnati.  His  wife  was  Mary 
German,  of  Welsh  extraction.  After  resid- 
ing on  the  banks  of  the  Ohio  for  a  few 
years  Beracha  Dunn  sold  his  ten  acres  and 
removed  to  Avondale.  where  he  purchased 
eighty  acres  and  established  his  home.  Later 
he  conducted  a  tannery  at  Reading.  After 
disposing  of  this  property  he  bought  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres,  where  the  town  of 
Lockland.  a  suburb  of  Cincinnati,  is  now 
built.  While  living  on  this  land  he  also 
owned  and  operated  a  sawmill  and  grist- 
mill. He  was  in  the  midst  of  a  successful 
business  career  during  the  time  of  the  War 
of  1812.  At  the  close  of  that  conflict  the 
universal  depression  throughout  the  coun- 
try caused  the  price  of  flour  to  drop  from 
twelve  dollars  to  three  dollars  per  barrel. 
This  amounted  to  a  calamity  which  resulted 
in  his  financial  ruin.  He  passed  out  of  this 
life  December  8.  1S5S.  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
three  years.  Unto  him  and  his  wife  were 
horn  twelve  children.  His  son,  Jonathan 
(IT),  who  was  the  paternal  grandfather  of 
Frank  B.  Dunn  of  this  review,  was  the  old- 
est of  the  family.  He  was  born  on  the  14th 
of  September.  1801.  and  left  the  old  home 
in  1R23.  Startin?  in  life  for  himself,  he 
emigrated  into  what  was  then  the  territory 
of  Illinois,  an  untamed  wilderness,  locating 
in  ,<5angamon  county  and  making  Ills  per- 
manent   settlement    at    New    Salem.     There 


828 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


he  built  a  gristmill,  being  one  of  the  earliest 
settlers  of  that  portion  of  Sangamon  county 
and  living  there  at  the  time  when  Abraham 
Lincoln  was  engaged  as  a  clerk  in  the  only 
grocery  store  in  the  place.  He  became  one 
of  the  early  friends  and  associates  of  that 
unknown  young  man,  who  later  was  to  be- 
come the  great  war  president  and  emancipa- 
tor. A  picture  of  the  old  mill  may  be  seen 
in  the  history  of  Lincoln  by  Xieoirand  Hay. 
The  mill  is  therein  spoken  of  as  being  one  of 
the  old  haunts  of  Lincoln  and  has  by  these 
historians  been  identified  as  Dunn's  mill.  In 
1S30  he  moved  to  Athens,  Illinois,  where  he 
opened  a  general  store,  and  here  he  and  his 
wife  entertained  their  old  friend  Lincoln  at 
their  home  during  his  pohtical  campaigns. 
After  leaving  his  father's  home  Jonathan 
Dunn  was  always  fortunate  in  his  business 
ventures  and  had  succeeded  in  acquiring  land 
and  various  other  kinds  of  property  and  was 
considered  at  that  early  day  to  be  a  man 
of  independent  circumstances.  He.  however, 
became  a  bankrupt  at  the  time  when  Pres- 
ident .Jackson  vetoed  the  United  States  bank 
bill  and  never  after  recovered  from  this 
blow.  The,  delicate  condition  of  his  wife's 
health  prevented  him  from  enlisting  in  the 
United  States  service  during  the  time  of  the 
Black  Hawk  war  and  he  was  compelled  to 
do  the  next  best  thing  under  the  circum- 
stances and  promptly  secured  a  substitute 
to  take  his  place.  In  IS-tS  he  moved  to  Gal- 
ena, Illinois,  where  he  and  some  of  his  sons 
were  engaged  in  the  lead  mines  in  the  sum- 
mer time  and  some  of  the  older  boys,  one 
being  the  father  of  our  subject,  found  em- 
ployment as  cabin  boys  on  the  Mississippi 
river  steamboats.  Galena,  Illinois,  was  the 
home  of  the  father  of  Ulysses  S.  Grant.  At 
that  place  he  was  engaged  in  the  tannery 
business  and  there  the  children  of  the  Dunns 
and  the  Grants  became  well  acquainted.  The 
Dunn  boys  ■  have  always  considered  them- 
selves favored  and  fortunate  to  have  enjoyed 
as  their  playmate  and  early  friend  in  life  the 
fellowship  of  the  young  American,  who  was 
to  become  later  the  lieutenant  general  of  all 
the  United  States  military  forces  in  the  war 
of  1S61-1S65.  In  ISoS  Jonathan  Dunn  re- 
ceived a  grant  of  land  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  in  the  new'  territory  of  Kansas 
as  remuneration  for  services  in  the  Black 
Hawk  war.  The  family  accordingly  at  once 
moved  upon  this  land,  it  being  located  in 
Douglas  county,  Kansas,  twelve  miles  from 
what  is  now  the  city  of  Lawrence.  Here 
Jonathan  Dunn  established  what  proved  to 
be  bis  permanent  western  home.  He  was 
a  stanch  whig,  while  his  wife  was  a  strong 
southern  sympathizer.  His  home  became 
one  of  the  shelters  for  Union  soldiers,  pro- 
tecting them  from  the  hostilities  already 
opening  in  the  border  wars  of  Kansas.  The 
place  was  known  throughout  all  that  por- 
tion of  Kansas  as  "the  farm  house"  and  is 
so  designated  in  the  military  histories  of  the 
state  of  Kansas.  On  the  So'th  of  .Tune,  1S25, 
Jonathan  Dunn  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Irene  Clark,  the  marriage  ceremony  be- 
ing performed  by  the  Rev.  Peter  Cartwright, 
who   was    one   of    the   most    famous   among 


all  the  early  pioneer  preachers  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church  and  at  one  time  the 
opposing  candidate  of  Abraham  Lincoln  for 
the  state    legislature. 

Barzilla  Clark  Dunn,  the  father  of  the 
gentleman,  whose  name  introduces  this  re- 
view, was  born  in  Ohio,  where  he  grew  to 
manhood  and  was  by  occupation  engaged 
in  farming.  While  still  a  young  man  he 
removed  to  Illinois,  where  he  engaged  in 
mining  near  Galena.  In  1S49  he  emigrated 
to  California  and  while  there  was  occupied 
in  gold  mining.  There  he  remained  for  a 
period  of  three  years,  being  very  successful 
in  his  ventures.  He  afterward  returned  to 
Illinois  and  later  removed  to  Douglas  coun- 
ty, Kansas,  where  he  tiled  on  a  government 
claim.  On  this  place  he  established  his 
home  and  continued  to  reside  for  the  suc- 
ceeding sixteen  years.  In  18TG  he  came  to 
Lane  county,  Oregon,  and  for  several  years 
was  engaged  in  farming  as  tenant  of  a  rent- 
ed farm.  He  later  purchased  a  fine  property 
two  miles  south  of  Eugene.  Here  he  con- 
tinued his  occupation  as  a  farmer  and  was 
also  identified  with  the  stock  business.  He 
was  married  in  the  year  1852  and  passed 
out  of  this  life  in  September,  1900,  when 
seventy-tw-o  years  of  age. 

Frank  B.  Dunn  was  reared  at  home  and 
educated  in  the  public  schools.  He  remained 
under  the  parental  roof  until  he  was  twen- 
ty-two years  of  age.  At  that  time  he  home- 
steaded  a  most  excellent  piece  of  land  in 
eastern  Washington  and  was  engaged  in  its 
development  for  twenty  years  following, 
making  a  specialty  of  wheat  and  stock.  In 
1900  he  removed  to  Eugene,  where  he  be- 
came identified  with  the  bakery  business, 
acquiring  an  interest  in  a  bakery  with  his 
brother.  Harry  W.,  becoming  after  two  years 
sole  proprietor  of  the  establishment  and  re- 
maining as  such  until  1911.  At  that  time 
he  formed  a  partnership  with  his  son-in- 
law,  Frank  E,  Price,  under  the  firm  name 
of  Dunn  &  Price.  This  establishment  does 
a  very  extensive  business  not  only  in  the 
city  of  Eugene  but  ships  its  goods  to  all 
parts  of  the  surrounding  country.  The  firm 
has  the  most  modern  and  perfect  equipment 
required  in  their  business,  and  a  large  force 
of  employes  is  necessary  to  handle  the  grow- 
ing volume  of  their  trade,  four  professional 
bakers  being  required  to  look  after  their 
daily  output. 

As  a  companion  and  helpmate  on  the 
journey  of  life  Mr.  Dunn  chose  Miss  Mary 
M.  Masterson,  a  daughter  of  William  Mas- 
terson  of  Lane  county.  To  this  union  seven 
children  have  been  born,  as  follows:  Ina  M., 
the  wife  of  F.  E,  Price;  Ada  Claire;  Grace; 
Marguerite,  the  wife  of  G.  F.  Houghton,  of 
Eugene;  Ruby;  Ray;  and  Frederick.  Fra- 
ternally Mr.  Dunn  is  identified  with  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  belonging 
to  Farmington  Lodge,  Xo.  25,  of  Washington 
of  which  he  is  the  past  grand  master,  and 
to  Wimawhal  Encampment  No.  6.  of  which  he 
is  past  chief  patriarch.  He  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  Eugene  Camp.  No.  115.  W.  O.  W. 
Both  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church.     Frank  B.  Dunn 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


829 


is  one  of  the  buoeessful  men  of  his  part  of 
Oregon.  His  business  establishment  is  one 
of  the  best  and  most  favorably  known 
throughout  his  portion  of  tlie  state.  He  is 
one  of  the  citizens  of  Eugene  always  to  be 
counted  upon  for  his  ready  and  efficient  help 
in  the  advancement  of  any  meritorious  cause 
affecting  the  business  and  moral  interests  of 
his  community. 

SAMUEL  N.  WARFIELD,  now  efficiently 
serving  as  county  recorder  of  Benton  coun- 
ty, is  one  of  the  county's  native  sons  and 
a  representative  of  a  family  which  was  es- 
tablished here  in  pioneer  days.  He  was 
born  on  a  ranch  in  the  Alsea  valley,  Sep- 
tember 8,  1870,  a  son  of  William  Thomas 
and  Lovely  (Tom)  Warfield,  both  of  whom 
came  across  the  plains  to  Oregon  in  early 
childhood  with  their  respective  parents.  The 
father's  family  located  in  Linn  county,  near 
Tangent,  while  the  mother's  parents  took  up 
their  abode  in  Polk  county.  The  paternal 
grandfather.  Samuel  Wartield,  had  come 
from  Missouri  and  after  his  arrival  in  this 
state  saw  active  service  in  the  Indian  wars. 
He  gained  considerable  local  fame  as  the 
slayer  of  the  noted  Indian  chief  Pu  Pu  Mox- 
amox.  whose  scalp  he  retained  in  his  posses- 
sion for  many  years.  His  vocation  was  that 
of  farming,  "which  he  followed  throughout 
his  lifetime.  He  was  married  twice  and 
reared  a  large  family.  His  was  a  long  and 
useful  life,  covering  eighty-six  years,  his 
death  occurring  at  Lexington.  Oregon,  in 
1908.  His  son  William  Thomas,  the  father 
of  our  subject,  also  followed  the  occupation 
of  farming  as  Jiis  life  work,  but  his  career 
was  cut  off  in  its  prime,  his  death  occurring 
at  the  comparatively  early  age  of  forty- 
eight  years.  His  wife  survives,  however,  and 
resides  on  the  old  home  place  in  Alsea  val- 
ley,  Benton   county. 

Samuel  N.  Warfield  was  the  second  in 
order  of  birth  in  a  family  of  nine  children 
born  anto  his  parents,  and  was  a  youth  of 
eighteen  years  when  his  father  was  called 
from  this"  life.  Being  the  eldest  son  the  re- 
sponsibilities of  the  head  of  the  house  nat- 
urally fell  upon  him  and,  in  addition  to  as- 
suming the  supervision  of  the  farm  work,  he 
aided  his  mother  in  the  rearing  of  the 
younger  members  of  the  family.  He  re- 
mained at  home,  giving  her  the  benefit  of  his 
assistance  for  many  years.  He  now  owns  a 
farm,  adjoining  the  old  homestead,  upon 
which  he  makes  his  home,  and  when  not  en- 
gaged with  the  duties  of  his  public  office  he 
carries  on  general  farming,  in  which  line  he 
has  met  with  substantial  success. 

ilr.  Warfield  was  married,  December  29. 
1S90.  to  Miss  Lucy  J.  Seely.  who  was  born 
in  Illinois.  August  16,  1876,  and  when  a 
maiden  of  thirteen  years  came  with  her 
parents  to  Oregon.  Her  father  died  soon 
after  his  arrival  in  this  state  and  the 
mother's  death  occurred  about  fifteen  years 
ago.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Warfield  has  been 
born  one  daughter.  Edith  Bell.  Mr.  War- 
field  is  well  known  in  fraternal  circles  of 
Corvallis,  belonging  to  the  Modern  Wood- 
men of  America,  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and 


the  Grange.  He  has  been  particularly  in- 
terested and  active  in  the  aUairs  of  the  lat- 
ter order,  serving  for  four  years  as  steward 
of  the  state  grange,  while  at  the  present 
time  he  is  acting  as  county  deputy  of  that 
organization.  He  gives  his  political  support 
to  the  republican  party  and  has  been  a  stal- 
wart cliampion  of  the  cause  of  education, 
serving  as  a  school  director  for  twelve  years 
in  Alsea,  and  was  inlluential  in  consoiidat- 
ing  the  country  districts  and  in  erecting 
the  high  school  at  that  city.  In  1910  he 
was  elected  to  the  office  of  county  recorder, 
and  no  better  evidence  of  his  popularity 
and  the  efficiency  of  his  service  in  that  of- 
fice can  be  given  than  the  fact  that  he  is 
now  the  nominee  for  reelection  to  that  posi- 
tion on  both  the  democratic  and  republican 
tickets.  Compelled  to  take  up  the  responsi- 
bilities of  life  at  an  early  age,  the  prin- 
ciple of  self-reliance,  which  he  adopted  as  a 
youth,  has  been  one  of  his  prominent  char- 
acteristics and  has  carried  him  through  many 
difficulties  into  a  place  of  prominence  among 
his  fellow  citizens.  He  has  many  friends  in 
the  county  in  which  his  entire  life  has  been 
spent,  and  his  career  is  in  contradistinction 
to  the  old  adage  that  "A  prophet  is  never 
without   honor  save  in  his   own  country." 

ELBERT  KEEBLER,  an  agriculturist  re- 
siding three  and  a  half  miles  north  of  Le- 
banon, is  the  owner  of  a  tract  of  three  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  and  devotes  his  at- 
tention to  farming  and  stock-raising  with 
excellent  success.  His  birth  occurred  in 
Tennessee  in  1844.  his  parents  being  .James 
and  Katherine  (Crouch)  Keebler,  who  were 
likewise  natives  of  that  state.  They  liad 
three  children,  as  follows:  Joseph,  who  is  liv- 
ing retired  at  Lebanon,  Oregon;  Marj',  de- 
ceased;  and  Elbert,  of  this   review. 

Elbert  Keebler  started  out  in  life  for  him- 
self as  a  youth  of  seventeen  years,  for  when 
still  very  young  he  lost  his  father,  who  had 
gone  to  California  as  a  pioneer.  In  1863, 
our  subject  made  the  journey  across  the 
plains  with  ox  teams  and  settled  in  the 
Grande  Ronde  valley  of  Oregon,  where  he 
worked  for  others  during  a  period  of  five 
years.  He  then  came  to  Linn  county  and  here 
operated  a  rented  farm  in  association  with 
his  stepfather  for  two  years,  at  the  end  of 
which  time  tlie  latter  passed  away.  Re- 
maining on  that  place,  he  purchased  the 
property  in  1874.  and  cared  for  his  mother 
until  the  time  of  her  demise,  in  1878.  He 
still  owns  that  tract.  His  farm  embraces 
three  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  and  two 
hundred  and  fifty  thereof,  are  under  cul- 
tivation. He  devotes  his  attention  to  the 
cultivation  of  grain  and  hay.  principally, 
and  also  raises  stock,  having  one  hundred 
head  of  sheep.  His  is  a  commodious  and  at- 
tractive residence  and  his  farm  is  well  im- 
proved   and   equipped. 

Elbert  Keebler  has  been  married  twice. 
He  first  wedded  Miss  JIargaret  Smelser.  who 
was  born  in  Missouri  anci  by  whom  he  had 
ten  children,  six  of  whom  survive,  as  fol- 
lows: Otis,  an  agriculturist  residing  at  Leb- 
anon;   Georgia,  the   wife  of  Lincoln   Coney, 


830 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


of  Alberta,  Canada;  Mamie,  the  wife  of 
B.  B.  Doughton,  a  farmer  of  Lebanon,  Ore- 
gon; Cleveland,  who  assists  his  father  in  the 
operation  of  the  home  farm;  Samuel,  at 
home;  and  Bernice,  the  wife  of  Robert  Wal- 
lace, an  employe  in  the  paper  mill  at  Le- 
banon, Oregon.  Mr.  Keebler's  first  wife  was 
called  to  her  final  rest  in  1903,  and  two 
years  later  he  was  again  married,  his  sec- 
ond union  being  with  Miss  Pearl  Shearer,  a 
native  of  Kansas  and  a  daughter  of  Joseph 
and  Amy  (White)  Shearer.  Her  father 
passed  away  in  Missouri,  in  18S9,  and  her 
mother  came  to  Oregon  in  March,  1883.  To 
Elbert  and  Pearl  (Shearer)  Keebler,  a  daugh- 
ter, Esther,  was  born  on  the  21st  of  De- 
cember, 1905. 

Elbert  Keebler  is  a  stalwart  democrat  and 
has  always  taken  an  active  part  in  commun- 
ity affairs.  He  has  held  school  offices  and 
has  ever  discharged  his  public  duties  in  a 
commendable  and  acceptable  manner.  Fra- 
ternally he  is  identified  with  the  Masons 
and  is  a  worthy  exemplar  of  the  craft.  The 
period  of  his  residence  in  this  state  covers 
a  half  century,  and  in  his  home  community 
he  enjoys  an  enviable  reputation  as  a  lead- 
ing agriculturist  and  respected  citizen. 

HIRAM  S.  EDDY,  who  has  been  engaged 
in  the  real-estate  business  in  Sandy,  Clack- 
amas county,  since  1909,  was  born  in  Haldi- 
mand  township,  Northumberland  county,  Can- 
ada, on  the  12th  of  February,  1854,  his  par- 
ents being  Hiram  Alexander  and  Narcissa 
(Drinkwalter)  Eddy.  The  father  was  born 
in  Manchester,  England,  and  was  one  of  four- 
teen children.  At  the  time  of  his  father's 
death  four  survived  but  since  all  have  passed 
away.  The  mother  was  a  native  of  Aberdeen. 
Scotland,  and  was  one  of  ten  children,  name- 
ly: Allen,  deceased;  James,  deceased,  who 
was  married  and  had  one  child,  Benjamin, 
now  living  in  Canada;  Lyman,  deceased,  who 
was  survived  by  three  children;  Harry,  de- 
ceased, who  was  married  and  had  four  sons; 
and  Albert,  Julia,  Lydia,  Mary,  Narcissa  and 
Maria,  all  of  whom  have  passed  away.  Mr 
and  Mrs.  Eddy  were  married  in  1837  and 
Hiram  S.,  our  subject,  is  the  only  child  born 
to  their  union. 

After  completing  his  education  and  having 
engaged  for  a  short  time  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits by  assisting  his  father.  Hiram  S.  Eddy 
started  out  for  himself  at  the  age  of  eight- 
een years.  For  one  year  he  was  em- 
ployed on  a  farm  in  Wisconsin  and  at  the 
end  of  that  time  departed  for  the  northern 
part  of  the  state,  where  he  was  employed 
as  a  lumberman  for  seven  years.  After  dis- 
continuing that  pursuit  he  removed  to  Iowa, 
wnere  he  purchased  a  farm,  which  he  cul- 
tivated until  1893.  He  at  that  time  disposed 
of  this  property  and  accepted  a  position 
with  the  Illinois  Central  Railway  as  immi- 
grant agent  in  the  Yazoo  valley,  Mississippi. 
For  eleven  years  and  ten  months  he  was 
thus  engaged  before  coming  to  Oregon.  After 
arriving  in  this  state  he  spent  two  years  in 
eastern  Oregon,  where  he  was  engaged  in 
the  lumber  business.  Subsequently,  in  1907, 
he  removed   to  Portland  and  almost  imme- 


diately afterward  came  to  Sandy,  where  he 
has  since  made  him  home.  Upon  arriving 
in  this  town  he  engaged  in  the  real-estate 
business  and  by  hard  work  and  constant 
application  he  has  built  up  a  good  patronage 
and  during  the  three  years  in  which  he  has 
conducted  this  business  he  has  handled  more 
than  four  thousand  acres  of  farm  and  tim- 
ber land,  a  great  part  of  which  was  sold  to 
original  settlers.  He  also  owns  considerable 
property  in  his  own  name.  His  advice  is 
frequently  sought  by  those  intending  to 
cither  purchase  or  dispose  of  property  be- 
cause it  is  well  known  that  his  judgment  is 
based  upon  a  good  knowledge  of  land  values 
and  that  in  aiding  prospective  patrons  to 
decide  he  considers  tlieir  side  of  the  ques- 
tion  as   well   as   his  own. 

On  the  15th  of  December,  1876,  in  Fond 
du  Lac  county.  Wisconsin,  Mr.  Eddy  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Delia  E.  Armstrong,  whose  birth 
occurred  on  the  27th  of  August,  1857,  and 
who  is  a  daughter  of  Sanford  and  Louisa 
(Kemp)  Armstrong,  who  were  the  parents  of 
six  children.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eddy  three 
children  have  been  born.  Clarence,  the  eldest, 
was  born  April  9,  1881.  He  attended  the 
district  schools  of  Iowa  and  subsequently 
was  a  student  in  the  high  school  of  Fayette 
county,  Iowa.  After  completing  these  courses 
he  entered  Jennings  College  at  Des  Moines 
and  studied  to  become  an  electrician.  He  is 
at  present  the  owner  of  a  farm  at  Parma, 
Idaho.  He  has  been  twice  married.  To  his 
first  union  three  children  were  born,  Cather- 
ine McBride,  Clarence  A.  and  Noel  H.  By 
his  second  union  he  has  one  son,  Charles 
H.  Warren  H.,  the  second  in  order  of  birth 
in  the  family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eddy,  wag 
born  August  21,  1885.  After  completing 
his  high-school  education  he  fitted  himself 
for  the  position  of  railroad  engineer  and  is 
following  that  occupation  in  Iowa.  He  is  in 
the  employ  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railway. 
He  is  married  and  has  three  children.  Lula, 
the  youngest  of  the  family,  was  born  April 
21,  1892.  .She  attended  a  business  college 
in  Iowa  and  is  at  present  residing  with  her 
parents. 

Mr.  Eddy  casts  his  vote  with  the  prohibi- 
tion party.  He  holds  meml>ership  in  the 
Baptist  church  and  is  also  a  member  of  In- 
dependence Lodge,  No.  87,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of 
Independence,  Iowa.  He  was  one  of  the  or- 
ganizers of  the  Commercial  Club,  of  which 
he  was  president.  He  is  interested  not  only 
from  a  business  point  of  view  but  also  be- 
cause of  his  altruistic  spirit  in  the  develop- 
ment of  Sandy.  Since  its  incorporation  as 
a  town  in  1911  he  hiis  been  one  of  its  most 
active    promoters    and    enthusiastic    citizens. 

JOHN  H.  McDERMOTT,  SR.  A  third  of 
a  century's  service  in  the  army  well  en- 
titles .John  H.  McDermott,  Sr.,  to  the  life 
of  rest  which  he  is  enjoying.  On  the  field, 
in  camp  and  in  the  fort  he  has  met  the  ex- 
periences of  array  life  in  active  campaigns 
against  the  Indians  on  the  frontier,  and  now 
he  is  living  retired  in  Hammond.  He  was 
born  in  Boston,  Massachusetts,  October  16, 
1S46.    and    comes    of    Irish    ancestry.        His 


THi    :r'A' YORK 
PUBLIC     LIBRARY 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


833 


father,  James  McDermott,  was  a  native  of 
the  Emerald  isle  and  in  young  manhood 
came  to  the  new  world,  first  settling  in  New 
York.  He  afterward  made  a  trip  back  to 
Ireland  and  following  his  return  to  America 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary 
O'Grady,  who  was  born  in  Ireland  and  came 
with  her  parents  to  the  new  world  when 
six  years  of  age.  She,  too,  had  visited  her 
native  land  before  her  marriage.  They  lived 
at  various  times  at  Boston  and  New  York 
until  the  father's  death,  which  occurred  in 
the  former  city  when  he  was  forty-nine  years 
of  age.  The  mother  continued  to  make  her 
home  in  Boston  until  she  started  on  a  visit 
to  her  son  John,  who  at  that  time  was  a 
member  of  the  Sixth  United  States  Cavalry, 
located  at  Fort  Richardson,  Texas.  Just  be- 
fore the  mother  started  on  the  journey  he 
was  sent  on  relief  work  to  the  Seventh  Cav- 
alry of  Kansas  and  was  on  his  way  to  Kan- 
sas when  his  mother  arrived  at  Waco,  Texas. 
Greatly  disappointed  at  not  seeing  her  son 
as  she  had  anticipated,  Mrs.  McDermott  be- 
came ill  and  died  there  without  the  knowl- 
edge of  her  son.  Her  remains  were  interred 
in  Waco  and  Mr.  McDermott  of  this  re- 
view never  saw  his  mother's  grave  until 
three  month?  later.  In  the  family  were  five 
children,  of  whom  John  H.  is  the  eldest  and 
the  only  one  living.  The  others  were  George, 
Frank,   Edward   and   Honoria. 

Reared  under  the  parental  roof.  John  H. 
McDermott  attended  school  until  sixteen 
years  of  age  and  made  his  home  with  his  par- 
ents until  twenty  years  of  age,  when  his  mil- 
itary spirit  was  aroused  and  he  enlisted  as  a 
member  of  the  Sixth  Cavalry  of  the  regular 
army,  devoting  his  life  to  military  service 
until  he  was  retired  in  June,  1905.  He  has 
since  resided  at  Hammond,  Oregon.  The  de- 
taileil  and  more  specific  account  of  Mr.  Mc- 
Dermott's  military  experience  is  most  in- 
teresting. He  became  a  member  of  Com- 
pany K,  Sixth  United  States  Cavalry,  in 
1867  and  was  discharged  on  the  16th  of 
October,  1873,  at  Meridian,  Mississippi.  On 
the  1st  of  April.  1873,  he  reenlisted  and 
was  discharged  at  Fort  Reno,  Indian  Ter- 
ritory, April  5,  1878,  when  serving  with 
Company  I,  Sixteenth  Infantry.  On  the  1st 
of  that  month,  however,  he  had  reenlisted 
with  the  same  company  and  regiment,  witli 
which  he  continued  until  honorably  dis- 
charged, March  31,  1883,  at  Fort  Davis, 
Texas,  with  the  rank  of  first  sergeant.  The 
following  day  he  again  enrolled  and  was 
discharged  March  31,  1888,  as  post  quar- 
termaster sergeant  at  Fort  Hancock,  Texas. 
Again  on  the  day  following  he  reenlisted 
and  was  discharged  March  31.  1893,  as  post 
quartermaster  sergeant  at  Fort  Warren, 
Massachusetts.  His  service  covered  active 
campaigning  against  the  Comanche  Indians 
as  a  sharpshooter  and  he  sustained  a  gun- 
shot wound  in  the  left  knee.  One  of  the 
most  thrilling  chapters  in  all  American  his- 
tory concerns  the  Indian  warfare  on  the 
western  frontier.  The  troops  were  never 
drawn  up  in  battle  array  for  they  could 
not  fight  the  Red  men  as  they  would  the 
representatives  of  the  white  race.     They  had 


to  do  with  a  foe  who  was  skulking,  treach- 
erous and  wild,  and  perforce  they  must 
study  his  methods  and  meet  him  upon  his 
own  ground.  It  requires  the  greatest  cour- 
age and  valor  to  venture  into  a  district 
where  every  stone  and  bush  may  shelter  a 
foe.  Such  experiences  of  warfare  Mr.  Mc- 
Dermott well  knows.  Still  the  fighting  spirit 
was  not  quenched  witliin  him  and  on  the 
1st  of  April,  1S93,  he  reenlisted  for  another 
five  years'  term,  which  was  terminated  by 
his  honorable  discharge  March  31,  1898,  in 
Montana,  where  he  was  serving  as  post 
quartermaster.  The  following  day  again  saw 
him  enrolled  with  Uncle  Sam's  defenders 
for  a  three  years'  enlistment  which  termin- 
ated at  Fort  Stevens,  Oregon,  March  31, 
1901.  Again  on  the  following  day  he  placed 
his  name  on  tiie  roll  of  the  United  States 
soldiers  and  was  discharged  as  quartermas- 
ter March  31,  1904.  His  character  was  ex- 
cellent in  all  his  discharges.  His  service 
covered  active  duty  in  the  Spanish-American 
war  and  with  his  regiment  he  went  to  the 
Philippines,  participating  in  the  battle  of 
Manila,  August  13,  1898.  He  was  also  in 
tlie  assault  upon  and  capture  of  .laro  and 
Iloilo  on  the  11th  and  12th  of  February, 
1899.  He  took  part  in  the  battle  near  Jaro 
river,  March  16,  1899,  and  was  also  in  the 
third  expedition  to  the  Pliilippine  islands. 
As  a  soldier  he  was  industrious  and  willing 
— a  handy  man  in  the  company  and  brave 
in  time  of  danger.  He  certainly  deserves  the 
rest  which  has  come  to  him,  having  devoted 
thirty-seven  years  of  his  life  to  the  service 
of   his   country. 

In  1868  Mr.  McDermott  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Mary  Colahan,  who  was 
born  in  Jersey  City,  New  Jersey,  and  was 
one  of  a  family  of  six  children,  two  of  whom 
are  yet  living.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McDermott 
became  the  parents  of  five  children.  Charles 
S.,  born  .lanuary  25,  1869,  is  a  graduate  of 
St.  Mary's  College,  of  San  Antonio,  Texas, 
and  is  at  present  engaged  in  business  in 
Hammond.  Like  his  father  he  saw  active 
service  in  the  Spanish-.Vmerican  war,  cover- 
ing sixteen  months,  and  was  honorably  dis- 
charged in  1899.  He  enlisted  on  the  13tli 
of  May.  1898,  and  held  the  rank  of  corporal 
in  Company  C,  Eighteenth  United  States 
Infantry.  He  made  an  excellent  record  while 
at  the  "front,  displaying  the  same  spirit  of 
valor  and  loyalt.v  which  ever  characterized 
his  father.  .lohnH.,  born  December  1,  1871, 
was  married  December  Ifi.  1896,  to  Miss 
Charlotte  Cranney,  a  native  of  Montana, 
and  thev  have  two  children:  Alice  C,  born 
August  11.  1897;  and  .Tohn  E..  born  August 
9.  1898.  John  H.  McDermott,  Jr..  is  a  part- 
ner in  business  with  his  elder  brother  at 
Hammond.  Mary  is  the  wife  of  Robert 
Marsden.  of  New  York  city.  James  M.  died 
at  the  age  of  twenty-nine  years  and  H.  P. 
is  living  in  Canada."  The  family  is  of  the 
Catholic  faith. 

Mr.  JfcDermott  gives  his  political  alleg- 
iance to  the  republican  party.  He  has  made 
an  exemplary  record  as  a  soldier  and  stands 
as  a  splendid  type  of  that  American  citizen- 
ship which  finds  joy  in  serving  the  country 


834 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


and  following  tlie  starry  banner  wherever 
duty  leads.  He  knows  all  the  varied  ex- 
periences of  campaigning — the  quiet  life  of 
the  forts  of  the  east;  the  arduous  service  on 
the  western  plains;  and  active  duty  in  the 
Orient — and  never  has  been  known  to  fal- 
ter in  the  performance  of  any  task  assigned 
to  him. 

ALBERT  STEPHEN  DOWN.  When  death 
called  Albert  Stephen  Down  on  the  12th  of 
December.  1911,  he  was  residing  on  a  ranch 
two  miles  south  of  Lakeview.  His  life  rec- 
ord is  an  interesting  one  for  he  had  visited 
many  parts  of  the  civilized  world  and  had 
had  varied  experiences  as  a  seaman  and  miner 
before  becoming  identified  with  ranching  in- 
terests on  the  Pacific  coast.  He  was  born 
in  Hastings.  England.  July  9,  1837,  his  par- 
ents being  .John  and  JIary  (Stace)  Down. 
The  mother  lived  until  October  S,  1895. 
passing  away  in  Hastings  at  the  advanced 
age  of  seventy-eight  years.  Their  son  Al- 
bert was  the  eldest  of  four  children.  A 
daughter,  Mrs.  Mary  Ann  Clark,  died  at 
Hastings.  August  16^  1912,  while  the  other 
members  of  the  family  passed  away  some 
time  ago. 

From  the  early  age  of  ten  years  Albert 
Stephen  Down  was  dependent  upon  his  own 
resources.  He  went  to  sea  on  board  a  fish- 
ing boat  on  which  he  remained  for  four 
years  and  then  shipped  on  a  merchant  vessel 
as  common  seaman.  He  visited  his  old  home 
at  Hastings,  for  the  last  time  in  1855  and 
thence  went  to  Gotenborg,  Sweden.  The 
following  year  he  visited  Constantinople,  be- 
ing in  the  Turkish  capital  when  peace  was 
declared  between  Russia  and  the  allied  pow- 
ers. From  that  city  he  sailed  on  a  voyage 
to  different  parts  of  the  world,  visiting  both 
civilized  and  uncivilized  districts,  but  in  185S 
left  the  sea  to  engage  in  mining  in  Australia. 
He  became  interested  in  many  mines  in  that 
country  but  at  length  determined  to  try  his 
fortune  in  America  and  sailed  for  San  Fran- 
cisco. California,  reaching  his  destination  on 
the  25th  of  :March.  1866.  He  then  left  his 
ship  and  went  to  Sonoma  county,  where  for 
four  Tears  he  worked  in  the  redwood  for- 
ests. 

^Ir.  Down  was  married,  on  the  23d  of  Feb- 
ruary. 1870.  to  IMiss  Carrie  Elizabeth  Bal- 
lard, a  native  of  Atchison,  Missouri,  who 
crossed  the  plains  in  one  of  the  old-time 
moving  wagons  with  her  father,  reaching 
Sonoma  county  in  1862.  She  is  a  daughter 
of  Smithfield  and  Delina  Ballard  and  by  her 
marriage  became  the  mother  of  six  children: 
Effie.  who  is  the  wife  of  S.  P.  Vernon,  and 
resides  on  a  ranch  adjoining  the  old  home- 
stead: George,  who  married  Myrtle  Grimes, 
and  resides  seven  miles  south  of  Lakeview : 
Mary,  the  wife  of  Flint  Vernon,  a  brother  of 
S.  P.  Vernon,  residing  five  miles  south  of 
Lakeview:  .James,  who  died  in  1886.  at  the 
ase  of  seven  years:  Anna,  the  wife  of  Homer 
Pollard,  of  Oakland,  California:  and  Stephen, 
who  resides  with  his  mother  and  is  operating 
the   home   ranch. 

For  some  years  after  their  marriage  Mr. 
and   Mrs.   Down    resided    in    Sonoma    county. 


California,  and  in  1878  removed  to  Colusa 
county,  that  state,  but  in  the  spring  of  1879 
came  to  Goose  Lake  valley,  Oregon,  set- 
tling eleven  miles  west  of  Lakeview.  Albert 
S.  Down  purchased  the  home  ranch  in  1896, 
becoming  the  owner  of  two  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  arable  land,  much  of  which 
he  brought  into  a  high  state  of  cultivation. 
He  planted  an  orchard,  cultivated  the  grains 
and  vegetables  best  adapted  to  soil  and 
climate,  and  at  one  time  owned  a  large 
tiock  of  sheep  but  later  disposed  of  them, 
turning  his  attention  to  the  raising  of  cattle 
and  horses.  He  was  thus  engaged  at  the 
time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  when  he 
was  seventy-four  years  of  age.  The  ranch 
work  is  now  being  carried  on  by  his  widow 
and  son  and  the  land  is  largely  devoted  to 
hay  and  the  raising  of  stock.  Fraternally 
ilr.  Down  was  connected  with  the  Masons, 
belonging  both  to  the  lodge  and  the  Eastern 
.Star  chapter.  He  exemplified  in  his  life  the 
beneficent  spirit  of  the  craft  and  was  al- 
ways loyal  to  its  teachings.  His  remini- 
scences of  early  days,  when  he  followed  the 
life  of  a  sailor  enriched  his  conversation  and 
made  him  an  interesting  companion,  for  he 
visited  many  ports,  sailing  almost  around 
the  world,  and  he  learned  much  concerning 
strange  people',  their  manners  and  customs. 
For  forty-five  years  he  was  identified  with 
the  life  of  the  Pacific  coast  and  his  sterling 
traits  of  character  won  him  the  warm  re- 
gard of  those  with  whom  he  was  associated. 

JAMES  A.  HAINES.  Five  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  land,  well  fenced,  equipped 
and  improved,  are  the  contribution  which 
James  A.  Haines  has  made  to  the  agricul- 
tural wealth  of  Oregon.  He  is  a  son  of 
Alfred  and  .Sarah  (Xixon)  Haines  whose 
pioneer  labors  in  the  early  days  of  the  set- 
tlement of  this  state  have  been  described  on 
another  page  of  this  work.  He  was  born  in 
Albany,  Whiteside  county.  Illinois.  October 
16,  1859,  and  came  with  his  father  to  Ore- 
gon in  1862.  He  was  reared  in  this  state 
and  acquired  his  early  education  in  the  pub- 
lic schools.  His  advantages  along  this  line 
were  extremely  limited  and  he  had  no  school- 
ing after  his  twelfth  year  and  very  little 
before,  being  obliged  to  work  on  his  father's 
farm,  assisting  in  the  cultivation  and  im- 
provement of  the  land,  which  was  wrested 
from  the  virgin  forest.  On  the  death  of  his 
mother  in  1879  the  home  which  belonged  to 
her  was  left  to  .James  A.  Haines  and  his  two 
brothers.  Edward  and  Lewis.  Soon  after- 
ward Edward  and  James  purchased  their 
elder  brother's  interest  in  the  farm  and  oper- 
ated it  in  conjunction  with  each  other  for 
ten  years,  being  aided  in  their  activities  by 
early  experience  and  knowledge  of  the  best 
methods  of  agriculture.  They  bought  other 
land,  from  time  to  time,  and  eventually  had 
acquired  eight  hundred  acres  of  the  most 
productive  soil  in  Douglas  county.  They 
then  divided  this  property  and  each  has 
since  carried  on  an  individual  agricultural 
enterprise.  .James  A.  Haines,  now  owns  five 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  highly   improved 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


835 


ami  well  developed  laud  and  is  giving  bis 
entire  time  and  attention  to  its  furtherance. 
On  October  2,  ISSl,  Jlr.  Haines  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Hiss  Anna  Kapp,  a  daughter 
of  (iodfrey  Rapp  who  came  to  Oregon  from 
Kansas  in  1876  and  died  in  this  state  on 
March  17,  1901.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Haines 
have  been  born  two  children,  Myrtle  A., 
and  Grace  V.,  both  of  whom  are  living  with 
their  parents  on  the  home  farm.  Mr.  Haines 
is  a  republican  but  never  seeks  public  office. 
He  is  a  member  of  Elkton  Camp,  No.  5786, 
M.  \V.  A.,  and  he  and  his  wife  and  daugh- 
ters, affiliate  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church.  His  work  has  always  been  repre- 
sentative of  the  most  scientific  methods  and 
has  been  characterized  by  an  intelligent  un- 
derstanding of  local  conditions  and  the  utili- 
zation of  favorable  opportunities. 

JOSEPH    OSCAR    WATTS   is    one    of    the 

leading  and  most  successful  optometrists  in 
western  Oregon.  He  was  the  first  local  prac- 
titioner of  this  school  in  Eugene,  where  his 
splendidly  equipped  offices  offer  the  very 
latest,  scientific  treatment  to  people  having 
defective  eyesight.  Dr.  Watts  was  born  in 
Missouri,  Davis  county,  March  31,  1S46,  and 
is  a  son  of  Dr.  John  George  and  Dulcena 
(.Jones)  Watts.  Dr.  John  G.  Watts  was  born 
in  Mount  Vernon,  Kentucky,  and  was  a 
graduate  of  the  medical  college  at  Lexing- 
ton. Soon  after  his  graduation,  he  removed 
to  ilissouri,  settling  in  a  portion  of  the  state 
at  a  time  when  he,  together  with  all  the 
rest  of  the  people  in  the  county,  were  justly 
numbered  among  the  early  pioneers.  Here 
he  practiced  his  profession,  using  his  horse 
and  saddle-bags  as  the  only  convenient 
method  of  travel  in  rendering  his  services 
to  the  afflicted  public.  His  medical  sup- 
plies he  purchased  in  St.  Louis,  and  for  the 
want  of  railroads,  he  W'as  compelled  to  go 
on  horseback  between  his  field  of  labor  and 
that  city,  to  obtain  the  necessary  remedies, 
then  in  general  use  among  physicians.  After 
spending  some  years  in  Missouri,  he  removed 
to  Indiana,  where  he  established  himself  in 
practice  and  continued  to  be  so  engaged  for 
only  a  short  period.  Eventually  retiring 
from  pursuit  of  his  practice,  he  engaged  in 
the  business  of  watchmaker  and  jeweler 
and  later  moved  to  Osceola,  Iowa,  in  which 
city  he  opened  a  jewelry  store  and  continued 
to  give  his  attention  to  the  care  of  this  busi- 
ness until  his  death. 

Joseph  Oscar  Watts  was  reared  in  his 
father's  home  and  educated  in  the  public 
schools,  learning  at  the  same  time  the  trade 
of  the  jeweler  and  watchmaker  in  his  fa- 
ther's store.  After  attaining  his  majority, 
he  engaged  in  business  for  himself  in  Linn- 
ville.  Iowa,  where  he  continued  to  live  until 
May  1.  1884.  During  that  year,  he  moved  to 
Eugene.  In  this  city,  he  opened  a  retail  jewel- 
ry establishment.  Here  he  was  successful 
in  building  up  a  large  business,  from  which 
he  is  now  gradually  retiring.  In  the  fall  of 
1892,  he  began  privately  to  pursue  the  study 
of  optometry,  continuing  in  this  line  of 
study  for  the  immediate  four  years  follow- 
ing, "  during    which    time    he    completed    the 


required  studies  in  that  profession  and  was 
graduated  from  the  Chicago  College  of  Oph- 
tlialmology  in  the  clasS  of  1S96,  with  the 
degree  of  doctor  of  optics.  He  was  later 
graduated  from  the  Northern  Illinois  Col- 
lege of  Ophthalmology  and  Otology  in  1902. 
Having  completed  his"  studies  in  this  profes- 
sion, he  became  the  first  trained  optometrist 
in  Eugene.  From  the  time  he  fir.st  opened 
his  office  for  business,  he  has  been  uniformly 
successful  and  now  has  a  very  extensive 
practice  throughout  the  county,  people 
traveling  from  great  distances  to  receive  the 
benefit  of  his  scientific  skill  in  the  treat- 
ment of  defective  vision.  His  offices  are 
equipped  with  all  the  latest  scientific  ap- 
paratus for  testing  the  eyes  and  all  the 
necessary  machinery  for  grinding  lenses.  He 
has  the  most  complete  surface  grinding  plant 
in  Eugene,  and  being  so  thoroughly  pre- 
pared for  the  work,  he  is  able  to  grind  any 
combination  of  lenses  in  his  own  office.  Dr. 
Joseph  0.  Watts  was  united  in  wedlock  to 
Miss  Hepsie  A.  ButTam,  a  daughter  of  A. 
G.  Bull'am,  of  Le  Roy,  Iowa.  To  this  union 
four  children  have  been  born,  two  of  whom 
are  living:  Mary,  the  wife  of  Charles  Wil- 
lis of  Red  Lodge,  Montana;  and  Charles  H., 
who  was  born  in  1881  and  received  his  early 
education  in  the  public  schools  and  also  in 
the  University  of  Oregon,  and  since  becom- 
ing of  age  has  been  associated  with  hia 
father   in   business. 

Dr.  Watts  is  a  member  of  Helmet  Lodge, 
No.  33,  K.  P.,  in  which  lodge,  he  has  passed 
all  the  chairs  and  of  Spencer-Butte  Lodge, 
1.  O.  O.  F.,  of  which  he  is  a  past  noble  grand. 
He  is  a  member  of  Eugene  Lodge,  No.  357, 
B.  P.  0.  E.;  and  of  Lodge,  No.  15,  A.  0. 
U.  W.  Dr.  Watt's  extensive  practice  lias 
made  him  one  of  the  most  popular  and 
widely  known  men  in  his  profession  in  west- 
ern Oregon.  He  is  in  every  sense  a  public- 
spirited  man.  giving  the  support  of  his  in- 
fluence to  every  worthy  cause,  seeking  the 
improvement  and  advancement  of  the  com- 
munity in  which  he  lives. 

JOHN  BUCHNER,  a  prosperous  agricul- 
turist and  representative  citizen  of  Linn 
county,  is  the  owner  of  an  excellent  farm 
of  two  hundred  and  seventy  acres  situated 
halfway  between  Albany  and  Lebanon.  His 
birth  occurred  in  Wisconsin  in  1858,  hi^s  par- 
ents being  Conrad  and  Elizabeth  (Smith) 
Bucliner,  natives  of  Germany.  They  emi- 
grateil  to  the  United  States  in  early  life, 
settling  in  Wisconsin  with  their  respective 
parents.  In  1877  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Conrad  Buch- 
ner  came  to  Oregon,  locating  at  Millersburg, 
Linn  county.  In  1902  they  took  up  their 
abode  in  Albany  and  there  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  their  lives  in  retirement.  Mr. 
Bucliner  passing  away  in  1906  and  his  wife 
in  1905.  Their  children  are  nine  in  num- 
ber, namely:  Christina,  who  is  the  widow 
of  Jacob  Farlow  and  resides  at  Albany.  Ore- 
gon: Paul,  a  resident  of  Jefferson,  Oregon; 
John,  of  this  review;  Charles  W.,  of  Salem, 
Oregon;  Emma  S.,  who  resides  at  Albany, 
this  state;  William  A.,  of  Corvallis,  Oregon; 


836 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


and  Edward  S.,  Lillian  and  Clara  J.,  all  of 
whom  are  residents  of  Albany. 

John  Buchner,  who  was  nineteen  years  old 
when  he  came  to  Oregon  with  his  parents, 
remained  at  home  until  twenty-seven  years 
of  age.  Then,  in  association  with  two  of 
his  brothers,  he  rented  a  farm  of  nine  hun- 
dred acres  and  was  engaged  in  its  operation 
for  three  years.  On  the  expiration  of  that 
period  he  removed  to  Spicer  and  there  cul- 
tivated a  rented  farm  of  five  hundred  acres 
for  four  years.  Subsequently  he  was  mar- 
ried and  took  up  his  abode  on  the  farm  of 
Samuel  Hardman,  having  charge  of  the  place 
for  twelve  years.  '  Later  he  purchased  the 
tract  of  two  hundred  and  seventy  acres  which 
is  now  in  his  possession  and  on  which  he 
has  resided  continuously  since.  He  erected 
a  commodious  and  modern  residence,  as  well 
as  all  necessary  outbuildings  for  the  shelter 
of  grain  and  stock,  and  his  is  one  of  the 
model  farming  properties  of  the  community. 
His  land  is  practically  all  under  cultivation 
and  is  devoted,  principally  to  the  raising  of 
clover  and  oats.  Mr.  Buchner  also  raises 
horses,  cattle  and  sheep  to  some  extent  and 
has  met  with  success  in  all  of  his  under- 
takings, by  reason  of  his  untiring  energy 
and  capable  management. 

In  1894  Mr.  Buchner  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Serena  E.  Hardman,  a  native 
of  Oregon  and  a  daughter  of  Benjamin  and 
Rebecca  (Powell)  Hardman.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hardman  had  three  children,  namely:  Ma- 
tilda J.,  deceased;  Mrs.  Serena  Buchner;  and 
one  who  died  in  infancy.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Buchner  have  been  born  three  children,  as 
follows:  Velma  May,  who  is  pursuing  a 
commercial  course  in  the  high  school  at  Al- 
bany; and  Merle  C,  and  Mertice  B.,  twins, 
both  of  whom  are  attending  school.  John 
Buchner  is  a  republican,  having  supported 
the  men  and  measures  of  that  party  since 
age  conferred  upon  him  the  right  of  fran- 
chise. In  Linn  county,  where  he  has  re- 
sided for  more  than  a  third  of  a  century,  he 
has  gained  an  extensive  circle  of  warm 
friends  who  entertain  for  him  the  utmost 
regard  and  esteem  because  of  his  excellent 
traits   of  character. 

MILLARD  0.  LOWNSDALE.  The  student 
of  Oregon  pioneer  settlement  and  develop- 
ment does  not  carry  his  researches  far  with- 
out encountering  the  name  of  Lownsdale, 
which  has  been  honored  and  esteemed  in  the 
business  and  agricultural  life  of  the  state 
since  before  the  foundation  of  Portland.  One 
of  its  most  worthy  and  progressive  represen- 
tatives, Millard  Oregon  Lownsdale,  died  in 
that  city  July  24.  1911.  and  his  death  marked 
the  passing  of  one  of  the  most  successful  men 
in  this  part  of  the  state.  All  over  Oregon 
he  was  known  for  his  able  work  in  scientific 
horticulture,  since  he  was  perhaps  one  of  the 
greatest  individual  forces  in  the  horticultural 
development  of  the  Willamette  valley  and 
more  especially  the  standard  authority  upon 
everything  connected  with  the  cultivation  of 
apples.  The  name  and  endeavor  of  Millard 
0.  Lownsdale  are  connected  with  the  pioneer 
era   in   Oregon.     He   was   born   in   Portland, 


November  21,  1851,  and  is  a  son  of  Daniel 
H.  Lownsdale,  one  of  the  earliest  pioneers  in 
the  state  and  part  owner  of  the  original 
town  site  of  Portland. 

Mr.  Lownsdale  of  this  review  was  educated 
in  the  old  Portland  Academy  and  completed 
his  studies  at  Willamette  University.  It  was 
while  he  was  still  a  pupil  that  he  became 
widely  known  for  the  remarkable  beauty  of 
his  voice,  which  was  highly  approved  by  the 
best  teachers  and  judges.  This  gift  was  a 
source  of  great  pleasure  to  him  through  his 
life  and  in  his  early  years  he  appeared  many 
times  on  the  concert  stage  with  gi-eat  suc- 
cess, but  he  was  never  ambitious  for  an 
operatic  career.  For  some  time  he  studied 
law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  but  never 
engaged  in  active  practice.  Upon  the  death 
of  his  father  he  inherited  large  property  in- 
terests and  in  1890  purchased  an  extensive 
tract  of  land  in  Yamhill  county  and  began 
the  development  of  what  became  in  time 
the  finest  orchard  property  in  the  Willamette 
valley.  Always  a  close  and  earnest  student, 
he  devoted  himself  to  a  minute  study  of  apple 
culture  and  the  methods  evolved  by  him  came 
to  be  the  standard  of  scientific  apple  growing 
in  the  state.  To  him  more  than  to  any  other 
individual  belongs  the  credit  for  the  "present 
state  of  prosperity  of  the  Oregon  apple  in- 
dustry. 

In  November,  1910,  Mr.  Lownsdale's  fail- 
ing health  compelled  his  retirement  from 
active  business  and  he  sold  his  orchards  to  an 
eastern  syndicate  for  two  hundred  and  sev- 
enty-five thousand  dollars.  He  did  not,  how- 
ever, give  up  his  interest  in  the  theory  and 
science  of  horticulture.  He  was  a  prolific 
writer  and  his  papers  on  fruit  culture  are 
considered  models  of  their  kind  and  are  con- 
sulted still  as  the  standard  authority.  Being 
an  eloquent  speaker,  he  was  called  upon  at 
different  times  to  address  practically  every 
large  organization  of  orehardists  in  the  state 
and,  in  fact,  throughout  the  entire  American 
northwest.  Thus  it  may  be  seen  that  he  had 
not  only  a  close  and  detailed  knowledge  of 
the  scientific  aspects  of  the  work  in  which 
he  was  interested  but  also  the  rare  faculty 
which  his  great  talents  gave  him  of  impart- 
ing his  knowledge  to  others  in  an  effective 
way.  He  was  happy  in  being  able  to  make 
practical  his  years  of  study  and  to  give  to 
others  the  fruits  of  his  experience,  and  thus 
he  made  his  work  widely  useful  in  promot- 
ing the  wealth,  resources  and,  consequently, 
the  growth  and  advancement  of  the  great 
state  of  Oregon. 

In  December,  1890,  Mr.  Lownsdale  married 
Miss  Lois  Allen,  a  native  of  Yamhill  and  of 
Oregon.  Mr.  Lownsdale's  death  occurred  in 
Portland.  July  24,  1911.  The  Morning  Ore- 
gonian  two  days  later  spoke  of  him  thus: 
"To  the  remaining  few — relatively  speak- 
ing— who  were  in  at  Portland's  beginnings 
the  name  of  Lownsdale  stands  for  enterprise, 
integrity  and  public  spirit.  The  fortunes  of 
the  family  were  in  a  measure  wrecked  some 
years  ago  in  the  shiftings  of  townsite  rights, 
but  were  in  a  great  part  recovered  by  the 
industry  and  persistence  of  its  representa- 
tives.    The   name  will   always  hold  a  place 


^ril.LAKl)  O.  LDWVSDAI,!'. 


THE  N:iVV 
PUBLIC     Ll^..,, 


TILDEN  FOUND 


-1 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


839 


of  honor  in  the  archives  of  Portland  and 
through  the  efforts  of  the  last  survivor  of 
the  original  family  of  Daniel  H.  Lownsdale. 
who  has  but  now  passed  away,  it  will  hold 
an  important  place  in  the  horticultural  devel- 
opment of  the  Willamette  valley. 

"Not  great  men  in  a  political  sense;  not 
masters  ut  finance  wlio  were  able  to  leave 
great  wealth  to  their  posterity,  the  Lowns- 
dales  were  yet  prominent  and  important  fac- 
tors in  the  growth  of  this  city  and  the  state. 
For  these  things  and  for  other  activities  em- 
bodied in  the  term  'good  citizenship'  their 
name  firmly  stands.  The  death  of  the  last 
of  the  trio — father  and  two  son.-i — has  caused 
a  sensation  of  jirofound  regret  and  touched 
a  cord  of  tender  memory   in  many  hearts." 

SAMUEL  MORROW,  president  of  the 
Phoenix  Iron  Works,  of  East  Portland,  was 
born  near  Belfast,  Ireland.  February  26, 
1849.  His  parents  were  William  and  Ann 
(Barkley)  Morrow,  both  of  Spanisli  descent. 
The  ancestors  of  the  Morrow  family  are 
traceable  back  to  Spain,  whence  the}-  re- 
moved to  Scotland  at  an  early  period.  The 
later  generations  have  been  born  in  Ireland, 
where  Mr.  Morrow's  parents  spent  their  en- 
tire lives.  William  and  Ann  (Barkley)  Mor- 
row were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  five  of 
whom  are  still  living,  namely:  two  sisters 
who  still  reside  in  Ireland;  Samuel;  James 
B.,  of  iMilford,  Delaware ;  and  Mrs.  Ann  Mc- 
Keown,  of  Portland,  Oregon. 

Samuel  Morrow  was  born  in  Ireland  and 
remained  in  that  country  until  the  age  of 
seventeen.  In  June,  1S6G,  he  emigrated  to 
America,  first  settling  at  Wilmington,  Dela- 
ware, where  he  lived  until  1881.  He  there 
served  his  apprenticeship  as  an  iron  molder, 
a  period  covering  four  years.  Removing  to 
Portland,  Oregon,  he  worked  at  the  Wil- 
lamette Iron  Works  for  four  years  in  tliat 
capacity,  when  he  was  placed  in  charge  of 
the  WoUT  &  Swizker  Iron  Foundry,  a  posi- 
tion which  he  held  for  three  years.  Sub- 
sequently Mr.  5Iorrow  and  Mr.  Wolff,  a  part- 
ner of  the  former  company,  organized  and 
incorporated  what  is  now  known  as  the 
Phoenix  Iron  Works,  situated  at  Third  street 
and  Hawtliorne  avenue,  the  foundry  being 
located  on  the  corner  of  Union  avenue  and 
Stevens  street.  This  institution  is  at  pres- 
ent the  largest  of  its  kind  in  point  of  capa- 
city in  East  Portland  and  in  their  plant  are 
manufactured  all  kinds  of  heavy  machinery, 
castings  and  wrought  iron  work. 

On  the  2d  of  .Tanuary.  187.3,  Mr.  Morrow 
was  married  to  Miss  Katherine  M.  Carr.  a 
native  of  New  Jersey  and  a  daughter  of 
William  and  Susan  (Stogdonl  Carr.  both  of 
whom  were  born  in  New  Jersey,  where  they 
spent  their  entire  lives.  Mrs.  Morrow  is 
one  of  a  family  of  nine  children,  of  whom 
three  are  still  living,  those  beside  Mrs.  ^lor- 
row  being.  Mrs.  Bennett  and  'Mrs.  Crammer, 
both  of  New  Jersey.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  'Morrow 
have  become  the  parents  of  eleven  children. 
William  and  .-Vnuie  both  died  in  infancy. 
W.  Carr.  born  November  6.  ISTfi.  is  married 
and  resides  in  Tacoma.  Washinsjton.  where 
he  is  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law  in  part- 


nership with  Benjamin  Grosscup,  of  Chi- 
cago. Sanuiel  was  born  August  2,  1878,  and 
died  in  1899.  James  B.  was  born  November 
S.  ISSO.  and  died  on  the  2d  of  December, 
moi.  Benjamin  S.,  who  was  born  in  1884, 
is  a  civil  engineer.  He  is  married  and  re- 
sides in  Portland.  Ann  Barkley,  who  was 
born  in  ISSu,  is  still  at  home.'  Osborn  B.. 
who  was  born  in  1889.  is  attending  Leland 
Stanford  University,  of  California.  Susie  S., 
wlio  was  born  in  1890,  is  married  to  William 
F.  Jones,  who  is  a  geologist.  Wilbur  E., 
who  was  born  in  1894  is  attending  high 
school.  Benjamin,  who  completes  the  family, 
<lied  in  infancy. 

In  politics  Mr.  Morrow  is  a  prohibitionist, 
and  he  and  Iiis  family  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church.  Mr.  Morrow's 
present  prominent  relationship  in  the  manu- 
facturing and  business  world  is  due  entirely 
to  his  lifelong  habits  of  close  attention  to 
business,  thrift,  economy  and  dependency. 
He  has  thus  achieved  a  well  earned  reputa- 
tion for  being  a  reliable  business  man  and 
is  widely  known  in  all  circles  in  Portland. 
As  president  of  the  Phoenix  Ircm  Works  he 
directs  the  operations  of  tliat  concern  with 
ability  and  much  skill  and  under  his  direc- 
tion it  is  doing  a  large  and  constantly  in- 
creasing business. 

JONATHAN  W.  BURKHART,  a  native  of 
Oregon,  has  here  won  a  gratifying  measure 
of  success  as  an  agriculturist,  owning  a  valu- 
able and  well  improved  farm  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres,  two  miles  north  of 
Lebanon.  His  birth  occurred  in  IS.'il.  his  par- 
ents being  Raymond  S.  and  Eliza  (Wassom) 
Burkhart,  the  former  a  native  of  Knoxville, 
Tennessee,  and  the  latter  of  Iowa.  Ray- 
mond S.  Burkhart  removed  to  Iowa  at  an 
early  date  and  in  ]S4r)  crossed  the  plains 
to  Oregon,  arriving  in  Einn  county  in  Febru- 
ary, 1847.  and  settling  four  miles  north  of 
Lebanon.  He  took  up  a  donation  land  claim 
of  six  himdred  and  forty  acres  and  continued 
to  reside  thereon  until  1871.  when  he  divided 
the  place  among  his  childn'n  and  piirchaaed 
another  farm  of  one  hundred  and  eighty 
acres,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his 
life.  His  demise  occurred  in  ISSS,  while  the 
mother  of  our  subject  was  called  to  her  final 
rest  in  IRGl.  Raymond  Burkhart  was  twice 
married  and  by  his  first  wife  had  twelve 
children,  three  of  whom  are  living,  namely: 
Edwin  jr..  who  is  a  ranchman  residing  near 
Albany.  Linn  county,  and  who  is  the  father 
of  si.x  children;  Adelia  F.,  who  makes  her 
home  in  Duarte.  California:  and  .Tonathan 
W.,  of  this  review.  Of  the  children  born  to 
Mr.  Burkhart  and  his  second  wife,  four  are 
living,  as  follows:  .Mmira,  the  wife  of 
Thomas  Donnelly,  of  California:  Laura,  a 
resident  of  Los  .^njeles;  Arthur,  living  in 
Linn  county:  and  Emma,  the  wife  of  Walker 
Lovall.  of  Bcllincrham.  Washincton. 

.Tonathan  W.  Burkhart  assisted  his  father 
in  the  operation  of  the  home  farm  until 
twenty-two  years  of  age  and  then  took 
charge  of  the  property.  He  was  married  in 
IS7.5  and  remained  on  the  old  homestead  for 
four  years   longer.     In    1879.   in   association 


840 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


with  his  brother-in-law,  he  purchased  a  livery 
business  in  Lebanon  and  was  engaged  in  its 
conduct  for  ten  years.  On  the  expiration 
of  that  period  he  sold  out  and  bought  the 
farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  on 
which  he  has  resided  to  the  present  time. 
The  property  is  two  miles  north  of  Lebanon, 
on  the  main  Albany  road.  There  were  some 
improvements  on  the  place  when  Mr.  Burk- 
hart  took  possession,  but  he  has  since 
erected  a  handsome  residence  and  in  many 
other  ways  has  enhanced  the  value  and  at- 
tractiveness of  the  farm.  His  undertakings 
as  an  agriculturist  have  been  attended  with 
success,  and  in  his  home  community  he  is 
known  as  a  substantial  and  respected  citi- 
zen. He  is  a  stockholder  in  the  First  Na- 
tional  Bank   of   Lebanon. 

Jonathan  W.  Burkhart  has  been  married 
twice.  His  first  wife,  w-ho  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Sarah  Bilyeu,  was  a  native  of  Mis- 
souri and  crossed  the  plains  with  her  parents 
when  quite  young.  She  became  the  mother 
of  three  children,  as  follows:  Maggie,  the 
wife  of  Fred  Weldon.  of  Portland.  Oregon, 
by  whom  she  has  two  children;  Frances,  the 
wife  of  0.  R.  Keebler,  a  ranchman  of  Linn 
county,  Oregon,  by  whom  she  has  two  chil- 
dren; and  Ruth  E..  who  gave  her  hand  in 
marriage  to  A.  H.  Shaw,  of  Portland,  Ore- 
gon. For  his  second  wife  Mr.  Burkhart 
chose  Miss  Stella  K.  Fronk.  a  native  of  Ore- 
gon, and  a  daughter  of  John  W.  and  Sarah 
J.  (JtcKnightl  Fronk.  John  W.  Fronk 
crossed  the  plains  in  1852,  and  while  en 
route  lost  his  wife,  who  died  of  cholera.  He 
afterward  married  Miss  Sarah  J.  McKnight, 
by  whom  he  had  eight  children,  namely: 
Joseph  T>.,  who  is  a  resident  of  Lebanon. 
Oregon;  William,  also  living  at  Lebanon: 
John  H..  of  Seattle.  Washington;  Ruby,  the 
wife  of  George  W.  Wyer,  of  California ;  Mrs. 
Stella  Burkhart;  Emma,  the  wife  of  B.  F. 
Simonds.  of  Lebanon.  Oregon;  Mary  E.,  de- 
ceased; and  Monna  M.,  the  wife  of  E.  E. 
Parr,  of  Brownsville.  Oregon. 

Jonathan  W.  Burkhart  is  a  democrat.  He 
has  served  as  a  member  of  the  city  council 
in  Lebanon  and  made  a  creditable  record  in 
that  connection.  Fraternally  he  is  identi- 
fied with  the  Masons,  being  a  worthy  ex- 
emplar of  the  craft.  Both  he  and  his  wife 
have  spent  their  entire  lives  in  the  Sunset 
state  and  are  well  entitled  to  representation 
among    its   worthy    and   esteemed   residents. 

WILLIAM  T.  STUDLEY  operates  a  hay 
and  grain  ranch  of  five  hundred  and  forty 
acres,  the  greater  part  of  which  is  devoted 
to  the  production  of  crops,  which  is  the 
property  of  S.  J.  Studley.  his  father.  Wil- 
liam T.  Studley  was  born  on  the  2Tth  of 
•January.  18SS.  and  is  a  son  of  Silas  J.  and 
:Mary  jane  (Stanley)  Studley.  His  father 
is  a  native  of  Maine  and  was  born  in  Wal- 
doboro.  Lincoln  county,  on  March  17.  1844. 
His  parents  were  Thomas  and  Hannah  (Gil- 
christ) Studley.  the  former  of  whom  was 
born  on  the  ocean,  while  his  parents  were 
traveling  from  England  to  America.  The 
grandmother  of  our  subject  was  a  native  of 
Maine  and   she  and   her  husband   resided   in 


that  section  until  their  deaths.  Silas  J. 
Studley  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 
of  his  native  section  and  for  a  while  worked 
in  the  shipyards  of  Maine.  At  the  age  of 
twenty  he  made  his  way  to  the  Shasta  val- 
ley, California,  having  traveled  by  way  of 
the  Isthmus  of  Panama.  He  spent  some  time 
in  San  Francisco,  where  he  engaged  in  min- 
ing, following  this  line  of  occupation  later 
in  Yreka.  He  was  engaged  in  stock-raising 
in  Adin  until  1869,  when  he  assisted  in  driv- 
ing the  first  herd  of  cattle  to  the  Big  valley 
from  Yreka.  He  came  to  Oregon  in  1876, 
locating  on  the  site  of  the  present  town  of 
Lakeview.  Here  he  operated  a  ranch,  which 
he  improved  and  developed  until  1881,  when 
he  disposed  of  this  property  and  purchased 
land  in  the  same  section,  upon  which  he  re- 
sided until  1909.  He  was  one  of  the  largest 
property  owners  in  Lakeview,  being  pro- 
prietor of  thirteen  hundred  acres  of  land  in 
three  difi'erent  tracts,  all  well  improved  and 
productive  and  engaged  extensively  in  stock- 
raising  and  kept  a  fine  herd  of  gi-aded  cattle. 
On  the  home  place  is  a  fine  modern  ten-room 
residence,  two  good  barns  and  other  sub- 
stantial outbuildings.  Silas  J.  Studley  has 
also  a  tract  planted  in  orchard  in  Sonoma 
county,  California,  raising  fruits  of  different 
kinds.  On  September  11,  1873,  he  married 
Miss  Mary  J.  Stanley,  a  native  of  Yreka, 
California,  where  her  birth  occurred  on  June 
16,  18.55.  She  is  a  daughter  of  William  and 
Johanna  Stanley,  pioneers  in  the  settlement 
of  Oregon,  who  crossed  the  plains  with  ox 
teams  in  1853.  In  the  family  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Silas  J.  Studley  were  eight  children: 
Jerome,  who  died  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years; 
Harry,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-one; 
Bertha,  who  passed  away  at  the  age  of  three 
years:  May.  who  died  when  eighteen  months 
old;  Chester,  who  is  living  in  Sonoma.  Cali- 
fornia; William  T.;  Alsy.  the  wife  of  E.  F. 
Converse,  of  Sonoma;  and  Oscar,  who  is 
also  living  in  Sonoma. 

William  T.  Studley  was  brought  up  to 
farm  life  and  the  occupation  to  which  he  was 
reared  he  has  chosen  to  make  his  chief 
pursuit.  For  the  past  two  years  he  has 
lived  upon  his  present  place,  giving  his  at- 
tention to  the  further  development  and  im- 
provement of  the  ranch,  the  condition  of 
which  indicates  his  care  in  its  attractive  ap- 
pearance. He  belongs  to  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World  and  he  has  those  substantial  qualities 
which  in  every  land  and  clime  beget  con- 
fidence and  regard.  In  October.  1908.  he  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Maude  Ross,  who  was 
born  in  Xebraska.  on  October  6.  1890.  and  is 
a   daughter  of  F.  L.  Ross. 

FRED  S.  WEATHERLY  is  carrying  on 
general  farming  and  stock-raising  on  two 
hundred  and  sixteen  acres  of  land  in  Doug- 
las county.  Oregon,  and  his  intelligent  activ- 
ity has  brought  his  property  to  a  high  state 
of  cultivation  and  has  ranked  him  among 
expert  breeders  of  high-grade  cattle.  Jlr. 
Weatherly  is  a  native  son  of  Oregon  and 
was  born  on  the  old  Weatherly  homestead 
three  miles  south  of  Elkton  in  Douglas 
countv.  March   1.  1869.     He  is  a  son  of  An- 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


841 


sel  and  Sarah  (Davis)  Weatherly.  His 
father  was  born  in  New  York,  but  subse- 
quently removed  with  his  parents  to  Illi- 
nois and,  while  still  a  boy,  crossed  the  plains 
to  Oregon  in  the  Dimmick  caravan,  landing 
In  tnis  state  in  1852.  Here  he  completed 
his  education  and  grew  to  manhood.  He 
married  in  Douglas  county  and  took  up  a 
homestead  claim,  upon  which  he  resided  for 
a  number  of  years.  He  eventually  sold  his 
original  property  and  removed  to  the  dona- 
tion claim  which  at  one  time  belonged  to 
Asa  Wells,  who  was  his  wife's  maternal 
grandfather  and  one  of  the  early  settlers  of 
Oregon.  This  property  is  located  two  miles 
south  of  Elkton,  and  the  elder  Mr,  Weather- 
ly gavfe  his  entire  time  and  attention  to 
its  scientific  cultivation  until  his  death  in 
August,  1889,  when  he  was  more  than  sistj' 
years  of  age. 

Fred  Weatherly  was  reared  at  home  and 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Doug- 
las county,  ^^^len  he  was  eighteen  years 
of  age  he  began  farming  for  himself  as  a 
renter.  He  married  in  1890  and  in  the  same 
year  bought  eighty  acres  which  now  form 
a  part  of  his  present  holdings.  He  began 
the  cultivation  of  his  soil  and  soon  had  his 
property  highly  developed  and  improved. 
Two  years  after  his  original  purchase  he 
bought  an  adjoining  one  hundred  and  thirty- 
six  acres  and  is  now  the  proprietor  of  two 
hundred  and  si.xteen  acres  of  productive 
farm  land  in  Oregon.  Upon  this  he  carries 
on  general  farming  and  specializes  in  the 
breeding  and  raising  of  high-grade  horses 
and  cattle.  He  is  an  expert  judge  of  live 
stock  and  has  gained  a  reputation  in  this 
line  of  activity. 

Mrs.  Weatherly  was  in  her  maidenhood 
Miss  Esther  McCollum.  of  Kellogg.  Douglas 
county,  and  a  daughter  of  .John  B.  McCol- 
lum, who  came  from  Missouri  to  Oregon  in 
1872.  Mrs.  Weatherly  has  been  an  active 
aid  to  her  husband  in  his  rapidly  successful 
career  and  has  many  friends  in  the  district 
in  which  she  lives.  She  is  a  member  of  the 
Christian  church  of  Elkton  and  is  active  in 
religious  circles.  In  his  political  views  Mr. 
Weatherly  is  a  consistent  repiiblican  but  has 
never  sought  public  office.'  He  belongs  to 
Elkton  Lodge.  No.  132.  I.  O.  0.  F.,  and  is 
also  a  member  of  Elkton  Lodge,  No,  5786, 
M.  W.  A.  His  career  has  always  been  up- 
right and  honorable  and  in  its  actiN'ities  he 
has  always  been  actuated  by  high  standards 
acquired  in  his  youth.  He  realizes  that  the 
development  of  his  section  is  directly  de- 
pendent upon  the  success  of  its  individual 
citizens,  and  he  welcomes  his  personal  pros- 
perity as  a  factor  in  county  and  state  ex- 
pansion. 

JAMES  PHILLIPPE  TAMIESIE,  M.  D. 
The  activities  of  Dr.  -Tames  Phillippe  Tamic- 
sie  cover  a  wide  range,  for  he  is  not  only  a 
successful  physician  and  surgeon  but  is  also 
engaged  in  dairying,  is  connected  with  hank- 
in;:  and  is  the  owner  of  valuable  real  estate. 
In  all  business  ventures  and  investments  he 
manifests  sound  and  discriminating  judgment 
and  carries   forward  to  successful  completion 


whatever  he  undertakes.  His  worth  as  a 
business  man  and  citizen  is  widely  acknowl- 
edged in  Hillsboro,  Washington  countv.  where 
he  has  made  his  home  since  1892.  'He  was 
born  in  Pottawattamie  county,  Iowa.  Novem- 
ber 14,  1861,  a  son  of  .Jean  Batiste  Tamiesie, 
who  was  a  native  of  Syracuse,  New  York, 
The  grandfather  was  one  of  the  French  colon- 
ists to  establish  the  salt  works  of  Onondaga 
county,  New  York,  and  in  early  life  .Jean 
Batiste  Tamiesie  became  connected  with  the 
business  of  that  i)lace  but  later  turned  his 
attention  to  general  agricultural  pursuits. 
After  leaving  the  Empire  state  when  a  young 
man,  he  removed  westward  to  Iowa,  and  after 
residing  there  for  a  considerable  period,  came 
to  Oregon  in  1879,  Here  he  took  up  con- 
tracting and  farming  and  purchased  a 
tract  of  land  in  Washington  county,  which 
he  carefully  and  successfully  cultivated 
up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred 
in  1910.  His  wife  bore  the  maiden  name  of 
Phi!li]iene  Goffette,  and  was  born  of  French 
])arentage,  although  her  birth  occurred  across 
tlie  border  in  Belgium,  By  her  marriage  she 
became  the  mother  of  ten  children,  eight  of 
whom  are  living:  John  Henry,  a  mechanical 
engineer  of  this  city;  James  P, ;  Marie; 
Victor  .J.,  living  in  Oregon;  Augustus  E.,  who 
is  the  first  assistant  physician  in  the  insane 
asylum  at  Salem;  George  W.,  a  practicing 
physician  of  Portland:  Kathcrine,  the  wife  of 
William  Reiling,  of  Hillsboro;  and  Joseph,  a 
dentist,  now  practicing  in  Portland, 

When  about  six  years  of  age  Dr,  Tamiesie 
became  a  pupil  in  the  public  schools  of  Iowa 
and  after  coming  to  Oregon  with  his 
parents,  studied  at  home,  using  his  leisure 
hours  to  improve  his  knowleiige.  He  was 
trained  to  habits  of  industry  and  economy 
upon  the  old  homestead  and  early  became  fa- 
miliar with  the  best  methods  of  tilling  the 
soil.  However,  he  made  substantial  progress 
in  his  studies  and  when  twenty-three  years 
of  age  began  teaching,  proving  quite  capable 
in  that  profession.  The  money  acquired 
throuirh  his  work  in  the  schoolroom  enabled 
liim  to  continue  his  own  education  in  1885, 
at  which  time  he  was  matriculated  in  the 
Oregon  State  University,  being  there  gradu- 
ated from  the  medical  department  with  the 
class  of  1889.  Subsequently  he  pursued  a 
post-graduate  course  in  Bellevue  College  Hos- 
pital at  New  Y'ork,  after  which  he  returned 
to  the  northwest  and  located  in  Washington, 
near  Spokane,  as  physician  and  surgeon  for 
the  Northern  Pacific  Railway  Company.  For 
two  years  he  occupied  that  position  and  in 
1892  came  to  Hillsboro.  where  he  entered  upon 
the  general  practice  of  medicine  and  surgery. 
His  careful  preparation  has  made  him  well 
qualified  for  the  work  that  he  has  under- 
taken and  since  beginning  practice  he  has  con- 
tinued a  close  student  of  the  science  of  medi- 
cine and  bv  reading  and  investigation  has 
kept  in  touch  with  the  advanceii  work  of  the 
most  prominent  nuMubers  of  the  profession. 
He  has  also  proven  himself  a  capable  busi- 
ness uu\n  in  other  connections  and  is  now 
operating  a  dairy  farm  three  miles  north  of 
Hillsboro.  while  'in  the  Big  Bend  country  in 
Grant    county,    Washington,    he    owns    two 


842 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


wheat  ranches.  It  was  Dr.  Tamiesie  who  or- 
ganized the  first  condensed  milk  factory  in 
the  state  of  Oregon  and  on  the  12th  of  De- 
cember, 1903,  was  made  the  first  can  of  con- 
ilensed  milk  in  this  state.  The  business  was 
originally  his  individual  enterprise  but  later 
was  incorporated  and  conducted  under  com- 
pany management  for  four  years.  At  the  end 
of  that  time,  owing  to  the  pressure  of  other 
business  interests,  Dr.  Tamiesie  disposed  of 
nis  holdings  in  the  factory  to  good  advantage. 
He  is  a  director  in  the  Shute  Savings  and 
American  National  Bank  and  is  the  owner  of 
considerable  valuable  real  estate,  including  an 
addition  to  Hillsboro  in  the  south  part  of  the 
city  called  the  South  Park  addition.  He  also 
erected  and  yet  owns  the  Washington  Hotel, 
a  three-story  structure  fifty  by  one  hundred 
feet,  being  built  of  reinforced  concrete.  The 
grounds  cover  a  quarter  of  a  block  and  the 
hotel  is  most  conveniently  arranged  for  the 
comfort  and  welfare  of  guests.  Dr.  Tamiesie 
also  owns  the  block  of  buildings  in  which  his 
office  is  located  and  his  reaUy  holdings  are 
the  visible  evidence  of  an  active  business  life 
in  which  labor  and  careful  investment  have 
brought  substantial  and  gratifying  returns. 

In  January,  1890,  occurred  the  marriage  of 
Dr.  Tamiesie  and  Miss  Ruth  A.  Wilcox,  who 
was  born  in  Reno,  Nevada,  a  daughter  of 
J.  W.  and  Susanah  (Gill)  Wilcox,  the  for- 
mer a  stock-raiser  and  farmer.  Unto  the 
Doctor  and  his  wife  have  been  born  two 
children,  Lura  Eabette  and  Kenneth  Leon. 
The  parents  are  prominent  socially  and  haTe 
an  extensive  circle  of  warm  friends  in  Hills- 
boro, where  the  hospitality  of  the  best 
homes  is  freely  accorded  them.  In  his  po- 
litical views  Dr.  Tamiesie  is  an  earnest  re- 
publican, believing  that  the  principles  of  the 
party  are  best  calculated  to  conserve  the 
best  interests  of  good  government.  He  is 
chairman  of  the  school  board  for  the  dis- 
trict of  Hillsboro.  is  well  known  in  various 
fraternal  organizations,  including  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America  and  the  Artisans, 
and  his  religious  faith  is  indicated  by  his 
membership  in  and  support  of  the  Congre- 
gational church.  His  has  been  a  well  spent 
and  useful  life,  of  worth  to  his  fellowmen 
as  well  as  to  himself,  and  the  talent  and 
ability  which  he  has  displayed  as  a  physi- 
cian and  surgeon,  are  equally  balanced  by 
the  resourcefulness  and  capability  which  he 
has  manifested  in  the  management  of  in- 
dustrial   and    financial    interests. 

WILLIAM  HENRY  DRAKE,  who  is  living 
retired  in  Silverton.  is  one  of  the  largest  tax 
payers  and  most  extensive  property  owners 
in  this  section  of  Jlarion  county.  He  was 
born  in  Ohio  on  the  6th  of  April,  1S47.  and 
is  a  son  of  John  M.  and  Elizabeth  ( Thomp- 
son 1  Drake,  the  father  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania and  the  mother  of  Ohio.  Both  fam- 
ilies are  of  English  extraction,  the  paternal 
forefathers  being  direct  descendants  of  Sir 
Francis  Drake.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Drake  were 
married  in  Ohio,  in  1846.  and  to  them  were 
born  the  following  children,  of  whom  our 
subject  is  the  eldest:     John  T..  of  Markhara. 


Oregon;  Charles  W.,  deceased;  one,  who  died 
in  infancy;  Emma  J.,  the  widow  of  Alexander 
Ross,  of  Portland;  Francis,  who  is  also  de- 
ceased; and  EUie  J.,  the  widow  of  Roscoe 
Langley. 

As  he  was  only  a  child  of  five  years  when 
he  accompanied  his  parents  on  their  removal 
to  Oregon,  practically  the  entire  life  of  Wil- 
liam Henry  Drake  has  been  passed  in  this 
state.  The  journey  from  Ohio  to  St.  Joseph, 
Missouri,  was  made  by  water  and  from  there 
the  family  crossed  the  plains  with  wagon  and 
ox  teams.  They  arrived  in  The  Dalles  too 
lafe  in  the  autumn  to  cross  the  mountains, 
so  they  w'ent  down  the  river  below  the  Cas- 
cades and  finally  reached  Oregon  City  in  the 
early  winter.  That  first  year  they  encoun- 
tered all  of  the  hardships  and  privations  in- 
cident to  pioneering,  not  only  finding  it  dif- 
ficult to  provide  feed  and  shelter  for  their 
stock,  but  having  a  desperately  hard  strug- 
gle at  times  to  procure  food  for  themselves. 
In  the  spring  the  father  filed  on  a  donation 
claim  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in 
the  southern  part  of  Clackamas  county,  a 
portion  of  which  is  now  the  property  of 
John  T.  Drake,  a  brother  of  our  subject. 
Here  William  Henry  Drake  was  reared  to 
manhood  and  was  given  the  rudiments  of 
a  common-school  education.  Wlien  he  was 
seventeen  he  left  home  to  become  a  wage 
earner  and  during  the  first  year  engaged  at 
any  work  that  came  to  hand.  At  the  ex- 
piration of  that  period  he  apprenticed  him- 
self to  the  blacksmith's  trade,  following  this 
occupation  for  twenty-five  years.  In  1890, 
he  disposed  of  his  business  and  invested  in 
a  ranch,  beginning  with  a  tract  of  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres.  Later  he  increased 
his  holdings  by  addition  of  another  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  and  he  subsequently 
bought  another  tract  of  two  hundred  and 
fortjf  acres.  His  home  is  located  on  a  twelve- 
acre  tract  in  Silverton.  and  all  the  remainder 
of  his  property  adjoins  this.  For  fifteen 
years  he  was  successfully  engaged  in  the  cul- 
tivation of  his  land,  but  in  1905  he  withdrew 
from  agricultural  pursuits  and  is  now  rent- 
ing his  property,  with  the  exception  of  the 
twelve  acres  which  comprise  the  home  place. 

For  his  wife  and  helpmate,  Mr.  Drake 
chose  5Iiss  Lavina  H.  Small,  a  native  of  In- 
diana and  a  daughter  of  Isaac  and  Esther 
.4nn  (Campbell)  Small.  The  parents  of  Mrs. 
William  H.  Drake  were  natives  of  Ohio  and 
were  married  in  Indiana,  where  the  father 
followed  farming.  In  1854  they  came  to 
Oregon,  settling  in  Marion  county,  where 
Isaac  Small  continued  in  his  former  occupa- 
tion until  he  removed  to  Silverton.  where 
he  engaged  in  carpenter  work  in  later  years. 
P>oth  parents  passed  away  in  Marion  county. 
Of  nine  children  born  to  them,  seven  are  now 
living,  namely:  Ellwood.  Mrs.  Drake.  Cal- 
vin. Sarah  Woolford.  Isaac.  Ada  Mathais 
and  Hettie.  William  H.  Drake  has  been  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  since  1875, 
and  his  father  was  likewise  affiliated  with 
this  order,  having  been  a  charter  member  of 
Multnomah  Lodse.  No.  1.  A.  F.  &  A.  M..  of 
Oregon  City.  Mr.  Drake  is  also  identified 
with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 


> 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


845 


His  iiolitieal  support  is  given  to  the  repub- 
litaii  party  and  he  lias  always  taken  an  ac- 
tive interest  in  municipal  affairs.  He  as- 
sisted in  incorporating  the  city  and  had  the 
distinction  of  being  a  member  of  the  first 
council.  Progressive  and  enterprising  in  his 
ideas  ^vith  high  standards  of  citizenship,  lie 
has  made  many  stanch  friends  here  during 
the  long  period  of  his  residence  in  Marion 
county,  and  is  accorded  the  esteem  and  re- 
spect that  is  always  paid  to  men  of  integri- 
ty and.  good   principles. 

HON.   ARCHIE  J.   JOHNSON.     'Thrift   of 
time,"   said   William    K.    (Jladstoue.    "will   re- 
pay you  in  after  life  with  a  usury  of  profit 
beyond    your    most     sanguine     dreams,    and 
waste    of    it    will    make    you    dwindle    alike 
in     intellectual     and    moral    stature     beyond 
your    darkest    reckoning."      This    statement 
linds    verification    in    the    record    of    Archie 
J.   .Johnson,   who   in   all   of   his   life   seems  to 
have    improved    every    opportunity    that    has 
presented   itself   nor   wasted   a   moment   that 
might   be  advantageously  used.     He  has  dis- 
played   both    initiative    spirit    and    a   genius 
for   organization   and,  never  fearing  to  ven- 
ture where  favoring  opportunity  led  the  way, 
has    reached    a    commanding    position    among 
the  citizens  of  Benton  county.     One  interest 
alone    does    not      indicate   the   scope    of   his 
activities,   for   his   eft'orts   have   extended   to 
many    lines,   covering    agricultural,    commer- 
cial,  industrial    and    financial    interests,   and 
aside    from    all    these    fields,    in    which    his 
labors   have   brought  him  profit,  he  has  put 
forth    effective    efforts    for    the    benefit    and 
upbuilding    of    his   city   and   state    and,   both 
as    public    official    and    private    citizen,    has 
cooperated  largely  and  generously  where  the 
general   welfare  of  the  community  has  been 
involved.     He  has  held  the  highest  positions 
in   the   gift   of  his   city   and   county   and   in 
each    instance   has    fully    justified   the    confi- 
dence  reposed   in   him   by   his  fellow  citizens. 
One  of  Oregon's   native  sons,  he   was   born 
in  Marion  county,  three  miles  northwest  of 
Jefferson,   on   the    18th   of   September,   1867, 
a    son    and    a    grandson    of    pioneers.      His 
paternal     grandfather,    Hiram    Alvah    John- 
son,    was     born     in     St.     Lawrence    county. 
New   \*ork,  February   18,   1819,  and   in   early 
life  removed  to  the  middle  west,  making  his 
home    in    Illinois    until    1847.      In    that    year 
he  joined  those  sturdy  men  who  turned  their 
faces    toward    the    great    northwest,    deter- 
mined  to    seek   homes    and    fortunes    in   the 
wild   and   uncultivated   territory   which   held 
out  rich  promises  to  the  ambitious  and  reso- 
lute.   Crossing  the  plains  with  o.\  teams,  he 
made  his  way  to  Marion  county,  Oregon,  tak- 
ing up  a  donation  claim  near  .Jefferson,  con- 
sisting of  six  hundred  and  forty  acres.    The 
succeeding    twenty-eight    years    were    passed 
by  him  either  on  that  farm  or  as  a  resident 
of  the  town  of  .Jefferson,  carrying  on  general 
merchandising    in    that    city    for    six    years. 
At  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  removed 
to    Salem,    and    that    remained    his    place    of 
residence    until    the    time    of    his    death,    in 
February,   1896,   when   he   was   seventy-seven 
vears    of    age.      His    wife    passed    away    two 
Vol.  IV— 35 


years  later.  He  gave  his  political  support 
to  the  republican  party  and  for  twelve  vears 
served  as  justice  of  the  peace  at  siilem, 
while  his  religious  faith  was  that  of  the 
Christian  church.  In  his  family  were  eight 
children  of  whom  seven  grew  to  maturity 
while  six,  five  sons  and  one  daughter,  are 
living. 

John  Charles  Johnson,  the  son  of  Hiram 
Johnson  and  the  father  of  our  subject,  was 
born  while  his  parents  were  residing  in 
Illinois,  his  birth  occurring  on  May  29, 
1842.  After  the  family  home  was  "estab- 
lished in  Oregon  he  continued  on  his  father's 
farm  until  1869,  in  which  year  he  purchased 
a  tract  of  one  thousand  acres  located  three 
miles  north  of  Scio,  in  Linn  county,  and  there 
began  business  on  his  own  account,  engaging 
in  farming  and  stock-raising  and  meeting 
with  excellent  success.  His  time  was  thus 
occupied  until  the  year  1874,  when  he  entered 
the  general  mercantile  business  in  Scio  in 
partnership  with  J.  J.  Brown,  this  relation- 
ship maintaining  for  one  year.  Later  the 
firm  of  Johnson  Brothers  was  established, 
but  at  the  end  of  four  years  John  C.  .John- 
son sold  his  interest  and  for  two  years 
lived  retired,  after  which  he  again  entered 
the  business  world  as  a  partner  of  Riley 
Shelton.  After  four  years  thus  spent  he 
once  more  retired,  but  at  the  end  of  another 
four  years,  in  1889,  joined  his  son  Archie  J., 
with  whom  he  operated  for  one  year.  Sell- 
ing his  interests  at  the  expiration  of  that 
time  to  Ross  E.  Hibler,  he  removed  to 
Salem  in  the  fall  of  1890.  where  lie  still 
maintains  his  residence.  In  1864  he  married 
Jliss  Violetta  Gunsaules,  who  was  born  in 
Indiana  in  1844,  a  daughter  of  Manuel 
Gunsaules,  who  was  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, whence  he  later  moved  to  Ohio.  At 
the  age  of  fifteen  years  he  took  up  his 
residence  in  Illinois,  which  remained  his 
home  until  the  year  1851,  when  he  crossed 
the  plains  with  his  family,  locating  about  a 
mile  and  a  half  east  of  .jetferson.  in  Marion 
county,  Oregon.  There  he  secured  a  donation 
claim  upon  which  he  spent  his  remaining 
years,  his  death  occurring  in  1878,  when  he 
was  sixty-four  years  of  age. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  .John  C.  .Johnson  seven 
children  were  born,  and  of  the  five  who  sur- 
vive Archie  J.,  of  this  review,  was  the 
second  in  order  of  birth.  His  preliminary 
education  was  received  in  the  common  schools, 
and  after  completing  the  course  therein 
taught,  he  entered  the  Portland  Business  Col- 
lege, in  the  fall  of  18S5.  He  was  a  particu- 
larly apt  student,  his  record  in  that 
institution  being  remarkable,  as  he  completed 
the  course  in  less  time  than  had  any  preced- 
ing pupil.  He  had  early  displayed  marked 
business  ability,  having  at  the  age  of  four- 
teen years  become  clerk  in  a  general  store 
at  Scio,  performing  the  duties  of  that  posi- 
tion in  connection  with  the  ao(]uirement  of 
his  education.  At  the  .ige  of  sixteen  years  he 
entered  the  employ  of  Johnson  &  Shelton  in 
the  capacity  of  bookkeeper  and  head  sales- 
man, and  ably  and  faithfully  served  the 
interests  of  that  firm  until  the  year  1887. 
when  he  became  time  keeper  for  the  Oregon 


846 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


Pacilic  Railway  Company,  but  withdrew  from 
that  connection  to  identity  himself  with  mer- 
cantile pursuits  in  Scio.  In  the  spring  of 
1SS8 .  he  went  to  Seattle,  Washington,  and 
tliere  engaged  in  the  real-estate  business 
during  the  succeeding  year  and  a  half,  after 
which  he  returned  to  Scio  and  joined  his 
father  in  the  operation  of  a  general  mercantile 
store.  Later  he  continued  in  the  same  line 
of  business  in  partnership  with  Mr.  Hibler 
and  in  1891  sold  his  interest,  removing,  in 
January  of  the  following  year,  to  Salem. 
That  city  remained  his  home  until  November 
of  that  year,  when  he  once  more  returned 
to  Scio  and  in  connection  with  T.  J.  Hunkers 
purchased  the  controlling  interest  in  the  bank 
of  Scio,  assuming  the  duties  of  cashier  and 
manager.  Two  years  later  he  bought  out 
his  partner's  interest  in  the  bank,  becoming 
its  president,  his  brother,  C.  V.  Johnson, 
accepting  the  position  as  cashier  in  1896. 
A.  .J.  Johnson  remained  at  the  head  of  that 
institution  until  the  fall  of  1900,  and  in  the 
meantime,  in  1895,  had  purchased  a  half 
interest  in  a  flour  mill  located  at  Seio,  in 
connection  with  the  operation  of  which  he 
built  up,  during  the  ensuing  five  years,  a 
large  export  business  in  flour.  In  1900  he 
disposed  of  both  industrial  and  financial 
interests  and  bought  forty-one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  land  lying  in  Benton  and  Polk 
counties,  upon  which,  in  connection  with  his 
brother,  C.  V.  Johnson,  and  his  brother-in-law, 
J.  C.  Simpson,  he  engaged  on  a  large  scale 
in  the  stock-raising  business.  He  made  a 
specialty  of  registered  stock,  including  short- 
horn and  Hereford  cattle  and  other  high 
grades  of  cattle,  sheep  and  goats,  and  in  this 
line  of  activity  was  extremely  successful. 
He  also  branched  out  along  other  lines,  in 
partnership  with  Ross  E.  Hibler  engaging  ex- 
tensively in  buying  wools  and  mohairs 
throughout  the  Willamette  valley.  In  1900  he 
was  appointed  national  bank  examiner  for 
the  northwest  district,  including  the  states  of 
Oregon,  Washington,  Montana,  Idaho,  and 
Wyoming,  but  the  latter  state  was  detached 
from  his  district  on  the  first  of  April,  1903. 
In  1906  he  resigned  this  position  in  order  to 
devote  his  entire  time  and  attention  to  the 
organization  of  a  national  bank  at  Corvallis. 
He  erected  the  beautiful  building  which  is 
now  the  home  of  the  bank  and  on  July,  1907, 
the  Benton  County  National  Bank  opened  its 
doors  for  business.  Throughout  the  interven- 
ing five  years  the  growth  of  that  enterprise 
has  been  remarkable,  the  volume  of  its  busi- 
ness having  in  the  meantime  reached  the  six 
hundred  thousand  dollar  mark.  Its  capital 
and  surplus  amount  to  seventy-five  thousand 
dollars  and  its  officers  are:  A.  .J.  Johnson, 
president:  J.  F.  Yates,  vice  president:  and 
Floyd  E.  Bogue  and  John  F.  Porter,  assistant 
cashiers.  It  is  one  of  the  strong  and  sub- 
stantial moneyed  institutions  of  this  part  of 
Oregon,  its  safe,  conservative  policy  and  the 
character  of  its  personnel  having  begotten  the 
confidence  and  trust  of  the  general  public, 
and  as  its  head  A.  J.  Johnson  occupies  a  fore- 
most position  in  financial  circles  in  Benton 
county.  In  addition  to  his  banking  interests 
he  has  heavy  real-estate  investments  in  Ore- 


gon and  Washington.  He  has  jdatted  a 
number  of  additions  to  the  city  of  Seattle, 
and  his  holdings  in  this  state  include  prop- 
erty in  Portland,  Salem  and  in  Benton 
county.  He  is  still  interested  in  agricul- 
tural enterprises,  being  one  of  the  organizers 
and  a  director  of  the  Oregon  Apple  Companv 
of  Benton  county,  which  is  developing  about 
one  thousand  acres  in  the  southern  part  of 
the  county,  and  he  continues  to  indulge  his 
fancy  for  high-grade  stock,  keeping  a  fine 
herd  of  registered  Jersey  cattle  and  Plamp- 
shire  Down  sheep  on  his  farm  north  of 
Corvallis. 

In  January,  1888,  Mr.  .Johnson  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Linnie  Young,  who  was 
born  in  Minnesota  and  came  to  Oregon  in 
1875  with  her  parents,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nathan 
Young.  The  mother  is  now  deceased  but  the 
father  survives  at  the  age  of  eighty-four 
years,  making  his  home  at  Scio.  To  Mr  and 
Mrs.  Johnson  have  been  born  six  children, 
namely:  Cleo,  the  wife  of  J.  F.  Porter, 
assistant  cashier  of  the  Benton  County  Na- 
tional Bank;  Zeta;  Elmo  E.:  Barrel  D.; 
Orlo  0.;  and  Wanda.  In  1903  Mr.  Johnson 
took  up  his  abode  in  Corvallis.  where  he  has 
since  resided,  and  at  present  is  erecting  a 
new  home  on  the  corner  of  Nintli  and  Harri- 
son streets,  which  is  one  of  the  finest  in  the 
city. 

Although  the  business  interests  of  Archie 
J.  Johnson  have  been  extensive  and  varied, 
they  have  been  but  one  phase  in  his  career, 
for  he  has  never  permitted  them  to  exclude 
his  active  participation  in  other  matters 
which  are  vital  infiuences  in  the  life  of 
any  community.  His  fraternal  relations  are 
with  the  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America,  his  membership  in  the 
former  being  in  the  subordinate  lodge,  the 
encampment  and  Rebekah  lodge,  with  which 
he  has  been  identified  for  many  years.  He 
belongs  to  the  First  Presbyterian  church  and 
for  many  years  served  as  a  member  of  its 
board  of  trustees,  of  which  he  is  also  chair- 
man. He  was  also  chairman  of  the  building 
committee  which  erected  the  beautiful 
church  edifice  here  at  a  cost  of  thirty 
thousand  dollars.  Although  since  1910  he 
has  retired  from  public  life,  in  former  years 
Mr.  Johnson  has  been  one  of  the  most  potent 
forces  in  the  politics  of  the  state,  serving  on 
various  important  committees  ond  organizing 
and  supporting  many  needed  reforms  and 
improvements.  He  is  a  stanch  republican 
and  his  party  has  awarded  him  with  many 
positions  of  honor  and  trust.  He  served  as 
councilman  of  Scio  for  two  terms,  and  for 
one  term  as  mayor  of  that  town.  He  was 
scliool  director  there  for  two  terms,  and  was 
chairman  of  the  board  of  education  when  the 
Scio  scliiiol  building  was  erected,  being  one  of 
the  promoters  of  that  project.  In  June, 
1894,  he  was  elected  to  the  state  senate 
from  Linn  county  and  served  for  four  years, 
during  which  period  he  came  into  prominence 
in  Oregon  as  one  of  the  potent  forces  in 
state  affairs.  In  1S07  he  was  the  promoter 
of  the  bill  to  tax  foreign  companies  when 
operating  within  the  limits  of  the  state,  but 
the   bill    was   not   brought   up   for   considera- 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


847 


tion,  owing  to  the  failure  to  organize  the 
house  throughout  the  entire  session.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  state  central  committee, 
for  a  number  of  years,  and  also  of  the 
county  central  committee  and  in  recogni- 
tion of  his  great  public  spirit  and  sound 
judgment  was  called  to  serve  on  numer- 
ous important  committees.  After  taking 
up  his  home  in  Corvallis  he  was  elected 
to  the  city  council  and  in  1905  was  the  peo- 
ple's choice  for  mayor,  serving  in  that 
capacity  for  two  years.  He  declined  a  second 
term,  however,  in  order  to  again  take  up  the 
duties  of  state  senator,  having  been  elected 
to  represent  Benton  county  in  1900.  During 
his  four  years  of  service  in  that  office  he 
was  instrumental  in  furthering  the  inter- 
ests of  his  county  and  city  in  a  large 
measure.  Chief  among  his  labors  was  the 
fight  which  he  made  for  an  improved 
municipal  water  system,  whereby  the  city 
was  supplied  with  piire  mountain  water, 
where  formerly  the  supply  had  been  drawn 
from  the  river.  This  not  only  proved  the 
best  investment  the  city  has  ever  made  but 
has  been  the  means  of  saving  a  large  amount 
of  money  as  well.  He  was  the  father  of  the 
famous  "'.Jolmson  Good  Roads"  bill,  which 
was  of  utmost  importance  in  bringing  about 
better  road  facilities  and  communications. 
In  fact,  matters  of  local  interest  find  a 
warm  friend  in  Mr.  Johnson,  who  as  an 
active  member  and  former  president  of  the 
Commercial  Club  of  Corvallis  assisted  in 
bringing  to  the  city  many  industries  and 
has  fostered  the  growth  of  many  helpful 
lines  of  activity.  He  has  been  a  member 
of  the  state  board  of  agriculture  for 
several  years  and  was  its  president  for  one 
year,  his  interest  in  agricultural  affairs  re- 
maining a  matter  of  keen  interest  to  him. 
A  man  of  evenly  balanced  character,  it 
would  be  difficult  to  point  out  any  one 
characteristic  as  liis  most  pronounced  trait, 
for  he  stands  today  as  a  splendid  representa- 
tive of  the  successful  business  man  and 
financier,  as  well  as  efficient  and  faithful 
public  servant,  while  the  principles  which 
govern  his  private  life  have  ever  been  such 
as  to  command  only  the  highest  regard  and 
the  unipmlilied  esteem  and  confidence  of  his 
fellowmen. 

SAMUEL  M.  OLSEN,  who  successfully 
operates  forty-two  acres  in  Coos  county,  Ore- 
gon, five  miles  from  Coquille,  southwest  on 
the  Foothill  road,  where  he  is  active  as  a 
general  farmer,  dairyman  and  stock-raiser, 
was  born  in  Norway  in  )8BS  and  is  a  son 
of  Ole  and  JIaggie  Olsen,  natives  of  Norway. 
In  their  family  were  seven  children:  Carrie 
and  Gertrude,  both  of  whom  reside  in  Nor- 
way; a  child,  who  died  in  infancy:  Samuel 
>!..  of  this  review;  Ole,  of  Denver,  Colorado; 
Olf,  deceased;  and  Tillie,  the  wife  of  Charles 
Bondelie.  of  San  Francisco.  California. 

Samuel  M.  Olsen  attended  the  public 
schools  of  Norway  and  pursued  his  education 
until  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age.  During 
the  last  two  years  of  his  school  life  lie  spent 
his  spare  time  in  working  upon  neighboring 
farms.     His    father   sold   the    family    home- 


stead in  Norway  but  alter  two  years  rented 
another  tract  of  land  which  lie  improved  and 
operated  for  some  time.  Mr.  Olsen  returned 
home  and  worked  for  his  father  until  he  was 
seventeen  years  of  age  and  then  worked  as 
a  laborer  for  a  year.  When  he  was  eighteen 
he  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  America,  settling 
in  Minnesota.  Ue  worked  out  upon  the 
farms  of  that  state  for  three  years,  going 
at  the  end  of  that  time  to  C'oos  county 
near  Marshlield,  where  for  live  years  he  was 
engaged  as  an  assistant  in  a  saw^mill.  He 
then  labored  in  the  harvest  fields  in  eastern 
Oregon  for  one  year,  returning  to  Coos 
county  at  the  expiration  of  that  time.  He 
took  up  a  homestead  claim  near  Myrtle 
Point,  which  he  operated  along  modern"  and 
progressive  lines  lor  six  years.  He  then 
purchased  his  present  farm  near  Coi|uille, 
comprising  forty-two  acres  of  unimproved 
land.  Upon  this  he  built  his  home  and  has 
carried  on  the  work  of  improvement  and  cul- 
tivation successfully  since  that  time.  The 
prosperous  condition  of  his  farm  is  entirely 
the  result  of  his  own  labors  and  exertions. 
It  is  one  of  the  model  farms  in  the  district 
and  has  been  developed  from  wild  and  uncul- 
tivated land.  He  specializes  in  dairying, 
keeping  a  herd  of  fourteen  cows  for  this  pur- 
pose,   and    has    gained    success    in    this    line. 

On  January  7,  1898,  Mr.  Olsen  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary  Shields,  a  native 
of  Washington  and  a  daughter  of  Calvin  and 
Lavinia  (Rice)  Shields,  residents  of  that 
state.  Mrs.  Olsen  is  one  of  a  family  of 
twelve  children,  namely:  Sylvester  and  .John, 
of  Bandon;  Ida.  deceased;  Jessie,  who  mar- 
ried Frank  Christie,  of  Washington;  Mary. 
the  wife  of  our  subject;  Hattie,  now  Mrs. 
Ernest  Everden,  of  Bancroft,  Oregon;  Stella 
and  Eugene,  residents  of  Bandon;  Myrtle, 
who  is  the  wife  of  Hayden  Jackson,  of  Ban- 
don, by  whom  she  has  three  children:  Benja- 
min, who  is  married  and  resides  in  Bandon; 
Daisy,  whose  home  is  also  in  Bandon;  and 
Rosa,  deceased.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Olsen  are  the 
parents  of  four  children:  Elmer,  wh6  was 
born  January  3,  1899,  and  who  is  attending 
school;  Edna,  who  was  born  August  21,  1900. 
and  who  is  also  a  student  in  the  public 
schools;  Lavinia,  born  April  16,  1903;  and 
Myrtle,   born   October   20.   1906. 

Mr.  Olsen  is  a  republican  in  his  political 
beliefs  but  has  never  sought  public  office, 
preferring  to  devote  his  attention  to  the  du- 
ties incident  to  the  management  of  his  farm. 
The  success  which  he  enjoys  is  entirely  the 
result  of  his  well  directed  labor  along  |>io- 
grcssive  lines,  aided  by  personal  experience 
ill  the  details  of  agriculture,  and  it  has  dem- 
onstrated that  in  farming,  as  in  other  busi- 
ness or  professional  life,  ellicieney  and  system 
are  a  sure  basis  of  prosperity. 

HENRY  S.  TILTON  has  been  engaged  in 
stock-raising  five  miles  south  of  Dexter,  Lane 
count}-,  where  he  owns  a  stock  ranch  of  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres,  for  thirty-six 
years.  He  does  not  reside  on  his  land,  how- 
ever, but  rents  a  house  about  one  mile  from 
town,  where  he  makes  his  home.  He  was 
born  in  Wabash  county,  niinois,  on  the  16th 


84.S 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


of  September.  1831,  and  is  a  son  of  Richard 
and  Mary  Jane  (Moore)  Tilton.  The  father 
was  a  native  of  New  Jersey  and  the  mother 
of  Illinois,  and  they  were  married  in  the 
latter  state  and  there  they  both  passed  away, 
the  mother  in  April,  1855,  and  the  father  in 
1S92.  Richard  Tilton.  who  was  a  cripple, 
was  a  shoemaker  and  continued  to  foUow 
tlmt  trade  during  his  active  life.  From  his 
earnings  he  managed  to  acquire  the  means 
to  buy  a  farm,  which  was  operated  by  his 
sons,  as,  owing  to  his  alHiction,  he  was  not 
able  to  engage  in  agricultural  pursuits. 
Before  the  James  Moore  familj-,  the  maternal 
grandparents  of  our  subject."  started  across 
the  plains  in  1852,  Mr.  Tilton  Htted  tlu>m  out 
with  a  supply  of  shoes  and  he  did  likewise 
for  a  number  of  other  early  pioneers.  Six 
children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tilton,  of 
A\hora  our  subject  is  the  only  one  now  living. 

Henry  S.  Tilton  was  reared  at  home  and 
educated  in  the  common  schools.  At  the  age 
of  twenty-one  years  he  left  the  parental 
roof  and  started  out  to  make  his  own  living. 
He  had  been  trained  to  agricultural  pursuits 
and  obtained  work  as  a  farm  hand,  an  occu- 
pation which  he  followed  in  Illinois  for  three 
years,  and  at  the  end  of  that  period,  in  1875. 
he  crossed  the  plains  to  Oregon.  Upon  his 
arrival  he  located  in  Lane  county  and  im- 
mediately filed  on  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land.  Long  years  he  devoted  to 
stock-raising  and  he  now  owns  one  of  the 
valuable  stock  ranches  of  that  section,  a 
|)art  of  which  is  still  in  timber,  which  would 
make  about  four  million  feet  of  lumber.  Mrs. 
Tilton  owns  a  quarter  section  adjoining  their 
linmestead. 

In  Lane  county,  in  Maj-,  1877,  Mr.  Tilton 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Millie  Briggs, 
ilaughter  of  .Jolm  A.  and  Sara  .T.  (Veachi 
Briggs.  who  crossed  the  plains  to  Oregon 
with  an  ox  team  in  1852.  The  father  was 
accidentally  drowned  in  Douglas  county,  this 
state,  when  Mrs.  Tilton  was  a  child  of  two 
years,  and  the  mother  subsequently  married 
Levi  -Harper.  Tliree  children  were  born  to 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Briggs.  as  follows:  A.  J.,  who 
is  a  resident  of  Walker  station.  Lane  coun- 
ty; 3Irs.  Tilton:  and  Emma,  who  married 
.f.  A.  Horn,  of  Pendleton.  To  ilr.  and  Mrs. 
Harper  were  born  four  children:  Agnes, 
Homer  and  Alice,  all  of  whom  are  deceased; 
and  Maud,  the  wife  of  R.  L.  Edwards,  of 
Trent.  Oregon.  ilr.  Harper  passed  away 
in  1894,  and  his  widow,  who  is  now  seventy- 
one,  makes  lier  home  in  Trent.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Tilton  have  had  seven  children:  May 
B..  who  was  born  September  27.  1879.  and 
died  at  the  age  of  two  years;  Ollie.  whose 
birth  occurred  in  April,  1881.  the  wife  of  J. 
A.  Hills,  of  Lowell.  Oregon;  Asa,  who  was 
born  on  March  4,  1883,  and  is  now  married 
and  living  on  his  father's  ranch;  Etta  M.. 
born  on  the  15th  of  July.  1886.  the  wife  of 
.Albert  Higgins.'  of  Trent;  Lena,  who  was 
born  in  1900;  Earl  E..  whose  natal  day  was 
Jlarch  4.  1906:  and  Walter  who  was  ac- 
fident.iUy  killed  at  the  age  of  nine  years. 
The  older  members  of  the  family  were  given 
the  advantages  of  a  common-school  education 
and  the  younger  ones  are  now  students  of 
tlie  public  schools. 


Tiie  family  afliliate  witli  tlie  Christian 
cliurch,  and  Mr.  Tilton  votes  the  republican 
ticket.  He  is  one  of  the  oldest  inhabitants 
of  his  community  as  regards  length  of  res- 
idence and  is  highly  esteemed  and  respected 
by  all  who  know  him.  as  he  is  a  man  pos- 
sessed of  many  exellent  qualities. 

BENJAMIN  F.  LOONEY,  a  representative 

of  one  of  the  pioneer  families  of  Oregon,  was 
born  in  Bates  county,  Missouri.  June  7,  1842, 
his  parents  being  Jesse  and  Ruby  (Bond) 
Looney,  both  natives  of  the  southern  states, 
the  former's  birth  having  occurred  near  Knox- 
ville,  Tennessee,  and  the  latter's  in  Kentucky, 
in  the  vicinity  of  Covington,  her  natal  day 
being  March  18,  1808.  They  were  married  in 
Alabama  March  16,  1827.  Jesse  Looney  was  a 
cousin  of  Andrew  Johnson,  and  like  liim 
inherited  slavery  as  one  of  tlie  local  condi- 
tions of  his  section  but  adopted  freedom  as 
his  conviction  of  right.  His  father  left  him 
land  and  negroes,  but  he  had  imbibed  a  dis- 
like for  that  life  and  resolved  to  take  and 
rear  his  family  in  a  free  territory,  thus  in- 
creasing the  number  of  pioneers"  who  left 
slavery  behind  to  come  to  Oregon.  Mrs. 
Looney  was  descended  from  Revolutionary 
stock,  and  was  related  to  George  Walton,  tlie 
first  governor  of  Georgia  and  a  signer  of  the 
Declaration  of  Independence  and  the  Articles 
of  Confederation,  and  so  the  family  had  noted 
connection  with  our  nation's  histoi-y.  In  1S43 
they  crossed  the  plains  with  their  family, 
consisting  then  of  six  children,  in  compaiiv 
with  Tohn  P.  Gaines,  Daniel  Waldo  and  the 
Applegates.  They  were  exceptionally  well 
equipped  for  the  long  and  arduous  journey, 
having  two  great  wagons  with  five  yoke  of 
immense  oxen  to  each  and  spare  oxen  to 
alternate.  They  also  brought  with  them 
twenty  head  of  choice  cows  and  four  fine 
mares.  Their  provisions  were  likewise  abun- 
dant, and  they  were  aft'orded  the  pleasure  of 
relieving  many  of  the  less  fortunate  whom 
they  met  on  the  plains  and.  after  that  grati- 
fication, a  supply  remained  after  their  new 
home  was  reached.  Their  journey  therefore 
was  divested  of  many  of  the  hardships  and 
privations  experienced  by  the  ordinary  pio- 
neer, seeking  a  home  in  the  land  of  the  golden 
sunset.  Upon  reaching  the  great  and  un- 
explored northwest  they  journeyed  on  to 
the  fertile  valley  of  the  Columbia,  and  it  be- 
ing then  late  in  the  season,  they  determined 
to  winter  at  AVhitman  Station  on  the  Walla 
Walla.  Here  the  Indians  proved  troublesome, 
and  in  the  spring  of  the  following  year  they 
removed  to  Willamette  valley.  Jlr.  Looney 
at  first  took  a  piece  of  land  near  Salem  but 
later  disposed  of  it  and  went  to  Santiam 
bottoms,  where  he  secured  a  donation  claim 
of  six  hundred  and  forty  acres  on  Looney's 
Butte.  For  two  years  he  and  his  family 
were  the  only  settlers  here  for  a  railius  of 
twenty  miles.  In  addition  to  this  donation 
claim  ilr,  Looney  accumulated  several  tliou- 
sand  acres  more  in  the  valley.  From  an 
uncultivated  prairie  this  land  has  been  devel- 
oped and  improved  until  it  is  transformed 
into  one  of  the  most  productive  and  attractive 
properties    in    this    section    of    the    country. 


UKXIAMIN    !■■.   l.diiNKV 


THE  NEW^ 

PUBLic    lib: 


'OK,   LJNOX 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


851 


every  acre  of  it  being  now  under  cultivation. 
Men  reared  in  cotufortable  homes,  accustomed 
to  all  the  conveniences  and  privileges  of  city 
life,  can  hardly  conceive  the  struggles  and 
dangers  which  attended  the  early  settler  upon 
the  borders  of  civilization.  These  men  and 
women  must  have  possessed  indomitable  ener- 
gies and  sterling  worth  of  character  as  well 
as  marked  physical  courage,  and  to  them 
praise  and  honor  should  be  given,  for  the 
mighty  states  of  the  west  with  their  improve- 
ments and  enterprises,  are  monuments  to 
their  memory,  ilr.  Looney  contributed  no 
small  part  in  the  development  and  upbuild- 
ing of  the  state  of  his  adoption,  and  his  life 
was.  indeed,  an  active  and  well  spent  one. 
He  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  organization 
of  Oregon  and  served  as  a  member  of  the  pro- 
visional legislature.  He  prospered  to  the 
extent  that  at  his  death  he  was  able  to  leave 
to  each  of  his  ten  children  a  farm  near  the 
old  homestead,  but  his  last  words  to  his  sons 
and  daughters  before  passing  to  the  world 
beyond — "Do  right,  be  honorable  ami  truth- 
ful," were  a  priceless  legacy  in  themselves. 
They  bespoke  the  caliber  of  the  husband  and 
father,  and  left  a  lasting  impression  upon 
the  minds  of  the  young  folks  at  his  bedside, 
giving  birth  to  an  ambition  and  determina- 
tion to  do  honor  to  the  father  and  the  trust. 
He  passed  away  at  Salem.  March  25.  1869, 
at  the  age  of  sixty-nine  years.  Mrs.  Looney 
long  survived  her  husband,  she  having  de- 
parted this  life  May  7.  1900.  at  the  ripe  and 
cheerful  old  age  of  ninety-two  years.  She 
was  one  of  the  most  remarkable,  enterprising 
and  widely  known  women  in  western  Oregon. 
Her  strong  lines  of  character  were  a  pillar 
of  strength  to  all  her  descendants,  and  she 
has  commanded  the  honor  and  admiration 
of  all  who  knew  her  from  the  days  of  1S43. 
when  she  with  her  husband  and  little  children 
came  to  make  her  home  in  the  uncivilized 
wilderness  of  the  Pacilic  coast,  to  the  day  slie 
passed  away  in  dreamless  sleep  amid  the 
circle  of  her  loved  ones.  She  lived  to  see 
the  conversion  of  that  unsettled  wilderness 
into  one  of  the  populous  and  prosperous 
states  of  the  Union.  They  were  the  parents 
of  fourteen  children,  eight  of  whom  are  now 
living:  J.  B..  of  .Tefferson;  Ellen,  the  widow 
of  A.  Caines.  of  Vancouver:  Benjamin  F. ; 
Pauline,  of  .Tetierson:  David  IT.  and  Xorris  F.. 
both  of  .TefYerson.  the  latter  superintendent 
of  the  State  Reform  school;  Frani'es.  the 
widow  of  Wilber  Cornell :  and  Addie  1!..  who 
married  G.  A.  Fairbanks  of  Petaluma.  (^ili- 
fornia. 

Benjamin  F.  Looney  was  an  infant  of  but 
one  year  when  brought  by  his  ))arents  across 
the  great  Ameri<'aM  desert.  Tlis  boyhood  and 
youth  were  spent  under  the  ]>arental  root  and 
he  acquired  his  education  in  Fugene.  Albany 
and  Salem,  ami  lati'r  cnrnplctcd  a  course  in 
Willamette  rniver-ity  ami  also  attended  the 
university  at  Fugene.  .After  securing  a  good 
education  as  a  foundation  for  life's  activities 
he  devoted  severiil  years  to  travel  through 
eastern  Oregon  and  Idaho,  occupying  his  time 
and  attention  with  mining.  .Subsequently  he 
returned    to    the    home    farm    and    until    1902 


engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  and  stock- 
raising  on  part  of  the  old  donation  claim. 
In  that  year  he  removed  to  Jefferson,  where 
he   has   since   lived   retired. 

In  187S  was  solemnized  the  marriage  of 
Benjamin  F.  I.ooney  and  Miss  Josephine 
Deardorf.  a  native  of  Douglas  county.  Ore- 
gon, and  a  daughter  of  W.  II.  B.  and  ("u'orgia 
Anna  Deardorf.  both  of  whom  were  inimbered 
among  Oregon's  pioneers  of  1849,  and  resided 
in  Jefferson  until  their  deaths.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Benjamin  F.  Looney  have  been  born 
three  children,  two  sons  and  a  daughter: 
Deman  D..  who  is  residing  in  Spokane.  Wash- 
ington, and  engaged  in  the  engraving  Inisi- 
ness:  Everett  F..  a  leading  druggist  of  Sheri- 
dan, Oregon:  and  Georgia  Anna  B..  who  be- 
came the  wife  of  William  Smith,  postmaster 
of  Jefi'erson  and  a  prominent  merchant  of 
that  town. 

Mr.  Looney  gives  his  political  allegiance 
to  the  republican  party.  He  has  never  been 
a  politician  in  the  sense  of  the  ottiee  seeker 
but  gives  at  all  times  his  tirm  sujiport  to  his 
party,  because  he  recognizes  the  fact  that  it 
is  the  duty  as  well  as  the  privilege  of  every 
true  American  citizen  to  support  the  prin- 
ciples in  which  he  believes.  He  has  found 
in  his  busy  life  no  time  to  aHiJiate  with  lodge 
or  church,  preferring  rather  to  spend  with 
his  family  whatever  leisure  his  activities  al- 
lowed. Idleness  and  indolence  were  ever  for- 
eign to  liis  nature  and  he  now  enjoys  a  well 
merited  rest  as  a  reward  of  his  former  toils. 
]Many  changes  have  been  wrought  by  time 
and  man  during  Mr.  Looney 's  long  residence 
here,  and  his  memory  forms  a  connecting  link 
between  the  primitive  past  with  all  its  hard- 
ships and  privations,  and  the  jjrogressive 
present  with  its  advantages  and  op|)ortu- 
nities. 

VALENTINE  BROWN,  attorney  at  law 
of  P()rll:nitl,  Ills  native  city,  was  born  Xo- 
vcmber  10.  1SG2.  his  parents  being  Valen- 
tine and  Maria  Ann  (Heaneyi  Brown.  The 
father  «as  a  native  of  Veruu)nt.  while  the 
mother  was  born  in  Xew  York  city  and  was 
of  Irish  parentage.  When  ^■alentlne  Brown. 
Sr..  was  quite  young  he  removed  westward 
to  Wisconsin,  where  he  engaged  in  the  lum- 
ber business.  Hi'  took  up  the  land  that  now 
constitutes  .  the  site  of  Stevens  Point  and 
owned  that  ])roperty  for  a  time  but  later 
trailed  it  for  stock  in  a  railroad,  which 
afterward  failed,  so  that  be  lost  all.  In 
IS")?  he  arrived  in  Oregon,  via  Panama,  set- 
tling on  the  east  side  of  the  river  at  Port- 
land. .\t  that  time  his  capital  consisted 
of  about  twenty  tliou.sand  dollars,  which  he 
Invested  largely  In  land.  .Afterward  he  sold 
this  land  and  made  Investment  in  a  mining 
venture  In  Curry  county,  which  did  not 
|irovc  prolitable.  so  that  he  a/ain  lost  every- 
thing. He  was  in  such  straiteneil  financial 
circnnistances  that  be  had  to  walk  back  to 
Portland,  but  tbrou;.'h  all  these  reverses  liin 
business  integrity  was  unassailable  and  his 
courage  unfaltering.  Even  in  the  face  of 
such  disasters  he  never  allowed  his  industry 
to   falter  and.   ujion  his  return   to  Portland. 


H52 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


he  began  operating  the  ferry  for  Samuel 
Douglas,  continuing  that  work  to  the  time 
of  his  demise. 

His  son  and  namesake.  Valentine  Brown, 
Jr.,  pursued  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  and  in  Bishop  Scott  school.  He  af- 
terward went  to  sea,  spending  four  years 
as  a  sailor  and  later  became  a  postal  clerk, 
in  which  position  he  likewise  continued  for 
four  years.  A  similar  period  was  then  de- 
voted to  the  real-estate  business  but  in  the 
meantime  he  had  determined  to  enter  upon 
the  practice  of  law  and  with  this  end  in 
view  pursued  a  course  in  the  laAV  depart- 
ment of  the  University  of  Oregon,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  with  the  class  of 
1893.  In  the  same  year  he  turned  his  at- 
tention to  the  abstract  business,  in  which 
he  continued  until  about  two  years  ago. 
He  is  now  devoting  his  energies  largely  to 
the  practice  of  law  but  all  through  his  life 
he  has  engaged  largely  in  literary  work.  His 
poetic  talent  has  found  expression  in  the 
writing  of  four  volumes  of  verse,  contain- 
ing a  total  of  about  ten  thousand  lines. 
In  1900  he  brought  from  the  press  a  volume 
of  his  poems,  and  again  in  1903,  Armageddon, 
his  most  pretentious  work  was  issued.  In 
a  review  of  the  latter  the  Critic  of  New 
York  said  that  the  work  evidenced  a  close 
reading  of  Ovid's  Metamorphosis  but  Mr. 
Brown  had  never  read  that  book.  Byron 
and  Shelley  are  about  the  only  poets  with 
wliicli  he  is  acquainted,  his  poetic  genius 
being  an  inherent  talent.  In  1903  he 
brought  forth  another  volume  called  the 
Chieftain  and  Satires.  In  1905  he  published 
his  first  written  poems,  under  the  title  of 
Tales  and  Verse.  Some  years  age  he  took 
up  typesetting  and  in  his  leisure  hours  set 
all  the  type  for  his  works,  which  are  an 
excellent  specimen  of  the  printer's  art  as 
well  as  of  poetic  ability.  His  second  vol- 
ume was  composed  at  the  case  as  he  set 
type.  This  necessitated  much  resetting,  for, 
like  all  writers,  second  thought  called  for 
many  revisions,  ilost  of  his  poems  are  too 
long  for  a  sketch  of  this  character  but  the 
following  gives  an  indication  of  his  abilitv. 


Is    This    Life   A    Dream? 

"Is   this   earthly   life   a   dream? 
But  a   dream? 

Is  that  mystic  soul  of  ours 
Wandering  by  the  banks  and  bowers 
Like  a  stream — but  a  dream  ? 

"Will   it  like  a   river  flow 

Soft  and  low? 
Till  it  finds  a  soothing  deep. 
There  to  sleep — ever  sleep — 
Xever  in  its  home  to  know 
Weal   or  woe? 

"Ah,  this  life   is  not   a   dream: 
Not    a    dream ; 

Though    the    soul   will   darkness   meet. 
And  the  heart's  last   feeble  beat 
Knds  the  theme. 


"Ah,  this  earthly  life  is  real, 
Truly   real; 
Building  by  incessant  strife 
Fairer   life — purer    life. 
Slowly  building  on  the  earth 
Lasting   worth. 

'"Earthly  Aidenn's  sapphire  towers 
Are  not  ours; 

Heaven's   dominion   strewn  with  flowers 
May  be  ours,  sweetly  ours; 
Yet   on   earth   some   future   time 
Will  arise  a  life  sublime. 
And   the   palaces   to   be 
INIen    will   see." 

Mr.  Brown  was  married  in  1889  to  Miss 
•Jennie  JM.  Ham,  a  daughter  of  Isaac  Ham. 
a  Portland  pioneer.  They  have  three  chil- 
dren. Valentine.  Helen  M.  and  Zenas  Shel- 
ley. 

WILLIAM  L.  WALLACE,  an  agriculturist 
residing  two  and  a  half  miles  north  of  Leba- 
non, on  the  Albany  road,  is  successfully  en- 
gaged in  the  operation  of  a  farm  comprising 
three  hundred  and  seventy  acres  and  belong- 
ing to  his  brother.  Dr.  J.  P.  Wallace,  in 
addition  to  his  own  valley  farm.  His  birth 
occurred  in  Tennessee  in  the  year  1856.  his 
parents  being  Brice  and  Nancy  (Hall)  WaU 
lace,  likewise  natives  of  that  state.  The 
father,  retiring  from  active  business  life, 
came  to  Linn  county.  Oregon,  and  was  here 
elected  county  treasurer,  serving  in  that 
capacity  for  two  years.  He  has  since  resided 
at  Albany  with  his  daughter.  Mrs.  A.  B.  Mar- 
shall, and  is  now  eighty-six  years  of  age. 
His  wife  was  called  to  her  final  rest  in  1887. 
To  them  were  born  eleven  children,  three  of 
whom  are  deceased.  The  living  members  of 
the  family  are:  J.  P..  a  practicing  physician 
of  Albany,  Oregon;  S.  O.,  who  is  a  resident 
of  Lebanon,  this  state:  F.  E..  an  agriculturist 
residing  at  Lebanon;  R.  R..  living  in  Astoria. 
Oregon;  William  L..  of  this  review;  .Tanie. 
who  is  the  wife  of  J.  V.  Keebler.  of  Lebanon. 
Oregon:  ilattie.  who  gave  her  hand  in  mar- 
riage to  A.  B.  Marshall,  of  Albany.  Oregon; 
and  Bertha,  who  is  the  widow  of  Willi,am 
Hawkins  and  resides  in  Portland,  this  state. 

William  L.  Wallace  spent  the  first  twenty 
years  of  his  life  on  the  home  farm  in  Tennes- 
see. In  1877  the  family  home  was  established 
in  Linn  county.  Oregon,  and  here  he  leased 
a  farm  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres, 
operating  the  same  successfully  for  five  years. 
On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  was  mar- 
ried and  leased  another  farm  near  Albany, 
the  cultivation  of  which  claimed  his  time  and 
attention  for  sixteen  years.  He  then  leased 
a  place  of  three  hundred  and  seventy  acres 
from  his  brother.  Dr.  Wallace,  of  Albany,  and 
has  been  busily  engaged  in  its  operation  to 
the  present  time.  Three  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  acres  of  the  land  is  under  cultivation. 
Mr.  Wallace  owns  twenty-five  acres  of  bot- 
tom land  in  Linn  county  and  a  small  tract 
in  Clackamas  county.  He  also  owns  stock 
and  implements,  has  an  interest  in  a  thresh- 
ing   machine    and   well    deserves    recognition 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


85a 


among  the  substantial  and  ropresentativc 
agriculturists   of   his  community. 

In  1S82  Mr.  Wallace  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Alice  Gentry,  a  native  of  Tennessee 
and  a  daughter  of  John  and  Josephine  (Burk) 
Gentry.  Jlrs.  Wallace  was  one  of  a  family 
of  five  children,  the  others  being  as  follows: 
Alvis,  who  is  a  resident  of  Portland,  Oregon: 
Lindsey,  living  in  Knoxville,  Tennessee;  and 
two  who  have  passed  away.  Our  subject  and 
his  wife  have  three  children.  Pearl,  who  is  a 
graduate  of  the  Portland  Business  College, 
was  employed  for  a  time  as  a  bookkeeper  and 
also  followed  the  profession  of  school  teach- 
ing. She  is  now  the  wife  of  George  L.  Wash- 
burn, of  Portland,  and  has  one  child.  Robert 
W.  is  still  under  the  parental  roof.  Eva.  also 
yet  at  home,  is  pursuing  a  special  course  in 
music  at  the  conservatory  of  music  at  Albany 
College.  She  possesses  a  remarkable  voice 
and  expects  to  complete  her  musical  education 
abroad. 

Mr.  Wallace  gives  his  political  allegiance 
to  the  democratic  party  and  has  served  as 
road  supervisor  in  his  district  for  twelve 
years.  He  has  also  been  a  member  of  the 
election  board  for  eight  years  and  has  acted 
as  school  director  for  a  period  of  twelve 
years.  His  public  duties  have  ever  been 
discharged  in  a  Iiighly  commendable  man- 
ner and,  though  not  an  office  seeker,  his 
fellow  townsmen  have  recognized  his  worth 
and  chosen  him  for  positions  of  trust.  His 
religious  faith  is  that  of  the  Baptist  church, 
■while  fraternally  he  is  identified  with  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the 
Modern  Woodnu'u  of  America.  The  period 
of  his  residence  in  Linn  county  and  the  Sun- 
set state  covers  more  than  a  third  of  a  cen- 
tury and  he  enjoys  an  extensive  and  favor- 
able' acquaintance  liere. 

ORLANDO  A.  KELLY  is  living  retired  in 
Kiverton.  Oregon,  where  he  has  resided  since 
18S8  and  is  taking  a  well  earned  rest  after 
labors,  which  have  constantly  benefited  the 
community  in  which  he  lives.  He  was  the 
first  postmaster  of  the  village  and  conducted 
the  tirst  hotel  within  its  borders,  gaining 
success  in  both  lines  of  occupation,  by  rea- 
son of  his  business  ability  and  his  straight- 
forward methods.  He  is  now  serving  as 
justice  of  the  peace  and  notary  public  wliich 
office  he  has  held  for  twenty-one  years. 
Mr.  Kelly  has  been  a  resident  of  Oregon  for 
almost  twenty-si.x  years  but  is  a  native  of 
Illinois,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  Mc- 
Henry  county,  in  1856.  His  parents  were 
William  C.  and  Mary  (Klink)  Kelly,  na- 
tives of  Ohio  and  Indiana,  respectively,  the 
father  having  been  born  in  1816  and  the 
mother  in  1830.  On  the  paternal  side  Mr. 
Kelly  is  of  Trisli  and  Scotch  stock,  his  grand- 
father having  been  a  native  of  the  Emeraki 
isle.  His  grandmother  was  of  Scotch  an- 
cestry and  a  descendant  of  Lord  William 
Wallace,  the  noted  Scotch  pirate.  His 
mother  was  of  Dutch  descent  and  her  father 
commanded  the  American  forces  at  the  time 
the  city  of  Buff'alo  was  burned  by  the  Bri- 
tish. He  and  liis  two  brothers  came  over 
from   lTn11:ui.l  :in.I  scttleil   in  Xcw  York  state. 


where  they  spent  the  remainder  ol  their 
lives.  Mr.  and  .Mrs.  William  C.  Kellv  liad 
seven  children:  David,  Walhice,  Plioeb'e  and 
John,  all  of  wlioni  have  passed  away;  Jo- 
sepli.  who  is  Uving  retired  in  Yuba  county, 
California;  Orlando,  a  twin  to  Josepli  aiid 
tlie  subject  of  tliis  sketch;  and  Fernando, 
who  is  teaching  in  the  district  schools  near 
Berkeley,  California. 

Orlando  Kelly  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Illinois  and  later  attended 
Lombard  University  at  Galesburg.  Illinois, 
from  whicli  institution  he  was  graduated  in 
1873.  His  father  was  a  farmer  and  Mr. 
Kelly's  childhood  was  spent  amid  agricul- 
tural scenes.  He.  however,  never  followed 
tiiis  line  of  occupation,  engaging  in  school 
teaching  immediately  after  his  graduation. 
Te  was  active  in  this  profession  in  Illinois. 
Kansas.  California,  and  Oregon,  abandcuiing 
it  in  1893  and  coming  to  Chicago.  Illinois, 
where  he  remained  only  a  short  time.  He 
had  accumulated  some  property  in  Kansas, 
which  lie  sold  in  the  same  year  and  eame  to 
Coos  county  where  he  invested  in  land.  He 
owned  the  lirst  residence  in  the  town  of 
Pviverton  and  is  still  proprietor  of  this  house 
anil  also  the  lot  upon  which  it  stands,  al- 
though he  has  sold  all  his  other  interests  in 
Coos  county.  He  was  the  lirst  postmaster 
of  Riverton  and  held  this  position  for  seven 
years,  doing  able  and  practical  work  during 
that  time.  For  six  yeais  he  conducted  a 
hotel,  which  was  the  first  enterprise  of  its 
kind  in  the  village  and  whic-h  he  conducted 
successfully  until  1912.  He  has  now  re- 
tired from  active  life,  although  he  still  ])er- 
forms  his  duties  as  notary  public  and  justice 
of  the  peace,  having  served  for  fotirteen  and 
twenty-one   years,  respectively. 

5Ir.  Kelly  has  been  twice  married.  His 
first  union  was  Avith  Miss  Eosia  R.  Lee,  a 
native  of  Kansas,  and  they  became  the  par- 
ents of  one  son,  Walter,  who  was  born  in 
1880  and  passed  away  when  he  was  twenty- 
nine  years  of  age.  jfr.  Kelly's  second  wife 
was  Miss  Cornelia  J.  Burns,  a  native  of 
Atlanta,  Georgia.  She  lived  in  that  city 
until  she  was  fifteen  years  of  age  and  then 
moved  to  Birmingham.  .Alabama,  coming  to 
Oregon  after  her  marriage,  which  occurred 
on  November  2,  1907.  She  is  one  of  a  fam- 
ilv  of  eight  children,  the  others  being:  .To- 
sephine,  the  wife  of  J.  H.  Castle,  of  New 
Orleans,  by  whom  she  has  three  ehildreti: 
Robert  A.  of  Birmingham.  Alabanui:  Mamie 
and  Cor:i.  both  of  whom  have  passed  away: 
.Tessie,  who  married  M.  .T.  Chambers  of  At- 
lanta, Georgia,  by  whom  she  has  four  chil- 
dren;  and  .Joseph  and  Henry,  both  deceased. 

IVfr,  Kelly  gave  his  allegiance  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  to  the  republican  party  but  is 
now  independent  in  his  political  views,  pre- 
ferring to  keep  his  judgment  unbiased.  He 
votes  according  to  personal  convictions  for 
the  man.  regardless  of  his  party.  He  is  n 
member  of  the  Masonic  order  and  his  wife 
belonffs  to  the  Eastern  Star.  He  has  been 
a  well  known  figure  in  political  ami  busi- 
ness circles  of  Riverton  and  has  served  his 
village  in  many  ways  during  the  twenty-two 
vears    of   his    residence.     By   his   ability   and 


H54. 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


straightforward  methods  and  by  the  intel- 
ligent management  of  his  hotel  interests  he 
has  promoted  the  commercial  progress  of 
Riverton  and  has  gained  distinct  and  sub- 
stantial success,  enabling  him  to  rest  from  his 
labors  in  the  enjoyment  of  a  comfortable  com- 
petence. In  the  more  public  aspects  of  his 
life  he  is  distinguished  by  the  same  honesty, 
integrity  and  practical  principles  which  made 
his  business  career  so  successful  and  which 
have  won  him  the  respect  and  esteem  of 
his  many  friends. 

ELIJAH  D.  MYERS  is  numbered  among 
the  worthy  and  representative  citizens  of  Coos 
county.  He  owns  and  operates  a  property 
consisting  of  many  acres  of  productive  land 
and  has  done  constructive  work  in  wresting 
from  a  wilderness  the  farm  which  he  culti- 
vates and  which  constitutes  in  its  abundant 
fertility  a  valuable  asset  in  the  resources  of 
this  district.  Mr.  Myers  is  a  native  of  Carter 
county,  Tennessee,  where  his  birth  occurred 
February  11.  1854.  His  parents.  Chris  and 
Phoebe  (Hardin)  Myers,  were  also  natives  of 
that  state.  Mr.  Jlyers"  father  was  twice  mar- 
ried. His  first  union  was  with  Miss  Omic 
Randies,  a  native  of  Virginia,  by  whom  he 
had  four  children,  two  of  whom,  Allen,  of 
North  Carolina,  and  Mary,  of  Tennessee,  are 
still  living.  Mr.  Myers'  second  marriage  was 
with  the  mother  of  our  subject,  and  to  this 
union  six  children  were  born:  Elijah  D..  the 
subject  of  this  review;  ilurray.  operating  the 
old  home  farm  in  the  eastern  part  of  Tennes- 
see; Joseph  who  makes  his  home  in  Kansas; 
Chris,  who  resides  in  Tennessee;  and  two  chil- 
dren who  died  in  infancy.  Mrs.  Myers  wa? 
at  the  time  of  her  marriage  to  the  father  of 
our  subject,  the  widow  of  Benjamin  Tread- 
way,  by  whom  she  had  three  children:  Ma- 
linda  and  -lolin.  both  of  whom  are  deceased; 
and  .Jane,  who  is  living  in  the  eastern  ])art 
of  Tennessee. 

Elijah  D.  Jlyers  was  reared  at  home  and 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Tennessee. 
From  his  early  boyhood  he  worked  upon  his 
father's  plantation  and  gained  a  detailed 
knowledge  of  the  general  principles  of  agri- 
culture. He  remained  with  his  parents  until 
he  was  twenty-two  years  of  age  when  he 
married  and  rented  a  small  farm  in  his  native 
state  which  he  operated  with  much  success 
for  one  year.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he 
rented  from  his  father  the  home  plantation 
and  in  three  years  brought  it  to  a  highly  de- 
veloped and  productive  state.  At  the  ex- 
piration of  that  time  he  came  direct  to  Coos 
county  where  he  worked  as  a  wood  cutter 
in  the  employ  of  others  for  a  short 
time.  He  later  engaged  in  various  duties  in 
a  logging  camp  in  Coos  county  and  subse- 
quently purchased  a  half  interest  in  the  busi- 
ness. Through  unfavorable  conditions  and 
by  reason  of  peculiar  financial  circumstances 
his  business  venture  was  unsuccessful  and 
Mr.  Myers  lost  his  entire  fortinie  in  its 
failure.  He  had  borrowed  money  with  which 
to  buy  his  partnershi])  and  was  loft  penniless 
and  heavily  in  debt.  His  partner  was  dis- 
honest and  lied  from  the  country,  leaving'  Mr. 
Mvers  to  settle  as  best  as  he  could  the  obliga- 


tions incurred.  The  high-minded  ([Malities 
of  his  character  showed  themselves  at  this 
juncture.  With  no  money  and  encum- 
bered by  a  debt  of  one  thousand  dollars 
he  quietly  occupied  himself  with  any  line  of 
activity  in  which  he  could  secure  employment. 
He  workeii  night  and  day  and  spent  practical- 
ly nothing  beyond  the  most  necessary  ex- 
penses. By  dint  of  unremitting  industry  and 
unwavering  energy  he  gradually  paid  off  his 
debt  and  was  once  more  able  to  face  the 
world  unhampered.  He  took  up  a  claim  in 
Coos  county  covered  with  red  cedar  and 
started  a  small  business  in  hardwood  posts. 
He  later  went  into  the  logging  camps  and 
was  active  in  this  line  in  the  employ  of  others 
for  four  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he 
rented  a  tract  of  land  in  Coos  county  and  be- 
gan farming.  He  remained  upon  his  orig- 
inal purchase  for  eight  years  but  in  the 
meantime  acquired  one  hundred  and  thirty- 
seven  acres  of  fertile  land  in  this  section.  He 
rented  this  out  for  some  time  but  was  event- 
ually able  to  move  upon  his  holdings,  tak- 
ing entire  charge  of  the  improvement  and  de- 
velopment from  that  time.  There  is  hardly 
a  line  of  agriculture  in  which  Mr.  Myers  has 
not  been  successful.  He  set  out  six  acres  of 
his  property  in  fruit  trees  and  within  one 
year  was  able  to  plant  three  additional  acres 
in  orchard.  He  gave  special  attention  and 
supervision  to  this  branch,  selecting  trees 
suitable  to  soil  and  climate.  By  jiractical 
methods  he  made  his  orchard  productive  and 
remained  upon  this  property  until  JIarch  1, 
1912.  In  that  year  he  moved  to  his  pre.sent 
farm,  although  he  retains  ownership  of  his 
one  hiuulred  and  thirty-seven  acres.  He  has 
given  his  entire  attention  to  making  his  prop- 
erties higlily  productive.  He  has  cleared  the 
timber,  took  up  and  burnt  the  stumps  and 
is  the  owner  of  a  model  farm.  He  has  always 
been  energetic,  intelligent  and  constructively 
active  and  is  known  through  the  section  in 
which  he  lives  as  representative  of  all  that 
is  progressive  and  modern  in  the  cultivation 
and  tilling  of  the  soil.  He  is  interested  in 
every  new  development  of  farm  machinery 
and  has  installed  efficient  equipment  upon  his 
holdings.  He  has  five  acres  of  bottom  land 
adjoining  his  original  jiurchase  in  Coos  county 
and  his  activities  well  centralized  and  con- 
trolled have  brought  him  a  gratifying  measure 
of   well   deserved  prosperity. 

On  January  31.  1876.  'Sir.  Slyers  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary  L.  GrindstafT.  a 
native  of  Carter  county.  Tennessee.  She  is  a 
daughter  of  George  W.'aud  Hannah  L.  iXave) 
Grindstafl".  whose  other  children  were:  Liz- 
zie, who  is  deceased;  Lovisa.  who  resides  in 
Tennessee;  Hannah,  deceased:  Celia.now  Mrs. 
John  Manning  of  Tennessee:  Anne,  who  is 
deceased;  and  Alex  and  .'<lierman.  both  of 
whom  reside  in  Tennessee.  Mrs.  Myers'  father 
was  twice  married.  His  second  wife  was 
Miss  Sallie  McCarthern  and  to  this  union 
two  .sons  were  born.  Nick  and  Isaac,  both  of 
whom  reside  in  thi'ir  native  state  of  Tennes- 
see. Jlr.  :iMil  Mrs,  Myers  bi-came  the  parents 
of  eight  cliildrcii;  William  II..  Iporn  October 
19.  1877.  wlio  is  nnirried  anil  the  father  of 
three  children.  Hazel.  Theodore,  and  (iladvs; 


Mi:.  AM)  MK>.  K.  1).  .\n  i;i;s 


THE  NEW 


LA*TOH, 
flLOEN   f 


THE  CENTEiNNIAL  HISTOEY  OF  OREGON 


857 


Phoebe  Elizabeth,  tlie  wife  ot"  Freil  -Mast  a 
rancher  in  Coos  county,  by  whom  she  has  two 
children,  Harry  and  Alice;  Alice  and  Clar- 
ence, both  of  whom  are  deceased;  Joseph  B., 
who  makes  his  home  with  his  father  in  Coos 
county;  Minnie,  now  Jlrs.  V.  P.  Sanford;  and 
Grover  C.  and  Walter,  botli  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing at  home.  All  of  the  children  of  Mr.  and 
Jlrs.  Myers  were  educated  in  the  public 
schools  and  all  attended  the  academies  in 
Coquille  and  Gravel  Ford.  Tlieir  two  daugh- 
ters for  some  time  were  teachers  in  the  public 
schools  and  their  son  William  supplemented 
his  primary  education  by  a  thorough  com- 
mercial course. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  M.yers  is  inde- 
pendent of  party  Hues,  preferring  to  keep  his 
judgment  unbiased.  He  has  never  been  an 
office  seeker  and  refused  to  accept  the  nomi- 
nation for  sherift'  of  Coos  county  when  it  was 
offered  him.  He  devotes  his  entire  attention 
to  agricultural  pursuits  and  has  gained  a 
remarkalile  degree  of  success  in  this  line.  He 
keeps  in  touch  with  the  trend  of  modern  de- 
velopment and  his  record  of  intense  and  well 
directed  activity,  resulting  as  it  has  in  grati- 
fying prosperity,  is  a  proof  of  what  may  be 
accomplished  by  determination  and  enterprise 
combined  with  energy,  talent  and  unwavering 
diligence. 

JACOB  A.  SAWYERS.  Energy  and  a 
broad  intelligence  coupled  with  the  upright 
qualities  of  an  honorable  character,  have 
been  the  inthiencing  factors  in  the"  career  of 
Jacob  A.  Sawyers  and  have  brought  him  to 
his  present  success.  He  has  been  prosperous 
as  a  farmer  in  Douglas  county.  Oregon,  and 
a  boatman  on  the  Umpqua  river,  as  a  hotel 
proprietor  in  Alleghen.v  and  is  now  pl.ying 
with  his  boat  on  the  river  near  Scottsburg 
and  Gardiner  and  meeting  with  his  accus- 
tomed success.  Mr.  Sawyers  was  born  in 
Steubenville.  .Tefferson  eountv.  Oliio.  ou  .July 
22.  1847.  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Eliza 
(Anderson)  Sawvers,  the  former  a  native 
of  Tyrone,  Ireland,  and  the  latter  of  Phila- 
delphia. The  grandfather  was  a  fifer  bo.v 
in  the  English  army  and  came  to  America 
with  his  regiment  in  order  to  take  part  in 
the  War  of  1,S12.  He  Avas  present  at  the 
battle  of  New  Orleans  and  was  taken  pris- 
oner. After  being  held  for  a  short  time  lie 
was  exchanged  and  returned  to  Ireland, 
where  he  remained  until  ISIS,  or  LSI  it.  when 
he  again  crossed  the  Atlantic,  locating  in 
.^t.  -Tohns.  Xew  Brunswick,  where  his  first 
marriage  occurre<l  and  where  in  1S22  his  .sou 
Andrew  was  born.  Andrew  Sawyers  was  one 
of  the  band  of  gold  seekers  who  opened  up 
the  California  fields  in  184!)  ami.  in  IS')!), 
came  north  to  Oic^'on.  locating  in  the  Cmp- 
qua  valley  nine  miles  east  of  Scottsburg.  He 
was  the  lirst  white  man  to  settle  in  this  dis- 
trict and  his  dauglifer  .\nin>.  who  later  mar- 
ri<>d  .Joseph  Keed.  was  the  first  white  chihl 
born  Oil  the  T'nipqua  river.  .lolin  Sawyers, 
till'  father  of  our  subject,  removed  with  his 
children  to  Philadel|)hia  upon  the  death  "f 
his  \\ife.  who  passed  awa.v  in  St.  .Tohns  in 
1824.  Til  tliat  citv  he  married  Miss  Eliza 
Anderson,   the    itiothei*   (if   our  subject.      -Tohii 


Sawyers  was  a  weaver  by  trade  and  for 
years  worked  in  the  cotton  and  woolen 
mills  of  i'hiladelphia.  In  1844  he  removed 
to  Steubenville,  Ohio,  and  followed  the  same 
line  of  occupation  for  ten  years.  During 
the  period  of  his  residence'  in  that  city 
he  enlisted  in  the  American  army  and 
served  during  the  entire  course  of  the 
Mexican  war.  In  1854  he  crossed  the  plains 
with  ox  teams,  locating  with  his  fam- 
ily thirteen  miles  up  the  Umjxiua  river  from 
Scottsburg.  where  he  took  up  a  donation 
claim  which  is  now  owned  by  his  son,  Jacob 
A.  Sawyers.  Here  he  resideil  until  1872  and 
brought  his  land  from  a  wild  and  unimproveii 
condition  to  a  state  of  development.  He  later 
moved  into  the  city  of  .Scottsburg.  where 
his  death  occurred  in  April,  1879,  when  he 
was  eight.v-one  years  of  age.  His  wife  s\ir- 
vived  him  until  1894,  and  died  when  she  was 
ninety-one  years  old.  Both  were  members  of 
the  Presbyterian  church  and  were  well 
known   in   religious   circles. 

Jacob  A.  Sawyers  was  reared  at  home  and 
his  residence  in  Oregon  dates  from  his  sev- 
enth year.  He  was  educated  in  the  schools 
of  Douglas  county  and  his  advantages  along 
this  line  were  limited  by  tlie  pioneer  con- 
ditions of  the  country.  His  opportunities 
were  inadecjuate  and  the  .schools  were  open 
but  three  months  during  the  year.  He  at- 
tended when  he  could  and  managed  to  acqiiire 
a  fair  degree  of  education.  When  he  was 
seventeen  years  of  age  he  bought,  in  con- 
junction with  his  brother,  a  farm  of  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  which  adjoined 
their  original  donation  claim.  This  was 
fenced,  tiled  and  improved  and  in  the  fol- 
lowing .\ear  the  father  turned  over  to  Jacob 
.Sawyers  the  entire  tract,  giving  him  full 
ownership.  At  this  time  .fames  E.  Sawyers, 
a  biother  of  our  subject,  was  a  soldier  in 
the  Union  army  and  upon  his  return  from 
service  lie  and  his  brother  bought  another 
farm  of  two  hunilred  and  si'venty  acres  and 
iqierated  in  partnershij)  the  three  tracts  of 
land,  comprising  altogether  a  valuable  jirop- 
erty  of  nine  hundred  acres.  The  two  brothers 
worked  conjointly  up  to  1872,  when  they  di- 
vided their  holdings,  Jacob  .\.  ac(|uiring  the 
old  donation  claim  of  three  hundrecl  and 
twenty  acres  and  two  hundred  and  seventy 
acres  of  the  first  farm  which  they  ijurchnsed. 
.Mr.  Sawyers  has  now  sold  this  latter  piece  of 
land  and  rc'tains  only  the  original  tract 
taken  up  by  his  father  in  lS.->4.  During  the 
years  in  which  he  was  identilieil  with  agri- 
iulture  he  became  well  known  throughout 
Douglas  county  as  a  successful  farmer  who 
operated  his  land  along  the  nnist  niodion  and 
|)rogre-^ive  linis.  Ur  made  constant  imi>rove- 
ments  upon  his  ]iropeit.v.  ImiU  fine  barns, 
fences  and  outbuildings  and  brought  it  (o 
a  high  state  of  cultivation.  Tn  ls74  he  left 
his  farm  and  removed  into  Scottsburg.  for 
live  or  six  years  following  steamboating  on 
the  rmpiiuii  river.  Tn  January.  1881,  he 
returned  to  his  proiierfy  in  Douglas  county. 
and  resumed  his  agrii-nltural  pursuits,  follow- 
ing this  line  of  occupation  until  1902.  Tn  that 
yi^ir  he  removed  to  .MleL-heny.  Coos  county, 
where   he  bought  a  gasoline   motor  boat  and 


b5b 


THE  CEiNTENNlAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


operated  this  for  freiglit  and  passenger  pur- 
poses on  the  Coos  river  lor  four  years.  While 
he  was  thus  engaged  he  bought  a  liotel  in 
the  city  of  Allegheny  and  was  prosperous  in 
its  operation.  In  1906  ho  removed  to  Scotts- 
burg  and  has  since  followed  steamboating 
on  the  Unipqua  river  between  that  city 
and  Gardiner.  He  is  acquainted  with  the  va- 
rious channels  and  currents  of  the  body  of 
water  upon  which  he  travels  and  is  known 
as  one  of  the  most  efficient  navigators  in 
Douglas  county.  He  has  charge  of  the  boats 
belonging  to  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad 
and  makes  his  headquarters  in  Scottsburg 
from  which  he  carries  on  a  constantly  in- 
creasing business  in  inland  river  freight  navi- 
gation. 

In  Jauuar.y,  1880,  Mr.  Sawyers  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Lucy  Gardiner,  a  native 
of  Oregon  and  a  daughter  of  Isaac  M.  Gardi- 
ner, who  came  to  this  state  from  Ohio  in 
1854  and  located  in  the  Siuslaw  valley.  Lane 
county.  He  removed  in  1860  to  Douglas 
county,  where  his  death  occurred,  in  Drain, 
in  190S,  when  he  was  eighty-seven  years  of 
age.  To  ]Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sawyers  have  been 
born  ten  children,  six  of  whom  are  still  liv- 
ing: Eliza,  the  wife  of  W.  A.  Gage,  of  Coos 
county;  John  J.,  who  lives  in  Scottsburg: 
Mary  E..  who  married  Edwin  Grubb.  a  farmer 
on  the  Umpqua  river;  Alexander,  who  oper- 
ates the  home  farm;  Isaac  T.,  a  rancher  on 
the  Umpqua  river  in  Douglas  county;  and 
Violet  B..  who  lives  at  home. 

In  his  political  affiliations  Mr.  Sawyers  is 
a  republican  but  has  never  sought  office.  He 
affiliates  with  Gardiner  Lodge.  No.  132,  I.  O. 
O.  F..  and  Jlrs.  Sawyers  belongs  to  the  Re- 
bekahs  and  to  the  Degree  of  Honor.  Mr. 
Sawyers  has  been  prominently  identified  with 
the  agricultural,  commercial  and  industrial 
u|jbuilding  of  the  section  in  which  he  lives. 
His  father  was  an  honorable  and  upright 
man  and  the  son  is  carrying  on  his  life  along 
worthy  and  useful  lines  which  are  the  quali- 
ties of  his  heritage. 

CHARLES  S.  BENEFIEL  has  since  1897. 
resided  in  Paisley,  during  which  period  he 
has  been  engaged  in  various  mechanical  pur- 
suits. For  several  years  he  owned  and  oper- 
ated a  sawmill  and  at  all  times  has  led 
a  life  of  industry  and  unabating  activity. 
He  was  born  in  .Jackson  county.  Oregon,  near 
the  city  of  .Jacksonville.  April  1,  1867.  and 
is  a  son  of  Robert  W.  and  Lillias  Rockefeller 
(Raymond)  Benefiel.  The  father  was  born 
in  Indi:ina.  February  IS.  1821.  and  the  mother 
in  that  state.  September  24.  1834.  They 
■were  married  in  Iowa  and  came  to  the  west 
in  18,57  by  way  of  New  York  and  the  isth- 
mus route,  arriving  in  Portland.  Oregon, 
where  they  were  entertained  by  the  Wal- 
lings.  Subsequently  they  settled  in  .Jack- 
son county,  where  they  lived  for  about  ten 
years  and  then  removed  to  Santa  Barbara 
county,  California.  Later  they  resided,  for 
a  time,  in  Los  Angeles  county.  California, 
and  in  1879  became  residents  of  Lake  county. 
Oregon.  locating  in  the  Crooked  Creek  val- 
ley. In  1S97  they  came  to  Paisley,  where 
the  father  died  the  following  year.     He  was 


a  farmer,  also  a  good  mechanic  and  built 
many  barns  in  the  districts  in  which  he  lived. 
In  politics  he  was  a  stanch  republican  but 
manifested  only  a  citizen's  interest  in  the 
questions  of  the  day.  For  fifty  years  he  was 
an  exemplary  representative  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity.  His  widow  survives  him  and  lives 
with  her  eldest  daughter  in  Santa  Barbara, 
California.  In  her  family  were  seven  chil- 
dren, of  whom  Charles  S.  is  the  youngest, 
the  others  being:  Ann  Eliza,  the  wife  of 
E.  A.  Herrick.  of  Santa  Barbara;  James  Tol- 
man.  wh.o  died,  leaving  a  widow  and  five 
children;  Robert  Lewis,  of  Crooked  creek. 
Lake  county;  John  Wiley,  living  in  Douglas 
county;  Harriet  Isabel,  the  wife  of  S.  B. 
Chandler,  of  Crooked  creek;  and  William 
Henry,  a  stockman  of  Plush.  Oregon. 

Charles  S.  Benefiel  resided  with  his  parents 
througii  the  period  of  his  boyhood  and  youth 
and  when  twelve  j'ears  of  age  came  to  Lake 
county.  He  was  connected  with  ranching  in- 
terests until  twenty  years  old  and  then 
turned  his  attention  to  mechanical  pursuits, 
for  which  his  natural  ability  well  qualified 
him.  He  was  thus  engaged  until  1897,  when 
he  established  a  sawmill  at  Paislej',  in  con- 
nection with  his  brother.  .1.  W.  Benefiel. 
Later,  however,  the  brother  sold  out.  while 
Cliarles  S.  Benefiel  continued  to  operate  the 
mill  for  six  years.  In  the  fall  of  1909  he 
disposed  of  that  property  and  has  since 
worked  along  mechanical  lines,  being  a  very 
handy  man  in  all  kinds  of  carpenter  work, 
blacksmitliing  and  other  mechanical  pursuits. 
He  is  also  connected  with  the  Chewaucan 
Jlercantile  Company   of  Paisley. 

In  June.  1897.  Mr.  Benefiel  was  married  to 
Miss  '>usie  ^lulkey.  of  Lakeview,  who  was 
born  in  Douglas  county.  May  17,  1872,  and 
was  reared  in  Goose  Lake  valley,  near  Lake- 
view.  Oregon.  She  is  a  daughter  of  .lohn 
and  Sarah  (Dickinson)  ilulkey.  the  former 
a  native  of  Missouri  and  the  latter  of  Iowa. 
Both  crossed  the  plains  about  1853.  and  are 
residents  of  Lakeview.  !Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bene- 
fiel have  three  children.  Robert  Raymond, 
Sarah  Isabelle  and  Charles  Sylvester.  Mr. 
Benefiel  is  an  independent  republican,  or  pro- 
gressive, interested  in  the  movement  which 
is  seeking  to  purify  politics  and  to  secure 
legislation  that  will  favor  the  masses  rather 
than  classes.  He  holds  membership  with 
the  Woodmen  of  the  World  and  his  relisious 
belief  is  that  of  the  Church  of  Christ.  He  is 
recognized  as  an  honorable  and  upright  man, 
well  worthy  of  tlie  high  regard  in  which  be 
is   uniformly   held. 

WILLIAM  H.  HULL  retired  in  1910  from 
active  life  after  a  long  and  honor.ible 
career,  devoted  principally  to  agricultural 
pursuits.  For  twenty  years  he  farmed  in 
Coos  county,  bringing  to  the  operation  of 
his  prosperous  enterprise  the  aliility  and 
knowledge  of  scientific  methods,  which  he 
had  gained  as  a  boy  upon  his  father's  farm 
and  as  an  independent  agriculturist  in  Kan- 
sas. He  has  many  claims  to  the  respect  and 
esteem  of  his  fellow  citizens,  having  done 
his  duty  as  he  saw  it  in  all  the  relations  of 
his  life.  He  enlisted  dnrins  the  Civil  war 
nnd   saw  six  months   of  hard   service.     He  is 


THE  CENTENNIAL  IIl^^TOKY  OP  OREGON 


859 


jiiorainent  in  i)olitics  and  well  known  in 
business  circles,  having  given  his  attention 
since  his  retirement  chieHy  to  the  afl'airs  of 
the  Coquillc  Valley  Cooperative  Creamery, 
of  which  he  is  one  of  the  founders  and 
president. 

Mr.  Hull  was  born  in  Indiana,  near  Fort 
Wayne,  in  1S40.  and  is  a  son  of  Henry  and 
Jane  (Gardner)  Hull,  the  former  a  native 
of  Virginia  and  the  latter  of  New  York. 
The  family  is  of  Holland  origin  but  has 
been  in  this  country  for  many  years,  the 
grandparents  of  our  subject  having  been 
born  in  Virginia.  Mr.  Hull  is  one  of  nine 
children,  the  others  being:  Isaac  T.,  of 
Kansas;  James  K.,  deceased;  Adam,  who 
has  also  passed  awaj-;  Felix  E..  who  is 
engaged  in  farming  near  Riverton;  Peter, 
who  resides  in  Colorado;  B.  Franklin,  who 
makes  his  home  in  Indiana;  Elizabeth,  the 
wife  of  Floyd  Syphers  of  Washington;  and 
Phoebe,  who  married  Nathan  Metzger,  of 
Indiana. 

William  H.  Hull  was  reared  upon  his  fath- 
er's farm  and  engaged  in  general  agricult- 
ural pursuits  in  the  employ  of  others  until 
ho  was  twenty-one  years  of  age.  He  en- 
listed in  1862  in  the  Eighty-eighth  Indiana 
Volunteer  Infantry,  under  General  Buell, 
and  saw  active  service  in  the  battle  of 
Crab  Orchard.  His  health  failed  and  he 
was  obliged  to  go  to  a  war  hospital  for  a 
time,  receiving  his  discharge  on  account  of 
disability.  He  returned  to  Indiana  and 
worked  at  various  occupations,  following 
general  farming  for  twenty-three  years.  In 
1886  he  sold  out  his  interests  in  his  native 
state  and  went  to  Kansas,  where  he  bought 
a  ranch,  which  he  operated  and  developed 
for  four  years,  selling  it  at  the  end  of  that 
time  in  order  to  come  to  Coos  county.  His 
residence  in  this  section  dates  from  1890. 
He  rented  a  farm  and  after  one  year  pur- 
chased a  portion  of  his  present  home  place. 
The  land  was  wild  and  unimproved,  covered 
with  brush  and  timber,  and  Mr.  Hull  was 
obliged  to  do  all  the  work  of  clearing  and 
developing.  He  later  added  sixty  acres  to 
his  holdings  and  his  property  is  now  con- 
sidered one  of  the  model  farms  on  the 
Coquille  river.  He  now  owns  one  hundred 
and  two  acres  lying  along  the  banks,  highly 
improved  and  intelligently  managed,  and 
has  gained  a  reputation  as  a  successful  and 
systematic  agriculturist.  For  the  first  six 
years  he  carried  on  general  farming  but 
iater  added  dairying  to  his  activities,  be- 
ginning in  a  small  way  but  gradually  ex- 
panding until  it  is  now  one  of  the  largest 
enterprises  of  its  kind  in  the  county.  Mr. 
Hull  retired  from  active  work  in  1910  and 
gave  over  the  management  of  his  property 
to  his  two  sons.  In  1911  he  helped  to 
organize  the  Coquille  Valley  Cooperative 
Creamery  and  was  elected  its  president  at 
the  last"  annual  meeting.  He  holds  a  large 
part  of  the  stock  and  is  active  in  the  man- 
agement of  its  affairs,  his  shrewd  business 
discrimination   aiding   him   in   this   work. 

In  1ST2  Mr.  Hull  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Kate  Clarke,  a  native  of  Ohio  and 
a    clangliter   of   .\lexander   and   Rose    (Schnei- 


der i  Clarke,  both  of  whom  were  born  in 
Pennsylvania.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clarke  had  five 
children:  ,lohn  ().  and  .lane,  both  deceased; 
Kate,  now  Mrs.  Hull;  Franklin,  who  lives  in 
Iniliana;  and  Elizabeth,  who  has  also  passed 
away.  To  our  subject  and  his  wife  have 
been  born  four  children.  Ina  is  the  wife  of 
.John  Fox,  who  is  the  owner  of  a  furniture 
factory  at  Coquille.  Clark  in  connection 
with  his  brother  Thomas  operates  the  home 
ranch.  Thomas  is  married  and  has  two 
children,  JIabel  and  l'"dith.  William  H.,  Jr., 
is  engaged   in  logging  in  Coquille. 

Mr.  Hull  is  well  known  in  political  circles 
of  Coos  county  and,  although  he  does  not 
give  his  allegiance  to  any  particular  party, 
is  an  active  force  in  public  enterprises.  He 
founded  the  populist  party  in  Coos  county 
and  was  at  one  time  cliairn\an  of  the  Cen- 
tral committee  but  is  not  now  affiliated 
with  any  political  organization.  Ho  is  inter- 
ested in  the  progress  and  expansion  of  the 
section  in  which  he  resides  and.  although  he 
has  never  sought  office,  his  public  spirit  has 
led  him  to  accept  some  important  local  posi- 
tions. He  was  school  director  for  eight 
years  and  did  constructive  and  competent 
work  as  road  supervisor  for  two  years.  He 
is  prominent  in  the  Masonic  order  and  gives 
his  allegiance  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church.  South,  of  Coquille.  He  is  widely 
and  favorably  known  in  the  section  where 
he  has  resided  for  over  twenty  years  and  is 
known  as  an  active  and  industrious  man,  of 
good  business  ability,  systematic  and  effi- 
cient in  the  operation  of  his  agricultural  en- 
terprise and  upright,  conscientious  and  pub- 
lic-spirited in  oHicial  life.  His  prosperity 
is  of  the  solid  kind  which  is  the  out- 
growth of  merit,  and  his  success,  which  is 
undoubted  and  well  deserved,  has  been  kept 
entirely  subservient  to  the  methods  and 
standards  by  which   it  has   been   attained. 

JOHN  G.  MONTGOMERY  is  a  retired 
himbcrman.  living  on  a  twelve-acre  tract  of 
land,  adjoining  the  city  of  Springfield,  in 
Lane  county.  He  was  born  in  Virginia  in 
1833.  a  son  of  Hamilton  and  Tacy  (•Ten- 
nings)  Montgomery,  both  natives  of  Vir- 
ginia. They  were  married  in  their  native 
state  and  there  resided  during  the  remain- 
der of  their  lives.  The  father  passed  away 
in  ]S:i4.  when  the  subject  of  this  review  was 
a  child,  and  the  mother's  death  occurred  in 
1841.  Their  family  consisted  of  four  chil- 
dren: William,  Maiy  and  Martha,  all  of 
whom  are  deceased;  and  .John  G.,  of  this 
leview. 

After  his  father's  death  J.  C  Montgomery 
was  sent  to  live  with  his  uncle,  who  acted 
as  his  guardian.  He  resided  with  his  uncle 
until  tire  death  of  the  latter,  which  occurrod 
when  Mr.  Montgomery  was  fourteen  years 
of  age.  He  then  started  out  in  life  for  him- 
self'^and  subsequently,  with  money,  which 
his  uncle  had  left  him,  he  bought  an  inter- 
est in  a  combination  saw  and  grist  mill  at 
Blue  Springs.  Tennessee.  This  mill  was  con- 
ducted by  Mr.  Montgomery  and  a  jiartner 
until  1861.  a  period  of  twelve  years,  when  it 
was    destroved    bv    the    Tnioii    army    during 


860 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


the  Rebellion.  Alter  that  catastrophe  Mr. 
Montgomery  removed  to  the  vicinity  of 
Pana.  Illinois,  where  he  followed  farming 
for  one  year,  but  owing  to  the  malarial  con- 
ditions there,  he  returned  to  the  south  again. 
locating  in  Georgia,  where  he  raised  cotton 
for  a  year,  after  which  he  went  to  Texas 
and  spent  a  year  looking  for  a  favorable 
locality  in  which  to  settle.  As  lie  found 
nothing  to  his  liking,  he  removed  to  Arkan- 
sas, settling  near  Fort  Smith  upon  a  farm 
which  he  operated  for  several  years.  In 
1874  he  disposed  of  his  farm  in  Arkansas 
and  with  ox  teams  crosseil  the  i)lains  to 
Oregon,  settling  at  lirst  near  Pendleton, 
where  he  lived  for  five  years.  He  then  went 
to  Boise  City,  Idaho,  and  worked  at  various 
occupations  until  1883.  when  he  settled  in 
Walla  AValla,  Washington.  After  living 
there  for  two  years  he  went  to  Grande 
Eonde.  Oregon,  where  he  engaged  in  logging, 
an  occupation  which  he  pursued  until  lUOl. 
when  he  removed  to  I.ane  county  and  en- 
gaged in  logging  on  the  ilcKenzie  river,  con- 
tinuing until  1912.  when  he  sold  his  ])lant 
and  retired.  He  now  lives  on  a  twelve-acre 
tract  adjoining  the  city  of  S|iriiigfield,  Ore- 
gon. 

In  180.1  ilr.  ilontgoniery  was  married  to 
Miss  Sallie  Carter,  who  was  born  in  Tennes- 
see, a  daughter  of  Elum  and  Sarah  Carter. 
both  natives  of  the  south.  The  father  died 
in  Arkansas  and  the  mother  passed  away 
in  Illinois.  In  their  family  were  five  chil- 
dren, four  of  whom  are  still  living.  Jlr.  ami 
Mrs.  ilontgomery  have  become  the  parents 
of  seven  children :  Minnie,  the  widow  of 
.Tames  Edwards  and  the  mother  of  one  child. 
Arthur:  William.  Gettie  and  Ham.  all  at 
home;  Leone;  Tip;  and  Ruby,  who  married 
Daisy  Lane,  by  whom  he  has  a  son.  How- 
ard,  born   in   December,   1907. 

In  his  ]iolitical  views  ilr.  Montgomery  is 
a  democrat  although  he  does  not  confine  him- 
self exclusively  to  the  sui)port  of  candi- 
dates nominated  by  his  party.  By  his  long 
and  active  business  career  he  has  accu- 
mulated a  comfortable  competence  and  has 
added  materially  to  the  resources  of  the  com- 
munities in  which  he  has  lived.  He  is  one 
of  the  most  respected  citizens  of  Springfield 
and  has  an  extensive  acquaintance,  being 
held  in  high  esteem   by  all  who  know   him. 

ELWOOD  C.  JOHNSON  is  well  known  in 
Washington  county  and  that  section  of  the 
>tate.  for  he  is  one  of  the  partners  in  a 
sawmill  conducted  at  Hillsboro  by  the  firm 
of  .Tohnson  Brothers.  He  was  born  in  Iowa, 
May  16.  1877.  and  is,  therefore,  yet  a  young 
man  with  ojjportunity  for  further  advance- 
ment and  success.  His  parents  were.  ('..  E. 
and  .Josephine  (Baileyl  .Tohnson.  the  former 
a  native  of  Canada  and  the  latter  of  Penn- 
sylvania. In  the  year  1886.  they  left  their 
Iowa  home  to  become  residents  of  Oregon, 
where  the  father  remained  until  the  time  of 
his  death,  while  the  mother  still  resides  in 
Hillsboro.  Tn  their  family  were  eleven  chil- 
dren,  nine   of   whom   are   yet   living. 

Elwood  C.  .John.son  was  only  about  nine 
years  of  age  when  the  family  left  Iowa   for 


the  northwest,  so  that  the  greater  part  of  his 
life  has  been  passed  in  Oregon,  where  he  has 
been  a  witness  of  many  events  that  have 
proven  important  factors  in  molding  the 
history  and  shaping  the  destiny  of  the  state. 
In  his  youthful  days  he  assisted  his  father 
and  on  attaining  majority  learned  the  car- 
penter's trade,  working  at  bridge  building 
most  of  the  time  until  he  joined  his  two 
brothers,  T.  C..  and  X.  G.  Johnson,  in  or- 
ganizing the  firm  of  -Johnson  Brothers  for 
the  operation  of  a  sawmill  and  the  manufac- 
ture of  lumber.  They  own  two  hundred  and 
seventy  acres  of  land  of  which  one-third 
is  covered  with  heavy  timber.  The  mill  has 
a  capacity  of  two  thousand  feet  daily  and 
for  their  products  they  find  a  ready  sale. 
Elwood  C.  .Johnson  owns  and  conducts  a 
dairy  in  connection  with  his  milling  busi- 
ness. He  is  a  man  of  resolute  purpose  and 
carries  forward  to  successful  completion 
whatever  he  undertakes. 

ilr.  -Johnson  was  married  in  1900  to  Miss 
Mary  Harwood,  who  was  born  in  Kansas. 
They  have  four  children.  Alvin  E..  Irvin  L., 
Orville  C.  and  Cecil  M.  Mrs.  -Johnson  was 
reared  in  the  faith  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal church.  Our  subject  gives  his  allegiance 
to  the  republican  party  and  has  filled  the 
office  of  school  director  but  has  never  sought 
nor  desired  political  preferment-  He  be- 
longs to  the  Jlodern  Woodmen  camp  at  Hills- 
boro and  his  brethren  in  that  fraternity 
hold  him  in  high  regard,  while  the  great 
majority  of  those  with  whom  he  has  come 
into  contact  in  business  life  and  elsewhere 
entertain  for  him  warm  friendship. 

ROBERT  WEST.  The  history  of  Colum- 
liia  loinity  would  scarcely  be  complete  with- 
out mention  of  Robert  West,  who  was  the  first 
while  child  born  in  Westport,  his  natal  year 
being  1S.'>8.  His  parents  were  Captain  -John 
and  Margaret  (West)  West,  natives  of  Lin- 
lithgowshire. Scotland,  and  on  coming  to 
the  new  world  first  settled  at  Quebec.  Can- 
ada, where  they  reside<l  until  1849.  In  that 
year  the  father  made  his  way  to  the  United 
States,  becoming  a  resident  of  Westport, 
Oregon,  where  in  1857  he  was  joined  by  his 
family,  for  in  the  meantime  he  had  become 
convinced  that  he  desired  to  make  this  sec- 
tion of  the  cotuitry  his  permanent  place  of 
residence.  He  was  a  millwright  by  trade 
and  worked  for  W.  Abernethy.  the  first  gov- 
ernor of  Oregon,  who  owned  a  mill  at  Oak 
Point.  Washington,  where  Captain  West 
was  employed  for  several  years.  He  after- 
ward proved  up  a  donation  claim  where 
Westport  now  stands  and  subsequently  es- 
tablislied  the  first  sawmill  that  was  o]ierated 
at  Wotjiort.  He  was  also  otherwise  con- 
nected with  the  business  development  of 
the  place,  starting  a  canning  factory  which 
lie  carried  on  np  to  the  time  of  his  death 
in  1SS7.  He  was  for  seven  years  survived 
liy  his  wife,  who  |iassed  away  in  1804.  In 
their  family  were  eight  children,  of  whom 
two  died  in  Canada,  while  five  came  to  Ore- 
gon witli  the  mother  and  one  was  born  in 
this  state.  The  only  survivor  of  the  family 
is    Mrs.    Eliza    Skirvin.    of    Portland.      Those 


^«^  a»^ 


KOIiKirr  WEST 


j  THE  NE'vf 


*tT«R,  LINOX  ANf> 
TILPEN  FOUNDATION*,       » 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


863 


«liu  have  passed  away  are:  two  who  were 
named  John;  Ellen,  the  wife  of  Charles  Mc- 
Guire,  of  Westport,  also  deceased;  Robert; 
Jane,  who  was  also  the  wife  of  Charles  Mc- 
Guire;  David,  and  Ann.  the  wife  of  Robert 
Scott,    of    Woodburn,    Oregon. 

In  1891  Robert  West  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Margaret  M.  Donahue,  who 
was  born  at  Lenox,  Xova  Scotia,  April  (J, 
186S,  a  daughter  of  George  and  Rose  (Mad- 
do.\)  Donahue,  who  were  likewise  natives 
of  the  same  county  where  they  "were  mar- 
ried and  spent  their  entire  lives.  The  mother 
died  in  1905  and  the  father  passed  away  two 
years  later.  In  their  family  were  eleven 
children:  Mrs.  West;  Mathew,  who  is  resid- 
ing at  Gloucester,  Massachusetts;  Kate,  the 
wife  of  Frank  Deering,  of  Los  Angeles,  Cali- 
fornia; Mary,  the  wife  of  Scott  Madison, 
of  Dorchester,  Massachusetts;  Nellie,  the  de- 
ceased wife  of  Fred  Dose,  of  Woodburn,  Ore- 
gon; John,  living  in  Leno.x,  Xova  Scotia;  Ar- 
thur and  James,  who  are  residents  of  Lynn, 
JIassachusetts;  Lawrence,  a  sailor  residing 
in  Dorchester,  Massacliusetts;  Ernest,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  eleven  years:  and  one  who 
passed   away    when    four   years   of   age, 

LTnto  the  marriage  of  Jlr.  and  ilrs.  West 
there  were  born  three  children:  Ralph  Lowell, 
twenty  j'ears  of  age,  living  witli  his  mother 
in  Westport;  and  Margaret  and  ilaud,  twins, 
seventeen  years  of  age.  The  family  circle 
was  broken  by  the  hand  of  death  when  on 
the  13th  of  December,  1S99.  Robert  West  was 
called  to  his  final  rest.  His  widow-  after- 
ward married  Robert   U.  Howard. 


S.  E.  McBEE  is  an  agriculturist  living  on 
a  thriving  eighty-acre  farm  one  mile  east 
of  Springfield.  He  was  born  in  Benton 
county,  Oregon,  December  13,  1856,  a  son 
of  .lohn  W,  and  Almira  (Mathena)  McBee, 
natives  of  Ohio  and  Indiana  respectively. 
The  father  came  with  his  parents  to  Oregon 
in  1852  and  the  mother,  in  company  with 
relatives,  came  to  this  state  in  the  same 
year,  her  parents  having  died  in  the  east. 
After  the  father's  marriage  he  settled  in 
Benton  county,  Oregon,  on  a  homestead  of 
two  hundred  acres  which  remained  his  home 
until  in  1874,  when  he  sohl  out  and  settled 
in  Lane  county,  where  he  purchased  one 
hundred  and  si.\ty  acres  one  mile  east  of 
Springfield,  Upon  that  farm  he  lived  until 
his  death,  which  occurred  on  the  23d  of 
January,  l.SSS.  Tlie  mother  had  passed 
away  in  1SG8  and  after  her  death  tlie  father 
had  again  married,  his  second  union  being 
witli  Miss  .losephine  Grubbs,  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania.  By  the  first  marriage  there 
were  five  ehihlren,  of  whom  S.  K.  McRee.  of 
tills  review,  is  the  eldest,  tin-  others  being: 
W.  A.,  of  Pleasant  Hill,  Oregon:  Mrs,  W.  C. 
Campbell,  of  Spokane.  Washinirton:  Martha 
Grubbs,  deceased;  and  Mrs.  Ida  Collins,  of 
Springfield.  Unto  the  second  marriage  were 
also  born  five  chililri'n.  as  follows:  .lesse. 
of  Seattle.  Washington;  Bert,  a  resident  of 
Lorane,  Oregon:  Elmer,  of  Springfield:  John, 
of  Benton  county:  and  Lillie.  the  wife  of 
Frank  Bartholomew,  of  Springfield. 


S.  E.  McBee  remained  at  home  until  he 
attained  the  age  of  twenty-four  years,  re- 
ceiving a  good  common-school  education  and 
assisting  in  the  farm  work.  At  that  age  he 
was  married  and  began  farming  on  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  in  Lane- 
county  which  belonged  to  him.  This  land, 
which  w  as  situated  on  the  McKenzie  river, 
he  cultivated  for  twelve  years,  after  which 
he  sold  out  and  removed  to  the  old  family 
homestead,  one  mile  east  of  Springfield, 
where  he  lived  for  five  years.  In  1902  he 
purchased  twenty-five  acres  and  in  1904 
made  his  home  upon  that  land  which  he  has 
by  purchase  added  to,  until  he  now  has 
eighty  acres,  of  which  fifty  acres  are  in 
a  high  state  of  cultivation,  the  remainder  be- 
ing in  timber. 

Mr.  McBee  was  married  on  the  3d  of  Au- 
gust, 1S81,  to  Miss  Catherine  \Vileo.\,  also 
a  native  of  Oregon,  born  in  Lane  county, 
December  4.  1863,  a  daughter  of  Philo  aiid 
Rosanna  (Brown)  Wilcox.  Her  father  was 
born  in  Vermont,  November  1,  1834,  while 
the  mother's  birthplace  was  Missouri.  The 
father  came  to  Oregon  in  1857  by  the  way 
of  the  Isthmus  of  Panani;i.  In  1865  he  set- 
tled on  Camp  creek,  in  Lane  county,  where 
he  purchased  two  hundred  and  eighty  acres 
of  land,  upon  which  he  resided  for  six  years. 
He  then  sold  the  land  and  purchased  ninety- 
three  acres  within  two  miles  of  Springfield. 
He  lived  upon  this  farm  for  many  years, 
bringing  it  under  a  good  state  of  cultivation, 
erecting  suitable  improvements  and  making 
of  it  a  very  desirable  farm  property.  In 
1892  he  sold  the  farm  and  retired  from  ac- 
tive life,  and  now  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight 
years  makes  his  home  with  his  son-in-law, 
S.  E.  McBee.  Mrs.  Wilcox  crossed  the  plains 
when  six  years  of  age  with  her  parents, 
with  whom  she  lived  until  her  marriage. 
She  passed  away  in  .June.  1891.  In  the 
Wilcox  family  were  three  children,  of  whom 
Mrs.  McBee  is  the  eldest,  the  others  being: 
John  F,,  of  Salem;  and  Mary  Ellen,  the 
wife  of  T.  M.  Johnson,  of  Echo,  Oregon, 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McBee  have  been  born  ten 
children,  all  of  whom  are  living:  Charles 
O..  who  was  born  in  September,  1882,  and 
married  Anna  Saul;  Lena  M.,  born  Janu- 
ary 23,  1884,  at  home:  Bertha  E..  born 
.luly  2.  1885,  the  wife  of  George  W.  Stew- 
art, residing  near  Springfield,  by  whom  she 
has  two  children.  Harold  and  Lucille;  Ina 
L..  who  was  born  February  11,  1887.  the 
wife  of  Fred  Cline,  of  Springfield,  and  the 
mother  of  two  children,  Bernice  and  Ralph; 
Melvin.  who  was  born  November  23,  1889. 
and  who  married  Beulali  Koch  and  resides 
near  SprinL'tield ;  Lewis  B..  born  February 
5,  1893.  who  has  a  business-college  educa- 
tion and  resides  at  home;  Edward  \V.,  born 
.lanuary  17,  1895;  Wayne  W„  born  July 
1.  1897;  Loris  G..  born  Janiniry  22,  1901: 
and   Alice   R.,  born  October    14,    1902. 

Mr,  McBee  is  prominent  and  popular  in 
fraternal  circles,  being  a  member  of  the  Odd 
Fellows  lodge,  the  Moilern  Wondmen  of 
America  and  the  Patrons  of  Husbandry,  hav- 
ing filled  all  of  the  chairs  in  those  orders. 
He    and    his    family    are    afllliated    with    the 


864 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


Methodist  Episcopal  chuicli.  iu  tlie  work 
of  which  they  are  deeply  interested,  and  the 
family  is  a  highly  respected  one  and  widely 
known  in  the  community.  Mr.  ilcBee  is 
a  progressive,  up-to-date  farmer  and,  al- 
though he  gives  strict  attention  to  business, 
huds  time  for  fraternal  and  social  life  and 
is  highly  esteemed  by  all  who  know  liim. 

BENJAMIN  HAJRRISON  IRVINE.  For 
over  fifty  years  Benjamin  Harrison  Irvine 
has  been  identified  with  the  agricultural 
development  of  Linn  county  and  the  section 
owes  much  of  its  present  prosperity  and 
wealth  to  his  progressive  and  enterpris- 
ing career.  He  was  a  pioneer  in  Oregon  and 
for  many  years  one  of  the  most  prominent 
farmers  in  this  part  of  the  state  and  has 
justly  earned  the  retirement  he  is  enjoying 
by  useful  labor  in  the  past.  He  was  bom  in 
Kentucky,  January  11,  1S29,  and  is  a  son  of 
.Jesse  and  Margaret  (Hadley)  Irvine,  na- 
tives of  that  state,  who  moved  to  Missouri 
when  their  son  was  only  six  years  of  age. 
Six  years  later  the  father  died  and  the 
mother  remained  in  that  state  until  1852 
when  with  her  family  she  crossed  the  plains 
to  Oregon  with  ox  teams  and  landed  at 
Salem,  where  her  death  occurred  on  the  day 
of  her  arrival.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jesse  Irvine 
had  ten  children,  all  of  whom  have  passed 
away  with  the  exception  of  the  subject  of 
this  review  and  Jesse  B.  Irvine,  of  Cor- 
vallis. 

B.  H.  Irvine  was  twenty-three  years  of 
age  when  he  arrived  in  Linn  county  and  his 
life  since  that  time  has  been  spent  in  this 
section.  Immediately  after  his  arrival  he 
took  up  a  donation  claim  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  near  Scio  and  began  its  improve- 
ment and  development.  This  meant  hard 
manual  labor  under  primitive  conditions, 
constant  watchfulness  and  an  energy  which 
was  proof  against  defeat.  All  these  quali- 
fications Mr.  Irvine  possessed  and  they  made 
him  finally  a  prominent  and  successful  man. 
Acre  by  acre  his  land  was  brought  under 
the  plow,  the  fields  planted  and  the  work 
begun.  Year  by  year  the  harvests  grew 
more  abundant,  barns  and  outbuildings 
were  erected  and  general  improvements 
made,  Mr.  Irvine  keeping  constantly  in  touch 
with  new  developments  in  equipment  and 
methods.  At  intervals  he  added  to  his 
holdings  until  his  farm  finally  comprised  five 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land,  highly  im- 
proved and  developed,  one  of  the  most 
valuable  farms  in  Linn  county.  Upon  this 
he  resided  until  1903  when  he  purchased  a 
fine  home  and  six  acres  of  land  in  Lebanon 
and  retired  from  active  life.  He  has  passed 
his  eiglity-third  year  and  is  enjoying  a  well 
earned  rest,  spending  the  evening  of  his 
days    in    peace    and    comfort. 

in  1857  Mr.  Irvine  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Sarah  R.  Johnson,  who  was  bom  in 
Iowa,  January  29,  1S42,  a  daughter  of  James 
H.  and  Esther  A.  (Adams)  Johnson,  natives 
of  Illinois  and  Ohio,  respectively.  After  their 
marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Johnson  moved  to 
Iowa  and  settled  there  in  pioneer  times,  re- 
maining  until    1S33   when    thev   crossed   the 


plains  to  Oregon  with  ox  teams  and  settled 
in  Linn  county.  Here  the  father  purchased 
land  four  miles  east  of  Lebanon  upon  which 
he  resided  for  forty  years,  dying  upon  his 
property  iu  Xovember.  1911,  at  the  advanced 
age  of  ninety.  His  death  was  regretted  by 
all  who  knew  him,  for  it  deprived  Linn  coun- 
ty of  one  of  its  pioneers  and  one  of  its 
most  prominent,  representative  and  success- 
ful agriculturists.  His  wife  died  in  1900. 
In  their  family  were  four  children:  Sarah 
R.,  the  wife  of  our  subject;  Mrs.  Nancy  E. 
Zell,  of  Prineville;  Mrs.  Mary  K.  Hickman, 
of  Monmouth;  and  Mrs.  Martha  J.  Holt, 
who  resides  in  Harrisburg.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Irvine  became  the  parents  of  eight  children: 
James  H.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  two  years; 
Esther  Ann,  born  Xovember  12,  1860,  who  is 
the  wife  of  W.  E.  Ray,  of  Linn  county;  T. 
J.,  who  was  born  May  17,  1864,  and  resides 
in  eastern  Oregon;  Mary  J.,  bom  Januarv 
23,  1866,  who  is  the  wife  of  F.  T.  Thayer, 
of  Linn  county;  C.  R.,  whose  birth  occurred 
January  19,  1868,  and  who  resides  in  Hub- 
bard; Emeline,  whose  natal  day  was  August 
1.  IS  70,  and  who  is  the  wife  of  C.  W.  Beard, 
of  Yamhill  county;  Martha  L..  born  October 
20,  1876,  who  resides  at  home;  and  Bertha 
A.,  whose  birth  occurred  August  27,  1881, 
and  also  resides  at  home.  The  family  are 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  Mr. 
Irvine  is  a  stanch  prohibitionist  and  intelli- 
gently interested  in  the  growing  strength  of 
that  party.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Grange 
and  active  in  the  affairs  of  the  Good  Temp- 
lars. His  life  has  been  so  usefully  spent 
and  so  valuable  in  its  activity  that  he  has 
won  and  retained  the  respect  and  confidence 
of  many  friends.  In  spirit  and  interests  he 
seems  yet  in  his  prime  and  is  widely  and 
favorably  known  in  Lebanon,  being  classed 
with  the  representative  citizens  of  Linn 
county. 

STEPHEN  P.  BACH  is  prominent  in 
business  and  political  circles  of  Lebanon, 
having  for  twenty-two  years  operated  a 
general  merchandise  store,  and  being  ex- 
tensively interested  in  various  representa- 
tive local  enterprises.  He  was  born  in  Ger- 
many, June  27,  1860,  a  son  of  Joseph  and 
Rosalia  Bach,  both  of  whom  died  in  the 
fatherland.  They  were  the  parents  of  six 
children:  Kate,  a  resident  of  Ohio;  Peter 
whose  home  is  in  Salem,  Oregon;  Stephen 
P.,  of  this  review;  and  Lawrence.  Rosalia 
and  Louisa,  all  of  whom  reside  in  Germany. 

Stephen  P.  Bach  came  to  America  in  1879 
and  having  settled  in  Marion  county  com- 
pleted, in  the  Salem  Business  College,  an 
education  which  had  been  begun  in  Germany. 
When  he  had  passed  the  prescribed  course  in 
that  institution  he  worked  upon  a  farm  for 
two  years  and  then  clerked  in  a  general 
merchandise  store  in  Salem,  gaining  in  this 
way  practical  experience  in  American  busi- 
ness methods.  In  1S90  he  came  to  Lebanon 
and  here  established  himself  as  an  independ- 
ent merchant.  The  business  which  he  founded 
at  that  time,  he  is  conducting  today  in  the 
same  location  in  which  it  was  originally 
established.      He    recently    took    in    partner- 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OKEUON 


8ti5 


ship  George  Buhl,  with  whom  he  works  on 
the  cooperative  plan.  The  success  he  en- 
joys is  largely  the  result  of  the  energy  and 
determination  with  which  Mr.  Bach  applies 
himself  to  his  work.  His  business  has  in- 
creased year  by  year,  and  his  is  one  of  the 
important  retail  houses  in  the  city.  Stephen 
P.  Bach's  interests,  however,  are  not  con- 
fined to  the  management  of  his  store  alone. 
He  has  invested  extensively  in  Lebanon  real 
estate  and  owns  much  valuable  property  in 
the  city,  including  his  own  fine  residence. 
He  is  the  president  of  the  First  National 
Bank  and   one   of   its   heaviest   stockholders. 

On  January  14,  1891,  Mr.  Bach  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Therese  Sheridan,  who 
was  born  in  Wisconsin,  and  came  to  Ore- 
gon with  her  parents  in  1ST5.  They  are 
still  living  on  a  farm,  five  miles  west  of 
Lebanon,  the  father  being  eighty-one  years 
of  age  and  the  mother  sixty-five.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Bach  has  been  born,  a  daughter, 
Bessie  L.,  whose  natal  day  was  November 
28,  1891.  She  enjoys  the  advantages  of  a 
fine  musical  education  and  is  attending  col- 
lege at  Eugene,  teaching  at  tlie  same  time. 
The  family  are  members  of  the  Roman  Catho- 
lic church. 

Stephen  P.  Bach  gives  his  allegiance  to  the 
democratic  party  and,  for  one  term,  served 
as  mayor  of  Lebanon,  accomplishing  dur- 
ing his  administration  much  valuable  and 
lasting  work.  For  three  terms  he  w'as  a 
member  of  the  city  council  and  he  is  active 
at  the  present  time  on  the  local  board  of 
education.  It  is  hard  to  estimate  the  im- 
portance of  his  accomplishments  since  all  of 
his  interests,  being  representative  and  ef- 
fective, have  influenced  the  growth  of  the 
city  by  promoting  it  actively  along  social, 
business  and  political  lines. 

GEORGE  THOMPSON  was  the  owner  of  a 
valuable  ranch  of  three  hundred  and  sixty- 
one  acres,  located  four  and  a  half  miles  west 
of  Cottage  Grove.  It  was  the  visible  evidence 
of  his  life  of  thrift  and  enterprise,  charac- 
teristic of  the  Swedish  people.  His  birth 
occurred  in  Sweden,  on  the  7th  of  February, 
1S39,  and  in  that  country  he  was  reared  to 
the  age  of  fourteen  years.  He  was  a  son 
of  Thomas  Rosenleaf,  who  was  a  merchant 
sailor  for  over  ten  years  and  sailed  to  al- 
most every  known  port  in  the  world  until 
his  ship  was  taken  away  from  him  by  sea 
pirates.  He  managed  to  make  his  escape 
in  a  boat  and  was  picked  up  by  another 
vessel.  He  W'as  the  owner  of  a  store  at  East 
Hammer,  Stockholm,  which  was  managed 
by  his  wife,  Sophia  Maria  Didrickson.  when 
he  was  at  sea.  After  the  loss  of  his  ship  he 
remained  at  East  Hammer.  In  the  family 
were  eleven  children,  five  daughters  and  six 
sons.  The  youngest  son,  Albert,  having 
emigrated  to  America,  was  one  of  the  first 
men  to  enlist  in  the  Union  array  from  Knox 
county,  Illinois,  joining  the  Forty-fifth  Illi- 
nois Regiment,  and  while  at  the  front  he 
was  wounded.  The  father,  Thomas  Rosen- 
leaf,  died  about  1857  and  his  wife  passed 
away  about  the  same  time.  Two  of  the 
brothers   and   two   of   the   sisters   of   George 


Rosenleaf,  who  clianged  his  name  to  Thomp- 
son on  taking  out  naturalization  papers  in 
the  United  States,  came  to  America.  They 
settled  in  New  York  city  and  San  Francisco 
and  those  wlio  are  living  still  reside  in 
those  cities.  The  father  also  came  to  the 
new  world  during  the  early  days  of  the 
republic  and  ]>articipatod  in  the  War  of 
1S12  but  afterward  returned  to  his  native 
land.  One  of  his  sons  went  to  the  front 
during  the  Mexican  war,  was  wounded  and 
died  from   the  effects  of  his   injury. 

At  the  age  of  fourteen  years  George  Thomp- 
son left  home  and  went  to  sea  and  for  nine- 
teen years  thereafter  lived  the  life  of  a 
sailor,  visiting  many  ports  and  climes.  For 
many  years  New  York  city  was  his  head- 
quarters, but  from  there  he  crossed  the  con- 
tinent to  San  Francisco  in  1872.  For  a  year 
thereafter  he  was  employed  as  a  line  man 
by  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad  Company,  but 
at  the  expiration  of  that  time  he  invested 
liis  capital  in  three  or  four  hundred  acres  of 
land  in  the  eastern  part  of  this  state  and 
went  to  raising  sheep.  He  made  a  success 
of  this  venture  and  for  many  years  his 
herd  numbered  on  an  average,  five  thousand 
sheep.  In  1893  he  disposed  of  part  of  his 
ranch  and  coming  to  Lane  county  purchased 
tlie  ranch,  where  his  widow  now  resides,  west 
of  Cottage  Grove.  He  continued  to  reside 
there  until  his  death,  which  occurred  on  the 
26th  of  March,  1910.  Mr.  Thompson  was  a 
diligent  man  of  foresight  and  sagacity  and 
during  the  long  v-ears  of  his  connection  with 
the  stock-raising  interests  of  this  state  ac- 
quired  a   comfortable   fortune. 

In  1898,  Jlr.  Tliompson  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Jliss  KUa  White,  who  was  the 
eldest  daughter  and  second  child  born  to 
Charles  and  Elizabeth  Jane  (Richards) 
White,  her  natal  day  being  the  26th  of  June, 
1S.')9.  The  parents  were  both  of  Cornish 
descent,  Charles  Wliite  being  one  in  a  family 
of  eleven  children  born  to  his  father  and 
mother,  whose  family  name  was  Morgan. 
The  mother  of  Mrs.  'Thompson  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  Richard  and  Elizabeth  (Gendle) 
Richards,  who  were  the  parents  of  nine 
children,  three  of  whom  are  still  living.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  White's  family  numbered  nine 
tliose  beside  Mrs.  Thompson  being:  Wil- 
liam Charles,  who  was  born  on  December  12, 
1S.')7.  a  resident  of  Rockville,  Wisconsin; 
Richard,  whose  birth  occurred  on  the  3d  of 
March,  1861,  living  in  Cottage  Grove;  John, 
born  on  September  25,  1862,  a  resident  of 
Platteville,  Wisconsin;  Levina,  wlio  was  born 
September  19,  1864,  the  wife  of  Albert 
Kllcdgc.  of  Cottage  (Jrove;  James  Henry,  born 
March  31,  1866,  living  in  Chico,  California; 
Albert,  wlio  was  born  January  2H.  1868.  and 
(lied  in  June  1903;  Arthur,  who  was  born 
January  17,  1870,  now  living  in  Rock- 
ville, Wisconsin;  and  Emma  E.,  who  was 
born  November  17,  1872.  the  wife  of  Henry 
Wickendoll,  of  Hutchinson,  Kansas.  Before 
lur  nnirriage  Mrs.  Thompson  was  a  sut- 
ccssful  music  teacher.  She  continues  to 
make  her  home  on  the  ranch,  where  she 
and  her  husband  passed  the  entire  period 
of  their  domestic  life.     During  the  period  of 


ma 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


tlieir  owiiershijj  tliej-  wrouglit  many  changes 
in  tlie  place  and  it  is  now  one  of  the  at- 
tractive and  well  improved  as  well  as  valu- 
able   properties    of    the   community. 

-Mr.  Thompson  became  a  citizen  of  the 
I'nited  States  on  the  29th  of  July  ]85fl,  and 
ever  after  was  absolutely  loyal  to  the  oath 
of  his  allegiance.  He  served  his  adopted 
country  at  the  time  of  her  great  need  during 
those  dark  days  in  the  'GOs  as  a  member  of 
the  navy,  being  assigned  duty  on  the  battle- 
ship ilerrimac.  He  was  slightly  wounded 
once  but  sufi'ered  no  permanent  injuries. 
He  joined  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  in  185G.  being  a  member  of  Balti- 
more Lodge,  Xo.  1,  I.  0.  0.  F..  one  of  the 
lirst  lodges  organized  by  this  fraternity  in 
the  United  States.  After  coming  to  Lane 
county  ilr.  Thompson  practically  lived  re- 
tired, although  he  took  an  active  interest 
ii:  all  movements  inaugurated  for  the  de- 
velopment of  the  community  and  was  known 
as  one  of  the  foremost  citizens  of  Cottage 
Grove,  where  he  had  many  stanch  friends. 

THOMAS  CRAINE,  secretary  and  treas- 
ure! Ill  tlie  -MiUers-Sands  Fishing  Company, 
in  wliicli  he  owns  a  tenth  interest,  is  a  man 
of  wide  sea  experience  and  possessing  much 
business  abilitj'.  He  resides  at  No.  1362 
East  Stark  street,  Portland.  Mr.  Craine  was 
born  on  the  Isle  of  Man.  February  7,  1850,  a 
son  of  Thomas  and  Elizabeth  (Cain)  Craine, 
both  of  whom  were  born  and  spent  their 
entire  lives  on  that  island.  The  father  fol- 
lowed fishing  and  farming  as  his  life  work 
but  prior  to  his  death  he  had  been  in  the 
fishery  business  exclusively.  He  died  many 
years  ago  and  the  mother,  surviving  him, 
passed  away  in  18S5.  They  were  the  par- 
ents of  eight  children,  Joseph,  who  resides  on 
the  Isle  of  Man,  and  Thomas,  of  this  review, 
being  the  only  surviving  members  of  the 
family. 

Thomas  Craine  was  reared  and  educated 
on  his  nati''e  island.  The  youngest  member 
of  the  household,  he  remained  with  his  par- 
ents until  he  was  fifteen  years  of  age,  when 
lie  started  out  to  seek  his  fortune  on  the 
high  seas  and  from  that  period  until  he 
had  attained  his  majority  he  lived  as  a 
sailor  and  fisherman.  He  then  settled  in 
Liverpool.  England,  for  a  short  time  but 
again  resumed  the  life  of  a  seafaring  man. 
By  this  time  he  had  become  an  able  seaman 
and  shipped  on  board  the  DunfiUan.  of  Glas- 
gow, Scotland.  Leaving  England  on  Xo- 
vember  15,  1872,  he  arrived  at  San  Francisco. 
California,  March  2U,  1873.  Sailing  from 
this  port,  he  made  many  voyages  but  in 
1877  he  discontinued  the  life  of  a  seanum 
and  began  fishing  on  the  Columbia  river  in 
connection  with  the  Millers-Sands  Fishing 
Company,  operating  ten  miles  west  of  As- 
toria, at  Altoona  Station,  where  the  head- 
quarters of  the  company  still  remain.  Be- 
ing an  active,  efficient  business  man,  he  soon 
became  secretary  and  treasurer  of  his  com- 
pany, a  position  which  he  still  holds.  This 
concern  has  a  large  amount  of  money  in- 
vested  in   the   equipment   necessary   in   their 


business  and  their  operations  are  of  immense 
volume. 

On  March  29,  1891,  Mr.  Craine  was  mar- 
ried to  Mrs.  Dunlap,  widow  of  Robert  Dun- 
lap,  and  a  daughter  of  Zachariah  and  Sarah 
(Robinson)  Croson,  both  of  whom  are  now 
deceased.  The  father  died  in  Missouri, 
while  the  mother  passed  away  in  Iowa.  In 
1S82  Mrs.  Craine  crossed  the  plains  with 
her  first  husband,  Robert  Dunlap,  settling 
in  Oregon,  and  here,  in  1888,  Mr.  Dunlap 
passed  away.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Robert  Dun- 
lap four  children  were  born:  Luella,  Alice 
and  Harriet,  all  of  whom  received  a  good 
business  education  and  are  now  residing  at 
home;  and  Stewart,  who  married  Miss  Ma- 
linda  Clepper  and  is  employed  in  the  clear- 
ing house  department  of  the  Merchants 
National  Bank  of  Portland. 

Mr.  Craine  is  a  republican  in  his  political 
faith  but  has  never  sought  or  held  office. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order,  be- 
longing to  Lodge,  No.  24,  A.  F.  &  A.  M..  of 
Rainier.  Oregon,  in  which  he  has  held  the 
ofliee  of  steward.  He  is  also  a  member  of 
the  Red  Men  at  Skamokawa,  Washington. 
He  ami  his  family  are  members  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  church,  of  which  they  are 
regular  attendants  and  ardent  supporters. 
!Mr.  Craine  is  well  known  in  business  circles 
in  Portland  and  has  a  large  number  of  friends 
and  business  associates,  who  hold  him  in  the 
highest  esteem.  He  is  a  useful  man  in  the 
community  and  his  business  ability  is  well 
known  and  recognized  by  all  who  know  him. 

EPHRAIM  H.  BURCHARD.  Fifty-eight 
years  ago  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ephraim  H.  Burchard 
and  their  little  daughter  came  to  Oregon.  He 
remained  thereafter  a  resident  of  this  state 
until  his  demise  and  his  widow  is  still  living 
in  Scottsburg.  They  were  earnest  Christian 
people  and  ilr.  Burchard  made  an  excellent 
reputation  as  a  merchant  and  contributed  to 
the  material,  political  and  moral  developnu>nt 
of  his  community,  ilr.  Burchard  was  born 
in  Guernsey  county.  Ohio.  June  21.  1S2S.  a 
son  of  David  Todd  and  Jane  (McHaney)  Bur- 
cliard.  The  father  was  also  a  native  of 
(iuernsey  county,  Ohio,  where  he  lived  for 
many  years  and  thence  removed  to  Steubeu- 
ville.  Ohio.  His  death  occurred  in  that  city 
about  1870.  when  he  was  sixty-seven  years 
of  age.  and  his  wife  reached  the  remarkable 
old  age  of  ninety-five  years. 

Ephraim  H.  Burchard  largely  spent  his 
youthful  days  in  the  middle  west,  following 
the  printer's  trade  after  coming  to  Oregon. 
He  was  married  at  Hardscrabble,  Virginia,  in 
November,  1852,  to  Miss  Mary  G.  Sawyers,  a 
daughter  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Anderson) 
Sawyers.  Her  father  was  born  in  Ireland 
and  in  early  life  came  to  America,  settling  in 
Philadelphia,  in  which  city  his  wife  was  born 
and  reared,  Their  daughter.  Mrs.  Burchard. 
was  also  a  native  of  Philadelphia,  born  No- 
vember 3,  1835.  Her  parents  came  to  Oregon 
in  1854  and  following  their  arrival  in  this 
state,  in  December,  they  took  up  a  donation 
claim  near  Elkton.  The  father  died  at  the 
ripe  old  age  of  eighty-one  years  and  the 
mother  traveled  life's  journe}-  for  ten  years 


y. 


> 

o 


[the  new  YORK 
LIBRARY 


_T«.DEH  FOUN0*TI0Ne, 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


xm 


longer,  when  on  the  5th  of  September,  1S94, 
she  was  called  to  her  linal  rest  at  the  age 
of  ninetv-one  years. 

About  two  years  after  their  marriage  Jlr. 
and  Mrs.  Bureliard  started  for  Oregon,  com- 
ing to  this  state  in  1S54,  after  making  the 
long  and  arduous  journey  across  the  plains. 
Mr.  Burchard  then  turning  his  attention  to 
merchandising,  conducting  a  store  either  in 
Scottsburg  or  in  Gardiner  for  many  years. 
He  always  carried  a  well  selected  and  attrac- 
tive line  of  goods  and  his  reasonable  prices 
and  straightforward  dealing  secured  to  him 
a  liberal  patronage,  bringing  him  a  gratifying 
measure  of  success.  For  many  years  he  was 
justice  of  the  peace  and  di.seharged  his  duties 
with  strict  integrity  and  fairness,  his  opin- 
ions being  based  always  upon  the  law  and  the 
equity  of  the  case.  Tii  that  connection  he 
made  a  most  creditable  record,  as  he  did 
while  serving  as  assessor  of  Douglas  county  in 
18.59-60.  He  voted  with  the  democratic  party 
and  was  thoroughly  in  sympathy  with  its  in- 
terests and  its  purposes.  As  the  years  passed 
by  seven  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Burchard.  of  whom  David  died  in  infancy. 
Elizabeth,  born  October  14.  18o.'!.  twin  sister 
of  David,  became  the  wife  of  Henry  Wade, 
mentioned  elsewhere  in  this  woi-k.  Mar- 
garet, born  Xovember  15.  1855,  died  in  I86O1 
William  -J.  is  also  mentioned  on  another  page 
of  this  work.  .John  J.,  born  in  1860.  died 
in  January.  ISOn.  Mary  Jane,  born  ilarch  25. 
1868.  is  the  wife  of  Fred  Weatherby.  of 
Scottsburg.  Ephraim  Cyrus,  born  April  27. 
1S70.  is  at  home  with  his  mother.  The  death 
of  the  husband  and  father  occurred  August 
19.  1S9S.  He  was  a  Master  Mason,  belong- 
ing to  Gardiner  I.-odge,  No.  51).  and  for  many 
years  served  as  its  master.  He  was  also  a 
steward  of  the  grand  lodge  of  Portland  for 
a  time,  and  was  ever  loyally  devoted  to  the 
teachings  of  the  craft.  He  was  a  faithful 
member  of  tlie  ilethodist  church  to  which 
Mrs.  Burchard  belongs.  He  led  an  upright, 
honorable  life,  winning  him  tlie  high  regard 
of  his  fellow  townsmen,  and  ilrs.  Burchard 
has  ever  been  devoted  to  the  Christian  prin- 
ciples which  she  advocates.  In  fact  they 
were  long  luimbercd  among  the  most  highly 
esteemed  residents  of  Scottslnirg  and  of  Doug- 
las county  and  the  memory  of  ^Ii-.  I'.inchard 
is  cherished  by  all  who  knew  him. 

FREEMAN  L.  HARFORD,  for  some  years 
actively  associated  with  the  work  of  the 
ministry  of  the  ifethodist  Episcopal  church 
and  now  giving  the  weight  of  his  influence 
lor  the  intellectual  and  moral  development 
of  Xewberg  and  the  section  of  the  state  in 
which  he  lives,  is  a  native  of  Washington 
oouiily.  Pennsylvania.  His  opportunities  for 
acquiring  an  education  in  early  life  were 
good  and  he  po-sessed  a  studious  nature,  so 
that  close  applii'ation  to  his  books  early 
prepared  him  for  teaching.  The  Civil  war, 
however,  drew  him  from  his  chosen  profes- 
sion and  at  the  call  of  his  country  he  went 
to  the  front,  serving  in  defense  of  the  Union 
until  peace  was  declared.  He  has  always 
been  an  advanced  thinker,  closely  studying 
th<'  vital  and  significant  problems  of  the 
v.  i.  IV     :;i; 


country,  and  in  the  early  days  of  the  present 
prohibition  movement  was  an  active  par- 
ticipant in  the  work  and  became  a  well  known 
platform  speaker,  addressing  audiences  upon 
the  subject  of  temperance  in  many  states. 
His  work  in  Missouri  and  Oregon  has  left 
its  impress.  He  was  in  the  active  work  of 
the  ministry  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  until  his  health  failed,  when  in  1888 
he  removed  to  the  state  of  Oregon,  with  his 
family.  He  is  still  helping  to  make  this 
state  a  place  in  which  to  lind  a  good  moral 
atmosphere  for  the  young. 

His  wife,  Mrs.  Helen  Dickinson  Harford, 
has  been  closely  identilied  with  reform  move- 
ments current  in  this  state,  since  her  arrival 
here,  and  with  her  husband  has  given  her 
time  and  influence  to  make  Oregon  worth 
while.  She  was  graduated  from  the  State 
Xormal  College  at  Albany,  New  York,  and 
for  almost  twenty  years  was  successfully 
engaged  in  teaching,  "  She  left  that  work  to 
become  a  platform  S|)eaker  for  the  Woman's 
Christian  Temperance  t'nion.  She  has  been 
a  national  organizer,  a  national  superintend- 
ent of  the  department  of  Christian  citizen- 
ship and  president  of  the  State  Woman's 
Christian  Tetuperance  I'nion  for  five  years. 
At  the  time  of  this  writing,  in  1912,  she  is 
one  of  the  national  lecturers  of  the  organiza- 
tion and  has  all  the  calls  she  can  All.  She 
has  spoken  from  Chautauqua  platforms  ac- 
ceptably in  most  of  the  states  of  this  country 
and  in  Canada  is  regarded  as  a  welcome 
lecturer.  She  is  logical,  earnest,  entertain- 
ing and  elo(|uent  and  her  words  carry  con- 
viction to  the  minds  of  her  hearers.  The 
world  is  a  better  one  because  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Harford  have  lived  in  it  and  their  work  is 
appreciated  by  many,  in  all  parts  of  the 
country. 

HARVEY  C.  VEATCH,  who  is  living  re- 
tired, has  been  an  extensive  and  successful 
agriculturist  in  Oregon,  his  business  career 
dating  back  to  an  early  period.  He  owns 
considerable  jiroperty,  including  a  tine  resi- 
dence in  his  home  city.  Cottage  Grove.  He 
was  born  in  White  county,  Hlinois,  Xovember 
10,  1828,  the  son  of  Isaac  and  Mary  (Miller) 
Veatch,  the  former  a  native  of  Kentucky 
and  the  latter  of  South  Carolina.  The  par- 
ents were  married  in  the  Blue  Cirass  state 
and  there  they  resided  for  four  years.  The 
fathi'r  enlisted  in  the  War  of  1812  b\it  was 
not  in  active  service.  In  1815  he  removed 
to  White  county.  Hlinois,  where  he  bought 
lanil  from  the  government  at  one  dollar  and 
a  <|uarter  per  acre.  Upon  this  land  he  lived 
initil  1S45.  when  he  sold  it  and  removed  to 
Davis  county,  Iowa  whore  he  resided  for  a 
number  of  years.  Disposing  of  his  hohiings 
then-,  he  came  to  Oregon  ami  made  his  home 
with  his  .son,  the  subject  of  this  review,  with 
whom  he  resided  luitil  1S7;1.  when  his  death 
occurred.  The  mother  passed  away  in  1S40, 
while  the  family  were  living  in  lown.  They 
were  the  parents  of  sixteen  children,  of 
whom  si.x  are  still  living,  tnunely:  Harvey 
(  .:  Sylvester,  a  retired  tanner,  who  resides 
in  I  ottage  Grove  and  is  in  his  i-iglil  vlirst 
vear:  Xic'V  .Imi.-    the  widow  of  L.  1!.  U'liar- 


870 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


ton,  of  Lakeview,  Oregon;  Mrs.  Ann  Wallace, 
of  Cottage  Grove;  Mrs.  Harriet  Wallace, 
who  resides  near  Cottage  Grove;  and  E.  M., 
of  Cottage  Grove. 

When  twenty-five  years  of  age  Harvey  C. 
Veatch  crossed  the  plains,  driving  a  wagon 
owned  by  the  man,  who  afterward  became  his 
father-in-law.  Part  of  his  duties  on  that 
long  journey  were  to  care  for  the  stock, 
consisting  of  one  hundred  head  of  cows,  ten 
mares,  twelve  yoke  of  oxen  and  one  mule. 
During  the  trip  he  and  another  member  of 
the  party  had  a  hairbreadth  escape  from  be- 
ing killed  by  the  Indians,  who  surrounded 
them,  and  their  lives  would  have  been  lost, 
had  it  not  been  for  the  timely  arrival  of 
men  from  another  wagon  train.  This  oc- 
curred near  the  Snake  river  in  Idaho.  On 
settling  in  Oregon  Mr.  Veatch  became  in- 
terested in  agricultural  pursuits,  making  a 
specialty  of  handling  stock  and  also  con- 
ducting a  diversified  system  of  farming.  He 
owned  at  the  time  of  his  retirement  in  1892 
six  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land,  a  large 
proportion  of  which  was  under  a  high  state 
of  cultivation,  consisting  of  fine  bottom  land, 
the  remainder  being  in  pasture.  On  his  re- 
tirement he  sold  the  land  excepting  eighty 
acres,  which  he  later  gave  to  his  children, 
and  removed  to  Cottage  Grove,  where  he 
owns  a  fine  home  and  other  residence  prop- 
erty. On  October  33,  1S55,  he  enlisted  in 
the  Indian  war  and  served  for  three  months 
and  ten  days,  after  which  he  returned  to 
his  farm  in  Lane  county. 

Mr.  Veatch  was  married  in  Lane  county, 
Oregon,  December  24,  1S54,  to  Miss  Margaret 
J.  Knox,  who  was  born  in  Hancock  county, 
Illinois,  July  27,  1831.  a  daughter  of  Samuel 
B.  and  Elizabeth  (Matthews)  Knox,  both 
natives  of  Kentucky.  The  mother  died  when 
Mrs.  Veatch  was  but  three  years  of  age  and 
in  1835  the  father  married  Cynthia  Stock- 
ton, a  native  of  Tennessee,  who  came  to 
Illinois  with  her  parents  when  she  was  a 
young  girl.  To  the  second  marriage  ten 
children  were  born,  five  of  whom  are  stiU  liv- 
ing, namely:  Mrs.  Moss,  of  Creswell,  Ore- 
gon; Mrs.  Harriet  Callison,  of  Pleasant  Hill; 
Mrs.  Suphronia  McFarland,  of  Cottage  Grove; 
Mrs.  Laura  McFarland,  of  Cottage  Grove; 
and  Jerome,  of  Crook  county,  Oregon.  Mrs. 
Veatch  crossed  the  plains  with  her  father 
and  stepmother  when  she  was  twenty-one 
years  of  age  and  rode  on  horseback  the  en- 
tire distance,  helping  to  drive  one  hundred 
head  of  cattle.  Considerable  trouble  with  the 
Indians  was  experienced  en  route  and  some 
of  the  stock  was  lost  through  their  depreda- 
tions, the  herd  being  many  times  stampeded. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Veatch  the  following 
children  have  been  born.  Samuel  P..  bom 
in  December,  1856,  is  married  and  resides 
in  San  Francisco,  California.  He  is  chair- 
man of  what  is  known  as  the  grievance  com- 
mittee, to  settle  difficulties  between  rail- 
road companies  and  employes,  especially 
representing  railroad  conductors.  Oliver, 
who  was  born  in  1858,  is  married  and  is  en- 
gaged in  the  real-estate  business  in  Cot- 
tage Grove,  in  which  town  he  owns  con- 
eiderable   property,   including   a   brick   build- 


ing, handsomely  constructed.  Cynthia  Ros- 
etta  is  the  wife  of  Cy  Miller,  a  traveling 
salesman  of  Walla  Walla,  Washington. 
Posey  is  deceased.  Harriet  E.  is  the  wife  of 
Rev.  W.  V.  McGee,  a  Presbyterian  minister, 
of  Creswell,  Oregon,  ilary  S.  married  Robert 
H.  Moseby,  a  farmer  of  Lane  county.  Eva 
J.  is  the  wife  of  Ellsworth  S.  Halderman,  of 
Cottage  Grove,  who  is  employed  as  a  forest 
ranger  on  the  government  reser\'e.  They 
have  a  family  of  three  children:  Veta  B., 
born  in  1893;  Harvey  Scott,  born  in  1900; 
and  Doris,  born  in  1903. 

The  Veatch  family  are  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  church  and  contribute  ma- 
terially to  the  support  of  that  organization 
in  Cottage  Grove.  Mr.  ^  eatch,  who  has  now 
attained  an  advanced  age,  is  widely  and 
favorably  known  in  the  community  where 
he  resides.  Having  been  a  pioneer,  a  promi- 
nent resident  and  a  successful  agriculturist, 
he  has  for  many  years  been  a  conspicuous 
figure  in  Lane  county.  His  life  has  been  one 
of  activity  and  usefulness  and  he  is  now 
passing  his  declining  years  in  the  seclusion 
of  his  well  appointed  home,  surrounded  by  . 
his  family  and  many  close  friends. 

JESSE  EDWARDS,  the  recognized  founder 
of  Xewberg,  Oregon,  was  born  in  Hendricks 
county,  Indiana,  February  IS,  1849,  and  is  a 
son  of  John  and  Abigail  Edwards,  pioneers 
of  Indiana,  coming  from  Guilford  county, 
Xorth  Carolina. 

Jesse  Edwards  with  his  family  came  to 
Oregon  in  1880.  He  was  married  to  Mary  E. 
Kemp,  a  daughter  of  Jeremiah  and  Amy  R. 
Kemp  of  Park  county,  Indiana,  in  1870. 
They  w-ere  the  parents  of  four  children: 
Clarence  J.,  the  oldest,  who  is  the  promo- 
ter and  manager  of  the  Yamhill  Electric 
Light  &  Power  Company;  Walter  F.,  a 
dealer  in  bonds  and  real  estate  of  Portland; 
Oren  K..  who  is  general  manager  and  treas- 
urer of  the  Pacific  Face  Brick  Company; 
and  Maybelle  E.  York,  the  only  daughter, 
wife  of  M.  il.  York,  sales  manager  of  the 
Pacific  Face  Brick  Company,   of  Portland. 

In  ISSl  Mr.  Edwards  purchased  the  land 
upon  which  the  city  of  Xewberg  is  now  lo- 
cated, the  first  plat  of  the  town  being  re- 
corded in   1883. 

Mr.  Edwards,  believing  the  moral  factor 
to  be  a  fundamental  asset  in  the  building 
up  of  a  city,  was  careful  to  guard  its  moral 
as  well  as  its  material  development,  by  plac- 
ing a  clause  in  the  dedicatory  articles  of  the 
city  to  the  effect  that  each  deed  prohibit 
the  use  and  sale  of  all  intoxicating  drinks 
as  a  beverage.  He  has  always  been  an  en- 
thusiastic supporter  of  education,  giving  not 
only  his  hearty  support  to  the  building  up 
of  a  splendid  system  of  public  schools,  but 
was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Pacific 
Academy,  in  1885,  which  was  incorporated 
as  a  college  a  fcAv  years  later.  He  has  been 
one  of  its  strongest  financial  supporters,  as 
well  as  serving  as  president  of  the  board  of 
managers  for  a  number  of  years.  He  was 
one  of  the  incorporators  of  the  Bank  of  New- 
berg,  and  its  president  for  ten  years,  it  now 
beinff  the  United  States  Xational  Bank,  one 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OB^  OREGON 


of  the  solid  banking  institutions  of  the 
county. 

There  are  few  men  in  tlie  state  wlio  have 
done  more  in  promoting  and  fostering  man- 
ufacturing industries  and  all  legitimate  en- 
terprises for  the  development  of  the  north- 
west. Perhaps  the  most  extensive  was  that 
of  the  Xewberg  Pressed  Brick  &  Terra  Cotta 
Company,  which  he  organized  in  1892,  now 
well  known  throughout  the  northwest  as  the 
Pacific  Face  Brick  Company-,  with  its  head 
office  in  Portland.  He  has  been  its  presi- 
dent and  financial  head  since  its  organiza- 
tion. After  extensive  prospecting  for  clays 
throughout  the  Willamette  valley,  which 
would  make  a  suitable  facing  for  modern 
fire-proof  structures,  impervious  to  moisture, 
■which  is  so  neeessaiy  to  this  climate,  they 
purchased  land  having  the  desired  qualities 
in  clay  and  shale  deposits,  building  a  rail- 
road connecting  with  the  Southern  Pacific 
at  Sheridan.  At  this  location  they  erected 
and  equipped  the  most  modern  and  com- 
plete clay-working  plant  of  the  Pacific  coast. 
Their  product  not  only  supplies  the  Port- 
land and  Oregon  market  but  is  shipped  in 
large  quantities  to  Idaho,  Washington  and 
British   Columbia. 

Mr.  Edwards  is  a  man  known  throughout 
the  state  for  his  active  interests  in -various 
organizations  for  moral,  civic  and  political 
betterment.  His  clean  moral  life  coupled 
•with  his  successful  business  career  is  an  in- 
spiration and  encouragement  to  young  men. 

GEORGE  H.  COLTER  for  many  years  has 
been  recognized  as  one  of  the  most  skilful 
and  reliable  master  carpenters  among  the 
builders  of  large  and  important  structural 
bridge  work,  and  as  a  builder  of  smelters  and 
in  the  installation  of  mining  machinery  and 
equipment  he  is  among  the  most  reliable 
and  competent  men  of  the  Pacific  coast.  His 
birth  occurred  in  Xova  Scotia,  on  the  12th 
of  June.  1854,  his  parents  being  Daniel  and 
Almira  (Huestis)  Colter,  the  former  a  na- 
tive of  County  Sligo.  Ireland,  and  the  lat- 
ter of.  Nova  Scotia.  They  were  married  in 
Nova  Scotia,  where  they  continued  to  live 
the  remaining  days  of  their  lives.  Mrs. 
Colter  died  at  the  age  of  fifty-eight  years 
and  Daniel  Colter  passed  away  at  the  age  of 
seventy-two.  To  them  were  born  four 
daughters  and  three  sons.  Of  these  six  are 
stilf  living,  as  follows:  Maiy.  the  -wife  of 
Richard  Woodland,  of  Xova  Scotia;  Eliza, 
the  wife  of  George  Scott,  also  of  Nova 
Scotia;  Mrs.  Rebecca  Woodson,  who  resides 
in  Maine:  William,  a  resident  of  Kellogg, 
Idaho:  George  H..  of  this  review:  and  Henry, 
who  resides  on  the  old  homestead  in  Nova 
Scotia.  Malinda,  the  deceased  wife  of  Mur- 
doc  Nichelson.  passed  away  in  Nova  Scotia. 

George  H.  Colter  was  reared  at  home  and 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
land.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  started  m 
life  for  himself  and  on  leaving  the  parental 
roof  came  to  the  I'nited  States  in  1869  and 
settled  in  San  Francisco.  California.  Here 
he  engaged  in  the  pursuit  of  his  trade— that 
of  a  c'arpentcr  and  millwright.  He  remained 
in  San  Francisco  for  on.-  year  only  an<l  then 


removed  to  Portland,  where  he  was  engaged 
in  the  construction  of  the  Howe  truss  bridges, 
his  employers  being  Benjamin  HoUiday  and 
I.  V.  Keepers,  of  Chicago,  Illinois,  the"  busi- 
ness of  that  firm  being  that  of  railroad  pro- 
motion and  construction  work.  He  remained 
with  this  concern  for  a  period  of  five  years, 
after  which  he  moved  to  Silver  City,  Idaho, 
where  he  took  charge  of  the  Mahogany  and 
Ida  Elinore  gold  and  silver  mines,  which  he 
operated  for  three  years,  the  property  at  that 
time  being  owned  and  controlled  by  one  of 
the  banks  of  California.  He  then  removed 
to  Leadville,  Colorado,  in  1S7S,  where  he  was 
engaged  in  the  building  of  the  American 
smelter  lor  the  Wicks-Otis  Company  of  St. 
Louis,  Missouri,  and  in  1879  he  built  the 
Grant  smelter  of  Denver.  Colorado,  where 
he  remained  for  two  years,  after  which 
time  he  removed  to  Ogden  City,  Utah,  where 
he  entered  the  em])loy  of  Walker  Brothers, 
for  whom  he  constructed  an  independent  elec- 
tric light  plant,  changing  the  original  plant 
from  steam  to  water  power  and  using  for 
that  purpose  the  water  of  the  Ogden  river. 
I'pon  the  completion  of  the  electric  light 
plant  he  continued  in  the  employ  of  Walker 
Brothers  and  was  by  that  firm  sent  to  Butte, 
Montana,  where  he  installed  the  machinery 
in  the  Ellis  mines  for  that  company,  and 
later  he  built  the  opera  house  at  Butte  for 
Murray  &  Clarke  and  A.  .1.  Davis.  Mr. 
Colter,  upon  the  completion  of  his  contract 
in  the  building  of  the  opera  house  at  Butte, 
removed  to  Eagle,  Idaho,  where  he  built  a 
hotel  on  Pritchard  avenue,  which  he  for  some 
time  successfully  conducted  and  later  dis- 
posed of  at  a  handsome  profit,  after  which 
he  moved  to  San  Diego,  California,  where 
he  engaged  in  the  general  real-estate  busi- 
ness for  three  years.  In  this  enterprise  he 
was  most  successful,  taking  as  his  net  prof- 
its during  the  time  of  his  residence  there 
the  handsome  sum  of  twenty  thousand  dol- 
lars. In  1883  he  moved  to  Seattle,  Washing- 
ton, where  he  engaged  in  the  real-estate 
business  for  two  years,  after  which  he  re- 
moved to  Portland,  this  state,  and  shortly 
after  he  changed  his  residence  to  the  Siuslaw 
valley,  entering  that  fertile  territorj'  in  the 
year  1889.  His  first  investment  in  this  sec- 
tion of  the  state  was  on  a  most  extensive 
scale.  Directly  across  the  river  from  the 
city  of  Florence  he  purchased  an  unbroken 
mile  of  river  frontage.  On  the  land  con- 
tained within  the  boundaries  of  this  pur- 
chase he  laid  out  and  platted  the  town  of 
Glenada,  the  name  of  which  is  a  combination 
of  the  Christian  names  of  his  wife  and 
daughter,  in  whose  honor  he  has  given  to 
Oregon  the  town  of  Glenada.  In  the  de- 
velopment of  this  new  city  Mr.  Colter  has 
been  very  successful,  the  town  now  having 
a  population  of  two  hundred  inhabitants.  He 
lias  built  within  the  business  district  of 
Glenada  a  commodious  and  well  appointed 
hotel  at  the  cost  of  four  thousand  dollars. 
Til  is  property  he  still  owns  and  operates. 
In  addition  he  has  also  constructed  two 
wharves,  both  of  which  span  the  distance 
from  the  river's  shore  to  its  deop-wntcr  chan- 
nel.    One    wharf    is   one   hundred    and    fifty 


872 


THE  CEXTEXXrAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


feet  in  Ifii'.'th  and  one  two  liundied  feet  in 
length.  Mr.  Colter  still  owns  four  hundred 
and  fifty  cit}"  lots  in  Glenada  and  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  on  Fiddle  creek,  and 
also  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  within 
one  mile  of  the  town  of  Florence,  and  in 
addition  to  these  extensive  and  valuable 
lioldings  he  also  owns  sixty-three  acres  of 
timber   adjoining   Glenada   on   the  west. 

In  1881  :\rr.  Goiter  Avas  nnited  in  marriage 
to  iliss  Jane  Grant,  a  native  of  Cumber- 
land county.  Xova  Scotia,  and  a  daughter 
of  .Jame.<  and  Christina  Grant,  who  '\vere 
likewise  natives  of  Xova  .Scotia.  Her  par- 
ents were  married  in  that  countrv  and  con- 
tinued to  live  there  until  1880.  wlicn  they 
removed  to  Colorado,  where  they  maintained 
their  residence  for  four  years  and  then  re- 
moved to  Montana  in  1884.  where  thev  are 
now  living.  To  Mr.  and  ilrs.  Grant' have 
been  born  seven  children,  as  follows:  Mrs. 
Jane  Ada  Colter;  Mary,  the  wife  of  John 
Woods,  of  Montana;  Maggie,  the  wife  of  O. 
C.  Esty,  also  of  Montana:  Christina,  the  wife 
of  Douglas  Smith,  of  Montana:  and  George. 
James  and  Duncan,  who  are  also  residents 
of  the  state  of  ilontana.  Mr.  and  ilrs. 
George  H.  Colter  are  the  parents  of  seven 
children,  namely:  Viola,  wlio  was  born  in 
1886  and  is  tlie  wife  of  AVilliam  Yost,  of 
Glenada.  this  state:  George,  born  in  1888: 
Grant  Lee.  Avhose  birth  occurred  in  1890; 
Carli.sle.  whose  natal  year  was  1892:  Cleve- 
land, Ada,  and  Isabell,  who  were  born  in 
the  years  1894.  1896  and  1898.  respectively. 
The  last  six  named  are  still  under  the  |)ar- 
ental  roof.  The  children  of  Mr.  and  :\rrs. 
Colter  have  been  liberally  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  this  state  and  the  oldest 
daughter  was  for  some  time  engaged  in 
teaching  in  the  public  schools  until  the 
time  of  her  uuirriage. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Colter  is  identified  with 
the  Indei)endent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  Po- 
litically lie  is  affiliated  with  the  democratic 
party  and  has  served  as  deputy  sheriff  of 
Lane  county.  He  and  his  family  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Presbyterian  churcli.  George  H. 
Colter  is  otto  of  the  aggressive  and  success- 
ful business  men  of  this  part  of  Oregon.  He 
is  a  man  of  wide  experience  in  business  af- 
fairs and  in  his  undertakings  has  been  snc- 
eessful  to  an  uniisual  degree.  Among  liis 
acquaintances  and  associates  he  enjoys  the 
reputation  of  being  a  man  of  strict  integrity 
in  all  his  business  transactions  and  his  in- 
fliu>nce  is  always  to  be  relied  upon  in  the 
promotion  anil  advancement  of  any  measure 
of  public  interest  intended  to  advance  and 
improve  the  condition  of  the  people  in  his 
state  and   c-ounty. 

CHARLES  C.  BUCK  i>  the  owner  of  one 
of  the  most  beautiful  home  sites  in  Apple- 
gate  valley.  .Tackson  county,  where  he  re- 
sides. He  is  deeply  interested  in  all  educa- 
tional work,  having  been  for  sometime  past 
officially  connected  with  the  schools  in  his 
locality.  He  was  born  in  California.  Octo- 
ber 29.  1858.  and  is  a  son  of  AV.  R.  and  Ma- 
thilda iTvuddicki  Buck,  both  of  whom  were 
natives    of     Indiana,    and    who    crossed    the 


plains  at  a  very  early  date,  settling  at  fii-st 
HI  California,  where  they  remained  but  a 
short  time  and  in  1874  removed  to  Oregon 
and   located  in  Jackson  countv. 

Charles  C.  Buck  was  reared  at  home  and 
educated  in  the  public  schools.  He  remained 
under  the  parental  roof  until  having  at- 
tained his  majority  and  at  that  time  be- 
gan life  in  the  world  for  himself  and  first 
engaged  as  a  laborer  on  neighboring  ranches. 
After  devoting  himself  to  this  occupation  for 
sometime  he  purchased  his  present  home  site, 
consisting  of  forty  acres  in  Applegate  val- 
ley bottoms.  This  property  is  located  in 
one  of  the  most  picturesque  spots  of  the 
entire  valley  and  here  Mr.  Buck  is  building 
for  himself  and  family  a  home  that  corre- 
sponds with  its  environments. 

In  1892  ilr.  Buck  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Mattie  Parks,  a  native  of  Iowa,  and 
to  this  family  two  children  have  been  born: 
Clarence  and  Leatha.  both  of  whom  are  at 
home  with  their  parents.  Mr.  Buck  is  one  of 
the  best  known  and  numbered  among  the 
most  fuogressive  men  in  Applegate  valley. 
He  has  always  been  deeply  interested  in 
educational  work  and  contributed  to  the  im- 
Iirovement  of  the  valley  in  this  respect  ma- 
terially. During  his  residence  there  for  the 
jjast  ten  years  he  has  been  a  member  of  the 
school  board,  giving  his  time  whenever  called 
uiinn. 

W.  B.  MORSE,  M.  D.,  is  actively  engaged 
in  the  private  practice  of  medicine  and  sur- 
gery and  is  also  a  member  of  the  state  board 
of  health.  He  brought  to  his  professional 
career  a  thorough  uiulerstanding  of  the  great 
scientific  i)rinciples  imderlying  his  work  and 
his  ajqdication  thereof  to  specific  needs  has 
been  most  able  and  resultant.  His  standing 
is  indicated  by  the  liberal  patronage  now  ac- 
corded him  ami  which  places  him  with  the 
prominent  pliysicians  of  Salem.  A  native 
son  of  Oregon,  he  was  born  in  Lafavette. 
March  21.  i866,  and  is  a  son  of  William  B. 
and  Xancy  E.  (McBridei  Iforse.  who  were 
natives  of  Boston,  ilassachusetts.  and  of 
Missouri,  respectively.  In  early  life  the 
father  was  a  sea-faring  man  and  while  on 
one  of  his  voyages  came  around  Cape  Horn 
to  California,  following  the  discovery  of 
gold  in  that  state.  He  afterward  left  his 
ship  and  became  one  of  the  band  of  ■49ers 
who  went  to  the  gold  fields,  going  by  way 
of  the  isthmus.  He  remained  in  the  mines, 
however,  for  only  a  short  period  and  thence 
made  his  way  northward  to  Oregon,  settling 
in  Yamhill  county.  He  was  later  married 
there  and  established  his  home  in  Lafayette. 
to  which  place  his  Avife  had  gone  with  her 
parents,  making  the  long  and  arduous  trip 
across  the  plains  in  184fi.  After  his  mar- 
riage William  B.  ^Forse  was  variously  en- 
gaged, at  one  time  having  charge  of  all  the 
carpenter  work  at  the  Grande  Ronde  In- 
dian agency,  under  General  Phil  Sheridan. 
In  ]8(>8  he  was  appointed  the  first  Avarden 
of  the  state  penitentiary,  under  Governor 
Wooils.  and  served  for  three  years.  Later 
he  was  identified  with  the  sawmill  business 
for  three  years  l)ut  that  venture  proved  un- 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


H7;5 


prolitable  and  he  lost  tlie  capital  whifh  he 
)iad  invested.  At  a  subsequent  date  he  was 
employed  in  the  railway  mail  service,  in 
wliich  he  continued  to  the  time  of  his  death, 
in  1883.  Thus  in  various  ways  he  was  con- 
nected with  the  early  development  and  pio- 
neer experiences  of  the  state  and  became 
well  known  among  the  many  settlers  whose 
labors  proved  so  essential  a  factor  in  pro- 
moting the  growth  and  prosperity  of  Ore- 
gon. He  was  also  closely  connected  with 
the  early  history  of  ilasonry  in  Oregon  and 
was  well  known  to  the  fraternity  through- 
out the  northwest.  His  widow  survives  him 
and  is  now  a  resident  of  Portland. 

Dr.  Morse  was  reared  at  home,  acquiring 
his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  St. 
Helens  and  in  the  high  school  of  Portland, 
this  state,  ere  entering  Wasco  Academy  at 
The  Dalles.  There  his  literary  course  was 
completed  but  he  determined  upon  the  prac- 
tice of  medicine  as  a  life  work  and  in  the 
fall  of  1887  entered  the  medical  department 
of  Willamette  University  at  Portland.  Be- 
tween courses  of  lectures  he  read  under  the 
direction  of  Dr.  .T.  A.  Richardson,  of  Salem, 
and  at  length  was  graduated  from  Willam- 
ette University  as  a  member  of  the  class 
of  1891.  Immediately  afterward  he  opened 
an  office  in  Salem,  where  he  remained  un- 
til 1900.  He  then  went  to  Lincoln  county, 
where  he  s])ent  some  time,  securing  a  home- 
stead which  he  proved  up  in  1902.  He  was 
also  for  a  period  of  six  months  identified 
with  interests  in  Alaska,  going  to  that  dis- 
trict in  1899.  after  which  he  spent  sis 
months  in  prospecting  and  mining  there. 
However,  the  practice  of  medicine  has  been 
his  real  life  work  and  to  this  tlie  greater 
part  of  his  time  and  energies  have  been 
given.  He  lias  ])ursued  two  courses  of  study 
in  the  New  York  Post  Graduate  School  and 
in  the  Xew  York  Polyclinic  in  1893  and  in 
1907.  Jloreover.  his  ])rivate  reading  of  med- 
ical journals  and  the  latest  contributions  to 
medical  literature  have  kept  him  in  touch 
witli  the  advanced  work  that  is  being  done 
by  the  foremost  members  of  the  profession 
in  all  sections  of  the  country.  He  does  not 
hastily  discard  the  old  and  time-tried  meth- 
ods, the  worth  of  which  has  been  proven, 
and  yet  he  is  quick  to  take  up  any  new  and 
advanced  idea  which  his  judgment  sanctions 
as  of  value  in  the  important  work  to  which 
he  has  dedicated  his  life.  He  belongs  to  the 
:\rarion  County  Medical  Society,  to  the  Ore- 
gon State  Medical  Society  and  the  American 
Jledical  Association. 

In  1887  Dr.  Morse  was  married  to  Miss 
Kthel  Cusick.  of  Salem,  a  daughter  of  WW- 
liam  A.  Cusick.  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Marion 
county,  who  came  across  the  plains  from 
Illinois  in  the  late  '40s.  In  1900  Dr.  Morse 
was  called  upon  to  mourn  the  loss  of  his 
wife.  He  is  well  known  socially  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Illihu  Club  and  he  also  holds 
membership  with  the  Salem  Board  of  Trade 
and  the  Business  Men's  League.  Fraternally 
he  is  well  known  in  ;Masonic  circles,  belong- 
ing to  Pacific  Lodge.  Xo.  .")0.  F.  &  A.  M.; 
Multnomah  Chapter.  Xo.  1.  R.  A.  M.;  De 
Molay  Comuuuidery,  Xo.  5,  K.  T.,  of  Salem: 


and  Al  Kader  Temple  of  the  Mystic  Shrine, 
at  Portland,  lie  has  never  sought  nor  de- 
sired office  outside  the  strict  path  of  his 
profession  but  on  the  Sth  of  .lune,  1906.  was 
appointed  a  member  of  the  state  board  of 
health  and  has  served  continuously  since  in 
this  important  position.  In  the  office  he  has 
done  excellent  work  in  deman<ling  sanitary 
conditions  and  in  the  advocacy  of  an  edu- 
cational campaign  which  shall' make  known 
to  the  public  the  best  methods  of  ]u-event- 
ing  disease  and  the  spread  of  contagion.  In 
his  chosen  life  work  he  has  made  continuous 
|)rogress  and  is  justly  regarded  as  one  of 
Salem's   most  prominent  physicians. 

R.  H.  HOVEY,  general  manager  and  stock- 
holder of  the  Algoma  Lumber  Company  of 
Algoma,  Klamath  county,  was  born  in  San 
Francisco.  California,  May  6,  1878,  and  is  a 
son  of  Chester  L.  and  Anna  E.  (Hoffman) 
Hovey.  The  father  was  born  in  Quebec. 
Canada,  while  the  mother  was  a  native  of 
ilassachusetts.  They  were  married  in  the 
east  and  about  1875  became  residents  of 
(  alifornia.  They  now  make  their  home  in 
San  Francisco,  the  father  being  a  retired 
timber  speculator,  who  formerly  had  exten- 
sive interests  along  that  line  in  the  Golden 
state  but  has  now  disposed  of  much  of  his 
holdings.  In  the  family  are  a  son  and 
daughter,  the  younger  being  Rachel,  now  tin- 
wife  of  S.  F.  Fairweatlier.  of  San  Francisco. 

The  only  son,  R.  H.  Hovey,  resided  at 
the  place  of  his  birth  until  about  ten  years 
ago  and  after  pursuing  his  ediK'ation  in 
priyate  schools  entered  the  lumber  business 
with  his  father  under  the  firm  name  of  the 
Hovey  Timber  Company.  He  was  thus  en- 
gaged for  about  ten  years,  having  practical 
charge  of  the  business  in  the  purchase  and 
sale  of  timber,  while  his  father  linanred 
the  enterprise.  He  has  now  disposed  of  must 
of  his  California  interests  and  in  1909  he 
came  to  Klamath  county,  where  he  secureil 
about  ten  thousand  acres  of  timber  land. 
At  first  his  father  was  associated  with  him 
but  later  the  former  sold  his  interest  to  the 
Algoma  Lumber  Company  in  the  fall  of 
1911.  R.  H.  Hovey  consoliilated  his  inter- 
ests with  those  of  the  company,  of  which 
he  has  since  been  manager.  The  company 
now  owns  about  fifteen  thousand  acres  of 
timber  land  on  the  east  .shore  of  Upper 
Klamath  lake  and  in  February.  1912,  began 
the  development  work,  building  a  sawmill 
with  a  capacity  of  one  hundred  thousand 
feet  per  shift  or  two  hundred  thousand  feet 
of  lumber  jier  day.  They  are  rajiidly  in- 
creasing the  number  of  their  employes,  hav- 
ing now  about  two  hundred.  The  company 
Inis  platted  tlie  town  site  and  secured  the 
establishment  of  the  Algoma  ])ostoflice  and 
are  building  a  logging  road  of  standard  gauge- 
connecting  with  the  Southern  Pacific  Rail- 
road. This  will  be  ten  or  twidve  miles  long 
and  already  four  miles  has  been  built.  The 
company  was  incorporateil  in  190."i  ami  its 
officers  are:  Arthur  Greirory.  of  Redlands. 
(California,  president:  F.  P.  Fay.  of  Los  .An- 
geles, vice  jiresident ;  E.  ■!.  Grant,  of  Los 
Angeles,   secretary;    and    R.   H.   Hovey.   gen- 


874 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


eial  manager.  Aside  from  his  connection 
witli  tlie  company  Mr.  Hovey  lias  individual 
interests  in  timber  lands  in  Oregon  and  Cali- 
fornia. 

In  1903  occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr. 
Hovey  and  Miss  Grace  Garoutti,  a  native  of 
Woodland,  California,  and  a  daughter  of 
Judge  Charles  H.  Garoutti,  fonnerly  of  the 
supreme  court  of  California  but  now  de- 
ceased. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hovey  have  one  child, 
Charles  G.  Throughout  his  entire  life  Mr. 
Hovey  has  been  connected  with  the  line  of 
business  in  which  he  is  now  engaged  and 
long  experience  has  thoroughly  acquainted 
hira  with  timber  lands  and  valuations,  en- 
abling him  to  make  judicious  purchases  and 
profitable  sales.  He  possesses  marked  ex- 
ecutive ability  and  enterprise  and  has  al- 
ready established  himself  in  a  foremost  posi- 
tion as  a  representative  lumberman  of  south- 
ern Oregon. 

0.  E.  PATTERSON,  M.  D.  While  one  of 
the  younger  representatives  of  the  medical 
profession  in  Lake  county.  Dr.  O.  E.  Patter- 
son has  already  demonstrated  his  ability  to 
cope  with  intricate  problems  such  as  con- 
tinually confront  the  physician  and  thus  has 
won  a  liberal  and  gratifying  practice.  He 
was  born  in  Washington,  D.  C.,  in  March, 
1879. 

Dr.  Patterson  was  the  youngest  in  a  fam- 
ily of  eight  children  and,  having  completed 
the  high-school  course,  he  pursued  a  course 
in  a  commercial  college.  He  determined, 
however,  upon  a  professional  career  and  en- 
tered the  medical  department  of  the  George 
Washington  University  of  Washington,  D.  C., 
from  which  he  was  graduated  with  the  class 
of  1908.  He  had  previously  spent  seven 
years  in  the  government  service  and  it  was 
while  thus  engaged  that  he  took  up  the 
.-itudy  of  medicine.  For  a  year  he  practiced 
in  New  Mexico,  after  which  he  made  his  way 
to  Portland  and-  spent  seven  months  in  the 
Good  Samaritan  Hospital.  In  the  fall  of 
1909  he  arrived  in  New  Pine  Creek,  where 
he  has  since  engaged  in  general  practice,  and 
has  met  with  success.  For  two  years  he  was 
proprietor  of  a  drug  store  here  but  it  was 
destroyed  by  fire  in  the  fall  of  1911.  He 
is  interested  in  mining,  having  invested  in 
the  Big  Four  and  other  mines,  all  producing 
high-grade  ore.  Dr.  Patterson  has  firm  be- 
lief in  the  west  and  its  possibilities  for  de- 
velopment and  does  all  in  his  power  to  pro- 
mote the  material  progress  and  advance  the 
upbuilding  of  the  community  in  which  he 
lives. 

In  1907.  in  Fairfax  Courthouse,  Virginia, 
Dr.  Patterson  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Cecelia  Speer.  a  native  of  Virginia  and 
a  daughter  of  C.  H.  Speer,  of  Fairfax  Court- 
house. The  three  children  of  this  marriage 
are:  Robert,  who  was  born  in  Washington, 
D.  C;  Byron,  born  in  Oregon:  and  Helen  Vir- 
ginia, born  in  California.  Dr.  Patterson  is 
a  master  Mason  and  also  an  Odd  Fellow  and 
is  deeply  interested  in  both  organizations 
because  of  their  laudable  purpose.  His  po- 
litical support  is  given  to  the  republican 
party   but    professional    and   business    inter- 


ests rather  than  political  have  always 
claimed  his  time  and  energies.  He  is  con- 
scientious in  the  performance  of  all  pro- 
fessional service  and  broad  reading  keeps 
him  constantly  in  touch  with  the  most  ad- 
vanced ideas  and  methods  of  distinguished 
representatives  of  the  science  of  medicine. 

HORACE  J.  MEAD.  In  a  little  shack  set 
in  the  midst  of  two  liundred  and  eighty  acres 
of  land  on  the  north  fork  of  the  Smith  river 
lives  one  of  the  most  remarkable  old  men  in 
Douglas  county.  He  resides  in  a  cnide  cabin 
although  his  wealth  goes  beyond  thousands. 
He  works  although  his  age  and  his  success 
justify  retirement  and  his  eccentricity  ac- 
companies a  mechanical  skill  which  amounts 
almost  to  genius.  He  is  an  old  man  eighty 
years  of  age.  a  master  mechanic  and  one  of 
the  most  skilled  workmen  in  iron  and  wood 
in  the  state  of  Oregon.  He  was  born  in 
Canada,  on  November  9.  1S32,  and  is  a  son 
of  Stephen  and  Lucy  (Leonard)  Mead,  natives 
of  Vermont,  who  settled  in  Canada  and  later 
removed  to  Ohio  when  their  son  was  still 
an  infant.  After  residing  in  Indiana  they 
removed  to  Michigan  and  were  promin- 
ent and  successful  as  residents  of  that 
state.  Mr.  Mead  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  the  different  cities  in  which  his 
parents  resided  and  when  he  was  seventeen 
years  of  age  started  across  the  plains  for 
the  California  gold  fields.  He  arrived  in 
July.  1850,  and  was  successful  as  a  miner 
for  ten  year^.  He  then  went  to  Nevada  where 
he  worked  at  the  trade  which  he  had  learned, 
that  of  millwright,  and  later  journeyed  to 
Idaho  and  thence  to  Oregon.  His  residence 
in  this  state  dates  from  186S  and  his  career 
has  been  identified  with  many  phases  of  de- 
velopment. He  worked  in  the  mines  for  a 
short  time  just  after  his  location  in  Oregon 
and  was  then  actively  identified  with  the 
building  of  a  large  mill  on  Jackson  creek. 
He  spent  about  four  years  in  San  Francisco, 
and  one  in  Idaho,  whence  he  returned  over- 
land to  California.  In  the  late  '60s  he  again 
took  up  his  residence  in  Oregon  and  has  since 
lived  in  this  state.  He  located  on  Smith  river 
in  1875  and  he  now  owns  two  hundred  and 
eiglity  acres  on  the  north  fork  where  he 
makes  his  home  and  engages  in  the  cultiva- 
tion of  the  soil  and  in  mechanical  labors  of  a 
high  order.  He  is  a  natural  machinist  and 
is  one  of  the  most  expert  workmen  in  iron 
and  wood  in  Oregon.  He  maintains  a  little 
shop  upon  his  farm  and  his  time,  for  years 
past,  has  largely  been  devoted  to  expert 
mechanics.  He  has  gained  a  reputation 
throughout  the  state  as  a  man  who  can  repair 
anything  from  the  most  delicate  watch  or 
instrument  to  the  heaviest  piece  of  machinery. 
He  possesses  a  violin  which  is  the  product  of 
his  own  workmanship  and  which  is  said  by 
musicians  to  be  a  highly  artistic  instrument 
with  all  the  beauty  of  tone  possessed  by  a 
genuine  Cremona.  Mr.  Mead  is  a  master 
mechanic  and  has  attained  a  comfortable 
fortune   through   his  own   labors. 

In  ISSl  Mr.  Mead  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Mrs.  Ellen  Ashworth.  He  is  a  republican 
in  his  political  views  and  a  consistent  believer 


HORACE  .1.   MEAD 


THE  NEWy 
PUBLIC     LI9h.-.ttT 


*8T0«.   L 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OKKGOX 


877 


ill  the  principles  of  that  party.  He  is  num- 
bered among  the  oldest  of  the  pioneers  on 
Smith  river.  The  children  who  know  him 
today  see  a  white-haired,  old  man  working 
at  his  mechanical  duties  as  skillfully  and  with 
as  much  agility  as  he  labored  along  the  same 
line  of  activity  when  their  fathers  were  boys. 
Such  lives  and  such  characters  make  toil 
honorable  and  eccentricity  dignified. 

MRS.  LYDA  POWELL,  the  widow  of 
Philander  Powell,  who  was  one  of  the  early 
pioneers  of  Jackson  county,  is  a  daughter 
of  George  and  Macy  (Mantkins)  Lewis.  She 
was  born  in  Arkansas,  May  13,  1834.  Her 
parents  were  natives  of  Kentucky,  in  which 
state  they  were  reared  and  married.  The 
father  at  the  time  of  the  wedding  was  six- 
teen years  of  age  and  the  mother  fourteen. 
Immediately,  following  their  marriage  they 
took  up  their  residence  in  Arkansas  and 
there  continued  to  live  during  the  remaining 
years  of  their  lives. 

Mrs.  Powell  was  reared  in  her  father's 
home  in  Arkansas  and  in  1<S51,  when  seven- 
teen years  of  age,  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Philander  Powell,  who  was  a  native  of  Hli- 
nois.  Shortly  afterward  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Powell 
crossed  the  plains  with  ox  teams  to  Cali- 
fornia, driving  with  them  a  big  herd  of 
cattle.  They  completed  their  journey  in  the 
month  of  .January,  I860,  having  been  in  con- 
tinuous travel  for  a  period  of  six  months 
and  twelve  days.  On  reaching  California 
they  located  in  San  Joaquin  county,  twelve 
miles  north  of  Stockton,  at  which  place  they 
continued  to  live  until  18C3.  In  that  year 
they  crossed  the  Siskiyou  mountains  by 
wagon  to  Jackson  county,  Oregon,  and  lo- 
cated on  Emigrant  creek,  where  Mr.  Powell 
took  up  a  homestead  of  eighty  acres  to 
which  he  later  added  by  purchase  until 
he  was  the  owner  of  two  hundred  and  forty 
acres.  There  he  continued  to  live  until  called 
to  his  final  rest  in  1893.  Mrs.  Powell  still 
maintains  her  residence  on  the  old  home- 
stead. By  her  marriage  she  became  the 
mother  of  six  children,  three  of  whom  are 
living,  namely:  Kachacl,  the  wife  of  George 
Grow,  of  Jackson  county;  Livonia,  who  mar- 
ried Andrew  Dozier,  also  of  that  county; 
and  Millie,  the  wife  of  John  Dozier,  of  Jack- 
son county.  Mrs.  Powell  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  is  one  of  the 
well  known  and  highly  esteemed  pioneer 
citizens  of  the  county  in  which  she  lives. 

OTTO  MATTSSON  is  living  retired  in  a 
comfortable  hoMic>  on  Smith  river,  about  five 
miles  above  Gardiner.  It  is  fitting  that  the 
evening  of  his  life  should  tluis  be  passed 
in  quiet  retirement,  for  through  many  years 
he  was  an  active  factor  in  business  circles. 
He  was  born  in  Finland,  December  25,  1837, 
a  son  of  Matts  and  Mary  (Abrahams) 
Erickson,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Fin- 
land, where  they  lived  and  died. 

Otto  Mattsson  was  reared  at  Iiomc,  acquir- 
ing his  education  in  the  common  schools  and 
in  the  school  of  navigation.  He  began  a 
seafaring  life  at  the  early  age  of  fourteen 
years,  working  at  that  time  on  coasting  ves- 


sels. In  the  summer  of  1857  he  shipped 
aboard  a  vessel  which  loaded  at  Kronstadt 
with  lumber  for  London,  England,  and  from 
that  metropolis  they  jiroceeded  to  Newcastle 
to  load  coal,  but  Mr.  Jfattsson  left  the  ves- 
sel there  and  shipped  aboard  a  Norwegian 
vessel  bound  for  Lisbon,  Portugal.  From 
that  point  he  sailed  to  Norway,  where  he 
left  that  ship  and  became  a  "sailor  on  a 
Spanisli  vessel  bound  tor  Spain.  He  next 
went  aboard  an  English  ship  bound  for  Eng- 
land and  after  reaching  that  country  shipped 
aboard  a  German  steamer  making"  the  run 
to  many  Baltic  ports,  touching  at  Kronstadt, 
St.  Petersburg,  Koenigsberg,  Antwerp  and 
Hull,  England.  From  St.  Petersburg  he 
fihipped  aboard  an  English  vessel  for  the 
East  Indies  and  in  due  time  landed  at  Cal- 
cutta„  He  afterward  went  up  the  Red  Sea 
to  Abyssinia,  Africa,  where  he  left  that  ves- 
sel and  joined  the  English  army.  He  fought 
through  the  Abyssinian  war  and  later 
shipped  aboard  a  vessel  bound  for  Aden, 
Arabia.  Thence  lie  returned  to  Calcutta  and 
from  India  procecided  to  England.  He  after- 
ward again  went  to  the  East  Indies,  land- 
ing at  Madras,  and  thence  proceeded  to 
Singa])ore.  From  that  point  the  vessel  sailed 
to  Batavia,  in  the  Dutch  East  Indies,  and 
later  to  .Surabaya.  From  that  point  they 
sailed  to  Banvu-Wangi,  Holland  East  Indies, 
and  thence  to  Amsterdam.  Holland,  and  on 
to  Antwerp,  Belgium.  From  the  last-named 
place  Mr.  Mattsson  sailed  on  an  American 
vessel  for  the  United  States  in  the  year 
1867.  After  reaching  this  country  he  sailed 
on  an  American  ship  to  Stettin.  Germany, 
nid  thence  to  Ruegen.  Later  he  set  sail 
for  Boston  but  the  vessel  was  shipwrecked 
oil  the  voyage,  Mr.  Mattsson  being  rescued 
by  a  life-saving  crew  on  the  west  coast  of 
Sweden.  From  that  point  he  again  shipped 
to  Antwerp  and  later  proceeded  to  New 
York.  Still  he  continued  his  seafaring  life, 
shipping  on  board  a  vessel  that  sailed  around 
Cajie  Horn  to  Portland,  making  the  voyage 
in  less  than  one  hundred  days.  While  he  has 
siiiic  made  a  few  short  shore  voyages  this 
practically  ended   his   seafaring   life. 

.\(r.  Mattsson  arrived  in  Portland  on  the 
5th  of  April,  1869,  but  remained  there  only 
a  short  time,  going  to  San  Francisco,  where 
for  seven  years  he  worked  in  the  sugar 
refinery  of  Clans  Spreckels,  In  September, 
1877,  he  came  to  Douglas  county,  Oregon, 
locating  on  Smith  river,  where  he  has  lived 
continuously  to  the  present  time,  his  home 
being  located  about  five  and  a  half  miles 
above   Gardiner. 

In  San  Francisco,  on  the  12th  of  April, 
1875,  Mr.  Mattsson  was  married  to  Mist 
\nna  Paulson,  a  native  of  Denmark,  wh« 
came  to  the  United  States  in  September, 
1874.  They  had  no  children  of  their  own 
but  have  reared  an  adopted  daughter,  Emma, 
who  is  now  the  wife  of  Edward  Sten  and  re- 
sides on  the  farm  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Matts- 
son. The  family  are  all  members  of  th« 
Lulhe.ran  church,  and  are  highly  esteeme(f 
throughout  the  community.  Mr.  Mattsson'i 
experiences  have  been  of  a  most  varied  char- 
acter   and    few    men    have    more    intimate 


878 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


knowledge  of  the  world,  its  people  and  their 
manners  and  customs,  than  he,  for  he  has 
visited  many  ports  and  come  into  contact 
with  the  people  in  their  native  environment. 
He  relates  many  interesting  incidents  of  hie 
voyages  that  make  him  an  entertaining 
talker. 

ALBERT  E.  COLLINGS  is  the  faithful 
guardian  of  his  widowed  and  aged  mother 
with  whom  he  lives  in  Applegate  valley  near 
Watkins,  in  this  state.  He  was  born  in  .Jack- 
son county.  August  21,  1880,  and  is  the  son 
of  F.  O.  and  Sophia  (Lewis)  Collings,  his 
father  being  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and 
his  mother  of  California.  He  was  reared  at 
home  and  received  his  early  education  in  the 
public  common  schools.  The  family  emi- 
grated to  this  state  at  an  early  date  and 
have  since  maintained  their  residence  in 
this  commonwealth.  The  fatlier  of  the  sub- 
ject of  this  review  having  passed  away  in  the 
year  1905  was  buried  in  this  county.  His 
widow  now  makes  her  home  with  her  son, 
Albert  E.  Collings. 

Mr.  Collings  owns  forty  acres  of  good  agri- 
cultural land  located  near  Watkins,  in  this 
county.  Here  he  maintains  his  home,  giving 
shelter  and  loving  care  to  his  widowed 
mother  and  conlining  his  attention  entirely 
to  the  cultivation  and  improvement  of  his 
place. 

JOHN  A.  TAYLOR  is  one  of  the  well 
known  farmers  of  Jackson  county,  where  he 
i3  successfully  engaged  in  the  cultivation  of 
two  hundred  and  sixtj'-four  acres  of  land 
located  on  Emigrant  creek.  He  is  a  na- 
tive of  Jackson  county,  his  birth  having  oc- 
curred on  the  home  ranch,  where  he  now 
lives,  on  February  8,  1864.  He  is  a  son  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  .John  B.  Taylor,  of  whom  ex- 
tended mention  is  made  in  the  review  of 
Mrs.  Mary  .J.  JlcCallister,  published  in  an- 
other part  of  this  work. 

John  A.  Taylor  was  reared  at  home  and 
received  his  early  education  in  the  public 
schools.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  years  he 
engaged  in  farming  for  himself  on  his 
father's  home  ranch,  which  he  operated  un- 
der a  lease  until  one  year  after  his  marriage. 
He  then  moved  to  Klamath  county  and  was 
there  engaged  continuously  in  the  cattle 
and  dairy  business  for  a  jieriod  of  eight 
years.  He  then  returned  to  Jackson  county 
and  settled  upon  his  father's  farm,  the 
cause  of  his  removal  being  the  failure  of 
his  father's  health,  which  sometime  later  re- 
sulted in  his  death.  Mr.  Taylor  has  since 
continued  to  remain  upon  the  old  homestead, 
consisting  of  tw-o  hundred  and  sixty-four 
acres,  of  which  he  has  been  the  owner  since 
the  death  of  his  mother  and  where  he  is  suc- 
cessfully engaged  in  diversified  farming  and 
dairying. 

Mr.  Taylor  was  married  September  7, 
1885,  to  Miss  Margaret  A.  McGee,  of  Wil- 
liams Creek,  .Josephine  county,  Oregon,  who 
is  a  daughter  of  James  0,  JIcGee,  now  de- 
ceased, who  settled  in  Oregon  many  years 
ago.  To  :Mr.  and  Mrs.  Taylor  three  chil- 
dren   have    been    born,    onlv    one    of    whom. 


Thelma  M.,  survives.  Mr.  Taylor  is  inde- 
pendent in  his  political  views,  giving  the 
benefit  of  his  support  to  the  party  an'd  the 
candidate  whom  he  believes  represents  the 
best  interests  of  the  people.  Mrs.  Taylor  is 
a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
South.  Her  husband  is  one  of  the  reliable' 
and  substantial  men  of  the  county  in  which 
he  lives  and  is  a  man  interested  in  any 
enterprise  intended  to  improve  and  advance 
the  condition  of  the  people  of  the  community 
in  which  he  lives. 

DAVID  STUMP  is  numbered  among  Ore- 
gun's  pioneer  builders.  He  came  to  this 
state  in  1845,  long  before  the  question  of 
admission  to  the  Union  was  discussed.  In 
fact,  all  Oregon  was  but  sparsely  settled 
and  there  were  great  stretches  of  "territory 
into  which  the  white  man  had  not  pene- 
trated. David  Stump  became  familiar  with 
the  experiences  of  frontier  life  here,  and  bore 
a  helpful  part  in  promoting  early  develop- 
ment and  improvement.  He  was  born  in 
Ohio.  October  29,  1819.  and  was  a  son  of 
John  and  Barbara  (Summers)  Stump.  His 
young  life  was  spent  in  his  native  state 
and  his  education  was  there  acquired.  In 
early  manhood,  however,  he  removed  to  Iowa 
where  he  engaged  in  surveying.  Among 
other  surveys  he  laid  out  the  town  of  Oska- 
loosa  and  was  prominently  known  in  con- 
nection with  his  profession  in  that  part  of 
the  country.  The  opportunities  of  the  great 
west,  however,  attracted  him.  He  realized 
that  this  immense  territory  must  hold  ad- 
vantages for  those  who  were  willing  to  face 
hardships  and  dangers,  and  in  1845  made 
the  long  and  arduous  journey  across  the 
plains  with  Oregon  as  his  destination.  At 
length,  he  settled  upon  a  tract  of  land  in 
Polk  county  and  began  its  cultivation  but 
later  he  sold  that  property  and  went  to 
California  during  the  excitement  following 
the   discovery  of  gold  there. 

Upon  his  return  to  Oregon  ilr.  Stump  was 
married,  on  the  10th  of  March.  1850,  to 
Catherine  Elizabeth  Chamberlin,  a  daughter 
of  Aaron  and  Catherine  (Viles)  Cham.berlin. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stump  began  domestic  life  in 
a  log  cabin,  six  miles  south  of  Monmouth,  on 
a  donation  claim,  and  in  connection  with 
stock-raising  Mr.  Stump  engaged  in  survey- 
ing. His  interests  were  carefully  managed, 
his  industry  was  unflagging  and  his  energy 
brought  to  him  a  substantial  measure  of  suc- 
cess that  enabled  him  in  1878  to  leave  the 
farm  and  take  up  his  abode  in  Monmouth, 
possessed  of  sufficient  capital  to  supply  his 
future  needs.  His  remaining  days  there- 
fore,  were  spent  in  honorable   retirement. 

Mr.  and  ]\lrs.  Stump  became  the  parents 
of  two  sons  and  two  daughters:  .J.  S.,  who 
lives  in  Nome.  Alaska;  Marv,  the  widow  of 
T.  F.  Campbell;  Cassie  B.  aiid  John  B.  The 
last  mentioned  three  are  residents  of  Mon- 
mouth. The  family  circle  was  broken  by 
the  hand  of  death  when  the  husband  and 
father  passed  away  February  21,  1886.  He 
had  been  active  in  public  atTairs  and  was  a 
recognized  leader  in  the  ranks  of  the  repub- 
lican party.     He  was  elected  on  its  ticket  to 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


879 


the  office  of  county  surveyor  and  in  1874  was 
chosen  to  represent  his  district  in  the  state 
legisUiture.  He  was  also  greatly  interested 
in  the  cause  of  education  and  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  served  as  a  trustee  of  Chris- 
tian College.  He  belonged  to  the  Christian 
church  and  was  one  of  its  deacons  at  the 
time  of  his  demise.  In  thought,  purpose  and 
action  he  sought  the  higher  things  in  life 
and  cooperated  heartily  in  movements  for 
the  material,  intellectual,  political,  social 
and  moral  progress  of  his  community.  He 
was  numbered  with  those  pioneers  who 
paved  the  way  for  the  present  development 
and  civilization  of  the  northwest,  to  whom 
all  honor  and  gratitude  are  due. 

J.  C.  AVERY.  No  history  of  Corvallis 
would  be  complete  without  extended  anj 
prominent  reference  to  J.  C.  Avery,  the 
founder  and  promoter  of  the  town.  He  was 
closely  associated  with  the  progress  and  up- 
building of  tlie  state  in  many  ways  and  was 
one  of  the  honored  pioneers  to  whom  Ore- 
gon owes  a  debt  of  gratitude  for  what 
they  accomplished  here.  He  was  born  in 
Luzerne  county.  Pennsylvania.  .Tune  9.  1817, 
a  son  of  Cyrus  Avery,  who  was  a  native 
of  Connecticut,  whence  he  went  to  the 
Wyoming  vallc}'  of  Pennsylvania,  there  fol- 
lowing farming.  He  died  at  Tunkhannock. 
tliat  state. 

His  son.  J.  C.  Avery,  was  a  pupil  in  the 
schools  of  Wilkes-Barre  and  when  a  young 
man  went  to  Stark  county,  Hlinois.  where 
he  engaged  in  surveying  and  in  the  real- 
estate  and  loan  business.  He  was  married 
near  Wyoming,  Pennsylvania,  March  13, 
1841,  to  Miss  Martha  JIarsh.  whose  birth  oc- 
curred at  Kingston.  Luzerne  county,  January 
14,  1824.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Daniel  C. 
Marsh,  a  native  of  Connecticut,  who  removed 
to  Kingston,  where  he  engaged  in  teaching. 
His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of 
I^sther  Pettebone,  was  also  born  in  the  Char- 
ter Oak  state  and  soon  after  their  marriage 
they  removed  to  New  York  and  later  to 
the  Wyoming  valley  of  Pennsylvania.  Mrs. 
Marsh  was  a  daughter  of  Oliver  Pettebone. 
a  pioneer  of  the  Keystone  state,  living  there 
through  the  period  of  Indian  troubles,  his 
brother  having  been  killed  in  the  Wyoming 
massacre. 

In  1834  .J.  C.  Avery  became  a  resident  of 
Illinois,  casting  in  his  lot  with  the  pioneers 
of  that  state.  He  there  carried  on  farming 
until  1845,  when  he  started  across  the  plains 
to  Oregon,  making  the  long  and  arduous 
journey  to  the  Pacific  coast  for  the  purpose 
of  finding  a  location  for  his  family.  He  en- 
tered a  claim  of  si.v  hundred  and  forty  acres 
at  the  junction  of  the  Willamette  and  Mary 
rivers  and  took  up  his  abode  thereon  in  184fi. 
building  a  log  cabin.  The  following  year 
he  was  joined  bv  his  wife  and  children,  who 
had  traveled  w'estward  with  the  coinpany 
commanded  by  Captain  Sawyer,  who  was  one 
of  the  party  that  had  come  with  Mr.  Avery 
to  Oregon  in  1845.  Captain  Sawyer  then 
returned  to  Illinois  for  his  family  and  Mr. 
Avery  arranged  that  his  wife  and  children 
should   return    with    the   captain's   party,   for 


it  would  have  taken  him  eighteen  mouths 
to  go  to  Illinois  and  back,  and  he  feared  lest 
his  claim  might  be  forfeited  in  that  time. 
Mrs.  Avery's  outtit  consisted  of  a  five  yoke 
ox  team  and  a  wagon  filled  with  provisions. 
She  also  brought  along  two  milch  cows  and 
after  traveling  for  six  months  reached  her 
destination.  She  was  met  in  eastern  Ore- 
gon by  her  husband,  who  then  guided  the 
party  over  the  Barlow  road,  across  the  Cas- 
cades, and  settled  his  family  upon  his  claim 
at  Corvallis.  They  had  started  on  the  2il 
of  April  from  Stark  county.  Illinois,  and  had 
crossed  the  Mississippi  at  Burlington,  Iowa. 
the  Missouri  at  .St.  Joseph  and  thence  |)ro- 
ceeded  up  the  Platte  river  to  the  Oregon 
trail.  After  crossing  the  Missouri  the  train 
numbered  eighty  wagons,  but  from  Indepen- 
dence Kock  only  six  wagons  came  on  In 
Benton   county,   arriving  October   2.    1847. 

When  gold  was  found  in  California  Mr. 
Avery  journeyed  southward  and  engaged  in 
raining  in  that  state.  He  spent  the  succeed- 
ing winter  at  home  but  in  the  spring  of  184'.) 
again  went  to  California,  where  he  remained 
through  the  summer,  making  a  few  thou- 
sand dollars.  t"])on  the  return  trip  he  brought 
with  him  a  stock  of  general  merchandise 
which  he  had  purchased  at  San  Francisco 
and  shipped  to  Portland,  thence  up  the  Wil- 
lamette to  the  present  site  of  Corvallis,  o|ien- 
ing  the  first  store  in  the  town.  It  was  not 
until  the  following  year,  however,  that  the 
town  was  laid  out.  He  called  it  Marysville. 
but  some  confusion  arose  over  the  fact  of 
there  being  another  town  of  the  same  name 
m  California,  so  that  during  his  service  in 
the  legislature  he  succeeded  in  having  the 
name  changed  from  Marysville  to  Corvallis. 
meaning  tlie  core  or  center  of  the  valley. 
It  was  also  due  to  Mr.  Avery  that  the  post- 
oflice  was  established  here  and  he  served  as 
its  first  postmaster.  He  was  also  the  general 
postal  agent  for  Oregon  and  Washington. 
He  continued  to  engage  in  merchandising 
at  Corvallis  until  within  four  or  five  years  of 
his  death.  He  renteil  part  of  his  ranch  and 
also  laid  out  adilitions  to  the  town  which 
have  become  principal  parts  of  the  city.  He 
huilt  several  stores  and  in  many  ways  con- 
trilmteil  to  the  growth,  upbuilding  and  prog- 
ress of  the  city  which  he  had  founded  and 
which  today  stands  as  a  monument  to  his 
enterprise  and  progressive  spirit.  He  \va» 
greatly  interested  in  the  building  of  the  Cor- 
vallis &  luistern  Kailroad  but  died  before 
its  completion.  He  was  chosen  a  member  of 
the  committee  of  three,  his  associates  being 
.1.  F.  Miller  and  B.  F.  Doughet.  to  make  the 
selection  of  a  site  for  the  Oregon  Agricultural 
College.  They  were  attracted  by  the  broad 
meadows  of  Lake  county — the  best  lands  in 
the  state  open  for  selection  at  that  time — 
and  Mr.  .■\very  took  an  active  and  helpful 
interest  in  the  upbuilding  of  the  college,  liis 
labors  being  very  beneficial.  His  political 
allegiance  was  always  given  to  the  demo- 
cratic party  and  he  was  twice  elected  to 
represent  liis  district  in  the  state  legisla- 
ture. His  fraternal  relations  were  with  the 
Masonic  order. 


880 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Avery  were  born  eiglit 
cliildren  of  whom  six  are  living,  wliile 
Charles  and  James  C.  died  in  Corvallis.  The 
others  are  Punderson,  Napoleon,  George,  Mrs. 
Florence  James,  Mrs.  Frances  Helm  and  ilrs. 
Gertrude  Irvine.  He  died  June,  1876,  at  the 
age  of  fifty-nine  years  and  Mrs.  Avery  passed 
away  in  January,  1911.  Mr.  Avery  is  num- 
bered among  the  real  promoters  of  Oregon's 
growth  and  greatness  and  his  name  should 
be  inscribed  high  on  the  roll  of  its  honored 
citizens. 

MRS.  MARY  STEWART.  In  a  history 
of  Benton  county,  Oregon,  there  can  be  no 
more  interesting  record  than  that  of  Airs. 
Mary  Stewart,  one  of  the  most  picturesque 
and  remarkable  characters  in  this  section  of 
the  state.  The  second  white  woman  to  en- 
ter Benton  county,  she  has  witnessed  its 
growth  and  development  from  the  very  first, 
and  her  memory  is  a  connecting  link  which 
joins  the  primitive  past,  fraught  with  dif- 
ficulties, hardsliips  and  privations  but  lidd- 
ing out  vast  possibilities  for  future  great- 
ness, to  the  progressive  present  wliich  is 
witnessing  the  fulfillment  of  many  of  those 
rich  promises.  She  has  passed  the  ninety- 
lust  milestone  on  life's  journey,  for  her 
birth  occurred  on  the  2d  of  June.  1821.  on 
the  Oliio  river  in  Switzerland  county,  In- 
diana. She  is  a  daughter  of  William  and 
Rachael  (Mounts)  Scott,  the  former  a  na- 
tive of  Virginia,  of  Scotch  descent,  and  the 
latter  a  representative  of  an  old  New  .Jer- 
sey family,  in  which  state  her  birth  oc- 
curred. The  maternal  grandfather,  Thomas 
Mounts,  served  for  seven  years  as  a  spy  in 
the  American  army  during  the  Rcvolution- 
arj'  war.  and  later  in  the  same  capacity 
among  the  Indians.  He  would  never  put 
boots  on  his  feet  but  always  wore  moccasins, 
and  lived  to  the  very  remarkable  age  of 
one  hundred  years.  The  paternal  grand- 
mother of  Mrs.  Stewart  was  Mary  Prior,  in 
whose  life  history  occurred  chapters  as  ex- 
citing and  thrilling  as  any  to  be  found  iu 
strange  tales  of  fiction.  Her  girlhood  was 
mostly  passed  in  her  parents'  home  on  the 
Kentucky  frontier,  during  a  period  when 
tlie  Indians  Averc  particularly  troublesome 
and  vicious.  She  was  a  maiden  of  fourteen 
years  when  she,  with  her  mother  and  a 
babe  of  six  months,  were  stolen  by  the 
Indians,  who  massacred  her  father,  the  rest 
of  the  family  and  a  number  of  negro  slaves. 
Later  the  babe  was  killed  and  the  mother, 
because  she  refused  to  dance  around  the 
body  of  her  infant,  was  bound  to  a  tree 
and  burned  by  the  infuriated  savages.  The 
Indians  then  crossed  the  Ohio  river  with 
their  girl  prisoner  and  for  ten  days  traveled 
through  the  timber  to  their  village.  When 
the  young  braves  started  upon  another  raid 
the  maiden  was  left  in  charge  of  the  squaws 
and  older  Indians,  but  escaped  and.  travel- 
ing in  the  night,  hid  by  day  in  hollow  logs, 
subsistintj  on  roots  found  in  the  forest.  On 
the  ninth  day  after  her  escape  the  Indians, 
close  in  pursuit,  passed  directly  over  the 
!iollow  log  in  which  she  lay.  and  while  there 
liiding    she    was    bitten    bv    a    snake.     How- 


ever, she  had  learned  what  roots  to  use  in 
such  emergency,  and  after  applying  them 
was  forced  to  lie  still  for  three  days.  Once 
more  resuming  her  journey  she  came  to  tlie 
Ohio  river,  across  which  she  was  forced  to 
swim.  In  the  meantime  the  Indians  were 
trying  to  find  her  and  the  United  States 
soldiers  from  a  Kentucky  fort  had  been 
detailed  to  search  for  her,  but,  evading  the 
former  and  missing  the  latter,  she  made 
her  way  alone  to  the  fort,  where  she  was 
adopted  by  one  of  the  officers,  retaining, 
however,  her  own   name. 

Her  son,  William  Scott,  the  father  of 
Mrs.  Stewart,  entered  land  in  Switzerland 
county,  Indiana,  in  the  cultivation  of  which 
he  was  engaged  for  many  years,  and  there 
both  he  and  his  wife  passed  awaj-.  In  their 
lamily  were  nine  children,  of  wliom  our  sub- 
ject was  the  fifth  in  order  of  birth.  She 
had  two  brothers  and  two  sisters  older  than 
herself  and  four  brothers  younger,  but  she 
is  the  only  one  of  the  family  now  living. 
She  remained  with  her  parents  in  the  Indi- 
ana home  imtil  the  time  of  her  marriage,  in 
1840,  when  she  became  the  wife  of  John 
Stewart,  the  marriage,  however,  occurring 
in  Jlissouri.  Mr.  Stewart  was  born  in  Vir- 
ginia. February-  12,  1809,  on  the  same  day, 
in  the  same  month  and  year  as  was  Abra- 
ham Lincoln,  of  whom  he  was  a  close  friend 
and  warm  admirer,  and  with  whom  he 
served  in  the  Black  Hawk  war.  After  his 
marriage  in  1840  Mr.  Stewart  went  to  Holt 
county.  Missouri,  and  there  made  his  home 
until  1845.  in  which  year  he  crossed  the 
]dain«  with  ox  team  to  Oregon,  arriving  in 
the  Willamette  valley  on  the  1st  of  Xovera- 
ber.  1845.  He  spent  the  winter  of  that 
year  on  the  Tualitin  plains,  about  twenty 
miles  west  of  the  present  site  of  Portland, 
and  in  JIarch.  1846.  went  to  the  Rickreall 
river,  in  what  is  now  Polk  county,  where  he 
remained  for  a  few  months,  during  which 
time  his  daughter  Cerenda  was  born.  In 
that  period  he  plowed  ten  acres  of  land 
which  he  sowed  to  wheat,  and  on  the  first 
of  August.  1846.  he  took  up  his  abode  on  a 
donation  claim  of  six  hundred  and  forty 
acres,  which  he  had  located  in  December  of 
the  previous  year.  This  property  now  joins 
the  corporation  limits  of  Corvallis  on  the 
north,  and  remained  his  place  of  residence 
until  tlie  time  of  his  death.  He  built  there- 
upon a  tine  home  at  the  cost  of  four  thou- 
sand dollars,  but  this  was  destroyed  by  fire 
two  years  previous  to  his  demise,  and  after 
that  he  erected  the  house  in  which  his 
widow  now  resides,  at  No.  209  North  Second 
street,  located  on  the  main  street  of  the 
town  and  now  in  the  midst  of  the  business 
district.  He  passed  away  February  28. 
1885.  after  a  life  devoted  to  agricultural  pur- 
suits. In  addition  to  general  farming  he 
also  engaged  extensively  in  stock-raising 
and  made  a  specialty  of  draft  horses,  rais- 
ing some  of  the  finest  animals  in  his  sec- 
tion of  the  state.  Successful  in  bis  chosen 
life  work,  he  was  the  owner  of  three  sec- 
tions of  valuable  land  at  the  time  of  his 
death,  and  was  accounted  one  of  the  wealthy 
and   substantial  men   of  Benton  countv.     Al- 


> 


H 

ts 


JTHE  NEW  YORKI 

I    fur.  ,    :.-.         I   IGO  »  DV    I 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


883 


tliough  his  jji'ivato  atl'airs  were  cxtcusivr  ami 
demanded  a  huge  share  of  his  time  and  at- 
tention, he  never  pennitted  tliem  to  pre- 
clude his  interest  and  participation  in  otlier 
matters,  which  were  ot  vital  interest  to  tlic 
community  in  which  he  made  his  home. 
While  living  in  Missouri  he  was  elected  to 
the  office  of  judge,  which  he  most  capably 
filled  throughout  his  residence  in  that  state, 
but  after  his  removal  to  Oregon  he  refused 
all  political  offices.  Although  a  democrat, 
lie  was  a  great  admirer  of  Abraham  Lin- 
coln and  supported  him  at  the  polls.  He 
was  a  faithful  and  consistent  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  the  first  meet- 
ing of  that  denomination  having  been  held 
in  his  home,  and  for  several  years  there- 
after that  congregation  continued  to  gather 
at  his  house  as  a  place  of  worship.  He 
was  a  champion  of  material,  political  and 
moral  progress,  recognizing  that  each  has 
its  place  in  the  scheme  of  the  world,  and  his 
labors  were  an  element  of  growth  along 
all  those  lines  during  the  period  of  his  res- 
idence  in    Benton   county. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stewart  became  the  parents 
of  two  children,  John  W.  and  Cerenda.  but 
both  are  now  deceased.  The  elder,  who  was 
born  in  Missouri  in  1S41,  died  in  February, 
1909.  He  had  married  Mahaley  Stewart, 
who  now  resides  in  Corvallis,  and  they  had 
one  child.  Lenora,  who  became  the  wife  of 
Charles  Small,  of  Corvallis,  by  whom  she 
has  two  children,  Fred  and  Helen.  The 
daughter,  Cerenda,  was  born  in  Oregon  on 
the  ISth  of  May,  1846,  and  passed  awa.y  in 
'  orvallis  March  0,  1911.  She  married  Minor 
Swick,  and  at  her  death  left  one  son.  John 
Minor  Swick.  who  now  resides  with  Mrs. 
Stewart. 

Since  the  death  of  her  husband  Mrs. 
Stewart  ha-s  capably  directed  the  business 
alfairs  entrusted  to  her.  manifesting  great 
ability  and  wisdom  in  that  direction.  She 
gave  one  hundred  acres  of  land  to  each  of 
her  children,  holding  the  balance,  and  today 
the  old  donation  claim  located  bj'  her  hus- 
band remains  intact,  no  portion  of  it  hav- 
ing been  sold.  She  has  disposed  of  the 
other  two  sections  left  to  her.  however.  She 
has  ever  been  an  active  worker  in  the  Meth- 
odist church,  doing  all  in  her  power  to 
further  its  work,  and  until  about  three  years 
ago  served  as  sti^ward.  She  holds  member- 
ship in  the  ladies'  auxiliary  of  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Re])iiblic  and  has  ever  been  a 
leader  in  the  social  circles  in  which  she  has 
moved.  Two  decades  have  come  and  gone 
since  she  passed  the  I'salniist's  allotted  span 
of  three  score  years  and  ten.  and  today,  in 
the  ninety-second  year  of  her  age.  she  is 
remarkably  well  preserved,  time  jn  its  (light 
having  touched  her  hut  lightly.  In  spite  of 
the  snows  of  many  winters  that  rest  upon 
her  head  she  possesses  all  of  her  faculties 
and  retains  much  of  the  vigor  of  youth. 
She  has  good  eye-sight,  is  an  excellent  cor- 
respondent and  conversationalist  and  has  an 
extraordinarily  clear  mind  and  line  memory, 
especially  for  dates  and  people.  Conse- 
quently her  mind  is  a  rich  storehouse  of 
knowledge    concerning    the    history    of    Ben- 


ton county  and  that  [lortion  of  the  statu 
from  its  very  first  chapters,  for  she  is  the 
oldest  resident  of  the  county  in  age  and 
the  oldest  in  years  of  residence  in  Corvallis, 
and,  as  far  as  is  now  known,  in  the  county. 
She  was  the  first  white  woman  to  settle 
in  Marysville,  now  Corvallis,  and  the  sec- 
ond to  locate  in  Benton  county,  Mrs,  Lewis 
having  preceded  her  to  this  district  about 
two  months.  She  was  personally  acquainted 
with  all  of  Oregon's  first  officials,  includ- 
ing Governor  George  Abernethy,  Samuel  B. 
Thurston,  delegate  to  congress,  W.  G.  T. 
Vault,  postmaster  general,  and  Joseph  L. 
Meek,  marshal,  who  was  an  old  neighbor, 
and  she  knew  very  well  Dr.  Jolm  McLaugh- 
lin, who  by  many  was  called  the  "Father  of 
Oregon."  Few  trees  were  to  be  seen  in  the 
district  when  she  came  to  Benton  county, 
only  a  small  number  growing  along  the 
river,  the  only  vegetation  being  the  tall 
prairie  grass.  She  has  seen  all  of  the  houses 
built  in  Corvallis,  has  witnessed  the  organi- 
zation of  each  industry  and  the  inception  of 
every  line  of  activity  in  the  town  and  sur- 
rounding territory,  and  has  eagerly  watched 
every  step  taken  in  the  work  of  develop- 
ment and  improvement  which  has  raised 
flourishing  and  enterprising  cities  upon  the 
prairie  which  was  wild  and  uncultivated  at 
the  time  of  her  arrival  here.  Throughout 
the  period  of  her  residence  in  Oregon  the 
history  of  the  state  has  been  in  the  making 
and  it  is  renuukable  that  within  the  memory 
of  one  person  has  occurred  so  nuich  that 
ha*  had  to  do  with  the  founding  of  a  great 
territory  that  has  long  since  taken  its  place 
among  the  wealthiest  and  most  productive 
states  of  the  Union.  Through  all  these 
years  her  interest  has  ever  been  in  the 
growth  and  advancement  of  Oregon  and  to- 
day her  adopted  state  numbers  her  among 
its  oldest  and  most  honored  pioneer  res- 
idents. 

CHARLES  C.  JOHNSON  is  one  of  the  larg- 
est dairy  farmers  of  Coos  coimty.  His 
highly  improved  ranch  of  three  hundred  and 
twenty-two  acres  is  located  one  mile  from 
Cooston  Landing.  Coos  county,  where  he  is 
successfully  engaged  in  mixed  and  dairy 
farming.  He  was  born  in  Finland,  in  1862, 
and  is  a  son  of  Charles  and  .Johanna  (Joseph- 
son)  .Johnson,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of 
Finland,  The  father  emigrated  to  Oregon 
at  a  very  early  date,  settling  at  Coos  bay, 
where  he  continued  to  live  for  a  period  of 
forty  years.  He  then  removed  to  Berkeley, 
California,  where  he  now  maintains  his  resi- 
dence. He  and  his  wife  became  the  parents 
of  six  children,  namely:  Charles  C„  the  sub- 
ject of  this  review;  Sophie,  deceased:  Adelia, 
who  resides  in  Finland;  .John,  a  resident  of 
Seattle,  Washington;  and  two  children,  who 
died  in  infancy. 

Charles  C,  Johnson  was  reared  at  home 
and  received  his  early  education  in  the 
schools  of  his  native  land.  At  the  age  of 
nineteen  years  he  emigrated  to  the  United 
States  settling  in  San  Francisco,  where  he 
was  engaged  as  an  employe  of  Captain  A,  M. 
Simpson  in  the  shipyards  for  a  brief  period. 


8f:<4 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


He  later  engaged  in  work  in  the  forests  of 
California  and  continued  in  that  eniploy- 
nsent  for  six  months  and  then  removed  to 
Coos  bay,  settling  at  Xorth  Bend,  October 
13,  1882,  and  for  sometime,  thereafter,  was 
engaged  in  worlc  in  the  shipyards.  He  later 
purchased  eighty  acres  of  "land,  which  he 
afterward  sold  and  then  bought  three  hun- 
dred- and  twenty-two  acres  near  Cooston, 
where  he  established  his  home  and  has  sines 
been  successfully  engaged  in  farming,  mak- 
ing a  specialty  of  dairying,  for  which  pur- 
pose lie  keeps  at  present  twenty-live  graded 
cows. 

Mr.  .Johnson  was  united  in  marriage,  De- 
cember 1,  1889,  to  Miss  Hilda  Smith,  a 
daughter  of  Gustave  and  Ulrika  (Midde- 
more)  Smith,  and  to  them  the  following  chil- 
dren were  born:  Ulrika.  deceased:  A'ednela, 
the  wife  of  Victor  Staulf,  a  farmer  of  Coos 
county  and  the  father  of  five  children;  .John, 
a  resident  of  Washington  and  the  father  of 
three  children;  Hilda,  the  wife  of  the  sub- 
ject of  this  review;  and  Manda  and  Jonas, 
both  deceased.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Johnson 
six  children  have  been  born.  Cal,  who  was 
born  in  1891,  resides  at  home  with  his 
parents.  George,  born  January  2,  1892,  is 
pursuing  a  course  in  dairying  in  the  Ore- 
gon State  Agricultural  College  at  Corvallis. 
Harry,  whose  birth  occurred  April  4,  1S93, 
resides  at  home.  August,  born  August  16, 
1894,  is  still  under  the  parental  roof.  Lillian, 
who  was  born  January  1,  1897,  resides  at 
home.  John,  who  completes  the  family,  was 
born  February  23,  1901,  and  is  attending 
school. 

Mr.  .Johnson  gives  his  political  support 
to  the  democratic  party.  His  fraternal  re- 
lations are  with  the  Woodmen  of  the  World 
and  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows, 
i)f  which  he  has  been  a  member  for  the  past 
ten  years.  He  is  one  of  the  well  known 
dairy  farmers  of  Coos  county  and  a  man 
respected  among  his  associates  and  acquaint- 
ances for  his  integrity  of  character  and  in- 
dustrious habit*. 

GEORGE  W.  SMITH.  In  his  capacity  as 
county  commissioner  George  W.  Smith  is  ex- 
erting a  vital  force  in  the  development  and 
upbuilding  of  the  county,  fathering  many 
projects  which  have  to  do  with  the  sub- 
stantial improvement  of  conditions  through- 
out the  district.  He  is  one  of  Ohio's  contri- 
butions to  Oregon's  citizenship,  his  birth  hav- 
ing occurred  in  ilontgomery  county,  that 
state.  August  17.  1851.  his  parents  being  .Jos- 
eph and  JCliza  (Hoops i  Smith.  The  father, 
who  followed  agricultural  pursuits  through- 
out his  entire  life,  was  born  at  Hagerstown, 
Maryland,  and  by  the  death  of  his  parents 
was  left  an  orphan  when  only  two  years  of 
age.  He  was  bound  out.  his  term  to  continue 
until  he  had  attained  his  majority,  but  at 
the  age  of  sixteen  he  ran  away  and.  going 
to  Ohio,  located  in  ilontgomery  county, 
where  he  sjient  many  years  and  where  he 
was  married.  His  wife,  who  was  born  in 
Ohio,  on  the  .same  farm,  upon  which  oc- 
curred the  birth  of  her  son  George,  was  a 
daughter    of    Evan    and    Susan    Hoops,    who 


uriginally  came  from  \'irgiuia,  being  num- 
bered among  the  lirst  settlers  of  Ohio.  Tne 
father  passed  away  upon  the  farm  which 
lie  had  secured  in  -Montgomery  county,  that 
>tate.  upon  which  his  daughter  and  "grand- 
.-on  had  been  born,  while  Mrs.  Hoops'  death 
occurred  later  in  Indiana.  Some  years  after 
their  marriage  Joseph  and  Eliza  Smith  left 
<  ))iio  to  take  up  their  residence  in  Indiana, 
and  there  both  died  upon  the  home  farm. 
the  father  in  the  '60s  and  the  mother  at  the 
age  of  forty-eight  years.  In  their  family 
were  live  children,  as  follows:  Christian, 
whose  death  occurred  when  he  was  ten  years 
of  age;  .Jane,  the  wife  of  W.  G.  Lane,  of 
Corvallis;  George  W.,  of  this  review;  John 
H.,  a  resident  of  Fresno,  California;  and 
Mary,  who  married  Smith  Lewis,  the  super- 
intendent of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  liome  at  Lexington,  Kentucky. 

The  education  of  George  W.  Smith"  began 
in  the  schools  of  Montgomery  county,  Ohio, 
where  the  period  of  his  boyhood  was' passed, 
and  was  later  completed  in  the  schools  of 
Miami  county,  Indiana,  to  which  section  he 
accompanied  his  parents  when  a  youth  of 
lit  teen  years.  He  remained  a  resident  of 
that  county  until  1879,  in  the  meantime  car- 
rying on  agricultural  pursuits,  at  first  as- 
sisting his  father  in  the  work  of  the  home 
farm  and  later  on  his  own  account.  In  that 
vear  he  crossed  the  plains  to  California  and 
four  years  later,  in  1883.  made  his  way  up 
the  coast  to  Oregon,  taking  up  his  abode  in 
Benton  county  on  a  farm  which  then  ad- 
joined the  city  limits  of  Corvallis  but  a  por- 
tion of  which  has  since  become  a  part  of  the 
city  corporation.  On  that  place  he  carried 
on  general  farming  until  about  eighteen 
years  ago.  and  fdr  fifteen  years  was  engaged 
in  the  stock  business,  conducting  a  meat 
market,  his  business  venture  proving  most 
successful  and  returning  to  him  a  gratifying 
income.  At  the  time  he  disposed  of  his  farm 
it  was  an  exceptionally  well  improved  prop- 
erty and  ranked  among  the  valuable  ones 
of  that  section  of  the  county.  He  has  built 
six  homes  in  Corvallis.  which  are  the  visible 
evidence  of  his  business  sagacity  and  enter- 
prise, and  he  owns  the  residence  in  which 
he  lives,  located  at  SfiO  Madison  street,  near 
the  entrance  to  the  college  grounds.  The 
liouse  is  a  most  attractive  and  comfortable 
dwelling,  and  is  surrounded  by  a  beautiful, 
well  ke])t  lawn  which  the  local  newspapers 
speak  of  as  the  finest  in  the  city.  For  the 
past  seven  years  Mr.  Smith  has'  w^ithdrawn 
from  commercial  circles  and  is  directing  his 
iMitire  attention  to  the  duties  of  public  of- 
fice. 

It  was  in  October.  1894.  that  ilr.  Smith 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Martha 
Frances  .Tones,  who  was  born  near  Dallas. 
Polk  county,  Oregon,  February  29.  1836.  and 
has  spent  her  entire  life  in  the  Willamette 
valley.  Her  parents  were  Marvil  :\r.  and 
■Fulia  Ann  (.^anipsoni  .Tones,  the  former  a 
native  of  Xorth  Carolina  and  the  latter  of 
'iidiana.  Tlie  mother  had  come  to  Oregon 
in  184.").  crossing  the  plains  with  an  ox  team 
:inil  arriving  here  when  Oregon  City  was  the 
only    trading    post    in    the    state,    while    the 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


!S85 


rather  anivod  later.  Tluy  were  mariied  in 
I'olk  county,  tliat  being  tliu  second  union 
lor  both  of  them,  and  tliere  Mr.  Jones  se- 
cured a  donation  claim.  This  he  later  sold, 
after  which  he  removed  to  Yamhill  county, 
where  his  death  occurred.  His  wife  died 
in  Arizona.  -Mrs.  Smith  came  to  Benton 
county  in  the  year  1SS5,  and  she  and  a  sis- 
ter, Mrs.  Eliza  Ingersoll.  of  Sjiokane.  Wash- 
ington, are  the  only  surviving  members  of 
a  family  of  five  children  bora  to  their  jiar- 
ents.  Mr.  -Jones  had  been  a  strong  rejiub- 
lican  and  conducted  the  postoltice  at  Bridge- 
port, Polk  county,  during  and  for  souu;  time 
after  the  war. 

For  twenty-live  years  Mr.  Smith  has  been 
a  Master  Mason,  and  is  a  worthy  exemplar 
of  that  order.  His  political  allegiance  is 
given  to  the  republican  party  and  he  has 
ever  done  all  in  his  power  to  further  its  inllu- 
ence.  He  also  served  as  a  member  of  the  city 
council  of  Corvallis  for  four  years.  At  one  time 
he  was  his  party's  choice  for  sherifT  but  was 
defeated,  and  on  the  fst  of  .January,  1900. 
was  elected  county  comissioner,  having  served 
continuously  since,  his  present  term  expir- 
ing on  tlie  1st  of  January.  1014.  In  that 
capacity  he  is  laboring  earnestly  for  the  bi't- 
terment  of  conditions  existing  throughout 
the  county  and  many  improvements  owe 
tlieir  existence  to  his  untiring  efforts.  He 
will  always  be  remembered  as  the  promoter 
of  the  steel  bridge  project  in  Benton  county, 
for  through  him  the  new  steel  county  bridge 
across  the  Willamette  river  at  Corvallis  has 
been  erected,  at  a  cost  of  seventy  thousand 
dollars.  It  has  been  during  his  term  of  of- 
fice that  all  of  the  steel  bridges  of  the  county 
have  been  built,  there  now  being  in  use 
four  such  structures,  while  two  more  will 
be  completed  in  lOlS.  Having  the  interests 
of  his  county  truly  at  heart,  he  has  not  only 
labored  earnestly  to  conserve  her  welfare  in 
various  directions  but  has  proven  himself  a 
true  exponent  of  |irogress.  iloing  all  in  his 
power  to  further  its  promotion  along  ma- 
terial lines.  In  jirivate  life  he  is  guided 
by  sterling  ipialities  and  in  every  relation 
of  life  has  been  found  trui-  to  upright  prin- 
cipals  ami    llonoral^le    nniiiliood. 

SAMUEL  H.'VRDMAN,  Ahnost  two-thirds 
of  a  ic'ntur>  ago.  \v  lii'ii  Linn  county  was 
still  but  a  wild  and  sparsely  settled  region. 
Samuel  Hardm.nn  took  no  his  abode  within 
its  borders  and  assisted  in  tlic  work  of  [)io- 
Tieer  d^veloimu'nt.  He  was  a  leading  factor 
in  the  bnihling  of  Albany  ami  throughout 
his  active  business  <-areer  was  identified 
with  general  agricultural  pursuits,  follow- 
ing both  farming  and  stock-raising.  In  his 
demise  the  community  lost  one  of  its  most 
respected  ami  honoreil  pioneer  settlers  and 
his  record  well  deserves  a  |>lace  in  its  annals. 
He  was  born  in  Ohio  in  ISIS  and  was  reared 
to  manhooil  on  bis  father's  farm  in  that 
state.  He  was  marrieil  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
four  years,  and  he  and  his  wife  spent  the 
first  six  years  of  their  domestic  life  in  In- 
diana. In  1S4T.  having  determined  to  es- 
tablish their  home  in  the  far  west,  they 
crossed   the   plain-;   with   ov   teams  and  after 


arriving  in  Oregon  took  up  a  donation  land 
claim  of  six  hundred  and  forty  acres  in  Linn 
county.  This  property,  on  which  Mr.  Hard- 
man  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life,  and 
which  is  now  in  possession  of  his  widow,  is 
six  miles  northeast  of  Lebanon,  on  the  Le- 
banon and  Scio  road.  Our  subject  found 
the  place  wild  and  primitive  but  resolutely 
uniU-rtook  the  arduous  task  of  cultivation 
and  intprovement  and  transformed  it  into 
a  highly  productive  and  valuable  farm. 
In  connection  with  the  cultivation  of  ce- 
reals he  devoteil  considerable  attention 
to  stock-raising  and  in  both  branches 
of  his  business  won  well  deserved  success. 
He  was  deeply  interested  in  matters  per- 
taining to  general  welfare  and  ever  placed 
his  aid  and  intluence  on  the  side  of  public 
progress  and  improvement.  He  assisted  in 
the  building  of  sehoolhouses  and  roads, 
lielpe<l  to  erect  and  organize  a  large  Hour 
mill  in  Albany  and,  as  above  stated,  took  a 
leailing  part  in  the  upbuilding  of  that  town. 
His  widow  owns  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  of  excellent  farming  land  in  Linn 
county  and  its  cultivation  claims  the  atten- 
tion of  her  son  Riley.  She  is  eighty-nine 
years  of  age  but  has  retained  her  faculties 
in  a  renuirkable  degree  and  is  wonderfully 
active    in    both    miml   and    body. 

On  the  Sth  of  September.  1S42.  Mr.  Hard- 
man  was  united  in  wedlock  to  Miss  Mary 
Backus,  a  native  of  Ohio,  by  whom  he  had 
the  following  children:  Benjamin  and  Chris- 
topher, both  deceased:  Elizabeth,  the  wife 
of  Isaac  Long,  of  Albany,  Oregon;  Riley,  who 
married  Miss  Elbe  Overholser  and  is  the 
father  of  four  children;  Clarence,  who  has 
passed  away:  Alva,  living  at  Cazailero,  Ore- 
gon :  ICthel.  who  lives  at  home  and  attends 
high  school:  Walter,  who  is  likewise  attend- 
ing school:  Clay  and  David  I'.,  both  of  whom 
are  residents  of  Portland.  Oregon:  Clinton, 
who  maki-s  his  home  at  Albany.  Oregon: 
and  Sarah  E.  and  Mary  E.,  both  of  whom 
ai'e   deceased. 

Sanuiel  Hardman  gave  his  political  al- 
legiance to  the  republican  party  but  his  as- 
pirations were  not  in  the  line  of  public  of- 
licc  holding.  He  was  a  devout  member  of 
the  (ierman  Baptist  church  and  exeniplifietl 
its  teailiings  in  his  daily  life.  His  widow- 
has  been  a  resident  of  Linn  county  for  six- 
ty-live years  and  is  well  and  favornlily 
known  here,  having  gained  the  frien<lship 
an<l  esteem  of  all  with  whom  she  has  come 
into  contact. 

HENRY  C.  HEDRICK.  One  of  the  most 
enterprising  and  successftil  of  the  nuinv 
jiractical  and  progressive  farmers  who 
are  nniking  Douglas  county.  Oregon,  one  of 
the  most  fertile  and  productive  sections  in 
the  northwest,  is  Henry  C.  Hodrick.  culti- 
vating four  hundri'd  and  forty-eight  acres 
of  land  in  Tin  Pot  valley  and  meeting  with 
a  measure  of  success  which  has  iM'cn  contin- 
uous since  the  beginning  of  bis  agrieulturni 
career.  Mr.  Hedriek  was  born  in  Oregon  City. 
Oregon.  »n  October  ni.  IS.'.a.  and  is  a  son  of 
.lolin  :ind  Louisa  (Jackson*  lledrick.  of  whom 


886 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OP  OREGON 


further   mention   is   made   elsewhere   in    tlii~ 
work. 

He  was  reared  at  home  and  educated  in  tlie 
district  schools  of  his  native  county  ami 
in  Wilbur  Academy.  He  completed  his  stud- 
ies when  he  was  twenty  years  old  and  im- 
mediately began  active  hfe  for  himself,  rent 
ing  land  in  Tin  Pot  valley  which  he  at  once 
began  to  improve  and  cultivate.  His  success 
was  rapid  from  the  beginning.  The  first 
year  his  income  from  his  farm  amounted  to 
one  thousand  dollars,  which  at  that  time  was 
a  remarkable  sum.  After  one  year  in  Tin 
Pot  valley  5Ir.  Hedrick  removed  to  the  Hani- 
scrabble  district  where  he  purchased  eighty 
acres  of  land  which  formerly  belonged  to 
the  Swearingen  estate.  To  this  his  "father 
added  twenty  adjoining  acres,  thus  mak- 
ing his  farm  consist  of  one  hundred  acres 
of  the  finest  land  in  Douglas  county.  He 
brought  this  to  a  high  state  of  cultivation 
and  was  successful  in  this  venture  as  he  had 
been  in  his  first.  In  1S82  he  homesteadcd 
one  hundred  and  sixt}'  acres  of  land  nine 
miles  north  of  Drain  and  made  this  property 
his  home  until  1902  when  he  bought  four 
hundred  and  forty-eiglit  acres  in  Tin  Pot 
valley,  where  he  is  now  residing.  During  the 
ten  years  of  his  occupancy  he  has  made  his 
farm  one  of  the  most  attractive  and  pro- 
ductive places  in  the  district.  His  method? 
are  practical  and  he  carries  on  his  pursuits 
along  efficient  and  progressive   lines. 

On  .July  1,  1877,  Mr.  Hedrick  was  xmited 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Gertrude  Putnam,  a 
daughter  of  Charles  F.  Putnam,  and  to  this 
union  have  been  born  seven  children:  Xellie, 
the  wife  of  William  Taylor,  of  Douglas  coun- 
ty; Mabel,  who  married  John  Swearingen.  of 
Tin  Pot  valley:  Eva.  tlie  wife  of  L.  C.  Ap- 
plegate,  of  Gold  Hill.  .Jackson  county:  Roy. 
who  is  farming  in  the  Tin  Pot  valley:  Ada, 
who  married  I^eroy  Redford.  of  Tin  Pot  val- 
ley; Gertrude,  the  wife  of  Horace  Whitney, 
who  is  identified  with  the  government  for- 
estry service  in  Jackson  county;  and  Lulu, 
at  home. 

Mr.  Hedrick  is  a  republican  in  his  politi- 
cal views  and  intelligently  interested  in  local 
affairs.  His  wife  is  a  devout  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  He  is  an 
intelligent  and  efficient  farmer,  interested 
in  his  work  and  desirous  of  improving  it 
and  has  added  something  year  by  year  to 
his  own  prosperity  and  to  the  methods  of 
practical   and   productive   agriculture. 

A.  LEFEVER.  For  the  past  seventeen 
years  A.  Lefever  has  been  devoting  his  en- 
tire time  and  attention  to  the  operation  of 
a  fine  farm  of  one  hundred  and  four  acres, 
which  he  owns,  located  three  and  a  half  miles 
from  McMinnville.  He  is  the  eldest  child 
born  to  A.  and  Rosalie  (Jarv'is)  Lefever, 
his  natal  day  being  the  7th  of  May,  1849. 
The  father,  who  passed  away  in  1886,  spent 
his  entire  life  in  Canada,  in  the  army  of 
which  country  he  served  for  a  time  during 
his  early  manhood.  Later  he  engaged  in 
milling  and  subsequently  became  the  owner 
of   a   plant   of   his   own.   which   he   operated 


until  his  death.  The  paternal  grandfather 
was  born  and  reared  in  France  and  upon 
attaining  his  manhood  joined  the  army,  re- 
maining in  the  service  until  he  came  to 
America.  The  mother  of  our  subject  was 
a  native  of  Canada  and  there  she  died  more 
than  forty  years  ago.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
I^efever  were  born  five  children,  the  other 
four,  in  order  of  birth,  being  as  follows: 
Rosalie,  the  wife  of  David  Lefever,  of  Mas- 
sachusetts; .Julia,  who  married  B.  Schumalle, 
al.so  of  Massachusetts;  Joseph,  who  is  a 
resident  of  Marquette,  ilichigan:  and  Jerry, 
Avho  is  living  in  Rhode  Island. 

A.  Lefever  was  given  but  a  meager  school- 
ing, as  at  the  age  of  thirteen  years  he  left 
home  and  became  self-supporting.  He  joined 
a  railroad  construction  crew  and  remained 
with  them  for  three  years,  at  the  end  of 
which  time  he  crossed  the  border  into  the 
United  States,  locating  at  Marquette,  Michi- 
gan, where  he  worked  on  the  Chicago  & 
Xorthwesteru  Railroad.  In  1870  he  removed 
to  Minnesota  and  during  the  succeeding  two 
years  was  employed  on  the  Northern  Pacific. 
His  next  removal  was  to  Portland,  this  state, 
where  he  located  in  1877,  and  during  the  fol- 
lowing year  he  worked  for  .Joseph  Gaston, 
constructing  the  narrow  gauge  road  from 
Dayton  to  Sheridan.  At  the  end  of  that  time 
he  removed  to  Dayton  and  was  engaged  on 
the  line  from  St.  .Joseph  to  Coiwallis  and  in 
1880  he  worked  on  the  railroad  between 
Woodburn  and  Coburn.  In  1S81  he  took  the 
contract  for  the  construction  work  on  the 
road  between  Roseburg  and  the  Siskiyou 
mountains,  which  he  completed  in  three  years, 
and  then  helped  to  finish  the  narrow  gauge 
road  to  Portland,  working  at  this  until  1886. 
He  then  withdrew  from  railroading  and 
again  took  up  his  residence  in  Dayton,  turn- 
ing his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits. 
He  bought  a  ranch  in  Yamhill  county,  which 
he  still  operates,  later  removing  to  his  pres- 
ent place.  During  the  long  period  of  his 
occupancy  ilr.  Lefever  has  wrought  extensive 
improvements  on  his  ranch,  which  was  noth- 
ing but  brush  land  when  ho  settled  here. 
He  engages  in  general  farming,  making  a 
specialty  of  hop-raising,  and  is  meeting 
with  most  gratifying  returns  from  both 
occupations.  Although  progressive  he  con- 
ducts his  operations  along  practical  lines, 
giving  his  personal  supervision  to  every 
branch  of  the  work.  His  acreage  is  mostly 
beaverdam  land  and  it  all  lays  well,  having 
good  natural  <lrainage.  Mr.  Lefever  is  a 
self-made  and  practically  a  self-educated 
man,  having  begun  for  himself  at  an  age 
when  the  majority  of  lads  are  hardly  deemed 
capable  of  directing  their  lives.  His  train- 
ing has  been  in  the  hard  but  most  excel- 
lent school  of  practical  experience,  having 
brought  him  into  contact  with  people  of  ail 
classes  and  enabled  him  to  become  familiar 
with  a  large  portion  of  the  country.  He  has 
always  been  an  observant  man,  who  was 
ready  to  learn  and  has  applied  himself  dili- 
gently and  painstakingly  to  the  performance 
of  every  undertaking.  Such  success  as  has 
rewarded  his  efforts  is  highly  merited,  for 
he    has    always    worked    toward    a    definite 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OP  OREGON 


887 


purpose,  all  of  his  energies  being  directed 
toward  the  same  end. 

In  1S72  Mr.  Lefever  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Phoebe  Blake,  who  died  in 
Dayton  in  18S5,  and  unto  them  there  were 
born  three  children:  Jennie,  the  wife  of 
Ennis  Alderman,  a  farmer  of  Dayton;  Min- 
nie, the  wife  of  Thurston  Daniels,  of  Los 
Angeles;  and  Phoebe,  who  married  Samuel 
Sutton,  of  Malheur  county,  Oregon.  In  1887 
Mr.  Lefever  married  Miss  Claretta  De  Ford, 
who  was  born  in  Yamhill  county  and  is  a 
daughter  of  George  and  Jane  (Croddy)  De 
Ford.  The  parents  were  both  natives  of 
Franklin  county,  Indiana,  the  father  of 
French  and  the  mother  of  German  extraction. 
They  crossed  the  plains  to  Oregon  with 
wagon  and  ox  team  in  1866,  settling  on  a 
claim  near  Wheatland.  Yamhill  county.  The 
father,  who  was  a  carpenter,  in  connection 
with  the  cultivation  of  his  ranch,  worked  at 
his  trade.  He  was  killed  in  1883  by  falling 
from  a  building  which  he  was  constructing 
at  Dayton,  but  the  mother  had  preceded  him 
in  death  many  years,  passing  away  in  1869. 
The  family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  De  Ford  num- 
bered eight,  as  follows:  Lucinda,  who  is 
living  in  Portland;  Elizabeth,  who  died  in 
the  '60s;  Leonard,  a  carpenter  and  builder 
of  Portland;  Charlie,  who  was  drowned  at 
the  age  of  twenty-live;  Lucile,  the  wife  of 
Charles  Franklin,  of  Spokane;  Mrs.  Lefever; 
and  two,  who  died  in  infancy.  Mrs.  Lefever 
was  reared  in  this  county,  obtaining  her 
education  in  the  schools  of  Dayton,  and  re- 
sided at  home  until  her  marriage.  To  Mr. 
Lefever  and  his  second  wife  have  been  born 
three  chihlron:  Rosalie,  who  was  giaduatcd 
from  the  higli  school  and  married  Orville 
Andrus,  of  Sherwood,  Oregon;  Robert  A., 
who  is  still  at  home;  and  Vicls,  who  is  at- 
tending  school. 

In  matters  of  faith  Mr.  Lefever  was  reared 
a  Roman  Catholic  and  his  wife  is  a  Protest- 
ant. Fraternally  he  is  identified  with  the 
Masonic  order  and  the  Odd  Fellows,  and 
formerly  he  was  also  alfiliated  with  the 
Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen,  his  con- 
nection with  the  two  former  organizations  be- 
ing with  Dayton  lodges.  In  his  political 
views  Mr.  Lefever  is  independent,  never  hav- 
ing identified  himself  witli  any  party,  but 
always  casting  his  ballot  in  support  of  such 
men  and  measures  as  he  deems  best  quali- 
fied to  protect  the  interests  of  tlie  majority. 
He  deserves  much  credit  for  the  degree  of 
prosperity  he  has  attained,  his  success  being 
entirely  attributable  to  his  own  efforts  and 
his  intelligence  in  directing  his  various  under- 
takings. 

MARTIN  STANOVICH  is  foreman  for  the 
Lindenberger  Company,  Inc.,  operating  a  cold 
storage  plant.  He  was  born  in  Dalmacia, 
Austria,  on  the  6th  of  January,  1865,  a  son 
of  Antony  and  Margaret  St:inovicli,  who 
■were  natives  of  the  same  land,  where  they 
continued  to  reside  until  called  to  the  home 
beyond,  the  father  passing  away  in  1894 
and  the  mother  in  1899.  They  had  a  family 
of  five  sons  and  two  daughters,  of  whom 
Martin   and   his  brother  Jacob  are  residents 


of  the  new  world,  while  the  others  are  still 
in  .\ustria. 

An  uneventful  boyhood,  with  comparative- 
ly little  opportunity  lor  advancement,  awak- 
ened in  Martin  Stanovich  a  desire  to  secure 
better  advantages  than  were  afforded  him 
in  his  native  land,  and  in  1890  he  came  to 
America,  first  settling  in  Clifton,  Oregon. 
There  he  worked  in  the  fisheries  for  six  years, 
after  which  he  went  to  Astoria  where  he 
established  a  cooperage  plant,  which  he  con- 
ducted for  four  years,  having  previously 
learned  that  trade  in  his  native  country. 
At  the  end  of  that  time  he  accepted  employ- 
ment in  the  cold  storage  plant  of  the  Linden- 
berger Company,  being  made  foreman,  which 
position  he  still  fills.  That  he  has  made 
substantial  advance  along  the  road  to  pros- 
perity is  indicated  by  the  fact  that  he  owns 
a  fine  home  in  Astoria  and  also  other  resi- 
dence  property  which  he   rents. 

On  the  19th  of  August,  1895,  Mr.  Stano- 
vich was  married  to  Miss  .Johanna  Vucetich, 
who  was  born  in  Austria  and  came  to 
America  with  her  parents  in  1894.  In  her 
parents'  family  were  nine  children  of' whom 
seven  are  still  living,  four  being  residents  of 
the  United  States.  Tliese  are  Dahnaci;i. 
Mrs.  Stanovich,  Angelina  and  Dominik.  To 
Mr  and  Mrs.  Stanovich  have  been  bom  eight 
children:  Antony,  l)orn  in  1S1)6;  Dominik, 
born  in  1897;  Martin,  in  1898;  Maggie,  in 
1899;  Amanda,  in  1901;  Eva,  in  1905;  Jack, 
in  1907:  and  Francis,  in  1909.  The  family 
attend  tlie  Catholic  church  and  Mr.  Stano- 
vich is  ;i  member  of  St.  Nicholas  Order  at 
Astoria.  :Martin  Stanovich  believes  in  re- 
puldican  principles  and  while  he  keeps  well 
informed  on  questions  and  issues  of  the  day 
is  not  an  office  seeker,  preferring  that  his 
attention  should  be  given  to  business  affairs 
and  otlier  interests  of  life. 

JAMES  H.  STOCKER  is  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania but  has  spent  practically  all  his 
life  in  tlie  west.  He  enlisted  in  a  Colorado 
regiment  for  service  in  the  Civil  war,  ranched 
in^Kansas  for  a  number  of  years,  spent  one 
winter  in  (,'alifornia  and  is  now  following 
general  farming  in  Oouglas  county,  opcrat- 
ni'.'  one  luindred  and  sixty  acres  of  highly 
improved  and  developed  land.  Mr.  Stocker's 
birtli  occurred  on  December  23,  1.S36.  He  is  a 
son  of  Anson  and  .\bigail  (Dowdney)  Stock- 
cr.  the  former  a  native  of  Connecticut  and 
the  latter  of  Pliiladelphia,  Pennsylvania.  The 
father  went  to  Luzerne  county,  Pennsylva- 
nia, when  he  was  a  young  man,  and  was 
married  in  that  district.  He  settled  on  a 
farm  and  was  prosperous  as  an  agricultur- 
ist for  a  number  of  years.  His  holdings 
were  located  in  Luzerne  county  part  of  that 
district  being  later  cut  off  to  form  Wyoming 
county.  He  lived  upon  the  division  line  for 
a  number  of  years  and  died  at  nn  advanced 
age.  His  wife's  death  also  occurred  upon 
the  Pennsylvania  farm  when  she  was  well 
past  her  eightieth  year. 

.Tames  Stocker  received  bis  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  his  native  district.  Hid 
risidence    in    the    west    <lates    from    1859,    in 


888 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


wliich  year  lie  left  home  and  went  to  Colo- 
rado where  he  was  successful  as  a  rancher 
in  Fremont  county.  Iii  1862  he  enlisted  in 
the  Third  Colorado  Volunteer  Infantry  but 
was  later  transferred  to  the  Second  Colorado 
Cavalry,  in  which  regiment  he  served  with 
ability  and  distinction  until  the  close  of  the 
war.  He  received  his  honorable  discharge 
late  in  1865,  having:  spent  some  time  in  fron- 
tier service  after  the  cessation  of  hostilities. 
Following  his  discharge  he  went  to  Kansas, 
where  he  ranched  with  much  success  for 
seven  or  eight  years.  From  Kansas  he  went 
to  the  Pacific  coast  with  the  intention  of 
locating  in  Oregon.  He,  however,  spent  one 
winter  in  California,  and  in  the  spring  of 
1875  resumed  his  journey  northward,  locat- 
ing in  the  same  year  on  his  present  /arm  on 
Elk  creek,  two  and  one-half  miles  west  of 
Drain.  Here  he  bought  one  hundred  and 
si.xty  acres  of  railroad  land  and  has  since 
been  successful  as  a  general  farmer.  He  has 
improved  and  cultivated  his  soil  and  increas- 
ing harvests  repay  his  labors  every  year. 
He  brings  to  his  work  all  the  most  modern 
and  progressive  methods  and  his  success  is 
the  natural  result  of  efficiency. 

In  1869  Mr.  Stocker  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Matilda  Dunn,  a  native  of 
Ohio,  who  was  a  resident  of  Kansas  at  the 
time  of  her  marriage.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Stocker  have  been  born  four  children,  two 
of  whom  are  living:  Arthur,  who  is  a  ranch- 
man on  Elk  creek  in  Douglas  county;  and 
Thea.  the  wife  of  Harvey  Taylor,  who  makes 
her  home  with  the  subject   of  this  sketch. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Stocker  is  a  re- 
publican and  always  votes  the  party  ticket 
although  he  never  seeks  public  office.  He  is 
one  of  the  sterling  and  substantial  citizens 
of  Douglas  county  and  seeks  his  success  in 
the  field  of  labor  which  has  repaid  his  prac- 
tical methods  and  his  unflagging  industry 
by  constantly  increasing  his  prosperity.  His 
farm  is  a  credit  to  liis  own  progressive  ways 
and  to  his  business  judgment,  and  is  also  a 
valuable  addition  to  the  resources  of  the 
state. 

MRS.     ELIZA     KEPPINGER     occupies     a 

beautiful  new  residence  on  the  farm  which 
she  owns,  five  miles  southwest  of  Gervais  in 
Marion  county.  It  was  in  this  county  that 
she  was  born  on  the  12tli  of  February.  1854. 
her  parents  being  John  and  Rhoda  (Pressley) 
Savage,  of  whom  extended  mention  is  made 
elsewhere  in  tliis  work.  She  spent  her 
girlhood  days  at  home,  acquiring  her  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools,  and  was  carefully 
reared  in  such  a  manner  as  to  qualify  her 
to  take  charge  of  a  home  of  her  own  when 
she  reached  womanhood  and  was  married. 
On  the  16th  of  September.  1869.  she  became 
the  wife  of  .Tohn  W.  Brooks  who  arrived  in 
Oregon  when  sixteen  years  of  age  and  was 
employed  on  a  farm  until  after  his  marriage 
when  he  and  his  wife  removed  to  her  father's 
farm.  They  became  the  parents  of  nine 
children:  Edward,  who  was  born  October  30. 
1870.  and  is  a  resident  of  the  Wallowa  val- 
ley. Oregon:  George,  who  was  born  ilarch 
11.  1872,  and  is  deceased:  John  T..  who  was 


born  September  3,  1874,  and  is  living  at  home 
« ith  his  mother;  Charles  H.,  who  was  born 
February  2,  1876,  and  is  a  resident  of  Polk 
lounty,  Oregon:  Louis  X.,  who  was  born  De- 
cember 6.  1877,  and  makes  his  home  in  Vic- 
tor, Montana :  William  A.,  who  was  born 
January  20.  1879:  Mrs.  Pearl  Herring,  whose 
husband  is  chief  dispatcher  for  the  Oregon 
IClectric  Railroad  and  resides  in  Portland; 
Robert,  who  was  born  April  8,  1886,  and  is 
a  resident  of  Polk  county:  and  Albert,  who 
was  born  March  23.  1888,  and  died  .January 
23.  1889.  Mrs.  Brooks  obtained  a  legal  sep- 
aration from  her  husband  in  .January.  1888, 
and  on  the  10th  of  June,  1894.  she  became 
the  wife  of  Nicholas  Keppinger.  who  was 
born  in  Minnesota  of  German  parentage.  He 
came  to  Oregon  with  his  father  and  mother 
when  ten  years  of  age.  and  is  at  present  en- 
gaged in  farming  on  his  wife's  property  of 
fifty  acres.  They  are  pleasantly  located 
here,  having  a  fine  residence,  and  the  farm, 
thoroughly  cultivated  by  Mr.  Keppinger,  is 
principally  devoted  to  hops.  It  presents  a 
most  neat  and  attractive  appearance,  and 
everything  about  the  place  indicates  careful 
supervision  and  progressive  methods.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Keppinger  are  well  known  in  this 
locality  and  have  an  extensive  circle  of  warm 
friends. 

LOUIS  P.  RAPP,  orchardist.  farmer,  stock- 
man ami  land  speculator,  is  today  one  of  the 
prominent  citizens  of  Douglas  county  and 
active  in  many  of  the  representative  in- 
dustries of  the  section.  He  owns  five  hun- 
dred acres  in  his  home  farm  and  one  hundred 
and  sixty  in  Klamath  Falls  and  his  life  has 
been  spent  in  agricultural  pursuits  and  en- 
terprises which  are  affiliated  with  it  in  Ore- 
gon. He  is  a  native  of  California,  having 
been  born  in  Sonoma  county,  March  5,  1861, 
and  is  a  son  of  Godfrey  and  Xancy  (Sehoon- 
overi  Rapp.  the  former  a  native  of  France 
and  the  latter  of  Virginia.  The  father  came 
to  the  I'nited  States  when  he  was  still  a 
hoy  and  with  an  older  brother.  Philip  Rapp. 
located  in  Rochester.  Xew  York,  where  he 
learneil  the  wagon-making  trade.  He  worked 
al  this  line  of  occu])ation  in  Rochester  up  to- 
1845.  when  he  removed  to  JIuscatine.  Iowa, 
where  his  marriage  occurred.  He  crossed 
the  plains  three  times  and  was  one  of  the 
forty-niners  to  the  California  gold  fields. 
He  returned  to  Muscatine.  Iowa,  and  in 
1856  made  his  second  trip  to  California, 
bringing  his  wife  with  him.  He  owned  at 
this  time  the  land  where  the  town  of  Healds- 
burg  is  now  located  and  here  he  built  the 
first  general  store  conducted  in  that  section 
and  gave  his  personal  attention  to  it.  In 
1861  he  again  returned  to  Iowa  and  took 
up  a  homestead  claim  near  Fort  Dodge, 
where  for  three  or  four  years  he  followed 
general  farming.  He  later  moved  to  Kansas, 
where  he  bought  railroad  land  on  the  old 
Joy  road.  In  1872  he  went  to  Texas  but 
after  two  years  spent  in  that  state  re- 
turned to  Kansas,  where  they  spent  the 
winter.  In  the  spring  of  1S75  they  started 
upon  their  third  journey  west,  locating  in 
Oregon   in   the   same   vear.     Here   the   father 


.TOHX    SA\A(!E 


PU. 


Til 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


891 


took  up  a  homestend  in  Douglas  county,  on 
the  Umpqua  river,  where  lie  resided  until 
his  death.     His  wife  has  also  passed  away. 

Louis  P.  Rapp  was  reared  at  home  and 
attended  the  Oregon  public  schools.  His  early 
life  was  spent  in  aiding  his  father  in  his 
work  on  the  farm  and  on  reaching  manhood 
he  continued  this  association  in  agricultural 
pursuits  and  in  stock  enterprises,  their 
operations  being  very  successful.  After  the 
death  of  his  father  Mr.  Rapp  acquired  the 
greater  part  of  the  homestead  farm,  which 
comprises  three  hundred  and  forty  acres. 
He  has  ever  since  that  time  bought  and  sold 
other  lands  and  is  now  the  proprietor  of 
five  hundred  acres  in  his  home  farm  and  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  a  ranch  at  Kla- 
math Falls.  He  has  been  an  extensive  specu- 
lator in  farm  lands  and  has  owned  large 
tracts  at  different  times.  lie  is  counted 
among  the  successful  and  representative  men 
of  his  district  and  is  a  factor  in  state  expan- 
sion. He  has  of  late  years  been  interested 
in  orchard  propositions  and  has  twenty-five 
acres  of  his  own  planted  in  fruit  trees. 

Mr.  Rapp  is  a  republican  in  his  political 
beliefs  but  has  never  been  an  office  seeker. 
He  is  a  member  of  Umpqua  Lodge,  No.  37, 
I.  0.  O.  F.  It  is  his  ambition  to  be  scien- 
tifically efficient,  and  to  cultivate  his  hold- 
ings and  operate  his  enterprises  according  to 
modern  ideas.  His  knowledge  of  agricul- 
ture is  guided  by  business  talent  of  a  high 
order  and  is  directed  by  standards  of  integ- 
rity and  honor. 

CHARLES    WILLIAM    ALLEN,    operating 

in  the  insurance  and  real-estute  liehl  on  his 
own  account,  in  which  connection  he  has  con- 
tributed largely  to  the  development  of  Port- 
land, was  born  in  Richmond,  Illinois,  in 
1848.  a  son  of  W.  M.  Allen,  who  established 
his  home  in  Richmond  in  1836.  He  was  born 
in  the  vicinity  of  Richmond,  Virginia,  and 
became  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Illi- 
nois, arriving  in  that  state  only  four  years 
after  it  was  decided  by  the  Black  Hawk  Avar 
that  the  white  race  were  to  be  supreme  in 
that  portion  of  the  Mississippi  valley.  In 
1849  he  went  to  California,  attracted  by  the 
discovery  of  gold  on  the  Pacific  coast,  where 
he  remained  for  about  seventeen  years,  or 
until  1866,  when  he  returned  to  Illinois. 
He  afterward  became  a  merchant  of  Fort 
Dodge,  Iowa,  and  two  years  later  removed 
his  store  to  Sac  City,  Iowa,  where  he  re- 
mained until  his  death,  which  occurred  when 
he  had  reached  the  ripe  old  age  of  seventy- 
five  years. 

When  the  father  went  to  California  the 
family  remained  in  Illinois.  Charles  W. 
Allen  is  now  alone  surviving  of  the  two 
children  born  to  his  parents.  He  was  reared 
in  his  native  state  and  at  the  time  of  the 
Civil  war  joined  the  United  States  army, 
enlisting  in  Company  D.  One  hundred  and 
Forty-first  Regiment  Infantry,  with  which 
he  served  until  the  close  of  hostilities.  He 
then  returned  home  and  afterward  removed 
from  Illinois  to  Fort  Dodge.  Iowa,  where  his 
father  was  then  engaged  in  merchandising. 
Later  the  family  went  to  Sac  City,  Iowa, 
Vol.  iv— 37 


but  Charles  \V.  Allen  remained  there  for  only 
two  years.  He  Was  elected  sheriff  of  Sac 
City  but  resigned  the  position  in  order  to 
come  to  the  west.  He  eventiiallv  made  his 
way  to  California  in  1871  and  lived  in  that 
state  for  about  thirteen  years,  or  until  1884, 
when  he  removed  to  Ogden,  Utah,  wlicre  he 
worked  on  the  railroad.  In  the  railroad 
service  he  accepted  a  minor  position  but 
gradually  worked  his  way  upwanl,  by  ca- 
pability and  faithfulness,  "to  the  position  of 
conductor.  He  was  in  the  service  of  the 
Northern  Pacitic  Railroad  Company  at  the 
time  he  determined  to  retire  from  that  busi- 
ness. He  then  removed  to  Portland  and 
here  became  connected  with  an  insurance 
concern.  He  was  also  in  charge  of  the 
Flctchenner  estate,  under  Mr.  Arnold,  who 
was  the  administrator.  He  continued  in 
that  connection  for  twelve  years  and  since 
then  has  been  engaged  in  the  insurance  and 
real-estate  business  on  his  own  account.  He 
has  become  thoroughly  familiar  with  prop- 
erty interests  and  values  in  Portland  and 
now  has  individual  holdings  on  Salmon  street 
and  elsewhere  in  the  city.  He  has  accumu- 
lated no  inconsiderable  property  holdings 
himself  and  deserves  great  credit  for  what 
he  has  accomplished  in  the  course  of  his  busi- 
ness career,  for  he  started  out  in  life  empty- 
handed  and  has  worked  his  way  upward 
entirely  through  his  own  labors. 

Mr.  Allen  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Hattie  J.  Fee,  who  was  a  daughter  of  0. 
Fee.  Her  father's  family  numbered  six  chil- 
dren, who  are  still  living:  James,  who  was 
at  one  time  a  district  judge  of  Oregon  and 
is  now  located  in  Pendleton,  this  state; 
Peter,  who  is  engaged  in  tlio  real-estate 
business  in  Portland;  Nellie,  who  is  the  wife 
of  Mr.  Langtry,  and  resides  in  the  city  of 
Washington;  Jlrs.  Carrie  Warner,  of  Cali- 
fornia, whose  husband  is  a  nephew  of  Sen- 
ator Warner  of  Jlissouri;  Mrs.  Salisbury,  of 
Waterloo,  Iowa;  and  Mrs.  Allen.  Two  chil- 
ilieii  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Allen, 
of  whom  the  younger,  Florence,  died  at  the 
age  of  seven  years  and  seven  months.  The 
son  is  Harry,  of  Portland,  who  has  completed 
the  high-school  course  here  and  is  attending 
business  college.  He  is  associated  in  the 
real-estate  business  with  his  father. 

Mr.  Allen  gives  his  political  support  to 
the  republican  party  but  has  never  been  a 
politician  in  the  sense  of  office  seeking,  ex- 
ercising his  right  of  franchise  in  support  of 
the  men  and  ineasuros  which  he  deems  will 
further  the  interests  of  the  community  and 
country  at  large.  He  holds  membership  with 
the  Grand  Array  of  the  Republic  and  thus 
maintains  pleasant  relations  with  those  who, 
like  himself,  marched  upon  .southern  battle- 
fields and  defended  the  old  Mag  during  the 
darkest  hour  in  the  history  of  the  country. 

JACOB  EDISON.  Much  of  the  progress 
anil  advancement  of  the  nortliwcst  must  be 
attributed  to  the  thrift,  energy  and  deter- 
mination of  purpose  which  chnrnc(erlze  its 
Scandinavian  citizens,  whose  diligence  and 
perseverance  have  largely  contributed  to- 
ward   the   agricultural,    industrial    and   com- 


892 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


mercial  development  of  the  country.  To 
this  class  belongs  Jacob  Edison,  Tvhose  birth 
occurred  in  Xorway  on  the  31st  of  December, 
1S63,  his  parents  being  Edis  J.  and  Eliza- 
beth (Jacobson)  Johnson.  To  them  were 
born  eight  children,  all  of  whom,  with  the 
exception  of  our  subject  spent  their  entire 
lives  in  the  Xorseland.  Their  order  of  birth 
is  as  follows:  John,  Johan.  Adolph,  Gertrude, 
Elina,  Ovedes,  Nels  and  Jacob,  our  suljject. 
The  mother  passed  away  in  1870,  but  the 
father  still  survives  at  the  venerable  age  of 
ninety-four  years. 

•Jacob  Edison  was  reared  and  educated  in 
his  native  land,  continuing  to  reside  there 
until  he  was  twenty-seven.  Much  attracted 
toward  America  by  the  wonderful  stories 
he  heard  regarding  the  opportunities  and 
advantages  to  be  found  here,  he  in  1S90 
crossed  the  Atlantic,  with  the  United  States 
as  his  destination.  He  located  in  Astoria  on 
the  28th  of  July  of  the  same  year,  and  for 
four  years  thereafter  engaged  in  fishing. 
At  the  expiration  of  that  time  he  joined  a 
fishing  excursion  to  Alaska,  in  which  coun- 
try he  spent  three  years.  Returning  to 
Astoria,  in  1897  he  devoted  his  energies  to 
carpentry  work  and  contracting,  having  ever 
since  been  identified  with  these  occupations. 
He  has  met  with  a  most  unusual  degree  of 
success  and  now  owns  a  fine  residence  in 
Astoria  in  addition  to  a  hotel  property  and 
an  interest  in  various  other  enterprises. 

Mr.  Edison's  plans  for  a  home  of  his  own 
had  their  culmination  in  his  marriage  in 
1896  to  Miss  Hulda  McLean,  also  a  native  of 
Norway.  She  emigrated  to  the  United 
States  in  1894,  locating  in  Astoria.  Her 
parents  and  the  other  members  of  her  family 
have  since  come  to  this  country,  becoming 
residents  of  this  city.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McLean 
are  the  parents  of  six  children,  in  the  follow- 
ing order  of  birth:  Mamel;  Anton;  Raider; 
Hulda,  now  Mrs.  Edison;  Annetta;  and  Ade- 
lina.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Edison  have  also  been 
born  six  children,  of  whom  three  survive: 
Evald,  who  was  born  on  the  fith  of 
April,  1899;  Hilbert,  bom  in  June  1900;  and 
Bergald,  whose  birth  occurred  in  1905.  The 
deceased  members  of  the  family  are:  Evald, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  eighteen  months; 
Hulda,  who  died  in  infancy;  and  Sigurd, 
whose  death  occurred  at  the  age  of  six  years. 

The  family  affiliate  with  the  Lutheran 
church  of  which  both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Edison 
are  members.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Scandinavian  Benevolent  Society  of  As- 
toria and  the  Sons  of  Xorway,  while  he 
gives  his  political  allegiance  to  the  republican 
party,  but  does  not  participate  in  municipal 
aifairs.  During  the  period  of  his  residence 
in  the  United  States  Mr.  Edison  has,  on  the 
whole,  been  veiy  successful  and  has  had  no 
occasion  to  regret  his  removing  to  this  great 
republic. 

R.  C.  COFFEY,  M.  D.,  physician  and  sur- 
geon of  Portland,  is  a  native  of  Xorth  Caro- 
lina. Determining  upon  the  practice  of  medi- 
cine as  a  life  work,  he  attended  the  Kentucky 
School  of  Medicine  at  Louisville  and  was 
graduated    therefrom    in    1892,    after    which 


he  sought  the  opportunities  of  the  north- 
west, locating  for  practice  in  Moscow.  Idaho, 
vhere  he  remained  for  five  years.  He  then 
removed  to  Colfax,  Washington,  where  he 
spent  two  years,  and  afterward  came  to 
Portland,  where  he  has  practiced  through  a 
decade,  giving  his  attention  exclusively  to 
surgery. 

He  is  an  ex-president  of  the  Idaho  State 
Medical  Society,  an  ex-secretary  of  the  Wash- 
ington State  Medical  Society  and  in  1908 
was  honored  with  election  to  the  presidency 
of  the  Oregon  State  Medical  Society.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Western  Surgical  Associa- 
tion and  Southern  Surgical  .cxssociation  and 
thus  keeps  in  close  touch  with  the  advance- 
ment that  is  being  made  by  the  profession. 

Dr.  Coffey  married  Miss  Clarissa  Ellen 
Coffey,  and  they  have  three  children,  Jay  R., 
Wilson  Boone,  and  Robert  Mayo.  The  Doc- 
tor belongs  to  the  Benevolent  Protective 
Order   of  Elks   and  the   Royal  Arcanum. 

ALEXANDER  E.  CULVER  has  lived  in 
Jackson  county  only  since  1911,  but  has  dem- 
onstrated his  right  to  be  classed  with  the 
enterprising  and  progressive  citizens  who  are 
bending  their  energies  toward  the  develop- 
ment of  the  rich  mineral  resources  of  this 
part  of  the  state.  He  became  identified  with 
mining  here  in  1910,  and  is  now  secretary  of 
the  Pleasant  Creek  Gold  Dredge  Mining  Com- 
pany. He  was  boi'n  in  La  Salle.  Illinois, 
October  25,  1859,  and  is  a  son  of  A.  W.  and 
Elizabeth  E.  (Mitchell)  Culver,  both  of  whom 
were  natives  of  Ohio,  in  which  state  they 
were  also  reared  and  married.  The  grand- 
father, John  D.  Culver,  was  a  native  of  Ver- 
mont and  became  a  civil  engineer  in  the  em- 
ploy of  the  United  States  government,  do- 
ing much  surveying  and  other  engineering 
work  in  the  states  of  Ohio,  Indiana  and  Illi- 
nois. While  thus  engaged  he  discovered  some 
persimmons  said  to  be  poisonous  but  he 
thought  he  would  try  the  fruit  and  was  the 
first  white  man  to  eat  a  wild  persimmon. 
He  died  in  Galesburg,  Illinois,  when  eighty- 
six  years  of  age,  at  which  time  his  grand- 
son, A.  E.  Culver,  was  a  lad  of  twelve  years. 
His  son,  A.  W.  Culver,  was  one  of  the  jiioneer 
settlers  of  California,  arriving  at  Oakland  in 
1849.  Three  years  later  he  returned  to  Ohio 
and  resided  in  that  state  and  also  in  Mis- 
souri until  he  once  more  became  a  resident  of 
Oakland,  California,  about  twenty  years  ago. 
He  died  in  1906  at  the  ripe  old  age  of  eighty 
years  and  his  wife  passed  away  in  Los 
Angeles,  California,  in  1910.  He  was  a  black- 
smith and  followed  that  trade  for  about 
thirty  years. 

Alexander  E.  Culver  was  the  eldest  in  a 
family  of  two  sons  and  three  daughters  and 
spent  his  youthful  days  in  Ohio,  Missouri  and 
Kansas.  He  became  a  resident  of  California 
in  1885,  settling  first  in  Los  Angeles,  whence 
he  removed  to  Siskiyou  county,  where  for 
twenty-three  years  he  was  engaged  in  the 
lumber  business,  meeting  with  good  success 
in  his  undertakings.  In  1908,  however,  he 
sold  his  sawmill  and  leased  his  planing  miU 
to  renters.  In  1910,  he  made  investment  in 
mining  interests  in  .Jackson  county,  Oregon, 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


893 


and  the  following  year  took  up  his  abode  in 
Woodville.  He  now  devotes  his  energies 
entirely  to  mining  and  is  secretary  of  the 
Pleasant  Creek  Gold  Dredyo  Jlining  Company. 
In  1899  ilr.  Culver  was  married  to  Miss 
Eva  Xelson,  a  native  of  Xevada  t-ounty,  Cali- 
fornia, and  a  daughter  of  Ole  Xelson,  a  lum- 
ber man,  now  residing  in  Siskiyou  county. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Culver  have  four  children, 
Mariam,  Xelson,  Albert  and  Eleanor.  Mr. 
Culver  belongs  to  the  Masonic  fraternity 
and  also  to  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order 
of  Elks.  His  political  allegiance  is  given  to 
tlie  republican  party.  He  has  held  a  few 
public  offices,  including  that  of  justice  of  the 
peace  and  served  on  the  republican  central 
committee  of  Siskiyou  county,  Oalifornia. 
He  was  one  of  the  first  Johnson  men  in  that 
county,  being  a  warm  friend  of  the  gover- 
nor. He  closely  studies  the  vital  and  sig- 
nificant problems  of  the  day  and  his  energy 
and  labors  have  always  been  effective  forces 
for  progress  in  the  community  in  which  he 
has  lived. 

WILLIAM  P.  SNOOK  is  a  general  decorat- 
ing contractor,  who  has  made  his  home  in 
Portland  since  the  spring  of  1SS8  and  during 
the  greater  part  of  the  time  has  carried  on 
business  independently  and  successfully.  He 
was  bom  in  England,  March  12,  1865,  and 
his  parents,  .James  W.  and  Mary  J.  (Peddle) 
Snook,  were  natives  of  the  same  country, 
where  they  were  reared  and  married.  The 
father  died  in  1885  and  the  mother  still  lives 
in  England.  In  their  family  were  twelve 
children:  John,  who  resides  in  England; 
Richard,  deceased;  Sarah,  the  wife  of  Wil- 
liam Co  well,  of  England;  Annie,  the  wife  of 
William  Sherer,  a  resident  of  that  country; 
William  P.,  of  this  review;  Thomas,  who 
makes  his  home  in  Indiana ;  James  and  Alfred, 
deceased;  and  Elizabeth,  Edith,  Jessie  and 
Thirza,  all  of  whom  make  their  homes  in 
England. 

Jn  his  native  land.  William  P.  Snook  spent 
the  first  sixteen  years  of  his  life  and  then 
crossed  the  Atlantic  to  Canada  with  his 
father,  who  came  to  the  new  world  for  a 
visit.  The  son,  however,  remained  on  this 
continent.  He  began  to  learn  painting  and 
decorating  in  England  and  after  settling  in 
Canada  followed  his  trade  there  lor  about 
three  years.  He  was  not  content,  however, 
to  remain  in  Canada,  believing  that  there 
were  better  business  opportunities  elsewhere, 
so  he  removed  to  California,  where  he  worked 
at  his  trade  for  about  two  years.  He  came 
to  Portland  in  the  spring  of  1888  and  since 
that  time  has  made  his  home  in  this  city, 
believing  that  no  bettor  opportunities  could 
be  had  in  his  line  of  work  than  are  here 
offered.  In  the  fall  of  the  year  of  his  arrival 
in  Portland  he  was  nuirried.  Por  two  years 
he  worked  in  the  employ  of  others  and  then 
engaged  in  business  on  his  own  account  as 
a  "geiieral  decorating  contractor.  He  first 
started  in  Portland,  but  twelve  years  ago  re- 
moved to  Sunnyside,  then  a  suburb  of  the 
city.  In  that  district  no  has  since  maintained 
an  "office  and  has  done  much  work  as  a  painter 
and   decorator.      He    has   ever   kept    in    touch 


with  the  advancement  made  in  his  line  of 
endeavor  and  his  efforts  have  brought  him 
well  merited  success.  He  has  invested  in 
property  here,  and  is  the  owner  of  two  resi- 
dences   and    some   unimproved    lots. 

On  the  l.^th  of  August,  ISSS,  was  celebrated 
the  marriage  of  Mr.  Snook  and  Miss  Bessie 
Hopkins,  a  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Eliza 
(Day)  Hopkins,  both  of  whom  were  natives 
of  England.  Her  father  removed  to  Canada 
at  an  early  date  and  about  1895  settled  in 
(Jregon.  ilr.  and  Mrs.  Snook  have  become 
the  parents  of  four  children.  Ethel,  born 
September  13,  3890,  attended  high  school  and 
also  pursued  a  business-college  course.  Kita, 
born  in  February,  1893.  attended  the  public 
schools  and  graduated  from  the  high  school 
in  Portland.  .She  is  now  preparing  herself 
to  become  a  teacher  of  English  literature. 
Bessie,  born  in  1896,  is  a  high-school  student. 
William  E.,  born  in  January,  1901,  is  pursu- 
ing his  education  here. 

William  P.  Snook  is  a  liberal-minded  man 
and  one  who  forms  his  opinions  independ- 
ently. His  support  of  any  measure  indicates 
his  firm  belief  in  its  power  to  accomplish 
good  for  the  community.  He  votes  as  his 
judgment  dictates  and  not  according  to  party 
leadership.  Fraternally  he  is  connected  with 
the  Masons  and  also  with  the  Independent 
Order  of  Foresters.  He  can  truthfully  be 
called  a  self-made  man.  for  he  has  been  both 
the  architect  and  builder  of  his  fortunes. 
His  energy  has  been  unfaltering,  lys  deter- 
mination unabating,  and  through  the  wise 
use  he  has  made  of  time,  talents  and  oppor- 
tunities he  has  gradually  worked  his  way 
upward  and  is  now  classed  with  the  substan- 
tial  Imsiness   men   of   his   adopted  city. 

JOHN  A.  GAMBLE.  One  of  the  energetic 
and  successful  yotmg  business  men  of  Astoria 
is  John  A.  Gamble,  who  was  born  in  this 
city  on  the  13th  of  June,  1885,  a  son  of 
Daniel  and  Annie  (McMuUen)  Gamble.  He 
is  of  Irish  extraction,  his  paternal  grand- 
parents and  maternal  grandfather  having 
been  natives  of  the  Emerald  i-sle,  but  his 
father  was  born  in  Columbus,  Ohio,  and  his 
mother  in  Astoria.  Oregon.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
(iamble  were  married  in  this  city  and  here 
they  have  ever  since  resided,  the  father  bav- 
in been  identified  with  sawmill  work  and  at 
the  present  time  be  is  general  manager  and 
superintendent  of  the  Astoria  Box  Company. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Daniel  Gamble  three  children 
were  born:  Harry  E.,  who  is  an  engineer  on 
a  government  patrol  boat;  John  A.,  our  sub- 
ject;  anil  one,  who  died  in  infancy. 

Astoria  has  always  been  the  home  of 
John  A.  Gamble,  who  obtained  his  education 
in  the  public  schools,  following  which  he  was 
identified  with  various  activities,  engaging 
in  business  for  himself  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
three  years.  He  began  as  a  contractor  for 
steel  and  concrete  work,  but  has  since  ex- 
fended  the  scope  of  his  activities  and  now 
lakes  the  entire  contract  for  the  erection  of 
buildings  and  also  constructs  bridges.  He 
has  met  with  excellent  success  in  his  under- 
takinf's,  being  recognized  as  one  of  the  most 


894 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


competent  men  in  his  line  in  the  city.  He 
and  his  partner  have  but  recently  completed 
the  erection  of  an  exact  reproduction  of 
old  Fort  Astor,  the  centennial  of  which  was 
celebrated  in  August  and  September,  1912. 
Mr.  Gamble  continues  to  make  his  home 
with  his  parents.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Foresters  of  America,  and,  politically,  he  is  a 
republican,  but  not  an  aspirant  to  public 
office.  His  future,  as  gauged  by  his  past 
and  present,  looks  most  promising,  his  busi- 
ness being  well  established  and  thriving  and 
giving  high  assurance  of  growth  and  develop- 
ment. 

JAMES  E.  REDFORD  engages  in  general 
farming  and  stock-raising  one  and  one-half 
miles  from  Dorena,  where  he  owns  a  ranch 
of  three  hundred  and  thirty  acres.  He  was 
bom  in  Saginaw,  Oregon,  on  the  loth  of 
January,  1S67,  and  is  a  son  of  Edward  P. 
and  Sarah  Martha  (Cochran)  Eedford.  The 
father  passed  the  early  years  of  his  life  in 
Missouri,  whence  he  crossed  the  plains  to 
Oregon  in  1S50,  locating  in  Lane  county.  He 
first  settled  eight  miles  east  of  Cottage 
Grove,  but  he  subsequently  went  to  Coburg 
and  three  or  four  years  later  he  removed  to 
Saginaw  and  purchased  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  land,  on  which  he  has  ever 
since  lived.  He  was  the  eldest  in  a  family  of 
six,  the  other  members  being  as  follows: 
James  W.,  who  was  killed  in  a  runaway; 
Amanda,  the  deceased  wife  of  Charles  Coch- 
ran; Elizabeth,  of  Oakland,  California;  Pene- 
lope; and  George,  who  was  killed  by  the 
James  boys  in  California.  The  mother  of 
our  subject,  who  also  came  from  Missouri, 
is  of  Irish  extraction  and  is  the  eldest  of 
the  seven  children  born  to  John  and  Letitia 
(Powers)  Cochran.  In  order  of  birth  the 
others  are  as  follows:  Winnie,  who  is  mar- 
ried and  resides  at  Spray,  Oregon;  Lucia, 
who  married  Jlilton  McMurray,  of  Eugene; 
Mary,  who  first  married  Ben  Wallace  and  is 
now  the  wife  of  William  Canady;  Robert, 
deceased,  formerly  a  farmer  at  Cottage  Grove; 
John  M.,  who  engages  in  farming  at  Colfax, 
Washington;  and  Katharine,  formerl5'  the 
wife  of  Mike  Conlej'  and  now  married  to 
Joseph  Perkins.  The  family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Redford  numbered  nine:  Walker  William,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  about  thirty  years; 
Amanda  E.,  who  died  in  girlhood;  Emma  L., 
the  wife  of  L.  D.  Scarbrough.  of  Creswell; 
John  M.,  who  is  rancliing  in  the  vicinity  of 
Creswell;  Letitia  E.,  the  wife  of  Webb  Nor- 
fleit,  a  cabinet-maker  at  Los  Angeles,  Cali- 
fornia; James  E..  our  subject;  Ida  Belle,  who 
married  Albert  Stocks,  a  lumberman  of  Cot- 
tage Grove;  and  George  E.  and  Mary  E.,  both 
ol  whom  are  deceased.  5Ir.  Redford  served 
in  the  Rogue  River  war  in  1855  and  1856  and 
is  now  on  the  government  pension  list. 

James  E.  Redford  has  always  lived  in 
Lane  county,  to  the  public  schools  of  which 
he  is  indebted  for  his  education.  In  common 
with  the  majority  of  lads  who  are  reared  in 
the  country  he  early  began  to  assist  with 
the  work  of  the  ranch  and  care  of  the  stock 
and  thus  by  the  time  he  had  attained  his 
maturity    he    was    an    agriculturist    of    ex- 


perience fuUy  capable  of  assuming  the  man- 
agement of  a  place.  Upon  attaining  his  ma- 
jority he  rented  one  hundred  acres  of  his 
lather's  farm  which  he  cultivated  for  a  year. 
At  the  expiration  of  that  time  he  removed 
to  Dorena  and  rented  five  hundred  and  twelve 
acres  of  land.  Eighty  of  this  was  planted  to 
grain  and  the  remainder  was  in  pasttire, 
and  here  for  three  years  he  engaged  in  gen- 
eral farming  and  stock-raising.  He  next 
settled  on  a  quarter  section  of  land  belong- 
ing to  his  wife,  but  after  twelve  years  resi- 
dence there,  he  traded  it  for  about  three 
hundred  acres  located  near  Creswell,  paying 
the  difference  in  price.  The  same  year  he 
disposed  of  the  latter  place  and  returned  to 
Dorena,  where  he  bought  one  hundred  and 
sixty-one  acres,  thirty  of  which  was  under 
cultivation.  He  has  since  extended  his  ranch 
by  the  purchase  of  another  two  hundred  acres, 
all  timber  with  the  exception  of  thirty  acres, 
while  he  filed  on  an  adjoining  eighty,  making 
his  holdings  aggregate  four  hundred  and 
forty-one  acres.  He  has  since  sold  one  hun- 
dred and  eleven  acres  of  his  ranch,  ten  of 
this  being  cleared  and  the  remainder  pasture. 
One  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  his  hold- 
ings is  under  cultivation  and  he  has  an  ad- 
ditional sixty  cleared  and  is  using  it  for 
pasturage.  Mr.  Redford  is  raising  grain  on 
eighty  acres  of  his  land,  such  as  can  be  used 
in  the  feeding  of  stock,  as  he  makes  a  spe- 
cialty of  raising  cattle,  hogs  and  sheep. 

In  March,  1889,  'Mi.  Redford  was  united 
in  marriafge  to  Miss  Ella  R.  Chrisman,  who 
is  the  second  in  order  of  birth  of  the  three 
daughters  born  to  X.  P.  and  Malissa  C. 
(Brown)  Chrisman.  The  eldest  member  of 
the  family  is  Lucinda  J.,  the  wife  of  Oliver 
Veatch,  a  real-estate  dealer,  of  Cottage 
Grove;  while  the  youngest  is  Clara  L.,  who 
married  R.  F.  Martin,  a  ranchman  in  the 
vicinity  of  Yamhill,  Oregon.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Redford  have  one  son,  Edwin  P.,  who  was 
born  on  the  13th  of  August,  1898,  and  is 
now  attending  school  at  Dorena. 

At  the  age  of  twenty  years  Mr.  Redford 
united  with  the  Presbyterian  church  of 
which  his  wife  is  also  a  member.  In  politics 
he  is  a  democrat,  and  although  he  has  never 
prominently  participated  in  public  affairs, 
he  is  always  willing  to  assume  his  share  of 
public  responsibility  and  served  for  fifteen 
years  as  school  director  and  for  two  as  su- 
pervisor of  roads".  He  enjoys  a  favorable  and 
extensive  acquaintance  among  the  citizens 
of  this  community,  where  he  has  become 
known  as  a  man  of  upright  principles  and 
the   highest   integrity. 

FRANK  BUSCH,  residing  in  Astoria,  is 
prominently  connected  with  stock-raising 
and  dairying  in  northwestern  Oregon,  being 
the  owner  of  a  valuable  ranch  of  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-four  acres.  He  was  bom 
in  Chicago,  September  17,  1874,  his  parents 
being  Ulrich  and  Anna  (Hizer)  Busch,  both 
of  whom  were  natives  of  Germany.  The 
father  came  to  America  in  1861  and  first 
settled  in  St.  Louis,  Jlissouri,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  the  brewing  business.  He  was  thus 
identified  with    manufacturing  interests    for 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


895 


a  long  period,  but  spent  his  last  days  in 
Germany,  where  his  death  occurred  in  1SS9. 
His  widow  still  survives  him  and  is  living 
in  Berlin,  Germany.  Unto  them  were  born 
nineteen  children,  of  whom  five  are  living, 
namely:  Edward,  who  is  located  in  St. 
Louis,  Missouri;  Mrs.  Lillie  Myer,  a  widow, 
who  is  living  with  her  mother  in  Germany; 
Otto,  also  a  resident  of  St.  Louis,  Missouri; 
Frank,  of  this  review;  and  Mrs.  Paula  Kley- 
dorft'.  of  Germany. 

Frank  Busch  spent  his  youthful  days  in 
Chicago  and  is  indebted  to  its  public-school 
system  for  the  educational  privileges  which 
he  enjoyed.  The  attractive  tales  which  he 
heard  concerning  the  northwest  and  the  busi- 
ness opportunities  to  be  secured  on  the  Pa- 
cific coast  led  him  to  make  his  way  to  Ore- 
gon in  1S95,  at  which  time  he  settled  at 
Astoria.  About  four  and  one-half  miles  from 
that  city  he  purchased  a  dairy  ranch,  known 
as  the  Sunflower  Dairy  Farm,  comprising 
one  hundred  and  twenty-four  acres  of  rich 
and  productive  land.  He  has  been  very  suc- 
cessful in  the  conduct  of  his  dairy  and  in 
the  raising  of  stock  and  is  now  the  owner  of 
a  large  herd  of  cattle  known  as  Dutch  Belted 
cattle.  There  are  only  two  herds  of  this 
breed  in  the  L'nited  States,  the  other  being 
near  Boston.  Mr.  Busch  has  found  this 
cattle  well  adapted  for  the  uses  to  which  he 
puts  them  and  the  product  of  his  dairy  finds 
a  ready  and  profitable  sale. 

In  1903  occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr. 
Busch  and  Miss  Dorothea  F.  Preis,  who  was 
born  in  Sydney,  Xew  South  Wales,  and  is 
a  daughter  of  John  and  Sarah  Preis,  the 
former  a  native  of  Germany  and  the  latter 
of  Australia.  The  father  has  passed  away 
but  the  mother  is  still  living  in  her  native 
land.  Mrs.  Busch  w-as  one  of  a  family  of 
ten  children  and  by  her  marriage  has  become 
the  mother  of  one  son,  who  was  born  on  the 
ship  Manuka,  while  they  were  crossing  the 
ocean.  His  natal  day  was  -Tune  6,  1904,  and 
he  was  given  the  name  of  Frank  M.  Manuka 
Busch.  The  parents  hold  membership  with 
the  Catholic  church  and  Mr.  Busch  also  be- 
longs to  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of 
Elks,  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  to  the 
Moose  and  Foresters  orders.  His  political 
indorsement  is  given  to  the  republican  party 
and,  keeping  well  informed  on  the  questions 
and  issues  of  the  day,  he  is  able  to  cast  an 
intelligent  ballot  in  support  of  the  prin- 
ciples in  which  he  believes.  He  has  never 
had  occasion  to  regret  his  determination  to 
come  to  the  northwest,  for  here  he  has  made 
steady  progress  along  business  lines  and  is 
now  numbered  among  the  substantial  as  well 
as  respected  citizens  of  Astoria. 

WALTER  MATHEY,  who  resides  three 
miles  east  of  Salem  on  the  Fruitland  road, 
is  one  of  the  sturdy  and  thrifty  men  whom 
Switzerland  has  contributed  to  the  state  of 
Oregon.  He  was  born  on  .Tanuary  19,  1S63, 
his  parents  being  Gelin  and  Adaline  (Hugnin) 
Mathey,  both  natives  of  Switzerland,  where 
they  resided  until  they  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1897.  The  father  had  been  a 
watchmaker  and   airriculturist   in  his   native 


land  and  when  he  came  to  Oregon  he  again 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  and  con- 
tinued at  this  occupation  until  1911,  when 
he  removed  to  Salem  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
eight  years  to  live  retired.  Jlrs.  Mathey 
passed  away  in  March,  1911.  To  this  union 
four  children  were  born,  namely:  Walter, 
who  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Bertha, 
who  is  the  wife  of  Henry  (Jaquet  and  re- 
sides in  Marion  county;  Edmond.  who  is  a 
resident  of  Orenco,  Oregon;  and  Minnie,  the 
wife  of  Louis  Marchand,  of  Salem. 

Walter  Mathey  received  his  education  in 
Switzerland  and  in  addition  to  the  common 
branches  stiidied  French  and  German.  He 
also  did  military  duty  for  a  few  months. 
His  home  was  on  the  French  border  and 
during  the  Franco-Prussian  war  he  fre- 
quently heard  the  roar  of  the  cannons  from 
the  adjacent  frontier.  Before  coming  to  the 
United  States,  in  18S7,  he  learned  the  watch- 
maker's trade  but  instead  of  following  it  en- 
gaged in  fanning.  After  arriving  in  this 
country  he  engaged  in  agriculture  for  two 
years  in  Kansas  and  then  came  to  Oregon, 
being  employed  in  Salem  for  a  few  years 
and,  subsequently,  in  1891,  purchasing 
twenty-five  acres,  three  miles  east  of  Salem, 
where  he  has  since  resided.  In  cultivating 
this  property  Mr.  Mathey  has  made  iise  of 
the  advanced  and  effective  agricultural  meth- 
ods of  his  native  land  and  has  increased  the 
earning  capacity  of  the  soil  to  its  maximum. 

In  1S91  Mr.  ilathey  was  married  to  Miss 
Alice  Roth,  a  native  of  Switzerland  and  a 
daughter  of  ilr.  and  Mrs.  .lohn  Roth.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mathey  two  children  have  be<'n 
born:  George,  whose  birth  occurred  on  the 
loth  of  April.  1894;  and  Alice,  who  was  born 
.January  19,  1899.  They  are  both  attend- 
ing school  and  residing  at  home. 

In  politics  !Mr.  Mathey  retains  an  inde- 
pendent attitude,  voting  for  the  man  or 
measure  which  in  his  opinion  will  be  most 
effective  for  good  government.  He  has  never 
sought  office  and  docs  not  hold  membership 
in  any  lodges  or  social  organizations,  his 
farm  requiring  his  whole  attention.  Both 
Mr.  and  ^Irs.  IMathey  are  members  of  the 
German  Methodist  church  of  Salem  and  their 
noble  (|ualities  of  character  and  upright  life 
have  given  them  a  high  standing  in  the 
community. 

CASPER  DRILLING,  a  resident  of  War- 
renton,  now  in  the  government  employ,  was 
born  on  the  Atlantic  ocean  en  route  from 
Germany  to  Portland,  Maine,  on  the  23d  of 
April.  18.57.  He  is  one  of  eight  children,  all 
of  whom  are  living,  born  to  .John  and  Mary 
Drilling,  natives  of  Germany.  Upon  their 
arrival  in  America  the  parents  first  located 
at  Portland,  whence  they  removed,  after  a 
few  months  residence,  to  Buffalo,  New  York. 
They  lived  in  the  latter  city  for  three  years 
and  then  went  to  Michigan,  where  for  some 
time  the  father  was  engaged  in  the  grain 
business.  Withdrawing  from  this  he  re- 
turned with  his  wife  and  family  to  the 
fatherland  and  after  a  lengthy  visit  they 
once  more  embarked  for  the  United  States. 
The  return  journey  was  a  very  sad  one  for 


896 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


the  family,  as  the  father  died  a  few  days 
from  port  and  was  buried  at  sea.  The  mother 
with  her  family  proceeded  to  ilichigan, 
where  a  few  years  later  she,  too,  passed 
away. 

■WTien  Casper  Drilling  was  a  lad  of  nine 
years  his  eldest  brother  took  him  to  Ger- 
many, where  he  remained  for  two  years  and 
went  to  school.  Upon  his  return  to  the 
United  States  he  located  in  Buffalo,  New 
York,  for  three  years,  completing  his  educa- 
tion and  learning  the  cabinet-maker's  trade. 
At  the  end  of  that  time  he  went  to  Michi- 
gan, where  he  served  out  his  apprenticeship 
and  followed  his  trade  for  several  years. 
In  1869,  with  his  eldest  brother,  who  was 
a  blacksmith,  he  came  to  Portland.  Ore- 
gon, and  for  two  years  thereafter  worked  at 
his  trade.  He  then  went  to  Carroll  county, 
Iowa,  to  engage  in  the  grain  business,  with 
which  he  was  identified  for  four  years.  De- 
sirous to  see  more  of  the  country  he  spent 
the  next  two  years  in  traveling  in  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  United  States.  In  1894 
he  came  to  Clatsop  county  and  bought  a 
•■■inch.  He  now  owns  three  ranches  south  of 
Warrenton,  all  of  which  are  steadily  increas- 
ing in  value.  For  the  past  twelve  years  Mr. 
Drilling  has  been  serving  the  public  Jn  the 
capacity  of  cement  walk   inspector. 

In  1891  was  solemnized  the  marriage  of 
Mr.  Drilling  and  Miss  Mary  Ready,  also  a 
native  of  Germany.  To  them  have  been 
bom  two  sons:  Carroll,  who  is  a  student  in 
the  high  school;  and  Otto,  who  is  also  at- 
tending school. 

Mr.  Drilling  is  identified  with  several  fra- 
ternal organizations  and,  politically,  he  is  a 
republican.  In  his  trade  as  cabinet-maker 
he  has  achieved  a  remarkable  reputation, 
his  craftsmanship  being  of  a  very  superior 
quality  and  being  awarded  first  premium  on 
work  which  he  exhibited  at  Chicago. 

FRANK  L.  BEAMIS.  One  of  the  finely  im- 
proved and  valuable  f.arms  of  Washington 
county  stands  as  a  monument  to  a  life  of 
industry,  perseverance  and  thrift  on  the  part 
of  Frank  L.  Beamis.  one  of  the  progressive 
and  prosperous  agriculturists  of  his  local- 
ity. He  claims  Oregon  as  his  native  state, 
his  birth  having  occurred  in  Greenville, 
AVashington  county,  on  the  31st  of  July, 
1870,  a  son  of  Jonathan  and  Celestine 
(Grospean)  Beamis.  His  parents,  the  father 
a  native  of  Jeff'erson  county,  New  York,  and 
the  mother  of  Belfort,  France,  were  married 
in  Louisa  county.  Iowa,  in  18.").5  and  in  1859 
came  to  Oregon,  locating  in  Washington 
county.  Here  the  father  purchased  what 
was  known  as  the  Smith  donation  claim 
consisting  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
and  to  its  cultivation  and  development 
he  devoted  his  remaining  days,  passing  away 
in  1895.  His  wife,  liowever,  still  survives  at 
the  age  of  eighty  years,  and  now  makes  her 
home  with  a  daughter  in  Washington  county, 
with  whom  she  has  resided  since  her  hus- 
band's death.  Their  family  of  seven  chil- 
dren consisted  of  the  following:  Mary,  the 
wife  of  A.  S.  Dudley,  of  Portland,  Oregon; 
Emma,    who   married   D.    W.    P>ainwatpr,    of 


Washington  county,  Oregon;  Ellen,  the  wife 
of  Albert  Friday,  also  of  this  county; 
Marian,  Warren,  and  Malinda,  all  now  de- 
ceased; and  Frank  L.,  of  this  review. 

The  last  named  acquired  a  good  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  Washington  county 
while  he  received  a  thorough  practical  train- 
ing vmder  the  direction  of  his  father  on  the 
home  farm,  in  the  work  of  which  he  as- 
sisted until  twenty-five  years  of  age.  He 
then  started  out  in  the  business  world  on 
his  own  account  and,  wisely  choosing  as  his 
life  work  the  occupation  to  which  he  had 
been  reared,  purchased  one  hundred  and 
seventy-sis  acres  of  the  old  homestead,  upon 
which  he  began  farming  independently.  He 
now  has  a  finely  improved  tract,  seventy- 
five  acres  of  which  are  in  an  excellent  state 
of  cultivation,  constituting  one  of  the  choice 
farming  properties  in  this  district.  He  early 
recognized  the  fact  that  labor  is  the  basis  of 
all  success  and  with  him  perseverance,  dil- 
igence and  integrity  have  constituted  the 
guiding  po.sts  of  life,  bringing  him  to  the 
prominent  position  which  he  now  holds 
among  the  representative  agriculturists  of 
Washington  county. 

It  was  on  the  6th  of  March,  1897,  that 
Mr.  Beamis  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Louise  Schlup,  who  was  born  in  Switzerland 
on  the  1st  of  January,  1873,  a  daughter  of 
Samuel  and  Christina  Schlup.  Her  parents, 
who  were  also  natives  of  the  land  of  the 
Alps,  came  to  America  in  1881  and  first  lo- 
cated at  Mansfield,  Ohio,  where  they  lived 
until  1894.  In  that  year  they  came  to  Wash- 
ington county,  Oregon,  taking  up  their  abode 
upon  a  small  farm  here,  which  remained  their 
place  of  residence  until  they  were  called 
from  this  life,  the  mother  passing  away  in 
1904  and  the  father  in  1906.  In  their  fam- 
ily were  seven  children,  namely:  Alice,  of 
Washington  county;  Elizabeth,  the  wife  of 
Charley  Rose,  of  Portland;  Mary,  who  mar- 
ried Melvin  Carter,  of  San  Mateo  county, 
California;  Mrs.  Beamis;  Bessie,  the  wife  of 
Martin  Day,  of  Portland;  and  .lohn  and  Fred, 
both  deceased.  To  Jlr.  and  Mrs.  Beamis  was 
born  a  daughter,  Florence,  on  the  2Sth  of 
Februarv.  1898,  who  passed  away  on  the 
22d  of  October,  1906. 

A  study  of  the  political  situation  of  the 
country  early  led  Mr.  Beamis  to  give  his 
allegiance  to  the  republican  party  and  he 
has  since  supported  that  organization  at  the 
polls,  although  the  honors  and  emoluments 
of  office  have  had  no  attraction  for  him.  He 
has  preferred  to  concentrate  his  efforts  upon 
his  own  affairs  and,  placing  his  dependence 
upon  the  safe  and  substantial  qualities  of 
energy  and  wise  management,  he  has 
steadily  progressed  in  the  business  world 
until  he  today  ranks  high  among  the  suc- 
cessful and  prosperous  agriculturists  of  the 
community, 

JAMES  C.  LANDRITH  is  one  of  the  re- 
spected citizens  of  Coos  county  where  he  is 
successfully  engaged  in  farming  on  a  ranch 
located  nine  miles  from  Marshfield  on  the 
south  fork  of  Coos  river.  He  was  born  in 
Coos  count V.  October  6,  18S4.  and  is  the  sou 


THE  NEVv  ^ 

PUBLIC     L  : 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


899 


of  C.  L.  and  Jennie  (Richmond)  Landrith.  The 
paternal  grandfather  was  Cyrus  Landrith.  one 
of  the  pioneers  of  Oregon  who  crossed  the 
plains  with  ox  teams  at  a  very  early  day  in 
the  history  of  this  state  and  made  his  first 
settlement  in  Eugene.  He  later  took  up  a 
preemption  claim  in  another  part  of  Lane 
county  where  he  lived  for  some  years  and 
then  removed  to  Coos  county  where  he  pur- 
chased a  ranch  of  three  hundred  acres  includ- 
ing some  meager  improvements,  located  on 
the  north  fork  of  the  Coos  river.  There  he 
established  his  home  and  continued  to  live 
during  the  remaining  days  of  his  life,  which 
closed  in  1892.  He  was  affiliated  with  the 
republican  party  and  was  justice  of  the  peace 
for  a  number  of  years  and  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  lodge.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cyrus  Lan- 
drith ten  children  were  born:  Benjamin,  who 
18  deceased;  Delia,  the  deceased  wife  of  S. 
Applegate,  of  The  Dalles,  Oregon;  George, 
Joseph  and  Oliver,  all  deceased;  Martha,  who 
is  the  wife  of  H.  Crow,  of  Lorane.  Oregon; 
Katherine.  the  deceased  wife  of  Frank 
Bridges,  who  is  also  deceased;  Dora,  the  wife 
of  S.  B.  Cathcart,  of  Marshfield,  Oregon ;  C.  L., 
the  father  of  the  subject  of  this  review,  and 
Isaac,  both  deceased. 

C.  L.  Landrith,  the  father  of  the  subject  of 
this  review,  was  born  in  Lane  county  and  was 
united  in  wedlock  in  Coos  county  to  Miss  Jen- 
nie Richmond.  The  parents  of  Mrs.  Landrith 
emigrated  from  Scotland  to  America,  in  1ST2, 
and  settled  in  Missouri  where  her  father  was 
engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  for  four 
years,  after  which  he  with  his  family  re- 
moved to  Coos  county  in  1876,  and  settled 
upon  a  farm  located  on  the  Coos  river  and 
there  continued  to  live  until  the  time  of  his 
death  which  occurred  February  14,  1906. 
Mrs.  Landrith  was  the  only  child  born  to  her 
parents  and  her  father's  ranch  was  located 
across  the  river  directly  opposite  the  home 
of  the  father  of  C.  L.  Landrith.  who  later 
became  her  husband.  Her  mother  closed 
her  earthly  life  July  27,  1911. 

To  Mr. "and  Mrs.  C.  L.  Landrith  five  chil- 
dren were  born.  James  C,  is  the  subject  of 
this  review.  Roy  A.,  who  was  born  March 
4,  1886,  resides  at  home  with  his  mother  and 
is'  engaged  in  the  operation  of  the  home  ranch 
containing  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  of 
■which  seventv  acres  are  in  cultivation.  He 
makes  a  specialty  of  raising  potatoes  and  eon- 
ducting  on  his  place  an  up-to-date  dairy  in- 
dustryt  using  in  his  business  thirty  selected 
dairy'  cows,  from  which  he  receives  a  maxi- 
mum of  ninety-eight  dollars  each  per  an- 
num including  the  stock  increase  and  milk 
used'  for  dairy  products.  The  ranch  is  lo- 
cated on  the  "north  fork  of  Coos  river  nine 
miles  from  Marshfield.  Helen  was  born  ilay 
31.  1888,  and  has  been  engaged  in  teaching 
for  the  past  four  vears  in  the  high  school 
at  Marshfield.  She  'is  a  graduate  of  the  State 
Xormal  School  at  San  Diego,  California,  and 
at  present  is  further  pursuing  her  studies  at 
the  State  University  of  California,  at  Berke- 
ley Blanch,  who  was  born  October  IS.  1890. 
pursued  a  full  course  at  the  Corvallis  Uni- 
versity and  is  now  engaged  in  teaching  in 
Douglas  countv.     Vhillip.  who  was  born  Au- 


gust 7,  1892,  is  a  student  in  the  San  Diego 
Commercial  College  at  San  Diego,  California, 
and  is  preparing  himself  for  a  business  ca- 
reer. 

James  C.  Landrith  was  reared  in  his  par- 
ents' home  and  received  his  early  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  the  district  in  which 
he  lived.  In  1910  he  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Jessie  Myers,  the  daughter  of  George 
and  Helen  (Gates)  Myers,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  Michigan.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Landrith  one  child  has  been  born,  George 
James,  whose  birth  occurred  on  the  22d  of 
June,  1911. 

Mr.  Landrith  has  always  been  identified 
with  the  cultivation  of  the  home  ranch  lo- 
cated on  the  north  fork  nine  miles  from 
Marshfield,  but  at  the  time  of  his  marriage 
he  purchased  the  farm  owned  by  George 
JMyers.  He  is  now  actively  engaged  in  diver- 
sified and  dairy  farming.  He  is  a  man  highly 
respected  among  his  associates  and  one  of 
the  well  know  and  influential  citizens  of 
Coos  county. 

E.  L.  MARTIN  is  a  prosperous  business 
man  of  Turner,  engaged  in  general  merchan- 
dising, and  in  public  affairs  has  also  been 
prominent,  serving  as  mayor  and  having  at 
ditTerent  times  filled  other  ofiicial  positions. 
He  was  born  in  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  May  11, 
1874.  a  son  of  H.  H.  and  Catherine  (Denis) 
Martin,  both  natives  of  Illinois.  The  father 
is  a  carpenter  by  trade  and  he  and  his  wife 
still  live  in  Iowa.  The  grandfather,  C.  V. 
Martin,  canvassed  the  state  of  Illinois  for 
Abraham  Lincoln  at  the  time  of  his  election 
and  later  went  to  Washington  to  receive  the 
a|)pointment  of  master  mechanic  of  the 
navyyard.  a  position  which  he  held  until  the 
time  of  his  death  and  which  is  now  held  by 
one  of  his  sons.  An  interesting  heirloom 
that  has  descended  to  E.  L.  Martin  is  a 
lamp  from  the  old  stagecoach  of  Abraham 
Lincoln.  In  the  family  of  H.  H.  and  Cathe- 
rine JIartin  were  seven  children:  L.  D., 
who  resides  in  Salt  Lake  City  and  is  one  of 
the  best  architects  west  of  the  Rocky  moun- 
tains: G.  W..  who  is  an  architect  in  San 
Francisco,  California;  Clara,  the  wife  of  T. 
C.  McClary,  a  practicing  physician  of  Exeter, 
Nebraska ;"  H.  T.,  who  is  an  architect  in 
Kansas  City:  Clive.  deceased;  E.  L.,  of  this 
review;  and  one,  who  died  in  infancy. 

E.  L.  Martin  was  reared  in  Kansas,  where 
he  attended  the  public  schools  and  learned 
the  machinist's  trade,  an  occupation  which 
he  followed  for  twenty-two  years.  He  came 
to  Oregon  in  1S90.  "  locating  in  Portland, 
where  ife  remained  three  years.  Subsequently 
he  removed  to  La  Grande,  where  he  rcmainod 
two  years.  The  next  four  years  were  spent 
in  .Salem  and  he  then  located  in  Turner, 
where  he  has  been  enga^'cd  in  the  general 
mercantile  business  for  the  past  four  years. 
He  has  a  well  appointed  store  and  his  close 
application,  honorable  business  methods  and 
earnest  desire  to  jileasc  his  patrons  have 
been  the  strong  and  forceful  factors  in  the 
attainment  of  his  success.  He  owns  a  half- 
section   of    land    situated    eight    miles    from 


900 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


Turner  and  owns  an  entire  block  in  Turner, 
where  he  has  a  beautiful  home. 

In  1897  Mr.  Martin  was  married  to  Miss 
Clara  Watson,  a  native  of  Idaho,  and  they 
have  one  child,  Aileen,  who  is  ten  years  of 
age.  In  politics  Mr.  Martin  is  a  republican 
and  he  takes  an  active  interest  in  public  af- 
fairs. He  is  mayor  of  Turner,  has  been  state 
central  committeeman  for  three  terms  and 
has  held  various  other  positions.  In  his  ad- 
ministration of  municipal  affairs  he  seeks  the 
welfare  of  the  majority  and  indorses  all 
measures  for  practical  reform,  progress  and 
improvement.  Fraternally  he  is  Identified 
with  the  Masons  and  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows.  He  has  filled  all  of  the 
chairs  in  the  local  lodge  of  Masons  and  is  a 
member  of  the  Royal  Arch  Chapter  at  Salem. 
Both  he  and  Mrs.  Martin  are  identified  with 
the  Eastern  Star,  an  order  in  which  she  has 
filled  most  of  the  offices,  and  both  are  also 
members  of  the  Maccabees.  Mr.  Martin  has 
been  through  all  the  chairs  in  the  Independ- 
ent Order  of  Odd  Fellows  of  Turner  and 
was  district  deputy  grand  master  for  one 
year.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Turner  are  both  earnest 
workers  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church 
and  the  high  esteem  in  which  they  are  held 
by  all  their  acquaintances  is  due  to  their 
upright  lives  and  their  efi'orts  at  all  times 
to  assist  in  advancing  public  welfare. 

WILLIAM  MATTHEWS.  The  Yaquina 
Bay  News  is  one  of  the  flourishing  news- 
papers of  the  western  part  of  Oregon  and  its 
editor  and  proprietor.  William  Matthews,  is 
recognized  as  a  man  who  thoroughly  under- 
stands his  calling  and  fully  appreciates  his 
responsibilities.  He  was  born  in  the  north 
of  Ireland  in  1870,  a  son  of  John  E.  Mat- 
thews, who  was  a  native  of  Glamorganshire, 
Wales.  The  father  was  educated  at  the  cele- 
brated military  college  at  Sandhurst,  on  the 
river  Thames  near  London,  England,  and 
served  in  the  British  navy  and  army  for 
twenty-seven  years.  After  his  retirement 
he  crossed  the  ocean  with  his  children  and 
subsequently  went  to  Iowa  and  western  Kan- 
sas. He  came  to  the  northwest  in  1890  and 
spent  a  short  time  at  Tacoma,  Washington, 
whence  he  removed  to  Newport.  Oregon, 
where  he  established  his  home.  In  l.^gs  he 
founded  the  Yaquina  Bay  News  but  retired 
from  active  labors  about  a  year  later.  He 
died  at  an  advanced  age.  February  23,  1909. 
The  mother  of  our  subject,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Anna  M.  Evans,  passed  away 
when  he   was   in  his   infanc}'. 

The  youngest  of  a  family  of  six  children, 
William  Matthews  was  brouglit  to  America 
in  charge  of  a  nurse  when  he  was  about 
three  years  old.  He  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  schools  of  Canada.  Iowa  and 
Kansas  but,  being  a  man  of  good  observation 
and  of  receptive  mind,  he  has  gained  a  large 
amount  of  information  not  to  be  found  in 
books.  He  engaged  in  newspaper  work  un- 
der his  father  and  since  the  age  of  twenty- 
four  has  been  in  charge  of  the  office,  which 
his  father  opened  at  Newport.  The  paper  is 
issued  weekly  and  under  efficient  manage- 
ment is  a  faithful  index  of  the  progress  of 


this  section.  The  office  is  supplied  with  all 
modern  printing  facilities  and  turns  out  a 
good  line  of  high-class  job  work. 

Mr.  Matthews  is  a  valued  member  of  the 
Fraternal  Union,  the  only  organization  of 
tiiat  character  to  which  he  belongs.  He 
gives  his  earnest  support  to  the  republican 
party  and  is  remarkably  well  informed  as 
to  its  principles  and  as  to  the  political  move- 
ments throughout  the  country  and  world. 
His  religious  belief  is  indicated  by  mem- 
bei-ship  in  the  Episcopal  church,  the  denom- 
ination in  which  he  was  reared.  He  is  a  man 
of  mental  capacity,  fine  social  characteris- 
tics and  thorough  training  in  a  business  for 
which  he  seems  eminently  adapted.  No 
citizen  is  more  loyal  to  the  interests  of  his 
county  or  state,  and  he  is  fully  entitled  to 
the  esteem  in  which  he  is  held  by  people 
of   all   political   faiths    in   Lincoln   county. 

H.  C.  ANDERSON  is  a  self-made  man 
whose  advancement  has  resulted  entirely 
from  his  industry,  determination  and  un- 
faltering purpose  in  overcoming  all  the 
difficulties  and  obstacles  which  obstructed 
his  path  to  success.  He  was  born  in  Den- 
mark, on  the  37th  of  April,  1871,  and  is 
a  son  of  J.  P.  and  Mary  (La  France)  Ander- 
son, who  were  likewise  natives  of  Denmark 
where  they  resided  until  1877,  coming  to  the 
United  States  when  their  son,  H.  C.  Ander- 
son, was  a  lad  of  six  years.  They  first  made 
their  way  to  Texas  in  which  state  they  lived 
for  a  year  and  a  half,  and  at  the  expiration 
of  that  period  removed  to  Osage  county, 
Kansas.  The  year  1889  witnessed  the  re- 
moval of  the  family  to  Portland,  Oregon, 
where  the  f.ither  was  killed  in  a  street-car 
accident  in  1893,  the  car  running  through  a 
draw-bridge.  His  widow  is  still  a  resident 
of  Portland.  In  their  family  were  ten 
children,  seven  of  whom  are  living. 

Reared  under  the  parental  roof,  H.  C.  An- 
derson was  a  young  man  of  eighteen  years 
wlien  the  family  became  residents  of  Ore- 
gon. He  remained  at  home  until  he 
attained  his  majority,  but  in  the  meantime 
began  to  earn  his  living  as  an  employe  of 
the  San  Francisco  machine  shops.  He  is 
today  a  skilled  machinist  and  engineer.  His 
close  application  to  the  duties  assigned  him 
enabled  him  to  thoroughly  master  the  work 
and  he  gained  a  comprehensive  knowledge 
of  not  only  the  practical  features  of  the 
business  but  also  the  scientific  principles  upon 
which  it  is  founded.  In  1893  he  removed 
from  Portland  to  Seaside  where  he  has  re- 
sided continuously  since  and  has  throughout 
the  years  been  chief  engineer  for  a  large 
lumber  company. 

On  the  29th  "of  April,  1896,  Mr.  Anderson 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Charlotte 
Godwin,  who  was  born  in  Chicago.  Illinois, 
and  by  her  marriage  has  become  the  mother 
of  three  children,  Eva  Mary.  Laura  E.  and 
Arthur  .T..  all  of  whom  are  yet  at  home. 
Mrs.  Anderson  is  a  member  of  the  Episcopal 
church.  H.  C.  Anderson  belongs  to  the  Ma- 
sonic fraternity,  being  worshipful  master  of 
Lodge  No.  137,"  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  He  has  taken 
the   degrees   of  capitular  Masonry  and  is  a 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


901 


member  of  the  Koyal  Arch  chapter.  His 
wife  is  connected  with  tlie  Order  of  tlie  East- 
ern Star,  in  whicli  slie  is  now  serving  as  ma- 
tron. Our  subject  is  also  affiliated  with  the 
Knights  of  the  Maccabees  and  is  serving  as 
one  of  the  officers  of  the  local  lodge.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  ilodern  Woodmen  and  the 
Knights  of  Pythias.  H.  C.  Anderson  votes 
with  tlie  republican  party  and  has  been  some- 
what prominent  in  the  local  organization, 
serving  for  one  term  as  a  member  of  the 
city  council  of  Seaside.  His  interests  are 
varied  and  his  support  is  given  to  every 
movement  which  has  the  indorsement  of  the 
best  citizens.  While  born  across  the  water, 
there  is  no  more  loyal  resident  of  Oregon 
than  this  adopted  son. 

WEBSTER  HOLMES  is  one  of  the  public- 
spirited  and  enterprising  citizens  of  Tilla- 
mook, where  for  twelve  years  he  has  been 
identified  with  the  legal  fraternity.  A  son 
of  J)avid  J.  and  ilary  E.  (Lewis)  Holmes, 
his  birth  occurred  in  Polk  county.  Oregon, 
on  the  7th  of  December,  1867.  His  father 
is  a  native  of  Pike  county,  Illinois,  having 
been  born  there  about  1S40.  while  the  birth 
of  tlie  mother  occurred  in  Oregon  in  1848. 
In  both  lines  Webster  Holmes  is  descended 
from  the  earl}'  pioneei's,  representing  the 
third  generation  of  both  families  to  have 
located  in  the  state.  His  paternal  grand- 
parents crossed  the  prairies  from  Illinois  in 
1848,  settling  in  Polk  county,  Oregon,  on  a 
donation  claim  of  six  hundred  and  forty 
acres,  which  was  acquired  from  the  govern- 
ment. Owing  to  the  great  tracts  of  unoc- 
cupied land,  the  size  of  the  ranches  and  the 
few  inhabitants,  the  early  settlers  had  little 
or  no  social  life.  Had  it  not  been  for  the 
difficulties  and  dangers  to  be  encountered 
on  the  return  trip,  doubtless  many  would 
have  returned  to  the  east,  whence  they  came 
as  at  times  the  loneliness,  hardships  and  pri- 
vations seemed  an  exorbitant  price  to  pay 
for  a  home.  David  .J.  Holmes  was  reared 
on  a  large  ranch  amid  the  surroundings  of 
pioneer  life.  Upon  attaining  manhood  he 
turned  his  attention  to  various  activities, 
having  been  engaged  for  a  while  in  mining 
and  stock-raising,  while  he  subsequently  en- 
tered public  life.  From  1870  to  1874.  ho 
was  county  clerk  of  Polk  county,  and  in 
18S4  he  was  appointed  superintendent  of  an 
Indian  school,  being  identified  with  this  po- 
sition for  six  years.  In  1893  he  entered  the 
general  surveyor's  office,  where  for  five  years 
he  held  the  position  of  transcribing  clerk. 
He  has  now  retired  from  business  activi- 
ties, and  he  and  his  wife  make  their  home 
in  Salem.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Holmes  were 
born  four  children,  of  whom  our  subject  is 
the  eldest.  The  others  are:  Frank,  who  is 
living  in  Salem:  Estella.  the  wife  of  Jcseph 
Fontaine,  of  La  Grande,  Oregon:  and  Eleanor, 
the  wife  of  Armon  Chunkwciler,  of  Victor, 
Montana. 

The  entire  life  of  Webster  Holmes  has 
been  spent  in  his  native  state,  his  parly  edu- 
cation having  been  acquired  in  Polk  county. 
Later  he  attended  Dalles  Academy  and  Wil- 
lamette Universitv  at  Salem,  as  well  as  the 


State  Xornuil  School  at  Monmouth,  Oregon. 
Alter  the  completion  of  his  preliminary  edu- 
cation he  decided  to  adopt  the  law  for  a  vo- 
cation and  entered  the  office  of  his  uncle, 
W.  U.  Holmes,  of  Salem,  a  partner  of  Judge 
B.  T.  Bonaluun.  There  he  applied  himself 
to  the  mastery  of  legal  lore,  being  admitted 
to  the  bar  on  the  4th  of  October,  1893.  Dur- 
ing the  lirst  year  of  his  professional  life 
he  engaged  in  practice  in  Portland,  locat- 
ing subsequently  in  Salem,  where  he  remained 
until  February,  1909,  when  he  removed  to 
Tillamook.  Mr.  Holmes  devotes  his  energies 
to  general  practice,  and  during  the  period  of 
his  residence  in  Tillamook  has  more  than 
once  given  practical  demonstration  of  his 
skill  and  ability  in  elucidating  abstruse  legal 
technicalities.  He  has  succeeded  in  building 
up  a  large  and  lucrative  practice,  being 
known  as  one  of  the  capable  representatives 
of  his   profession   in   the  town. 

Mr.  Holmes  was  married  on  September  13, 
1891.  to  Miss  Emma  Williams,  a  native  of 
Portland  and  a  daughter  of  P.  C.  Williams, 
for  many  years  identified  with  sawmill  and 
mercantile  interests  of  the  state.  To  them 
has  been  born  one  daughter,  Ruth,  who  has 
graduated  from  the  high  school  and  is  now 
at  home. 

His  political  prerogatives  Mr.  Holmes  exer- 
cises in  the  support  of  the  men  and  measures 
of  the  democratic  party,  but  has  never  been 
an  office  seeker.  He  is  president  of  the  Til- 
lamook County  Commercial  Club,  an  organ- 
ization of  one  hundred  and  fifty  of  the  town's 
most  enterprising  and  public-spirited  citi- 
zens, whose  motive  is  to  promote  the  gen- 
eral civic  interests.  His  relationship  with 
the  various  members  of  his  profession.  Mr. 
Holmes  maintains  through  his  identification 
with  the  Marion  County  and  Tillamook 
County  Bar  Associations.  He  is  one  of  the 
progressive  citizens  of  Tillamook,  where  he. 
is  held  in  high  esteem  and  is  recognized  as 
a  man  of  keen  foresight,  clear  judgment 
and   business   sagacity. 

HOMER  MASON,  who  since  1910  has  held 
the  office  of  judge  of  Tillamook  county,  is  a 
native  of  the  state,  his  birth  having  occurred 
in  Salem.  June  4.  1869.  He  is  one  of  six 
children  born  to  J.  C.  and  Martha  J.  (Tom- 
linson)  Mason,  the  father  a  native  of  Can- 
ada and  the  mother  of  Kentucky.  The 
father,  who  survived  for  many  years  after 
the  death  of  the  mother,  was  a  contractor 
and  builder  and  spent  his  latter  years  in 
Seattle,  Washington,  where  he  passed  away. 
Their  family,  of  which  our  subject  is  the  sec- 
ond in  order  of  birth,  was  as  follows:  George 
L..  who  is  living  in  Seattle:  Homer:  Minnie. 
who  is  deceased:  .Albert,  who  is  living  in 
Xew  JMexico;  and  Charles  and  Jessie. 

Various  activities  have  engaged  the  at- 
tention of  Homer  Mason,  who  obtained  his 
preliminary  education  in  the  common  schools, 
after  the  completion  of  which  he  took  a  com- 
mercial course  in  the  Capital  Business  Col- 
lege of  Salem,  where  he  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated. For  ten  years  thereafter  he  was  iden- 
tified with  clerical  positions.  At  the  expira- 
tion  of    that   period   he   was   the   successful 


902 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


candidate  for  clerk  of  Tillamook  county, 
holding  this  office  from  1898  to  1904.  Hav- 
ing acquired  a  ranch  he  then  retired  to  his 
homestead  and  for  a  year  thereafter  devoted 
his  energies  to  agricultural  pursuits.  He 
traded  his  land  at  the  end  of  that  time  for 
an  interest  in  a  dry-goods  business  in  Tilla- 
mook, that  was  incorporated  under  the  name 
of  the  Mason-Pennington  Companj',  under 
which  it  is  still  conducted.  Commercial  ac- 
tivities absorbed  the  entire  time  and  atten- 
tion of  Mr.  Mason  during  the  next  five  years. 
He  then  disposed  of  his  interest  in  the' busi- 
ness and  again  entered  public  life.  He  was 
elected  judge  of  the  county  in  1910  and 
continues  to  hold  the  office,  the  duties  of 
which  he  is  discharging  in  a  manner  highly 
satisfactory   to  the  general  public. 

On  the  30th  of  May.  1893,  Mr.  Mason  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Annetta  B.  New- 
man, a  native  of  California.  His  father 
continues  to  make  his  home  in  that  state, 
but  the  mother  has  passed  away.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Mason  are  the  parents  of  a  daughter 
and  a  son :  AUegra,  who  is  a  student  in  the 
high  school;  and  Harold,  who  is  also  attend- 
ing school.  These  children  represent  the 
third  generation  of  the  family  in  the  state, 
their  paternal  grandfather  having  been  one 
of  the  early  pioneers  and  a  veteran  of  the 
Indian  wars. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mason  are  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  church,  and  he  is  affiliated  with 
tlie  Masonic  fraternity,  being  a  member  of 
the  chapter  and  the  Order  of  the  Eastern 
Star,  Mrs.  Mason  also  being  identified  with 
the  latter  organization.  The  Woodmen  of 
the  World  also  claim  him  as  a  member, 
while  his  political  support  is  given  to  the 
republican  party.  In  addition  to  the  offices 
already  mentioned  Mr.  Mason  has  served  as 
a  member  of  the  Tillamook  council  and  a 
school  director.  He  is  one  of  the  highly  es- 
teemed men  of  the  town,  where  he  has  long 
resided  and  is  widely  known,  his  many  fine 
tiualities  retaining  for  him  the  loyalty  of 
those  whose  friendship  he  wins. 

ANDREW  GLEN  AIKEN  is  one  of  the 
higlily  respected  retired  pioneer  citizens  of 
Jlarshfield,  Coos  county,  this  state.  He  was 
born  in  Lawrence  county,  Pennsylvania, 
January  13,  1837,  and  is  a  son  of  Andrew 
and  Rachel  (Adams)  Aiken.  Both  of  his 
parents  were  natives  of  Pennsylvania.  To 
his  father's  family  eleven  children  were  born: 
Robert  and  Eliza,  both  of  whom  died  in  in- 
fancy: Jane,  deceased:  Margaret,  the  widow 
of  George  Welch,  residing  with  her  son,  Wil- 
liam Welch,  being  still  hale  and  hearty  at 
the  advanced  age  of  eighty  years;  John,  who 
died  in  San  Francisco  in  1862:  James,  who 
passed  away  at  Empire,  Oregon,  in  1882; 
Andrew  Glen,  the  subject  of  this  review; 
Martha  Ann,  deceased;  Erskin  E.,  who  re- 
sides on  the  old  homestead  in  Pennsylvania; 
Henderson,  also  living  there;  and  David,  who 
died  in  Roseburg,  Oregon,  in  1890. 

Andrew  G.  Aiken  was  reared  at  home  and 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. The  early  years  of  his  life  were 
spent  as  a  helper  on  his  father's  farm.     At 


the  age  of  sixteen  years,  on  March  18,  1853, 
he  left  the  parental  roof  and  removed  to 
Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania,  and  there  formu- 
lated plans  for  crosing  the  plains  to  Ore- 
gon. He  sailed  down  the  Ohio  river  to  St. 
Louis,  Missouri,  and  from  that  place  he 
started  for  Kaw  river  by  way  of  Indepen- 
dence. At  Kaw  river,  in  company  with  his 
two  brothers,  the  final  plans  for  the  trip 
across  the  plains  were  consummated.  After 
all  necessary  preparations  had  been  made  a 
wagon  train  was  made  up  by  the  Aikens,  the 
James  and  Charles  Biles  families,  the  Bakers, 
Downeys  and  others,  and  the  entire  party 
started  with  ox  teams  on  their  long  journey 
across  the  great  American  desert.  As  a  part 
of  their  resources  which  they  were  taking 
into  the  far  west  they  drove  a  band  of  stock 
cattle.  George  H.  Himes  was  one  of  their 
])arty  and  on  reaching  Oregon  Mr.  Himes 
settled  in  the  Willamette  valley  and  the  old- 
est brother  of  Mr.  Aiken  left  the  old  Oregon 
trail  and  made  his  way  to  Walla  Walla, 
Washington.  The  Biles  train  went  across 
the  Cascade  mountains,  over  the  Natches  or 
Yakima  Pass  to  Puget  Sound,  and  they  en- 
countered many  obstacles  and  endured  un- 
told hardships,  finally  cutting  their  way 
through  only  with  the  help  of  the  citizens  of 
the  Sound  country,  who  valiantly  assisted 
them  to  reach  their  destination.  Mr.  Aiken  and 
his  brother  James  stopped  at  Marysville,  now 
known  as  Corvallis,  in  this  state.  He  only 
lived,  however,  in  Benton  county  a  very  brief 
time,  and  from  there  removed  to  Puget  Sound 
and  later  returned  to  this  state  and  joined 
his  brother  James  in  1S,t4,  and  settled  in 
Coos  Bay,  reaching  that  place  on  the  8th  of 
October  of  that  year.  In  the  summer  of 
1854  Andrew  Aiken  and  about  thirty  others 
cut  a  military  road  from  Fort  Steilacoom  to 
Fort  Walla  Walla,  while  in  Washington.  His 
brother  James,  however,  had  explored  in  some 
degree  the  country  in  the  vicinity  of  Coos 
Bay  and  was  fortunate  enough  to  discover 
the  coal  beds  at  Coos  Bay.  After  the  arrival 
of  Mr.  Aiken  he  and  his  brother  succeeded 
in  organizing  a  corporation  to  develop  the 
coal  mines  and,  immediately  following  the 
organization  of  this  company,  he  and  his 
lirother  were  retained  by  that  concern  in  the 
development  of  the  coal  property  and  were 
so  engaged  at  the  time  the  Rogue  River  In- 
dian war  broke  out  in  1856.  Mr.  Aiken  and 
his  brother  James  at  once  became  volunteers 
to  suppress  the  Indian  uprising,  and  Andrew 
G.  Aiken  was  one  of  the  commissioned  men 
who  formed  the  escort  of  a  pack  train  to 
Rogue  river.  In  1860  he  and  his  brother  went 
to  the  head  of  the  isthmus  in  Coos  Bay  and 
there  started  a  logging  camp  and  obtained 
employment  from  A.  M.  Simpson,  of  North 
Bend,  and  in  his  employ  they  were  engaged 
in  the  logging  business  for  a  number  of  years, 
after  which  ilr.  Aiken  went  to  Idaho  in  the 
year  1863  on  a  prospecting  tour  in  the  gold- 
mining  districts  in  that  state.  He  had  pre- 
viously, in  the  year  1857.  given  some  of  his 
time  to  the  work  of  prospecting  along  John- 
son creek  in  Coos  county  and  had  also  been 
engaged  in  raining  on  the  ocean  beach  for  a 
vear    or    two.     He    remained    in    Idaho    for 


V' 


i  v^ 


ANDREW    G.    AIKEN 


PUBLIC 


A8T0PI.   HitOX   ANB 
riLOEN  FOUNDATION!. 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTOKY  OF  OREGON 


905 


three  years  and  in  1866  he  returned  to  this 
state  and  again  engaged  in  the  lumber  busi- 
ness, in  which  he  continued  until  the  autumn 
of  ISTo.  During  the  fall  of  that  year  he 
made  a  visit  to  his  old  home  in  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  remained  until  the  following  spring, 
at  which  time  he  returned  to  Oregon  and 
was  elected  sheriff  of  Coos  county  in  the 
spring  of  1S76,  serving  the  people  in  that 
office  for  two  consecutive  terms.  On  his  re- 
tirement from  the  office  of  sheriff  he  reen- 
gaged in  the  lumber  business,  in  which  he 
continued  until  1881  at  which  time  he  en- 
gaged once  more  in  the  fascinating  ocupa- 
tion  of  prospecting  for  gold  in  Coos  county. 
He  later  removed  to  Coquille  city  and  was 
appointed  postmaster  of  that  place.  He  con- 
tinued in  that  capacity  for  four  years,  after 
which  he  resigned  and  in  1898  he  became  one 
of  a  company  of  prospectors  who  went  to 
Alaska,  where  ilr.  Aiken  spent  one  summer 
and  then  returned  to  this  state,  but  later 
went  back  to  Alaska  and  established  his 
headquarters  at  Nome  in  1900.  He  has  the 
distinction  of  being  one  of  the  party  who 
lirst  discovered  gold  on  Nome  beach,  where 
he  remained  during  the  entire  summer  sea- 
son and  in  the  autumn  of  1900  he  returned 
to  Coos  Bay.  Later  he  established  his  resi- 
dence at  Marshfield,  where  he  has  since  lived 
retired. 

Jlr.  Aiken  was  married  to  Augusta  Cun- 
ningham on  the  25th  of  Jlay,  1879,  in  Co- 
quille city,  and  they  have  four  children,  two 
sons  and  two  daughters:  Charles  G. ;  Alice 
C.  the  wife  of  Otto  Schutter,  of  Marshfield; 
and  Florence  M.  and  James  W.,  both  at 
home.  Mr.  Aiken  is  affiliated  with  the  demo- 
cratic party  and  is  one  of  the  pioneers  of 
Oregon  who  had  the  honor  to  vote  for  the 
first  state  constitution  at  the  time  tlie  ter- 
ritory of  Oregon  merged  into  the  sisterhood 
of  states.  He  was  also  one  of  the  first 
councilmen  in  Coquille  city.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  order  and  has  been  a 
member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows.  He  is  properly  accounted  one  of 
the  very  early  pioneers  of  western  Oregon. 
He  is  a  man  liighly  respected  by  his  friends 
and  associates  ami  after  many  years  of  pio- 
neer hardships  and  a  long  life  of  industry 
he  lives  retired  from  active  business  cares, 
maintaining  his  residence  at  737  North  Broad- 


CHARLES  EDWIN  STRANG.  As  a  na- 
tive of  Oregon,  a  son  of  a  pioneer  in  its  set- 
tlement, an  able  agriculturist  and  a  thor- 
oughly upright  and  honest  man,  Charles  Ed- 
win Strang  is  justly  entitled  to  the  high 
place  which  he  holds  in  the  respect  and  es- 
teem of  his  fellow  citizens.  His  childhood 
was  filled  with  hardships  and  responsibilities 
and  the  early  years  of  his  mature  life  were 
spent  in  earnest  labor  in  the  development  of 
liis  land.  Prosperity  has  crowned  his  efforts 
and  his  excellent  place  of  seven  acres  out- 
side the  city  limits  of  Coquille  is  an  evidence 
of  tlie  value  and  usefulness  of  his  life.  He 
was  born  in  .Taekson  county,  in  186G,  and 
is  a  son  of  Robert  'S\.  and  Evelyn  (Collier) 
Strang,   the    fornu-r  a    native   of   Prince    Ed- 


ward Island  and  the  latter  of  Iowa.  His 
father  came  to  California  from  Boston  in 
1850  and  worked  in  the  employ  of  an  uncle, 
who  operated  a  pack  train,  engaging  in  this 
occupation  for  two  years,  after  which  he 
went  north  to  .Jackson  county,  Oregon,  and 
worked  in  the  mines  for  a  number  of  years, 
operating  a  sawmill  at  the  same  time".  He 
was  also  interested  in  the  construction  of  a 
ditch  which  supplied  water  to  the  mines  of 
the  county  and  was  always  active  in  the  pro- 
motion of  valuable  public  enterprises.  He  was 
married  in  California,  and  he  and  his  wife 
became  the  parents  of  seven  children,  five 
of  whom  are  still  living:  Ida,  who  became 
the  wife  of  Thomas  Wooly,  of  California; 
Hulda,  who  is  the  wife  of  Alfred  Morris, 
of  Bandon,  by  whom  she  has  one  child,  Leo: 
Fredrick  W.,  who  resides  in  Santa  Rosa, 
California;  David  H.,  who  makes  his  home 
in  Pliocnix,  Arizona;  and  Charles  Edwin, 
the   subject   of   this  sketch. 

Charles  E.  Strang  was  reared  upon  his 
father's  farm  and  early  became  acquainted 
with  the  details  of  the  operation  of  a  modern 
agricultural  enterprise.  He  had  very  limited 
school  advantages,  for  he  lived  in  Coquille 
in  the  very  earliest  period  of  its  history  as 
an  organized  community.  At  that  time  there 
was  one  schoolhouse,  one  store  and  a  hotel 
in  the  city  and  all  the  conditions  of  living 
were  corresjjondingly  inadequate.  lie  went 
to  school  for  nine  months  and  this  course 
comprised  the  only  educational  advantages 
which  he  ever  obtained.  When  he  was  twen- 
ty-four years  of  age  his  father  died  and  Mr. 
Strang  remained  u])on  the  homestead  operat- 
ing the  farm  tor  his  mother  and  managing 
her  affairs  ably  and  efficiently.  She  later 
went  to  California,  where  after  twelve  years' 
residence  .she  passed  away.  It  was  in  1891 
that  Mr.  Strang  purchased  his  present  farm, 
which  comprises  seven  acres  just  outside 
the  city  limits  of  Coquille.  It  was  at  that 
time  ail  brush  and  timber  land  and  lie  was 
obliged  to  clear  the  property  before  begin- 
ning the  work  of  development.  It  is  now 
liiglily  improved  and  intelligently  operated 
and  is  one  of  the  model  and  attractive  ]>laces 
in  Coos  county.  Mr.  Strang  gives  most  of 
his  attention  to  his  agricultural  pursuits 
but  has  also  been  a  locomotive  engineer,  in 
which  line  of  work  he  is  very  proficient. 

Mr.  Strang  has  been  twice  married.  His 
first  wife  was  Miss  :\rary  Cecil,  a  native  of 
Oregon  and  a  daughter  of  .1.  H.  and  Martha 
(Connor)  Cecil,  who  were  among  the  pio- 
neers in  the  .settlement  of  the  state.  To 
this  union  was  born  one  daughter.  Cora,  who 
is  the  wife  of  Edward  Ziem  of  Oakland. 
California.  She  began  her  ednoation  in  Co- 
quille anil  completed  it  in  Washington.  She 
has  two  children,  Francis  and  Ix>velle  Viola, 
^fr.  Strang's  second  union  was  with  Mrs. 
Rachel  Rul ledge,  the  widow  of  .John  W.  Rut- 
ledge.  by  whom  she  had  one  child.  Delia, 
who   has   been   adopted   bv  our  subject. 

^^r.  Strang  is  a  republican  in  his  politicnl 
beliefs  and  ne%'er  seeks  public  ofTiee.  He 
afTiliates  with  the  Woodmen  of  the  World. 
He  has  a  comfortable  honu-  upon  his  prop- 
erty and   during  his  eleven  years'  residence 


906 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OP  OREGON 


has  gained  the  respect  and  esteem  of  his 
friends  and  acquaintances  by  reason  of  a 
life  which  lias  been  made  successful  -and 
happy  through  his  own  efforts  and  by  reason 
of  straightforward  principles,,  which  have 
been   retained  through  unusual  hardships. 

JAMES  E.  REEDY  has  been  a  resident  of 
Tillamook  for  the  past  seven  years  and  is 
successfully  engaged  in  the  practice  of  veter- 
inary surgery,  being  the  only  representative 
of  his  profession  in  the  county.  He  was 
born  in  Greenwood  county,  Kansas,  on  July 
17,  ISSO.  and  is  a  son  of  Thomas  A.  and 
Cynthia  E.  Eeedy.  The  father  was  a  native 
of  Illinois  and  the  mother  of  Tennessee,  but 
they  located  in  Kansas  in  1S75,  residing  there 
for  eight  years.  In  1SS6  they  removed  witli 
their  family  to  Illinois,  remaining  there  until 
1896  when  they  located  in  Missouri,  where 
they  are  now  living.  To  them  was  born  one 
other  son,  Thomas  L.,  who  makes  his  home 
ill  Missouri. 

The  eldest  child  of  his  parents.  .James  E. 
Reedy,  remained  at  home  until  he  had  at- 
tained his  majority,  attending  the  public 
'  schools  of  his  native  state  and  Illinois,  as 
well  as  those  of  Missouri  in  the  acquirement 
of  an  education.  When  he  left  home  he  came 
west,  riding  the  ranges  of  Jlontana,  Wyom- 
ing and  other  western  states,  and  also  of 
Canada.  He  subsequently  went  to  San  Fran- 
cisco, where  he  pursued  a  course  in  veteri- 
nary surgery,  after  the  completion  of  which 
he  came  to  Tillamook.  Mr.  Reedy  possesses 
the  essential  qualities  for  success  in  his 
chosen  profession,  a  love  for  and  understand- 
ing of  dumb  beasts  as  well  as  a  thorough 
training  in  the  science  and  treatment  of 
their  diseases."  He  has  met  with  very  good 
success  in  his  practice  and  in  1912  expects 
to   enter  the  government   service. 

.James  E.  I?eedy  was  married  in  .Tune, 
1909.  to  Miss  L.  B.  .Jackson,  who  was  born 
in  California.  Her  father  is  deceased  but 
her  mother  is  still  living.  Mr.  Reedy  is  a 
republican,  but  does  not  prominently  partic- 
ipate in  public  affairs.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  the  Odd  Fel- 
lows, being  identified  with  Tillamook  Lodge, 
No.  57.  A.  F.  &  A.  M.:  and  Tillamook 
Lodge,  No.  94.  I.  0.  0.  F.  His  period  of  res- 
idence here,  though  brief,  has  been  of  suf- 
ficient length  to  show  him  to  be  a  man  pos- 
sessing the  desirable  qualities  of  citizen- 
ship, capability  and  enterprise  as  well  as 
n  spirit  of  progressiveness. 

J.  L.  SPARRETORN  is  proprietor  of  the 
Monopole  Store  of  Bonanza.  He  carries  a 
full  line  of  general  merchandise,  also  the  well 
known  Hoffman-Rothschild  ready  made 
clothing  and  is  agent  for  Strauss  Brothers, 
tailors  of  Chicago.  Close  application  to  busi- 
ness has  brought  him  substantial  success 
during  the  three  years  in  which  he  has  been 
a  representative  of  commercial  activity  in 
that  place.  He  was  bom  in  Denmark.  .June 
8,  1861,  his  parents  being  L.  and  Nelsine 
Magdalena  (Gorgensen)  Sparretorn.  the 
former  a  native  of  Denmark  and  the  latter 
of  Germanv.     The  father  was  a  forester  and 


gamekeeper  for  Count  Valdel.  Our  subject's 
brother,  Nels  J.,  and  the  grandfather  also 
held  that  position.  L.  Sparretorn  remained 
a  resident  of  Denmark  to  the  time  of  his 
death,  as  did  his  wife.  In  their  family  were 
six  children,  of  whom  five  are  now  living, 
Xels  .J.,  the  brother  who  succeeded  the  father 
as  forester  and  gamekeeper,  having  passed 
away  in  Denmark.  Those  beside  our  sub- 
ject are:  Mrs.  Tiesen,  of  Jytland,  Den- 
mark; Mrs.  Catrine  Cristensen,  of  Sjalland; 
Marie  Lund,  of  Jytland;  and  Carl,  of  Lang- 
lois,  Curry  county,  Oregon. 

J.  L.  Sparretorn  is  the  third  in  order  of 
liirtli  and  in  later  youth  he  served  in  the 
army  as  a  member  of  the  king's  guard. 
When  twenty-one  years  of  age  he  crossed  the 
Atlantic  to  New  York  city,  where  he  re- 
mained for  six  months,  clerking  for  a  friend 
on  Cherry  street.  He  afterward  spent  a 
year  in  Vermont  working  on  a  farm  and  at 
the  end  of  that  time  he  made  his  way  to 
Honey  Lake  valley  in  California,  where  he 
worked  for  a  cattle  man  for  about  six  years. 
He  was  a  dealer  in  horses  for  three  years 
but  lost  quite  heavily  in  that  connection  and 
in  1893  came  to  Bonanza.  He  brought  the 
second  imported  stallion  into  this  county, 
and  for  twelve  years  was  engaged  in  the 
breeding  and  raising  of  tine  horses.  In  1909 
he  embarked  in  business  in  Bonanza  as  a 
general  merchant,  conducting  his  store  until 
1910,  when  it  was  destroyed  by  fire.  He 
then  came  to  his  present  location  in  the 
Bank  building  and  here  carries  on  general 
merchandising,  his  entire  time  being  devoted 
thereto.  His  sales  in  1910  amounted  to 
twenty-two  thousand  dollars,  and  in  1913 
to  eighteen  thousand  dollars,  for  the  trade 
at  that  time  was  divided  with  other  stores. 

Mr.  Sparretorn  is  interested  in  the  wel- 
fare of  the  community  and  is  a  recognized 
local  leader  in  the  ranks  of  the  republican 
party.  He  served  for  two  years  in  the  city 
council  and  as  marshal  for  one  year.  He 
belongs  to  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows,  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce,  heartily  cooperating  in  its 
movements  for  the  upbuilding  of  the  city. 

NICHOLAS  A.  EASLY.  Although  he  was 
early  thrown  upon  his  own  resources  by  the 
death  of  his  parents,  Nicholas  A.  Easly.  of 
Banks.  Washington  county,  did  not  yield 
to  discouragement.  He  bravely  faced  the 
world  and,  having  acquired  a  good  trade,  ap- 
plied himself  industriously,  so  that  he  is 
now  in  a  large  measure  financially  independ- 
ent. He  is  a  native  of  Switzerland,  born  in 
1840,  a  son  of  Nicholas  and  Elizabeth  Easly. 
The  father  was  also  a  native  of  Switzerland 
and  early  learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  which 
he  followed  during  the  remainder  of  his  life. 
In  1S53  he  started  with  his  wife  and  chil- 
dren for  America  but  shortly  after  leaving 
port  the  mother  died  and  was  buried  at  sea 
in  the  English  channel.  The  father  located 
in  Ohio  but  death  again  visited  the  family 
and  he  passed  away  in  the  year  of  his  ar- 
rival. There  were  six  children  in  the  family 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Easly:  John,  who  is  de- 
ceased; Mary,  who  married  John  Easly  and 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OKEGOX 


907 


is  deceased;  Nicholas  A.,  of  this  review; 
Benjamin,  who  is  also  deceased;  Elizabeth, 
who  is  the  widow  of  Philip  Kesslcr,  and 
Annie,  who  married  Godfrey  Ott,  both  of 
whom  are  deceased. 

Since  the  age  of  fifteen  years  Nicholas  A. 
Easly  has  made  his  home  in  America.  In 
1859  he  removed  from  Ohio  to  Noble 
county,  Indiana,  and  there  engaged  at  his 
trade  as  carpenter  for  seven  years.  He  went 
to  Iowa  in  1SC6  and  in  1871  to  the  southern 
part  of  Dakota,  where  ho  continued  for  eight 
years.  Believing  that  the  Pacific  coast  re- 
gion ofl'ered  more  favorable  inducements  he 
came  to  Oregon  in  1879  with  his  wife,  to  whom 
he  had  been  married  in  Dakota,  and  followed 
his  trade  in  Washington  county,  where  he 
erected  a  number  of  residences  and  other 
buildings.  He  spent  eight  years,  from  1883 
to  1890.  in  Portland  and  the  next  four  years 
in  Idaho,  being  actively  employed  at  his 
trade  during  this  time.  In  1894  he  returned 
to  Washington  county,  Oregon,  but  two 
years  later  went  to  Idalio  and  continued  hia 
residence  in  that  state  for  seven  years.  Since 
1903  he  has  made  his  home  in  Washington 
county  and  for  eight  years  past  has  been  the 
owner  of  a  small  farm  three  miles  southwest 
of  Banks.  On  account  of  ill  health  he  has 
lived  in  retirement  since  1900. 

In  1878  Mr.  Easly  was  married  to  Miss 
Delilah  Martin,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  and 
Anna  Martin.  The  father  was  a  car  builder 
and  worked  in  many  of  the  principal  cities 
of  the  country  but  passed  his  declining  years 
in  Dakota.  There  were  four  children  in  his 
family:  Ellen,  who  is  the  wife  of  W^illiam 
Flynn,  of  Chicago;  Maggie,  who  married 
W.  W.  -Ross,  of  New  Mexico;  Delilah,  now 
Mrs.  N.  A.  Easly:  and  Arthur  .T..  of  Port- 
land. Two  children  have  been  born  to  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Easly:  Arthur  N.,  who  is  married 
and  lives  at  Portland;  and  William  Martin, 
who  is  at  home. 

Mr.  Easly  is  politically  independent  and 
is  governed  in  voting  largelj-  by  the  ability 
and  character  of  candidates  and  by  the  im- 
portance of  the  issues  at  stake.  No  man 
is  more  loyal  to  his  state  and  he  is  justly 
proud  of  having  selected  Oregon  as  his  home. 
He  has  never  served  in  any  public  office  ex- 
cept that  of  po.stmaster  at  Centerville,  Da- 
kota, in  1876.  A  man  of  keen  powers  of 
observation,  sound  business  principles  and 
genial  social  qualities,  he  has  made  wise  use 
of  opportunities  and  ranks  among  the  sub- 
stantial  citizens   of   Washington   county. 

J.  S.  ROSCOE,  owner  of  the  first  garage 
in  McMinnville,  was  bom  in  Michigan,  March 
16,  1870,  a  son  of  D.  C.  Roscoe,  who  was  a 
native  of  Maine  but  went  to  Michigan  at 
an  early  period  in  the  development  of  the 
latter  state,  where  he  still  makes  his  home. 
The  father  served  as  a  soldier  in  the  Civil 
war,  rendering  valuable  aid  to  the  country 
during  the  darkest  days  in  the  history  of 
the  nation. 

.1.  S.  Roscoe  spent  his  youthful  days,  to 
the  age  of  sixteen  years,  under  the  parental 
roof  and  then  started  out  to  earn  his  own 
living  by  working  as  a  farm  hand  in  Min- 


nesota. He  was  thus  employed  for  several 
years,  when  thinking  that  better  oppor- 
tunities for  rapid  advancement  could  be  se- 
cured in  the  new  but  developing  regions  of 
the  northwest  he  came  to  Oregon  in  1891, 
settling  in  Linn  county  where  he  resided  for 
about  eight  years.  In  1899  he  removed  to 
Yamhill  county  and  established  a  bicycle  re- 
liair  shop  in  McMinnville.  As  the  use  of  the 
wheel  was  gradually  discontinued  and  the 
automobile  came  to  the  front,  both  as  a 
pleasure  and  service  vehicle,  Mr.  Roscoe  es- 
tablished a  garage,  opening  the  first  one  in 
McMinnville.  Hi.s  natural  mechanical  genius 
and  ingenuity  well  qualify  him  for  his  work 
in  this  connection  and  he  does  everything 
necessary  for  the  care  and  repair  of  a  motor 
car.  He  is  justly  accounted  one  of  McMinn- 
ville's  enterprising  men.  His  political  sup- 
port is  given  to  the  republican  party  and 
he  is  well  versed  in  the  questions  and  is- 
sues of  the  day  but  he  never  seeks  nor  de- 
sires public  office,  preferring  to  concentrate 
his  energies  upon  his  business  affairs  which 
are  bringing  to  him  substantial  success. 

ERNEST  ALBERT  LUPTON,  M.  D.,  en- 
gaged successfully  in  the  practice  of  medi- 
cine and  surgery  at  Sandy,  Clackamas 
county,  was  born  in  Chicago,  Illinois.  April 
15,  1875.  His  parents  were  Henry  and  Anna 
(Marti)  Lupton,  the  father  a  native  of  Ger- 
many and  the  mother  of  Switzerland,  and 
both  came  to  America  in  youth  and  were 
married  in  Chicago.  The}-  were  living  in 
that  state  at  the  time  of  the  great  fire, 
October  9,  1871,  and  lost  all  of  their  pos- 
sessions in  the  same.  The  father  at  that 
time  was  an  inspector  of  the  city  water  de- 
partment. In  1884  they  moved  to  Jlinne- 
apolis,  where  the  father  became  a  traveling 
salesman  and  has  since  continued  in  that 
work.  He  traveled  for  twenty  years  for 
J.  B.  Ford  &  Company  of  Wyandotte,  Mich- 
igan. Since  1905  he  "has  made  his  home  in 
Portland.  The  mother  passed  away  Decem- 
ber 16,  1911.  In  their  family  were  five  chil- 
dren: Fred,  who  is  in  the  manufacturing 
business  at  Portland;  Ernest  .Mbcrt;  Menga, 
who  is  the  wife  of  E.  L.  Cardie,  general 
freight  agent  of  the  Southern  Pacific  Rail- 
road; Irving,  who  is  a  medical  student  at 
Portland;  and  Charlotte,  who  died  in  in- 
fancv. 

Ernest  A.  Lupton  after  receiving  a  com- 
mon-school and  high-school  education,  be- 
came a  student  in  the  University  of  Minne- 
sota, where  he  remained  two  years,  from 
1897  to  1899.  In  the  fall  of  the  latter  year 
he  entered  Rush  Medical  College  at  Chi- 
cago and  was  graduated  from  tliat  institu- 
tion with  the  class  of  1903.  He  then  located 
for  practice  in  Minneapolis,  where  ho  re- 
mained until  1907.  when  he  took  charge  of 
the  Bovey  Hospital,  managing  the  Bame  for 
one  year."  Subsequently  he  came  to  Portland 
and  established  an  office  on  the  east  side  of 
that  city,  where  he  practiced  until  1909.  At 
that  date  he  came  to  Sandy  and,  being  the 
only  physician  here,  he  has  a  wide  and 
reniunerative  patronage  and  is  rapidly  di'ni- 
onstrating  his  ability  to  cope  with  the  prob- 


908 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


lems  that  continually  confront  the  physician. 

In  1910  Dr.  Liipton  wedded  Miss"  Mabel 
JIcLoud,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  Port- 
land and  was  educated  in  a  high  school  there. 
She  is  the  third  in  order  of  birth  iu  a  fam- 
ily of  four  children.  The  others  are:  Al- 
bert, who  is  connected  with  a  meat  market 
in  Portland;  Luella,  at  home;  and  Jay,  a 
law  student  in  Portland.  The  mother  is"  liv- 
ing at  the  age  of  sixty-five  years. 

In  his  political  views  Dr.  Lupton  has  ever 
been  a  democrat  but  without  aspiration  for 
office,  preferring  to  give  his  undivided  at- 
tention to  his  practice,  which  is  constantly 
growing  in  volume  and  in  importance.  Fra- 
ternally he  is  identified  with  Oregon  City 
Lodge,  No.  1189,  B.  P.  0.  E.,  and  both  he  and 
his  wife  are  members  of  the  Evangelical 
church.  Deeply  interested  in  his  profession, 
both  from  a  humanitarian  and  professional 
standpoint,  Di-.  Lupton  is  well  equipped  for 
his  chosen  life  work  and  is  rapidly  gaining 
recognition  as  one  of  the  leading  physicians 
of  this  section  of  the  state. 

CHARLES  H.  SAVAGE,  one  of  the  stock- 
holders and  the  present  manager  of  the  Ma- 
rion Hotel,  which  he  has  been  conducting 
since  April,  1911,  has  been  engaged  in 
the  hotel  business  in  Salem  for  five  years. 
He  is  a  native  of  this  state,  his  birth  having 
occurred  at  Macleay,  Oregon,  on  the  29th  of 
October,  1872,  his  parents  being  William 
Newton  and  Susan  (Ray)  Savage.  The 
father  was  born  in  St.  Joe,  Missouri,  on  the 
16th  of  August,  1847.  and  there  he  remained 
until  he  accompanied  his  parents  on  their 
removal  to  Marion  county  as  a  boy  of  three 
years.  Here  the  grandfather  filed  on  a  dona- 
tion claim,  Mhich  is  still  in  the  family,  be- 
ing the  property  of  an  uncle  of  our  subject, 
John  M.  Savage,  one  of  the  old  saddle-back 
doctors  of  that  section.  There  William  N. 
Savage  was  reared  to  manhood,  obtaining 
his  education  in  the  common  schools  and  at 
the  same  time  assisting  with  the  operation 
of  the  home  ranch.  VTien  old  enough  to 
begin  working  for  himself  he  adopted  agri- 
culture for  his  vocation,  continuing  to  fol- 
low this  occupation  until  his  retirement.  He 
has  withdrawn  entirely  from  active  work 
and  is  now  living  in  Salem,  and  enjoying  the 
ease  and  freedom  from  care  which  rightly 
belong  to  every  enterprising  man  who  has 
lived  a  useful  life.  The  mother  is  also 
living  and  has  but  recently  celebrated  the 
fifty-eighth  anniversary  of  her  birth,  her 
natal  day  having  been  in  December,  1853. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Savage  were  the  parents  of 
nine  children,  seven  of  whom  are  still  living 
in  this  state. 

Reared  on  the  ranch  where  he  was  born, 
Charles  H.  Savage  obtained  his  early  edu- 
cation in  the  common  schools  of  this  state, 
remaining  at  home  until  he  was  seventeen 
and  assisting  with  the  work  of  the  fields  and 
care  of  the  stock.  In  1889  he  removed  to 
town  and  together  with  his  brothers  con- 
ducted a  dairy  business,  during  which  time 
he  continued  his  education  and  pursued  a 
commercial    coiirse,    qualifying    himself    for 


a  business  career.  Four  years  ago,  in  1907 
he  assumed  the  management  of  the  Cottage' 
Hotel  of  this  city,  successfully  conducting 
this  hostelry  until  April,  1911.  He  then 
took  over  the  management  of  the  Marion 
Hotel,  in  which  he  had  purchased  stock 
about  a  year  previously.  Jlr.  Savage  is  well 
adapted  to  the  business  he  is  engaged  in, 
possessing  the  genial  and  accommodating  man- 
ner, pleasing  personality  and  tact,  so  essen- 
tial to  one  identified  with  an  enterprise  of 
this  nature.  The  Marion  is  not  only  the 
leading  house  in  Salem  but  it  is  one  of  the 
best  equipped  and  most  ably  conducted 
hotels  in  the  northwest.  It  is  p'rovided  with 
every  modern  convenience  and  comfort,  the 
service  is  good  and  the  cuisine  is  superior  to 
that  usually  to  be  found  in  hotels  in  cities 
of  this  size.  As  a  host  Mr.  Savage  is 
popular  witli  the  traveling  public,  it  appar- 
ently being  his  delight,  rather  than  a  service 
for  which  he  is  compensated,  to  inconven- 
ience himself  for  the  pleasure  of  his  guests. 
Although  lie  has  not  been  engaged  in  the 
business  long,  observation  has  taught  him 
the  essential  requisites  for  success  in  an  un- 
dertaking of  this  kind  and  as  a  result  he  is 
prospering,  and  bids  fair  to  become  one  of 
the  leading  hotel  men  in  the  west. 

On  the  33d  of  May,  1908,  was  celebrated 
the  marriage  of  Mr.  Savage  to  Miss  Ida 
M.  Hackey,  a  native  of  Franklin,  Jlinnesota, 
and  a  daughter  of  Michael  Hackey.  Fra- 
ternally, he  is  identified  with  the  Masons 
and  the  Elks,  being  affiliated  with  Salem 
lodges,  and  his  political  support  is  accorded 
the  republican  party.  Although  he  takes 
much  interest  in  all  municipal  affairs,  being 
a  public-spirited  and  enterprising  man,  he 
has  never  been  an  office  seeker.  He>  is  a 
typical  western  man,  enthusiastic  over  the 
future  of  his  native  state  and  intensely 
loyal  to  its  best  interests,  never  permitting 
an  opportunity  to  escape  without  champion- 
ing its  cause. 

F.  C.  EDDY,  engaged  in  a  general  store 
in  Willamina,  was  born  in  Elgin,  Illinois, 
April  16,  1870,  a  son  of  H.  S.  and  Mary 
(Ladd)  Eddy.  The  father  was  a  native  of 
Illinois  and  lived  there  until  1872,  when  he 
moved  to  Iowa  Falls,  Iowa,  where  he  died  in 
1893.  He  was  a  farmer  t>y  occupation  but 
took  an  active  interest  in  local  politics  and 
filled  many  county  offices,  being  elected  on 
the  republican  ticket.  He  was  for  eight 
years  commissioner  of  Franklin  county, 
Iowa,  and  was  also  county  assessor  for 
eighteen  years.  He  served  in  the  Civil  war 
in  the  Thirty-second  Illinois  Cavalry  but 
was  discharged  on  account  of  physical  disa- 
bility. The  Eddy  family  came  from  Ver- 
mont and  later.  New  York  state,  and  the 
ancestry  dates  back  to  William  Eddy,  who 
came  to  Amercia  in  the  Mayflower.  The 
mother  was  a  native  of  Illinois  and  was 
reared  and  married  in  that  state,  and  is 
now  living  in  Newport,  Oregon.  In  their 
family  were  five  children:  John,  of  Port- 
land. Oregon;  F.  C,  of  this  review;  Nat,  of 
Portland;    Mayze,  of  Newport,  Oregon;    and 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OP  OREGON 


909 


Berta,  who  is  the  wife  of  Ray  Quinn,  of 
Portland. 

F.  C.  Eddy  was  educated  in  Iowa,  where 
lie  was  graduated  from  Ellsworth  College 
and  remained  under  the  parental  roof  until 
he  was  twenty-four  rears  of  age.  lie  then 
started  out  in  life  on  his  own  accord  by 
clerking  in  a  drug  store  in  Iowa  Tails,  where 
he  was  employed  for  three  years.  At  the 
end  of  that  time  he  bought  an  interest  in 
a  drug  store  in  Elgin  and,  disposing  of  this 
after  one  and  one-half  years,  he  went  to  the 
state  of  New  York,  settling  in  the  village  of 
Holland  Patent  engaged  in  the  drug  and 
general  merchandise  business  for  seven  years. 
Subsequently  he  came  to  Oregon,  was  in 
the  grocery  business  at  Eugene  for  five 
years,  in  Portland  one  year  and  in  Sheridan 
two  years.  Finally  he  settled  in  Willamina, 
where  he  was  a  partner  for  one  year  in  the 
Kershaw  store  and  then  he  entered  into 
partnership  with  F.  E.  Shei-win  in  a  general 
dry-goods  store,  in  which  they  carry  a  large 
stock  of  goods.  He  also  owns  fifty  acres  of 
land  and  a  residence,  which  he  has  built  in 
Willamina. 

Mr.  Eddy  was  wedded  in  1893  to  Miss  Lulu 
Putnam  and  they  have  become  the  parents 
of  three  children:  Irene,  who  is  at  home; 
a  child,  who  died  in  infancy;  and  Clarence. 
Mrs.  Eddy  died  in  1S99  and  in  1907  Mr. 
Eddy  married  Miss  Amy  Shipley.  They 
have  become  the  parents  of  two  children: 
Mary  Muriel,  deceased;   and  Amy  Margaret. 

Mr.  Eddy  is  a  republican  in  politics.  He 
takes  a  great  interest  in  education  and  is  a 
member  of  the  school  board.  Fraternally  he 
is  identified  with  the  Independent  Order,  of 
Odd  Fellows,  the  Jlodern  Woodmen  of 
Americaj  the  United  Artisans,  the  Knights 
of  Pythias  and  the  Maccabees.  Since  the  be- 
ginning of  his  business  career  Mr.  Eddy  has 
spent  his  entire  time  in  store  work  and  his 
knowledge  of  the  management  of  difl'erent 
stores  in  which  he  has  been  employed  has 
admirably  fitted  him  for  the  business  he 
now  so  successfully  conducts. 

AXEL  RUTH  has  the  reputation  of  being 
one  of  the  most  successful  orchardists  on 
North  inlet,  Coos  county,  where  he  lives  on 
a  highly  developed  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres.  He  was  born  in  Sweden,  Sep- 
tember 28,  1862,  and  is  the  only  son  of  .John 
and  Louise  Ruth,  also  natives  of  Sweden. 
The  father  has  reached  the  advanced  age  of 
eighty-eight  years  and  the  mother  died  in 
her  native  country  m:iny  years  ago.  They 
were  the  parents  "of  but  one  child,  Axel,  of 
this  review. 

Axel  Ruth  was  reared  at  home,  received 
his  early  education  in  Sweden  and  emi- 
grated to  America  in  1880,  settling  at  North 
Bend  in  Coos  county.  During  the  first  thir- 
teen years  of  his  life  in  the  new  world  he 
was  engaged  at  various  kinds  of  labor,  after 
which  he^purchased  a  farm  of  forty  acres, 
to  which  he  has  since  added  by  purchase 
until  he  now  owns  one  hundred  and  si.vty 
acres  of  fine  orchard  land.  His  farm  is 
located  three  miles  from  the  head  of  naviga- 
tion,   on    a    branch    of    North    inlet    and    he 


makes  a  specialty  of  raising  fruit  and  en- 
gages in  dairying  and  general  farming. 

Mr.  Ruth  was  united  in  marriage  in 
March,  ISST,  to  Miss  ^Vnnie  Hanson,  whose 
birth  occurred  Jlay  2i,  1863.  She  is  a 
daughter  of  John  and  Augusta  Hanson, 
both  of  whom  were  natives  ol  Sweden.  Her 
mother  died  in  her  native  country  in  1872, 
and  the  father  is  still  living  at  the  advanced 
age  of  eighty-live  years.  They  were  the 
parents  of  four  children:  August,  who  re- 
sides in  Sweden;  John,  a  resident  of  Coos 
county,  Oregon;  Charles,  who  maintains  his 
home  on  Haynes  slough,  Coos  county;  and 
Annie,  the  wife  of  the  subject  of  this  review. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kuth,  six  children  have 
been  born:  Christina,  the  wife  of  Charles 
Royer  of  Seattle,  Washington;  Agnes  0., 
who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty  years; 
Florence  A.,  who  married  Lewis  St.  Dennis 
and  resides  on  a  homestead  near  the  subject 
of  this  review;  Alma  C,  at  home;  Edward 
E.;  and  Chester  0.  All  have  a  good  educa- 
tion. Axel  Ruth  is  a  democrat  but  is  liberal 
ill  the  exercise  of  his  franchise.  He  and  his 
family  are  members  of  the  Lutheran  church. 

He  is  one  of  the  highly  respected  men  of 
Coos  county  and  is  numbered  among  the 
most  enterprising  and  successful  farmers 
and  fruit  growers  of  his  portiion  of  the 
state. 

PHILIP  REES,  wlio  for  many  years  has 
been  influeiitially  associated  with  the  farm- 
ing and  stock-raising  interests  of  Salem, 
resides  on  his  farm  near  that  town.  He 
was  born  on  the  15th  of  November,  1S40, 
his  parents  being  Richard  and  Mary  (Davis) 
Rees,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  New- 
York  state  but  subsequently  removed  to 
Pennsylvania,  where  they  resided  until  their 
deaths.  To  them  six  children  were  born: 
Philip,  who  is  the  subject  of  this  review; 
Davis,  of  Pennsylvania;  Charles,  deceased: 
Jlrs.  Ella  Curtis",  of  New  York  state;  and 
Alma  and  George,  who  also  make  their  home 
in   that  state. 

Early  in  life  Philip  Rees  received  his  edu- 
cation in  the  common  schools  and  at  the 
same  time  assisted  his  father  with  the  work 
on  the  home  place,  but  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  years  he  started  out  on  his  own  account, 
his  first  employment  being  as  a  salesman,  a 
line  of  activity  which  he  followed  for  seven- 
teen years.  In  1870  he  went  to  California 
and  three  years  later  to  Marion  county.  Ore- 
gon. In  1S75  lie  returned  to  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  remained  for  one  year  before  go- 
ing to  Texas  for  seven  years.  In  1R82  he 
again  came  to  Oregon  and  purchased  the 
farm  of  three  hundred  acres,  upon  which  he 
is  now  residing.  By  active  work,  persever- 
ance and  determination  he  has  improved 
this  property  and  made  It  not  only  highly 
productive  but  has  also  well  equipped  it  with 
modern  buildings.  He  devotes  his  time  to 
grain  and  stock-raising  and  is  meeting  with 
the   success   which   he   so  justly  deserves. 

On  the  13th  of  September.  Ifi82.  Mr.  Rees 
was  married  to  Mrs.  Mary  E.  Sutton,  a 
daughter  of  Eli  and  Susanna  (Watkins) 
Chaudoin.     Her  birth  occurred  on  the  17tli  of 


910 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


September,  1858,  in  Independence  county, 
Arkansas,  near  Batesville,  and  on  the  30th 
of  August,  1877,  she  was  married  to  Dr. 
James  N.  Sutton  and  to  this  union  were 
born  two  children:  Cora,  who  is  the  wife 
of  Paul  Foerster,  of  Los  Angeles.  Califor- 
nia: and  Myrtle,  who  is  married  to  Ennis 
.Savage,  a  chemist  in  the  sugar  mills  of 
Mau,  an  island  in  the  Hawaiian  group.  To 
Mr.  and  ilrs.  Rees  one  son  has  been  born, 
Davis,  who   is  residing  in  Salem. 

Politically  Mr.  Kees  is  a  republican  and, 
as  every  true  American  citizen  should  do, 
keeps  well  informed  on  the  issues  and  ques- 
tions of  the  day  but  has  had  little  desire 
for  office,  although  he  served  for  a  number 
of  years  on  the  school  board.  Mrs.  Rees 
is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church  and  they 
are  both  actively  interested  in  promoting 
any  measures  which  show  a  progressive 
spirit  or  pertain  to  the  development  of  their 
community.  Well  known  in  Marion  coun- 
ty, Mr.  Rees  has  the  good-will  and  trust 
of  those  with  whom  he  has  been  associated. 

JOHN  BEAR  is  one  of  the  most  success- 
ful and  enterprising  men  of  this  state  and 
has  for  many  years  past  been  identified  with 
various  extensive  business  enterprises.  He 
now  lives  retired  in  one  of  the  most  beauti- 
ful homes  in  Marshfield.  located  on  the  iden- 
tical spot  where  Captain  Hamilton's  log  cabin 
was  originally  built.  He  was  born  August 
IC.  1841.  ami  is  a  son  of  Peter  and  Mary 
(Sancros)  Bear.  His  parents  were  both  na- 
tives of  Finland  and  his  father  was  engaged 
as  foreman  for  a  large  fishing  concern  and 
also  operated  a  stage  line  successfully.  There 
were  five  children  in  their  family,  as  follows: 
Frederick,  who  died  at  the  age  of  fifteen 
years;  Charles,  deceased,  who  left  two  daugh- 
ters, who  reside  in  Finland:  Peter,  deceased, 
who  is  survived  by  five  children,  Charles, 
Jennie,  Cynthia,  Ida  and  Henrietta;  John, 
the  subject  of  this  review;  and  Mary  Louise, 
who  has  passed  away. 

.John  Bear  was  reared  at  home  and  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools  of  Finland.  He 
started  in  life  for  himself  at  the  age  of 
seventeen  years,  becoming  a  sailor  and  ship- 
]iing  under  his  uncle.  At  the  time  he  left 
liome  his  uncle  promised  his  mother  that  he 
Avould  bring  back  with  him  her  boy  John, 
but  the  fates  willed  otherwise.  His  uncle 
died  in  Marseilles.  France,  and  Mr.  Bear  has 
never  returned  to  his  parental  home  in  Fin- 
land. Wliile  at  Marseilles  he  determined  to 
leave  his  uncle's  ship  and  made  a  vigorous 
effort  to  obtain  the  personal  efltects  of  his 
deceased  relative  but  was  not  successful  in 
doing  so.  He  left  the  ship,  however,  and 
succeeded  in  shipping  on  an  American  ves- 
sel as  sailor.  On  that  boat  he  reached  Balti- 
more and  for  many  years  afterward  devoted 
his  time  to  life  as"  a  sailor  on  the  deep  seas, 
during  which  time  he  made  a  great  many 
trips  to  the  West  Indies.  ■RHiile  following 
the  sea  he  enlisted  in  the  Union  navy,  in 
which  he  served  one  year,  but  on  account  of 
beins;  wounded  while  in  the  service  he  was 
discharged  and  at  once  took  service  as  a 
sailor   on   an  American   ship   bound   for   the 


West  Indies.  In  1862  he  reached  London, 
having  sailed  from  Calcutta,  India,  and  from 
London  he  shipped  to  Australia  and  from 
there  to  San  Francisco,  reaching  that  city  in 
ilay,  1863,  remaining  here  for  two  years. 
He  then  removed  to  Marshfield,  arriving  in 
that  place  on  a  burning  ship  which  was  also 
water-logged  and  wholly  disabled.  On  reach- 
ing Marshfield  he  decided  to  give  up  a  sailor's 
life  and  establish  his  home  in  that  part  of 
Oregon.  He  found  employment  with  the 
Simpson  Lumber  Company  and  with  that 
concern  he  remained  for  three  years,  after 
which  time  he  engaged  in  the  lumber  busi- 
ness for  himself  and  secured  a  contract  from 
a  large  match  factory  to  furnish  it  with 
cedar.  While  meeting  the  terms  of  his  con- 
tract with  the  match  factory  his  business 
grew  rapidly  and  he  soon  obtained  a  con- 
tract with  the  builders  of  the  San  Francisco 
Street  Railway  Company  to  furnish  tics  for 
its  roadbed,  and  this  contract  gives  him  the 
distinction  of  being  the  man  who  furnished 
the  first  ties  used  in  the  construction  of  the 
street  railway  system  in  San  Francisco.  He 
continued  in  the  lumber  business  for  four 
years.  John  Bear  was  also  active  along  other 
lines  of  endeavor.  He  has  improved  and 
stocked  fifteen  dift'erent  ranches  in  this  state, 
all  of  which  he  has  disposed  of  at  handsome 
profits.  For  a  time  he  was  engaged  in  the  cafe 
and  restaurant  business  and  was  later  inter- 
ested in  a  livery  in  which  line  he  continued 
for  a  period  of  eighteen  years.  He  is  the 
owner  of  forty  acres  of  valuable  coal  land 
and  also  a  number  of  very  fine  business  prop- 
erties in  Marshfield,  and  is  the  owner  of  the 
residence   in  which  he   lives. 

ilr.  Bear  has  been  married  .twice,  his  first 
wife  being  Miss  Mary  Ann  Walin,  to  whom 
he  was  married  in  1S72.  To  them  were  born 
seven  children,  as  follows:  Emma,  who  lives 
in  Marshfield:  Gusta,  who  accidentally  met 
her  death  eleven  years  ago  by  drowning  in 
the  Columbia  river:  Cynthia,  who  married 
•John  Nagle,  of  North  Bend,  Oregon;  Edna, 
the  wife  of  Dr.  Harry  Walter,  of  Marshfield; 
Albert,  also  of  Marshfield;  Effie,  deceased; 
and  Chester,  of  Marshfield.  These  children 
were  all  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
Marshfield.  Their  mother  passed  away  in 
1888.  In  1895  Mr.  Bear  married  the  widow 
of  Fred  Jensen,  a  native  of  Denmark.  Her 
maiden  name  was  Maggie  Nelson,  and  she 
is  a  daughter  of  Nels  and  Christina  (.Jensen) 
Christoferson,  who  were  natives  of  Denmark. 
They  were  the  parents  of  five  children,  as 
follows:  Lars;  Marie,  the  wife  of  Nels  Chris- 
tensen;  Anna,  who  married  Peter  Matson; 
Maggie,  now  Mrs.  Bear:  ajid  Sine,  the  wife 
of  Jens  Hansen.  The  three  sisters  and  the 
brother  of  Mrs.  Bear  all  reside  in  Denmark. 
By  her  first  marriage  she  is  the  mother  of 
one  son,  Charles  A.  Jensen,  of  Marshfield, 
who  attended  the  public  schools  of  the  town, 
where  he  has  made  his  home  and  received 
a  college  education  at  San  .Jose.  California. 
He  is  married  and  the  father  of  two  chil- 
dren. Fred  J.  and  Phyllis  Marie. 

Mr.  Bear  affiliates  with  the  democratic 
party.  He  has  served  in  the  office  of  road 
supervisor  for  the  past  fifteen  years  and  has 


JOHN   I'.EAU 


MRS.  JOHN  BKAU 


/ 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


913 


also  been  a  member  of  the  city  council  of 
Marshfield  for  nine  years.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  of  the  ilasonic 
order,  and  both  he  and  his  wife  are  members 
of  the  Eastern  Star.  Mr.  Bear  is  one  of  the 
most  useful  and  valued  members  of  the  com- 
munity in  which  he  lives  and  is  deeplj-  inter- 
ested in  all  measures  affecting  the  public 
welfare.  He  is  known  throughout  the  en- 
tire county  as  a  reliable  man  and  in  every 
way  a  desirable  citizen. 

EDGAR  S.  BRICKER  is  a  successful  ranch- 
man who  is  living  near  Provolt,  on  a  tract  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land,  which 
he  took  up  as  a  government  claim  and  which 
he  has  well  improved.  He  is  a  veteran  of 
the  Civil  war  and  enjoys  a  wide  acquaint- 
ance. He  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  March 
7,  1841,  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Barbara  (Short) 
Bricker.  who  were  also  natives  of  the  Key- 
stone state.  In  their  family  were  six  chil- 
dren, all  of  whom  were  given  a  good  educa- 
tion in  the  common  schools  of  their  native 
state. 

Edgar  S.  Bricker  left  home  at  the  age  of 
twenty-two  years  and  came  to  California, 
where  for  a  time  he  worked  on  a  ranch.  He 
then  removed  to  Josephine  county,  Oregon, 
where  he  took  up  mining.  Later  he  settled 
on  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  govern- 
ment land,  which  he  has  since  made  his  home. 
He  applied  himself  to  improving  his  farm 
and  bringing  a  considerable  portion  of  it 
under  cultivation  until  now  the  place  consti- 
tutes a  very  valuable  property.  He  has 
given  some  attention  to  mining  ever  since  he 
owned  the  farm  and  with  a  brother  met  with 
considerable  success  in  that  pursuit. 

Mr.  Bricker  early  responded  to  his  coun- 
try's call  at  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war, 
enlisting  in  1861.  Ho  saw  strenuous  service 
and  was  in  a  number  of  battles.  In  his 
political  views  he  has  always  been  a  repub- 
lican, although  never  in  the  sense  of  an  office 
seeker.  He  is  well  and  favorably  known  in 
his  community  and  is  held  in  high  esteem 
by  a  large  number  of  people. 

JOHN  M.  ANDERSON,  engaged  in  general 
farming  and  stock-raising,  near  Dairy,  Ore- 
gon, was  born  in  Norway,  February  4,  1867, 
a  son  of  Martin  and  Minnie  (.Jones)  Ander- 
son. The  father  died  in  Norway  when  his 
son,  John,  was  about  eight  years  of  age. 
The  mother,  with  her  son  and  two  daughters, 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1885  and  for 
two  years  they  were  residents  of  Minneapo- 
lis while  the  succeeding  two  years  were  spent 
by  them  in  the  state  of  Washington.  John 
M.  Anderson  came  to  the  Yonna  valley,  and 
settled  there  in  1892.  He  has  since  resided 
in  that  section  but  his  mother  is  now  living 
in  Assiniboia,  Canada.  In  the  family  were 
three  children,  the  sisters  of  our  subject  be- 
ing: Albertina.  the  wife  of  Ole  Widen,  who 
resides  in  Assiniboia.  Canada;  and  Nettie, 
the  wife  of  John  Skomo,  of  Yreka.  California. 

On  coming  to  Oregon,  John  M.  Anderson 
homesteaded  a  tract  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  which  he  at  once  began  to  culti- 
vate and  improve.  He,  however,  disposed  of 
vui.  n— 3s 


that  property  and  purchased  his  present  home 
place  in  1911.  This  comprises  two  hundred 
and  seventy  acres,  one  hundred  and  fifty 
acres  of  which  is  under  cultivation.  He  car- 
ries on  general  farming  and  stock-raising 
and  has  iifty  head  of  cattle  and  lilteen  horses 
on  the  ranch.  He  is  not  afraid  of  hard  work, 
is  energetic  and  capable,  and  as  the  years 
pass  by  is  gaining  in  prosperity  and  building 
a  substantial  fortune. 

Mr.  Anderson  is  a  republican  and  for  a 
short  time  served  as  postmaster  of  Dairy, 
where  he  also  conducted  a  store.  He  is 
affiliated  with  the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees 
and  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows, 
and  is  loyal  to  the  teachings  of  those  frater- 
nal organizations  which  have  for  their  basis 
the  principle  of  mutual  benefit  and  brotherly 
kindness. 

ALVIN  B.  LIBBEY  is  the  owner  of  valu- 
al)lo  land,  pleasantly  and  conveniently  lo- 
cated live  miles  east  of  Merrill.  His  birth 
occurred  in  Lincoln,  Maine,  January  6.  1857, 
and  thus  the  width  of  the  continent  separ- 
ates him  from  the  state  of  his  nativity. 
His  parents,  Thomas  and  Martha  (Miles) 
Libbey,  were  also  natives  of  Maine,  where 
they  spent  their  entire  lives  upon  a  farm. 
The  father,  however,  was  a  wheelwright  by 
trade  and  possessed  good  mechanical  abil- 
ity. He  enlisted  in  the  army  at  the  out- 
break of  the  Civil  war  and  laid  down  his 
life  as  a  sacrifice,  on  the  altar  of  his  coun- 
try. In  the  family  were  ten  children,  of 
whom  five  are  living. 

Alvin  B.  Libbey,  resided  in  Maine  until 
1S76,  when,  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years, 
he  made  his  way  to  the  Pacific  coast,  settl- 
ing in  the  Sacramento  valley  of  California. 
He  spent  twelve  years  there  as  a  farm 
hand.  He  worked  on  Butte  creek,  in  Ore- 
gon, and  in  the  Sparta  valley  of  California 
for  three  years.  About  1888  he  had  preempted 
land  in  Klamath  county,  securing  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres,  on  which  he  has  made 
)iis  home  for  about  twenty  years.  He  has 
three  land  claims.  comi)rising,  in  all.  three 
(|uarters  of  a  section,  and  one  hundred  and 
seventy  acres  thereof  is  under  government 
ditch.  "  He  cleared  away  the  sage  brush, 
made  all  of  the  improvements  on  his  land, 
set  out  a  poplar  grove  and  planted  about 
one  hundred  fruit  trees.  Everything  on  his 
land  manifests  his  progressive  spirit  and 
the  property  is  fast  being  transformed  into 
one  of  the  "finest  farms  of  southern  Oregon. 
He  engages  in  general  farming,  and  makes 
a  spedalty  of  hay.  Much  of  his  land,  he 
now  rents,  although  he  still  retains  his  res- 
idence here.  In  former  years  he  was  largely 
interested  in  the  raising  of  horses  but  is 
now  practically  living  retired,  for  his  suc- 
cess has  been  "such  as  to  enable  him  to  put 
aside  business  cares,  in  a  large  degree,  save 
for  the  supervision  which  he  gives  to  his 
jiroperty   interests. 

Mr.  Libbey  was  united  in  niarringo  to  Miss 
Klizabeth  Pope,  a  native  of  Oregon  and  a 
ilaughter  of  Charles  Pope,  and  in  1903  he 
was  called  u|ion  to  mourn  the  loss  of  his 
wife.     His   only   child,   a    baby    boy.   died   at 


914 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OP  OREGON 


the  age  of  six  montlis.  Jlr.  Libbey  is  a 
Mason  and  an  Odd  Fellow  and  is  loyal  to 
the  teachings  of  these  fraternities.  Almost 
a  quarter  of  a  centurj-'s  residence  in  this 
part  of  the  state  has  made  him  widely 
known  and  his  sterling  traits  of  character 
have  gained  him  warm  and  enduring  regard. 

HENRY  GROSS  is  one  of  the  successful 
and  highly  respected  citizens  of  Wolfcreek, 
where  he  is  engaged  in  the  cultivation  of 
his  highly  developed  ranch,  well  located  on 
Ciota  creek,  in  .Josephine  county.  He  was 
born  in  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania,  .January 
25.  1842,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Nancy 
(Allen)  Gross,  the  former  a  native  of  Ger- 
many and  the  latter  of  Pennsylvania.  The 
father  emigrated  to  America  when  a  small 
boy  and  settled  in  Penn^^ylvania,  where  he 
continued  to  live  during  the  remaining  years 
of  his  life.  The  mother  later  removed  to 
Kew  Jersey  and  there  passed  away.  They 
became  the  parents  of  five-  children,  of  whom 
the  subject  of  this  review  is  the  only  one 
now    living. 

Henry  Gross  was  reared  at  home  and  re- 
ceived his  early  education  in  the  district 
schools  of  Pennsylvania,  remaining  under  the 
parental  roof  during  the  early  years  of  his 
life.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war  he 
enlisted  in  Company  M,  of  the  Second  Xew 
Jersey  Cavalry,  and  continued  with  his  com- 
mand in  service  for  one  year.  In  1S65  he 
removed  to  California,  where  he  remained 
for  one  year,  and  then  he  proceeded  to  Seat- 
tle, Washington,  at  which  place  he  resided 
for  a  brief  time  only,  and  then  to  Josephine 
county,  where  lie  homesteaded  two  hundred 
and  eighty-eight  acres,  upon  which  he  estab- 
lished his  home  and  continued  to  live  for 
thirty-five  years.  He  later  sold  his  home- 
stead and  went  to  Glendale,  where  he  lived 
for  two  years,  after  which  he  purchased  forty 
acres  of  land  located  on  Ciota  creek,  where 
he  now  resides. 

Mr.  Gross  was  united  in  marriage,  in  1908, 
to  Mrs.  Sarah  (Reeves)  Xeeser.  the  widow 
of  William  Xeeser,  by  whom  she  was  the 
mother  of  two  children,  Edwin,  a  resident 
of  British  Columbia :  and  Cora,  the  wife  of 
C.  E.  Gordon,  of  California.  Mr.  Gross  is 
affiliated  with  the  republican  party,  and 
fraternally  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order. 
He  is  a  highly  respected  and  industrious  citi- 
zen of  Josephine  coimty,  in  which  he  resides, 
and  where  he  is  engaged  in  the  cultivation 
of  his  valuable  ranch,  located  on  Ciota  creek. 


ing  and  stock-raising  four  miles  northeast 
of  Eugene,  where  he  owns  a  valuable  ranch 
of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres.  He  has 
passed  practically  his  entire  life  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  his  present  home  having  been  born 
on  a  ranch  five  miles  northeast  of  Eugene, 
on  the  7th  of  February.  1857.  His  parents, 
S.  J.  and  Annis  Bonnett,  were  born  and 
reared  in  West  ^'irginia  and  married  in 
Iowa,  whence  they  removed  in  1854  to  Ore- 
gon. They  located  in  Lane  county,  where 
the  father  took  up  a  donation  claim,  and 
here    they    passed    the    remainder    of    their 


lives,  the  father  passing  away  at  the  age  of 
ninety  years  and  the  mother  at  eighty-nine. 

Having  been  reared  on  a  ranch,  A.  C. 
Eonnett  was  early  trained  to  agricultural 
pursuits  and  on  starting  out  to  earn  his 
own  living,  he  sought  employment  as  a  farm 
hand.  He  thus  acquired  sufficient  means  to 
become  a  property  owner  and  after  the  death 
of  his  father  increased  his  holdings  by  the 
purchase  of  the  old  homestead.  At  one 
time  he  was  the  owner  of  five  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  land  in  this  county,  but  he 
has  since  di.sposed  of  a  portion  of  this,  and 
now  has  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres. 
It  is  well  improved  and  fifty  acres  has  been 
brought  into  a  high  state  of  productivity. 
Mr.  Bonnett  is  an  energetic  man,  who  di- 
rects his  undertakings  with  foresight  and 
sagacity,  and  in  appreciation  of  the  value 
of  system  and  method  in  the  development 
of  any  enterprise.  In  addition  to  his  fine 
ranch  he  owns  together  with  his  brother  a 
fourth  interest  in  a  brick  business  block  in 
Eugene. 

In  1890,  Mr.  Bonnett  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  L.  A.  Simons,  a  native  of  Iowa 
and  a  daughter  of  Lybert  and  Almeta 
(Munger)  Simons,  who  came  to  Oregon  in 
1882.  Here  for  many  years  the  father  en- 
araged  in  contracting  and  building,  but  he 
has  now  retired  from  active  business,  and 
he  and  the  mother  are  living  in  Eugene. 
One  daughter  has  been  born  to  ]\Ir.  and 
.Mrs.  Bonnett.  Ermine  E.,  on  the  25th  of 
February,  1896.  She  is  attending  high 
school  in  Eugene  and  is  also  taking  music 
lessons. 

Mr.  Bonnett  is  a  member  of  the  Indepen- 
dent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  in  which  he  has 
held  all  of  the  chairs,  and  he  also  belongs  to 
the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks  and 
the  Woodmen  of  the  World.  In  politics  he 
is  a  republican  and  has  held  the  offices  of 
justice  of  the  peace  and  road  supervisor, 
both  of  which  he  filled  most  capably.  Mr. 
Bonnett  is  one  of  tlie  highly  esteemed  citi- 
zens of  his  community,  in  the  development 
of  which  he  has  substantially  assisted 
through  his  progressive  and  enterprising 
ideas  and  diligent  methods,  as  manifested 
in   tlie  operation  of  his  ranch. 

J.  M.  PINKERTON  is  one  of  the  highly 
respected  and  useful  citizens  of  Josephine 
county,  where  lie  is  engaged  in  farming  and 
fruit  growing.  He  is  also  justice  of  the 
peace  and  postmaster  of  Wolfcreek,  Oregon. 
He  was  born  in  Canada.  May  3.  1877.  and 
is  a  son  of  F.  W.  and  Margaret  (Grafton) 
Pinkerton.  both  of  whom  were  natives  of 
Canada.  They  removed  to  Jackson  county, 
Oregon,  in  1911,  and  established  their  home 
at  Ashland,  where  they  now  reside.  They 
became  the  parents  of  five  children,  three  of 
wliom    are    now    living. 

•J.  M.  Pinkerton  was  reared  at  home  and 
received  his  early  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  the  district  in  which  he  lived 
and  later  completed  a  college  course  and 
was  graduated  with  honors.  He  remained 
at  home  until  he  was  twenty-one  years  of 
age  and  at  that  time  started  in  life  for  him- 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


915 


self  as  a  railroad  employe  and  continued  in 
tliat  occupation  for  seven  years.  In  lyo-l 
he  removed  to  Louisiana,  where  he  remained 
lor  two  years  and  in  1906  lie  came  to  Ore- 
gon and  settled  at  Klamath  Falls,  in  Kla- 
math county,  where  he  continued  to  reside 
for  the  two  following  years.  He  then  pur- 
chased a  ranch  on  Wolfcreek,  in  Josephine 
county,  upon  which  he  established  his  home 
and  has  since  continued  to  I'eside,  a  portion 
of  the  land  being  set  out  in  apple  and  pear 
trees,  now  in  bearing.  His  orchard  is  one 
of  the  best  of  its  kind  in  this  part  of  the 
county. 

Mr.  Pinkerton  was  united  in  marriage  in 
1S99  to  itiss  Lillian  Xeitzel,  who  is  a  na- 
tive of  Wisconsin  and  to  this  union  two 
children  have  been  born:  Neta  L.  and  Frank- 
lin M.  Mr.  Pinkerton  and  his  wife  are  both 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 

Mr.  Pinkerton  is  affiliated  with  the  re- 
publican party  and  in  1909  he  received  the 
appointment  of  postmaster  of  Wolfcreek 
and  was  also  elected  to  the  office  of  justice 
of  the  peace,  in  which  position  he  is  now 
serving.  He  is  one  of  the  highly  respected 
men  of  Josephine  county  and  a  man,  who 
readily  gives  the  benefit  of  his  influence  to 
the  promotion  of  all  matters  of  public  in- 
terest seeking  the  advancement  of  the 
jieople. 

R.  B.  BANISTER  is  a  pioneer  of  the  west, 
having  crossed  the  plains  in  1S52  with  ox 
teams,  the  trip  consuming  six  months'  time. 
He  now  resides  on  a  ranch  in  .Josephine 
county  near  Merlin,  where  with  his  son, 
Lyndon  K.  Banister,  he  is  passing  his  de- 
clining years.  He  was  born  in  the  state  of 
Xew  York,  August  20,  1829.  a  son  of  Ben- 
jamin and  Bathia  (Axtel)  Banister,  both  na- 
tives of  Vermont.  In  1844  the  parents  re- 
moved to  McHenry  county,  Illinois,  after- 
ward taking  up  their  abode  in  Kansas,  where 
both  passed  away.  In  their  family  were 
eleven  children,  four  of  whom  arc  now  liv- 
ing: J.  J.;  R.  B.;  Sarah,  the  widow  of  E. 
Isom  and  a  resident  of  Illinois;  and  S.  N.. 
of  Washington. 

R.  B.  Banister  received  a  common-school 
education  and  in  1852  crossed  the  plains  fo 
California  with  ox  teams,  the  trip  requiring 
six  months.  He  purchased  a  tract  of  land 
and  resided  in  that  state  for  seven  years, 
or  until  1S59,  when  he  removed  to  Josephine 
county,  Oregon.  At  the  end  of  two  years 
he  went  to  Jackson  county  and  purchased 
a  homestead  on  Applegate  creek,  upon  which 
he  lived  for  twenty  years.  He  then  dis- 
posed of  his  homestead  and  returned  to  Jo- 
sephine county  and  with  his  son  is  now  liv- 
ing upon  a  ranch  near  Merlin. 

In  1858  Mr.  Banister  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  IMiss  Mary  Bradford,  a  native  of 
Ohio  and  a  daughter  of  Ward  and  Margaret 
Bradford.  To  Mr.  and  Jlrs.  Banister  ten 
children  were  born,  eight  of  wliom  are  now 
living.  Both  Mr.  Banister  and  his  wife 
affiliate  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  being  active  members  of  that  denom- 
ination. They  are  among  the  highly  re- 
spected  residents    of    the    community,   where 


they  have  been  honored  residents  for  many 
years. 

Their  son,  Lyndon  K.  Banister,  was  born 
in  Josephine  county,  Oregon,  January  26, 
1862,  and  remained  at  home  with  his"  par- 
ents until  he  became  of  age.  He  received 
a  common-school  education  and  upon  arriv- 
ing at  manhood's  estate  began  life  on  his 
own  account  as  a  railroad  employe,  an  occu- 
pation which  he  followed  for  a  considerable 
length  of  time.  He  then  engaged  in  gold 
mining,  at  which  he  worked  for  nine  years, 
and  in  1887  he  purchased  a  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acre  farm  on  Jump-olV  .Joe  creek. 
He  immediately  set  about  improving  his 
land  by  erecting  buildings  and  other  neces- 
sities and  set  out  fruit  trees  and  vines  of 
many  kinds.  He  has  devoted  much  energy 
and  skill  to  improving  his  farm  and  has 
made  of  it  one  of  the  valuable  agricultural 
properties  of  the  community.  He  is  en- 
gaged in  general  farming  and  makes  a  spe- 
cialty of  raising  hogs  and  cattle  lor  the 
market.  With  him  are  living  his  aged  par- 
ents and  to  their  comfort  and  necessities 
he   has   given   much   consideration. 

In  his  political  views  K.  B.  Banister  is  a 
socialist,  having  devoted  a  great  deal  of 
thought  to  matters  of  public  interest.  Mr. 
Banister  is  one  of  the  well  known  and 
highly  respected  citizens  of  Josephine  coun- 
ty and  is  regarded  as  a  man  of  good  busi- 
ness ability  and  wise  discrimination.  He 
takes  a  deep  interest  in  the  various  public 
matters,  which  concern  the  good  of  the  com- 
munity, is  a  man  of  broad  views,  and  is 
greatly  esteemed  by  a  large  number  of 
people. 

J.  N.  MATNEY  is  the  owner  of  forty- 
three  acres  of  fertile  land  in  the  vicinity  of 
.Jacksonville,  where  he  engages  in  general 
agricultural  pursuits.  He  is  a  native  of 
this  county,  his  birth  having  occurred  on  the 
19th  of  October.  1ST4.  and  is  one  of  seven- 
teen children  born  to  C.  B.  and  Margaret 
Matney.  The  father  who  passed  away  in 
1906,  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  this 
valley,  having  located  on  the  Applegate 
river  in  1852  and  there  his  children  were 
born  and  reared. 

The  boyhood  and  youth  of  J.  N.  Matney 
were  passed  on  his  father's  ranch  and  in  the 
acquirement  of  his  education  he  attended  the 
public  schools.  He  was  trained  to  agricul- 
tural pursuits  from  childhood,  having  early 
begun  to  assist  with  the  lighter  duties  about 
the  home  ranch,  his  responsibilities  increas- 
ing as  his  strength  developed  with  the  pass- 
ing years.  By  the  time  he  had  attained 
his  maturity  he  was  a  skilled  ranchman  and 
was  fully  qualified  to  undertake  the  man- 
agement and  development  of  a  place  of  his 
own.  Mr.  Matney's  homestead  is  a  portion 
of  his  father's  old  donation  claim  and 
fbroiigh  intelligent  cultivation  the  land  ha.s 
been  brought  to  a  high  state  of  productiv- 
i(v.  He  has  erected  substantial  barns  and 
outbuildings  and  a  comfortable  residence  on 
his  place  and  it  is  equipped  with  such  im- 
plements and  machinery  ns  arc  deemed  es- 
sential   to   modern    agriculture.       His   fields 


910 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


are  almost  putirply  devoted  to  the  raising 
of  hay,  grain  and  potatoes  and  as  lie  gives 
his  personal  supervision  to  the  tilling  of  his 
fields  and  eare  of  his  crops  he  is  anniuilly 
rewarded  with  an  abundant  harvest  wliicli 
brings  the  market's  highest  prices.  He  is 
recognized  as  one  of  the  capable  as  well  as 
prosperous  agriculturists  of  his  community 
and   is   acquiring  a   comfortable  competence. 

On  the  26th  of  August,  1907,  Mr.  Mat- 
ney  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Fanny 
Swartzfagen,  who  was  born  in  the  state  of 
Washington.  Jlr.  and  Mrs.  Matney  have  a 
little  daughter,  Marie,  whose  natal  day  was 
tlie   24th   of   October.    190S. 

Ever  since  accorded  the  right  of  fran- 
chise upon  attaining  his  majority,  Mr.  Mat- 
ney has  given  his  support  to  the  candidates 
of  the  democratic  party,  considering  that 
their  policy  was  best  adapted  to  meet  the 
interests  of  the  American  people.  Frater- 
nally he  is  a  member  of  Lodge,  No.  10. 
1.  0.  0.  F.  His  entire  life  has  been  passed 
in  the  vicinity  where  he  now  lives  and 
among  whose  residents  he  numbers  many 
standi    friends   of   his   boyhood   daj^s. 

J.  R.  COLEMAN,  who  is  the  owner  of  a 
productive  farm  of  one  hundred  acres,  situ- 
ated four  miles  south  of  Salem,  on  the  Tur- 
ner road,  was  born  near  McMinnville,  in 
Yamhill  county.  .June  20,  1853,  the  son  of 
James  and  Frances  Coleman.  The  father, 
a  native  of  Franklin.  Ohio,  was  reared  in 
that  state  and  later  removed  to  Iowa,  where 
he  resided  until  1847,  when  he  crossed  the 
plains  and  took  up  a  donation  claim  west 
of  McMinnville.  In  1861  he  moved  to 
Marion  county  and  remained  there  the  rest 
of  his  life,  dying  July  10,  1911,  at  the 
venerable  age  of  ninety  years.  He  followed 
the  occupation  of  farming  all  his  life.  The 
mother,  who  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  was 
brought  to  America  when  a  small  child  and 
was  reared  in  Fort  Wayne.  Indiana,  where 
she  was  married  in  1845.  She  died  in  1905 
in  Oregon  and  is  buried  at  St.  Paul.  In 
their  family  were  eleven  children:  Anna  and 
.John,  both  of  whom  are  deceased:  Marv,  the 
wife  of  Charles  Pelland.  of  St.  Paul,"  Ore- 
gon; ,L  R.,  of  this  review:  Thomas,  of  St. 
Paul;  Eliza,  who  is  the  wife  of  Frank  Ham- 
mond, of  Portland.  Oregon:  Stephen  and 
Charles,  both  of  St.  Paul,  Oregon:  Emma, 
who  is  the  wife  of  William  Murphy,  of  St. 
Paul;  Louise,  who  is  the  wife  of '.John  .T. 
Casey,  of  Butte,  Montana;  and  Frank,  of 
St.  Paul.  Oregon. 

J.  R.  Coleman  received  his  early  educa- 
tion in  the  common  schools  and  later  com- 
pleted a  three  years'  course  at  the  Willam- 
ette Universit.v.  After  his  school  days  he 
lenuiined  at  home  until  he  was  twenty-five 
years  of  age,  when  he  began  farming  a  part 
of  the  home  place  and  later  took  charge  of 
a  farm,  where  the  Home  for  the  Feeble 
Minded  is  now  situated.  Subsequently  lie 
came  to  his  present  location,  where  he  is 
engaged  in  general  farming.  He  has  made 
excellent  improvements  on  the  farm  and 
employs  up-to-date  and  scientific  methods. 
In  1876  J.  R.  Coleman  was  united  in  mar- 
riage   with    Miss    Eliza    Miller,   a   native    of 


Oregon,  and  they  have  become  the  parents 
of  four  children;  Russell,  of  Coburg,  Lane 
county,  Oregon,  who  is  engaged  in  stock- 
raising;  Molly,  the  wife  of  Phil  Edrainister, 
of  San  Francisco,  California;  Alice,  who  is 
the  wife  of  Cecil  Rodgers,  residing  near 
Turner,  Oregon;  and  Curtis,  who  is  at  home. 
In  politics  Mr.  Coleman  is  a  democrat, 
and  his  fraternal  affiliation  is  witli  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America  at  Salem, 
where  he  belongs  to  Cedar  Camp.  Both  he 
and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Episcopal 
church  and  their  lives  are  guided  by  its 
teachings.  Mr.  Coleman  is  well  known  in 
Marion  county  and  justly  deserves  the  high 
regard  which  is  given  him  by  his  many 
friends,  for  his  life  has  been  one  of  well  di- 
rected activity  and  intelligent  effort. 

BENJAMIN    LAFAYETTE    SIMPSON.    A 

native   of   Linn   county  and  a   son   of  a   pio- 
neer in  Oregon  is  Benjamin  Lafayette  Simp- 
son, who  for  over  fifty  years  has'been  prom- 
inently identified  with  agricultural  interests 
of    this   community.     Starting   at    the   early 
age  of   fifteen   his   prosperity   has   developed 
with   the  progress  of  the  country  and  with 
the    development   in   him   of   those    qualities 
which    make   for   success    until    today   he    is 
classed    among    the     enterprising    and    sub- 
stantial men   of   his   district.     He  -was  born 
tliree   miles    south    of   Albany.    Linn   county, 
in   1855   and   is  a   son   of   Francis  and   Mary 
A.    (Corum)    Simpson,   the    former   a  native 
of  Kentucky  and  the  latter  of  Missouri.  The 
marriage  of  his  parents  occurred  in  Missouri 
and    immediately    afterward    they    came    to 
Oregon,     making     the     journej'     across     the 
plains    with    ox    teams.     The '  trip    occupied 
six    months    and    they    reached    Portland    in 
1850  and  there  settled  for  a  short  time,  the 
father    building    the    first    sawmill    on    the 
Tualitin    river    in    1851.      In    the    following 
year  the  family  moved  to  Linn  county  and 
Fraiicis   Simpson   took  up   a   donation   claim 
of  six  hundred  and  forty  acres,  upon  which 
he    resided    until    1S68,  "when    he    sold    his 
holdings    and    bought    a    farm    near    Shedd 
Station.     This    land   he   eventually   sold  and 
moved   to    the   northern    part   of '  California, 
where    he    farmed    until   his    death    on    April 
23,   1873.     His   wife  survived  him  until   1908 
and  died  when  she  was  eighty-five  years  of 
age.     In    their   family   wei-e   eight    children; 
Joseph   and  Lewis,   who   reside   in   Washing- 
ton:    Alfred,    a    resident    of    Walla    Walla. 
Washington;    Mrs.    Mary    A.    Smith    of    the 
same  state;   T.  B.,  who"  makes  his  home  in 
Coeur   d'Alenc.   Idaho:    Mrs.   Sarah   J.   New- 
son,    of    Prineville:    Benjamin    Lafayette,    of 
this    review:    and    Riley' H..   who    resides    in 
Pendleton. 

Benjamin  L.  Simpson  received  a  limited 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  Linn  coun- 
ty and  began  his  active  agricultural  career 
when  he  was  only  fifteen  years  of  age.  work- 
ing out  upon  neighboring  farms  for  five 
years  and  then  renting  land  in  Linn  county. 
In  this  capacity  he  was  active  for  some 
time  but  in  1905  bought  one  hundred  and 
thirty-one  acres,  half  a  mile  beyond  the 
limits  of  Lebanon  anil  this  farm  he  has  oper- 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREO  ON 


917 


ated  since  that  time.  He  siJucializt'S  in  tlio 
raising  of  small  fruits  and  garden  produce 
and  has  already  realized  a  good  return  upon 
liis  investment,  the  land  being  worth  at  the 
present  time  over  live  hundred  dollars  per 
acre. 

In  1876  Mr.  Simpson  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Jeannctte  Wheeler,  who  was 
born  in  Oregon,  a  daugliter  of  L.  M.  and 
Isabel  (Miller)  Wheeler.  Her  father  crossed 
the  plains  in  1847  and  settled  in  Liiiu  coun- 
ty in  earliest  pioneer  times,  taking  up  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  near  Scio,  as  a 
donation  claim.  He  was  successful  and  six- 
teen years  afterward  sold  his  fust  holdings 
and  bought  land  in  tlie  same  neighborhood, 
moving  eventually  to  iShedd  Station,  where 
lie  lived  for  nine  years.  He  spent  a  sim- 
ilar period  of  time  on  a  farm  near  Lebanon, 
dying  in  the  latter  city  at  the  age  of  seven- 
ty. His  wife  is  living  with  the  subject  of 
this  review  and  is  seventy-five  years  of  age. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  L.  M.  Wheeler  were  the  par- 
ents of  six  children:  George,  who  has  passed 
away;  James,  a  resident  of  Washington; 
Jeannette,  the  wife  of  our  subject;  Bertie, 
deceased;  Melvin  D.,  of  Linn  county;  and 
A.  D.,  who  resides  in  Albany.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Benjamin  Simpson  have  six  children.  Leon- 
ard L.,  who  was  born  in  1877,  is  married  and 
resides  in  Portland,  where  he  is  engaged  in 
the  insurance  business.  V.  C,  who  was  born 
in  1878,  resides  in  Lebanon  and  is  engaged 
as  a  barber.  Melvin  .James,  who  was  born 
in  1880,  is  residing  at  home  and  is  asso- 
ciated with  his  father  in  the  conduct  of  the 
home  farm.  He  was  elected  state  re])resen- 
tative  of  Oregon  in  1910.  and  is  st-ll  serving 
in  this  capacity.  Ellis  M.,  whose  birth  oc- 
curred in  1880,  is  married  and  lives  in 
Salem,  where  he  is  engaged  as  a  barber. 
Francis  C.  was  born  in  1889  and  makes  his 
home  in  Lebanon.  Benjamin  R.,  the  young- 
est member  of  the  family,  was  born  in  1897, 
and  is  residing  at  home.  Tlic  family  belong 
to   the  Baptist   church. 

The  career  of  Benjamin  L.  Simpson  is  a 
splendid  example  of  what  may  be  accom- 
plished by  recognizing  and  using  opportuni- 
ties. His  early  life  directed  his  interests 
naturally  toward  farming  and  even  at  the 
age  of  fifteen,  his  business  acumen  told  him 
that  agriculture  was  to  be  the  future  source 
of  wealth  in  Oregon.  Acting  upon  this  re- 
alization and  starting  with  practically  noth- 
ing he  has  steadily  worked  his  way  upward 
in"  his  chosen  field  and  is  classed  today 
among  the  men  who  are  important  enough 
in  farming  circles  to  influence  methods  and 
all'i'ct   standards. 

RTJFUS  LANGDON  is  manager  and  owner 
of  two  of  Mil'  most  imiiortant  ferries  over 
the  Umpcjua  river,  and  in  conjunction  with 
his  brother,  Commodore  P.  Langdon.  is  oper- 
ating a  stage  and  mail  route.  He  is  bringing 
to  these  activities  the  same  progressive  and 
straightforward  characteristics  which  made 
him  a  successful  farmer  since  he  was 
old  enough  to  liold  the  plow  and  which 
influenced  and  hastened  the  agricultural  de- 
velopment of   the  state.     Mr.  Langdon   is   a 


native  son  of  Oregon  and  was  born  in  Kel- 
logg precinct,  Douglas  county,  March  31, 
1879.  He  is  a  son  of  Ansel  and  Leonora 
(Maupin)  Langdon,  the  former  a  native  of 
Green  Lake  county,  Wisconsin,  and  the  lat- 
ter of  Greene  county,  Illinois.  Mr.  Lang- 
don's  father  crossed  the  plains  to  Oregon, 
making  the  journey  from  Hlinois  to  this 
state  witli  the  J)immick  family  in  1852.  The 
mother  of  our  subject  made  the  trip  across 
the  plains  with  her  i)arents  when  she  was 
yet  a  girl.  Their  marriage  occurred  in 
Douglas  county,  and  immediately  afterward 
Ansel  Langdon  took  up  a  fractional  donation 
claim  in  the  bend  of  the  Umpqua  river  live 
miles  south  of  Elkton,  and  here  operated 
one  of  the  model  farms  of  the  district.  He 
later  took  up  a  homestead  claim  and  in  ad- 
dition to  this  bought  sixty  acres  of  railroad 
land,  making  his  holdings  aggregate  almost 
five  liundred  acres.  He  was  an  active  man 
in  the  early  years  of  his  life  but  later  suf- 
fered much  from  illness.  He  was  one  of  the 
early  freighters  in  Douglas  county  and 
hauled  the  first  load  of  freight  out  of  'Scott«- 
burg  botmd  for  Yreka,  California.  He  was  a 
veteran  of  tlie  Indian  wars  and  a  man  who 
took  an  active  part  in  every  phase  of  pioneer 
development  in  the  section  in  which  he  lo- 
cated. He  di(Kl  in  1892  in  his  sixty-second 
year  and  the  event  deprived  Douglas  county 
of  a  thoroughly  representative,  honorable 
and  upright  man.  His  widow  is  still  living 
and  makes  her  home  with  the  subject  of  this 
sketch. 

Kufus  Langdon  was  reared  upon  his 
father's  farm  and  acquired  his  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  Douglas  county.  He 
was  but  thirteen  years  of  age  wdicn  his 
father  died  but  he  had  been  taught  the  prin- 
ciples of  farming  from  his  early  childhood. 
When  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age  he 
assumed  the  entire  responsibility  of  the 
operation  of  the  extensive  property  which 
his  father  left  and  subsequently  piirchased 
the  homestead.  It  comprised  at  that  time 
one  hundred  and  eight  acres,  his  father 
having  disposed  of  all  the  remaining  prop- 
erty previous  to  his  death.  Mr.  Langdon 
still  retains  ownership  of  this  well  improved 
farm  and  for  many  years  made  its  cultiva- 
tion the  princijial  activity  of  his  life.  In 
1900,  however,  he  secured  the  contract  for 
the  operation  of  the  south  ferry  over  the 
I'mpqua  river  and  was  successful  in  this  line 
for  two  and  one-half  years.  In  1910  he 
added  to  his  activities  by  contracting  to  run 
the  Dimmick  ferry,  in  the  operation  of 
which  he  is  still  successful  and  active.  He 
has  recently  joined  with  his  brother.  Com- 
modore P.  Langdon,  and  |)urch»scd  the  Oak- 
land and  Elkton  stage  and  nniil  ro\ite. 
which  they  are   now  running  successfully. 

Tn  his  political  views  Mr.  Langdon  is  a 
republican  and  a  projiressive  and  liberal 
thinker  upon  publii'  aflairs.  He  has  never 
sought  oflTiee,  preferring  to  devote  his  atten- 
tion to  agricultural  and  business  enterprises. 
He  is  a  member  of  Elkton  Lodge.  No.  192, 
T.  O.  0.  ¥..  and  also  belonns  to  Elkton  Camp, 
Xo.  5786,  M.  W.  A.  His  business  career  has 
been    marked    by    a    policy    of    thorough   in- 


918 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


tegrity  and  strict  honor.  He  carries  on  all 
Ills  activities  along  broad  and  progressive 
principles  which  are  an  heritage  from  his 
lather  and  are  contributing  factors  in  the 
development  of  the   American  northwest. 

THOMAS  ANDERSON  is  one  of  the  well 
known  residents  of  southern  Oregon  and 
Anderson  lake,  not  far  from  the  town  of 
Plush,  which  was  named  in  his  honor.  He  was 
born  in  Xew  York  in  1833  and  when  about 
three  years  old  went  to  sea  with  his  father, 
who  was  a  sailor,  and  with  him  he  made 
voj'ages  until  ten  years  of  age  The  father 
then  went  upon  another  ship  as  skipper  and 
Thomas  Anderson  followed  the  sea  until  1851, 
when  he  made  his  way  around  Cape  Horn 
and  up  the  Pacific  coast  to  San  Francisco, 
arriving  there  on  Christmas  day.  He  spent 
the  winter  there  working  on  vessels  and  at 
other  labor,  after  which  he  went  to  the  mines 
of  Shasta  county,  spending  four  years  there. 
He  then  began  packing  from  Bluffs  to  Yreka 
and  other  points,  being  thus  engaged  until 
1865.  when  he  removed  to  Umatilla,  Oregon. 
In  the  Rogue  river  district  he  hired  out  to 
the  government,  working  as  a  packer  during 
the  Indian  troubles.  He  was  stationed  at 
different  points  in  eastern  Oregon  in  the  em- 
ploy of  the  government  until  the  following 
spring  when  he  went  to  Sacramento.  He 
then  began  packing  on  his  own  account, 
making  trips  from  Yreka  to  Fort  Klamath. 
About  1872  he  came  to  Warner  valley 
but  when  the  Modoc  war  broke  out  he  went 
with  General  Winton  as  a  packer,  being  thus 
employed  all  through  the  ilodoc  war.  With 
that  commander  he  proceeded  to  Walla  Walla, 
Washington,  and  from  there  to  Fort  Kla- 
math. At  length  he  left  the  service  and  re- 
turned to  Warner  valley  to  look  after  his 
cattle  interests.  Here  he  has  since  remained 
and  is  one  of  the  well  known  residents  of 
this  part  of  the  state.  He  has  two  hundred 
and  forty  acres  of  land  on  Hart  mountain, 
and  he  also  has  charge  of  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  divided  into  two  tracts  of  equal 
size.  He  resides  near  the  head  of  Hart  lake 
and  on  the  lake  that  bears  his  name.  He 
has  been  a  stockman  throughout  the  period 
of  his  residence  here,  using  the  ranch  ex- 
tensively in  the  conduct  of  a  cattle  business. 
He  had  twenty-five  hundred  head  of  cattle 
until  1890.  but  lost  heavily  during  the  hard 
winter,  since  which  time  he  has  given  his  at- 
tention to  the  care  of  smaller  herds.  He  has 
now  reached  the  age  of  seventy-nine  years 
but  is  still  active  in  business.  His  life  has 
brought  to  him  man}'  varied  and  interesting 
experiences,  such  as  come  to  the  pioneer  and 
the  stockman  upon  the  frontier. 

LEE  WIMBERLY,  who,  since  1906  has 
been  owner  and  editor  of  the  Daily  Rose- 
burg  Review,  which  paper  he  aided  in  estab- 
lishing at  Roseburg  in  1898,  was  bora  in 
Douglas  county,  Oregon,  April  19,  1866.  His 
parents  were  Enoch  and  Xancy  A.  Wimberly, 
both  Oregon  pioneers,  the  former  an  Indian 
war  veteran,  who  arrived  here  in  1846.  The 
mother  came  to  this  state  in  1853.  Enoch 
Wimberlv  was  born  in  Missouri  but  was  a 


descendant  of  the  Wimberly  family  of  Mis- 
sissippi. His  wife,  a  native  of  Illinois,  was 
descended  from  the  Fays  family  of  Ken- 
tucky. 

Lee  Wimberly  was  a  pupil  in  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  count}-,  supplementing 
his  district  school  work  by  study  in  the 
Roseburg  high  school.  In  youth  he  had  the 
usual,  experiences  of  the  "farm  lad  and  in 
early  manhood  he  devoted  a  few  months  to 
teaching  school,  but  in  1888  took  up  the 
printing  trade  and  newspaper  work,  to  which 
he  has  since  devoted  his  attention.  He  spent 
a  number  of  years  in  the  employ  of  others, 
mastering  every  phase  of  the  business,  and 
in  1S9S  he  helped  to  establish  the  Daily 
Roseburg  Review.  Three  years  later  or  in 
1901,  he  was  made  its  editor  and  in  1906 
he  purchased  the  paper,  which  he  has  since 
owned  and  published.  It  is  liberally  pa- 
tronized both  in  its  circulation  and  advertis- 
ing departments  and  is  an  up-to-date  jour- 
nal, devoted  to  local  interests  and  to  the 
dissemination  of  general  information.  Mr. 
Wimberly  is  a  director  in  several  local  build- 
ing associations. 

At  Roseburg,  on  the  19th  of  October,  1898, 
ilr.  Wimberly  was  married  to  Miss  Cora 
Benedick,  the  second  daughter  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  P.  Benedick.  Her  father  is  prominent 
in  the  Presbyterian  church  and  has  twice 
been  its  representative  to  general  assembly 
sessions.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wimberly  have  a 
daughter,  Florence,  who  is  eight  years  of 
age.  Mr.  Wimberly  is  a  democrat  but  not  a 
strict  partisan.  He  is  well  known  and  popu- 
lar in  fraternal  circles.  He  is  a  past  grand 
patriarch  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  of  Oregon  and  was  grand  representa- 
tive in  the  sovereign  grand  lodge,  I.  0.  0.  F., 
at  Indianapolis,  Indiana,  in  September,  1911, 
and  at  Winnipeg,  Manitoba,  in  September, 
1912.  He  belongs  to  the  Benevolent  Pro- 
tective Order  of  Elks,  is  a  dictator  of  the 
Loyal  Order  of  Moose  and  a  past  councillor 
commander  of  the  Woodmen  of  the  World. 
He  is  in  hearty  sympathy  with  the  high 
principles  and  purposes  of  these  organiza- 
tions and  that  he  is  an  exemplary  represen- 
tative thereof  is  indicated  in  the  official 
honors   that  have  been  conferred  upon  him. 

GLENN  G.  ANDERSON,  who  resides  two 
and  a  half  miles  northeast  of  Eugene,  where 
he  engages  in  hop  and  fruit  raising,  is  one  of 
Lane  county's  native  sons,  born  in  1870.  His 
father,  the  late  J.  C.  Anderson,  was  born  in 
Arkansas,  whence  he  removed  to  Oregon  and 
subsequently  engaged  in  hop  growing,  being 
the  first  person  in  the  state  to  follow  this 
activity  on  an  extensive  scale.  He  passed 
away  in  1905,  but  was  survived  by  the 
mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Eliza 
Campbell  and  who  is  now  the  wife  of  Isaac 
Stevens,  of  Eugene.  Eight  children  were 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Anderson,  of  whom 
our  subject  is  the  eldest. 

The  boyhood  and  youth  of  Glenn  G.  An- 
derson were  passed  on  the  ranch  where  he 
was  born  and  in  the  acquirement  of  an  edu- 
cation he  attended  the  common  schools. 
After  laying  aside  his  text-books  he  assisted 


TIIDMAS   .\M)Ki;S')\ 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


921 


his  fatlier  with  the  operation  of  the  liome 
place  until  he  was  married,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-two.  He  then  left  the  parental  roof 
and  started  out  to  make  his  own  way  in  the 
world.  For  fifteen  years  thereafter  he  took 
lumber  and  logging  contracts,  but  at  the 
expiration  of  that  period  he  turned  his  at- 
tention to  argicultural  pursuits.  He  rented 
some  land,  which  he  has  ever  since  devoted 
to  fruit  raising  and  hop  growing  and  has 
met  with  good  financial  success  in  both  un- 
dertakings. He  now  owns  a  fine  tract  of 
land  at  Kingsley,  Oregon,  and  a  block  at 
Douglas  Garden,  both  of  which  properties  are 
excellent  holdings  and  constanth'  increasing 
in  value. 

Mr.  Anderson  was  married  on  the  24th  of 
December,  1892,  to  Miss  Minnie  Belcher,  who 
was  born  in  Scranton,  Pennsylvania,  in  1875, 
and  is  a  daughter  of  Lance  and  Mary 
(Kimball)  Belcher,  who  were  born,  reared 
and  married  in  the  Keystone  state.  They 
removed  from  there  to  Nebraska,  where  the 
father  passed  away  in  ISSO.  The  mother 
subsequently  became  the  wife  of  Eliott  Pat- 
ten and  in  18ST  they  came  to  Oregon,  and 
now  own  a  fine  ranch  in  Lane  county.  Mrs. 
Anderson  is  the  eldest  of  the  four  children 
born  to  her  parents,  the  others  being  as 
follows:  Mrs.  May  Lane  of  Black  Rock, 
Oregon;  and  Charley  and  David,  both  of 
whom  are  deceased.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Anderson 
have  three  children,  as  follows:  Norman, 
still  at  home,  whose  birth  occurred  on  De- 
cember 31,  1893;  Edith  M.,  who  was  bom  in 
1895,  now  a  high-school  student;  and  E. 
Fay,  whose  natal  year  w-as  1901,  also 
attending  school.  Mr.  Anderson  gives  his 
political  support  to  the  men  and  measures 
of  the  democratic  party.  He  is  an  enter- 
prising man,  diligent  and  progressive,  and 
as  a  result  he  is  meeting  with  success  in  the 
pursuit  of  his  undertakings. 

HENRY  H.  WOOD  is  the  owner  of  a 
ranch  of  one  liundred  and  sixty  acres,  on  the 
north  end  of  Swan  Lake  valley,  where  he  is 
engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock-rais- 
ing. He  was  born  in  Columbia  county,  Wis- 
consin, .January  1,  1865,  and  was  fourth  in 
the  order  of  birth  of  ten  children  of  William 
and  Lucy  C.  (Hawkins)  Wood,  the  fatlier  a 
native  of  Scotland  and  the  mother  of  New 
York.  William  Wood  came  to  the  United 
States  when  eighteen  years  of  age.  He  had 
been  left  an  orphan  at  the  age  of  six  years, 
and  when  very  young  had  to  provide  not 
only  for  his  own"  support  but  also  for  that 
of  a  younger  brother.  Lucy  C.  Hawkins 
went  to  Wisconsin  with  her  parents  when 
younff  and  in  that  state  became  the  wife  of 
William  Wood.  They  spent  the  remainder 
of  their  lives  upon  the  farm  in  Columbia 
county.  Wisconsin,  and  it  was  there  that 
Henry  H.  Wood  was  born  and  reared,  resid- 
ing in  that  state  until  the  fall  of  1887, 
when,  at  the  age  of  twenty-two  years,  he 
left  home  and  has  since  been  dependent 
upon  his  own  resources  for  a_  livelihood. 
He  spent  about  one  vear  in  Nevada  and 
California  and  in  the  fall  of  1888  came  to 
Oregon,  locating  at  Dairy,  Klamath  county. 


He  preempted  land  in  the  Pine  Flat  valley 
and  resided  thereon  for  about  fourteen  years, 
when  he  sold  that  i)roperty  and  homesteaded 
his  present  ranch  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  at  the  north  end  of  Swan  Lake  valley. 
Here  he  has  since  engaged  in  general  farm- 
ing and  stock-raising  and  has  met  with  a 
generous  measure  of  prosperity,  being  the 
owner  of  a  good  property  whicli  returns  to 
him  substantial  income  because  of  the  care 
and  labor  that  he  bestows  upon  it. 

In  1897,  Henry  H.  Wood  was  married  to 
Miss  Jane  Jlichael  who  was  born  in  North 
Carolina,  September  15,  18C7.  She  was  a 
young  lady  of  twenty  years  when  brought 
to  Oregon  in  1887  by'he'r  parents.  Thomas 
and  ilartha  (Michael)  Midiael.  Her 
father  and  mother  were  cousins  and  were 
natives  of  North  Carolina.  Their  last  days 
were  passed  in  Klamath  county,  Oregon. 
Mrs.  Wood  was  the  eldest  of  seven  children, 
six  of  whom  lived  to  years  of  maturity.  By 
her  marriage  she  has  become  tlie  mother  of 
three  children,  Maggie,  Louise  and  Harry, 
all  born  in  Klamath  county.  Mr.  Wood  is  a 
republican  and  is  without  as]>iration  for 
public  office.  He  has  never  taken  an  active 
part  in  politics  yet  is  unremitting  in  the 
duties  of  citizenship.  He  recognizes  the  fact 
that  he  has  obligations  to  the  work  of 
public  improvement  and  is  not  slow  to  meet 
his  duty  in  that  connection. 

GEORGE  BAYNE,  starting  out  in  life  as 
a  farm  hand,  became  in  the  couree  of  years 
a  successful  agriculturist  and  at  the  time  of 
his  death  in  1911  owned  a  valuable  farm 
I)roperty  in  Multnomah  county.  He  was 
born  in  Scotland,  on  the  1st  of  February. 
1869,  a  son  of  Jfr.  and  Mrs.  John  Bayno, 
also  natives  of  Scotland.  The  parents  left 
their  native  land  and  settled  in  America  in 
1871.  locating  first  in  Iowa,  where  the 
father's  death  occurred.  Subsequently  the 
mother  removed  to  Oregon  but  later  went 
to  Georgia,  where  she  passed  away.  They 
were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  five  of 
whom  survive. 

George  Bayne  acquired  his  education  in 
tlie  common  "schools  and  at  tlic  same  time 
laid  the  foundation  for  his  agricultural  ca- 
reer by  assisting  on  the  home  farm  until  he 
started  out  independently.  He  ever  showed 
the  salient  characteristics  of  his  Scotch  an- 
cestry by  his  energy,  industry  and  thrift. 
At  the  "time  of  his  death  he  owned  one 
hundred  and  si.xy  .acres  of  land  near  Burling- 
ton, which  he  liad  cultivated  earlier  in  life 
and  which  is  still  the  property  of  his  widow 
although  they  never  resided  upon  it.  By 
careful  and  judicious  management  his  prop- 
erty proved  so  highly  productive  and  profita- 
ble", that  later  in  life  he  was  able  to  pur- 
chase considerable  real  estate,  including  n 
valuable  business  block  and  a  siibstiinlial 
home  in  Salem.  Until  lOno  he  made  his 
home  upon  a  farm  of  fifty-tliree  acres,  lo- 
cated four  miles  east  of  Salem,  and  engaged 
most  successfully  in  hop  growing. 

On  the  20th  o'f  April,  1902.  Mr.  Bayne  was 
married  to  Miss  Mary  Smith,  whose  birth 
occurred    in    Marion    county    and    who    Is    n 


922 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


daughter  of  James  and  Isabelle  (Low) 
Smith,  both  of  whom  are  also  natives  of 
Scotland.  They  came  to  America  in  1S74 
and  located  in  Marion  county,  upon  the  farm 
where  they  resided  until  their  removal  to 
Polk  county,  wliere  they  are  still  living. 
To  them  four  children  were  born,  namely: 
Mrs.  Bayne,  .James,  Albert  and  Isabelle.  To 
Mr.  and  ilrs.  Bayne  one  son  was  born, 
Albert  Edward,  whose  birth  occurred  on  the 
11th  of  March,  1903.  Mrs.  Bayne  is  now  re- 
siding in  Salem,  having  retained  her  home 
there   since   her  husband's   death. 

Mr.  Bayne  was  always  interested  in  mat- 
ters relating  to  the  civic  welfare  and  never 
neglected  the  duties  of  citizenship,  although 
he  neither  sought  nor  desired  office.  He 
always  kept  well  informed  on  the  issues  of 
the  day  and  gave  his  support  to  the 
measures  which  he  thought  would  be  most 
influential  in  producing  good  government. 
He  was  devoted  to  his  family,  was  a  good 
neighbor  and  a  faithful  friend.  He  was 
sociable  by  nature  and  enjoyed  the  compan- 
ionship of  those  of  congenial  tastes  and 
interests.  He  readily  recognized  the  good 
in  others  and  was  loved  by  all  who  knew 
him.  He  left  a  comfortable  competence  to 
his  family  and  also  an  untarnished  name, 
a  valued  inheritance  even  more  to  be 
cherished  than  riches. 

WILLIAM  J.  SAVAGE  is  one  of  Josephine 
county's  well  known  citizens,  who  as  result 
of  his  industry  and  ability  has  risen  to  a 
place  of  prominence  and  success.  He  com- 
menced life  as  a  poor  boy,  a  member  of  a 
large  family,  and  by  close  application  secured 
a  good  education,  becoming  a  teacher,  and 
now  owns,  together  with  his  brother,  Gilbert 
M.,  eight  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land, 
ujion  which  he  follows  agricultural  pursuits 
and  stock-raising.  He  was  born  in  Jackson 
county,  Oregon,  July  12,  1854,  a  son  of 
James  and  Margaret  (McKinzie)  Savage,  the 
father  a  native  of  New  Brunswick  and  the 
mother  of  Scotland.  The  latter  emigrated 
with  her  family  to  the  United  States  when  a 
child  and  after  her  marriage  came,  in  1853, 
with  ox  teams,  to  Oregon,  the  family  home 
being  established  in  Jackson  county.  The 
father  of  our  subject  died  in  that  county  in 
1908  and  the  mother,  who  survives,  makes 
her  home  in  Grants  Pass.  In  their  family 
were  thirteen  children,  eleven  of  whom  sur- 
vive. Gilbert  M.  Savage  was  born  near  Rock 
Point,  Jackson  county,  on  the  15th  of  April, 
1856,  and  married  Elvira  Piatt,  a  twin  sister 
of  Mrs.  William  J.  Savage. 

William  J.  Savage  remained  at  home  with 
his  parents  until  he  attfiined  the  age  of 
twenty-six  years,  receiving  meanwhile  a 
high-school  education.  He  then  embarked  in 
business,  lumbering  and  farming.  He  also 
taught  school  during  his  early  manhood  for 
four  years.  He  was  successful  in  his  busi- 
ness and  now  owns  six  hundred  and  eighty- 
five  acres  of  land  on  Lost  creek  and  one 
hundred  and  thirty-five  acres  on  .Jump-Off 
Joe  creek. 

At  the  ago  of  twenty-six  years  ilr.  Savage 
was  married  to  Miss  Almira  Piatt,  a  native 


of  Illinois,  who  emigrated  to  Oregon  in'  1877 
with  her  parents,  William  and  ilary  Piatt, 
who  made  their  home  here  until  their  deaths. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Savage  has  been  born  one 
son,  Winfred  A.,  who  is  still  at  home.  Mr. 
Savage  is  a  prominent  republican  who  takes 
an  active  interest  in  public  affairs.  He  is 
also  greatly  interested  in  educational  mat- 
ters and  for  thirty  years  has  been  clerk  of 
the  local  school  board.  He  is  one  of  the 
prominent  men  of  the  community  and  enjoys 
not  only  a  wide  acquaintance  but  a  most 
excellent  standing  in  the  county.  He  pos- 
sesses those  traits  of  character  which  assure 
him  the  esteem  of  his  acquaintances  and  the 
loyalty  of  his  friends,  is  skillful  in  the  man- 
agement of  his  business  affairs  and  is 
universally  regarded  as  one  of  the  leading 
citizens   of  this  section  of  Oregon. 

GEORGE  W.  CRUNK,  SR.,  well  known  in 
Coos  county  as  an  exponent  of  modern  and 
progressive  ideas  of  agriculture,  was  born 
in  Tennessee,  March  4,  1834,  He  is  a  son  of 
Jacob  and  Virginia  (Canon)  Crunk,  the  for- 
mer a  native  of  Alabama  and  the  latter  of 
North  Carolina.  Mr.  Crunk's  parents  were 
married  in  Tennessee,  and  after  one  year's 
residence  in  that  state  the  mother  died  and 
the  father  removed  to  Kentucky,  where  he 
operated  a  farm  and  carried  on  a  flourishing 
shoemaking  business  until  his  death  in  the 
seventy-fifth  year  of  his  life.  He  was  the 
father  of  nine  children,  William.  .John  M., 
Charity,  Dnisilla,  Susan,  Jacob,  two  daugh- 
ters who  died  in  infancy,  and  George  W. 
The  last  named  is  the  only  one  of  this 
family  still  living. 

He  received  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  Kentucky  and  laid  aside  his  books 
in  order  to  make  a  journey  to  California 
wnen  he  was  nineteen  years  of  age.  He  re- 
mained in  that  state-  for  ten  years,  being 
successful  in  gold  mining.  In  1864  he 
removed  to  Montana,  where  he  followed  the 
same  occupation  until  1872.  In  that  year  he 
removed  to  the  state  of  Washington  and 
began  his  agricultural  career,  farming  a 
large  tract  of  land  successfully  and  scientifi- 
cally for  twelve  years.  He  met  with  his 
usual  success  in  this  line  of  occupation,  and 
when  he  came  to  Coos  county  he  still  car- 
ried on  the  cultivation  of  the  soil.  He 
bought  a  half  section  of  land  on  Myrtle 
creek  and  brought  it  to  a  high  state  of  pro- 
ductivity. He  made  extensive  improvements 
upon  his  property,  installed  labor-saving  ma- 
chinery and  planted  the  farm  to  the  most 
suitable  grains  and  vegetables.  In  1901, 
when  he  disposed  of  his  holdings,  he  was  the 
owner  of  one  of  the  model  properties  in  Coos 
county.  He  later  bought  a  squatter's  right 
in  the  same  section  and  operated  it  in  con- 
junction with  his  son-in-law,  William  A. 
Fish,  for  some  time.  Mr.  Fish  is  now  the 
sole  owner  of  this  tract  of  land,  Mr.  Crunk 
having  sold  out  his  interest. 

In  1S6S  Mr.  Crunk  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Angeline  Bump,  who  was  born  in 
Ohio  in  1S41.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Jerome 
and  Esther  (Gillett)  Bump,  the  father  a  na- 
tive of  New   York  state  and  the  mother  of 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


923 


Ohio.  They  lived  in  tlie  hitter  state  for 
several  years  after  their  marriage,  hiter  re- 
moving to  Wisconsin,  where  tlie  father  fol- 
lowed the  mason's  trade  until  IS'jS  when 
he  crossed  the  plains  with  ox  teams  to  Cali- 
fornia, settling  in  the  lone  valley,  where  he 
was  successful  as  a  stock  dealer  until  his 
death  in  1855.     His  wife  had  passed  away  in 

1851  and  is  buried  in  Illinois.  They  were 
the  parents  of  three  children:  Jacob,  who 
passed  away  in  California;  James  Capolk, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  two  years;  and 
Angeline,  the  wife  of  our  subject.  To  Mr. 
and  Jlrs.  Crunk  have  been  born  five  children. 
George  W.  lives  in  Rock  creek,  seven  miles 
above  Bridge,  Oregon.  Gertrude  is  the  wife 
of  Elwood  Carey  of  Bandon,  Oregon.  Soella 
M.,  married  Albert  Rice  of  Myrtle  Creek. 
John  died  in  infancy.  Myrtle  V.,  the  young- 
est daughter,  married  in  1897  William  A. 
Fish  of  Rock  Creek,  Oregon.  Jlr.  Fish  is  a 
native  son  of  this  state,  having  been  born 
on  March  26,  1868.  He  is  a  son  of  Albert 
and  Hannah  A.  (Gribble)  Fish,  both  of  whom 
are  now  deceased.  He  and  his  wife  are  the 
parents  of  one  dauglitor,  Hattie  M.,  whose 
birth  occurred,  February   10,  1901. 

In  his  political  affiliations  Mr.  Crunk  is 
a  consistent  democrat,  a  firm  believer  in  the 
principles  of  that  party  and  a  stanch  sup- 
porter of  its  policies  although  he  never  seeks 
public  office.  He  and  his  wife  are  advocates 
of  the  Spiritualist  faith.  Mr.  Crunk  is 
widely  known  in  Coos  county  for  his  pro- 
gressive and  scientiiic  ideas  of  agriculture 
which  have  brought  him  undoubted  success. 
He  is  one  of  the  representative  and  enter- 
prising farmers  of  the  district  and  has  been 
a  contributing  factor  to  the  development  of 
the  region  in  which  he  lives. 

CAPTAIN  HENLEY  MAUPIN.  One  of  the 
prominent  and  influential  men  of  Douglas 
county  is  Captain  Henley  ^laupin,  who  has 
been  active  in  farming  all  during  his  life 
and  is  now  one  of  the  substantial  agricul- 
turists and  stock-raisers  of  the  section  in 
which  he  resides.  He  owns  twelve  hundred 
acres. of  land,  improved  and  intelligently  de- 
veloped, and  his  farm  is  jiroductive  and  remu- 
nerative to  its  highest  point.  The  history 
of  Captain  Maupin's  name  is  peculiar  and 
interesting.  His  father  was  a  veteran  of  the 
Mexican  war  and  at  the  deathbed  of  his  cap- 
tain, with  whom  he  was  upon  very  close  and 
intimate  terms,  he  promised  that  if  he  sur- 
vived his  first  son  should  be  named  after  his 
leader.  Therefore,  when  our  subject  was  born 
in  Eugene,  Oregon,  on  January  2,  1855,  he 
was  christened  Captain  Henley  Maupin.  He 
is  a  son  of  Garrett  and  Martha  A.  (Poindex- 
ter)  Maupin.  the  former  a  native  of  Ken- 
tucky and  the  latter  of  Illinois.  Their  mar- 
riage' occurred  in  Missouri,  whither  the 
mother   had   removed   with   her   parents.     In 

1852  Garrett  Maupin  fitted  out  a  wagon  train 
at  his  own  expense  and  crossed  the  plains 
with  ox  teams  to  Oregon.  Upon  his  arrival 
in  this  state  he  and  his  wife  took  up  dona- 
tion claims  of  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  each  in  Lane  county,  near  Eugene, 
where  they  resided  until  1867.    In  that  year 


they  sold  their  holdings  and  came  to  Douglas 
county,  where  they  located  upon  a  rented 
farm  on  the  Umpqua  river.  Mr.  Maupin  was 
killed  the  following  year  while  driving  ii 
team  from  Oakland  "to  Seottsburg,  being 
then  engaged  in  the  business  of  freighting. 
The  load  of  wool  whieli  he  was  hauling 
overturned  and  fell  upon  him.  causing  his 
death.  After  this  event  his  wife  purchased 
an  old  donation  claim  of  three  hundred  acres, 
where  Captain  Henley  Maupin  lives  at  the 
juesent  time.  Here " she  located  with  her 
family  and  here  she  resided  until  her  death, 
which  occurred  in  1909,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
two    years. 

C.  H.  Maupin  was  thirteen  or  fourteen 
years  of  age  when  his  mother  removed  to  his 
present  homo  farm.  He  attended  school  in 
this  district  and  when  he  had  attained  his 
manhood  began  farming  for  himself.  lie  and 
his  brother,  Thomas  P.  Maupin,  worked  in 
partnership  for  several  years  and  engaged 
extensively  in  stock-raising.  From  time  to 
time  they  bought  land  with  the  proceeds 
from  the  sale  of  their  stock  and  their  hold- 
ings increased  until  at  one  time  they  owned 
fifteen  hundred  acres.  In  1888  or  1889,  how- 
ever, the  copartnership  was  dissolved,  and 
the  ranch  divided.  Captain  Henley  Maupin 
has  since  that  time  been  alone  in  his  occu- 
pation and  has  attained  a  gratifying  degree 
of  success.  He  owns  twelve  hundred  acres 
of  land  and  his  twenty-acre  prune  orchard 
is  said  to  be  the  finest  in  Douglas  county. 

On  September  11.  isg.'i,  Mr.  Maupin  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  ^linnie  A. 
Peters,  a  native  of  Illinois  and  a  daughter  of 
•Mexander  S.  Peters,  who  came  to  Oregon 
froiu  that  state  in  1878,  locating  in  Douglas 
county,  two  and  one-half  miles  northeast  of 
Oakland.  Eleven  years  later  he  removed  to 
a  rented  farm  on  the  L'mpqua  river,  where  his 
death  occurred  on  April  30.  1900.  To.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Maupin  have  been  born  seven  chil- 
dren: Garrett  Alva,  Edith,  Hazel,  Daniel 
Newton,  Maurice  A.,  Florence  E.  and  Martha 
L..  all  of  whom  reside  at  home. 

Mr.  Maupin  is  a  consistent  democrat  and 
served  for  four  years  as  county  commissioner 
of  Douglas  county  and  for  many  years  has 
been  a  member  of  the  school  board  of  his 
district.  His  wife  belongs  to  the  Christian 
church.  He  is  one  of  the  leaders  in  all  pro- 
gressive movements  for  the  benefit  of  his 
community  and  is  one  of  the  widely  known 
and   influential  men  of  Douglas  county. 

WILLIAM  CARTER.  Starting  out  in 
life  without  favoring  circumstances,  William 
Carter  has,  by  industry  and  frugality,  ac- 
quired a  productive  little  farm  of  twenty 
acres  near  Woodvillo.  which  by  his  own  hands 
he  has  cleared  and  improved.  He  was  bom 
in  Jackson  county,  Missouri,  June  10.  1868, 
a  son  of  French  and  Nancy  Carter,  natives  of 
Ohio  and  Virginia  respectively.  After  resid- 
ing in  Jlissouri  for  a  number  of  years  the 
(larents  came  to  Oregon  in  1875,  having 
become  convinced  that  conditions  in  the  far 
west  were  more  favorable  so  far  as  business 
opportunities  were  concerned  than  in  the 
eastern  portions  of  the  country.   On  arriving 


921 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


in  this  state  they  settled  in  Jackson  county 
and  proceeded  to  become  as  comfortable  as 
possible.  In  1S82,  after  spending  only  about 
seven  years  in  Oregon  the  father  died.  The 
mother,  however,  is  still  living  here,  having 
attained  the  age  of  eighty-one  years. 

William  Carter  has  made  his  home  under 
the  parental  roof  with  the  exception  of  ten 
years  which  he  spent  in  Spokane,  Washing- 
ton, where  he  worked  in  various  occupations. 
He  had  received  a  good  common-school  edu- 
cation and,  being  of  an  industrious  and 
economical  nature,  he  was  enabled,  in  1910, 
from  his  earnings  to  purchase  a  twenty  acre 
ranch,  upon  which  he  is  now  living.  Since 
becoming  the  owner  of  this  place  he  has  de- 
voted himself  to  clearing  it,  adding  improve- 
ments and  getting  it  in  a  good  state  of  culti- 
vation, so  that  it  is  now  producing  a  hand- 
some  income. 

In  his  political  views  Jlr.  Carter  has  always 
been  an  adherent  of  the  principles  and  policies 
of  the  democratic  party  and  while  he  has 
never  been  an  office  seeker  he  has  given  com- 
mendable attention  to  public  matters. 
He  is  regarded  as  a  most  excellent  citizen 
and  by  his  well  ordered  life,  his  genial  per- 
sonality and  optimistic  nature  is  constantly 
making  new  friends. 

J.  L.  HARRIS,  M.  D.  is  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  medicine  and  surgery  in  the  re- 
cently established  town  of  Hildebrand,  in 
the  i'onna  valley,  of  Klamath  county.  He 
was  born  in  Iron  county,  Missouri,  October  5, 
1874.  His  father,  a"  native  of  Virginia, 
served  as  a  soldier  in  the  Union  arm3'  dur- 
ing the  Civil  war  and  after  hostilities  were 
ended  removed  w^ith  his  family  to  Missouri. 
At  one  time  he  followed  merchandising  but 
afterward  became  a  dealer  in  live  stock,  in 
which  business  he  engaged  to  the  time  of 
his  death,  which  occurred  when  his  son,  J.  L. 
Harris,  was  about  six  years  of  age.  Our  sub- 
ject's mother,  Jlrs.  Mary  Elizabeth  (Ringer) 
Harris,  a  native' of  Maryland,  now  resides 
at  Plaza,  Washington,  to  which  place  she 
removed  with  her  children,  a  son  and  three 
daughters,  immediately  after  the  death  of 
the   husband   and  father. 

Dr.  J.  L.  Harris  supplemented  his  early 
education,  acquired  in  the  public  schools, 
with  a  course  in  the  medical  department  of 
the  State  University,  and  graduated  in  the 
class  of  1897.  He"  practiced  in  Whitman 
county,  Washington,  until  October,  1910, 
when  he  came  to  Hildebrand.  He  has 
homesteaded  forty  acres  of  land  and  to  the 
cultivation  and  improvement  of  that  prop- 
erty he  gives  a  part  of  his  time  and  at- 
tention. He  was  instrumental  in  having  a 
store  and  postoffice  established  here  and  his 
labors  are  an  element  in  the  growth  and  de- 
velopment  of    the    district. 

Dr.  Harris  was  married  in  1900  to  Miss 
Olive  I.  Thompson,  a  native  of  Nebraska, 
and  a  daughter  of  B.  Thompson.  They  have 
three  children.  Violet.  J.  B.  and  Gladys  Pau- 
line. Dr.  Harris  belongs  to  Piute  Camp.  No. 
77,  K.  0.  T.  M..  which  he  was  instrumental 
in  organizing.  This  camp  has  now  thirty 
members   and    the    organization    is    building 


a  home  for  it,  thirty  by  fifty  feet,  and  two 
stories  in  height,  the  lower  tioor  being  used 
as  the  auditorium.  Dr.  Harris'  professional 
connections  are  with  the  Washington  State 
Medical  Society  and  the  American  Medical 
Association.  Through  their  proceedings  he 
keeps  in  touch  with  what  is  being  done  by 
eminent  members  of  the  profession  and  he 
is  ever  quick  and  ready  to  adopt  improved 
methods  tending  to  promote  the  usefulness 
of   the  medical  fraternity. 

NILLUS  McMillan,  who  has  been  a 
resident  of  Oregon  for  the  past  quarter  of 
a  century,  was  for  a  number  of  years  ac- 
tively and  successfully  identified  with  gen- 
eral agricultural  pursuits  and  is  now  en- 
gaged in  the  feed  business  at  Garibaldi. 
His  birth  occurred  in  Ohio  on  the  20th  of 
.June,  1853,  his  parents  being  J.  W.  and 
Isabelle  (Monroe)  McMillan,  both  of  whom 
were  natives  of  Pennsylvania.  Removing  to 
Ohio  in  an  early  day,  they  remained  resi- 
dents of  that  state  until  1854,  when  they 
took  up  their  abode  in  Cedar  county,  Iowa. 
Subsequently  they  went  to  Hardin  county, 
that  state,  and  later  to  Humboldt  county, 
Iowa,  where  they  made  their  home  for  three 
years.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period 
they  returned  to  Hardin  county  and  there 
continued  to  reside  until  called  to  their 
final  rest.  Unto  them  were  born  eight  chil- 
dren, four  of  whom  are  yet  living. 

Xillus  McMillan  attended  the  common 
schools  in  the  acquirement  of  an  education 
and  when  a  youth  of  sixteen  began  earn- 
ing his  own  livelihood,  being  employed  as  a 
farm  hand  until  1SS6,  In  that  year  he  came 
to  Tillamook  county,  Oregon,  and  took  up  a 
homestead  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
near  Bay  City.  Subsequently  he  spent  five 
years  on  a  homestead  claim  in  Clatsop 
county,  Oregon,  and  still  owns  the  property. 
After  returning  to  Tillamook  county  he 
purchased  a  tract  of  one  hundred  and  seventy 
acres  on  Garibaldi  beach.  He  had  charge  of 
the  cannery  of  S.  Elmore  &  Company  for  a 
period  of  ten  years  and  is  now  acting  as 
freight  agent  at  Garibaldi.  He  is  likewise 
engaged  in  the  feed  business  there  and  has 
won  a  gratifying  measure  of  success  in  his 
undertakings,  being  a  man  of  sound  judg- 
ment and  keen  discrimination. 

In  1875  Mr.  McMillan  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Sarah  J.  Fleming,  a  native  of 
Hardin  county.  Iowa,  by  whom  he  has  two 
children:  Charles  W..  who  is  a  student  in  the 
college  at  Eugene;  and  Donna  E.,  who  at- 
tends the  high  school  at  Bay  City.  From 
1887  to  93  :Mrs.  McMillan  was  a  teacher  in 
the  public  schools  of  Tillamook  county,  hav- 
ing previously  followed  the  same  vocation 
for  ten  years  in  Humboldt,  county,  Iowa. 

In  politics  Mr.  McMillan  is  a  stanch  re- 
publican, loyally  supporting  the  men  and 
measures  of  that  party.  He  served  on  the 
school  board  for  eleven  years  and  the  cause 
of  education  has  ever  found  in  him  a  warm 
friend.  At  the  present  time  he  acts  as  fire 
warden  of  this  district.  Fraternally  he  is 
identified  with  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows,  belonging  to  Lodge  Xo.   95   at 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


927 


Bay  City.  Wliile  giving  close  attention  to 
his  personal  interests,  he  has  never  lost  sight 
of  his  duty  as  a  citizen,  being  deeply  inter- 
ested in  all  matters  pertaining  to  the  public 
welfare  and  giving  of  his  time  and  means 
toward  the  advancement  and  promotion  of 
the  community  at  large. 

HON.  WILLIAM  H.  CANON  is  the  popu- 
lar and  energetic  ma3or  of  Medford,  the  city 
in  which  he  has  established  his  home  and 
where  he  has  succeeded  himself  in  that  of- 
fice for  two  terms.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Medford  bar  and  in  the  active  practice  of 
his  profession  in  Jackson  county.  His  birth 
occurred  in  Sullivan  county,  New  York,  on 
the  31st  of  September,  1857,  his  parents  be- 
ing Henry  and  Catherine  (Schermerhorn) 
Canon.  The  father  was  one  of  the  well 
known  educators  in  the  Empire  state,  di- 
viding his  profession  as  a  teacher  with  his 
interests  as  an  agriculturist  at  his  home 
farm  located  in  Sullivan  county.  New  York, 
where  he  died  in  the  year  1860.  His  widow 
some  years  later  was  again  married,  and  at 
a  time  when  the  subject  of  this  review  was 
nine  years  of  age  she  removed  with  her 
family  to  the  middle  west,  locating  her  home 
in  the  state  of  Wisconsin. 

William  H.  Canon  was  reared  at  home 
and  received  his  early  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  the  districts  in  which  he 
lived.  At  tlie  early  age  of  fourteen  years 
he  took  upon  himself  the  burden  of  self- 
support.  Being  of  an  inquiring  mind  and 
inclined  to  intellectual  pursuits,  he  was  soon 
able  by  constant  industry  and  the  practice 
of  economy  to  provide  himself  with  sufficient 
funds,  with  which  he  pursued  a  course  of  study 
in  the  college  at  Madison,  W'isconsin,  and  later, 
liaving  engaged  in  the  study  of  law.  he  was 
admitted  to  practice,  on  the  6th  of  February, 
1878,  in  Clark  county,  Wisconsin.  In  the 
year  1883  he  was  admitted  to  practice  in  the 
United  States  courts  and  for  some  years 
following  was  one  of  the  prominent  law 
practitioners  in  the  Badger  state.  While 
there  he  served  for  two  terms  as  district 
attorney  of  Lincoln  count}-,  Wisconsin,  hav- 
ing his  residence  at  Merrill  in  that  state, 
of  which  city  he  was  one  of  the  members 
of  the  first  town  council.  He  also  was 
elected  to  the  ofllce  of  county  judge  of  Lin- 
coln county  and  in  that  capacity  he  contin- 
ued to  serve  the  people  for  a  number  of 
years,  following  himself  in  several  succes- 
sive elections.  During  his  residence  in  Mer- 
rill he  frequently  served  as  a  member  of 
the  town  council.  Under  Cleveland's  first 
administration  he  was  appointed  to  the  of- 
fice of  postmaster  of  the  city  of  Merrill  and 
later,  under  his  second  administration,  he 
received  the  appointment  of  United  States 
marshal  for  Lincoln  county  and  was  for  two 
terms  (four  years)  chief  clerk  of  the  United 
States  land  office  of  Wisconsin.  On  account 
of  failing  health  he  withdrew  temporarily 
from  the  practice  of  his  profession  and  en- 
gaged in  the  real-estate  and  insurance  busi- 
ness, removing  in  1906  to  southern  Cali- 
fornia, where  he  spent  fifteen  months  in 
rest    and    observation,    seeking    health.      In 


March,  1907,  he  established  his  residence  at 
Medford,  this  state,  where  he  has  since  con- 
tinued to  reside.  One  year  after  becoming 
a  citizen  of  this  commonwealth,  in  August. 
1908,  he  received  the  appointment  of  United 
States  land  commissioner  for  this  portion  of 
Oregon,  an  office  in  which  he  is  still  serv- 
ing the  public.  He  is  also  the  deputy  clerk 
of  the  United  States  court  for  this  state,  in 
active  incumbency  of  the  duties  belonging 
to  that  office.  In  January,  1909,  he  was 
elected  mayor  of  Medford  "and  reelected  to 
that  office  in  January,  1911.  As  the  chief 
executive  of  the  city  of  Medford  he  has 
given  luiiversal  satisfaction  and,  being  a  man 
of  both  legal  and  political  experience,  lie  is 
unusually  fitted  to  give  the  people  of  Med- 
ford an  administration,  signalized  for  effi- 
ciency and  economy,  and  the  development 
and  installation  of  public  utilities  of  all 
kinds,  required  in  a  well  regulated  and  en- 
terprising community. 

On  the  1st  of  January,  1880,  Mr.  Canon 
was  married  to  Miss  JIargaret  Taylor,  of 
Ripon,  Wisconsin,  by  whom  he  had  three 
children,  two  of  whom  survive,  namely: 
Verne,  who  is  engaged  in  business  as  bill 
poster  of  Medford;  and  Fay,  who  is  connected 
with  the  paving  contracting  business  with  the 
firm  of  Clark,  Henry  &  Company.  Mr.  Canon 
is  a  democrat  in  politics,  having  followed  the 
fortunes  of  that  great  political  organiza- 
tion during  all  of  his  public  life.  Fraternally 
he  is  identified  with  the  Benevolent  Protect- 
ive Order  of  Elks,  belonging  to  iledford 
Lodge,  No.  1168.  He  is  likewise  connected 
with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  of  Medford. 
Hon.  William  H.  Canon  is  indeed  one  of  the 
useful  men  of  southwestern  Oregon.  During 
almost  the  entire  period  of  his  active  busi- 
ness career  he  has  been  in  various  offices 
of  public  trust,  thus  bringing  his  life  and 
work  constantly  into  the  limelight  of  pub- 
lic attention.  He  is  a  man  not  only  skilled 
in  the  science  of  the  legal  profession  but 
deeply  versed  in  the  management  of  national, 
state'  and  municipal  affairs.  These  qualifi- 
cations are  sufficient  in  themselves  to  make 
of  Mr.  Canon  a  citizen  unusually  adapted  to 
serve  the  interests  of  the  people  in  a  public 
capacity.  He  is  highly  esteemed  for  his  social 
characteristics  and  the  moral  effect  of  his 
life  of  acknowledged  integrity  is  felt  through- 
out   his   adopted   county   and  city. 

WILLIAM  INGLEDUE,  who  resides  near 
Woodville,  is  a  carpentiT  by  trade  and.  al- 
though he  has  given  most  of  his  attention 
to  building,  owns  a  well  improved  farm  of 
forty  acres,  upon  which  he  resides  nnilwhicli 
he  operates.  Ho  was  born  in  Ohio.  Novem- 
ber 29,  isne,  a  son  of  Eber  R.  and  Mary 
(Kirk)  Tngledue.  The  father  was  a  native 
of  Virginia,  while  the  mother's  birth  oc- 
curred in  Ohio,  and  after  (heir  marriage  they 
moved  to  Michigan,  where  both  passed  nwny. 
They  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  five 
of  whom  are  living. 

William  Ingledue  received  his  education 
in  the  district  schools  and  remained  under 
llie  parental  roof  until  he  was  of  age.  lie 
then    became    a    cattle    herder,    being    thus 


928 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


employed  for  four  years,  after  wliicli  lie 
learned  the  carpenter's  trade  and  at  that 
employment  he  has  been  engaged  for  the 
greater  part  of  his  time.  Before  leaving 
Michigan  he  purchased  a  farm  of  eighty 
acres  there  and  lived  upon  that  property  for 
seventeen  years.  In  1S94  he  emigrated  to 
Oregon  and  settled  in  Jackson  county,  where 
he  bought  a  farm  of  forty  acres,  upon  which 
iie  now  makes  his  home.  His  farm  is  well 
improved  and  yields  generous  returns  for 
the   time  and   labor  expended  upon  it. 

Mr.  Ingledue  has  been  married  twice,  his 
first  union  being  in  1870  with  Miss  Millie 
Frost,  who  passed  away  in  1906.  His  second 
marriage  occurred  in  February,  19.10,  when 
he  wedded  Jlrs.  Mary  Owings,  wlio  was  born 
in  East  St.  Louis,  Illinois,  and  came  to  Ore- 
gon in  1874.  Mr.  Ingledue  is  mdependent 
politically  and,  being  a  man  of  more  than 
average  ability  and  possessing  an  excellent 
reputation,  has  held  several  township  offices. 
He  is  highlj'  regarded  by  a  large  circle  of 
friends  and  acquaintances  and  greatly  es- 
teemed by  all  who  know  him. 

THEODORE  GREEN.  Having  been  a  resi- 
dent of  Washington  county  for  thirty-five 
years,  Theodore  Green  has  been  an  observer 
of  its  remarkable  development  from  a  rang- 
ing and  timber  country  into  one  of  the  most 
highly  cultivated  agricultural  districts  of  the 
state.  He  is  a  native  of  the  state  of  Wis- 
consin, his  birth  occurring  in  1870,  and  a 
son  of  Henry  and  ISTellie  (Kuhman)  Green. 
The  parents  were  born  and  reared  in  Holland, 
whence  they  emigrated  to  the  United  States, 
settling  in  Wisconsin  during  the  pioneer 
])eriod.  There  the  father  engaged  in  farm- 
ing until  1876,  when  together  with  his  wife 
and  family  he  crossed  the  prairies  to  the 
northwest.  Upon  their  arrival  in  this  state 
they  located  in  Washington  county,  where 
Mr.  Green  continued  to  be  identified  with 
farming  until  his  demise  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
seven.  He  was  survived  for  many  years  by 
his  widow,  who  liad  parsed  the  eighty-first 
anniversary  of  her  birth  when  summoned  to 
her  final  rest  in  1911.  They  were  the  par- 
ents  of  eleven   children. 

As  he  spent  the  first  six  years  of  his  life 
in  his  native  state,  Theodore  Green  there  be- 
gan the  education  that  was  completed  in  the 
common  schools  of  this  county.  AVhile  mas- 
tering the  common  branches  as  is  usual  in  all 
agricultural  districts  his  youthful  energies 
were  directed  along  useful  and  helpful  lines, 
and  he  early  became  proficient  in  performing 
the  simpler  tasks  about  the  farm.  As  the 
years  brought  ability  and  strength  his  du- 
ties increased,  so  that  by  the  time  he  had 
attained  his  majority  he  was  a  skilled  and 
capable  agriculturist.  He  remained  at  home 
assisting  with  the  operation  of  the  farm 
until  he  was  twenty-four,  when  he  be- 
gan for  himself.  His  first  position  was 
on  a  cattle  ranch  in  eastern  Oregon,  where 
he  spent  a  year.  At  the  expiration  of  that 
period  he  returned  to  this  county  and  re- 
suTued  farming,  giving  his  undivided  atten- 
tion to  this  vocation  until  1900.  He  then 
again  withdrew  from  the  work  of  the  fields 


and  during  the  succeeding  five  years  fol- 
lowed logging.  Feeling  convinced  at  the  end 
of  that  time  that  agriculture  att'orded  greater 
opportunities  and  more  lucrative  returns  he 
returned  to  farming,  and  lias  ever  since  been 
identified  with  this  activity.  At  the  pres- 
ent time  he  is  operating  one  hundred  and 
fifty  acres  of  rented  land,  but  he  owns  a 
tract  of  twenty-three  acres  in  the  vicinity  of 
Cornelius,   Oregon. 

Mr.  Green  established  a  home  for  himself 
by  his  marriage  on  the  13th  of  July,  1898, 
to  Miss  ilinnie  Marsh,  a  daughter  of  J.  W. 
and  Antoinette  Marsh,  who  are  mentioned 
at  greater  length  elsewliere  in  this  work. 
To  Mr.  and  ilrs.  Green  have  been  born  two 
children:  Wilfred  A.,  whose  birth  occurred 
on  the  13th  of  June,  1899;  and  Lawrence 
T..  who  was  born  on  September  24,  1900. 
Tlie  mother  is  a  woman  of  pleasing  person- 
ality and  manner,  who  was  afforded  the  ad- 
vantages of  a  high-school  education. 

Both  Mr.  and  ilrs.  Green  are  communi- 
cants of  the  Roman  Catholic  church,  in  the 
faith  of  which  denomination  they  are  rear- 
ing their  sons.  Politically  he  gives  his  sup- 
[lort  to  the  men  and  measures  he  deems  best 
qualified  to  serve  the  highest  interests  of 
the  general  public  irrespective  of  party  affili- 
ation. Mr.  Green  has  never  been  an  aspir- 
ant to  public  honors  or  the  emoluments  of 
office,  although  he  can  always  be  depended 
upon  to  do  his  duty  in  forwarding  every 
progressive  movement  which  will  advance  the 
interests  of  the  community  or  promote  its 
development. 

JOSEPH  A.  HAINES,  who  resides  in  Mon- 
mouth, is  the  owner  of  a  ranch  of  eight 
hundred  and  five  acres  in  Curry  county, 
where  he  was  formerly  engaged  in  stock- 
raising.  He  was  born  in  Tazewell  county, 
Illinois,  August  8,  1828,  a  son  of  Alfred 
and  Mary  (Leeper)  Haines,  the  father  a  na- 
tive of  Kew  Jersey  and  the  mother  of  Ohio. 
Alfred  Haines  was  five  years  of  age  when 
he  removed  with  his  parents.  Mr.  and  Mrs, 
Joseph  Haines,  to  Ogle  county,  Ohio,  ,where 
the  father  purchased  a  timber  farm  and  re- 
sided until  1837.  At  that  date  he  came  to 
Tazewell  county,  Illinois,  making  the  entire 
journey  with  ox  teams.  Joseph  Haines  died 
there  in  1843  and  his  wife,  preceding  him 
by  ten  years,  died  in  1833.  He  engaged  ex- 
tensively in  farming  and  was  the  father  of 
twelve  children. 

Their  son,  Alfred  Haines,  had  no  chance 
to  attend  school  in  his  early  days  but,  be- 
ing persistent  and  energetic,  he  read  a  great 
deal  and  became  self-educated.  He  married 
in  Ohio  and  moved  to  Tazewell  county  with 
his  parents  and  later  settled  in  Pike  county, 
Illinois,  where  his  wife  died  August  12,  1840. 
In  1845  he  sold  his  farm  and  went  to  White- 
side county,  Illinois,  where  he  resided  until 
1862,  when  he  came  to  Oregon,  locating  in 
Douglas  county.  Of  his  first  marriage  were 
born  six  children:  Joseph  A,,  of  this  review: 
William  W..  who  is  in  the  tanning  business 
at  Eugene,  Oregon,  and  owns  one  of  the 
oldest  tanneries  in  that  section  of  the  coun- 
try, being  also   the   owner   of  a  tannery  at 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


929 


Scottsburg,  Oregon,  and  one  at  Everett,  Wash- 
ington; Rebecca,  who  became  the  wife  of 
Dr.  F.  Meyers  and  is  now  deceased;  Grizella, 
deceased;  Jamison,  a  resident  of  Iowa;  and 
Susan,  who  is  tlie  wife  of  John  Overfeldt, 
of  Oklahoma.  After  the  deatli  of  his  lirst 
wife  Alfred  Haines  was  married  again,  his 
second  union  being  with  Sarah  Nixon,  a  na- 
tive of  Indiana,  and  they  became  the  parents 
of  six  children:  Caroline,  of  Portland;  Ben- 
ton and  Josephine,  deceased;  and  Louis, 
James  and  Ed,  all  of  whom  reside  at  Klkton, 
Oregon.  Alfred  Haines  served  in  the  Black 
Hawk  war.  He  died  at  Grants  Pass,  Ore- 
gon, in  January,  1887,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
two,  and  his  second  wife  passed  away  at 
Elkton,  Oregon. 

Joseph  A.  Haines  was  reared  under  the 
parental  roof  and  remained  at  home  until 
1851,  when  he  and  his  brother,  William  W., 
and  Holloway  Cushman  on  April  19,  1851, 
started  west  with  ox  teams.  They  crossed 
the  Mississippi  river  at  Albany,  Illinois,  and 
proceeded  to  The  Dalles,  in  Oregon,  where 
they  arrived  October  19,  and  settled  in  Linn 
county,  Oregon,  three  and  one-half  miles 
south  of  Albany.  Joseph  A.  Haines  resided 
in  Linn  county  until  1857,  when  he  removed 
to  Scottsburg,  Oregon,  and  in  1860  went  to 
Curry  county,  where  he  purchased  his  ranch 
of  eight  hundred  and  five  acres  and  was  ex- 
tensively engaged  in  stock-raising.  His  ranch 
was  known  as  the  Union  Ranch  and  it  be- 
came a  well  known  place  for  travelers  to 
stop  over  night  on  their  journey  to  the 
west,  as  many  as  thirty  persons  having  been 
known  to  stop  there  in  one  night.  For  ten 
years  ilr.  Haines  was  postmaster  at  Eckley, 
Oregon. 

On  the  10th  of  December,  1833.  Mr.  Haines 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Elenor 
Chaffee,  who  was  born  in  Whiteside  county, 
Illinois,  and  was  the  daughter  of  Simeon 
and  Mary  (Cushman)  Chaffee,  the  fathi^r  a 
native  of  Canada  and  the  mother  of  Ohio. 
the  father  removed  to  Whiteside  county,  Illi- 
nois, where  he  was  married,  and  later  went 
to  Sterling.  Illinois.  In  early  life  he  worked 
in  a  foundry  but  later  followed  the  occupa- 
tion of  farming.  He  died  in  1S44.  and  after 
his  death  his  wife  married  Daniel  Moore- 
house,  of  New  York.  In  1853  they  removed 
to  Oregon  and  located  at  Albany,  where  Mr. 
Moorehouse  purchased  land.  He  died  in  Ben- 
ton county,  Oregon,  and  the  mother  passed 
away  at  Dallas.  By  her  first  marriage  she 
had  two  children:  Elenor,  who  is  now  Mrs. 
•Joseph  A.  Haines;  and  -\delia,  who  is  the 
wife  of  .John  Hauser,  of  Leavenworth,  Wash- 
ington. By  her  second  marriage  she  became 
the  mother  of  four  children:  Ottilie;  Henry, 
who  resides  in  Washington;  Wallace,  who 
lives  in  Missouri;  and  Hattie,  who  married 
Nolan  Grubb,  of  Albany,  Oregon,  Mr,  and 
Mrs,  Haines  have  become  the  parents  of  four- 
teen children:  .Josephine,  who  is  the  wife  of 
Frank  Meyer,  of  Port  Townsend,  Oregon; 
Alfred,  who  died  at  the  age  of  three  years; 
Ed,  who  is  the  owner  of  a  fruit  ranch  at 
Watsonville,  California:  Charles;  L,  L.,  a 
ranchman  of  Curry  county,  Oregon:  .Tami- 
son  L.,  a  ranchman  of  Caldwell,  Idaho:  Ru- 


pert, who  is  marshal  at  Burns,  Harney 
county,  Oregon;  Ida,  who  is  the  wife  of  E. 
W.  Murphy,  of  Los  Angeles,  California;  Os- 
car, a  miner  in  Alaska;  Ruby,  who  is  the 
wife  of  H.  S.  Portwood,  a  merchant  of  Mon- 
mouth, Oregon;  May,  the  wife  of  E.  W. 
Staats,  a  farmer  and  merchant  at  Airlie, 
Oregon;  Marion,  who  died  at  the  age 
of  eleven  years;  Harriet,  who  is  the  wife  of 
H.  C.  Hampton;  and  Chaffee  D.,  who  is  en- 
gaged in  the  automobile  business  at  Los 
Angeles,  California. 

In  politics  Mr.  Haines  is  a  republican  and 
has  served  as  county  commissioner  and  liUcd 
other  county  offices.  Both  he  and  his  wife 
are  zealous  members  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church.  He  has  passed  through  the 
pioneer  times  and  is  well  acquainted  with 
the  early  development  of  the  country.  Al- 
ways active  in  whatever  enterprise  seems 
worth  while,  he  has  ever  borne  an  unassail- 
able reputation  as  a  progressive  and  prosper- 
ous citizen. 

GEORGE  WILLIAM  KNIGHT  is  one  of 
the  foremost  business  men  of  Hubbard, 
where  he  has  been  successfully  engaged  in 
the  general  mercantile  business  for  the  past 
thirteen  years.  A  native  of  this  state,  his 
birth  occurred  in  Canby,  on  the  14th  of 
April,  1874,  his  parents  being  Charles  and 
Catherine  (Schriver)  Knight.  The  father 
was  born  and  reared  in  Pittsburg,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  was  one  in  a  family  of  six  chil- 
dren. The  paternal  grandfather  was  mar- 
ried twice  and  to  him  and  his  second  wife 
were  born  two  children,  Mr.  and  Mrs,  Cliarles 
Knight  passed  the  earl.v  years  of  their  mar- 
ried life  in  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania,  whence 
they  later  removed  to  Butler,  Misso\iri, 
They  continued  to  reside  there  until  1S,")2, 
when  they  crossed  the  plains  to  Oregon  locat- 
ing in  Clackamas  county,'  In  his  early  man- 
hood, in  Pennsylvania,  the  father  followed 
the  mason's  trade,  but  he  later  engaged  in 
the  drug  business  and  when  he  came  to  Ore- 
gon he  opened  a  pharmacy  at  Canby,  which 
he  conducted  until  his  death  in  189.'),  He 
was  survived  by  the  mother,  who  passed 
away  in  1898,  They  were  the  parents  of 
nine"  children,  as  follows:  Louisa,  the  wife 
of  William  Grant,  who  is  engaged  in  the 
restaurant  business  in  Seattle,  Washing- 
ton; Hannah,  who  died  in  infancy;  Susan, 
who  is  also  deceased;  Esther,  who  married 
.Tohn  McCullen.  a  ranchman,  of  Montana; 
Henry,  who  is  living  in  Seattle;  George  Wil- 
liam, our  subject;  Charles,  who  was  killed 
in  a  railroad  accident;  and  two,  who  died  in 
infancy. 

The  education  of  George  William  Knight 
was  acquired  in  the  common  schools  of  his 
native  town.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  years 
he  left  home  to  make  his  own  way  in  the 
world.  He  was  first  employed  as  a  bell  boy 
in  a  hotel  in  Portland,  now  referred  to  as 
the  old  Gillman  House,  Six  months  later 
he  gave  up  this  position  to  work  with  a 
steam  shovel  outfit,  continuing  in  that  em- 
ployment for  a  year,  .\t  the  expiration  of 
(hat  period  he  returneil  to  Canby  and  oper- 
ated a  small  ranch  belonging  to  his  father. 


930 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


A  year  later  lie  withdrew  from  agricultural 
pursuits,  taking  a  position  in  a  general  mer- 
cantile store  of  Canby.  He  remained  in  the 
employ  of  this  firm  for  six  and  a  half  years, 
applying  himself  to  acquiring  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  business  with  the  expecta- 
tion of  engaging  in  it  on  his  own  behalf 
later.  Being  thrifty  and  enterprising  he 
managed  to  save  enough  out  of  his  salary 
to  go  into  business  for  himself  in  1890.  He 
became  associated  with  Peter  Susbough  and 
together  they  purchased  the  general  mercan- 
tile store  of  Mr.  Bebee.  They  conducted  it 
as  a  partnership  concern  until  1904,  when 
Mr.  Knight  bought  out  the  interest  of  Mr. 
Susbough  and  has  ever  since  been  sole  pro- 
prietor of  the  establishment.  During  the 
period  of  his  ownership  he  has  greatly  in- 
creased the  business,  and  now  has  one  of  the 
largest  and  most  prosperous  stores  in  the 
town.  In  the  conduct  of  his  enterprise  he 
has  followed  a  policy  that  has  enabled  him 
to  win  the  confidence  and  good-will  of  his 
patrons  and  he  now  enjoys  an  excellent 
trade.  He  carries  a  large  and  carefully  as- 
sorted stock  of  merchandise  adapted  to  meet 
the  varied  tastes  and  means  of  his  custom- 
ers, the  quality  of  his  wares  always  being 
fully  commensurate  with  the  prices.  In  the 
development  of  his  interests  Mr.  Knight  has 
met  with  most  gratifying  success  and  be- 
sides his  fine  store  is  the  owner  of  a  large 
stone  residence  that  he  occupies  in  Hubbard 
and  two  other  lots  and  dwelling  houses 
which  he  rents,  and  he  likewise  liolds  the 
title   to  two  lots   in   Portland. 

For  his  wife  and  helpmate  ilr.  Knight 
chose  Miss  .Minnie  Whitney,  who  was  born 
in  this  state  on  the  19th  of'  September.  1SS3, 
and  is  a  daughter  of  .John  and  Annie  (Fel- 
ler) Whitney,  also  natives  of  Oregon.  One 
child,  who  died  in  infancy,  was  born  to  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Knight.    • 

Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient 
Order  of  United  Workmen.  Independent  Or- 
der of  Odd  Fellows  and  Knights  of  Pythias. 
He  has  held  all  of  the  chairs  in  the  latter  or- 
der and  is  a  member  of  the  Grand  Lodge 
and  for  the  past  five  years  has  served  on 
its  finance  committee.  He  gives  his  sup- 
port to  the  republican  party  and  has  been 
a  member  of  the  city  council  for  six  years, 
during  two  of  which  he  was  chairman  and 
he  was  also  a  member  of  the  Canby  council 
for  four  years.  Mr.  Knight  is  one  of  the 
representative  men  of  the  town,  whose  high 
standards  of  citizenship,  enterprising  and  pro- 
gressive ideas  and  active  interest  in  all  mat- 
ters of  public  welfare  have  won  him  the  es- 
teem and  loyalty  of  his  fellow  townsmen. 

GEORGE  NODURFT  in  the  successful  cul- 
tivation of  one  hunilred  and  sixty  acres  of 
land  near  Myrtle  Creek.  Oregon,  is  carry- 
ing out  the  agricultural  principles  with 
which  he  became  familiar  as  a  boy  upon  his 
father's  farm,  and  is  attaining  that  success 
which  invariably  results  from  system  and 
science  in  any  field  of  labor.  George  No- 
durft  was  born  in  Indiana.  .Tune  12,  1864. 
and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Ruth  ( Brown  1  No- 
durft,    of   %vhom    more    extended    mention    is 


made  on  another  page  of  this  work.  He  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
his  native  state  and  came  to  Oregon  when 
he  was  thirty-two  years  of  age.  He  has 
been  identified  with  agriculture  in  Douglas 
county  since  that  time  and  is  now  farming 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land,  which 
he  has  developed  and  improved  progressively 
and  scientifically.  He  has  pursued  a  con- 
stant policy  of  development,  and  is  interested 
in  every  new  phase  of  modern  agriculture. 
He  has  improved  his  land  by  fencing  his 
fields,  building  barns  and  outbuildings  and 
adding  to  his  equipment  whenever  it  is 
needed.  He  is  numbered  among  the  enter- 
prising and  representative  citizens  of  this 
section,  and  is  recognized  as  an  active  force 
in   agricultural   development. 

In  1S96  ilr.  Xodurft  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Eflie  Gabbert,  a  native  of 
Oregon,  and  to  their  union  four  children 
were  born.  Marie,  Gertie,  Louise  and  George, 
all  of  whom  are  living  at  home.  Mr.  Xo- 
durft  keeps  himself  well  informed  upon  pub- 
lic questions,  although  he  has  never  sought 
office.  He  is  identified  with  the  Woodmen  of 
the  World,  belonging  to  Myrtle  Creek 
Lodge,  but  this  forms  his  only  fraternal  af- 
filiation. He  devoted  himself  exclusively  to 
the  carrying  on  of  his  agricultural  enter- 
prise. He  is  practical  and  systematic  in 
all  his  activities,  and  his  success  is  the  re- 
sult of  well  directed  labor. 

JOHN  NODURFT.  Farming  in  its  more 
modern  and  progressive  aspects  finds  a 
worthy  representative  in  .John  Nodurft, 
who,  although  his  residence  in  Oregon  dates 
only  from  1892,  is  already  numbered  among 
the  men,  who  are  promoting  the  welfare  of 
the  section  and  influencing  its  development. 
He  was  bor.n  in  Indiana,  October  24,  1831, 
and  is  a  son  of  George  and  Elizabeth  (Mil- 
ler) Nodurft,  the  former  a  native  of  Ger- 
niany  and  the  latter  of  Pennsylvania.  The 
lather  lived  in  Indiana  until  his  death  in 
1898,  having  survived  his  wife  eight  years, 
her  death  occurring  in  1890.  j\Ir.  Xodurft 
is  one  of  eight  children  born  to  his  parents. 

He  received  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  state,  and  remained  in 
Indiana  until  1902.  During  the  period  of  his 
residence  in  Indiana  he  was  engaged  in  the 
operation  of  a  large  sawmill,  which  he  con- 
ducted succossfuHy  for  twenty-five  years. 
He  also  engaged  in  general  agriculture,  and 
laid  the  foundation  of  his  scientific  activi- 
ties along  this  line  in  Oregon.  He  came  to 
this  section  in  1902  and  purchased  a  ranch 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  on  Myrtle 
creek,  which  he  now  operates  successfully. 
He  has  brought  his  land  to  a  highly  improved 
and  developed  state  by  personal  supervision 
and  by  constant  pursuit  of  a  policy  of  ex- 
])ansion   along  modern  and  progressive  lines. 

In  1856  Mr.  Xodurft  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Ruth  M.  Brown,  a  native  of 
Indiana,  and  to  their  union  were  born  five 
children:  William,  who  is  deceased;  George 
A.:  Dora  E..  who  has  passed  away;  Katie-; 
and  ilanison.  who  is  also  deceased.  In  his 
political  views  Mr.  Nodurft  is  a  stanch  re- 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


931 


intbliean,  but  has  never  souglit  ollice.  Ho 
has  been  a  member  of  the  ilasonic  frater- 
nity for  forty-two  years,  and  formerlj-  held 
the  position  of  secretary  of  his  lodge.  lie 
affiliates  with  the  Christian  church  and  is 
a  man  of  exemplary  character.  He  is  well 
versed  in  the  details  of  agriculture  and  is 
always  guided  in  his  business  relations  by 
keen  and  discriminating  judgment.  His 
farm,  highly  developed  and  productive  to  the 
highest  degree,  pays  tribute  to  his  care  and 
skill,  and  marks  him  as  an  individual  force 
in  the  upbuilding  of  a  great  farming  section. 

S.  C.  BARTRTJM  is  a  well  known  forest 
supervisor  of  the  forest  service  department 
of  agriculture.  He  has  jurisdiction  of  the 
Umpqua  Xational  Forest,  having  held  that 
responsible  position  since  1903.  and  at  the 
present  writing'  (1912)  is  the  oldest  in  point 
of  service  in  his  department  in  the  United 
States.  He  was  born  in  Franklin  county, 
Vermont,  March  4,  1S65,  and  is  a  son  of 
Daniel  P.  and  L.  Almira  (Sturdevant)  Bar- 
trum,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Ver- 
mont and  who  were  descended  from  old  Xew 
England  families.  The  great-great-grand- 
father Bartrum  was  a  veteran  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary war.  The  mother  of  Daniel  P.  Bar- 
trum bore  the  maiden  name  of  Gould  and 
was  a  cousin  of  the  late  .Jay  Gould,  the  Wall 
street  wizard.  That  branch  of  the  Gould 
family  of  which  our  subject  is  a  direct  de- 
scendant located  in  Vermont.  On  the  ma- 
ternal side  he  is  a  descendant  of  the  Holland 
Dutch  famil}'  of  Sturdevants. 

Daniel  P.  Bartrum,  the  father  of  S.  C. 
Bartrum,  removed  from  his  native  state  and 
settled  in  Cook  county.  Illinois,  in  1874, 
where  he  continued  to  live  until  1891.  In 
that  year  he  moved  to  Oregon,  locating  in 
Douglas  county  and  was  there  actively  en- 
gaged in  general  farming  for  twelve  years. 
His  wife  died  in  1892  and  some  eight  years 
later  he  took  up  his  home  in  Eoseburg  with 
his  son,  S.  C,  of  this  review,  with  w-hom  he 
continued  to  live  until  the  time  of  his  death, 
which  occurred  December  31,  1908.  He  was  a 
stanch  republican  but  never  a  seeker  for  pub- 
lie  office.  He  was  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war, 
having  enlisted  from  Vermont  in  the  Ninth 
Vermont  Volunteer  Infantry,  with  which  he 
continued  for  three  years  and  three  months. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  ilasonic  order  for 
many  years  and  during  later  years  of  his 
life  he  held  membership  in  Laurel  Lodge, 
No.  13,  of  Roseburg. 

S.  C.  Bartrum  was  reared  at  home  and  re- 
ceived his  early  education  in  the  public 
schools  and  in  the  high  schools  of  Chicago 
and  later  pursued  a  business  course  in  the 
Chicago  Business  College  of  Chicago.  Illinois. 
After  completing  his  studies  in  the  business 
college  he  obtained  a  position  as  collector 
and  solicitor  for  the  grain  and  banking  house 
of  E.  G.  JIcEwin  Company  of  Chicago,  and 
while  in  their  employ  was  advanced  to  the 
management  of  the  business,  in  which  cai)ac- 
ity  he  served  for  a  period  of  five  years.  In 
1891  he  came  to  Oregon  and  located  in  Doug- 
las county,  where  for  the  ten  following  years 
he  was  engaged  in  general  fanning.     In  1899 


he  entered  tlie  forestry  sei'vice  as  ranger  and 
in  1902  was  promoted  to  the  position  of 
forest  supervisor,  having  jurisdiction  over 
the  Umpqua  Xational  Forest,  which  consists 
of  an  area  of  one  million  acres.  In  1908  he 
was  assigned  to  duty  in  Washington,  where 
he  remained  for  a  period  of  five  months,  after 
which  he  returned  to  Roseburg,  where  his 
offices*  are  now  located. 

In  1887  Mr.  Bartrum  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Gertrude  Buzzell,  of  Chicago, 
Illinois,  and  they  became  the  parents  of  one 
son,  C.  De  F.  Bartrum,  who  is  now  engaged 
in  the  general  mercantile  business  in  Tiller, 
Oregon.  The  first  wife  of  S.  C.  Bartrum 
passed  out  of  this  life  in  .June,  1906,  and 
in  1907  Mr.  Bartrum  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Myrtle  A.  Carnell,  of  Portland, 
Oregon,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  two 
children,  Ian  Kenneth  Gilford  and  Cleo  Dor- 
othy Myrtle. 

Mr.  Bartrum  belongs  to  the  republican 
party  and  has  served  one  term  as  deputy 
assessor  of  Douglas  county.  He  was  also  for 
some  time  connected  with  the  old  Plain 
Dealer,  which  was  the  republican  paper  of 
Roseburg  and  later  was  succeeded  by  the 
Umpqua  Valley  News.  Mr.  Bartrum  is  a 
member  of  Roseburg  Rising  Star  Lodge,  No. 
174.  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and 
of  Roseburg  Lodge  No.  326,  B.  P.  0.  E.  He 
is  a  stockholder  and  director  in  the  Rose- 
burg National  Bank  and  owns  and  operates 
a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  lo- 
cated one  and  one-half  miles  east  of  Rose- 
burg. S.  C.  Bartrum  is  one  of  the  enterpris- 
ing citizens  of  his  county  and  is  intimately 
identified  with  the  agricultural  interests  of 
the  district  in  which  he  lives  and  also  in  the 
public  development  and  general  prosperity 
of  his  adopted  city. 

CHARLES  J.  DODD,  a  retired  farmer  and 
stockman  of  Lane  county,  is  the  owner  of 
a  highly  cultivated  and  well  improved  ranch 
comprising  one  hundred  and  thirty-one  acres, 
located  two  miles  east  of  Eugene  and  known 
as  the  Blue  Ribbon  Fruit  Farm.  He  was 
born  in  Sangamon  county,  Illinois,  December 
22,  1839.  and  is  a  son  of  Josiah  and  Eliza- 
beth (Duncan)  Dodd.  The  parents  were  both 
natives  of  Virginia  but  were  married  in 
eastern  Tennessee,  and  continued  to  make 
that  state  their  home  until  1838.  In  the 
latter  year  they  removed  to  Sangamon 
county,  Illinois,  the  mother  making  the  en- 
tire journej-  on  horseback.  The  father  bought 
a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Springfield,  which 
he  operated  until  1854.  when  he  disposed  of 
his  holdings  and  together  with  his  family  re- 
moved to  Iowa.  They  located  in  Mahaska 
county  where  he  purchased  some  land  which 
he  operated  until  his  death.  The  mother 
survived  him  many  years,  passing  away  in 
1876.  Six  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and 
Sirs.  Dodd  of  whom  our  subject  is  the  young- 
est. In  order  of  birth  the  others  are  as 
follows:  John  D.,  who  died  in  Linn  county, 
Kansas;  Nancy  Young,  the  wife  of  C.  T. 
Sexton,  who  was  a  resident  of  Iowa  at  the 
time  of  her  death;  Mary  J.,  who  died  at 
Los  Angeles,  California;  and  Wiliam   V.,  who 


932 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTOET  OF  OREGON 


was  captain  of  an  Iowa  regiment  during 
the  Civil  war  and  lost  his  life  at  the  battle 
ot  Hatchie,  ilississippi.  The  eldest  child,  a 
daugliter,  died  in  Tennessee. 

Charles  J.  Dodd  was  only  a  youth  of  six- 
teen   years    when    his    father    passed    away. 
He  continued  to  operate  the  home  farm  and 
care   for  his   widowed   mother  and   attended 
for  one  year  Greencastle  College.    His  leisure 
hours  he  devoted  to  improving  his  education, 
and  subsequently  engaged  in  teaching  duriiK' 
the  winter  months,  being  identified  with  this 
profession   in   both   Iowa   and   Missouri.      In 
July,  1S61,  he  enlisted  in  Company  E.  Thirty- 
third    Iowa    Volunteer    Infantry    for    three 
years.     Previous  to  his  enlistment  he  partic- 
ipated in  the   battle  of  Wilson  Creek,   as   a 
member  of  the  First  Iowa  Infantry.    In  Feb- 
ruary,  1862,  he   contracted  the  measles   and 
was   discharged   on  account   of  physical   dis- 
abilitj-,    but    on   the    1st   of   April.    1863,   he 
returned  to  the  service,  having  been  commis- 
sioned provost  marshal  and  enrolling  officer. 
He  continued  to  serve  in  this  capacfty  until 
the   following   February,   when   he  reenlisted 
as  a  member  of  Company  H,  Third  Iowa  Vol- 
unteer Infantry  and  was  commissioned  chief 
of  scouts.     He  was  four  times  wounded  and 
five  times  captured  but  was  never  imprisoned 
during  the  war.     He  participated  in  some  of 
the  notable  battles  and  was  wounded  at  the 
siege   of  Atlanta   at   the   time   General  ilac- 
phersoii    was   killed.     Together    with    George 
J.    Reynolds   of   the   Fifteenth   Iowa    he    s^e- 
cured  the  body  of  the  dead  general,  and  was 
later  awarded  the  highest  medal  of  honor  in 
the  army  of  the  Tennessee  for  this  by  Gen- 
eral Sherman.     He  was  honorably  discharged 
at  Louisville,  Kentucky,  on  the  15th  of  July, 
1865,  and  returned  to  Iowa.     Upon  resuming 
civil  life  he  took  up  the   study  of  law  and 
was   admitted   to   the    bar,   and    for   twenty 
years    engaged    in    general    practice    in    the 
courts  of  the  latter  state.    At  the  end  of  that 
time  he  gave  up  his  profession  and  retired 
to  his  farm  and  for  sLs  years  thereafter  de- 
voted his  attention  to  the  breeding  and  rais- 
ing of  trotting  horses  and  shorthorn  cattle. 
In    1889,   he   disposed   of   his    interests    in 
Iowa    and    came    to    Oregon,    purchasing    his 
present  ranch.     There  he  engaged  in  general 
farming    and    fruit    raising   for   many    years. 
but  he  is  now  living  retired,  the  income"  from 
his  farm  together  with  his  other  means  pro- 
viding him  with  all  the  comforts  and  many 
of  the  luxuries  of  life.     Mr.  Dodd  has  been 
engaged  in  various  pursuits  during  the  long 
period  of  his  active  career  and  for  five  years, 
from  1872  to  1ST7,  he  was  in  the  service  of 
the   Pinkerton   Detective   Agency. 

On  the  17th  of  June.  1860,  Mr.  Dodd  was 
miited  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary  A.  Kirkpat- 
rick,  a  native  of  Griggsville,  Illinois,  and  thev 
traveled  life's  journey  together  for  fifty- 
one  years,  Mrs.  Dodd  passing  awav  on  the 
15th  of  November,  1911.  Their  family  num- 
bered eight:  Lillian  E.,  the  wife  of  Isaac 
Cline,  a  resident  of  Lane  county.  William 
S,  who  is  also  a  resident  of  this  county; 
Minnie  May,  who  married  Frank  B.  Cliase,  of 
Lane  county;  Emma  A.,  the  wife  of  Henrv  E. 
Wiley,    likewise    of    Lane    county;    Lulu"  B., 


who  married  Frank  Kingsley,  a  resident  of 
Lane  county;  Nellie,  who  married  John 
Lryan  ot  this  county;  Myrtle  I.,  the  wife  of 
L.  Robert  Crawford,  of  Lind,  Washington: 
and  Hattie  E.,  who  married  Charles  Meyers 
of  Springfield,  Oregon. 

The  family  affiliate  with  the  Methodist 
Lpiscopal  church,  and  Mr.  Dodd  votes  the 
straight  republican  ticket.  Starting  out  for 
himself  while  still  in  his  early  youth  he 
was  given  few  advantages,  but  he  was  am- 
bitious and  energetic  and  persevered  until 
he  obtained  a  good  education.  Close  obser- 
vation, wide  reading  and  definite  and  well 
directed  habits  of  thought  enabled  him  to 
acquire  an  extensive  range  of  information  on 
a  variety  of  subjects,  and  he  became  known 
as  one  of  the  best  spellers  in  his  section  of 
the  state,  and  is  now  thoroughly  posted  and 
converses  fluently  on  all  public  questions  or 
topics  of  current  interest. 

HON.  A.  C.  MARSTERS.  One  of  the  fore- 
most citizens  of  Roseburg.  Oregon,  and  a 
man  always  actively  interested  In  the  pro- 
motion of  any  enterprise  looking  toward  its 
financial  and  social  development  is  Hon.  A. 
C.  Marsters,  who  occupies  the  position  of 
cashier  of  the  Roseburg  National  Bank.  He 
has  been  active  for  many  years  along  vari- 
ous lines  in  that  city  and  "has  probably  had 
more  influence  tlian  any  other  one  factor  in 
the  organization  of  its"  many  financial  and 
public  institutions.  He  is  a  native  of  Minne- 
■^ota,  where  his  birth  occurred  October  29, 
i  859.  His  parents  were  Stephen  S.  and  Jennie 
(McKee)  Marsters,  the  former  a  native  of 
Ohio  and  the  latter  of  Pennsylvania.  Their 
marriage  occurred  in  Indiana,  where  they  had 
removed  with  their  parents,  and  after  a 
short  time  spent  in  Minnesota  thev  crossed 
the  plains  to  California  and  in  1S68  came 
north  to  Oregon,  locating  in  Roseburg.  The 
father  was  a  well  known  physician  and  sur- 
geon for  many  years  in  this  "city,  served  for 
three  terms  as  coroner  of  Douglas  county 
and  was  active  in  republican  circles  all  dur- 
ing his  life.  He  and  his  wife  were  active 
workers  in  religious  circles  and  were  devout 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  The 
lather's  death  occurred"  about  1893  and  he 
was  survived  by  his  wife  until  1907. 

A.  C.  Marsters  acquired  his  early  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  of  Minne"sota  and 
California.  After  completing  his  studies  he 
was  engaged  for  several  years  in  the  live- 
stock business  in  eastern  Oregon  and  Nevada, 
and  in  1881  entered  the  drug  business  in 
Roseburg,  Oregon.  This  he  conducted  as  an 
individual  enterprise  until  1898,  when  the 
business  was  incorporated  as  the  Marsters 
Drug  Company,  of  which  our  subject  is  the 
president.  In  1907  he  organized  the  Rose- 
burg National  Bank  and  on  .January  6  of 
the  following  year,  the  doors  of  the  new  in- 
stitution were  thrown  open  for  business  with 
A.  C.  Marsters  as  cashier,  in  which  capacity 
he  has  served   continuously  ever  since. 

In  1888  Mr.  Marsters  was  united  in  mar- 
riage ^  to  Miss  Ida  Mitchell,  a  daughter  of 
•Tames  Mitchell,  who  came  to  Roseburg  from 


A.  C.  MAliSTERS 


THE  NEW 

PUBLIC   im.m 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


935 


Missouri  in  the  early  'SOs.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Marsters  are  tlie  [larents  of  one  child,  Lyle 
E.,  who  occupies  the  position  of  clerk  in  the 
Roseburg  National  Bank.  The  family  is  well 
known  in  social  and  religious  circles  of  Rose- 
burg and  Mrs.  Marsters  is  active  and  prom- 
inent in  the  ^Methodist  Episcopal  church,  of 
which  institution  A.  C.  Marsters  is  serving 
as  trustee. 

In  liis  political  views  Mr.  Marsters  is  a 
stanch  republican  and  has  taken  an  active 
part  in  local  ali'airs.  He  has  twice  served  as 
mayor  of  tlie  city,  his  first  term  being  from 
1904  to  1906  and  his  second  term  from  1909  to 
1911.  In  1S99  he  was  elected  to  represent  his 
district  in  the  .state  senate,  serving  from  1900 
to  1903.  He  also  served  subsequently  in  a 
special  session  of  the  state  assembly  and  his 
influence  and  weight  have  always  been  given 
to  worthy  causes.  His  vote  may  be  counted 
upon  for  an}-  project  looking  toward  the  de- 
velopment and  prosperity  of  his  city.  He  is 
one  of  the  foremost  men  in  Roseburg  at  the 
present  time  and  is  possessed  of  that  rare 
quality  of  public  spirit  which  is  inseparable 
from  true  citizenship. 

HON.  JOHN  S.  SHOOK  has  left  the  im- 
press of  his  individuality  and  his  ability  upon 
many  lines  of  development  in  the  Yonna 
valley  of  Oregon,  and  his  history  constitutes 
an  important  chapter  in  the  annals  of  this 
section  of  the  state.  He  was  born  in  Ripley 
county,  Indiana,  February  26,  1841,  and  is 
a  son  of  Amon  and  Katharine  (Yost)  Shook. 
The  father  was  born  in  Jefferson  county, 
Indiana,  November  25,  1814,  and  the  mother's 
birth  occurred  in  Jennings  county,  the  same 
state,  March  11,  1821.  They  were  married 
in  Ripley  county  Indiana  and  four  of  their 
children,  Mary,  John,  Isaac  N.  and  Hattie, 
were  born  there.  In  1847  they  removed 
westward  to  Davis  county,  Iowa,  where  they 
secured  government  land  which  they  improved 
and  cultivated.  In  1864  the  parents  came 
with  their  son,  .John  S.,  to  the  Rogue  River 
valley,  settling  near  Phoenix,  Jackson  coun- 
ty, Oregon,  and  after  live  or  si.x  years,  in 
tiie  spring  of  1869,  they  came  to  the  ranch 
which  is  still  in  possession  of  the  family, 
securing  this  as  a  homestead  claim.  Their 
remaining  days  were  spent  in  the  Yonna  val- 
ley, the  father  reaching  the  advanced  age  of 
eighty-seven  and  the  mother  that  of  eighty- 
nine  years,  llis  political  support  was  given 
to  the  republican  party  and  his  religious 
faith  was  that  of  the  Christian  church,  hold- 
ing membership  in  one  of  the  congregations 
of  that  denomination  while  in  Iowa.  To 
him  and  his  wife  were  born  nine  children: 
Mary  Jane,  who  became  the  wife  of  James 
Sutton,  both  of  whom  are  deceased;  John  S.; 
Isaac  N..  of  Ashland:  Hattie,  who  is  the 
widow  of  George  Parker,  of  Los  Angeles; 
Fannie,  who  is  the  wife  of  Emil  Schumann, 
of  Guatemala  City,  Central  Am<'riea,  where 
he  conducts  a  large  plantation;  David  A., 
a  ranchman  living  near  his  brother  John; 
William  H..  a  ranchman  of  Yonna  valley, 
who  deals  in  horses;  Ada  the  wife  of  .Jacob 
Rueck.  of  Yonna  valley;  and  Peter,  who 
died  at  the  acre  of  twent3'-six  years.  All  of 
Vol.  rv— 89 


this  family  came  with  their  parents  first  to 
Jackson  county  and  those  who  came  to  Kla- 
math county  later  on,  following  our  subject, 
were  Isaac  N.,  David  P.,  William  H.  and 
Peter. 

John  S.  Shook  resided  with  his  parents 
in  Iowa  until  1863,  when  he  went  to  Susan- 
ville,  California,  where  he  remained  until 
the  fall  of  1864.  He  then  came  to  the  Rogue 
River  valley  with  his  parents  and  secured  a 
ranch  in  that  district.  Gradually  he  worked 
into  the  cattle  business  and  while  herding 
his  stock  in  this  section  of  the  state  he  dis- 
covered the  Yonna  valley  in  April,  1S6S.  He 
called  it  Alkali  valley,  after  the  Alkali  lake, 
but  .subsequently  when  the  district  became 
settled  the  name  was  changed  to  the  Yonna 
valley.  In  1S68  Mr.  Shook  came  here  with 
his  brother  and  the  following  year  his  par- 
ents arrived  and  the  family  home  was  here 
established.  At  length  John  S.  Shook  left 
his  property  in  the  care  of  his  father  and 
brothers  and  went  to  Bonanza,  where  he  se- 
cured a  homestead  which  included  the  greater 
part  of  the  springs  of  that  locality.  He  built 
a  little  sawmill  there  and  the  first  lumber 
he  used  to  erect  a  small  schoolhouse  and  be- 
came the  teacher  of  the  first  school.  He 
operated  his  sawmill  for  six  hours  per  day 
and  taught  six  hours,  having  about  thirty 
pupils,  who  came  to  him  from  an  area  of 
ten  miles.  He  was  also  ttie  first  postmaster 
as  well  as  the  first  school  clerk  and  the  first 
justice  of  the  peace.  He  named  the  town 
Bonanza,  regarding  this  as  a  fitting  name  be- 
cause of  the  different  big  springs  in  the  dis- 
trict. The  first  merchant  of  the  town  was 
Albert  Handy,  who  served  as  Mr.  Shook's 
deputy   postmaster. 

With  the  growth  and  development  of  the 
town  and  district  along  many  lines  Mr. 
Shook  has  been  most  successfully,  actively 
and  helpfully  associated.  He  assisted  in  or- 
ganizing the  Odd  Fellows  lodge  at  Klamath 
Falls  and  at  Bonanza.  He  and  his  brothers, 
Isaac  N.  and  William,  enlisted  as  scouts  in 
the  Modoc  war  under  Captain  ().  C.  Applegate, 
and  John  S.  was  a  non-commissioned  officer. 
Taking  ten  men  and  his  brother,  Isaac  N. 
with  liim  he  brought  seven  families  out  of 
Langells  valley  through  to  Klamath  Falls 
and  while  on  the  way  had  a  battle  with  the 
Indians  about  a  mile  south  of  Bonanza,  on 
the  old  Langells  Valley  road.  In  1SS2  he  re- 
turned to  tlie  Yonna  valley,  where  he  at  once 
engaged  in  ranoliing  and  in  the  live-stock 
business,  buying  and  selling  cattle.  He  and 
his  brother  David  had  fifteen  hundred  head 
of  cattle  on  the  ranch  at  one  time,  indicat- 
ing something  of  the  extent  of  their  opera- 
tions in  that  direction.  The  family  owned 
over  throe  thousand  acres  in  this  district, 
John  S.  and  his  brother  David  being  the 
possessors  of  the  greater  part  of  this.  In 
1906  they  divided  their  ranch  and  stock 
iriterests  and  have  since  operated  independ- 
ently. Mr.  Shook  has  gone  through  the  usual 
experiences  of  the  ranchmen  on  the  frontier 
and  knows  all  of  the  hardships  and  diffi- 
culties which  such  a  life  involves.  About 
1S80  he  was  instrumental  in  suppressing  the 
first  gang  of  cattle  and   horse   thieves,  who 


936 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


were  apprehended,  and  they  offered  three 
hundred  donars  for  his  scalp.  He  was  also 
instrumental  in  suppressing  the  second  gang 
that  invaded  the  district.  On  one  occasion 
the  leader  of  this  gang,  George  Goodlaw, 
went  to  Jlr.  Shook's  home,  called  him  out 
and  told  him  he  had  come  to  kill  him.  It 
was  an  occasion  that  demanded  the  death  of 
one  or  the  other  and  in  self-defense  Mr. 
Shook  shot  his  assailant,  for  he  had  been 
warned  by  the  sheriff  and  others  to  be  on 
his  guard,  for  the  desperado  had  bragged 
that  he  was  going  to  shoot  the  whole  Shook 
family.  Before  Goodlaw  was  forced  to  give 
up  his  own  life  he  shot  at  Mr.  Shook,  the 
bullet  grazing  his  ear.  Realizing  then  that 
it  w-as  an  encounter  to  the  death  Mr.  Shook 
fired.  It  cost  him  and  his  two  brothers, 
William  and  David,  about  three  years  in 
time  and  about  eight  thousand  dollars  in 
money  to  suppress  this  second  gang  of  horse 
thieves  that  invaded  the  district,  but  their 
efforts  resulted  in  at  length  placing  three 
of  them  under  the  ground  and  seven  of  them 
in  the  penitentiary.  Mr.  Shook  also  knows 
what  it  means  to  encounter  the  red  men  in 
their  treacherous  warfare.  For  about  two 
months  he  served  under  Captain  0.  C.  Apple- 
gate  in  the  Modoc  war  and  took  part  in  the 
first  battle  of  the  Lava  Beds.  During  the 
big  battle  on  the  17th  of  January,  1S73,  he 
had  charge  of  the  camp  and  after  the  fight 
was  over  had  charge  of  the  ambulance  train 
■which  he  took  through  to  Klamath  Falls. 
All  this  is  but  an  indication  of  many  ex- 
periences which  he  had  as  a  settler  upon  the 
frontier  of  Oregon,  aiding  in  reclaiming  the 
district  for  the  uses  of  civilization. 

Mr  Shook  was  married  in  1905  to  Mrs. 
Cora  (Jones)  Blake,  who  was  born  in  Ohio 
and  was  reared  in  Xebraska. 

In  politics  Mr.  Shook  is  a  republican,  active 
and  influential  in  the  councils  of  his  party. 
He  has  served  as  a  delegate  to  various 
conventions  and  to  two  state  conventions, 
and  in  1905-6  he  represented  his  district  in 
the  lower  branch  of  the  state  legislature, 
during  which  time  all  of  the  bills  which  he 
introduced  became  laws.  He  helped  to  or- 
ganize the  Elks  lodge  at  Klamath  Falls  and 
the  value  of  his  services  to  the  community 
in  which  he  lives  cannot  be  overestimated. 
His  life  experiences  have  indeed  been  ef- 
fectual and  varied  and  his  labors  have  con- 
stituted a  potent  element  in  the  work  of 
progress  and  improvement. 

GEORGE  SPANIOL,  who  is  the  proprietor 
of  a  flour  and 'feed  mill  at  Stayton,  was  born 
in  Rhineland.  Germany.  February  13,  1866, 
the  son  of  John  and  Magdalena  (Schaffer) 
Spaniol.  The  parents,  both  natives  of  Ger- 
many, came  to  the  United  States  in  1882, 
locating  in  Minnesota,  where  they  resided 
for  eight  years,  subsequent  to  which  they 
came  to  Stayton,  where  the  father  passed 
.away  April  '  7,  1912.  The  mother  died 
in  1893  and  was  buried  in  Sublimity,  Ore- 
gon. The  father  was  a  miller  by  occupation. 
They  were  the  parents  of  seven  children: 
Peter,  of  Minnesota;  John,  who  died  in 
1893;    George,   of   this   review;    Matthias,  of 


Portland;  Mary,  who  is  the  wife  of  George 
Forcener,  of  Portland;  Jacob,  of  Stayton; 
and  Katie,  of  Portland. 

George  Spaniol  was  educated  in  Germany 
and  came  to  America  with  his  parents,  re"- 
maining  at  home  with  them  until  the  death 
of  the  mother.  He  worked  in  his  father's 
flour  and  feed  mill  and  continued  in  his 
lather's  employ  until  1904,  when  he  purchased 
the  mill,  which  has  a  capacity  of  twenty-five 
barrels,  and  he  still  operates"  the  same,  now 
owning  all  the  buildings  in  connection.  He 
also  owns  the  Commercial  Hotel  at  .Stayton 
and  eighty-five  acres  of  land  within  the 
city  limits.  He  is  a  share-holder  and  direc- 
tor in  the  Stayton  State  Bank,  of  which  he 
was  one  of  the  reorganizers. 

Mr.  Spaniol  has  been  twice  married.  In 
1S93  he  wedded  Miss  Anna  Zimmerman,  who 
died  in  1899,  leaving  three  children,  Lena, 
Joseph  and  Clara,  all  at  home.  His  second 
union  was  with  Miss  Anna  Bruecher,  whom 
he  married  in  1900,  and  they  have  four  chil- 
dren, Anna,  Ella,  Genevieve  and  Raymond, 
all  at  home.  He  gives  his  political  allegiance 
to  the  democratic  party  and  is  much  inter- 
ested in  its  success  and  welfare.  Fraternally 
he  is  identified  with  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World  at  Stayton,  and  both  he  and  his  wife 
are  members  of  the  Catholic  church  at  Stay- 
ton.  Mr.  Spaniol  is  numbered  among  the 
most  prominent  and  enterprising  business 
men  of  his  town  and  is  a  citizen  who  can 
always  be  depended  upon  to  further  any 
movement  or  measure  instituted  to  promote 
the  general  welfare. 


WARREN  A.  HEYLMAN,  who  practices 
law  in  Estacada,  where  he  has  resided  for 
six  years,  was  born  in  Baraboo,  Wisconsin, 
on  the  15th  of  September,  1853,  and  is  a  son 
of  .Samuel  and  Susanna  (Wilson)  Heylman. 
The  paternal  great-grandparents  of  Warren 
A.  Heylman  were  natives  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  his  grandfather  was  Jacob  Heylman. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Samuel  Heylman  were  married 
in  1852,  and  they  settled  in  Baraboo,  Wis- 
consin, where  they  passed  the  first  four  years 
of  their  domestic  life.  In  1856,  the  father, 
who  was  an  excellent  mechanic  and  a  mill- 
wright by  trade,  removed  with  his  wife  and 
family  to  Eau  Claire,  Wisconsin.  They  made 
their  home  in  the  latter  city  until  1890,  when 
they  went  to  St.  Paul,  Minnesota,  and  re- 
sided there  for  a  time.  Their  next  removal 
was  to  Tennessee,  whence  they  removed,  in 
1894,  to  Independence,  Missouri.  From  there 
they  went  to  Chicago,  Illinois,  but  in  the 
spring  of  1906  they  came  to  Estacada  and 
lived  there  a  year.  At  the  end  of  that  period 
they  went  to  Lents,  this  state,  and  there 
the  mother  passed  away  on  the  26th  of  No- 
vember, 1910,  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight 
years.  The  father,  who  has  passed  the 
eighty- fourth  anniversary  of  his  birth,  is 
still  living  and  continues  to  make  his  home 
in  Lents.  Five  children  were  born  to  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Heylman,  of  whom  our  subject  is 
the  eldest,  the  others  being  as  follows:  C. 
Perry,  who  is  deceased;  DeWitt  C,  who  is 
living  with  his  father  at  Lents;   Clara,  who 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


937 


is  also  deceased;  and  Charles  William,  of  St. 
Paul,  who  is  married  and  has  five  children. 

The  boyhood  and  youth  of  Warren  A. 
Heylman  were  very  similar  in  every  respect 
to  those  of  other  lads  reared  in  the  same 
circumstances.  He  attended  the  public 
schools  in  the  various  places  where  the 
family  resided,  in  the  acquirement  of  an  edu- 
cation, and  at  the  age  of  twenty-three  went 
to  work  with  his  father.  Later  he  became 
city  meat  inspector  in  St.  Louis,  Jlissouri, 
but  deciding  upon  a  legal  career  he,  in  1879, 
took  up  the  study  ot  law,  completing  his 
course  in  IsSl.  During  the  succeeding  four 
years  he  engaged  in  practice,  but  he  sub- 
sequently withdrew  from  the  profession  and 
engaged  in  various  activities.  He  had  charge 
of  the  fine  arts  exhibition  during  the  world's 
fair  in  St.  Louis  in  1904,  and  the  next  year 
he  came  to  Estacada  and  engaged  in  the 
banking  business.  Disposing  of  these  inter- 
ests in  April,  1910,  he  again  turned  his  at- 
tention to  the  practice  of  law.  Although  he 
has  been  engaged  in  practice  for  less  than 
two  years,  he  has  made  gratifying  progress 
and  has  every  reason  to  feel  assured  of  suc- 
cess. Hr.  Heylman  has  acquired  quite 
valuable  realty  holdings  during  the  period  of 
his  residence  here,  and  owns  his  home  and 
also  the  building  where  the  bank  is  located 
and  several  other  pieces  of  business  property, 
and  some  land  in  the  country. 

For  his  wife  Mr.  Heylman  chose  Miss 
Frances  L.  Lee,  who  was  born  on  the  8th  of 
April,  1861,  and  was  married  on  the  nine- 
teenth anniversary  of  her  birth.  She  is  a 
daughter  of  Captain  W.  W.  and  Eliza  Jane 
(Stafford)  Lee  and  is  descended  in  both  lines 
from  old  colonial  families.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Lee  were  the  parents  of  two  children,  Mrs. 
Heylman  and  one  who  died  in  infancy.  To 
Mr"  and  Mrs.  Heylman  there  has  been  born 
one  son,  on  the  2d  of  May,  1881.  He  com- 
pleted his  education  at  the  Chicago  Uni- 
versity and  is  now  married  and  engaged  in 
business  in  Spokane. 

Mr.  Heylman  is  a  member  of  Lone  Pine 
Lodge,  A."  F.  &  A.  M.  He  votes  the  demo- 
cratic ticket  and  takes  an  active  interest 
in  local  affairs  having  served  as  mayor  of 
Estacada,  an  office  which  he  held  for  one 
term  of  two  years,  discharging  his  duties 
most   creditably. 

JASPER  WETHERBEE  resides  on  an  im- 
proved farm  in  .Josephine  county,  near 
Wilderville,  comprising  one  hundred  and 
eighty-five  acres,  which  he  obtained  from  the 
government.  He  settled  on  his  now  valuable 
property  when  the  country  surrounding  it 
was  unsettled  and  has  lived  on  it  continu- 
ously since.  He  was  born  in  Pennsylvania 
May  10,  1855,  a  son  of  Horace  and  Maria 
(Bradford)  Wetherbee.  He  is  one  of  seven 
children  bom  to  his  parents,  with  whom  he 
remained  until  he  attained  his  fifteenth  year. 
He  received  a  good  common-school  education, 
and  on  leaving  home  went  to  the  oil  fields 
where  he  worked  at  drilling  for  four  years. 
When  he  was  twenty-three  years  of  age, 
in  1878,  he  crossed  the  great  American  plains 
with   horse   teams   and  settled  first   in  Linn 


county,  Oregon.  After  working  in  that  sec- 
tion for  a  time  he  removed  to  Josephine 
county  and  settled  upon  one  hundred  and 
eighty-five  acres  of  government  land,  which 
he  took  up  as  a  homestead,  and  upon  which 
he  has  since  made  his  home.  He  improved 
his  farm,  brought  it  under  cultivation  and 
has  made  his  broad  acres  yield  liberally  in 
return  for  the  care  which  he  bestows  upon 
them. 

Jasper  Wetherbee  was  married  in  1879  to 
Miss  Eveline  Louis,  a  native  of  this  state. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wetherbee  have  been  born 
three  children,  Fred,  Guy  and  Nellie.  Mr. 
Wetherbee  believes  in  the  principles  of  the 
republican  party  and  takes  a  commendable 
interest  in  affairs  of  the  state.  He  is  one 
ot  Josephine  county's  substantial  and  rep- 
resentative men,  a  good  citizen  and  a  business 
man  of  ability. 

WILLIAM  JACOBSON,  at  the  head  of  an 
important  general  contracting  business,  has 
proven  his  worth  in  industrial  circles  and  is 
giving  ample  evidence  of  the  fact  that  he  is 
an  energetic  and  progressive  business  man. 
Since  1902,  he  has  been  junior  partner  of 
the  firm  of  Birch  &  .Jacobson.  engaged  in 
bridge  building,  pile  driving  and  house  mov- 
ing. He  was  born  in  ^'inland,  June  12,  1S71. 
His  parents  were  also  natives  of  that  coun- 
try. Both  are  deceased.  Their  family  num- 
bered four  children,  of  whom  Fannie,  the 
wife  of  E.  Rossmus,  and  William,  are  resi- 
dents of  the  United  States. 

The  common  schools  of  his  native  land 
afforded  AVilliara  Jacobson  his  educational 
privileges  and  in  the  year  1892,  when  twen- 
ty-one years  of  age,  he  came  to  Astoria.  He 
found  here  the  opportunities  which  he  sought 
in  coming  to  this  country  and,  recognizing 
the  fact  that  industry  is  the  basis  of  success, 
he  has  labored  earnestly  and  diligently.  His 
first  employment  was  with  the  William  Rose 
Logging  Company  with  which  he  was  con- 
nected for  three  years.  He  then  turned  his 
attention  to  pile  driving  and  bridge  build- 
ing and  in  1902  entered  into  his  present  part- 
nership relation  for  the  carrying  on  of  con- 
tract work  along  those  lines.  The  firm  of 
Birch  &  Jacobson  ranks  high  in  their  field 
of  industrial  activity  and  many  important 
contracts  have  been  awarded  them.  They 
thoroughly  understand  the  scientific  prin- 
ciples which  underlie  their  work  and  also 
the  practical  mechanical  devices  which  are 
an  equally  important  feature  in  the  success- 
ful  execution  of  their  contracts. 

On  the  17th  of  March,  1900,  Mr.  Jacobson 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Mrs.  Mary  (Beck) 
Sanderson,  a  native  of  Finland  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  Herman  and  Maria  Beck,  whose  fam- 
ily numbered  four  children,  of  whom  one  son, 
Herman  Beck,  came  to  the  United  States.  A 
sister  of  Mrs.  Jacobson  also  crossed  the  At- 
lantic. She  was  Mrs.  Carolina  Carlson,  the 
wife  of  Charles  Carlson,  and  her  death  oc- 
curred in  Astoria.  Herman  Beck,  Sr.,  has 
passed  away  but  his  wife,  Alaria  Beck,  now 
lives  with  Mr.  ami  Mrs.  Jacobson  and  has 
reached  the  ripe  old  ape  of  eighty-four  years. 
Three   children   have   been   born   to   Mr.   and 


938 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


Mrs.  Jacobson,  Walfreii,  Elna  and  Hazel.  The 
parents  adopted  Harold  Carlson,  a  son  of 
the  deceased  sister  of  Mi's.  Jacobson,  and 
are  giving  to  liim  a  home  and  all  the  ad- 
vantages provided  their  own  children.  Wal- 
fred  and  Harold  graduated  together  from  the 
grammar  school. 

William  Jacobson  votes  with  the  demo- 
cratic party.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Luth- 
eran church,  which  his  family  also  attend. 
He  is  affiliated  with  the  Improved  Order  of 
Red  Men  and  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America  and  his  wife  is  a  member  of  the 
Royal  Xeighbors.  Earnest,  persistent  work 
has  been  the  rule  of  Mr.  Jacobson's  life  and 
his  unfaltering  purpose  has  enabled  him  to 
overcome  obstacles  and  difficulties  and  ad- 
vance steadily  toward  the  goal  of  prosjier- 
ity,  so  that  lie  is  today  one  of  the  substan- 
tial residents  of  his  adopted  city. 

HENRY  TOHL.  In  the  history  of  com- 
mercial progress  in  Xehalcni  the  name  of 
Henry  Tohriigures  consjiicuously,  for  he  has 
been  "prominently  associated  with  mercantile 
interests  in  the'  city  for  twenty-one  years, 
building  up  a  business  of  large  and  profit- 
able |)ro]>ortions,  wliich  is  now  being  con- 
ducted under  the  firni  name  of  Tohl  &  An- 
derson. The  family  name  indicates  his  Ger- 
man nativity  and  ancestry.  His  parents 
were  Herman  and  Elizabeth  (Linmeyerl 
Tohl,  in  whose  family  were  seven  children, 
of  whom  five  are  yet  living:  Herman,  a 
resident  of  Xehalem":  Henry,  of  this  review: 
Mary,  the  wife  of  Josepli  Effenberger,  of 
Xehalem;  William;  and  Anna,  the  wife  of 
Andrew  Kline,  of  Xehalem.  The  father,  Her- 
man Tohl,  died  in  Xehalem  in  1899.  The 
mother  afterward  lived  with  her  son  Henry 
until  her  death,  which  occurred  in  1907, 
when  she  had  reached  the  ripe  old  age  of 
eightv-three  vears. 

Henry  Tohl  was  reared  in  Germany  and 
is  indebted  to  the  school  system  of  that 
countrv  for  the  educational  i)rivileges  which 
he  enfoved.  Habits  of  industry  and  enter- 
prise were  acquired  bv  him  in  youth  and 
have  constituted  the  basis  of  his  success. 
The  tales  which  he  heard  concerning  the  op- 
portunities and  advantages  of  the  new  world 
led  him  to  the  determination  to  try  his  for- 
tune on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic  and,  land- 
ing in  Xew  York,  he  made  his  way  to  Penn- 
svh-ania.  where  he  worked  in  a  coal  mine  for 
^ome  time.  He  then  resumed  his  westward 
iournev  with  Xebraska  as  his  destuiation 
and  was  emi.lored  there  at  farm  labor  for  a 
period,  but  later  rented  land  and  thus  be- 
gan farming  on  his  own  account.  He  con- 
tinued in  Xebraska  for  about  five  years  and 
in  1884  came  to  Oregon,  settling  m  the  W  U- 
lamette  vallev,  where  he  spent  one  summer. 
He  then  came  to  Tillamook  county,  nuikmg 
his  wav  direct  to  Xehalem,  and  taking  up  a 
homestead  claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  about  a  mile  and  a  half  east  of  the 
town.  Subsequently  he  sold  that  property 
and  purchased  a  tract  of  land  u]ion  which  the 
town  is  now  situated.  Outside  of  what  has 
been  sold  to  home  builders  and  speculators 
he    still    owns    considerable    more    than    one 


hundred  acres.  He  has  been  closely  asso- 
ciated with  the  business  activity  of  this  place 
in  many  ways  but  is  perhaps  most  widely 
known  because  of  his  commercial  interests, 
having  in  1890  established  a  general  mercan- 
tile store,  which  has  developed  into  an  ex- 
tensive enterprise.  He  carries  a  large  and 
well  selected  line  of  goods  and  his  reason- 
able prices  and  honorable  business  methods 
have  constituted  the  salient  features  in  win- 
ning for  him  a  large  patronage.  In  January, 
1910,  he  sold  a  half  interest  in  his  business 
to  A.  C.  Anderson  and  the  store  is  now 
conducted  under  the  firm  style  of  Tohl  & 
Anderson.  In  addition  to  what  remains  of 
the  farm  which  he  purchased  and  upon  which 
Xehalem  has  been  built  he  also  has  exten- 
sive other  real-estate  holdings  in  this  section 
of  the  state  and  in  placing  his  investments 
has  shown  keen  discrimination  and  sound 
judgment. 

Henry  Tohl  has  ever  been  a  stalwart  re- 
publican and,  although  never  an  aspirant  to 
public  office,  has  filled  the  position  of  road 
supervisor  and  was  postmaster  for  four 
years.  Whether  in  office  or  out  of  it  he  is 
always  loyal  in  matters  of  citizenship  and 
faithful  to  any  duty  that  devolves  upon  him 
in  that  connection.  He  belongs  to  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  and  has  many  friends 
both  within  and  without  that  order. 

GEORGE  W.  OWEN  is  one  of  the  promi- 
nent stock  men  of  -lackson  county,  Oregon, 
where  he  is  engaged  in  the  operation  of  his 
ranch  of  seven  hundred  acres  located  three 
miles  south  of  Ashland.  He  was  born  in 
Sacramento,  California,  April  22.  1863,  and 
is  a  son  of  James  and  Susan  (Tulli  Owen, 
the  former  a  native  of  Xew  York  and  the 
latter  of  Kentucky.  They  celebrated  their 
wedding  in  Illinois  and  later  established 
their  home  in  Missouri.  In  1863  the  father 
with  his  family  crossed  the  plains  with  ox 
teams  to  California  and  settled  on  a  ranch 
located  in  that  state  si.x  miles  from  Sacra- 
mento. He  later  removed  to  Siskiyou  county, 
where  he  lived  for  ten  or  twelve  years  and 
then  moved  to  Lassen  county  and  from  there 
to  Xevada,  where  he  remained  for  a  brief 
time  and  then  returned  to  Lassen  county, 
California.  In  1879  he  came  to  Oregon  lo- 
cating in  what  is  now  Klamath  county,  but 
at  that  time  was  a  part  of  Lake  county. 
Here  he  engaged  in  stock-raising,  with  which 
he  continued  to  be  prominently  identified  un- 
til the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
1900.  During  his  residence  in  Oregon  he  was 
one  of  the  enterprising  and  influential  citi- 
zens of  Klamath   county. 

George  W.  Owen  was  reared  .at  home  and 
received  his  early  education  in  the  public 
schools.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  years  he 
became  a  waq-e  earner  and  feeling  the  need 
of  a  better  education,  after  working  for  two 
years,  he  saved  money  to  pay  for  a  course 
at  the  old  Ashland  Academy.  After  complet- 
ing his  studies  at  that  institution  he  re- 
turned to  Klamath  county  and  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  worked  as  an  employe  for  vari- 
ous stock-raisers.  He  later  engaged  in  stock- 
raising  himself  and  some  time  after  w.as  as- 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


939 


sociated  with  liis  brother  ..lames,  with  wlioni 
he  continued  for  a  number  of  years.  In 
1S95  he  sohi  his  interest  in  the  enterprise 
and  came  to  .Jackson  county,  where  he  es- 
tablished his  home  on  seven  hundred  acres 
of  ranch  land  situated  three  miles  south  of 
Ashland  and  there  has  since  continued  to 
reside,  devoting  his  time  and  attention  to 
general    farming   and   stock-raising. 

George  W.  Owen  was  united  in  marriage 
in  1895  to  Miss  Camilla  E.  Walker,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Minus  and  Phoebe  .1.  (Erbl  Walker, 
who  were  early  settlers  of  .Jackson  county. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Owen  one  child  Ims  been 
born,  ilinnie,  who  is  in  her  sophomore  year 
in  the  high  school  at  Ashland.  Jlr.  Owen  is 
affiliated  With  the  republican  party  but  has 
never  been  an  office  seeker.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Ashland  Lodge,  No.  944.  B.  P.  0.  E., 
and  of  Ashland  Lodge,  No.  45,  I.  O.  0.  F. 
George  W.  Owen  is  one  of  the  successful 
and  well  known  stock  men  of  Jackson  county 
and  highly  esteemed  for  his  integrity  and 
is  in  every  way  entitled  to  be  numbered 
among  tlie  desirable  and  useful  citizens  of 
the   comnuiiiity   in   wliicli   he  lives. 

EMMETT  F.  DONAHUE.  Among  the 
younger  men  who  are  coming  forward  in 
Clackamas  county  and  performing  the  duties 
wliich  either  have  been  given  up  by  older 
men  because  of  their  inability  to  carry  on 
the  strenuous  duties  involved  or  because  of 
their  failure  to  meet  with  success  in  those 
particular  lines,  is  Emmett  F.  Donahue.  He 
was  born  November  28,  1880,  in  Clackamas 
countv,  a  son  of  M.  C.  and  Nancy  (Thomas) 
Donahue.  The  father's  birth  occurred  while 
his  family  were  coming  from  Ireland,  tlieir 
native  country,  to  the  L'nited  States,  mak- 
ing the  trip  via  Cape  Horn  to  California. 
Subsequently  they  removed  to  Oregon  in 
1888,  settling  in  Washington  county.  In  the 
grandparent's  family  were  three  children: 
Alice,  deceased;  Kalph,  who  has  also  passed 
away;  and  ^l.  C,  the  father  of  our  subject. 
Mrs."  Donahue's  parents  crossed  the  plains 
from  Missouri  to  Oregon  in  1851,  settling  in 
Yamhill  county,  where  Mrs.  Donahue  was 
born.  .She  was  one  of  seven  children,  the 
others  being:  Martin,  of  Clackamas  county, 
Oreson:  Elizabeth,  who  is  the  wife  of  .Je- 
rome Cockelreese,  of  Sandy:  ilack.  of  Sandy, 
who  is  married  and  has  tliree  children;  Asa, 
a  resident  of  Sandy;  Diana,  the  widow  of 
Clark  St.  .John,  of"  Sandy,  and  the  motlior 
of  two  children.  Ward  and  Walter:  ami 
Frank  Thomas,  of  Estacada,  Oregon,  who 
is  married  and  has  five  children.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Donahue  were  married  in  1870  and  to 
tlicir  union  si.\  children  were  born:  Annie, 
who  is  the  wife  of  I'rank  New,  of  Portland, 
and  the  mother  of  one  child,  Louis;  War- 
ren, of  Lakeport.  who  is  miirried  and  has 
tliree  children:  Nellie,  who  is  married  and 
resides  at  North  Yakima,  Washington;  Em- 
mett F.,  the  subject  of  this  review;  Joseph, 
who  nuikes  his  home  in  Canada;  and  Georgie, 
who  since  she  completed  her  commercial  edu- 
cation has  acted  as  bookkeeper  for  the  Port- 
land   Light   &    Power    Company. 


Emmett  I\  Donahue  started  to  earn  his 
own  livelihood  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years. 
His  first  employment  was  in  a  logging  camp, 
where  he  worked  until  he  was  twenty-three 
years  of  age.  During  these  seven  years  he 
was  careful  in  his  expenditures  and  with 
the  money  which  he  saved  lie  purchased  a 
livery  business.  He  now  enjoys  a  large 
patronage  and  has  been  successful  in  a  line 
of  business  in  which  many  others  had  previ- 
ously failed.  He  operates  the  stage  and 
mail  route  from  Boring  to  Rowe,  Oregon,  a 
distance  of  thirty-one  miles,  and  has  also 
two  automobiles  in  service.  He  is  the  first 
to  make  a  finaniial  success  of  the  stage  busi- 
ness which  is  tlie  more  remarkable,  as  for 
thirty  years  no  one  has  been  able  to  make 
it  pay.  Because  of  the  reliability  of  the 
stages  on  this  route  his  patronage  is  at  times 
so  heavy  that  it  is  necessary  for  him  to 
run  two  or  three  stages  at  a  time.  When 
he  started  in  business  he  had  twenty-two 
hundred  dollars  in  cash;  now  he  owns  his 
home,  his  stables,  a  house  and  lot  in  Sandy, 
two  fine  automobiles,  five  acres  of  land  in 
Boring  and  his  livery  outfit,  which  amounts 
to    about    seventv-five    hunilred    dollars. 

On  tlie  20th  of  May,  1903,  Mr.  Donahue 
was  married  to  Mis,s  Lena  Van  Curen, 
whose  birth  occurred  November  30,  1883.  and 
who  is  a  daughter  of  .John  and  Hetty 
(Daley)  A^an  Curen.  She  is  the  eldest  of 
three  children  born  to  her  ]iarents.  the  others 
being:  Lola,  deceased;  and  Jlauile,  wJio  is 
residing  at  home  with  her  mother,  the  father 
having  died  in  1898.  To  ilr.  and  Jlrs.  Dona- 
hue two  children  have  been  born:  I.,ola, 
whose  birth  occurred  February  IS,  1906; 
and   Francis,   born   December   7.    190S. 

Mr.  Donahue's  political  indorsement  has 
always  been  given  to  the  republican  party 
and  he  is  an  active  worker  in  its  ranks  in 
Clackamas  county.  He  was  elected  con- 
stable and  also  justice  of  the  peace  for 
one  term.  Snbser|uently  he  was  appointed 
deputy  sherift'  and  is  still  serving  in  that 
capacity.  He  holds  membership  in  the  Tn- 
dependent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  Mr.  Dona- 
hue has  not  only  been  industrious  but  has 
evidenced  in  his  transactions  those  qual- 
ities which  make  friends  and.  being  upright 
in  his  dealings  and  interested  in  the  moral 
as  well  as  the  linancial  welfare  of  tlie  com- 
munity, he  enjoys  the  confidence  and  re- 
spect of  all  wJio  know  him. 

FRED  W.  GAEDECKE  is  one  of  the  sturdy, 
ujjright  and  honorable  citizens  which  Ger- 
many has  given  to  the  new  world  in  such 
large  numbers.  He  was  born  in  that  coun- 
try. April  20.  1848.  a  son  of  John  and  .Vnnie 
Givedecke.  both  natives  of  Germany.  He 
received  his  early  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  his  n.ative  country  and  remained 
with  his  parents  until  he  was  twenty-three 
yeiirs  old.  In  1871  he  crossed  the  Atlantic 
to  America,  landing  in  New  York,  and  im- 
mediately went  to  Iowa,  where  he  engaged 
in  genera!  farming  for  twenty-two  years. 
He  bousiht  sixty  acres  of  land  in  that  state 
and  cultivated  and  improved  it  during  that 
period.      In    1893   he   sold   his   Jow:i    holdings 


940 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


and  went  to  Washington,  where  he  worked 
on  a  street  railroad  for  four  years.  At  the 
end  of  that  time  he  came  to  Oregon  and 
M'orked  on  a  ranch  near  Portland  for  a 
short  time.  Later  he  went  to  Douglas 
county  and  bought  the  farm  of  forty 
acres  upon  which  he  now  lives.  This  land 
he  has  since  improved  and  developed.  He  has 
erected  many  buildings  on  it  and  has 
equipped  it  with  modern  farm  implements, 
so  that  it  ranks  today  as  one  of  the  model 
ranches  of  Douglas  county. 

In  1873,  ilr.  Gaedecke  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Mary  Elend,  a  native  of  Ger- 
many. They  are  the  parents  of  five  chil- 
dren. Henry,  Annie,  Herman,  Fred  and  Ed- 
ward. The  son,  Herman,  learned  the  black- 
smith's trade  in  his  early  youth,  at  Van- 
couver, Washington,  and  remained  in  that 
city  for  three  years  working  in  that  busi- 
ness. He  spent  one  year  at  home,  while  em- 
ployed in  the  Columbia  mines,  and  after  one 
more  year  of  blacksmithing  returned  to  the 
mines  and  w-as  appointed  foreman.  He  is 
now  the  owner  of  a  progressive  blacksmith 
shop  near  his  father's  ranch  and  lives  at 
home  with  his  parents.  Fred  W.  Gaedecke 
is  a  consistent  republican,  and  never  seeks 
public  ofBce.  He  and  his  family  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Lutheran  church  of  Booth,  Ore- 
gon, and  have  always  taken  an  active  part 
in  its  affairs,  Mr.  "Gaedecke  is  a  practical 
and  efficient  farmer,  having  devoted  almost 
his  entire  life  to  agricultural  pursuits. 

GEORGE  A.  SEHORN  is  the  popular  pro- 
prietor and  owner  of  the  ^Mapleton  Hotel,  it 
being  the  only  establishment  of  its  kind  in 
the  city  of  Mapleton,  this  state.  His  birth 
occurred  in  Virginia  in  1S6S.  his  parents  be- 
ing Marion  and  Rebecca  (Wallace)  Sehorn. 
who  were  born,  reared  and  married  in  that 
state.  They  continued  to  reside  in  the  Old 
Dominion  until  1870.  when  they  removed  to 
Tehama  county.  California,  where  they 
spent  the  remaining  years  of  their  lives. 
ilarion  Sehorn  passed  from  this  life  at  the 
ase  of  seventy-five  years  and  his  wife 
at  the  age  of'  sixty-eight.  Their  children 
were  seven  in  number,  as  follows:  William, 
a  practicing  physician  of  San  Francisco;  A. 
W.,  of  Willow,"  California,  filling  the  office 
of  recorder  of  deeds;  Bud,  also  of  Willow, 
California;  Elizabeth,  who  is  the  wife  of 
John  Calder  and  resides  in  San  Francisco; 
Mary,  deceased:  George  A.,  of  this  review; 
and   Blair,  who  has  passed  away. 

George  A.  Sehorn  was  reared  in  his  par- 
ents' home  and  educated  in  the  public 
schools.  He  remained  under  the  parental 
roof  until  seventeen  years  of  age,  at  which 
time  he  started  to  make  his  own  way  in  the 
world  and  until  May  25,  1910.  he  was  em- 
ployed as  a  chef  at  difTerent  hotels  through- 
cut  the  state  of  California.  During  these 
years  he  accumulated  property  of  various 
kinds,  which  was  located  at  different  places 
in  California.  On  the  25th  of  May.  1910.  he 
purchased  the  Mapleton  Hotel  at  Mapleton, 
Oregon,  and  has  since  devoted  his  entire  at- 
tention to  the  improvement  and  operation 
of  that  property. 


Mr.  Sehorn  has  been  twice  married.  At 
the  age  of  twenty-one  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Xellie  Basley  and  unto  them 
was  born  one  son.  Louis  A.  In  1892  Mr. 
Sehorn  obtained  a  legal  separation  from  his 
wife  and  subsequently  wedded  Mrs.  Lula 
(Carter)  Hartley,  formerly  the  wife  of  Mark 
Hartley,  of  California,  ilrs.  Sehorn  is  the 
daughter  of  Leonard  and  Elizabeth  Carter. 
Her  mother  died  in  the  state  of  Wisconsin 
many  years  ago  and  her  father  removed  to 
California  in  1877  and  for  five  years  contin- 
ued to  reside  in  that  state,  after  which  he 
moved  to  Oregon  and  settled  in  Lane  county 
upon  a  farm  and  there  continued  to  reside 
for  a  period  of  twenty-nine  years.  He  then 
removed  to  Florida,  where  he  now  maintains 
his  home.  On  leaving  this  state  he  sold  a 
portion  of  his  original  homestead  but  still 
retains  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  that 
place  near  Acme,  Oregon.  To  Leonard  and 
Elizabeth  Carter  three  children  were  bom: 
Mrs.  Mary  M.  Fox,  of  Lane  county;  Xora, 
who  died  in  infancy;  and  Mrs,  Lula  Sehorn. 
By  her  first  husband  Mrs.  Sehorn  had  six 
children,  namely:  Edwin  A.,  who  is  at 
home;  Harvey  K.,  of  California;  Irvin  D„ 
likewise  of  that  state;  Leona  May,  Casner 
B.  and  Erma.  who  died  in  infancy.  Mrs. 
Sehorn  is  the  owner  in  her  own  right  of  val- 
uable real-estate  property  in  Florence.  Both 
she  and  her  husband  are  members  of  the 
Methodist   Episcopal  church  of  Mapleton. 

George  A.  Sehorn  is  the  popular  and  suc- 
cessful owner  and  proprietor  of  the  Maple- 
ton Hotel  and  his  hostelry  is  becoming  wide- 
ly known  through  this  section  of  Lane  coun- 
ty as  one  of  the  best  and  most  carefully 
conducted  institutions  of  its  kind.  He  is  "a 
man  of  great  business  energy  and  always 
quick  to  give  his  influence  and  assistance  "to 
the  interests  of  every  enterprise  of  a  public 
character  that  seeks  to  advance  the  welfare 
and  betterment  of  the  people  of  Lane  county 
and  the  town  of  Mapleton. 

SAMUEL  H.  TETHEROW,  who  is  living 
retired  in  Falls  City,  Oreiron,  was  bom  in 
T'latte  county,  Missouri.  March  6,  1836.  He 
is  a  son  of  Solomon  Tetherow,  who  was  bet- 
ter known  as  "Uncle  Sol,"  and  who  was 
born  in  Tennessee,  of  Gemian  parentage,  his 
father  being  a  native  of  that  country,  who 
settled  in  Tennessee  at  an  early  date."  Solo- 
mon Tetherow,  reared  under  "  the  parental 
roof,  had  no  early  school  advantages.  On 
reaching  manhood  "he  went  to  Platte  county, 
Missouri,  where  he  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Effie  Baker,  of  that  state.  In  1843 
he  removed  with  his  family  to  Texas  but 
on  account  of  sickness  he  returned  with- 
out unpacking  his  wagon  to  Platte  county, 
Missouri,  where  he  purchased  land.  In  IS-is 
he  and  his  brother  David,  with  fifteen  ox 
teams  and  four  wagons,  joined  a  train  con- 
sisting of  sixty-one  wagons  and  three  hun- 
dred men.  of  which  Solomon  Tetherow  was 
the  captain,  and  started  to  cross  the  plains. 
They  went  by  way  of  the  Stephen  Jleek 
route,  on  the  Green  river,  and  by  way  of 
the  ]\Ieek  oit-off,  crossing  near  Wagontire 
mountain   and  thence  turning  north  to   The 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


943 


i'iilles.  From  there  they  drove  the  cattle 
over  the  trail  and  floated  the  goods  down 
on  rafts  to  the  Cascade  Falls.  Solomon  and 
David  Tetherow  made  their  way  to  Polk 
county,  Oregon,  where  they  purchased  of 
Solomon  Sheldon  a  tract  of  land,  which  in- 
cluded the  present  site  of  Dallas.  In  1847 
they  sold  this  land  for  eleven  two-year-old 
heifers  and  went  to  the  forks  of  the  Lucki- 
amute  river,  where  they  took  up  a  land 
donation  claim  of  six  hundred  and  forty 
acres.  Solomon  Tetherow  improved  this 
claim  and  resided  thereon  the  rest  of  his 
life.  In  partnership  with  Fred  Weymer,  in 
1S51  he  bought  a  sawmill  two  miles  north 
of  Falls  City  and  operated  the  same  for 
several  years.  It  was  the  first  sawmill  in 
this  section  of  the  country  and  he  manu- 
laotured  all  the  lumber  for  his  buildings 
there.  He  died  on  his  claim  in  1879,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-nine,  and  his  wife,  having 
preceded  him  by  ten  years,  passed  away  in 
1869,  at  the  age  of  sixty-five.  He  was  a 
very  successful  man,  owning  in  all  about 
eighteen  hundred  acres  of  land,  and  during 
his  time  he  bought  and  sold  much  land  and 
engaged  extensively  in  stock-raising,  making 
a  Specialty  of  hogs  and  sheep.  He  was  a 
stanch  republican  in  politics,  and  both  he 
and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Cum- 
berland Presbyterian  church.  He  was  well 
known  and  highly  respected.  In  his  fam- 
ily were  ten  children:  Evelyn,  of  Polk 
county,  Oregon,  who  is  the  widow  of  Paul 
Hildebrant;  Lucinda,  of  Ashland,  Oregon,  the 
widow  of  William  Parker;  Andrew  .Jack- 
son, who  married  Sophronia  Crowe,  both  of 
whom  are  deceased;  Samuel  H.,  of  this  re- 
view; Thomas  B.,  of  whom  mention  is  made 
on  another  page  of  this  work;  William  L., 
deceased,  who  married  Angeline  .Johnson, 
who  still  resides  in  Colfax.  Washington; 
Emily,  who  became  the  wife  of  Henry  Chris- 
tie and  both  are  now  deceased;  James  P., 
who  died  in  1908  and  was  a  farmer  on  the 
old  homestead  in  Polk  county,  Oregon,  hav- 
ing married  Amanda  Crosby,  who  resides  on 
the  farm;  ilartha,  of  Dallas,  Oregon,  who 
is  the  widow  of  David  Burris;  and  Cynthia 
Ann,  who  married  Richard  M.  Johnson,  of 
Colfax,  Washington. 

Samuel  H.  Tetherow  had  very  meager 
chances  for  an  early  education,  having  to 
go  four  or  five  miles  to  the  district  school. 
He  remained  imder  the  parental  roof  until 
he  was  twenty-two  years  of  age,  or  1858, 
when  he  located  near  the  Luckiamute  river, 
where  he  resided  for  eight  years.  He  then 
went  to  Benton  county  and  purchased  a 
farm  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  but 
after  a  short  time  he  sold  the  same  and 
bought  five  hundred  acres  in  the  foot  hills 
of  the  same  county,  where  he  engaged  in 
stock-raising.  After  five  years  he  sold  out 
and  bought  three  hundred  acres  of  his  old 
homestead,  for  which  he  paid  nine  thou- 
sand dollars.  He  resided  there  until  1S9S. 
when  he  came  to  Falls  City,  where  he  now 
lives.  He  helped  to  build  the  mill  at  Falls 
City  and  for  five  years  was  connected  with 
it,  but  since  then  he  has  lived  retired.  He 
owns  a  beautiful  residence  in  town  and  has 


two  acres  in  small  fruit.  He  also  still  owns 
two  hundred  acres  of  his  old  home  farm. 

Mr.  Tetherow  has  been  twice  married.  In 
1858  he  wedded  Henrietta  M.  Grifforth,  of 
Pike  county,  Missouri,  who  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  John  W.  Grifforth.  The  father  came 
to  Oregon  in  1852  and  located  on  a  farm  of 
three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  near  Buena 
Vista,  in  Polk  county,  and  resided  there 
until  his  death.  Henrietta  M.  Tetherow 
passed  away  in  May,  1887,  leaving  four  chil- 
dren: C.  M.,  who  married  Anna  Ireland 
and  now  owns  one  hundred  acres  of  the 
old  homestead;  King  S..  of  Spokane.  Wash- 
ington: William  K.,  who  married  Ella  Wil- 
liams and  is  a  stock  dealer  in  Colfax,  Wash- 
ington; and  Samuel  B.,  who  married  Effie 
Ireland  and  is  a  farmer  and  stock  dealer  in 
Harvey  Valley,  Oregon.  Mr.  Tetherow's  sec- 
ond union  was  with  Mrs.  Josephine  E.  Hol- 
man,  the  widow  of  Rev.  Preston  Holman, 
a  minister  in  the  Baptist  church.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  Rev.  David  Hubbard,  also  a  Bap- 
tist minister,  who  came  from  Pike  county. 
Illinois,  to  Oregon  in  1852  and  located 
three-quarters  of  a  mile  south  of  Falls 
City,  Oregon.  He  was  the  first  minister  in 
this  part  of  the  state  and  he  also  engaged 
in  farming.  His  wife  was  a  Miss  Thurman. 
She  died  at  Dallas,  Oregon,  and  he  passed 
away  at  his  farm.  By  her  first  marriage 
Mrs.  Tetherow  became  the  mother  of  four 
children :  Frank,  who  married  Lucretia  Mil- 
ler and  is  a  farmer  and  dairyman  at  Dal- 
las, Oregon;  Vivian,  who  became  the  wife 
of  Frank  Bassett  and  is  now  deceased;  Fred 
.J.,  who  married  Beulah  Van  Loam  and  is 
postmaster  of  Black  Rock,  Oregon;  and 
Juanita,  who  is  the  wife  of  W.  E.  Gilbert, 
of  Portland,  Oregon. 

In  politics  Mr.  Tetherow  is  a  stanch  re- 
publican and  he  is  greatly  interested  in  local 
party  issues.  He  has  served  for  two  years  as 
mayor  of  Falls  City  and  was  a  member  of 
the  city  council  for  several  years.  He  is  a 
man  of  strong  personality,  of  excellent  mem- 
ory and.  being  widely  known  in  his  com- 
munity, he  has  a  host  of  warm  friends.  He 
has  led  a  busy,  useful  life  and  deserves  to 
be  classed  with  the  highly  honored  residents 
oi  this  section  of  the  state. 

RICHARD  H.  CLOW  is  one  of  the  hon- 
ored veterans  of  the  Civil  war  and  after 
years  of  devotion  to  business  interests  he 
is  now  in  the  enjoyment  of  a  deserved  and 
well  earned  rest  from  business  activities. 
His  home  is  established  in  Mapleton,  this 
state,  where  he  lives  a  retired  life.  He  was 
born  in  Halifax,  Nova  Scotia,  on  May  25, 
1847,  and  is  a  son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John 
S.  Clow,  who  were  both  natives  of  England, 
where  they  were  united  in  marriage,  and 
in  the  early  history  of  their  married  life 
they  emigrated  to  Nova  Scotia  and  settled 
in  Halif.ax,  where  they  continued  to  reside 
until  the  death  of  Mrs.  Clow,  after  which 
.John  S.  Clow  removed  to  Boston.  Massachu- 
setts, and  was  there  engaged  in  the  pursuit 
of  his  profession  as  an  artist,  m.aking  a 
specialty  of  portrait  painting.  Some  years 
later  he   removed   to   California   and  settled 


944 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


in  San  Francisco  and  at  that  place  passed 
away  at  the  age  of  eighty-four.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  S.  Clow  two  children 
were  born:  Richard  H.,  of  this  review;  and 
Mrs.  Cochrane,  deceased,  formerly  the  wife 
of  Dr.  Cochrane,   of   San  .Jose,  California. 

Richard  H.  Clow  was  reared  at  home  and 
educated  in  the  public  schools  and  later  in 
life  com]pleted  his  education  at  the  Water- 
ville  Academy  of  Maine.  He  removed  to  this 
state  late  in  the  '70s  and  first  settled  at 
Granite.  Grant  county,  where  he  established 
his  residence  and  for  twenty  years  was  en- 
gaged in  mining  throughout  the  districts  of 
the  Pacific  states  and  also  in  various  parts 
of  British  Columbia.  He  is  still  the  owner 
of  valuable  interests  in  a  number  of  the  best 
paying  gold  mines  in  Grant  county.  In  1900 
■"  removed  to  Eugene,  where  he  engaged  in 
the  general  real-estate  business  and  contin- 
ued to  give  his  attention  to  its  interests 
for  a  period  of  six  years,  after  which  he  re- 
moved to  Mapleton  in  1906.  where  he  pur- 
chased the  Mrs.  Bean  homestead.  That 
property'  consisted  of  one  hundred  and  fifty- 
four  acres  well  improved  with  buildings,  one 
of  these  being  a  hotel  and  at  that  time  the 
only  hostelry  at  Mapleton.  Jlr.  Clow,  im- 
mediately after  the  purchase  of  the  Bean 
homestead,  took  possession  of  the  property 
and  was'  engaged  in  the  operation  of  the 
farm  and  the  conduct  and  management  of 
the  Ijotel  for  three  years.  In  addition  to 
these  business  interests  he  also  conducted  a 
feed  stable.  After  devoting  himself  to  the 
attention  of  these  varied  interests  for  three 
years  he  purchased  a  commodious  residence 
in  Mapleton.  where  he  now  lives.  In  addi- 
tion to  his  ranch  of  one  hundred  and  fifty- 
four  acres  adjacent  to  the  town  of  Mapleton 
he  also  owns  ten  acres  of  commercial  tim- 
ber adjoining  his  farm.  Mr.  Clow  enlisted 
during  the  war  in  Company  C.  Thirteenth 
Regiment  of  Infantry.  He  was  first  ser- 
geant of  his  company  and  served  during  the 
last  half  of  the  Civil  war.  During  his  resi- 
dence at  Mapleton  he  has  built  three  fine 
residences  in  that  place  and  is  the  owner  of 
the  city  waterworks,  with  which  he  sup- 
plies the  town  of  JIapleton  with  water  for 
public  and  private  use.  He  was  also  one 
of  tlie  inflviential  pi'omoters  of  the  first  rail- 
road that  reached  JIapleton  and  has  in  many 
ways  contributed  largely  to  varied  public 
improvements  of  the  place.  Among  the  noted 
accomplishments  in  this  particular  was  his 
successful  work  in  securing  the  proper  lo- 
cation for  the  jNIapleton  depot,  an  accom- 
plishment which  is  recognized  by  the  citi- 
zens to  be  one  among  the  most  service- 
able and  enduring  features  in  connection  with 
the  growth  and   convenience   of  the  city. 

In  the  year  ISSO  Mr.  Clow  was  united  in 
marriage  to  IMiss  Lena  Storey,  a  native  of 
Nebraska  and  a  daughter  of  William  and 
Jane  Storey,  to  whom  were  born  eight  chil- 
dren. Her  father  passed  away  at  the 
age  of  eighty  years  and  her  mother 
at  the  age  of  forty-four.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Clow  two  children  have  been  born :  Cora, 
bom  in  1881,  who  is  the  wife  of  Elmer  Mc- 
Bee.    of   Lane    county,    Oregon;    and   Robert 


Denton,  whose  natal  day  was  April  16,  1888, 
and  who  is  at  home.  He  is  by  profession  an 
engineer  and  is  captain  of  the  launch  Valeria. 
Mr.  Clow  is  affiliated  with  the  republican 
party,  following  the  interests  of  that  great 
political  organization  in  its  national  and 
state  campaigns.  Fraternally  he  is  identi- 
fied with  the  Masons  and  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  having  filled  all  of  the 
chairs  in  the  local  lodge  of  tlie  latter  or- 
ganization. He  likewise  belongs  to  the 
(hand  Army  of  the  Republic.  Richard  H. 
Clow  has  been  one  of  the  singularly  useful 
citizens  not  only  to  the  town  of  Mapleton 
but  also  to  the  state  and  county  in  which  he 
lives.  He  has  been  very  successful  in  his 
business  undertakings  and  is  known  to  be  a 
man  of  integrity  in  all  his  dealings  with 
his  fellow  citizens.  He  is  public-spirited, 
ready  to  lead  or  to  follow  any  measure  of 
public  character  which  has  for  its  object 
the  betterment  of  the  people. 

CHARLES  CHENEY.  One  of  the  most 
extensive  owners  of  ranch  lands  in  the  Cow 
Creek  valley  and  a  man  whose  life  has  been 
an  active  factor  in  the  agricultural  devel- 
opment of  that  region  is  Charles  Cheney, 
wlio  operates  a  large  ranch  of  six  hundred 
and  forty  acres  in  this  district.  He  is  a 
native  of  Vermont,  where  his  birth  occurred, 
January  27,  1824.  His  parents  were  Moody 
and  Alice  (^Vl^itney)  Cheney,  the  former  a 
native  of  New  Hampshire  and  the  latter  of 
Massachusetts.  They  were  married  in  ^'er- 
mont  and  in  that  state  their  e;itire  lives 
were  spent.  To  them  were  born  ten  chil- 
dren, of  whom  five  are  still  living. 

Charles  Cheney  received  a  common-school 
edi:cation  in  his  native  state  but  laid  aside 
his  text-books  at  the  age  of  eighteen  to 
take  up  the  mason's  trade  and  at  this  he 
woi'ked  for  twenty  years.  He  spent  some 
time  in  Boston,  working  as  a  carpenter, 
which  trade  he  had  learned  in  his  youth,  and 
in  1876  came  west  to  Oregon  and  settled  on 
a  ho7nestead  in  the  Cow  Creek  valley.  His 
original  holdings  consisted  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  and  these  he  has  improved 
and  operated  for  thirty-six  years.  During 
that  time  he  has  become  a  thorough  master 
of  all  the  details  connected  with  the  culti- 
vation of  the  soil  and  the  raising  of  horses 
and  cattle.  He  takes  a  keen  interest  in 
every  modern  scientific  discovert'  along  ag- 
ricultural lines  and  is  constantly  adding  to 
his  equipment.  The  ranch,  which  was  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  extent  at  the 
time  he  took  up  the  homestead  claim  has 
beer,  added  to  and  now  comprises  six  hun- 
dred and  forty  acres,  making  one  of  the 
largest  holdings  in  the  Cow  Creek  valley. 
Mr.  Cheney  makes  a  specialty  of  stock-rais- 
ing and  in  this  branch  of  his  occupation  has 
been  remarkably  successful.  He  owns  ,a 
large  herd  of  graded  cattle  and  has  this 
branch  of  his  business  under  his  personal 
direction. 

Mr.  Cheney  was  thrice  married.  His  first 
union  occurred  in  1847,  when  he  wedded 
Mi.ss  Mary  Smith.  His  second  union  was 
v.ith   Miss   JIarv    Burzell,  whom   he   married 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


945 


ill  1848,  and  they  became  the  parents  of 
three  children,  two  of  whom  are  deceased. 
George,  the  surviving  child,  is  now  a  resi- 
dent of  Douglas  county.  The  mother  of 
thesi-  children  died  in  1873  and  in  the  follow- 
ing year  ilr.  Cheney  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  .Tennie  Hudson,  whose  death 
occurred  in   1902. 

Politically  Mr.  Cheney  is  a  stanch  repub- 
lican and  has  always  taken  an  active  in- 
terest in  local  party  afl'airs  and  held  town- 
ship ofiices  for  several  terms.  All  during  his 
life  ne  has  shown  himself  to  be  a  public- 
spirited  and  patriotic  citizen,  keenly  inter- 
ested in  the  current  affairs  of  the  time.  In 
his  early  youth  while  still  a  resident  of 
Massachusetts  he  had  the  honor  of  raising 
the  liberty  pole  erected  in  honor  of  Presi- 
dent James  K.  Polk  when  he  was  a  guest  of 
Lowell.  Mr.  Cheney  is  now  in  the  eighty- 
eighth  year  of  his  age  and  can  look  back 
upon  a  long  period  of  prosperity  with  the 
consciousness  of  work  well  done  and  a 
worthy  life  well  spent. 

JOHN  S.  SLOAN,  who  is  living  retired, 
has  been  a  resident  of  ilontavilla  since  1897. 
His  birth  occurred  on  the  19th  of  February, 
1872,  in  Tulaski  county,  Kentucky,  his  par- 
ents being  Harvey  and  ilary  C.  (Hall)  Sloan. 
Tho  father  was  also  born  in  Pulaski  county, 
on  the  30th  of  October,  1834.  and  the 
iiiotlier's  birth  occurred  in  the  same  county, 
on  the  2d  of  February.  1S40.  They  were 
marrii'u  at  the  home  of  her  parents.  Octo- 
ber 31,  1860.  They  removed  to  the  father's 
plantation,  where  they  resided  for  many 
years,  lo  their  union  eight  children  were 
born.  James  Thomas,  who  was  born  August 
29,  1861,  died  on  the  13th  of  June,  1896, 
and  was  survived  by  a  wife  and  three  chil- 
dren. William  Austin,  who  was  born  June 
9,  1864.  is  married  and  makes  his  home  in 
!Montavilla,  Oregon.  Fannie  I.,  who  was 
born  Xovember  17,  1866.  passed  away  on  the 
6th  of  April.  1867.  Maud  E..  born  Sep- 
tember 12.  ISfiS.  became  the  wife  of  .John 
Goggins,  of  Danville,  Kentucky,  and  has 
ten  children.  John  S.,  the  subject  of  this  re- 
view, is  the  next  in  order  of  birth.  Ella 
Etta,  who  was  born  September  10.  1874, 
married  Joe  Waddle,  of  Somerset.  Kentucky, 
and  they  have  five  children.  Ellen  Hall  was 
born  August  19,  1877.  and  makes  her  home 
with  her  parents  in  Kentucky.  Gideon  P., 
of  Portland,  who  was  born  June  12,  1880,  is 
married  and  has  two  sons,  Harvey  and 
Gideon. 

After  pursuing  his  pducati(m  for  a  few- 
years  in  the  public  schools  John  S.  Sloan 
started  at  the  early  age  of  fourteen  years 
to  earn  his  own  livelihood.  He  first  ac- 
cepted a  position  in  a  sawmill  in  Burn- 
side,  Kentucky,  where  he  was  employed  for 
six  months  before  engaging  in  railroad  con- 
struction work.  He  reiAained  to  be  so  em- 
I)loyed  for  two  and  a  half  years.  Later 
lie  went  to  Nebraska  and  was  employed  as 
a  farm  hand  for  one  season  before  coming 
to  Oregon.  He  arrived  in  the  eastern  part 
of  this  state  on  the  20th  of  June,  1890,  and 
settled  in  Eagle  valley,  where  for  three  years 


he  was  engaged  in  stock-raising.  After  his 
marriage  he  settled  upon  a  farm  of  forty 
acres,  which  he  had  previously  purchased 
and  after  residing  there  for  two  years  he 
came  to  Montavilla  in  1897  and  engaged  in 
the  meat-market  business.  After  one  year 
he  sold  out  and  worked  in  various  jiositions 
in  this  line  until  June.  1911,  at  which  time 
he  retired.  He  looks  after  his  real-estate 
holdings,  which  are  constantly  increasing  in 
value  and  he  owns  property  both  in  the  busi- 
ness and  residence  sections,  which  he  has 
acquired  since  his  arrival   in  Montavilla. 

On  the  14th  of  February.  1894.  Mr.  Sloan 
was  married  to  Miss  Harriett  E.  Reed,  of 
Baker  City.  Her  birth  occurred  on  the  25th 
of  October.  1875.  Iier  parents  being  G.  X.  and 
Sarah  C.  (Swisher)  Reed.  She  is  the  eldest 
of  seven  children  born  to  her  parents. 
Valira  A.,  the  deceased  wife  of  Clarence  L. 
Spaugli,  left  three  children,  one  of  whom  is 
residing  with  our  subject  and  the  other  two 
with  ;Mrs.  Spaugh's  mother.  Abrani  D.,  de- 
ceased, was  married  and  left  two  children. 
Anna  became  the  wife  of  (ieorge  M.  Moody, 
of  Richland,  Oregon,  and  had  five  children, 
four  of  whom  survive.  Calvin  JL  is  married 
and  makes  his  home  at  Gaston,  Oregon.  Don- 
nie  became  the  wife  of  0.scar  Ingle,  deceased, 
and  has  one  child.  Gladys,  the  youngest 
member  of  the  family,  makes  her  home  with 
her  parents.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sloan  two 
children  have  been  born:  Sarah  Catherine, 
whose  birth  occurred  on  the  3d  of  January, 
1895.  and  who  since  she  completed  a  busi- 
ness-college course  has  occupied  a  position 
as  bookkeeper;  and  Fannie  Margaret,  who 
was  born  June  8,  1900,  and  is  attending 
school.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sloan  are  also  rearing 
Abram  Spaugh,  a  son  of  Mrs.  Sloan's  sister. 
His  birth  occurred  on  the  22d  of  September, 
1904. 

Although  Mr.  Sloan  is  in  sympathy  with 
the  principles  and  policies  of  the  democratic 
party,  he  casts  his  vote  more  for  man  or 
measure  than  for  party.  He  has  never  sought 
office  but  has  always  maintained  a  citizen's 
interest  in  the  political  welfare  of  his  com- 
munity. He  is  responsible  in  a  large  degree 
for  the  rapid  improvement  and  development 
of  ilontavilla.  In  religious  faith  he  was 
reared  a  Presbyterian  and  he  holds  mem- 
bership in  the  United  Artisans.  The  fam- 
ily residence  is  at  1975  East  Alder  street, 
oiie  of  the  most  hospitable  homes  in  Port- 
land—and their  cordiality  has  won  tliem 
many  friends. 

JOSEPH  G.  SHEBLEY  is  enthusiastic  con- 
cerning the  mineral  resources  of  Jackson 
county  and  this  section  of  Ori'gon.  and  he 
bases  his  enthusiasm  u]ioii  accurate  knowl- 
edge and  understanding  of  mining  conditions. 
He  has  since  1906  been  connected  with 
mining  interests  in  the  county,  having  in 
that  year  organized  the  White-Sheblcy-Hunt 
Jliniiig  Company.  He  was  born  in  Nevada 
county,  California.  October  19.  1866,  and  is 
a  son  of  .loseph  Vincent  and  Janette 
(Schmidt)  Shebley.  The  father,  a  native  of 
Switzerland,  was  born  in  1834  and  was  only 
seven  months  old  when  brought  by  his  par- 


946 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


ents  to  tlie  new  world,  the  family  home  be- 
ing established  in  Ohio,  where  Joseph  Vin- 
cent Shebley  remained  until  the  '50s,  when 
he  removed  to  California.  He  made  a  hand- 
some fortune  there,  becoming  superintend- 
ent and  owner  of  some  of  the  largest  hy- 
draulic mines  of  that  state  of  an  early  day. 
He  mined  for  many  years,  sometimes  meet- 
ing with  excellent  success  and  again  losing 
his  earnings  in  his  investments  and  search 
for  further  mineral-bearing  properties.  In 
later  days  he  spent  a  part  of  his  time  in 
farming  in  Nevada  county,  California,  where 
he  died  in  May,  1902.  His  wife  was  born 
in  Germany,  in  1846,  and  made  her  way  di- 
rect to  California  in  1860  with  an  elder  sis- 
ter, Mary.  In  1S64,  in  Xevada  county,  she 
gave  her  hand  in  marriage  to  .Joseph  V. 
Shebley  and  has  since  lived  in  that  county. 
Joseph  G.  Shebley,  whose  name  introduces 
this  review,  was  the  second  in  a  family  of 
ten  children.  From  early  boyhood  he  was 
familiar  with  the  work  of  the  mines  and  in 
fact,  has  always  been  connected  with  min- 
ing interests.  He  first  went  to  Alaska  in 
1890  and  has  made  four  trips  to  that  coun- 
try on  the  steamer  San  Pedro,  which  he 
chartered.  He  had  mining  interests  in 
Alaska,  with  which  he  was  identified  for 
four  years.  While  he  was  fortunate  in  his 
mining  operations  he  lost  forty-three  thou- 
sand dollars  in  the  steamboat  venture.  He 
afterward  engaged  in  sawmill  operations  in 
Nevada  county,  California,  for  four  years 
and  then  sold  out  and  came  to  Oregon,  in 
1906.  Making  his  way  to  Jackson  county  he 
organized  the  ^Vhite-Shebley-Hunt  Mining 
Company  and  secured  three  hundred  and 
twentv  acres  of  land  in  the  lower  part  of 
Pleasa"nt  vallev.  In  May.  1910.  he  organ- 
ized the  Pleasant  Creek  "Gold  Dredge  Min- 
ing Company.  They  have  four  hundred  acres 
in  one  tract  and  this  company  also  holds 
sixtv-six  per  cent  of  the  stock  of  the  other 
company.  ^Nlr.  Shebley  is  manager  of  the 
former  company  and  has  had  charge  of  their 
mines  for  six  years.  The  process  is  that  of 
dredging  and  hydraulic  mining  and  they  em- 
ploy eight  or  ten  men.  The  outlook  for  the 
future  is  very  favorable  and  the  business  is 
already  proving  profitable.  INIr.  Shebley  has 
also  done  further  prospecting  here,  spend- 
ing over  twenty  thousand  dollars  in  this 
way.  Over  four  million  dollars  in  gold  has 
been  taken  out  of  Pleasant  valley  and  Mr. 
Shebley  estimates  that  five  million  will  yet 
be  taken  out. 

In  1R96  Mr.  Shebley  was  married  to  Miss 
Alice  White,  who  was  born  at  Rock  Point. 
Oreffon,  in  1862.  and  is  a  daughter  of  .J.  B. 
■\Tliite.  who  came  from  Pennsylvania  to  the 
northwest  in  1852  and  resided  here  until 
1872.  when  he  returned  with  a  fortune  to 
Oakland,  California,  where  his  death  occurred 
in  1899.  He  was  a  miner  here  in  the  early 
days  and  afterward  built  a  store  at  Kock 
Point,  Jackson  county,  becoming  a  pioneer 
merchant  of  this  region.  This  was  the  only 
store  between  Jacksonville  and  Wolfcreek 
for  many  years.  He  also  did  freighting 
from  Cresent  City  with  ox  teams.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.    Shebley    have    one    child,    Jack   White, 


ten  years  of  age,  who  has  a  little  mine  of 
his  own  and  pipes  out  considerable  gold.  He 
has  probably  panned  more  gold  than  any  boy 
of  his  age  on  the  coast  and  he  can  pan  as 
well  as  his  father.  He  is  a  lad  of  great 
energy  and  ambition  and  the  future,  un- 
doubtedly, holds  in  store  for  him  gratify- 
ing success.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shebley  are 
widely  and  favorably  known  in  Woodville 
and  throughout  Jackson  county  and  his  min- 
ing interests  place  him  in  a  prominent  posi- 
tion among  the  representative  business  men 
of  this  part  of  the  state. 

HOWARD  M.  BROWNELL,  assistant  pros- 
ecuting attorney  of  Clatsop  county  and 
vice  president  of  the  Clatsop  County  Bar 
Association,  has  been  engaged  in  the  prac- 
tice of  law  at  Astoria  since  1905  and  has 
shown  an  ability  and  an  interest  in  his  pro- 
fession which  give  brilliant  promise  as  to  his 
future.  He  is  a  native  of  Dutchess  county. 
New  York,  born  September  15,  1879,  a  son 
of  George  C,  and  Elma  (Lane)  Brownell. 
The  father  was  born  in  the  state  of  New- 
York  about  1852  and  the  mother  at  Cape 
Cod,  Massachusetts.  Mr.  Brownell.  Sr..  has 
for  many  years  engaged  in  the  practice  of 
law  and  is  now  a  leader  at  the  bar  of  Oregon 
City,  being  recognized  as  one  of  the  brightest 
lawyers  of  the  state.  The  grandfather  of 
our  subject  on  the  paternal  side  was  Am- 
brose Brownell.  a  soldier  for  the  Union  in 
the  Civil  war. 

;Mr.  Brownell  of  this  review  came  with 
his  parents  to  Oregon  City  early  in  life  and 
received  his  preliminary  education  in  the 
public  schools.  He  read  law  in  the  office  of 
his  father  for  four  years  and  in  1900  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  upon  examination.  After 
practicing  for  two  years  with  his  father  he 
went  to  Marshfield,  Oregon,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  practice  independently  for  two 
years.  He  spent  several  months  on  the 
coast  and  in  1905  located  at  Astoria  and 
assisted  Harrison  Allen,  district  attorney, 
for  one  year.  He  was  next  connected  in 
practice  with  Judge  Eakin  for  a  period  of 
two  years,  in  1908  opening  an  office  on  his 
own  account.  In  addition  to  serving  as  as- 
sistant prosecuting  attorney  he  is  also  at- 
torney for  Warrenton  and  Seaside.  He  is 
an  earnest  and  eloquent  speaker,  a  good 
pleader,  and  possesses  ambition  and  courage 
so  necessary  in  overcoming  the  many  diffi- 
culties that  lie  in  the  way  of  advancement 
in   the  legal   profession. 

On  the'2Sth  of  February.  1907.  Mr.  Brown- 
ell was  married  to  Miss  N'ellie  B.  Hart,  who 
was  born  at  Columbus.  Ohio,  a  daughter  of 
Hiram  and  Katherine  Hart.  The  father  en- 
gages in  farming.  Politically  Mr.  Brownell 
gives  his  support  to  the  republican  party 
whose  principles  he  recognizes  as  highly  im- 
portant in  the  promotion  of  the  general  wel- 
fare of  the  country.  Fraternally  he  is  iden- 
tified with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows.  The  possessor  of  sound  judgment, 
a  clear  head  and  well  developed  reasoning 
powers,  he  gives  promise  of  attaining  a 
state-wide  reputation.  He  is  a  man  of  great 
energv   and  has  decision  of  character  and  a 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


949 


strong  sense  of  justice,  both  of  which  are 
important  elements  in  the  determination  of 
success  or  failure  in  a  business  or  profes- 
sional life.  That  he  -will  gain  high  honors 
in  his  profession  is  the  opinion  of  all  who 
know   him. 

JAMES  B.  STEWART  is  one  of  the  ex- 
tensive property  owners  of  Lane  county, 
holding  the  title  to  twelve  hundred  and 
twelve  acres  of  land  in  the  vicinity  of  Cot- 
tage Grove,  where  lie  engages  in  general 
agricultural  piirsuits  and  stock-raising,  and 
is  meeting  with  remunerative  returns  from 
both  lines  of  his  business.  He  is  a  native 
of  Lane  county,  his  birth  having  occurred 
at  Cottage  Grove  on  the  19th  of  .January, 
1861,  and  is  the  only  son  of  Edward  W.  and 
Xancy  .J.  (JIcFarland)  Stewart.  They  were 
the  parents  of  two  children,  the  elder  of 
whom,  a  daughter,  ilary  Elizabeth,  died  at 
the  age  of  twenty-four  years.  The  paternal 
grandfather,  Peter  Stewart,  was  a  native 
of  Scotland,  whence  he  emigrated  in  his 
early  manhood  to  the  L'nlted  States.  His 
family  numbered  five  sons  and  one  daughter, 
as  follows:  John,  who  is  a  banker  at  Wil- 
mington, Illinois;  Edward  W.,  the  father  of 
our  subject,  who  is  now  deceased;  Malcolm 
X.  M.,  also  deceased,  who  was  formerly  a 
banker  at  Wilmington;  .Tames,  a  banker  at 
Topeka.  Kansas;  George  T.,  a  retired  capital- 
ist of  Wilmington,  now  deceased;  and  Mary 
Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  .John  Monteith,  Al- 
bany. Oregon.  Edward  W.  Stewart  was  born 
at  Amsterdam.  Xew  York,  where  he  lived 
with  his  parents  until  he  had  attained  the 
age  of  twelve  years.  He  then  went  to  Wil- 
mington, Illinois,  making  his  home  there  un- 
til he  was  nineteen,  when  the  lure  of  the 
ws-^it  proved  irresistible  to  him  and  he  joined 
an  emigrant  train  bound  for  California. 
Their  party  had  a  very  pleasant  and  un- 
eventful journey,  not  meeting  with  any  of 
the  experiences  encountered  by  the  major- 
ity who  crossed  the  plains  in  1849.  Mr. 
Stewart  never  saw  an  Indian  from  the  time 
he  left  Illinois  but  during  the  first  year  of 
his  residence  in  California  he  participated  in 
a  number  of  engagements  between  the  na- 
tives and  the  settlers  and  was  twice 
wounded.  He  was  once  shot  in  the  arm 
with  an  arrow  and  the  flint  being  left  in  it 
gave  him  more  or  less  trouble  during  the 
remainder  of  his  life  and  ultimately  caused 
his  death  from  blood  poisoning  at  the  age  of 
fifty-four  years.  For  four  years  after  he 
located  in  California,  Mr.  Stewart  engaged 
in  placer  mining,  but  at  the  expiration  of 
that  time  he  went  to  Albany,  Oregon,  and 
worked  at  the  blacksmith's  trade  for  four  or 
five  years.  It  was  there  he  met  and  mar- 
ried Miss  McFarland  and  they  subsequently 
went  to  Cottage  Grove  but  after  eight  or 
nine  years'  residence  in  the  latter  place  Mr. 
Stewart  purchased  twelve  hundred  acres  of 
land  southeast  of  the  present  site  of  Dorena. 
About  one-half  of  this  was  cleared  and  the 
remainder  was  covered  with  a  dense  growth 
of  fir  trees.  Here  he  engaged  in  general 
farming  and  stock-rjiising  until  his  death, 
which   occurred   on  the   10th   of  April,   1880. 


Mrs.  Stewart,  the  mother  of  our  subject,  was 
the  eldest  of  the  eight  children  of  James  C. 
and  Paulie  McFarland.  In  order  of  birth 
the  others  are  as  follows:  Sarah,  deceased, 
who  first  married  Homer  Smith  and  sub- 
sequently David  L'nderwood;  Mary,  also  de- 
ceased, who  married  .Jerry  Arnold,  of  Eu- 
gene; Martha,  the  widow  "of  .J.  H.  ilcCarty, 
of  Boise,  Idaho;  Amanda,  the  deceased  wife 
of  Charles  Austin,  of  Albany,  Oregon;  Kit- 
tie,  who  died  in  girlhood;  Dave  G.,  who  is 
living  in  Cottage  Grove;  and  James  H.,  a 
rancliman  in  the  vicinity  of  Cottage  Grove. 

.James  B.  Stewart  passed  his  boyhood  and 
youth  in  a  manner  very  similar  to  other 
lads  wlio  were  reared  in  the  rural  districts 
of  Oregon  during  the  pioneer  period.  At  the 
age  of  eighteen  years  he  assumed  the  duties 
of  manhood  by  undertaking  the  entire  re- 
sponsibility connected  with  the  operation  of 
his  father's  ranch.  About  four  hundred 
acres  of  this  was  open  land  and  the  remain- 
ing six  hundred  was  in  timber.  He  has 
since  increased  his  holdings  by  the  addition 
of  three  hundred  ;ind  twenty  acres  and  his 
present  ranch  embraces  twelve  hundred  and 
twelve  acres.  Six  hundred  acres  of  this  is 
tillable  but  the  remainder  is  still  in  timber. 
One  hundred  acres  of  the  tract  that  has  been 
cleared  has  been  brought  into  a  high  state 
of  productivity,  but  the  remainder  is  in 
pasture,  as  Mr.  Stewart  makes  a  specialty  of 
stock-raising.  He  raises  sheep,  cattle  and 
hogs  for  the  market  and  he  also  breeds  and 
sells  horses  and  is  meeting  with  a  goodly 
measure  of  success  from  his  various  under- 
takings. 

On  the  14th  of  February,  1883.  Mr.  Stew- 
art was  married  to  Miss  Margaret  Cole,  who 
was  born  on  November  1.  1863,  and  is  the 
youngest  daughter  of  the  late  .John  W.  and 
Mary  (Cox)  Cole.  The  father  li\-ed  to  at- 
tain a  venerable  age,  having  been  born  on 
the  26th  of  October,  1819,  and  died  on  June 
22,  1903,  while  the  mother  was  born  on  the 
9th  of  May.  1830,  and  passed  away  on  May 
11,  1902.  The  grandparents  were  from  Vir- 
ginia. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cole  had  five  children: 
Eliza  J.,  who  was  born  on  the  18th  of  May, 
1856,  and  died  on  December  31,  1857;  .James 
F.,  whose  birth  occurred  on  the  11th  of  De- 
cember, 1858.  died  September  12.  1862;  Julia 
A.,  who  was  born  on  the  19th  of  March,  1861, 
died  September  19,  1863;  Mrs.  Stewart; 
and  .John  W.,  who  was  born  on  Alay  21, 
1867,  and  died  July  30,  1877.  Mr.  and  ilrs. 
Stewart  have  a  son  and  a  daughter:  Mal- 
colm M.,  who  was  born  on  the  23d  of  May, 
1887,  now  cultivating  a  ])ortion  of  his 
father's  ranch;  and  Agnes  P.,  who  was  born 
November  22,  1892,  now  living  at  home, 
having  completed  the  course  of  the  common 
schools. 

Mr.  Stewart  casts  his  ballot  for  the  can- 
didates of  the  republican  party  and  served 
as  a  school  director  for  about  nine  years, 
this  being  the  only  public  office  he  ever 
held.  He  is  a  man  of  progressive  ideas  and 
takes  a  helpful  interest  in  all  matters  af- 
fecting the  welfare  of  the  community  or  the 
interests  of  the  agriculturists  and  stockmen 
and  has  for  manv  vears  been  a  member  of 


950 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTOKY  OF  OREGON 


the  state  Grange.  Jlr.  Stewart  has  passed 
the  greater  part  of  his  life  in  the  vicinity 
where  he  now  resides  and  one  of  the  highest 
tributes  that  can  be  paid  to  him  is  to  say 
tliat  he  has  hosts  of  friends  in  Lane  county, 
tlie  majority  of  whom  have  known  liim  from 
early  boyhood. 

DENNIS  DUGGAN  is  a  son  of  Ireland,  in 
which  country  he  was  born  in  1S45.  and 
came  to  this  land  of  opportunities  in  Octo- 
ber, 1864.  He  is  a  prosperous  sheep-raiser, 
owning  six  hundred  acres  of  land  in  Jack- 
son county,  near  Central  Point.  On  coming 
to  the  United  States  he  settled  temporarily 
in  Washington,  D.  C,  where  he  was  employed 
at  various  occupations  for  a  considerable 
period.  He  then  removed  to  .Jersey  City, 
Xew  Jersey,  and  after  remaining  a  short 
time  took  passage  from  there  by  water  for 
San  Francisco.  He  did  not  long  remain  in 
that  city  but  soon  came  to  Oregon,  where 
he  settled  temporarily  in  Portland,  after 
which  he  went  to  The  Dalles.  From  that 
point  he  walked  to  Canyon  City,  Grant 
county,  a  journey  which  consumed  five  days, 
and  went  to  work  in  the  gold  mines.  He 
entered  upon  that  vocation  with  enthusiasm 
and  followed  it  with  varying  success  until 
1ST2.  when  he  returned  to  Portland  and  was 
employed  variously  until  1873,  when  he  pur- 
chased a  ranch  of  six  hundred  acres  in  .Jack- 
son county,  which  he  at  once  set  about  to 
clear  and  improve.  He  gives  the  greater 
part  of  his  attention  to  the  raising  of  sheep. 

Mr.  Duggan  was  married,  in  1874,  to 
;Miss  Mary  E.  Callahan,  of  Iowa,  in  which 
state  their  marriage  was  celebrated  and 
they  became  the  parents  of  four  children. 
all  of  whom  are  residing  in  Oregon,  as  fol- 
lows: .John  F..  Mary.  Dennis  P.  and  .Jere- 
miah C.  Mr.  Duggan  and  his  wife  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Catholic  church,  being  loyal  com- 
municants of  that  religious  faith.  The  large 
degree  of  success  which  has  been  achieved 
by  Mr.  Duggan  has  marked  him  as  a  man 
of  determination  and  of  industry,  which 
qualities  characterize  so  many  of  the  hardy 
sons  of  the  land  of  Erin,  who  have  risen  to 
jiositions  of  honor,  tiiist  and  afll\ience  in 
this  great  country  of  limitless  ojiportunity. 
He  has  always  given  his  undivided  atten- 
tion to  the  affairs  at  hand  and,  possessing 
wise  discrimination  and  good  judgment, 
coupled  with  strict  economy  and  integrity, 
he  has  built  up  a  fortune  of  which  he  may 
justly  be  proud. 

J.  F.  W.  SANBERT,  M.  D.,  is  placed  by 
public  opinion  among  the  most  enterprising 
citizens  of  Lane  county  and  to  him  belongs 
the  distinction  of  having  been  the  founder 
and  father  of  Acme,  where  he  is  successfully 
engaged  in  the  operation  of  his  varied  busi- 
ness interests.  He  was  born  in  Bavaria.  Ger- 
manv.  February  26.  IS.'Bo.  and  is  a  son  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carl  Sanbert.  both  of  wJiom 
were  natives  of  Germany.  The  mother  died 
in  her  native  country  in  1840  and  some  time 
later  the  father  was  united  in  marriase  to 
Miss  Christine  Glossell  and  in  1844.  with  his 
wife   and   familv,  he   emigrated   to   America, 


locating  on  new  land  in  .Jefferson  county, 
\Msconsin,  where  he  continued  to  live  until 
the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
1896  at  the  age  of  eighty  years.  The  pa- 
ternal grandfather  of  our  subject  died  at 
the  age  of  ninety.  The  widow  of  Carl  San- 
bert is  still  living  on  the  old  home  farm  in 
Wisconsin.  They  had  three  children,  of 
«hom  Dr.  Sanbert  is  the  first  in  order  of 
Ijirth. 

J.  F.  W.  Sanbert  was  reared  at  home  and 
received  his  elementary  education  in  the  pub- 
lic schools.  He  later  completed  a  course  in 
the  study  of  medicine  and  was  graduated 
with  the  degree  of  M.  D.  from  the  Chicago 
Homeopathic  College.  Immediately  follow- 
ing his  graduation  he  began  the  practice  of 
his  profession  in  Wisconsin  and  later  re- 
moved to  Roseburg,  Douglas  county,  Oregon, 
There  he  settled  in  1S7S  and  there  at  once 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine.  He  be- 
gan his  professional  career  in  Oregon  with 
but  limited  means  and  he  was  an  entire 
stranger  to  the  people  of  Roseburg.  His 
strict  attention  to  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession eventually  resulted  in  mnking  many 
-.varm  friends  and  in  the  building  up  of  an 
Intensive  and  lucrative  business.  He  re- 
mained at  Roseburg  for  eight  years  and 
then  removed  to  a  point  on  the  Siuslaw  river, 
where  he  became  instrumental  in  the  fovuid- 
ing  of  a  town,  to  which  he  gave  the  name 
of  Acme.  The  town  has  since  grown  until 
it  has  attained  the  proportions  of  a  small 
city,  in  which  the  varied  enterprises  of  mod- 
ern business  life  are  now  established.  Dr. 
Sanbert.  before  locating  at  what  is  now 
Acme,  purchased  a  large  tract  of  timber 
land,  on  which  he  erected  the  first  sawmill 
and  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  lumber. 
In  1897  he  erected  a  new  sawmill  and  in 
1901  he  installed  a  modern  steam  power 
plant,  since  which  time  the  mill  has  con- 
tinued to  run  the  year  around  with  a  capac- 
ity of  twenty-five  to  thirty  thousand  feet 
per  d.ay.  The  supply  of  logs  for  this  mill 
is  being  taken  from  various  sections  of  the 
Doctors  timber  holdings  of  fifteen  himdred 
acres,  located  near  Acme,  toward  the  source 
of  the  Siuslaw  river.  In  addition  to  the  mill 
property  Dr.  Sanbert  is  also  the  owner  of  a 
general  store. 

Dr.  Sanbert  was  ttnited  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Anna  Dejion  and  they  became  the  par- 
ents of  four  children,  as  follows:  George, 
who  is  a  resident  of  Spokane.  Washineton; 
and  Charles.  Thomas  and  Frank,  all  living 
in  Acme.  The  two  last  named  are  mem- 
bers of  the  mercantile  firm  of  M.  E.  San- 
bert &  Company.  Dr.  Sanbert  was  later 
united  in  marriage  in  Roseburs.  in  1879.  to 
Miss  Mary  Taylor,  a  native  of  Illinois,  who 
settled  in  Orecron  in  the  early  days  of  her 
young  womanhood,  and  to  this  union  four 
children  have  been  bom:  Irma.  who  is  the 
wife  of  Grant  Earhart,  of  Acme:  and  Ray, 
Roy  and  Lloyd,  all  of  whom  are  residents  of 
Acme. 

Dr.  Sanbert  is  independent  in  the  exercise 
of  his  franchise  and  has  served  as  postmaster 
of  Acme  for  thirteen  years.  He  has  also 
filled  the  offices  of  school  trustee  and  clerk 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


951 


and  is  fraternally  affiliated  with  the  An- 
cient Order  of  United  Workmen  and  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  in  both 
of  which  lodges  he  has  passed  the  chairs. 
He  is  also  one  of  the  charter  members  of 
the  lodge  of  Odd  Fellows  at  Viola,  Wiscon- 
sin. Dr.  Sanbert  is  in  every  way  entitled 
to  be  enrolled  among  the  early  pioneers  of 
Lane  county,  Oregon,  and  as  one  of  the  early 
settlers  in  that  portion  of  his  adopted  state. 
He  is  a  man  held  in  higli  esteem  by  all  with 
whom  he  has  come  into  contact  in  his  pro- 
fessional life  as  a  physician  as  well  as  his 
successful  career  as  a  business  man. 

GEORGE  WATSON  KENNEY,  a  retired 
agriculturist  and  merchant  of  Gresham,  Ore- 
gon, was  born  in  Iowa,  December  29,  1854, 
a  son  of  .James  P.  and  Margaret  (Guy)  Ken- 
ney.  The  parents  were  natives  of  Ohio  and 
the  father's  parents  were  of  German  and 
Irish  descent,  w^hile  the  mother's  father  was 
a  native  of  Ireland.  The  father  was  one  of 
eight  children  born  to  his  parents.  The 
mother  was  the  youngest  of  three  children, 
the  others  being  James  and  John,  both  de- 
ceased. After  their  marriage  in  Ohio  in 
1851  Jlr.  and  Mrs.  .James  P.  Kenney  removed 
to  Iowa,  where  they  remained  for  four  years 
before  spending  the  next  three  years  in 
southern  Kansas  previous  to  their  removal  to 
central  Kansas.  In  the  latter  place  they 
resided  for  four  years  and  subsequently 
lived  in  Nebraska  for  ten  }'ears  before  com- 
ing to  Oregon  and  settling  at  Base  Line 
Road  near  Rockwood.  This  was  in  the  au- 
tumn of  1S74  and  they  resided  in  that 
]ilace  until  the  father's  death.  The  mother 
died  three  years  later  in  Gresham,  Oregon, 
at  the  home  of  her  son  George  W.  Mr.  Ken- 
ney had  been  an  agriculturist  throughout 
his  active  career  and  as  such  had  been  active 
in  the  development  of  the  west.  To  their 
union  eight  children  were  born:  Amanda, 
who  is  the  wife  of  A.  D.  Strunk,  of  Paw- 
nee City,  Nebraska,  and  the  mother  of  five 
children.  .lohn.  I\Iargaret,  Albert,  Roy  and 
Harry;  George  W..  who  is  the  subject  of 
this  review;  Alphonso,  of  Klamath  Falls, 
Oregon,  who  is  married  and  has  four  chil- 
dren, Winsted,  Ralph,  Oliver  and  Rose; 
James,  deceased;  Margaret,  deceased,  who  is 
survived  by  her  husband  Webster  Campbell 
of  Portland,  Oregon,  and  her  son  Lloyd;  May, 
deceased;  Martlia.  who  is  married,  resides 
in  Portland  and  has  two  children,  Frank- 
lin and   Minnie  May;   and  .John,  deceased. 

After  acquiring  his  education  in  the  dis- 
trict schools  and  assisting  his  father  in  the 
cultivation  of  the  home  farm,  George  W. 
Kenney  started  out  in  life  on  his  own  ac- 
count at  the  age  of  twenty  years.  He  was 
employed  at  various  tasks  for  two  years, 
and  subse(|uently,  after  he  married,  pur- 
chased lanil  near  Rockwood.  Oregon,  which 
he  cultivated  for  ten  ye:irs.  His  farming 
pursuits  were  highly  remunerative  and  he 
was  then  able  to  purchase  better  land  near 
Gresham.  He  farmed  this  until  1900.  when 
he  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business. 
For  three  years  he  was  thus  engaged  before 
his    retirement.      Since    discontinuing    active 


pursuits  he  has  served  as  road  supervisor 
and  in  that  way  has  maintained  his  posi- 
tion in  the  activities  of  the  community.  In 
agricultural  pursuits  he  was  always  me- 
thodical and  progressive,  and  in  those  two 
qualities  lay  the  secret  of  the  success  which 
his  constant  labor  and  persevering  energy 
brought  him. 

Mr.  Kenney  was  married  to  Miss  Agnes 
Brand,  a  daughter  of  Matthew  Brand  of  Ore- 
gon. To  their  union  three  children  were 
born;  Elbert,  James  and  Ruby,  all  of 
whom  are  deceased.  The  mother  also  passed 
away  and  on  the  2d  of  June,  1892,  in  Port- 
land, Oregon,  Mr.  Kenney  was  married  to 
Mrs.  Calla  Sharick,  a  daughter  of  David  and 
Margaret  Lentz.  She  was  the  widow  of 
John  A.  Sharick,  and  was  born  February,  25, 
1870.  Mrs.  Lentz  was  a  native  of  Indiana 
and  Mr.  Lentz  resided  there  previous  to  his 
marriage.  Previously  Mrs.  Lentz  had  been 
married  to  a  Mr.  Daley  and  by  that  union 
four  children  were  born,  namely:  Adela, 
Peter  A.,  Hannah  and  Cordelia.  To  her  sec- 
ond union  to  David  Lentz  four  children  were 
born,  George  W.,  Mrs.  Calla  Sharick,  Emma 
and  Ada.  All  the  children  are  living  with 
the  exception  of  Peter  A.  Daley,  who  passed 
away,  October  7,  1911. 

In  politics  Mr.  Kenney  casts  his  vote  with 
the  republican  party.  He  has  served  as  road 
supervisor  for  eight  years,  was  for  sev- 
eral years  a  member  of  the  school  board  and 
also  served  as  school  clerk.  He  has  accepted 
these  offices  in  a  spirit  that  they  afforded 
him  an  opportunity  to  assist  in  the  upbuild- 
ing of  the  community.  His  various  ac- 
tivities brought  him  profitable  returns  and 
he  owns  his  home  in  Gresham  and  twenty 
acres  near  town,  also  property  in  Portland 
and  Seaside.  His  entire  life  has  been  one  of 
active  labor,  and  he  is  now  able  to  enjoy 
the  comforts  and  luxuries  which  were  denied 
him  in  his  earlier  years. 

WALLACE  GALBREATH,  who  for  many 
years  was  identified  with  the  mining  inter- 
ests of  tlie  nortliwest,  operating  in  quartz 
fields,  is  the  owner  of  a  ranch  of  one  hun- 
dred and  si.xty  acres  and  an  attractive  health 
resort  known  as  Bybee  Springs.  The  place 
is  pleasantly  situated  on  Evans  creek,  fifteen 
miles  from  Woodville.  and  has  three  mineral 
springs  jiossessing  splendid  medicinal  ]irop- 
erties.  Mr.  Oalbrenth  is  devoting  his  ener- 
gies to  the  management  of  the  resort  and 
the  conduct  of  his  ranch,  eighty  acres  of 
which  is  under  cultivation.  He  is  one  of 
Oregon's  native  sons,  his  birth  having  oc- 
curred in  Yamhill  county,  April  24,  1869, 
his  parents  being  Robert  and  Mary  Ann 
iDebbsl  Galbreath.  The  father  was  born 
in  Pennsylvania  in  1815  and  the  mother  was 
a  native  of  Xew  .Jersey.  The  parents  were 
married  in  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania,  and 
about  1S63  became  residents  of  Yamhill 
comity,  Oregon,  where  the  father  engaged 
in  ranching  for  a  time  but  afterward  con- 
ducted a  saloon.  I^ater  he  went  to  Klamath 
Falls,  where  he  operated  a  stock  lanch.  His 
death  there  occurred  when  he  had  reached 
the  ape  of  eighty-four  years  and  fifteen  days. 


952 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


His  wife  survived  him  for  a  number  of 
years,  passing  away  at  Stockton,  California, 
in  December,  1910,  when  seventy  years  of 
age. 

They  had  a  family  of  four  sons  and  four 
daughters,  of  whom  Wallace  Galbreath  was 
the  second  son  and  fourth  child.  He  be- 
gan working  for  himself  when  nine  years 
of  age  and  at  length  went  to  lower  Cali- 
fornia, where  he  was  employed  on  a  ranch 
for  five  years.  He  afterward  returned  to 
Klamath  and  rode  on  the  range  after  stock 
all  through  eastern  and  southern  Oregon.  He 
was  thus  identified  with  stock-raising  in- 
terests for  about  ten  years,  at  the  end  of 
which  time  he  was  married  and  turned  his 
attention  to  quartz  mining,  which  he  fol- 
lowed most  of  the  time  in  northern  Cali- 
fornia and  southern  Oregon  until  about  two 
years  ago.  In  1911  he  purchased  his  pres- 
ent home,  becoming  the  owner  of  a  tract 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  one-half  of 
which  is  devoted  to  the  cultivation  of  the 
crops  best  adapted  to  soil  and  climate.  Be- 
cause of  the  mineral  springs  found  upon  his 
place  he  is  conducting  a  health  resort  there, 
his  property  being  known  as  Bybee  Springs, 
so  called  because  of  the  fact  that  the  orig- 
inal owner  was  William  Bybee.  It  lies  within 
fifteen  miles  of  Woodville  on  Evans  creek 
and  here  are  entertained  many  invalids.  Mr. 
Galbreath  bought  the  place  when  his  wife 
was  an  invalid,  having  been  in  very  poor 
health  for  five  years.  Since  her  arrival  here 
her  health  has  been  entirely  restored  owing 
to  the  curative  properties  of  the  waters  and 
the  fine  climate  of  the  district.  Mr.  Gal- 
breath gives  his  entire  time  to  the  manage- 
ment of  his  ranch  and  resort,  yet  he  is  the 
owner  of  placer  mines  in  Siskiyou  county, 
California. 

On  the  27th  of  November,  1894,  Mr.  Gal- 
breath was  married  to  Miss  Mamie  John- 
son, who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  June 
11,  1874,  and  went  to  California  with  her 
parents,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  IM.  L.  Johnson,  who 
are  now  residents  of  Ashland,  Oregon.  Her 
girlhood  days  were  spent  in  the  Golden  state. 
By  her  marriage  she  became  the  mother  of 
three  children,  Clyde,  Alden  and  Bemice,  all 
of  whom  were  "born  at  Yreka,  Siskiyou 
county,  California,  where  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gal- 
breath made  their  home  from  the  time  of 
their  marriage  until  their  removal  to  their 
ranch  near  Woodville.  They  have  become 
well  known  and  have  gained  many  friends 
here,  although  having  lived  in  this  district 
for  less  than  two  years.  Their  many  sub- 
stantial traits  of  character  are  recognized 
and  Mr.  Galbreath  is  proving  his  worth  as 
an  enterprising  and  progressive  business 
man. 

CHARLES  EDWARDS  has  been  a  west- 
erner since  boyhood,  coming  to  California  in 
the  early  '50s.  He  owns  two  hundred  acres 
of  timber  land  in  the  Golden  state  and  forty 
acres  in  Josephine  county.  Oregon,  near 
Murphy,  where  he  has  made  his  home  for 
many  years.  He  was  born  in  Louisiana, 
April  17,  1842,  a  son  of  Hiller  and  Eliza 
(Fluker)    Edwards,  and  is  one  of  four  chil- 


dren born  to  his  parents.  After  receiving  a 
common-school  education  in  his  native  state 
he  left  Louisiana  and  the  parental  roof  at 
the  age  of  about  thirteen  years  and  by  ox 
teams  crossed  the  plains  to  California.  On 
arriving  in  the  latter  state  he  obtained  em- 
ployment in  the  mines,  for  a  time,  and  also 
was  one  of  a  threshing  machine  crew,  work- 
ing at  sewing  bags.  While  in  California  he 
acquired  two  hundred  acres  of  valuable 
timber  land,  which  he  still  owns.  Later  in 
life,  he  removed  to  Oregon,  and  purchased 
forty  acres  of  land  in  Josephine  county, 
near  Murphy,  and  upon  that  property  he 
lias    since    made    his    home. 

Cliarlcs  Edwards  is  a  democrat  and  has  al- 
ways taken  interest  in  public  afiairs.  He 
has  long  been  recognized  as  one  of  Josephine 
count3''s  valued  and  honored  citizens  and 
has  great  faith  in  the  future  of  his  section 
of  the  country.  He  is  a  man  of  genial  dis- 
position, optimistic  and  warm-hearted,  and 
these  qualities  have  gained  for  him  a  large 
number  of  personal  friends  and  have  made 
him  well  liked  in  the  community  in  which 
he  lives.  Among  his  most  valued  posses- 
sions is  an  heirloom  in  the  form  of  a  violin, 
which  is  about  two  hundred  years  old.  This 
instrument  he  cherishes  highly  and  would 
not  think  of  parting  with  it. 

OLUF  BOREN.  One  of  the  leading  play- 
wrights of  the  countrj-  has  described  Amer- 
ica as  "the  melting  pot"  into  which  are 
poured  the  various  nationalities  of  Europe 
to  become  fused  into  a  strong  race.  It  is 
a  self-evident  fact  that  the  great  majority 
of  those  who  come  from  foreign  lands  to 
the  new  world  manifest  the  utmost  loyalty 
to  their  adopted  country  and  advocate  and 
support  its  free  institutions  and  its  meth- 
ods of  government.  Among  this  number,  in 
Astoria,  is  Oluf  Boren,  who  was  born  in 
Sweden.  April  18,  1845,  a  son  of  John  and 
Catherine  Boren,  who  were  also  natives  of 
that  country,  where  they  spent  their  entire 
lives.  Their  family  numbered  thirteen  chil- 
dren, of  whom  twelve,  six  sons  and  sis 
daughters,  are  living  and  married. 

Oluf  Boren  spent  the  days  of  his  boyhood 
and  youth  in  Sweden  and  pursued  his  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  of  that  country. 
He  also  learned  the  tailor's  trade  there  and 
conducted  a  shop  for  nineteen  years.  In 
1886  he  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  America  and 
first  settled  in  Valley  City,  Barnes  county, 
Xorth  Dakota,  where  he  remained  for  a  year. 
He  then  went  to  Tacoma,  Washington, 
where  he  worked  at  the  mason's  trade  for 
some  time,  after  which  he  spent  a  brief 
period  in  California.  In  1890  he  arrived  in  As- 
toria, Oregon,  where  he  has  since  lived. 
Here  he  is  doing  general  contract  work,  his 
business  steadily  increasing  in  volume  and 
importance.  At  the  present  time  he  is  ex- 
ecuting a  large  city  contract  and  his  ability 
well  entitles  him  to  the  liberal  patronage 
which  he  is  accorded.  Prospering  as  the 
years  went  by,  he  is  now  one  of  the  sub- 
stantial business  men  of  Astoria  and  owns 
a  fine  property  here. 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


953 


Mr.  Boren  \v;is  married,  in  Sweden,  and  to 
him  were  born  lour  cliildren,  Martlia  K., 
Olna,  Christina  and  Jens,  all  of  whom  are 
married  and  live  in  Sweden.  The  wife  and 
mother  died  April  3,  1909.  Oluf  Boren  is  a 
republican  but  not  an  office  seeker,  although 
•  he  is  interested  in  politics  and  keeps  in 
touch  with  the  vital  questions  and  issues 
of  the  day.  His  religious  belief  is  that  of 
the  Swedish  Lutheran  church  and  Ijis  prin- 
ciples are  such  as  commend  liim  to  the  con- 
tidenoe  and  high  regard  of  Iiis  fellowmen, 
wlio  Jind  him  trustworthy  in  business  and 
reliable  in  every  circumstance  of  life.  He 
has  never  had  occasion  to  regret  his  deter- 
mination to  come  to  the  new  world,  for  he 
has  here  found  the  opportunities  whieli  he 
sought  and  in  the  use  of  the  advantages 
which  America  oilers  he  has  won  a  credit- 
able position  in  the  business  world. 

HON.  JOSEPH  T.  BRIDGES  is  among  the 
well  known  and  successful  merchants  of  Oak- 
land, Oregon.  He  was  born  at  Santa  Rosa, 
California,  February  4,  1868,  and  is  a  son 
of  Daniel  and  Eusebia  M.  (Owens)  Bridges. 
The  fatlier  was  a  native  of  Tennessee  and 
in  1852  crossed  the  plains  to  California 
during  the  time  of  the  gold  excitement, 
and  after  arriving  in  that  state  he  spent 
a  number  of  years  in  mining.  He  later  lo- 
cated in  Santa  Rosa,  Sonoma  county,  and 
there  engaged  in  the  building  and  contract- 
ing business.  During  the  time  in  which  he 
was  identified  with  that  business  he  assisted 
in  building  the  academy  at  Santa  Rosa.  In 
1871  he  purchased  land  near  Yoncalla,  Doug- 
las county,  Oregon,  and  for  several  years 
was  successfully  engaged  in  general  farming 
and  stock-raising.  He  later  returned  to 
Tennessee,  where   he  now   lives. 

.Joseph  T.  Bridges  was  three  years  old  when 
his  parents  removed  to  Douglas  county  and 
there  he  was  reared  and  received  his  early 
education  in  the  public  schools.  He  remained 
under  the  parental  roof  until  he  was  sev- 
enteen years  of  age.  at  which  time  he  en- 
gaged in  farming  for  himself.  Later  he  was 
associated  witli  W.  A.  Perkins  in  the  mer- 
cantile business  in  Drain,  this  county,  and 
continued  in  that  partnership  from  1889 
until  1898,  during  which  time  he  had  charge 
of  the  store  and  was  also  engaged  in  the 
lumber  business,  being  a  member  of  the 
Hudson  ilill  Lumber  Company.  On  June  2, 
1898.  Mr.  Bridges  was  appointed  by  Presi- 
dent McKinley,  registrar  of  the  United  States 
land  office  at  Roseburg.  He  immediately 
disposed  of  his  interests  in  the  mercantile 
business  and  on  July  1.  of  that  year,  as- 
sumed the  duties  connected  with  the  land 
office,  in  which  position  he  continued  for 
seven  years.  In  1909  he  went  to  Cordova. 
Alaska,  and  there  engaged  in  the  mercantile 
business.  In  1910  he  returned  to  Oakland. 
Oregon,  and  again  established  himself  in 
the  mercantile  business,  with  which  he  has 
since   been    successfully    identified. 

Mr.  Bridges  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Belle  Holyfield,  a  native  of  Union  City, 
Indiana.  She  received  her  elementary  educa- 
tion   in    the    public    schools   and    later   com- 


pleted a  course  in  tlie  Central  Oregon  State 
Normal  School.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bridges 
two  children  have  been  born:  Audrey  B., 
wlio  is  the  wife  of  Dr.  S.  C.  Endicott,  a"  den- 
tist of  Brandon,  Oregon;  and  Rolston,  who 
is  engaged  in  work  in  his  father's  store. 
Mr.  Bridges  has  always  been  a  loyal  mem- 
ber of  the  republican  party.  In  189-1  he  was 
elected  to  the  Oregon  state  legislature  and 
served  in  tlie  session  of  1895  as  chairman  of 
the  committee  on  corporations.  During  that 
session  Mr.  Dolpli,  who  was  at  that  time  a 
senatorial  candidate,  had  as  his  opponent  for 
that  office  Mr,  McBridge.  The  contest  for 
the  election  was  most  intense,  and  when  it 
was  finally  known  that  there  was  no  chance 
for  the  election  of  Mr.  Dolph,  Mr.  Bridges 
was  the  forty-fifth  man  to  change  his  vote 
which  resulted  in  the  election  of  Mr.  Mc- 
Bridge. Jlr.  Bridges  was  instrumental  in 
having  the  appropriation  bill  of  five  thou- 
sand dollars  for  the  State  Normal  School  at 
Drain  pass  the  house,  which  bill  was  later 
defeated  in  the  senate.  In  1896  he  was 
elected  to  the  legislature  by  a  handsome  ma- 
jority, and  in  1900,  on  tlie  organization  of 
the  first  board  of  regents  for  the  Central 
Oregon  State  Normal  School  at  Drain,  he 
was  appointed  by  Governor  T.  T.  Geer  as 
regent  for  a  term  of  six  years,  and  has  the 
distinction  of  having  been  elected  the  first 
president  of  the  board  of  regents  and  was 
later  reelected  to  the  same  position  for  a 
second  term.  While  in  Cordova,  Alaska,  he 
was  elected  president  of  the  chamber  of 
commerce  which  position  he  held  during  his 
residence  in  that  territory.  In  1910  he  was 
elected  to  represent  the  republicans  of  Cor- 
dova at  the  territorial  convention  at  .Juneau 
and  endeavored  to  secure  tlie  nomination  of 
Jolm  Goodel,  who  is  a  brother-in-law  of  the 
late  Governor  Benson,  as  territorial  delegate 
to  congress. 

Mr.  Bridges  has  fraternal  relations  with 
Laurel  Lodge,  No.  13,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.;  Eu- 
gene Chapter,  R.  A.  M. ;  Oregon  Consistory, 
No.  1,  A.  A.  S.  R.;  and  Al  Kader  Temple, 
A.  A.  0.  N.  M.  S.  of  Portland.  He  also  holds 
membership  in  the  Ivanhoe  Commandery  No. 
2,  K.  P..  of  Eugene,  and  Mountain  Lodge  No. 
103,  I.  0.  O.  F.  of  Drain  of  which  he  is  past 
noble  grand.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Pacific  Encampment  No.  34  of  which  he  is 
past  patriarch.  He  is  also  affiliated  with  the 
Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  the  An- 
cient Order  of  United  Workmen  and  the 
Woodmen  of  the  World.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bridges 
arc  members  of  tlie  Christian  church.  Mr. 
Bridges  is  one  of  the  most  widely  known 
citizens  of  his  part  of  Oregon  and  is  a  man 
wliose  well  known  reputation  for  integrity 
places  hira  by  public  opinion  with  the  en- 
terprising and  useful  citizens  of  his  county 
and  state. 

JOHN  A.  MASON  is  a  prosperous  and  en- 
terprising tarmcr  of  Lane  county.  He  has  al- 
ways been  deeply  interested  in  educational 
work  in  his  district,  where  he  has  served  as 
a  member  of  the  school  board  for  the  past 
twenty  years.  He  was  born  in  Sweden, 
August  23,  1865.    His  parents,  both  of  whom 


954 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


were  natives  of  Sweden,  died  in  that  country 
early  in  life,  when  our  subject  was  but  a 
child.  He  emigrated  to  America  with  his 
older  brother  at  the  age  of  seven  years — 
in  1873.  To  his  father's  family  six  children 
were  born,  of  whom  all  are  deceased  but  our 
subject.  Mr.  Mason  resided  with  his  brother 
until  1897.  During  that  year  his  brother 
started  for  the  Klondike  country,  Alaska, 
and  was  overcome  by  the  hardships  of  the 
journey  and  died  on  his  way  to  that  land  of 
the  far  north.  Mr.  Mason  continued  to  re- 
side in  his  brother's  home  until  he  was 
twenty-four  years  of  age,  at  which  time  he 
tiled  upon  a  government  homestead  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  near  Acme  on 
Duncan  slough.  He  at  once  moved  upon 
that  propertj',  where  he  continued  to  live 
for  nine  years  following,  after  which  he  sold 
his  homestead  at  a  handsome  profit  and  re- 
moved to  his  brother's  farm,  to  which  he 
had  fallen  heir  after  his  brother's  death. 
This  property  consists  of  two  hundred  and 
twenty  acre's  of  choice  agricultural  land, 
and  to  its  care  and  operation  Mr.  Mason  is 
giving  his  undivided  attention. 

In  the  year  1SS9  Mr.  Mason  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Rosa  Cikaski,  who  is  a  na- 
tive of  Germany  and  who  emigrated  to 
America  with  her  sister  in  1SS5,  her  mother 
coming  later  to  this  country — in  1911.  The 
father  died  in  Germany  many  years  ago. 
Mrs.  Mason  and  her  sister,  on  reaching 
America,  settled  first  in  the  Dakotas,  where 
they  continued  to  live  until  1887  and  in  that 
year  they  removed  to  Lane  county,  this 
state.  To  Jlr.  and  Mrs.  Mason  four  chil- 
dren have  been  born:  Roy  A.,  in  1891:  How- 
ard A.,  in  1892;  Hilda  J.',  in  1895;  and  Oscar 
E.,  in  1898.  All  of  the  children  are  at  home 
with   their   parents. 

Mr.  Mason  is  a  republican,  giving  his  sup- 
port consistently  to  that  party  in  its  na- 
tional and  state  campaigns.  He  has  served 
for  twenty  years  as  a  member  of  the  school 
board  of  the  district  in  which  he  lives.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows  of  Florence  and  "in  that  lodge 
has  tilled  all  the  chairs.  His  religious  faith 
is  indicated  by  his  membership  in  the  Luth- 
eran church,  while  his  wife  and  children  be- 
long to  the  Christian  church.  His  home  is 
located  fifteen  miles  up  the  river  from  Flor- 
ence and  his  postoffice  is  Point  Terrace,  Lane 
county,  Oregon.  John  A.  Mason  is  num- 
bered among  the  most  successful  farmers  of 
Lane  county  and  is  regarded  as  one  of  the 
enterprising  and  valuable  citizens  of  that 
part  of  the  state  of  Oregon,  He  is  a  man 
to  be  relied  upon  to  do  his  part  in  the  ad- 
vancement of  any  public  measure  looking 
to  the  welfare  of  the  people. 

BEN  F.  BULL  is  the  owner  of  an  improved 
farm  of  one  hundred  and  fifty-three  acres 
in  Josephine  county,  near  Wilderville,  where 
he  has  for  many  years  made  his  home.  He 
was  born.  March  17,  1861,  a  son  of  Ben  F. 
and  Bridget  (O'Brien)  Bull,  the  former  a 
native  of  Wisconsin  and  the  latter  of  Illi- 
nois.   The  parents  were  married  in  California 


and  in  1856  came  to  Oregon,  settling  in 
Josephine  county.  The  father's  death  oc- 
curred June   8,   1910. 

Ben  F.  Bull,  one  of  a  family  of  seven  chil- 
dren, was  given  a  common-school  education 
and  remained  at  home  until  he  attained  the 
age  of  twenty-five  years.  He  then  removed 
to  Silver  Lake  in  Lake  county,  and  for  six 
years  followed  the  life  of  a  cowboy.  At  the 
end  of  that  period  he  returned  to  Josephine 
county  and  homesteaded  the  farm  upon  which 
he  now  lives,  which  comprises  one  hundred 
and  fifty-three  acres.  He  improved  the 
tract,  brought  it  into  a  high  state  of  culti- 
vation and  made  of  it,  a  very  desirable  prop- 
erty. 

On  August  18,  1892,  Mr.  Bull  was  united 
ir.  marriage  to  Miss  Lizzie  Jackson  and  to 
tliem,  three  children  have  been  born,  Ora, 
Bird  and  Gladys,  all  of  whom  are  at  home. 
Ben  F.  Bull  is  a  socialist  and  is  greatly 
interested  in  political  afl'airs.  He  is  well 
known  in  the  community  in  which  he  lives, 
holds  to  high  standards  of  morality  and  char- 
acter and  is  by  all  regarded  as  an  exemplary 
citizen. 

JOHN  LONG.  The  success  that  usually 
crowns  persistent,  earnest  and  honoral)le  ef- 
forts came  to  John  Long,  making  him  the 
owner  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of 
good  land  which  constituted  one  of  the  well 
developed  farm  properties  of  Coles  valley.  He 
was  in  the  fifty-ninth  year  of  his  age  when 
death  called  him.  his  birth  having  occurred 
in  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  December  8,  1S3S,  his 
parents  being  Phillip  and  Philapena  Long, 
\\'hen  a  boy  of  sixteen  he  ran  away  from 
home  ami  for  a  time  was  employed  on  a 
Mississippi  river  .steamboat.  Later  he  went 
to  Chicago,  where  he  learned  the  marble  cut- 
ter's trade.  Subsequently  he  sailed  around 
Cape  Horn  for  California  and  following  his 
arrival  in  that  state  engaged  in  mining  until 
1SC5,  when  he  came  north  to  Oregon,  set- 
tling in  Douglas  county.  After  reaching  this 
county  he  worked  at  stone  cutting  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  but  eventually  turned  his  at- 
tention to  farming  at  first  settling  on  a 
tract  of  rented  land.  A  year  later  he  took 
up  a  homestead  of  eighty  acres  in  the  French 
settlement  and  there  lived  for  five  years,  after 
which  he  purchased  in  1876  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  the  present  home  farm  in  Coles 
valley.  To  this  place  he  removed  in  1877  and 
afterward  extended  the  boundaries  of  his 
farm  by  the  additional  purchase  of  one  luui- 
dred  and  sixty  acres  of  railroad  land,  so  that 
his  Iioldings  embraced  a  half  section,  upon 
which  he  resided  to  the  time  of  his  death,  on 
the  11th  of  September,  1897.  The  diligence 
which  he  displayed  in  conducting  his  farm 
the  practical  methods  which  he  utilized  in 
its  development  and  the  enterprise  which  he 
manifested  in  planting  and  harvesting  his 
crops  all  combined  to  make  him  one  of  the 
representative   farmers  of  the  district. 

On  the  15th  of  August,  1870,  Mr,  Long  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Anna  M.  Graeh. 
a  native  of  Prussia.  Germany,  who  came  to 
the  United  States  in  1867  and  spent  six 
months  in  Minnesota.     She  afterward  resided 


o 


i  THE  .^ :.  A  YORK  \ 
PUBLIC     LIBRARV  ' 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


957 


for  three  years  in  Bloomington,  Illinois,  and 
in  ISTU  came  to  the  west  coast,  traveling  by 
team  to  Marysville,  California,  and  thence 
to  Douglas  county,  Oregon,  by  stage.  It  was 
not  long  after  her  arrival  here  that  Anna  M. 
Grach  gave  her  hand  in  marriage  to  John 
Long  and  they  began  their  domestic  life  on 
a  rented  farm,  but  soon  they  had  a  home  of 
their  own.  As  the  years  passed  they  became 
the  parents  of  eight  children,  of  whom  seven 
are  living:  John  T.,  a  practicing  attorney 
of  Roseburg;  Rosa  Emma,  the  wife  of  Carl 
Ohman,  of  Roseburg;  Frank  P.,  who  is  living 
in  the  same  town;  William  H.,  who  operates 
the  home  farm;  Fannie  Lottie,  the  wife  of 
R.  0.  Goff,  a  ranchman  living  near  Sutherlin, 
Oregon;  Conrad  C,  who  is  living  in  Portland; 
and  Anna  ilalissa  who  is  the  wife  of  Frank 
Conn  and  resides  with  Mrs.  Long. 

-John  Long  was  a  democrat  but  never  souglit 
nor  desired  public  olfice.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen  and 
the  Lutheran  church.  His  wife  is  a  member 
of  the  Catholic  church.  His  was  a  well  spent 
life,  characterized  by  devotion  to  honorable 
principles.  In  business  he  displayed  the  sa- 
lient qualities  of  energy  and  industry,  that 
always  point  the  way  to  success. 

JOSEPH  LYONS.  Drain  is  one  of  the  pros- 
perous and  progressive  towns  in  Oregon.  It 
is  growing  and  expanding  with  discernible 
rapidity  and  no  city  can  develop  thus  with- 
out the  firm  backing  of  solid  business,  finan- 
cial and  industrial  interests  as  a  factor 
iu  its  upbuilding.  Drain  has  all  of  these 
advantages  and  owes  them  to  the  energy  and 
alert  capability  of  her  enterprising  citizens. 
Possessed  of  unusual  ability  in  a  business 
way,  Joseph  Lyons  gained  recognition  dur- 
ing the  long  period  of  his  residence  in  Drain 
as  a  constructive  factor  in  its  business  and 
banking  progress.  He  has  now  left  this 
city  and  has  taken  up  his  residence  in  Reeds- 
port,  where  be  is  bringing  his  splendid  busi- 
ness qualities  and  his  organizing  powers  to 
the   civic   exploitation   of   tlie   village. 

He  was  born  in  Bloomfield,  Indiana,  May 
3,  1862,  and  is  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Eliza- 
beth (Gaston)  Lyons,  the  former  a  native 
of  Virginia  and  the  latter  of  Ohio.  Their 
marriage  occurred  in  New  Lisbon,  Ohio,  where 
the  father  had  removed  as  a  young  man. 
Immediately  following  the  wedding  they 
located  in  Bloomfield,  Indiana,  where  Joseph 
Lyons,  Sr.,  became  prominent  in  local  poli- 
tics and  for  some  twenty  years  filled  the 
offices  of  county  auditor  and  county  treasurer 
with  an  ability  and  competency  of  a  rare 
order.  He  was  a  man  of  unusual  and  re- 
markable business  talents.  He  became  ex- 
tensively interested  in  real  estate  in  Indi- 
ana and  was  at  one  time  a  large  landowner. 
He  engaged  to  a  large  extent  in  cattle  and 
stock-raising  and  became  so  prosperous  in 
this  field  of  activity  that  the  town  of  Lyons, 
Indiana,  was  established  as  a  shipping  point 
for  his  stock.  It  is  now  a  thriving  city  of 
five  thousand  people  and  stands  as  a  monu- 
ment to  the  constructive  and  expanding 
powers  of  the  elder  Joseph  Lyons.  During 
the  years  of  his  splendid  prosperity  Mr. 
Vol.  n'— 4  0 


Lyons  became  associated  with  Hughes  East 
in  the  pork-packing  business  with  headquar- 
ters in  Indianapolis,  Indiana,  and  this  as- 
sociation had  an  unfortunate  result.  Mr. 
East  attempted  to  corner  the  oats  market 
in  Chicago,  using  for  his  operations  the 
firm's  money  and  working  under  the  firm's 
name.  As  a  consequence  of  his  activities  the 
copartnership  failed  and  went  into  debt  for 
a  large  sum  of  money.  Mr.  Lyons  with 
innate  honesty  and  hatred  of  obligation  at 
once  set  himself  to  pay  off  the  debt  which 
he  had  unknowingly  incurred  and  before  his 
death,  in  1873,  had  fulfilled  every  obligation 
and  had  regained  his  fortune  to  the  extent 
of  being  able  to  leave  his  family  in  comfort- 
able circumstances.  His  passing  marked  the 
end  of  a  remarkable  and  thoroughly  honest 
business  career  and  his  life  was  representa- 
tive of  everything  worthy  and  honorable  in 
the  commercial  world.  His  wife  remained  in 
Indiana  until  1893,  when  she  joined  her  son 
in  Drain,  Oregon,  where  she  is  now  residing. 

■Joseph  Lyons  was  reared  at  home  and  ac- 
quired his  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
his  native  state.  He  later  attended  the 
Xormal  School  at  Bloomfield,  Indiana,  and 
supplemented  this  by  a  course  in  pharmacy. 
He  spent  five  years  in  a  Bloomfield  drug 
store,  being  active  in  this  capacity  until 
1887,  in  which  year  he  removed  to  Oregon, 
locating  immediately  in  Drain.  Here  he  es- 
tablished himself  in  the  drug  business,  open- 
ing the  first  exclusive  pharmacy  in  the  town. 
His  constructive  talents  did  not  allow  him  to 
limit  himself  to  the  one  line  of  occupation. 
He  established  the  first  bank  in  the  city, 
opening  a  private  financial  enterprise  known 
as  the  Joseph  Lyons  Bank.  He  continued  in 
business  in  Drain  up  to  1904  and  gained  wide 
recognition  as  a  man  whose  expanding  and 
developing  business  talents  actively  aided 
municipal  upbuilding.  In  1904  he  sold  out 
all  of  his  interests  in  Drain  and  moved  to 
Portland,  where  he  engaged  in  the  real-estate 
business  and  in  the  manufacture  of  mining 
machinery  for  seven  years.  In  1911  he  came 
to  Reedsport,  where  he  now  resides,  and  dur- 
ing the  year  in  which  he  has  been  established 
in  that  city  has  done  successful  work  along 
lines  of  municipal  improvement.  He  has 
made  application  for  a  ])ostotfice  in  the 
village  and  expects  to  become  postmaster 
when  the  government  complys  with  his  re- 
quest. He  also  intends  to  open  a  general 
merchandising   store  in  Reedsport. 

In  June,  1889,  Mr.  Lyons  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Daisy  Lee  Smith,  a  daugh- 
ter of  John  H.  Smith,  now  deceased,  who 
was  at  one  time  a  prominent  attorney  of 
Linn  county,  Oregon,  where  he  also  engaged 
in  agriculture.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lyons  have 
been  born  two  children,  Daniel  B.  and  Mary 
E.  Kinney  Lyons,  both  of  whom  are  still  at 
home. 

In  his  political  affiliations  Mr.  Lyons  is 
consistently  democratic  and  has  always  been 
actively  interested  in  local  affairs.  In  1898 
he  W'as  elected  county  judge  of  Doiiglas 
county  and  after  serving  efticiently  and  ef- 
fectively for  two  and  one-half  years  resigned 
his  odice.     He   was  appointed  postmaster  of 


958 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


Drain  in  Cleveland's  first  administration  and 
served  for  nine  and  one-half  years  with  con- 
spicuous success.  Fraternally  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Mountain  Lodge,  Ko.  103,  I.  O.  0.  F., 
holding  his  membership  in  Drain.  He  also 
belongs  to  Eoseburg  Lodge,  No.  236,  B.  P. 
0.  E.  He  is  one  of  the  foremost  men  in 
Douglas  county  and  is  an  epitome  of  the 
western  spirit  of  "hustle,"  which  is  making 
villages  grow  into  cities  and  cities  into  thriv- 
ing metropolitan  communities  in  northwest- 
ern America.  He  is  possessed  of  a  construc- 
tive and  keenly  alert  mind,  wliicli  lias  been 
developed  along  business  lines  since  his  child- 
hood and  is  now  centralized  in  the  ambi- 
tion to  promote  his  individual  success  and 
to  ensure  the  greatness  of  the  country  in 
which  he  resides  and  the  village  to  the  ex- 
pansion of  which  he  is  giving  his  construc- 
tive   talents. 

JESSE  JAMES  BEARD,  a  successful  and 
enterprising  farmer  and  stockman  of  Wash- 
ington county,  is  the  owner  of  a  tract  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  four  and  one- 
half  miles  north  of  Banks.  His  birth  oc- 
curred in  Allamakee  county,  Iowa,  on  the 
21st  of  June,  1853,  his  parents  being  P.  S. 
and  Julia  A.  (Reed)  Beard.  The  father,  a 
native  of  New  York,  removed  to  Iowa  about 
1850  and  two  years  later  was  married  in  that 
state,  where  he  followed  the  carpenter's 
trade.  In  1859  he  made  the  overland  jour- 
ney to  California  by  ox  team,  reaching  his 
destination  at  the  end  of  five  months  and 
fifteen  days.  He  started  out  with  three 
yoke  of  oxen  and  at  the  end  of  the  journey 
had  but  one  steer  remaining,  having  traded 
the  others  for  the  use  of  other  cattle,  with 
which  to  finish  the  trip.  In  the  winter  of 
1859  he  mined  at  Pine  Grove,  California, 
and  thence  removed  to  Marysville,  Yuba 
county,  where  he  worked  as  a  carpenter  and 
mason  until  18T0.  In  that  year  he  made  his 
way  to  Mendocino  county,  California,  and 
subsequently  took  up  his  abode  in  Humboldt 
county,  following  his  trade  in  both  places. 
In  1872  he  came  to  Washington  county,  Ore- 
gon, entered  a  homestead  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  and  resided  thereon  for 
about  four  years.  Disposing  of  that  prop- 
erty, he  purchased  another  tract  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  the  vicinity  and 
devoted  his  attention  to  its  further  cultiva- 
tion and  improvement  throughout  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life.  His  demise  occurred  in 
May,  1893,  while  his  wife  passed  away  at 
the  home  of  our  subject  in  1S99.  Their 
children  were  seven  in  number,  five  of  whom 
are  still  living,  namely:  Jesse  James,  Luther 
M.,  William,  Piatt  and  Walter.  Those  de- 
ceased are  Mrs.  John  Watkins  and  Mrs. 
Johann  Mead. 

Jesse  J.  Beard,  who  was  a  lad  of  five  years 
when  he  crossed  the  plains  with  his  parents, 
obtained  his  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  California.  He  first  worked  at  teaming  in 
Mendocino  county,  purchasing  a  team  and 
being  engaged  in  that  business  for  a  period 
of  seventeen  and  a  half  years  or  until  the 
advent  of  the  railroad.  Subsequently  he 
came  to  Washington  county,  Oregon,  took  up 


a  homestead  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
four  and  a  half  miles  north  of  Banks,  made 
all  necessary  improvements  and  cleared 
twenty-five  acres  thereof.  He  has  resided 
thereon  to  the  present  time  and  in  connection 
with  the  production  of  cereals  devotes  some 
attention  to  stock,  owning  twenty  head  of 
cattle  and  five  head  of  horses. 

Mr.  Beard  has  been  married  twice.  He 
first  wedded  Miss  Barthenia  Budd,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Judge  E.  R.  Budd,  of  Mendocino 
county,  California.  To  them  were  bom  four 
cliildren,  as  follows:  Jesse,  who  passed  away 
when  a  youth  of  seventeen;  Emma,  the  wife 
of  I.  Brush;  Stella,  who  gave  her  hand  in 
marriage  to  Frank  Scott;  and  Jennie,  who 
is  the  wife  of  William  Browning.  For  his 
second  wife,  Mr.  Beard  chose  Miss  Susan 
Shoemake,  a  native  of  Mendocino  county, 
California,  and  a  daughter  of  Luther  and 
Elizabeth  Shoemake,  by  whom  he  had  five 
children,  namely:  Ruth,  who  died  when  five 
years  of  age:  Mabel,  the  wife  of  George 
Howell,  of  Washington  county;  Clarence, 
living  in  California;  and  Pearl  and  Nellie, 
both   at   home. 

At  the  polls  Mr.  Beard  supports  the  men 
and  measures  of  the  democratic  party  but 
has  never  sought  nor  desired  office  as  a  re- 
ward for  party  fealty.  His  faith  is  that  of 
the  Christian  church,  to  which  his  wife  and 
children  also  belong.  The  salient  qualities  of 
his  life  have  ever  commended  him  to  the  con- 
fidence, good-will  and  friendship  of  those 
with  whom  he  comes  into  contact  and  he  has 
always  enjoyed  the  warm  regard  of  a  host 
of   friends. 

CLARENCE  F.  WATERMAN.  In  thirteen 
years  of  scientific  and  prosperous  cultivation 
of  three  hundred  and  twenty-two  acres  of 
land  located  on  Myrtle  creek,  nine  miles 
above  Bridge,  Oregon,  Mr.  Clarence  Waterman 
has  gained  for  himself  a  prominent  place 
among  his  fellow  agriculturists.  He  was 
born  in  Lincoln  county,  Kansas,  on  January 
7,  1875,  and  is  a  son  of  Azariah  and  Eliza- 
beth (Scofield)  Waterman,  both  natives  of 
New  York  state.  They  were  married  in  the 
Empire  state  and  lived  there  for  a  short 
time  before  moving  to  Illinois  and  later  to 
Iowa,  They  resided  for  some  time  in  Kan- 
sas and  came  to  Oregon  in  1888,  settling  on 
the  east  fork  of  the  Coquille  river  near  Dora, 
where  the  father  bought  a  farm  and  was 
successful  in  its  operation  until  his  death  in 
the  fifty-fifth  year  of  his  age.  He  had  sur- 
vived his  wife  by  three  years,  ilr.  Waterman 
is  one  of  six  children  born  to  his  parents. 
The  others  are:  Jane,  the  wife  of  E.  E. 
Weekly  of  Coos  county;  Emma,  now  Mrs, 
Otis  of  Spokane,  Washington;  Mrs,  Loretta 
Y'oung,  a  resident  of  Dora,  Oregon;  Delia, 
deceased;  and  Raymond,  a  resident  of  Coos 
county. 

Clarence  F.  Waterman  received  his  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools  and  pursued  his 
studies  until  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age. 
By  a  wise  use  of  every  opportunity  along 
this  line  he  fitted  himself  for  teaching  and 
was  active  in  this  occupation  for  three 
school  terms.    He  taught  in  the  public  schools 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OP  OREGON 


959 


of  Coos  county  and  gained  wide  recognition 
for  abilit}'  and  thorougliness.  He  eventually 
abandoned  this  occupation  to  take  up  farm- 
ing. He  rented  land  in  Coos  county  and 
operated  it  successfully  until  1899,  when  he 
bought  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  on 
Myrtle  creek,  a  few  miles  above  Bridge  and 
began  its  cultivation.  .Since  that  time  his 
prosperity  has  been  rapid  and  continuous. 
He  farmed  along  scientific  principles  and  cul- 
tivated his  land  in  a  progressive  and  modern 
way.  At  difl'erent  times  during  his  career 
he  added  to  his  holdings  and  now  owns  be- 
sides his  original  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
the  one  hundred  and  sixty-two  acre  home- 
stead which  adjoins.  He  makes  a  specialty 
of  stock-raising  and  is  known  as  an  expert 
in  this  line  of  activity.  He  is  at  present 
enlarging  his  dairy  facilities  with  a  view 
to  making  this  branch  of  his  occupation  an 
important    factor    in   his    enterprise. 

In  jNlarcli,  1898.  Mr.  Waterman  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Etta  Hardman,  a  native 
of  Douglas  county  and  a  daughter  of  Elisha 
and  Mary  E.  Hardman,  who  came  to  Oregon 
in  the  early  days  of  its  settlement  and  have 
lived  on  a  farm  near  Eeston  in  Douglas 
county  ever  since.  Mrs.  Waterman  is  one 
of  eight  surviving  children,  born  to  her  par- 
ents as  follows:  Mila,  who  is  a  resident  of 
Koseburg;  Rilla,  residing  in  the  same  city; 
Etta,  the  wife  of  our  .subject;  Mark,  who 
makes  his  home  in  Bancroft,  Oregon;  Mrs. 
May  Graf,  of  Reston,  Oregon;  Benjamin,  who 
resides  in  the  same  city;  Joseph,  of  Toledo, 
Oregon;  and  Belle,  who  resides  in  Appleton, 
Coos  county,  Oregon.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Waterman  have  been  born  seven  children: 
Clyde,  born  in  1899;  Elvin,  bom  in  1901; 
one  child,  who  died  in  infancy;  Perry,  whose 
birth  occurred  in  1904;  Echo,  born  in  190(5; 
Irene,  born  in  1908;  and  (irace,  whose  birth 
occurred  in  1911.  Mr.  Waterman  and  his 
family  affiliate  with  the  Presbyterian  church 
and  are  active  workers  in  its  religious  move- 
ments. 

Mr.  Waterman  in  his  political  views  is 
a  consistent  republican  and  although  he 
takes  an  intelligent  interest  in  public  affairs 
he  has  never  sought  oflice.  His  agriculture 
has  been  progressive  and  valuable  in  all  its 
aspects  and  has  been  productive  of  excellent 
results  not  only  by  resulting  in  individual 
prosperity  but  by  adding  to  the  development 
of  one  of  the  largest  sections  of  America 
and  making  Coos  county  more  prosperous 
and   flourishing. 

CHARLES  E.  JOHNSON  is  one  of  the  well 
known  farmers  on  North  inlet.  Coos  county, 
Oregon,  where  he  is  successfully  engaged  in 
the  cultivation  of  one  hundred  and  fifty- 
two  acres  of  ricli  land.  He  was  born  in 
Finland,  May  24,  1870,  and  is  a  son  of  John 
and  Bertha  Johnson,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  Finland  where  the  father  died 
many  years  ago  and  where  the  mother  still 
maintains  her  home  at  the  age  of  seventy 
years.  Mr.  and  ilrs.  .John  Johnson  were  the 
parents  of  seven  children,  four  of  whom  are 
yet  living,  our  subject  and  one  brother, 
John,  being  the  only  members  of  the  family 


who  came  to  this  country.  John  died  in 
Portland  at   the  age  of  twenty-eight   years. 

Charles  E.  Johnson  was  reared  at  home 
and  received  his  elementary  education  in  his 
native  land.  He  emigrated  to  America  in 
ISSS  and  settled  in  Mendocino  county,  Cali- 
fornia, where  he  remained  for  two  years. 
He  then  removed  to  Coos  bay  and  there 
worked  for  some  time  in  the  logging  canij)s. 
Later  he  purchased  a  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  tifty-two  acres,  two  miles  north  of  the 
upper  landing  of  North  inlet,  in  Coos  county 
and  on  that  property  has  since  devoted  him- 
self to  farming,  making  a  specialty  of  rais- 
ing potatoes  and  other  vegetables  which  find 
ready  sale  in  the  open  markets.  He  is 
gradually  working  into  the  dairy  business 
for  which  his   farm   is  particularly   adapted. 

Mr.  Johnson  was  united  in  marriage  in 
1892,  to  Jlrs.  Annie  Brown  who  is  the  widow 
of  John  L.  Brown  and  also  of  John  Stine- 
bnrg.  To  Mrs.  Johnson,  by  her  first  marriage, 
three  children  were  born:  Oscar,  who  resides 
at  home;  Lydia,  the  wife  of  Henry  Carlson 
of  Bonneville,  Oregon;  and  Charles,  at  home. 

Charles  E.  Johnson  is  affiliated  with  the 
socialist  party,  but  has  never  been  a  candi- 
date for  public  office.  He  and  his  family 
are  members  of  the  Lutheran  church.  He 
is  one  of  the  well  known  agriculturists  of 
Coos  county  and  a  man  who  is  interested  in 
every  measure  which  tends  to  improve  con- 
ditions in  the  community  in  which  he  lives. 

ALEXANDER    H.    SPARE,    living    in    the 

southern  part  of  Cottage  Grove  and  own- 
ing a  farm  of  more  than  two  hundred  acres 
adjoining  the  city  limits,  was  born  at  Rich- 
mond, Kentucky,'in  1832,  a  son  of  Philip  and 
Harriett  (Mayers)  Spare.  In  the  family  of 
his  parents  were  two  children,  the  sister  of 
our  subject  being  Sarah,  who  married  G.  W. 
Murphy,  a  resident  of  Kentucky,  and  w'ho 
passed  away  in  1910,  leaving  several  chil- 
dren. There  was  also  an  adopted  son,  Ben- 
jamin Thomas  Grey,  who  made  his  home  in 
Kentucky  and  there  passed  away  in  1892, 
also  leaving  several  children.  The  parents 
died  in  Kentucky  when  Alexander  H.  Spare 
was  only  four  years  of  age,  their  deaths  be- 
ing caused  by  cholera. 

After  the  deatli  of  his  parents  the  subject 
of  this  review  was  taken  into  the  home  of 
a  Kentucky  family  named  Dowdell.  He  re- 
mained with  them  until  he  attained  years 
of  maturity  and  in  18")1  he  drove  an  ox  team 
across  the  plains  as  pay  for  his  own  trans- 
])()rtation.  On  arriving  in  Oregon  he  began 
working  in  the  mines,  engaging  in  black- 
STuithing  and  various  other  pursuits  for  a 
time,  after  which  he  built  a  blacksmith 
shop  which  he  conducted  for  one  year.  After 
selling  his  shop  he  again  obtained  employ- 
ment in  the  mines  of  southern  Oregon,  where 
he  worked  about  twelve  years,  during  that 
time  receiving  only  moderate  wages.  In 
])artnership  with  a  Mr.  Arnold  he  purchased 
six  hundred  and  forty-two  acres  of  land  for 
four  thousand  dollars.  Afterward  his  ]iart- 
ner  sold  his  interest  to  0.  P.  Adams  and 
when  he  and  Mr.  Spare  divided  the  land,  a 
tract    of    over    two    Iiundred    acres   was    the 


960 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


share  of  Mr.  Spare.  His  farm  adjoins  tlie 
city  of  Cottage  Grove,  liis  residence  being 
within  the  city  limits.  When  he  selected 
the  site  for  his  present  home  there  were 
very  few  houses  within  a  radius  of  ten  miles 
and  many  Indians  w-ere  roving  about  the 
country.  He  has  witnessed  the  development 
of  this  region  from  a  veritable  wilderness 
to  a  finely  developed  farming  and  residence 
section.  In  addition  to  the  valuable  agri- 
cultural property  which  he  owns  he  has  five 
gold  and  silver  claims  on  Sharps  creek,  in 
•  the  Bohemia  district,  to  which  he  has  been 
on    frequent   prospecting  tours. 

In  his  political  faith  Mr.  Spare  is  a  demo- 
crat but  has  never  been  an  office  seeker  al- 
though he  has  been  importuned  to  accept 
nominations  or  appointments  for  political 
positions.  He  has  been  a  prominent  member 
of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  having  been  master 
for  several  years  of  Cottage  Grove  Lodge 
No.  51,  A.  F.'  &  A.  M.,  a  member  of  Chapter 
No.  10,  R.  A.  M.  and  also  a  Knight  Templar. 
He  is  popular  among  his  neighbors  and  the 
citizens  of  Cottage  Grove  and  takes  great 
pride  in  the  growth  and  development  of  this 
section  and  the  advancement  of  his  city. 
Beginning  as  a  poor  boy,  orphaned  at  the 
eagly  age  of  four  years  and  being  compelled 
to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world,  he  has 
made  a  success  of  life,  acquiring  a  comfort- 
able competence  and  a  wide  acquaintance 
among  all  classes  of  people  in  Cottage  Grove 
and  vicinity.  He  has  labored  hard  and  faith- 
fully and  undertaken  some  difficult  tasks, 
but*  by  the  exercise  of  indomitable  will, 
industry  and  economy  he  has  succeeded  in 
overcoming  the  obstacles  in  his  business 
pathway  and  is  now  in  a  position  to  enjoy 
a  well  earned  rest. 

CHARLES  S.  MOORE.  For  many  years  a 
leader  of  the  republican  party  in  Klama,th 
county  and  southern  Oregon,  while  his  opin- 
ions carried  weight  in  party  councils  through- 
out the  state,  Charles  S.  "Moore  reached  his 
highest  political  honors  as  treasurer  of  Ore- 
gon; but  his  strongest  ambition  has  not  been 
to  win  political  prominence  but  rather  to 
gain  success  through  the  legitimate  lines 
of  business  and  to  promote  his  usefulness  as 
a  citizen  by  advancing  the  substantial  up- 
building of  the  section  in  which  he  makes  his 
home.  In  both  of  these  ways  his  accomplish- 
ments have  been  large  and  beneficial.  He 
was  born  in  Marion  county.  Oregon,  -Jan- 
uary 8.  1857.  His  parents  were  William  S. 
and'  Margaret  0.  (ileldrumt  Moore.  The 
father  was  born  near  Belleville,  Illinois,  in 
1829,  and  the  mother's  birth  occurred  in  that 
state,  February  14,  1836.  She  was  but  nine 
years  of  age  when  in  1845  she  accompanied 
her  parents  to  Oregon,  her  arrival  here 
antedating  three  years  the  arrival  of  Wil- 
liam S.  Moore,  who  came  to  the  northwest 
with  his  mother  and  stepfather  in  1S4S, 
■when  eighteen  years  of  age.  He  married 
Margaret  O.  Mel'drum  in  Pacific  City  Wash- 
ington, in  1854.  and  soon  afterward  settled 
on  a  farm  in  Marion  county,  Oregon,  where 
occurred  the  birth  of  his  son  Charles.  The 
father  was  a  millwright   by   trade  and  this 


forced  him  to  spend  much  time  away  from 
home.  About  1863  he  removed  to  Oregon 
City  and  soon  afterward  to  Salem,  Oregon, 
where  he  resided  until  1874.  He  then  came 
to  what  is  now  Klamath  county  and  built 
a  mill  for  the  United  States  government  at 
Klamath  agency.  He  continued  to  reside  in 
this  county  until  1887,  when  he  removed  to 
Portland,  where  his  death  occurred  in  1899. 
His  widow  is  still  a  resident  of  the  Rose  City. 
While  living  in  Klamath  county  William  S. 
Moore  was  appointed  the  first  county  judge, 
when  the  county  was  created,  and  he  also 
served  as  postmaster  here,  while  fbr  two 
j^ears  he  filled  the  position  of  county  treas- 
urer of  Marion  county  before  coming  to 
Klamath  county.  In  politics  he  was  a  stanch 
republican  and  was  a  member  of  the  Baptist 
church.  In  their  family  were  seven  children: 
Rufus  S.,  and  Cliarles  S..  living  in  Klamath 
I'alls;  Stella  0..  who  is  the  wife  of  L.  N. 
Bellinger,  of  St.  Johns,  Oregon;  Frances,  the 
wife  of  R.  I.  Hammond,  of  Klamath  Falls; 
Mary  Bertha,  who  for  twenty  years  has  been 
a  teacher  in  the  Lincoln  high  school  of  Port- 
land; Henrietta,  who  is  professor  of.  English 
in  the  University  of  Idaho  at  Moscow  and 
is  a  graduate  of  the  Universities  of  Oregon 
and  California  and  of  Columbia  L'niversity 
of  New  York;  and  Lulu,  who  died  in  Salem 
in  1S77. 

CTiarles  S.  Moore  spent  the  days  of  his 
bo,vhood  and  youth  at  home  and  came  to 
Klamath  county  in  1874.  He  supplemented 
his  public-school  education  by  studying  in 
Willamette  University  through  two  winters. 
He  was  seventeen  years  of  age  when  he  came 
to  Klamath  county  and  for  the  first  year 
was  employed  at  the  Indian  agency  and  the 
next  year  and  eight  months  for  the  trader  at 
the  agency  and  Fort  Klamath.  At  the  time  of 
his  arrival  in  this  part  of  the  state  all 
southern  Oregon  was  one  county  (Jackson). 
Thinking  to  enter  upon  the  practice  of  law, 
he  then  went  to  Portland  and  studied 
tln-ough  one  winter  but  at  the  end  of  that 
time  he  gave  up  his  plan  and  returned  to 
Klamath  Falls,  occupying  his  old  position 
through  another  summer.  In  the  fall  of 
1877  he  came  to  Linkville  now  Klamath 
Falls  and  assisted  his  father  in  building  a 
sawmill,  which  was  the  first  mill  built  here, 
of  which  he  was  a  one-third  owner,  w-hile 
later  he  became  a  half  owner.  In  1887  his 
brother  Rufus  purchased  the  father's  inter- 
est and  Charles  S.  Moore  and  his  brother  then 
continued  in  the  milling  business  until  about 
two  years  ago.  when  they  sold  out.  About 
1879  Mr.  ;Moore  began  work  in  the  only  store 
at  Klamath  Falls  and  was  thus  engaged  until 
1886,  when  he  purchased  a  fourth  interest 
in  tlie  business  and  became  manager  con- 
tinuing therein  until  elected  state  treasurer 
in  1898.  It  is  characteristic  of  him  in  a 
commercial  way  that  he  has  accomplished 
what  he  has  undertaken  by  reason  of  un- 
faltering diligence  and  determination.  He 
is  now  vice  president  of  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Klamath  Falls  and  also  of  the  First 
National  Bank  at  Merrill,  Oregon,  and  was 
a  director  of  the  old  Klamath  County  Bank 
until  it  was  merged  with  the  First  National 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


961 


in  the  fall  of  I'Jll.  Banking  represents  Mr. 
Moore's  onlj'  active  business  interest  at  the 
present  time.  At  one  time  he  and  his  bro- 
ther Rufus  were  the  owners  of  about  twenty 
thousand  acres  in  Klamath  county  but  as 
prices  have  risen  enabling  them  to  sell  to 
good  advantage,  they  have  disposed  of  all 
except  about  two  thousand  acres.  They 
built  the  power  plant  on  the  west  side  of 
Link  river,  afterwards  acquiring  the  electric  ,. 
and  water  plants  of  the  Klamath  Falls  Light 
&  Water  Company,  supplying  light  and  watgr 
in  Klamath  Falls,  combining  the  dil5'ql-ent 
plants  under  one  management  and  cojvtinued 
to  own  and  manage  it  until  about  a  year 
ago,  when  they  sold  to  the  Klamath  Power 
Company,  now  the  California  &  Oregon 
Power  Company.  In  connection  with  his 
brother  and  with  Ben  Selling  and  Moses 
Blum,  in  1910  he  purchased  a  lot  at  the 
corner  of  Sixth  and  Alder  streets  in  Portland 
and  there  erected  what  is  known  as  the 
Selling  building,  a  twelve-story  structure 
which  they  still  own.  In  all  that  he  has 
undertaken  Mr.  Jloors  has  won  success,  for 
his  judgment  is  sound,  his  discrimination 
keen  and  his  recognition  of  opportunities 
results  in  their  wise  utilization. 

Mr.  Moore  was  called  from  business  life 
to  public  ollice  ajid  proved  his  worth  in  that 
connection.  He  was  born  and  reared  a  re- 
publican and  fearly  in  life  took  an  active 
interest  in  politics.  In  1878  was  nominated 
for  the  office  of  county  clerk  in  Lake  county, 
which  embraced  what  is  now  both  Klamath 
and  Lake  counties,  but  was  not  elected.  He 
was  only  twenty-one  years  of  age  at  the 
time  but.  although  so  young,  was  defeated 
by  only  iorty  votes  while  the  normal  demo- 
cratic miijority  was  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
five.  In  1880  he  was  elected  school  clerk 
of  LinkviUe  district  No.  1  and  filled  that 
position  for  ten  years,  following  which  he 
was  elected  school  director  for  two  terms  of 
three  years  each.  He  was  elected  a  member 
of  the  first  board  of  town  trustees  at  Kla- 
math Vails  and  was  made  the  first  president 
of  tile  board.  In  1894  he  was  elected  county 
judge  and  acted  in  that  capacity  until  July, 
Itsgs.  In  1896  he  was  made  a  delegate  to 
tlie  national  convention  at  St.  Louis  which 
riominated  McKinley,  and  he  had  the  honor 
C)f  being  the  Oregon  member  of  the  platform 
•committee  which  inserted  in  the  platform  a 
gold  standard  plank,  which  caused  the  free 
silver  delegates  from  the  Rocky  Mountain 
states  to  bolt  the  convention.  He  had  early 
placed  himself  on  record,  in  favor  of  sound 
money  and  won  the  support  and  confidence 
of  a  great  majority  of  his  fellow  citizens 
throughout  the  state  and  his  selection  on 
that  ''most  important  committee  of  that 
convention  was  doubtless  due  to  his  well 
known  position  in  favor  of  the  gold  standard, 
which  was  the  great  living  issue  to  be  settled 
between  the  political  parties  at  the  election 
of  that  year.  Mr.  Moore  regards  his  efi'orts 
in  behalf  of  the  correct  settlement  of  the 
money  question  as  his  greatest  service  to 
his  state  and  country.  In  1898  he  was  nomi- 
nated for  state  treasurer  and  was  elected  by 
about    ten    thousand    majority.      Four    years 


later  lie  was  renominated  by  acclamation  in 
the  state  convention  and  was  reelected  by 
fifteen  thousand  majority,  the  increased  vote 
indicating  clearly  tlie  confidence  reposed  in 
him  by  reason  of  the  excellent  service,  which 
he  had  rendered  in  his  first  term.  When 
Klamath  county  was  created  he  became  the 
first  chairman  of  the  county  central  commit- 
tf?e  and  acted  in  that  capacity  for  eight  or 
ten  years.  He  was  also  a  delegate  to  all  but 
one  or  two  state  conventions  from  1882  to 
1898.  It  is  difficult  for  him  to  follow  the 
"progressive,"  new  fangled  politics  of  the 
present  day.  He  is  opposed  to  the  recall  of 
judges  or  the  submission  of  judicial  decis- 
ions to  a  vote  of  the  people;  does  not  believe 
that  it  is  practical  generally  to  make  laws 
bj'  initiative  and  believes  that  the  referendum 
is  too  easily  invoked.  He  believes  that  the 
republican  party,  which  has  accomplished 
some  of  the  greatest  reforms,  chief  of  which 
is  the  abolition  of  slavery  and  the  adoption 
of  the  gold  standard  for  this  country  is  yet 
capable  of  some  good  and  is  the  best  instru- 
ment through  which  to  secure  such  other 
reforms  as  may  be  needed  and  is  therefore 
lor  preserving  and  perpetuating  it  for  a 
while  longer  at  least  He  is  equally  opposed 
to  anything  like  misrule  in  political  circles, 
believing  that  political  leaders  should  work 
for  the  interests  of  the  great  majority  rather 
than  for  the  few. 

In  1884  Mr.  Moore  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Mary  L.  Langell,  who  was  born  in 
Jacksonville,  Oregon,  a  daughter  of  N.  Lan- 
gell, a  pioneer  of  the  northwest.  They  have 
l)ut  two  sons:  Charles  L.,  of  Klamath  Falls, 
who  is  a  graduate  of  the  Hill  Military  Acad- 
emy of  Portland,  now  in  business  at  Klamath 
Falls;  and  John  M.,  a  student  in  the  State 
University.  Mr.  Moore  holds  membership 
with  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen 
and  has  attained  high  rank  in  Masonry,  being 
connected  with  Oregon  Consistory,  No.  1, 
A.  A.  S.  R.,  of  Portland,  and  Al  Kader  Tem- 
ple of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  He  has  ever  been 
forceful  and  alert,  wide-awake  and  energetic, 
keeping  in  close  touch  with  the  trend  of  pub- 
lic thought  and  doing  not  a  little  to  mold 
imblic  opinion.  His  record  is  one  which  will 
bear  the  strong  light  of  keen  investigation 
and,  judged  by  the  highest  standards,  there 
can  be  found  but  little  to  criticize. 

SAM  ANDERSON  is  numbered  among  the 
substantial  residents  of  Portland  that  Sweden 
lias  furnished  to  this  city.  For  a  long  period 
lie  was  connected  with  contracting  and  build- 
ing operations  here  but  retired  in  1910  and 
is  now  engaged  only  in  buying  and  selling 
])ro])erty,  being  his  own  real-estate  dealer, 
lie  was  born  in  Sweden,  January  27,  1848, 
a  son  of  Andrew  Nelson  and  Catherine  John- 
son. His  youthful  days  were  passed  in  his 
native  land  where  he  worked  with  his  father, 
who  was  a  carpenter  and  contractor.  The 
family  numbered  nine  children,  namely: 
Nicholas,  who  is  still  living  in  Sweden; 
.lohn,  deceased;  Johanna,  the  wife  of  John 
Peterson  Anders,  of  Sweden;  Aaron,  Anna, 
Andrew  and  Carl  Peter,  all  of  whom  are  de- 


962 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


c-eascd;   Louis,  living  in  Wyoming:  and  Sam. 
of  this  review. 

The  last  named  continutd  a  resident  of 
Sweden  until  he  reached  the  age  of  nineteen 
rears  when  he  determined  to  test  the  truth  of 
the  reports  which  reached  him  concerning 
the  business  opportunities  and  advantages 
of  the  new  world.  On  crossing  the  Atlantic 
he  first  made  his  war  to  Wilcox.  Pennsrl- 
vania,  where  he  worked  at  the  builder's  trade 
and  also  was  employed  in  a  tannery.  After  a 
short  time,  however,  he  removed  westward  to 
Omaha,  Nebraska,  where  he  lived  for  three 
years,  and  then  went  to  Wyoming,  settling  in 
Laramie.  At  one  time  he  was  employed  in 
the  coal  mines  of  Carbon  coimty,  Wyoming, 
where  he  continued  until  1876,  when  he  made 
his  way  to  the  Black  Hills  of  South  Dakota. 
There  he  did  some  prospecting  on  his  own 
account  but  was  not  successful.  He  then 
worked  for  others  but  principally  for  the  Old 
Homestead  ^lining  Company,  continuing  in 
the  Black  Hills  district  until  18S8.  when  he 
came  to  Portland.  Here  he  took  up  the 
business  of  contracting  and  building  on  his 
own  account  and  continued  therein  for  more 
that  two  decades.  He  won  a  good  patronage, 
his  business  growing  in  extent  and  import- 
ance so  that  he  was  prominently  connected 
with  building  operations  here.  At  length, 
however,  he  retired  from  that  line  of  activity 
in  1910.  He  now  buys  and  sells  property 
and  personally  supervises  his  interests  along 
that  line.  He  now  has  some  good  real  estate 
and  from  his  holdings  derives  a  substantial 
income. 

In  South  Dakota,  in  ISSl.  Mr.  Anderson 
was  united  in  marriage  to  iliss  Johanna 
Bruhl,  a  daughter  of  Johan  and  Boel  (Gor- 
genson)  Bruhl.  They  resided  at  Ko.  114 
East  Thirty-fourth  street.  Mr.  Anderson 
was  for  twelve  years  a  member  of  the  In- 
dependent Order  "of  Odd  Fellows  but  is  not 
afbliated  therewith  at  the  present  time.  His 
religious  belief  is  that  of  the  Lutheran 
church  in  which  he  holds  membership.  His 
political  support  is  given  to  the  republican 
party  and  he  is  a  public-spirited  citizen 
whose  interest  in  the  general  welfare  is  deep 
and  sincere.  This  is  evidenced  by  his  coopera- 
tion in  various  matters  relating  to  the  pub- 
lic good.  In  all  of  his  life  he  has  steadily 
advanced  and  the  hope  that  brought  him  to 
America  has  been  more  than  realized  for  here 
be  has  found  the  opportunities  which  he 
sought  and  which  have  enabled  him  to  ad- 
vance from  a  humble  financial  position  to 
one  of  affluence. 

F.  H.  LAIGHTON.  The  present  mayor  of 
Seaside.  F.  H.  Laighton.  was  born  in  Astoria, 
on  the  20th  of  April,  1879.  and  is  a  son  of 
Frank  H.  and  Sarah  (Kinney)  Laighton. 
The  father  was  a  native  of  Portsmouth.  Xew 
Hampshire,  his  birth  occurring  in  1S36,  and 
the  mother  of  Muscatine.  Iowa,  her  natal 
day  being  in  1842.  Mr.  Laighton  removed 
to"  Oregon  in  1852,  making  the  journey  by 
wagon  across  the  plains.  Upon  his  arriral 
here  he  first  located  at  Umatilla,  later  going 
to  Portland  whence  he  came  to  Astoria, 
where   for   many   years   he    was   engaged   in 


mercantile  pursuits.  He  passed  away  in 
Astoria  in  1903,  but  the  mother  still  sur- 
vives. Of  the  union  of  ilr.  and  Mrs.  Laigh- 
ton there  were  bom  five  children,  two  of 
whom  are  deceased.  Their  order  of  birth  is 
as  follows:  Albert  L.,  who  is  deceased; 
William  J.,  a  carpenter,  residing  in  Seaside; 
F.  H.,  our  subject;  L.  B.,  who  is  a  foreman 
in  a  wood- working  factory;  and  H.  L.,  who 
is  also  deceased. 

F.  H.  Laighton  was  reared  in  Astoria,  ac- 
quiring his  education  in  the  public  and  high 
schools  ,  of  Clatsop  county.  When  old 
enough  to  begin  his  business  career  he  came 
to  Seaside,  taking  a  position  as  bookkeeper 
with  a  lumber  company,  having  ever  since 
been  identified  with  this  enterprise.  He  is 
also  associated  with  B.  F.  .Stevens  in  con- 
ducting a  real-testate  business  under  the 
name  of  the  Seaside  Eeal  Estate  Company. 
On  the  loth  of  September,  1903,  Mr. 
Laighton  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Xellie  Stanley,  a  native  of  Seaside,  and  a 
daughter  of  S.  K.  and  Mary  E.  Stanley,  the 
father  being  engaged  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  LaightoU  affiliate  with  the 
Episcopal  church,  while  fraternally  he  is  a 
member  of  the  ilasonic  order,  having  taken 
the  degrees  of  the  Blue  Lodge,  Knights  of 
Pythias  and  the  ^lodem  Woodmen  lof 
America.  He  always  takes  an  iictive  interest 
in  all  community  affairs,  being  one  of  the 
progressive,  public-spirited  citizens  of  the 
town,  his  ballot  being  cast  for  the  men  and 
measures  that,  in  accordance  with  his  judg- 
ment, are  best  adapted  to  subserve  the  inter- 
ests of  the  majority,  irrespective  of  party 
affiliation.  Two  years  ago  he  was  made 
president  of  the  city  council  and  after  serv- 
ing in  this  position  for  about  eighteen 
months,  was  appointed  to  fill  the  mayoralty 
chair  for  an  unexpired  term.  He  has  been 
acting  in  this  capacity  for  the  past  six 
montbs.  during  whicli  time  he  has  shown 
himself  to  be  well  qualified  for  the  adminis- 
trative duties  of  his  position  having  dis- 
charged his  responsibilities  in  a  mariner 
highly  creditable  to  himself  and  his  c6?i- 
stituency. 

THEODORE  W.  ANDREWS  is  one  of  the 
straightforward,  energetic  and  well  known 
men  of  Douglas  county.  Oregon,  who  for 
twenty-two  years  of  his  life  was  prominently 
connected  with  the  tanning  business  in  this 
state  and  in  Iowa  and  who  is  now  conduct- 
ing a  large  farm  and  achieving  success  by 
reason  of  his  scientific  and  progressive  meth- 
ods of  agriculture.  He  was  born  in  Kenne- 
bec. Somerset  county,  ilaine.  on  .January  16, 
1851.  and  is  a  son  of  Asa  and  Mary  (Went- 
worth)  Andrews,  both  natives  of  the  same 
state.  Her  father  was  there  reared  and  edu- 
cated and  tiiere  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Andrews  occurred.  In  1868  they  came 
west  to  Illinois  where  they  remained  for 
ten  years.  They  came  to  Oregon  in  1878, 
locating  in  Scottsburg.  Douglas  county, 
where  the  mother  lived  until  her  death  in 
1900.  She  was  survived  by  her  husband 
until  1904.  in  which  rear  his  death  occurred. 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


965 


Theodore  W.  Andrews  was  reared  at  home 
and  was  educated  in  the  common  schools 
of  Somerset  county.  Maine.  He  remained 
with  his  parents  until  his  marriage  in  1ST4, 
and  in  that  year  he  went  to  Iowa,  where 
lie  bought  a  larm  in  Wright  county.  Here 
he  remained  for  four  years,  returning  to 
Oregon  in  the  fall  of  1S7S.  He  located  im- 
mediately in  Scottsburg  and  soon  afterward 
was  employed  in  the  local  tannery,  in  whicli 
line  of  activity  he  continued  for  twenty- 
two  years,  and  built  up  a  reputation  for 
thorough  and  specialized  knowledge  in  all 
the  details  of  this  industry.  During  the 
last  year  of  his  connection  with  it  he  worked 
in  the  Gardiner  tannery.  In  1902  he  aban- 
doned this  line  of  endeavor  and  after  one 
year  removed  to  his  present  farm,  which  he 
operated  as  a  renter  for  four  years.  In 
1907  he  purchased  the  property  and  is  now 
in  prosperous  cultivation  of  three  hundred 
and  ninety-two  of  the  most  fertile  acres  in 
Oregon.  His  farm  is  located  two  and  a  half 
miles  above  Scottsburg  and  is  one  of  the 
important  and  valuable  enterprises  in  the 
Umpqua  valley. 

In  1S74  Mr.  Andrews  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Abigail  Riley,  a  native  of  Illi- 
nois. To  their  union  have  been  born  eight 
children:  Atwell,  who  is  a  stationary  en- 
gineer located  at  North  Bend.  Coos  county, 
Oregon;  Be  la,  a  carpenter  in  Drain,  Oregon; 
Sadie,  who  lives  at  home;  Josie,  the  wife  of 
Sherman  Short,  of  Montana;  Riley,  who 
follows  the  logging  business  and  who  lives 
at  home;  George,  who  is  an  engineer  on  the 
Umpqua  river  and  who  also  lives  with  his 
parents;  Theodore  and  Asa,  both  of  whom 
reside  upon  their  father's  farm. 

Mr.  Andrews  is  a  republican  in  his  politi- 
cal beliefs  and  is  a  member  of  Klkton  Lodge, 
No.  63,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  which  he  is 
present  master.  His  other  fraternal  rela- 
tions include  his  connection  with  Gardiner 
Lodge,  No.  132.  I.  0.  0.  F..  and  with  Gardi- 
ner Lodge,  Order  of  Rebekahs.  Judged  by 
the  highly  developed  and  rapidly  rising  agri- 
cultural standards  of  today  ilr.  Andrews  has 
won  success  as  a  farmer.  He  has  added  to 
the  resources  of  his  county  three  hundred 
and  ninety-two  acres  of  land,  drained, 
fenced  and  improved,  and  has  won  his  pros- 
perity by  practical  activity  which  is  the 
basis"  of  productive  agriculture. 

IRA  HOFFMAN  was  for  many  years  one 
of  the  active  and  successful  agriculturists 
of  Lane  county,  this  state.  He  died  at  his 
home  near  Point  Terrace.  Oregon,  on  Satur- 
day, March  9,  1912,  after  an  illness  of  about 
two  months,  at  the  age  of  fifty-six  years 
and  eleven  days.  He  was  born  in  Fair- 
field county.  Ohio,  February  27,  1856,  and 
when  he  was  two  years  of  age  his  parents 
removed  to  Linn  county.  Kansas,  where  they 
remained  for  a  period  of  about  eighteen  years- 
In  1875  he  crossed  the  plains  with  his  par- 
ents, stopping  over  for  the  winter  in  Union 
county,  near  Suniiiierville.  this  state.  The 
followinir  spring  the  family  crossed  the 
mountains  to  Cottage  Grove,  where  they  re- 
mained for  three  years.     In  1879  he  removed 


with  the  family  to  the  lower  Siuslaw  river, 
where  Mr.  Hoffman  and  his  father  each 
lik'd  upon  homestead  claims  near  the  mouth 
of  the  creek  which  now  bears  their  name. 
In  188S  Ira  Hoffman  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Annie  Lucretia  Tope,  and  following 
his  marriage,  he  took  his  young  bride  to  his 
home  on  the  Siuslaw  river,  where  they  con- 
tinued to  reside  until  about  three  years  ago. 
At  that  time  they  disposed  of  their  prop- 
erty and  purchased  the  Brewer  ranch  near 
by,  where  his  family  now  resides.  Mrs. 
Hoffman,  his  widow,  was  born  in  Lee  county, 
Iowa,  and  with  her  parents  crossed  the 
great  American  desert  when  she  was  a  child 
of  but  nine  years.  The  family  on  reaching 
this  state,  established  their  home  at  Cottage 
Grove,  where  she  continued  to  reside  with 
her  parents  until  the  time  of  her  marriage, 
which  occurred  in  her  twenty-sixth  year. 
Following  her  marriage  she  was  taken  by 
her  husband  to  his  home  on  the  Siuslaw  river 
and  there  she  has  continued  to  reside.  The 
father  of  ilrs.  Hoifman  was  a  native  of 
West  Virginia  and  her  mother  of  Iowa.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hoffman  four  children  were 
born,  John  L.,  AVilliam  Andrew,  Jacob  B. 
and  Aralena,  all  of  whom  are  at  home  with 
their  motlicr. 

ilr.  Hoffman  was  a  member  of  the  demo- 
cratic party  but  never  sought  political  pre- 
ferment. Beside  his  wife  and  four  children 
the  deceased  left  an  aged  mother,  one  sister, 
Mrs.  M.  J.  Hadsall,  of  Eugene,  and  one 
brother,  Simon  Hofl"man.  of  Point  Terrace,  to 
mourn  his  loss.  The  funeral  services  were 
conducted  by  the  Rev.  T.  A.  Yost,  on  Sunday, 
March  10,  1912.  and  his  remains  were  laid  to 
rest  in  the  Odd  Fellows  cemetery.  He  will  be 
remembered  by  his  friends  and  associates  as 
one  of  tlie  enterprising  and  desirable  citizens 
of  this  portion  of  the  state  of  Oregon.  He 
was  a  man  of  strict  integrity  and  unblemish- 
ed character. 

JACOB  H.  PINKERTON.     One  mile  and  a 

half  from  the  lower  landing  of  North  inlet, 
Coos  county,  on  the  stage  road,  is  the  pros- 
perous and  fertile  farm  of  Jacob  H.  Pinker- 
ton.  He  has  under  cultivation  two  hundred 
acres  of  the  finest  Coos  county  land  and  is 
improving  his  property  in  an  intelligent  and 
progressive  manner.  He  was  born  in  Wayne 
county,  Ohio.  March  3,  1849.  and  is  a  son  of 
Rudolph  and  Susanna  (Huff)  Pinkerton.  the 
former  a  native  of  Lancaster  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  the  latter  of  Wayne  county, 
Ohio.  Mr.  Pinkcrton's  |)arpnts  were  married 
in  Ohio  and  lived  in  that  state  until  the 
father's  death  in  1866.  His  wife  remained 
in  her  native  state  until  1880  when  she  moved 
to  Towa  and  settled  in  Waterloo.  She  lived 
ill  that  city  until  November.  1906.  in  which 
month  her  death  occurred.  She  and  her  hus- 
bind  were  the  parents  of  nine  chililren.  seven 
of  whom  are  still  living:  Mrs.  Sarah  Lj'tle, 
of  Desler.  Ohio;  .Joseph,  who  died  in  infancy: 
Jacob  H.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Eliza- 
beth, who  died  in  Waterloo.  Towa.  when  she 
was  forty-six  years  of  age;  Peter,  who  now 
lives  near  Ten  Mile  lake  on  the  stage  road; 
Samuel,   a   grocer   in   Waterloo,   Iowa;    Ben- 


966 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


jamin.  a  commercial  traveler  with  headquar- 
ters in  Chicago;  Arthur,  a  wholesale  rice  and 
sugar  broker  of  Chicago,  and  ilrs.  Mary  Berk- 
ley, the  wife  of  a  prominent  hardware  mer- 
chant of  Waterloo,  Iowa. 

.Jacob  H.  Pinkerton  received  his  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  Ohio  and  remained  at 
home  until  six  years  after  his  father's  death. 
When  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age  he 
learned  the  carpenter's  trade  which  he  is  now 
following  in  conjunction  with  his  activities  as 
a  farmer.  He  worked  for  many  years  as 
chief  carpenter  for  ilark-Hanna  and  Com- 
]>any  and  in  the  course  of  his  connection  with 
this  firm  was  prominent  in  the  construction 
of  the  ^lark-Hanna  Dock  and  kept  it  in  re- 
pair for  ten  years.  In  1906  he  came  to  Ore- 
gon and  settled  on  the  North  inlet  of  Coos 
bay  where  he  bought  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  unimproved  timber  land,  beside  three 
acres  in  cranberries  and  a  garden  tract.  He 
is  living  at  the  present  time  on  one  of  the 
most  finely  improved  and  systematically 
operated  farms  in  the  district  and  is  well 
known  as  a  scientific  agriculturist.  He  added 
a  few  years  ago,  forty  acres  of  land  to  his 
holdings  and  is  now  the  proprietor  of  two 
hundred  acres  of  land. 

On  May  12  1S72.  Mr.  Pinkerton  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Adelia  Hamilton,  who 
was  born  in  Lucas  county.  Ohio.  May  5,  1S4T. 
Her  parents.  Theron  and  Eliza  (Tunison) 
Hamilton,  were  pioneer  settlers  of  Ohio  and 
came  to  that  state  when  it  was  in  an  ex- 
tremely uncultivated  and  unimproved  condi- 
tion. They  were  obliged  to  cut  their  way 
through  the  timber  to  the  place  where  they 
made  their  settlement  and  were  active  in  the 
improvement  and  development  of  the  region 
for  many  years.  Mrs.  Pinkerton's  grand- 
father was  a  captain  in  the  American  array 
in  the  War  of  1812.  Mr.  and  Jlrs.  Hamilton 
were  married  in  Ohio  where  the  mother  died 
in  1S63  and  the  father  in  1890.  They  were 
the  parents  of  eleven  children,  only  three  of 
whom  are  still  living:  Adelia.  the  wife  of 
the  subject  of  this  review:  Oscar,  now  a  res- 
ident of  Coos  county.  Oregon:  and  Charles, 
who  also  lives  in  the  same  section.  The  re- 
maining children  in  this  family  died  in  Ohio 
and  are  buried  in  that  state.  Mrs.  Pinkerton 
received  her  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  Ohio.  She  and  her  husband  are  the  par- 
ents of  four  children:  Ray  R..  born  in  1874. 
•vvho  is  a  graduate  of  the  high  school  and  of 
the  Metal  Mining  Department  of  the  Inter- 
national Correspondence  School,  of  Scranton. 
Pennsylvania  and  who  now  lives  on  his 
homestead  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres, 
near  Xorth  inlet.  Coos  county:  Ira  A.,  bom 
in  1876.  who  is  married  and  lives  in  Kings- 
ville.  Ohio:  Theron  G..  who  was  born  in  1880. 
and  who  was  accidentally  killed  December 
7.  1901,  while  working  on  a  boat,  the  Henry 
W.  Oliver:  and  Lyman,  born  in  1886.  who 
was  graduated  from  high  school  and  is  now 
studying  for  the  ministry  in  Denison  Uni- 
versity.  Ohio. 

Politically  Mr.  Pinkerton  gives  his  alle- 
giance to  the  republican  part}'  and  is  now 
serving  as  a  member  of  the  school  board. 
He   belongs   to   the   Ashtabula   Lodge,   I.   0. 


0.  F.,  of  Ohio,  and  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Independent  Urder  of  Foresters  in  the  same 
state.  While  he  was  a  resident  of  Ashta- 
bula he  was  a  prominent  figure  in  its  poli- 
tical afl'airs  and  served  in  the  city  council 
for  two  years.  He  was  harbor  master  of 
Ashtabula  for  one  term  and  served  fre- 
quently on  election  boards.  He  had  the 
honor  of  attending  President  Garfield's 
funeral  and  was  captain  of  a  company  in 
the  funeral  procession  of  William  McKinley. 
He  now  gives  most  of  his  time  and  atten- 
tion to  the  cultivation  of  his  land.  He  is  a 
true  farmer  and  thoroughly  understands  all 
the  details  connected  with  the  fertilizatior. 
and  improvement  of  the  soil.  He  has  done 
much  to  raise  agriculture  to  a  new  plane  of 
scieiitiric    methods. 

JOSEPH  W.  KAYS  is  now  living  retired 
but  was  lor  many  years  connected  with  the 
furniture  trade,  figuring  prominently  in  the 
business  circles  of  Eugene.  ttTien  he  sold 
out  he  was  proprietor  of  the  second  oldest 
furniture  store  in  the  city  and  had  ever 
maintained  an  unassailable  reputation  for 
progressive  methods  and  business  integrity. 
He  was  born  in  Lewistown.  Pennsylvania, 
December  22,  1849,  and  is  a  son  of  .John  and 
Isabella  (Cupples)  Kays,  representatives  of 
one  of  the  old  families  of  that  part  of  the 
Keystone  state.  The  father  was  a  farmer  by 
occupation  and  held  various  county  offices, 
the  duties  of  which  he  discharged  with 
promptness  and  fidelity,  tints  devoting  his 
time  between  his  private  interests  and  his 
public  duties. 

The  old  homestead  farm  constituted  the 
scene  amid  which  the  boyhood  and  youth  of 
Joseph  W.  Kays  were  passed.  In  the  winter 
months  he  attended  the  public  schools  and 
in  the  summer  seasons  worked  in  the  fields. 
Believing  that  he  would  find  other  occupa- 
tion, however,  more  congenial  and  profit- 
able, he  left  home  and  entered  the  employ  of 
the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company  at  Al- 
toona.  He  there  learned  constructive  iron 
work  and  two  years  later  accepted  a  posi- 
tion with  the  Keystone  Bridge  Company.  He 
afterwards  traveled  all  over  the  United 
States  as  superintendent  of  construction  for 
that  company  and  in  that  connection  super- 
intended the  building  of  the  Xew  York  end 
of  the  Brooklyn  bridge  extension  and  also 
the  Madison  Avenue  bridge,  which  was  the 
second  bridge  built  across  the  Hudson  river. 
He  was  superintendent  of  field  work  for  a 
long  period  and  for  nine  years  represented 
the  Carnegie  interests.  He  had  charge  of 
the  erection  of  the  big  furnaces  at  Braddock 
and  also  had  charge  of  the  installation  of  the 
first  gas  ovens  erected  there.  He  devoted 
the  years  1S84  and  1885  to  the  erection  of 
the  mining  exhibit  building  for  Mexico,  it 
being  constructed  on  the  same  plan  as  the 
Alhambra  in  Spain  save  that  it  is  in  iron. 
This  is  one  of  the  finest  ornamental  iron 
buildings  ever  erected  in  the  United  States. 
Subsequently  he  built  the  bridge  at  Charles- 
town  in  1885  and  during  the  two  succeeding 
years  had  charge  of  the  building  of  a  bridge 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


967 


across    the    Missouri    river    for   the   Chicago, 
Milwaukee  &  8t.  Paul  Railroad. 

The  fall  of  1887  witnessed  the  arrival  of 
Mr.  Kays  in  Oregon,  at  which  time  he  located 
in  Eugene.  Here  he  engaged  in  the  business 
of  raising  blooded  cattle  and  horses,  being 
connected  with  Wilkins  Brothers  &  Coburg. 
He  continued  in  that  business  for  five  years 
and  in  the  fall  of  1S92  became  a  partner  in 
the  firm  of  D.  Linn  &  Sons,  at  which  time  the 
firm  name  was  changed  to  Linn  &  Kays. 
This  relation  was  continued  for  five  years,  at 
the  end  of  which  time  Mr.  Kays  purchased 
his  partner's  interest  and  afterwards  con- 
ducted the  business  under  the  style  of  the  J. 
W.  Kays  Furniture  Company.  He  successfully 
managed  this  concern  until  April,  1911,  when 
he  sold  out  to  Bissell  i  Burker.  He  was  in 
the  same  location  continuously  and  was 
proprietor  of  the  second  oldest  furniture 
store  in  the  city.  His  commercial  methods 
were  such  as  would  bear  the  closest  inves- 
tigation and  scrutiny.  He  was  always 
straightforward  and  honorable  in  his  deal- 
ings, endeavored  earnestly  to  please  his  cus- 
tomers and  always  kept  a  well  selected  line 
of  furniture  to  meet  the  varied  demands  of 
the  public  taste.  He  sought  his  success  in 
the  legitimate  fields  of  commerce  and  as  the 
years  went  by,  gained  a  comfortable  com- 
petence, which  at  length  enabled  him  to  put 
aside  business  cares  and  retire  to  private 
life. 

Mr.  Kays  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mrs. 
Myrtle  Uhlman,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  J.  W. 
Middleton,  of  St.  Anthony,  Idaho.  They  have 
become  parents  of  twin  sons,  Warren  and 
Willis.  By  her  former  marriage  Mrs.  Kays 
had  two  daughters:  Lona  B.,  who  is  the  wife 
of  Henry  D.  Jacobs;  and  Myrtle  Eva.  The 
elder  daughter  is  an  artist  of  much  more 
than  ordinary  ability  and  her  husband  is 
an  art  critic.  Mrs.  Jacobs  held  the  first 
chair  of  art  in  the  Eugene  public  schools  and 
later  became  assistant  supervisor  of  art  in 
the  Portland  public  schools,  which  position 
she  resigned  at  the  time  of  her  marriage. 

In  his  fraternal  relations  Mr.  Kays  is  well 
known,  holding  membership  with  Spencer 
Butte  Lodge.  Xo.  9,  I.  0.  0.  F.;  Wimawhala 
Encampment,  Xo.  6;  and  Eugene  Lodge,  No. 
55,  of  the  Daughters  of  Rebecca  He  also  be- 
longs to  Helmet  Lodge,  No.  33,  K.  T.,  and  to 
the  Uniform  Rank,  and  is  a  member  of  Eugene 
Camp.  No.  115,  W.  0.  W.  Both  he  and  his 
wife  hold  membership  in  the  First  Presby- 
terian church,  in  which  he  has  served  as  a 
trustee.  They  have  a  wide  and  favorable 
acquaintance  in  Eugene  and  throughout  Lane 
county  and  the  life  record  of  Mr.  Kays 
demonstrates  the  fact  tluit  success  and  an 
honorable  name  may  be  won  simultaneously. 

B.  X.  JORDAN,  who  is  successfully  en- 
gaged as  a  druggist,  at  Amity,  was  born  in 
Linn  county,  Oregon,  on  the  17th  of  August. 
1881.  His"  parents  were  \V.  T.  and  Sarah 
(Powell)  Jordan,  natives  of  Maine  and  In- 
diana respectively.  The  father  was  reared 
to  manhood  in  the  Pine  Tree  state  and  sub- 
sequently lived  in  different  states,  settling 
in  Oregon  during  the  latter  part  of  his  active 


life.  He  followed  general  agricultural  pur- 
suits and  passed  away  in  Linn  county,  this 
state,  in  1907.  The  demise  of  his  wife  oc- 
curred fifteen  years  ago.  They  had  two 
sons:  H.  C,  who  is  in  the  government  em- 
ploy at  Portland;   and  B.  T.,  of  this  review. 

B.  T.  Jordan  obtained  his  early  education 
in  the  common  schools  of  his  native  county 
and  in  1901  took  up  the  study  of  pharmacy 
in  the  Oregon  Agricultural  College,  from 
which  institution  he  was  graduated  in  1905, 
winning  the  degree  of  Graduate  Pharmacist. 
He  then  worked  in  Albany  for  three  years 
and  on  the  expiration  of  that  period  came 
to  Amity,  purchasing  a  stock  of  drugs.  At 
the  present  time  he  carries  a  large  and  com- 
plete line  of  drugs  and  druggists'  sundries 
and  enjoys  an  extensive  and  profitable  trade. 
He  owns  a  tract  of  land,  comprising  one 
hundred  and  thirty-five  acres,  in  Linn  county. 

In  1907  ilr.  .Tordan  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Melissa  Whitney,  a  native  of  Linn 
county,  Oregon,  by  whom  he  has  one  child, 
Kenneth  T..  whose  natal  year  was  1911.  He 
exercises  his  right  of  franchise  in  support 
of  the  men  and  measures  of  the  republican 
party  and  is  a  devoted  member  of  the  Chris- 
tian church,  to  which  his  wife  also  belongs. 
Fraternally  he  is  identified  with  the  Independ- 
ent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  belonging  to  the 
subordinate  lodge  at  Albany  and  the  en- 
campment at  Amity,  while  both  he  and  his 
wife  are  connected  with  the  Rebekahs  at 
Amity.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Benevolent 
Protective  Order  of  Elks  at  Albany.  He  also 
belongs  to  the  State  Pharmaceutical  Asso- 
ciation. Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jordan  have 
spent  their  entire  lives  in  the  Sunset  state 
and  are  well  known  and  highly  esteemed 
there. 

R.  S.  CROCKETT  is  a  successful  farmer 
of  Josephine  county  and  a  man  highly  re- 
spected by  his  friends  and  associates.  He 
was  born."  .July  18,  1872,  in  the  county  in 
which  he  now  lives,  and  is  a  son  of  G. 
and  Eurydice  (Trimble)  Crockett.  The 
father  was  a  native  of  Indiana  and  removed 
to  Douglas  county,  Oregon,  in  1852.  In 
1S71  he  went  to  Josephine  county  where  he 
continued  to  reside  during  the  remaining 
vears  of  his  life,  which  closed  June  2,  1905. 
The  mother  makes  her  home  in  Hugo,  with 
the  subject  of  this  review.  To  Mr,  and 
Mrs.  G.  Crockett  three  children  were  born: 
Louisa,  the  wife  of  E.  C.  Dixon,  of  Grants 
Pass;  E.  W..  who  resides  in  California;  and 
R.  S..  of  this  review. 

R.  S.  Crockett  was  reared  at  home  and 
received  his  early  education  in  the  public 
schools.  He  remained  under  the  parental 
roof  until  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age 
and  immediately,  thereafter,  started  in  life 
for  himself.  He  began  railroading  and  so 
continued  for  seventeen  successive  years. 
Later  he  purchased  a  ranch  of  one  hundred 
and  seventy  acres  in  .Josephine  county  upon 
which  he  established  his  home  and  has  since 
resided.  He  is  engaged  in  general  farming 
and  specializes  in  the  breeding  and  raising 
of  cattle.  In  addition  to  his  ranch  interests 
he   is   a   stockholder   and   a   member   of   the 


968 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OP  OREGON 


board    of    directors    of    the    Farmers    Tele- 
phone  Company. 

R.  S.  Crockett  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Melvina  Xeely,  in  1S98.  Mrs.  Crockett 
is  a  native  of  Lane  county,  this  state,  and 
a  daughter  of  Mr.  and  jlrs.  John  Xeely, 
both  of  whom  are  deceased.  To  Mr.  and 
ilrs.  Crockett,  two  children  have  been  born, 
Edward  G.,  and  Harley  N.  Both  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Crockett  are  active  members  of  the 
First  Baptist  church  of  Hugo.  Our  subject  has 
had  gratifying  success  as  a  ranchman  and 
stock-raiser  and  is  one  of  the  well  known 
and  highly  esteemed  citizens  of  Josephine 
county. 

H.  L.  STEPHENS  is  an  expert  agricultur- 
ist. When  he  was  nineteen  years  of  age  he 
operated  a  farm  and  gave  personal  supervi- 
sion to  its  management.  He  is  now  prom- 
inent in  a  specialized  branch  of  this  industry 
and  is  gaining  the  reward  of  well  directed 
labor.  He  was  born  in  Illinois,  on  the  23d 
of  April.  1S69.  and  is  a  son  of  Edwin  and 
Mary  (JleDermand)  Stephens,  the  father  a 
native  of  England  and  the  mother  of  Xova 
Scotia.  Their  marriage  occurred  in  Canada 
and  they  remained  in  that  country  until 
1866  when  they  removed  to  Illinois  where 
they  remained  until  1870.  In  that  year  they 
removed  to  Kansas  and  settled  in  Green- 
wood county  where  the  father  took  up  a 
homestead  claim  and  cultivated  the  soil  until 
1882.  In  that  year  he  went  to  Florida  where 
he  died  in  1884.  His  wife  is  still  living  and 
makes  her  home  in  Nebraska  with  her  yoiing- 
est  daughter.  To  them  were  born  five  chil- 
dren: .J.  W..  who  makes  his  home  in  the  state 
of  Washington;  W.  E..  of  the  northwestern 
part  of  Texas  where  he  operates  a  farm  near 
Hurley;  Alma,  the  wife  of  a  Mr.  Broddle.  of 
Greenwood  county.  Kansas;  Maggie,  now 
Mrs.  Younkin.  of  Saline  county,  Nebraska; 
and  H.  L.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

H.  L.  Stephens  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Kansas  and  Nebraska.  He  re- 
mained at  home  until  he  was  twenty-one 
years  of  age.  and  has  followed  farming  since 
he  was  nineteen.  He  operated  a  farm  at 
that  time  and  was  rapidly  successful  as  an 
agriculturist.  He  engaged  in  this  line  of 
occupation  in  the  middle  western  states  until 
he  came  to  Oregon  in  1899,  settling  in  Wash- 
ington county  where  he  remained  for  a  short 
time.  He  spent  four  years  in  Portland  as 
motorman  and  came  to  the  Coquille  river 
valley  in  1907  where  he  leased  his  present 
farm  and  has  been  carrying  on  its  general 
cultivation  since  that  time.  He  specializes, 
however,  in  raising  garden  seeds  and  berry 
plants,  filling  orders  for  these  products 
throughout  the  state  of  Oregon.  He  is  par- 
ticularly successful  with  his  garden  peas  and 
supplies  the  Portland  Seed  Company  with 
these  and  other  plants  and  seeds.  His  farm 
is  finely  improved  and  equipped  with  modern 
machinery  and  is  one  of  the  highly  developed 
properties  in  Coos  county. 

Mr.  Stephens  has  been  twice  married.  His 
first  union  occurred  in  1S90  when  he  wedded 
Miss  Lulu  Troyer.  a  native  of  Illinois  and  a 
daughter  of  William  Troyer.     To  this  union 


was  born  one  daughter,  Grace  L.,  now  the 
wife  of  Itiley  W.  Stephen,  of  Kelso,  Washing- 
ton. Mr.  Stephen's  first  wife  died  in  1892, 
and  in  the  following  year  our  subject  was 
again  married.  His  second  union  was  with 
Miss  Mina  Gardner,  a  native  of  Nebraska, 
where  her  birth  occurred  on  March  24,  1875. 
She  is  a  daughter  of  Edward  and  Sarah 
(Barker)  Gardner,  the  former  a  native  of 
Penn-sylvania  and  the  latter  of  Bangor, 
Maine.  Her  parents  were  married  in  Ne- 
braska and  the  father  served  in  a  regiment 
from  Kansas  during  the  four  years  of  the 
Civil  war.  He  is  still  living  and  maintains 
his  residence  in  the  state  where  his  daughter 
was  born.  He  and  his  wife  became  the  par- 
ents of  the  following  children:  Charles,  who 
maintains  his  residence  in  Nebraska;  Grace, 
tlie  deceased  wife  of  Otis  Dubois,  of  Texas; 
Nellie,  the  wife  of  William  Huey,  of  Mis- 
souri; Fannie,  who  married  William  Carney, 
of  Nebraska;  Mina,  the  wife  of  our  subject; 
William,  a  resident  of  Nebraska ;  Etta,  who 
became  the  wife  of  a  Mr.  Nicholson,  of 
Nebraska;  Elizabeth,  who  married  William 
Harding,  of  Nebraska;  Ruble,  the  wife  of 
Samuel  Simpson,  of  Missouri;  and  Daisy, 
deceased.  Mrs.  Stephens  received  her  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  of  Nebraska  and 
remained  at  home  until  her  marriage.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Stephens  are  the  parents  of  four 
cftildren:  Elton  William,  born  in  1S94,  who 
is  pursuing  a  business  course;  Ray  E.,  whose 
birth  occurred  in  1895,  and  who  is  also  at- 
tending business  college;  Ivan  H..  born  in 
1897,  and  a  student  in  the  Coos  county  public 
schools;  and  Arlie  C.  whose  birth  occurred 
in   1900. 

In  his  political  afliliations  Mr.  Stephens  is 
a  democrat  and  intelligently  interested  in 
public  afl'airs.  He  is  a  member  of  the  western 
organization  of  the  Fraternal  Brotherhood 
and  is  active  in  the  affairs  of  the  Farmers' 
Union.  He  and  his  family  afSliate  with  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church.  South.  His  life 
has  been  successful  because  he  has  accom- 
plished in  its  course  the  thing  which  he 
started  out  to  do.  He  began  as  a  farmer 
and  labored  always  along  agricultural  lines, 
and  has  developed  a  special  occupation  of  an 
affiliated  nature  to  such  an  extent  that  it 
entitles  liim  to  be  ranked  among  the  men 
who   have  achieved  prosperity. 

LEWIS  CASS  HAINES.  The  name  of 
Haines  stands  today  in  Oregon,  a  synonym 
for  progress  in  agriculture.  One  of  its  most 
successful  representatives  is  Lewis  Cass 
Haines,  of  Douglas  county,  who,  at  the  age 
of  fifty-six  has  retired  from  active  life,  after 
devoting  many  years  to  the  intelligent 
operation  of  a  farm,  which  in  its  productive 
and  fertile  state  is  a  worthy  gift  to  the 
agricultural  resources  of  Oregon.  Lewis  C. 
Haines  was  born  in  Albany,  Wliiteside  coun- 
ty, Illinois,  on  October  17  1856  and  is  a  son 
of  Alfred  and  Sarah  (Nixon)  Haines  the 
former  a  native  of  New  .Jersey  and  the  lat- 
ter of  Indiana.  Their  marriage  occurred  on 
December  24.  ]S40.  and  they  remained  in  the 
state  of  Illinois  until  1862.  In  that  year 
they  crossed  the  plains  to  Oregon  with  mule 


H.  L.  STEPHENS  AND  FAMILY 


-  t5EW 


Uu<.. 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


971 


teams,  arriviug  in  Oregon  exactly  four 
months  from  the  date  they  crossed  the  Mis- 
souri river  at  Omalia.  Their  first  location 
was  made  at  Scottsburg,  where  Alfred 
Haines'  son  William,  who  is  now  a  resident 
of  Eugene,  Oregon,  was  located,  he  and  his 
twin  brother  Joseph  having  eonie  to  Oregon 
in  1851.  Upon  leaving  Scottsl)urg,  where 
he  remained  only  a  short  time,  Alfred  Haines 
located  two  miles  south  of  Elkton,  where 
he  bought  one  hundred  and  si.xty  acres  of 
land  for  which  he  paid  four  hundred  dollars. 
This  was  his  lirst  farm  in  Douglas  county 
and  he  began  its  cultivation  along  scientilic 
methods  which  was  the  basis  of  his  success. 
He  acquired  other  land  during  the  course 
of  his  life  and  was  an  extensive  land  owner 
at  the  time  of  his  death.  A  farm  of  seven- 
ty-two acres  was  put  up  for  sale  for  delin- 
quent taxes  shortl}'  after  the  close  of  the 
Civil  war  and  Alfred  Haines  was  induced 
to  buy  it  at  a  price  of  one  dollar  per  acre 
only  by  the  utmost  persuasion  of  his  wife 
and  daughters.  It  is  now  one  of  the  most 
valuable  pieces  of  propertj'  in  that  section 
and  upon  a  portion  of  it  Mr.  Haines'  son, 
Edward  E..  has  planted  twelve  acres  in 
prunes  which  paid  him  in  1911  two  thousand 
dollars  for  his  crop. 

Alfred  Haines  resided  on  liis  home  farm 
until  his  death  in  1888  when  he  was  eighty- 
live  years  of  age.  He  was  one  of  the  rep- 
resentative citizens  of  Douglas  count}-  and 
was  a  pioneer  in  its  development.  He  was 
twice  married.  His  lirst  wife  was  Miss  Lu- 
per  by  whom  he  had  five  children:  William 
and  Joseph,  twins;  and  Jamison,  Susan  and 
Rebecca,  all  of  whom  are  still  living,  the 
youngest  being  now  well  passed  the  seven- 
ty-eighth year  of  her  age.  After  tlie  death 
of  his  first  wife  Alfred  Haines  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Sarah  Nixon,  by  whom 
he  had  nine  children,  four  of  whom  are  still 
living,  Caroline,  Lewis  C,  .James  A.  and  Ed- 
ward R.  Those  who  have  passed  away  were. 
Mary  E.,  Sarah,  Alfred  B..  .Josephine  P.  and 
Jonathan  C.  The  second  Mrs.  Haines  died  in 
1879  in  Douglas  county,  Oregon,  in  her 
lifty-ninth  year.  Alfred  Haines  was  a  stanch 
republican  in  his  political  views  but  was 
never  an  office  seeker.  He  had  the  honor 
of  dining  with  Abraham  Lincoln  when  the 
future  president  was  a  struggling  young 
lawyer  in  Springfield.  Illinois.  He  and  his 
second  wife  were  members  of  the  United 
brethren  church  and  active  workers  in  re- 
ligious circles. 

Lewis  C.  Haines  was  reared  at  home  and 
acquired  his  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  Douglas  county  and  in  the  Oregon  State 
Kormal  School  located  at  Ashland,  which 
he  attended  for  two  terms.  When  he  was 
twenty-three  years  of  age  he  began  active 
life  for  himself.  He  obtained  employment 
with  the  Willamette  Valley  Railway  Com- 
pany and  for  twenty-five  years  of  success- 
ful activity  was  identified  with  railroading 
in  the  capacity  of  fireman  and  engineer.  He 
eventually,  however,  abandoned  this  field  of 
endeavor  and  began  his  agricultural  career 
on  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  forty  acres, 
which    he    had    previously    purchased.        His 


property  was  located  near  Elkton  and  he  de- 
veloped and  improved  it  along  progressive 
agricultural  lines  for  three  years.  At  the 
end  of  that  time,  however,  he  abandoned  the 
cultivation  of  the  soil  and  was  variously  en- 
gaged for  some  time.  For  the  past  five 
years  he  has  lived  retired  in  Elkton,  where 
he  is  numbered  among  the  enterprising  and 
progressive  citizens. 

In  October,  1911,  Mr.  Haines  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Fannie  Isabelle  Sawyer, 
a  daughter  of  A'lidrew  Sawyer,  of  whom 
more  extended  mention  is  made  on  another 
page  of  this  work.  Politically  Mr.  Haines 
gives  his  allegiance  to  the  republican  party 
but  has  never  souglit  public  office.  He  is  "a 
member  of  Elkton  Lodge,  Ko.  63,  F.  &  A. 
M.,  and  is  secretary  of  Elkton  Lodge,  jSTo. 
192,  I.  0.  0.  F.  He  and  his  wife  affiliate 
with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  Lewis 
Haines  is  numbered  among  the  enterprising 
and  prosperous  citizens  of  Elkton  and  has 
won  the  rest  he  is  enjoying  bj'  laboring  well 
in  former  years,  when  he  followed  in  the 
footsteps  of  his  father  to  swift  and  sure 
success. 

THOMAS  H.  WILKERSON.  The  pleas- 
ant home  of  Tliomas  H.  Wilkerson  is  situ- 
ated near  Lorella  and  the  owner  is  num- 
bered among  the  progressive  agriculturists 
and  stockmen  of  southern  Oregon.  He  de- 
serves much  ci'edit  for  what  he  has  accom- 
plished, as  he  has  worked  his  way  upward 
through  energy,  industry  and  perseverance. 
He  was  born  in  Monroe  county,  Missouri, 
.lanuary  17,  1843,  a  son  of  William  Wilker- 
son. The  grandfather  also  bore  the  name 
of  William  Wilkerson  and  was  a  native  of 
England,  whence  he  came  to  the  United 
States  in  earl}'  life.  He  was  a  pioneer  res- 
ident of  Kentucky  and  was  well  acquainted 
with  Daniel  Boone.  He  served  as  a  soldier 
in  the  War  of  1813  and  later  was  a  captain 
in  the  Black  Hawk  war.  He  also  did  a  great 
deal  of  scouting  in  Virginia  and  on  one  oc- 
casion was  captured  by  the  Indians,  who 
held  him  for  three  years.  His  death  oc- 
curred in  Missouri,  when  he  was  ninety-two 
years  of  age.  His  son  and  namesake.  Wil- 
liam Wilkerson,  was  born  in  Kentucky  liut 
about  1819  removed  to  Monroe  county,  Mis- 
souri, casting  in  his  lot  with  its  early  set- 
tlers. There  he  remained  until  1850,  when 
with  ox  teams  he  crossed  the  plains,  accom- 
panied by  his  three  sons.  After  a  slow  and 
tedious  trip  he  at  length  reached  the  mines 
of  California  in  safety  and  spent  about  two 
years  in  searching  for  the  precious  metal. 
He  then  started  on  his  homeward  way  but 
on  the  Tstlimus  of  Panama  was  taken  ill. 
From  that  place  lie  was  transferred  to  the 
island  of  Cuba,  where  he  died  the  next  year. 
His  wife,  who  bore  the  name  of  Margaret 
Dale,  was  born  in  Tennessee  and  aboiit  1827 
became  a  resident  of  Monroe  county,  Mis- 
souri. She  made  the  trip  to  Oregon  with 
Iier  son  Thomas  in  1875  and  two  years  later 
returned  to  Monroe  county,  where  she  dieil 
in  1S7S.  She  was  a  daughter  of  John  Dale, 
who  served  as  a  lieutenant  at  the  battle  of 
Xew  Orleans   in  the  War  of  1812  and  com- 


972 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


maiided  a  company  as  captain  in  tlie  battli- 
ot  Tippecanoe.  Tliere  he  was  captured  hy 
Indians  but  as  they  were  taking  him  away 
lie  struck  one. with  a  paddle,  causing  him  to 
fall  in  the  water,  and  thus  he  managed  to 
make  his  escape.  He  was  afterward  known 
as  "John  Dale  of  Tippecanoe  fame."  The 
Dales  were  of  Irish  lineage  and  were  noted 
for  longevity,  ilatthew  Dale,  an  uncle  of 
Thomas  H.  Wilkerson,  living  to  the  advanced 
age  of  one  hundred  and  ten  years.  William 
\\  ilkerson  the  father  of  our  subject,  was 
twice  married  and  the  half-brothers  and 
sisters  of  Thomas  H.  Wilkerson.  all  of  whom 
are  deceased,  were:  John  W.,  Wiley  M.  and 
Riley  P.,  who  lived  in  Monroe  county.  Mis- 
souri: and  Sarah,  the  wife  of  Alexander 
Clemens,  a  brother  of  Samuel  Clemens,  the 
famous  American  humorist,  better  known 
to  the  world  as  Mark  Twain.  The  full 
brothers  and  sisters  of  our  subject  were: 
Ross,  who  lived  in  Monroe  county;  Mary  J. 
and  Milton  C,  who  made  their  homes  in 
Monroe  county;  and  Nancy.  All  these  have 
also  passed  away. 

Thomas  H.  Wilkerson  was  reared  upon 
the  home  farm  in  Missouri.  He  acquired 
his  education  under  disadvantages,  being 
obliged  to  walk  several  miles  in  order  to 
pursue  his  studies  in  a  little  log  school- 
house,  where  methods  of  instruction  were 
very  primitive.  In  the  spring  of  1862  he 
started  across  the  plains  with  Dr.  Hugh 
Glenn  in  his  wagon  train.  Mr.  Wilkerson 
drove  a  band  of  mules  and  on  reaching  Cali- 
fornia engaged  in  mining  for  some  time.  He 
was  afterward  at  Virginia  City,  in  1867. 
and  then  returned  by  way  of  Panama  and 
New  York  to  Missouri.  He  had  been  quite 
successful  during  his  sojourn  on  the  coast 
and  on  again  reaching  his  native  state  he 
engaged   in   farming  and   stock-raising. 

On  the  11th  of  September.  1S73,  Mr.  Wil- 
kerson was  married  to  Miss  .Julia  Hardwick, 
a  native  of  INIonroe  county.  Missouri,  and  a 
daughter  of  George  Hardwick,  who  was  also 
a  native  of  that  county  but  died  in  Yam- 
hill county,  Oregon,  in  'lS9;,  at  the  age  of 
sixty  years.  He  was  a  son  of  John  Hard- 
wick. who  was  born  in  Madison  county.  Ken- 
tucky, and  became  one  of  the  early  settlers 
of  Monroe  county.  The  Hardwick  family 
was  represented  in  the  Revolutionary  war. 
The  mother  of  Mrs.  Wilkerson  bore  the 
maiden  name  of  Mary  A.  Sisk  and  was  born 
in  Alabama,  although  her  ancestors  were 
from  North  Carolina.  In  the  Hardwick  fam- 
ily were  seven  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Wil- 
kerson was  the  eldest.  In  the  fall  of  18T5 
the  family  started  west,  accompanied  by 
Mr.  Wilkerson's  mother  and  his  wife's  father 
and  family.  Oregon  was  their  destination 
and  after  weary  days  and  weeks  of  travel 
they  took  up  their  abode  in  the  West  Che- 
lialem  valley,  where  for  eleven  years  Mr. 
Wilkerson  engaged  in  general  merchandis- 
ing. At  length  he  withdrew  from  commer- 
cial pursuits  and  in  .June.  1886.  took  up  his 
abode  upon  his  present  farm  near  Lorella. 
He  is  now  the  owner  of  four  hundred  and 
forty  acres  of  land  in  Langells  valley,  a  mile 
southeast   of   Lorella,   and   he    and   his   sons 


own  together  nearly  a  thousand  acres  in  this 
vicinity.  Live  stock  has  always  been  the 
principal  feature  of  the  place  and  Mr.  Wil- 
kerson owns  a  French  draft  stallion,  Al- 
cantraz,  for  which  he  paid  two  thousand 
dollars.  He  suffered  heavy  losses  when  in 
the  winter  of  lS89-flO  much  of  his  stock 
perished,  but  he  has  persevered  and  his  cap- 
rilde  management  and  careful  direction  of 
liis  business  interests  have  gained  him  a 
place  among  the  substantial  stockmen  of 
Klamath   county. 

In  1906  Mr.  Wilkerson  was  called  upon 
to  mourn  the  loss  of  his  wife,  who  died  on 
;lie  26th  of  November  of  that  year  at  the 
age  of  fifty-four,  her  birth  having  occurred 
January  19,  1852.  Their  children  are: 
Clementine  if.,  who  became  the  wife  of 
Charles  Wiley  and  since  his  death  has  mar- 
ried Lon  Bateman,  of  Bakersfield,  Califor- 
nia: Geneva  A.,  the  wife  of  Sidney  Bur- 
roughs, of  Los  Angeles;  Mary  Lulu,  the  wife 
of  Benjamin  Brown,  of  Langells  valley; 
Kenneth  C,  at  home;  Nora  M..  the  wife  of 
James  Krogue,  of  Modoc  county,  California; 
Klla  L..  the  wife  of  Clarence  Walker,  of 
Langells  Valley;  and  Eugene  W.  and  Wil- 
liam L..  who  resides  at  home  and  are  owners 
of  ranches  in  this  section  of  the  state.  Mrs. 
Wilkerson  was  a  member  of  the  Christian 
church,  to  which  Mr.  Wilkerson  still  be- 
longs. There  have  been  no  unusual  chapters 
in  his  life  history  but  v'ear  by  year  he  has 
worked  his  way  upward,  each  year  seeing 
him  in  advance  of  the  position  that  he  had 
attained  the  previous  year.  He  is  now  the 
possessor  of  a  handsome  property  and  his 
success  is  the  merited  reward  of  his  in- 
dustry, intelligently  directed,  and  his  sound 
judgment,  which  has  enabled  him  to  make 
judicious  investments. 

ARTHUR    L.    HUTCHINSON    is    a    native 

son  of  Oregon  and  has  spent  his  entire  life 
in  Douglas  county,  where  he  is  a  prominent 
stock-raiser.  He  owns  one  hundred  and 
seventy-seven  acres  of  valuable  land  on  the 
Umpqua  river,  near  Kellogg,  and  has  brought 
his  enterprise  by  hard  work,  industry  and 
specialized  knowledge  to  a  high  degree  of 
success.  Mr.  Hutchinson  was  bom  about 
two  and  one  half  miles  east  of  Oakland, 
November  14.  1869,  and  is  a  son  of  James  C. 
and  Sarah  iCopeland)  Hutchinson,  the  for- 
mer a  native  of  Hlinois  and  the  latter  of 
Missouri.  The  father  crossed  the  plains  to 
Oregon  in  1852  making  the  journey  with  his 
brother  Robert  M.  The  latter  took  up  a 
donation  claim  now  known  as  the  Shine 
ranch  two  and  one  half  miles  east  of  Oak- 
land. .James  C.  Hutchinson,  however,  re- 
turned to  Illinois  in  185.'!  and  in  the  follow- 
ing year  again  came  to  Oregon,  traveling  this 
time  by  way  of  the  Isthmus  of  Panama. 
Four  years  after  his  second  arrival  he  pur- 
chased the  donation  claim,  which  his  brother 
Robert  then  owned  and  located  upon  the 
property,  residing  there  until  about  1884, 
when  he  removed  to  the  claim,  which  he  had 
previously  purchased  from  James  Marshal. 
This  land  was  located  twelve  miles  west  of 
Oakland   and   upon   it   he   resided   until   189S. 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


973 


He  gave  his  name  to  the  farm  and  it  is  at 
the  present  day  known  as  the  "old  Hutchin- 
son place."  In  1898  the  father  of  our  sub- 
ject moved  into  Roseburg,  where  he  resided 
until  the  death  of  his  wife  in  la04.  Since 
that  time  lie  has  made  his  home  with  his 
sons.  He  has  been  identitied  during  all  his 
life  with  democratic  politics  and  served  as  a 
member  of  the  state  legislature  in  the  session 
during  which  the  Southern  Pacific  railroad 
was  built  through  the  state  and  took  an 
active  part  in  the  contests  in  the  state  as- 
sembly over  the  question.  During  his  resi- 
dence near  Oakland  he  and  his  brother  had 
3.  contract  to  furnish  meat  to  the  soldiers 
at  Victoria,  British  Columbia,  and  he  made 
his  headquarters  in  the  latter  city  during 
the  time.  He  is  today  one  of  the  substantial 
and  prominent  citizens  of  Douglas  county 
and  lias  many  friends  there.  His  wife  was 
among  the  early  settlers  in  Oregon,  having 
crossed  the  plains  with  her  parents,  Royal 
and  Sallie  Copeland,  in  1865.  They  settled 
on  the  Calapooia  river  and  Mrs.  Hutchinson 
made  this  district  her  home  for  some  time. 
She  died  in   1904. 

Arthur  Hutchinson  received  his  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  Oakland  and  remained 
at  home  until  he  attained  his  majority.  He 
then  engaged  in  stock-raising,  with  which  he 
has  been  prominently  identified  ever  since. 
He  did  not  give  up  his  connection  with  this 
occupation  even  during  the  three  years  which 
he  spent,  from  1905  to  1908,  in  the  logging 
woods.  He  now  gives  his  entire  attention  to 
tlie  operation  of  his  ranch  of  one  hundred 
and  seventy-seven  acres  situated  on  the 
L'mpqua  river  near  Kellogg  and  to  the  pro- 
motion of  his  extensive  and  rapidly  growing 
stock  interests.  He  is  the  proprietor  of  one 
of  the  most  valuable  ranches  in  Douglas 
county  and  is  ranked  among  that  section's 
representative    citizens. 

In  1899  Mr.  Hutchinson  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Sarah  Fryer,  a  daughter  of 
John  Fryer,  of  whom  more  extended  mention 
is  made  elsewhere  in  this  work.  Mr.  Hutch- 
inson is  a  democrat  in  his  political  beliefs 
and  intelligently  interested  in  local  affairs 
and  well  informed  upon  national  issues.  He, 
however,  never  seeks  public  ofiice,  preferring 
to  devote  his  entire  attention  to  the  success- 
ful operation  of  his  ranch  and  stock  farm. 
He  is  a  member  of  Oregon  Camp,  No.  135, 
Woodmen  of  the  World,  and  in  the  course 
of  a  life  spent  in  Douglas  county  has  made 
many  friends,  who  honor  him  for  his  straight- 
forward business  principles  and  for  the  in- 
dustry and  enterprise  which  have  been  the 
dominating  factors  in  his  success. 

CLAUDE  M.  JOHNS,  engaged  in  the  gen- 
eral practice  of  law  at  Astoria,  is  a  promi- 
nent representative  of  the  legal  fraternity 
in  northwestern  Oregon.  He  has  a  compre- 
hensive knowledge  of  the  principles  of  juris- 
prudence, is  careful  and  accurate  in  the  prep- 
aration of  his  cases,  and  clear  and  forcible 
in  the  presentation  of  facts  before  the  courts. 
Not  only  his  professional  prominence  but 
also  the  fact  that  he  is  one  of  the  native  sons 
of  the  state  and  a  representative  of  an  <dd 


pioneer    family    entitles    him    to    representa- 
tion in  this  volume.     He  was  born  in  Dallas, 
Oregon,  October  2,  1885,  a  son  of  Cliarles  A. 
Johns    and    a   grandson    of   James    McClellan 
Johns.     The  last  named  was  born  in  Wayne 
county,   Ohio,   August    9,    1834.     His    mother 
was  a   cousin  of  .John   Quincy  Adams,  presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  her  father  having 
been  James   Adams,   a   brother   of   President 
John    Adams.     James    Adams    married    Miss 
Margaret     McClellan,    an    aunt    of    General 
George  B.  McClellan.     James  McClellan  Johns 
made   his    way   to   Oregon    by   the    Panama 
route.      He   had    previously   resided    in    Mis- 
souri and  on   reaching  the   northwest   settled 
in  Marion  county.     He  built  the  first  grain 
elevator  in  the  state  of  Oregon  and  made  the 
first   shipment   of  grain   from  this   state   to 
Liverpool.     At   the   age   of   fifty-seven   years 
he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  had  an  excel- 
lent practice  at  the  time  of  his  death.     For 
several  years   he   was   editor  and   proprietor 
of  the  Arlington  Record,  published  at  Arling- 
ton, Oregon,  and  through  the  columns  of  his 
paper  and  in  a  private  capacity  he  had  much 
to    do   with   molding    public    opinion    and    in 
slia|)ing    the    history   of    that    section    of    the 
northwest     in     which     he     lived.     His     son, 
Charles  A.  Johns,  was  born  in  Missouri  about 
1858  and  was  brought  to  Oregon  in  his  in- 
fancy, crossing  the  Columbia  river  bar  when 
he   was  a  babe  of  sixteen   months.     He   has 
since   lived   in   this   state   and   is   now   a  well 
known  attorney  of  Baker  City,  where  he  has 
also  served  as  mayor  for  four  terms.     He  is, 
indeed,  one  of  the  prominent   and   inlluential 
residents    there    and    in    his    olticial    capacity 
has  done  much  to  shape  the  policy  and  mold 
the  destiny  of  that  place.     lie  married  Miss 
Mabel  Ellis,  wiio  was  born  in  Decatur,  Iowa, 
November   2,    1S60,    and    was   a   daughter    of 
Henry  Ellis,  whose  birth  occurred  December 
14,   1825.     He   was   married,  October  2,   1844, 
to  Henrietta  Rowell.  who  died  in  May,  1899. 
Her  father  was  William  Kowell,  who  passed 
away      in      1860.     Her     grandfather,     David 
Rowell,  was  born  in  1765,  and  in  ITSS  wediied 
Miss  Nancy  Neal,  who  was  born  in  1760  and 
was  a  daughter  of  James  Neal.  whose  birth 
occurred  in  1737,  while  in  1S22  he  was  called 
to  his   final   rest.     He   was   a   captain    in   the 
Thirteenth  Virginia  Regiment  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary war  under  Colonel   William   Russell 
and  received  his  commission  on   the    19th   of 
December,    1776,     His   name   last   appears   on 
the  list  showing  the  arrangement  of  the  Vir- 
ginia Battalion   at   White   Plains,  New   York, 
in  August,  1778.    Thus  Mrs,  Charles  A,  .Johns 
comes    from    Revolutionary    ancestry    and    is 
entitled   to   membership   in   tlie  Daughters   of 
the  American   Revolution,     She   was   brought 
to  Oregon  in  her  early  childhood,  her  parents 
settling  in   the  Willamette   valli'V,  where  her 
father    followed    the    occupation    of    farming. 
To  Mr,  and  Mrs,  Charles  A.  Johns  were  born 
three    children:    Claude    M.,    Ruth    Mabel,    at 
home;    and   Charles  A,,   also   under   the    par- 
ental roof. 

Claude  M,  Johns  sjient  his  youthful  days 
at  home  and  pursued  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  Baker  City,  passing  tlirough 
tlie   consecutive  grades  until  graduated   from 


974 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


the  high  school  with  the  class  of  1906.  He 
also  attended  the  Shattuek  Military  Academy 
at  Faribault,  Minnesota,  and  subsequently 
studied  law  in  his  father's  office  for  a  year 
and  a  half.  He  spent  a  similar  period  in  the 
legal  department  of  the  Oregon  Wasliington 
Railroad  &  Navigation  Company  under 
W.  W.  Cotton,  general  attorney  of  the  Har- 
riman  lines  throughout  the  northwest.  In 
May,  1909,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and 
remained  at  Baker  City  until  November  of 
that  year,  when  he  removed  to  Lakeview, 
where  he  spent  three  months  as  a  law  partner 
of  L.  F.  Conn.  On  the  5th  of  February, 
1910,  he  arrived  in  Astoria,  where  lie  is  now 
engaged  in  general  practice.  Although  he 
has  been  a  resident  of  this  city  for  a  com- 
paratively brief  period  and  although  he  is 
yet  a  young  man,  he  has  gained  for  himself 
a  creditable  position  in  legal  circles  here  and 
his  future  seems  briglit   with   promise. 

On  the  1st  of  November,  1909,  Mr.  Johns 
was  married  to  Miss  Rose  Bronken.  who  was 
born  in  North  Dakota.  At  an  early  age  she 
lost  her  father  and  since  four  years  of  age 
has  been  a  resident  of  Oregon,  where  her 
mother  still  lives.  She  was  a  descendant 
of  Ole  Bull  and  her  grandfather  Bronken  was 
for  three  and  one-half  years  a  soldier  in  the 
Civil  w-ar  with  the  Thirteenth  Wisconsin 
Infantry.  Her  mother,  Jlrs.  Carrie  Bronken. 
was  born  in  Bergen,  Norway,  in  1868,  and 
came  to  America  in  1882.  In  this  country 
she  became  the  wife  of  Herman  Bronken, 
of  Pennsylvania.  The  maternal  grandmother 
of  Mrs.  tJohns  was  born  in  Herfendahl,  Nor- 
way,  and   married   Knute   Munson. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Claude  M,  Johns  has 
been  born  a  son,  Courtney  R..  whose  natal 
day  was  August  24.  1910.  *oth  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Johns  have  won  many  warm  friends 
during  the  period  of  their  residence  in 
Astoria  and  liave  made  for  themselves  a 
creditiible  position  in  social  circles,  while  in 
the  ranks  of  his  profession  Mr,  Johns  has 
gained  recognition  as  an  able  lawyer. 

JAMES  E.  TYCER,  a  retired  farmer  of 
Josephine  county,  where  lie  was  formerly 
engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock- 
raising  on  a  ranch  of  four  hundred  acres, 
was  born  in  Tennessee,  July  29.  1830.  His 
parents  were  Louis  and  Sarah  (Wright) 
Tyeer,  in  whose  family  there  were  five 
children. 

James  E.  Tj'cer  was  reared  in  his  parents' 
home  and  received  his  elementary  education 
in  the  public  schools.  In  1853  he  emigrated 
with  his  parents  to  Oregon,  crossing  the 
plains  with  ox  teams  and  completing  the 
journey  after  six  months  of  contin\ious 
travel.  He  settled  in  Linn  county,  where  he 
fiied  upon  a  homestead,  which  he  improved 
and  on  which  he  continued  to  live  for  thirteen 
years.  He  later  sold  that  property  and  in 
1867  removed  to  Josephine  county,  where  he 
purchased  two  hundred  acres,  to  which  he 
eventually  added  another  tract  of  two  hun- 
dred acres,  all  of  which  he  brought  to  a  very 
high  state  of  cultivation.  Upon  this  prop- 
erty he  has  continued  to  make  his  home, 
although    he    has   given    over    the    ownership 


and  management   of   the   place   to   his   sons, 
with  whom  he  lives. 

Mr.  Tycer  w-as  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Jlargaret  Patterson  in  1853.  and  to  them  the 
following  named  children  were  born:  Wil- 
liam; Thomas;  Edward;  Sarah;  Susan ;Mary 
A.;  Lucy;  John  N.,  who  passed  away  in 
1905 ;  George  P.,  whose  death  occurred  in 
1896;  and  Lucinda  C,  also  deceased.  Mr. 
Tycer  is  one  of  the  best  known  men  in  Jose- 
phine county,  where  he  is  highly  esteemed 
for  his  integrity,  enterprise  and  progressive 
citizenship. 

STEPHEN  L.  BENSON.  About  a  quarter 
oi  a  century  ago  Stephen  L.  Benson,  then  just 
entering  manhood,  left  his  home  in  the  east 
and  came  to  the  Pacific  coiist,  there  casting 
in  his  fortunes  with  those  who  sought  the 
precious  metal.  He  was  successful  to  a  con- 
siderable degree  and  beside  mining  property 
he  owns  a  two  hundred  acre  ranch  which  is 
well  improved.  He  resides  in  Applegate, 
Oregon,  which  has  been  his  home  for  a  num- 
ber of  years.  He  was  born  in  Wisconsin, 
June  10,  1863,  a  son  of  J.  Benson  and  Abbie 
(Hall)  Benson,  both  natives  of  the  state  of 
New  York. 

Stephen  L.  Benson  remained  at  home  :ind 
assisted  his  father  with  the  work  of  the 
farm,  while  acquiring  a  good  common-school 
education,  until  he  was  twenty-three  years  of 
age.  He  then  came  to  the  Pacific  coast  and 
engaged  in  mining,  in  which  he  was  reason- 
ably successful.  He  has  been  active  therein 
ever  since  coming  to  the  Pacific  coast  and  at 
present  owns  a  fine  hydraulic  mining  prop- 
erty in  California.  He  came  to  Oregon  in 
1890,  settling  in  Josephine  county,  where  he 
continued  his  mining  operations.  He '  now 
owns  a  valuable  ranch  property  comprising 
two  hundred  acres,  a  large  part  of  which  he 
has  placed  under  cultivation  and  upon  which 
he  has  made  good  improvements. 

Mr.  Benson  was  married  in  Kansas  to  Miss 
Fannie  Sloan  and  to  this  union  three  children 
have  been  born.  Mr.  Benson  is  affiliated 
with  the  republican  party  but  he  has  been 
too  busy  with  other  matters  to  give  the  sub- 
ject of  politics  more  than  passing  attention. 
In  his  religious  life  he  is  an  earnest  and  con- 
sistent member  of  tlie  Advent  ist  cliurch. 
in  which  denomination  he  is  actively  engaged 
as  a  worker,  rendering  such  material  assist- 
ance as  lies  within  his  power.  Mr.  Benson 
has  an  extensive  acquaintance  in  Applegate 
and  community,  where  by  his  life  of  indus- 
try and  good-fellowship  he  has  gained  the 
respect  of  a  large  number  of  its  citizens. 
He  has  been  devoted  to  business  and  has  cared 
for  his  interests  in  a  wise  way  so  that  he  has 
attained  comparative  affluence.  The  Benson 
family  stands  high  in  social  and  church  circles 
and  arc  among  the  most  respected  people  of 
the  comnumity. 

GEORGE  W.  CRUNK,  JR.,  owns  and  oper- 
ates one  of  tlie  most  flourishing  and  produc- 
tive farms  in  Coos  county.  His  holdings 
comprise  a  quarter  section  of  highly  culti- 
vated and  well  improved  land  seven  miles 
above   Bridge   on  Rock   creek  and   form   one 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


975 


of  the  model  properties  in  this  section.  Mr. 
Crunk  was  born  in  Montana  in  1S69,  and  is 
a  son  of  George  W.  and  Anna  Crunk,  more 
extended  mention  of  whom  appears  in  an- 
other part  of  this  work.  His  father  is 
one  of  tile  enterprising  and  representative 
agriculturists  in  Coos  county  and  has  handed 
down  to  his  son  progressive  and  scientific 
methods  of  operation. 

George  W.  Crunk,  Jr.,  received  his  early 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  Coos  coun- 
ty and  later  continued  his  studies  in  the 
state  of  Washington.  He  remained  at  home 
and  was  an  active  aid  to  his  father  in  the 
work  of  the  farm  until  his  marriage,  when  he 
was  twenty-six  years  of  age.  Following  that 
event  he  worked  in  a  logging  camp  for  one 
year  and  then  established  himself  in  the 
stock-raising  business,  buying  and  selling 
high-grade  cattle  and  breeding  and  raising 
them  for  the  market.  He  lives  upon  a  quar- 
ter section  of  land  on  Rock  creek,  seven 
miles  above  Bridge,  and  his  undertaking  has 
been  successful.  He  has  equipped  hi.s  farm 
with  all  modern  conveniences,  has  constantly 
improved  his  land.  His  stock-raising  busi- 
ness is  increasing  yearly  and  forms  the  most 
Important  source  of  his  income.  He  is 
known  throughout  Coos  county  as  an  ex- 
pert judge  of  high-grade  horses  and  cattle 
and  as  a  man  thoroughly  representative  of 
Tiie  highest  and  most  scientific  methods  of 
breeding  and  raising  stock.  The  land  which 
he  now  farms  he  purchased  in  1900  as  a 
squatter's  right  and  has  since  made  it  his 
home. 

On  the  31st  of  August,  1896,  Mr.  Crunk 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Fannie 
Wagner,  whose  birth  occurred  in  Coos  coun- 
ty. "March  20,  1874.  She  is  a  daughter  of 
John  and  Mary  Wagner,  the  former  a  na- 
tive of  North  Carolina  and  the  latter  of  Ten- 
nessee. Their  marriage  occurred  in  North 
Carolina  and  they  shortly  afterward  came 
to  Oregon,  where  they  settled  in  Jackson 
county,  remaining  in  that  section  for  one 
year.  At  the  end  of  that  time  they  took 
up  a  homestead  claim  of  two  hundred  acres 
on  the  south  bank  of  the  Coquille  river 
twenty  miles  from  Myrtle  Point,  and  upon 
this  land  they  are  now  living.  They  are 
the  parents  of  ten  children:  Lee.  who  main- 
tains his  residence  in  the  state  of  Wash- 
ington; Fannie,  the  wife  of  our  subject; 
Charley,  who  is  in  business  in  Alaska;  Mrs. 
Barr  of  Bandon,  Oregon;  Alice,  who  is  Mrs. 
F.berdeene  and  a  resident  of  Coos  county : 
Mrs.  Nettie  Tiriggs  of  Coos  couunty:  and 
.Tohn.  Sterling,  Glenn  and  Wilbur,  all  of 
Coos  county. 

Mrs.  Crunk  received  her  education  in  Coos 
county  and  remained  with  her  parents  until 
lier  nuxrriage.  She  and  her  husband  are  the 
parents  of  two  children,  Elmer  W.  and  Vesta 
E.  Mr.  Crunk  is  a  democrat  in  his  political 
views,  but  beyond  casting  his  vote  at  each 
election  takes  no  active  part  in  public  af- 
fairs and  never  seeks  office  for  himself.  He 
prefers  to  devote  his  time  to  the  scientific 
cultivation  of  his  land  and  has  become  ex- 
pert  in   the  best   methods   of   tilling  the  soil 


and  attending  to  the  various  ph.ases  of  agri- 
cultural life.  Mr.  Crunk  has  contributed  in 
no  unwortliy  measure  to  the  growth  and 
progress  of  this  section  of  Oregon. 

WILLIAM  H.  HOLLIS,  prominently  con- 
nected with  various  corporate  interests  and 
at  the  same  time  recognized  as  an  able  mem- 
ber of  the  Oregon  bar,  practicing  in  Forest 
Grove,  was  born  in  Edgar  county,  Illinois, 
July  9,  185.-,.  His  father,  George  W.  Ilollis, 
who  was  born  in  Delaware  in  1834,  devoted 
his  life  to  farming  and  passed  away  in  1903, 
when  almost  eighty  years  of  age.  He  had 
wedded  Marcy  J.  Clark,  who  was  born  in 
Virginia  in  1831,  and  is  now  living  in  Gibson, 
Illinois,  at  the  age  of  eighty  years.  One  of 
their  children  died  in  infancy.  The  family 
included  the  following:  William  H.,  of  this 
review;  Louis,  a  resident  of  Muncie,  Indiana; 
Charles,  of  Oakland,  Illinois ;  Joseph,  resid- 
ing in  Gridley,  California;  John  and  Melvin, 
both  of  wliom  make  their  home  in  Gibson, 
Illinois;   and  George,  deceased. 

William  H.  Hollis  is  indebted  to  the  pub- 
lic school  system  of  his  native  county  for  the 
early  educational  privileges  which  he  enjoyed. 
He  made  his  initial  step  in  the  business  world 
by  clerking  in  a  store  and  was  thus  employed 
for  several  years  in  Clayton,  Illinois.  While 
residing  there  he  became  interested  in  the 
study  of  law  and  by  private  reading  began 
familiarizing  himself  with  Kent.  Blackstone 
and  other  commentaries.  In  1886  he  became 
a  resident  of  Tacoma,  whete  he  continued 
reading  law  under  the  direction  of  Judge 
Snell  until  admitted  to  the  bar,  in  1SS9. 
While  a  resident  of  the  state  of  Washington 
he  was  elected  auditor  of  Pierce  county,  and 
was  connected  with  that  office  either  as 
auditor  or  as  deputy  for  six  years.  His 
election  came  to  him  as  a  candidate  of  the 
republican  party.  At  length  he  retired  from 
office  as  he  had  entered  it — with  the  confidence 
and  good-will  of  all  concerned.  Following 
the  expiration  of  his  term  as  auditor  he  was 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  law  in  Tacoma 
for  four  years  and  then,  in  1S9G,  removed  to 
Benton  Harbor,  Michigan,  where  he  followed 
his  profession  with  success  until  elected  in 
1900  to  the  position  of  municipal  judge.  He 
served  upon  the  bench  until  1903,  when  he 
resigned  for  the  purpose  of  coming  to  Ore- 
gon. His  previous  experience  in  business 
had  awakened  in  him  a  love  for  and  interest 
in  the  western  country  and,  believing  that 
better  opportunities  were  here  offered,  he 
made  his  way  to  Forest  Grove,  where  he 
has  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law  for  eight 
vears.  He  is  widely  known,  not  only  as  an 
interpreter  of  the  principles  of  jurisprudence, 
but  also  as  one  of  the  law  makers  of  the 
state,  for  in  1910  he  was  elected  to  represent 
Washington  county — the  fifteenth  district — 
in  the  state  legislature.  He  has  given  care- 
ful consideration  to  every  question  that  has 
come  up  for  settlement  and  has  proven  him- 
self an  active  working  member  of  the  house. 
He  has  also  filled  the  ofiice  of  city  attorney 
of    Forest    Grove.      lie    has    a   large    private 


976 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


practice  which  is  connecting  him  with  many 
of  the  important  cases  tried  in  the  courts 
of  the  district.  Aside  from  liis  professional 
labors  Jlr.  Hollis  has  done  important  work 
in  the  organization  and  management  of  vari- 
ous corporations.  In  connection  with  other 
men,  in  1906,  he  formed  a  local  insurance 
company  known  as  the  Bankers  &  Merchants 
Mutual  Fire  Relief  Association  and  has  served 
as  one  of  its  directors  and  as  its  secretary 
since  its  organization.  He  represents  a  num- 
ber of  stock  companies  and  is  president  of 
the  Forest  Grove  Abstract  Company.  He 
was  the  organizer  of  the  Hollis  Title  Invest- 
ment Company,  formed  for  the  purpo.se  of 
making  investments  for  clients,  and  of  that 
enterprise  he  is  the  president.  With  others  he 
organized  the  Forest  Grove  Transportation 
Company,  establishing  a  local  street  car  sys- 
tem with  a  mile  and  seven-tenths  of  track. 
Of  that  company  he  is  a  director  and  secre- 
tary and  was  formerly  president.  He  has 
been  the  secretary  of  the  board  of  trade  of 
Forest  Grove  for  several  years  and  is  attor- 
ney for  the  Oregon  United  Railways  Com- 
pany and  for  a  number  of  other  important 
corporations. 

On  the  13th  of  June,  1907,  Mr.  Hollis  was 
married  to  Mrs.  M.  Louise  Elackmer.  Wil- 
liam H.  Hollis  is  prominent  in  Masonry,  hav- 
ing attained  the  thirty-second  degree  of  the 
Scottish  Rite.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Mystic  Shrine.  He  belongs  to  the  State  Bar 
Association  and  many  of  his  warmest  friends 
in  Oregon  are  numbered  among  his  profes- 
sional brethren.  He  is  a  man  who  in  all 
business  affairs  displays  expediency  and  re- 
sourcefulness, ever  looking  beyond  the  ex- 
igencies of  the  moment  to  the  possibilities 
and  opportunities  of  the  future.  His  plans 
are  well  formed  and  carefully  executed  and, 
being  based  upon  sound  judgment,  make  for 
success. 

JESSE  LOONEY.  In  the  year  1843  two 
great  wagons  to  each  of  which  were  attached 
five  yokes  of  o.xen,  were  to  be  seen  wending 
their  way  from  the  Mississippi  valley  toward 
the  setting  sun.  There  were  also  spare  oxen  to 
alternate  with  those  being  driven  and  twenty 
head  of  choice  cows  and  four  fine  mares  made 
up  the  stock  which  were  being  taken  by  the 
party  to  Oregon.  The  owner  thereof  was 
Jesse  Looney  who  with  his  family  was  trav- 
eling to  the  northwest  attracted  by  the  op- 
portunities of  the  Pacific  coast  country  and 
urged  on  by  a  desire  to  leave  slavery  and 
its  influences  behind.  He  was  a  southerner 
by  birth  but  there  was  in  him  a  strong  and 
instinctive  dislike  for  fhe  holding  of  human 
beings  in  bondage.  Oregon  thereby  gained 
a  citizen  whose  labors  constituted  an  impor- 
tant element  in  the  development  of  the  state. 

Jesse  Looney  was  born  near  Knoxville, 
Tennessee,  and  spent  his  youth  and  early 
manhood  in  the  south.  He  was  a  cousin  of 
Andrew  Jackson  and  like  him  inherited  slav- 
ery as  one  of  the  local  conditions  of  his  sec- 
tion but  adopted  freedom  as  his  conviction 
of  right.  He  was  married  in  Alabama  on  the 
16th  of  March.  1827,  to  Miss  Ruby  Bond, 
who  was  born  in  the  vicinity  of  Covington, 
Kentucky,    March    18,    1808.  "     She    was    de- 


scended from  Revolutionary  ancestry  and  was 
a  relative  of  George  Walton,  the  first  gov- 
ernor of  Georgia,  and  a  signer  of  the  Declar- 
ation of  Independence  and  the  articles  of  con- 
federation. For  some  years  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Looney  resided  in  Bates  county,  Missouri. 
The  former  inherited  land  and  negroes  from 
his  father  but  as  previously  stated  was  op- 
posed to  the  system  of  slaveiy  and  in  1843 
started  across  the  plains  with  his  family, 
then  consisting  of  a  wife  and  six  children. 
In  the  party  were  also  John  P.  Gaines, 
Daniel  Waldo  and  the  Applegates.  They  es- 
caped many  of  the  hardships  and  privations 
which  fall  to  the  travelers  across  the  plains 
for  in  addition  to  the  stock  they  carried  with 
them  a  large  supply  of  provisions  which  not 
only  met  their  own  requirements  but  also 
at  different  times  enabled  them  to  relieve 
the  wants  of  less  fortunate  travelers  whom 
they  met  on  the  plains.  They  journeyed 
on  until  the  days  lengthened  into  weeks  and 
the  weeks  into  months  and  late  in  the  au- 
tumn of  that  year  arrived  in  the  fertile  Co- 
binibia  valley.  They  determined  to  spend 
the  winter  at  Whitman  Station  on  the  Walla 
Walla  but  in  the  ensuing  montlis  the  In- 
dians proved  troublesome,  leading  to  their  re- 
moval in  the  following  spring  to  the  Wil- 
lamette valley.  Mr.  Looney  had  secured  a 
tract  of  land  near  Salem  but  afterward  sold 
that  property  and  secured  a  donation  claim 
of  six  hundred  and  forty  acres  on  what  be- 
came known  as  Looney's  Butte  at  the  San- 
tiam  bottoms.  His  home  was  the  only  one 
within  a  radius  of  twenty  miles  for  two 
years.  As  time  passed  on  Mr.  Looney  added 
to  his  landed  possessions  until  he  was  the 
owner  of  several  thousand  acres  in  the  val- 
ley. He  bent  his  energies  with  resolution 
and  determination  to  the  development  and 
cultivation  of  his  place  and  improved  it  until 
it  was  transformed  into  one  of  the  most  at- 
tractive and  productive  properties  in  this 
section  of  the  country,  every  acre  of  his 
home  place  being  now  under  cultivation. 
There  were  many  hardships  and  difficulties 
to  be  encountered  incident  to  the  work  of 
developing  a  farm  upon  the  western  fron- 
tier but  he  possessed  courage  and  determina- 
tion and  was  among  those  whose  labors  con- 
stituted an  element  in  the  upbuilding  of  the 
western  empire.  He  was  not  only  active  in 
agricultural  pursuits  but  also  in  the  settle- 
ment of  many  moinentous  questions,  serving 
as  a  member  of  the  provisional  legislature  of 
Oregon,  and  in  many  other  ways  furthered 
the    interests    and    welfare   of   the   state. 

t'nto  Mr.  and  ilrs.  Looney  were  bom  four- 
teen children,  eight  of  whom  are  now  living: 
J.  B.,  of  .Jefferson;  Ellen,  the  widow  of  A. 
Gaines,  of  Vancouver:  Benjamin  F.;  Pauline, 
of  Jefferson;  David  H.  and  Xorris  F.,  both 
of  Jefferson,  the  latter  superintendent  of  the 
state  reform  school;  Frances,  the  widow  of 
Wilber  Cornell:  and  Addie  B.,  who  married 
G.  A.  Fairbanks  of  Petaluma,  California. 
The  death  of  Mr.  Looney  occurred  at  Salem, 
March  25,  1869.  when  he  was  sixty-nine 
years  of  age.  Such  had  been  his  capable 
business  management  and  prosperity  that  he 
was   able  to   leave  each  of  his  ten  children 


j  PUBLIC     LIBr. 

L 


JESSE   LOOXEV 


JIRS.   JESSE   LOOXEV 


PUBLIC    LIBR.\RY 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


981 


a  fiinn  ne;ir  the  o\d  liuiuestcad.  He  was 
ever  actuated  by  a  liigh  luoial  purpose  and 
principles  ot  honor  and  integrity  and  his  last 
words  to  his  children  as  he  was  entering 
"tlie  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death"  were; 
"Do  riglit,  be  honorable  and  trnthfnl."  That 
had  been  tlie  motto  which  he  had  closely 
followed  tlirougliout  liis  entire  career,  mak- 
ing him  a  man  whom  to  know  was  to  esteem 
and  honor.  His  widow  survived  him  until 
May  T,  1900,  passing  away  at  the  advanced 
age  of  ninety-two  years.  She  was  one  of 
tlie  most  widely  known  women  in  western 
Oregon,  possessing  marked  strength  of  char- 
acter and  admirable  qualities  which  won  her 
the  esteem  and  friendship  of  all  who  knew 
her  in  the  days  which  elapsed  from  1843, 
when  with  her  husband  and  little  children, 
she  came  to  make  her  home  in  the  wilder- 
ness of  the  west,  to  the  time  of  her  demise 
almost  a  half  century  later.  The  sterling 
couple  commanded  the  respect  of  all  with 
wliom  they  came  in  contact  and  their  life 
records  may  well  serve  as  an  example  to  chil- 
dren and  to  all  who  knew  them. 

E.  E.  QUICK  is  engaged  in  the  abstract 
business  in  ^t.  Helen.  Formerly  he  was 
prominent  in  educational  circles  and  has  also 
been  a  leading  tigure  in  public  service,  hav- 
ing tilled  a  number  of  local  offices  with 
credit  to  himself  and  satisfaction  to  his  con- 
stituents. He  was  born  in  Franklin  county. 
Indiana.  November  S,  1852.  His  father, 
David  0.  Quick,  also  a  native  of  that  coun- 
ty, was  born  in  .July.  1832.  and  in  early 
manhood  engaged  in  teaching  but  regarded 
this  merely  as  an  initial  step  to  otlier  pro- 
fessional labor.  He  took  up  the  study  of 
law  and  after  a  thorough  preliminary  course 
of  reading  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Illi- 
nois, where  he  engaged  for  some  years  in 
active  practic<'.  Thinking  to  find  still  bet- 
ter opportunities  in  the  new  and  growing 
west,  he  crossed  the  plains  with  a  team  of 
horses  to  Oregon  in  1862.  making  the  jour- 
ney with  a  large  train  of  about  fifty  wagons, 
the  part}'  traveling  thus  for  protection. 
After  reaching  his  destination  llr.  Quick  en- 
gaged in  the  milling  business  in  Washing- 
ton county.  Oregon,  for  fifteen  years,  after 
which  he  went  to  Polk  county,  where  he  fol- 
lowed farming  and  later  also  carried  on  gen- 
eral agricultural  pursuits  in  Linn  county, 
where  his  death  subsei|Ucntly  occurred.  He 
took  up  a  honu'stead  claim  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  in  Washington  county  and  in 
aildition  purchased  about  two  hundred  and 
fifty  acres  of  timber  land.  While  he  was  an 
active  and  progressive  business  man  he  also 
found  time  for  cooperation  in  public  aH'airs 
and  held  to  high  ideals  of  citizenship.  He  rep- 
resented Washington  county  for  one  term 
in  the  state  legislature  and  gave  to  each 
question  which  came  up  for  settlement  his 
careful  consideration.  He  was  also  post- 
master at  Jlonntaindale  for  seventeen  years 
and  discharged  every  public  duty  which  de- 
volved upon  him  in  a  most  capable  and  con- 
scientious manner.  He  was  never  open  to 
criticism  and  was  strictly  temperate  in 
liabits,  never  using  liquor  or  tobacco.  He 
Vol.  rv— 41 


had  a  brother.  Madison  Quick,  who  was  a 
soldier  in  the  Civil  war.  The  mother  of  E. 
K.  Quick  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Sarah 
M.  Updike  and  died  when  her  son.  the  only 
child  of  that  marriage,  was  but  four  years 
of  age.  .She  ^vas  a  daughter  of  Benjamin 
Tpdike  and  a  representative  of  a  very  old 
family,  whose  ancestry  can  be  traced' back 
to  1200.  The  name  at  times  has  been  spelled 
Opdyke.  One  of  the  family,  Emerson  Up- 
dike, was  a  general  in  the  Revolutionary 
war  and  of  Holland  descent.  It  was  in  his 
honor  that  Emerson  E.  Quick,  of  this  review, 
was  named.  After  losing  his  first  wife 
David  0.  Quick  was  united  in  marriage  to 
I'ermelia  E.  Young,  and  they  became  the 
parents  of  four  sons  and  three  daughters, 
all  living  in  Oregon.  The  death  of  the 
father  occurred  in  December.  1910.  He  left 
to  his  family  the  priceless  heritage  of  an 
untarnished  name  and  his  record  is  a  most 
creditable  one  on  the  pages  of  Oregon's  his- 
tory. 

E.  E.  Quick  Was  a  lad  of  nine  years  when 
the  family  came  to  the  northwest,  and  in 
tile  common  schools  of  this  city  he  pursued 
his  education  until  he  entered  the  Pacific 
University  at  Forest  Grove.  Later  he  de- 
voted ten  years  to  teaching  in  the  public 
schools  and  in  1882  became  thus  connected 
with  the  schools  of  St.  Helen.  He  mani- 
fested marked  ability  in  that  direction,  im- 
liarting  readily,  concisely  and  impressively 
to  otliers  the  knowledge  which  he  had  ac- 
quired. His  excellent  work  in  that  direc- 
tion led  to  his  election  to  the  office  of  coun- 
ty superintendent,  in  which  position  he 
served  for  three  terms,  during  wliicli  time 
man}'  needed  improvements  were  made  in 
the  public  school  system,  and  the  efiSciency 
(if  the  schools  greatly  promoted.  During 
that  time  he  also  took  up  a  homestead  in 
Columbia  countv'  about  four  miles  west  of 
St.  Helen  and  began  the  development  of  his 
farm.  In  1888  he  was  again  called  to  public 
office,  being  elected  county  clerk,  which  ]iosi- 
tion  he  filled  until  1894,  retiring  from  the 
office  as  he  had  entered  it — with  tlii'  confidence 
and  good-will  of  all  concerned.  On  putting 
aside  the  duties  of  that  position  he  pur- 
chased an  interest  in  the  Columbia  County 
\bstract  Company,  of  which  he  has  since 
been  |)resident.  He  was  again  called  from 
private  life  to  public  ollice  in  1910  and 
(hrougli  that  and  the  succeeding  year  filled 
the  position  of  county  treasurer,  but  he  pre- 
fi'rs  to  concentrate  his  time  and  energies 
ii|ion  the  abstract  business,  in  which  he  is 
lapidly  acquiring  a  large  clientele.  The  ap- 
preciation of  his  fellow  townsmen  for  his 
worth,  ability  and  fidelity  in  public  office, 
'lowever.  has  led  to  his  being  called  upon 
Mgain  and  again  for  public  service.  He  has 
been  jiresident  of  the  city  council  for  two 
terms,  has  been  school  director  and  school 
clerk  and  has  also  been  custorlian  of  the 
city  finances.  Iiaviu'r  been  elected  to  the  of- 
fice of  treasurer.  Fie  is  a  well  known  ad- 
vocate of  republican  principles,  fearless  in 
ilefense  of  what  he  believes  to  be  right. 

On  the  Ifith  of  Xoveniber.  1881.  Mr.  Quick 
was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  M.  Linegar  and 


982 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


they  became  the  parents  of  four  children 
but  lost  two  in  infancy.  The  living  daugh- 
ters are  Alice  L.  and  Annie  JI.  Mr.  Quick 
belongs  to  the  Masonic  fraternity,  holding 
membership  in  the  lodge,  chapter  and  the 
Order  of  tiie  Eastern  Star.  He  likewise  be- 
longs to  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the 
Order  of  the  Knights  of  Khorassan,  and  his 
wife  is  connected  with  the  Pythian  Sisters 
and  with  the  Eastern  Star.  They  are  also 
members  of  the  Methodist  church  and  their 
honorable,  upright  lives  secure  for  them  the 
kindly  regard  and  high  respect  of  all  with 
whom  they  have  been  associated.  The  work 
of  Mr.  Quick  has  been  particularly  helpful 
as  a  factor  in  public  progress  here  and  his 
labors  have  been  of  essential  worth  in  up- 
holding the  intellectual  and  moral  standard 
of  the  community  as  well  as  its  business 
development. 

JOHN    NAHBAUR.     Among    the    honored 
representatives   of   Austria   who   have    taken 
advantage    of    the    opportunities    offered    by 
the  new  world  is  John  Xahbaur,  who  is  the 
owner  of  a  fine  one  hundred  sixty  acre  farm 
in  Josephine  county,  near  (irants  Pass,  wliio'! 
he    obtained    from    the    government    of    the 
United  States,  and  upon  which  he  has  made 
his  home   for  many  years.     He  labors  early 
and  late  to  improve  his  property,  lives  in  a 
good  house,  has  one  of  the  finest  barns  in  the 
neighborhood  and  owns  much  excellent  farm 
equipment.     He  was  born  in  Austria,  Decem- 
ber 22,  1850,  a  son  of  Joe  and  Anne    (Baur) 
Nahbaur,  being  one  of  six  children  in  his  par- 
ents'  family.     Owing  to  a   weakness  in   one 
of  his  eyes,  Mr.  Xahbaur  was  not  compelled 
tc  do  military  service  in  his  native  country, 
as  is  the  custom.     He  received  a  good  com- 
mon-school   education    in   Austria,    and   emi- 
grated to  the  new  world  in  1880,  he  and  one 
brother  being  the  only  representatives  of  the 
family   to   come   to    the   United   States.     He 
settled  in  Illinois,  reaching  that  state.  March 
23,    1880.     His    first   employment   was    as    a 
laborer,  and   after  remaining  in   the   Prairie 
state  for  seven  years  he  lemoved  to  Oregon 
in   1887,  where  he  immediately  settled  upon 
the  beautiful  and  valuable  tract  of  land  which 
he  now  owns.     All  of  the   improvements  on 
the  property  were  made  by  him  and  manifest 
his  enterprise  and  skill.     He  carries  on  gen- 
eral   farming,    specializing    in    raising    fruit, 
grain  and  hay. 

John  Xahbaur  is  a  republican.  He  is  an 
earnest  and  consistent  member  of  the  Cath- 
olic church.  He  belongs  to  the  Foresters, 
and  takes  an  active  interest  in  that  order. 
Jlr.  Xahbaur  has  long  been  recognized  as  one 
of  the  valued  and  influential  citizens  of  his 
community  and  enjoys  a  reputation  for  in- 
tegrity and   honest   dealing. 

JOHN  A.  NELSON.  A  study  of  biog- 
raphies of  successful  men  shows  that  ad- 
verse conditions  cannot  dampen  the  ardor  or 
smother  the  ambition  of  the  one  who  feels 
within  himself  the  possibilities  of  success. 
He  allows  no  obstacles  to  cast  him  down  and 
he  does  not  hesitate  to  cross  the  ocean  or 
continent  or  even  to  go  to  the  ends  of  the 


larth  provided  his  judgment  bids  him  under- 
take the  venture.  John  A.  Xelson,  a  success- 
ful citizen  of  Warren,  belongs  to  the  class 
briefly  outlined.  He  fearlessly  started  upon 
his  quest  of  fortune  when  only  eighteen 
years  of  age  and  although  many  difficulties 
lay  in  the  way  he  resolutely  persevered  and 
is  now  the  owner  of  a  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  ten  acres  and  also  has  developed  a  flour- 
ishing dairy  business.  He  was  born  in  Swe- 
den, August  24,  1869,  a  son  of  Xels  and  Alma 
Xelson,  both  of  whom  were  bom  in  Sweden. 
The  mother  died  in  her  native  country  and 
the  father  is  still  living  at  the  old  home. 
There  were  nine  children  in  their  family, 
six  of  whom  are  living. 

John  A.  Xelson  received  advantages  of 
education  in  the  schools  of  his  native  coun- 
try. Having  decided  to  become  a  citizen 
of"  the  great  American  republic,  he  bade 
farewell  to  friends  and  familiar  scenes  and 
in  1887  sailed  for  America.  He  spent  one 
year  at  St.  Paul,  Minnesota,  but  then  pro- 
ceeded westward  to  Portland  and  has  ever 
since  been  a  citizen  of  Oregon.  After  ac- 
quiring the  necessary  capital  he  purchased 
the  farm  where  he  now  lives  and  has  made 
many  improvements  thereon.  He  has  forty 
acres  under  cultivation  and  the  fields  yield 
bountiful  harvests  each  year.  He  has  made 
a  specialty  of  dairying  and  as  he  under- 
stands this  business  thoroughly,  his  efforts 
have  met  with  a  goodly  reward.  He  is  known 
as  one  of  the  experts  in  this  line  in  Columbia 
county  and  each  year  witnesses  an  increase 
in  his  prosperity. 

On  the  2d  of  July,  1892,  Mr.  Xelson  was 
married  to  Miss  Margaret  Downing,  a  native 
of  Xevada  and  a  daughter  of  John  Downing. 
The  father  is  still  living  but  the  mother  is 
deceased.  Six  children  have  been  born  to 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Xelson,  namely:  Guy,  Lester, 
Herbert,  Jlildred,  Paul  and  Florence.  As 
the  head  of  a  promising  and  growing  family 
Mr.  Xelson  has  set  an  example  of  industry, 
sobriety  and  persistence  which  is  well  worthy 
of  imitation  by  his  children  and  bj'  all  who 
aspire  to  accomplish  worthy  aims.  In  the 
years  when  it  was  necessary  to  practice 
economy  he  did  so  but  he  and  his  family  are 
now  abundantly  supplied  with  all  the  desir- 
able comforts  and  conveniences  of  life. 
Politically  he  gives  his  support  to  the  repub- 
lican party  and  religiously  adheres  to  the 
faith  of  the  Swedish  Lutheran  church.  He 
and  his  wife  are  numbered  among  the  highly 
respected  members  of  the  community. 

ALVANE  GARY  SEELY,  M.  D.,  has  been 
specializing  in  diseases  of  the  eye,  ear,  nose 
and  throat  in  Roseburg  since  1905  and  dur- 
ing the  time  has  become  recognized  as  one 
of  the  most  able  and  competent  physicians 
in  his  line  in  Douglas  county.  Scientific 
efficiency  is  the  standard  of  attainment  in 
modern  medicine  and  it  is  the  secret  of  Dr. 
Seely's  success  as  a  specialist.  He  has  gained 
his  knowledge  of  the  details  of  his  profession 
not  only  by  hard  study  but  also  by  experi- 
ence in  its  various  phases  and  is  today  one 
of  the  most  capable,  expert  and  practical 
physicians  in  the  section  in  which  he  resides. 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


983 


His  residence  in  Oregon  dates  from  1904,  in 
V  hieli  year  he  came  to  ilyrtle  Creek.  He 
was  born  January  6, 1870,  in  Carysville,  Cham- 
paign county,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of  Samuel 
il.  and  Sarah  D.  (Kirby)  Seely,  both  natives 
of  that  state.  His  ancestry  on  both  sides 
dates  back  to  colonial  times  in  America. 
Representatives  of  his  family  came  to  White 
Plains,  New  York,  from  England  about  three 
hundred  years  ago  and  at  the  same  time  a 
younger  son  of  this  branch  went  to  Ireland, 
where  he  gained  distinction  in  law  and  finally 
became  a  judge.  It  is  probable  that  Dr. 
Seely  is  a  descendant  of  this  branch  of  the 
family.  On  the  maternal  side  he  claims 
descent  from  the  Hanoverian  royal  family. 
His  grandfather.  Rev.  Rockwell  Henry  Seely, 
was  a  native  of  New  York  city  and  in  his 
later  years  moved  to  Ohio.  His  mother's 
father  was  also  a  minister.  Rev.  John  M. 
Kirby,  who  was  born  in  Ohio  and  spent  his 
entire  life  in  that  state. 

Dr.  Seely  was  reared  at  home  and  attended 
the  public  schools  of  Champaign  county.  He 
later  entered  the  medical  department  of  the 
University  of  Cincinnati,  graduating  with  the 
degree  of  M.  D.  in  1S93.  He  located  im- 
mediately for  practice  in  Rosewood,  Ohio, 
where  he  remained  until  1899,  after  which  he 
was  active  for  one  year  in  the  United  States 
transportation  service.  He  was  surgeon  in 
the  Northern  Steamship  service  until  the  year 
1904,  doing  duty  for  a  portion  of  that  time 
under  the  British  flag.  He  has  crossed  the 
ocean  twenty-eight  times.  Mr.  Seely's  resi- 
dence in  Oregon  dates  from  1904,  in  which 
year  he  settled  in  Myrtle  Creek,  where  he 
remained  a  short  time  in  order  to  secure  his 
state  diploma.  In  January,  1905,  he  came 
to  Roseburg  and  established  a  practice 
specializing  in  the  treatment  of  the  eye,  ear, 
nose  and  throat.  He  is  a  firm  believer  in 
the  modern  idea  of  specialization  and  has 
supplemented  his  broad  general  knowledge 
of  medicine  by  constant  study  in  the  par- 
ticular phases  of  his  profession  in  which  he 
is  most  interested.  He  has  become  recognized 
as  one  of  the  most  able  men  in  this  line  in 
the  city  and  has  won  in  the  course  of  a  few 
years  a  success,  which  is  the  natural  result 
of  his  efficiency.  For  some  time  he  held  the 
position  of  railroad  surgeon,  doing  able  and 
conscientious  work  in  this  capacity.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Pacific  Railway's  Medical 
Association  and  surgeon  for  the  Southern 
Pacific  Railroad.  He  is  also  a  member  of 
the  Oregon  State  Medical  Society,  of  which 
organization  he  was  the  first  vice  president. 
He  has  just  completed  a  term  of  service  as 
president  of  the  Southern  Oregon  Medical 
Association  and  is  active  in  the  affairs  of  the 
American   Medical  Association. 

On  June  7,  1905,  Dr.  Seely  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Florence  De  Lacey  Hall,  ol 
Myrtle  Creek,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Sus- 
anne  (Weaver)  Hall,  natives  of  Ohio,  of 
whom  further  mention  is  made  elsewhere  in 
this  work.  To  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Seely  has  been 
born  a  son.  Hall,  whose  birth  occurred  in 
Portland,  November  17,  1907. 

Dr.  Seely  gave  his  political  allegiance  in 
former  days  to  the  democratic  party  but  has 


later  advocated  republican  principles  and 
ideas.  He  is  absorbed  in  the  duties  of  his 
profession  and  neither  seeks  nor  desires  pub- 
lic office.  Fraternally  he  is  prominent  in  the 
Masonic  order,  holding  membership  in  the 
lodge  and  chapter.  He  is  well  known  in  the 
aflairs  of  Philetarian  Lodge,  No.  8,  I.  0.  0.  F., 
and  Union  Encampment,  No.  9.  He  belongs 
also  to  White  Lilly  Lodge,  No.  449,  of  the 
Rebekahs,  being  a  charter  member  of  this 
organization  in  Ohio.  He  also  affiliates  with 
Roseburg  Lodge,  Xo.  326,  B.  P.  0.  E.  He  has 
many  friends  in  this  section  of  the  state, 
who  have  been  attracted  to  him  by  his  gen- 
uine personal  worth  and  his  ability  and  con- 
scientiousness in  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion. He  has  a  steady  hand,  a  concentrated 
mind  and  a  skill  based  upon  technique  and 
science,  and  upon  his  possession  of  these 
qualities  he  has  founded  a  substantial  pros- 
perity. 

GEORGE  T.  BRICKELL,  who  is  meeting 
with  gratifying  returns  from  the  operation 
of  his  farm  of  eighty  acres,  four  and  a  half 
miles  northwest  of  Sherwood,  has  been  a 
resident  of  this  county  almost  all  of  his  life. 
He  was  born  in  Tillamook  county  in  1868 
and  is  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Frances  (Albee) 
Brickell.  The  father  whose  birth  occurred  in 
1824,  was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  coming  to 
California  in  1849,  and  as  he  had  been  given 
the  advantages  of  a  good  education,  engaged 
in  teaching  school  in  that  state  for  several 
years.  From  there  he  came  to  Washington 
county,  Oregon,  teaching  in  various  places, 
among  them  being  Forest  Grove  and  Reeds- 
ville,  and  then  went  to  Tillamook  county. 
About  a  year  after  his  marriage,  coming  back 
to  Washington  county,  he  settled  on  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land,  now  known 
as  the  Newman  place,  in  the  vicinity  of  Sher- 
wood, which  he  successfully  operated  until 
his  death  in  1875.  The  mother  was  born  in 
New  Hampshire  in  1850,  but  when  a  child  of 
two  years  she  crossed  the  plains  to  Oregon 
with  her  parents,  who  made  the  long  journey 
from  New  England  with  wagon  and  ox  team. 
The  father  settled  on  a  half  section  of  land 
in  this  county,  near  the  farm  whore  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Brickell  spent  the  latter  years  of  their 
lives.  Their  marriage  occurred  on  the  old 
Albee  homestead,  at  which  time  she  was 
eighteen  years  of  age  and  he  was  forty. 
Very  soon  thereafter  they  removed  to  Tilla- 
mook county,  where  he  taught  about  a  year 
and  then  returned  to  Washington  county, 
where  they  remained  until  their  death.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brickell  there  were  born  three 
sons:  George  T.,  our  subject,  who  is  the  eld- 
est; James  L.,  a  resident  of  Portland;  and 
William  H.,  who  is  living  at  the  present 
time  in  Alaska. 

Reared  at  home,  George  T.  Brickell  re- 
ceived a  common-school  education  and  began 
to  earn  his  own  living  at  a  very  early  age. 
He  was  employed  in  a  sawmill  for  about 
five  or  six  years.  He  then  located  on  eighty 
acres  of  land  that  had  formerly  belonged  to 
his  father-in-law,  and  has  since  turned  his 
attention  to  agricultural  pur.suits,  of  which 
he  has  a  thorough,  practical  knowledge.     He 


984 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTOEY  OF  OREGON 


has  brought  about  forty  acres  of  tliis  kind 
under  high  cultivation  and  has  a  small  or- 
chard, while  the  remainder  of  his  land  is  prin- 
cipally devoted  to  the  raising  of  hay,  grain 
and  potatoes  and  until  quite  recently  he  also 
engaged  in  dairying.  Mr.  Brickell's  place  is 
one  of  the  attractive  and  valuable  properties 
in  this  vicinity.  The  buildings  are  substan- 
tially constructed  and  well  repaired,  the 
grounds  surrounding  the  residence  tastefully 
arranged  and  everything  about  the  premises 
bespeaks  the  capable  supervision  and  care- 
ful regard  for  details  that  invariably  accom- 
pany  prosperity. 

Mr.  Brickell  was  married  on  the  place 
where  he  now  resides,  in  1890,  to  Miss  Maggie 
J.  Gustin.  and  to  them  have  been  born  two 
children,  both  of  whom  are  living  at  home. 
They  are:  Montie  C.  who  was  born  in  1891. 
obtained  a  common-school  education  and  is 
assisting  his  father  with  the  operation  of 
the  farm;  and  Laurel  M.,  who  was  born  in 
1892,  also  finished  common  school  and  is 
now  staying  home. 

His  political  prerogatives  Mr.  Brickell  ex- 
ercises in  sup]X)rt  of  the  men  and  measures 
of  the  republican  party  and  he  has  given 
efficient  service  in  both  the  capacity  of  road 
supervisor  and  school  director.  He  is  one  of 
the  progressive  citizens  of  the  community, 
who  takes  an  active  interest  in  all  matters 
of  public  welfare  and  exercises  his  influence 
in  promoting  the  development  of  every 
worthy  movement  that  promises  the  better- 
ment of  local  conditions  or  the  elevation  of 
civic  standards. 

ALFRED  EVAN  REAMES.  Among  the 
honored  and  capable  sons  of  Oregon  few  have 
acquired  a  more  distinguished  reputation  or 
have  achieved  greater  success  than  Alfred 
Kvan  Reames  of  Medford.  Highly  educated 
as  a  lawyer  and  for  many  years  a  practi- 
tioner of  his  profession,  he  early  in  his  career 
attained  honorable  political  preferment  and 
as  such  became  widely  known  in  his  native 
state.  Identified  with  many  of  the  leading 
business  enterprises  of  Medford.  where  he 
resides,  he  is  popular  among  her  leading  pro- 
fessional and  business  men.  Mr.  Ileames  was 
born  in  Jacksonville.  Oregon,  February  5, 
1870,  a  son  of  Thomas  G.  Reames,  who  was  an 
early  settler  of  Jacksonville.  The  paternal 
grandfather,  Woodford  Reames.  settled  in 
Oregon  in  1853.  With  his  family  he  crossed 
the  plains  with  ox  teams  and  on  arriving  in 
Oregon  he  took  up  a  donation  land  claim  in 
Jackson  county.  This  farm  comprised  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  and  he  lived  upon 
it  for  many  years  but  before  his  death  re- 
tired to  Jacksonville  and  there  passed  away 
at  the  age  of  eighty-five  years.  He  was  by 
trade  a  blacksmith. 

The  father  was  but  a  boy  when  the  family 
removed  to  Oregon.  He  remained  under  the 
parental  roof  until  he  attained  his  majority 
and  then  engaged  in  the  general  mercantile 
business  in  several  places  in  the  state,  after- 
ward becoming  identified  with  the  banking 
business  as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Beek- 
man  &  Reames  of  Jacksonville.  In  1885 
he  was  appointed  by  President  Cleveland  as 


postal  inspector  for  Oregon,  Idaho,  Washing- 
ton. Montana  and  Alaska  but  resigned  his 
position  after  eighteen  months'  service. 
In  1S74  he  was  appointed  deputy  sheriff  of 
Jackson  county  and  in  1887  he  was  elected 
sheriff  of  the  same  county,  serving  for  one 
term.  Being  a  prominent  democrat,  he  was 
in  1878  nominated  for  the  position  of  secre- 
tary of  state  but  on  account  of  the  prepon- 
derance of  the  opposition,  was  defeated  by 
a  small  majority.  He  served  as  state  and 
county  committeeman  at  various  times  and 
was  well  known  in  political  circles  through- 
out the  state  of  Oregon.  Mr.  Reames  chose 
as  his  life  companion  and  helpmate  Miss 
Lucinda  WiUiams.  a  native  of  Missouri,  and 
together  they  shared  life's  joys  and  sorrows 
until  1900,  when   Mr.  Reames  passed  away. 

A  member  of  a  family  of  ten  children, 
Alfred  E.  Reames  was  educated  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  .Jacksonville  and  in  188S  and 
1889  attended  the  University  of  Pacific 
at  San  .Jose,  California.  The  following  three 
years  he  spent  as  a  student  in  the  L'luversity 
of  Oregon,  where  he  took  a  short  preparatory 
course  for  the  purpose  of  fitting  himself  to 
take  up  the  study  of  law.  In  1892  he  entered 
Washington  and  Lee  University  of  Lexing- 
ton, Virginia,  from  which  he  was  graduated 
in  1893.  Having  completed  his  law  course, 
he  returned  to  Oregon  and  entered  upon  the 
practice  of  his  profession  with  Eugene  Skip- 
worth,  of  Eugene.  In  189-1  he  went  to  Port- 
land, in  which  city  he  was  associated  in 
practice  with  C.  M.  Idleman.  who  later  be- 
came attorney  general  of  the  state.  Return- 
ing to  Jacksonville  in  the  fall  of  1896,  he 
formed  a  law  partnership  with  Williaip  M. 
Colvig,  with  whom  he  remained  associated 
until  1900,  when  the  partnership  was  dis- 
solved. In  that  year  Mr.  Reames  was  elected 
district  attorney  for  Jackson,  Josephine.  Kla- 
math and  Lake  counties  on  the  democratic 
ticket,  receiving  a  majority  of  four  hundred 
and  eighty-nine  votes,  although  the  counties 
went  republican  by  a  majority  of  seven  hun- 
dred and  fifty.  Upon  the  death  of  his  father- 
in-law.  the  late  Congressman  Tongue,  in 
1903.  Mr.  Reames  received  the  democratic 
nomination  for  congress  from  the  first  con- 
gressional district.  He  is  identified  with 
many  of  the  leading  enterprises  of  his  com- 
munity. He  owns  a  controlling  interest  in 
the  Deep  Gravel  Mining  Company,  being 
secretary  of  that  corporation:  is  president 
of  the  Three  Pines  Timber  Company,  which 
owns  ten  thousand  acres  of  land  in  Jackson 
and  Josephine  counties;  and  in  .Jacksonville 
he  built  and  owns  the  city  lighting  plant, 
the  only  one  in  existence  in  that  part  of  the 
state.  He  owns  one  of  the  finest  libraries  in 
his  county,  an  acquisition  which  lias  stood 
him  in  good  stead  in  his  long  and  successful 
professional  career. 

In  1895  Mr.  Reames  was  married  to  Miss 
Edith  L.  Tongue,  who  was  born  in  Hillsboro, 
Washington  county.  Oregon,  August  26,  1871, 
a  daughter  of  the  late  Congressman  Thomas 
H.  Tongue.  Fraternally  Mr.  Reames  is  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  order,  belonging  to 
Chapter  Xo.  4.  R.  A.  M.,  of  Oregon;  Com- 
mandery  No.   1,  K.  T.,  of  Portland;   and  Al 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OP^  OREGON 


985 


Kader  Temple.  A.  A.  O.  N.  M.  S.,  of  Port- 
land. He  is  affiliated  with  the  Pine  Cabin 
Native  Sons  of  Oregon,  and  he  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  Pocahontas  Tribe,  No.  1.  I.  O.  R.  M. 
The  city  of  Medford  is  fortunate  in  having 
among  its  citizens  so  capable,  honorable  and 
successful  a  man  as  the  subject  of  this  re- 
view. He  takes  an  active  interest  in  many 
matters  of  import  which  c-oncern  the  business 
and  social  life  of  his  city  and  may  always 
be  counted  upon  to  put  his  shoulder  to  the 
wheel  in  encouraging  and  promoting  new  in- 
dustries and  of  interesting  parties  to  locate 
here.  He  is  actively  associated  with  the 
movement  which  has  for  its  purpose  to  at- 
tract population  toward  this  city  and  has 
been  successful  to  promote  the  growth  of 
his  community  along  that  line.  He  is  popu- 
lar in  fraternal  circles  as  well  as  in  his  busi- 
ness and  social  connections  and  there  are  few 
men  in  his  city  who  are  more  widely  or 
favorably  known.  His  many  estimable  traits 
of  character  together  with  his  geniality  and 
warm  cordiality  have  won  for  him  an  ex- 
tended list  of  friends  and  with  them  he  is 
a  prime  favorite.  He  is  a  valuable  man  in 
the  community,  of  which  he  is  a  foremost 
member  and  his  career,  of  which  he  may 
justly  be  proud,  has  given  him  an  e.\tended 
acquaintance    throughout    the    state. 

CHARLES  R.  LA  FOLLETTE,  who  resides 
eight  miles  southwest  of  Gervais,  was  born 
in  Marion  county,  Oregon,  July  8,  1880,  on 
the  home  place,  where  he  is  ftow  residing, 
his  parents  being  A.  M.  and  Margaret  (Town- 
send)  LaFollette.  The  father  was  born  in 
Crawfordsville.  Indiana,  in  1845,  and  is  a 
son  of  David  LaFollette,  who  is  of  French 
lineage.  At  the  age  of  nine  years  A.  M.  La- 
Follette left  Indiana  with  his  parents  and 
crossed  the  plains  with  ox  teams  in  1854. 
After  arriving  in  the  west  they  settled  first 
in  Calaveras  county.  California,  where  they 
remained  for  three  years  fanning  rented 
land.  At  the  end  of  that  time  they  came  to 
Oregon  and  located  near  Dallas,  where  tliey 
again  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  on 
rented  land.  Desiring  to  take  up  a  farm  of 
his  own  David  LaFollette  removed  to  Mis- 
sion bottom  and  took  up  a  donation  land 
claim  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres, 
upon  which  he  resided  for  twenty-five  years. 
During  this  time  he  proved  himself  a  suc- 
cessful agriculturist,  and  so  cultivated  his 
land  that  it  became  one  of  the  most  highly 
productive  farms  in  the  district.  At  the  end 
of  twenty-tive  years'  work  he  removed  to 
Salem,  where  he  lived  retired  for  ten  years 
before  finally  settling  in  McMinnville,  wliere 
his  death  occurred  in  1909. 

A.  M.  LaFollette,  the  father  of  our  sub- 
ject, was  one  of  seven  children,  the  others 
being:  Irene,  who  was  the  wife  of  George 
S()])ingtind,  deceased,  and  who  later  married 
L.  T.  (Griffith,  of  Weiser.  Idaho:  Susan,  who 
is  the  wife  of  Perry  Gobbett  of  Stockton, 
California;  Ollie,  who  is  married  to  H.  W. 
Scott  of  Forest  Grove.  Oregon;  Brant,  de- 
ceased; Emma,  the  wife  of  Simon  Wall  of 
Gaston,  Oregon;  and  Mary,  deceased.  Mrs. 
A.    M.   LaFollette    was    the    eldest    of    eight 


children,  the  others  being:  Josephine,  the 
wife  of  William  Reeves,  of  Independence, 
Oregon;  Melinda,  who  is  married  to  John 
Wickham  of  lone,  Oregon;  Marion,  a  resi- 
dent of  Portland,  Oregon;  LaFayette.  of 
Salem,,  Oregon;  Amanda,  who  is  the  wife  of 
G.  Lake,  who  is  living  in  Salem,  Oregon; 
Ann,  also  a  resident  of  Salem:  and  Minnie, 
who  is  married  to  John  Dimmiek  of  Hubbard, 
Oregon,  ilr.  and  Mrs.  A.  M.  LaFollette  were 
married  in  Yamhill  county,  and  to  this  union 
nine  children  were  born:  Joseph  W..  of  Salem, 
Oregon,  who  has  two  daughters;  Mary,  de- 
ceased; Perry  L.,  who  is  a  resident  of  Cor- 
nelius, Oregon,  and  who  is  married  and  has 
two  children;  Marion,  deceased;  Clyde  M., 
a  resident  of  Amity,  Oregon,  who  is  married 
and  has  five  children;  Ina.  the  wife  of  Robert 
Cole  of  Salem;  Charles  R.,  the  subject  of 
this  review;  Elva  M.,  who  is  married  to 
Britli  A.  Aspenwall  of  Brooks.  Oregon:  and 
Grace  JM..  who  is  residing  at  home  with  her 
father  and  mother. 

Charles  R.  LaFollette  started  upon  his  in- 
dependent career  at  the  age  of  twenty-three 
years.  For  two  j'ears  he  was  employed  by 
the  month  on  a  farm,  but  at  the  end  of  that 
time  went  to  Washington,  D.  C,  where  he 
served  as  messenger  in  the  L'nited  States 
senate.  During  this  service  he  had  the  op- 
portunity and  privilege  of  meeting  many  of 
tile  men  who  are  making  our  national  liis- 
tory.  After  remaining  in  this  position  for 
three  years  he  returned  to  the  home  farm 
and  began  making  a  careful  study  of  the 
most  profitable  and  advanced  methods  of 
agriculture.  He  soon  rented  a  tract  which 
contained  tliree  hundred  and  twenty  acres, 
of  which  he  has  had  complete  charge  for  the 
last  three  years.  During  this  time  lie  has 
been  unusually  successful  in  raising  grain 
and  also  in  stock-raising.  The  farm  is  well 
e{]uipped  with  modern  buildings  and  presents 
an   attractive   appearance. 

On  the  22d  of  November,  1905,  Mr.  La- 
Follette w-as  married  to  Linnie  LaChapell 
ot  Forest  Grove.  Her  birth  occurred  in  1885, 
and  she  is  a  daughter  of  John  and  Emma 
LaChapell.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  LaFollette  are  the 
parents  of  two  children:  Charles  R.,  whose 
birth  occurred  on  the  25th  of  August,  1906; 
and  Evelyn  Frances,  who  was  born  Septem- 
ber  17,   1910. 

Mr.  LaFollette  gives  his  political  allegi- 
ance to  the  republican  party.  He  holds  mem- 
bership in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  cluii'cli 
and  also  in  the  Masonic  order.  He  has  proven 
his  worth  and  ability  as  a  farmer,  and  be- 
cause of  his  energy  and  progressiveness  his 
career   pi-oraises    to    be    most   successful. 

SAMUEL  BALL  is  a  true  son  of  the  Ameri- 
can iinrtliwcst  an<l  is  e.veniplifying  in  his  life 
the  sturdy  (|iutlities  which  made  his  parents, 
when  a  newly  married  couple,  turn  their 
faces  toward  the  west  and.  then,  when  for- 
tune had  been  unkind  and  the  ravages  of  the 
climate  had  destroyed  their  stock,  caused 
them  to  start  over  again  with  no  assets 
other  than  a  great  determination  and  a  domi- 
nating faith.  Samuel  Ball  is  a  native  of 
Oregon,  born  in  Douglas  county,  July  5,  1867. 


986 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


His  parents  were  Zachariah  C.  and  Amanda 
(Eels)  Ball,  the  former  a  native  of  Illinois 
and  the  latter  of  Iowa.  Both  crossed  the 
plains  to  Oregon  with  ox  teams  and  were 
married  at  Jeff  Chapman's  place  on  Deer 
creek,  Douglas  county,  about  the  year  1S60. 
They  settled  at  the  head  of  Oak  creek,  where 
they  lived  for  two  years  and  acquired  a 
small  herd  of  stock,  which  was  their  only 
fortune.  The  severe  winter  of  1861-2  des- 
troyed their  entire  herd  with  the  exception 
of  one  cow,  and  thej'  subsequently  moved 
to  the  South  Umpqua  river,  five  miles  south- 
east of  Canyonville,  where  they  took  up  a 
homestead,  upon  which  the  father  died  No- 
vember 1,  1S9S.  His  wife  survived  him  until 
March  27,  1905. 

Samuel  Ball  was  reared  on  Ms  father's 
farm  and  educated  in  the  common  schools  of 
the  district.  In  his  boyhood  days  he  worked 
at  ranching,  receiving  for  his  labors  a  small 
salary.  AYhen  the  railroad  was  built  through 
Douglas  county  he  worked  as  teamster  in  a 
construction  gang  and  was  the  first  man  to 
drive  into  the  Buck  Rock  tunnel.  In  1SS7 
Samuel  Ball  settled  on  a  ranch  owned  by 
•J.  L.  Clough  on  the  South  Umpqua  river, 
operating  the  same  as  a  renter  for  two  years. 
He  then  removed  to  his  fatlier's  place  near 
Canyonville  and  remained  there  for  one 
year.  He  spent  the  next  eleven  years  on  the 
John  Arzner  ranch,  two  miles  north  of  the 
town  of  Riddle,  subsequently  moving  to  the 
place  which  he  now  rents  and  operates.  This 
property  is  one  of  the  largest  ranches  in  tins 
section  of  the  country  and  lies  two  miles 
south  of  Riddle.  It  is  owned  by  H.  Woolen- 
burg.  Samuel  Ball  owns  one  hundred  and 
one  acres  of  the  richest  farm  land  in  Oregon, 
four  miles  south  of  Riddle,  near  the  ranch 
where  he  resides.  He  recently  planted  thir- 
teen hundred  and  twenty-five  prune  trees 
upon  this  tract  and  takes  a  keen  interest  in 
their  cultivation. 

On  January  12,  1887,  Mr.  Ball  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Sarah  C.  Buttler,  who 
came  as  a  child  to  Douglas  county  from  Illi- 
nois. They  are  the  parents  of  seven  children: 
Ralph  H.,  who  lives  with  his  wife  in  Riddle, 
Oregon;  Fred,  Elbert  R.,  Ethel  and  Marvin 
H.,  at  bome;  Helen  M.,  deceased,  a  twin  sis- 
ter of  Marvin  H.,  and  Juanita  M.,  who  lives 
with  her  parents. 

Samuel  Ball  is  a  stanch  democrat  and  a 
firm  believer  in  the  policies  of  that  party. 
He  takes  no  very  active  part  in  public  affairs 
but  served  for  two  terms  as  supervisor  of 
roads.  He  is  a  member  of  Riddle  Lodge,  F. 
&  A.  M.  of  Azalia  Lodge,  I.  0.  O.  F.  He  is 
active  in  the  affairs  of  the  Ancient  Order  of 
United  Workmen.  Samuel  Ball  loves  tbc  out- 
door life,  the  great  stretches  of  ranch  lands 
and  the  cool,  bracing  climate  of  Oregon.  He 
knows  the  west  in  all  its  aspects  and  is  the 
more  loyal  to  it  because  of  that  knowledge. 

OSCAR  A.  ERICKSON.  Although  a  young 
man  and  just  fairly  launched  in  his  life  pur- 
suit. Oscar  A.  Erickson,  of  Warren,  has  won 
enviable  standing  and  gives  promise  of  at- 
taining high  rank  in  the  business  world. 
He    is    a    native    of   Columbia    countv.    bom 


March  4,  1887,  and  can  claim  descent  from 
good  Swedish  stock  in  both  branches  of  the 
family.  His  parents  are  Joseph  and  Cora 
Erickson,  both  of  whom  were  bom  in 
Sweden.  The  father  came  to  America  in 
1860  and  after  spending  a  short  time  in 
Michigan  resumed  his  journey  westward  and 
established  a  home  in  Colorado.  In  1884, 
believing  that  conditions  were  more  favor- 
able in  Oregon  than  he  observed  further 
southward,  he  came  with  his  family  to  Co- 
lumbia coimty  and  has  since  engaged  in 
ranching  here.  There  are  ten  children  in  the 
family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Erickson:  Joseph, 
engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  at  War- 
ren; Anna,  who  is  the  wife  of  G.  Olson,  of 
Portland;  Ida,  who  married  J.  B.  Lovegren; 
Oscar  A.,  of  this  review;  Otto,  at  home; 
Alice,  bookkeeper  for  J.  Erickson  &  Sons; 
Charles;  Walter;  Bertha,  who  is  the  wife  of 
J.  E.  Monteith;   and  Erwin. 

Oscar  A.  Erickson  attended  the  common 
schools  and  as  he  grew  to  manhood  assisted 
his  father  upon  the  home  ranch.  However, 
his  interest  was  attracted  to  mercantile  life 
rather  than  farming  or  stock-raising  and  he 
became  associated  with  his  brother  Joseph 
in  business  at  Warren  under  the  title  of  J. 
Erickson  &  Sons.  The  firm  carries  a  gen- 
eral mercantile  stock,  valued  at  fourteen 
thousand  dollars,  the  store  being  one  of  the 
most  attractive  outside  of  Portland  and  As- 
toria in  western  Oregon.  The  merchandise 
is  carefully  selected  and,  as  the  business  is 
excellently  nranaged,  the  patronage  is  stead- 
ily increasing. 

On  the  28th  of  May,  1911,  Mr.  Erickson 
was  married  to  Miss  Pearl  Lindsey,  who 
was  bom  in  Idaho,  a  daughter  of  E."C.  and 
Susan  (Drake)  Lindsey,  both  of  whom  are 
now  living.  Fraternally  Mr.  Erickson  is 
identified  with  the  Modem  Woodmen  of 
America  and  the  Improved  Order  of  Red 
Men,  and  he  is  an  earnest  believer  in  the 
principles  of  those  beneficent  organizations. 
Politically  he  adheres  to  the  republican 
party  as  the  one  best  adapted  to  subserve 
the  interests  of  the  people  of  the  entire 
country.  A  yoimg  man  of  pleasing  appear- 
ance and  address,  he  readily  makes  friends 
and  in  their  opinion  there  is  no  doubt  as 
to  his  continued  advancement  in  business 
and  social  circles. 

MARTIN  RUSSELL  is  one  of  the  success- 
ful farmers  of  Coos  county,  his  highly  de- 
veloped ranch  of  eighty  acres  being  lo'cated 
near  Cooston.  where  he  is  successfully  en- 
gaged in  general  farming.  He  was  bo"m  in 
Illinois.  December  2.  1867,  and  is  a  son  of 
John  and  ilary  (Xelson)  Russell.  The  father 
died  in  Illinois  when  the  subject  of  this 
review  was  an  infant.  The  parents  were 
natives  of  Denmark  and  shortly  after  their 
marriage  emigrated  to  America,  settling  in 
Illinois.     Their  family  included  five  children. 

Martin  Russell  was  reared  at  home  and 
shortly  after  his  father's  death  returned  with 
his  mother  to  her  native  country,  where  as  a 
boy  of  nine  years  he  earned  a  living  by  herd- 
ing sheep  and  cattle.  He  learned  the  black- 
smith's trade  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  sub- 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


989 


seciueiitly  returned  to  the  United  States  and 
settled  in  California,  where  he  was  engaged 
in  the  pursuit  of  his  trade  for  many  years, 
during  which  time  he  owned  his  own  shop 
and  also  was  engaged  in  work  for  others  in 
various  shops  in  that  state.  He  later  removed 
to  Coos  county,  settling  in  Marshfield,  where 
he  remained  for  live  years,  but  changed  his 
location  in  1S9S  to  Libby,  Oregon,  where 
he  was  engaged  in  mining  until  March,  1911, 
at  which  time  he  purchased  eighty  acres  of 
lend  located  near  Cooston,  xipon  which  he 
moved  and  has  since  been  devoting  his  atten- 
tion to  general  farming  and  to  the  opera- 
tion of   a   small   but   successful  dairy   plant. 

On  May  23,  1S96,  Mr.  Russell  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Amelia  Crawford,  a 
native  of  Oregon  and  a  daughter  of  Samuel 
and  Kebecca  (Wolf)  Crawford.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Russell  are  the  parents  of  seven  children: 
Martha,  who  was  bom  July  20,  1897,  and  is 
now  a  pupil  in  the  public  schools;  Ronald, 
who  was  born  August  15,  1899,  and  is  at- 
tending the  public  schools;  ilartin,  born  in 
1900,  also  attending  school;  Roy,  born  May 
30,  1902;  Mabel,  born  July  7,  1904;  Lillian, 
born  June  12,  1907;  and  Archie,  born  July 
U,   1910. 

Mr.  Russell  is  affiliated  with  the  republi- 
can party  and  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
order.  He  is  one  of  the  enterprising  men  of 
the  section  in  which  he  resides  and  his 
highly  developed  farm  of  eighty  acres  is 
among  the  most  valuable  of  its  kind  in  his 
section  of  the  state. 

EMANUEL  EPTON  is  engaged  in  the  real- 
estate  business  in  Portland,  largely  luuiii- 
ling  his  own  properties  which  constitute  both 
business  and  residence  holdings.  He  was 
born  November  19,  1862,  in  Canada,  and  in 
the  years,  in  which  he  has  been  connected 
with"  business  affairs  has  gradually  made 
his  way  westward  until  he  is  now  perma- 
nently "located  on  the  coast.  His  parents 
were  John  and  Elizabeth  (Edwards)  Epton, 
who  were  natives  of  England,  as  were  also 
their  parents.  The  father  and  mother  of  our 
subject  were  married  when  the  former  was 
twenty-three  years  of  age,  and  immediately 
afterward  they  sailed  from  their  native  coun- 
try to  Canada,  settling  near  Toronto,  where 
t  (■  rather  purchased  four  lumilrcil  acre-  oi 
land  and  there  carried  on  farming  for  thirty- 
one  years.  He  was  also  engaged  in  the  meat 
business  and  lived  a  life  of  well  directed 
industry  and  thrift,  but  eventually  disposed 
of  his  farm  in  Canada  and  in  1880  went  to 
North  Dakota,  where  he  purchased  two 
hundred  and  twenty  acres.  There  he  took 
up  the  active  work  of  cultivating  the  soil 
and  continued  to  engage  in  farming  in  that 
locality  for  twenty  years.  Once  more  he 
sold  out  and  retired  to  private  life,  making 
his  home  in  Neche,  North  Dakota,  until  he 
came  to  Oregon  in  1905.  In  that  year  he 
settled  in  Portland  and  purchased  city  prop- 
erty, which  he  occupied  until  the  time  of  his 
wife's  death  on  the  oth  of  JIarch,  1909.  He 
then  sold  his  home  and  now  resides  with  his 
children,  who  live  in  dillei'ent  parts  of  the 
country.     To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Epton  were 


born  eleven  children:  Samuel,  who  makes 
his  home  at  Aurora,  North  Dakota,  and  has 
three  children;  Mary,  who  died  in  infancy; 
Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  John  Welch,  of  Cana- 
da, and  the  mother  of  thirteen  children; 
John,  who  is  married  and  resides  in  Seattle; 
Emanuel,  of  this  review;  Carrie,  who  became 
the  wife  of  Andy  Darling,  of  North  Dakota, 
and  died  leaving  three  children;  Alice,  the 
wife  of  Michael  Theodore,  of  Neche,  North 
Dakota,  by  whom  she  has  two  children;  Lucy 
the  deceased  w-ife  of  Jacob  Chopper,  of  Mani- 
toba, Canada,  and  the  mother  of  two  children; 
Eliza,  who  married  Janus  McGregor,  of  ilani- 
toba,  Canada,  and  has  eight  children;  Emma, 
the  wife  of  Alexander  ilcGrcgor,  of  North 
Dakota,  and  the  mother  of  seven  children; 
and  William,  of  North  Dakota,  who  has  six 
children. 

During  the  boyhood  and  youth  of  Emanuel 
Epton  he  met  the  'usual  experiences  that  fall 
to  the  lot  of  the  lad  who  is  reared  upon  a 
farm.  He  started  out  in  life  on  his  own 
account  at  the  age  of  twelve  years.  He  sub- 
sequently took  up  a  homestead  in  North 
Dakota  and  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres,  making  in  all  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres,  which  he  cultivated  and  im- 
l)roved  for  twelve  years.  He  then  became 
actively  engaged  in  the  butchering  business 
and  as  he  prospered,  he  added  to  his  landed 
possessions,  purchasing  in  1895  six  hundi-ed 
and  forty  acres,  which  he  retained,  together 
with  his  original  farm  until  after  he  came  to 
Oregon  in  that  year.  He  has  since  sold  his 
property  in  that  state  but  in  1907  he  pur- 
chased six  hundred  and  forty  acres  near 
Alanitoba,  Canada,  which  he  still  owns. 

On  removing  westward  to  Oregon.  Mr. 
Epton  purchased  six  acres  of  land  at  the 
corner  of  Burnside  and  Seventy-third  street 
in  Portland,  and  for  two  years  engaged  in 
farming  that  tract.  He  also  invested  in  a 
large  number  of  lots  and  turned  his  atten- 
tion to  the  real-estate  business.  He  has  made 
many  improvements  on  his  property  ana  has 
secured  a  good  clientage  in  his  operations  in 
real  estate.  He  today  holds  property  to  the 
value  of  seventy-five  thousand  dollars,  in- 
cluding both  business  blocks  and  residences. 
He  is  thoroughly  informed  concerning  realty 
values  in  Portland  and  his  judicious  invest- 
ments have  enabled  him  to  make  profitable 
sales. 

Mr.  Epton  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Emma  Somerset,  who  was  born  October  16, 
1800,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Margaret 
(Dalv)  Somerset.  The  wedding  was  cele- 
brated June  5,  1886,  and  to  this  marriage 
have  been  born  seven  children.  Hurl  Glen- 
ville,  born  November  28,  1887,  has  had  a 
business-college  education  and  lives  at  home. 
Festus  Edwards,  born  in  1890.  pursued 
his  education  in  the  public  schools,  is 
married  and  has  one  child.  Myrtle  Irene, 
born  in  1891,  has  studied  in  the  high 
school  and  is  now  at  home.  Ferdinand  E., 
born  August  9,  1893.  has  had  a  business- 
college  education  and  is  now  employed  in 
the  Hibernia  Bank  at  Portland.  Chester, 
born   in   1895,   has  a   business-college   cduca- 


990 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


tioii.  Lula,  born  in  July.  1897,  and  Seil, 
born  March  9.  1901,  are  both  attending  school. 
In  his  political  views  ilr.  Epton  has  always 
been  a  republican  since  age  conferred  upon 
him  the  right  of  franchise  and  while  not  an 
office  seeker  he  served  for  two  terms  as 
supervisor  of  his  county  in  Xorth  Dakota. 
He  prefers,  however,  that  his  public  service 
shall  be  done  as  a  private  citizen  and  in  many 
ways  he  has  contributed  to  general  progress. 
His  religious  faith  is  that  of  the  Baptist 
church,  to  which  his  wife  and  children  also 
belong.  Fraternally  he  is  connected  with 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  be- 
longing to  the  subordinate  lodge,  the  en- 
campment and  the  Daughters  of  Rebekah. 
He  is  also  connected  with  the  Independent 
Order  of  Foresters.  He  resides  at  Xo.  73 
East  Seventy-fourth  street,  in  that  portion 
of  Portland  known  as  Jlontavilla. 

WILLIAM  RICHARD  McKAY.  One  of  the 
most  prominent  and  successful  farmers  of 
JIarion  county  is  'William  Richard  ilcKay. 
who  resides  four  and  one-half  miles  north- 
east of  St.  Paul,  Oregon.  Born  in  1S4SI.  a 
native  of  Marion  county,  he  is  a  son  of 
James  and  Cecilia  (Lawson)  McKay,  the 
father  a  native  of  Ireland  and  the  mother 
of  Scotland.  The  parents  were  married  in 
Scotland  and  on  coming  to  America  they 
settled  in  Illinois,  but  in  18-17  tiu'V  removed 
to  Oregon,  locating  near  St.  Paul.  The  father 
then  went  to  California,  where  he  accumu- 
lated a  fortune  in  gold  mining,  making  as 
much  as  three  hundred  dollars  per  day  when 
he  had  to  retire  on  account  of  ill  health. 
He  then  returned  to  his  family  in  Oregon, 
settling  on  a  donation  claim,  and  bought 
the  Old  Mission  saw  and  grist  mill,  which 
he  operated  for  thirty-five  years.  At  the 
time  of  his  death  he  owned  property  in  a 
great  many  of  the  cities  of  Oregon.  His 
estate  was  valued  at  over  twenty-five  thou- 
sand dollars  but  was  really  worth  much 
more.  Fifteen  years  before  his  death  he 
moved  to  Portland,  where  he  passed  away 
at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty  years.  In 
his  family  were  eight  children:  .James  and 
William,  who  died  while  crossing  the  plains; 
William  Richard,  of  this  review;  Mary,  who 
lives  in  Portland;  John,  of  St.  Paul,  Oregon; 
Kate,  who  is  the  wife  of  John  McCormick, 
of  Woodburn;  James,  deceased:  and  Cecilia, 
who  is  the  wife  of  .John  Kirk,  of  St.  Paul. 

William  R.  McKay  started  out  in  life  of 
his  own  accord  at  the  age  of  twenty-one.  He 
went  to  California  and  worked  for  several 
years  on  the  Glen  ranch  and  then,  return- 
ing home  he  helped  to  manage  his  father's 
estate.  In  1885  he  moved  to  the  farm  where 
he  now  lives  and  where  he  has  one  of  the 
finest  homes  in  this  locality.  His  residence 
is  a  large,  two-story  house,  beautifully  sur- 
rounded by  shade  trees  and  situated  on  a 
tract  of  eight  hundred  acres,  five  hundred  of 
which  are  under  cultivation.  He  is  engaged 
in  raising  wheat,  oats  and  hops.  He  also 
raises  live  stock,  including  horses.  .Jersey 
cows,  Poland  Cliina  hogs,  sheep  and  Angora 
goats. 


In  1885,  at  St.  Louis,  Oregon.  Mr.  ilcKay 
was  united  in  marriage  to  iliss  Anna  Kava- 
naugh,  a  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Catharine 
(Doyle)  Kavanaugh.  She  was  born  in  1861 
and  was  the  second  in  order  of  birth  in  a 
family  of  eight  children.  The  others  are: 
Andrew  L.,  of  Portland;  Sarah,  the  wife  of 
Elmer  Savage,  of  Salem.  Oregon;  Edward, 
of  Gervais;  Mattie,  the  wife  of  A.  L.  Clarke, 
of  Portland;  John  P.,  of  Portland,  who  is 
judge  of  the  third  district  court;  Henry  J., 
a  physician  in  Albany,  Oregon;  and  Mary, 
who  lives  with  her  mother  in  Portland.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  McKay  have  become  the  parents 
of  five  children.  Stanley  J.,  born  in  1886, 
lives  in  Portland  and  is  connected  with  a 
paving  company  on  street  woik.  He  has  a 
college  education.  Arthur  W..  born  in  1888, 
is  married  and  has  one  child.  He  lives  on  his 
farm  near  St.  Paul  and  is  also  a  college 
graduate.  Stella  is  a  sister  in  a  convent  in 
Oswego,  Oregon.  Justin  L.  lives  at  home 
with  his  parents  and  has  a  college  education. 
Albert  is  now  in  college  in  Portland. 

In  politics  Mr.  McKay  is  a  stanch  republi- 
can, believing  the  principles  of  this  party 
to  be  most  conducive  to  good  govern- 
ment, and  in  religion  he  strictly  adl.cres  to 
the  Roman  Catholic  faith.  He  has  always 
taken  an  active  interest  in  educational  mat- 
ters and  has  given  must  help  toward  that 
end  in  his  community.  He  is  a  strong  ad- 
vocate of  good  roads.  He  is  widely  known  as 
a  public-spirited  man.  who  has  the  welfare  of 
the  community  at  heart  and  may  well  be 
called  one  of  the  most  prominent  citizens  of 
his  county. 

A.  J.  COLVIN.  Everything  that  is  useful 
in  the  world  is  the  product  of  labor,  either 
of  mind  or  body,  and  too  much  prominence 
is  apt  to  be  attached  to  attainment  along 
scientific  and  professional  lines  at  the  expense 
of  those  men  who  have  labored  earnestly 
and  sincerely  in  a  humble  calling  and  have 
raised  themselves  by  their  own  cll'orts  to 
honored  positions  among  their  fellowmen. 
A  man  of  this  class  is  A.  J.  Colvin.  who 
began  life  as  a  laborer  and  is  now  manager 
of  one  of  the  most  important  box  factories 
in  Glendale,  Oregon,  and  owner  of  a  half  in- 
terest in  one  of  the  largest  hardware  stores 
in  that  eit}'.  He  was  born  in  Nebraska  on 
August  16.  1877,  a  son  of  Henry  and  Emma 
(Nelson)  Colvin.  His  father  was  a  native 
of  Ireland  who  came  to  America  when  he  was 
a  young  boy  and  located  in  Illinois,  where 
he  married.  He  later  removed  to  Nebraska 
and  died  in  that  state.  The  mother  was 
a  native  of  Indiana  and  after  her  husband's 
death  moved  to  Oregon  and  died  in  Grants 
Pass.  They  were  the  parents  of  the  follow- 
ing children:  R.  J.,  who  is  a  resident  of 
California :  Susan,  who  married  0.  Ranford, 
of  Vancouver.  Washington:  George,  who  re- 
sides in  Josephine  county.  Oregon:  Henry, 
who  makes  his  home  in  Glendale;  A.  J.,  of 
this  review;   and  Ellen,  who  is  deceased. 

A.  .J.  Colvin's  educational  opportunities 
were  limited.  He  attended  the  common 
schools  of  his  district  until  he  was  sixteen 
years  old,  when  he  began  to  work  in  a  box 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


991 


factory.  He  remained  with  the  same  lirm 
for  fifteen  years,  learning;  the  bnsiness  and 
rising  rapidly  through  various  positions  un- 
til at  the  time  of  his  resignation  he  was 
general  superintendent.  He  became  well 
known  in  manufacturing  circles  of  tilendale, 
where  his  uprightness  of  character  and  strict 
integrity  won  him  many  friends.  At  the 
present  time  he  is  acting  as  manager  of  an 
important  box  factory  in  Ulendale  and  is 
al.so  owner  of  a  half  interest  in  a  local  hard- 
ware store.  He  is  an  extensive  owner  of 
real  estate  and  is  engaged  in  business  along 
that  line.  He  owns  an  interest  in  a  large 
lumber  camp  near  Glendale  and  has  five 
acres  of  farm  land  under  cultivation  in 
Grants   Pass. 

In  1906  ilr.  Colvin  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  JIary  Bartle,  a  native  of  Oregon 
and  a  daughter  of  ilr.  and  llrs.  J.  H.  Bartle, 
residents  of  Tortland.  Jlr.  and  Mrs.  Colvin 
are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 
He  is  a  consistent  supporter  of  the  republi- 
can party  and  has  been  active  in  local  public 
affairs.  He  is  at  present  mayor  of  the  city 
of  Glendale  and  is  making  a  remarkal)le  rec- 
ord as  an  efficient  public  servant.  Frater- 
nally he  is  a  member  of  the  ilasonic  lodge 
at  Grants  Pass  and  his  wife  holds  member- 
ship in  the  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star  and 
is  now  one  of  the  conductors  in  that  organi- 
zation. Mr.  Colvin  is  one  of  the  foremost 
citizens  of  Glendale  today.  He  has  carved 
out  his  own  career  and  has  risen  from  a 
humble  capacity  to  that  of  mayor  of  his 
city  and  is  a  man  prominent  in  its  business 
and  social  circles. 

EDWARD  LEE  RAYBURN  is  one  of  Ore- 
gon's self-made  men  who.  prompted  by  laud- 
able ambition,  has  wisely  used  his  time, 
talents  and  opportunities  in  attaining  the 
present  creditable  position,  which  he  occu- 
pies in  business  circles  of  ilultnomah  county. 
He  now  makes  his  home  in  J^ents  and  is 
numbered  among  Oregon's  native  sons  liis 
birth  having  occurred  in  Corvallis,  March 
15,  1861.  His  parents  were  Stephenson  and 
.lane  (Higginbotham  i  Rayburn.  tlie  former 
a  native  of  Kentucky  and  the  latter  of  Iowa. 
The  father  left  Kentucky  when  nineteen 
years  of  age  and  thereafter  made  his  own 
way  in  the  world.  He  went  first  to  Illinois, 
where  he  resided  for  several  years  and  then 
removed  to  Iowa,  where  he  met  and  married 
.Jane  Higginbotham.  They  began  their  do- 
mestic life  in  Iowa,  where  they  remained  for 
several  years  and  then  crossed  the  plains 
with  ox  teams  in  1852,  settling  in  Lafayette, 
Oregon.  They  remained  there  for  a  short 
time  and  then  went  to  Corvallis.  where  the 
father  engaged  in  carpentering  and  contract- 
ing, in  which  business  he  continued  until 
his  retirement  from  active  life.  His  death 
occurred  in  Idaho  in  1905.  at  which  time  he 
was  visiting  his  son.  William  Francis  Hay- 
burn.  He  was  then  seventy-nine  yea's  of  age. 
He  had  long  survived  his  wife,  who  passed 
away  during  the  early  boyhood  of  her  son. 
Edward  L.  They  were  the  parents  of  twelve 
children  but  six  died  while  crossing  the 
plains  to  the  northwest.     Those  who  reached 


uuUurity  were:  .lames  W..  who  is  a  practic- 
ing attorney  of  Seattle,  Washington;  Wil- 
liam Francis,  a  resident  of  Moscow.  Idaho; 
Charles  D.,  who  is  living  in  Pendleton,  Ore- 
gon; Edward  L..  of  this  review;  Ella,  the 
wife  of  E.  O.  Chamness,  of  Portland;  and 
Fred  W.,  who  is  living  in  Los  Angeles,  Cali- 
fornia. 

The  story  of  the  west  is  a  familiar  one  to 
Edward  Lee  Rayburn,  who  has  always  re- 
sided on  the  Pacific  coast  and  has  been  an 
interested  witness  of  the  growth  and  progress 
that  has  here  occurred.  After  attending 
public  school  he  spent  a  year  in  Smith  Col- 
lege and  then  borrowed  enough  money  to 
go  to  eastern  Oregon.  He  secured  a  position 
in  a  grocery  store  in  Pendleton,  where  he 
spent  one  winter,  after  which  he  went  to 
Pilot  Rock,  where  he  worked  in  a  large 
genei-al  mercantile  establishment  for  three 
years.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he 
returned  to  Corvallis.  where  he  entered  col- 
lege, studying  stenography  for  a  year.  He 
afterward  entered  his  b'-other's  law  office 
and  pursued  the  study  of  law  under  his 
brother  and  Colonel  John  Kelly  for  two 
years,  at  the  same  time  acting  as  stenogra- 
pher and  clerk  in  their  office.  At  the  end  of 
that  period  he  came  to  Portland  at  the  re- 
quest of  e.x-Mayor  Rowe  and  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  the  Oregon  Railway  &  Navigation 
Company,  with  which  he  continued  for  three 
years.  The  road  was  then  sold  to  the  Union 
Pacific,  after  which  he  became  connected 
with  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad  in  the 
passenger  department  under  A.  D.  Charlton. 
He  continued  in  that  position  for  seventeen 
years  as  stenographer,  ticket  clerk  and  city 
passenger  agent.  He  was  also  for  seven 
years  traveling  passenger  agent  for  the  road. 
Thus  gradually  he  worked  his  way  upward, 
his  ability  and  energy  winning  him  recogni- 
tion and  his  fidelity  gaining  for  him  the  con- 
fidence of  all  concerned.  In  1907  his  health 
failed  him  and  he  came  to  Lents,  where  he 
owned  seventy  town  lots.  Here  he  owned 
a  general  store,  which  he  has  since  conducted. 
His  business  has  prospered  and  his  trade  is 
extensive,  requiring  the  assistance  of  three 
clerks. 

Mr.  Rayburn  was  married  October  5,  1888, 
in  Benton  county.  Oregon,  to  Jliss  Edith 
Buckingham,  the  wedding  being  celebrated  on 
her  father's  old  donation  land  claim.  He  was 
one  of  the  early  pioneers  of  this  state  and 
one  of  the  first  legislators  of  Oregon.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rayburn  have  been  born  five 
children.  Harold  Edward,  born  in  1890.  Iiavl 
completed  a  public-school  course  and  was 
])reparing  for  the  practice  of  law.  when  in 
1906  he  passed  away.  Fay  Buckingham  and 
Frank  Rodell.  twins,  were  born  February  6. 
1S92.  They  comideted  the  grade  work  in  the 
public  schools  of  Portland  and  spent  a  year 
in  the  high  school.  They  are  now  equal  part- 
ners with  their  father  in  his  business  and  as 
soon  as  they  are  capable  enough  to  handle 
the  store  they  are  to  have  full  charge.  Both 
attended  business  college  and  are  enterpris- 
ing, progressive  young  men.  whose  record  is 
most  creditable  to  the  family.  George 
Buckingham,  born  July  5.  1903  is  attending 


992 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


school.      Edith    Lora,    born    March    :i,    1909, 
completes  the  family. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Rayburn  is  a 
republican,  stanchly  supporting  the  princi- 
ples of  the  party.  He  is  not  a  politician  in 
the  .sense  of  office  seeking,  but  believes 
firmly  in  the  political  position  which  he  ad- 
vocates and  is  therefore  giving  to  the  cause 
loyal  support.  The  only  office  he  has  held 
has  been  that  of  deputy  sheriff,  in  which  he 
has  continued  for  five  years.  Fraternally 
he  is  connected  with  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World.  He  is  president  of  the  Commercial 
Club,  which  has  been  the  vital  force  in  in- 
troducing and  promoting  various  improve- 
ments in  Lents.  Mr.  Rayburn  and  three 
others  stood  good  for  the  electric  lights  that 
have  been  installed  on  the  streets  here,  and 
his  influence  and  aid  are  ever  on  the  side  of 
advancement  and  improvement,  along  ma- 
terial, intellectual  and  moral  lines. 

A.  S.  SKYLES,  manager  of  the  Astoria 
plant  of  the  Townsend  Creamery  Com- 
pany, has  in  this  capacity  manifested  ex- 
cellent executive  ability  "and  sound  judg- 
ment and  is  a  leading  and  prominent  resi- 
dent of  his  town.  His  birth  occurred  in 
southeastern  Iowa  on  the  5th  of  November, 
1869,  his  parents  being  Thomas  and  Eliza- 
beth (Conee)  Skyles.  "The  father  was  born 
in  Illinois  on  tlie  38th  of  February,  1834, 
while  the  mother's  natal  day  was  April  23, 
1830.  Thomas  Skyles.  who  followed  farm- 
ing throughout  his  active  business  career,  is 
now  living  retired  at  Fort  Madison,  Iowa. 
His  wife  Avas  called  to  her  final  rest  on  the 
2d  of  July,  1910.  Benjamin  Skyles,  the  pa- 
ternal grandfather  of  our  subject,  was  a  vet- 
eran of  the  Mexican  war  and  one  of  the 
earliest  pioneers  of  Iowa,  settling  in  that 
state  in  1840.  The  maternal  grandfather. 
Reuben  Conee  was  one  of  the  first  legisla- 
tors of  Iowa.  The  Skyles  family  has  been 
represented  in  every  war  of  the  country. 
Unto  Thomas  and  Elizabeth  Skyles  were 
born  six  children,  as  follows:  William,  who 
resides  on  a  farm  in  Illincis;  John,  also  an 
agriculturist  of  that  state;  Mary  E.,  at 
home;  H.  A.,  who  is  engaged  in  the  real- 
estate  business  at  Fort  Madison.  Iowa ;  A. 
S..  of  this  review;  and  Anna,  the  wife  of 
Alex  Bullard,  Jr.,  and  resides  on  a  farm  in 
Iowa. 

A.  S.  Skyles  obtained  his  eai-ly  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  Foit  Madison.  Iowa, 
subsequently  attended  Johnson's  Business 
College  and  then  pursued  a  post-graduate 
course  at  Ames,  Iowa.  Wlien  a  young  man 
of  twenty-two  years  he  removed  to  Yam- 
hill county,  Oregon,  where  he  embarked  in 
the  creamery  business  on  the  25th  of  April, 
1892,  conducting  the  enterprise  for  six  years 
and  shipping  his  products  to  Portland.  His 
creamery  was  the  only  one  in  the  county 
at  that  time  and  twenty-five  miles  distant 
from  any  other.  Subsequently  he  spent 
eighteen  months  in  the  gold  mines  of  eastern 
Oregon  as  manager  of  a  transfer,  freight 
and"  stage  outfit.  On  the  1st  of  April.  1899. 
he  became  connected  with  the  Townsend 
Creamery  Company,  installing  their  plant  at 


Nehalem.  Tillamook  county.  On  the  Tth  of 
May  following  he  installed  a  plant  at  As- 
toria and  has  since  remained  its  manager. 
He  makes  both  butter  and  ice  cream  and  is 
a  wholesale  dealer  in  these  products.  The 
Townsend  Creamery  Co;iipany  has  eight 
branches  and  has  the  largest  butter  plants 
on  the  coast.  Mr.  Skyles  is  one  of  the 
stockholders  of  the  concern  and  his  efforts 
have  contributed  to  its  success  in  no  small 
degree. 

On  the  6th  of  September,  1895,  Mr.  Skyles 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Nora  A. 
Baker,  a  native  of  Keokuk  county,  Iowa,  and 
a  daughter  of  Captain  D.  C.  Baker  and  Vir- 
tue A.  (Milton)  Baker,  who  were  born  in 
the  years  1833  and  1838  respectively.  The 
father,  who  was  a  captain  in  the  Civil  war, 
connected  with  the  Fortieth  Iowa  Volunteer 
Infantry,  passed  away  on  the  25th  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1911.  The  mother  had  died  in  No- 
vember, 1890.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Skyles  have 
three  children :  Theron  G.,  born  in  Yamhill 
county,  and  Norman  B.  and  Elizabeth  Ann, 
both  born  in  Astoria.  Mrs.  Skyles  traces 
her  ancestry  by  three  lines  back  to  Revolu- 
tionary times  and  is  an  applicant  for  mem- 
bership in  the  Daughters  of  the  American 
Revolution. 

In  politics  Mr.  Skyles  is  independent,  sup- 
porting men  and  measures  rather  than  party. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  school  board  and 
also  holds  the  responsible  position  of  presi- 
dent of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce.  His  re- 
ligious faith  is  indicated  by  membership  in 
the  Presbyterian  church,  of  which  he  is  one 
of  the  trustees.  Fraternally  he  is  identified 
with  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of 
Elks.  He  is  a  thoroughgoing  business  man, 
improving  his  opportunities  for  the  attain- 
ment of  financial  success,  and  his  diligence 
has  been  the  source  of  his  prosperity. 

ALEXANDER  WHITE.  Tlie  lumber  indus- 
try has  been  the  chief  source  of  revenue  in 
Oregon  and  the  timber  tracts  of  the  state 
yet  exceed  in  extent  and  value  those  of  any 
other  state  in  the  Union.  Jlen  of  marked 
business  ability  have  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture and  sale  of  lumber  and  success  has 
crowned  their  enterprise  and  intelligently  di- 
rected efforts.  Among  those  now  well  known 
in  connection  with  the  lumber  trade  of  Ore- 
gon is  Alexander  White,  treasurer  of  the 
Westport  Lumber  Company  which  is  operat- 
ing one  of  the  largest  mills  between  Port- 
land and  Astoria.  His  life  record  began  in 
Ontario.  Canada,  on  the  16th  of  May.'  1864. 
his  parents  being  Jolm  and  Margaret  (Mc- 
Laughlin) White.  The  father  was  born  in 
Olasgow,  Scotland,  and  the  mother  in  To- 
ronto, Canada,  where  they  were  married  and 
made  their  home  for  a  few  years.  Subse- 
quently they  resided  at  Onawa.  Iowa,  for 
twenty  years,  and  went  thence  to  Idagrove, 
Iowa,  where  they  spent  the  succeeding  dec- 
ade. Their  next  place  of  residence  was  at 
Breckenridge.  Missouri,  where  the  father  died 
December  27,  1900.  The  mother  afterward 
made  her  way  westward,  settling  at  Santa 
Cruz.  California,  where  she  is  still  living.  In 
their  family  were  tliree  sons  and  a  daughter: 


A.  S.   SKYLES 


THE 
FUBLiu 


TtLDEN   FOU^ 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


yyj 


ArcUibald,  Avho  died  in  South  Dakota;  Dan- 
iel, who  passed  away  in  Idagrove,  Iowa; 
Maiy  A.,  tlie  wife  o"f  M.  D.  Bardwell,  of 
Santa  Cruz,  California;  and  Alexander. 

Alexander  White  was  a  youth  of  fourteen 
years    when    he   undertook   the   task   of    pro- 
viding for  his  own  support  and  he  early  came 
to  realize  that  unfaltering  industry  aiid  per- 
severance   constitute    the    surest    foundation 
upon  which  to  build  success.     He  secured  a 
clerkship   in   a   hardware   store   and   that   he 
was  capable  and  efficient  is  indicated  by  the 
fact    that    l-.e    remained   tliere    for   about   five 
years.      He    afterward    clerked    in    a    retail 
lumber  yard  for  ten  months  and  subsequently 
was  appointed  manager  of  the  S.  H.  Bramaii 
T.umber  Company  at  Mapleton,  Iowa,  remain- 
ing in  charge  of  the  business  at  that  place 
for  about  five  years.    His  thrift  enabled  him 
during  that  period  to  save  from  his  earnings, 
a  sum,  sufficient  to  purchase  an  interest  in 
a  hardivare  store,  and  for  a  year  he  was  in 
partnership   with    S.   W.   Harms    in    the   con- 
diict  of  a  business  of  that  character  at  Ida- 
grove,  Iowa.     On  selling  out  he  accepted  the 
position    of    manager    with    .John    Powell   at 
Algona,  Iowa,  where  he  worked  for  several 
years.      He    next    removed    to    Breckenridge. 
Missouri,  where   he   purchased  an  interest  in 
a  hardware,  lumber,  coal  and  implement  busi- 
ness and  at  the  same  time  handled  real  es- 
tate, remaining  at  that  place  for  three  years. 
The    west     proving     to    him     an     irresistible 
attraction,  he  left  the  Mississippi  valley  for 
Chehalis,  Washington,  where  he  began  saw- 
ing   and    manufacturing    lumber,    continuing 
in  that  business  for  five  years  when  he  dis- 
posed of  his  interests,  preparatory  to  remov- 
ing to  Portland.    He  lived  for  a  year  and  one 
half  in  the  Kose  city  and  then  purchased  an 
interest  in  a  mill  at"  Bay  City,  Oregon,  which 
he  has   since  operated.     With   a  partner,  he 
also  purchased  a  tract  of  timber  land,  and  a 
logging  cainp  at  Quincy,  Oregon,  and  organ- 
ized   the   Beaver   Logging    Company.      Since 
that  time  lie  lias  been  developing  the  busi- 
ness and  manufacturing  lumber  quite  exten- 
sively.  He  is  president  of  that  company  and, 
in   1909,  became   the   treasurer   and   manager 
of  the  Westport  Lumber  Company  which  has 
one    of    the    largest    mills    between    Astoria 
and    Portland.     His    interests   are   extensive 
and    his    business    is    growing   substantially. 
The   result   is   gratifying  and   his   ability   is 
evidenced  in  the  prosperity  which  has  come 
to  him. 

On  the  6th  of  February,  ]902,  Mr.  AVhite 
was  married  to  Miss  Gertrude  V.  Billings, 
who  was  born  in  Butler  county.  Iowa.  Feb- 
ruary 28.  1SG9.  a  daughter  of  George  W.  and 
Ada  M.  (Cramer)  Billings,  the  former  born 
in  the  state  of  New  York  and  the  latter  near 
Hamilton,  Ontario.  With  their  respective  par- 
ents. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Billings  removed  to  the 
middle  west  in  early  life  and  were  married  in 
Iowa.  For  some  years  they  resided  in  that 
state  and  then  went  to  Rockford.  Illinois, 
where  they  lived  for  twenty  years.  They  after- 
ward spent  a  few  years  in  Minnesota  and 
thence  came  to  the  Pacific  coast,  settling  at 
f'pland,  California,  whence  they  later  went 
to  Portland  where  thev  are  still  living.     The 


ducted   a   hardware   store   in   Illinois    but   is 
now   living  retired. 

In  considering  the  political  situation  of 
the  country  Alexander  Wliite  has  been  led 
to  give  his  supjiort  to  the  republican  party. 
He  became  a  member  of  tlie  Jlasonic  lodge 
at  Algona,  Iowa,  and  served  as  past  master 
for  two  years,  and  is  now  alfiliated  with 
the  order  in  the  west.  During  his  residence 
in  Oregon  he  has  readily  recognized  his  busi- 
ness opportunities  and  as  the  years  have 
gone  by  lie  has  so  utilized  the  advantages 
tliat  have  come  to  him  for  investment,  that 
he  has  become  well  known  and  prosperous. 
He  never  hesitates  to  venture  where  favor- 
ing opportunity  leads  the  way  and  the  steps 
i'l  his  orderly  progression  are  easily  discern- 
ible. As  the  architect  of  his  own  fortunes 
he  has-.b^ilt  wisely  and  well  and  the  course 
that  he  has  pui-siied  indicates  the  possibili- 
ties for  business'  development  and  success 
in  the  west. 

FRED  W.  FIELDHOUSE,  who  is  the  pro- 
prietor of  a  jewelry  store  at  Gresham,  Mult- 
nomah county,  was  born  in  England,  Febru- 
ary 23,  ISfiS,  a  son  of  John  and  Maria  (Teas- 
dale)  Fieldhouse.  The  parents  were  both 
natives  of  England,  were  married  in  that 
country  and  came  to  America  in  18C9,  set- 
tling in  Wisconsin.  They  resided  in  that 
statl;  until  1907,  when  'they  removed  to 
Oregon,  settling  in  Multnomah  county,  where 
the  mother  passed  away  in  1908.  The  father 
is  now  living  there,  having  reached  the  age 
of  seventy  years.  All  his  life  he  has  fol- 
lowed the"  occupation  of  masonry  and  con- 
tracting. In  his  family  were  four  children, 
the  eldest  of  whom  is  the  subject  of  this 
sketch.  The  others  were:  A.  H.,  who  died 
in  Wisconsin  in  1903;  and  A.  J.  and  Mrs. 
Nellie  Gullikson,  both  of  (Iresham. 

Fred  W.  Fieldhouse  being  only  six  years 
of  age  when  brought  by  his  parents  to 
America,  received  his  early  training  in  the 
district  schools  of  Wisconsin,  and  since  that 
time  he  has  acquired  a  thorough  business 
education.  He  remained  under  the  parental 
roof  until  twenty-three  years  of  age.  when  he 
went  into  partnership  with  his  father  in 
masonry  and  contracting  work  in  Wiscon- 
sin, in  which  occupation  he  was  engaged  for 
eleven  years.  He  then  entered  into  the  jew- 
elry business  in  that  state,  remaining  there 
until  1907,  when  he  came  to  Oregon,  settling 
at  Gresham.  where  he  established  his  present 
Jewelry  store. 

In  1885  Mr.  Fieldhouse  wedded  Miss  Louisa 
AVilkins  who  was  born  in  Wisconsin  in  IRfiO. 
a  daughter  of  Gottlieb  and  Louisa  Wilkins. 
both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Germany.  The 
parents  were  married  in  that  country,  and 
on  coming  to  America  settled  in  Chicago, 
Illinois.  Later  they  removed  to  Wisconsin 
and  afterwards  to  Oklahoma,  where  the 
father  passed  away  in  1903.  The  mother 
then  came  to  Oregon,  and  is  now  living  at 
Gresham.  In  their  family  were  eight  chil- 
dren: Sophie,  deceased;  Mrs.  Fiiddhouse; 
Mrs.  Annie  Munder.  of  Clackamas  county; 
Charles,    of    Kansas     Citv.    ilissouri;     Mrs. 


996 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


Charlotte  Martins,  of  Gresham:  William,  ol 
ilontana;  Gottlieb,  of  Oklalioma;  and  Emma 
of  Cottage  Grove,  Oregon.  Mrs.  Fieldliouse 
is  well  educated,  is  an  aceomplislied  musi- 
cian, and  was  a  teacher  previous  to  her  mar- 
riage. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fieldliouse  have  an 
adopted  daughter,  Florence,  Avho  is  nine- 
teen years  of  age.  She  received  her  educa- 
tion partly  in  Wisconsin  and  completed  the 
same  in  the  Gresham  high  school.  She  also 
has  had  a  thorough  musical  education.  She 
at  the  present  time,  is  teaching  school,  and 
has  been  in  that  profession  since  she  was 
sixteen   years   of  age. 

In  politics  Mr.  Fieldhouse  is  a  republican 
and  fraternally  he  is  identified  with  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  Both  he  and 
bis  family  are  affiliated  with  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church.  During  his  residence  here 
he  has  won  the  respect  and  esteem  of  all 
with  whom  lie  has  come  in  contact,  and  he  is 
considered  one  of  the  progressive  and  success- 
lul  business  men  of  Gresham. 

W.  C.  HEMBREE.  The  first  home  of  W. 
C.  Hembree  in  (Iregon  was  a  log  cabin.  To- 
day he  is  the  owner  of  the  finest  residence 
in  McMinnville  and  is  now  living  retired,  for 
the  years  of  his  close  connection  with  farm- 
ing interests  brought  to  him  a  substantial 
competence,  enabling  him  now  to  rest  from 
further  labors.  He  has  passed  the  eighty- 
second  milestone  on  life's  journey,  his  birth 
having  occurred  in  Warren  county.  Tennes- 
see, in  1S29.  His  parents  were  .Jordon  .J. 
and  Sarah  Hembree.  both  natives  of  Ten- 
nessee, whence  they  crossed  the  plains  in 
1843.  making  the  journey  with  ox  teams.  At 
that  time  W.  C.  Hembree.  a  youth  of  four- 
teen years,  drove  one  of  the  teams  and  his 
was  one  of  the  first  wagons  that  came  clear 
through  to  a  point  west  of  the  Cascade  moun- 
tains. The  family  settled  in  Yamhill  county. 
Oregon,  but  this  was  long  before  tlie  admis- 
sion of  the  state  into  the  Union.  The  father 
.secured  a  donation  claim  of  six  hundred  and 
forty  acres  and  W.  C.  Hembree  took  a  claim 
of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres.  The 
parents  continued  to  occupy  the  old  home- 
stead until  called  to  their  final  rest.  The 
father  built  a  log  cabin  upon  his  place  and 
with  characteristic  energy  began  the  devel- 
opment of  the  farm,  upon  which  not  a  fur- 
row had  been  turned  nor  an  improvement 
made  when  he  took  possession.  Year  by  year 
his  labors  wrought  substantial  results  in  con- 
verting the  wild  land  into  productive  fields, 
from  which  good  harvests  were  gathered. 
It  was  in  1868  that  .Jordon  .J.  Hembree 
passed  away,  having  for  thirteen  years  sur- 
vived his  wife,  who  died  in  1S55.  To  them 
were  born  twelve  children,  of  whom  four 
sons  are  still  living. 

W.  C.  Hembree  pursued  a  common-school 
education  in  his  native  state  ere  the  start 
was  made  for  the  Pacific  coast.  He  well 
remembers  the  many  interesting  incidents 
of  the  long  journey  across  the  prairies,  over 
the  plains  and  through  the  mountain  passes 
until  the  family  reached  their  destination. 
The  slow-plodding  oxen  covered  only  a  few 
miles  each   dav  and  at   times  the  road  was 


little  more  than  a  trail  but  after  weary 
months  of  travel  the  journey  was  ended  and 
then  the  family  faced  the  diflicult  conditions, 
which  are  ever  to  be  found  on  the  frontier. 
Mr.  Hembree  shared  in  all  of  the  hardships 
and  privations  incident  to  sucii  a  life  and 
early  became  familiar  with  the  arduous  task 
of  developing  a  new  farm.  In  time  the  land 
\\  hich  he  owned  became  very  valuable,  owing 
to  the  improvements  which  he  placed  upon  it 
and  also  to  the  fact  that  the  country  be- 
came settled.  Year  after  year  he  contin- 
ued the  work  of  tilling  the  soil,  and  his 
labors  were  rewarded  by  good  harvests. 
Thus  his  income  increased  as  time  passed 
by  and  at  length  with  a  substantial  com- 
petence he  retired  to  private  life.  He  is 
still  the  owner  of  two  productive  and  valua- 
ble farms  in  Yamhill  county,  while  his  home 
111  McMinnville  is  the  finest  residence  in  that 
city. 

in  -June.  1S61.  Mr.  Hembree  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Xancy  A.  Garrison,  a 
native  of  Iowa,  who  made  the  journey  across 
the  plains  at  an  early  day.  By  her  mar- 
riage she  became  the  mother  of  nine  chil- 
dren :  Rose,  the  wife  of  W.  E.  Stevens,  a 
resident  of  California;  Walter  L..  who  is 
living  in  McMinnville;  C.  P..  whose  home  is 
in  Polk  county;  Xellie,  the  wife  of  George 
Housman.  of  Portland;  Eva  G..  the  wife  of 
•T.  .J.  Eector.  whose  home  is  in  Brownsville, 
Oregon;  JIaud.  the  wife  of  George  Morrison, 
of  Hot  Springs,  Alaska;  and  three  who  are 
deceased.  ine  wife  and  mother  passed 
away  in  1893  and  later  Mr.  Hembree  married 
Mrs.  Xaney  J.  Crisp,  who  was  the  widow  of 
il.  R.  Crisp  and  a  native  of  Kentucky.  Her 
parents  were  William  and  Lucinda  (Thomp- 
son I  Beagle,  who  were  likewise  natives  of 
Kentuckj',  whence  they  made  the  long  jour- 
ney across  the  plains  in  1843.  Mr.  Beagle 
secuied  a  donation  claim  in  Washington 
county.  Oregon,  whence  in  1854  he  removed 
to  California,  spending  eight  years  in  that 
state.  He  then  returned  to  Oregon,  living  in 
Umatilla  county  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred in  Pendleton.  Oregon,  in  1888.  His 
wife  survived  him  for  about  ten  years,  pass- 
ing away  in  1898.  In  their  family  were 
ten  children,  of  whom  six  are  now  living,  in- 
cluding Mrs.  Hembree,  who  by  her  first 
marriage,  to  Mr.  Crisp,  became  the  mother 
of  eight  children:  B.  H..  who  is  living  in 
eastern  Oregon:  Cynthia,  the  wife  of  W.  C. 
Tilton.  a  resident  of  Seattle.  Washington; 
Bell,  the  wife  of  E.  R.  Wheeler,  also  of 
Seattle:  and  five,  who  are  deceased.  The 
death    of   ilr.   Crisp   occurred   in   1886. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Hembree  has  al- 
ways been  a  democrat  and  has  filled  a  num- 
ber of  local  offices,  the  duties  of  which  he 
discharged  with  promptness  and  fidelity.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Grange  and  has  long 
been  closely  associated  with  the  agricultural 
interests  of  this  part  of  the  state,  where  he 
still  owns  farming  property  although  he  now 
leaves  the  active  work  of  his  farms  to  others. 
There  are  few  residents  in  the  state  who  have 
remained  longer  within  its  borders  than  Mr. 
Hembree.  for  through  sixty-eight  years  he 
has  lived  in  Oregon  and  is.  therefore,  largely 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


997 


ac-quaiiited  with  its  history  I'roiu  pioneer 
times  down  to  the  present.  When  he  eame 
liere  the  Indians  were  far  more  numerous 
than  the  white  settlers  and  at  different  peri- 
ods occasioned  considerable  trouble  to  the 
pioneers,  who  were  attempting,'  to  plant  the 
seeds  of  civilization  in  the  soil  of  the  north- 
west. Portland  at  the  time  of  his  arrival 
was  a  tiny  village  and  it  was  believed  that 
Oregon  city  would  become  the  more  promi- 
nent place.  Many  of  the  now  thriving  towns 
and  cities  of  the  state  had  not  yet  been 
founded  and  the  great  forest  tracts  which 
have  been  a  source  of  gigantic  income  to  the 
state  were  still  standing  in  their  primeval 
strength.  Mr.  Hembree  has  lived  to  see  re- 
nuirkable  changes  and  in  the  community, 
where  he  has  resided,  has  always  borne  his 
part  in  tlie  work  of  public  progress  and  im- 
provement. That  his  business  interests  have 
been  carefully  conducted  is  indicated  in  the 
success  which  has  crowned  his  efforts,  for  he 
started  out  in  life  here  empty-handed. 

JAMES  E.  BLACKBURN.  Montavilla 
owes  its  development  and  improvement  in 
no  small  measure  to  the  efforts  of  .James  E. 
Blackburn,  a  well  known  contractor  and 
builder,  whose  handiwork  has  found  expres- 
sion in  many  of  the  leading  structures  of  this 
ciiy.  which  was  but  a  small  and  unimproved 
district  at  the  time  of  his  arrival  here,  but 
has  grown  rapidly  and  along  substantial 
lines.  Mr.  Blackburn  was  born,  November 
10.  1865,  in  iluskingura  county.  Ohio,  his 
parents  being  Thomas  Jefferson  and  Nancy 
(Crawford)  Blackburn,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  Oliio.  The  former  was  a  son  of 
.James  and  Mary  Blackburn,  who  were  born 
in  the  Empire  state,  while  the  maternal 
grandparents  of  our  subject  came  from  Penn- 
sylvania. To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thomas  .Jefferson 
Blackburn  were  born  the  children  of  whom 
short  mention  follows.  Athea.  deceased, 
was  the  wife  of  Russell  Proudy.  Alta  became 
the  wife  of  .Joseph  Proudy.  of  Ohio,  and 
they  have  live  children.  Cheney.  Homer. 
Frantz.  Russell  and  Paul.  Mary.  Lucy  and 
Clara  are  deceased.  .James  E.  is  our  sub- 
ject. Elna  is  the  wife  of  Fred  Straus,  of 
Guernsey  county,  Ohio,  and  has  two  children, 
Grace  and  Gladys. 

•Tames  E.  Blackburn  spent  his  youthful 
days  in  his  native  county  and  after  acquir- 
ing a  public-school  education  started  out  to 
make  his  own  way  in  the  world.  He  was 
sixteen  years  of  age  when  he  began  learn- 
ing the  carpenter's  trade  with  his  father  and 
at  the  age  of  twenty  felt  qualified  to  assume 
the  responsibilities  of  providing  entirely  for 
his  own  support.  On  leaving  home,  he  went 
first  to  Hutchinson.  Kansas,  where  he  re- 
sided for  three  years  and  was  married.  Ife 
afterward  went  to  Spokane.  Washington, 
where  he  spent  two  years,  and  next  came  to 
Portland.  In  1891  he  established  his  home 
in  Montavilla.  where  he  purchased  land  and 
erected  thereon  his  present  residence.  He 
began  buying  and  selling  property  and  doing 
a  contracting  business.  When  he  took  u]) 
his  abode  in  ^Montavilla  there  was  no  car 
line  there  and  the  town  was  in  its  embrvonic 


condition.  He  has  witnessed  its  growth  and 
development,  noting  the  great  strides  it  has 
taken  in  the  adoption  of  modern  improve- 
ments as  well  as  in  expansion.  With  its 
upbuilding  he  has  been  closely,  proniiiientlv 
and  helpfully  associated.  He  "erected  practi- 
cally all  of  the  schoolhouses  and  churches 
ol  the  town,  also  built  the  broom  factory 
and  many  dwellings  not  only  in  Jlontavill'a 
but  all  over  Portland.  He  built  up  a  large 
business  and  as  opportunities  presented 
themselves  made  judicious  investment  in 
inoperty,  and  is  now  the  owner  of  twehc 
lots  and  two  business  houses,  in  addition 
to  a  tract  of  seven  acres  inside  the  city  lim- 
its. He  also  owns  other  residence  property 
here  and  a  half  section  of  timber  land  in 
•  lose])!iine   county. 

At  Hutchinson.  Kansas,  on  the  2.'i(l  of  Feb- 
ruary. 1889.  Mr.  Blackburn  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Alta  Woodruff',  a  daughter 
of  P.  .J.  Woodruff.  She  is  one  of  a  family 
of  four  children.  Addie  Woodruff,  her  sister, 
is  the  wife  of  Joseph  Clark,  of  Pendleton. 
Oregon,  and  they  have  six  children.  Paul. 
Grace,  .Jane,  Fae,  Hazel  and  Earl.  Emmie 
W^oodruff  is  the  wife  of  Isaac  Perkins,  of 
Portland,  and  they  have  five  children,  Floyd. 
Karl,  Raymond,  Ruby  and  Helen.  Luther 
Woodruff,  of  San  Bernardino.  California,  is 
married  and  has  two  children,  Lora  and 
Frieda. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Blackburn  have  been  blessed 
with  si-\  children.  Lula  is  deceased.  Mabel, 
born  March  9,  1892.  has  completed  a  high- 
school  and  a  commercial  course.  Lura.  born 
ilarch  IG,  1894,  has  a  business  education. 
Marjorie.  born  March  11.  1901.  .Jeannette, 
born  May  14,  1903,  and  Fred  E.,  born  May 
1,  1907,  are  attending  school. 

.Tames  E.  Blackb\irn's  political  allegiance 
has  always  been  given  to  the  republican 
party.  He  was  elected  road  supervisor  and 
fille(l  that  office  for  three  terms  but  has 
never  been  an  olHce  seeker  in  the  commonly 
accepted  sense  of  that  term.  He  is  well 
known  in  various  fraternal  circles,  holding 
membership  with  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  FeUows,  the  Rebekahs,  the  Woodmen  of 
the  World  and  the  T'nited  Artisans,  His  re- 
ligious faith  is  that  of  the  Baptist  church,  to 
\\  hich  his  family  belong. 

VICTOR  STAUFF  is  one  of  the  most  suc- 
cessful dairy  farmers  of  Coos  county.  His 
ranch  comprises  two  hundred  acres,  located 
near  Cooston,  where  he  is  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, making  a  specialty  of  dairying.  He  was 
born  in  Finland,  in  1866,  and  is  a  son  of 
.John  and  Mary  (Svarver)  Stauff.  both  of 
whom  were  natives  of  Finland,  and  to  them 
five  children  were  born:  Victor,  the  subject 
of  this  review,  William,  deceased;  Kmilie. 
who  married  Oscar  Moore,  of  Alameda,  Cali- 
fornia, by  whom  she  has  three  children: 
Arana.  the  wife  of  Harry  Yoast,  of  Alameda, 
California,  and  the  mother  of  three  children; 
and   O.scar.  deceased. 

Victor  Stauff  was'  reared  at  home  and  re- 
ceived his  elementary  education  in  his  native 
country.  At  the  age  of  thirteen  years  he 
started  in  life  for  himself,  finding  employ- 
ment in  a  brickyard  and  continuing  in  that 


998 


THE  CENTENiNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


occupation  for  a  period  of  two  years.  At 
tlie  age  of  eigliteen  years  he  emigi'ated  to 
the  United  States,  settling  at  North  Bend, 
Oregon,  and  found  employment  in  tlie  ship- 
yards in  that  place.  He  continued  to  work 
as  an  employe  in  the  sliipyards  for  fifteen 
years,  after  which  time  he  purchased  two 
hundred  acres  of  land,  upon  which  he  erected 
a  fine  residence  and  other  buildings.  He 
has  since  been  engaged  in  dairy  farming, 
of  which  he  has  made  a  great  success.  He 
plants  a  large  acreage  of  potatoes  and  is 
also  one  of  the  successful  fruit  growers  of  this 
section  of  the  state. 

Mr.  Stauff  was  united  in  marriage  August 
9,  ISSS,  to  Miss  Vendla  Smith,  a  daughter 
of  Ulrik  and  Beattie  (Moore)  Smith,  both 
of  whom  were  natives  of  Finland.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Smith  six  children  were  born:  Ul- 
rika,  deceased;  Vendla,  the  wife  of  the  sub- 
ject of  this  review;  John,  a  resident  of  Wash- 
ington; Hilda,  tlie  wife  of  Charles  C.  Johnson, 
of  whom  an  extended  review  is  published  in 
another  part  of  this  work;  and  Junas  and 
Amanda,  both  of  whom  are  deceased.  To 
Jlr.  and  Mrs.  Stauff  five  children  have  been 
born.  Oscar,  born  April  23.  1SS9,  is  a  pupil 
in  the  Oregon  State  Agricultural  College  at 
Corvallis.  Hugo,  who  was  born  August  19, 
1891,  is  also  a  pupil  in  the  Oregon  State 
Agricultural  College,  at  Corvallis;  Violet, 
born  May  21,  1S92,  who  was  educated  in 
the  Coos  county  public  schools,  is  engaged  in 
teaching  on  Larson's  Inlet.  Gladys,  born 
July  9,  1898,  resides  at  home  with  her  par- 
ents and  is  a  pupil  in  the  public  schools. 
Ivy,  who  completes  the  family,  was  born 
October  24,  1900,  and  is  a  pupil  in  the  pub- 
lic schools. 

Mr.  Stauff  gives  his  political  support  to 
the  socialist  party.  He  has  been  a  member 
of  the  Woodmen  of  the  World  and  he  and  his 
wife  are  members  of  the  Lutheran  church. 
Jlr.  Stauff's  ranch  of  two  hundred  acres  of 
valuable  land  is  one  of  the  best  improved 
and  most  successfully  managed  farms  in 
his  locality  and  stands  as  a  monument  to 
his   ability  and   industry. 

ARCHIE  PHILIP  is  one  of  the  well  known 
and  respected  citizens  of  North  Bend,  where 
he  has  charge  of  the  logging  operations  of 
the  Simpson  Lumber  Company,  which  is  one 
of  the  largest  mill  and  lumber  concerns  of 
Coos  county.  He  was  born  April  4,  1868, 
and  is  a  son  of  Robert  and  Helen  (Webster) 
Philip,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Soot- 
land.  The  father  removed  with  his  family 
to  England  in  1871.  where  he  later  became 
the  manager  of  the  Marquess  of  Bath's  es- 
tate, which  position  he  held  for  twenty-one 
years.  At  the  expiration  of  that  time  he 
was  retired  on  a  pension  and  died  in  1894, 
the  mother  dying  of  a  broken  heart  thirty 
days  later.  They  were  the  parents  of  ten 
children,  six  of  whom  are  living. 

Archie  Philip  was  reared  at  home  and  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  schools  of  his  na- 
tive land.  He  emigrated  to  America  in  1887, 
at  the  age  of  nineteen  years,  going  to  Chi- 
cago. Illinois,  w'here  he  remained  for  six 
months.    He  then  went  to  Duluth,  Minnesota, 


and  there  continued  to  reside  until  1903, 
when  he  removed  to  Idaho  and  was  there 
employed  for  a  period  of  live  years  by  the 
Cordelaine  Lumber  Company.  In  1907  he 
settled  in  Coos  county,  Oregon,  and  became 
engaged  as  a  timber  cruiser  and  later  had 
charge  of  a  lumber  camp.  In  1909  he  took 
charge  of  all  the  Simpson  Lumber  Company's 
logging  operations  and  to  that  work  he  has 
since  given  his  entire  attention.  He  is  the 
owner  of  a  fine  residence  at  North  Bend  and 
in  that  city  he  also  owns  two  blocks  located 
in  the  best  portion  of  the  residence  district. 

Mr.  Philip  was  united  in  marriage,  July 
5,  1893,  to  Miss  Nellie  Kenyon,  whose  birth 
occurred  at  Sparta,  Wisconsin,  where  she 
received  her  early  education.  Her  father 
passed  away  there  when  she  was  a  small 
child  and  her  mother  died  at  the  same  place 
in  1909.  They  were  the  parents  of  six  chil- 
dren, of  whom  three  are  still  living:  Melvin, 
a  resident  of  Le  Sueur,  ilinnesota:  George, 
who  resides  in  San  Francisco,  California; 
and  Nellie,  the  wife  of  the  subject  of  this  re- 
view. To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Philip  four  children 
liave  been  born:  Percy  F.,  born  February 
34,  1S95,  who  is  an  engineer  and  resides  at 
home;  Archie,  who  was  born  in  1S97,  and  is 
attending  school;  Olive,  born  in  1900,  who 
is  a  pupil  in  the  public  schools;  and  Carol, 
born  in  1907.  Jb-.  Philip  belongs  to  the  re- 
pulilican  party  but  often  votes  independently, 
especially  in  local  issues.  He  and  his  wife 
are  members  of  the  Episcopal  church  of 
North  Bend.  Mr.  Philip  is  one  of  the  well 
known,  enterprising  men  of  North  Bend  and 
is  a  man  highly  esteemed  for  his  integrity  in 
business  matters  and  in  every  way  entitled 
to  be  numbered  among  the  progressive  and 
useful  citizens  of  this  part  of  the  state. 

JOSEPH  MICELLL  Among  the  enterpris- 
ing and  active  business  men  of  Roseburg 
Joseph  Micelli  holds  an  important  position, 
being  a  manufacturer  of  brick  and  also 
mayor  of  the  city.  He  is  highly  esteemed  as 
a  man  of  energy,  ability  and  sterling  integ- 
rity, and  is  a  well  known  representative  of 
fraternal  interests,  having  at  one  time  been 
grand  master  of  the  grand  lodge  of  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  A  native 
of  Italy,  he  was  born  October  1,  1864,  in 
Riesi.  which  was  likewise  the  birthplace  of 
his  father,  Grant  Micelli.  Born  and  reared 
in  Riesi,  Grant  Micelli  learned  the  brick- 
making  trade  when  young  and  was  there  en- 
gaged in  business  for  a  time  as  a  brick  manu- 
facturer and  contractor.  Coming  to  the 
United  States  in  1872,  he  located  first  in  Ne- 
vada, remaining  there  for  three  years.  In 
1880  he  went  to  Hailey,  Idaho,  where  he  es- 
tablished a  brickyard  and  has  since  been  suc- 
cessfully employed  as  a  brick-maker  and  con- 
tractor. Hp  married  Margaret  Biancolini, 
who  was  born  in  Italy  and  was  the  daughter 
of  an  expert  wood  carver.  In  1886  she  came 
with  her  family  to  America,  joining  her  hus- 
bund  at  Hailey,  Idaho,  where  she  has  since 
made  her  home.  Of  their  children  four  are 
living:  Mary,  whose  home  is  in  Idaho; 
Joseph;  Frank,  an  attorney  of  Roseburg; 
and  Louis,  of  ilontecristo,  Washington. 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


999 


Kdui'ated  in  the  public  scliools  of  Kirsi. 
Joseph  Jlicelli  remained  in  lii.s  native  city 
until  1878,  when  he  went  to  Pettau,  Austria, 
where  lie  continued  his  studies  in  the  public 
schools  for  a  time.  He  subseiiucntly  learned 
the  trade  of  a  baker  and  confectioner  in 
that  city  and  followed  it  for  a  number  of 
years,  traveling  as  a  journeyman  through 
Austria-Hnni;ary.  In  18S4  he  came  with  his 
sister  to  this  country  and  after  his  arrival 
in  Hailey,  Idaho,  attended  the  common  and 
high  schools  in  the  acquirement  of  the  Eng- 
lish lano'uasre.  ' 'n  leaving.'  solool  lie  entered 
the  employ  of  the  Idaho  Forwarding  Com- 
pany which  has  several  stores  in  different 
states,  becoming  a  clerk  in  the  store  at 
Hailey.  He  afterward  worked  for  his  father 
as  a  brick  maker  for  two  years  and,  having 
become  familiar  with  the  trade,  conducted 
a  brickyard  at  Silver  Mountain,  Idaho, 
where  he  remained  in  business  for  a  year. 
Coming  to  the  Pacific  coast  in  1889  he  was 
employed  in  the  manufacture  of  brjck  at 
Tacoma,  Washington,  for  a  year,  and  in  Jan- 
uarj',  1890,  he  located  in  Roseburg,  buying 
a  tract  of  land  on  which  he  established  a 
brickyard.  He  has  since  continued  in  busi- 
ness, having  about  seven  acres  of  land  in  his 
yard,  and  each  year  he  manufactures  about 
a  million  brick  which  he  shijis  to  coast  mar- 
kets. He  has  built  up  a  large  business  in 
this  connection  which  is  now  conducted  under 
the  firm  style  of  Micelli  Brothers,  his  brother 
having  joined  him  in  1903.  They  own  a 
quarter  interest  in  the  Hamilton  a.l'lition  of 
Roseburg,  a  tract  containing  twenty-seven 
acres.  In  addition  to  his  other  interests 
Joseph  Micelli  is  a  director  and  a  member  of 
the  finance  committee  of  the  Douglas  Na- 
tional Bank  and  is  vice  president  of  the 
Douglas  Abstract  Company. 

Mr.  Micelli  was  married  in  Roseburg  to 
Miss  Grace  Preschern,  who  was  born  in  Den- 
ver, Colorado,  a  daughter  of  John  Preschern, 
who  is  now  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits 
near  Roseburg.  They  have  become  the  par- 
ents  of   two   children,   Victor   and   Albert. 

Mr.  Micelli  is  very  prominent  in  fraternal 
relations.  He  belongs  to  Roseburg  Lodge, 
No.  326.  B.  P.  O.  E..  and  is  a  member  of  Rose 
Lodge  No.  16.  A.  ().  V.  W.  He  is  perhaps  most 
widely  known  in  his  connection  with  the  Odd 
Fellows.  In  1886  he  joined  Rising  Star 
Lodge,  No.  12,  I.  0.  0.  F.  at  Hailey,  Idaho, 
and  withdrew  in  1890  to  become  a  member  of 
the  Philetarian  Lodge,  No  8,  I.  0.  U.  F.,  of 
Roseburg,  of  which  he  was  noble  grand  in 
1891.  In  1892  he  entered  the  grand  lodge  of 
Oregon  and  at  its  session  held  in  Roseburg 
in  1898  was  appointed  grand  conductor. 
The  following  year  he  was  advanced  to  the 
position  of  grand  marshal  and  in  1901  was 
elected  grand  warden.  In  1902  he  served  as 
deputy  grand  master  and  in  1903  at  the  ses- 
sion held  in  Portland  was  chosen  grand  master 
of  the  grand  lodge.  In  1904  he  finished  his 
term  in  that  position  and  was  elected  grand 
representative  of  the  sovereign  grand  lodge, 
attending  the  sessions  at  San  Francisco  and 
at  Philadelphia  in  1904  and  1905.  He  is  also 
a  member  and  past  chief  patriarch  of  Union 
Encampment,  No.   9,  and  a  charter  member 


of    I'.oseburg    lU'bekah    Lodge,    No.    41.     He 
likewise   belongs    to    the    Kremlin    Baku,    of 

Portland,  is  a  member  and  past  chancellor 
of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  lodge,  for  three 
terms  served  as  its  representative  to  the 
grand  loilge  and  was  representative  to  the 
tirst  state  convention  held  by  that  order. 
He  belongs  to  the  Board  of  Trade  and  is  a 
member  of  the  Commercial  Club,  of  which  he 
was  formerly  a  trustee.  Jlr.  Micelli  is 
equally  widely  known  as  a  political  leailer. 
In  1906  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  city 
council  of  Roseburg,  representing  the  third 
ward,  and  was  appointed  chairman  of  the 
street  committee.  Twice  thereafter  he  was 
elected  anil  retained  the  chairmanship  of  that 
committee  during  three  terms  of  the  council, 
within  which  time  all  of  the  present  street 
improvements  were  made,  including  ten  miles 
of  street  paving  and  sewers  in  three  dis- 
tricts, making  Roseburg  the  best  drained  city 
in  the  country,  there  being  not  a  single  house 
in  that  city  that  is  not  connected  with  the 
sewer.  He  deserves  great  credit  for  this  as 
it  is  a  valuable  factor  in  sanitation  and 
health,  as  well  as  cleanliness.  In  1911  fie 
was  elected  mayor  of  the  city  on  the  demo- 
cratic ticket  for  a  two  years'  term,  which 
will  expire  on  the  6th  of  November,  1913. 
Already  during  his  administration  lie  has 
accomplished  much  for  the  city's  welfare  and 
improvement.  Though  born  across  the  water 
he  is  thoroughly  American  in  interest  and 
thought,  and  is  imbued  with  the  spirit  of 
progress  that  is  manifest  in  all  of  his  con- 
nections and  especially  in  his  service  as  chief 
executive   of  Roseburg. 

W.  A.  BRANSON,  much  of  whose  life  has 
been  given  to  public  service,  was  born  in 
Polk  county,  Oregon,  March  24,  1861,  a  son 
of  Eli  T.  and  Sarah  Catharine  Branson.  The 
father  was  a  native  of  Springlield,  Illinois, 
born  May  15,  1829,  and  spent  his  youth  and 
early  manhood  upon  a  farm,  but  in  1852  he 
crossed  the  plains  with  ox  teams  to  Port- 
land. He  then  proceeded  up  the  Willamette 
river  to  Oregon  City  where  he  worked  in  a 
sawmill  owned  by  Nathaniel  Lane,  the  grand- 
father of  e.x-mayor  Lane.  From  there  he 
went  to  Polk  county  where  he  purchased 
light  hundred  acres  of  land  in  the  northern 
section,  near  the  town  of  Sheridan.  He  ex- 
perienced the  usual  hardships  and  privations 
of  life  on  the  frontier,  including  service  in 
the  Indian  wars  whereby  the  red  men  were 
forced  to  abandon  their  hostile  attitude 
toward  the  incursions  of  the  white  race  into 
this  territory.  He  continued  upon  the  farm 
which  he  purchased  until  1869.  when  he  sold 
tliat  property  and  removed  to  McMinnville, 
where  he  lived  retired  until  1872.  He  then 
went  to  Sheridan  and  purchased  three  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres,  one  mile  and  three- 
quarters  west  of  the  town  and  made  his 
home  in  that  city  until  1877.  In  that  year 
he  took  lip  his  abode  upon  the  farm,  resid- 
ing on  that  place  until  1899,  when  he  sold 
the  property  and  once  more  established  his 
home  at  ^fcMinnville.  purchasing  the  Nauver 
farm  adjoining  the  city  limits.  He  rented 
the   property  and   lived   in   the  town,  enjoy- 


1000 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


iiig  well  earned  rest  to  the  time  ot  his  deatli, 
which  occurred  March  S,  1910,  when  he  was 
about  eighty-two  3'ears  of  age.  His  wife, 
who  was  born  in  Illinois,  crossed  the  ])lains 
with  her  parents  at  an  early  date,  the  family 
home  being  established  in  Yamhill  county, 
Oregon.  The  town  of  Willamina  was  named 
in  honor  of  her  father,  as  it  lies  on  his  old 
ilonation  claim.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kli  T. 
Branson  were  born  live  children:  \V.  A.,  of 
this  review;  Edward  Baker,  who  died  in  18B2 
when  eight  years  of  age;  C.  E.,  who  died  in 
1906  at  the  age  of  thirty-seven  years,  after 
fourteen  years'  service  as  surveyor  of  the 
county,  during  which  period  he  was  known 
as  a  very  successful  civil  engineer,  doing 
the  work  of  the  new  Morrison  street  bridge 
in  Portland:  and  two  daughters  who  died 
in   infancy. 

\V.  A.  IJranson  was  educated  in  the  county 
in  which  he  makes  his  home.  After  comjilet- 
ing  the  common-school  course  he  attended 
the  old  Baptist  College  at  McJIinnville.  He 
was.  moreover,  a  student  of  the  practical 
lessons  of  life.  He  was  reared  upon  a  farm 
and  to  tlie  development  and  improvement  of 
land  he  gave  his  attention  until  1.S99,  his  la- 
bors bringing  to  him  substantial  results  for 
he  brouglit  his  fields  into  a  liigli  state  of  cul- 
tivation. He  then  came  to  McMinnville  and 
was  appointed  deputy  assessor,  which  posi- 
tion he  lield  for  four  years  under  John  E. 
Hubbard  and  for  three  years  under  the  pres- 
ent assessor.  Martin  Miller.  He  has  assessed 
the  precincts  fifteen  miles  each  way  from 
McMinnville  and  his  work  has  at  all  times 
been  thoroughly  satisfactory  to  those  under 
whom  he  serves.  He  has  lield  the  oflices  of 
school  clerk  .and  road  supervisor.  He  has 
ever  been  a  republican,  stanchly  advocating 
the  principles  of  that  party,  yet  never  be- 
coming a  politician  in  the  usually  accepted 
sense   of   the   term. 

In  ISSO  Mr.  Branson  was  married  to  Miss 
Minnie  E.  Young,  a  native  of  Tennessee  and 
a  daughter  of  .Tohn  L.  and  Catharine  (Bew- 
ley)  Young.  Her  father  was  a  Civil  war  vet- 
eran and  took  part  in  many  of  the  famous 
battles  that  led  to  the  victory  of  the  Union 
forces.  He  served  also  throughout  the  Mexi- 
can war.  and  stood  at  the  side  of  .JeiTerson 
Davis  when  the  latter  was  shot  in  an  engage- 
ment of  that  conflict.  Mr.  Young  made  his 
home  in  Tennessee  until  1SS3  when  he  came 
to  Oregon,  settling  in  Sheridan,  where  he 
lived  for  a  number  of  years.  Subsequently 
the  family  removed  to  Portland  where  both 
he  and  his  wife  died.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Voung  were  born  three  children  of  whom 
Jlrs.  Branson  is  the  eldest.  Her  sister.  Mol- 
lie.  now  deceased,  was  the  wife  of  .John  A. 
Ingram,  who  was  a  railroad  man.  running 
out  of  Portland.  He  lost  his  life  in  a  rail- 
road wreck  and  his  wife  passed  away  a  year 
later.  A  brother.  .lolin  Young,  lives  in  Ten- 
nessee. To  ^Ir.  and  ilrs.  Branson  has  been 
l>orn  one  child.  C.  R.  He  was  born  in  Sep- 
tember. 1S91.  and  attends  school,  making  a 
si)eeialty  of  the  study  of  electricity. 

W.  A.  Branson  is  a  member  of  the  Elks 
lodge   at   Salem.  Oregon.     His   brother.  C.   E. 


iiranson,  was  a  Royal  Arch  Mason  in  Mc- 
ilinnville,  an  accomplished  musician  and  was 
identified  with  all  of  the  musical  organiza- 
tions of  the  city.  In  McMinnville  and 
throughout  the  county  W.  A.  Branson  is 
widely  known.  His  life  has  been  an  active 
and  useful  one  for  he  has  ever  been  found 
reliable  in  business,  faithful  and  loyal  in 
citizenship  and  true  at  all  times  'in  his 
friendships. 

JACOB  C.  and  NANCY  (ORNDORF) 
SPORES.  All  credit  and  honor  is  due  to  the 
worthy  pioneer  settlers  who  planted  the  seeds 
of  civilization  in  the  northwest,  braving  not 
only  hardships  and  difficulties  but  dangers  in 
establishing  their  homes  upon  the  Pacific 
coast  at  a  period  when  this  region  was  much 
more  thickly  inhabited  by  Indians  than  by 
representatives  of  the  white  race.  Among 
the  pioneers  were  Jacob  C.  and  Nancy  (Orn- 
dorf)  Spores,  who  arrived  in  Oregon  in  1847. 
The  former  was  born  in  Onondaga  coiuitv. 
New  York,  .July  23,  1795.  and  the  latter 
in  Logan  county,  Kentucky,  in  1812.  Mr. 
Spores  was  a  son  of  .Jacob  Spores,  a  native 
of  (Jermany,  who  when  very  young  emi- 
grated to  America,  settling  on  tne  Mohawk 
river.  He  lived  to  the  remarkable  old  age 
of  one  hundred  and  fifteen  years.  In  the 
veins  of  Mrs.  Nancy  Spores  flowed  the  blood 
of  German,  Welsh  and  Scotch  ancestry. 
Jacob  Spores,  Sr.,  followed  the  occupation  of 
farming  and  to  that  pursuit  his  son  Jacob  C. 
Spores  turned  his  attention.  He  had  been 
educated  in  the  public  schools  and  from  New 
York  state  he  removed  to  Ohio,  when  the  lat- 
ter state  was  practically  an  unbroken  wil- 
derness. Subsequently  he  became  a  resident 
of  Illinois,  settling  on  the  present  site  of  the 
city  of  Bloomington,  where  he  remained  until 
he  came  to  Oregon  in  1847.  He  arrived  in 
this  state  in  September  of  that  year  and 
took  up  his  abode  about  a  mile  south  of 
where  the  city  of  Coburg  now  stands.  As 
the  jiarty  traveled  westward  they  had  no 
trouble  with  the  Indians,  for  a  Flathead 
Indian  acted  as  their  guide.  Mr.  Spores  w.as 
captain  of  the  train  and  the  Indian  was  the 
interjjreter  for  the  company.  Mr.  Spores 
was  well  qualified  to  direct  the  party,  for 
he  had  previously  had  some  military  ex- 
perience, being  a  veteran  of  the  War  of  1812. 
He  served  under  General  Scott  and  partici- 
pated in  the  battles  of  Lundys  Lane,  Sack- 
et  Harbor  and  other  engagements  until  hon- 
orably discharged  at  the  close  of  the  war. 
At  length  the  journey  to  the  northwest 
was  accomplished  in  safety  and  Mr.  Spores 
secured  a  donation  claim  of  six  hundred  and 
forty  acres,  which  he  at  once  began  to  cul- 
tivate and  improve.  As  the  years  passed  he 
added  to  this  until  he  was  the  owner  of  two 
thousand  acres,  largely  devoted  to  stock- 
raising,  chiefly  cattle  and  horses.  The  un- 
settled country  offered  an  excellent  open 
range  for  the  stock  and  the  business  was 
carried  on  successfully  for  a  long  period  of 
years.  With  the  work  of  general  improve- 
ment Mr.  Spores  was  also  connected.  He 
built    the    first    ferrv    across    the    Mackenzie 


ilK.    AND    MRS.    JACOB   C.   SPORES 


^'-  ORK 

_..     cidRARY 


AiT»R,  LINOX  AN* 
TILBEN  FVUNOATIONI. 
h   III 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


1003 


river  and  operated  the  line  for  many  years, 
this   being  known  as   Spores  Ferry. 

Jlr.  Spores  was  married  twice.  On  the 
11th  of  August,  1816,  he  wedded  Eliza  Hand, 
of  the  state  of  New  York,  and  to  them  were 
born  the  following  named:  Cornelia,  bom 
April  1,  1819;  Eliza,  October  1,  1821;  Cath- 
arine. .June  9,  1824;  John  and  Esther,  twins, 
September  1,  1826;  Electa  Ann,  July  25, 
1828;  Jacob,  ilay  17,  1831;  Nancy,  April  5, 
1833:  James  Madison,  May  19,  1835;  and 
Martha  J.,  November  20,  1836.  Of  these  only 
one  is  now  living,  Nancy,  who  is  the  widow 
of  William  Griffith  and  makes  her  home  in 
Dexter.  The  mother  of  these  children  hav- 
ing passed  away  Mr.  Spoi-es  afterward  wed- 
ded Mrs.  Nancy  (Orndorf)  Trimmer,  a 
daughter  of  Frederic  and  Mary  Orndorf,  the 
former  of  German  and  Scotch  descent.  Her 
parents  were  pioneers  of  Kentucky,  whence 
they  removed  to  Hlinois,  where  both  died. 
Her  father  was  prominent  in  political  affairs, 
as  were  his  sons  in  Illinois.  One  of  the  sons, 
William,  became  a  Presbyterian  minister. 
Mrs.  Spores  was  born  in  Kentucky  and  ac- 
companied her  parents  on  their  removal  to 
Illinois  in  early  life.  By  her  first  marriage 
she  had  three  children:  Caturia,  Malinda  and 
William  Frederic.  The  two  daughters  died 
in  infancy  but  the  son  lived  to  manhood  and 
married,  "although  he  has  now  passed  away. 
Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Spores  were  born  four 
children.  Lewis,  born  November  2,  1843,  is 
now  deceased.  Henry,  born  February  6, 
1846,  is  mentioned  elsewhere  in  this  work. 
Mary  E.,  born  November  17,  1848,  proba- 
bly the  first  white  child  born  in  Lane  county, 
is'the  wife  of  William  Bogard  and  lives  near 
Coburg.  Arminda,  born  April  25,  1851,  was 
the  voungest. 

ill-.  Spores  held  membership  with  the  Ma- 
sonic fraternity  when  in  New  York,  being 
one  of  the  first  to  join  that  order  in  the 
Empire  state.  His  wife  was  a  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  church.  He  died  in  Decem- 
ber, isao.'at  the  age  of  ninety-five  and  a  half 
years,  while  ilrs.  Spores  passed  away  in 
March,  1891,  aged  seventy-nine  and  a  half 
years.  They  were,  indeed,  worthy  pioneer 
people  of  Oregon,  widely  known  in  the  state 
and  deserving  of  much  credit  for  the  part 
which  they  took  in  its  early  development. 

CHARLES     A.    HOXIE    is    a     highly    re- 
spected   and    successful    citizen    of    Josephme 
county,  where  he  is  engaged  in  general  farm- 
ing   and    in    the    successful    o-(  ration     of    a 
shTngle   mill   located  near  Williams,   in   that 
county.     He    was    born    in    .Jackson    county, 
this  sitate,  February  22.  1860.  and  is  a  son  of 
George    W.     and     Nancy     (Packard)     Hoxie. 
The  'father,  a  native  of  Scotland,  was  born, 
March   24.    1832,   and   is   a   son   of  0.   D.   and 
Eliza    (Stevens)    Hoxie,   both   of   whom    were 
natives  of   that   country.     George   W.   Hoxie 
emigrated    to    America    with    his    father    in 
1S50    and    after   reaching    the    shores    of    the 
new   world  they   continued   their  journey  by 
way  of  Cape  IJorn  to  San  Francisco.     After 
establishing   their   home   in   the  Golden   State 
thev     engaged     in     mining     for     two     years. 
George    W.    Hoxie    then    removed    to    Oregon 
Vol.  IV— 4  2 


and  settled  in  the  Rogue  river  valley,  where 
he  homesteaded  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  land,  upon  which  he  established  his  home, 
and  later  disposed  of  that  property  and 
purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in 
Josephine  coimty,  on  which  he  now  resides. 
In  1854  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  iliss 
Nancy  Packard,  who  was  a  native  of  In- 
diana and  died  in  1875.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
George  W.  Hoxie  seven  children  were  born, 
Matilda  P.,  William,  Charles  A..  George,  Asa, 
Josiah  and  Obadiah.  In  1876  Mr.  Hoxie 
sold  his  homestead  and  later  purchased  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  near  Williams, 
where  he  now  resides.  He  is  a  supporter  of 
the  republican  party,  and  one  of  the  (jronii- 
nent   members    of   the   Dunkard   church. 

Charles  A.  Hoxie  was  reared  at  home  and 
educated  in  the  public  schools.  He  remained 
under  the  parental  roof  until  he  was  twenty- 
four  }-ears  of  age  and  in  1S84  he  started  in 
life  for  himself  and  filed  upon  a  homestead 
of  forty  acres  located  in  Josephine  county 
near  Williams,  upon  which  he  established 
his  home,  and  later  purchased  an  additional 
fort)*  acres,  all  of  wliich  he  has  brought  to 
a  high  state  of  cultivation.  He  also  owns 
and  successfully  operates  a  modern  and  well 
equipped    shingle    mill. 

ilr.  Hoxie  was  united  in  marriage  in 
1884  to  Miss  Jlaggie  J.  Hall,  a  native  of 
Missouri,  and  to  ihera  nine  children  were 
born,  William,  Cl'.arles.  Ralph.  Edwina. 
Marvin,  Hubert,  Belle,  Rhoda  and  James. 
Charles  A.  Hoxie  is  one  of  the  highly  re- 
spected men  of  Josephine  county,  where  for 
many  years  he  has  been  engaged  in  success- 
ful   agricultural    pursuits. 

EDWARD    LEE    CAMPBELL.     The    com- 
mercial   interests   of   Eugene    find   a    worthy 
representative  in  Edward  Lee  Campbell,  who 
is  at  the  head  of  the  Campbell-Fellman  Com- 
pany, dealers  in  house  furnishings.     He  was 
born  in  Eugene,  July  31,  1865,  and  is  a  sou  of 
Andrew   J.   and   ilary    A.    (Luce)    Campbell. 
The   father  was   a   native  of   Virginia,   born 
near   Jamestown,   and   his   death   occurre<l    in 
1870.     In  early  boyhood   he  accompanied   his 
parents  on  their  removal  westward  to  C)ska- 
loosa,    Iowa,   and   when    he   was   twenty-one 
3'ears  of  age  he  came  with  his  wife  and  her 
parents   across   the    plains   to    Lane   county. 
This    was    in    1850    and    he    soon    afterward 
settled   in  Eugene.     He  was  a   cabinetmaker 
by  trade  and  in  this  city  began  to  manufac- 
ture furniture,  in  which  business  he  continued 
until     he    died.      His     allegiance    was    given 
to      the     democratic      party      and      he      was 
somewhat     prominent     as     a     local    political 
leader,  holding  a  number  of  offices  and  serv- 
ing as  a  delegate  to  the  state  constitutional 
convention  which  framed  the  organic  law  of 
Oregon.     He  wedded  Mary  A.  I-uce.  a  daugh- 
ter of  Jacob  Luce,  who  removed  with  his  fam- 
ily to  Iowa  when  Mrs.  Campbell  was  but  ten 
years    of    age    and    established    his    home    on 
what    is    now    the    town    site    of   Oskaloosa. 
.Mr.  and  Mrs.  Andrew  J.  Campbell  were  earn- 
est   and    consistent    Christians,    the    former 
holding     membership     in     the     Presbyterian 
church,  while  the  latter  was  connected  with 


1004 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


the  Baptist  denomination.  They  had  the  fol- 
lowing children:  William  T.;  John  K.;  Ira 
L.,  who  was  editor  of  the  Guard  for  twenty 
years  and  is  deceased;  J.ugene,  who  has 
passed   away;    and   Edward    Lee. 

Edward  Lee  Campbell  has  been  a  lifelong 
resident  of  Eugene  and  his  salient  qualities 
have  ever  commanded  for  him  the  respect  and 
good-will  of  those  with  whom  he  has  been 
associated.  He  acquired  his  early  education 
in  the  public  schools  and  afterward  attended 
the  University  of  Oregon.  He  learned  the 
printer's  trade  with  his  brother,  who  was 
editor  and  owner  of  the  Guard,  and  on  leav- 
ing the  newspaper  office  our  subject  entered 
tlie  railway  mail  service,  w-ith  which  he  was 
connected  for  a  number  of  years.  When  his 
brother  became  ill,  Edward  L.  Campbell  as- 
sumed editorial  charge  of  the  Guard,  so  con- 
tinuing to  be  engaged  for  five  j'ears.  On  the 
expiration  of  that  period  he  sold  his  interest 
in  the  paper  and  has  since  been  connected 
with  the  furniture  business,  becoming  at 
that  time  one  of  the  proprietors  of  the  en- 
terprise in  which  he  still  is  a  partner.  This 
business  was  established  in  1890  by  Herbert 
Gordon  and  in  1905  the  present  owners  pur- 
chased and  incorporated  it  under  the  name  of 
the  Campbell-Fellman  Company.  Three  years 
ago,  they  erected  a  substantial  and  attractive 
business  block,  which  is  eighty-two  by  one 
hundred  and  twenty  feet,  is  three  stories  in 
height  and  has  a  basement.  Theirs  is  the 
largest  furniture  store  between  Sacramento 
and  Portland.  They  carry  a  large  and  care- 
fully selected  line  of  goods,  suited  to  all 
tastes  and  financial  circumstances,  and  they 
not  only  handle  tlie  output  of  furniture  fac- 
tories but  also  manufacture  their  own  mat- 
tresses and  window  shades  and  do  upholster- 
ing. Tlieir  sales  have  reached  an  extensive 
figure  annually  and  the  business  is  constant- 
ly growing  along  gratifying  lines. 

Edward  Lee  Campbell  married  Miss  Jo- 
sephine Casey,  a  daughter  of  James  Casey, 
of  Woodburn,  Oregon,  and  they  have  two 
children,  Gilfry  and  Dewey.  Mr.  Campbell 
is  widely  known  in  the  city,  where  his  en- 
tire life  has  been  passed,  and,  while  he  has 
never  sought  to  figure  prominently  in  any 
public  connection,  he  has  exerted  a  strong 
and  beneficial  influence  in  support  of  prog- 
ress and  improvement,  of  reform  and  ad- 
vancement. His  methods  are  progressive  and 
measure  up  at  all  times  to  the  highest  stand- 
ards of  commercial  ethics. 

JAMES  0.  DAVIS,  who  is  engaged  in  the 
general  iiiercliandise  business  in  Cleone.  was 
born  in  Topeka.  Kansas,  his  parents  being 
James  M.  and  Anna  L,  (Lynn)  Davis,  The 
father  was  a  native  of  Virginia  and  one  of 
four  children,  the  others  being:  Alfred,  de- 
ceased: Hansford,  a  physician  who  is  resid- 
ing in  Texas;  and  Ida,  deceased.  The  mother, 
wliose  birth  occurred  in  Ohio,  was  one  of 
eleven  children.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  .James  M. 
Davis  are  at  present  living  about  twelve 
miles  from  Portland.  To  them  two  children 
were  born:  Harry  B.,  whose  birth  occurred 
October   27,   1S80,  and  who  is  conducting  a 


cafe  in  Portland;  and  James  0,,  the  subject 
of   this   sketch. 

James  O.  Davis  acquired  his  education  in 
the  Salem  public  schools,  in  which  city  the 
family  resided  for  about  ten  years.  Later 
he  entered  the  public  schools  of  Portland  and 
also  took  a  course  in  the  Portland  Business 
College,  from  which  institution  he  was  grad- 
uated in  1903.  He  was  thus  prepared  to  en- 
gage upon  an  active  career  and  started  out 
in  life  on  his  own  account  by  working  in  a 
wliolesale  grocery  house  in  Portland  for  four 
years  before  coming  to  Fairview  and  engag- 
ing in  business  on  his  own  account.  For  the 
last  four  years  he  has  been  conducting  a 
store  which  he  purchased  immediately  after 
his  arrival  here  and  has  built  up  a  large  busi- 
ness. Since  this  is  a  very  prosperous  and 
well  settled  farming  district  his  store  na- 
turally enjoys  a  good  patronage,  and  because 
of  his  careful  study  of  the  needs  of  his  cus- 
tomers his  trade  is  constantly  expanding. 

On  the  26th  of  October,  190G,  Mr.  Davis 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Xeomi  R. 
ilassey,  whose  birth  occurred  April  7,  1886, 
and  who  is  a  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Har- 
vey Massey.  She  is  the  youngest  of  three 
children,  the  others  being:  Alpha  0,,  de- 
ceased; and  Harvey,  who  is  residing  in  Fair- 
view. 

In  politics  Mr.  Davis  gives  his  support  to 
the  democratic  party  and  served  as  marshal 
of  Fairview  and  deputy  sheriff  of  this  dis- 
■■'■•*.  He  holds  membership  in  the  United 
Artisans.  Although  he  is  still  a  young  man, 
he  has  by  conscientious  labor  and  close  appli- 
cation gained  a  position  in  the  business  cir- 
cles of  his  community  which  well  augurs 
for  his  future. 

E.  ARTHUR  MEREEN,  who  dates  his  res- 
idence in  Coos  county  from  1885  is  regarded 
as  an  expert  farmer,  thoroughly  modern  and 
progressive  in  his  business  transactions,  in 
the  development  of  his  fields  and  the  raising 
of  stock.  He  is  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Sarah 
Mereen,  both  natives  of  Maine.  E.  Arthur 
Mereen  is  one  of  five  children:  Nettie,  the 
wife  of  William  Mogary  of  Washington,  by 
whom  she  has  five  children:  May,  who  mar- 
ried Judson  Downs  of  Washington  and  who 
I'lter  passed  away  leaving  one  child;  E.  Ar- 
thur, the  subject  of  this  sketch ;  Gilman,  who 
maintains  his  residence  in  Washington:  and 
one  child,  who  died  in  infancy. 

E.  Arthur  IWereen  was  reared  in  Nebraska 
until  he  was  ten  years  of  age.  Even  at  that 
early  time  he  was  obliged  to  assist  his 
father  with  the  work  upon  the  farm.  When 
the  family  moved  to  Oregon  he  continued  the 
education  begun  in  his  native  state  in  the 
public  schools  of  this  section  and  remained 
at  home  until  he  was  sixteen.  His  father 
settled  on  Coos  bay  and  operated  a  farm  in 
that  region.  His  mother  died  in  Nebraska 
when  m\v  subject  was  only  nine  years  of  age. 
SaTinicl  Mereen  operated  the  homestead 
which  he  took  up  on  the  Coos  river  until  his 
death  in  1891.  This  event  necessitated  Ar- 
thur Mereen's  earning  his  own  livelihood  and 
in  order  to  make  money  for  himself  he 
worked  as  a  laborer  upon  neighboring  farms 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


1005 


and  was  active  in  tlie  sawmills  of  Coos 
ciHUity  lor  three  years.  He  later  came  to 
the  nortli  fork  of  the  Coiiuille  river  and  spent 
his  summers  engaged  in  agricultural  jnir- 
suits  in  the  employ  of  others.  During  the 
winter  months  he  attended  school  and  con- 
luuied  so  for  four  years.  He  engaged  in  the 
logging  business  with  a  partner  and  carried 
(in  this  enterprise  in  conjunction  with  agri- 
cultural labors  for  eiglit  years.  In  the  mean- 
time he  purchased  eighty-one  acres  of  pro- 
ductive land,  to  which  he  later  added  by 
buying  ninety-one  acres  in  Coos  county.  He 
moved  upon  this  property  and  began  its  cul- 
tivation. In  1909  he  sold  his  eighty-one 
acres  in  order  to  give  his  entire  time  and  at- 
tention to  the  development  and  expansion  of 
liis  present  large  farm.  He  has  made  all  the 
improvements  upon  his  property,  built  fine 
barns  and  outbuildings  and  has  twenty  acres 
of  his  holdings  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation. 
He  specializes  in  dairying,  keeping  a  large 
herd  of  cows  for  this  purpose.  He  raises 
thoroughbred  horses  and  is  known  through- 
out Coos  count}'  as  an  expert  in  this  line. 

In  1900  Mr.  Mereen  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Sophie  Tillman,  a  diiughter  of 
Albert  and  Ann  (Bunch)  Tillman.  Mrs. 
Mereen's  mother  was  twice  married.  She  is 
now  the  widow  of  Charles  Watkins.  a  na- 
tive of  England  and  makes  her  liome  with 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mereen. 

Mrs.  Mereen  is  one  of  three  children  born 
to  her  parents.  The  other  two  are:  Elsie, 
who  lives  in  Washington:  and  one  child,  who 
died  in  infancy.  Our  subject  and  his  wife 
were  married  in  Coos  county  and  to  their 
union  four  children  have  been  born:  Bessie 
and  Dorothy,  both  of  whom  died  in  infancy; 
Wallace,  who  is  now  attending  school;  and 
Marjory. 

In  his  political  affiliations  Mr.  Mereen  is  a 
consistent  republican  but  has  never  been  an 
office  seeker.  He  holds  membership  in  the 
Seventh  Day  Adventist  church  and  is  rec- 
ognized as  a  man  of  high  character.  He  is 
regarded  as  an  energetic  and  progressive  agri- 
culturist. He  has  a  highly  developed  piece 
of  property  and  under  his  care  the  fields  are 
growing  richer  and  more  productive  while 
his  dairy  is  expanding  and  developing  pro- 
portionately. For  years  he  has  figured 
among  the  prominent  farmers  in  the  com- 
munity and  by  his  well  directed  and  spe- 
cialized labor  gained  the  prosperity  which  he 
is  now  enjoying. 

PROFESSOR  GUY  W.   HENDERSON,  one 

of  the  most  progressive  echicntors  in  Oregon 
is  principal  of  the  Ockley  Green  school  of 
Portland.  He  was  born  in  Logan  county, 
Ohio.  October  19.  1873.  and  is  a  son  of  Henry 
E.  and  Rachel  (Ronndsl  Henderson.  He  rep- 
resents an  old  Virginin  fnmily  and  his  great- 
grandfather, Samuel  Henderson,  was  one  of 
the  soldiers  of  tlie  Reviilnt ionary  war.  w'lile 
the  son  Samuel  Henderson,  was  a  soldier 
of  the  Mexican  war.  The  fiither  of  Professor 
Henderson  displayed  the  same  military  spirit 
in  his  loyal  and  patriotic  defense  of  the 
TTnion  as  a  member  of  the  One  hundred  and 
thirty-second    Ohio    Volunteer    Infantry.     He 


was  born  in  Virginia  ami  when  a  young  man 
accompanied  his  parents  on  their  removal  to 
Ohio,  where  the  Hendersons  became  identified 
witli  agricultural  interests.  The  maternal 
grandparents  of  Professor  Henderson  were  of 
English  birth  and  nativity,  but  his  mother 
was  born  in  Ohio. 

In    tlie   acquirement   of   his  education   Guy 
\V.    Henderson    attended    the    high    school    of 
Springfield.  Ohio,  and  later  entered  Otterbein 
University  at  Westerville.  Ohio,  where  ho  won 
his   Bachelor   of    Arts   degree.     He    was   also, 
for   a    time,   a    student    in    the   Northern    In- 
diana Normal  School  at  N'alparaiso,  and  has 
had    two    years    of    post-graduate    work    at 
Harvard.     He  has  engaged  in   teaching  since 
starting  out  in  the  world  on  his  own  account, 
following    the    profession    in    Ohio    and    In- 
diana   until    1905,    and    being    principal    of 
grammar  and  high  schools  in  different  local- 
ities.    In    the    year    mentioned,    he    came    to 
Portland   and   became   a    teacher   of   mathe- 
matics and  Latin  in  the  Lincoln  high  school, 
where  he  remained  for  three  years,  when  he 
came   to  his  present  position  as  principal  of 
the  Ockley  Green  school.     The  spirit  of  prog- 
ress animates  him   in  all  of  his  professional 
duties.     He    is    constantly    seeking    out    new 
7nethods   to  render   his    labors  more  eftective 
in   preparing  the  young   for  the  responsibil- 
ities of  later  life  and  the  consensus  of  jmblic 
opinion  ranks  him  with  prominent  educators 
in  the  state.    In  April.  1913,  he  was  a  candi- 
date, at   the   primaries   for   nomination,   for 
county  superintendent  of  schools  and  on  that 
occasion  made  a  creditable  showing  which  is 
evidence  of  the  fact  that  he  has  a   large  fol- 
lowing here.     On  this  occasion  there  appeared 
an  article  in  the  Portland  .Tournal  relative  to 
his    candidacy    which    read:    "When    we   con- 
sider   the   place    the    schools    occupy    in    the 
fabric  of  society  and  government  it  is  evident 
that    this    one    is    of    exceeding    importance. 
Like  Caesar's  wife,  he  should  be  a  man  above 
suspicion    in    moral    character,    that    parents 
may  feel   entirely   safe   in   placing   their  sons 
;iiid    daughters    under    his    care    and    control. 
He   should   be   a   man    of   extensive   practical 
experience    along    all    lines    of    school    work 
and   education.     He  should  be  abreast  of  the 
progressive  forces  of  education;   alert  to  the 
demands    of    the    present,    and    wholesomely 
optimistic   as    to   the    future.     Have    we   such 
a   man   among  the  candidates   for  the  ofiice? 
I'lie  writer  is  glad  to  be  able  to  answer  that 
question    in    the    affirmative.        Princi|ial    of 
Ockley    Green    school.    Guy    W.    Henderson, 
'■lis  the  above  description  admirably.     I  have 
taken   some   care   in   looking  up   the  anteced- 
ents of  this  candidate,  ami   having  my  home 
on   the   peninsula  and   feeling  a   jiatriot's   in- 
terest   in    education,    especially    in    the    city 
and    state   of    my   iidoption.   1    have   obtained 
a  communication   from    President   T.   .1.   San- 
ders   of    Otterbein    University,    Westerville, 
Ohio,    where     Professor    Henderson    was    edu- 
cated.    It  is  as  follows:   '1   take  pleasure  in 
speaking  of  the  character  and  worth  of  Guy 
W.    Ilitiilerson.     He    ia    a    man    of   excellent 
moral    character,   thorough    and   energetic   as 
a    student,   progressive  as  a  teacher.     He   is 
K  liable  in  all  his  dealings.     I  am  willing  to 


1006 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


vouch  for  him.  He  is  one  of  our  best.' 
Charles  W.  Kliot,  the  ex-president  of  Har- 
vard University,  gave  this  endorsement:  'I 
am  pleased  to  state  that  G.  W.  Henderson 
has  taken  advanced  courses  in  mathematics 
and  science,  Roman  language  and  literature 
in  Harvard  University.'  Mr.  Henderson  is 
a  man  of  more  than  ordinary  ability  and  ex- 
cellent attainments.  Mr.  Hendersun  has 
filled  the  position  of  township  superintendent 
of  public  schools,  principal  of  grammar 
schools,  teacher  in  high  school,  principal  in 
high  school.  These  all  in  Ohio.  In  Port- 
land he  has  been  teacher  in  Lincoln  high 
school  and  principal  of  Oekley  Green  school, 
so  that  his  continued  school  experience  for 
years  abundantly  qualifies  him  for  the  posi- 
tion to  which  he  aspires.  I  write  these  facts 
in  the  interests  of  the  people  of  Portland 
and  ilultnomah  county."  Although  he  did 
not  receive  the  nomination,  it  is  well  known 
that  he  is  firmly  established  in  public  regard 
as  an  able  educator  and  one,  who  is  making 
continuous  progress  in  his  profession.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Oregon  State  Teachers'  As- 
sociation and  .keeps  in  touch  with  the  ad- 
vanced work  that  is  being  done  by  other  rep- 
resentatives of  educational  work  in  the  state. 
Professor  Henderson  was  married  to  Miss 
Ona  Grafl'ort,  a  daughter  of  W.  A.  Graffort, 
of  Logan  county,  Ohio,  and  they  have  two 
children.  Winfield  L.  and  Gene.  Mrs.  Hen- 
derson is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church.  They,  are  prominently  known 
socially  and  occupy  an  enviable  position  in 
those  circles,  where  true  worth  and  intel- 
ligence are  accepted  as  the  passports  to  good 
society. 

IRA  WIMBERLY.  Business  success  like 
prosperity  in  commercial  or  industrial  lines 
is  the  result  of  correctly  applied  methods. 
Ira  Wimberly,  a  prominent  furniture  dealer 
and  undertaker  of  Drain,  Oregon,  and  one  of 
the  foremost  men  in  that  city,  has  built  his 
career  upon  this  firm  and  thorough  founda- 
tion. He  was  born  in  Douglas  county,  July 
2.  185S,  and  is  a  son  of  Enoch  and  Xancy  Ann 
(Marks)  Wimberly,  the  former  a  native  of 
Warren  county,  Missouri,  and  the  latter  of 
Knox  county,  "Illinois.  Enoch  Wimberlv  came 
to  Oregon  in  1846,  and  he  was  only  sixteen 
rears  of  age.  He  crossed  the  plains  with  his 
foster  father.  Nicholas  Shrum,  with  wliom 
he  had  lived  for  some  time  previously.  The 
iourney  was  made  with  ox  teams  and  the 
iiartv  "located  in  Marion  county  at  Waldo 
Hills,  five  miles  east  of  Salem.  Enoch  Wim- 
berly remained  in  this  section  of  the  coun- 
try "until  1849,  when  he  joined  the  Califor- 
nia gold  seekers  and  worked  in  the  gold  fields 
of  that  state  for  some  time.  He  became  ill 
after  a  few  months  of  hard  labor  and  re- 
turned to  Portland  in  a  sailing  vessel.  He 
embarked  at  San  Francisco  and  bis  vessel, 
meeting  with  adverse  winds,  was  driven 
south.  It  was  fifty-one  days  before  the  boat 
got  back  to  the  latitude  from  which  it  had 
started  and,  when  it  reached  the  Columbia 
river  it  was  compelled  to  lie  outside  the  bar 
for  sixteen  days  before  it  could  make  the 
passage.     Wiien   the   vessel   landed   in    Port- 


land Enoch  Wimberly  returned  to  ilarion 
county  and  in  1854  came  to  Douglas  county, 
where"  he  spent  a  few  months  before  locating 
on  the  north  fork  of  the  Umpqua  river, 
tighteen  miles  east  of  Eoseburg.  He  was  ac- 
companied by  two  of  the  sons  of  his  foster 
father.  Thomas  and  Henry  Shrum.  Here 
Mr.  Wimberly  took  up  a  donation  claim  and 
was  married  "three  years  later,  on  September 
3,  1857.  He  lived  "upon  his  holdings  until 
lie  removed  to  Roseburg  in  1887  and  in  that 
city  he  and  his  wife  died.  Mr.  Wimberly's 
death  occurred  on  August  7.  1908,  in  the 
seventy-eighth  year  of  his  age.  Mrs.  Wim- 
berly "survived  her  husband  until  October, 
I'.tld,  her  death  occurring  when  she  was 
seventy-two  years  old.  Mrs.  Wimberly 
crossed  the  plains  in  1852.  Her  father  had 
died  in  Illinois  some  months  previously  to 
this  event  and  Mrs.  Wimberly  was  accom- 
panied on  her  long  journey  by  her  widowed 
mother.  She  was  married  in  Douglas  coun- 
ty and  in  this  section  her  son  Ira  Wimberly 
was  born. 

Ira  Wimberly  was  reared  at  home  and  ac- 
nuired  his  education  in  the  district  schools. 
He  pursued  his  studies  for  five  months  dur- 
ing the  year  and  worked  upon  the  farm  dur- 
ing the  remaining  time.  This  routine  con- 
tinued up  to  his  twentieth  year,  when  he 
entered  the  Umpqua  Academy  at  Wilbur. 
Oregon,  where  he  remained  for  two  years. 
He  supplemented  this  education  by  a  course 
in  the  Portland  Business  College  and  upon 
his  graduation  from  this  institution  vyas 
thoroughly  equipped  to  meet  life's  activities. 
In  his  early  manhood  he  tauglit  for  two 
terms  in  the"  district  schools  of  Douglas  coun- 
ty and  engaged  for  a  short  time  in  farming 
in  the  same  section.  In  1890  he  came  to 
Drain  and  for  five  years  followed  the  occupa- 
tion of  clerk  and  bookkeeper  in  a  local  mer- 
cantile establishment.  He  resigned  this  posi- 
tion in  1897  to  go  into  the  general  merchan- 
dising business  for  himself.  He  was  success- 
ful along  this  line  but  gradually  specialized 
in  the  furniture  line  and  evolved  from  his 
general  business  a  large  and  flourishing  fur- 
niture store.  Three  years  ago  he  added  an 
undertaking  department.  For  the  past  fif- 
teen years  he  has  been  ])rominently  identified 
nith"  business  interests  in  Drain  and  is 
known  as  one  of  its  leading  and  foremost 
men. 

On  .July  3.  ISSl.  Mr.  Wimberly  was  united 
in  marriage  to  !Miss  Fannie  Kent,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Levi  Kent,  who  left  his  native  state 
of  Ohio  at  an  early  date  to  come  to  Illi- 
nois and  was  among  the  early  pioneers  of 
Oregon.  He  was  at  work  in  the  gold  fields 
in  the  famous  California  settlement  of  1849 
and  his  life  in  Oregon  was  spent  as  a  farmer. 
He  was  an  enthusiast  in  the  raising  ot  blood- 
ed stock,  sheep,  horses  and  cattle,  and  did 
much  to  improve  the  standard  of  stock-rais- 
ing in  his  neighborhood.  He  owned  sixteen 
hundred  acres  of  land  two  and  a  half  miles 
south  of  Elkton.  Douglas  county,  and  was 
one  of  the  leading  agriculturists  of  that  re- 
gion at  the  time  of  his  death.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Wimberly  have  been  bom  three  chil- 
dren:    Glenn    V.,    assistant    cashier     in    the 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


1007 


Douglas  National  Bank  of  Koseburg.  Oregon; 
Carl  E.,  a  prominent  member  of  the  Oregon 
bar  and  city  recorder  of  Roseburg;  and  Les- 
ter L.,  associated  with  his  father  in  the  un- 
dertaking and  furniture  business. 

Politically  Mr.  Wimberly  is  a  democrat 
and  has  served  his  party  in  several  capacities 
with  great  ability.  He  was  mayor  of  Drain 
for  two  terms  and  held  the  office  of  district 
clerk  of  tlie  school  board  for  several  years. 
His  public  life  was  always  distinguished  by 
strict  honesty  and  incorruptible  political 
methods  and  his  influence  was  always  given 
to  right  and  worthy  causes.  He  is  a  charter 
member  of  Mountain  Lodge,  No.  103,  I.  O. 
0.  F.,  and  is  prominent  in  the  affairs  of 
Drain  Lodge.  No.  62,  A.  O.  U.  W.  He  and 
his  wife  hold  membership  in  tlie  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  and  Mr.  Wimberly  serves 
on  the  board  of  trustees  in  that  institution. 
As  a  business  man,  as  a  private  citizen  and 
as  a  public  servant  'Sir.  Wimberly  has  been 
one  of  the  upbuilding  and  constructive  forces 
in  the  growth  of  the  city  of  Drain.  In  his 
business  relations  he  is  honest  and  straight- 
forward, as  a  private  citizen  he  is  highly 
esteemed  and  deeply  respected  and  his  pub- 
lic service  has  been  distinguished  by  honor- 
able work  for  worthy  ends. 

JOHN  HAYES.  In  the  death  of  .John 
Hayes,  in  1905,  agricultural  interests  in  Coos 
county.  Oregon,  lost  a  worthy  representative 
and  a  man.  who  had  won  success  for  him- 
self and  added  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  well  improved  and  developed  land  to  the 
wealth  and  resources  of  his  state.  He  was 
born  on  !March  IS.  1825.  and  was  a  son  of 
William  and  Dolly  (Castle)  Hayes,  natives 
of  North  Carolina,  After  their  marriage  Mr. 
Hayes'  parents  removed  to  Tennessee  and  re- 
mained in  that  state  during  the  period  of 
the  Civil  war.  When  hostilities  closed  they 
returned  to  North  Carolina,  where  they  both 
died. 

.John  Hayes  received  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  North  Carolina  and  Tennes- 
see. His  residence  in  Oregon  dates  from  1872, 
in  wliich  year  he  settled  on  the  south  fork 
of  the  Coquille  river,  where  he  took  up  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  as  a  squat- 
ter's right.  He  began  its  cultivation,  and  dur- 
ing the  years  of  his  residence  in  Oregon  con- 
stantly improved  and  developed  it  until  upon 
liis  death  it  was  one  of  the  most  prosperous 
enterprises  of  its  kind  on  the  Coquille  river. 
He  farmed  along  progressive  and  scientific 
lines  and  gave  his  attention  to  every  phase 
of  his  work.  He  improved  his  property  by 
modern  and  sanitary  buildings  and  planted 
his  acres  in  the  most  suitable  grains.  His 
labors  were  productive  of  good  results  be- 
cause they  were  followed  along  practical 
lines,  and  his  continued  success  ranked  him 
at  the  time  of  his  death  among  the  repre- 
sentative men  of  his  district.  He  remained 
upon  his  original  tract  until  his  death  in 
1905. 

On  November  26.  1S54.  Mr.  Hayes  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Susan  Wagner,  a  native  of  .Tack- 
son  county,  Tennessee,  and  a  daughter  of 
David  and  Catherine  Wagner,  both  of  whom 


were  born  in  the  eastern  part  of  that  state. 
I'hey  lived  in  Tennessee  until  1870,  in  which 
year  they  came  to  Oregon  and  settled  on  the 
south  fork  of  the  Coquille  river,  where  the 
father  bought  a  tract  of  land  and  entered  a 
claim  for  twenty-seven  additional  acres.  He 
was  constantly  adding  to  his  holdings  and  at 
the  time  of  liis  retirement  was  the  owner 
of  one  hundred  and  ninetj'-four  acres  of 
liighly  improved  and  developed  land.  He 
abandoned  agricultural  labors  about  1897  and 
went  to  North  Carohna  to  spend  the  remain- 
ing years  of  his  life.  He  died  in  that  state 
at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-two  years. 
His  wife  had  passed  away  ten  years  before. 
To  their  union  were  born  thirteen  children, 
seven  of  whom  are  still  living:  Sarah,  who 
lives  in  Coos  county;  Susan,  the  wife  of  our 
subject;  Rebecca,  Elizabeth,  Nancy  and 
Catherine,  all  residents  of  North  Carolina; 
and  John  L,,  of  Coos  county.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Hayes  were  born  the  following  children : 
James,  Henry,  Joseph,  John,  Jacob  and 
Thomas,  all  of  whom  are  residents  of  Coos 
county;  Peter,  who  owns  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  land  on  the  Coquille  river  and 
who  makes  his  home  with  his  mother;  ilar- 
tha  and  Dolly,  both  deceased;  .Julia,  the  wife 
of  Benjamin  Gant,  of  Coos  county;  Laura, 
who  married  C.  Ciant,  a  resident  of  Coos 
county;  Mary,  the  wife  of  I^eonard  Hartly, 
of  the  same  district;  Eva,  deceased;  one, 
who  died  in  infancy;  and  Margaret,  who 
passed  away  in  Tennessee. 

In  his  political  affiliations  Mr.  Hayes  was 
a  consistent  democrat  and  always  voted  the 
party  ticket.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Dunk- 
ard  faith  and  his  religion  influenced  liis  every- 
day life.  He  won  prosperity  by  diligent  la- 
boring at  a  useful  occupation,  but  counted 
his  truest  success  in  the  building  up  of  an. 
honorable  and  worthy  life. 

GEORGE  W.  STACY.  A  productive  trac€ 
of  land  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  is 
the  property  of  George  W.  Stacy  and  is  well 
improved.  It  lies  near  Beagle,  .Jackson 
county,  and  is  devoted  to  the  raising  of  ce- 
reals, fruit  and  garden  products.  Mr.  Stacy  is 
one  of  the  worthy  citizens  that  Missouri  has 
furnished  to  Oregon,  his  birth  having  oc- 
curred in  Johnson  county  of  the  former  state, 
November  7,  1865.  In  1872  his  parents,  I.  J. 
and  A.  L.  (.Smith)  Stacy,  brought  the  family 
to  Oregon.  The  father  was  a  native  of  Mis- 
souri and  the  mother  of  Tennessee.  After 
coming  to  the  northwest  they  settled  near 
Hill.iboro  in  Washington  county.  There  they 
lived  until  1883  when  they  took  up  their 
abode  in  .Jackson  county,  where  the  mother 
died  in  1907  at  the  age  of  sixty-five  years. 
The  father  makes  his  home  in  liledford.  In 
the  family  were  seven  children,  of  whom 
two  daughters  are  deceased  while  three  sons 
and   two  daughters  are   still   living. 

George  W.  Stacy  was  a  lad  of  less  than 
seven  years  when  the  family  arrived  in  the 
northwest,  and  since  1883.  or  for  a  period 
of  almost  three  decades,  he  has  lived  contin- 
uously in  Sams  valley.  He  was  reared  to 
the  occupation  of  farming  and  has  made 
it  his  life  work.     Energy  and  industry  have 


1008 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


enabled  him  to  overeome  many  obstacles  and 
difficulties  and  win   for  himself  a  creditable 
and    substantial   position    among    the    repre- 
sentative  agriculturists   of   this   part  of   the 
state.     His  farm  embraces  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  rich  land,  and  in  addition  to 
cultivating   plants   best  adapted  to   soil   and 
climatic  conditions  here,  he  also  raises  fruit 
and  vegetables,  and  each  branch  of  his  busi- 
ness is  constituting  an  element  in  his  success. 
On   the   7th   of   October,    1S8S,   Mr.    Stacy 
was  united   in   marriage  to  Jliss   Minnie   B. 
Eodgers,   who   was   born   in   the    Willamette 
valley  in  Linn  county,  Oregon,  in  1862,  and 
came"  to  Jackson    county   with   her   parents, 
James    B.   and  Martha   J.    (Mansfield)    Rod- 
gers.    who    were    natives    of    Missouri,    the 
father  born  in  1826  and  the  mother  in  1831. 
They  made  the  long  and  arduous  trip  across 
the  "plains  in  1850  and  became  pioneer  settlers 
of  Linn   county   where   Mr.  Rodgers   secured 
a   donation   land   claim   of   six   hundred   and 
forty  acres,  a  mile   below  Harrisburg  on  the 
Willamette  river.    There  he  lived  for  twenty- 
one  years   after  which  he   sold  the  property, 
that  he  had  in  the  meantime  developed  and 
improved,  and  came  to  Jackson  county,  where 
he  homesteaded  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  land  and  purchased  three  quarters  of  a  sec- 
tion   in    the    Upper    Sams    valley.      He    was 
thereafter  identified  with  agricultural  pursuits 
in  this  part  of  the  state  to  the  time  of  his 
demise,    which    occurred    January    31,    1899. 
Throughout  his  entire  life  he  was  a  farmer 
and  stock-raiser,  and  carried  on  business  on 
an  extensive  scale.     He  was  a  soldier  in  the 
Mexican  war  and  his  widow  now  receives  a 
pension.     In  their  family  were  eight  children: 
.  J.,  who  is  living  in  Sams  valley;  Minnie. 
now  Mrs.  Stacy ;  J.  F..  a  resident  of  Jackson 
county;     J.     it.,    living     on     a     stock     ranch 
in  the  same  county:   H.  E.,  of  Sams  valley; 
Anna,  the  wife  of  W.  T.  Houston  of  the  trail 
district  of  Jackson  county;  Lilly,  the  wife  of 
Cliarles    Curtis    of    Gold    Hill,    Oregon;    and 
Oscar,  who  resides  on  the  old  homestead. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stacy  five  children  were 
born:  Alberta,  a  school  teacher;  and  LeRoy, 
Flora,  Odessa  and  George  Raymond,  all  at 
home. 

George  W.  Stacy  votes  with  the  republican 
party,  being  one  of  the  stanch  advocates  of 
its  principles.  His  religious  faith  is  that 
of  the  Baptist  church.  He  is  connected  with 
the  Redmen  at  Medford  and  the  Ancient 
Order  of  United  Workmen.  His  long  resi- 
dence in  the  county,  covering  almost  three 
decades,  has  brought  him  a  wide  acquaint- 
ance. He  was  only  eighteen  years  of  age  at 
the  time  of  his  arrival  here,  so,  throughout 
the  entire  period  of  his  manhood  he  has  lived 
in  this  section,  and  his  admirable  business 
qualities  and  traits  of  character  bring  to  him 
the  confidence  and  good-will  of  those  with 
whom  he  associates. 

JOHN  A.  MULKEY  who  is  living  retired 
in  Lakeview,  is  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war 
and  is  a  representative  citizen  of  the  north- 
west who  has  been  identified  with  various 
phases  of  the  development  of  the  Pacific  coast 
country.     He   was   born   in  Johnson  county, 


Missouri.  June  11,  1841,  and  is  a  son  of  John 
L.    and    Amanda     (Carpenter)     Mulkey,    the 
former  a  native  of  western  Tennessee  and  the 
latter  of  Kentucky.    The  parents  were  reared 
and    were   married    in   Missouri,   where   they 
remained  until  1853,  when  they  started  with 
their  family  for  Oregon  with  "five  ox  teams. 
The    mother   died    in    Idaho   while    en   route' 
to  the  coast,  and  with  his  motherless  children 
the    father    continued   the    journey,    locating 
first    in    Benton    county,    where    he    remained 
through   the  winter,  after  which   he  took  up 
his  abode  in  the  Umpqua  valley  in  what  is 
now  Douglas  county.     He  secure'd  a  donation 
claim   and  began   farming  and  stock-raising 
but  his  labors  were  soon  terminated  by  death, 
for  he  passed  away  in  1855.     In  his"  family 
were    seven    children:    Thomas    and    George, 
both   deceased;    John   A.;   Mrs.  Ann   Bagley, 
who  has  also  passed  away;  Commodore, ^vho 
died  in  1S55:   Amanda,  who  died  at  the  age 
of  five  years;   and  one  who  died  in  infancy. 
The   father  passed   away  at  the  home  of 
Charles   Applegate  and  John  A.  Mulkey  re- 
mained with  Mr.  Applegate  for  a  year  there- 
after and  then  spent  a  year  in  Corvallis.     He 
next  went  to  California,  where  he  engaged  in 
running    stock    for    three    years    for   others, 
and  in  1863  he  made  his  way  to  the   mines 
of   Idaho,   where   he   engaged   in   prospecting 
and  packing  for  two  years.     These  different 
kinds  of  work  made  him  familiar  with  many 
of  the  phases  of  pioneer  life.    At  the  time  o"f 
the  Civil  war.  however,  he  put  aside  business 
and  personal   considerations  and   enlisted   in 
1865  as  a  member  of  Company  H.  First  Ore- 
gon Infantry,  with  which  he  "served  for  sev- 
enteen months.     He  participated  in  a  number 
of  skirmishes  with  the  Indians  in  the  Harney 
and  -John  Day  country  and  was  on  duty  in 
defending  the"  frontier."    With  the  close  of  the 
war   he   returned    to   Douglas   county   where 
he  engaged  in  farming  on  his  own  'account, 
purchasing  a  tract  of  h\nd  near  Oakland.    In 
1873  he  removed  to  Lake  county  and  has  since 
resided  in  that  county  with  the  exception  of 
two  years  spent  in  Modoc  county,  California. 
He  has  remained  continuously  in  the  Goose 
Lake   valley  since   1873   and  "gave  undivided 
time   and   attention   to  ranching  and   stock- 
raising,   using   the  range   for  a   considerable 
period.     He  had   two   hundred  acres   on  the 
west   side   of  Goose  Lake   which  he   sold   in 
the   present   decade,   and   since   1905   he   has 
lived  retired  in  Lakeview. 

In  1868  Mr.  Mulkey  was  married  to  Miss 
Sarah  Dickinson,  who  was  born  in  Iowa  in 
1850  and  in  1854  was  brought  across  the 
plains  by  her  parents,  S.  D.and  Margaret 
(Jacobs'!  Dickinson,  who  spent  their  remain- 
ing days  in  Douglas  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Mulkey  have  become  the  parents  of  eleven 
children:  Philip,  a  ranchman  of  the  Goose 
Lake  valley;  William,  who  is  engaged  in 
sheep-raising  and  makes  his  home  in  Lake- 
view;  Susie,  the  wife  of  C.  S.  Benefield; 
Lulu,  the  deceased  wife  of  George  Perkins; 
Thomas,  whose  home  is  on  Albert  lake ;  John, 
a  sheep  man  of  Lakeview:  Maggie,  the  wife 
of  J.  H.  Dickinson,  of  John  Day.  Oregon; 
Bert,  living  in  California;  Frank,  a  sheep 
man  of  Lakeview;   Irena,  the  wife  of  F.  D. 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


1011 


Paxtoii.  of  Crooked  lake;  and  Ralph,  a  sheep 
i.iaii    ot    Liikeview. 

ilr.  JIulkey  is  now  enjoyin<r  a  well  earned 
rest.  He  prospered  in  his  business  undertak- 
ings, winning  a  comlortable  competence,  and 
the  government  grants  him  a  pension  in 
recognition  of  his  services  in  the  Civil  war. 
He  belongs  to  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Repub- 
lic and  thus  maintains  pleasant  relations  with 
the  boys  in  blue.  In  matters  of  citizenship 
he  is  as  true  and  loyal  to  his  country  today 
as  when  he  enlisted  under  the  old  Hag  to  aid 
in  the  defense  of  the  frontier  when  war  was 
being  waged  through  much  of  the   land. 

DAVID  McNAIR  is  the  owner  of  two  hun- 
dred acres  of  land  in  Coos  county,  Oregon, 
which  he  has  brought  to  a  high  state  of 
cevelopraent  and  improvement  by  his  own  la- 
bor. Upon  this  land  for  fifteen  years  he  car- 
ried on  one  of  the  largest  dairy  enterprises 
in  the  section,  and  by  his  expert  knowledge 
and  progressive  methods  made  his  inlluence 
felt  in  the  growth  of  this  industry.  He  was 
born  in  Xew  Brunswick.  March  28,  1844,  and 
is  a  son  of  David  and  Janet  (Ferguson) 
McXair.  both  natives  of  Scotland.  Tliey  were 
the  parents  of  nine  children:  Jean,  the  widow 
of  George  \^niite,  of  California;  Nathaniel 
and  .John,  who  also  reside  in  that  state; 
Ebenezer.  who  has  passed  away;  David,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch ;  James,"  who  lives  in 
California:  Alexander,  who  resides  in  Tilla- 
mook. Oregon,  and  who  is  the  fatlier  of  two 
children;  William,  a  resident  of  California 
and  the  father  of  two  children;  and  Archi- 
bald, of  Bandon.  Oregon,  who  is  married  and 
lias  seven  children. 

David  ilcNair  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  country  and  started 
active  life  for  himself  when  he  was  twenty- 
one  years  of  age.  At  that  time  he  went  "to 
Massachusetts  and  obtained  a  position  in  a 
factory,  which  he  held  until  1867.  He  then 
went  to  California  and  obtained  employment 
as  engineer  in  a  sawmill,  a  position  he  held 
for  a  number  of  years  before  he  came  to 
Oregon  and  purchased  a  ranch  of  two  hundred 
acres  in  Coos  county.  He  then  settled  upon 
his  property  and  began  its  clearing  and  cul- 
tivation. The  soil  was  undeveloped  and  IMr. 
McXair  gave  his  entire  attention  to  making 
it  fertile  and  productive.  He  had  seventy- 
five  acres  under  cultivation  and  was  exten- 
sively engaged  in  the  dairy  business.  He 
operated  a  large  enterprise  of  this  kind  for 
f'fteen  years  and  had  one  of  the  finest  estab- 
lishments in  the  county.  He  kept  Jersey  cows 
for  dairy  purposes  and  erected  suitable"  build- 
ings equipped  with  modern  machinery.  With 
the  exception  of  the  seventy-five  acres  he 
planted  in  grain  he  kept  his  farm  for  pasture 
purposes.  His  dairy  increased  in  value  every 
year  and  its  products  obtained  a  ready  sale 
on  the  market.  Jlr.  McXair  continued  his 
identification  with  this  branch  of  agriculture 
until  1908  wlien  he  purchased  a  large  home 
in  Myrtle  Point,  and  has  since  resided  in  that 
city.  He  is  interested  in  the  growth  of  the 
community  and  owns  real  estate  within  its 
borders.  He  has  another  house  and  lot  which 
he  rents  and  is  now  giving  his  entire  time  to 


the  inanagcment  of  his  interests  in  Mvrtle 
Point. 

In  1S72  ilr.  McXair  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  iliss  Elsie  Annie  Chase,  a  native  of 
Maine  and  a  daughter  of  A.  and  Elsie  J.  (Mc- 
Pherson)  Chase,  also  natives  of  Maine.  To 
Mrs.  McXair's  parents  were  born  nine  children: 
Eliza,  the  widow  of  S.  Lawery,  of  Wiscon- 
sin: Jlary,  who  is  deceased;  Sarah,  the  wife 
of  Joseph  BuckstoJl",  a  resident  of  Wisconsin; 
Martha,  the  widow  of  John  Buchanan,  of 
Washington;  William  and  Milo,  both  de- 
ceased; Aldin  S.,  of  Washington;  George,  who 
has  passed  away;  and  Elsie  Annie,  the  wife 
oi  our  subject.  To  5Ir.  and  Mrs.  JlcXair  were 
born  three  children:  William  A.,  of  Coos 
county,  who  married  Jliss  Anna  Breman,  a 
native  of  Oregon,  by  whom  he  has  four  chil- 
dren, Irnia,  Waldo,  Paul  and  Vera;  Howard 
F.,  also  of  Coos  county,  who  married  Miss 
Lena  Rookard,  by  whom  he  has  two  chil- 
dren, Leland  and  Verna;  and  David  N.,  wlio 
lives  at  home.  All  the  children  born  to  ili-. 
and  ilrs.  McXair  have  received  an  ellicient 
education  in  the  district  schools  of  Coos 
county. 

Politically  Mr.  McXair  is  a  consistent  demo- 
crat but  has  never  sought  public  oilice.  He 
belongs  to  the  Presbyterian  church  of  ilyrtle 
Point  and  his  fraternal  affiliations  include 
connection  with  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows  and  the  Farmers'  Union. 

JAMES  HUGHES  is  a  true  son  of  tlic  soil 
and  has  been  a  practical  farmer  all  his  life. 
He  has  attained  in  his  chosen  occupation  a 
degree  of  success  which  is  the  result  of  ex- 
pert knowledge  and  long,  practical  experience. 
He  was  born  in  Tennessee,  April  19,  1827, 
a  son  of  Robert  and  Elizabeth  (Daybolt) 
Hughes  the  former  a  native  of  Tennessee 
and  the  latter  of  Pennsylvania. 

James  Hughes  is  tlie  only  surviving  member 
of  a  family  of  five  children.  He  received  his 
early  education  in  tlie  common  schools  of 
Tennessee  and  worked  upon  his  father's  farm 
until  he  was  twenty-seven  years  old,  gaining 
an  expert  knowledge  of  the  various  details 
connected  with  the  pursuit  of  agriculture.  He 
left  home  at  the  age  of  twenty-seven  and 
was  engaged  in  farm  work  in  his  native  state 
until  1873,  when  he  sold  out  and  came  to 
Marion  county,  Oregon,  where  he  remained 
for  two  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he 
removed  to  Washington  and  engaged  in  farm- 
ing in  that  state.  His  holdings  there 
amounted  to  four  hundred  acres,  which  he 
operated  and  developed  with  great  success 
for  four  years.  At  the  end  of  this  time  he 
gold  his  farm  in  Washington  and  bought  four 
hundred  acres  in  Benton  county,  where  he 
worked  for  three  yc;us.  He  sold  out  at  the 
expiration  of  that  period  and  bought  a  farm 
in  Douglas  county,  upon  which  he  now  resides. 
His  present  holdings  amount  to  one  hundred 
and  eighty  acres  of  well  cultivated  farm 
land.  He  has  made  extensive  improvements, 
has  added  to  his  stock,  erected  new  barns 
and  outbuildings  and  modernized  his  equip- 
ment. He  is  now  the  owner  of  one  of  the 
model  farms  of  Douglas  county. 


1012 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


On  September  3,  1S54,  ilr.  Hughes  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Kitz- 
miller,  a  native  of  Tennessee,  and  they  are 
tlie  parents  of  four  children:  Louisa,  who  died 
in  infancy  and  is  buried  in  Tennessee;  and 
John  R.,  David  and  George  W.,  all  of  whom 
are  living  at  home.  ilr.  Hughes  is  a  consis- 
tent republican  in  his  political  affiliations  and 
held  the  office  of  postmaster  of  Piney  Flats, 
Sullivan  county.  Tennessee,  when  he  was 
farming  in  tliat  district.  The  farm  upon 
which  he  now  resides  is  thoroughly  equip- 
ped and  modern  in  every  detail  and  through 
the  energy  and  resourcefulness  of  Jlr. 
Hughes  has  become  one  of  the  most  valu- 
able ranches  in  Douglas  county. 

CHARLES  S.  WARNER,  owner  of  two  hun- 
dred acres  of  productive  land  in  Coos  county 
and  prominent  in  this  section  as  an  agricul- 
turist, was  born  August  11,  1875.  He  is  a 
native  son  of  Oregon,  his  parents  having  come 
to  Coos  county  in  1852.  ilr.  ^Varner  is  a  sou 
of  Calvin  and  Fannie  Warner,  the  former 
a  native  of  the  District  of  Columbia  and  the 
latter  of  Indiana.  The  father  crossed  the 
plains  in  1853  while  the  mother  has  been  a 
resident  of  Oregon  since  1850.  Their  mar- 
riage occurred  in  Coos  county  and  they  made 
this  section  of  the  countrv  their  home  until 
the  fathers  death  in  1882."  Mrs.  Fannie  War- 
ner is  still  living  and  makes  her  home  in 
Myrtle  Point,  OrcL'on.  They  became  the  par- 
ents of  eleven  ciiildren;  S.  W.  and  Mrs.  Mag- 
gie Strong,  both  of  whom  reside  at  Myrtle 
Point;  Vernon,  living  near  Oakland,  Califor- 
feia;  William,  whose  home  is  near  Myrtle 
Point;  John,  deceased;  Ernest  and  Mollie, 
now  Mrs.  Hagertv,  both  of  whom  reside  at 
Walla  Walla.  Washington:  Charles  S.,  of  this 
review;  Henry  and  Mrs.  Jessie  .Johnson,  both 
of  whom  reside  near  Myrtle  Point ;  and  Hor- 
ace, of  Walla  Walla,  Washington. 

Charles  S.  Warner  received  his  education 
in  Coos  county  but  his  advantages  in  this  re- 
spect were  limited.  He  started  in  active  life 
for  himself  at  the  age  of  fifteen  and  worked 
at  various  occupations  until  his  marriage  at 
(lie  age  of  twenty-four  years.  He  then  started 
farming  on  a  tract  of  land  which  he  had  pur- 
chased, which  constitutes  the  farm  he  now 
owns.  His  property  is  located  on  Myrtle 
creek,  nine  miles  above  Bridge,  in  Coos  county, 
Oregon.  Here  ilr.  Warner  has  been  success- 
ful as  a  general  farmer  and  as  an  expert 
stock-raiser.  He  also  engages  in  dairying  on 
a  large  scale  and  his  activities  in  these 
branches  make  him  a  representative  citizen 
of  Coos  county.  His  stock  is  all  of  a  high 
quality  and  forms  a  profitable  source  of  in- 
come to  him.  He  raises  cattle,  sheep  and 
hogs  and  takes  pride  in  keeping  his  barns 
clean  and  sanitary  in  every  particular. 

ilr.  Warner  was  united  in  marrige  to  iliss 
Florence  Houser,  who  was  born  in  Coos 
county,  September  3,  1878.  a  daughter  of 
Christian  V.  and  Sarah  Houser,  natives  of 
North  Carolina.  In  that  state  their  mar- 
riage occurred  and  after  residing  there  for 
some  years  they  came  to  Oregon  in  the  early 
"TOs,  settling  on  the  Coquille  river,  where  the 
mother's  death  occurred  in  iniO.    The  father 


is  still  living  on  his  homestead  of  two  hun- 
dred acres  near  Bridge.  In  their  family  were 
nine  children:  Mrs.  ilary  ilachado  of  ilyr- 
tle  Point;  James,  residing  at  Bridge;  ilag- 
gie.  deceased;  Florence,  now  ilrs.  Charles 
S.  Warner;  Finis  and  Inis,  twins,  both  of 
whom  reside  in  Coos  county;  Laura,  the  wife 
of  Thomas  Kookard,  of  Coos  county;  Edna, 
deceased:  and  Josie,  whose  home  is  in  Co- 
quille. ilr.  and  ilrs.  Warner  are  the  par- 
ents of  three  children:  Hulda  H.  E..  who  was 
born  July  1,  1901;  Ada  F..  born  October  1, 
1902;  and  Delma  A.,  born  June  19.  1903. 

In  his  political  affiliations  ilr.  Warner  is  a 
sociahst  believing  in  the  principles  which  that 
party  advocates.  He  takes  an  intelligent  in- 
terest in  public  aflairs  but  never  seeks  pub- 
lic office.  Productive  agriculture  aims  first 
of  all  to  be  practical.  Experience  has  its 
place  here  as  it  has  in  all  other  walks  of  life 
and  it  influences  the  successful  cultivation  of 
the  soil  to  a  remarkable  extent,  ilr.  Warner 
owes  his  prosperity  to  his  familiarity  with 
soil  and  weather  conditions,  to  personal  labor 
in  the  fields  and  among  the  stock,  and  to  an 
intelligence  which  dominates  his  activities 
and  has  its  result  in  increasingly  abundant 
harvests. 

JAMES  T.  TUFFS  occupies  a  central  place 
on  the  stage  of  business  activity  at  Grants 
Pass,  wliere  for  nine  years  he  has  been  identi- 
fied with  banking  interests,  having  for  six 
years  held  the  position  of  vice  president  of 
the  Grants  Pass  Bank  &,  Trust  Company. 
There  was  no  unusual  or  spectacular  phases 
in  his  career,  but  his  life  record  is  that  of  one, 
who  recognizes  and  embraces  his  opportuni- 
ties, who  meets  his  obligations,  and  who  is 
ever  faithful  in  the  discharge  of  the  duties 
that  devolve  upon  him.  He  was  born  in 
Xovember,  1861.  about  two  miles  west  of  the 
city  in  which  he  now  lives  and  has  always 
resided  in  this  locality.  He  is  a  son  of 
James  P.  Tuffs,  who  was  long  an  honored 
and  esteemed  resident  of  this  section.  The 
father  was  born  in  Eastport,  ilaine,  Janu- 
ary 12.  1825,  his  parents  being  John  and 
Catherine  (Fitzgerald)  Tuffs,  the  former  a 
native  of  Philadelphia.  Pennsylvania,  and  the 
latter  of  Ireland.  John  Tuff's  on  leaving  his 
native  state  removed  to  ilaine.  where  he  en- 
gaged in  contracting  and  building  for  a  long 
j>eriod  but  both  he  and  his  wife  died  in 
Chelsea,  ilassachusetts. 

James  P.  Tufis,  who  was  one  of  a  family  of 
ten  children,  learned  the  ship  carpenter's 
trade,  working  in  the  yards  at  East  Bos- 
ton, Charlestown,  Medford  and  South  Boston. 
iLnssachusetts.  As  a  carpenter  on  the  Ply- 
mouth Rock  he  sailed  from  Boston,  Decem- 
ber 28.  1S49,  and  made  the  voyage  around 
Cape  Horn  and  after  six  months  spent  on  the 
sea  landed  at  San  Francisco.  June  28,  1850. 
Working  on  the  streets  of  San  Francisco 
through  the  summer,  assisting  in  putting 
down  the  first  paving  ever  done  in  that 
city,  he  received  a  wage  of  nine  dollars 
per  day.  which  was  paid  in  ilexican  dol- 
lars. These  accumulated  so  rapidly  that  he 
soon  had  a  bushel  of  those  coins,  which  he  ex- 
changed   for    gold.      Becoming    interested    in 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


1013 


mining,  he  worked  in  the  vicinity  of  Yreka 
and  came  to  Canon  creek,  Josephine  county, 
Oregon,  following  the  discovery  of  gold  in  this 
locality.  In  two  years  he  had  made  five 
thousand  dollars  in  mining  there.  He  next 
became  a  partner  of  Lewis  Barnes  in  pur- 
chasing and  operating  a  ferry  and  they  also 
bought  a  stock  of  goods  and  began  mer- 
chandising on  the  Rogue  river.  Mr.  Tufis 
disposed  of  those  interests,  however,  in  1S53, 
and  took  up  his  abode  on  a  donation  claim 
two  miles  farther  up  the  river  where  he  set 
out  an  orchard.  He  subsequently  became  a 
resident  of  Grants  Pass  and  was  not  only 
prominent  in  business  circles  of  the  city  but 
also  in  its  public  affairs.  For  two  terms 
he  served  as  a  member  of  the  city  council 
and  became  a  member  of  the  first  board  of 
county  commissioners  of  Josephine  county, 
which  position  he  also  filled  for  two  terms. 
He  erected  the  building  at  the  corner  of 
Sixth  and  Eighth  streets,  which  is  now  oc- 
^  cupied  by  the  Grants  Pass  Banking  &  Trust 
Company.  On  the  sale  of  the  John  K. 
Jones'  estate  about  1S65  he  purchased  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  for  three 
dollars  and  a  quarter  per  acre.  Thereon 
he  erected  a  fine  residence  and  made  other 
improvements  and  as  time  passed  he  extended 
the  boundaries  of  his  property  until  he  was 
the  owner  of  six  hundred  and  twelve  acres 
of  valuable  land  adjoining  the  old  site  of 
Grants  Pass.  In  1889  he  built  a  home  ad- 
jacent to  the  city  limits,  which  he  occu- 
pied to  the  time  of  his  death  on  the  2Tth 
of  April,  190C.  when  he  was  eighty-one 
years  of  age.  He  had  been  a  member  of 
the  Masonic  fraternity  from  1858,  having 
been  initiated  into  the  blue  lodge  at  Kirby, 
Oregon,  whence  he  transfered  his  member- 
ship to  Grants  Pass  Lodge,  No.  84,  F.  & 
A.  il.  He  was  made  a  Royal  Arch  Mason  in 
Reames'  Chapter,  Xo.  28,  and  a  Knight  Tem- 
plar in  Melita  Commandery,  No.  8.  at  Grants 
Pass. 

In  1854  James  P.  Tufi's  was  married  to  Miss 
Margaret  Croxton,  who  was  born  in  Stafford, 
England,  November  10,  1838.  It  was  in 
1843  that  she  was  brought  to  America  by 
her  mother,  the  other  member  of  the  party 
being  her  brother,  Walter  Croxton.  They 
made  their  way  to  Alton,  Illinois,  wliere 
they  joined  the  husband  and  father,  who  liail 
come  to  the  United  States  a  year  and  a  half 
before  and  had  prepared  a  home  for  his 
family.  Subsequently  they  resided  for  a  time 
in  St.  Louis.  Missouri,  but  afterward  re- 
turned to  Schuyler  county,  Illinois,  where 
they  remained  until  1852,  when  they  crossed 
the  plains  to  Oregon,  Mr.  Cro.xton  taking 
up  a  donation  land  claim  at  Ten  Mile, 
Douglas  county.  In  the  fall  of  1853  his 
daughter  JIargaret  came  to  the  Rogue  river 
valley  with  her  aunt,  Margaret  Demick,  and 
here  "met  Mr.  Tuffs.  On  the  11th  of  May, 
1854,  they  were  married  at  the  home  at  Ten 
Mile  where  she  has  since  resided.  She  made 
the  trip  to  Grants  Pass  a  few  days  after  her 
marriage — a  seventy  mile  ride — in  the  saddle. 
Several  times  she  rode  back  and  fortli  on 
liorsebaok  to  see  her  parents  Thomas  and 
Anna    (Box)    Croxton.      Her   motlier   died   at 


Grants  Pass  in  1867  when  fifty-two  years  of 
age,  and  the  father  passed  away  at  Ten  Mile 
in  1868,  also  at  the  age  of  fifty-two  years. 
They  were  the  parents  of  four  sons  and  three 
daughters  of  whom  three  sons  and  two 
daughters  are  yet  living.  Following  their 
marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tuff's  lived  for  ten 
years  on  the  old  donation  claim  and  then 
removed  to  the  farm,  on  which  ilrs.  Tuff's 
still  makes  her  home.  The  place  comprised 
six  hundred  and  twelve  acres  before  any  of 
it  was  platted.  She  now  has  about  ten  acres, 
much  of  it  within  the  city  limits.  She  is 
the  oldest  resident  of  Grants  Pass  and  the 
lower  Rogue  river  valley,  the  town  not  hav- 
ing been  founded  at  the  time  when  she  took 
up  her  abode  here. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  .James  P.  Tuffs  were 
born  seven  children:  Mrs.  Hattie  White,  who 
died  in  1889  at  the  age  of  thirty-three 
years,  leaving  three  children;  Lydia,  who  is 
the  widow  of  Robert  H.  Dean,  a  resident  of 
Grants  Pass;  Jennie  M..  the  wife  of  C.  D. 
Sessions  of  Lake  View,  Oregon;  Mary  Maud, 
who  is  the  wife  of  L.  M.  Kane,  of  San  Fran- 
cisco; James  T.;  ilinnie  L.  who  has  been  a 
teacher  in  the  public  schools  of  Grants  Pass 
since  1889  and  is  with  her  mother:  and  Wil- 
liam G.  who  died  in  1889,  when  in  his  twenty- 
second  year. 

.James  T.  Tuffs,  of  the  above  mentioned 
family,  has  always  resided  at  Grants  Pass, 
remaining  upon  the  home  farm  until  about 
twenty  years  of  age,  during  which  period  he 
acquired  a  district  school  education.  On  at- 
taining his  majority  he  went  to  Portland, 
where  he  attended  business  college,  and  fol- 
lowing his  return  he  engaged  in  clerking  in  a 
store,  until  feeling  that  his  initial  experience 
and  training  as  well  as  his  capital  justified 
him  embarking  in  business  on  his  own  ac- 
count, and  he  opened  a  store  here.  Later  he 
began  the  operation  of  a  sawmill  and  has 
been  identified  with  the  lumber  business  for 
the  past  eighteen  years.  He  has  found  a 
profitable  field  here,  so  conducting  his  inter- 
ests as  to  win  substantial  financial  returns. 
He  has  been  a  partner  in  the  Tuffs-Willers 
Lumber  Company,  of  Dorris.  Siskiyou  county, 
California,  for  the  past  two  years,  and  he 
was  connected  with  the  Booth-Kelley  Lumber 
Company  of  Eugene,  Oregon,  until  about  two 
years  ago.  That  company  was  the  successor 
of  the  old  Sugar  Pino  Door  &  Lumber  Com- 
pany, with  which  he  had  formerly  been  asso- 
ciated. For  nine  years  he  has  figured 
prominently  in  banking  circles  of  Grants 
Pass  and  about  six  years  ago  was  elected 
president  of  the  bank  in  which  position  he 
continued  until  1909.  when  he  retiied  and 
was  chosen  vice  president.  He  is  also  a 
stockholder  in  the  Douglas  County  Na- 
tional Bank  of  Roseburg  and  has  been  a 
stockholder  of  the  First  National  Bank  of 
Grants  Pass  almost  continuously  since  its 
organization.  His  connection  with  banking 
interests  fuither  extends  to  the  Butte  Valley 
State  Bank  of  Dorris,  California,  in  which  he 
owns  stock.  His  industrial  and  financial  in- 
terests arc  of  an  imjiortant  character,  his 
name  figuring  prominently  in  connection 
with  lumbering  and  banking. 


1014 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


In  1SS9  Mr.  Tuffs  was  married  to  Miss 
-iddie  Smith,  a  native  of  Turner,  Oregon, 
and  a  daughter  of  L.  S.  .Smith.  They  have 
three  cliildren.  William  G.,  Rex  L.  and  James 
H.  Mr.  Tuff's  has  attained  the  Knight 
Templar  degree  in  Masonry  and  is  a  member 
of  the  Commercial  Club,  being  in  hearty 
sympathy  with  the  purposes  of  the  organiza- 
tion in  its  efforts  to  promote  public  progress, 
upbuild  the  city  and  exploit  its  advantages. 
In  politics  he  is  a  republican  and  has  served 
as  a  member  of  the  city  council  and  as  city 
treasurer  but  prefers  to  keep  within  the  pale 
of  business  life  and  manifest  his  loyaltj'  to 
and  interest  in  the  community  in  other  ways 
than  by  holding  office.  He  is  an  alert,  en- 
terprising man,  possessing  sound  business 
judgment  and  unfaltering  energy  and 
through  the  exercise  of  those  qualities  has 
made  continuous  advancement  since  he 
started  out  in  the  business  world  on  his  own 
account. 

WILLIAM  RUFUS  KING,  (lawyer),  born 
near  Walla  Walla.  Washington.  October  3, 
1864;  son  of  David  Rufus  and  Elizabeth 
(Estes)  King;  grandson  of  William  Rufus 
and  Sarah  (Hood)  King;  and  great-grand- 
son of  John  and  Mary  (Dupuy)  King,  of 
Morth  Carolina.  This  .John  King  was  a 
cousin  of  William  Rufus  King,  vice  president 
of  the  United  States  under  President  Pierce, 
and  moved  from  North  Carolina  to  Arkan- 
sas, where  he  engaged  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness. Judge  King's  father  (1S28-1903)  emi- 
grated to  California  in  1852,  and  was  one  of 
the  sturdy  pioneers  who  made  it  possible 
for  the  people  of  the  east  and  south  to  build 
their  homes  among  the  verdant  vales  of  the 
Paeifie  slope.  In  1860  he  was  captain  of 
an  emigrant  train  froTU  .Sharp  county,  Ar- 
kansas, which  located  in  a  small  valley 
known  as  Dr}-  creek,  six  miles  northwest  of 
Walla  Walla.  In  1874  he  removed  to  .Jordan 
vallc}'  in  Malheur  county,  Oregon,  and  as 
a  successful  farmer  contributed  to  the  up- 
building of  the  state. 

"Will  R."  (by  which  designation  he  is  fa- 
miliary  known  through  Oregon),  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools,  at  the  State  Agri- 
cultural College  (1882-1885)  at  Corvallis, 
Oregon,  and  in  the  law  department  of  the 
Central  Normal  College  at  Danville,  Indiana, 
graduating  therefrom  in  1891  with  the  de- 
gree of  LL.  B.  He  began  the  practice  of  his 
profession  as  a  lawyer  in  June,  1892  at 
Vale.  Oregon;  removing  the  following  March 
to  Baker  City,  where  in  April,  1895,  Fran- 
cis M.  Saxton,  of  Indiana,  became  associated 
with  him  under  the  law  firm  name  of  "King 
&  Saxton."  Four  years  later  he  severed  his 
connection  and  removed  to  Ontario,  Oregon. 
Although  residing  in  this  moderate-size  town 
he  enjoyed  a  lucrative  practice,  not  only  in 
the  state  and  federal  courts  of  Oregon  but 
neighboring  states  as  well,  until  his  appoint- 
ment to  the  supreme  bench. 

His  political  career  began  shortly  after 
his  admission  to  the  bar,  through  his  elec- 
tion on  the  democratic  ticket  in  1892  to 
the  lower  house  of  the  state  legislature. 
Two  years  later  he  was  elected  state  sena- 


tor from  Baker  and  Malheur  counties.  A 
peculiar  coincidence  was  that  on  the  latter 
occasion  he  carried  Malheur  county  by  113 
votes,  being  by  the  same  majority  which  he 
secured  when  elected  representative.  He 
considers  the  number  thirteen  "lucky,"  as 
in  1912  he  received  a  plurality  in  the  same 
county  of  two  hundrd  and  thirteen  votes 
over  all  other  candidates  for  delegates  to 
tlie  national  democratic  convention.  Before 
tlie  close  of  his  term  of  office  as  state  sen- 
ator in  1898,  he  became  democratic  candi- 
date for  governor  of  the  state,  and  although 
Oregon  had  a  very  large  republican  major- 
ity the  nominee  of  that  party  only  defeated 
him  by  a  small  plurality. 

Judge  King  has  always  been  identified  with 
tlie  progressive  political  movements  in  his 
state,  and  so  far  as  its  practical  effect  is 
concerned  is  the  father  in  this  country  of  the 
Initiative  and  Referendum,  for  he  was  the 
first  to  introduce  in  any  substantial  form 
into  an}'  legislative  bodj-  in  the  United  States 
this  system  of  law  making,  which  he  did  by 
presenting  in  the  Oregon  senate  a  consti- 
tutional amendment  to  that  effect  (See  Or. 
Sen.  Jr.  1895,  p.  155;  1897,  p.  154).  It  had 
previously  been  discussed  and  urged  only  in 
its  "obligatory  form,"  which  meant  the  abol- 
ishing of  all  legislative  bodies  and  the  sub- 
stitution of  direct  vote  on  all  legislative  mat- 
ters, but  the  form  presented  b}'  him  was  the 
"optional"  form  now  in  use  in  Oregon  and 
other  states.  The  proposed  amendments 
failed  to  pass,  but  one  of  similar  import  was 
subsequently  adopted  and  is  now  part  of  the 
fundamental  law  of  Oregon.  Since  that 
time  many  other  states  have  adopted  "the 
Oregon  system." 

At  tlie  session  of  1897  Judge  King,  then 
senator,  also  introduced  and  procured  the 
adoption  by  the  senate  of  a  forcible  resolu- 
tion calling  upon  congress  to  recognize  the 
independence  of  Cuba  and  if  necessary,  to 
intervene  in  behalf  of  the  Cuban  cause"  (See 
Sen.  Jr.  1897,  p.  31)  ;  and  the  following  year 
congress  in  effect  pursued  the  course  rec- 
ommended in  this  memorial. 

After  tlie  campaign  of  1898  Judge  King 
devoted  himself  exclusively  to  the  practice 
of  his  profession  and  rapidly  extended  his 
reputation  as  a  lawyer  of  prominence 
throughout  the  states  of  Oregon,  Idaho  and 
Washington,  and  on  February  23,  1907,  he 
was  appointed  a  commissioner  of  the  su- 
preme court  of  Oregon.  Two  years  later  he 
became  an  associate  justice  of  that  court, 
his  term  of  office  ending  January  1,  1911. 
He  was  nominated  by  his  party  for  elec- 
tion to  the  office  and  was  indorsed  by  the 
State  Bar  Association  and  the  members  of 
the  profession  at  large,  but  the  preponder- 
ance of  the  republican  vote  elected  the  can- 
didate of  that  party.  Upon  his  retirement 
from  the  supreme  bench  Judge  King  opened 
.a  law  office  with  his  old-time  partner,  Mr. 
Saxton  of  Baker,  at  1517-1523  Yeon  Build- 
ing, Portland,  Oregon. 

While  on  tlie  supreme  bench  Judge  King 
wrote  many  important  decisions.  His  opin- 
ions as  a  whole  are  regarded  by  all  as  mod- 
els of  clear  statement  and  sound  reasoning. 


THE  NEW  YORK 
PUBLIC    LIBRARY 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


ion 


His  opinion  in  the  case  of  Hough  v.  Porter, 
51  Or.,  318,  which  passed  upon  many  new 
and  weighty  questions  of  water  riglits,  is 
considered  by  far  tlie  most  comprehensive 
opinion  ever  written  upon  the  subject.  It 
covers  one  hundred  and  forty-six  pages  of 
the  official  Oregon  reports  and  determined 
more  than  eighty  legal  points;  it  is  in  fact 
a  book  on  water  rights,  and  is  now  used 
as  a  text  on  that  subject  at  the  Ann  Arbor 
(Michigan)  law  school.  Other  of  his  opin- 
ions of  note  'are  the  cases  of  Straw  v.  Har- 
ris, 54  Or.,  424,  and  McMinnville  v.  How- 
enstein,  56  Or.,  451,  involving  constitu- 
tional questions  arising  under  the  initiative 
system  of  law  making.  These  are  the  first, 
and  regarded  as  the  leading  cases  bearing 
upon  the  questions  there  involved. 

A  case,  however,  of  national  importance 
is  Kiernan  v.  Portland,  54  Or.,  466,  in  which 
Judge  King  wrote  the  opinion  upholding  the 
constitutionality  of  the  Initiative  and  Ref- 
erendum, which  was  later  sustained  by  the 
United  States  Supreme  Court  (223  U.  S., 
151). 

He  was  a  delegate  to  the  democratic  na- 
tional convention  at  Baltimore  in  1912,  there 
elected  national  committeeman  for  Oregon, 
and  then  selected  by  Governor  Woodrow  Wil- 
son, the  presidential  candidate,  as  one  of  the 
fourteen  members  of  the  executive  com- 
mittee to  conduct  his  campaign  for  the  presi- 
dency. Pursuant  thereto  his  headquarters 
were  established  at  Chicago,  where  he  had 
charge  as  chairman  of  the  division  for  Pa- 
cific and  intermountain  states  and  of  the 
special  bureau  for  the  supplying  of  litera- 
ture to  all  the  states  in  the  western  juris- 
diction   of    the    national    committee. 

Judge  King  is  a  thirty-second  degree  Ma- 
son, an  Elk,  a  Knight  of  Pythias,  a  member 
of  the  Royal  Arcanum  and  of  the  Woodmen 
of  the  World,  and  is  an  attendant  of  the 
Unitarian  church.  He  was  married  December 
6.  1802.  to  Lizzie  Myrtle,  daughter  of  John 
M.  and  Margaret  (Marsliall)  King  (of  no 
relation),  of  Danville,  Indiana;  and  has  one 
son,  Eldon  P.,  and  one  daughter.  Myrtle 
Marion. 

MACK  C.  ADAMS  is  engaged  in  general 
agricultural  pursuits  eight  miles  west  of  Eu- 
gene on  the  Lorane  road,  where  he  has  re- 
sided for  more  than  eleven  years.  He  was 
born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1864  and  is  a  son  of 
John  and  Margaret  Adams,  who  were  like- 
wise natives  of  Pennsylvania.  The  family 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  .John  Adams  numbered 
eight,  as  follows:  Sarah,  who  is  deceased; 
Lydia.  who  is  living  with  her  father  in  Lane 
county;  Charles,  a  resident  nf  Seattle.  Wash- 
ington; Ella,  the  wife  of  Frank  Percella,  of 
Lane  county;  Mack  C.  our  subject;  Marion, 
who  is  deceased;  Jennie,  the  wife  of  John 
Penny,  of  Indiana;  and  Albert,  who  is  t(*aeh- 
ing  school  in  the  vicinity  of  Milwaukee.  Wis- 
consin. 

Mack  C.  Adams  was  reared  at  home  and 
educated  in  the  common  schools.  .\t  the  age 
of  twenty-five  he  was  married  and  leaving  tlie 
parental  roof  he  started  out  to  make  his  own 
way  in  the  world.     He  first  engaged  in  log- 


cultivated  in  connection  with  his  other  work, 
continuing  to  follow  these  two  occupations 
during  the  succeeding  eleven  years.  In  1900 
he  came  to  Lane  county,  settling  at  Eugene, 
and  six  months  later  he  purchased  two  hun- 
dred and  seventy-four  acres  of  land  for  his 
fatlier,  who  came  out  the  next  fall  and 
placed  one  hundred  acres  of  this  tract  under 
cultivation.  They  have  ever  since  been  asso- 
ciated in  the  operation  of  this  ranch,  their 
principal  crops  being  wheat  and  oats,  while 
they  make  a  specialty  of  breeding  and  raising 
percheron  horses,  and  are  meeting  with  very 
good  success  in  their  business. 

In  1889,  ilr.  Adams  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Cora  Etta  Fellows,  a  native  of 
Wisconsin  and  a  daughter  of  Victor  and 
Alyda  (Mosher)  Fellows,  the  father  a  na- 
tive of  New  York  and  the  mother  of  Wiscon- 
sin. Eleven  children  have  been  born  to  Mr. 
arid  Mrs.  Adams:  George,  who  was  born  in 
1891,  assisting  his  father  on  the  ranch; 
Frank,  born  in  1892,  also  at  home;  Harold, 
whose  birth  occurred  in  1894;  Roy,  who  was 
born  in  1896;  Bruiton,  born  in  1897;  Gladys, 
born  in  1S9S;  lone,  who  was  born  in  1899; 
James,  born  in  1900;  Earl,  whose  birth  oc- 
curred in  1903;  Teddie,  whose  natal  day  was 
in  1905;  and  Jessie,  who  was  born  in  1909. 

Ever  since  granted  the  right  of  franchise 
Mr.  Adams  has  voted  tlie  republican  ticket, 
but  he  has  never  held  any  public  office.  He 
is  energetically  applying  liimself  to  the  oper- 
ation of  his  ranch,  and  his  efforts  in  this  di- 
rection are  rewarded  with  success. 

LEE  BARKER.  A  leading  citizen  of 
Drain,  Oregon,  actively  interested  in  its 
political,  commercial  and  social  expansion, 
who  at  the  same  time  succeeds  in  promoting 
his  own  large  poultry  and  dairy  interests,  is 
Lee  Barker,  who  has  been  a  resident  of 
Douglas  county  all  his  life  and  who  is  repre- 
sentative of  the  best  qualities  of  western 
American  citizenship.  He  was  born  in 
Douglas  county,  January  24,  1868,  and  is  a 
son  of  Absalom  Y.  and  Emaline  (Duncan) 
Barker,  the  former  a  native  of  Illinois  and 
the  latter  of  Indiana.  The  father  removed 
from  his  native  state  to  Missouri  with  his 
parents  when  he  was  a  child  and  remained 
there  until  1859.  In  that  year  he  crossed  the 
]ilains  on  horseback,  driving  a  herd  of  cattle, 
to  Oregon.  The  mother  of  our  subject  came 
to  this  state  with  her  father,  John  Riley 
Duncan,  making  the  journey  some  time 
previous  to  1859.  Her  grandfather  was 
among  the  earliest  settlers  on  Clover  creek, 
Douglas  county.  Absalom  Barker  upon  his 
arrival  in  Oregon  took  up  a  homestead  claim 
eleven  miles  northeast  of  Roseburg  on  Oak 
creek  and  lived  upon  this  property  until 
1907.  He  was  successful  as  an  agriculturist 
and  brought  his  land  to  a  high  state  of  devel- 
opment before  his  retirement.  He  later 
moved  to  the  city  of  Roseburg,  where  his 
wife  died  in  October.  1910.  and  where  he  has 
since  resided,  making  his  home  with  his  chil- 
dren. At  the  time  he  abandoned  agriculture 
he  was  the  owner  of  six  or  seven  hundred 
acres    of    land,    all    improved    and    developed 


1018 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


along  modern  lines,  and  was  one  of  the  repre- 
sentative farmers  in  his  district. 

Lee  Barker  was  reared  at  home  and  ac- 
quired his  education  in  the  Roseburg  city 
schools.  He  then  took  a  post-graduate  course 
and  at  twenty  years  of  age  had  fitted  him- 
self for  teaching.  He  was  successful  in  this 
line  of  occupation  for  four  years  but  later 
abandoned  it  in  order  to  take  up  farming. 
He  rented  land  near  Eoseburg  and  after  sev- 
eral years  was  able  to  buy  tliree  hundred 
and  forty  acres  of  land  in  the  vicinity  of 
Drain,  where  he  cultivated  the  soil  along  the 
most  approved  lines  for  fifteen  years,  follow- 
ing general  farming  and  specializing  in  the 
dairy  and  poultry  business.  In  the  fall  of 
1909  he  gave  up  the  operation  of  his  farm 
and  removed  to  Drain  in  order  to  concentrate 
his  attention  upon  his  rapidly  developing 
business  interests.  He  is  now  the  owner  of 
the  largest  poultry  and  dairy  business  in  the 
city. 

On  December  15,  1892,  ^Ir.  Barker  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Minnie  Apple- 
gate,  a  daughter  of  Daniel  W.  and  Virginia 
(Estes)  Applegate,  and  a  granddaughter  of 
.Jesse  Applegate.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barker 
have  been  born  six  children,  five  of  whom  are 
living:  Ula  B.,  the  wife  of  E.  T.  Burdett,  of 
Oregon;  and  Earl,  Ivan,  Darrel  and  Jesse,  all 
of  whom  are  still  with  their  parents.  In  his 
political  views  Mr.  Barker  is  democratic  and 
is  now  a  member  of  the  school  board  and  do- 
ing efficient  work  in  that  position.  He  has 
sought  success  in  business  fields  and  has  won 
prosperity  by  methods  of  commercial  honor 
and  integrity.  The  city  of  Drain  is  the 
richer  by  his  activities,  not  only  in  business 
resources  but  in  the  quality  and  standard  of 
its  citizenship. 

JOHN  J.  LAMB  came  to  Coos  county  in 
1873  and  since  that  time  has  been  an  import- 
ant factor  in  many  phases  of  its  development. 
He  has  been  identified  with  agricultural  pirr- 
suits,  clearing  and  cultivating  two  fine 
farms,  and  since  taking  up  his  residence  in 
Coquille  has  become  connected  with  so  many 
of  its  most  important  and  representative 
business  enterprises  that  he  is  regarded  as 
one  of  the  individual  forces  in  local  progress 
and  upbuilding.  He  was  born  in  Lauderdale 
county.  Alabama.  December  10,  1843.  a  son 
of  .John  and  Ann  (Houston)  Lamb,  the 
former  a  native  of  Alabama  and  the  latter 
of  North  Carolina.  The  father  was  an  im- 
portant planter  in  Lauderdale  county  and 
afterward  followed  the  same  line  of  occupa- 
tion in  Arkansas,  where  he  cultivated  and 
improved  two  hundred  acres  of  land,  upon 
which  he  died  in  1895,  having  survived  his 
wife  since  1871.  In  their  family  were  six 
children:  James  H.,  a  ranchman  of  Coquille; 
Mary,  deceased:  John  J.,  of  this  review; 
David,  of  Lorado,  Arkansas;  Elizabeth,  who 
died  in  infancy:  and  Robert  il.,  who  passed 
away  at  the  age  of  twenty-six  years. 

John  T.  Lamb  was  educated  in  the  district 
schools  of  Lauderdale  county  and  spent  his 
childhood  upon  his  father's  plantation  in 
Alabama.  When  he  was  ten  years  of  age  his 
father  removed  to  Arkansas,  and  there  Mr. 


Lamb  remained  until  the  outbreak  of  the 
Civil  war,  when  he  enlisted  in  the  Confed- 
erate army,  being  at  that  time  seventeen 
years  old.  He  saw  four  years  of  active 
service  and  participated  in  many  of  the  most 
important  engagements.  In  the  battle  of 
Shiloh  he  was  wounded  three  times  and  was 
in  the  thick  of  the  conflict  at  Perryville,  Ken- 
tucky, in  which  engagement  he  was  also 
shot.  He  was  present  at  the  battle  of  Mur- 
freesboro  and  was  wounded  in  the  left  leg  so 
seriously  that  in  1882  the  limb  was  am- 
putated. 

After  his  discharge  Mr.  Lamb  returned  to 
his  home  in  Arkansas  and  farmed  in  asso- 
ciation with  his  father  until  his  marriage. 
He  then  purchased  land  of  his  own.  which  he 
sold  after  a  few  years  and  came  to  Oregon, 
locating  in  Coos  county  in  April,  1873. 
Here  he  bought  a  ranch  on  Rink  creek,  near 
Coquille,  which  he  sold  after  nine  years  in 
order  to  purchase  land  near  Fish  Trap  creek. 
Of  his  first  farm  he  cleared  sixty  acres  and 
of  his  second  one  hundred  acres."  felling  the 
heavy  timber  and  digging  out  the  stumps. 
In  this  way  he  did  what  was  probably  the 
hardest  work  of  his  life  since  in  those  times 
the  farmers  of  the  section  often  spent  many 
years  in  wresting  their  land  from  the  wilder- 
ness. He  still  owns  the  last  farm  which  he 
purchased,  a  fine  tract  of  land  of  one  hundred 
and  forty-two  acres,  but  he  leaves  the  active 
work  of  the  fields  to  others.  With  the  excep- 
tion of  eight  years  during  which  he  served  as 
county  clerk  he  maintained  a  continuous 
residence  upon  this  ranch  until  he  moved  to 
Coquille,  where  he  purchased  a  hardware 
store  which  he  operated  for  six  years.  At  the 
end  of  that  time  he  sold  out  his  interests  to 
his  son  and  retired  from  business  life.  He 
erected  a  beautiful  and  pleasant  home  near 
the  center  of  town  and  in  this  he  now  re- 
sides. He  is  one  of  the  representative  citi- 
zens of  Coquille  and  his  organizing  and  con- 
structive skill  have  been  lacrors  in  the  up- 
building of  the  city.  He  aided  in  the  or- 
ganization of  what  is  now  the  First  National 
Bank  and  was  its  president  for  three  years. 
He  Was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Farmers 
&  Merchants  Bank  of  Coquille  and  is  still  a 
stockholder.  In  association  with  others  he 
built  the  Boxton  Hotel.  He  helped  organize 
the  Coquille  Creamery  and  is  identified  with 
the  management  of  various  other  important 
local  enterprises. 

On  September  9.  1866.  Mr.  Lamb  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary  Ann  Lind- 
ley.  a  native  of  Tennessee  and  a  daughter  of 
•lohn  and  Sylvia  (Billington)  Lindley.  the 
former  a  native  of  North  Carolina  and  the 
latter  of  Tennessee.  Mrs.  Lamb  had  one 
brother,  Hugh  Lawson  Lindley.  who  has 
passed  away.  Her  father  is  also  deceased, 
having  died  in  February,  1873,  but  her 
mother  is  still  lirtng  and  makes  her  home 
with  the  .subject  of  this  review.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Lamb  were  born  seven  children.  Ada 
E.  is  the  wife  of  Rev.  W.  B.  Smith,  pastor  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  South,  at 
Myrtle  Point.  Oregon,  and  they  have  four 
children.  .John  B.  died  at  the  age  of  three 
years.     Leona  A.  is  the  Avife  of  .J.  M.  Byers, 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


1019 


■of  Chula  Vista.  California,  and  they  have 
seven  children.  James  A.,  a  hardware  mer- 
chant of  Coquille,  Oregon,  is  married  and 
has  one  child.  May  Marvin  is  the  wife  of  W. 
H.  Lyons,  a  hardware  merchant  of  Coquille, 
and  they  have  two  children.  Elizabeth 
passed  away  at  the  age  of  seventeen  months. 
Florence  Irene,  who  completes  the  family,  is 
the  wife  of  W.  F.  .Tones,  of  the  firm  of  Tyrres 
&   Jones   at   Coquille. 

Mr.  Lamb  gives  his  allegiance  to  the 
democratic  party  and  is  active  and  promi- 
nent in  local  public  affairs.  For  eight  years 
he  held  the  office  of  county  clerk,  having 
been  elected  for  the  first  time  in  July,  1884. 
He  moved  to  Empire,  which  was  then  the 
county  seat,  and  served  in  this  capacity  for 
four  terms.  For  one  term  he  acted  as  as- 
sessor and  for  two  terms  served  on  the  city 
council.  He  was  school  director  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  and  in  this  capacity  aided  the 
cause  of  education.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  prominent 
in  the  affairs  of  the  Masonic  order  and  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He  is 
living  retired  in  Coquille  as  one  of  the  fore- 
most citizens  of  his  section.  He  has  in- 
fluenced the  welfare  of  this  part  of  Coos 
county  in  an  agricultural,  business  and 
political  way,  gaining  success  in  the  manage- 
ment of  his  various  enterprises  by  steadily 
adhering  to  methods,  which  neither  sought 
nor  required  disguise. 

HAZEN  D.  JOHNSON  is  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, residing  on  his  property,  which  is  lo- 
cated four  and  one-half  miles  northeast  of 
Florence,  on  the  north  folk  of  the  Siuslaw 
river.  He  was  born  in  Nebraska  in  1878. 
His  paternal  grandfather  was  a  native  of 
Vermont  and  his  maternal  grandparent  was 
one  of  the  early  pioneers  of  Michigan.  He 
is  a  son  of  JIaurice  D.  and  Xellie  JL  (Hazen) 
Johnson,  the  former  a  native  of  Wisconsin 
and  the  latter  of  Michigan.  To  them  nine 
children  were  born:  Hazen  D.,  of  this  review, 
Laura,  the  wife  of  Richard  Coryell,  of  Maple- 
ton,  Oregon,  and  the  mother  of  two  children; 
May.  who  married  Charles  Lewis,  of  Crow, 
Oregon,  and  has  three  children;  .Jay,  who  re- 
sides with  his  father  at  Florence;  Floss,  who 
became  the  wife  of  Claire  Hinkson.  of  Flor- 
ence, and  has  one  child.  Clarice;  Beryl,  who 
is  attending  the  high  school  at  Florence; 
Eunice,  also  a  pupil  in  the  public  schools  of 
Florence:  Fay.  attending  the  public  schools 
of  Florence;  and  Ann.  who  died  in  infancy. 

Hazen  D.  .Tohnson  was  reared  at  home  and 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  the  district 
in  which  he  lived.  He  started  to  take  up 
life's  activities  at  the  age  of  twenty-one. 
During  his  early  life  he  was  engaged  with 
his  father  in  logging  and  upon  attaining  his 
majority  he  purchased  a  ranch  of  sixty  acres, 
upon  which  he  lived  for  seven  years.  He 
then  sold  this  property  and  invested  in  sixty 
acres  and  for  three  years  gave  his  attention 
to  the  improvement  of  this  tract,  which  he 
eventually  disposed  of  at  a  handsome  profit 
and  removed  to  Florence  in  May.  1911.  where 
he  engaged  in  draying  and  teaming  for  a 
time.     In   January,   following,   he   purchased 


fifty-two  acres  of  lanil  on  the  north  fork  of 
the  Siuslaw  river,  where  he  has  established 
liis  home  and  is  now  engaged  in  dairying, 
operating  on  a  large  scale. 

Mr.  Johnson  was  married  to  Jliss  Fannie 
May  Layne,  on  the  0th  of  July.  I'.lOl.  at 
Eugene,  this  state,  ilrs.  .Johnson  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  George  and  Rachel  (ilohlerl  Layne, 
the  former  a  native  of  Iowa  and  the  latter 
of  Pennsjivania.  After  their  marriage  they 
settled  in  Osborne,  Kansas,  and  in  1888  drove 
thence  across  the  country  to  Eugene,  Oregon. 
Mrs.  Johnson,  their  eldest  child,  crossed  the 
plains  with  her  parents  and  two  brothers, 
Harry  and  Charles  in  1883.  The  former  re- 
sides with  his  parents  at  Crow,  Oregon,  but 
the  latter  is  now  deceased,  as  is  a  sister, 
:\Iinnie.  The  family  left  Osborne,  Kansas, 
on  the  1st  of  August,  with  a  large  mule 
team,  and  reached  Eugene  on  the  1st  of 
October.  They  endured  many  hardships  and 
privations,  often  going  without  water  and 
food  w-hen  such  were  needed  and  at  one 
time  they  had  nothing  but  a  little  flour  to 
feed  their  team,  but  the  "old  fellows."  lov- 
ingly called  Jack  and  Jim  by  the  children, 
ate  "the  meal  provided,  with  evident  relish 
and  finally  the  end  of  the  journey  was 
reached  in"  safety.  They  saw  many  Indians 
but  they  were  peaceable  and  occasioned  the 
travelers  no  trouble.  Water  was  very  scarce 
along  the  way  and  the  family  had  to  pay  ex- 
horbitant  prices  to  obtain  it.  At  difl'erent 
times  many  coyotes  were  seen  to  follow  the 
wagon.  The  constant  companion  of  the  chil- 
dren on  the  trip  was  old  Shep.  the  faithful 
dog.  who  was  well  taken  care  of  to  the  end 
of  her  days.  On  reaching  Eugene  in  October, 
1883.  Mr.  Layne  engaged  in  the  draying  busi- 
ness, which  he  followed  until  the  next  May. 
He  then  sold  his  team  and  went  to  Kansas, 
intending  to  engage  in  farming,  but  on  ar- 
rivine  there  he  became  disgusted  with  the 
hot  winds,  with  cyclones  and  other  unpleas- 
ant features  of  the  district,  and  again 
started  for  Oregon,  this  time  by  train.  Once 
more  reaching  this  state  he  decided  to  take 
up  a  homestead,  so  made  his  way  to  the 
Siuslaw  river  and  located  on  a  claim  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres.  Only  three  other 
settlers  had  taken"  up  their  abode  in  the  dis- 
trict then  and  there  were  ninny  difficulties 
and  privations  to  be  borne  incident  to  life  on 
the  frontier.  Upon  reaching  the  mountains 
the  family  found  only  a  sled  road  and  pack 
trail  to  a  point  within  four  miles  of  their 
homestead.  Leaving  their  provisions  there 
they  built  a  road  that  they  might  continue 
on  their  way  to  their  new  home.  The  farm 
was  near  the  old  Mound  postollicc.  which  has 
long  since  been  discontinued,  and  for  lifteen 
j'ears  'SU.  Layne  served  as  |)ostmaster  there, 
"f'pon  his  claim  he  reared  his  family,  giving 
them  the  best  educational  advantages  pos- 
sible. He  obtained  supplies  but  often  found 
it  necessary  to  carry  such  on  his  back  for  a 
distance  of  twenty  miles.  Soon,  however, 
other  settlers  followed,  among  them  Maurice 
.Tohnson.  the  father  of  Hazen  D.  .Tohnson. 
who  took  up  a  honu'stead  near  by.  In  time 
a  school  was  organized  and  a  log  sclioolhouse 
was  built  which  is  still  standing.     The  chil- 


1020 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


dren  of  both  families  attended  there  and  it 
was  during  their  schooldays  that  there 
sprung  up  the  attachment  which  eventually 
resulted  in  the  marriage  of  Hazen  Johnson 
and  Fannie  Layne  at  Eugene.  Oregon,  on  the 
16th  of  July."  1900.  To  them  three  chil- 
dren have  been  born:  Beulah  Christine,  born 
June  3.  1902.  who  is  attending  school;  Or- 
ville.  wlio  was  born  October  25.  1905.  and  is 
also  attending  school;  and  Lovell.  born  Sep- 
tember 10.  1910. 

Mr.  .Tohnson  politically  is  an  adherent  of 
the  socialist  party.  He  has  served  as  justice 
of  the  peace  in  Lane  county  and  for  three 
years  was  a  member  of  the  school  board  of 
the  district  in  which  he  lives,  llrs.  Johnson 
was  also  one  of  the  school  directors  during 
one  of  the  years  that  her  husband  served. 
She  is  a  member  of  the  Daughters  of  Re- 
bekah.  Fraternally  5Ir.  .Johnson  is  con- 
nected with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America.  His  home  is  located 
four  and  one-half  miles  northeast  of  Flor- 
ence on  the  north  fork  of  the  Siuslaw  river. 
Mr.  Johnson  is  one  of  the  well  known  and 
successful  agriculturists  of  this  part  of  the 
state.  His  reputation  throughout  this  county 
is  that  of  a  man  of  liigh  ideals  of  business 
and  social  life.  He  has  always  been  known 
as  an  enthusiastic  and  public-spirited  citizen, 
identifying  himself  with  every  measure  of  a 
public  character,  having  for  its  object  the 
improvement   of  the   people. 

JAMES  I.  WILLIAMS  is  a  well  known  and 
prominent  representative  of  agricultural  in- 
terests in  Yamhill  county.  His  home  is 
about  a  mile  north  of  the  city  of  Yamhill 
and  in  addition  to  the  cultivation  of  cereals 
best  adapted  to  soil  and  climate  he  gives 
considerable  attention  to  the  cultivation  of 
strawberries  and  other  fruits.  He  is  a  native 
of  Tennessee,  born  Xovember  24.  1868.  his 
parents  being  Osborn  Z.  and  Sarah  Frances 
(Lundyl  Williams.  The  Williams  family  has 
long  been  represented  in  Tennessee,  where  the 
great-grandparents  settled  in  pioneer  times. 
The  grandfather,  the  Rev.  .Tosiah  Williams, 
was  reared  in  that  state,  as  was  his  wife. 
He  was  a  minister  of  the  Christian  church 
and  it  is  said  that  he  married  more  couples 
than  any  one  minister  of  his  time  and  that 
there  was  never  a  divorce  among  any  of 
them,  so  far  as  is  known.  His  life  was  one 
of  marked  usefulness  in  the  moral  progress 
of  the  communities  in  which  he  lived.  He 
died  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight  years  and  was 
long  survived  by  his  wife,  who  reached  the 
remarkable  old  age  of  ninety-four  years.  In 
their  family  were  eight  children:  .John,  who 
is  living  in  .Jackson  county.  Tennessee;  Mrs. 
Lucy  Taylor,  who  lives  at  Hickory  Valley, 
Tennessee:  Harold,  of  Lebanon.  Tennessee; 
^frs.  Caroline  Oolden.  whose  home  is  in 
^\^lite  county.  Tennessee:  0.sborn  Z. ;  and 
ilary.  Elizabeth  and  Hanna.  all  deceased. 

The  son  Osborn  Z.  Williams  became  the 
father  of  James  I.  Williams,  of  this  review. 
He  was  born  in  Wliite  county,  Tennessee, 
December  17,  1829.  and  after  arriving  at 
vears    of    maturitv    married    Sarah    Frances 


Lundy,  whose  birth  occurred  in  the  same 
county.  February  1,  1845.  Her  parents, 
Daniel  and  Elizabeth  (Wisdom)  Lundy.  were 
also  natives  of  ^Vhite  county,  her  mother 
having  been  born  there,  on  the  9th  of  April, 
1825.  The  latter  was  a  representative  of  the 
Wisdom  family  and  her  father,  the  great- 
grandfather of  .James  I.  Williams,  was  a  na- 
tive of  England,  as  was  the  great-grand- 
father of  Mr.  Williams  in  the  Lundy  line. 
They  came  to  America  at  the  ages  of  fifteen 
and  ten  years  respectively  and  were  passen- 
gers on  a  sailing  vessel  which  bore  the  name 
of  the  first  ship  that  brought  its  cargo  of 
Puritan  ancestors  to  Plymouth,  Massa- 
chusetts— the  Mayflower.  Both  settled  in 
Virginia  and  afterward  became  residents  of 
Tennessee.  The  great-grandfather  Lundy 
studied  medicine  under  Dr.  Franklin  and 
afterward  went  to  France,  where  he  pur- 
sued a  post-graduate  course,  remaining  in 
that  country  for  two  years.  Before  his  re- 
turn to  America  he  wedded  Mary  Pickerel, 
of  that  country,  and  her  sister  also  returned 
with  them  to  Virginia  when  Dr.  Lundy  once 
more  came  to  the  new  world.  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Lundy  became  the  parents  of  Daniel  Lundy, 
the  grandfather  of  our  subject,  and  had  also 
the  following  children:  !Mrs.  Martha  Chris- 
tina Scott,  of  Tennessee,  deceased;  Mrs. 
Polly  Bryant  and  ilrs.  Elizabeth  Brown,  both 
of  Texas;  Mrs.  Sarah  Scroggin.  living  in 
Kentucky;  Celia.  deceased;  and  Mrs.  Rbodie 
Howard,  of  Arkansas. 

!Mr.  Williams'  great-grandfather  in  the 
Wisdom  line  was  a  planter  and  raiser  of  fine 
stock  and  owned  a  large  number  of  slaves 
upon  his  plantation  in  Tennessee.  He  mar- 
ried Sarah  Frances  Holman.  who  was  of 
German  descent  and  was  a  sister  of  .Tames 
Holman.  who  for  twenty-one  years  served  as 
a  member  of  the  Tennessee  legislature. 
James  Holman  made  his  home  in  Xashville 
and  at  his  death  left  a  family  of  five  chil- 
dren. Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wisdom  were  born 
eleven  children:  Mrs.  Susan  Pennington,  of 
Missouri,  deceased;  Mrs.  Julia  Wilhout.  of 
Tennessee,  also  deceased;  Mrs.  Talitha  Peer- 
ing, who  resides  in  Tennessee;  Mrs.  Eliza- 
beth Lundy.  wife  of  Daniel  Lundy,  of 
Cumberland  county.  Tennessee;  Mrs.  Jane 
•Tones,  of  Tennessee:  Mrs.  Levina  Stuart,  of 
Arkansas,  whose  husband  was  killed  while 
serving  in  the  Confederate  army;  Mrs. 
Clementine  Courtney,  of  Tennessee,  who  was 
married  a  second  time:  William.  .James  and 
Thomas,  all  deceased:  and  Sarah,  who  is  liv- 
ing on  the  old  homestead  in  Tennessee.  All 
but  the  youngest  daughter  were  left  widows 
with  families. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Daniel  Lundy.  the  maternal 
grandparents  of  .James  I.  Williams,  spent 
their  entire  lives  in  Tennessee,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  general  farming  and  in  raising  fine 
horses.  Tn  their  family  were  ten  children: 
Mrs.  Osborn  Z.  Williams:  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Susan  Xeal.  of  Missouri,  now  deceased:  Wis- 
dom S..  who  was  a  resident  of  Cumberland 
county.  Tennessee,  but  has  now  passed  away; 
James  B..  living  in  .Jackson  county.  Tennes- 
see; Rhoda  C.  deceased;  Mrs.  Rachel  Stan- 
lev.    Mrs.    Annie    .Jarvis,    Daniel    and    Mrs. 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


1021 


:\lartlia  Hiimiltoii,  all  of  Pleasant  Hill, 
Tennessee;  and  William  D..  deceased.  It  was 
the  eldest  daughter  of  this  family — Sarah 
Frances  Liindy — who  became  the  wife  of  Os- 
born  Z.  Williams.  They  were  married  on  the 
13th  of  November,  1864,  and  to  them  were 
born  six  children:  Daniel  J.,  who  was  born 
January  30.  18(>fi,  and  is  living  in  Night- 
hawk,  Washington;  James  I.;  John  M.,  who 
was  born  December  26,  ISTO,  and  makes  his 
home  in  Yamhill,  Oregon;  Thomas  S..  who 
was  born  November  1,  1873,  and  is  living  in 
Republic.  Washington;  David  W.,  who  was 
born  .June  26,  1878,  and  is  also  a  resident  of 
Yamhill;  and  William  J.,  deceased.  It  was 
in  1882  that  Osborn  Z.  Williams  brought  his 
family  to  Oregon,  settling  near  the  Southern 
Pacific  depot  in  Yamhill.  Finally  he  pur- 
chased a  place  of  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  and  became  identified  with  agricultural 
interests  in  this  part  of  the  state. 

James  I.  Williams  was  a  youth  of  about 
fourteen  years  when  the  family  arrived  in 
the  northwest  and  at  the  age  of  seventeen 
years  he  started  out  in  business  on  his  own 
account.  He  worked  in  a  tile  factory  for 
twenty  years  and  then  resumed  the  occupa- 
tion of  farming,  with  which  he  had  become 
familiar  in  his  boyhood  days  through  the 
assistance  that  he  had  rendered  his  father. 
Since  that  time  his  attention  has  been  given 
to  agricultural  and  horticultural  pursuits, 
for  in  addition  to  general  farming  he  also 
raises  fruit,  having  three  acres  planted  to 
strawberries  and  four  acres  to  other  fruits. 
He  raises  only  the  best  varieties  and  because 
of  the  excellence  of  flavor  as  well  as  by  rea- 
son of  size  he  finds  a  ready  sale  for  his  prod- 
ucts on  the  market.  He  now  cultivates 
fifty  acres  beside  the  home  place  of  forty 
acres,  which  he  rents.  His  place  is  pleas- 
antly located  about  a  mile  north  of  Y'amhill 
so  that  his  market  is  of  easv  access. 

On  the  13th  of  November.  1890.  Mr.  Wil- 
liams was  united  in  marriage  to  Jliss  Mabel 
C.  Moor,  who  was  Ixirn  in  Yamhill  county 
and  is  a  daughter  of  Henry  P.  and  Eliza  B. 
(Burton)  Moor.  Her  grandmother  Moor  was 
a  resident  of  Wilkes-Barre,  Pennsylvania, 
and  her  mother  was  living  at  Wyoming. 
Pennsylvania,  at  the  time  of  the  Indian  mas- 
sacre during  the  Revolutionary  war.  The 
town  was  besieged  by  Indians  but  by  crawl- 
ing on  her  hands  and  knees  she  managed  to 
make  her  escape.  The  grandfather  and 
grandmother  of  Mrs.  Williams  started  for 
the  Pacific  coast  on  the  9th  day  of  April, 
1S4.").  One  of  tlic  distant  relatives  of  Mrs. 
Williams  was  Tom  Payne,  who  assisted  in 
framing  the  constitution  of  the  United 
States.  She  has  letters  from  Oeneral  George 
A.  Thomas  to  her  grandfather  Moor,  saying 
that  when  the  railroad  was  built  across  the 
United  States  he  would  pay  a  visit  to  the 
Avest.  He  was  a  '49er  in  California.  He  was 
in  California  at  the  time  the  Sacramento 
river  overflowed  its  banks,  washing  down 
gold  in  large  ii\iantities.  Her  father  was 
born  in  Peoria.  Illinois,  in  1836  and  her 
mother's  birth  occurred  in  Yamhill  county. 
May  17,  IS.iO.  They  were  married  October 
30.    1869.    and    to    them    have    been    born    live 


children:  .Mrs.  Williams;  Mrs.  Lula  Stickler, 
of  Cloverdale.  Oregon,  whose  birth  occurred 
in  1872;  Katie  B..deceased;  Cap  R.,  who  was 
born  December  23.  1881;  and  ^Irs.  Owen 
Jliller,  of  Cloverdale.  who  was  born  July  18, 
1887.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  I.  Williams 
five  children  have  been  born :  Forest,  who 
was  born  October  29,  1891,  and  is  a  higli- 
school  student;  Harrell.  who  was  born  Jan- 
uary 2,  1893,  and  assists  his  father;  Hilda, 
who  was  born  August  19,  1894,  and  has  com- 
pleted a  high-school  coui'se;  James  R.  L., 
deceased;  and  Elmer,  born  November  19. 
1908.  Jlrs.  Williams  is  an  artist  of  marked 
ability,  having  painted  some  beautiful  land- 
scapes and  also  showing  excellent  skill  in 
animal  painting.  When  her  teacher  started 
for  British  Columbia  she  turned  over  the 
class  to  Mrs.  Williams,  feeling  that  the  work 
of  instruction  would  be  carried  on  most  ably 
b}-  her  pupil.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Williams 
are  well  known  socially  in  this  locality  and 
have  an  extensive  circle  of  warm  friends. 

HENRY    LOUIS    HENDERSON,    M.    D.,   a 

successful  and  capable  representative  of  the 
medical  profession  in  Astoria,  was  born  in 
Clay  county,  Missouri.  November  15,  1859. 
His  father.  James  A.  Henderson,  was  a  na- 
tive of  Irvine,  Kentucky,  and  in  his.youthfiil 
days  removed  with  his  parents  to  Missouri, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  farming  and  lived 
for  many  years.  In  later  life  he  became  a 
resident  of  Edmond,  Oklahoma,  where  he 
carried  on  agricultural  pursuits  on  an  ex- 
tensive scale.  He  was  an  ofl!icer  in  the  Con- 
federate army  and  served  throughout  the 
Civil  war  with  the  rank  of  captain,  taking 
part  in  many  hotly  contested  battles,  includ- 
ing the  engagements  at  Vicksburg.  Shiloh, 
Grand  Gulf.  Fort  Donelson.  luka  and  others. 
His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Anna 
M.  Mooney,  was  born  in  Virginia  and  was  a 
daughter  of  Alexander  Mooney.  also  a  native 
of  the  Old  Dominion,  but  later  a  resident  of 
Clinton  county,  Missouri,  where  he  engaged 
in  farming.  For  many  years  he  remained 
active  in  business  but  was  living  retired  at 
the  time  of  his  death.  In  the  family  of 
.James  A.  and  Anna  il.  Henderson  were  three 
children:  Henry  L.;  Alexander  Shelby,  who 
is  now  living  in  Springfield.  Missouri:  and 
Mrs.  Anna  May  Williams,  a  widow. 

Dr.  Henderson  acquired  his  early  education 
in  the  country  schools  of  Clay  county  and  in 
1875  entered  the  University  of  Missouri  at 
Columbia,  but  left  that  institution  at  the 
close  of  the  junior  year  to  engage  in  teach- 
ing for  one  term.  In  1879  he  went  to  St. 
Louis,  where  lie  entered  the  .\merican  Med- 
ical College,  an  eclectic  school,  studying  for 
a  year  in  that  institution.  In  1882  he  was 
graduated  from  the  Eclectic  Medical  Insti- 
tute of  Cincinnati.  Ohio,  with  the  degree  of 
M.  D..  and  located  for  practice  at  Plattsbnrg, 
Missouri,  there  remaining  until  1887.  He 
afterward  went  to  St.  Lo\iis.  where  he  pur- 
sued a  post-graduate  co\irse  in  the  .American 
Medical  College,  which  appointed  him  to  the 
chair  of  theory  and  practice  in  the  college. 
In  addition  to  private  practice  he  gave  clin- 
ical   demonstrations    at    the    St.    Louis    Citv 


1022 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


Hospital  and  made  for  himself  a  creditable 
position  in  professional  circles  there.  How- 
ever, in  1896  he  resigned  his  position  and 
came  to  Oregon.  For  a  year  thereafter  he 
practiced  medicine  at  La  Grande,  Union 
county,  and  in  1897  came  to  Astoria,  where 
he  has  since  built  up  a  large  and  lucrative 
practice,  becoming  one  of  the  foremost  rep- 
resentatives of  his  profession  in  the  north- 
west. In  1900-1  he  was  city  physician  of 
Astoria  and  on  the  1st  of  March"  190.3,  he 
was  appointed  by  Governor  George  E.  Cham- 
berlain, state  health  officer  for  the  port  of 
Astoria,  filling  the  position  until  the  office 
was  abolished  in  1906.  He  has  been  a  con- 
stant student  of  the  science  of  medicine  and 
all  that  bears  upon  the  work  of  the  pro- 
fession and  is  most  conscientious  in  his 
practice,  while  his  ability  inspires  his  pa- 
tients with  the  utmost  "confidence.  He  is 
now  a  member  of  the  National  Eclectic  Med- 
ical Association,  a  member  and  ex-president 
of  the  Missouri  State  Eclectic  Jledical  Asso- 
ciation, a  member  of  the  American  Medi- 
cal Association,  the  Clatsop  County  Medical 
Society  and  the  Oregon  Medical  Associa- 
tion. 

Dr.  Henderson  was  married  in  Clay  county. 
Missouri,  to  Miss  Lulu  J.  Morgan,  "a  native 
of  Clinton  county.  Missouri,  and  a  daughter 
of  John  K.  Morgan,  a  prominent  lumberman 
and  grist  manufacturer.  Ur.  Henderson  is 
well  known  in  Masonic  circles,  being  a  past 
master  of  St.  Louis  Lodge.  No.  1.  A.  F.  & 
A.  M.,  while  in  1893  he  was  deputy  grand 
lecturer  and,  in  1894,  deputy  grand'  master 
of  the  state.  He  became  a  knight  Templar 
in  1886  in  Kadoch  Commandery.  No.  21.  at 
Cameron.  ^Missouri,  and  the  following  year 
was  transferred  to  Commandery  No.  IS.  K. 
T.,  of  St,  Louis,  with  which  he  was  identified 
until  1909,  when  he  became  a  member  of  St. 
Aldamar  Commandery,  No.  11.  K.  T..  of  As- 
toria. He  likewise  belonged  to  Moolah  Tem- 
ple of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  which  he  joined 
at  St.  Louis  in  1890.  In  1900  he  was  trans- 
ferred to  Al  Kader  Temple  of  Portland,  and 
he  is  also  a  member  of  Oregon  Consistorv. 
No.  1,  A.  A.  S.  R.,  of  Portland.  He  likewise 
belongs  to  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of 
Elks  at  Astoria  and  is  a  past  exalted  ruler  of 
the  local  lodge,  while  in  Concomly  Tribe.  No. 
7.  I.  O.  R.  M.,  he  is  a  past  sachem  and  also 
a  past  great  sachem  of  Oregon.  His  political 
allegiance  is  unfalteringly  given  to  the  demo- 
cratic party  and  in  December.  1910.  he  was 
elected  mayor  of  Astoria,  in  which  connec- 
tion he  is  giving  a  public-spirited  and 
business-like  administration,  characterized 
by  many  needed  reforms  and  improvements. 
He  is  a  typical  resident  of  the  fast-growing 
northwest — alert,  determined  and  enterpris- 
ing— and  has  here  found  opportunity  for 
that  individvial  development  which  brings 
out   the  strongest  and  best  in  mankind. 

JOHN  H.  McNAMER,  a  prosperous  and  re- 
spected citizen  of  Forest  Grove,  has  for  the 
past  eight  years  been  engaged  in  the  livers- 
business  and  is  also  connected  with  agricul- 
tural interests.  His  birth  occurred  in  Louisa 
county,  Iowa,   on   the   20th   of  March,   1848, 


his  parents  being  Noah  and  Mary  (Hurley) 
McNamer,  the  former  a  native  ot  Kentucky 
and  the  latter  of  England.  Noah  McNamer, 
whose  natal  year  was  1S28  and  who  was 
a  farmer  by  occupation,  removed  from  the 
Blue  Grass  state  to  Illinois  and  thence  to 
Iowa.  Subsequently  he  went  to  California, 
where  he  staked  a  mine.  After  coming  to 
Oregon  he  invested  in  land  in  Washington 
county  and  there  spent  the  remainder  of  his 
life.  His  wife,  who  was  born  in  1833,  passed 
away  in  Iowa.  To  them  were  born  five  chil- 
dren, as  follows:  Will,  deceased;  Miranda, 
who  gave  her  hand  in  marriage  to  John  Wil- 
son and  passed  away,  leaving  four  children; 
Elizabeth,  who  is  the  wife  of  Frank  Pierce 
and  resides  near  Moimt  Hood,  Oregon;  Mar- 
garet, the  wife  of  William  Dean,  of  Port- 
land;   and   .John   H.,  of   this   review. 

John  H.  McNamer  acquired  his  education 
in  the  common  schools  of  Washington  county 
and  during  the  greater  part  of  his  business 
career  has  been  engaged  in  the  live-stock 
business.  During  the  Civil  war  he  joined  the 
First  Oregon  Volunteer  Infantry  and  was 
stationed  on  the  plains  in  order  to  protect 
emigrants  against  the  Indians.  He  spent 
three  years  with  Wells  Fargo  &  Company 
as  shotgun  messenger  on  stage  coaches  and 
was  subsequently  engaged  in  the  live-stock 
business  in  California  for  sixteen  years.  On 
the  expiration  of  that  period  he  came  to  Ore- 
gon and  for  seven  years  conducted  a  butcher 
shop  at  Forest  Grove.  At  the  end  of  that 
time  he  embarked  in  the  livery  business  and 
for  the  past  eight  years  has  enjoyed  a  grati- 
fying patronage  in  that  connection.  He  also 
nms  a  stage  line  to  Tillamook,  owning  a 
half  interest  in  a  livery  business  at  both  Till- 
amook and  Forest  Grove.  He  likewise  culti- 
vates two  leased  farms  at  Gales  Creek  and 
in  addition  has  a  camp,  called  McNamer's 
Halfway  Camp,  between  Forest  Grove  and 
Tillamook.  In  the  conduct  of  his  varied  in- 
terests he  has  displayed  excellent  business 
ability  and  capable  management,  and  the 
success  which  has  crowned  his  labors  is  but 
the  merited  reward  of  his  untiring  and  well 
directed  industry. 

ilr.  ilcNamer's  present  wife  bore  the 
maiden  name  of  Nora  Wells  and  is  a  native 
of  Kentucky.  By  a  previous  marriage  he 
had  three  children.  Frank,  who  is  engaged 
in  agricultural  pursuits  in  association  with 
his  father,  wedded  Miss  Mary  Herrick,  by 
whom  he  has  six  children.  Fred,  who  re- 
sides in  Forest  Grove,  is  married  and  has  one 
child.  Addie  gave  her  hand  in  marriage  to 
.John  Dollarhide,  by  whom  she  has  six  chil- 
dren. 

JACOB  RUECK,  who  has  extensive  landed 
possessions  in  Klamath  county  and  is  a  suc- 
cessful rancher  whose  prosperity  is  attribut- 
able entirely  to  his  own  labor,  was  born  in 
Wurtemberg.  Germany.  April  8.  1861.  a  son 
of  Adam  and  ilargaret  (Gruebl  Rueck.  who 
in  1881  became  residents  of  Willshire.  Van 
Wert  county.  Ohio,  there  joining  their  son 
.Jacob  who  had  preceded  them  to  the  new 
world  a  few  months.  The  entire  family  went 
to  Fort  Wayne.  Indiana,  settling  on  a  farm 
there   in   the    fall   of   that   vear.     The   father 


JOHX    II.    JIcXAMER 


THE  NEW 
PUBLIC     LI8H.\KY 


*   MT«N,  LINOX  AN* 
'VILtEM  nuNBATIONt. 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


1025 


(lied  upon  that  farm  in  ISST  wlicn  about 
tifty-tive  years  ot'  a<;e.  ami  the  mother  now 
resides  in  the  Yonna  valley  with  her  son 
Michael,  the  youngest  of  her  four  children. 
The  others  are:  Caroline,  the  wife  of  (Jeorge 
Ritter,  also  of  the  Yonna  valley;  Jacob,  and 
Rosa,  the  wife  of  Paul  Keller,  of  Fort 
Wayne,  Indiana. 

Jacob  Rueck  was  reared  on  a  farm  in  the 
fatherland  and  was  the  first  of  the  family 
to  come  to  the  United  States,  arriving  in 
the  sprin;;  of  ISSl.  After  spending  a  few 
months  in  Ohio  he  went  to  Indiana  and  in 
1882  removed  to  Michigan,  where  he  worked 
on  a  farm,  after  which  he  returned  to  In- 
diana, but  again  went  to  Michigan,  where  he 
was  once  more  employed  at  farm  labor.  In 
1884  he  arrived  in  Portland.  Oregon,  and 
spent  a  few  months  in  working  in  the  Wil- 
lamette valley.  He  was  then  employed  in 
the  vicinity  of  Sacramento,  California,  for  a 
few  months,  after  which  he  returned  to  Yam- 
hill county,  Oregon.  In  1885  he  came  to  the 
Y'^onna  valley  and  preempted  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  land  near  the  present  site 
of  Dairy.  He  proved  up  that  property  and 
it  is  still  in  his  possession.  He  also  took  up 
a  homestead  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
a  mile  below  his  present  residence  and  this 
is  also  in  his  possession.  His  wife  home- 
steaded  the  place  on  which  they  now  live  and 
Mr.  Rueck  purchased  it  from  lier  after  their 
marriage.  He  has  also  bought  other  land  and 
he  and  his  wife  together  own  eleven  hundred 
and  twenty  acres,  all  in  the  Y'onna  valley,  of 
which  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres  is  under 
cultivation.  Their  holdings  include  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  of  timber  while  the  re- 
mainder of  the  land  was  covered  with  sage 
brush.  They  have  resided  on  their  present 
place  since  i890,  where  Mr.  Rueck  owns  eight 
hundred  acres  of  land  in  one  body.  Stock 
is  the  principal  feature  of  their  place  and 
Mr.  Rueck  now  has  about  twenty-five  head 
of  horses  and  forty  head  of  cattle.  He  has 
had  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  head  of 
range  cattle  and  has  become  well  known  in 
connection  with  stock-raising  in  this  part  of 
the  state.  In  1906  he  was  instrumental  in 
having  established  the  postoffice  at  Yonna,  of 
which  he  has  since  been  postmaster.  He  has 
also  been  vice  president  of  the  Bank  of 
Bonanza  since  its  organization  and  he  is 
president  of  the  Horse  Fly  Irrigation  District, 
which  was  organized  in  November.  1911.  un- 
der the  state  laws  to  irrigate  twenty  thou- 
sand acres.  The  preliminary  surveys  have 
already  been  made.  This  tract  was  formerly 
included  in  the  Klamath  project  but  the 
reclamation  fund  was  low.  so  that  Mr.  Rueck 
went  to  Washington  and  had  it  released  from 
the  Klamath  project.  This  Horse  Fly  project 
will  be  pushed  to  completion  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible and  will  constitute  an  important  ele- 
ment  in   the   development  of   the   district. 

In  IS'.m  Mr.  Rueck  was  niiirried  to  Miss 
Ada  Shook,  who  was  born  in  Iowa  and  came 
to  the  northwest  with  her  parents.  Amon 
and  Katharine  Shook.  They  have  two  chil- 
dren. Carl  and  Ward.  ilr.  Rueck  votes  with 
the  republican  party  but  has  never  held  nor 
desired  office.  The  cause  of  education,  how- 
Vol.  IV— 4  S 


ever,  finds  in  him  a  warm  and  helpful  friend 
and  he  has  done  important  work  as  one  of 
the  directors  of  the  Ilildobrand  scliool  dis- 
trict. He  is  an  exemplary  representative  of 
Bonanza  Lodge.  I.  0.  0.  F.,  and  a  faithful 
member  of  the  Lutheran  church.  Sound 
judgment  and  keen  perception  enabled  Mr. 
Rueck  to  make  judicious  investments  at  a 
time  when  land  values  were  low  and  he  is 
now  reaping  the  benefit  thereof,  for  the  land 
is  constantly  increasing  in  value,  owing  to 
the  rapid  settlement  of  the  district  and  the 
improvements  which  he  has  placed  upon  his 
property. 

WILLIAM  S.  WINSOR  is  living  re- 
tired at  Gold  Beach.  He  was  the  pioneer 
shipper  of  white  cedar,  being  the  first  to 
place  lumber  of  that  character  upon  the 
market,  and  it  was  he.  who  originated  the 
name  of  Port  Orford  Cedar,  which  is  now 
famous  the  world  over.  He  was  born  in 
Jamestown.  New  York,  in  1832,  a  son  of 
Samuel  and  Anna  (Sears)  Winsor,  the 
mother  a  native  of  New  York  and  the  father 
of  Connecticut.  His  ancestral  history  is 
traced  back  to  the  time  of  the  landing  of  the 
I'ilgrims  at  Plymouth  Rock.  The  family 
numbered  seven  children:  Ruby  and  Hen- 
rietta, both  of  whom  are  deceased;  William 
S.,  of  this  review;  Woodley,  who  is  a  resident 
of  Olean,  New  Y'ork;  Clinton,  living  in 
Jamestown,  New  Y'ork;  Mary,  the  wife  of 
Richard  Baker,  of  Jamestown,  New  York; 
and  Helen,  an  artist,  who  resides  with  her 
sister  Mary  in  the  Empire  state.  The  father 
was  a  carpenter  and  millwright  of  New  Y'ork 
and  in  the  Empire  state  William  S.  Winsor 
was  reared,  remaining  there  until  he  had  at- 
tained his  majority.  He  then  went  to  Cali- 
fornia, which  was  in  the  period  of  its  pioneer 
development  and  worked  for  a  short  time  in 
a  sawmill  but  afterward  came  to  Oregon  and 
settled  at  Port  Orford  in  1854.  He  engaged 
in  mining  on  the  beach  and  made  some 
money,  but  the  red  men  went  upon  the  war- 
patli  and  Mr.  Winsor  joined  the  volunteers 
in  the  Rogue  River  Indian  war  of  lS,'>5-6. 
He  served  for  five  months,  being  engaged  in 
active  dut}'  most  of  tlie  time  as  a  member 
of  Company  K.  Oregon  Mounted  Volunteers, 
under  Captain  Bledsoe  and  General  Lamrick. 
When  hostilities  had  ceased  Mr.  Winsor 
rented  a  sawmill,  which  he  operated  for  three 
years,  sawing  and  shipping  the  first  white 
cedar  that  was  ever  put  on  the  market.  He 
placed  this  on  sale  under  the  nam(>  of  Port 
Orford  Cedar  and,  its  value  becoming  im- 
mediately recognized,  it  is  now  known 
throughout  the  world.  Others  followed  in 
his  lead  and  the  shipment  of  white  cedar  has 
constituted  one  of  the  most  important 
sources  of  revenue  in  lumoer  circles.  Later 
Mr.  Winsor  went  to  Pennsylvania,  where  he 
engaged  in  merchandising,  remaining  for  five 
years  in  that  business.  He  then  returned  to 
California,  where  he  spent  two  years  in  the 
operation  of  a  sawmill,  after  which  he  came 
to  Gold  Beach,  building  a  sawmill  which  he 
operated  for  a  year.  He  then  sold  out  and 
removed  to  Port  Orford.  where  for  six  years 
he  was  identified  with  the  business  interests 


1026 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


of  that  city  as  a  merchant.  About  the  time 
his  wife  died  lie  disposed  of  his  store.  A 
year  later  he  was  elected  county  treasurer 
of  Curry  county,  which  position  he  filled  for 
one  term  and  since  the  close  of  his  official 
service  has  lived  retired,  making  his  home  at 
Gold  Beach.  Indolence  and  idleness  have 
ever  been  utterly  foreign  to  his  nature  and 
he  here  has  a  small  shop  and  keeps  busy 
making  odd  pieces  of  furniture  for  his  own 
diversion. 

In  1858  Mr.  Winsor  was  married  to  Miss 
Charlotte  ^\^lite,  a  native  of  New  York, 
whose  parents  died  during  her  infancy.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Winsor  traveled  life's  journey 
happily  together  for  about  forty  years  and 
were  then  separated  by  death  in  1898.  In 
their  family  were  six "  children :  Anna,  the 
wife  of  William  Gauntlett,  of  Seattle,  Wash- 
ington, by  whom  she  has  five  sons,  George, 
Clinton,  James,  Victor  and  Charles;  Mary, 
the  wife  of  Alfred  Gauntlett.  of  Gold  Beach, 
and  the  mother  of  four  children,  Harry, 
Wesley,  Lottie  and  Estelle:  Charles,  who  is 
president  of  the  Bank  of  Oregon  at  North 
Bend  and  is  married  and  has  two  children, 
Joseph  and  Helen;  Harvey,  who  was  drowned 
in  the  Yukon  river;  and  Nettie  and  Ruby, 
both  deceased. 

In  politics  Mr.  Winsor  has  long  been  a 
stanch  democrat,  never  faltering  in  his  alle- 
giance to  the  party.  He  has  held  but  one 
public  office,  preferring  to  do  his  duty  as  a 
private  citizen,  but  at  all  times  he  has  been 
loyal  to  those  interests  and  projects  which 
he  believes  will  further  the  welfare  of  the 
community.  His  fraternal  relations  are  with 
the  Slasons  and  he  is  an  exemplary  repre- 
sentative of  the  craft. 

The  following  article,  entitled  "A  Scout  to 
Rogue  River  in  1856,"  was  written  by 
Jeremiah  Huntley  of  Gold  Beach. 

"The  first  news  of  the  Indian  outbreak  at 
the  mouth  of  Rogue  river  was  brought  to 
Port  Orford  Ty  Charley  Foster,  whose  com- 
pany of  home  guards,  of  volunteers,  were 
attacked  and  routed  by  the  Indians  at  their 
camp  on  the  north  bank  of  Rogue  river  at  a 
point  since  known  as  Bagnell's  Ferry,  on 
the  early  morning  of  February  2,3,  1850. 
Several  men  of  the  company  were  killed  and 
wounded  at  the  first  volley;  the  others  fled 
to  the  timber  and  brush  near  by  and  hid  the 
best  they  could.  A  few  were  discovered  by 
the  Indians  during  the  day  and  killed. 
Foster  succeeded  in  eluding  the  Indians  and 
when  it  became  dark  started  for  Port  Or- 
ford. thirty  miles  distant,  where  he  arrived 
the  second  day,  almost  famished,  and  gave 
the  alarm,  l-oster  did  not  know  the  fate  of 
the  people  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  but 
reported  that  lie  believed  that  all  the  whites 
in  that  vicinity  had  been  killed.  From  his 
hiding  place  in  the  jungle  he  saw  many 
strange  Indians  passing  during  the  day,  from 
which  he  judged  that  the  hostiles  from  up 
the  river  had  come  down  and.  joining  with 
the  coast  Indians,  had  killed  all  the  whites 
they  could  find.  At  that  period  Port  Orford 
was  a  thriving  little  town  of  about  two  hun- 
dred people,  mostly  miners  and  packers, 
though    a    few    families    had    recently    been 


added  to  the  town.  The  Indians  in  that 
vicinity  were  not  very  numerous  or  warlike, 
and  the  few  who  lived  thereabouts  gave  the 
people  no  concern. 

"Several  days  passed  after  Foster's  ar- 
rival, but  nothing  more  was  heard  from 
Rogue  River,  so  one  Jerroe,  a  storekeeper,  in 
company  with  four  or  five  others,  whose 
names  have  been  forgotten,  manned  a  whale- 
boat,  loaded  it  with  provisions,  guns  and 
ammunition,  and  pulled  out  for  Rogue  river 
to  assist  the  people  there,  should  they  find 
any  alive.  It  was  known  that  a  small  fort 
or  earthwork  had  been  partially  built  a  short 
time  previous  about  one  mile  north  of  the 
mouth  of  the  river  by  some  miners  who 
feared  an  outbreak,  and  thither  the  men 
in  a  boat  directed  their  course.  The  boat 
was  spied  and  hailed  by  the  people  in  the 
fort,  and  in  an  attempt  to  make  a  landing 
all  the  occupants  of  the  boat,  save  one,  were 
drowned  in  the  surf. 

"The  little  fort  was  besieged  by  hundreds 
of  Indians,  who  kept  at  a  safe  distance,  how- 
ever, as  the  occupants  had  good  rifles  and 
knew  how  to  use  them.  With  plenty  of 
provisions,  a  good  log  fort  carefully  con- 
structed with  loopholes  and  protected  by  a 
wide  ditch  on  the  outside,  the  miners  had  no 
fears  of  their  ability  to  repel  any  assaults  of 
the  Indians.  But  they  needed  every  man 
present,  so  had  not  tried  to  send  for  assist- 
ance. Several  days  passed,  and  as  no  word 
was  received  from  Rogue  River  or  the  occu- 
pants of  the  whaleboat,  W.  S.  Winsor  and 
George  Wasson,  two  miners,  but  experienced 
Iiidian  figliters,  volunteered  to  go  to  Rogue 
River  and  locate  the  white  people,  if  any 
were  alive,  or  learn  their  fate.  Winsor  and 
Wasson  secured  the  best  horses  they  could 
find,  and  at  dark  on  the  evening  of  March 
3.  1856,  were  ready  to  undertake  the  perilous 
journey.  Armed  with  good  rifles  and  re- 
volvers, and  with  four  days'  rations  tied  on 
their  saddles,  the  two  men  shook  hands  with 
the  friends  who  had  assembled  at  the  only 
store  in  town  to  see  them  off.  mounted,  and 
soon  disappeared  in  the  darkness  down  the 
beach.  Both  had  traveled  that  trail  many 
times,  and  as  the  night  was  not  very  dark 
they  made  good  time.  No  one  resided  on  or 
near  the  trail,  so  it  was  pretty  certain  that 
the  only  human  beings  they  were  apt  to  en- 
counter would  be  Indians'.  As  the  scouts 
hurried  along  that  lonely  trail  they  were 
frequently  startled  by  wild  animals  scamper- 
ing off  through  the  forest,  through  brush  and 
over  logs,  making  considerable  noise.  The 
clink  of  the  shoes  on  their  horses  against  the 
many  stones  in  the  trail  made  more  noise 
than  was  pleasant  to  hear,  as  such  noise 
might  be  heard  by  some  lurking  warrior 
picketing  the  trail.  But  such  noises  could 
not  be  avoided,  and  our  scouts  wont  forward 
as  fast  as  it  was  prudent  in  the  darkness. 

"The  scouts  approached  Mussel  creek, 
fifteen  miles  soutli  of  Port  Orford.  about 
eleven  o'clock,  where  they  knew  that  several 
Indian  families  lived  close  to  the  trail.  In 
fact  all  Indian  huts  were  located  on  the  side 
of  the  trails  in  early  days.  Several  fires 
were    burning    in    the    village    and    Indians 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


\Q-2' 


■were  seen  moving  about,  all  ot'  which  in- 
dicated to  the  scouts  that  something  unusual 
was  doing,  as  it  was  well  known  that  all 
Indians  usually  retired  early  in  the  evening. 
On  Hearing  the  villtige  the  scouts  paused  to 
determine  what  was  best  to  do  to  pass  the 
camp  in  safety.  A  rocky  beach  to  the  right 
and  an  impenetrable  jungle  to  their  left, 
above  the  village,  made  it  almost  impossible 
to  pass  the  village  without  riding  through  it. 
Wasson  suggested  that  Winsor  hold  his  horse 
while  he  advanced  on  foot  to  reconnoiter,  but 
the  latter  objected  to  such  a  move,  saying: 
'George,  there  is  no  use  of  monkej-ing  round 
that  camp,  for  we  must  either  ride  through 
or  go  back;  and  as  we  have  no  time  to  loose, 
let's  get  a  move  on.  Wliat  do  you  say?' 
The  only  reply  Wasson  made  was.  'Go  ahead.' 
Wasson  was  one  of  those  fearless,  cautious 
mountaineers  of  the  early  days  who  never 
hesitated  to  do  things  when  brought  face  to 
face  with  danger.  In  fact,  he  was  chosen  by 
Winsor  as  one,  upon  whom  he  could  rely 
on  the  perilous  journey.  The  scouts  dis- 
mounted, tightened  their  saddles,  mounted 
again  and.  with  drawn  revolvers,  moved  for- 
ward, forged  the  creek  and,  putting  spurs  to 
their  horses,  quiekh'  passed  through  the  vil- 
lage, uttering  war  whoops,  and  reached  the 
timber  on  the  hillside  before  the  astonished 
Indians  knew  what  had  happened.  As  the 
scouts  passed  through  the  village  they  did 
not  see  many  Indians,  and  those  whom  they 
saw  had  no  arms  and  wore  no  war  paint. 

"When  clear  of  the  village  the  scouts  in- 
creased their  pace,  satisfied  that  they  had 
left  no  hostile  Indians  behind  them — a  fact 
which  might  prove  of  inestimable  value 
should  they  suddenly  encounter  a  war  party 
and  be  compelled  to  retreat.  The  next  In- 
dian village  was  located  at  Euchre  creek, 
about  five  miles  below  the  village  they  had 
just  passed,  and  as  the  tide  was  nearly  high 
they  must  cross  that  creek  at  the  village. 
The  scouts  feared  that  some  of  the  hostiles 
from  Rogue  River  might  be  encountered,  but 
they  were  determined  to  get  through  if  pos- 
sible. The  village  was  built  on  sand,  wliich 
enabled  the  scouts  to  approach  it  without 
making  the  usiial  noise  on  horseback.  When 
within  a  short  distance  of  the  huts  the 
scouts  paused  to  'size  up  the  outfit.'  as  Was- 
son put  it.  There  was  little  life  or  bustle  in 
the  village  save  the  beating  of  a  drum  in  a 
hut  near  tlie  trail,  and  as  few  Indians  were 
astir,  the  scouts  breathed  easier.  But  the 
scouts  did  not  hesitate  long  and,  putting 
spurs  to  their  horses  and  bending  low  in 
their  saddles,  quickly  passed  through  the 
village,  forded  the  creek  just  beyond  and  dis- 
appeared in  the  darkness  down  the  beach.  If 
they  were  seen  by  the  Indians  the  latter 
made  no  outcry  or  gave  them  a  partini;  shot. 
Afterward  the  scouts  learned  that  there  was 
a  band  of  about  one  hundred  warriors  from 
the  camp  at  Rogue  River  asleep  as  they 
[lassed  through  the  village.  Below  the  village 
the  trail  led  along  the  beach  and,  though  the 
tide  was  in  and  the  beach  heavy,  the  scouts 
made  good  time  till  they  left  the  beach.  They 
were  now  approaching  the  danger  zone  and 
must  advance  with  greater  caution  than-  they 


had  thought  necessary  during  their  ride. 
They  turned  into  the  timber  and  brush  to 
the  left  and  climbed  the  mountain,  searching 
for  a  place  where  they  could  get  a  view  of 
the  country  beyond,  to  pass  the  coming  day 
in  security.  Fortunately  they  found  some 
grassy  glades  near  the  open  ground  and  here 
they  unsaddled,  picketed  their  horses  and 
prepared  to  pass  the  day.  The  long,  weary 
ride  had  sharpened  the  appetite  of  the  scouts 
and  they  did  ample  justice  to  their  lunch, 
after  which  they  enjoyed  their  first  smoke 
since  leaving  Port  Orford.  A  faint  glimmer 
in  the  east  proclaimed  the  approach  of  an- 
other day  and,  to  the  delight  of  the  weary 
men,  not  a  cloud  was  visible,  though  it  was 
yet  the  rainy  season.  When  it  was  light 
enough  to  see,  the  scouts  sought  an  open 
space  at  the  edge  of  the  timber  and  fortun- 
ately were  enabled  to  get  a  good  view  of  the 
country  to  the  south.  And  when  it  grew 
lighter  the  keen  eyes  of  scouts  saw  the  out- 
lines of  the  little  fort  on  the  bluff  near  the 
ocean,  about  five  miles  distant.  The  old  flag 
was  floating  over  the  fort,  which  was  proof 
positive  to  the  scouts  that  the  miners  were 
there  in  force,  defiant  and  full  of  fight.  The 
mountain  on  which  the  scouts  were  standing 
sloped  gently  to  the  south  to  .a  small  valley, 
through  which  coursed  a  creek  which  emptied 
into  Rogue  river,  about  five  miles  beyond. 
Beyond  the  valley,  about  three  miles  distant, 
a  bald,  flat  mountain  rose  about  six  Imndred 
feet.  To  the  right  the  mountain  sloped  off 
to  the  westward,  forming  a  high  bluff  on  the 
shore  of  the  ocean.  The  trail  to  Rogue  river 
was  jilainly  visible  where  it  crossed  the  hill 
on   the  west. 

"Soon  after  sunrise  several  straggling  bands 
of  Indians,  warriors  no  doubt,  came  in  view 
from  tlie  east,  presumably  the  river,  going 
towards  the  fort,  some  riding,  but  mostly 
men  on  foot,  and  disappeared  over  the  moun- 
tain in  the  direction  of  the  fort.  The  scouts 
estimated  the  war  party,  for  such  it  evi- 
dently was,  to  be  fully  tliree  hundred.  Xo 
doubt  there  was  a  force  equally  as  large  oc- 
cupying tlie  country  between  the  fort  ami 
the  river,  but  that  part  of  the  field  was  shut 
out  of  view  by  intervening  mountains.  Tlie 
distance  was  too  great  to  liear  the  report  of 
firearms  or  see  tlie  smoke  of  battle,  if  one 
was  in  progress.  Several  small  bands  of  In- 
dians, mostly  squaws,  passed  up  and  down 
file  little  valley  during  the  day  but  at  night- 
fall returned  towards  the  river,  which  in- 
dicated that  the  main  camp  of  the  hostiles 
was  on  the  river  to  their  left.  The  day 
passed  slowly  to  the  scouts,  who  were 
anxious  to  get  to  the  fort  and  learn  the  ex- 
lent  of  the  massacre  of  the  whites.  About 
sundown  the  warriors,  who  went  over  in  the 
morning,  or  about  the  same  number,  returned 
and  disappeared  over  the  mountain,  whence 
they  came  in  the  morning.  During  the  day 
the  scouts  took  careful  note  of  the  country 
beyond  and  picked  out  their  route  to  the 
fort.  They  believed  that  the  fort  was  not 
closely  picketed  by  the  Indians  during  the 
night  and  that  the  quickest  and  perhaps  thf 
.safest   move  on   their   part  was   to   ride   di- 


1023 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


rectly  to  the  fort,  keeping  a  close  lookout,  of 
course,  for  Indians. 

"As  the  shades  of  evening  fell  over  hill  and 
valley  the  scouts  saddled  their  horses  and 
rode  down  to  the  little  valley  below,  then  to 
the  trail,  along  which  they  advanced  with 
more  caution  till  the  little  fort  was  visible  on 
the  bluff  near  the  ocean  beach.  As  they  were 
apt  to  encounter  the  Indian  pickets,  if  any 
were  on  duty  on  the  hillside,  the  scouts  dis- 
mounted and.  leading  their  horses,  moved 
forward  with  caution.  They  frequently 
paused  and  anxiously  peered  into  the  dark- 
ness to  catch  the  least  sound  of  an  enemy,  if 
present,  but  no  sound  except  the  occasional 
bark  of  a  dog  in  the  fort  broke  the  awful 
stillness.  After  a  long  halt  the  scouts  be- 
lieved that  no  pickets  were  on  guard  on  that 
part  of  the  field  at  least,  so  they  tied  their 
horses  in  a  thicket  near  by.  crawled  to  a 
friendly  knoll  about  three  hundred  yards 
from  the  little  fort  and.  in  a  low  tone  at 
first,  hailed  the  people  in  the  fort.  Receiv- 
ing no  answer,  they  hailed  again  in  a  louder 
voice,  which  was  soon  after  answered  by 
some  one  in  the  fort.  After  hurriedly  telling 
the  people  in  the  fort  who  they  were,  the 
scouts  were  directed  to  come  forward  slowly. 
The  scouts  were  now  in  extreme  peril,  for 
should  there  be  lurking  pickets  in  that 
vicinity  to  tire  upon  them,  the  people  in  the 
fort  might  think  it  a  night  attack  and  tire 
a  volley  in  the  face  of  the  scouts.  The 
scouts,  sensible  of  their  peril,  lost  no  time  in 
reaching  the  fort,  where  they  were  met  with 
many  guns  pointed  at  them  as  they  crossed 
the  plank  laid  across  the  ditch  to  admit 
them.  The  scouts  were  greeted  with  many 
handshakes  and  were  glad  that  their  perilous 
journey  was  at  an  end.  Accompanied  by 
men  from  the  fort,  they  returned  and  led 
tlieir  horses  into  the  fort. 

"The  scouts  found  about  eighty  people, 
mustering  about  seventy  guns.  They  had 
plenty  of  ammunition  and  provisions,  were 
full  of  fight  and  did  not  appear  to  be  greatly 
disturbed  by  their  surroundings.  The  hostile 
Indians  appeared  upon  the  hillside  above  the 
fort  the  next  day  but  kept  at  a  safe  dis- 
tance. In  about  a  week  after  the  scouts 
reached  the  little  fort,  the  siege  was  raised 
by  the  arrival  of  several  companies  of  reg- 
ular soldiers  from  the  south.  The  Indians 
then  withdrew  up  the  river  and  the  war  was 
practically   ended. 

".lames  Brooking  and  .lames  McVay,  of 
Smith  River.  California.  E.  H.  Meservy  of 
Agness.  and  W.  S.  Winsor  of  Gold  Beach, 
Oregon,  are  the  only  occupants  of  that  little 
fort  known  to  be  alive.  And  men  of  their 
mettle  made   the   Oregon   country." 

JEREMIAH  HUNTLEY  is  recognized  as 
the  foremost  lawyer  of  Curry  county  who 
makes  his  home  at  Gold  Beach,  and  in  other 
ways  has  been  connected  with  the  profes- 
sional, business  and  political  interests  of  his 
part  of  the  state.  He  was  born  .June  11, 
1845.  in  Meigs  county.  Ohio,  a  son  of  .John 
and  Louisa  (Conner)  Huntley,  natives  of 
Kew  York  and  Ohio  respectively.  The  mother 
died  wlien  her  son  was  but   three   years  of 


age  but  the  father  long  survived.  The  pa- 
ternal grandfather.  Joseph  Huntley,  brought 
a  brig  around  Cape  Horn  for  the  Astor  Com- 
pany and,  stopping  two  days  south  of  the 
Columbia  river  for  water,  discovered  gold  in 
the  black  sand  of  the  beach,  probably  at  the 
present  site  of  Port  Orford.  John  Huntley 
came  to  Oregon  by  way  of  the  Isthmus  of 
Panama  and  engaged  in  mining  in  southern 
Oregon  for  two  years.  He  then  returned  to 
Illinois  in  1857.  Several  of  his  brothers  also 
made  their  way  to  the  northwest,  settling  on 
Santiam  river  in  1847.  On  the  discovery  of 
gold  in  California  they  went  south  to  that 
state,  where  they  engaged  in  mining  and 
later  became  residents  of  Douglas  county, 
Oregon,  settling  near  Roseburg.  The  uncles 
of  ilr.  Huntley  are  now  deceased  but  their 
descendants  are  scattered  over  the  state,  liv- 
ing in  various  sections.  John  Huntley  be- 
came a  resident  of  Myrtle  Point,  Oregon, 
after  having  lived  for  some  time  in  Cali- 
fornia, and  passed  away  at  that  place  in 
190S.  aged  ninety-four  years.  In  the  family 
were  seven  children,  of  whom  three  are  now 
living:  Mary,  the  wife  of  .John  Treat,  of 
Iowa;  ^Yilliam  who  is  a  resident  of  Hop- 
land.  California:  and  Jeremiah,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch. 

.Jeremiah  Huntley  acquired  his  early  edu- 
cation in  the  schools  of  Illinois  and  at  the 
Umpqua  Academy  of  Wilbur.  Oregon,  and 
spent  much  of  his  youth  in  the  gold  mines  of 
his  father.  At  the  time  of  the  Civil  war  he 
went  to  California  and  joined  the  volunteer 
army  in  1863.  serving  for  two  years  in  the 
war  of  which  he  is  now  a  pensioner.  After 
being  mustered  out  he  went  to  lUinois  and 
was  there  married  to  Miss  Mattie  Gaffin.  a 
native  of  that  state  and  a  daughter  of  Horace 
and  Elizabeth  (Thompson)  Gaffin,  in  whose 
family  were  but  two  children,  the  elder  being 
Mary,  now  deceased.  It  was  on  the  22d  of 
Xovember.  1868.  that  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Huntley 
were  married  and  to  them  have  been  born 
nine  children,  as  follows:  .John  and  Charles, 
who  are  deceased;  two.  who  died  in  infancy; 
Jennie,  the  wife  of  Story  Pierce,  who  repre- 
sents Curry  county  in  the  state  legislature; 
Edna,  the  wife  of  Willis  Tompkins,  of  Xorth 
Bend.  Oregon,  by  whom  she  has  five  children; 
Alma,  who  married  William  Goff.  of  Waverly, 
Washington,  and  who  has  four  children; 
Harry  G.  residing  in  North  Bend,  Oregon; 
and  Floyd,  an  engineer  now  employed  in 
Alaska  and  also  a  noted  football  player. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Huntley  began  their  domestic 
life  in  Illinois,  but  in  1870  he  returned  with 
his  wife  to  Oregon  and  settled  at  Gold  Beach. 
He  engaged  in  mining  in  the  black  sand  on 
the  beach,  yet  did  not  confine  his  attention 
exclusively  to  private  interests,  for  his  fellow 
townsmen,  appreciating  his  worth  and  abil- 
ity, elected  him  clerk  of  Curry  county,  in 
which  position  he  served  for  a  full  term. 
He  was  next  appointed  school  superintendent 
to  fill  out  an  unexpired  term,  at  the  end  of 
which  time  he  turned  his  attention  to  the 
practice  of  law  and  has  since  continued  in 
the  profession.  He  studied  alone  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  California  in  1876.  Five 
years  later  he  was  admitted  to  the   Oregon 


THE  CENTENNIAL  IIISTOKY  OF  OREGON 


10211 


bar  and  he  now  lias  the  leading  practice  in 
Curry  county,  maintaining  an  office  at  Gold 
Beach.  His  political  support  is  given  to  the 
republican  party  and  his  fraternal  relations 
are  with  the  Masons.  He  is  a  past  master 
of  the  local  lodge  and  is  one  of  the  exem- 
plary representatives  of  the  craft,  always 
loyal  to  its  teachings  concerning  mutual 
helpfulness  and  brotherly  kindliness.  Much 
of  his  life  has  been  spent  on  the  Pacific  coast 
and  he  is  thoroughly  imbued  with  the  spirit 
of  enterprise  and  progress  which  has  been 
the  dominant  factor  in  the  rapid  upbuilding 
and  substantial  growth  of  the  northwest. 

CHARLES  E.  DREW.  The  growth  of 
Oregon  can  be  marked  almost  by  the  settle- 
ment of  its  different  valleys.  Its  earliest  in- 
habitants clustered  around  the  mouth  of  the 
Columbia,  later  the  rich  lands  of  the  Willam- 
ette valley  were  discovered  and  utilized  and 
the  work  of  progress  has  been  carried  for- 
ward as  pioneer  settlers  have  ventured  into 
one  valley  after  another,  reclaiming  the  pro- 
ductive land  bv  the  side  of  the  waterways. 
Charles  E.  Drew  was  born  in  Langells  valley 
and  is  now  a  resident  of  the  Yonna  valley. 
He  is  widely  known  as  a  buyer  and  seller  of 
cattle,  handling  about  eight  hundred  head 
per  annum,  and  his  realty  lioldings  embrace 
about  four  hundred  acres.  He  is  yet  a  young 
man  to  whom  the  futiire  holds  out  attractive 
promise  of  success.  He  was  born  January 
30,  1880,  his  parents  being  Nyran  and  Mary 
(Faith)  Drew.  The  father  was  born  in 
Maine  in  1850  and  the  mother's  birth  oc- 
curred in  Iowa  in  1856.  They  arrived  in 
Jackson  county,  Oregon,  about  1878,  were 
married  there  and  the  following  year  removed 
to  Langells  valley.  The  father  died  in  the 
Yonna  valley  in  1905  and  the  mother  still 
resides  there.  He  followed  ranching  and 
.stock-raising  throughout  his  entire  life,  hav- 
ing about  one  thousand  acres  of  land  and 
planting  about  two  hundred  acres  to  grain 
while  the  remainder  was  used  for  pasturage. 
His  political  views  accorded  with  the  prin- 
ciples and  teachings  of  the  republican 
partv.  In  his  familv  were  five  children: 
Charles  E.;  Eva  D..  the  wife  of  W.  R.  Camp- 
bell, of  Langells  valley:  Xettie  R..  a  teacher 
of  Klamath  Falls;  .Jesse  N.,  of  the  Yonna 
valley;  and  Waive,  at  home. 
.  The  usual  experiences  of  the  boy  reared  on 
a  ranch  came  to  Charles  E.  Drew  in  his 
youth,  but  he  has  engaged  in  ranching  on 
liis  own  account  for  the  past  eleven  years, 
previous  to  wliicli  time  he  had  remained  on 
the  old  homestead.  He  liad  attended  the  San 
Jose  Normal  School  and  had  pursued  a  com- 
mercial course  in  Ashland,  so  that  his  educa- 
tional privileges  well  qualified  him  to  enter 
upon  a  business  career  and  work  his  way 
steadily  upward.  He  is  now  making  con- 
tinuous progress  and  is  the  owner  of  four 
hundred  acres  of  land  in  the  Y'onna  valley 
at  Hiklebrand.  Ilis  pasture  is  On  the  Indian 
reservation  mostly.  He  buys  and  sells 
cattle,  handling  about  eiglit  hundred  head 
each  year,  and  his  excellent  judgment  in  re- 
gard to  stock  enables  him  to  make  judicious 
investments.     He   is  associated  with   George 


Ritter  in  the  development  of  the  first  irriga- 
tion project  in  the  Yoinia  valley.  The  system 
was  completed  in  1910  and  Mr.  Drew  is  two- 
thirds  owner  of  it.  The  reservoir  covers 
sixty-two  acres  anil  is  more  than  twelve  feet 
deep.  He  expects  to  irrigate  four  hundred 
acres  and  thus  make  an  otherwise  somewhat 
sterile    tract    richly    jiroductive. 

In  1903  Mr.  Drew  Avas  united  in  marriage 
to  iliss  Iva  ^McKee.  who  was  born  in  Kansas, 
in  18TS,  and  came  to  Oregon  about  1888  with 
her  ])arents,  William  and  Elizabeth  McKee, 
who  are  now  residents  of  Siskiyou  county. 
California.  ]\Ir.  and  Jlrs.  Drew  have  two 
cliildren,  Fae  and  Dale.  -Politically  Jlr.  Drew 
is  a  republican;  fraternally  is  connected  with 
the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen;  and 
religiously  with  the  Presbyterian  church. 
This  is  indicative  of  his  interests  aside  from 
business,  and  the  principles  which  govern  his 
actions.  His  life  has  been  well  spent  and 
those  who  know  him  esteem  him  highly  for 
tlie  sterling  worth  of  his  character. 

WILLIAM  MASON  COLVIG  was  born  on 
the  2d  of  September.  1845,  in  Ray  county, 
Missouri.  He  came  to  Oregon  with  his  par- 
ents in  the  year  1851.  where  they  remained 
at  the  city  of  Portland  until  the  summer  of 
1852,  when  they  removed  to  southern  Ore- 
gon. Mr.  Colvig  was  raised  on  a  farm  in 
that  part  of  the  state,  where  he  remained 
until  the  5th  of  April,  1863,  when  he  enlisted 
as  a  soldier  in  Company  C,  First  Oregon 
Cavalry.  For  the  succeeding  three  years 
his  life  was  in  this  service,  on  the  plains 
of  eastern  Oregon,  and  in  Idaho.  Nevada 
and  Utah.  Upon  his  discharge  in  April, 
1866,  he  went  from  Portland  to  Nicaragua, 
and  after  remaining  there  a  few  weeks,  he 
went  to  the  city  of  New  York.  Spending 
a  year  in  Virginia  and  a  portion  of  a  year 
in  Ohio,  engaged  in  oil  mining,  he  went  to 
western  Missouri,  where  for  two  years  he  was 
engaged  as  foreman  of  a  large  hemp  planta- 
tion, owned  by  (iencral  .loseidi  Shelby,  of 
Confederate  fame.  In  1870  he  entered  a  small 
college  situated  in  Tremont.  Tazewell  county, 
Illinois:  after  spemling  eighteen  months  in 
tliis  seliool — and  all  his  money — he  then 
lauglit  school  eighteen  months  in  the  same 
town.  He  then  was  engaged  as  a  proof- 
rcailer  in  the  Lakeside  Publishing  Company 
of  Chicago.  Illinois,  and  during  this  employ- 
ment was  placed  in  charge  of  the  preparation 
of  a  history  of  the  state  of  Minnesota  and 
lived  for  nearly  a  year  in  the  city  of  St.  Paul. 
While  attending  school  and  teaching  in  Illi- 
nois he  had  pursued  the  study  of  law,  spend- 
ing some  months  in  the  oifice  of  Judge  .\.  W. 
Rodecker,  of  Pekin,  Illinois.  Returning  to 
southern  Oregon  in  the  fall  of  1875  he  lived 
at  the  home  of  his  parents  near  Rock  Point 
in  Jackson  county  for  about  one  year.  He 
ran  for  the  legislature  on  the  democratic 
ticket  in  the  year  1878  and  was  defeated 
by  a  majority  of  nine. 

In  1879  he  was  married  to  Addie  Birdseye, 
a  native  daughter  of  Jackson  county.  There 
were  seven  children  born  of  this  marriage, 
four  girls  and  three  boys,  of  whom  three 
girls    and    two    boys    are    still    living.      Ilis 


]0;i() 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


wife  died  iu  February,  1913.  For  many 
years  Mr.  Colvig  practiced  law  in  Jaclcson- 
ville,  Oregon,  and  later  in  the  city  of  Med- 
ford.  He  was  elected  school  superintendent 
of  Jackson  county.  Oregon,  for  two  terms, 
holding  that  office'  from  1882  until  1886,  at 
which  time  he  was  elected  district  attor- 
ney for  the  first  judicial  district  of  the 
state  of  Oregon,  which  during  his  term  of  of- 
fice embraced  Jackson,  Josephine,  Klamath 
and  Lake  counties.  He  held  this  office  for 
three  successive  terms.  He  now  lives  in  the 
city  of  Medford,  having  been  for  five  years 
past  president  of  the  Medford  Commercial 
Club  and  one  of  the  directors  of  the  Med- 
ford Xational   Bank. 

5Ir.  Colvig  cast  his  first  vote  for  president 
in  1868  in  the  state  of  Missouri.  He  voted 
the  democratic  ticket  on  national  issues  until 
the  election  of  President  McKinley,  having 
ran  for  elector  on  the  Cleveland  ticket.  He 
has  remained  a  consistent  republican  ever 
since    the   McKinley   campaign. 

JOHN  FITZPATRICK,  deceased,  was  one 
of  the  popular  and  successful  men  of  Oregon, 
who  for  many  years  was  identified  with  busi- 
ness and  financial  interests  of  this  state  and 
was  recognized  as  a  leader,  worthy  of  the 
highest  confidence  and  respect.  He  was  a 
native  of  Ireland,  born  at  Kilkenny  in  1824. 
At  tlie  age  of  sixteen  years  he  secured  em- 
ployment as  a  dry-goods  clerk  at  Waterford, 
where  he  continued  for  two  years,  at  the 
end  of  which  time  he  came  to  America  and 
for  about  four  years  was  engaged  in  fishing 
in  Nova  Scotia.  In  1846  he  enlisted  in  the 
United  States  navy  and  served  on  board 
the  frigate  Ohio  during  the  Mexican  war.  He 
gi'eatly  admired  the  institutions  of  the  Ameri- 
can republic  and  often  said  '"America  is  good 
enough  for  me  and  is  good  enough  for  any- 
body," this  sentiment  being  his  motto  for 
many  years.  After  receiving  his  honorable 
discharge  from  the  navy  he  joined  the  great 
army  of  gold  seekers  on  the  Pacific  coast 
and  witnessed  many  fluctuations  iu  his  quest 
of  the  yellow  metal.  He  was  per.sonally 
acquainted  witli  INlackay,  Flood.  O'Brien  and 
many  of  the  great  mining  leaders  of  those 
daj's.  and  as  he  was  a  man  of  ready  wit  and 
])ronoiuiced  social  instincts  he  was  a  prime 
favorite  wherever  he  appeared.  He  made  his 
home  in  San  Francisco  for  several  years  and 
there  served  as  justice  of  the  peace,  proving 
thoroughly  efficient  and  fearless  at  a  time 
when  the  office  called  for  a  man  of  unusual 
nerve  and  a  practical  knowledge  of  human 
nature.  In  1861  he  came  to  Oregon  and  a 
year  later  was  placed  in  charge  of  a  flatboat 
belonging  to  the  Oregon  Steam  Xavigation 
Company,  his  duties  being  to  receive  cattle 
and  other  live  stock  at  Sandy  and  deliver 
them  to  the  upper  country.  It  was  while 
engaged  in  this  business  that  he  was  given  the 
title  of  Captain,  by  which  he  was  known 
during  the  remainder  of  his  life.  In  1863  he 
went  to  Klickitat  and  engaged  in  hauling 
wood  to  Portland  but  the  year  following  was 
again  seized  by  the  gold  fever  and  went  over- 
land from  The  Dalles  to  Boise  basin.  After 
prospecting  and  mining  for  a  year  lie  returned 


to  Rainier,  Oregon,  where  he  engaged  in  fish- 
ing. ^^^len  the  river  rose  in  June,  he  went 
down  to  Hunt's  Mill  and  packed  salmon  for 
the  remainder  of  the  season.  In  1867  he 
built  a  packing  house  in  the  slough  just 
above  his  seining  ground,  about  twenty-five 
miles  up  the  river  from  Astoria,  and  devoted 
his  attention  systematically  to  catching  and 
delivering  salmon  to  the  market.  He  asso- 
ciated with  Messrs.  Bradley  and  Davis  in 
1875  in  the  organization  of  the  firm  of  Fitz- 
patrick,  Davis  &  Company  and  built  a  large 
cannery,  which  they  operated  with  marked 
success  for  three  years,  when  it  was  disposed 
of  to  Mr.  Laidlaw.  He  then  returned  to  his 
original  seining  ground  which  was  one  of  the 
best  on  the  river.  In  1S91  he  came  to  New- 
port and  bought  the  property,  where  his 
w'idow  now  makes  her  home,  embracing  one 
hundred  and  fift}--three  acres.  Soon  after 
coming  here,  he  erected  the  Monterey  Hotel, 
a  handsome  and  spacious  two-story  building, 
for  which  the  lumber  was  brought  from  Cor- 
vallis.  As  the  years  passed  he  acquired  a 
fortune  and  invested  extensively  in  real  es- 
tate at  Skamokawa.  Portland,  Albina  and 
Vaquina  Bay  and  became  known  as  one  of 
the  wealthy  men  of  the  state. 

In  1S67  Captain  Fitzpatrick  was  married 
to  iliss  Mary  Du  Cheney,  of  Oysterville, 
Washington,  who  was  born  at  Chinook,  Wash- 
ington. October  12.  1852.  a  daughter  of  Louis 
Rocque  and  Marie  (Rondeau)  Du  Che- 
ney, in  whose  family  were  six  children.  The 
maiden  name  of  the  mother  was  Marie  Ron- 
deau. She  was  born  at  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah, 
and  came  to  Fort  Vancouver  at  the  age  of 
six  years  and  was  made  a  member  of  the 
household  of  Sir  James  Douglas.  There  she 
met  her  future  husband  who  was  clerk  in  a 
store  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  and  they 
were  married  in  1844.  She  was  a  grand- 
daughter of  Chief  Concomley.  who  was  head 
of  all  the  tribes  on  the  Columbia  river  and  a 
brother  of  Chief  Skamokawa.  Chief  Concom- 
ley was  one  of  the  most  noted  Indians  of  the 
northwest  and  is  mentioned  in  highly  favor- 
able terms  in  the  writings  of  Washington  Irv- 
ing, ilrs.  ilarie  (Rondeau)  Du  Cheney  passed 
away  on  June  16,  1911.  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
three  years  in  Portland.  Nine  children  were 
born  to  Captain  and  ilrs.  Fitzpatrick.  name- 
ly: Nora,  who  married  George  Wood,  of 
Astoria:  AValter  Raleigh  and  John  Rocque. 
both  of  Avhom  are  residents  of  Altoona;  .Jef- 
ferson, who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-one 
years;  Mary  Ellen,  who  makes  her  home  in 
British  Columbia:  Katherine.  who  resides 
with  her  mother  at  Newport.  Oregon:  Agnes 
Alice,  now  :Mrs.  Charles  Eastland,  of  Gari- 
baldi: Sarah  Sophie,  also  of  !?^ewport;  and 
Rebecca  Regina. 

Captain  Fitzpatrick  died  May  0.  1S94,  at 
Portland,  as  the  result  of  a  relapse  follow- 
ing a  surgical  operation.  In  religious  belief 
he  adhered  to  the  Roman  Catholic  church  and 
politically  lie  was  identified  with  the  republi- 
can party  and  served  as  justice  of  the  peace 
at  Skamokawa.  He  was  a  man  of  remark- 
ably pleasing  personality — genial,  kind- 
hearted  and  generous,  even  to  a  fault.  He 
possessed  sound  business  judgment  and  dur- 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


1033 


ing  the  course  of  an  active  and  eventful 
career  made  several  fortunes.  In  all  relations 
of  life,  public  and  private,  he  showed  the 
highest  integrity  and  trustworthiness  and 
few  men  in  Oregon  could  claim  a  greater 
number  of  personal  friends.  He  was  a  de- 
scendant of  a  noble  Irish  famih-,  which  was 
represented  by  tlie  Earl  of  Ossory,  a  member 
of  the  Irish  parliament  in  ITflO,  who  gained 
great  credit  for  his  support  of  tlie  rights  of 
the   people. 

JOHN    LEWIS    KRONENBERG.     One    of 

the  greatest  individual  forces  in  the  com- 
mercial expansion  and  development  of  Coos 
county  is  Jolm  Lewis  Kronenberg,  a  native 
son.  His  administrative  ability  has  directed 
and  influenced  the  organization  and  estab- 
lishment of  important  industrial  and  busi- 
ness institutions  and  his  energies  have  con- 
trolled their  growth  and  progress.  For  well 
over  a  quarter  of  a  century  his  well  timed 
aggressiveness,  his  shrewd  |)olicy,  and  his 
business  instinct  have  been  directed  toward 
the  accomplishment  of  large  ambitions  and 
have  made  iiim  a  power  in  important  ailairs. 
He  was  born  in  Coos  county,  December  9, 
1861,  a  son  of  John  and  Catherine  (Beekler) 
ICi'onenberg,  the  former  a  native  of  Hanover, 
Germany,  and  the  latter  of  Baltimore.  Mary- 
land. Tlie  father  came  west  to  California 
around  Cape  Horn  in  1S49  and  the  mother 
came  to  the  same  section  a  few  years  later. 
■John  Kronenberg,  Sr..  mined  in  the  gold 
fields  of  Eldorado  county  for  ten  years  and 
gained  a  comfortable  fortune  as  a  reward  for 
his  labors.  With  this  money  as  a  working 
capital  he  came  north  to  Oregon,  settling  in 
Coos  county  in  1S50.  one  of  the  early  Oregon 
pioneers.  He  took  u])  a  homestead  claim  on 
Hall's  creek,  near  Argo,  and  upon  this  prop- 
erty lived  for  thirty  years.  He  cleared  the 
land,  built  a  home  and  rented  his  farm,  re- 
tiring to  Coquille  in  ISSO,  in  order  to  rest 
after  an  active,  eventful,  and  representative 
career.  He  died  in  that  city  in  June,  1909. 
He  was  the  father  of  five  children:  Emma, 
the  wife  of  Joseph  Blakely,  of  Lodi,  Cali- 
fornia; John  Lewis,  of  this  review;  Fred 
\V..  of  Denver.  Colorado;  Rachel,  the  wife  of 
A.  J.  Harsh,  of  Curry  county;  and  Ida  K., 
the  wife  of  Dr.  C.  W.  Owens,  of  St.  Louis, 
Missouri. 

John  L.  Kronenberg,  of  this  review,  re- 
ceived a  limited  education  in  the  district 
schools  of  Coos  county  and  remained  upon 
his  father's  farm  until  he  was  twenty-five 
years  of  age.  Leaving  home  he  went  to 
Farkersburg  where  he  became  foreman  of 
a  lumber  camp  and  acted  in  this  capacity 
for  twelve  years.  His  business  ability  gained 
him  rapid  advancement  and  he  eventually  as- 
sumed entire  management  of  the  mill  and 
has  never  severed  his  connection  with  it. 
After  the  death  of  the  owner  the  business 
was  incorporated  under  the  name  of  the  Co- 
quille Mill  &  Tug  Company  with  Mr.  Kronen- 
berg as  director  and  stockholder.  The  other 
men  interested  in  the  business  live  in  vari- 
ous parts  of  the  United  States  and  ^Ir.  Kro- 
nenberg as  the  only  local  stockholder  has  a 
po«ition     of     iinpnrt.Tnce    and    re<|ionsibility 


\i  Inch  he  fills  ably  and  efficiently.  Among 
liis  largest  business  interests  may  be  men- 
tioned the  Bank  of  Bandon,  of  which  he  is 
president  and  director  and  the  Coquille  Tow 
Boat  Company,  which  he  organized  an<l  in- 
corporated with  a  capital  stock  of  forty 
t!>ousand  dollars.  He  is  now  its  president 
and  manager  and  also  one  of  the  largest 
stockholders.  He  is  extensively  interested 
in  river  traffic  and  also  freight  trafllc  on  the 
I'acitic  ocean  between  ports  on  the  coast  and 
has  directed  his  activities  along  this  line 
for  many  years.  He  was  responsible  for  the 
building  of  the  ship  Oregon,  plying  along 
the  Pacific  coast  and  owns  a  large  amount 
vi  stock  in  tliis  vessel.  He  is  prominent  and 
well  known  in  the  logging  business  and  has 
extensive  interests  along  this  line,  being  at 
the  head  of  a  company  which  handles  twelve 
million  feet  of  lumber  every  year.  Among 
tlie  other  important  enterprises  with  which 
he  is  connecteil  may  be  mentioned  the  Ban- 
ilon  Hardware  Company,  which  he  orgaxiized 
and  the  Bandon  Dry  Goods  Company,  of 
which   he   is  president  and  a   stockholder. 

On  October  29,  1S87,  ilr.  Kronenberg  was 
nr.ited  in  marriage  to  Miss  Ottilie  K.  Par- 
ker, a  native  of  Xew  York  and  a  daughter 
of  Captain  Judah  Parker,  one  of  the  pioneer 
>iiip  captains  on  the  Pacific  coast  and  promi- 
nent in  the  Pacific  mail  service  for  a  number 
of  years.  He  died  May  20.  1909.  In  his  fam- 
ily were  four  children:  Georgia  A.,  the  wife 
of  William  Foley,  a  druggist,  of  Ashland; 
W.  C,  of  Prosper;  Allen,  who  has  passed 
away;  and  Ottilie.  the  wife  of  our  subject. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kronenberg  have  three  sons: 
•Tohn,  born  in  November,  1897.  who  is  a 
pupil  in  the  high  school  and  is  of  a  mechan- 
ical turn  of  mind;  George,  whose  birth  oc- 
curred April  15.  1904.  and  who  is  attending 
school;  and  Harry  Parker,  who  passed  away 
at  the  age  of  twentv  vears,  on  the  21st 
of  June.  1908. 

!Mr.  Kronenberg  gives  his  allegiance  to  the 
d(  inocratic  ]iarty  but  his  absorbing  busi- 
ness interests  prevent  his  taking  an  active 
part  in  political  life.  Preeminently  a  man 
of  large  affairs  he  has  made  his  career  a 
great  force  in  industrial  development  of  his 
native  section.  He  jiossesses  the  power  of 
making  his  varied  interests  separately  ef- 
fective and  has  the  kceji  discernment,  cour- 
age, and  initiative  which  make  the  true 
type  of  modern  business  man.  His  ability 
has  commanded  many  opportunities  which 
his  public  spirit  has  made  factors  in  the 
general   welfare. 

AHAZ  WASHINGTON  BRYAN  is  a  very 
busy  and  industrious  man.  owning  five  linn- 
dred  and  sixty  acres  on  Clover  flat,  in  Lake 
county,  for  he  not  only  carries  on  general 
agricultural  pursuits  but  also  conducts  a 
blacksmith  Shop.  He  was  born  in  Mercer 
county.  Missouri.  December  16.  1858,  his 
parents  being  Daniel  Boone  and  Jlary  Jane 
(Fiirleyl  Bryan.  The  father  was  born  in 
Tennessee.  April  10.  1828.  and  the  mother 
in  Ohio..  March  1.  1839.  They  became  resi- 
dents of  Missouri  at  the  age  of  twenty-two 
and  ten  years  respectively  and  were  married 


1034 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


in  Mercer  countj-,  that  state,  there  residing 
until  the  spring  of  186-1.  when  thej-  followed 
the  many  bauds  that  had  already  crossed  the 
plains  to  the  northwest.  With  ox  teams  they 
started  on  the  journey  and  after  six  months' 
travel  reached  Vanihill  county,  Oregon,  where 
Mr.  Bryan  secured  a  homestead  claim,  upon 
which  he  lived  during  the  greater  part  of  the 
time  until  1880.  when  he  came  to  Lake 
county.  He  died  at  the  home  of  his  son, 
A.  W.  Bryan,  July  6,  1911,  while  the  mother 
resides  on  a  ranch  two  miles  south  of  her 
son's  ranch  on  Clover  flat.  He  followed 
farming  in  early  life  but  in  1S61  became  a 
member  of  the  State  Militia  of  Missouri, 
with  which  he  served  for  one  year,  when  he 
was  disabled  and  discharged.  After  coming 
to  the  northwest  he  resumed  agricultural 
pursuits  and  also  carried  on  stock-raising 
to  some  extent.  His  religious  faith  was  that 
of  the  Christian  church.  In  the  family  were 
five  children:  Ahaz  W.,  Amanda  Ellen,  the 
wife  of  C.  F.  Strohm,  of  Yamhill  county; 
David  Morgan,  who  is  with  his  mother; 
Lucy  .Jane,  the  wife  of  H.  E.  Reed,  of  Rose- 
burg,  Oregon;  and  Mary  Helen,  the  wife  of 
George   Sherman  of  Lake   county. 

Ahaz  Washington  Bryan  was  a  lad  of 
six  years  when  he  crossed  the  plains  with 
his  parents  and  he  remembers  many  inci- 
dents of  the  journej-  over  the  long  stretches 
of  sand  and  across  the  mountains.  He 
came  with  his  parents  on  their  removal 
from  Yamhill  to  Lake  county  and  secured 
a  homestead  two  miles  south  of  liis  present 
place  in  1887.  This  he  improved  and  he  re- 
sided thereon  until  1902.  It  comprised  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres,  which  he  still  owns. 
He  next  bought  his  present  place,  a  ranch  of 
five  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  upon  which  he 
has  made  many  modern  improvements,  hav- 
ing here  a  good  residence  and  substantial 
outbuildings.  He  also  built  a  blacksmith 
shop  and  does  work  of  that  character  not 
only  for  himself  but  also  for  his  neighbors. 
His  ranch  is  situated  twenty-three  miles 
from  Lake  View  and  nineteen  miles  from 
Paisley  on  the  main  road  and  was  the  sta- 
tion until  two  years  ago.  during  which 
period  he  had  accommodated  many  travel- 
ers with  entertainment,  for  there  was  no 
regular  hotel  or  stopping  place  for  a  distance 
of  seventeen  and  a  half  miles  on  the  south 
■with  no  place  to  the  north.  Mr.  Bryan  had 
the  sub-contract  for  carrying  the  mail  from 
Lake  View  to  Paisley  from  1898  until  1903 
and  then  secured  the  contract  direct  from  the 
government  for  a  period  of  eight  years, 
thus  carrying  the  malt  for  twelve  years 
over  a  route  of  forty-five  miles  in  length. 
In  1910  he  purchased  a  small  sawmill  which 
he  put  up  and  operated  until  it  was  destroved 
by  fire  in  the  fall  of  1911. 

'On  the  24th  of  June,  1892,  Mr.  Bryan  was 
married  to  Miss  Jennie  M.  Moss,  who  was 
born  in  Modoc  county.  California.  .June  7. 
1872,  and  has  resided  in  Lake  county  since 
six  months  old.  She  is  a  daughter  of  the 
Hon.  S.  P.  and  Susie  (Casteel)  ;Moss.  of 
Lake  View.  The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Bryan  are  Bessie  Eleanor,  Tressie  Hazel, 
Annie   Laurie   and   Vaneta    Fav.     ^Nlr.   Prvan 


is  a  member  of  two  difierent  fraternal  or- 
ganizations, the  Woodmen  of  the  World  and 
the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen,  and 
he  gives  his  political  allegiance  to  the  repub- 
lican party,  which  he  has  always  supported 
since  age  conferred  upon  him  the  right  of 
franchise.  He  has  never  been  afraid  of  la- 
bor— earnest,  persistent  labor^ — and  in  this 
is  found  the  secret  of  his  progress  and  liis 
success. 

ALFRED  S.  MILLER,  whose  property 
holdings  embrace  nine  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  in  the  vicinity  of  Gold  Beach,  Currj- 
county,  was  born  in  Marion  county,  Oregon, 
January  13.  1862.  a  son  of  William  0.  and 
Permelia  (Turner)  Miller  the  former  a  na- 
tive of  •Ohio  and  the  latter  of  Missouri. 
The  year  1847  witnessed  the  arrival  of  the 
father  in  the  Sunset  state  and  five  years 
later  Permelia  Turner  also  came  to  Oregon. 
settling  in  Oregon  City.  They  afterward 
lived  in  Marion  county  being  for  several 
years  honored  and  worthy  pioneer  residents 
and  valued  citizens  of  that  district,  whence 
they  removed  to  Currv  countv  in  1868. 
There  the  father  died  "in  1892!  while  the 
mother  passed  away  in  1896.  In  their  family 
were  six  children,  of  whom  four  are  yet  liv- 
ing: Alfred  S. ;  John  R.,  a  merchant  of 
Port  Orford:  Eva.  who  is  at  Roseburg.  Ore- 
gon: and  Elva,  the  wife  of  R.  H.  C.  Wood, 
of  Roseburg. 

Alfred  S.  Miller  was  a  lad  of  about  seven 
years  when  the  family  home  was  established 
in  Curry  county,  the  father  securing  a  tract 
of  government  land,  upon  which  the  subject 
of  this  review  was  reared.  He  started  out 
to  provide  for  his  own  support  when  a  young 
man  of  twenty-two  years,  securing  a  pre- 
emption claim  and  engaging  in  stock-raising. 
He  ran  his  cattle  on  the  open  range  previous 
to  this  time  and  later  herded  his  cattle  on 
his  range,  but  after  several  years  sold  his 
first  place.  He  then  purchased  the  old  family 
homestead  of  seven  hundred  and  sixty  acres, 
together  with  two  hundred  acres  adjoining, 
all  pastvirc  and  dairy  land,  and  his  wife  owns 
three  hundred  acres  adjoining  Gold  Beach. 
Mr.  !MilIer  is  now  engaged  in  dairying  and 
stock-raising,  and  careful  management  and 
intelligently  directed  efi'ort  have  brought  liim 
a  gratifying  measure  of  .success.  He  keeps 
high  grades  of  stock  and  his  dairy  products, 
because  of  their  excellence,  find  a  ready  sale 
on   the   market. 

In  1886  occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr.  !Miller 
and  Miss  Kliza  Cunnift'.  a  native  of  Gold 
Beach  and  a  daughter  of  Dennis  and  Mar- 
garet (McC'allVryl  CunnilV.  in  whose  family 
were  throe  children:  Dennis,  living  at  Gold 
Beach;  Margaret,  the  wife  of  John  M.  Howell, 
of  Clieteo.  Oregon:  and  Mrs.  Miller,  who  by 
her  marriage  has  become  the  mother  of  eight 
children.  Tlic^e  are:  Pearl  the  wife  of  Wal- 
ter Custer,  of  Albany.  Oregon:  Sylvia,  who 
is  the  wife  of  Charles  Doyle,  of  W'edderbum, 
and  has  one  child  Blanche:  Ethel,  the  wife 
of  Edward  Huitt.  of  Wedderburn.  and  the 
mother  of  two  children,  Irene  and  Stephen; 
Georgia,  who  is  attending  school;  and  Carl, 
Gladys.   Howard   and   Robert,   also   in   school. 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


1035 


Politically  ilr.  Miller  is  miiiibered  with 
the  progressives  and  keeps  well  informed  on 
the  questions  and  issues  of  the  day.  He 
believes  that  government  affairs  should  be 
administered  for  the  benefit  of  the  majority 
rather  than  of  the  few  and  gives  his  aid 
and  cooperation  to  all  movements  that  he 
believes  will  bring  about  needed  reform  and 
improvement.  He  has  never  held  othce  save 
that  of  stock  inspector  which  position  he 
filled  by  appointment  for  two  years.  He 
holds  membership  with  the  AVoodmen  of  the 
\\'orld  and  the  Fraternal  Order  of  Eagles. 
His  home  is  situated  four  miles  up  the  river 
from  Gold  Beach,  on  the  north  side  of  the 
stream,  near  the  Bagnell  ferry.  He  is  now 
pleasantly  situated  and  is  enjoying  the  fruits 
of  his  toil,  for  he  is  now  well  established  in 
business  and  has  promoted  his  interests 
to  such  a  point  that  they  are  proving  profit- 
able. 

REUBEN  HENRY  WHITE  was  a  lifelong 
resident  of  Klamath  county  save  for  a  few 
months  spent  in  Siskiyou  county,  California. 
He  was  born  in  Klamath  Falls.  February 
26,  1871,  and  passed  away  at  Yuma,  Ari- 
zona on  the  loth  of  February,  1913,  when 
almost  forty-one  years  of  age.  His  parents 
were  Henry  and  Katharine  ^Allite.  The 
father  was  a  native  of  Missouri  and  mar- 
ried a  full-blooded  Klamath  Indian.  He 
became  closely  identified  with  the  interests 
of  the  northwest  and  was  accidentally  killed 
at  Klamath  Falls.  In  the  family  were  two 
children:  Rosa  Bell,  the  wife  of  William 
Skeen,  who  resides  on  Klamath  marsh:  and 
Reuben  Henry.  After  lo.sing  her  first  hus- 
band the  mother  became  the  wife  of  Wesley 
Cole,  who  is  now  in  the  Soldiers'  Home, 
while  ^Irs.  Cole  resides  at  Fort  Klamath. 
There  were  two  children  of  that  marriage: 
John  Cole,  who  is  with  his  mother;  and  Mag- 
gie, the  wife  of  Harry  Pearson,  of  Keno. 
Klamath  county. 

Reuben  Henry  White  was  reared  in  Kla- 
math county  and  after  arriving  at  years  of 
maturity  was  married,  in  1890,  to  Miss  Mar- 
garet Moody,  who  was  born  in  Siskiyou 
county.  California,  October  1,  1865.  and  is  a 
daughter  of  William  and  Nellie  (Gwin) 
Moody.  Jlr.  Moody  was  a  white  man  while 
his  wife  was  a  full-blooded  Indian.  He  died 
in  Keno.  August  8.  1890,  while  Mrs.  Moody 
now  makes  her  home  in  Klamath  Falls.  In 
the  family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  White  were  four 
children,  Ethel.  Eva,  Ruby  and  Beulah.  The 
oldest  is  the  wife  of  .John  Copeland,  of  Fort 
Klamath  and  they  have  two  children,  John 
and  .Jesse.  Mr.  White  was  in  Arizona  for 
his  health  when  death  claimed  him.  Mrs. 
White  accpiired  her  education  in  .hicksonville. 
Oregon.  She  was  reared  In  Siskiyou  and 
Jackson  counties  and  never  resided  on  the 
reservation  until  slie  was  married.  Jlr.  WTiite 
devoted  )iis  entire  life  to  stock-raising  and 
had  charge  of  eight  claims  on  the  Klamath 
reservation — Iiis  own.  liis  motlier"s.  his  wife's 
and  those  belonging  to  his  children.  Jfrs. 
White  still  has  charge  of  these  eight  claims. 
each  one  of  which  comprises  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  land  and  is  valued  at  twenty- 


five  thovisand  dollars.  In  their  management 
Mrs.  White  displays  excellent  business  abil- 
ity and  keen  discrimination  and  lier  enter- 
prise and  |irogressive  methods  are  winning 
for    her   and   her    family  substantial   success. 

GEORGE  W.  SMITH.  Strong  proof  of  the 
popularity  and  ability  of  George  W.  Smith 
is  manifest  in  the  fact  that  since  July, 
1902,  he  has  been  continuously  elected  to 
the  otlice  of  county  clerk  of  ("urry  county, 
in  which  position  he  is  still  serving.  In  late 
j'ears  he  has  not  sought  reelection  to  that 
position  but  it  has  come  to  him  unsolicited, 
siiowing  that  his  fellow  townsmen  regard 
him  as  splendidly  qualified  for  the  duties 
of  the  oflice.  He  was  born  in  Jackson  county. 
West  Virginia,  and  is  one  of  thirteen  chil- 
dren of  David  and  Sarah  E.  (Chapman) 
Smith,  natives  of  Pennsylvania  and  Vir- 
ginia respectively.  Eight  of  the  family  are 
still  living:  George  W.;  Emma,  the  wife 
of  C.  S.  Hulin,  of  Newburg,  Oregon;  Lottie, 
the  wife  of  William  Kennedy,  of  Montana; 
Mary,  the  wife  of  John  Barr,  of  Cottage 
Grove,  Oregon;  Walter,  of  Agnes,  Oregon; 
Susie  the  wife  of  Moses  Gumm,  of  Irving, 
this  state;  Mabel,  the  wife  of  William  Barr, 
of  Springfield,  Oregon;  and  Ada,  the  wife 
of  Dr.  Randolph  Barr,  also  of  Springfield. 

During  the  early  boyhood  of  George  W. 
Smith  liis  parents  removed  from  West  Vir- 
ginia to  Minnesota,  where  he  was  reared  upon 
the  home  farm,  early  becoming  familiar  with 
the  duties  and  labors  incident  to  plowing, 
planting  and  harvesting.  On  attaining  his 
majority  he  engaged  in  teaching  school, 
which  profession  he  followed  for  ten  years. 
Having  come  to  Oregon  in  1889  he  settled 
in  Lane  county,  where  his  parents  had  pre- 
viously located.  For  three  years  he  engaged 
in  teaching  scliool  at  Acme,  and  then  came 
to  Coos  county,  living  at  Porter,  near  Marsh- 
field,  for  a  year.  He  next  removed  to  Curry 
county  and  for  seven  years  followed  the  pro- 
fession of  teaching  at  Langlois.  Turning  his 
attention  to  commercial  pursiiits  he  was  em- 
ployed in  a  store  there  for  three  years  and 
in  July,  1902.  was  called  to  public  office 
when  elected  to  the  position  of  county  clerk. 
He  has  been  eh^cted  at  each  successive  term 
since,  but  in  1912  refused  to  accept  the 
nomination  in  order  that  he  might  become 
the  noniinee  for  the  ollice  of  school  su- 
perintendent. His  name  was  not  even  ])laced 
on  the  ballot  and  yet  he  was  elected. 
Wli;it  higher  testimonial  of  public  confidence 
could  be  given — for  public  confidence  is  al- 
ways the  recognition  of  fidelity  and  capa- 
bility on  the  part  of  the  individual.  He  has 
ever  remained  an  interested  friend  of  the 
cause  of  education  and  was  chairman  of  the 
board  of  school  directors  at  the  time  the 
new  schoolhouse  at  Gold  Beach  was  begun. 
In  ))olitics  he  is  a  republican  and  is  one 
of  the  recognized  leaders  of  the  party  al- 
tliough  not  a  politician  in  the  usually  ac- 
cepted sense  of  the  term.  In  addition  to 
his  professional  and  i)olitical  services  he  has 
become  known  in  Curry  county  as  the  owner 
of  a  sawmill  at  Agnes  and  of  considerable 
timber   land. 


1036 


THE  CENTENXIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


On  tlie  5th  of  April,  1899,  Mr.  Smith  ivas 
united  in  marriage  to  iliss  Marian  B.  Kus- 
sell,  a  daughter  of  J.  P.  and  Nancy  (Looney) 
Eussell,  both  of  wliom  were  natives  of  Ten- 
nessee, ilrs.  Smith,  who  was  horn  in  Curry 
county,  is  one  of  thirteen  children,  twelve 
of  whom  yet  live.  By  her  marriage  she  has 
become  the  mother  of  three  sons  and  a  daugh- 
ter: Marshall,  born  October  20.  1901:  Homer, 
January  15,  1903;  Harold,  May  22,  1904; 
and  ISancy.  November  2G,  1907.  The  fam- 
ily residence  is  a  pleasant  home  in  Gold 
Beach  whicli  Mr.  Smith  owns.  He  holds 
membership  in  the  "Woodmen  of  the  World 
and  is  a  popular  citizen  in  fraternal,  politi- 
cal and  professional  circles,  possessing  genial 
qualities  and  sterling  worth,  which  have 
gained   him   high  regard. 

F.  J.  BOLTER,  who  was  the  owner  of  valu- 
able land  in  Marion  county.  Oregon,  was  born 
in  Xorthhampton.  Massachusetts,  in  1S52,  his 
parents  being  G.  T.  and  Julia  (Mayer)  Bolter, 
the  former  a  native  of  Canada  and  the  latter 
of  Massachusetts.  After  their  marriage  in 
the  Old  Bay  state  the  parents  took  up  their 
residence  there  until  1854.  the  year  in  which 
they  came  west  and  located  in  .Jackson  coun- 
ty. Oregon,  making  the  trip  to  San  Francisco 
by  way  of  the  isthmus.  From  that  city  they 
set  out  for  Crescent  City  and  subsequently 
crossed  the  moimtains  to  the  Illinois  River 
mining  country,  where  the  father  mined  for 
gold  and  also  operated  a  sawmill.  He  en- 
gaged in  these  occupations  for  two  years 
before  removing  with  his  family  to  Salem. 
He  made  that  city  his  home  until  1863,  when 
he  removed  to  Portland,  where  he  resided 
until  1874.  In  the  latter  city  he  engaged 
in  the  broom  and  brush  business,  a  trade 
which  he  had  learned  in  his  youth.  This  was 
most  successful  but  he  soon  removed  to 
Monmouth,  where  he  operated  a  store  for  a 
few  years  before  trading  it  in  part  payment 
for  a  farm  in  Polk  county,  which  he  cultivated 
for  seven  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he 
removed  to  Los  Angeles,  California,  and  is 
still  residing  there  with  his  son.  at  the  age 
of  eighty-four  years,  while  the  mother  is 
eighty  years  of  age.  They  became  the  par- 
ents of  seven  children,  five  of  whom  survive, 
as  follows:  Mrs.  McQuerry.  who  is  residing 
in  Portland:  E.  C.  and  Mrs.  Stewart,  both 
of  whom  are  residents  of  Los  Angeles.  Cali- 
fornia; W.  E.:  and  Mrs.  Webb,  of  northwest- 
ern Oregon. 

F.  .J.  Bolter  started  out  upon  his  independ- 
ent career  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years.  For 
five  years  he  accepted  employment  at  various 
occupations  but  at  the  end  of  that  time  he 
started  farming  on  the  property  of  two  hun- 
dred and  forty  acres  which  he  still  owned  at 
the  time  of  his  demise.  Realizing  that  this 
is  an  age  of  specialization,  lie  departed  some- 
what from  the  lines  of  general  farming  and 
specialized  in  hop  raising,  becoming  one  of  the 
most  extensive  hop  growers  in  his  neighbor- 
hood. Throughout  the  active  years  of  his 
life  he  exercised  every  means  at  his  com- 
mand to  meet  with  success  in  his  chosen  oc- 
cupation. Industry,  energy  and  careful  study 
were  among  his  most  valuable  assistants  and 


are  responsible  for  much  of  the  success  with 
which  he  met.  He  passed  away  on  the 
14th  of  February,  1912,  leaving  the  impress 
and  influence  of  a  well  spent  and  helpful  life. 
In  1874  Mr.  Bolter  was  married  to  Miss 
Philomenia  Moisan,  who  was  born  in  Marion 
county  and  was  a  daughter  of  Thomas  and 
Harriet  Moisan.  the  father  a  native  of  Can- 
ada and  the  mother  of  Vancouver,  Washing- 
ton. The  latter  came  to  Oregon  with  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company  in  pioneer  times  and 
the  father  arrived  in  1840.  They  were  mar- 
ried in  this  state  and  have  always  resided  in 
Marion  county.  The  father  passed  away  in 
18SS  but  the  mother  is  still  living  at  the  age 
of  eighty-seven  years.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bol- 
ter nine  children  were  born:  Frank  H..  who 
was  accidently  killed  at  the  age  of  thirty- 
two  years  while  employed  as  a  locomotive 
engineer;  George  H..  who  is  a  locomotive 
engineer  residing  in  Roseburg;  Mrs.  Emily  M. 
Decker,  of  Santa  Paula,  California,  who  never 
made  use  of  the  education  she  received  for 
teaching  but  engaged  in  the  merchandising 
business;  A.  M.,  who  was  formerly  a  railroad 
engineer  but  is  now  living  in  Marion  county: 
R.  J.,  who  was  employed  by  a  railroad  in 
"\"ancouver  but  is  now  managing  the  home 
farm:  Ernest  B.,  a  railroad  brakeman;  and 
two  daughters  and  one  son  who  passed  away 
in  infancy. 

In  politics  Mr.  Bolter  gave  his  support  to 
the  republican  party  and,  although  he  took 
an  active  interest  in  the  issues  of  the  day  and 
was  enthusiastic  in  his  support  of  the  party, 
he  never  sought  office.  In  the  localities  in 
which  he  was  a  property  holder  he  was  looked 
upon  as  a  man  of  stability  and  integrity  and 
because  of  his  close  attention  to  the  details 
of  citizenship  was  highly  respected  and  es- 
teemed. 

GEORGE  FARRIER  has.  since  he  was  six- 
teen years  of  age.  been  identified  with  farm- 
ing, first  in  California  and  later  in  Oregon. 
For  twenty-six  years  he  has  been  recognized 
as  one  of  the  leading  agriculturists  of  Curry 
county  and  an  important  force  in  the  de- 
velopment of  the  section.  He  owns  a  one 
hundred  and  sixty-eight  acre  farm  three 
miles  south  of  Langlois  which  he  operates 
along  the  most  modern  and  progressive  lines. 
He  was  born  in  Arkansas,  in  1842,  and  when 
he  was  ten  years  of  age  crossed  the  plains 
to  California  with  his  father,  his  mother 
having  died  in  Arkansas,  when  he  was  five 
years  of  ase.  Arriving  in  California  the 
father  settled  in  Mud  Springs  and  there 
mined  for  two  years  subsequently  going  to 
Humboldt  county  in  1864.  There  he  took  up 
a  land  claim  and  operated  this  property  until 
his  death  in  1874.  He  and  his  wife  had  four 
children:  Sarah,  the  wife  of  George  Singley. 
of  California:  Anna,  who  married  Thomas 
Cook,  also  of  California:  George,  of  this  re- 
view:  and  William,  a  resident  of  ilexico. 

George  Farrier  received  his  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  Arkansas  and  Califor- 
nia and  when  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age 
started  his  independent  career.  Since  that 
time  he  has  devoted  his  attention  to  farm- 
ing and  has  gained  a   success  in  tliis  line  of 


TPIE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OP  OREGON 


1041 


occupation  wliich  is  the  direct  result  of  con- 
centrated otlort  and  early  experience.  In 
1S86  he  came  to  Curry  county  and  bought 
one  hundred  and  sixt}'  acres  whicli  he  cleared, 
cultivated  and  improved.  He  has  since  added 
eight  acres  to  his  holdings  and  upon  his  farm 
carries  on  a  successful  dairy  business,  his 
able  management  of  the  enterprise,  placing 
him  among  the  most  successful  and  repre- 
sentative  men  of  his  section. 

jNlr.  Farrier  has  been  twice  married.  In 
1S66  he  wedded  Miss  Xancy  Counts,  a  native 
of  California,  and  they  became  the  parents 
of  twelve  children:  William,  deceased; 
Louis,  of  Denmark,  who  is  married  and  has 
four  children;  Evie,  who  has  passed  away; 
Charles,  who  is  married  and  has  one  child, 
and  who  resides  Avith  the  subject  of  this 
review;  Andrew,  of  Denmark,  who  is  married 
and  has  two  children;  Walter,  who  resides 
in  Bandon,  and  is  married  and  has  two  chil- 
dren; Daisie.  the  wife  of  Andrew  Phinegar, 
of  Bandon.  by  whom  she  has  four  children; 
A.  J.,  a  rancher  of  Curry  county,  who  is 
married  and  has  three  children;  and  Geor- 
gia, Minnie,  Rosie ,  and  Robert,  all  of 
whom  have  passed  away.  Mr.  Farrier's 
first  wife  died  in  March,  1886,  and  some 
time  afterward  he  was  again  married,  his 
second  union  being  with  ilrs.  ilary  ,T.  Wood- 
ruff, who  had  the  following  children  by  her 
first  marriage:  Calvin.,  who  lesides  in  Gold 
Beach,  California,  and  is  married  and  has 
three  children:  Xora.  deceased;  Chancey,  of 
Langlois,  who  is  married  and  has  four  chil- 
dren; Carrie,  the  wife  of  Charles  Finley,  of 
California,  by  whom  she  has  three  children; 
and  Carnie,  who  resides  in  Langlois. 

Mr.  Farrier  is  prominent  in  the  Masonic 
order.  He  gives  his  allegiance  to  the  demo- 
cratic party  and  is  one  of  the  public-spirited 
men  in  this  part  of  the  state.  For  over  half 
a  century  he  has  been  a  resident  of  Oregon 
and  has  a  personal  interest  in  its  develop- 
ment. As  road  superintendent  he  did  able 
work  for  three  years,  and  his  knowledge 
and  abiUty  have  been  factors  in  securing 
modern  thoroughfares  in  Curry  county.  His 
work  along  this  line  like  all  his  other  activi- 
ties was  well  directed  and  is  an  example  of 
the  quality  of  his  interests  and  his  ability 
tc   make   them    effective. 

M.  C.  FINDLEY,  M.  D.,  engaged  in  the  prac- 
tice of  medicine  and  surgery  at  Grants 
Pass,  since  October,  1901,  being  the  second 
oldest  physician  in  years  of  continuous  prac- 
tice here,  specializes  largely  in  the  treat- 
ment of  diseases  of  the  eye,  ear,  nose  and 
throat,  for  which  he  particularly  qualified 
in  post-graduate  study.  He  was  born  near 
Lyndon.  Osage  county,  Kansas.  August  19, 
1872.  and  is  a  son  of  David  and  Mary  Ann 
(McFeaters)  Findley,  both  of  whom  were  na- 
tives of  Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania,  born 
near  Pittsburg.  In  that  locality  they  were 
reared  and  married  and  in  1871  removed  to 
Kansas,  where  the  father  liomesteaded  a  tract 
of  land.  He  has  made  farming  his  life  work 
and  now  resides  at  Hill  City.  Kansas,  where 
his  wife  passed  away  when  their  son  Dr. 
Findlev  was  but  fourteen  vcare  of  age.     He 


was  the  youngest  son  in  a  family  of  eleven 
children  and  the  ninth  in  order  of  birth. 
His  brother  John  F.  is  conducting  business 
under  the  name  of  the  Eureka  Drug  Company 
at  Bartlesville.  Oklahoma,  and  is  a  graduate 
pharmacist.  Another  brother.  Dr.  Luther 
Findley,  is  a  physician  practicing  at  Hill 
City,  Kansas,  and  a  sister.  Mrs.  Nettie  (Find- 
ley) Bell,  is  a  graduate  pharmacist,  now  lo- 
cated at   Bartlesville,   Oklahoma. 

Dr.  Findley.  whose  name  introduces  this 
record,  supplemented  his  eai'ly  education  by 
three  years'  study  in  the  state  college  at 
ilanliattan.  Kansas,  and  afterward  entered 
the  University  Medical  College  at  Kansas 
City,  Missouri,  from  wliich  he  was  graduated 
with  the  it.  D.  degree  in  1896.  He  then 
opened  an  office  in  Baldwin.  Kansas,  where 
he  remained  for  four  and  a  half  years.  He 
next  spent  a  year  in  the  Chicago  Polyclinic, 
making  special  study  of  the  diseases  of  the 
eye,  ear,  nose  and  throat.  In  the  same  per- 
iod he  studied  psychology  and  did  other 
special  work  at  Xorthwestern  University, 
thus  broadening  his  genera!  knowledge  at 
the  same  time  he  was  promoting  his  profes- 
sional skill  and  efficiency.  In  October,  1901, 
he  came  to  Grants  Pass,  opened  an  office 
here  and  is  now  the  second  oldest  physician 
of  the  city.  While  he  engages  to  some  extent 
in  general  practice  he  concentrates  his  atten- 
tion most  largely  upon  the  treatment  of 
diseases  of  the  eye,  ear,  nose  and  throat.  In 
1904  lie  pursued  a  course  in  that  department 
of  the  New  York  Post  Graduate  Medical 
College  of  Xew  York  city,  and  in  1905  he 
further  continued  his  studies  along  this  line 
in  the  Xew  York  Eye  &  Ear  Infirmary.  He 
likewise  pursued  a  clinical  course  under  Pro- 
fessor Herman  Knapp  and  thus  broad  study 
and  research  have  given  him  superior  skill 
and  ability  along  that  line.  In  1899  he  was 
a  student  in  !Morlield's  Ophthalmological  In- 
stitute and  also  in  Gray's  Inn  and  the  Ear, 
Xose  &  Throat  College,  each  of  those  insti- 
tutions being  in  London.  England.  In  the 
latter  part  of  the  same  summer  he  took 
a  course  in  the  eye.  ear  and  throat  depart- 
ment of  the  .\merican  iledical  Association 
at  X'ienna.  For  eleven  years  he  has  prac- 
ticed continuously  in  Grants  Pass  save  for 
the  periods  spent  in  st\uiy  in  this  country 
and  abroad.  In  aihlition  to  his  professional 
duties  he  is  identified  with  banking  and  real- 
estate  interests  here,  and  occupies  a  promi- 
nent and  honored  position  in  business  as 
Avell   as   professional   circles. 

On  the  10th  of  May.  1899.  Dr.  Findley  was 
married  to  Miss  Anna  M;iy  Hair,  who  was 
born  in  Xebraska  City,  Nebraska,  lanuary 
(>-  1871,  a  daughter  of  IC,  F.  Hair.  Jlr.s. 
Findley  won  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts 
;it  Baker  University  in  Baldwin  Kansas,  in 
1894.  and  the  Master  of  Arts  degree  was  con- 
ferred upon  her  in  1896.  She  taught  in  her 
alma  mater  for  one  year  and  then  accepted 
a  position  in  the  high  school  at  Kansas 
City.  Kansas,  becoming  head  of  the  Latin 
department,  in  which  connection  she  continued 
until  the  time  of  her  marriage.  She  is  a 
member  of  the  Tri  Delta,  a  college  sorority. 
Dr.    and    Mrs.   Findlev    have    seven    children: 


104: 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


Mary,  Bayard,  Genevieve,  Dwight,  Louise, 
Pauline  and  Edith.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Findley 
hold  membership  in  the  Jlethodist  Episco- 
pal church,  which  he  joined  after  his  mar- 
riage, having  previously  been  connected  witli 
the  Presbyterian  church.  His  associations 
along  ])rot'essional  lines  keep  him  in  touch 
with  the  advanced  work  of  the  medical  fra- 
ternity. He  is  a  member  of  the  American 
Medical  Association  of  the  United  States  and 
a  life  member  of  the  American  Medical  As- 
sociation of  Vienna.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Ninth  International  Ophthalmological 
Congress,  belongs  to  the  Northwestern  Surgi- 
cal Association,  the  Oregon  State  Medical 
Association  and  the  Southern  Oregon  iledical 
Society.  He  has  a  wide  acquaintance  among 
physicians  and  surgeons  in  Oregon  and  his 
close  conformity  to  a  high  standard  of  pro- 
fessional ethics  has  brought  him  the  admira- 
tion and  high  regard  of  all.  He  follows  the 
most  advanced  standards  and  ideals,  recog- 
nizing the  grave  responsibilities  of  the  pro- 
fession and  his  labors  have  been  attended 
with  success  that  could  only  have  been  won 
through  conscientious  effort  based  upon 
broad,  comprehensive  and  accurate  knowl- 
edge. 

JOHN  EMBUM.  From  the  rich  farming 
district  of  Oregon  there  have  come  many 
men  who  have  won  success  in  agricultural 
lines  and  who  are  now  living  retired,  enjoy- 
ing the  fruits  of  their  labor.  To  this  class 
belongs  John  Embum.  of  Dallas.  Oregon,  who 
is  yet  in  the  prime  of  life  and  to  whom  his 
well  directed  energy  of  former  years  has 
brought  a  competence,  which  supplies  him 
with  all  the  necessities  and  many  of  the 
comforts  of  life  without  recourse  to  other 
labor.  He  was  born  in  Sweden,  on  the  12th 
of  April.  18.55.  a  son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Larse 
Oleff.  The  father  was  a  carpenter  in  Sweden 
and  worked  at  his  trade  in  that  country  for 
many  years  before  coming  to  the  United 
States  in  1863.  He  located  first  in  Calumet. 
Michigan,  wdiere  he  worked  in  the  copper 
mines  and  in  the  timber  tracts.  He  resided 
there  for  fifteen  years  before  coming  to 
Oregon  in  1878.  Here  he  located  in  Astoria, 
and  the  next  year  his  family  also  came  to 
that  town.  He  again  followed  his  trade 
and  accepted  employment  in  various  parts 
of  Oregon  until  the  time  of  his  death  which 
occurred  in  Seattle,  in  190S.  when  he  was 
sevent}"-eight  years  of  age.  His  wife  had 
previously  passed  away  in  Astoria. 

.John  Embum  was  an  only  child  and  but 
eight  years  of  age  wlien  lie  arrived  in  America 
w-ith  his  parents.  His  training  was  received 
in  the  common  schools  of  Calumet,  and  when 
his  age  and  experience  justilied  it  he  fol- 
lowed his  father's  trade  and  also  did  con- 
tracting work.  He  resided  in  Umatilla 
county  for  three  years  before  going  to  Tilla- 
mook. Avhere  he  purchased  one  hundred  and 
thirty-six  acres  of  good  land.  For  twenty- 
seven  years  he  devoted  his  energy  to  agricul- 
tural pursuits,  giving  his  principal  atten- 
tion to  dairying,  but  at  the  end  of  that  time 
rented  his  property  and  removed  to  Dallas, 


where  he  is  now  residing,  ilr.  Embum  met 
with  a  good  measuri'  of  success,  and  his 
energies,  which  were  given  entirely  to  the 
arduous  task  of  developing  and  cultivating 
his  farm,  have  been  amply  rewarded.  As  he 
prospered  in  his  undertakings  he  added  to  his 
place  all  the  modern  equipments  and  accessor- 
ies of  a  model  farm,  and  at  the  time  of  his 
retirement  the  improved  appearance  of  his 
farm  was  proof  of  his  careful  supervision 
and  practical  methods.  As  he  was  financially 
enabled  he  has  purchased  property  in  Wil- 
lamina,  which  he  holds  as  an  investment. 
In  1884  Mr.  Embum  was  married  to  Miss 
Jessie  .Johnson,  a  daughter  of  William  and 
Rhoda  .Johnson,  agriculturists  of  Oregon. 
To  Jlr.  and  ilrs.  Embum  three  children 
have  been  born:  Rhoda.  who  is  the  wife  of 
Frank  Easter,  a  liveryman  in  Willamina. 
Oregon:  and  Earl  and  Clark,  both  of  whom 
are  residing  at  home  and  attending  school. 
yh:  Embum  is  a  member  of  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows  of  Tillamook,  and  in 
])olitics  is  a  democrat,  casting  his  vote  with 
democracy  in  all  matters  of  public  moment. 
In  looking  over  his  life's  record  it  is  seen  that 
]jersistent,  earnest  work  has  constituted  the 
foundation,  upon  which  he  has  built  his 
prosperity,  and  his  diligence  may  well  serve 
as  an  example  for  others  to  emulate. 

JOHN  DAVID  FARRA.  The  life  history 
of  .Tohn  David  Farra  is  a  proof  of  the  fact 
that  intense  indu.stry  nuikes  most  of  our 
successful  men.  He  may  justly  be  called  a 
self-made  man  for  he  came  to  Lake  county 
empty-handed  and  whatever  he  now  poss- 
esses has  come  to  him  as  the  reward  of  earn- 
est. ])ersistent  labor.  He  has  ever  mani- 
fested the  spirit  of  enterprise  which  has  led 
to  the  rapid  development  of  the  great  section 
west  of  the  Mississippi.  He  was  born  in 
Jackson  county.  Kansas,  September  6,  1861, 
a  son  of  David  R.  and  IMary  Rice  (Agie) 
Farra.  natives  of  Kentucky  and  South  Caro- 
lina respectively.  Following  their  marriage 
they  became  residents  of  Kansas  and  in  1S6S 
removed  to  Missouri  whence  in  1S70  they 
came  to  .lackson  county,  Oregon,  where  they 
continued  to  make  their  home  until  called 
from  this  life.  The  mother  passed  away  in 
1871  and  the  father  in  1874.  when  about 
fifty  years  of  age.  He  also  followed  farming 
and  improved  a  homestead  which  he  took 
up  in  Jackson  county  about  two  miles  south 
of  Eagle  Point.  By  his  first  marriage  he  had 
a  son.  Thomas  .Jefferson,  who  was  drowned 
in  Britisli  Columbia  a  few  years  ago.  By 
his  marriage  to  Mary  Rice  Agie  there  were 
born  six  children:  John  David:  Mary,  the 
widow  of  C.  E.  White,  of  .Jackson  county. 
Oregon;  Edward  Lee.  of  Central  Point.  Ore- 
gon; Lucy  .Jane,  the  wife  of  .James  Singel- 
tery.  of  Portland:  Walter  Hedrick,  of  Jose- 
phine county;  and  Samuel  .Jefferson,  of  Che- 
waucan   valley. 

.John  David  Farra  aocr)m))anied  his  parents 
on  their  various  removals,  being  about  nine 
years  of  age  when  the  family  arrived  in 
.Jackson  county.  Oregon,  where  he  remained 
until   the   spring   of   1880.     Since   that    time 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OP  OREGON 


1043 


or  for  a  peiioil  of  thirty-two  years  he  has 
resided  continuously  in  Lake  county  and 
during  the  greater  part  of  the  time  has  been 
engaged  in  the  stock  business,  handling  both 
cattle  and  horses.  For  twelve  years  lie  con- 
ducted a  livery  business;  in  Paisley  but  has 
now  leased  his  barn.  He  was  at  one  time 
the  owner  of  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  of  land  in  Little  Chewaucan  valley 
wliicli  he  sold  three  years  ago.  He  always 
resided  upon  a  rancli  until  he  established  his 
home  in  the  town  of  I'alsley  in  1900.  When 
lie  first  came  to  this  county  in  1880  he 
worked  for  wages  on  a  stock  ranch  in  the 
Silver  Lake  country  for  about  two  years. 
He  next  went  to  the  Goose  Lake  valley  and 
was  foreman  of  the  XL  ranch  for  more  than 
five  years,  during  which  time  about  ten 
thousand  head  of  cattle  were  run  upon  that 
place.  He  then  removed  to  Chewaucan  valley 
about  18S7  and  engaged  in  the  stock  busi- 
ness on  his  own  account,  devoting  ten  years 
to  that  undertaking,  after  which,  in  1897, 
he  established  a  livery  business  in  Paislej'. 
At  one  time  he  was  the  owner  of  two  ranches 
in  this  district  comprising  five  hundred  and 
fifty  acres.  He  was  a  poor  boy  when  he 
came  to  Lake  county  but  he  scorned  not 
honest  labor  and  his  unfaltering  industry, 
determination  and  faithfulness  won  him  ad- 
vancement until  he  was  able  to  engage  in 
business  on  his  own  account.  His  purpose 
and  honorable  dealing  thus  gained  him  fur- 
ther success  as  the  years  passed  and  he  is 
now  one  of  the  substantial  citizens  of  the 
valley. 

On  the  9tli  of  June.  1902,  Mr.  Farra  was 
married  to  Miss  Frances  Bell  Taylor,  who 
was  born  in  Umatilla  county,  Oregon,  in 
1883,  a  daughter  of  Preston  Alexander  and 
Clara  Victoria  (Wilson)  Taylor,  who  are 
natives  of  Oregon  and  Kansas  respectively 
and  are  now  residing  in  Colusa,  California. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Farra  had  four  children:  Virga 
Loretta,  Earl  Mcrritt  and  Opal  Esther,  all 
living  and  Fred  Alexander,  who  was  drowned 
on  June  19,  1908.  at  the  age  of  two  years, 
six  months  and  twenty-three  days.  In  poli- 
tics Mr.  Farra  is  a  democrat  and  has  filled 
the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace  and  consta- 
ble, but  office  holding  has  had  little  attrac- 
tion for  him,  for  his  business  affairs  have 
made  constant  demand  upon  his  time  and 
energies  and  he  has  ever  realized  that  it  is 
close  application  that  cotints  and  intense 
industry  has  made  him  one  of  the  successful 
men    of    the    Chewaucan    valley. 

JOHN  WEISNER,  who  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  Linn  county  for  a  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury, devotes  his  attention  to  the  pursuits 
of  general  farming  and  stock-raising  and 
is  the  owner  of  a  tnact  of  land  comprising 
one  hundred  and  ninety-six  acres  and  situ- 
ated six  miles  northw'est  of  Lebanon.  His 
birth  occurred  in  Austria  on  the  10th  of 
August,  1853,  his  parents  being  .John  and 
Annie  (Schreofer)  Weisner,  likewise  natives 
of  that  country.  Emigrating  to  the  new 
world,   they   established   their    home    in    the 


state  of  Kansas  in  1870.  Of  their  eleven  chil- 
dren, six  are  yet  living,  as  follows:  John,  of 
this  review;  Margaret,  living  with  our  sub- 
ject, who  is  the  widow  of  Henry  Mellon  and 
the  mother  of  three  cliildren — Bertha,  Cath- 
erine and  Albert;  Annie,  who  is  the  wife 
of  Dan  Curtis,  of  Texas;  Mar}',  who  gave  her 
hand  in  marriage  to  Dan  Steel  and  resides 
in  Kansas;  William,  who  lives  on  the  home 
place  in  the  .SunHower  state;  and  Louisa, 
the  wife  of  William  Steel,  of  Kansas. 

John  Weisner,  who  was  a  youth  of  seven- 
teen when  his  parents  took  up  their  abode 
in  Kansas,  remained  on  his  lather's  farm  in 
that  state  until  ISSO.  the  year  of  his  mar- 
riage. Following  that  important  event  in 
his  life  he  operated  a  rented  farm  in  Kansas 
for  seven  years,  on  the  expiration  of  which 
period  he  disposed  of  tlie  property  and  came 
to  Oregon,  settling  in  Linn  county  in  1887. 
Here  he  cultivated  rented  land  for  three 
years  and  then  bought  the  farm  of  one  hun- 
dred and  ninety-six  acres  on  which  he  has 
resided  to  the  present  time.  He  has  made 
many  substantial  improvements  on  the  prop- 
ei'ty  and  in  his  undertakings  as  a  farmer 
and  stock-raiser  has  won  well  deserved  suc- 
cess, being  now  numbered  among  the  pros- 
perous and  representative  citizens  of  his 
community. 

In  1880  Mr.  Weisner  was  joined  in  wed- 
lock to  Miss  Mary  E.  Riat,  a  native  of 
Kansas,  by  whom  he  has  the  following  chil- 
dren: Louisa,  who  is  the  wife  of  Frank 
Feltzer,  of  Albany,  Oregon;  Henry  E.,  a  resi- 
dent of  British  Columbia;  Fred  W.  who  is  an 
agriculturist  residing  at  Crabtree,  Oregon, 
and  the  father  of  one  child;  George,  who  like- 
wise makes  his  home  at  Crabtree,  this  state; 
Elizabeth,  who  is  the  wife  of  Mortz  Overhoff, 
of  Lebanon.  Oregon,  and  the  mother  of  one 
child;  and  Louis,  John,  Mary  and  Francis,  all 
of  wliom  are  attending  school. 

In  politics  Mr.  Weisner  is  a  republican 
and,  though  not  an  office  seeker,  has  served  in 
the  capacity  of  road  supervisor  and  for  a 
few  years  acted  as  a  member  of  the  school 
board.  In  religious  faith  he  is  a  Catholic. 
A  man  of  exemplary  habits,  of  high  prin- 
ciples and  of  iipright  conduct,  wherever  he  is 
known  he  commands  the  good-will  and  trust 
of  those  with  whom  he  is  associated. 

HARRY  S.  BELLE,  a  well  known  and  suc- 
cessful real-estate  dealer,  is  one  of  Salem's 
])ionecrs.  having  first  located  here  thirty- 
seven  years  ago.  He  was  born  in  Xorway 
on  February  29.  1848.  and  there  he  was  edu- 
cated and  reared  to  the  age  of  nineteen 
years. 

In  1807  he  decided  to  come  to  America  to 
seek  his  fortune,  so  he  took  passage  for  the 
L'nited  States  and  after  several  weeks  at 
sea  landed  at  New  York  city.  During  the 
succeeding  five  years  he  followed  various 
jHirsuits  at  diflerent  points  in  the  east,  ac- 
quiring a  very  good  knowledge  of  the  lan- 
guage and  an  undiMstanding  of  American 
commercial  methoils.  In  1S72  he  came  to  the 
northwest,  locating  iu  Portland,  where  he  re- 
mained for  three  years.   At  the  expiration  of 


1044 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


that  peiiotl.  in  1875.  he  removed  to  Salem  to 
assume  the  duties  of  a  clerkship  in  the  store 
of  Bregman  Brothers.  Later  he  severed  liis 
connection  with  this  firm  and  took  a  posi- 
tion in  a  drj'-goods  store  but  subsequently 
gave  this  up  also  and  turned  his  attention  to 
agricultural  pursuits.  He  followed  this  voca- 
tion in  the  vicinity  of  Salem  with  excellent 
success  for  seven  years,  and  at  the  end  of  that 
time  once  more  identified  himself  with  com- 
mercial activities.  From  early  youth  he  had 
been  taught  to  appreciate  the  value  of  thrift 
and  industry  and  had  always  saved  a  portion 
of  his  earnings,  however  small  they  might  be. 
As  a  result  he  acquired  sufficient  means  to 
engage  in  business  for  himself.  Therefore, 
when  he  left  his  ranch  lie  purchased  a  dry- 
goods  and  shoe  store  in  Salem  which  he 
operated  for  eight  years  under  the  name  of 
•'The  Palace."  Jlr.  Belle  has  always  been  a 
man  of  much  perspicacity  and  foresight, 
whose  enterprising  spirit  and  ambition  have 
kept  him  constantly  alert,  seeking  for  op- 
portunities to  promote  his  advancement  in  a 
business  way.  He  early  recognized  that 
the  constantly  increasing  trend  of  migration 
to  the  northwest  was  going  to  afford  excel- 
lent opportunities  for  large  financial  returns 
in  real  estate,  so  disposing  of  his  store  he 
established  an  office  and  lias  ever  since  been 
engaged  in  this  business. 

Salem  was  the  scene  of  Mr.  Belle's  mar- 
riage on  the  9th  of  November,  1876,  to  Miss 
Nancy  Swegle.  a  native  of  this  city  and  a 
daughter  of  Charles  Swegle,  a  farmer  and 
broker  of  Salem,  who  crossed  the  plains  to 
Oregon  with  an  ox  team  in  1S4S.  Five  chil- 
dren have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Belle 
as  follows:  Blanche,  the  deceased  wife  of  T. 
A.  Young  of  Portland,  who  left  a  daughter. 
Thelma.  who  has  always  lived  with  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Belle;  Adiline  deceased;  Claude  S.,  who 
owns  and  conducts  "The  Belle  Confectionery." 
of  Salem:  and  Lucile  Belle  and  Eugenia,  both 
of  whom  are  living  at  home.  The  former  is 
a  musician  oi  more  than  average  abilitv.  and 
the  latter,  who  possesses  a  most  promising 
voice,  is  devoting  her  entire  attention  to  the 
study  of  music. 

Mr.  Belle  is  a  charter  member  of  the 
■Woodmen  of  the  World,  and  the  United 
Artisans,  and  has  filled  all  of  the  chairs  in 
the  latter  organization.  His  political  support 
he  has  given  to  the  republican  party  ever 
since  granted  the  right  of  franchise.  Mr. 
Belle  is  one  of  the  many  citizens  of  the 
northwest  who  emigrated  to  this  country  in 
their  early  youth,  and  althotigh  they  pos- 
sessed no  capital,  their  ambition  sustained 
by  their  tireless  energy  and  determination 
of  purpose  has  enabled  them  to  achieve 
success. 

MANLEY  CROMWELL  CURRIER,  a  resi- 
dent of  Paisley  connected  with  ranching  in- 
terests in  Lake  county,  although  he  is  now 
practically  living  retired,  was  born  in  Benton 
county.  Oregon.  July  6.  1S56  a  son  of  Jacob 
and  Marie  (Foster)  Currier  the  former  a 
native  of  New  England  and  the  latter  of 
Missouri.  They  crossed  the  plains  in  1846  and 
settled  on  a  donation  claim  in  Benton  county 


about  ten  miles  south  and  three  miles  west 
of  Corvallis,  upon  which  he  still  resides  at 
the  venerable  age  of  eighty-five  years.  The 
mother  died  when  her  son  Manley  was  but 
two  and  a  half  years  old  and  "the  father 
afterward  married  Sarah  Lena  Buchanan. 
There  were  four  children  by  his  first  mar- 
riage: William  Andrew,  of  Sumner  Lake, 
Oregon;  Lorena  S..  the  wife  of  J.  W.  Bell- 
knap,  living  near  Hanover,  California;  Man- 
ley  C. ;  and  Annie,  who  died  in  infancy. 
There  were  also  four  children  by  the  father's 
second  marriage:  Elizabeth,  at  home;  John, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-two  years; 
Sarah,  at  home;  and  Eva,  who  is  the  wife  of 
Dick  Scott,  who  is  aiding  in  the  operation  of 
Iier  father's  farm. 

ilanlej'  Cromwell  Currier  remained  .on  the 
old  homestead  until  ISSO,  when  he  removed 
to  Sumner  Lake  and  was  engaged  in  ranch- 
ing in  that  district  for  eight  or  nine  years. 
He  then  removed  to  the  vicinity  of  Paisley, 
where  he  has  a  ranch  of  two  hundred  aiid 
ninetj'  acres  of  meadow  land  a  mile  east  of 
the  town,  and  also  owns  elsewhere  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  in  pasture.  He  is  also 
the  owner  of  town  property  and  upon  his 
ranch  he  runs  from  three  to  four  hundred 
head  of  cattle.  He  is  likewise  a  stockholder 
in  the  Waucan  Mercantile  Company  of  Pais- 
ley and  is  thus  busily  employed  with  inter- 
ests which  are  already  large  and  of  growing 
importance.  His  cattle  are  of  good  grades 
and  the  systematic  and  methodical  manner 
in  which  he  manages  his  business  is  bringing 
to  him  gratifying  success. 

On  the  lltii  of  November.  1903.  Mr.  Cur- 
rier was  married  to  Miss  Kittie  Belle  Hanan, 
who  was  born  in  Lake  county,  Oregon. 
August  13.  1879.  a  daughter  of  John  C.  and 
Margaret  L.  (Hadley)  "Hanan.  The  father 
was  the  first  white  child  born  in  Oregon  City, 
his  natal  day  being  February  29,  1844.  He 
spent  his  entire  life  in  this  state,  where  he 
was  a  ranch  and  stock  man.  While  engaged 
in  mowing  grass  he  was  killed  by  a  runaway 
team  at  Sumner  Lake,  July  29,  1906.  He 
was  a  son  of  George  and  Jane  ( Evans  i 
Hanan  and  was  reared  in  Douglas  county, 
but  became  a  resident  of  Lake  county  about 
1870  and  there  resided  for  thirty-six  years. 
His  wife  was  born  in  Douglas  county,  Oregon, 
March  19,  1854,  and  died  in  Lake  county. 
October  2,  1902.  They  were  the  parents  of 
nine  children:  George  W.  living  in  Paisley; 
Emma  A.,  the  wife  "of  J.  S.  Kelsey.  a  stock- 
man of  Paisley;  Kittie  Belle;  Charles  M.  and 
Henry  E..  both  of  Paisley;  Andrew  J.,  of 
Adel.  Oregon;  John  E.,  of  Warm  Springs, 
this  state;  Raymond  L.,  of  Paisley;  and  one 
who  died  in  infancy.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Currier 
have  one  child.  Lorena  Belle,  born  Mav  27. 
1908. 

Mr.  Currier  is  an  Odd  Fellow  and  he  gives 
his  political  support  to  the  democratic  party, 
having  advocated  its  principles  since  age 
conferred  upon  him  the  right  of  franchise. 
His  father  is  today  one  of  the  oldest  native 
sons  of  Oregon  and  ilanley  C.  Currier  has 
for  fifty-six  years  resided  in  this  state  which 
has  made  wonderful  progress  during  that 
period.     No  longer  is   it   a   frontier  district. 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTOKY  OF  OREGON 


1045 


deprived  of  all  the  advantages  of  the  older 
east  and  isolated  from  the  civilization  of  the 
section  of  the  country  long  since  settled. 
The  railroad  has  brought  it  into  close  prox- 
imity with  other  districts  and  the  develop- 
ment of  its  rich  natural  resources  and  the 
establishment  of  business  enterprises  have 
placed  it  on  a  par  with  the  states  whose 
products  ai'e  one  of  the  sources  of  the  na- 
tion's wealth.  Mr.  Currier  can  remember  the 
time  when  the  early  railroads  were  built  and 
it  was  considered  a  marvelous  thing  to  ride 
upon  a  railroad  train:  he  has  seen  the  for- 
ests cut,  the  arid  lands  reclaimed,  the  mines 
developed  and  the  agricultural  districts  im- 
proved, and  rejoices  heartily  in  what  has 
been  accomplished. 

F.  A.  STEWART  is  prominent  in  business, 
social  and  political  circles  of  Port  Orford  and 
is  one  of  the  representative  and  enterprising 
citizens  of  Curry  county.  He  has  lived  in 
Oregon  since  his  childhood  and  from  the  be- 
ginning of  his  active  career  has  been  en- 
gaged in  various  important  and  successful 
enterprises.  He  is  now  associated  with  his 
son  in  the  conduct  of  the  Port  Orford  Tri- 
bune and  is  meeting  with  the  same  success  in 
journalism  which  rewarded  his  efforts  as  a 
school  teacher,  general  merchant,  miner  and 
stock-raiser.  He  was  born  in  Cass  county, 
Illinois,  January  25,  1843,  and  is  a  son  of 
.Joel  and  Sarah  (Thurston)  Stewart,  the 
former  a  native  of  Kew  Bedford.  Massachu- 
setts, and  the  latter  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  In 
the  latter  city  their  marriage  occurred  and 
in  1826  they  moved  to  Illinois,  settling  near 
Beardstown  on  a  farm.  The  father  carried 
on  general  agricultural  pursuits  upon  this 
property  until  his  death  which  occurred  in 
1847.  His  wife  has  also  passed  away,  her 
death  having  occurred  while  crossing  the 
plains  to  Oregon  in  1854.  She  was  twice 
married.  To  her  first  union  thirteen  children 
■were  born,  three  of  whom  are  still  living: 
Mrs.  Thomas  Smith,  who  makes  her  home  on 
the  Rogue  river,  near  Wedderburn;  F.  A.,  the 
subject  of  this  review,  and  Susan  L.,  who  be- 
came the  wife  of  -John  Reynolds,  of  Port- 
land. After  the  death  of  her  first  husband 
the  mother  of  our  subject  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Captain  John  P.  Sutton,  a  native  of 
Tennessee,  who  made  his  first  journey  to 
Oregon  in  1851.  Two  years  afterward  he 
went  to  Illinois  and  organized  a  large  colony 
of  settlers  with  whom  he  came  to  Oregon  in 
1S54.  Jlost  of  these  people  located  in  Polk 
county,  Oregon.  To  Mr',  and  !Mrs.  Sutton  was 
born  one  son.  Walter,  who  served  in  the  state 
legislature  in  188R.  Captain  Sutton  passed 
away  in  .Jackson  county  in  1880. 

F.  A.  Stewart  received  most  of  his  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  of  Dallas,  and  Bell- 
passe.  Marion  county.  He  began  active  life 
for  himself  when  he  was  only  twelve  years 
of  age  and  paid  all  the  expenses  incident  to 
his  schooling.  He  made  use  of  every  oppor- 
tunity to  study  that  came  his  way  and  fitted 
himself  for  teaching,  following  this  occupa- 
tion for  some  time  in  various  parts  of  the 
Willamette  valley,  including  district  No.  1. 
at  Chanipoeg.  the  oldest  district  in  the  state. 


In  1809  he  became  junior  member  of  the  firm 
of  Riley  &  Stewart,  conducting  a  general 
mercantile,  lumbering  and  fishing  business  in 
Gold  Beach,  and  for  ten  years  Mr.  Stewart 
was  active  in  the  affairs  of  this  concern. 
When  he  at  length  disposed  of  his  holdings 
he  engaged  in  stock-raising  and  beach  min- 
ing on  tlie  Pacific  coast  near  the  Rogue  river 
and  continued  thus  for  a  number  of  years. 
He  also  purchased  land  at  Ophir,  wliich  he 
later  sold.  Subsequently,  in  1U04,  in  associa- 
tion with  his  son  he  purchased  the  Port  Or- 
ford Tribune  and  this  journal  he  is  now  con- 
ducting. He  has  made  his  paper  successful 
by  giving  constant  attention  to  it  and  bv 
uniting  ability  as  a  journalist  with  business 
discrimination  of  a  high  order.  He  is  alive 
to  the  important  phases  of  the  day's  events 
and  has  an  instinct  for  news  together  with 
an  editorial  facility  in  pointing  out  its  bear- 
ing and  importance.  His  business  ability  has 
made  his  enterprise  successful  and  has  gained 
him  a  place  of  prominence  and  importance 
among  his  fellow  citizens.  Mr.  Stewart  has 
a  firm  belief  in  the  future  of  his  section  and 
does  his  utmost  to  promote  growth  and  de- 
velopment. He  owns  twenty  acres  of  land  in 
Curry  county  and  property  in  Port  Orford 
and  Bandon.  besides  a  valuable  timber  claim 
near  the  coast. 

Mr.  Stewart  has  been  twice  married.  His 
first  wife  w'as  Miss  Hattie  M.  Riley,  who 
passed  away  one  year  and  a  half  after  the 
marriage.  In  1872  the  subject  of  this  review 
wedded  Miss  Laura  E.  Riley,  a  native  of  Port 
Orford  and  the  first  white  girl  born  in  that 
city.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stewart  became  the  par- 
ents of  five  children,  three  of  whom  are  still 
living.  Hardy  T.  was  born  in  1879  and  is 
associated  with  his  father  in  the  conduct  of 
the  Port  Orford  Tribune.  He  married  Miss 
Eva  Hall,  who  came  to  Oregon  with  her  par- 
ents in  1892.  and  settled  in  Coos  county. 
They  have  three  children:  Dorothy,  Byron 
and  Helen.  Ruby  w^as  born  in  1S82,  and  is 
the  wife  of  A.  J.  Krantz,  a  business  man  of 
Portland.  Pearl  married  Thomas  L.  Carey,  a 
nuMchant  and  salesman  in  Port  Orford.  The 
two  oldest  children  btnii  to  ^Mr.  and  Mrs. 
.Stewart,  Frank  R.  and  Fred  D.,  are  deceased. 

Mr.  .Stewart  gives  a  general  allegiance  to 
the  republican  party  but  often  votes  inde- 
pendent of  party  afiiiliation.  following  his 
own  judgment  to  guide  him  in  support  of  a 
candidate.  He  is  one  of  the  prominent  figiires 
in  local  and  state  politics  and  has  served  in 
various  capacities.  He  was  in  the  state  log- 
isl.-iture  in  1882  and  again  represented  his 
fellow  citizens  in  that  body  in  1905.  He 
served  as  collector  of  customs  in  southern 
Oregon  for  four  years  and  was  treasurer  of 
Curry  county  for  a  like  period.  He  was  also 
school  superintendent  and  has  served  as 
deputy  in  nearly  all  the  countv  olTices  and 
also  as  deputy  postmaster.  He  formerly 
belonged  to  the  Masonic  order  but  has  dis- 
continued his  connection  with  that  organiza- 
tion. He  does  not  afiiliato  with  any 
particular  church  but  is  a  devout  adherent  of 
the  universal  religion  of  kindness  and  good- 
will. He  is  a  keen  and  discriminatinir  busi- 
ness man,  an  able  politician  and  above  all  a 


1040 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OP  OREGON 


loj'al  and  public-spirited  citizen  and  is  en- 
titled to  the  prosperity  he  is  now  enjoying 
and  tlie  respect  and  esteem  of  his  fellow 
citizens. 

B.  F.  ADAMS.  When  B.  F.  Adams  died 
May  IS,  1912,  the  agricultural  interests  of 
Coos  county  suffered  a  distinct  loss.  He  had 
been  engaged  in  the  cultivation  of  the  soil  in 
that  locality  since  1883  and  was  recognized 
as  one  of  the  county's  foremost  citizens.  He 
was  born  in  Wisconsin  in  1850  and  was  a 
son  of  William  and  Mary  (Vine)  Adams. 
His  parents  were  born  in  Europe  but  were 
married  in  New  York.  Both  are  now  de- 
ceased. They  were  the  parents  of  eleven 
children,  seven  of  whom  are  still  living: 
George,  who  is  now  deceased;  Lorenzo  D., 
who  is  still  living;  one  child  who  died  in  in- 
fancy; B.  F..  of  this  review;  William  P., 
who  now  resides  in  California;  Mrs.  Annie 
Miller;  Mrs.  Adelia  Phillips;  Jlrs.  Emma 
Jolley;  William;  George,  alive;  and  Mrs. 
Blanch  Brown,  who  has  passed  away.  All 
of  the  surviving  children  are  residents  of 
California. 

B.  F.  Adams  received  his  early  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  California,  whither  he 
removed  in  early  boyhood  with  his  parents. 
At  the  age  of  twenty-one  years  he  engaged 
in  freighting  across  the  mountains  and  con- 
tinued in  that  business  until  ISR.'l.  In  that 
year  he  moved  to  Oregon  and  settled  in  Coos 
county,  one  and  a  half  miles  from  Ten  Mile 
lake,  where  he  purchased  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  fine  farm  land  for  eight  hun- 
dred dollars.  He  cultivated  his  land  and 
continuously  improved  the  place  until  the 
time  of  his  death.  He  made  a  specialty  of 
dairying  and  took  great  pride  in  keeping 
this  branch  of  his  business  in  excellent  con- 
dition. At  one  time  he  added  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  to  his  holdings  but  deeded 
this  to  his  two  sons  some  years  before  his 
death.  He  carried  on  farming  along  scientific 
lines,  constantly  added  new  improvements 
and  was  personally  interested  in  keeping  liis 
dairy  clean  and  sanitary.  At  the  time  of  his 
death  he  owned  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  finely  improved  land  in  Coos  county,  two 
houses  and  the  lots  upon  which  they  stood 
in  the  town  of  North  Bend  and  was  one  of 
the  leading  and  progressive  men  of  the 
district. 

In  1883  Mr.  Adams  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Kate  Shearer,  who  was  born  in  Or- 
ville,  California,  and  received  her  early  educa- 
tion in  that  state.  Her  father  died  when  she 
was  a  small  child.  Unto  him  and  his  wife 
were  born  seven  children :  Mrs.  Virginia 
Patterson,  of  Colorado;  Kate,  the  widow  of 
our  subject;  William  J.,  Mrs.  Sadie  Adams 
and  Fred,  all  of  whom  are  now  deceased ; 
and  two  children  who  died  in  infancy.  Mrs. 
Adams'  mother,  previous  to  her  union  with 
Mr.  Shearer,  had  been  Mrs.  Huston,  and 
upon  the  death  of  her  second  husband  was 
again  married,  her  third  union  being  with 
Nahum  Ames,  by  whom  she  had  two  chil- 
dren: Mrs.  Emina  Blodgett,  of  Medford, 
Oregon;  and  Nahum.  .Jr..  of  California.  Mr. 
Ames  died  in  1905   having  survived  his  wife 


since  1878.  ilrs.  Adams  is  now  the  owner  of 
the  two  houses  and  lots  in  North  Bend  which 
were  the  property  of  her  husband  before  his 
deatli.  To  them  were  born  si.x  children: 
Winnie,  who  is  at  home  with  her  mother; 
Mrs.  .1.  T.  Davis,  who  resides  near  the  home 
farm;  V.  D.,  W.  F.,  David  and  Lolo  all  of 
whom  are  living  on  the  old  homestead.  The 
children  Avere  all  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Coos  county. 

Mr.  Adams  gave  his  political  allegiance  to 
tlie  republican  party  and  was  a  stanch  sup- 
porter of  the  principles  of  that  organization. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Jlethodist  Episcopal 
church  in  which  faitli  he  was  reared.  He 
also  held  membership  in  the  Order  of  For- 
esters and  was  prominent  in  its  affairs.  He 
was  a  successful,  broad-minded  and  liberal 
man.  a  loyal  friend  and  an  exemplary  father 
and  husband.  His  death  left  a  place  in  the 
community  whicli  will  be  difficult  to  fill. 

DANIEL   KNIGHT   WARREN.     The  fam- 
ily  of   which   Daniel    Knight   Warren   repre- 
sented  the   fifth   or  sixth  generation   in   this 
country,    was    established    long    before    the 
Colonies  began  to  rebel  at  English  tyranny, 
but  the  exact  date  of  the  British  emigant'a 
departure   from   the   land   of  his   forefathers 
is    clothed   in    uncertainty.      The   traveler   is 
supposed  to  have  settled  in  or  near  Boston, 
Massachusetts,    where    Phineas    Warren,   the 
great-grandfather  of  Daniel   K.  Warren,  was 
born  about  1745,  being  a  first  cousin  of  Gen- 
eral  Warren   of   Revolutionary  fame.     Phin- 
eas, son   of   Phineas,  and  the  next   in  order 
of    birth    was   born    in    Marlborough,    Wind- 
ham county,  Vermont,  October  13,  1776,  and 
married  Mary  Knight,  born  in  the  same  lo- 
cality,   December    22,    1777.      The    grandpar- 
ents had  ten  children,  seven  of  whom  were 
sons,   and  of   whom   Danforth,   the   father   of 
Daniel  and  the  fourth  child,  was  born  in  Sara- 
toga county.  New  York,  September  22,  1806. 
He  married,   in   Steuben  county,  New  Y'ork, 
Amanda  Pike,  a  native  of  Springfield,  Massa- 
chusetts,   born    April    9,    1808,      There    were 
four   sons    of   this   union   all   born   at   Bath, 
New    York,    all    now    deceased,    and    Daniel 
Knight,  born  at  Bath,  Steuben  county.  New 
York,   March    12,   1836,  was   the   youngest  of 
the  family.     The  family,  at  no  time  prosper- 
ous,   was    reduced   to   dire   straits   upon    the 
death   of   the   father,   August   23,    1837,   the 
oldest  of  the  four  sons   being  then  scarcely 
six  years  of  age.     Mrs.  Warren  proved  her- 
self one  of  the  heroically  molded  women,  and 
supported    herself    and    children    by   spinning 
and  weaving.    Later  Mrs.  Warren  married  a 
Mr.   Baxter   and  moved  to  Illinois   with  her 
family.    Her  death  occurred  in  Princeton.  Illi- 
nois,  in    September,    1881.      As    a    youth    of 
thirteen    Daniel    K.    Warren   started    out    to 
earn  his  own  living  by  working  on  a  farm, 
with    the   understanding   that   he  was   to   re- 
ceive for  bis  services  an  amount  which  at  that 
ti'ne  was  considered  a  fair  remuneration   for 
able-bodied  men.    For  three  years  he  followed 
this  life,  performing  the  ordinary  duties  of  the 
farm  and  attending  school  during  the  winter. 
In   the    spring   of    1852    he    joined    his    three 
brothers   in   a   trip   across   the   plains.     This 


U.   K.   WAKKKN 


THE  hi-N  ynPTT 
i  PUBLIC     LIB 


MTOH,  LINOX 
TILtEN  FOUNDA1 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


1049 


never  to  be  forgotten  journey  was  well 
planned,  the  boys  having  their  own  teams, 
and  arrangements  were  made  with  Captain 
Thomas  Mereer  to  pilot  them  to  the  coast 
country.  Each  agreed  to  give  the  captain  one 
hundred  dollars,  and  to  do  his  share  of  the 
work  on  the  trip  and  all  fullilled  their  con- 
tract to  the  letter,  finally  parting  from  the 
amiable  captain,  who  afterward  settled  in 
Seattle.  Washington.  The  company  crossed 
the  Missouri  river  May  21st,  and  soon  after- 
ward camped  on  the  present  site  of  Omaha. 
At  this  point  the  company  was  thoroughly 
organized,  there  being  fourteen  wagons,  forty 
horses  and  sixty-six  men.  Beaching  The 
Dalles  September  2,  1852,  they  met  the  first 
white  men  who  had  founded  "homes  in  that 
town  and  from  there  they  proceeded  on 
barges  down  the  Columbia  river,  finally 
boa  Jing  the  steamer  at  Cascade  Locks, 
whi,  h  brought  them  in  safety  to  Portland, 
September  9,  1852,  the  trip  consuming  six 
months.  In  many  respects  this  was  a  for- 
tunate party,  for  the  Indians  were  not  trou- 
blesome, and  only  one  member  died  on  the 
way.  All  enjoyed  good  health  until  reach- 
ing I'owder  river,  when  Jlr.  Warren  was 
taken  ill  with  mountain  fever  and  did  not 
fully  recover  until  after  reaching  his  des- 
tination in  Oregon.  At  Portland  the  broth- 
ers separated,  Daniel  going  alone  to  the 
mines  in  southern  Oregon,  engaging  in  mining 
on  Rogue  river,  being  at  that  time  only  six- 
teen years  of  age.  Not  meeting  with  success 
he  retraced  his  steps  and  arrived  in  Astoria 
in  June,  1853,  his  available  assets  at  that 
time  being  his  much  worn  clothes  and  three 
dollars  in  currency.  Finding  employment  in 
a  sawmill  camp  he  worked  diligently  and  in 
1855  with  the  savings  of  several  months  tried 
his  luck  in  mining  again.  Xot  being  success- 
ful, he  (  igaged  in  lumbering  until  February, 
1859,  wh  n  he  left  Astoria  for  New  York  via 
Panama.  On  February  24,  1863.  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Sarah  E.  Eaton,  a  former  schoolmate, 
who  was  born  in  Salisbury.  New  Hampshire, 
July  28,  1840.  She  was  a"  daughter  of  John 
Ladd  and  Lovey  B.  Eaton  of  sturdy,  thrifty 
New  England  stock  of  sterling  ancestry. 
In  1845  the  family  moved  from  New  Hamp- 
shire to  Princeton,  Illinois,  traveling  by  canal 
boat  from  Buffalo  and  by  the  lakes  to  Chi- 
cago, thence  by  teams  to  Princeton.  The 
marriage  was  solemnized  at  8  o'clock  in  the 
morning  and  at  noon  the  young  people 
started  on  their  long  journey  for  Oregon  via 
Panama  (there  being  at  that  time  no  trans- 
continental railroads),  consuming  a  month  on 
the  trip.  Arriving  at  San  Francisco  April  26, 
1863,  and  at  Astoria  May  1st,  they  were 
soon  comfortably  settled  on  a  small  farm 
previously  owned  by  Mr.  Warren,  thirteen 
miles  above  Astoria,  the  present  site  of  the 
town  of  Knappa,  but  then  known  as  War- 
ren's Landing.  A  philosopher  always,  Mr. 
Warren  recalled  the  hardships  of  these  early 
days  with  much  pleasure  since  they  were  the 
stepping-stones  to  the  success  which  followed 
his  industry  and  good  management.  From  this 
farm  Mr.  Warren  moved  to  Astoria,  where 
he  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  for 
fourteen  vears.  being  one  of  the  most  promi- 

Vov'lV— 4  1 


nent  and  inllucntial  men  of  the  town  and 
materially  promoting  its  commercial  well  be- 
ing. In  1885  Mr.  Warren  moved  across  the 
bay  from  Astoria  to  the  present  site  of 
Warrenton,  where  he  had  purchased  and  re- 
claimed by  dyking  about  nine  hundred  acres 
of  land  then  of  little  value.  Mr.  Warren  was 
the  first  man  to  build  dykes  on  the  lower  Co- 
lumbia and  was  forced  to  employ  Chinese  la- 
bor. The  result  of  his  efi'ort  was  a  most 
substantial  advance  in  value  of  the  land  re- 
claimed. Here  he  built  a  spacious  residence 
which  is  the  family  home  at  the  present  time. 
While  his  main  endeavors  were  centered 
around  his  home  and  the  town  of  Warrenton, 
which  it  was  his  pride  to  beautify  and  im- 
prove, many  other  interests  engaged  a  share 
of  his  attention,  and  at  the  time  of  his 
death  he  was  president  of  the  Astoria  Na- 
tional Bank  and  vice  president  of  the  Astoria 
Savings  Bank.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers 
and  one  of  the  first  stockholders  of  the  rail- 
road running  between  Warrenton  and  Sea- 
side, which  was  built  in  1889.  Some  years 
later  the  road  was  extended  to  Astoria  and 
Portland  and  is  now  known  as  the  S.  P.  &  S. 
Railway.  All  along  the  course  of  his  busy 
life,  Mr.  Warren  took  a  keen,  if  not  conspicu- 
ous, interest  in  republican  politics  and  tilled 
many  of  the  prominent  local  ofiices.  In  ISTli 
he  was  appointed  to  fill  the  unexpired  term 
of  Solomon  Smith  in  the  state  senate.  Dur- 
ing the  memorable  fight  for  common  point 
rates,  Mr.  Warren  lent  valuable  assistance, 
his  appeals  for  recognition  of  the  Oregon  sea- 
port attracting  the  attention  of  the  people 
of  the  entire  state  and  compelling  the  admira- 
tion even  of  those  who  dift'ered  from  him. 
Four  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Warren.  Lucy  Alice,  the  oldest  daughter, 
married  Henry  C.  Thompson  of  Portland. 
Maude  M.  is  the  wife  of  Charles  R.  Higgins 
of  Astoria.  George  W.  married  Florence  E. 
Baker,  now  living  at  Warrenton.  Oregon. 
Fred  L.  married  Ruth  Smith  and  is  now  doing 
business  in  Astoria.  Perhaps  a  quotation 
from  the  pen  of  Senator  Charles  W.  Fulton 
would  most  fittingly  close  this  sketch:  ''In 
the  death  of  Daniel  K.  Warren  (which  oc- 
curred September  4.  1903)  not  only  did  the 
immediate  family  lose  a  devoted  husband 
and  father,  but  neighbors,  friends  and  citizens 
were  deprived  of  a  considerate  friend,  wise 
counselor  and  deep  sympathizer,  and  the 
state  one  of  its  ablest  minds."  Wise  in 
counsel,  courageous  in  action,  in  misfortune 
and  adversity  cheerful  and  undaunted,  Mr. 
Warren  was  ever  a  leader  in  whom  his  friends 
and  neighbors  had  perfect  confidence  and  re- 
posed perfect  trust.  He  was  public-spirited 
to  a  fault.  Every  public  movement  in  the 
interest  of,  and  important  to,  the  people 
found  him  at  the  head.  The  needy  and  un- 
fortunate never  appealed  to  him  in  vain. 
A  strong  man  and  a  lovable  character  in 
every  station  in  life,  public  or  private,  it  is  no 
surprise  to  those  who  knew  him  that  his 
death  has  cast  so  great  a  sorrow  over  the 
community.  His  life  was  one  of  exceptional 
industry  and  activity.  It  was  a  successful 
life,  successful  far  beyond  that  attained  by 
the   average   man,   that    is,   he   accomplished 


1050 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


more  in  the  upbuilding  of  society  and  the 
community  where  he  lived  as  ■n-pll  as  in 
the  narrower  field  of  acquiring  Aveaith.  He 
accumulated  and  left  his  family  a  considerable 
fortune  by  reason  of  his  Industry,  frugality 
and  intelligence,  but  what  is  more  to  us  and 
dearer  far  to  them,  he  left  them  the  price- 
less treasure  of  an  untarnished  name  and 
the  memories  of  a  useful  life.  All  that  Mr. 
Warren  accomplished,  and  it  was  much,  he 
accomplished  in  the  face  of  great  obstacles 
and  under  many  and  great  disadvantages. 
There  is  no  better  lesson  for  our  young  peo- 
ple than  the  story  of  his  life. 

JOHN  O'NEIL.  Among  the  men  in  the 
northwest  who  aided  in  supplanting  the  con- 
ditions of  frontier  life  with  the  evidences  of 
modern  civilization  John  O'Xeil  was  num- 
bered. He  was  born  in  County  Down.  Ire- 
land. April  7.  1842.  his  parents  being  Henry 
and  Sarah  O'Xeil.  During  the  early  boyhood 
of  their  son  they  crossed  the  Atlantic  and, 
landing  in  New  York  city,  there  remained 
until  called  to  their  final  rest.  .John  O'Xeil 
had  two  brothers  who  died  in  boyhood  and 
a  sister,  Mrs.  Mary  Smith,  who  now  resides 
on  Staten  Island.  Xew  York. 

John  O'Xeil  made  his  homo  in  Xew  Y'ork 
city  until  he  reached  maturity.  He  enlisted 
there  in  the  regular  army  under  Captain  A. 
J.  Smith  and  came  to  Rogue  river.  Oregon, 
fighting  against  the  Indians  in  the  Rogue 
River  war.  He  took  part  in  the  worst  of  the 
fighting  during  that  period  and  was  thus  ac- 
tive in  supplanting  the  barbarous  rule  of  the 
red  men  with  the  civilization  of  the  white 
race.  On  the  36th  of  .January.  1860,  he  was 
honorably  discharged.  Having  become  im- 
bued with  a  love  of  the  west,  he  decided  to 
remain  and  for  several  years  worked  in  the 
gold  mines  of  Idaho.  He  worked  with  a  sur- 
veying party  for  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company 
for  a  time  after  leaving  the  army  and  in 
1868  he  came  to  Goose  Lake  valley  in  com- 
pany with  Captain  Cook.  Subsequently  he 
was  connected  with  pack  trains  and  event- 
ually he  took  up  the  first  ranch  on  the 
Oregon  side  of  the  line  in  Goose  Lake  valley. 
This  is  now  known  as  tlie  Lehman  ranch  and 
is  situated  a  mile  north  of  Xew  Pine  Creek. 
Eventually  he  disposed  of  that  ranch  and 
removed  to  the  town  of  Xew  Pine  Creek, 
■where  he  resided  for  five  vears  prior  to  his 
death,  which  occurred  May  2.S.  1908.  He 
owned  one  bunded  and  ninety  acres,  which  he 
developed  and  improved  until  it  was  consid- 
ered one  of  the  best  ranches  in  the  valley. 
Upon  his  place  he  ran  sheep  for  many  yciU's 
and  was  a  verj-  successful  sheep  man.  keep- 
ing about  three  thousand  head.  Two  or  three 
times  he  sufl'ered  heavy  losses  by  wintering 
his  sheep  on  the  desert. 

On  the  14th  of  June,  1874,  Mr.  O'Xeil  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Xannie  Fitz- 
gerald, who  was  born  in  Tennessee,  July  9, 
1852,  and  went  to  Missouri  with  her  parents. 
James  T.  and  Sarah  Elizabeth  (X'eal)  Fitz- 
gerald. Later  a  removal  was  made  to  Ash- 
land, Oregon,  and  thence  to  Goose  Lake  val- 
ley, where  Xannie  Fitzgerald  became  the  wife 


of  John  O'Xeil.  The  children  of  this  marriage 
were  seven  in  number:  Eva.  who  became  the 
wife  of  George  Slierman  and  died  June  4, 
1907.  leaving  two  children.  Monta  and  Xe- 
well:  Mary  the  wife  of  Mike  Barry,  of  Lake 
county,  Oregon;  James,  of  Fort  Bidwell, 
California:  ttta.  the  wife  of  John  Larkin,  of 
Modoc  county,  California:  John,  of  Xew  Pine 
Creek;  Xora,  who  died  at  the  age  of  fifteen 
years;  and  one,  who  died  in  infancy. 

In  politics  Mr.  O'Xeil  was  a  lifelong  demo- 
crat but,  while  interested  in  the  growth  and 
success  of  the  party,  never  sought  office  for 
himself.  He  was,  however,  officially  con- 
nected with  the  schools  and  the  cause  of  edu- 
cation found  in  him  a  stalwart  champion. 
At  the  time  of  his  death  he  held  membership 
with  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen. 
Every  phase  of  pioneer  life  in  the  northwest 
was  familiar  to  him.  He  went  to  Klondike, 
Alaska,  in  1898  and  nearly  starved  to  death. 
He  lost  all  his  horses  and  proceeded  on  foot. 
He  spent  fifteen  months  there  and  all  he  had 
to  eat  for  a  time  was  some  birds  which  he 
killed.  He  was  a  frontiersman  during  all  his 
life  and  aided  in  paving  the  way  that  others 
liave  followed,  so  that  the  present  generation 
is  reaping  the  benefit  of  his  labors  and  others 
will  so  do  for  years  to  come. 

Jlrs.  O'Xeil  has  a  good  home  in  the  center 
of  Xew  Pine  Creek,  on  the  California  side  of 
the  state  line,  and  is  conducting  a  rooming 
house.  She  also  receives  a  pension  for  her 
husband's  services  in  the  Rogue  River  war. 
She  is  a  very  capable  woman,  businesslike 
and  energetic,  and  has  been  an  interested  wit- 
ness of  much  of  the  growth  of  this  section  of 
the  country. 

SAMUEL  T.  WYATT,  a  capitalist  living  in 
Philomath,  is  one  of  Benton  county's  native 
sons  and  represents  a  family  which  has  long 
been  prominent  and  influential  in  this  dis- 
trict. He  was  born  on  his  father's  donation 
claim  about  one  mile  north  of  Philomath,  on 
the  15th  of  March.  1859.  his  parents  being 
William  and  Mary  Theodocia  (End)  Wyatt. 
Both  were  born  in  England,  the  father's  birth 
occurring  in  Buckinghamshire,  in  October, 
1816,  while  the  mother  was  born  in  London, 
March  ,S1,  1822.  Coming  to  the  new  world  in 
early  life,  they  were  married  in  Xew  York 
and  later  took  up  their  home  in  Illinois, 
while  in  1847  they  migrated  to  Oregon, 
crossing  the  plains  with  ox  teams.  They  lo- 
cated in  Benton  county  and  in  the  fall  of 
1849  removed  to  the  donation  claim  which 
the  father  had  seoired  and  upon  which  the 
rest  of  their  lives  was  sjient.  :\Ir.  Wyatt 
Nvas  a  stock-rai.ser  and  farmer  by  occupation 
and  carried  on  agricultural  pursuits  on  an  ex- 
tensive scale,  at  one  time  owning  forty-seven 
hundred  acres  all  located  in  Benton  county. 
The  old  homestead  consisted  of  tliirty-seven 
hundred  acres  of  that  property,  and  this  Mr. 
Wj'att  brought  under  a  high  state  of  cultiva- 
tion, making  it  one  of  the  most  valued  and 
desirable  properties  of  the  county.  He  gave 
his  political  allegiance  to  the  republican 
party  and  was  an  active  and  consistent 
member  of  the  United  Brethren  church. 
Recognizing  the  value  of  higher  education,  he 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


lor, 


was  one  of  the  founders  of  Philomath  Col- 
lege, and  all  matters  pertaining  to  the  ma- 
terial, intellectual  and  moral  development  of 
his  community  found  in  him  a  stanch  cham- 
pion. He  passed  away  in  February.  1U03, 
while  tlie  mother's  death  occurred  on  March 
14,  1906.  In  their  family  were  eleven  chil- 
dren, of  whom  four  passed  away  in  early 
life.  The  others  are:  Eliza  Ann,  the  wife  of 
A.  J.  Williams,  of  Philomath;  Ezra  Colum- 
bus, deceased,  whose  widow  and  children 
now  live  in  Philomath:  John  E.,  residing  two 
miles  west  of  Corvallis  in  Benton  county; 
Cynthia,  the  deceased  wife  of  J.  G.  Springer; 
ilary  Eva,  who  lives  on  the  old  home  place; 
Samuel  T..  of  this  review;  and  Franklin,  who 
makes  liis  home  on  part  of  his  father's  dona- 
tion claim. 

Samuel  T.  Wyatt  attended  the  district 
schools  near  his  parents'  home  and  upon  his 
father's  farm  he  received  his  training  for  the 
practical  duties  of  life.  Upon  attaining  his 
majority  he  started  out  independently  along 
agricult\iral  lines  and  for  many  years  de- 
voted his  entire  time  and  attention  to  the 
cultivation  of  his  fields,  which  were  brought 
to  an  excellent  state  of  tilth.  He  has  since 
sold  a  portion  of  his  property  but  still  re- 
tains in  his  possession  some  farm  land,  al- 
though he  now  makes  his  home  in  Corvallis. 
His  business  interests  today  are  confined 
mainly  to  his  duties  as  a  director  of  the 
Philomath  State  Bank,  his  connection  there- 
with making  him  well  know-n  in  financial 
circles  of  the  community. 

Mr.  Wyatt  was  married,  in  1S90,  to  Miss 
Mary  0.  Davison,  who  was  born  in  Washing- 
ton in  1865  and  came  to  Oregon  with  her 
mother  when  twelve  years  of  age.  A  man 
of  high  worth  and  sterling  character,  Mr. 
Wyatt  is  widely  respected  and  honored  in 
the  county  wherein  his  entire  life  has  been 
spent,  his  record  being  one  which  has  ever 
been  in  harmony  with  that  of  his  honored 
father. 

JESSE  DE  WITT  BRIGHT  owns  and  oper- 
ates a  farm  of  eighty-five  acres  on  the  Gravel 
Ford  road  and  his  business  qualifications  and 
genuine  personal  worth  entitle  him  to  a 
place  among  the  enterprising  and  representa- 
tive citizens  of  Coos  county.  He  is  a  native 
son  of  Oregon  and  his  birth  occurred  in  1874 
on  the  old  home  farm  in  Coos  county  where 
his  father  had  settled  two  years  before.  His 
parents  were  J.  S.  and  Augustine  (Macbee) 
Bright,  who  were  pioneer  settlers  in  Coos 
county.  The  father  is  still  living  and  is  asso- 
ciated" with  his  son  in  tlie  cultivation  of  the 
farm,  being  now  eighty-two  years  of  age.  In 
his  family  were  nine  children:  Philip,  de- 
ceased; -iaraes,  of  Gaston,  Oregon;  Tom 
Tucker,  a  resident  of  California;  L.  of  Iowa; 
Albert,  living  on  the  old  home  farm  near 
Gravel  FordT  Martha,  the  wife  of  William 
P.rady.  of  Gravel  Ford;  JIary,  the  wife  of 
Lee  Weekly,  also  residing  in  Gravel  Ford; 
Missie,  now  deceased;  and  Jcs.se  D.,  of  this 
review. 

ilr.  Bright  was  reared  at  home  and  re- 
ceived a  practical  education  in  the  details  of 
ranching   and    in   the   tilling   and   cultivation 


of  the  soil  by  working  upon  his  father's 
farm.  His  history  has  been  identified  with 
agricultural  pursuits  from  an  early  age.  He 
has  never  moved  from  the  property  upon 
which  he  was  born  and  has  spent  his  life  in 
its  development.  He  lias  been  instrumental 
in  making  most  of  the  improvements  upon 
the  land  and  spent  his  boyhood  in  digging 
stumps  and  clearing  the  timber.  He  is  now 
the  owner  of  eighty-live  acres,  constituting 
a  part  of  the  old  homestead,  fifteen  acres  of 
which  are  in  a  high  state  of  imi)rovenient 
and  cultivation.  He  has  been  a  hard  and 
industrious  worker  during  his  life,  taking 
upon  his  own  slioulders  the  entire  resjionsi- 
bility  for  tlie  management  and  direction  of 
the  enterprise  with  which  he  is  connected. 
He  operated  it  in  its  entirety  before  his  fath- 
er's death  and  when  that  event  occurred  and 
the  property  was  divided  Mr.  Bright  turned 
his  attention  to  the  development  of  his  own 
share.  He  has  added  many  of  the  new  farm 
implements  and  always  keeps  himself  abreast 
of  the  times  in  the  constantly  developing 
science  of  agriculture.  In  addition  to  the 
tilling  of  the  soil  he  also  makes  a  specialty 
of  dairying  on  a  small  scale  and  all  the 
products  of  this  branch  of  his  enterprise 
find  a  ready  sale  upon  the  market. 

Jlr.  Bright  has  been  twice  married.  His 
first  wife  was  Miss  Emma  Gilbert,  a  daugh- 
ter of  William  and  Alice  Gilbert,  of  Coos 
county.  To  this  union  was  born  one  child, 
Murray  Pleasant,  whose  birth  occurred  in 
1899  and  who  is  now  attending  school.  The 
first  Mrs.  Bright  died  in  1901  and  some  years 
later  Mr.  Bright  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Vina  Cornwell.  a  native  of  Kentucky 
and  a  daughter  of  George  Cornwell.  who  came 
to  Oregon  in  IflOO,  settling  in  (!'oos  county. 
Jlrs.  Bright  is  one  of  three  children.  The 
other  two  are  James  and  Clay,  both  of  whom 
are  enterprising  agriculturists  in  Coos 
county. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Bright  afiiliates 
with  the  socialist  party,  being  a  firm  believer 
in  the  ellicacy  and  truth  of  its  iirinciples. 
He  lakes  an  intelligent  interest  in  ])ublic  af- 
fairs but  has  never  been  an  ofiice  seeker,  pre- 
ferring to  devote  his  time  to  the  develoi)ment 
of  his  farm.  As  agriculture  has  progressed 
as  a  science  Mr.  Bright  has  progressed 
with  it  and  is  a  representative  of  the  class 
of  farmers  who  are  making  the  cultivation 
of  the  soil  among  the  most  honorable  occu- 
pations in  America. 

GEORGE  HENRY  NEWELL,  the  owner  of 
a  two  hundred  and  seventy  acre  ranch  near 
Lakeview  and  interested  in  stage  lines  in 
this  p;ut  of  tlie  state,  was  born  near  Oregon 
City,  Oregon,  February  3,  18")5,  a  son  of 
George  P.  and  Emma  (Weston)  Newell.  The 
father  was  born  in  an  English  ship  on 
the  Irish  sea  in  1810.  His  father  was  a 
quartermaster  in  the  king's  guard.  At 
eighteen  years  of  age,  George  P.  New- 
ell came  alone  to  the  United  States, 
settling  in  New  York,  but  in  1849  made  his 
way  to  the  opposite  extremity  of  the  coun- 
try, crossing  the  plains  to  San  Francisco, 
California,   whence  he  made  his   way   north- 


lore' 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


ward  to  Oregon  Citj-  about  1S51.  Before 
coming  to  this  state,  liowever,  he  returned 
to  New  York  and  started  with  his  family 
for  the  Pacific  coast  by  way  of  the  isthmus 
route.  The  mother  and  two  of  the  children, 
however,  died  on  shipboard  and  were  laid  to 
rest  in  a  San  Francisco  cemetery.  It  was 
subsequent  to  this  time  that  George  P. 
Newell  married  Emma  Weston  in  Oregon 
City.  He  was  collector  of  the  port  at  Van- 
couver at  that  time  through  appointment 
of  President  Fillmore.  He  was  also  well 
known  as  a  music  teacher,  in  whicli  connec- 
tion he  traveled  to  a  considerable  extent.  He 
probably  was  the  best  musician  on  the  coast 
in  his  day.  He  taught  both  vocal  and  instru- 
mental music,  the  latter  including  piano, 
violin  and  organ,  and  he  held  a  choral  festi- 
val, or  cantata,  in  every  town  where  he  felt 
his  pupils  were  far  enough  advanced  for  the 
work,  it  requiring  about  fifty  pupils  to  pre- 
sent the  entertainment.  At  length,  however, 
he  secured  a  donation  claim  of  six  hundred 
and  forty  acres  near  Oregon  City  and  thus 
became  identified  with  the  agricultural  de- 
velopment of  tlie  state.  He  was  a  well 
known  and  highly  esteemed  citizen  and  died 
at  Albany  in  1ST6.  He  was  married  four 
times  and  had  fifteen  children  by  the  first 
three  wives,  three  sons  and  two  daughters 
being  born  of  his  third  marriage,  which  was 
with  Emma  Weston.  The  daughters  are  now 
deceased  but  the  sons  are  yet  living,  namely: 
Charles  H.,  a  resident  of  Reading,  California: 
George  H. ;  and  William  Alvah,  assistant 
postmaster  of  Grants  Pass. 

After  George  H.  Xewell  was  eight  years 
of  age  his  jiarents  for  some  years  lived  at 
various  places  in  Oregon  and  California.  In 
1872  he  came  to  Lake  county,  where  he  has 
made  his  home  for  the  past  forty  years, 
although  the  town  of  Lakeview  had  not  been 
established  at  the  time  of  his  arrival.  He 
spent  twenty-five  years  in  Drews  Valley,  in 
this  county,  and  he  still  owns  a  ranch  of  two 
hundred  and  seventy  acres,  which  he  secured 
from  the  government.  During  the  past  four 
years  he  has  made  his  home  in  Lakeview  and 
is  interested  in  stage  lines  to  Plush  and  to 
Klamath  Falls,  his  son-in-law,  Oliver  Corey, 
having  a  contract  for  running  stages,  ilr. 
Newell  is  the  owner  of  four  acres  of  land 
in  the  city.  He  is  practically  living  retired 
merely  supervising  his  interests,  for  liis  busi- 
ness activity  in  former  years  brought  to 
him  a  measure  of  success  which  is  most 
creditable. 

In  1878  Mr.  Newell  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  !Miss  Harriet  C.  Hammersley,  wlio 
was  born  in  Missouri  in  1860  and  in  1863 
was  brought  to  Oregon  by  her  parents,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Andrew  Hammersley,  who  in  1869 
took  up  their  abode  near  Pine  Creek.  They 
traveled  with  a  train  of  eight  wagons  and 
were  among  the  first  families  to  locate  in 
the  vicinity  of  Pine  Creek.  After  taking  up 
his  abode  here  he  spent  his  remaining  days 
in  the  valley,  as  did  his  wife.  To  Jlr.  and 
Mrs.  Newell  have  been  born  six  children: 
Laura  Etta,  who  became  the  wife  of  -Toe 
Sanders  and  died  leaving  one  child,  Mary, 
who  lives  with  her  grandfather,  our  subject: 


Martha,  the  wife  of  Oliver  P.  M.  Corev,  of 
Lakeview;  Ethel,  the  wife  of  L.  G.  Thomas, 
of  Goose  Lake  valley;  Herbert  and  Walter, 
who  met  death  June' 9,  1910,  at  the  ages  of 
twenty-four  and  twenty-two  years  respec- 
tively; and  Henry,  who  is  married  and  re- 
sides on  his  fathers  ranch.  Mr.  and  ilrs. 
Newell  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church  and  are  people  possessed  of 
many  sterling  traits  of  heart  and  mind, 
interested  in  the  welfare  of  the  community 
in  which  they  live  and  manifesting  deep 
sympathy  for  the  individual  for  whom  neces- 
sitv  or  distress  has  rendered  hard  the  way 
of  "Ufe. 

HENRY  L.  REED,  Like  several  of  his 
neighbors,  Henry  L.  Reed  gave  some  of  the 
best  part  of  his  life  to  facing  bullets  of 
the  enemies  during  the  Civil  war  and  endur- 
ing the  hardships  and  privations  of  army  life. 
He  drifted  westward  with  the  increasing  tide 
of  emigration  after  the  war  was  over,  finally 
settling  in  Oregon,  and  now  lives  near  Mur- 
phy where  he  owns  a  fine  farm  of  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres.  He  was  born  in  Jef- 
ferson county.  New  Y'ork,  July  30,  1843,  a 
son  of  Hiram  S.  and  Martha  (Stephenson) 
Reed,  both  natives  of  the  state  of  New  Y'ork. 
To  the  parents  were  born  a  family  of  ten 
children,  who  were  reared  and  given  the  ad- 
vantages of  the  public  schools  of  the  Empire 
state. 

Henry  L.  Reed  pursued  his  education  until 
the  age  of  eighteen  years  and  then  left  home 
to  enlist  in  the  Union  army  under  General 
MeClellan.  He  served  with  that  officer  for 
eighteen  months  and  then  was  under  Gen- 
eral Banks.  He  was  for  a  long  time  on 
picket  duty  before  Petersburg  and  assisted 
in  the  movements  against  General  Lee,  also 
taking  part  in  the  battle  of  Appomattox  in 
which  that  noted  southern  general  surren- 
dered. During  his  army  life  he  was  in 
eighteen  hotly  contested  battles  and  thirty- 
two  skirmishes,  being  wounded  three  times. 
After  peace  was  declared  he  was  mustered 
out  of  the  United  States  service  and  mi- 
grated to  Wisconsin,  where  he  remained  for 
seven  years  on  a  farm  which  he  had  pur- 
chased and  of  which  he  disposed  at  the  time 
of  his  removal.  From  Wisconsin  he  went  to 
British  Columbia  and  after  remaining  there 
for  a  time  settled  in  Oregon,  where  he  bought 
a  farm  of  sixty  acres.  He  sold  that  farm 
in  190G  and  bought  the  Adams  homestead 
of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  near  ilur- 
phy,  which  he  has  improved  and  brought 
under  a  verj-  good  state  of  cultivation. 

Mr.  Reed  was  married  January  1,  1906, 
to  Mrs.  Mary  H.  Hickman.  By  a  previous 
marriage  he  had  six  children,  namely:  Sarah 
M.  Clarke,  who  resides  in  New  Y'ork:  Nettie 
E.,  who  is  the  wife  of  Mr.  Stitt.  of  New 
Y'ork,  who  is  in  the  employ  of  the  govern- 
ment: Nellie  M.,  also  of  the  Empire  state; 
Roy  T„  at  home;  George  H.,  who  is  also 
under  the  parental  roof;  and  Eveline,  the 
wife  of  H.  Kish,  living  in  Medford. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Reed  is  a  repub- 
lican and  has  held  the  office  of  constable  in 
Wisconsin  for  several  vears   as  well  as  the 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


105B 


position  of  road  overseer.  Not  alone  on  ac- 
count of  his  military  record,  but  for  liis  ex- 
cellent traits  of  character  as  well  Mr.  Reed 
enjoys  a  fine  reputation  in  the  community 
of  which  he  is  a  member  and  has  come  to  be 
regarded  as  one  of  the  best  citizens  of  his 
locality.  He  possesses  the  genial  nature  char- 
acteristic of  most  veterans  of  the  Civil  war 
and  his  friends  greatly  enjoy  listening  to 
his  reminiscences  of  those  stirring  days.  He 
is  esteemed  very  highly  by  those  who  know 
him  and  is  received  warmly  into  the  best 
circles  of  society. 

GEORGE  C.  FITZGERALD  is  the  owner  of 
a  ranch  of  three  hundred  acres,  which  he 
purchased  in  1SS9  and  which  was  the  old 
family  homestead.  The  varied  work  of  farm 
life  claims  his  attention  and  his  energies  are 
so  wisely  directed  that  excellent  results 
crown  his  labors.  He  was  born  in  Laclede 
county,  Missouri,  August  20,  1865,  and  is  a 
son  of  James  T.  and  Sarah  Elizabeth  (Neal) 
Fitzgerald,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of 
Tennessee.  Coming  to  the  west,  they  died 
on  a  ranch  five  miles  south  of  Lakeview  in 
190S,  the  mother  passing  away  in  March,  at 
the  age  of  seventy-live,  and  the  father  in 
August,  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven.  They 
were  reared  and  married  in  Tennessee  and  in 
the  fall  of  1860  removed  to  Missouri.  In 
the  fall  of  1870  they  made  their  way  to  the 
Rogue  River  valley  of  Oregon  and  in  the  fall 
of  1871  came  to  Lake  county,  settling  on  a 
ranch  sis  miles  south  of  Lakeview.  When 
their  son  George  was  fifteen  years  of  age 
they  sold  out  and  removed  to  the  west  side 
of  the  valley.  In  the  spring  of  1S89  they 
took  up  their  abode  upon  the  ranch  which 
is  now  the  property  of  their  son  George.  At 
one  time  they  conducted  a  dairy  for  Jesse 
Applegate  on"  the  Rogue  river,  an  old  In- 
dian assisting  in  herding  the  cows.  In  the 
fall  following  the  attainment  of  the  age  of 
twenty-one  years  James  T.  Fitzgerald  joined 
the  Masonic"  fraternity  and  was  laid  to  rest 
by  the  Masonic  lodge"of  Lakeview.  Both  he 
and  his  wife  were  consistent  members  of  the 
Baptist  church  at  Lakeview.  In  all  matters 
relating  to  the  public  welfare  they  were 
deeply  interested  and  Mr.  Fitzgerald  gave 
his  cooperation  to  many  movements  for  the 
public  good.  He  was  a  teamster  in  the  Mo- 
doc war  and  was  near  Colonel  Canby  when 
he  lost  his  life.  At  the  time  of  the  Civil  war 
he  joined  the  army  and  for  three  months 
was  under  the  command  of  General  Price. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  T.  Fitzgerald  became 
the  parents  of  five  children:  Nancy,  who  is 
the  widow  of  John  O'Neil  and  resides  at 
Pine  Creek,  Oregon;  Mantaza,  who  died  in 
Missouri,  at  the  age  of  twelve  years;  Etta, 
who  is  the  wife  of  L.  W.  Garter,  of  Los  An- 
geles, California:  John,  of  Lake  City,  Modoc 
county,  California;   and  George  C. 

George  C.  Fitzgerald,  whose  name  intro- 
duces this  record,  always  resided  with  his 
parents  until  their  deaths,  never  being  away 
from  them  for  over  two  months  at  a  time. 
His  filial  love  and  devotion  added  much  to 
the  happiness  of  their  lives,  especially  in 
later  vears.   He  worked  for  wages  the  greater 


part  of  his  life  until  twelve  or  fifteen  years 
ago  and  then  began  running  sheep  and  cat- 
tle on  his  own  account.  He  now  owns  the 
old  home  ranch,  which  the  family  has  oc- 
cupied since  1889  and  which  comprises  three 
hundred  acres  of  rich  and  valuable  land.  He 
also  owns  three  hundred  acres  of  mountain 
land  three  miles  east  of  the  home  place, 
which  has  been  improved  by  Mr.  Fitzgerald. 
When  it  came  into  his  possession  it  was 
fenced  and  upon  the  place  was  a  log  cabin, 
which  had  been  built  of  fir  logs  by  William 
Greeman,  the  first  settler  in  the  valley.  Mr. 
Fitzgerald  afterward  tore  down  this  cabin, 
finding  that  the  logs  were  perfectly  sound 
after  forty  years.  He  now  runs  about  five 
thousand  sheep  and  he  also  has  a  few  horses 
and  cattle  upon  his  ranch  but  confines  his 
attention  largely  to  the  raising  of  sheep.  He 
also  puts  up  about  two  hundred  tons  of  hay 
annually. 

In  1U05  Mr.  Fitzgerald  was  married  to 
iliss  Anna  Morris,  who  was  born  in  Dade 
county,  Missouri,  May  12,  1877.  In  the  spring 
of  1878  her  parents  removed  to  Ashland, 
Oregon,  and  settled  in  Goose  Lake  valley, 
where  they  lived  for  eight  years.  Her 
father,  George  W.  Morris,  died  in  this  valley 
in  1899,  while  the  mother,  Mrs.  Sarah  S. 
(McManus)  Morris,  now  resides  in  Stockton, 
California. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Fitzgerald  is  connected 
with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows 
and  is  always  loyal  to  its  teachings.  He  en- 
deavors also  to  follow  in  the  footsteps  of 
his  father,  a  straightforward,  honorable 
man — "the  most  honorable  I  have  ever 
known,"  says  the  son.  The  name  of  Fitz- 
gerald has,  indeed,  been  a  synonym  for  much 
that  is  commendable  during  the  residence 
of  the  family  in  this  part  of  the  state. 

ANTONE  CASTEL.  Prominent  among  the 
residents  of  Klamath  Falls,  Antone  Castel 
is  numbered,  and  with  the  development  and 
progress  of  Klamath  county  he  has  been 
closely  associated  from  the  early  pioneer 
period.  As  the  years  have  gone  by  his  labors 
have  been  an  efl'ective  element  in  the  work 
of  progress  and  prosperity  here,  for  he  has 
ever  manifested  a  deep  interest  in  the  wel- 
fare and  upbuilding  of  his  community.  He 
was  born  in  the  attractive  city  of  Cologne 
on  the  Rhine,  Germany,  .January  17,  1859, 
and  after  acquiring  an  education  in  the 
schools  of  his  native  country,  during  which 
period  he  learned  the  English  language,  he 
shipped  as  a  deck  boj'  on  a  merchantman 
when  but  fourteen  years  of  age  and  before 
he  reached  the  age  of  twenty  years  had 
visited  every  leading  port  in  the  world.  He 
had  also  circumnavigated  the  globe  and  had 
acquired  a  close  and  comprehensive  knowl- 
edge of  many  points  of  interest  in  various 
parts  of  the  world.  In  1879  he  landed  in 
New  York  and  abandoned  the  sea.  From 
the  eastern  coast  he  made  his  way  to  Chi- 
cago and  for  three  or  four  years  (hereafter 
he  was  an  extensive  traveler  throughout  the 
United  States,  visiting  nearly  every  state 
and  territory  in  this  country.  Finally  in 
1884  he  made  his  way  to  southwestern  Ore- 


1054 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


gon  and  selected  a  location  at  Klamath 
Kails.  He  had  made  a  study  of  surveying 
while  he  was  a  sailor  and  in  1893  he  was 
elected  to  the  position  of  county  surveyor. 
In  1894  he  was  reelected  on  the  republican 
ticket  and  made  an  excellent  record  in  that 
position  during  his  four  years  of  incumbency 
in  that  office.  In  1897  he  was  appointed 
postmaster  at  Klamath  Falls  and  acted  in 
that  capacity  for  five  years.  In  1903  he 
received  the  nomination  on  the  republican 
ticket  for  county  clerk  but  could  not  over- 
come the  great  democratic  majority  then  in 
the  county.  From  1889  until  1893  he  was  en- 
gaged in  the  livery  business  and  in  1903  he 
erected  a  brewery  in  Klamath  Falls,  which 
he  still  owns  and  conducts.  His  business 
interests  produce  substantial  financial  re- 
sults. 

On  the  1st  of  May,  1894,  Mr.  Castel  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Alpha  Engle,  who 
was  born  in  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania,  and 
they  have  one  child,  Alfred  B.,  "born  June  6, 
1895.  Theirs  is  an  attractive  home  in  Kla- 
math Falls  and  its  hospitality  is  enjoyed  by 
their  many  friends.  They  have  always  lived 
in  this  section  and  their  labors  have  been 
an  important  element  in  the  growth  and  de- 
velopment of  the  region. 

ALFRED  S.  BENNETT,  of  Wasco  county, 
Oregon,  and  engaged  in  law  practice  at  The 
Dalles,  was  born  at  Dubuque,  Iowa,  .June  10, 
1854,  and  was  reared  in  Floyd  county,  Iowa, 
until  eleven  years  old,  when  he  was  brought 
across  the  plains  by  his  parents  in  1865. 
They  first  settled  in  Yamhill  county,  Oregon, 
and  then  removed  to  Washington  county, 
that  state,  where  they  resided  until  1870. 
About  that  time  Alfred  S.  Bennett  left 
home  and  started  out  for  himself,  as  a  farm 
hand,  continuing  as  such  until  1873.  From 
that  time  on  he  was  engaged  in  teaching 
school  and  reading  law,  pursuing  his  studies 
until  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1880. 
Since  then  Mr.  Bennett  has  been  almost  con- 
tinuously engaged  in  pi'acticing  law  at  The 
Dalles.  Oregon. 

Mr.  Bennett  was  elected  school  superintend- 
ent for  Wasco  county  in  1878,  and  in  1883 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  legislature  from 
that  county.  On  being  appointed  judge  of 
the  circuit  court  for  the  fifth  circuit,  then 
including  all  of  eastern  Oregon,  he  resigned 
from  the  legislature,  before  taking  his  seat 
upon  the  bench  and  served  as  judge  for  two 
years.  He  has  since  been  a  candidate  on  the 
democratic  ticket  for  supreme  court  judge  in 
1894.  and  for  congress,  in  1896,  but  was  de- 
feated. Mr.  Bennett  also  was  a  delegate  to 
the  national  convention  at  Kansas  City,  in 
1S90,  and  again  to  the  convention  at  Balti- 
more in  1912. 

Alfred  S.  Bennett  was  married  on  Novem- 
ber 7,  1887,  to  Miss  Mary  McCauley.  of  Day- 
ton. Washington. 

H.  B.  MOVER,  a  native  son  of  Linn  coun- 
ty and  during  the  entire  period  of  his  active 
life  prominently  identified  with  business  in- 
terests of  the  section,  was  born  in  Browns- 
ville in  1861.  His  parents  were  John  M.  and 
E.  D.  !Mover,  the  former  a  native  of  Penn- 


sylvania  and   the   latter  of   Missouri.     Both 
were    early    settlers    in    Oregon,    the    father 
having   come   to   the   state   in    1853    and   the 
mother   having  crossed   the   plains  with   her 
l>arents    when    she    was    still    a    child.      Her 
father  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  Linn 
county     and    the    town    of     Brownsville    is 
named  in  his  honor.    The  parents  of  our  sub- 
ject were  married  in  Oregon  and  immediately 
afterward  the  father  bought  land  in  Browns- 
ville, where  he  resided  until  his  death.     For 
five  years  he  followed  the  carpenter's  trade 
but  abandoned  this  occupation  eventually  in 
order    to   operate   a   planing   mill.     He   con- 
ducted this  enterprise  until  he  was  injured  in 
an   accident   and   then    became   interested   in 
a  woolen   mill   in   partnership   with   Thomas 
Kay.     Later  he  built  a  mill  at  Albany  and 
after    a    number    of    years    engaged    in    the 
clothing  business  in  Portland,  which  he  con- 
ducted until  his  retirement  in  1896.     He  then 
took    up    his    residence    in    Brownsville    and 
lived  there  until  his  death  in  1904.    His  wife 
resides   in  the  old  home  in  Brownsville  and 
has    reached    the    age    of    seventv-two.      Mr. 
and  Mrs.  John  M.  Moyer  became  "the  parents 
of  six  children,  two  of  whom  are  living:   E. 
D.,  of  Portland;    and  H.  B.,  of  this   review. 
H.    B.    Moyer   began   his    active    career    in 
1883   after   completing  his   education   in  the 
Brownsville  public  schools.   His  fathers  busi- 
ness had  long  attracted  him  and  accordingly 
he  bought  a  saw  and  planing  mill,  which  in 
association  with  his  brother  he  operated  for 
seven  years,  buying  out  his  partner's  inter- 
est at  the  end  of  that  time.    This  enterprise 
he    conducted    alone    until    1894    and    then 
leased  it  until   1898.     In  the  following  year 
he   erected   a   sawmill   sixteen   miles   beyond 
Brownsville  and  operated  this  in  conjunction 
with  his  planing  mill  until  1906,  when  he  dis- 
posed   of   the   first   enterprise   and   managed 
the   planing   mill   only   until   1909.     For  the 
last  eight  years  he  has  also  given  his  atten- 
tion to  the  operation  of  a  fine  garage  and  he 
also  furnishes  water  to  the  city  of  Browns- 
ville.    Being  a  keen  and  active  business  man 
Mr.  Moyer  has    from   time  to  time   invested 
extensively   in  city   property   and   owns,  be- 
sides  his    own    residence,    valuable    residence 
property    in    Brownsville.      He    is    also    the 
owner  of   two   hundred   and   twenty  acres  of 
timber  land  in  Linn  county  and  has  a  half 
interest    in    a    small    ranch.      He    is    also    a 
heavy  stockholder  and  vice  president  of  the 
Bank  of  Brownsville,  of  which  institution  his 
father  had  been  one  of  the  founders. 

Mr.  Moyer  married,  in  1883,  Miss  .Jessie 
Sawyer  and  to  this  union  was  born  one 
daughter,  Goldie  E.,  the  widow  of  William 
.J.  Hooker,  formerly  of  Falls  City,  Polk  coun- 
ty. In  1907  Mr.  Moyer  wedded  Miss  Hazel 
M.  Darlin.  a  native  of  South  Dakota,  and  a 
daughter  of  F.  M.  Darlin.  Mrs.  Moyer  came 
to  Oregon  with  her  father  in  1903,  her 
mother  liaving  passed  away  in  South  Dakota. 
In  the  Darlin  family  were  six  children,  four 
of  whom  are  still  living:  Hazel,  the  wife  of 
our  subject;  William;  George:  and  Estella. 
During  the  course  of  a  long,  active,  and 
useful  life  Mr.  Mover  has  been  an  important 
factor  in  the  business  progress  of  his  native 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


1055 


city  and  in  the  agiicuHiual  development  of 
the  county.  The  secret  of  his  success  lies  in 
his  integrity,  his  steady  industry  ami  his 
perseverance  and  above  all,  in  his  power  of 
recognizing  and  using  the  opportunities 
which  his  ability  commands. 

JESSE  DAVIS  is  one  of  the  prosperous 
farmers  near  Ten  Mile  Lake,  Coos  county, 
Oregon,  where  he  is  carrying  on  an  extensive 
dairy  and  poultry  business.  He  was  born  in 
Polk  county,  Oregon,  October  20,  1865,  and 
received  his  education  in  the  common  schools 
of  Douglas  county.  He  laid  aside  his  books 
at  the  age  of  fifteen  and  worked  as  a  farm 
hand  until  1900.  In  that  year  he  took  up  a 
homestead  claim  which  he  improved  and 
operated  for  some  time.  When  he  sold  his 
holdings  he  invested  his  money  in  Marsh- 
field  town  property  and  lived  in  tiiat  city 
but  later  disposed  of  his  lots  in  Marshfield 
and  bought  eighty  acres  of  land  near  Ten 
Mile  Lake  in  Coos  county,  upon  which  he  has 
lived  for  the  past  eight  years.  He  has  made 
extensive  improvements  on  his  farm  and 
has  made  a  specialty  of  dairying  and  poultry 
raising.  He  has  a  thorough  understanding 
of  the  intelligent  care  of  chickens  and  ducks 
and  his  pursuits  along  this  line  have  been 
prolitable.  His  dairy  is  one  of  the  most 
modern  and  scientifically  equipped  in  Coos 
county  and  its  products  obtain  a  ready  sale 
upon  the  market. 

On  September  28,  1894,  Mr.  Davis  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Maud  Adams,  a 
daugliter  of  B.  F.  and  Kate  Adams.  A 
sketch  of  Mrs.  Davis'  parents  appears  on 
another  page  in  this  work.  She  received  her 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  Coos  coun- 
ty and  has  always  been  a  resident  of  Oregon. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Davis  are  the  parents  of  three 
children:  Ruble  M.,  born  June  24,  1895,  who 
is  a  graduate  of  the  public  schools  of  Coos 
county  and  who  is  living  at  home;  Gladys 
v.,  whose  birth  occurred  on  March  2,  1903, 
and  who  is  a  student  in  the  public  schools 
of  Coos  county;  and  Lela  I.,  who  was  born 
October  7,  1910.  Politically  Mr.  Davis  is  a 
socialist  and  is  active  in  the  affairs  of  the 
local  organization.  He  is  interested  in  edu- 
cation and  has  served  as  school  trustee  of 
his  district  for  some  time.  He  is  rapidly 
gaining  success  and  his  prosperity  is  based 
upon  hard  and  concentrated  work  and  intel- 
ligent and  honorable  business  methods. 

WILLIAM  ANDREW  GELLATLY,  former- 
ly a  proniinent  lurMii-r  and  stockman  in  Ben- 
ton county,  is  now  serving  as  county  sheriff, 
in  which  capacity  he  is  giving  excellent  sat- 
isfaction, his  reelection  to  the  office  indicat- 
ing his  popularity  with  his  fellow  citizens 
and  their  confidence  in  his  ability.  He  was 
born  in  Grass  Valley,  Nevada  county,  Cali- 
fornia, April  24,  1S64,  a  son  of  Andrew  and 
Isabella  (Lyle)  Gellatly,  both  natives  of  Scot- 
land, the  former  born  in  Greenock,  and  the 
latter  in  Perth  county.  Both  left  the  old 
country  in  early  life.  Andrew  Gellatly  came 
over  at  the  age  of  fifteen  and  sent  for  his 
mother  about  three  years  later,  his  father 
having  died  when  he  was  quite  young.     The 


mother  of  our  subject  was  a  little  maiden 
when  she  crossed  the  ocean  with  her  i)arents 
and  both  family  homes  were  estalilislied  in 
iladison  county,  Wisconsin,  in  which  state 
Andrew  Gellatly  ami  Isabella  Lyle  were  later 
married.  In  ls62  they  came  by  way  of  the 
Isthmus  of  Panama  to  California,  and  in 
1870  came  to  Oregon,  settling  on  a  farm 
about  two  and  a  half  miles  west  of  Philo- 
math, in  Benton  county.  The  father  was  a 
farmer  by  occupation,  his  entire  life  being 
devoted  to  that  occupation  with  the  excep- 
tion of  about  seven  years  spent  in  the  gold 
mines  of  California.  He  died  on  his  farm  in 
Benton  county  in  1898  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
nine  years,  while  his  wife  survived  until  the 
23d  of  JIarcli,  1912,  passing  away  at  Wen- 
atchee,  Washington,  at  the  age  of  seventy 
years.  In  their  family  were  eleven  children, 
of    whom    eight   survive. 

The  eldest  in  order  of  birth,  William  An- 
drew Gellatly  was  reared  upon  the  home 
farm  and  acquired  his  education  in  the  coun- 
try schools  and  in  Philomath  college.  In 
the  summer  months  he  assisted  his  father 
in  the  cultivation  of  the  fields,  and  thus 
earlj'  became  acquainted  with  the  tasks  that 
fall  to  the  lot  of  the  farm  lad.  Upon  attain- 
ing his  majority  he  wisely  chose  as  his 
vocation  the  occupation  with  which  he  was 
familiar  and  secured  land  in  Blodget's  valley, 
about  fifteen  miles  west  of  Corvallis.  He 
became  the  owner  of  twelve  hundred  acres 
of  land  and  eventually  became  known  as  one 
of  the  largest  farmers  in  the  county.  In 
addition  to  tilling  the  fields  he  gave  a  large 
portion  of  his  time  and  attention  to  his 
stock  interests,  being  for  a  time  one  of  the 
most  extensive  stock  feeders  and  raisers  in 
Benton  county.  He  raised  cattle,  sheep  and 
goats,  and  was  one  of  the  heaviest  cattle 
feeders  in  his  section  of  the  state,  making 
a  specialty  of  that  branch  for  twenty  years. 
He  not  only  ran  a  large  amount  of  stock 
over  tlie  range  but  engaged  to  a  large  extent 
in  stall  feeding,  and  was  one  of  the  most 
experienced  and  able  men  in  this  line  in 
the  county.  Few  men  were  better  known  in 
agricultural  circles  throughout  a  long  period 
tlian  was  Mr.  Gellatly,  and  when  he  gave 
up  his  farming  and  stock  interests  in  order 
to  accept  public  office  those  branches  of 
activity  lost  one  of  their  most  successful 
and  intluential  representatives.  Mr.  Gellatly 
was  also  engaged  in  threshing,  doing  a.  great 
deal  of  work  along  this  line,  in  wliicli  he  was 
well  known  to  the  farmers  of  the  district. 

Business,  however,  has  been  but  one  phase 
of  his  life,  for  in  him  intellectual  and  moral 
progress,  as  well  as  material,  find  a  chara- 
|)ion.  recognizing  as  he  does  tluit  each  has 
its  place  in  the  scheme  of  the  world.  His 
religious  faith  is  that  of  the  Evangelical 
church,  its  teachings  proving  tlie  guiding  in- 
tluence  in  his  life,  while  as  a  member  of  the 
Commercial  Club  of  Corvallis  he  is  deeply  in- 
terested in  furthering  the  general  welfare  of 
the  community.  He  is  not  unknown  in  fra- 
ternal circles,  holding  membership  with  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Follows,  the 
Woodmen  of  tlio  World,  the  Fnited  Artisans 
and    the   Knights   of   Pythias.     He  has   ever 


105G 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


taken  a  great  interest  in  the  development 
and  improvement  of  the  school  system  in  the 
county  and  has  held  oliicial  positions  in  con- 
nection with  educational  aflairs.  His  politi- 
cal allegiance  is  given  to  the  republican 
party  and  in  190S  was  elected  on  that  ticket 
to  the  office  of  sheriff  of  Benton  county. 
Indorsement  of  his  work  in  that  capacity 
came  in  his  reelection  to  a  second  term  and 
he  is  now  his  party's  candidate  for  a  third 
term.  In  this  connection  he  has  manifested 
a  courageous  spirit  in  the  face  of  large  re- 
sponsibilities and  has  performed  his  duties 
with  a  faithfulness  and  fearlessness  that 
have  won  tlie  complete  trust  and  confidence 
of  all  law  abiding  citizens,  while  his  inde- 
fatigable efforts  in  checking  lawlessness 
have  made  his  name  a  menace  to  criminals 
of  all  classes. 

Mr.  Gellatly  was  married,  in  1892,  to  Miss 
Emma  Taylor,  who  was  born  in  Kansas,  in 
1873,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Taylor,  by  whom 
she  was  brought  to  Oregon  in  her  childhood. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gellatly  were  born  nine 
children,  of  whom  one,  Andrew,  passed  away 
in  infancy.  The  others  are  Nellie,  R.  Ward, 
William  J.,  Isabella,  Margaret,  Mary,  Jennie 
and  John  Harold.  Mr.  Gellatly  is  widely 
known  throughout  the  county,  and  especially 
in  the  Willamette  valley  has  he  a  large 
acquaintance,  not  only  because  of  his  exten- 
sive business  interests  in  the  past  and  his 
present  public  position,  but  also  because  his 
personal  characteristics  are  such  as  easily 
win  and  hold  high  regard  and  esteem.  Pre- 
eminently a  self-made  man,  his  has  been  a 
busy  and  useful  life,  crowned  by  a  high 
degree  of  success,  which  is  reckoned  not  only 
by  material  gain,  although  that  has  come 
to  him  in  substantial  measure,  but  also  by 
the  honorable  place  which  he  has  won  for 
himself  in  the  opinion  of  his  fellowmen. 

WALLACE  FREYER,  one  of  the  substan- 
tial and  representative  citizens  of  Douglas, 
his  native  county,  owns  and  operates  a 
ranch  of  two  hundred  and  eighty  acres  at 
Kellogg  and  also  cultivates  about  six  hun- 
dred additional  acres  under  lease.  For  a 
number  of  years  he  has  likewise  operated  a 
threshing  machine.  His  birth  occurred  in 
Kellogg,  Oregon,  on  the  14th  of  December, 
1868,  his  parents  being  John  and  Mary  (Kel- 
logg) Freyer.  The  father,  who  was  born  in 
New  York,  on  the  11th  of  April,  1826,  made 
his  way  to  California  via  the  isthmus  route 
in  1849  and  spent  two  years  in  the  gold 
mines.  Hearing  that  his  brother  Abraham, 
who  had  been  a  sailor,  was  living  in  Ore- 
gon, he  came  north  to  this  state  in  1851 
and  in  association  with  his  brother  took  up  a 
donation  claim  (now  the  Hedden  farm)  on 
the  Umpqua  river  in  Douglas  county.  Sub- 
sequently he  turned  his  interest  therein  over 
to  his  brother  and  bought  a  donation  claim 
from  .Tames  Cooper,  another  from  a  Mr. 
Laughlin  and  another  from  a  Mr.  Robinson  at 
Kellogg,  owning  in  all  about  eight  hundred 
and  seventy  acres.  He  was  killed  on  the 
11th  of  April,  1908,  by  being  thrown  from  a 
wagon,  the  wheel  of  the  wagon  passing  over 
his  head.    In  politiea  he  was  republican  but 


never  sought  nor  desired  office.    John  j<reyer 
owned  and  operated  one  of  the  first  thresh- 
ing machines   brought   into  Douglas   county, 
having  it   shipped  around   the  Horn.     After 
his  demise  it  was  operated  by  his  sons  and 
is    still    in    good    condition    at    the    present 
time,  being  occasionally  used  bv  our  subject. 
Mr.  Freyer  was  a  veteran  of  the  Modoc  In- 
dian   war   and    in    other    ways    did    his    full 
share    toward    promoting    the   progress    and 
improvement   of  this   state  in  pioneer  days. 
The  period  of  his  residence  in  Douglas  county 
covered    fifty-seven    years    and    his    upright 
and  honorable  life  won  him  the  regard  and 
esteem  of  all  with  whom  he  came  into  con- 
tact.    Mrs.  Mary    (Kellogg)    Freyer  was  the 
daughter  of  John  M.   Kellogg,  who  came  to 
Oregon  in  1849,  crossing  the  plains  with  ox 
teams  and  locating  on  the  Umpqua  river,  at 
what    is    now    Kellogg,    in    Douglas    county. 
That    postofBce    was    named    in    his    honor. 
Here  he  took  up   a   donation  claim,  built  a 
brush   dam   across   the  river   and   began   the 
construction  of  one  of  the  first  mills  erected 
in  Douglas   county.     While  at  work  on   the 
same,  however,  he  was  killed  by  falling  from 
the    structure,    which    was    afterward    com- 
pleted and  operated  by  his  sons,  Lyman  and 
Barney.      His    daughter    Mary,    the    wife   of 
John  Freyer,  passed  away  in'  the  year  1870. 
Wallace  Freyer  was  reared  under  the  pa- 
rental  roof  and  attended  the  public  schools 
in  the  acquirement  of  an  education.     When 
a  youth  of  sixteen  he  began  to  provide  for 
his    own    support    by    working    on    a    ranch. 
Four  years  later,  in  1888,  he'  purchased  the 
donation   claim   of  his   grandmother   Kellogg 
and  a  few  years  afterward  sold  the  same  to 
A.   L.  Hutchinson.     Subsequently  he  bought 
a  ranch  of  two  hundred  and  eighty  acres  at 
Kellogg,    which    he    still    operates    together 
with  the  Rapp   ranch,  comprising  about  six 
hundred  acres.    His  undertakings  as  an  agri- 
culturist   have   been    attended    with    success, 
and  Douglas  county  numbers  him  among  its 
prosperous    and    enterprising    citizens.      For 
years  he  has  operated  a  thresher,  now  hav- 
ing three  modern  machines  in  his  possession. 
Since  age  conferred  upon  him  the  right  of 
franchise  Mr.  Freyer  has  supported  the  men 
and  measures  of  the  republican  party,  believ- 
ing that  its  principles  are  most  conducive  to 
good  government.     Fraternally  he  is   identi- 
fied with  the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  belong- 
ing to  Oakland  Camp,  No.  258.     His  entire 
career  has  been  characterized  by  high  ideals 
and  noble  principles,  and  in  every  relation  of 
life  his   record   has   ever  measured   up   to   a 
high  standard  of  honorable  manhood. 

WILLIAM  H.  TAYLOR.  One  of  the  lead- 
ing business  houses  of  Hillsboro  is  that 
owned  by  William  II.  Taylor,  who  is  dealing 
In  pianos,  wall  paper  and  paints.  In  this 
connection  he  studies  the  wishes  and  needs 
of  his  patrons  and  carries  a  stock  that  will 
meet  the  public  requirements.  His  business 
methods,  too.  are  reliable  and  his  commer- 
cial integrity  constitutes  a  feature  in  his 
success.  He  was  born  in  Washington 
county,  Oregon,  March  27,  1860.  His  father, 
Dr.  I.  C.   Taylor,  was   a  native  of  Missouri, 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTOKY  OF  OREGON 


i():)U 


born  in  1833,  and  in  early  manhood  wedded 
Mary  McKinzie,  whose  birth  occurred  in 
Wisconsin  in  1836.  It  was  about  the  year 
1851  that  Dr.  Taylor  came  to  this  state, 
which  was  then  under  territorial  rule,  and 
settled  in  Washington  county.  At  the  pres- 
ent writing  he  is  residing  in  Washington, 
D.  C.  In  the  family  were  two  children,  the 
daughter  being  Mary  Jane,  the  widow  of  H. 
H.  Clark,  who  was  a  son  of  J.  Clark. 

William  H.  Taylor  devoted  his  youth 
largely  to  mastering  the  course  of  instruc- 
tion given  in  the  common  schools  of  Yam- 
hill county.  As  a  young  man  he  engaged  in 
farming  but  afterward  learned  the  painter's 
trade,  which  he  has  followed  for  twenty 
years.  In  July,  1909,  he  took  up  his  abode 
in  Hillsboro  and  the  following  year  became 
identified  with  its  mercantile  interests  as  a 
dealer  in  pianos,  wall  paper  and  paint.  He 
carries  a  large  and  well  selected  line  and  for 
his  goods  finds  a  ready  sale  because  they  are 
attractive  and  his  business  methods  are 
thoroughly  trustworthy. 

On  the  5th  of  December,  1SS5,  Mr.  Taylor 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Dora  Nell 
Jobe,  of  Washington  county,  whose  father, 
Noah  J.  Jobe,  came  to  the  county  in  1847 
and  secured  a  donation  land  claim  upon 
which  he  spent  his  remaining  days,  actively 
engaged  in  farming.  He  passed  through  the 
usual  hardships  and  experience.s  of  pioneer 
life  in  a  frontier  district,  where  the  Indians 
were  still  numerous  and  where  the  work  of 
development  and  progress  seemed  scarcely 
begun.  He  served  as  a  soldier  in  the  Cayiise 
Indian  war.  He  married  a  Miss  Garwood  and 
she  shared  with  him  in  all  the  difficulties 
of  establishing  a  home  in  a  frontier  district. 
Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Taylor  were  born  five 
children:  Robert  Harold,  William  Ernest, 
Fred  Ray,  Glenn  and  Florence  Ruth,  all  of 
whom  have  been  educated  in  the  schools  of 
Hillsboro  and  are  yet  under  the  parental 
roof.  Before  removing  to  this  city  the  family 
lived  upon  one  farm  a  quarter  of  a  century. 
Mr.  Taylor  is  a  republican  in  politics  and  is 
conversant  with  the  leading  questions  and 
issues  of  the  day.  His  fraternal  relations 
are  with  the  Woodmen  of  the  World  and  he 
has  held  the  otlice  of  adviser  in  the  local 
society.  For  more  than  a  half  century  the 
history  of  Oregon  has  been  familiar  to  him 
and  he  has  watched  the  wonderful  trans- 
formation which  has  been  wrought,  convert- 
ing this  from  a  wild  and  sparsely  settled 
district  into  a  leading  state  of  the  Union 
with  all  the  advantages  known  to  the  older 
east. 

ANDRU  MANIKI  is  one  of  the  many 
sturdy  sons  of  Finland  who  are  bringing 
their  strong  national  virtues  of  industry  and 
well  directed  determination  to  bear  upon  the 
cultivation  of  the  rich  and  fertile  farm  lands 
of  Coos  county.  He  was  born  in  Finland,  in 
ISTl,  and  is  a  son  of  Mathew  and  Louisa 
(Goske)  ilaniki.  He  is  one  of  five  children 
born  to  his  parents:  Erick.  who  is  now  de- 
ceased; !Marie,  who  married  Alexander  .loyk, 
of  Finland:  Andru,  the  subject  of  this  sketch; 


Henry,  who  now  resides  in  Michigan;  and 
Mathew,  deceased. 

Andru  Maniki  received  his  eaily  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  Finland.  He  was 
brought  up  on  his  father's  farm  and  re- 
mained at  home  until  he  was  nineteen  years 
of  age,  when  he  came  to  America  and  settled 
immediately  in  Astoria,  Oregon.  Here  he  be- 
came identified  with  the  fishing  industry  for 
two  years  and  spent  one  year  in  the  timber 
woods  of  the  state.  He  then  came  to  Coos 
county  and  worked  at  lumbering  and  coal 
mining  in  that  section  for  some  time.  lie 
spent  one  j-ear  in  the  coal  mines  of  Rock 
Springs,  Wyoming,  and  at  the  expiration  of 
that  time  returned  to  Coos  Bay  .where  he 
engaged  in  various  activities  for  fifteen 
years.  He  finally  took  up  a  homestead 
claim  of  eight}'  acres  on  Shutlers  arm  of  Ten 
Mile  lake  and  has  been  engaged  in  the  culti- 
vation of  the  soil  since  that  time.  He  farms 
in  a  scientific  and  progressive  manner  and 
has  attained  a  gratifying  degree  of  success 
since  he  has  been  independent.  He  has  con- 
stantly improved  his  holdings  and  is  inter- 
ested in  every  new  development  connected 
with  farm  machinery. 

In  April,  1893,  Mr.  Maniki  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Mary  Maniki  and  to  their 
union  two  children  were  born:  Sweda,  de- 
ceased; and  Linda,  who  since  leaving  school 
has  studied  music  at  home.  Mr.  Maniki  is 
independent  in  his  political  views,  preferring 
to  vote  for  the  men  regardless  of  party.  He 
is  a  devoted  member  of  the  Lutheran  church 
and  his  family  also  hold  membership  in  that 
organization.  His  life  has  not  been  an  easy 
one.  He  was  obliged  to  work  hard  and  to 
labor  earnestly  for  his  daily  bread,  but  he 
is  now,  as  reward  of  his  energy,  in  possession 
of  a  fertile  farm  and  enjoys  the  respect  and 
esteem  of  his  fellow  citizens. 

WILBUR  F.  BOOTHBY.  One  does  not 
have  to  carry  his  investigations  far  into  the 
history  of  .Salem  to  learn  of  the  iniport:int 
part  that  Wilbur  F.  Boothby  has  jdaycti  in 
its  upbuilding,  development  and  adornnumt. 
He  was  at  one  time  closely  associated  with 
its  industrial  interests  as  owner  of  a  sash 
and  door  factory  and  later  as  an  architect 
and  contractor,  in  which  connection  he  has 
erected  splendid  structures  that  still  stand 
as  monuments  to  his  skill  and  ability.  He 
was  born  in  Limington,  Maine,  .luly  12,  1840, 
a  son  of  Arthur  and  Jane  (Moody)  Boothby, 
who  spent  their  entire  lives  in  the  Pine  Tree 
state,  where  the  father  followed  farming  for 
many  years.  The  family  is  of  English  origin 
and  was  founded  in  Maine  in  early  colonial 
days,  and  Asa  Boothby,  the  grandfather  of 
Wilbur  1'".  Boothby.  was  a  native  of  that 
state.  Arthur  Boothby  and  five  of  his 
brothers  who  were  born  in  Limington  still 
reside  there. 

Wilbur  F.  Boothby  is  the  only  one  living 
of  a  family  of  three  children,  a  younger  sister 
and  brother,  Susan  and  Frank  B.,  being  de- 
ceased. His  youthful  days  were  spent  under 
the  parental  roof  and  his  education  was  pur- 
sued in  the  public  schools  ami  in  the  Fulton 
(X.    V.)    College,    in    which    he    completed    a 


1060 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


course  with  the  class  of  1858.  He  then  re- 
turned home,  continuing  with  his  parents 
until  1861,  when  he  removed  to  Portland, 
Maine,  where  he  entered  the  grocery  business 
in  connection  with  Cyrus  H.  Moody.  A  few 
years  later  they  came  to  California  by  way 
of  the  isthmus  route,  ilr.  Boothby  settled 
first  at  Freemont,  where  he  engaged  in  min- 
ing, and  also  worked  in  a  sawmill  for  a 
short  time.  He  was  for  a  period  proprietor 
of  a  store  there  but  eventually  sold  out  and 
on  the  4th  of  June,  1864,  arrived  in  Oregon, 
since  which  time  he  has  been  a  resident  of 
Salem.  The  town  contained  a  population  of 
one  thousand  at  the  time  of  his  arrival  and 
Portland  was  little  larger.  Mr.  Boothby 
came  to  Salem,  canvassing  for  a  book  on  the 
Civil  war.  He  formed  the  acquaintance  of 
'•Father''  Waller,  who  purchased  a  volume 
from  ilr.  Boothby  and  became  interested  in 
him,  advising  him  to  seek  a  situation  with 
Jones  &  Eeed.  proprietors  of  a  sash  and  door 
factory.  Mr.  Boothby  followed  this  advice 
and  remained  with  that  firm  as  foreman  until 
the  fall  of  1865.  He  then  resolved  to  engage 
in  business  on  his  own  account  and  bought 
out  the  sash  and  door  factory  owned  by  Sam- 
uel Bass.  This  he  conducted  for  several  years 
but  eventually  turned  his  attention  to  other 
business  pursuits,  becoming  well  known  as 
an  architect  and  contractor.  In  1872  he 
erected  the  present  courthouse  at  Salem  and 
has  since  been  well  known  as  a  leading  archi- 
tect of  the  capital  city.  He  planned  and 
erected  the  state  insane  asylum,  also  much 
of  the  state  house  and  the  penitentiary.  In 
fact  he  has  been  identified  with  the  construc- 
tion of  most  of  the  public  buildings  in  this 
part  of  the  state  and  fine  structures  stand 
as  a  monument  to  his  skill,  his  enterprise 
and  his   ability. 

Throughout  the  period  of  his  residence 
here  Mr.  Boothby  has  been  closely,  actively 
and  helpfully  associated  with  the  work  of 
public  progress  and  improvement.  He  was 
the  first  president  of  the  Salem  waterworks 
and  ]iis  cooperation  has  always  been  counted 
upon  to  further  any  project  or  movement 
for  the  public  good.  He  operated  the  Drake 
foundry  and  machine  shop  of  Salem  for  two 
vears.  "which  was  the  last  position  in  which 
he  actively  engaged.  In  1886  he  retired  and 
returned  to  Maine  to  visit  his  parents,  spend- 
ing two  years  on  the  Atlantic  coast.  He 
owns  property  interests  here  from  which  he 
derives  a  substantial  income,  his  realty  hold- 
ings including  four  dwellings  and  two  busi- 
ness blocks. 

In  1865  Mr.  Boothby  was  married  to  Miss 
Rebecca  A.  Dalgleish,  who  was  born  in  Scot- 
land, March  2C  1842,  and  came  to  America 
with  her  mother,  the  family  settling  in 
Lawrence,  Massachusetts,  where  she  re- 
mained until  eighteen  years  of  age.  Her 
father,  Jesse  Dalgleish,  was  a  woolen  manu- 
facturer in  Scotland  and  died  in  that  coun- 
try, after  which  his  widow  brought  her  fam- 
ily to  the  United  States.  They  lived  for 
some  time  in  Lawrence,  Massachusetts  and 
then  came  west  to  Salem,  Oregon.  To  Mr. 
and  Jlrs.  Boothbv  have  been  born  two  chil- 


dren who  are  yet  living:  Charles,  of  Port- 
land; and  Veva,  the  wife  of  John  McCourt, 
the  present  United  States  district  attorney 
for  Oregon.  Those  deceased  are:  Edward, 
who  was  drowned  on  his  eighth  birthday  and 
who  was  the  eldest  of  the  family;  and 
Minnie,  Jesse  and  Willie,  all  of  whom  died 
in  infancy. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Boothby  is  re- 
publican and  has  ever  kept  well  informed 
on  the  questions  and  issues  of  the  day,  but 
has  never  been  a  politician  in  the  sense  of 
office  seeking.  He  has  now  passed  the  sev- 
enty-second milestone  on  life's  journey  and 
his  has  been  an  active  and  useful  life,  his 
labors  continuously  increasing  in  scope  and 
importance  and  bringing  him  at  last  a  com- 
fortable competence  that  enables  him  to  live 
retired. 

GEORGE  M.  WALKER.  Two  miles  up  the 
Tempietou  road  on  Ten  Mile  lake  is  located 
the  model  dairy  of  George  M.  Walker.  Here 
in  partnership  with  his  brother-in-law  he 
operates  a  large  farm  of  two  hundred  and 
forty  acres  and  makes  his  dairy  a  special 
feature  of  the  enterprise.  He  was  born  in 
Maine,  on  July  17,  1856,  and  is  a  son  of 
Wilmot  and  Eliza  (Abbott)  Walker.  He  is 
one  of  three  children  born  to  his  parents, 
and  is  the  eldest,  the  others  being:  Ella, 
who  is  the  wife  of  E.  J.  Henley,  of  Cali- 
fornia;  and  Frank  J.,  deceased. 

ilr.  Walker  came  from  Maine  to  Siskiyou, 
California,  with  his  parents  when  he  was 
two  years  of  age.  He  received  his  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  that  section  and 
started  in  active  life  for  himself  when  he 
was  eighteen  years  old.  His  father  was  a 
miner  and  was  also  associated  with  agricul- 
tural interests  in  Siskiyou  and  when  George 
Walker  was  eighteen  years  of  age  he  entered 
his  father's  employ  and  worked  in  the  gold 
mines  until  he  had  reached  the  age  of  twen- 
ty-two years.  In  1S79  he  entered  the  employ 
of  others  and  mined  for  a  short  time.  He 
later  prospected  for  himself  and  spent  the 
years  from  1879  until  1906  in  the  gold 
regions  of  California.  He  was  fairly  suc- 
cessful in  his  prospecting  operations  yet  for- 
tune never  favored  him  with  a  rich  strike. 
In  1906  he  and  his  brother-in-law,  L.  F.  Faul- 
kenstein,  came  to  Templeton,  Oregon,  and 
bought  a  farm  of  two  hundred  and  forty 
acres  two  miles  southwest  of  the  town  of 
Templeton,  on  Ten  Mile  lake,  and  here  they 
are  carrying  on  a  model  dairy.  George 
Walker  owns  a  half  interest  in  this  property 
and  is  responsible  to  a  great  extent  for  its 
improvement  and  cultivation.  The  dairy  is 
operated  along  modern  and  sanitary  lines 
and  they  keep  twenty-five  cows  for  milking 
purposes. 

In  .lune.  1SS2,  Mr.  Walker  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Louisa  Faulkenstein,  a 
daughter  of  Lewis  and  Margaret  fWiesel 
Faulkenstein.  of  California.  Mrs.  Walker's 
brothers  and  sisters  are:  Mary,  who  became 
the  wife  of  William  Cleaver, "of  California; 
C.  J.,  a  resident  of  San  Francisco,  California; 
Catherine,  who  has  passed  away;  Wilhel- 
raina,    who    married  J.    C.    Luchner    of    San 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OP  OREGON 


lOtJl 


Francisco;  John,  who  makes  his  home  in  Sac- 
ramento, California ;  George,  who  is  a  resi- 
dent of  tlie  same  state;  L.  F.,  who  is  liv- 
ing in  Nortli  Bend,  Oregon;  and  Jennie,  the 
wife  of  David  Davidson,  of  Napa,  California. 
Jlr.  and  Mrs.  Walker  are  the  parents  of  two 
children:  Daniel  L.,  born  in  1887,  who  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  California 
and  in  a  business  college  in  Oregon,  and  who 
is  associated  with  his  father  in  the  dairy 
business;  and  Margaret,  born  July,  1890, 
who  received  a  business  education  in  Cali- 
fornia and  is  living  at  liorae  with  her  parents. 
Politically  Mr.  Walker  gives  his  allegiance 
to  the  republican  party.  He  has  never  been 
an  office  seeker  and  has  never  held  a  public 
position  in  Oregon.  He,  however,  served  as 
one  of  the  county  officials  during  his  resi- 
dence in  California  and  did  able  and  efiicient 
work  in  this  capacity.  He  is  affiliated  with 
the  Independent  Order  of  Foresters  but  be- 
yond this  has  no   fraternal  connections. 

WILLIAM  K.  McCORMACK  is  the  owner 
of  a  well  improved  ranch  in  the  Summer 
Lake  valley  not  far  from  Paisley,  which  has 
been  in  his  possession  for  twelve  years. 
Upon  this  he  is  engaged  in  the  raising  of 
grain  and  breeding  of  stock  and  in  his  busi- 
ness career  indicates  that  he  is  thoroughlj- 
conversant  with  the  fact  that  intense  in- 
dustry, not  special  ability,  makes  most  of 
our  successful  men  what  thej'  are.  A  native 
of  New  Brunswick,  he  was  born  August  16, 
1875,  and  is  a  son  of  William  and  Elizabeth 
(McKinzie)  McCormack,  who  were  also  natives 
of  Xew  Brunswick,  born  in  1849  and  1854 
respective!}-.  They  were  married  in  that 
country  and  in  1876  went  to  California,  set- 
tling near  Sacramento.  The  mother  died  in 
San  Diego,  California,  in  April,  1910,  and  the 
father  still  makes  his  home  in  that  city, 
where  he  has  lived  for  six  or  seven  years. 
He  followed  ranching  during  the  greater  part 
of  his  life  but  is  now  retired.  The  family 
came  from  Rosedale,  California,  to  the  Che- 
Avaucan  valley  in  Lake  county,  Oregon,  in 
18S7  and  there  resided  until  1900,  when  they 
returned  to  the  southern  state.  Their  chil- 
dren are  three  in  number:  J.  R.,  who  is  liv- 
ing in  California;  Annie,  who  is  the  wife  of 
L.  A.  Moss,  of  Paisley;  and  William  K. 

The  last  named  has  been  a  resident  of 
Lake  county  for  a  quarter  of  a  century  and 
throughout  his  entire  life  he  has  devoted  his 
attention  to  ranching  and  stock-raising.  He 
worked  with  his  father  until  fifteen  years 
of  age  and  then  started  out  in  life  on  his 
own  account.  For  the  past  twelve  years  he 
has  carried  on  farming  independently  and  he 
is  now  the  owner  of  ten  hundred  and  eighty 
acres  on  section  11,  township  33,  range  17 
east.  This  is  situated  at  the  south  end  of 
Summer  Lake  and  is  largely  devoted  to  the 
]>roduction  of  grain  and  the  raising  of  stock. 
He  puts  up  four  hundred  tons  of  hay  annual- 
ly and  he  has  upon  his  place  at  the  present 
time  seventy-tive  hundred  head  of  sheep  and 
fifty  head  of  horses.  He  also  owns  eight 
hundred  acres  of  timber  land,  and  he  like- 
wise has  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  on 
sections    34    and    35,  township    17,   w-hich    he 


homesteaded.  This  is  all  of  the  land  which 
he  secured  from  the  government,  the  re- 
manidor  having  been  purcliased  by  him.  Hia 
ranch  is  a  very  well  improved  place,  being 
supplied  with  all  modern  ecinipments  and 
jvccessories,  and  he  employs  eleven  men  in 
the  haying  season.  Upon  his  ranch  he  has 
all  varieties  of  fruits  and  nuts  grown  in  Ore- 
gon and  he  has  the  surest  fruit  crop  in  the 
county,  the  climatic  conditions  around  Sum- 
mer Lake  being  such  as  further  horticul- 
tural pursuits.  He  has  ever  been  a  hard 
A\orker  aiul  has  made  his  efforts  tell  in  the 
attainment   of   success. 

In  1899  Mr.  McCormack  was  married  to 
JIiss  Frances  j\I.  Akren,  who  was  born  in 
Nebraska  in  1874  and  is  a  daughter  of  W. 
E.  and  Frances  J.  Akren,  who  reside  at 
Gladstone  Park,  Oregon.  Her  brother  W.  S. 
Akren,  is  a  man  of  national  reputation  in 
his  discussion  of  ])olitical  and  economic 
problems.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  JlcCormaek  are 
the  parents  of  four  children:  W.  R.,  eleven 
years  of  age;  Elizabeth,  aged  nine;  Francis; 
and  Thomas,  who  died  at  the  age  of  two 
years. 

ilr.  McCormack  votes  with  the  republican 
party  and  his  fraternal  relations  connect  him 
with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows 
and  the  Woodmen  of  the  World.  He  is  a 
self-made  man,  one  who  started  out  in  life 
empty-handed,  yet  at  the  outset  of  his 
career  realized  that  prosperity  has  its  root 
in  indefatigable  industry.  He  has  ever  taken 
pleasure  in  his  work,  has  wisely  used  his 
time  and  opportunities  and  as  theyears  have 
gone  by  has  gained  a  position  as  a  repre- 
sentative of  Oregon's  agricultural  and  stock- 
raising  interests  that  is  most  enviable. 

R.  W.  TOWER,  leading  a  busy  and  active 
life,  is  engaged  in  the  operation  of  a  saw- 
mill and  also  in  ranching,  owning  five  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  of  land  four  and  a 
half  miles  northwest  of  Worden.  He  was 
born  in  Boulder,  Colorado,  August  13,  1863, 
and  is  a  son  of  Stephen  W.  and  Celestia  M. 
(Parker)  Tower,  who  were  natives  of  Ohio, 
born  in  Licking  and  Delaware  counties  re- 
spectively. They  were  reared  in  the  Buckeye 
state  but  were  married  in  Iowa,  having  re- 
moved thither  with  their  parents,  who  were 
pioneers  of  that  state.  After  their  marriage 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stephen  W.  Tower  went  to 
Colorado.  He  had  previously  visited  the 
state  in  1859  but  returned  to  Iowa  in  1861 
and  after  his  marriage  took  his  wife  to  Boul- 
der. Again,  however,  he  returned  to  Iowa, 
where  he  resided  until  1883  and  then  went 
to  Nebraska,  where  his  death  occurred  in 
1905,  when  he  was  sixty-seven  years  of  age. 
His  widow  now  resides  with  their  eldest 
daughter  in  Butler  county,  Kansas.  Mr. 
Tower  was  a  harness  maker  by  trade  but 
devoted  the  greater  part  of  his  life  to  farm- 
ing. 

R.  W.  Tower  was  the  second  in  order  of 
birth  in  a  family  of  four  sons  and  two 
daughters.  He  was  but  two  years  of  age 
when  the  family  returned  to  Iowa  and 
when  nineteen  years  of  age  he  w-ent  with  his 
]iarcnts    to    Nebraska,    where    he    nuide    his 


106: 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


home  until  about  nine  years  ago.  He  tlien 
came  to  Oregon  and  settled  upon  a  home- 
stead which  is  now  his  place  of  residence. 
It  is  jileasantly  and  conveniently  located 
about  four  and  a  half  miles  northwest  of 
Worden  and  the  tract  of  five  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  is  largely  covered  with  tim- 
ber, making  this  a  valuable  property.  In 
1911  he  purchased  the  sawmill  of  tfie  Cow 
Creek  Lumber  Company  on  his  place  and 
has  since  operated  it,  his  lumber  interests 
being  extensive  and  important.  In  addition 
he  manages  his  ranch  and  upon  the  place  is 
a  good  apple  orchard.  He  also  cultivates 
various  cereals  and  is  engaged  to  some  extent 
in  stock-raising,  making  a  specialty  of  horses. 
His  varied  interests  make  his  life  a  most 
busy  one  and  at  all  times  he  displays  excel- 
lent business  ability  and  sound  judgment. 
His  sawmill  has  a  capacity  of  two  million 
feet  in  a  season. 

On  the  15th  of  September,  1886,  Mr.  Tower 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Fannie  L. 
Miller,  a  native  of  Scott  county,  Iowa.  They 
have  eight  children,  namely:  Raymond  I., 
Harold  H.,  May  I.,  Chesley  H.,  Charles,  Rob- 
ert, Elizabeth  and  James.  Mr.  Tower  votes 
with  the  republican  party  and  keeps  well  in- 
formed on  the  questions  and  issues  of  the  day, 
but  is  not  a  politician  in  the  sense  of  office 
seeking,  although  he  once  served  as  assessor 
in  Kebraska.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers 
of  the  building  association  of  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  "Fellows,  which  erected  the  Odd 
Fellows  Temple  in  Klamath  Falls.  He  is 
greatly  interested  in  the  work  of  his  lodge 
and  exemplifies  in  his  life  its  beneficent 
spirit  and  principles.  He  has  worked  hard, 
has  progressed  steadily  and  has  not  only 
won  a  creditable  measure  of  success  but  also 
the  good-will  and  confidence  of  his  fellow- 
men. 

ANDREW  J.  STONELAKE  is  a  native  of 
Finland  and  has  been  in  this  country  only 
seven  years,  but  he  has  in  that  short  time 
become'  known  as  one  of  the  successful 
farmers  and  dairymen  of  Coos  county,  where 
he  is  engaging  "in  the  cultivation  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  three  miles 
above  Lakeside.  He  was  born  in  1885  and  is 
a  son  of  Elv  and  Mary  Stonelake,  both  na- 
tives of  Finland,  where  his  father  died.  His 
mother  is  still  living  in  her  native  country 
at  the  age  of  seventy-three  years.  They 
were  the  parents  of  five  children,  those  be- 
side our  subject  being:  Ely,  who  is  deceased; 
Hilma.  the  wife  of  Mathew  Bay,  of  Marsh- 
field,  Oregon;  Alec,  a  resident  of  Ten  Mile 
Lake;  and  Minnie,  who  has  passed  away. 

Andrew  J.  Stonelake  received  his  early 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
country.  He  came  to  America  in  1905  and 
settled"  immediately  in  Coos  county,  Oregon, 
where  he  worked  in  a  logging  camp  for  nine 
months.  He  then  obtained  employment  in  a 
shipvard,  where  he  worked  for  two  years. 
At  the  end  of  that  time  he  mined  for  eight 
months  in  the  Beaver  Hill  coal  mines  in  Coos 
county  and  then  came  to  Ten  Mile  Lake, 
where  he  is  now  residing.  He  bought  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  three  miles 


above  Lakeside  and  has  improved  and  oper- 
ated this  tract  up  to  the  present  time.  He 
engages  in  general  farming  but  makes  a 
specialty  of  dairying.  He  is  interested  in 
every  new  development  along  agricultural 
lines  and  it  is  his  constant  ambition  to  keep 
his  daily  and  equipment  modem  and  sani- 
tary. 

On  March  31,  1910,  Mr.  Stonelake  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Selma  Shutter, 
who  was  born  in  Marshfield,  Oregon,  on 
March  39,  1892.  She  is  a  daughter  of  John 
and  Hannah  Shutter.  Her  father  is  a  pros- 
perous farmer  residing  near  Ten  Mile  Lake 
and  is  still  active  in  the  cultivation  of  his 
land.  Her  mother  died  in  1894.  Mrs.  Stone- 
lake received  her  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  Coos  county.  She  is  an  active 
worker  in  the  Lutheran  church,  to  which 
faith  her  husband  also  gives  allegiance.  In 
his  political  views  Mr.  Stonelake  is  republi- 
can but  does  not  take  an  active  part  in 
public  affairs.  He  is  a  member  of  Marshfield 
Camp,  Woodmen  of  the  World,  and  is  promi- 
nent in  that  organization.  Outside  of  this 
he  has  no  fraternal  affiliations,  preferring  to 
devote  his  time  entirely  to  the  cultivation  of 
his  lands.  He  has  attained  a  gratifying  de- 
gree of  success  during  his  short  residence  in 
America  and  is  highly  esteemed  and  respected 
by  his  fellow  citizens  of  Coos  county. 

JOHN  AXEL  HAGNER  is  the  proprietor  of 
a  fine  ranch  in  Coos  county,  Oregon,  fifty 
acres  of  which  he  has  under  cultivation 
mostly  in  potatoes.  He  has  developed  his 
holdings  from  a  state  of  wilderness  to  a  cul- 
tivated farm  and  has  built  for  himself  a 
beautiful  home  upon  his  land.  He  was  born 
in  Finland,  June  7,  1865,  and  is  a  son  of 
Frank  Dove  and  Maggie  Hagner.  He  is  one 
of  six  children  born  to  his  parents:  Frank  D., 
a  sailor,  who  makes  his  headquarters  in 
England;  John  Axel,  the  subject  of  this 
review;  Victor,  who  resides  in  his  native 
country,  Finland;  Gus,  deceased;  and  Maria 
Sophia  and  Wilhelmina,  both  of  whom  live 
in  Finland. 

.John  Axel  Hagner's  active  life  began  at 
the  early  age  of  nine  years  when  he  found 
employment  in  a  sawmill  in  Finland  at 
twelve  cents  a  day.  He  retained  his  connec- 
tion with  this  mill  for  eight  years,  gradually 
rising  and  advancing  in  salary  as  he  grew 
older.  In  1SS2  he  shipped  as  a  sailor  and  for 
a  number  of  years  followed  the  sea,  touching 
the  principal  sea  ports  of  the  world.  He  fin- 
ally arrived  in  Philadelphia  and  sailed  from 
that  point  for  five  years.  At  the  end  of  that 
time  he  made  the  journey  overland  to  Califor- 
nia where  he  engaged  in  various  occupations 
for  a  short  time  and  then  came  to  Coos  bay. 
Here  he  worked  at  ranciiing  in  the  employ 
of  John  Bear  for  one  year  and  later  engaged 
in  the  lumber  business  for  several  years.  At 
the  end  of  that  time  he  took  up  a  homestead 
claim  on  Ten  ^lile  lake  two  miles  above 
Lakeside  and  remained  upon  his  holdings  and 
operated  his  farm  for  ten  years.  He  eventu- 
ally sold  out  and  purchased  two  hundred 
acres  on  Ten  Mile  lake  and  has  resided  upon 
his   holdings   since   that   time.     He   has  fiftv 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTOIJY  ()!■■  OKKGOX 


acres  of  this  land  Mudri-  cultivation  and  car- 
ries on  his  work  iutelliircntly  and  scientific- 
ally. He  makes  a  specialty  of  his  dairy  and 
does  an  extensive  business  in  its  products. 
Most  of  his  cultivated  land  is  planted  in 
potatoes  and  his  potato  crops  are  increasing 
in  quantity  and  quality  with  each  year,  find- 
ing a  ready  market  at  good  prices. 

In  1S99  Mr.  Hagner  was  united  in  marriage 
in  Finland  to  Miss  Anna  Olreka,  a  native  of 
that  country.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hagner  have 
no  children  of  their  own  but  are  rearing  and 
educating  two  children  of  Mrs.  Hagner's  sis- 
ter. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Hagner  is  inde- 
pendent and  gives  his  allegiance  to  no  par- 
ticular party,  preferring  to  keep  his  judg- 
ment free  and  unbiased.  He  is  interested  in 
education  and  is  now  serving  with  great 
ability  as  a  director  of  the  school  board. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church  and 
to  this  faith  his  wife  also  gives  allegiance. 
Mr.  Hagner  in  the  development  of  his  farm 
out  of  a  tract  of  wild  brush  land  has  shown 
a  steadiness  of  purpose  and  a  dominating 
ambition  which  are  his  principal  character- 
istics, and  his  success  has  been  one  of  the 
leading  influences  in  the  upbuilding  and  im- 
provement of  Coos  county. 

DOM  J.  ZAN  is  president  of  the  firm  of 
Zan  Brothers,  a  name  inseparably  associated 
with  the  manufacturing  interests  of  Port- 
land on  account  of  the  extensive  business 
conducted  in  the  nuuuifacture  of  brooms,  wil- 
lowware  and  woodenware.  A  spirit  of  enter- 
prise and  progress  characterizes  him  in  all 
that  he  does  and  while  he  entered  up.on  a 
business  already  established,  he  has  displayed 
undaunted  energy  and  capable  management 
in  enlarging  and  developing  this  and  in  car- 
rying forward  its  interests  to  successful  com- 
pletion. 

He  was  born  in  San  Francisco,  October  15, 
1867.  His  father,  Marino  Zan,  was  born  in 
Dalmatia,  Austria,  and  died  April  7,  1900. 
The  father  followed  the  sea  for  ten  or  eleven 
years,  or  until  about  the  time  he  attained  his 
majority,  when  he  made  his  way  to  New 
York  and  abandoned  a  sea-faring  life.  He 
then  learned  broom  manufacturing  and  about 
1865  went  to  San  Francisco,  where  a  few 
years  later  he  established  a  broom  manufac- 
tory on  his  own  account.  The  new  enterprise 
grew  and  prospered  and  in  1868  he  came  to 
Portland,  and  with  his  brother,  Frank  Zan 
established  a  branch  factory  under  name  of 
Zan  Brothers.  Again  success  attended  him  in 
his  venture  and  about  1872  he  added  willow- 
ware  and  woodenware  departments.  Later 
he  began  the  manufacture  of  some  lines  of 
woodenware  and  the  continuous  growth  of 
his  business  in  this  city  led  him  to  establish 
the  family  home  here  in  1875.  The  business 
was  also  continued  in  San  Francisco  until 
about  1906.  At  one  time  Mr.  Zan  established 
a  factory  in  Melbourne,  Australia,  for  the 
manufacture  of  brooms  and  conducted  it  for 
a  number  of  years.  He  was  active  in  business 
as  long  as  he  lived  and  his  indefatigable 
industry,  his  sound  judgment  and  his  initia- 
tive spirit  enabled  liim   to  win  a  most  grati- 


fying position  as  a  representative  of  manu- 
facturing and  commercial  interests  on  the 
coast.  Uis  high  standing  as  a  business  man 
is  indicated  in  the  fact  that  he  was  chosen 
the  president  of  the  Portland  JIanufacturers 
Association,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the  or- 
ganizers, continuing  in  that  position  for  sev- 
eral years. 

JIarino  Zan  married  Hannah  CuUen,  of 
Kew  York  city,  and  they  have  four  children 
who  reached  adult  age:  Dom  J.;  Madeline  C, 
who  is  the  wife  of  W.  E.  Couum;  James  C, 
a  practicing  physician;  and  Jordan  V.  All 
of  the  children  save  the  last  named  were 
born  in  San  Fi'ancisco.  The  mother  is  still 
living  and  yet  makes  her  houu^  in  Portlaml. 

Dom  J.  Zan  completed  his  education  in 
Santa  Clara  College  of  California.  He  then 
went  into  business  with  his  father  and  event- 
ually the  enterprise  was  incorporated  with  D. 
J.  Zan  as  president,  Jlrs.  Jennie  F.  Zan  as 
vice  president,  and  Jordan  V.  Zan  as  secre- 
tary and  treasurer.  They  cover  the  entire 
Pacific  coast  w'ith  their  output  of  wooden 
and  willowware  and  they  also  manufacture 
brooms  and  other  articles  of  a  similar  na- 
ture. This  is  one  of  the  oldest  established 
houses  of  the  kind  on  the  coast  and  through- 
out all  the  years  it  has  enjoyed  an  unassail- 
able reputation  for  excellence  in  workman- 
shi]v,  for  promptness  in  delivery  and  for  reli- 
ability  in   trade   transportation. 

In  1894  Dom  J.  Zan  was  married  to  Miss 
Alice  Jackson,  a  daughter  of  Walter  H.  Jack- 
son, of  Albany:  and  they  now  have  two  chil- 
dren, Xancy  Jackson  and  Alice  Virginia.  Mr. 
Zan  is  a  member  of  the  Multnomah  and  the 
Arlington  Clubs,  to  which  his  brothers  also 
belong,  and  he  likewise  holds  membership  in 
the  Commercial  Club.  The  company  has  a 
well  equip])ed  plant  which  is  the  visible  evi- 
dence of  their  capable  manajiement,  result- 
ing in  success.  Dom  J.  Zan  enjoys  in  a  large 
measure  the  confidence  and  high  regard  of 
business  colleagues  and  contemporaries  and 
his  life  record  is  proof  of  the  fact  that  pros- 
perity and  an  honored  name  may  be  won 
simultaneously. 

JAMES  S.  ROBERTS  is  a  n;itive  of  Coos 
county  and  one  who  has  bi'cu  familiar  with 
its  agricultural  conditions  since  his  boyhood. 
He  is  engaged  in  the  cultivation  of  two  hun- 
dred and  sixty-one  acres  on  llenson  creik  and 
is  one  of  the  most  prosperous  farmers  in  that 
district.  He  was  born  in  Libby.  Coos  county, 
.Tanuary  15,  1877,  and  is  a  son  of  Benjamin 
:ind  Mary  (Thomas)  Koberts.  His  mother 
was  a  native  of  Maryland  and  his  father  was 
born  in  England.  They  were  married  in 
^laryland  and  came  to  Cons  county  in  1872, 
where  they  settled  in  Libby.  Benjamin  Rob- 
erts then  took  up  a  homestead  claim  on  Ten 
:\nie  lake  and  established  his  wife  and  chil- 
ilren  upon  his  holdings  while  he  himself 
remained  in  Libby  and  worked  in  the  mines. 
Here  the  father  worked  for  twenty-two 
years  and  here  the  mother  died  in  1909.  The 
former  is  still  living  and  makes  his  home 
at  Temploton.  Oregon.  In  their  family  were 
eleven  children,  namely:  He.ska.  the  wife  of 
Xels  Munson,  of  Templeton;  .Tanie.  deceased; 


1U(J4 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


David,  who  also  makes  Lis  home  in  Templo- 
toii:  James,  the  subject  of  this  slietch;  Eliza- 
beth, who  has  passed  away;  Emma,  who  mar- 
ried Charles  Liggett,  of  Templeton;  Edith, 
the  wife  of  Aide  Benson;  and  George,  Abe, 
Allen  and  Joe,  all  of  whom  reside  in  Temple- 
ton.  James  S.  Roberts  was  reared  at  home 
and  received  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  Coos  county.  At  the  age  of  twen- 
ty-two years  he  started  in  active  life  for 
himself  and  went  to  North  Bend,  Oregon, 
where  he  worked  in  the  employ  of  the  Simp- 
son Lumber  Company  for  five  years.  He 
married  during  that  time  and  went  to  his 
wife's  home,  where  he  remained  until  he 
moved  to  Wyoming.  He  lived  in  that  state 
for  a  year  and  a  half  and  then  returned  to 
the  home  fai'm.  He  gradually  bought  land 
for  himself  and  is  now  in  association  with 
his  wife  the  owner  of  two  hundred  and  sixty- 
one  acres  on  Benson  creek  which  he  has 
improved  and  cultivated  along  modern  and 
progressive  lines.  He  makes  a  specialty  of 
his  dairy  and  milks  daily  fifteen  cows. 

On  January  1,  1904,  ilr.  Roberts  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Jliss  Albina  Coleman, 
a  daughter  of  William  Coleman,  of  Iowa.  Mrs. 
Roberts  was  one  of  four  children  born  to 
her  parents,  the  others  being:  Bettie,  the 
wife  of  Daniel  Hallock,  of  Englewood,  Kan- 
sas; Charles,  of  Templeton,  Oregon;  and  one 
child,  who  died  in  infancy.  To  Mr.  and  Jlrs. 
Roberts  have  been  born  four  children:  Al- 
bina, whose  birth  occurred  in  December, 
1905;  Ora,  born  in  February,  1907;  Gale, 
born  on  May  13,  190S;  and  Allen,  whose  birth 
occurred   in  November,   1911. 

Politically  Mr.  Roberts  is  a  firm  republican 
but  has  never  sought  public  office,  as  his 
farm  and  his  dairy  require  his  constant  at- 
tention. Coos  county  is  rapidly  developing 
under  the  guidance  of  the  men  who  own  and 
operate  its  land.  It  is  becoming  one  of  the 
best  and  most  fertile  sections  of  the  state 
of  Oregon  and  the  American  northwest  and 
its  growth  and  progress  are  the  result  of 
intelligent  activity  along  agricultural  lines. 
No  man  has  done  more  worthy  and  excellent 
work  in  this  connection  or  has  contributed 
more  to  the  upbuilding  of  the  section  than 
has  !Mr.  Roberts. 

HON.  VIRGIL  CONN.  Every  year  new 
towns  are  springing  up  in  Oregon  as  the 
state  is  becoming  more  thickly  populated 
by  an  enterprising  and  progressive  class  of 
citizens — men  who  see  and  improve  the  op- 
portunities of  the  Pacific  coast  country. 
Such  a  man  is  the  Hon.  Virgil  Conn,  now 
postmaster  and  merchant  at  Paisley,  which 
town  came  into  existence  in  1911  and  al- 
ready displays  conditions  that  would  be  a 
credit  to  a  city  of  longer  existence.  Its 
founders  and  those  who  are  now  active  in 
its  business  afl'airs.  have  been  men  who  have 
recognized  the  essential  and  valuable  ele- 
ments in  town  building  and  have  used  such 
in  making  Paisley  a  progressive  western  city. 

Mr.  Conn  was  born  in  Logansport.  Indiana, 
January  31,  1847,  his  parents  being  Henry  and 
Mary  ('Stultzl  Conn.  The  father,  whose  birth 
occurred  in  Williamsport,  Pennsylvania,  Octo- 


ber 23,  1S16.  was  a  son  of  David  Conn,  a 
native  of  Kentucky  and  a  descendant  of  an- 
cestors from  the  north  of  Ireland  who  came 
to  America  in  early  colonial  days,  ilem- 
bers  of  the  family  served  as  soldiers  in  the 
Revolutionary  war.  David  Conn  was  a  pio- 
neer of  Lycoming  county,  Pennsylvania,  and 
afterward  of  Logansport,  Indiana,  his  death 
occurring  in  Cass  county  Indiana,  when  he 
was  in  his  eighty-eighth  year.  Virgil  Conn 
remembers  many  of  the  pioneer  residents  of 
that  state — the  men  who  were  the  founders 
and  promoters  of  the  great  commonwealth 
of  the  middle  west.  His  mother  was  born 
in  Hamilton,  a  suburb  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  in 
^lay.  1S21,  and  there  resided  until  her  mar- 
riage. Her  mother  was  a  Wallace,  belonging 
to  a  prominent  family  of  Hamilton  county, 
l>hio.  Henry  and  Mary  Conn  resided  in  Indi- 
ana from  1838  until  1854,  when  they  crossed 
the  plains  to  Douglas  county,  Oregon,  mak- 
ing their  home  near  Roseburg  until  called 
from  this  life.  Both  were  eighty  years  at 
the  time  of  death  and  their  remains  were  in- 
terred in  the  Roseburg  ilasonic  cemetery. 
On  coming  to  Oregon  they  secured  a  donation 
claim  which  continued  to  be  their  place  of 
residence  throughout  their  remaining  days. 
The  father  was  a  prominent  free-soil  demo- 
crat in  earl}'  life  and  one  of  those  men  who 
took  an  active  part  in  the  organization  of 
the  Union  party  which  eventually  developed 
into  the  republican  party.  He  became  a 
Royal  Arch  ilason  when  few  members  of  the 
fraternity  had  taken  the  chapter  degrees. 
The  community  in  which  he  lived  recognized 
in  him  a  good  business  man  who  by  judicious 
investment  became  the  owner  of  four  thou- 
sand acres  of  fine  land,  and  at  his  death  he 
left  a  large  estate,  most  of  which  is  still 
owned  by  his  children  who  were  eleven  in 
number,  namely:  George,  a  resident  of  Pais- 
ley; Henry,  who  resides  near  Roseburg;  Har- 
mon S.,  of  Seattle.  Washington:  Virgil;  Fran- 
cis, of  East  Portland:  James  W..  living  near 
Roseburg;  Elizabeth,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
thirty-five  years;  Mrs.  Anna  McCurdey  and 
.John  C,  both  deceased;  Lafayette  F.,  an  at- 
torney of  Lake  View,  Oregon;  and  N.  L.,  also 
living  near  Roseburg. 

Virgil  Conn  accompanied  his  parents  on 
their  emigration  to  the  northwest  when  a 
youth  of  seven  years  and  remained  upon  the 
old  homestead  until  seventeen  years  of  age, 
when  he  went  to  college,  pursuing  his  stud- 
ies in  the  Willamette  University  at  Salem, 
He  left  that  institution,  however,  when  a 
junior  and  entered  mercantile  circles  in  Rose- 
burg, where  he  remained  for  eleven  years, 
connected  with  the  firm  of  Flood  &  Company. 
On  the  26th  of  October,  1882,  he  came  to  the 
present  site  of  Paisley  and  established  in 
connection  with  his  brother,  George,  a  gen- 
eral mercantile  store  under  the  name  of  V. 
&  G.  Conn.  On  the  1st  of  April.  1SS9,  he 
purchased  his  brother's  interest  and  the  busi- 
ness has  since  been  conducted  under  his  own 
name.  He  now  has  the  largest  mercantile 
establishment  in  Lake  county.  In  February, 
1883,  he  was  made  postmaster  and  has  since 
filled  that  ofiiee  with  the  exception  of  a 
period  of  four  years  during  President  Cleve- 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


loeri 


land's  administration.  He  is  also  interested 
in  tlie  Paoilic  Carbonic  Gas'Company  of  East 
Oakland,  California,  and  he  has  extensive 
real-estate  interests  in  Paisley  and  Lake 
county.  His  property  holdings  also  include 
a  section  of  the  old  homestead  which  he  in- 
herited from  his  father  and  which  is  a  very 
desirable  piece  of  property.  He  is  seldom 
if  ever  at  fault  in  matters  of  business  judg- 
ment and  carries  forward  to  successful  com- 
pletion whatever  he  undertakes. 

Mr.  Conn  has  been  very  prominent  in  pub- 
lic affairs  in  his  part  of  the  state.  He  served 
for  two  terms  in  the  lower  house  of  the  state 
legislature  in  the  '90s  and  was  recognized  as 
an  earnest,  working  member,  whose  support 
of  any  measure  indicated  his  firm  belief  in 
the  principles  involved  or  the  results  to  be 
attained  thereby.  He  is  now  a  member  of 
the  town  council  of  Paisley,  which  town  was 
incorporated  in  November,  1911.  He  had 
served  for  about  seventeen  years  as  school 
clerk  and  school  director  here  and  no  move- 
ment tending  to  promote  the  welfare  and 
advance  the  interests  of  the  district  has  ever 
sought  his  aid  in  vain. 

In  1880  in  Logansport,  Indiana,  llr.  Conn 
was  married  to  Miss  Frances  Long,  who  was 
born  in  that  city.  May  1,  1857,  and  is  a 
daughter  of  .John  Long.  Their  children  were 
Earl,  who  died  April  4.  1884,  when  a  year 
old;  Vera,  who  is  a  member  of  the  class 
of  1913,  De  Pauw  University  of  Indiana;  and 
Velma,  who  is  a  student  in  the  Illinois  Wo- 
man's College,  at  .Jacksonville.  Illinois,  of 
the  class  of  1913. 

Mr.  Conn  belongs  to  Paisley  Lodge.  Xo.  86, 
F.  &  A.  M.,  and  is  also  a  Royal  Arch  Mason 
and  a  member  of  Portland  Consistory.  A.  A. 
S.  R.,  and  of  Al  Kader  Temple  of  the  Mystic 
Shrine,  of  Portland.  He  likewise  belongs 
to  Rob  Jlorris  Chapter  of  tlie  Eastern  Star, 
at  Paisley,  and  to  the  Elks  lodge  at  Rose- 
burg.  His  acquaintance  by  reason  of  his 
activity  in  business,  social,  fraternal  and  po- 
litical circles  has  become  a  wide  one  and 
wherever  he  is  known  he  is  held  in  high 
regard.  He  has  never  deviated  from  the 
course  which  he  believes  to  be  right  and  at 
all  times  has  been  actuated  by  the  spirit 
of  progress  which  seeks  to  benefit  the  com- 
munity as  well  as  to  advance  his  individual 
interests. 

MILO  M.  PIERSON  is  essentially  a  self- 
made  num.  He  was  obliged  to  earn  a  liveli- 
hood for  himself  when  he  was  only  nine 
years  of  age  at  farm  work  and  at  thirteen 
was  a  newsboy  on  the  San  Francisco  streets 
for  some  time"  Today  he  is  the  owner  of  the 
only  general  merchandise  store  in  Lakeside 
and  has  attained  a  respected  and  successful 
jilace  in  the  world.  He  was  born  in  Xodaway 
county,  Jlissouri.  in  1S83,  and  is  a  son  of 
.James  and  Martha  (Creason)  Pierson.  both 
natives  of  Missouri.  The  family  is  of  Eng- 
lish and  Welsh  descent  but  has  been  founded 
in  America  for  many  generations.  The 
grandparents  on  both  sides  were  natives  of 
Virginia.  Mr.  Pierson  is  one  of  three  chil- 
dren born  to  his  parents,  as  follows:  DafTy 
Mvrtle.   the   wife    of   F.   A.   Pierce    of   Coos 


county.  Dregon,  by  wliom  she  has  four  chil- 
dren; Xora  Kthel.'the  wife  of  D.  0.  Kenyon,  a 
native  of  Missouri,  now  living  in  Lakeside, 
Oregon,  by  whom  she  has  one  child;  and 
Jlilo  .^[..  the  subject  of  tliis  review.  After 
James  Pierson's  death  his  wife  was  ;igain 
married,  her  second  union  being  with  Oliver 
Landruth  and  to  this  marriage  one  child  was 
born,  Alice  iL,  who  is  living  in  Roseburg, 
Oregon.  Both  Mr.  and  .Mrs.  Landruth  are 
now  deceased. 

Milo  'SI.  Pierson  was  obliged  to  face  the 
world  for  himself  when  he  was  only  nine 
years  of  age.  After  his  father  died  lie  left 
home  and  worked  at  farming  in  the  employ 
of  different  people  along  the  Coos  river  until 
he  was  thirteen  years  old.  When  he  had  at- 
tained that  age  he  went  to  San  Francisco, 
where  he  sold  newspapers  upon  the  streets 
for  one  5'ear.  In  1897  he  returned  to  Coos  Bay 
and  took  a  position  as  cook  on  a  rafting  scow. 
He  remained  in  this  capacity  only  a  short 
time  and  later  went  to  Washington  and 
worked  on  the  farms  in  that  state  until  he 
removed  to  Idaho,  where  he  spent  two  years 
as  a  dairy  workman.  On  the  Columbia 
liver  he  then  ran  a  donkey  engine  and  when 
he  returned  to  Coos  river  was  active  as  an  en- 
gineer in  the  rock  quarries  of  that  district 
for  some  time.  For  six  months  he  worked 
as  a  fireman  on  a  tug  boat  in  Astoria,  Ore- 
gon, and  then  went  to  lower  California  as  su- 
perintendent in  a  rock  quarry.  After  six 
months'  work  along  this  line  he  made  a  trip 
through  the  northwest,  working  as  a  sheep 
shearer  in  various  states.  He  married  at  the 
age  of  twenty-one  and  worked  at  Gardiner, 
Oregon,  for  a  short  time.  He  spent  one  j'ear 
and  a  half  in  the  real-estate  business  in  Coos 
Bay  and  at  the  end  of  that  time  came  to 
Lakeside,  where  he  i>urchased  two  hundred 
and  fifty-nine  acres  of  land  upon  which  he 
built  his  home.  He  engaged  in  the  mercan- 
tile business  in  a  small  way,  handling  only 
oils  and  launch  supplies.  He  met  with  a 
gratifying  degree  of  success  in  this  line  and 
his  business  prospered,  (iradnally  he  en- 
larged his  capacity  and  added  different  de- 
partments. His  enterprise  branched  out  in 
various  directions  and  became  so  large  that 
at  length  he  was  obliged  to  purchase  another 
small  store  and  he  now  owns  and  operates 
the  only  general  merchandise  business  in 
Lakeside.  He  has  recently  built  a  large  two- 
story  buihling,  thirty  feet  long  by  fifty  feet 
wide,  and  carries  a  seven  thousand  dollar 
stock.  He  has  been  extremely  successful 
and  his  success  is  due  entirely  to  his  own 
efforts.  His  life  has  been  hard  and  filled 
with  privations,  but  his  dominating  deter- 
mination and  his  power  of  concentrated  in- 
dustry have  brought  him  to  final  prosperity. 
He  owns  a  large  amount  of  property  in 
Marsh  field  where  ho  is  the  proprietor  of 
eighty-one  town  lots  and  has  extensive  hold- 
ings in  the  Ocean  View  addition  to  North 
Bend. 

On  October  22,  190.''),  Mr.  Pierson  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Flora  Krick,  a  na- 
tive of  Oregon,  and  a  da\ighter  of  F.  P.  and 
Mary  (Smiths  Krick,  both  natives  of  Mis- 
souri.   Mrs.  Pierson  was  one  of  nine  children 


106G 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


born  to  her  parents:  William,  deceased; 
Charles,  who  is  engaged  in  the  timber  busi- 
ness in  Multnomah  county,  Oregon;  John, 
who  follows  the  occupation  of  fishing  in  Em- 
pire City,  Oregon;  Thaddeus,  who  is  married 
and  lives  in  ilarshfield,  having  one  child; 
Belle,  who  married  Alex  Corlson  of  Lakeside, 
Oregon,  by  whom  she  has  five  children;  Flora, 
the'wile  of  our  subject;  Maud,  who  married 
Willis  A.  Henderson,  a  contractor  in  ilarsh- 
field, Oregon;  Ella,  who  lives  with  her  par- 
ents in  Lakeside;  and  Gertrude,  who  also 
lives  at  home.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pierson 
have  been  born  five  children:  Mary  Ethel, 
whose  birth  occurred  October  2T,  1906,  and 
who  is  attending  school  in  Coos  county; 
Mile  Frederick,  who  died  at  the  age  of  three 
years  and  nine  months;  William,  born  Au- 
gTist  10,  190S;  Irvin,  whose  birth  occurred 
Mav  11,  1909;  and  Hazel,  who  was  bom  in 
September,  1911. 

Mr.  Pierson  is  independent  in  his  political 
views  and  does  not  affiliate  with  any  particu- 
lar party.  He  is  intelligently  interested  in 
public  affairs  but  has  never  been  an  office 
seeker.  His  only  fraternal  affiliation  is  with 
the  Fraternal  Order  of  Eagles  in  Lakeside, 
Oregon.  He  is  a  tme  type  of  the  modern 
business  man.  shrewd  and  keen,  gifted  with 
a  discriminating  knowledge  of  values,  anx- 
ious for  his  own  rights  and  careful  for  those 
of  others  and  a  man  of  unquestioned  integ- 
rity and  honorable  business  methods,  which 
are  the  basis  of  his  prosperity. 

FRANCES  L.  GORE,  living  about  three 
miles  east  of  Sherwood,  is  a  representative 
of  one  of  the  old  pioneer  families  of  Wash- 
ington county.  Her  father  was  Captain 
George  A.  Gore,  who  was  born  in  Detroit, 
Michigan.  May  21,  184S.  and  was  a  son  of 
.John  and  Anne  (Clancy)  Gore,  the  former 
born  in  County  Clare,  Ireland,  and  the  latter 
in  the  city  of  Dublin.  John  Gore  came  to 
America  at  the  age  of  nine  years,  landing 
at  Xew  York  with  his  parents,  a  brother  and 
two  sisters.  They  went  direct  to  Michigan, 
where  the  parents  took  up  donation  claims 
of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  each. 
Arthur  Gore,  the  father,  sold  his  property 
twenty  years  later  but  his  wife  retained 
hers  a'nd'from  the  proceeds  of  that  property 
her  heirs  have  become  wealthy.  In  their 
family  were  four  children,  of  whom  the  eld- 
est, John,  is  deceased.  Ann  took  up  the 
dressmaking  and  millinery  business  in  De- 
troit with  her  sister,  when  they  were  about 
twenty  and  eighteen  years  of  age  respect- 
ively and  later  they  invested  their  earn- 
ings in  real  estate,  from  which  they  have 
derived  a  handsome  income.  The  youngest 
was  Hilary,  who  became  Mrs.  Van  Antwerp 
and  had  six  children:  Eugene.  Anther, 
Frank  and  Arthur,  of  Detroit,  who  became 
priests  of  the  Catholic  church:  Pauline,  of 
Xew  York  city,  and  Lydia.  also  of  Detroit. 

With  the  spirit  of  adventure  strong  within 
him.  Captain  George  A.  Gore  ran  away  from 
home  when  fourteen  years  of  age,  to  see 
something  of  life  and  make  his  own  way  in 
the  world.  He  learned  to  cook  on  board 
a   steamer   and   such   was   his    industry   and 


fidelity  that  he  was  soon  promoted  from 
the  ship's  galley  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen 
years  was  signed  on  as  first  mate  on  a  large 
steamer.  Before  he  reached  the  age  of  sev- 
enteen years  he  attained  the  position  of  cap- 
tain and  engaged  in  steamboating  throughout 
the  remainder  of  his  life,  holding  many 
responsible  positions  in  connection  with 
steamship  companies  prior  to  his  death, 
which  occurred  on  the  2Sth  of  May,  1905. 
In  appreciation  of  his  exceptional  ability 
and  loyal  service  the  company  not  only  con- 
tinued his  salary  up  to  his  death  but  even 
paid  to  his  family  his  stipend  for  one  month 
after  his  demise  had  occurred,  and  it  was 
given  in  appreciation  of  the  value  of  the 
services  which  he  had  rendered  and  received 
in  that  spirit  by  the  family,  who  were  not 
in  need  of  a  gift,  but  on  the  contrary  were 
left  by  him  with  ample  means  and  in  com- 
fortable circumstances.  His  record  was  at 
all  times  an  enviable  and  honorable  one. 
He  never  lost  a  life  nor  had  an  accident  dur- 
ing the  twenty  years  that  he  was  captain  of 
the  Tacoma,  and  for  six  months  before  the 
completion  of  that  boat  he  was  paid  a  reg- 
ular salary  in  order  to  retain  his  services. 
The  company  further  showed  their  apprecia- 
tion of  his  worth  and  fidelity  by  sending 
several  of  its  ofiicers  to  the  funeral,  some 
of  them  coming  as  far  as  from  St.  Paul. 
Minnesota.  He  was  a  man  greatly  beloved 
by  all  who  knew  him.  for  he  was  genial, 
courteous  and  kindly  in  spirit  and  at  the 
same  time  was  a  strict  and  careful  discip- 
linarian, where  the  interests  of  his  ship 
wei'e  involved. 

Captain  Gore  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Elizabeth  Peck.  They  had  been  ac- 
quainted practically  their  entire  life.  They 
attended  school  together  and  were  sweet- 
hearts even  in  that  early  day.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Peck,  her  parents,  were  natives  of  the 
east;  coming  west  they  settled  in  Michigan 
in  early  life  being  married  in  Buffalo.  New 
York,  which  was  ilrs.  Peck's  home.  It  was 
in  Detroit,  on  the  loth  of  November.  1S67, 
that  Elizabeth  F?ck  became  the  wife  of  Cap- 
tain Gore.  They  continued  to  reside  in 
Michigan  for  about  six  years  longer  and  in 
1871  came  to  Oregon,  settling  in  Washing- 
ton county,  near  Tualitin,  on  a  tract  of 
eighty  acres  which  he  purchased.  George 
A.  Gore  was  one  of  a  family  of  seven  chil- 
dren, namely:  Cecelia,  now  deceased; 
Charles  E..  who  is  living  in  Kalama.  Wash- 
ington, and  has  five  children,  two  of  whom 
are  in  Ann  Arbor.  Michigan:  Captain  .John 
C.  Gore,  who  makes  his  home  in  Nelson, 
British  Columbia,  and  is  married  and  has 
two  children:  Mrs.  Anne  Hedges,  deceased, 
who  has  seven  children;  Mary,  who  has  de- 
parted this  life;  and  Mrs.  Drucilla  Bronson, 
who  has  three  children  and  lives  in  Alaska. 

In  the  family  of  Captain  and  Mrs.  Gore 
were  seven  children:  Frances  L.;  Margaret, 
now  deceased:  Mrs.  Grace  H.  Robinson,  a 
resident  of  Tualitin.  Oregon:  Mrs.  Helen  C. 
Seed,  of  Portland,  whose  husband  is  a  con- 
tractor and  builder;  George  G.,  deceased; 
Jlrs.  Lilly  il.  Bak«r,  who  has  also  passed 
awav:  and   !Mrs.  Elizabeth  Wilson,  of  Salem, 


(iEORGE  A.  GORE 


THE  N  t  V. 
PUBLIC     L; 


Aaron,  LtHo: 

TILOEK   FOUND' 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


1071 


Oregon,  where  her  husband  owns  a  large 
brewery.  The  death  of  Captain  Gore  oc- 
curred May  28,  1905,  and  was  the  occasion 
of  deep  regret  to  all  who  knew  him — the 
company  whom  he  represented,  his  many 
friends  and  most  poignantly  his  immediate 
family,  to  whom  he  was  a  loving  and  de- 
voted husband  and  father.  He  was  a  repub- 
lican in  his  views  but  his  activity  naturally 
prechuli'd  liis  connection  to  any  considerable 
extent  with  political  affairs. 

Frances  Gore  now  resides  upon  the  eighty 
acres  of  land  which  her  father  first  pur- 
chased on  coming  to  the  northwest  and  has 
never  lived  anywhere  else,  save  the  period 
which  she  spent  as  a  student  in  school  and 
college  in  Portland.  She  has  a  wide  ac- 
quaintance in  this  part  of  the  state  and  is 
much  beloved  by  all  who  know  her.  She  is 
a  lady  of  liberal  education  and  broad  cul- 
ture and  possesses,  moreover,  excellent  busi- 
ness ability.  She  leases  all  of  her  land  for 
a  cash  rental  and  thus  has  a  comfortable 
competence  which  enables  her  to  live  most 
pleasantly  in  a  fine  old  home.  She  has  in 
her  own  name  eighty  acres  of  land  and  also 
an  interest  in  other  property.  Her  relig- 
ious faith  is  that  of  the  Congregational 
church  and  she  is  a  member  of  the  Order  of 
the  Eastern  Star  and  the  Rathbone  Sisters. 

CHARLES  C.  LIGGETT  has  been  a  farmer 

since  he  was  nineteen  years  of  age  and  is 
now  cultivating  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  land  three  miles  from  Lakeside,  on  Ten 
Mile  lake.  He  also  operates  a  model  dairy 
and  engages  to  some  extent  in  logging.  He 
was  born  in  Polk  county,  Oregon,  on  ilay  34, 
1872,  and  is  a  son  of  John  W.  and  Susan 
(Davis)  Liggett.  His  father  was  born  in 
Oregon,  August  25,  1843,  and  his  mother  is 
a  native  of  Missouri.  John  W.  Liggett  en- 
gaged in  the  cultivation  of  the  soil  in  Polk 
county  until  his  death,  in  1873.  He  and  his 
wife  were  the  parents  of  two  children: 
Charles  C,  of  this  review;  and  Jlrs.  Laura 
Houser,  of  Oakland,  California.  A  short  time 
after  her  first  husband's  death  Mrs.  Liggett 
was  united  in  marriage  to  (J.  W.  Sanford 
and  to  this  union  were  born  nine  children, 
eight  of  whom  are  still  living:  Ernest,  who 
is  a  resident  of  Oakland,  California;  Mrs. 
Ida  Nollner,  of  North  Bend,  Oregon;  Herman 
W.,  who  makes  his  home  in  Sumner,  Ore- 
gon; Cora  D.,  who  married  C.  J.  Sanford,  of 
Alsea  Bay;  V.  P.,  who  is  living  on  the  north 
fork  of  Coquille  river;  Mrs.  Maggie  Bowern, 
who  resides  on  a  tributary  of  Ten  Mile  lake; 
Grace,  who  makes  her  home  in  Alsea,  Oregon ; 
and  Mrs.  Minnie  Simpson,  of  North  Bend, 
Coos  county. 

Charles  C.  Liggett  received  his  early  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools  of  Oregon  and 
laid  aside  his  books  at  the  age  of  nineteen 
years  and  has  been  engaged  in  farming  since 
that  time.  He  purchased  forty  acres  of  land 
in  Coos  county  and  improved  and  operated 
it  until  1906.  He  made  constant  additions 
to  his  holdings  and  in  the  latter  year  traded 
two  hundred  acres  of  well  cultivated  land 
for  the  one  hundred  and  sixty  acre  farm 
which  he  now  owns.  It  is  located  three  miles 
Vol.  rv— 4B 


from  Lakeside  near  the  Lakeview  schoolhouse 
and  is  one  of  the  best  cultivated  properties 
in  the  district.  Mr.  Liggett  makes  a  specialty 
of  dairying  and  has  been  very  successful  in 
this  branch  of  agriculture.  He  owes  his 
rapid  success  to  his  thorough  knowledge  of 
the  details  of  farming  and  the  scientific  and 
progressive  methods  by  which  he  carries  on 
agriculture.  Besides  his  holdings  on  Ten 
Mile  lake  he  also  has  an  interest  in  six  hun- 
dred and  four  acres  of  the  family  estate. 
On  January  12,  1902,  Mr.  Liggett  was  unit- 
ed in  marriage  to  Mrs.  Markham,  a  daughter 
of  Benjamin  Roberts  and  the  widow  of 
Charles  Markham.  She  is  a  native  of  Ore- 
gon and  in  her  parents'  family  were  the 
following  children:  Mrs.  Munson,  of  Temple- 
ton,  Oregon;  Jane  Stewart,  deceased;  David, 
who  resides  in  Templeton;  James,  Mrs.  Edith 
Benson,  George,  Abraham,  Allen  and  Joseph, 
all  of  Templeton;  and  Lizzie,  deceased.  Mrs. 
Liggett  received  her  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  Coos  county.  Her  mother  died  in 
1909  and  her  father  is  still  living  at  Tem- 
pleton, Oregon,  in  the  sixty-seventh  year 
of  his  age.  Mrs.  Liggett  had  three  children 
by  her  first  marriage:  Milton,  born  in  1893, 
who  is  living  at  home;  Earl,  whose  birth  oc- 
curred in  1895  and  who  is  also  residing  on 
the  home  farm;  and  Edith,  born  in  1897. 
I'o  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles  Liggett  five  chil- 
dren have  been  born:  Clinton,  whose  birth 
occurred  December  12,  1902;  Reta,  born  on 
the  ISth  of  July,  1904;  Bernetta,  born  on 
January  5,  1906;  Elsie  M.,  born  May  28, 
1907;  and  Geneva,  whose  birth  occurred  on 
June  23,  1909.  Mr.  Liggett  gives  a  gen- 
eral allegiance  to  the  republican  party  but 
has  often  been  independent  in  his  political 
views.  He  tiikes  an  intelligent  interest  in 
public  afi'airs  but  in  politics,  as  in  all  other 
relations  of  his  life,  he  keeps  his  mind  un- 
biased and  his  judgment  broad. 

FRANK  ROGGERS  has  for  a  period  of 
twenty-three  years  been  a  resident  of  Lake 
county,  having  taken  up  his  home  in  Lake- 
view  in  1889.  He  was  born  in  Portugal, 
August  27,  1852,  a  son  of  Frank  and  Mary 
(Frances)  Rodrique,  for  so  the  name  was 
originally  spelled.  His  parents  are  still  liv- 
ing in  Portugal,  the  fa.ther  being  now  nearly 
one  hundred  years  of  age,  while  the  mother 
is  more  than  eighty.  The  former  was  a 
stone  mason  in  active  life,  following  that 
trade  for  many  years.  In  his  family  were 
nine  sons  and  two  daiighters,  of  whom  five 
sons  and  one  daughter  came  to  the  United 
States  and  all  are  residents  of  California 
with  the  exception  of  Frank  Roggers,  of  this 
review.  After  coming  to  this  country  they 
changed  the  spelling  of  their  name  to  the 
present  form.  The  first  of  the  family  to 
cross  the  Atlantic  was  Manuel  Roggers,  who 
came  In  1864.  In  1872  Frank  Roggers  arrived 
in  Boston,  Massachusetts,  but  thinking  to  find 
still  better  opportunities  in  the  western 
coast  country  made  his  way  to  California  in 
March,  1874.  He  worked  for  wages  on  a 
ranch  for  a  time  and  later  preempted  land  in 
Santa  Clara  county,  California.  He  subse- 
quently lived   In   Siskiyou   county  for   three 


1072 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


or  four  years,  and  then  left  California  for 
Oregon,  arriving  in  Lakeview  in  the  spring 
of  1889.  He  has  since  been  a  resident 
of  this  county,  where  he  was  employed  by 
others  until  he  began  dealing  in  sheep  on  his 
own  account,  being  connected  with  the  sheep 
industry  until  1911,  when  he  disposed  of  his 
herds.  He  homesteaded  a  tract  of  land  near 
Lakeview  in  Goose  Lake  valley,  and  took 
a  desert  claim  at  Cox's  Springs.  He  was  also 
at  one  time  owner  of  the  Plush  Hotel,  at 
Plush,  and  a  resident  of  that  town.  He  is 
still  the  owner  of  twenty  acres  of  land  near 
Plush  but  has  sold  his  other  properties 
there. 

Jlr.  Roggers  gives  his  political  allegiance 
to  the  republican  party.  He  is  filling  the 
office  of  road  supervisor  and  has  charge 
of  the  road  from  Plush  to  Warner  Canyon, 
a  distance  of  about  forty  miles.  During  the 
two  years  of  his  incumbency  he  has  done 
considerable  work  on  the  road,  greatly  im- 
proving the  public  highway.  His  fraternal 
relations  are  with  the  Masons  and  the  Elks. 
For  fifteen  years  he  has  been  a  Master  Mason 
and  also  belongs  to  the  Eastern  Star,  while 
in  1910  he  became  a  member  of  the  Benevo- 
lent Protective  Order  of  Elks.  He  has  never 
regretted  his  determination  to  come  to  the 
new  world.  He  crossed  the  Atlantic  at  the 
age  of  twenty  years,  empty-handed,  but  has 
gradually  worked  his  way  upward  and  year 
by  year  has  been  made  to  count  in  his  search 
for  success,  so  that  he  is  now  one  of  the 
substantial   residents   of   Lakeview. 

FREDERICK  J.  SCHLIEMANN  is  engaged 
in  general  merchandising  at  Gold  Beach  and 
also  has  important  stock-raising  interests 
near  the  town  upon  a  ranch  of  six  hundred 
acres.  Oregon  has  drawn  her  citizens  from 
every  state  in  the  Union  and  among  the 
quota  furnished  by  Illinois  is  Mr.  Schliemann, 
who  is  a  native  of  Peoria.  He  was  born  July 
3,  1852,  one  of  the  ten  children  of  Julius  and 
Matilda  (Kahlbrock)  Schliemann.  Seven  of 
the  number  reached  adult  age,  those  beside 
our  subject  being:  John,  of  Hennessey,  Okla- 
homa; William,  a  resident  of  Los  Angeles, 
California;  Ferdinand,  of  Susanville,  Cali- 
fornia; Helen,  the  wife  of  Rev.  Walter 
Evans,  of  Plainfield,  Illinois;  Louisa,  who 
married  Rev.  Mathias  Kaufman,  of  Boston, 
who  is  the  editor  of  a  religious  paper  of  that 
city;  and  Mary,  who  married  Charles  A.  Kel- 
sey,  of  Sherman,  Texas,  from  whom  she  be- 
came legally  separated. 

In  his  father's  home  in  Illinois  Frederick 
J.  Schliemann  spent  his  youthful  days  and  at 
times  assisted  his  father  in  the  bookbinding 
business.  His  education  was  acquired  in  the 
public  schools,  the  work  of  the  grades  being 
supplemented  by  a  high-school  course,  and 
later  he  pursued  a  course  of  study  in  the 
medical  department  of  the  Northwestern 
University  at  Chicago.  He  left  home  at  the 
age  of  twenty-two  years  and  located  for 
the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Wisconsin 
in  1874.  There  he  remained  in  active  prac- 
tice until  1903,  when  he  came  to  Curry 
county,  settling  at  Gold  Beach,  where  he 
practiced  for  a  time.     He  also  lived  at  Wed- 


derburn,  Oregon,  just  across  the  river  from 
Gold  Beach,  and  at  length,  abandoning  pro- 
fessional activities,  purchased  a  ranch  of  two 
hundred  acres,  cultivating  and  residing 
thereon  for  about  four  years.  He  still  owns 
the  property  but  is  now  renting  it  out.  In 
1909  in  connection  with  his  son-in-law  he 
purchased  a  mercantile  business,  carrying 
a  large  stock  and  enjoying  an  extensive 
trade.  He  also  continues  in  the  practice  of 
medicine  and  he  has  important  stock-raising 
interests,  he  and  his  wife  owning  about  six 
hundred  acres  of  land  near  Gold  Beach,  upon 
wliich  he  is  raising  stock  of  good  grades.  His 
various  interests  are  bringing  substantial  re- 
turns, for  he  is  an  enterprising  business  man, 
watchful  of  opportunities  and  utilizing  his 
advantages  with  good  results. 

On  the  26th  of  September,  1875,  while  a 
resident  of  Wisconsin,  Dr.  Schliemann  was 
married  to  Miss  Charlotte  L.  King,  a  native 
of  St.  Lawrence  county.  New  York,  and  a 
daughter  of  Robert  and  Sarah  (LeClaire) 
King.  The  father,  a  native  of  Quebec,  was 
of  Scotch-Irish  descent  and  the  mother  was  a 
native  of  Canada.  Mrs.  Schliemann  is  the  only 
one  now  living  of  a  family  of  nine  children 
and  by  her  marriage  has  become  the  mother 
of  two  children:  Fredericks,  who  was  bom 
February  13,  1S92,  and  is  the  wife  of  Wesley 
Miller,  who  is  in  partnership  with  her  father 
in  merchandising  in  Gold  Beach:  and  John, 
who  was  born  September  14,  1895,  and  is  in 
school.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Miller  have  two  chil- 
dren, Myra  A.  L.  and  Lorana.  The  family 
is  socially  prominent  and  Dr.  Schliemann  is  a 
valued  member  of  the  5Iodern  Woodmen 
camp.  Independent  in  his  political  views,  he 
holds  to  progressive  methods,  believing  that 
advancement  should  be  made  along  political 
lines  just  as  surely  as  along  business  or 
professional  lines.  He  held  various  offices 
while  a  resident  of  Wisconsin,  including  that 
of  supervisor,  and  was  officially  connected 
with  the  schools.  At  the  present  writing  he 
is  serving  as  health  officer  of  Curry  county. 
At  all  times  he  has  kept  in  touch  with  the 
onward  march  of  the  profession,  following  sci- 
entific methods  in  his  practice  and  rendering 
valuable  aid  to  his  fellow  townsmen. 

E.  A.  FRIDAY  is  postmaster  of  the  town  of 
Plush,  Lake  county,  and  the  president  of  the 
Warner  \'alley  Mercantile  Company,  owning 
and  conducting  the  only  store  of  the  town. 
The  business  interests  which  claim  his  atten- 
tion are  large  and  of  growing  proportion,  nor 
is  his  activity  confined  alone  to  merchandis- 
ing, for  he  deals  in  various  products  produced 
in  this  part  of  Oregon  and  also  handles  real 
estate.  He  was  born  in  Gloucestershire,  Eng- 
land, August  11,  1871,  and  is  a  son  of  Albert 
J.  and  Mary  (Dipper)  Friday,  who  were  also 
natives  of  England  and  about  1877  came  with 
their  family  to  the  new  world,  settling  in 
what  is  now  Crook  county,  Oregon.  They 
sailed  first  to  New  York,  thence  to  San  Fran- 
cisco and  proceeded  on  their  way  by  boat 
to  Portland,  being  over  a  month  on  that  trip. 
The  father  died  in  Cook  county  in  1902,  when 
fifty-two  years  of  age.  He  had  followed 
farming  in  England  and  in  this  country  had 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


1073 


engaged  in  sheep-raising  and  conducting  a 
sheep  ranch.  The  mother  still  makes  her 
home  in  Crook  county,  fourteen  miles  north- 
east of  Madras,  on  Willow  creek,  the  family 
having  resided  on  that  ranch  for  a  quarter 
of  a  century.  They  have  altogether  about 
seven  thousand  acres  of  land  on  which  they 
pasture  extensive  herds  of  cattle  and  to  some 
extent  engage  in  raising  other  stock.  The 
sons  and  daughters  of  the  family  were  six 
in  number:  E.  A.,  of  this  review;  Mary,  the 
wife  of  Hugh  Davy,  of  Idaho;  Leslie,  who 
conducts  the  home  ranch;  Ida,  who  is  mar- 
ried and  resides  near  Pineville,  Oregon; 
Percy,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-two 
years;  and  John,  at  home. 

E.  A.  Friday  remained  in  Crook  county  with 
his  parents  until  twenty  years  of  age  and 
early  became  familiar  with  the  different 
phases  of  stock-raising  and  herding.  When 
two  decades  of  his  life  had  passed  he  went 
to  Arizona,  where  he  engaged  in  railroading 
for  eight  or  nine  years,  and  then  returned 
home  where  he  spent  three  or  four  years.  In 
1905  he  came  to  the  town  of  Plush  and  en- 
tered merchandising,  organizing  the  Warner 
Vallej'  Mercantile  Company  which  was  incor- 
porated in  1905.  Its  incorporators  were  E.  A. 
Priday,  N.  L.  Caldwell  and  J.  J.  Van  Keulen, 
who  are  respectively  president,  vice  president 
and  secretary  and  treasurer.  Mr.  Priday  and 
Mr.  Van  Keulen  are  both  active  in  the  store, 
the  former  being  continuously  prominent  in 
its  management  since  the  incorporation.  In 
January,  1912,  he  was  appointed  postmaster 
at  Plush  and  is  now  filling  that  position.  The 
mercantile  company  is  capitalized  for  twenty- 
five  thousand  dollars.  They  handle  a  large 
and  well  selected  stock  of  general  merchandise 
and  in  fact  buy  and  sell  everything  native  to 
this  region,  also  handling  real  estate. 

In  1898  Mr.  Priday  was  married  to  Miss 
Belle  Caldwell,  of  Tulare,  California,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Dr.  Caldwell.  Theirs  is  a  hospitable 
home  and  their  friends  in  Lake  county  are 
many.  Mr.  Priday  is  a  Royal  Arch  Mason 
and  "gives  his  political  allegiance  to  the  repub- 
lican party.  He  ranks  with  the  enterprising, 
progressive  business  men  and  the  salient 
traits  of  his  character  have  gained  him  class- 
ification with  the  representative  citizens  of 
this  county. 

T.  J.  SULLIVAN  is  the  manager  and 
lessee  of  the  Plush  Hotel,  in  the  town  of 
Plush,  and  is  among  the  citizens  of  foreign 
birth  who  have  come  to  America  to  enjoy 
the  broader  business  opportunities  of  the 
new  world,  where  advancement  is  more 
quickly  secured.  He  was  born  in  County 
Cork,  "Ireland,  November  10,  1881,  his  par- 
ents being  John  R.  and  Johanna  (Lane)  Sul- 
livan. The  mother  died  on  the  Kmerald  isle, 
June  15,  1890,  and  the  father  still  follows 
farming  in  his  native  country.  In  the  fam- 
ily were  six  sons  and  four  daughters,  of 
whom  T.  J.  Sullivan  is  the  sixth  in  order 
of  birth.  Three  of  the  brothers,  Dennis, 
John  and  T.  J.,  came  to  the  United  States, 
making  the  voyage  in  the  order  mentioned, 
and  all  are  now  residents  of  Lake  county, 
Oregon. 


It  was  in  March,  1903,  that  T.  J.  Sullivan 
landed  in  New  York,  whence  he  made  his 
way  direct  to  San  Prancisco,  where  he  re- 
sided until  about  four  years  ago.  He  worked 
in  a  dry-goods  store  all  his  life  until  he 
came  to  Lake  county,  where  he  herded  sheep 
for  a  few  months.  He  afterward  was  em- 
ployed in  a  saloon  at  Plush  until  June,  1910, 
when  he  leased  the  hotel  which  he  is  now 
conducting,  greatly  improving  the  service,  ac- 
commodations and  facilities  and  building  up 
a  gratifying  patronage  by  his  genial  and 
pleasant  manner,  which  most  tnijy  expresses 
that  hospitality  which  makes  for  the  com- 
fort of  his  guests.  He  has  a  number  of 
claims  in  the  Windy  Hollow  gold-mining  dis- 
trict in  this  county  and  his  investments  argue 
well  for  success  in  the  futiire. 

On  the  17th  of  November,  1911,  Mr.  Sulli- 
van was  married  to  Miss  Christina  Flinn,  a 
native  of  County  Cork,  Ireland,  who  in  1901 
crossed  tlie  Atlantic  to  New  York  and  spent 
about  seven  years  as  a  nurse  in  a  hospital 
in  that  city,  coming  thence  to  Oregon.  She 
is  a  daughter  of  Michael  Flinn,  still  residing 
in  Ireland.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sullivan  hold  mem- 
bership in  the  Catholic  church  of  Lake  View 
and  his  support  is  given  to  the  republican 
party,  the  principles  of  which  he  considers 
to  be  most  conducive  to  good  government. 

C.  B.  PARKER  is  superintendent  of  the 
"MC"  rancli,  the  property  of  the  Warner 
Valley  Stock  Company,  Inc.  For  six  years 
he  has  acted  as  superintendent  of  this  ranch 
of  thirty-two  thousand,  nine  hundred  acres, 
the  largest  in  Lake  county,  and  the  respon- 
sibilities which  devolve  upon  him  in  this 
connection  are  of  a  most  extensive  and  ardu- 
ous character.  He  was  born  in  Siskiyou 
county,  California,  January  13,  1863,  and  is 
a  son  of  Louis  R.  and  Mary  (Fogerty) 
Parker,  natives  of  Ohio  and  New  York  re- 
spectively. They  were  married  in  the  east 
and  crossed  the  plains  in  1849,  with  Siski- 
you county,  California,  as  their  destination. 
The  father  died  in  1867  but  the  mother  now 
makes  her  home  in  Modoc  county,  California. 

C.  B.  Parker,  the  youngest  son  and  second 
youngest  child,  was  reared  in  Siskiyou  and 
Modoc  counties,  California,  with  the  usual 
experiences  of  the  boy  who  spends  his  youth 
upon  the  ranch.  He  served  for  two  terms  or 
four  years  as  sherilf  of  Modoc  county,  to 
which  position  he  was  called  as  the  republi- 
can candidate.  Otherwise  he  has  largely  de- 
voted his  attention  to  stock-raising  and  at 
one  time  was  the  owner  of  a  ranch  of  four 
hundred  and  forty  acres  in  Modoc  county. 
He  sold  this,  however,  before  coming  to  Lake 
county  six  years  ago.  He  now  owns  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  the  Coleman 
valley.  He  was  formerly  quite  extensively 
engaged  in  the  sheep  industry  in  the  vicinity 
of  Paisley  for  four  years  and  still  has  about 
two  thousand  head.  His  attention,  however, 
is  now  chiefly  given  to  the  interests  of  the 
Warner  Valley  Stock  Company  of  which  he 
is  one  of  the  stockholders  and  its  secretary 
and  superintendent.  The  place  is  known  as 
the  "MC"  ranch,  by  which  name  it  is  usually 
spoken  of  throughout  the  district  because  of 


1074 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


the  brand  "MC"  being  used  upon  the  cattle 
MTiile  the  company  makes  a  specialty  of  the 

heT! if  '"*"''  '^r'"^"  fi^'^  t^housand  Lad 
they  also   raise   and  herd  sheep  and  horses 

oi't  fhf "  '^^^'7'  ^^"'^^'^  buccaroes  through 
out  the  year  and  employs  forty  men  in  the 
haying  seasons,  which  last  for  abour  two 
months.  They  put  up  three  thousand  tons 
of  hay  or  more  and  also  purchase  a  consider" 
able  amoun  .  They  cut  altogether  Tbout 
ten  thousand  tons.  This  indicafes  something 
of  the  great  volume  of  business  and  the  in° 
terests  which  command  the  attention  of  Mr 
Parker,  who  at  all  times  displays  a  spirit 
of  enterprise  m  his  control  of  business  af- 
iV\l  He  recognizes  the  vast  possibilities 
of  the  northwest  m  stock-raising  and  ranch- 
ing and  sound  judgment  guides  him  in  all 
01  his  undertakings. 

In  18S9  Mr.  Parker  was  married  to  Miss 
Katie  L  Fitzpatrick,  a  native  of  Shasta 
county,  Cahiornia,  and  a  daughter  of  Alex- 
ander and  Mary  Fitzpatrick.  Three  children 
have  been  born  to  them,  Arthur,  Leland  and 
Vera.  A  lifelong  experience  in  his  present 
ime  of  occupation  has  well  qualified  Mr 
i^arker  for  the  vast  responsibilities  devolvin<r 
upon  him  and  as  a  prominent  stockman  of 
southern  Oregon  he  well  deserves  represen- 
tation in  this  work  among  those  who  are 
proving  potent  forces  in  the  development  and 
upbuilding  of  this  state. 

CLARENCE  INGRAM,  cashier  of  the  Leba- 
non National  Bank,  is  a  native  son  of  Linn 
county  and  from  an  early  date  his  interests 
have    been    identified    with    its    development. 
He  is  familiar  with  agricultural  life  in  this 
section  and  has  been  successful  in  it,  has  also 
conducted   a   mercantile   store  and   is  at  the 
present  time  an  important  figure  in  financial 
circles.     He  was  born  upon  his  father's  farm 
October  3,  1876,  a  son  of  W.  H.   and  Mary 
(Miller)  Ingram,  the  former  a  native  of  Port- 
land, Maine,  and  the  latter  of  Des  Moines, 
Iowa.    His  father  came  to  Oregon  by  way  of 
Panama   in   1853   and   three  years   later  the 
mother  of  our  subject  arrived  in  this  state 
with  her  parents,  having  joumeved  across  the 
plains  with  ox  teams.     The  father  settled  in 
Linn  county  near  Albany,  his  parents  having 
proved  up  a  half  section  of  land  in  that  dis- 
trict and  he  bought  a  farm  eight  miles  south 
of  Lebanon.    After  his  marriage  he  purchased 
the    property    upon    which    he    resides.      He 
owns    six    hundred   acres    of   the    finest    and 
most  productive  land   in  the   county  and  is 
numbered  among  the  representative  "and  sub- 
stantial  farmers.     He  is  sixty-five  years  of 
age.     His  wife  passed  away  in  1892.     Their 
family   of   thirteen   children,   of   whom   nine 
are  still  li\'ing,  is  as  follows:   Herbert,  who 
resides  on  the  old  homestead;   Clarence,  the 
subject   of   this    review;    Oscar,   of   Lebanon, 
who  is  employed  as  a  traveling  salesman;  E. 
F.,  a  mail  carrier,  of  Lebanon;   Hiram,  who 
resides  at  home;   Minnie  the  wife  of  Frank 
Apger,  of  Marcola;   Emma,  who  also  resides 
at  home;   Alice,  who  married  Otto  Frank  of 
Linn    county;     Grace,   the    wife    of    Edward 
Knoy,  of  Lebanon;    Caroline  L.,  Albert  W., 


and  Blaine  all  of  whom  have  passed  awav 
and  one  child,  who  died  in  infanov  ^' 

In  the  acquirement  of  an  education  Clar- 
ence Ingram   attended   the  public  schools  of 

^rstuXs^in  °'  h^°''^""^  ^°"^^^'  --Sing 
w»  fiVl  /\  °  a  busmess  and  normal  college 
He  fitted  himself  for  teaching  and  when  he 

hn^ri  °/  *''°  ^^inters,  working  upon  the 

1903  he  went  to  Lebanon  and  there  opened  a 

fnta  19oT'"';f  °'r  '.*'"-^  "^''^'^  "^^  '^''"du'ted 
until  1909,  when  he  disposed  of  his  interests 
Two  years  later  he  became  cashier  of  the  Le-' 

stTfil.  '*r\'  ^'■^"^  '''"'  '"^'^  position  he 
still  fills.    He  has  made  the  best  possible  use 

1  f^f  l^^  opportunities  and  has  acquired  a 
comfortable   fortune,   which   he   has   invested 

acre,  of  land  in  Linn  county,  holding  the 
title  in  partnership  with  E.  B.  Day.  He  also 
owns  his  own  home  in  Lebanon. 
p^^t";  ^"f^™  married  in  1908  Miss  Ethel 
Booth  who  was  born  in  Iowa,  in  1886,  a 
daughter  of  Jackson  Booth,  who  died  in  1911 
His  wife  IS  living  in  San  Jose,  California! 
Mrs.  Ingram  is  one  of  a  large  family,  seven 
of  whom  are  still  living.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  In<r- 
ram  have  one  son,  William  Jackson,  who  was 

Methodist  Episcopal  church.  Mr.  In<Tram  is 
a  progressive  republican  and  is  serving" as  city 
treasurer  of  Lebanon.  He  is  still  in  the  be- 
ginning of  his  career  and  has  made  many 
changes  during  the  course  of  his  active  life, 
all  of  which  have  advanced  his  interests' 
showing  the  quality  of  his  business  acumen 
and  his  knowledge  of  local  conditions.  There 
IS  every  reason  to  believe  that  his  future 
progress  will  continue  along  expanding  lines 
as  has  his  past  advancement  and  that  he  is 
on  the  road  toward  greater  prominence  and 
success. 

J.  N.  GIVAN  has  been  the  owner  of  two 
hundred  acres  of  land  near  Adel  since   1902 
and  is   fast  converting  this  into  a   valuable 
and  highly  improved  property.     He  is  lead- 
ing a  useful  and  busy  life  and  is  recognized 
as   one  of  the  progressive  ranchmen  of  the 
Warner  valley.     His   birth  occurred  in  Keo- 
kuk  county,   Iowa,  April    13,   1863,  his   par- 
ents   being   Henry   C.    and    Phoebe    (Jacobs) 
Givan,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Indi- 
ana  and   were   there   reared,   but  they   were 
married   in   Iowa.     In   the   winter   of"  1870-1 
they  made  their  way  to  Modoc  county,  Cali- 
fornia,    where     they  •■  continued     thro"ughout 
their    remaining    days,    the    father    passing 
away  in  1911  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty- 
one  years.    He  had  always  followed  farming 
both   in   the   east   and   in   the  west.     In  the 
family  were  four  children:  Tilda,  who  is  the 
widow  of  C.  B.  Blake,  and  resides  in  Modoc 
county,   California;    J.   X.;    Lydia,  who  is   a 
■widow,  also  of  Modoc  coimtv;  and  Emma,  the 
wife  of  James  McKee,  of  the  North  Warner 
valley. 

J.  N.  Givan  was  but  seven  years  of  age 
when  brought  by  his  parents  to  the  Pacific 
coast,    and   in    Jlodoc    county   continued   his 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


1075 


residence  until  seventeen  years  of  age,  when 
he  came  to  the  Warner  valley,  where  he  has 
since  spent  the  greater  part  of  his  time.  He 
worked  on  the  J.  J.  ranch  at  Plush  for  twen- 
ty-one years  as  a  buccaro  and  in  1903 
started  ranching  on  his  own  account,  having 
carefully  saved  his  earnings  until  his  capital 
was  sufficient  to  enable  him  to  purchase  his 
present  ranch.  His  home  place  near  Adel  com- 
prises two  hundred  acres,  all  of  which  is  till- 
able, and  he  also  has  a  hay  ranch  five  miles 
north  of  Adel.  He  also  has  two  places  rented, 
totaling  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  and 
is  now  extensively  engaged  in  putting  up  hay 
and  raising  stock.  He  cuts  about  seven  hun- 
dred tons  of  hay  annually  and  has  about 
seven  hundred  head  of  cattle  and  two  hun- 
dred head  of  horses  on  the  ranch.  His  brand 
is  a  bar  drawn  across  a  circle  and  his  stock 
are  known  as  the  circle-bar  stock.  He  em- 
ploys nine  men  during  the  haying  season, 
lasting  from  six  weeks  to  two  months,  and 
also  employs  one  man  throughout  the  entire 
year,  while  he  and  his  two  sons  are  at  the 
same  time  busily  engaged  in  conducting  his 
interests,  thus  making  four  men  working 
at  all  times  upon  the  place. 

In  the  fall  of  1890  Mr.  Givan  was  married 
to  llrs.  Dora  E.  Overton,  who  was  born  in 
Siskiyou  county,  California,  in  1S65,  and  is 
a  daughter  of  Joel  Eambo.  By  her  former 
marriage  she  had  two  children:  Plumber 
Overton,  now  deceased;  and  Daisy,  the  wife 
of  J.  A.  Morris,  who  is  mentioned  on  an- 
other page  of  this  work.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Givan  have  been  born  three  children,  Ernest, 
Hazel  and  Dallas.  Mr.  Givan  belongs  to  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  Although 
he  is  an  advocate  of  all  lines  of  public  prog- 
ress and  improvement  he  has  little  time  to 
devote  to  public  activities  because  of  the  de- 
mands made  upon  him  by  his  business  inter- 
ests, which  are  growing  in  volume  and  im- 
portance. He  has  always  labored  earnestly 
and  his  success  is  the  ultimate  outcome  and 
merited  reward  of  his  energy  and  enterprise. 

GEORGE  FRED  BURKHART,  who  passed 
away  in  Portland  on  the  29th  of  September, 
1911,  was  long  and  successfully  identified 
with  general  agricultural  pursuits  in  Linn 
county  on  a  farm  situated  three  and  a  half 
miles"  north  of  Lebanon.  He  was  a  native 
son  of  Oregon,  his  birth  having  occurred  in 
1846,  while  his  parents  were  crossing  the 
plains,  near  the  place  where  Marcus  Whitman 
was  massacred.  His  parents,  who  were  na- 
tives of  Illinois,  settled  in  the  Willamette  val- 
ley in  1847  and  took  up  a  donation  land  claim 
in  Linn  county.  George  F.  Burkliart  spent  the 
first  twenty-one  years  of  his  life  on  the  home 
farm  and  following  his  graduation  from  Le- 
banon Academy,  pursued  a  course  of  study 
in  the  Oregon  State  Agricultural  College  at 
Corvallis.  Subsequently  he  taught  school  in 
Linn  county  for  several  years,  imparting 
clearly  and  readily  to  others  the  knowledge 
which  he  had  acquired.  He  then  bought  the 
farm  which  is  now  the  home  of  his  son  Clyde, 
purchasing  the  property  from  a  Mr.  Wassom, 
who  had  originally  taken  it  up.  The  culti- 
vation and  improvement  of  that  place  claimed 


his  attention  throughout  the  remainder  of  his 
active  business  career  or  until  1910,  when  he 
took  up  his  abode  in  Portland,  where  his 
demise  occurred  the  following  year.  In  his 
passing  the  state  of  Oregon  lost  a  substan- 
tial agriculturist  and  an  esteemed  citizen 
and  one  who,  spending  his  entire  life  within 
its  borders,  had  borne  an  active  part  in  the 
work  of  its  development  and  upbuilding. 

In  ISTS,  in  this  state,  Mr.  Burkhart  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Serepta  Cornelias, 
who  was  born  in  Missouri  and  came  to  Ore- 
gon with  relatives.  In  1898,  after  twenty 
years  of  married  life,  she  was  called  to  her 
final  rest.  To.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  BurkJiart  Avere 
born  two  children:  Raymond,  an  agricultur- 
ist of  Linn  county,  owning  two  farms,  who  is 
married  and  has  one  child;  and  Clyde  M., 
who  owns  the  old  home  place  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty-six  acres  in  association  with  his 
brother.  Seventy  acres  thereof  are  under  cul- 
tivation and  are  devoted  principally  to  the 
raising  of  grain.  Clyde  M.  Burkhart  also 
has  a  large  prune  orchard  and  has  won  a 
gratifying  measure  of  success  in  his  farming 
operations.  He  wedded  Miss  Gladys  Andrews, 
a  native  of  Oregon  and  a  daughter  of  David 
and  Adeline  (Hamilton)  Andrews,  who  were 
born  in  Massachusetts  and  Wisconsin  respect- 
ively and  came  to  this  state  at  an  early  day. 
Mrs.  Gladys  Burkhart  is  one  of  a  family  of 
eight  children,  the  others  being  as  follows: 
Ora,  the  wife  of  Ralph  Priest  of  Prineville, 
Oregon,  by  whom  she  has  four  children; 
Jessie,  who  gave  her  hand  in  marriage  to 
Grover  Caldwell  of  Lapine,  Oregon,  by  whom 
she  has  three  children;  Thaddeus,  who  is  a 
resident  of  Portland  and  the  father  of  one 
child;  Josephine,  who  is  the  wife  of  Henry 
Suter  of  Oak  Grove,  Oregon,  and  the  mother 
of  one  child;  Addie,  the  wife  of  Harry  Sly, 
of  Dorris,  California;  Reuben,  who  is  a  resi- 
dent of  California;  and  Ralph,  who  lives  with 
his  brother-in-law,  Clyde  M.  Burkhart.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Clyde  Burkhart  have  one  child, 
Karl,  whose  natal  day  was  March  5,  1911. 

In  politics  George  F.  Burkhart  was  a  demo- 
crat but  never  sought  nor  desired  office  as 
a  reward  for  party  fealty.  His  religious  faith 
was  that  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
while  fraternally  he  was  identified  with  the 
Maccabees  and  the  Masons.  His  life  was 
spent  in  accordance  with  the  highest  princi- 
ples of  honorable  manhood  and  citizenship 
and  his  memory  is  cherished  by  all  who 
knew  him. 

L.  A.  MOSS  is  the  owner  of  two  hundred 
acres  of  land  adjoining  Paisley  on  the  e.ist 
and  devoted  to  the  raising  of  hay  and  grain. 
He  is  also  the  secretary  and  manager  of  the 
Moss  Telephone  &  Telegraph  Company  of 
Lake  county  and  thus  deserves  classification 
with  the  representative  residents  of  the  dis- 
trict. He  was  born  in  Linn  county,  Oregon, 
May  22,  1862,  and  was  the  eldest  of  the  three 
children  of  S.  P.  and  Sarah  (Robinett)  Moss. 
The  mother  died  in  Linn  county  in  1868  and 
the  father  afterward  removed  to  Modoc 
county,  California,  settling  near  Beaver, 
where"  he  remained  three  j'ears.  He  then 
came  to  Lake  county  in  July,  1872,  taking  up 


1076 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


his  abode  at  the  head  of  the  Summer  lake 
Talley,  where  he  is  now  living. 

L.  A.  Moss  remained  with  his  father  until 
188S  and  assisted  him  in  the  various  duties 
of  the  ranch,  but  when  twenty-six  years  of 
age  started  out  for  himself.  In  the  fall  of 
1889  he  went  to  Warner  valley,  where  he 
engaged  in  ranching  for  six  years,  having  a 
preemption  claim  and  a  quarter  section  of 
school  laud.  At  length  he  sold  out  there  and 
came  to  his  present  place,  comprising  two 
hundred  acres  of  fertile  land  adjoining  Pais- 
ley on  the  east.  All  of  this  is  under  a  high 
state  of  cultivation,  being  devoted  to  the 
raising  of  hay  and  grain.  He  also  ran  stock 
extensively  until  the  past  few  years,  hav- 
ing two  thousand  head  of  sheep  and  two  hun- 
dred head  of  cattle  at  one  time,  while  in 
connection  with  his  father  and  brother  he  had 
three  hundred  and  fifty  horses.  He  spent  most 
of  his  time  on  the  range  in  his  earlier  days 
and  has  gone  through  all  of  the  experiences  of 
that  life  which  is  now  fast  becoming  a  thing 
of  the  past  as  the  open  territory  is  being 
taken  up  and  the  state  divided  into  ranches. 
He  has  contributed  to  the  general  develop- 
ment and  progress  not  alone  along  agricul- 
tural lines  but  also  as  the  secretary  and 
manager  of  the  Moss  Telephone  &  Telegraph 
Company  of  Lake  county  which  has  a  line 
extending  from  Silver  Lake  to  Lake  View, 
a  distance  of  more  than  a  hundred  miles. 

On  the  29th  of  September,  1889,  Mr.  Moss 
was  married  to  Miss  Anna  McCormack,  who 
was  born  in  New  Brunswick,  December  27, 
1873,  and  is  a  daughter  of  William  McCor- 
mack. Their  three  children  are  Stephen  W., 
Alfred  G.  and  Mildred  Ruth.  Mr.  Moss  has 
voted  with  the  democracy  since  age  con- 
ferred upon  him  the  right  of  franchise  and 
has  served  in  a  number  of  local  offices,  in- 
cluding that  of  justice  of  the  peace  and  con- 
stable. For  eight  years  he  has  been  school 
director  and  is  a  warm  friend  of  good  schools 
and  good  roads.  For  one  term  he  was  road 
supervisor  and  his  aid  and  influence,  whether 
in  office  or  out  of  it,  are  ?t  all  times  given 
to  works  of  public  progress  and  improve- 
ment. For  the  past  twelve  years  he  has 
been  a  member  of  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World  and  he  is  a  member  of  the  Christian 
church,  the  teachings  of  which  form  the 
guiding  influences  of  his  life. 

WILLIAM  H.  WILSON.  The  pioneer  set- 
tlement of  Oregon  is  a  tale  that  is  told.  Its 
pages  contain  the  story  of  many  thrilling  ad- 
ventures of  Indian  warfare  and  of  a  con- 
test for  the  dominion  of  the  district.  The 
story  takes  us  along  blazed  trails,  through 
uncut  forests  and  into  the  mountain  fast- 
nesses, and  leads  us  up  to  the  development  of 
a  beautiful  and  fertile  country,  where  every 
evidence  of  advanced  agricultural  methods 
are  to  be  seen,  together  with  the  indica- 
tions of  progressive  industrial,  mining  and 
commercial  activities.  This  is  the  story  of 
Oregon's  settlement  in  outline.  It  is  made  up, 
however,  of  the  individual  struggles  and  ef- 
forts of  many  men,  prominent  among  whom 
was  William  H.  Wilson,  whose  death  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1902,  marked  the  passing  of  one  of  the 


worthy  pioneers  and  venerable  citizens  of 
Douglas  county.  He  was  born  in  Warren 
county,  Tennessee,  December  18,  1822,  and 
in  childhood  accompanied  his  parents  to  St. 
Clair  county,  Missouri,  where  he  lived  until 

1843,  and  then  joined  the  famous  Apple- 
gate  emigration  train  with  which  he  crossed 
the  plains  to  Oregon.  He  had  attained  his 
majority  by  the  time  the  end  of  the  jour- 
ney was  reached,  and  until  about  twenty- 
eight  years  of  age  he  was  a  resident  of  the 
Willamette  valley.  Indian  depredations 
were  a  constant  menace  to  the  settlers  and 
Mr.  Wilson  was  one  of  a  regiment  of  young 
men,  who  marched  against  the  Cayuse  In- 
dians after  the  massacre  of  Dr.  \Vhitman. 
He  passed  unharmed  through  various  skir- 
mishes but  was  finally  severely  wounded 
near  Oregon  City.  His  account  of  the  early 
struggles  of  pioneer  times  is  extremely  in- 
teresting. Some  years  before  his  death  h" 
narrated  the  particulars  of  the  engagement 
witli  the  notorious  Indian,  Cock-Stock,  whom 
he  says  "was  an  aggressive,  impudent  fellow, 
a  kind  of  desperado,  belonging  to  the  Mo- 
lalla  tribe,  not  a  chief  of  that  or  any  other 
tribe,  but  the  leader  of  a  few  young,  reck- 
less, hot-headed  Indians.  He  was  always 
trying  to  stir  up  and  increase  ill-will  be- 
tween the  Indians  and  white  people,  and  was 
especially  vindictive  towards  the  Methodist 
missionaries  who  had  reprimanded  him  for 
his    evil    ways.      Some    time    in    February, 

1844,  I  happened  to  be  at  Dr.  Elijah  White's 
house  (he  was  a  kind  of  Indian  agent)  when 
complaint  was  brought  to  him  of  some  mis- 
conduct of  Cock-Stock,  who  was  reported  to 
be  at  an  Indian  camp  near  by.  The  Doctor 
asked  me  to  ride  with  him  down  to  the 
camp  and  help  him  arrest  the  Indian.  As 
we  rode  along  he  told  me  sometliing  of  the 
trouble  this  Indian  had  been  giving  him 
and  something  of  the  uneasiness  he  felt 
in  regard  to  disagreements  between  Indians 
and  settlers  that  he  was  instrumental  in 
creating.  He  gave  me  a  description  of  his 
conduct,  telling  me  how  frightened  the  white 
women  and  children  in  the  vicinity  were  of 
him.  The  Doctor  seemed  to  think  that  there 
would  be  no  end  to  his  misconduct  until 
Cock-Stock  was  arrested  or  killed,  ^^^len  we 
arrived  at  the  camp  we  could  find  nothing  of 
him.  I  had  been  working  for  Dr.  McLoughlin 
for  some  time;  had  first  been  at  work  in  the 
woods  cutting  saw  logs,  and  later  with  a  gang 
of  men  had  been  putting  logs  into  the  Willam- 
ette above  Canemah  for  the  Oregon  Milling 
Company.  I  had  tried  to  do  my  work  well  and 
to  give  faithful  service  to  the  good  old  Doc- 
tor, who  was  regarded  with  the  greatest 
esteem  by  his  employes.  Perhaps  he  noticed 
that  I  was  anxious'  to  please;  perhaps  he 
thought  me  trustworthy;  at  any  rate  he 
selected  me  to  take  charge  of  the  dry  house, 
a  position  of  care  and  responsibility.  In 
this  drv  house  lumber  was  being  seasoned 
for  the"  erection  of  a  flouring  mill.  It  was 
my  duty  to  watch  the  furnaces— very  simple 
afiairs  they  were — keep  them  going  and  also 
to  guard  against  fire.  This  work  kept  me  con- 
stantly in  the  vicinity  of  the  mill,  but  fre- 
quently left  me  a  few  moments   of  leisure. 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


1077 


Unfortunately  for  me,  one  of  those  came  just 
right  to  get  me  shot  with  an  Indian  arrow.  It 
was  on  the  4th  of  March,  1844,  two  or  three 
weeks   after  my   talk  with  Dr.   White,  that 
Cock-Stock     and     several     other     Indians — I 
tliink  seven   or  eight — saucy  young   fellows, 
fully   armed,  came  riding  into  Oregon  City. 
They    rode    to    the   house    of    the    Methodist 
missionary,  Rev.  A.  F.  Walter,  and   halloed 
several  times,  but  no  one  came  out  of  the 
house.      Then   they   rode    up   and    down    the 
town,  talking  loud,  and  laughing  and  acting 
in   an   impudent   and   insulting   manner,   but 
not  really  molesting  any  one,  though  many 
of    the    people,    especially    the    women    and 
children,   were    terribly    frightened,    as    they 
were  very  panicky  about  him  anyhow.     Fi- 
nally  the   Indians    tied   up    their   ponies    at 
the  foot  of  the  blutf  and  taking  a  boat  pad- 
dled across  the  river  to  where  there  was   a 
village  of  Calipooias.     It  was  thought  from 
some    threats    which    Cock-Stock    had   made, 
that  he  was  going  to  try  to  get  a  party  to- 
gether to  do  some  injury  to  the  mission  or 
the  people.     I  thought  from  all  I  had  heard 
and  seen,  that  that  man  would  be  doing  a 
good  deed  for  the  community,  who  would  rid 
ft  of  this  Indian,  and  while  "the  Indians  were 
over  the  river  I  went  up  to  dinner,  and  when 
I  came  back  to  the  mill  I  brought  my  gun 
with    me.      I    believe    that    I    was    a    little 
anxious  to  take  a  shot  at  the  Indian,  pro- 
rided   he   would   commit   some   overt   act   to 
justify  me   in  doing  so.     When  the  Indians 
were  seen  coming  back  across  the  river  sev- 
eral men  collected  about  the  mill  and  boat 
landing,  which  was  under  the  mill.    The  mill 
was    set   up    on   timbers    and   persons    could 
pass    under    it    very    easily.      There    was    a 
bridge    or    log-way    built    of    slabs    slopmg 
up   from   the  ground,   over  which  logs   were 
hauled  into  the  mill.    It  was  built  in  a  kmd 
of  curve.     I  was  standing  about  the  middle 
of  this  bridge.     Sterling  Rodgers  was  stand- 
inc  near  me  and  Colonel  J.  W.  Nesmith  was 
near  the   end  of  the  bridge   on  the  ground. 
Nesmith   and  I   were   both   armed   but  Rod- 
ders  was    not.      The    Indians    landed    under 
the  mill  and  came  in  sight  from  under  the 
bridge    going    towards    their    horses.      When 
they  had  gone  a  few  steps  some  one  yelled 
something   at    Cock-Stock.    I   did   not    catch 
the  words  but  the  Indian  whirled  instantly 
and   fired   into   the   crowd  with   a   pistol.     I 
and   Colonel   Nesmith   both  shot   at   him    at 
the  same  time  and  when  the  blurr  of  smoke 
cleared   so   I   could    see,  I    saw   him    on   his 
hands   and  knees,  but  scrambling  up   again 
Then    I    caught    sight    of    Le    Breton    ami 
heard    the    report    and    saw    the    smoke    of 
another  pistol  shot.     The  next  thing  I  saw 
was    Le    Breton    and    the    Indian    struggling 
too-ether  about  the  end  of  the  bridge.     Then 
fo?   an   instant    t   saw   the   mulatto,   George 
Winslow.  rrishing  to  them  with  agun  in  his 
hands     The  Indian  was  down   and  the   mu- 
latto  did   not   strike   with  the   gun,   but   he 
iust  drove  the  muzzle  of  It  through  the  In- 
dian's head  as  though  it  ^ere  a  crowbar  or 
a  bayonet.     When  Cock-Stock  fell  the  other 
Indians  broke   into    a   run   for  their   horses, 
turning  as  they  ran  and  shooting  back  bul- 


lets and  arrows  into  the  crowd.     Le  Breton 
was   shot    twice    and    badly    stabbed    in    at- 
tempting   to    arrest    Cock-Stock.      All    this 
had  taken  place  in  a  few  seconds.     Rodgers 
and   I   still  stood   on  the  bridge  looking   on 
and,  being  up  there,  made  a  good  target.   At 
any  rate  Rodgers  suddenly  cried  out,  "Look 
out.   Bill,   they   are   shooting   arrows!      I   am 
hit.'     Before  he  was  done  speaking  an  arrow 
hit    me    also,   whereupon    we   both   ran    into 
the  mill.     Rodgers  was  wounded  in  the  arm 
and   the   arrow    hitting   me   buried   itself   in 
the  fleshy  part  of  my  hip.    Before  I  thought 
I  caught  hold  of  it  and  tried  to  jerk  it  out, 
but  only  partially  succeeded,  as  it  came  out 
broken,    leaving    the   head   imbedded    in    the 
flesh,  where  I  have  carried  it  these  fifty-six 
years.      Several    shots    were   fired   after   the 
Indians     but     they     reached     their     horses, 
mounted   and   scrambled   up   the  blutf.     One 
pony   was   shot,   however,   and  they   had   to 
leave  it,  but  the  Indians  made  their  escape 
and  were  never  caught  that  I  know  of.   When 
Cock-Stock's   body  was  examined  there   was 
found  the  mark  of  a  bullet  across  the  back 
of  his   head   and  neck,  which  no  doubt  was 
what  knocked  him  down.    I  believe  that  was 
my  bullet,   for  I  was  a  good  shot  in  those 
days,  and  from  where  I  stood  could  have  hit 
him  in  that  way  as  he  turned  to  run  after 
firing   his   pistol.     Colonel   Nesmith   thought 
that  shot  was  his  and  I  never  disputed  the 
honor,  if  honor  it  was,  with  him.     However, 
ours  were  the  only  shots  fired  at  that  time. 
It  was   one   of  us,  and   it   was   a  good  job, 
whichever   did   it.     Le   Breton    and   Rodgers 
were   taken    to    the    hospital    at   Vancouver, 
where  both  died.   Rodgers  was  not  any  worse 
hurt  than  I  was  at  first,  but  blood  poison- 
ing  set   in,   resulting   in   his    death.     I   was 
urged  to  go  to  the  hospital  but  I  was  more 
afraid   of    the   doctors    than    of    my   wound. 
T   used   some   simple   remedies.     My   wound 
was  very  painful  for  awhile  and  was  tender 
and     sore     for     several     years,     but     finally 
ceased  to  trouble  me." 

Mr.  Wilson  made  his  first  trip  to  the 
California  gold  fields  in  1S48  but  afterward 
visited  the  mines  several  times,  making  his 
home  during  that  period  with  Jesse  Apple- 
"ate.  In  1850  he  married  and  came  to  Doug- 
fas  county,  making  the  journey  with  an  ox 
team  and  securing  here  a  donation  claini  of 
six  hundred  and  forty  acres,  two  and  a  half 
miles  southeast  of  the  present  city  of  Yon- 
calla,  in  the  most  fertile  part  of  the  Yon- 
calla  vallev.  He  built  a  hewed  log  cabin 
of  one  room  which  for  several  years  was 
the  home  of  the  family,  but  was  later  re- 
placed by  a  more  modem  and  substantial 
residence'  The  Indians  were  at  times 
troublesome  but  never  to  such  an  extent 
that  it  became  necessary  to  make  war  upon 
them,  and  Mr.  Wilson  spent  many  useful  and 
happy  years  in  the  valley,  his  activities  con- 
tributing to  its  development  and  improvement. 
As  stated  Mr.  Wilson  was  married  in  1850, 
the  ladv  of  his  choice  being  Mrs.  Hannah 
Gillan,  "who  was  born  in  New  Jersey,  and 
was  five  years  of  age  when  her  parents,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Spencer  Dickinson,  removed  to  Co- 


1078 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


lumbiana  county,  Ohio,  where  they  lived 
for  seven  years.  In  1844  they  went  to 
Lee  county,  Iowa,  where  the  father  took 
up  a  government  land  claim.  While  living 
in  that  state  the  daughter  Hannah  became 
the  wife  of  John  Gillan  and  in  1844  they 
started  across  the  plains  for  Oregon  with 
four  yoke  of  oxen.  Their  trip  was  beset 
with  many  perils  and  they  were  several 
times  attacked  by  Indians."  In  the  Goose 
Lake  country  a  little  girl  of  the  train  was 
severely  wounded  and  for  days  was  carried 
on  a  litter.  She  survived,  however,  became 
a  Mrs.  Hendrick  and  was  well  known  in 
Oregon.  In  November,  1844,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Gillan  settled  on  a  claim  in  Lane  county, 
near  Eugene,  and  there  Mr.  Gillan  passed 
away  in  the  following  year.  About  five  years 
later  his  widow  became  the  wife  of  Wil- 
liam H.  W^ilson  and  theirs  was  a  happy  mar- 
ried life  covering  fifty-two  years.  She  has 
ever  been  a  believer  in  the  religion  of  cheer- 
fulness and  has  led  a  consistent  Christian 
life.  She  was  widely  known  as  one  of  the 
pioneer  women  of  Douglas  county,  belonging 
to  that  brave  band  of  mothers,  sisters  and 
wives  who  in  a  more  quiet  but  none  the  less 
important  way  bore  the  brunt  of  the  battle 
whereby  Oregon  was  reclaimed  for  the  pur- 
poses of  civilization.  In  February,  1902,  Mr, 
Wilson  departed  this  life  and  thus  closed  an 
honorable  and  useful  career,  intimately  con- 
nected with  the  early  development  of  the 
state.  He  was  an  uncompromising  republi- 
can and  for  several  years  served  as  county 
commissioner  of  Douglas  county,  while  later 
he  represented  his  district  in  the  legislature. 
He  never  deviated  from  the  straight  path 
of  duty  and  the  line  of  strict  integrity  and 
incorruptible  political  principles.  His  word 
was  his  bond  and  was  never  broken  for  any 
cause.  The  part  which  he  played  in  Indian 
warfare  alone  entitles  him  to  prominent  con- 
sideration in  this  volume,  yet  other  chapters 
of  his  life  history  are  equally  notable  and 
commendable.  He  was  a  consistent  member 
of  the  Christian  church  and  his  religion  con- 
stituted a  vital  force  in  his  career.  He  bore 
the  distinguishing  marks  of  tlie  early  fron- 
tiersman who  blazed  the  trail  for  the  gener- 
ation which  followed,  and  his  name  is  en- 
graved high  on  the  roll  of  Oregon's  honored 
pioneers. 

WILLIAM  P.  CHISHOLM,  M.  D.,  a  practic- 
ing physician  at  Rogue  River,  who  has  been 
very  successful  in  the  work  of  his  chosen 
profession,  is  the  owner  of  mining  properties 
and  about  three  hundred  acres  of  land.  He 
was  born  in  Hamilton,  Ontario,  Canada,  No- 
vember 4,  1865,  a  son  of  William  and  Jean- 
ette  Ferguson  (McPhie)  Chisholm,  natives  of 
Scotland.  The  father  emigrated  to  Canada  in 
1843  or  1843,  where  he  was  later  married. 
He  was  engaged  in  the  lumber  business  all 
his  life  and  died  in  Canada  in  1873,  when 
he  was  fifty  years  of  age.  The  mother  sur- 
vived him  until  1889,  passing  away  at  the 
age  of  fifty-seven  years.  The  father  was 
twice  married  and  to  him  were  born  ten  chil- 
dren, five  by  the  first  wife  and  five  by  the 
second.     Dr.   Chisholm   is   the  eldest   of   the 


five  children  born  unto  his  mother.  He  was 
educated  i^n  Hamilton,  being  graduated  from 
the  Hamilton  Collegiate  Institute  in  1883. 
He  then  entered  the  University  of  Toronto, 
where  he  remained  until  1885.  He  afterward 
entered  Trinity  Medical  College  of  Toronto 
and  in  1888  received  the  degree  of  M.  D. 
He  began  practicing  in  1889  in  Hamilton 
and  continued  the  work  of  his  profession 
there  until  1892,  when  in  May,  of  that  year, 
he  removed  to  Colorado,  where  he  practiced 
in  Platteville,  Ironton,  Denver  and  Victor 
for  five  years.  He  then  removed  to  southern 
Oregon,  where  for  fourteen  years  he  prac- 
ticed his  profession  in  Gold  Hill,  removing 
to  Rogue  River  in  1911.  The  Doctor  has 
for  many  years  been  interested  in  mining 
properties  and  during  twelve  years  of  his 
time  spent  in  southern  Oregon  he  was  con- 
nected with  that  business  in  conjunction 
with  his  practice.  His  holdings,  comprising 
about  three  hundred  acres  of  land,  contain 
some  valuable  mineral  deposits. 

Dr.  Chisholm  was  married,  December  15, 
1898,  to  Miss  Margaret  R.  Hammersly,  who 
was  bom  in  Springfield,  Oregon,  August  21, 
1877,  a  daughter  of  George  R.  and  Martha 
(Borough)  Hammersly,  who  now  reside  In 
Rogue  River.  To  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Chisholm 
have  been  born  seven  children,  Margaret. 
James,  Thomas,  Donald  Hugh,  Stuart  Thomp- 
son, Jeannette  McPhie  and  John. 

The  Doctor  in  his  political  views  is  a 
democrat  but  has  never  been  an  office  seeker. 
Although  his  arrival  in  Rogue  River  is  com- 
paratively recent,  he  has  become  extensively 
and  favorably  known  in  the  community. 
Having  had  broad  medical  experience,  he  has 
succeeded  in  building  up  a  good  practice, 
which  is  constantly  growing.  Being  an  af- 
fable man  and  of  an  optimistic  temperament 
he  makes  friends  readily  and  has  an  ex- 
tended acquaintance  in  the  community. 

VINCENT  JACOB.  Much  credit  must  ever 
be  given  to  the  man,  who  through  his  own 
unaided  efl'ort  attains  a  position  that  en- 
titles him  to  the  respect  and  esteem  of  the 
community  in  which  he  resides.  This  is 
particularly  true  in  the  case  of  a  foreigner, 
as  Vincent  Jacob,  who  landed  in  America 
with  a  capital  of  eleven  cents,  and  very 
little  knowledge  of  the  language  or  customs 
of  the  country.  Handicapped  in  apparently 
every  possible  way,  save  mentally  and  phys- 
ically, he  began  life  in  this  country  with 
the  firm  determination  to  win  his  way  to 
afl^luence  and  he  is  rapidly  achieving  his 
ambition. 

He  is  a  native  of  Russia,  his  natal  day 
having  been  the  13th  of  October.  1855,  and 
his  parents  were  Benjamin  and  Mary  Jacob, 
also  natives  of  Russia,  whose  family  num- 
bered nine.  The  father  has  passed  away  but 
the  mother  is  living  and  continues  to  be  a 
resident  of  her  native  country. 

Russia  was  the  home  of  Vincent  Jacob 
until  1892.  when  he  acquired  the  necessary 
passage  money  to  bring  him  to  the  United 
States,  feeling  positive  that  here  he  should 
find  the  opportunity  to  prove  his  capabilities. 
The   first   four   years   of   his   residence   were 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


1083 


spent  in  Pittsburg,  Kansas,  and  at  tlie  ex- 
piration of  that  period  he  came  to  the  Pa- 
cific coast,  being  attracted  by  the  wonder- 
ful stories  he  heard  of  its  agricultural  pos- 
sibilities. He  located  in  Tillamook  county 
and  for  two  years  thereafter  farmed  as  a 
renter.  This  proved  to  be  a  very  profitable 
venture  under  his  capable  and  energetic  di- 
rection and  in  two  years  by  means  of  the 
most  rigid  economy  and  self-denial  he  ac- 
quired capital  enough  to  buy  his  present 
farm.  It  consists  of  two  hundred  acres  of 
land,  upon  which  he  has  erected  substan- 
tial buildings,  making  it  one  of  the  well 
improved  and  highly  cultivated  properties 
of  the  district.  Under  his  supervision  the 
land  is  carefully  cultivated  and  it  yields 
abundant  harvests,  which  command  the  high- 
est prices  in  the  market.  Mr.  Jacob's  cir- 
cumstances have  steadily  improved  from  year 
to  year  until  he  is  now  one  of  the  well-to-do 
men  of  his  community,  and  in  addition  to 
his  fine  homestead  is  a  large  stockholder  in 
the  Elwood  Creamery.  He  makes  a  specialty 
of  dairy  farming  and  is  now  milking  forty- 
five  cows,  this  in  itself  netting  him  a  large 
revenue. 

While  still  a  resident  of  Russia'  Mr.  Jacob 
was  married  to  Miss  Walburga  Stroh,  also 
a  native  of  that  country.  Ten  children  have 
been  born  unto  Jlr.  and  Mrs.  Jacob,  but 
three  of  whom,  Ben,  Peter  and  Pious,  are 
living. 

Mr.  Jacob  is  a  naturalized  citizen  of  the 
United  States  and  gives  his  political  sup- 
port to  the  republican  party,  but  he  has 
never  been  an  aspirant  to  official  honors. 
During  the  long  period  of  his  residence  in 
this  country,  despite  the  discouragements  and 
sorrows  that  have  come  to  him  as  to  every 
one,  he  has  never  for  a  moment  regretted 
the  transference  of  his  allegiance  to  the 
United  States.  Success  has  not  come  easily, 
but  as  the  result  of  careful  management,  un- 
remitting labor  and  thrift,  but  his  efforts 
have  been  well  rewarded,  netting  him  full 
returns. 

JULIAN   P.    JOHNSON,    A.   M.,   M.    D.,    a 

highly  educated  representative  of  the  medi- 
cal fraternity,  is  well  known  as  a  physician 
and  surgeon  of  Ashland  and  also  as  a  special- 
ist in  the  treatment  of  diseases  of  the  eye, 
ear,  nose  and  throat.  His  birth  occurred  in 
Livingston  county,  Kentucky,  on  the  11th  of 
August,  1867,  his  parents  being  Robert  Wil- 
liam and  Perneca  H.  (Ward)  Johnson,  who 
were  natives  of  Alabama  and  Missouri  re- 
spectively. They  were  married  in  Carroll 
county,  Illinois,  to  which  state  they  had  re- 
moved with  their  respective  parents.  Robert 
William  .Johnson  served  in  the  Federal  army 
during  the  Civil  war  as  a  member  of  Com- 
pany I,  Twenty-ninth  Illinois  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, and  was  later  transferred  to  the 
Sixth  Mississippi  Cavalry,  a  colored  regiment, 
of  which  he  was  made  commissary.  He  was 
married  while  home  on  a  furlough  and  after 
the  close  of  hostilities  located  in  Kentucky. 
In  1867  he  removed  to  Springfield,  Missouri, 
where  his  demise  occurred  in  1871  and  where 
his  widow  still  resides. 


Julian  P.  .Johnson  was  reared  under  the 
parental  roof  and  acquired  his  early  educa- 
tion in  the  common  schools.  Subsequently 
he  pursued  a  high-school  course  and  then 
entered  the  Southwestern  Baptist  College  at 
Bolivar,  Missouri,  from  which  institution  he 
was  graduated  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor 
of  Arts  in  1890.  Three  years  later  the  de- 
gree of  Master  of  Arts  was  conferred  upon 
him.  He  was  ordained  as  a  Baptist  minis- 
ter at  the  age  of  twenty-one  and  preached 
for  that  church  for  over  sixteen  years,  dur- 
ing which  time  he  spent  two  years  in  India 
as  a  missionary  teacher.  In  1894  he  entered 
the  University  of  Chicago  and  in  1899  was 
graduated  from  that  institution  with  the 
'degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts.  In  the  same 
year  he  also  won  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of 
Divinity.  However,  a  change  of  belief  con- 
cerning the  dogmatic  theology  of  the  ortho- 
dox church  led  to  his  abandonment  of  the 
pulpit  and  his  entrance  into  the  medical  pro- 
fession. In  1906  he  entered  the  College  of 
Homeopathic  Medicine  of  the  State  Univer- 
sity of  Iowa,  being  graduated  therefrom  with 
the  degree  of  M.  D..  in  1910.  During  these 
years  he  had  also  pursued  special  courses  in 
various  branches.  Dr.  W.  L.  Bywater,  who  held 
the  chair  of  eye,  ear,  nose  and  throat  in  the 
college  faculty  of  the  State  University  of 
Iowa,  was  a  personal  friend  of  Dr.  Johnson, 
who  pursued  special  courses  in  this  branch 
of  medicine  under  the  former's  able  direc- 
tion. Immediately  following  his  graduation 
Dr.  Johnson  came  to  Oregon  and  on  July 
2,  1910,  located  in  Ashland,  where  he  has 
since  devoted  his  attention  to  his  special 
work.  In  the  short  space  of  two  years  he 
has  built  up  a  lucrative  practice  and  has 
won  an  enviable  reputation  in  the  field  of 
his  specialty.  Through  his  membership  in 
the  Southern  Oregon  Medical  Association  and 
the  American  Institute  of  Homeopathy  he 
keeps  in  close  touch  with  the  progress  that 
is  continually  made  by  the  profession. 

On  the  6th  of  September,  1910,  Dr.  .John- 
son was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Emily 
A..  Hor-ran,  of  Corvallis,  Oregon.  Fraternally 
he  is  illentified  with  the  Masons,  belongmg 
to  Ashland  Lodge,  No.  33,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.; 
Siskivou  Chapter,  No.  31,  R.  A.  M.;  Malta 
Comiiiandery,  No.  4,  K.  T.;  and  Alpha  Chap- 
ter No.  1,  O.  E.  S.  Of  the  last  named,  the 
(irst  chapter  in  Oregon,  he  is  serving  for  the 
second  term  as  worthy  patron.  He  likewise 
belongs  to  the  Woodmen  of  the  World  and 
acts  as  medical  examiner  of  the  local  lodge. 
Cenial  in  disposition,  unobtrusive  and  unas- 
sumin",  he  is  patient  under  adverse  criti- 
cism "and  in  his  expressions  concerning 
brother  practitioners  is  friendly  and  indul- 
gent. 

J.  A.  MORRIS  is  acting  as  postmaster  of 
Adel  where  he  also  carries  on  merchandising, 
and  in  the  business  circles  of  Lake  county  he 
is  widely  and  favorably  known.  He  was  born 
in  Dade"  county,  Missouri,  February  14,  1869, 
a  son  of  William  and  Sarah  (Cook)  Morris, 
the  former  a  native  of  Missouri  and  the  latter 
of  Kentucky.  They  were  reared  and  married 
in  Missouri  and  in  1877  started  on  the  long 
journey    across    the   hot   sandy   plains    in    a 


1084 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


wagon  to  Jackson  county,  Oregon,  settling 
near  Rock  Point,  where  they  now  reside.  The 
father  engaged  in  placer  mining  until  about 
1900,  since  which  time  he  has  lived  retired. 
While  in  Missouri  he  followed  farming  save 
for  the  period  of  the  Civil  war,  when  he  en- 
listed and  served  as  a  soldier.  In  his  family 
were  eleven  children,  ten  of  whom  are  now 
living  and  all  are  married  with  the  exception 
of  the  youngest. 

J.  A.  Morris,  coming  to  Oregon  when  a 
youth  of  eight  years,  remained  with  his  par- 
ents until  1890,  and  worked  in  the  mines  with 
his  father,  thus  early  forming  habits  of  in- 
dustry and  perseverance.  On  the  9th  of  June, 
1890,  he  arrived  in  Warner  valley  and  for 
about  twelve  years  worked  as  a  buccaro.  He 
afterward  ran  stock,  handling  horses  and  cat- 
tle on  his  own  account  for  three  years.  He 
next  turned  his  attention  to  merchandising 
and  purchased  two  little  stores  in  the  valley, 
conducting  one  at  what  is  now  the  town  of 
Plush,  in  the  first  building  upon  the  present 
townsite.  In  fact  Mr.  Morris  platted  the 
townsite  and  erected  the  first  building  there. 
He  continued  at  that  point  until  1910,  when 
he  came  to  Adel  at  the  south  end  of  Warner 
valley.  He  bought  property  here  and  es- 
tablished business  and  in  1910  was  appointed 
to  the  ofKce  of  postmaster.  He  is  an  enter- 
prising merchant,  wideawake,  progressive  and 
active  in  all  of  his  business  affairs,  and  at 
the  same  time  loyal  to  all  of  his  public 
duties.  He  is  not  only  the  postmaster  but 
also  notary  public,  and  at  one  time  was  jus- 
tice of  the  peace  but  resigned.  As  a  mer- 
chant he  has  done  extensive  business  with  the 
stockmen,  fitting  out  sheep  camps  and  stock 
ranches,  and  the  careful  management  of  his 
business  affairs  has  brought  him  a  substan- 
tial measure  of  prosperity. 

On  the  25th  of  December,  1898,  Mr.  Morris 
was  married  to  Miss  Daisy  Overton,  who  was 
bom  in  Fort  Bidwell,  Modoc  county,  Califor- 
nia, a  daughter  of  Major  and  Dora  (Rambo) 
Overton.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Morris  have  four  chil- 
dren, Hallie,  William  Truman,  Raymond  and 
Rotha.  Mr.  Morris  has  always  been  an  ad- 
vocate of  democratic  principles  and  ever  exer- 
cises his  right  of  franchise  in  support  of  the 
men  and  measures  of  that  party.  His  frater- 
nal relations  are  with  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows  of  Lakeview.  He  is  numbered 
among  those  who  are  active  in  promoting  pub- 
lic development  of  southern  Oregon  and  his 
efforts  are  put  forth  along  progressive  lines 
which  are  proving  not  only  a  source  of  indi- 
vidual success  but  also  an  element  in  public 
progress  and  prosperity. 

JAMES  T.  HALL,  wlio  is  associated  in 
the  general  practice  of  law  with  his  brother. 
Judge  John  F.  Hall,  is  one  of  the  accom- 
plished and  highly  respected  citizens  of 
Marshfield.  He  was  born  in  Polk  county, 
this  state,  .January  1,  1859,  and  is  a  son  of 
William  and  Martha  J.  (Cox)  Hall.  His 
father  is  a  native  of  Tennessee,  his  birth  hav- 
ing occurred  near  Greenfield  in  Greene  county, 
on  March  22.  1821,  and  his  mother  is  a  native 
of  Illinois,  in  which  state  she  was  born  Feb- 


ruary  6,   1836.     William   Hall   emigrated   to 
California    in    1849,   where   he   remained   for 
one  year  only  and  then  took  ship  to   Port- 
land,  Oregon,    and    from    there    went    imme- 
diately to  Polk  county,  near  Grande  Ronde 
Indian   reservation,    where   he    filed    upon    a 
donation    claim    of    six    hundred    and    forty 
acres.      The    place    is    now    known    as    Mill 
Creek.    Here  he  established  his  home  and  be- 
gan  at   once  the   development   and   improve- 
ment of  his  newly  acquired  possessions,  con- 
tinuing thus  until  1868,  when  he  disposed  of 
the  property   and  removed   to   what   is   now 
called  Jladron  sheep  ranch,  in  Douglas  coun- 
ty.    There  he  settled  on  unsurveyed  govern- 
ment land  and  entered  into  partnership  with 
William  Day,  being  engaged  in  sheep-raising 
for  one  year,  after  which  he  moved  to  what 
is  now  known  as  Rock  Creek,  at  a  point  five 
miles  southeast  of  Enchanted  Prairie.    There 
he  devoted  his  attention  to  stock-raising  for 
two  years,  after  which  he  removed  to  Isth- 
mus Slough,  where  he  located  a  preemption 
and  homestead  claim,  which  property  is  now 
known  as   Flag   Staff,   Millington   and  Alder 
Park,  and  is  located  three  miles  in  a  south- 
erly  direction   from   Marshfield.     Upon   that 
property   he   continued   to   live   for   the  suc- 
ceeding twenty  years   and  then   disposed  of 
the    place    and    purchased    his    residence    in 
Marshfield,  where  he  continued  to  live  dur- 
ing the  remaining  years  of  his  life.     He  was 
united  in  marriage  in   1851  to  Miss  Martha 
•J.   Cox,   who   in   company   with   her   parents 
emigrated  to  this  state  in  1845,  their  party 
being   one   of   a   number   who   at   that   time 
made    the   journey    across    the    great    plains 
with  Joe  Meek's  company.     On  reaching  Ore- 
gon they  settled  in  Polk  county  on  a  place 
located    twelve    miles    from    Dallas    and    six 
miles    from   the   town   of   Sheridan.     In   the 
family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  Hall  were 
nine  children:  Isam  A.,  a  ferry  boat  captain 
of  Marshfield;  William,  who  passed  away  in 
infancy  in  Polk  county;  .Judge  John  F.,  ex- 
tended mention  of  whom  is  made  elsewhere 
in  this  work;  James  T.,  of  this  review;  An- 
drew  J.,   who    died   in    1911    at   the   age    of 
forty-nine  years;   Mrs.  Ida  P.   Patterson,  of 
Marshfield; "Mrs.  Sarah  A.  TenBrook,  of  Mer- 
rill. Klamath  county;  Mary  M.,  the  wife  of 
J.  N.  Crawford,  of  "Xew  Orleans,  Louisiana; 
and  Nellie  Wilson,  an  adopted  daughter,  re- 
siding  at   Berkeley,   California.     The   father 
of   this   family   died   in  May,   1890,  and  the 
mother  passed  away  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
two  years,' in  1908. 

Jaines  T.  Hall  was  reared  at  home  and  re- 
ceived his  early  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  this  state.  He  began  his  inde- 
pendent career  as  captain  on  a  steamboat  on 
Coos  bay  and  continued  in  that  occupation 
for  a  period  of  seven  years,  during  which 
time  he  devoted  himself  "to  the  study  of  law 
at  every  available  opportunity  his  spare  time 
afforded,  and  especially  sought  retirement  at 
night  where  in  more  "complete  seclusion  he 
was  able  to  engage  in  uninternipted  and  pro- 
longed application  to  his  text-books.  Pre- 
vious, however,  to  his  employment  as  a 
steamboat  captain  he  served  for  two  years 
as  deputy  sheriff  of  Coos  county  under  Col- 


THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


1085 


onel  John  Lane  and  later  as  deputy  collec- 
tor of  customs.  Having  at  last  thoroughly 
prepared  himself  for  the  practice  of  the  legal 
profession  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and 
became  associated  in  practice  with  his 
brother,  Judge  John  F.  Hall,  with  whom  he 
has  since  continued  to  practice  in  all  of  the 
courts  of  the  state  and  also  in  the  United 
States  court.  He  is  the  owner  of  a  fine  resi- 
dence in  Marshfield  and  is  also  possessed  of 
other  properties,  among  which  is  a  large  tract 
of  excellent  land  in  Coos  county. 

Mr.  Hall  was  united  in  marriage  August  6, 
1893,  to  Miss  Alice  J.  Stauff,  who  was  born 
in  Coos  county  and  is  a  daughter  of  Alex- 
ander and  Mary  E.  Stautf.  Her  parents  were 
among  the  early  pioneers  of  Oregon,  the 
father  passing  away  at  Marshfield  in  1911. 
His  widow  is  now  living  at  Riverside,  Cali- 
fornia, at  the  age  of  fifty-four  years.  In 
their  family  were  seven  children:  Alice  J., 
who  is  the  "wife  of  James  T.  Hall;  Charles 
F.,  of  Marshfield;  William,  James  and  May 
R.,  all  residents  of  Riverside,  California;  and 
Ernest  and  Edward,  deceased.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Hall  one  daughter  has  been  born,  Mary- 
Elsie,  born  February  28,  1895,  who  is  a  pupil 
in  the  high  school  at  Marshfield. 

Mr.  Hall  is  affiliated  with  the  democratic 
party  and  is  an  influential  man  in  the  coun- 
cils of  that  great  political  organization  in 
his  state,  having  served  for  the  past  eight 
years  as  chairman  of  the  Coos  county  demo- 
cratic committee.  Fraternally  he  is  con- 
nected with  the  Masonic  order,  being  a 
Roval  Arch  Mason  and  a  member  of  the 
Eastern  Star.  He  also  belongs  to  the  An- 
cient Order  of  United  Workmen,  to  the  De- 
gree of  Honor,  and  to  Myrtle  Lodge,  No.  3, 
K.  P.  His  family  are  members  of  the  Epis- 
copal church  at  jlarshfield.  Mr.  Hall  is  re- 
garded as  one  of  the  leading  and  influential 
citizens  of  Marshfield.  He  is  an  attorney  of 
recognized  ability  and  during  the  years,  in 
which  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  practice 
of  his  profession,  he  has  established  a  large 
and  lucrative  practice,  to  which  he  gives  his 
undivided  attention.  His  influence  and  as- 
sistance can  always  be  counted  upon  to  ad- 
vance every  public  measure,  having  for  its 
object  the "  educational  and  moral  improve- 
ment of  the  people  of  his  state  and  county. 

WILLIAM  ALBERT  BISHEL,  filling  the 
position  of  county  sherirt'  of  Curry  county 
since  1910.  was  born  in  Lafayette,  Wiscon- 
sin July  26,  1859,  his  parents  being  John 
and  Hannah  (Dodgeson)  Bishel.  They  had  a 
family  of  four  children,  of  whom  William  A. 
is  the  eldest,  the  others  being:  Elizabeth 
Ann.  the  wife  of  Amos  Deys,  of  Iowa;  Aj- 
thur  S.,  who  is  married  and  lives  m  Franklin 
county,  Iowa;  and  John  Oscar,  who  is  also 
married  and  makes  his  home  in  Franklin 
county. 

William  Albert  Bishel  was  reared  in  Wis- 
consin and  was  about  seven  years  of  age  at 
the  time  of  his  father's  death.  When  a  youth 
of  twelve  he  began  earning  his  own  liveli- 
hood and  worked  as  a  farm  hand  until  twen- 
ty-two years  of  age,  being  employed  by  dif- 


ferent agriculturists  of  his  part  of  the  state. 
He  afterward  learned  the  carpenter's  trade 
and  a  year  later  took  up  tlie  study  of  steam 
engineering,  following  that  occupation  for  two 
years  in  Wisconsin.  He  next  went  to  North 
Carolina  and  followed  both  trades  in  that 
state  for  seven  years.  When  that  period 
had  passed  he  removed  to  Iowa,  where  he 
worked  for  three  years,  and  in  the  winter 
of  lS9:i  he  came  to  California,  where  he  re- 
mained for  only  a  short  time,  working  at 
both  carpentering  and  engineering.  He  was 
emploj'cd  in  those  capacities  in  various  places 
on  the  Pacific  coast  and  finally  settled  at  Wed- 
derburn,  Oregon,  where  he  took  a  contract  for 
carrying  the  mail  and  was  thus  employed  for 
six  years.  In  1900  he  removed  to  (iold  Beacli 
and  bought  a  hotel  which  he  improved,  build- 
ing a  large  addition  and  equipping  it  accord- 
ing to  modern  methods.  He  is  still  jiroprietor 
of  that  hotel,  in  which  connection  lie  is  widely 
and  favorably  known.  Winning  popularity 
as  a  business  man,  he  was  at  length  men- 
tioned in  connection  with  public  olfice  and 
in  1910  was  elected  sheriff  of  Curry  county, 
in  wliieh  position  he  has  since  creditably 
served.  During  his  term  of  office,  and  in 
a  measure  due  to  his  efforts,  the  new  court- 
house is  being  erected  at  Gold  Beach.  It 
is  said  that  Mr.  Bishel  has  kept  the  clean- 
est and  most  up-to-date  city  records  that 
have  ever  been  kept  in  this  office  since  its 
establishment.  He  has  made  the  acquaintance 
of  a  very  large  number  of  notable  men,  not 
only  in  performing  the  duties  of  his  position 
but  also  in  other  ways,  as  he  has  traveled 
here  and  there,  and  he  enjoys  public  confi- 
dence in  large  measure.  His  political  alle- 
giance is  given  to  the  republican  party  and 
in  addition  to  the  office  of  sheriff  he  has 
served  as  road  supervisor,  as  constable  and 
as  deputy  sheriff.  It  was  his  capability  in 
those  different  positions  that  recommended 
him  for  his  present  office,  in  which  he  is 
now  a  most  worthy  incumbent.  His  religious 
faith  is  that  of  the  United  Brethren  church. 
He  holds  membership  with  the  Fraternal 
Order  of  Eagles.  ]Mr.  Bishel  may  be  truly 
called  a  self-made  man,  for  he  started  out 
in  the  business  world  on  his  own  account 
when  a  youth  of  twelve  years  and  has 
steadily  worked  his  way  upward.  He  is  pop- 
ular both  as  a  hotel  man  and  county  offi- 
cial, being  held  in  high  esteem  by  the  law- 
abiding  citizens. 

Mr.  Bishel  was  married,  November  25. 
1894,  to  Miss  Laura  J.  Miller,  a  native  of 
Curry  county,  and  a  daughter  of  A.  R. 
and  Mary  J.  (Coy)  Miller,  the  former  a  na- 
tive of  'Dayton."  Ohio,  and  the  latter  of 
Missouri.  In  their  family  were  twelve  chil- 
dren, of  whom  seven  are  living:  John  C, 
who  is  married  and  lives  upon  a  ranch  in 
Curry  county,  not  far  from  Wedderburn; 
William  R.,  and  W.  W..  twins,  and  E. 
R.,  all  living  at  Wedderburn;  Walter 
S.,'  who  is  married  and  lives  in  the  same 
locality;  George  B.,  a  farmer  of  Gold  Beach; 
and  Mrs.  Bishel.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bishel 
have  been  born  five  children:  Roy  E..  who  was 
born  December  23,  1895,  and  is  a  high-school 


1086 


THE  CExXTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  OREGON 


fn^lonV  ^'<'™°°'  1^°™  ii  1S9S;  Myrtle  ilav. 
in  1902;  Laurena,  m  1905;  and  Lorin  W ' 
H^'  3  1907  The  children  are  attend  n^^ 
the  graded  schools  of  Gold  Beach  and  it  5 
-Ml  Uishels  desire  that  they  should  have 
good  educational  privileges  and  thus  be  well 

S'of  ml.  *''  P'''=*"^^  ^"'^  ■•<^^P°-'i"^ 

JOHN  WILLIAM  HENRY  ADKINS,  resid- 
ing at  Gales  creek,  Washington  countv   Ore- 
gon,   was    born    near    Boonesboro,    Howard 
county,    Missouri,   May    30,    1845,    a   son   of 
Joshua  and  Ivarcysus  Ann    (Sevier)    Adkins 
ihe  family  is  of  English  descent  and  Abra- 
ham  Adkins,    the   great-grandfather,   passed 
his    life    and    died    in    England,    his    native 
country.      His    son,    John    Adkins,    however 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1793.     He  set- 
tled   in    Pennsylvania,    where    he    lived    for 
four  years,    and   then    removed   to    Vir<»inia 
where  he  was  married  to  a  Miss  Mullins  in 
1816.      They   became   parents   of   three   sons 
and  four  daughters  including  Joshua  Adkins, 
father  of  our  subject,  who  was  born  in  Green- 
brier  county,  Virginia,   now   West    Virginia 
September  13,  1819.  He  became  a  pilot  on  the 
Ohio  river  in  early  life  and  by  trade  was  a 
blacksmith.    He  was  well  known  in  fraternal 
circles,  holding  membership  with  the  Masons, 
the  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Sons  of  Temperance. 
His  political  support  was  given  to  the  whig 
party  and  his  religious  faith  was  that  of  the 
Baptist  church.    He  was  a  good  scholar,  read- 
ing   broadly    and    thinking    deeply,    and   was 
well  fitted  for  the  position  of  prominence  and 
lead